Starship Troopers

‘Andor’ is must-see sci-fi TV; ‘Electric State’ misses the mark

Posted on by earthtoshawna

I will get my negative reviews out of the way first: I did not love “The Electric State.” It is set in the ’90s – an alternate ’90s in which humans have been at war with robots.

It stars Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt, who I love, and is directed by the Russo brothers – it should have been a hit. Unfortunately, it was kind of dumb and I don’t recommend it.

I finally got through Season 3 of “The Witcher.” I really liked the first couple seasons of this series, but then it veered into “Xena: Warrior Princess” territory and now I’m over it. Henry Cavill will be replaced with Liam Hemsworth for Season 4, which clinches my decision.

Michelle Yeoh’s character in “Star Trek: Discovery” was cool, but the spinoff movie didn’t live up to my expectations. I can’t pinpoint exactly where it went wrong; I guess it was just too cliched and silly. (It seems to be going around.)

Let’s talk about Season 2 of the Star Wars series “Andor,” on Disney+. Although Season 1 took a few episodes to get interesting, Season 2 hit the ground running.

In the first episode of the season, Cassian impersonates an Imperial pilot in order to steal a prototype of a new ship – the TIE Avenger (I predict a new Lego set!), while Bix, Brasso, and Wilmon hide out on the agricultural planet Mina-Rau. On Chandrila, Mon Mothma prepares for her daughter’s arranged marriage.

It’s been two and a half years since Season 1; I sort of wish I’d rewatched it before beginning Season 2, and if you haven’t started Season 2 yet, I’d recommend doing that. Still, it’s very suspenseful and exciting. As much as I love Mando and Grogu, “Andor” is arguably the most well-done of all the Star Wars TV series.

In the last season and this one, the most powerful scenes are those in which the characters realize the consequences of their decisions and sacrifices. Sacrifice is a major theme in “Andor.” The writers also leaned hard into allegory this season, with the Empire and the Resistance mirroring our current political climate.

One more thing I will say about “Andor” is that while it’s essentially good guys vs. bad guys, there’s more of a blurring of the lines with some of the characters; for example, some of the “good” guys do some very bad things – for a good cause. It is a gray area that hasn’t been seen much in this franchise and boosts this series above the others.

Upcoming films and series

Neill Blomkamp is working on a new “Starship Troopers” movie! This is less a remake of the 1997 Paul Verhoeven film, and more an adaptation of the 1959 novel by Robert A. Heinlein. I really like Blomkamp’s films “District 9,” “Elysium,” and “Chappie,” so I am looking forward to seeing his interpretation of “Starship Troopers.”

If you did not see “The Old Guard,” I wholeheartedly recommend it; it’s on Netflix. I may rewatch it myself before the sequel is released July 2 (also on Netflix), as it has been five years since the first film. Charlize Theron stars as Andromache of Scythia, an immortal mercenary who has been around for thousands of years. It is an adaptation of a comic book (which is also good) by Greg Rucka.

The sequel will have a different director than that of the first movie. Victoria Mahoney took over directing duties from Gina Prince-Bythewood, who is a producer on the film. Theron, KiKi Layne, Marwan Kenzari, Luca Marinelli, Matthias Schoenaerts, Van Veronica Ngo, and Chiwetel Ejiofor will reprise their roles, and Uma Thurman and Henry Golding have been added to the cast for the sequel.

I loved “Thunderbolts,” as you know if you read my last post. Next up in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is “The Fantastic Four: First Steps.”

After several not-so-great movies of this quartet, I’m not super hyped about another attempt, but maybe it will surprise me.

I do love the cast: Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Vanessa Kirby star as the team of four superheroes who must save their 1960s-inspired planet (a parallel Earth).

It will be in theaters July 25.

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What to watch while you’re waiting for ‘The Force’

Posted on by earthtoshawna

I keep hearing about this new movie that’s coming out in a few months – ‘The Force Awakens’? Or something like that. I guess it’s a sequel to those Star Wars movies. People are getting excited about all this new merchandise from the movie. I don’t really know much about it.

