Review: Lost in Space (Netflix Series)

Starring: Toby Stephens, Molly Parker, Maxwell Jenkins, Taylor Russell, Mina Sundwall, Ignacio Serricchio and Parker Posey
Director: Various
Maturity Rating: 7+
Studio: Legendary Television, Synthesis Entertainment, Netflix (distributor)
Release: 2018 - 2021 (announced third and final season)
Runtime: 2 (seasons) x 10 episodes, 50+ minutes each


Estranged father. Unscrupulous impersonator. Smuggler. Those are among the personas of the characters featured in this space-faring adventure. Veered off course from their path to Alpha Centauri to start anew. All trapped in the same planet together with a mysterious but powerful and possibly dangerous robot. All lost in space. If you like what you have read so far, proceed.

A remake of the 60s TV series and a movie last decade, Lost in Space is science fiction about colonists leaving behind a devastated Earth (and dark secrets) to start new lives in Alpha Centauri, light-years away. The series centres on the Robinsons, a family of five - John, the father who is a former Navy SEAL; Maureen, a brilliant engineer mother; Judy, an adopted daughter who is a doctor with high principles; Penny, a daughter with developing teenage issues; and a son, Will, with some confidence issue.

On the way to their new home, something happened to their ship, The Resolute, and the colonists ended up stranded on a mysterious planet. It will take the whole season to unravel what happened onboard The Resolute (and all the backgrounds of the lead characters) so be patient. The series is riddled in mysteries - something to expect when everyone is lost in a part of space that nobody knows about. Besides that, the Robinson family is living proof that Murphy's law exists. Everything that can go wrong will go wrong. Along the way, Will saves and befriends an alien robot that will eventually be referred to as... “Robot” who will popularise the phrase "Danger, Will Robinson."

With sci-fi series, one can expect computer-generated graphics and Lost in Space do not disappoint. CGI aliens, robots, spaceships, and the works can be found here. In fact, some of the visuals are on par with the big-budget movies out there.

Review continues after the trailer of season 2:

The entire series regulars are given opportunities to shine and character development is well mapped out with a convincing cast. The weakest link of the family, Penny, a happy go lucky, middle child that rarely has the survival skills that her family has, has moments that make her parents proud. Even Robot that plays a pivotal role has some memorable moments.

Lost in Space is nice, clean fun with all the right ingredients minus the violence. Heck, even some Star Trek episodes are too violent in comparison. However, I am always against serials that leave the audience hanging and Lost in Space is no exception. In fact, the series is guilty of that on many occasions, sometimes from episode to episode and worse of all at the end of seasons. Well, nothing is perfect.

Balanced with the right thrills and twists when things are not what they seem, every episode has just the amount of content to keep you in your seat. I would not say at the edge of your seat but it keeps you glued to the screen for more. All that plus a strong family theme and there is good in even the worst person, Lost in Space is an all-rounder. Highly recommended.


Note: Netflix had recently announced the third and final season will air sometime in 2021.

Rise of Anthologies

Do The Twilight Zone, Amazing Stories and Alfred Hitchcock Presents ring any bells? These are some of the anthologies that I can remember watching on television. While compilations of short stories are not uncommon in literature, these collections are rather rare when it comes to television compared to the billions of series out there. I wouldn’t have thought any more of them had it not been for Netflix. I’ve spent half of my recent Netflix moments watching Black Mirror. Just a week ago, I’ve discovered another anthology of (mostly) animated shorts called Love, Death + Robots.

Both Black Mirror and Love, Death + Robots tell stories that are just as unique and artistic as the older anthologies. However, as society becomes more open in this Information Age, the contents are much more mature. The stories can be controversial and taboo in more conservative countries. Even the following trailer for Love, Death + Robots comes with a mature content warning!

For better or worse, new unrelated stories and new actors come with each episode. Sometimes they are great, sometimes mediocre and sometimes downright terrible. Every person’s mileage varies because it comes down to personal preferences but I'm sure everyone will welcome a breath of fresh air from long-running serials that will leave you suffocating with a cliffhanger at the end of a season.

I’ve completed the first series (3 episodes) and the first episode of the fifth series (also 3 episodes) of Black Mirror (you can find the list of the episodes on Wikipedia. The anthology uses mature themes to emphasise the consequences of (misusing) technology. Hence, the title Black Mirror which actually means the blank TV/monitor screen when it’s turned off.

For example, the first episode tells the tale of humanity’s focus on television. The British Prime Minister was to perform sexual intercourse on a pig on live television in exchange for the release of a kidnapped princess. She was already released before the PM was due to start broadcasting but nobody noticed because they were all glued to the television.

Meanwhile, other worthwhile anthologies that are currently on TV are The Twilight Zone reboot which is on CBS All Access and Steven Spielberg’s Amazing Stories is on Apple TV+ streaming service. Enjoy!

Watching Fireflies - A Fantasy Short Story

In an unprecedented worldwide pandemic, most of us are now staying at home, some already for a few weeks while others have just started. It is not a holiday with our bosses reminding us to keep working albeit from home. It is easy to put off our duties when the environment is as comfortable as home. This gave me an idea to write a fantasy short story about procrastination and here it is. Enjoy.

Alternative covers that I’ve worked on can be found in IonBuck’s Blog.


