We Make Their World

Versus Tek #48. With technology changing all the time people find ideas from art and art finds ideas from life. Is it life imitates art or art imitates life? I forget. It might work both ways. In sci-fi movies you see a designs that could be predicting how things will look in the future. It's really intended to be that way. I think quite literally that bigwigs in charge of technology companies are paying attention to Hollywood to get some good ideas. Maybe that's what they do all day at Area 51, watch movies! I knew it. Here we have the APC from "Alien" and the pulse rifle. It's not a laser pulse rifle but it is very futuristic. I am willing to bet anything that these designs will be used someday, almost exactly as they appear here. It is sort of a responsibility for big movies to present such ideas for others to be inspired by. The scary part is who's really paying attention? It's completely realistic to think that there might be a secret society with higher technology than anything we know of keeping an eye on us and plotting their next power play. It's safe to say that we are all pawns in a bigger plan. I don't like that but we can't really change that. We are slaves to our pleasant vices: entertainment, food, consumer goods, jobs, property, etc. Think about it, who's really in charge here? Are the people in charge? Not so sure anymore. It's like that movie "Cube 2: Hypercube" where a video game designer is used unknowingly to design the cube itself. We're being used. Higher technology cults have come in different forms in the past. Some watch it on the big screen, some live it as a warrior against the unknown threats that hide from plain sight. The cyberpunks will inherit this.
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Guest Commentator CHROMESHINE says: "Technically I'm man made, but I find that to be a derogatory term. I'm robot born!"

Ultraviolet's Ultraviolence

Versus Movie #114. The movie "Ultraviolet" was a cool piece of sci-fi that for some reason didn't make a big blip on the radar. Nobody can say if that was because of the violence but new movies like "The Hunger Games" have plenty of violence in them so my theory is if it's marketed to teens then it doesn't come off the same. If you make a movie like Ultraviolet with all the cool sword fighting and gun play it should do good but teen movies are the rage now days. Damn those teens! I liked this movie a lot for different reasons. For one, the hottie Milla Jovovich with her sweet, flat belly and form fitting leggings. The mini top works for me too. Now add in a cool idea where people are infected with a virus that makes people more powerful but it kills you in about 12 years or so, and gives you sharp teeth like a vampire. With that motivation I'd be able to fight too. That would piss me off if I only had 12 years to live. So Violet steals a secret weapon against them but it's not what she thinks. The flat backpack she acquires can hide a full size young boy due to flat space technology. You could hide a whole person in her back! That is beyond me and that's real sci-fi. Flat space technology is used at different points in the movie to show what it can do, like hide a lab in a truck. I can't imagine what that tech is capable of. What a wild world that would be. She also has some sort of accelerator connected to her belt that can give her momentary bursts of abilities beyond what she has normally. Now if that isn't enough tech she also has guns that appear out of nowhere like static and bullets that come out of her sleeves to reload them. The tech is truly mind boggling and it's a star in its own right. The real star is Milla's sweet butt. Personally, I think she should have a line in every movie she does where she says "You are all going to die!". This movie reminds me of "Equilibrium" with the one man warrior. Violet can take care of whole hordes with ease simply using her sword, which also hides in a harness with flat space tech. I think this might be a good example of how super soldiers could feel it easier to fight with a sword rather than guns because of having such great abilities. The kid ends up having some plague to get rid of humans instead. Wow! That's messed up. It turns out her tears save the boy and in return the boy has the beginnings of a vaccine for her hemophage condition. I wonder if the vaccine would allow her to keep her powers. Ya gotta really hope so. This was a comic before this so that might give some insight. In my head she keeps the powers. I'd like her to belly dance for me. Ray-Bans anyone?
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Guest Commentator THE DARK PRINCE says: "You call that a vampire! I'll show you a real blood sucker!"

Releasing The Gods

One of the simplest and most frightening monsters in memory has always been the intelligent slime creature. In movies like "The Blob", "The Thing", "Phantoms", "Slither", "Deep Rising", "Hellboy", and even the upcoming John Lechago's "Contagion", not to be confused with the recent "Contagion" about a virus, we see a sort of protoplasm or some other kind of living mass of flesh that can take shapes and think on its own. Each cell is like a separate brain so any piece of a monster like this could live on its own. It's like a mass of ants working in unison as if one brain. The stuff scientists study in petri dishes could be our undoing; what a weird thought that is. In the purported rumors of Guillermo Del Toro making "At The Mountains Of Madness" we have hope of a new globular monstrosity. It would be the first big budget H.P. Lovecraft movie, if Hellboy wasn't homage enough. I don't think we can get enough. What is it about blob monsters? I think it has to do with our fear of the microscopic being able to do us in. The living things inside of us already. I like slime creature features since most of them are entertaining enough to pass the test. There is a slight fear of this becoming a reality maybe. People aren't really afraid of a slime monster invading town but it doesn't mean it couldn't happen. Many things similar to slime, like viruses have popped up and disappeared just as quick. Unknown viruses that they don't want us to know about. Diseases have come and gone that never got reported because they were unknown. Can we really trust that something worse couldn't be possible? In At The Mountains Of Madness, however, it would be an old one, a god. Shoggoth. Maybe that says something about humanity. If humans created a monstrous blob beast and sent it back in time don't you think men would worship it as a god? Since it could take any form it could act like a god. On the other hand what if it wiped out humanity in the present and the future people living as savages worshipped it as a god? A true god-like beast is more like something not meant to be found. Only humans would look for that. It does not want to be found. Only humans would think releasing a supposed god is a good idea. Science is no different. It's not meant to be found. I doubt humans believe that.
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Guest Commentator THE LUSTY NUN says: "The idea of reviving a dead god and totally annihilating mankind really turns me on!"

