Ender's Game Review

Ender's Game (2013)
Director: Gavin Hood (X-men Origins: Wolverine).
Actors: Harrison Ford (like you really need credits), Ben Kingsley (Gandhi, Iron Man 3), Asa Butterfield (The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, Hugo).

Ender's Game makes Gravity look like Sharknado.

My mind is still attempting to process the myriad levels of brilliance contained within the film and that one sentence is what keeps coursing through my grey matter.

I have not read the book. I saw the trailer countless times this summer when viewing other films, but I maintained complete indifference, for I suffer from a condition of the mind that clearly puts forth "children cannot act."

The plan was simply to see Ender's Game out of duty, based on the premise that my designation at Action A Go Go is "Sci-Fi Columnist."

Fortunately, I was given some tickets to an advanced screening of the film, and again, I state: Ender's Game makes Gravity look like Sharknado. I did a review for Gravity that can easily be summed up as "pretty, but lacking substance." However, Ender's Game is a masterpiece that excels on every level of film making.

The Story

Earth faces an alien enemy that almost brought human kind to its knees. The powers that be start drafting and training younger and younger recruits for military service because of their excellent hand/eye coordination and ability to process great amounts of information at faster speeds than adults.

Ender Wiggen (played by Asa Butterfield) is a young man that must endure the brutal training it takes to be successful at war with the aliens.

Alphas

 - The cast is exemplary across the board. Ford shows that he can still give a convincing performance that does not involve resting upon his laurels. Kingsley maintains an intensity only like he can. And my mental affliction about child actors? Blown out of the water. Not only did Asa Butterfield show that his skills go way beyond his years, every other child actor was convincing and remarkable.

Ford, Butterfield and the rest of the cast give outstanding performances.

- Its been a big year for visuals and special effects (Iron Man 3, Man of Steel, Pacific Rim, Gravity). Some were creative and substantive in their use of CGI, others tried to compensate with same for lack of decent writing. But none match the artistic level of Ender's Game. From start to finish, this film is one long, continual ocular bliss fest. If you don't see it in IMAX, you're doing yourself a disservice.

- Editing and pacing were perfect. An exemplary balance of interpersonal moments and intense action. The 114 minutes seemed to be over much too quickly, and at no point did I ever think "Ok...lets move along" or "Whoa...slow it down!"

- As we've come to realize in an age where movie studios are pumping hundreds of millions of dollars into special effects, more is needed than shiny things that make people go "ooooooh" and "ahhhhhhh." Ender's Game is loaded with heavy concepts and poses questions regarding ethics that will have people talking for years. Such a blend of sci-fi action and substance is a rarity. And this film has found the perfect balance between movement and thought.

CGI used purposefully, flawlessly and with true artistic inspiration. Not a byte was wasted nor unnecessary.

- Being a die-hard fan of science fiction film and television, I find myself having to maintain suspension of disbelief quite a lot. Added to that is an ability to withstand high levels of cheese in terms of writing or acting. Neither of those skills were required during this film. And that's what Ender's Game is...a film. Not a movie. Not a mere post-summer blockbuster. It's a film. And one that I'm certain will be considered in the same ranks as 2001: A Space Odyssey and The Matrix.

Deltas

This section normally covers things that are deficient in a movie's creation. I have nothing to list here. And I can only say if someone sees the film and finds fault, I pity them.

Action A Go Go or Action A No No?

If you took the distilled essence of all that is pure and good about Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, Tron and Firefly, then multiplied it by the power of 23, that would be the level of awesomeness that this film contains.

Ender's Game gets...

 5 out of 5 Arnolds!!!

Pages more could be written analyzing every minute detail of this exceptional film, but this is a spoiler free review and any more details might give things away. However, with its stunning visuals, complex and thought provoking writing, and award-winning acting, I would put forth that not only is this the best science fiction movie of the year, but one of the greatest of all time.

And here's a trailer for just a taste of this true work of cinematic art.

Stephen Sumner is the science fiction columnist for Action A Go Go. His favorite sci-fi series include Firefly, Battlestar Galactica and Star Trek. He can be followed on Twitter at Sumner@vierlights or on the Tumblr machine at NX01Sumner.

Action A Go Go can also be followed on Facebook here.

Shiny Sci Fi Saturday Night Gifs of Awesomeness #2

Ahhhhh, Saturday night. Many are out drinking, dancing and trying to meet the needs of their primal evolutionary drive to procreate. And there's nothing wrong with that. Shakespeare wrote, "Let copulation thrive!" and that is a sentiment with which I agree wholeheartedly.

