Review: Home

Budget 135 million,   Boxoffice 386 million.

Run-time 94 minutes

Voice Cast
Jim Parsons as Oh
Rihanna as Gratuity "Tip" Tucci
Steve Martin as Captain Smek
Jennifer Lopez as Lucy Tucci
Matt Jones as Kyle, a Boov police officer.
Brian Stepanek as Gorg Commander, the leader of the Gorg

I honestly do not think that HOME needs a review.  The plot is completely derivative.  One clueless alien race being chased by another malevolent race, invades Earth, displacing humans as completely incompetent, though it soon becomes clear that the worst screw-up is  O who is constantly screwing up in major fashion. 

O is soon befriended by Tip who is looking for her mother.  Together they both commence on a totally warped road trip.

Along the way there are major reversals and not everything is as it seems.

The movie is well drawn and animated as well as brilliantly voice cast.  I would be tempted to rate it an 8 for the above and it is clearly a fine film for young people or a family film.  But if we rate it with the plot line you have to take into account how lazy and derivative it is, drawing for just about any invasion film out there.  So the best I can do is 6, which means go ahead and watch it and enjoy it with your children or family.  But be prepared to explain yourself to your friends! 

Review: American Ultra

 American Ultra

Budget $28 million  Box Office 14.4 million  So as you can see it was a box office failure.

Run Time
96 minutes

Here is a very short list  of cast members

Jesse Eisenberg as Mike Howell
Kristen Stewart as Phoebe Larson
John Leguizamo as Rose
Bill Pullman as Raymond Krueger

I just got a chance to view the film American Ultra.  I was under the impression that it was some kind of stoner movie and my movie guy Mark thought it was a spy thriller.  While there are these as element in the film, it is instead a Sci-Fi through and through.  That however is far from a saving grace,

Mike and Phoebe are stoners.  Mike works in a convenience store and even though Mike has major phobias, all seems well, until that is a woman shows up at the store and starts spouting gibberish at

Mike.  From there it gets weirder and weirder.  Think of Chuck on acid. 

I would like to call it a  fun romp as Chuck was but it isn't.  American Ultra is at times violent, bloody and a goodly helping of gore.

All play well into the plot but like I said, there are goodly amounts of all mentioned which can be off-putting.   I would rate the film a 7.   You however might rate it higher, but I think 7 is fair. 

For more information go to the  Wikipedia link HERE

BMU #458 Now Online

I start off episode 458 with observations concerning stupid questions and even stupider answers by the political pundits vying for the office of the  President.

My musical selection was A Glorious Dawn by Symphony of Science.

From the Beam Me Up blog http://wrfrbeameup.blogspot.com/  a couple of new planets have been discovered, but don't look for either to be life bearing.

I review "Terminator Genesis"



And close with episode 36 of Jason Kahn's In Plain Sight


You can download the file or listen online HERE

Newly Discovered Planet Whipped by 5400mph Winds

Exoplanet HD189733b is just not habital!

One of the first to be discovered with water in it's

atmosphere, it soon became apparent that no one

would be living there in the foreseeable future.

The Exoplanet is known as a "hot Jupiter"  and at  63 light years, it is the closest planet of it's type to Earth. 

All of these features are indeed awe inspiring.  How there is another feature in the planet's makeup that is truly awe inspiring.   Exoplanet HD189733b is to have  observed  speeds of up to a massive 5,400 miles per hour, which is 20 times faster than anything that has been experienced on Earth.

Check out the NASA  article here for more info

Beam Me Up ep. 457

 episode 457 begins with a short discussion of the ISS which segways into observations of Mars before I take a short musical break with music frm Durarara.

After the break I continue with a bit more Mars news. 

I then discuss an article concerning the great work that the probe Cassini is still doing around Saturn.

The final selection for the afternoon is Captain Quazer by Milo James Fowler


Check out episode 457 here

3x Times closer Goldilocks Planet Discovered

 Astrophysicists recently revealed the discovery of a  rocky Earth-sized planet very close to Earth in size.  Dubbed GJ1132b, the planet is also a sizzler at 840 degrees  surface temp.

272 trillion miles  is one light year.  That makes the new planed ten thousand six hundred and eight trillion miles.  That puts the planet close in galactic terms (though incomprehensible in human terms)

GJ113392b is located 39 lightyears  away.  Even though it sounds far,  it is 3 times closer than the next closest planet in the goldilocks zone. 

REVIEW: Terminator - Genisis

Well, I got a chance to watch the newest incarnation (maybe the last?)  of the Terminator series Terminator Genisis.  This film was, I suspect, meant to tie up
loose ends. However according to the Wikipedia, Genisis is the first of three.

I don't want to give too much away as some may not have seen the film. (if you have see the film, check out Genisis on the Wikipedia site for info, you may
have missed.

I really liked the masterful use of Terminator 1 and 2, but you have got to see how they missed the mark on the time line.  If you are going to set the timeline
in 1, continue it in 2 with 3 and 4 playing around the edges of the time-line  (all though 4, took some liberties that left me wanting) only to have Genesis pretty much throw it all out.....and ageing?  really?!

I like the idea of bringing back Arnold, he really owns the Terminator 850.  I
could say more about Sarah, John and Reese but again, I am getting too close to
a spoiler.......

The movie isn't bad but isn't stunningly good either.  I would give it a 7.

Aliens Nix, Signals From Tabby Random

A star system that SETI has designated "Tabby's Star" has been a source of speculation about extraterrestrial intelligence has offered, after two weeks of extensive scrutiny,  has offered up only radio silence. 

The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Institute (SETI) has been monitoring an unusual light pattern in the Tabby's Star system for more than two weeks.

The system has been under scrutiny since its unusual light fluctuation was discovered a few years back by users of the online astronomy crowd sourcing site Planet Hunters.

 Tabbyu is located 1,500 light years away.  Light from the star system occasionally  dropped  20%, according to data that was collected by NASA's Kepler Telescope.

SETI Institute started investigating the star after learning that the Kepler team had marked the data showing  an unusual  light pattern coming from the region.

Read more from the  CNN article HERE

Solar Wind stripped Mars' Atmosphere

There is no doubt that the Solar System is several billion years old.

Many dramatic changes have taken place system wide. Mars for example has undergone extreme geological and meteralogic transformations. 

 For example, Mars, several billion years ago was a warm, moist place quite capable of supporting life. Now Mars is a cold,dry place. 

 Even today, scientists report, solar winds strip about 100 grams of atmosphere a day. 

 Not much by previous amounts however in the far distant past, huge solar storms travelling at several times the present speeds, allowed for 10 to 20 times as much material. Because of their strength and speed, These solar storms were capable of gutting Mars' atmosphere from warm and moist to cold and dry desert of today. 

 For more read this CBCnews article HERE

Star Wars Spoof

Sent to my by Xnewsman that really had me just  ummm well, use your imagination.

oh and you now have my permission to go change your skivies

BMU Episode 456 for Halloween

Episode 456 was my Halloween episode which always incorporates Colin P, Davies' classic tale Happy Halloween narrated by Kelly better known as Crystal Wizard.  I absolutely love this story which has a masterful twist at the end.

The first story is a treat as we don't get to have stories narrated by Ron Huber.  The story is called the Benefactor written by David K. Scholes.

I start however with the movie Vice.  With Bruce Willis and Thomas Jane among others. 

You can download, or simply play the episode by selecting HERE