You Can't Stop The Dead

With games like "House Of The Dead: Overkill" for the PS3 the plots have always been outrageous and over the top. This isn't a review but I do love that game. I was thinking more about what made the zombies. In that game the cause of the transformation was a formula X that was supposed to turn soldiers into super soldiers. It failed and mutated people. The reason was a scientist did it on purpose though. It wasn't the military, but rather the scientist involved. Plausible I suppose. The military are probably working on a lot of things that we don't want to know about and if some mad scientist got the idea to create his own horror then nobody would be ready for it escaping the confines of a base. You can't prepare for zombies if they're super zombie mutants. I believe in the military's ability to take out a zombie outbreak but super mutants is different. A mutagenic virus could be worse than zombification because the zombies would be smarter, tougher, and mutated into horrific inventions of madness. With all the gene splicing going on now days the word "mutagenic" isn't necessarily that far off. And if the military could create a mutagenic virus what would they do with it? That's no better than chemical warfare in my book. They would say to be prepared for any threat they must make it in order to study it. I don't think that's such a good idea. Why not just make a construct of it on a computer in VR? That would tell you all you need to know. Another idea is maybe a scientist could accidentally find out that a super soldier formula could revive the dead or almost dead, in monstrous form. That says something about the formula too. What would be in that formula? Nanites? A virus carrier? That could easily backfire on an experiment. Nanites could make it even worse really. A virus carrier is bad enough. You also hear about things like people messing with the human genome, like in "Doom". Not a good idea. I thought to myself "how could that mutate anyone?" but now it makes more sense. If a serum is created to interact with genes and/or DNA then anything could happen. You can't stop every possibility. We like to think we could prepare for any possibility but we can't. You can't prepare for mutant devastation. The truly scary part is what the rich would do. What would they do? They might get on a big space ship to live out in space while the earth dies, leaving us to fend off hell with no hope of an end. Someone could possibly get rich off of our demise. That's even sicker. How? They offer a way out if you can afford it. Human nature is to turn on ourselves so it makes sense that zombies would hate the living.
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Guest Commentator FLESHCRAWL says: "I always said there's more than one way to infiltrate the human brain stem!"

The Rook's Mysterious Ways

Versus Book #72. Books like this one here, "The Rook" by Daniel O'Malley, are entertaining and fun without being too obvious. The suspense is well done so everything is not given away too soon. It's a story about a woman that wakes up in park surrounded by dead bodies, whom I imagine she dispatched, and she must find out who she is. She later finds out that she's a top official in a secret society of agents fighting supernatural threats. That's kinda vague but later you learn that the people in the society have powers of their own and they must thwart the villains with super powers out there. Right there you might think it's like others of that ilk but it is different. It's funny and it has a very unique collective of people with abilities. I won't go so far as calling them mutants but how do you end up with these abilities? They are either born with them through parents or they get them through experimentation. Either way people with abilities are the only ones that could fend off villains with abilities. And they are different than your usual mutants or what not. The letters the woman finds are from another version of her telling her that she could either choose to go on living a new life or decide to figure out who she is and why someone wants her dead. Someone has stolen her memories so now she has to sort of choose a path, similar to taking a red pill or blue pill, but nothing like that in every other way. She chooses to find out who she was and unravel a conspiracy. I would probably do that too. The letters that her other self leaves behind remind me of "Resident Evil" games where they find letters but in this case it's a smart way to help someone figure out who they were. It gets wild when the woman learns her body had a previous owner. What would one think after learning that? That's sci-fi for real because people, bad people, could find a use for something like that. I'm fine with one body thank you. This will appeal to thriller fans or fans of similar side genres with heroes and villains or secret agent action. This takes place in the U.K. as do many supernatural stories with elements of mystery. Similarities to "X-Men" or "Hellboy" could be made. That's not so bad. I love that kind of stuff. It's different enough to stand on its own yet remind you of those wild adventures.
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Guest Commentator FATHER DIABOLICAL says: "Secret society? I know not what you speak of. Meet me at the pier at midnight... Now go!"