But then there are humanoids like us: satisfied with an LCD screen, the pale blue glow of the cyber-world and silence. (OK...there may be some Einstürzende Neubauten in the headphones.)

My mind is especially intent on crisp visual imagery of future technology, alien life forms and the vacuum of space. Which is one of the reasons why I may be diagnosed with the term Obsessivus Compulsius Tumblrosa.

I've amassed an extensive collection of gifs from the Tumblr machine. And because of the neural set up in my grey matter, many of those moving bits of art tend to be from the realm of science fiction and cyberpunk. Much intense beauty resides in my archive and it would be a travesty not to share. Therefore, every Saturday night will be posting Shiny Sci-Fi Gifs. If you missed the first installment last week, here's a link.

And to give credit where credit is due, each gif is named after the original Tumblr source. That doesn't necessarily mean they created it, but they still had the good sense to share it with the world.

So, kick back, relax, go full screen and enjoy.

And in case you missed it, the pic at the top is not just a pic. Its a gif. The subtle kind. The awesome kind.

Live long and prosper. See you in the 'verse. So say we all.

Special Note: The gif immediately above has a clear background. Looks awesome on a Tumblr homepage.

Stephen Sumner is the science fiction columnist for Action A Go Go. His favorite sci-fi series include Firefly, Battlestar Galactica and Star Trek. He can be followed on Twitter at Sumner@vierlights or on the Tumblr machine at NX01Sumner.

How Spock Would Solve Earth's Current Problems

Note from Sumner -  This was written with some words of Isaac Asimov in mind:

“Individual science fiction stories may seem as trivial as ever to the blinder critics and philosophers of today, but the core of science fiction -- its essence -- has become crucial to our salvation, if we are to be saved at all."

Stardate: 2258.23
From: Commander Spock, Science Officer
To: Captain James T. Kirk
Subject: Overview and analysis of factors and conditions preceding World War III/Eugenics Wars of early 21st century Earth.

Captain,

As requested, please find below observations resulting from analysis of Earth history, regarding societal factors leading to the events of World War III/Eugenics Wars. Causes for the conflict are put forth, as well as my best hypotheses for possible solutions that could have been implemented to avoid the deaths of billions.

It is quite surprising that the human species survived, given its primitive drives based on animal instinct, as well as the predilection to allow emotion to override logic and empirical data.

This has been a fascinating process. I am curious as to why you set me to this task.

Live long and prosper.

Commander Spock
Science Officer

1) Natural resources - Enough natural resources existed for all humans to have their basic needs met. Yet geopolitical and economic forces were manipulated and controlled by a small percentage of the planet's population for their own benefit, at the expense of the many. This lead to social unrest and aggression between nations.

2) Economy - Most Earth societies functioned within economic paradigms that favored those who already had more resources than they needed. Citizens were not rewarded according to their true contributions to society, therefore social unrest arose.

3) Education - This may be the number one factor leading to the WWIII/EW. Only a small percentage of humans at the beginning of the 21st century understood the power and potential that lay within each and every single human mind. Yet, most children born at the beginning of the century did not receive adequate education, if any at all. Because children did not learn the importance of critical reasoning and empirical data, they were then easily manipulated as adults to serve the needs of those intent on increasing their wealth through the means of war.

4) Culture - Humans placed great emphasis on, and admiration for, others that may have been more aesthetically pleasing physically or more advanced in athletic activity, showing little regard for those that actively sought the betterment of the human species through science, arts, education and philanthropy. While the majority of humans fortunate to live in areas where resources were plentiful spent their time pursuing mindless entertainment and ignoring their own intellectual development, those intent on greed and power were able to dictate global matters.

5) Racism/Misogyny - Even though humans had been functioning as the species Homo sapiens for approximately 60,000 years, with essentially the same high level brain functioning capacities during that time frame, they still foolishly let outer appearances dictate the value of others. Skin color, gender, sexual preference, region of birth were all factors that the majority of humans utilized to gauge the worth of others, rather than focusing on levels of wisdom, education and overall contributions to one's society. Because of this paradigm, it was easier for one class of people to dehumanize another.