I’m kidding, of course. I’m super excited about the new movie too. But can we please admit that Star Wars fever has gotten a bit out of control when someone is selling Han Solo frozen in carbonite Pop-Tarts? And they aren’t edible – they are made out of resin. And they cost $30. For a replica of a Pop-Tart.

I think we need to take a few deep breaths and put the Star Wars frenzy on hold until Dec. 18. Then we can dress up like stormtroopers and camp overnight for tickets. Like normal people.

In the meantime, there are dozens of great sci-fi flicks to watch while you wait for the new film. Here are some of my favorite outer space adventure movies:

All the Star Wars movies. If you can think of nothing else but Star Wars, just have a Star Wars marathon. Again. My husband and I grew up with the original trilogy, so those are our favorites. And they are better, let’s face it. But we watch all of them, because as you know, you can never have too much Star Wars. Although you can definitely have too much Star Wars memorabilia. And you can definitely have too much Jar Jar Binks, so maybe stay away from that one.

All the Star Trek movies. I love what J.J. Abrams did with the last two Star Trek movies, lens flares and all. If you’re not a fan, you’re probably worried about what he’ll do to George Lucas’ legacy. But if “Star Trek” and “Star Trek Into Darkness” are any indication, I think “The Force” will be awesome. If you’re a huge Trek fan, you could boldly go where probably others have gone before and binge watch all 12 of the Trek movies. But that would be like, 24 straight hours of movie watching, which would be, um, illogical.

“The Fifth Element,” Luc Besson’s wacky outer space action flick is one of my all-time favorites. Bruce Willis is perfect as Korben Dallas, a futuristic cab driver who ends up rescuing a beautiful alien (Milla Jovovich) sent to save their planet. Ian Holm is great as priest Vito Cornelius, and Gary Oldman, as always, is the perfect villain. “You’re a monster, Zorg,” the priest tells him. His deadpan reply: “I know.”

“Moon” is an underrated movie starring an underrated actor, Sam Rockwell. Rockwell is always to fun to watch, whether he’s playing a two-headed alien in “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” or the alcoholic coach of a high school girls’ basketball team in “The Winning Season.” In “Moon,” Rockwell plays Sam Bell, an astronaut nearing the end of a solitary three-year job mining helium-3 on the moon. If you haven’t seen it yet, go see it. Right now.

The Alien movies. I really don’t like scary movies, or monster movies, so I will admit the first time I was coerced into watching these movies, I was less than thrilled. But after repeat viewings, they grew on me. Sigourney Weaver is a total badass. Enough said.

“Starship Troopers.” Loosely adapted from the Robert A. Heinlein novel and directed by Paul Verhoeven, this satire is campy and smart at the same time. Casper Van Dien, Denise Richards and Neil Patrick Harris star as military recruits tasked with fighting a war on Bugs. Giant Bugs. This is one of those guilty pleasures that comes on TV and you can’t help but watch it again.

“Gravity.” Watching Sandra Bullock and George Clooney float around in space sounds boring, but it’s so not. It’s a suspenseful, inspiring story, and I loved it. “Gravity” was written and directed by Alfonso Cuarón, who also wrote another one of my favorite movies, the dystopian thriller “Children of Men.”

“Interstellar” had mixed reviews but I thought it was amazing. Matthew McConaughey leads a team of astronauts who travel through a wormhole to search for a new planet after Earth’s resources have been depleted. It’s one of those movies you need to pay attention to, like “Inception” (also written and directed by Christopher Nolan). You can’t just go to the bathroom and then come back and say, “What did I miss?” It’s also almost three hours long, but I was so absorbed in the movie, I didn’t notice.

“Guardians of the Galaxy.” The film adaption of the Marvel comic book was a huge hit, and deservedly so. A cocky Han Solo wannabe, a green-skinned warrior woman, a simple-minded brute bent on revenge, an alien that looks like a tree, and a genetically engineered raccoon team up to save the galaxy; it seems like there were a thousand ways this could have gone wrong. The plot is predictably cheesy, but the movie is saved by the cool ’60s and ’70s soundtrack and a wry sense of humor. It turns out that “Guardians” is a comedy. I can’t wait for the sequel. Let’s just hope no one makes a Groot Pop-Tart.