VERSUS GIRL #69 - Porcelain Doll

A new Versus Girl is upon us. This new girl is Lily Collins. She has to be the utmost cutest girl I've ever seen for a long time. She was first noticed by me in "Priest" where she was indeed cute, and later in "Abduction". That's when I started to wonder who this was. I would call her the type of brunette that makes blondes cringe because she's so insanely adorable. Aside from those two movies she hasn't really done a whole lot that I would watch. By being in a show like "90210" she got noticed enough to get in "The Blind Side" and that got her noticed enough to get in Priest. With only 1 show and 1 movie before that I'd say she's a hot item and you can expect her to go far. Not many get that much attention that quickly. Playing Snow White in "Mirror Mirror" is a big step for her too. I'm surprised to find she's the daughter of Phil Collins. She says it took her longer to get famous due to being judged by many interviewers for being the daughter of a famous singer so it wasn't easy. I can admire that. You think it would be easier but that's not necessarily true. What if it made it harder? That's something nobody ever asks themselves. Still, a tried and proven path is small steps that lead to bigger ones. A role in a t.v. show led to an opportunity in a movie that led to a bigger movie. I'd really like to see her in a horror movie. Jessica Biel went from a normal path to horror. That would be one hot psycho. She looks porcelain here kinda.
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Guest Commentator BLOOD MISTRESS says: "The world of horror would accept her gladly! Come to the dark side Lily!"

The Sadist Realm

Quantum mechanics is a scary science. Then factor in movies like "Cube 2: Hypercube" and others with their portals into a different dimension of time and space. That's all theoretical science there. It scares me to think someone could make a portal out of a flat surface that leads to a dimension you can walk and breath in, and even die in. It's like entering wonderland through the hat in "Once Upon A Time". I don't think it's a stretch of the imagination though. People could create a portal to a self made dimension full of mazes and traps but why? I think people have a fascination with creating hell. The man made version of hell would be a maze world full of horrors, or deadly forces, or monsters, etc. It's the human condition to think about such things since animals never would. With a huge mind comes many things, many horrors. The maze is a symbol of different things. For many a maze is a sign of torment while a sign of fun for others. And what would be at the end of this maze? There could also be more than one type of maze, whether it be forest or cave or whatever. A steel maze is very "man made". It's like a life sentence in a way because nobody expects you to get out. Those that do could come back changed. Or it could lead somewhere unknown and alien. It's like the evolution of the video game on such a grand scale that it goes beyond VR. It goes beyond that because it's actually you inside, not some construct. Some imagine a moving maze, which would make it that more difficult. That would be like being inside a Rubik's Cube. It's kind of sadistic but whoever creates something like that could create maze-like worlds even. It might be the future of security in a far, far future. If someone tries to break into some place they could accidentally enter a different dimension, with an exit but very few ways to solve it. In some ways technology will become "liquid" after enough time. I fear the future of technology in some ways. That means that someday VR could be exacted in the real world! With technology like that you could do anything. Create buildings out of nothing. Create people. Create weather conditions. A job for everyone. That might be a joke but in a virtual realm it could seem like everyone has a job. Everyone could be happy, which is creepy to me. It means that VR could engulf reality and take over. There would be no distinction between the two. No escape. A world where magic could be real and evil kings could wave a hand at a wall to reveal a door leading to a steel maze full of monsters. People should fear technology to an extent. If we grow too complacent we may be in a matrix of sorts that feels ultra real because it's overlapping reality! How scary that is. Do you trust you're in reality now?
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Guest Commentator THE GRAVEROBBER says: "You are one sadistic person sir. I like how your mind works!"

Computer Generated Toons

I think as computer graphics get better and better we'll see more and more cartoons done in computer animation. For now we prefer them not to be but things are always improving in that field. One good example is in "A Scanner Darkly" where they use a filter to make live action people appear as animation and it works brilliantly. I think that's a sign of the future. For now it's the only movie I can think of that looks like that. Other types of animation are changing too though. In this pic you see a totally computer rendered version of Harley Quinn. It's pretty good in fact so I'm thinking that cartoons could go this way later on down the road. Some net shows dabble in computer animation but it's really still in the stage where it's getting better and better. Some really amaze me so much that you wish there were some full length net show episodes, instead of all these mini "nano" shows that are popping up. We are still in the age where nano is being used everywhere to sell stuff after all. I don't mind the short episodes but the really good ones frustrate you when they're too short. Ranging from 25 minutes to 5 minutes usually you can find all sorts of episodes now. Most aren't animation but you get the point. Can't imagine seeing Saturday morning cartoons done in computer animation. If they looked like this I'd watch 'em. Your CGI Saturday toons.
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Guest Commentator THE DARK PRINCE says: "She'd look so good as a vampire. Can I turn her? Please!"