6) Politics - Various political paradigms existed at the start of the 21st century, but the names are not important. All could be broken down into two categories, each composed of two subcategories:
A) Financial
i) The small few that kept and maintained wealth and power.
ii) The majority that lived at or below basic levels of subsistence.
B) Biological
i) Those that were primarily driven by the amygdala, which is an area of the brain solely focused on fear, aggression, fight or flight.
ii) Those that were primarily driven by the prefrontal cortex, which is an area of the brain given to higher functioning such as abstract thinking as well as the ability to empathize with others.

Rather than using the political process as a tool to evaluate data and utilize logic to address the needs of the many, it essentially became the childish paradigm that you would designate "name calling." Because of this, those in power used politics to increase their wealth, while most of the citizenry were mired in superficial debate over inconsequential matters based on "belief" rather than "fact."

7) Religion - As we've learned on Vulcan, the structured framework of a religious system can be beneficial in implementing methods to better one's self. However, humans still clung to ancient and mythological texts as being fact, which then hindered their understanding of the universe within which they lived. Even in the 21st century, many humans still accepted the belief that the Earth was created in 6 days, that talking bushes existed and that men flew on horses. These differences in thinking, and avoidance of empirical data, led to much unnecessary bloodshed and death. Also, even though the core teachings of every belief system included the importance of love and compassion, religion was primarily used as a method for furthering divisiveness, political power and material gain.

8) Science - Humans in the 21st century operated within a curious paradigm where just as much validity and respect was given to "faith" and "belief" as "fact." Their actions clearly indicated that if one believes something, it must be true. Because of this, they ignored all empirical data that clearly indicated that fossil fuels were rapidly depleting, that damage to the environment was quickly reaching dangerous levels and that overpopulation was imminent. Respect for others beliefs is honorable, but not recommended when one's species is on the verge of self-annihilation.

9) Energy - Humans were still utilizing archaic methods for energy production when they had the necessary technology on hand to harness all the renewable energy they needed from their own sun. Their primary sources of energy were fossil fuels, yet within their own solar system, the sun was providing 8.2 million quads of Btu energy per year.

10) Wisdom/philosophy -  Throughout Earth history, there are examples of a small select group of humans from various periods and cultures that consistently attempted to show humanity methods to achieve higher states of functioning. However, at the core of all their teachings was the message "Think more of others than yourself," which is an idea that was consistently contraindicated by all major organized political, religious, economic and cultural powers.

As you can see Captain, the simple fact that humans have survived into the 23rd century is remarkable.

Regarding solutions that could have been implemented to avoid Earth's WWIII/Eugenics Wars, I would ask you to review the basic tenets of Vulcan philosophy. However, since we're speaking in the context of early 21st century humans, I will use simplified language, and list basic ideas below that would need to have been implemented at the start of the 21st century.

1) Being human should have automatically implied the right to basic needs such as food, shelter, clothing and education.

2) Education of children to utilize critical thinking skills and empirical data should have been a fundamental goal of every society, placed before national defense, economics, ancient dogmas and politics.

3) A global message should have been put forth and stressed that the best way to ensure one's own happiness and development as a human is to lead a life more concerned with the benefit of others than solely being focused on one's self.

4) Although religion/spirituality can be used as tools to better one's self, there is no "one correct way." Also, if empirical data and the scientific method disproves a particular belief in ancient texts, the former must be given credence.

5) A person's status and use of resources should be directly connected to levels of wisdom, education and skills used to benefit society, rather than birthright, physical attractiveness or ability to sway others through rhetoric.

6) Believing in something does not make it true.

Of all of the factors above offered as solutions, the most important would be number two. If a population is educated and taught the principles of logic, then wisdom would only follow.

For more Trek, check out Sumner's Trek for Rookies: A Quick Reference Guide.

Stephen Sumner is the science fiction columnist for Action A Go Go. His favorite sci-fi series include Firefly, Battlestar Galactica and Star Trek. He can be followed on Twitter at Sumner@vierlights or on the Tumblr machine at NX01Sumner.

Opinion: Walking Dead vs Fox News

They have Rupert Murdoch. We have Daryl & Glenn.

Foxnews.com recently published a piece entitled America's Obsession with "The Walking Dead" is hurting our society.

Let's take a closer look, shall we? Excerpts from the article will be in italics.

"there is one common theme that is pervasive in American pop culture today: violence."

And?

Violence has been a theme in all forms of entertainment since we crawled down from the trees and started living in caves.

Just last night I was watching Henry V and a key scene involved the king telling a small French town to surrender or his soldiers would rape all the women and throw the babies on spikes. Why are you not criticizing Shakespeare then?

