Sci-Fi Bri's Movies: "Rise of the Planet of the Apes"

Sci-Fi Bri's Movies:  "Rise of the Planet of the Apes"

   Starring:  James "The Pineapple Express" Franco, John "Third Rock From the Sun' Lithgo, etc.

            A brilliant scientist (James Franco) obsessively searches for a cure for his father's Alzheimer's disease. He devises an effective vaccine which he tests on chimpanzees. The first ape he tests is pregnant, and she becomes violent and gets killed while protecting her unborn offspring. After she dies her son is born and he has the vaccine in his DNA. The dementia-afflicted father (John Lithgo) is at least temporarily cured. He names the young chimpanzee Caesar, and due to the vaccine he becomes super intelligent. The scientist raises Caesar and hides him from the lab, where he is ordered to destroy all the laboratory apes after the pregnant chimp turned violent. Eventually, Caesar grows up and has run-ins with violent and/or ignorant humans. A second strain of the vaccine is given to a lot of apes, and there is an uprising by the mistreated apes against humans. Also, while making the apes super intelligent, the second strain of the vaccine has the unfortunate side effect of killing any human who comes into contact with it. The movie wasn't exactly what I expected. I thought the apes would take over the whole planet in one fell swoop. Nevertheless, this movie was much better than the previous Apes reimagining, and just about as good as the classic original starring Charlton Heston and Roddy Mcdowell.

Sci-Fi Bri's Movies: "Contagion"

Sci-Fi Bri's Movies: "Contagion"

Dir: Steven Soderbergh Starring: Gwyneth Paltrow, Matt Damon, Jude Law, Laurence Fishburne, Kate Winslet, Elliott Gould, etc.

When I arrived at the movie "Contagion" there was an onscreen cough and then the words "Day 2". I thought I may have arrived late to see the show. (Later on in the movie is Day 1) Gwyneth Paltrow's character, a businesswoman, comes home from a trip to Hong Kong with an unexplained illness and eventually goes into convulsions and dies. Her young son also succumbs to the illness, and the husband/father (Matt Damon) is temporarily quarantined. Before long, at least 10% of the world population is afflicted and civilized society quickly collapses. Meanwhile, a blogger (Jude Law) tweets about the mysterious virus, and a CDC (Centers for Disease Control) spokesman (Laurence Fishburne) does his best to reassure the public in absence of a cure or vaccine. However, while racing to develop a vaccine, the CDC fails to publicize a possible homeopathic remedy. This movie had an all-star cast, good acting, smart dialogue, a suspenseful plot, and relevance to recent headlines with so many recent food poisonings, salmonella scares, and deaths and illnesses.

Poetry: "On the Street"

Poetry: "On the Street"

On the Street

Without a Home

'Cuz I failed to pay a loan

The bank foreclosed upon my house

So I am justified to grouse.

On the street

Without a home

To soup kitchens I do roam

And through the trash I often comb... (tbc?)

Poetry: "Spiders"

Poetry: "Spiders"

"The Male Spider"

Its primary role is to mate

Then it is usually eaten

By the much larger female,

it can't help but be beaten...

"The Female Spider"

Its spinnerets are spinning

As she weaves her web,

Any sudden movement

Her prey will soon be dead... (tbc?)

Essay: "The Best Time of the Year"

Essay: "The Best Time of the Year"

Some people believe that Christmas is, as the annoying Andy Williams song says, The best time of the year". Others think the summer is. They both have a point I suppose. However, Christmastime where I live is too cold and stressful, and summer is too damned hot. To me, autumn is the best time of the year. Fall is neither too hot nor too cold, at least at first. But the real reason that fall is the best time of the year is that by late September the "Fall Preview issue of the TV Guide (R, TM?) comes out and it is time to watch as many shows as I can before the damned highly flawed Nielson (TM?) rating system causes many good shows to meet their demise. At least for me, my DVR machine is working overtime, and what shows I don't have room to record or watch, I try to view online. I purchase the Fall Preview issue every year. It includes all the new shows on ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox and the CW (formerly the WB). Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to include USA, TNT, FX, TBS HBO, and other good shows on basic and premium stations. By the way, other than music and talent competitions, I pretty much detest so-called Reality Shows. Plus I prefer dramas over comedies, especially situation comedies. (tbc?)