The Near Death Syndrome

Something I thought of after watching this one show where a guy crashes a car on purpose was the thought of a near death experience as a thrill. Some people, not of sound mind, might think of a near death experience as a sort of high like a drug. It's kind of a sick thought but it does happen. Some people just assume that they'll live afterwards because they've become so jaded. If you've never had the fear put into you then you might be tempted to do the unspeakable, for lack of any fear instilled. It's normal to be afraid of death when in dangerous circumstances but some people have tapped into the idea that adrenaline is the real drug. The problem is the more daring you are the more daring you have to be to keep getting that rush that you're looking for. If you climb mountains then you have to keep trying harder ones to get a rush if that's what you're looking for. So if someone took that logic and adapted it to near death experiences then that would mean that each time you would push the limit in some way. That scares me just thinking about it. I think only a human could come up with such a mad idea for a thrill. You won't see any monkeys throwing themselves out of trees for fun. Only humans. For some it might be the only way to feel. A very miniscule group.
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Guest Commentator FLESHCRAWL says: "My heart stopped but I don't think it's gonna restart! Zombification is the ultimate thrill!"

From Man To Lizard Man

More meaningless fun. I suppose people can tell by now that I am intrigued by dragons. Not in a nerdy way, but more of a fascination. I wonder if they could be real. I think I might have a couple of theories on this already but here's a third. Let's say you start with a person. From there, if a mutation occured involuntarily then a person could grow abnormally. What if a certain mutation caused the skin to get thicker as the person grew? And as that person grew the neck grew. And the head deformed into a more animalistic form. And the legs grew a third joint. And the tail grew out. And wings grew as the size increased. They say we all have tails but they don't grow. Hence the name tailbone. In "Splice" the female had wings in her arms. Her legs were triple jointed and her head was formed differently. She was even born resembling a mouse with kangaroo legs. So now imagine we mix the DNA of a lizard with that of a human and increase the size exponentially to no end. The skin would harden as it grew, thickening with size, and the neck and tail might extend fully. The head is simply the over animalization of any creature. A human head could contort to resemble a dragon's head with enough growth. This is a mad science idea but it's one theory I haven't heard yet. Could a dragon possible be a man? Never know.
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Guest Commentator X-RAY SALLY says: "Now I'm imagining that 'Godzilla' was a man! A really pissed off man!"

The Origin Of Light

Versus Art #87. This new visual art installation known as "Origin" by United Visual Artists is quite visually impressive. It reacts to sound or touch or commands such as a song. Think of it as a 3-D equalizer with patterns that actually move in 3-D. It's kind of a quantum light show with patterns that can move in all directions within the huge structure, which is like a gigantic cube made of bars that emit light at high speeds. This is no cheap marvel. I'd say it took a while to complete and perfect the light show addition. It really does make for the perfect light show with added music. And the size of it; you could fill a whole stage with a packed house in awe. It makes me think this is the future of the light show. You know in the future they'll have things that react to sound or voice everywhere. Remember that song the UFO mimicked in "Close Encounters Of The Third Kind"? This is like some UFO light show for the whole family. I'd like to know how they incorporate this into a show of some sort. Responsive surfaces are the future and I imagine a future where buildings of all types have light responsive surfaces built in for ads or simply moving lights for effect. If you watch it closely you can see how it can perform any pattern in 3-D. It really plays tricks with your eyes. I can't get enough of it.


Guest Commentator CHROMESHINE says: "Like a moth to the flame, bwa hahaha! Like a moth to the flame humans, bwa hahaha!

What Lives In The Sewers?

When we watch movies with bad guys sometimes they're really big. Jason Voorhees, Leatherface, Michael Myers, and others are big dudes. What kind of diet were they raised with I wonder? And what if it wasn't a good diet but a bad one. Maybe all it takes is non stop movement like a mountain lion to stay in shape. Non stop survival mode. Eating lots of meat and working your muscles naturally somehow. They say deer eat certain leaves that have ecdysterone in them, which is now used in body building supplements. It helps deer build muscle faster. And what if one of these mutants were born into a sewer of filth? Is it possible to survive? What if toxic filth mutated it in a good way? There are certain types of bacteria that have been known to grow even in toxic waste so life can thrive anywhere if it wants to. I don't know if there are enough movies to say there's a genre of this type but I'm going to say there is. Off the top of my head I can think of one about a guy living in the sewer named "Dark Asylum". Another would be "Batman Returns". Name any sewer monster or bad guy movies you can think of. I often wonder if something or someone could adapt to toxins and become immune. Or if the toxins could make a body adapt or make muscles mutate in order to adapt. What if all the muscle was an adaptation to a huge threat to the body to keep the immune system running hot? What if all someone had to do was mix a human with an animal like a crocodile or something? I mean look at the liger, an animal that has grown over twice its normal size by simply mixing a lion with a tiger. Toxic waste could have the same effect as well. They say cavemen were superior in terms of muscle tone due to constant hunting for three meals a day. There is some science to bad guys being big. What do you think it is? What could live in the sewers? "The Punisher" did! What if the mutation was for survival in a highly polluted area like in "The Host"? I'm sure humans could adapt and grow massive muscle if on the move.
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Guest Commentator THE DRAGON SLAYER says: "Whatever it is I will slay it or enslave it! I was once a dragon slave!"