Or, how about a book that is rife with torture, genocide, slaughter of the innocent and the stoning of women? Check out the Old Testament. You're not being critical of that either.

Violence exists in the world. It will be reflected in media and entertainment.

You'll only get my "Walking Dead" when you pry it from my cold, dead hands.

"We also see this zombie obsession in many video games.  Even more disturbingly, these games create environments for young children, in which they are exposed to an imaginary world where they get to play with firearms and place themselves in dangerous situations that they find exciting."

Although you mention it later in the same paragraph, all these zombie games are rated "M for Mature." Are you suggesting that such games not be made or sold? We should probably stop making and releasing all movies that are rated "R" as well. And the world of opera is actually rife with adult themes such as murder, suicide and adultery. We should probably shut down The Met.

Zombies are not being snuck into episodes of Little Einstein or Sesame Street. They are in games and movies created by adults, intended for adults. If a parent raises their child properly, and pays the appropriate levels of attention to what's actually going on in their offspring's world, zombie games and movies would not be a concern. 

"And studies have shown that these videogames can sometimes condition people, especially young children, to be apathetic towards violence."

What studies? Can you give sources? Or are we just supposed to take your word on it? Scientists are learning that gaming has benefits and that there's no proven causal links to real world violence. And here's a study from Harvard that indicates that while teen use of video games has dramatically increased over the past few decades, teen violence in society has declined.

"The concept of zombies has been around for decades, and their mythology has even been studied by scientists to prove that such an outbreak can never occur."

Scientists were studying mythology? What scientists? From what university or sanctioned organization? And what type of zombies were they "studying?" Fast zombies? Slow zombies? Zombies created from a man-made virus? A naturally occurring virus? A virus originating from off planet? Or was it zombies that were re-animated from voodoo?

Here's something to think about: ZOMBIES AREN'T REAL. Saying that scientists have "studied zombies" is like saying "Scientists have studied gnomes and elves."

First, they took my zombies and I did nothing. Then, they came for my gnomes.

"Even scientists at the National Institutes of Health have spent time creating an apocalyptic how-to guide on dealing with a zombie outbreak."

Yes. Yes they did. And because of that, they are awesome.

One rainy, miserable Monday morning, someone sitting in their cubicle at NIH/CDC was given the task to ensure that the average U.S. citizen is prepared for major disasters such as flooding or forest fires. Rather than create and release a news article entitled "Emergency Preparedness Check List" that no one would read, they added the words "For Zombie Apocalypse" and the goal was achieved.

"As a doctor and scientist, I know one thing for sure: When you’re dead, you’re dead."

Yeah! All those years of study learned ya something there doc!

Also, your area of expertise is OB-GYN. If there's ever a show entitled Walking Dead: Maternity Ward we'll be sure to give you a call.

"Our brains should be less focused on imaginary zombie hoards and more focused on harnessing the tools that we need in order to enhance our lives, whether it be music, education, science or the classics."

All of those areas of study are the first things cut from state and federal funding by the politicians that Fox News actively promotes.

"Entertainment should help us soothe our brains so that we can ease our minds of some of the stress from our daily lives."

Oh. You mean like Sleepy Hollow on the Fox network? A show about demons and undead creatures intent on the destruction of humankind? Where on a weekly basis gruesome acts of violence are routinely on display? That has absolutely nothing in common with The Walking Dead. Nope. Not at all.

"With this country heading towards a socialized system of government, in which officials don’t want you to think or focus on what is important for your own personal growth, I’m sure they’re more than happy to let you obsess over something as stupid as zombies."

You're trying to make a connection between zombies in modern media with Socialism? Ah, yes...I remember. In Das Kapital by Karl Marx, there was that chapter entitled "Subversion der kapitalistischen Regierungen durch die Verwendung von Bildern Zombie" (trans: "Subversion of Capitalist Governments Through Use of Zombie Imagery.")

Karl Marx, (1818-1883). HUGE fan of "The Walking Dead."

If you have an economics column, feel free to bring up Socialism. But please stop trying to connect that system to every single thing that you see wrong with society. The average U.S. citizen would have difficulty even defining the word.

"Stop obsessing over eating brains, and focus on cultivating your own."

Ah. You mean cultivating our brains by watching shows on Fox like Glee and American Idol? Or watching Fox News where right-wing views are the only views presented? Or by reading your articles which are clearly based on opinions lacking real-world validity, peer review and empirical data?