Brody Vs. Predator

Versus Movie #113. Vs. Match #31. "Sequel Science" episode 23! Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water... another Adrien Brody movie! The dude rocks so here we go again. "Predators" was a surprise hit. It might not have been as big as those more mainstream family hits but this movie outsold any of the predator movies combined! That's an achievement if you ask me. This is the perfect sequel idea to me. Everything else has been done to an extent so why not abduct humans and bring them to an alien game preserve planet! Great idea. It might not be the most intellectual movie but only nerds are gonna think that ain't a good idea. It's a great idea for a sequel and I know it. The motley crew includes a very diverse group of people from all backgrounds of life, obviously for the predators to test the individual strengths of different humans in life threatening situations. Adrien Brody beefed up for this role so he didn't look like the scrawny dude we knew before. He was ready to kick alien ass this time. And that he did! The predators are meat heads that juice up on a designer steroid cocktail and carry superior firepower. Not a good combination. Their heads are very insect-like, or crustacean, like crabs. One theory is maybe they used to be another animal and they were deliberately mutated into predators. Or a mix of animals. That would be a good plot for another sequel; the origin of their DNA! So who do you think would survive this ultimate test of survival? It may not be who you think. The alien dogs with huge spikes protruding from their backs and shoulders were awesome. And who made this? Robert Rodriguez of "El Mariachi" fame. That's just phenomenal. If you don't like this then you need to beef up. You should like this one. That gun he had was sweet. Place your bets.
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Guest Commentator BONE COLLECTOR says: "I totally endorse this movie. You will enjoy it or your money back, in a body bag!"

Nano-Perfection Fears

Something that I predict will be a future horror, to some, will be the first trans-human. That doesn't mean what you think it might mean. It means that humans and robots will mix in the future to a a point of indistinguishable origin. First will come the cyborg though. When people need new body parts we'll have cyborg parts. And ever so slowly we'll have androids, which are more human-like than anything. Then maybe the man-droid, like in "Blade Runner". After that it will be hard to tell who is what. Trans-humans are possibly our evolution but many purists would disagree with that. This is the thing of conspiracies of the greatest order. If that were the plan who could stop it? Will we be fighting trans-humans in the future in a great war? Or would that be considered prejudice? Skin color will not matter in a future where humans are the real prey of technological assimilation. In Blade Runner the world was suffering from nuclear fallout, which they don't really explain while the book does, and man-droids were able to work in any conditions of pollution. That really makes you think about how humans could adapt to damn near any condition or climate. Trans-humans would be able to survive in a world on the edge of destruction whereas we would have to fight and adapt, either by using something to breath or going underground. In a way I could see how machines will inevitably want to be us and they might. Humanity is flawed to an extent but there are flaws in perfection too. Trans-humans could catch new retro-viruses and transmit new ones we never fathomed. The nano-virus could be the perfect parasite for a new host. What they'll say is they are more immune to disease I bet, but then they'll catch something. And even if they don't will humans be o.k. with "perfect humans" trying to take over? You might not even notice it. That's the scary part. With enough time they might just replace us without a fight. Sometimes revolution might be necessary. But you can't stop progress. Some wars are inevitable. And what if perfection dooms us?
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Guest Commentator FLESHCRAWL says: "I isolated the human genome variant and reinjected it into myself. Oh no! Blood is pouring out of my eyes!"

The Evil Of Necromentia

There are few movies that can compare to the greats but every once in a while you might find a gem. This movie "Necromentia" was a good contender for the next "Hellraiser". It wasn't quite as big budget but it had very good similarities. In this movie we got a guy that wants to help support his handicapped brother living with him. He can't find work so he does something unspeakable. It's really sick what he ended up doing. The guy ends up catering to those people that want to be mutilated in some way. They pay him to get mutilated in a specific way they ask for. That's really screwed up but I can imagine it. Some people might get pleasure from pain but yikes! Now what goes on behind the scenes is in their heads. It unfolds as a couple of evil spirits mocking human form and mocking suicide. The guy that mutilates also bides his time trying to open a gateway to hell. Not a good idea! You might just find what you're looking for if you know what I mean. Some people tempt fate and have no idea what they ask. So when he does find that doorway a spirit makes a deal with him. He thinks the spirit is benevolent, like a lost soul stuck in hell, but we find out later that it's in fact malevolent. You can't have it both ways. He learns this the hard way. A very good horror movie done on a decent scale. It could have benefited from a bigger budget but it's worthy of your praise.
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Guest Commentator HARVESTER OF SORROW says: "Why do people keep trying to find me with witchcraft? I am not a witch!"

The Death Scene

One of the new scenes now is with death metal kids. I was one of those few. You want to know what makes a kid listen to death metal? A lot of parents wonder that I bet. It's really not that hard to understand. You got a bully? Tell him you listen to death metal, lol! Actually, as funny as that is, that might be one reason why some kids like it. I liked it for different reasons myself. Like arguments or whatever. Reasons why people might get mad at things. Or lack of opportunity. That's a very real motive that you never hear because everyone is in denial of it. It is a very heavy brand of music but it's mostly just an art form. Someone asked me why I like death metal and I told him "well if you don't like it you wouldn't get it". That might give insight without knowing it. It shows how closed off some can be. You don't have to be closed off though. Now days it's more like a scene and less like a way to filter your hate of things. For me it was totally about venting and letting out the homicidal urges (not really); I'm just sayin'. You know what I mean. I often ask myself why kids would like it if they didn't have my motivation and the only thing you can think is everyone is different. It's also a lifestyle. You see these kids here have their own look and identity. Maybe it's just for those that want something heavier. The new style is deathcore now but that doesn't mean it has to be bad. I think there's good and bad deathcore so it depends on what band you talk about. Nobody had tats and piercings when I was younger. I remember that lip piercing thing got big.
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Guest Commentator THE GRAVEROBBER says: "Death metal is great for really chaotic scenes in action movies. I tried it!"

Real Life Super Heroes

Supposedly there's a new occurrence going on that supports this claim. They say there are real life super heroes in certain cities across the U.S. that actually fight crime. Is that true? I have no idea but I read that and it made me think. That is a very real possibility and frankly I'm shocked that it hasn't happened sooner. Could we have a real life "Batman" roaming around? You never know. Or a real life "Kick-Ass"? It depends on a person's motivation really. It has nothing to do with movies deep down. Anyone that's been wronged or had an atrocity happen to them might want to rise up as a vigilante and take matters into their own hands. Justice is a very real idea seldom used. I don't blame anyone for seeking justice but how often does it really happen? This pic here is supposed to be a super hero but I have my doubts. They say he's from Seattle, which is close to where I live. I used to live there and I never heard anything about a man that prowls the night in a costume fighting bad people. It could be. Ya never know. If something had happened to my family, then I'd probably become a vigilante, but that's just me. I don't think many people share that view. In the movies they're usually rich. Not always though. Well, I don't know any rich people so I can't say for boredom. I think justice is a virtue after all.
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Guest Commentator TOUGH GUY says: "I got night vision; sign me up! Does that suit have titanium dipped kevlar tri-weave fibers?!"

Reality Horror For Real

Continuing the Adrien Brody run I got "The Experiment". This is a newer movie and it's good to see him back in cinema. Forest Whitaker also stars in this one. Clifton Collins Jr. has a cool role too. There's a few younger actors in here too that you may recognize from something else out there. A good cast pulls this together to really show off the talents of each individually. I'm a fan of Clifton Collins Jr. and it's been cool seeing him work up through the Hollywood ranks. So the story here is a broke peace activist really needs a job and he wants to raise money to run off with a hot activist blonde to Tibet. So what would they do in Tibet? Maybe live there and make love. Any place is good with a hot chick. He needs money so bad though that he signs up for a social experiment in the paper that pays $1,000 a day for two weeks. Sounds nice! The saying "too good to be true" holds true here though. Why would anyone pay that much per day for two weeks to 26 people? This behavioral experiment is really worth that much? Who knows. So these guys get sent to a building that resembles a prison and probably is one, unused anymore for some reason. The experiment sounds easy enough right? That's what I thought. Slowly we see where the deterioration of sanity begins when they have to follow "the rules", which include reprimanding when necessary. So it's up to the participants to decide how much force is necessary. All of them had no prior history of prison time or violence. That's the most shocking part I think. These ordinary people act like those kids in "Lord Of The Flies" when faced with the loss of civilization. This was based on a real study so maybe the original study ended badly. I loved the performances of all these stellar actors and they did a great job of making you really see how scary that situation could be. People just assume that it's normal to behave and abide but it's really society that keeps us this way. Nobody is really prepared for having to defend themselves so we take it all for granted. The disturbing images at the start add to the feel of what was to be expected. The pic here shows a head covered in images. Those images are from the slideshow that they viewed full of disturbing events. I, personally, don't think this sort of study bears any fruit, but it could give insight to why prison is so horrendous. It's an abnormal situation and that forces people to change for survival. You never know what people are capable of until they are forced into a corner. It's a good movie that really makes you think. The study only lasted 6 days. How scary is that? Ready to sign up?!
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Guest Commentator BLUE FIEND says: "I don't like this experiment anymore. Get me outta here! I hate prison beans!"