According to Fox, the average American is supposed to be afraid of: terrorists in the Middle East, terrorists on our own soil, women in the work force, African Americans, Latinos, teens that play video games, immigrants, Socialism, Communism, families on welfare, the LGBT population, hippies, solar power, wind power, environmentalists, Democrats and anyone who's not Christian.

And now you're going after zombies?

Thanks, but no thanks.

The real zombies are the ones that only follow one news channel and consume its ideological driven content without questioning its sources, intent or financial backers.

The thoughts and views expressed in this article are strictly those of Stephen Sumner and do not necessarily reflect those of Action A Go Go's management, editorial staff or writers. He can be followed on Twitter at Sumner@vierlights or on the Tumblr machine at NX01Sumner.

Shiny Sci-Fi Saturday Night #1

instinctualization

The term "geek" has many meanings, many levels, many ins and outs. One common indicator is being home on a Saturday night, whether it be due to poor social skills, introversion or maybe just all of life's circuits are set up as they should be. And to be fair, I think each of those criteria apply to myself.

I also fall into the class of Obsessivus Compulsius Tumblrosa. Have been on the Tumblr machine for a little over a year and as of tonight have clicked "Like" 10,999 times.

A good majority of that is sci-fi art, memes and gifs.

When it comes to art and sources, things can get a bit tricky. You want to give credit where credit is due. However, on the Tumblr machine, sometimes "original source" can be a very obfuscated term. On the flip side, I have this amazing reservoir of imagery that would be a travesty not to share.

A middle ground that I believe is acceptable is listing the original source for the post on Tumblr, which doesn't necessarily always mean that person was the creator.

For example, if you look at the title post above, you'll see that "instinctualization.tumblr.com" is listed as the original source on Tumblr, but the owner of that blog may not be the creator of the gif.

If you want to dig deep, I've come to discover most (not all, but most) folk on Tumblr are cool with sharing original sources. If you need to, you can reach out to them regarding any particular gif.

All that being said, welcome to the first installment of Shiny Sci-Fi Saturday Night. The first word is not only a reference to Firefly, but also I intend all the content of this series to be nothing but the most blissful sci-fi visuals that you'll find on the 'net. And starting tonight, we're going with all gifs.

If you've any comments, questions or concerns, feel free to say something in the comments section below.

Thanks for being. See you in the 'verse. Live long and prosper. So say we all.

imkerrecia

televandalist

thepsychedelicward

humanoide-s

wabimayo

motionaday

instinctualization

hdgifs

seanbonner

Stephen Sumner is the science fiction columnist for Action A Go Go. His favorite sci-fi series include Firefly, Battlestar Galactica and Star Trek. He can be followed on Twitter at Sumner@vierlights or on the Tumblr machine at NX01Sumner.

Vulcan Wisdom

I became a huge Trekkie over the past couple years. Even attempted my own version of Kolinar this past summer.

One thing I've learned is that some people just don't get it. But, I can't blame them.

Growing up, in my mind, Trekkies were geeks that lived in their parents' basements, unable to cope with the real world.

But I was wrong. Very, very wrong.

Yeah, there are phasers and sexy Orion slave girls. But Trek is more than that. Much more.

It posits the potential goodness, nobility and beauty that could be achieved by humankind. That paradigm could best be summed up in this image:

While in a checkout lane at the grocery store one day, a dude glanced at my t-shirt with a Starfleet insignia on it and we started talking Trek and sci-fi. He had no hesitation pointing out how it was "escapism."

My response?

"Yeah, in a way it is. But so is watching NFL football and Keeping Up With The Kardashians. The difference is, with Trek, you're learning how to be a better human."

A friend of mine who's a writer once asked me,"How come you haven't written a book?" I informed him that I couldn't think of anything that would make the world a better place that hasn't already been said before. He responded,"That's ok. People weren't listening before."

And I think that's one of the reasons Trek has stayed in the public sphere of functioning for so long. Most people aren't going to dig into the depths of the realms of philosophy and logic written in ancient Greece or India. But getting a taste of truth, even in the guise of Vulcan philosophy, helps make enduring the trials of life a bit easier.

Yeah. Trek is escapism. But it's an escape from ignorance towards the truth. And truth is truth, whether uttered by Plato, Nagarjuna or a man wearing prosthetic ears.

Stephen Sumner is the science fiction columnist for Action A Go Go. His favorite sci-fi series include Firefly, Battlestar Galactica and Star Trek. He can be followed on Twitter at https://twitter.com/VierLights or on the Tumblr machine at http://vierlights.tumblr.com/.