Summer Of The Punk

Well here at VCH we know a cool dude when we see one. Adrien Brody is indeed a cool guy. His role in "Summer Of Sam" was a classic one. The punk rocker with the thin shades and wild hair ends up taking a liking to the hair dresser. Before you know it she moves into his place, which is his parents' garage. When you're a punk you have no shame in that game, ha. She ends up staying with him and becoming a punk chick. This movie does a good job of capturing the time period in which it takes place and really pulling us into the paranoia at the time surrounding the .44 killer that made the news. The Italians schmoozed about who the killer could be. They all resembled mobsters. John Leguizamo's character was the antagonist that didn't know who to trust. He happened to be friends with the paranoid Italians. They all ended up thinking that Adrien's character could have been the killer only because he was so freaky looking. You can't judge a book by its cover though and they weren't true friends to him. So they beat him down. Soon afterwards the real killer makes the news. Ironic to say the least. Now the way the punk went about making money wasn't what many would do but times were hard. He pimped himself out but he wasn't into guys at all, just able to do the duty involved. But once his band got bigger his girlfriend joined it and they started to really make more money. I really felt for them with how they stuck to each other through thick and thin and believed in each other. The catching of the real killer marked the end of the movie. Mira Sorvino always does a good job too. Good movie for any punk or rebel.
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Guest Commentator BLOOD MISTRESS says: "The dog made him do it, or was it me? Some demons talk through songs. I prefer dogs!"

Chronicle Blasts Off

I gave in to media pressure and saw "Chronicle". My first thought was I liked the name. From what I knew about it the name worked. I wasn't too sure what to think after watching the commercial because it didn't really do the movie justice. The commercial had them playing pranks and joking around. The movie itself was more than that. It was a cool movie. I had my doubts about the reality movie angle. Its been so played out lately but I opened my mind. I really got into this movie since it wasn't just shaky camera work the whole time, like as if someone is running with the camera, lol! The character development was well done with the nerdy kid starting out so reserved. They ended up exploring a cave near a building hosting a rave. Deep down in the cave they found a glowing rock. They touched the glowing rock wall and it seemed as if nothing happened. Later on they notice an increase in their telekinetic abilities. That rock gave off something. They went back but it had caved in. As time went on they noticed their powers getting stronger. Since they were only limited to telekinetic powers they weren't able to do everything. They were strong enough though. It really is mind boggling what could happen if you had such powerful telekinetic abilities. It's possible but far from the norm. Now they joked and joked but once someone got hurt they felt bad. Then the nerdy kid kept fighting with his dad, and this causes him to lack any empathy towards anyone else. He grew numb and calloused to society little by little. His cousin really felt for him and wanted to be his friend. He became friends with him but later on thought it an act. As his powers grew he grew to hate his dad and think that maybe his cousin wasn't really a friend. He was wrong about his cousin. And he grew power hungry. The desire for power kept him from feeling anything after brashly killing off his friend with lightning while playing football in the clouds. He was coming down with a case of god syndrome. His cousin wanted to help but in the end it came down to what he had to do. To protect others he would face off against him. I felt for the kid but he let his pain get to him and thought he was an apex predator. He had to be thwarted. I liked it more than I thought I would. Not all reality cams are bad. This one worked for me. It was ironic how the cousin ended up being the guy with the camera in the end.
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Guest Commentator TOUGH GUY says: "I don't have telekinesis but I can see in dark closets at night!"

Route 66 Ghosts

Versus Art #86. If you find yourself in the middle of nowhere, USA then you're probably in Amarillo, Texas. And in Amarillo you can find "Cadillac Ranch", a sort of cultural phenomenon built in 1974. In this barren wasteland you'll find ten Cadillacs ranging in year, all at the same exact angle. If you ask me it looks like some sort of car graveyard. You know, like those airplane graveyards. Humans have a way of not recycling things, which I never understood, and keep all sorts of junk like pack rats. The irony is how that junk used to be prized and worth a lot but now sits here picked clean to the bone by the throw away society that made them. This being a possible message to gather from this art. The message you get is really up to you though. I think that's a good one anyways. The way we go through models and makes and just pile up the old ones in some graveyard is sort of a statement of consumer culture maybe. We can be very wasteful after all. It's a throw away society. I don't even feel good about throwing away all the paper mail I get when you think about all the trees that go into them. Learn to love mail because someday all people will have is email, and I hate having tons of junk emails. You have to sift through 500 emails just to get the ones you wanna read. Now in consumer culture there are many examples of waste too. It's a part of life nobody ever thinks about, but that's where the artists come in. Check it out if you get lost intentionally. I imagine aliens hanging out here. It looks like Stonehenge. For a while now there have been legends circulating about where Route 66 was. That highway is no longer used but the new one does run side by side at parts. This monument lies off the original ghost highway. Call it ghostland. Alien Stonehenge.


Guest Commentator THE DRAGON SLAYER says: "I still think dragons must have made this. I will find them and slay them all!"

Before AVPR There Was...

Versus Movie #112. "Sequel Science" episode 22! One of the coolest alien monster movies was "Alien: Resurrection". It's amazing how time flies 'cause it's sort of an older movie now but this series never feels outdated. In the pic here you see scientists cloning Ripley after she died in the prior installment, "Alien 3". Cloning is not something I'd be o.k. with but if I were brought back I don't think I'd complain. I suppose it's o.k. if it's controlled. But how do you control it? Only the rich will be able to afford it. It'll be like some new life insurance policy in the dystopian future, just you wait and see. Now back to the movie... this 4th addition to the series was excellent and added to the rest of the series. The aliens moved differently. They were able to swim. The human/alien hybrid was super freaky. They were able to talk to each other. The cast was great. They even had an android plugging into an electronic bible in a church aboard the ship. Ripley had greater senses and strength. She was able to relate to the aliens somehow too. How was that? Oh right, in Alien 3 she gave birth to an alien stomach burster so her blood was mixed with that of the alien, thus giving her greater abilities in this outing. That's cool considering they have acid for blood and it would be impossible to mix human blood with it, unless you give birth to one, die, and get cloned! The movie took on a fantasy feeling later into it. It wasn't dark like the 3rd movie. It was easily the wildest one of the bunch and a great finish. The part where they break through the clouds and see Earth is epic. The whole series is great. I want alien blood.
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Guest Commentator TOUGH GUY says: "Wait... so I'm not in this one. Do I make a cameo? Why wasn't I in this movie?!"

Silencing The Truth

Insane asylums are already creepy places to begin with but I think there are more reasons to fear them. For instance, who do they put in there? Would you even know? Not really. Anyone could be in there and the public would never know a thing. It makes a good prison for unwanted's and high priority threats to society. Everyone knows if you get admitted to an asylum your life basically ends and nobody ever hears from you again. There's no reason to let you out and usually you won't get out since someone else admitted you. So how do you get out? That's a good question isn't it? It's a hopeless place to be in and most there won't even know where they are. But there could be others that are perfectly normal and simply thrown away, condemned to rot in silence in order to hide the truth about something. In old pictures you can see people in straight jackets. Do they still use those? Well you can bet if you're in one of those jackets and you're full of drugs there's no way you're going to plan a getaway or tell anyone about how you got there. Nobody would believe you anways. And if they weren't done with you they'd probably give you a lobotomy to keep you from talking to anyone about anything secret. Any witnesses you want to hide? Any loose ends left? Just throw your enemies in here and they'll be kept quiet. The geniuses that will never create things.
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Guest Commentator BLUE FIEND says: "Is anyone reading this... they're trying to silence me. I know the truth! Let me outta here!"

Region Free Technology

Versus Tek #47. Here we got a new type of blu-ray player that should appeal to most people. You know what's really funny about blu-ray technology? For the PS3 you can get games from any region and play them on any PS3 anywhere in the world. They did this to combat piracy. Now with blu-ray movies I'm asking myself why they didn't just do this in the first place. Instead we have region coded blu-ray movies so you still have to find a way to play your import movies. This blu-ray player here is a wonder come true. Guess what you can do with this thing; you can play blu-ray movies from any region and even DVD's. That's about the best idea I've heard but it's not so obvious because they don't sell these sort of machines in stores. At least not any stores I've been to. They should though. What is there to be afraid of? It's not like it's gonna impact sales at all. If anything it might improve sales. Just like this fear of people watching stuff free online is getting to retailers. It shouldn't though. I mean look at Hulu; if it weren't for things like that people would suffer during a recession. I think movie makers should not be afraid of online viewing for free because in the long run it might stimulate sales. Anyways, region free is a good thing and this blu-ray player is also 3-D enabled! It doesn't get much more off the hook than that man! Do yourself a favor now.
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Guest Commentator BONE COLLECTOR says: "Your earthly technology is so amazingly badass. I must install one of these in my spaceship!"

13 Floors Of Cyberpunk

Versus Movie #111. One of the ultimate examples of true cyberpunk would be "The Thirteenth Floor". But... it doesn't have the signature wild looking punks with body mods or corporations taking over, etc. This is actually a good example of... how cyberpunk evolved into a more sci-fi medium. Not all sci-fi is cyberpunk but when you talk about "post-cyberpunk" this is kinda what you'll get. It's the evolution. Now days we have "The Matrix", which is most certainly cyberpunk, but it's nothing like "Johnny Mnemonic" for example. The Thirteenth Floor was an awesome VR adventure/drama that I never saw when it first came out. But I have seen it and it was an amazing movie. VR is a big thing in almost any cyberpunk movie, including Johnny Mnemonic. In this one the really trippy part is how the VR characters felt so alive that they couldn't differentiate themselves from being alive or a game character. Some serious server space was used to create this virtual world that was ultra realistic. This could easily happen someday too. We have things like "Second Life" now but someday they'll have virtual worlds where you could literally fall for a VR game character that thinks she's alive! Now the part that gets most people is how the virtual character passed through into a human body. How do you explain that? Well... that's a bit more science fiction for real. And that's what makes it such a cool movie. Still a classic. I wish I could be alive when VR really gets big. Oh well. Falling for a virtual woman is a lofty dream. That's why it's sci-fi. Good sci-fi at that.
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Guest Commentator LIVING DEAD GIRL says: "Normally I get nine lives. How many lives do you get in virtual reality?!"