Watching Fireflies

Elfie dreaded going to the magic school but today was a good day for him indeed. The class was canceled for the rest of the week after his professor had fallen ill due to mysterious circumstances (but that is another story for another time). The kids were joyful to have so many days off but alas, not without some thick stacks of theoretical and practical magic homework. The work should not take more than an hour a day if spread out evenly for the whole week.

“Why isn’t there any magic that can finish my homework for me?” he muttered under his breath when the work was handed over to him.

On the way home, Elfie resolved that he will finish all his homework so that he could spend the rest of his free days to do what he pleased.

“I’m going to complete my work in two days and have five days of freedom!” he said aloud in his excited state. “YES!”

He hurried home, made himself some sandwiches and brought them together with a glass of water to his room. He was trying to be efficient so that he can just stuff the sandwiches into his mouth and gulp them down while he was hard at work. He locked himself in the room and tossed his work on the desk.

“Let’s get started.”

Elfie sat down and opened his first assignment, a thick leather-bound book of history to study. That will require a lot of brain muscles.

All right, I will just take a bite before I start so that I have all the energy that I need, Elfie thought and took one bite of his sandwich.

The lettuce was fresh and crunchy. He raised the sandwich to admire the ingredients squashed between the bread. As he stared at the lettuce and tomato slices, he started to think about planting his own crops tomorrow morning.

Day two. Gardening is good exercise before continuing with my homework. Yes, I’ll do just that.

Elfie realised that it was getting dark, way earlier than usual. Looking out at the skies he saw dark storm clouds loomed above. He took out a box from under his bed and attached it to a series of glass tubes fastened to the parameter walls of the room. A few gentle knocks on the box later, the fireflies inside stirred and began to fly into the tubes. As if a switch was flipped, one of the fireflies began to produce a luminescent glow in its lower abdomen, followed by another, and another.

Gradually, Elfie’s room was bathed in glimmering incandescent light. Probably for the hundredth time, he was mesmerised by the tiny moving globes of light in the tubes.

It’s hard to resist looking at these miracles of nature, he thought. It is disrespectful not to admire the fireflies for awhile. It will just be for a few minutes, then I will get right back to work.

The glowing insects floated effortlessly. The effect was hypnotic. Elfie was fascinated by the chaotic but slow movements of the insects. He reached out and unscrewed one of the tubes so that the fireflies floated unrestricted into the room.

"Magical, simply magical," Elfie whispered in awe.

With great difficulty, he tore his eyes from the scene and flipped through his collection of water spells. Bubbles. Enhance the bonds between the water molecules so that they form perfect spherical shapes. Elfie focused his thoughts and let the magic flow through him into the glass of water.

At first, tiny bubbles floated up and glint in the light. Elfie focused more and the bubbles grew in size but popped just after leaving the glass. He stood up, closed his eyes, took in a deep breath, and channeled all his strength to make a bubble the size of an orange. It floated up and swallowed up some of the fireflies that flew out of the tube. The bubble glimmered as the fireflies bounced off the sphere. It looked like a mini planetary system with glowing stars floating around.

One day, I’m going to make a bubble big enough to engulf all these fireflies, he thought before passing out from exhaustion. Without the flow of energy, the bubble burst and the fireflies floated freely again.

*****

“Elfie, it’s dinner time!” his mother called out.

Elfie sat up and blinked. He was in a daze so he fell back on his bed and admired the fireflies floating all over the room. As the fog cleared he remembered that he had just wasted a day procrastinating, again.

“But there is always tomorrow,” he rolled off his bed and left his room for dinner.

- End -

Review: The Sixth Extinction

As far as historians are concerned, there were five major events throughout the existence of Earth where almost all the inhabitants go extinct. In this Pulitzer Prize-winning book, journalist Elizabeth Kolbert explores a possible upcoming sixth extinction event. While the first five were suspected to be caused by forces of nature, humans could very well be the main contributor of the sixth, whether it is intentional or not.

The author scours the world to gather facts of previous extinctions, studied tiny ammonites to huge mastodons, from less intelligent beings to our closest sentient ancestors. She researches the many periods of history and all these points to the fact where humans were present, extinction increased in exponential numbers.

Extinctions were due to many factors. For example, in the first chapter, the sudden disappearance of the golden frogs was due to fungus infection. In the beginning, it could have been limited to a single location but eventually, golden frogs began dying across the world. While the fungus is airborne, only humans through our antics of travel and logistics could have brought the fungus far and away enough to widen and hasten the propagation of the fungus.

Another example, we often hear and read about the obvious carbon dioxide generation through emissions. What we seldom hear is that oceans absorb the excess carbon dioxide and as a result, the acidic level increased. The more carbon dioxide in the air, the more were absorbed. Underwater species that do not thrive well with higher acidity will perish.

For the most part, the texts are quite layman and easily understood, thus positioning this book as suitable for most people. Most kids that find picture books or a good mystery novel interesting will find it boring but the book will fascinate curious teenagers and older.


Editor's note:
With a big brain and an overgrown pride, we might have overestimated ourselves thinking we will cause the next extinction. Similarly, we have underestimated the smallest possible microorganisms. The current COVID-19 outbreak does suggest that we are just as fragile as the extinct and endangered species mentioned in the book. The next extinction, maybe ours, could be caused by something much more minute such as a virus but I think (probably influenced by this book's first chapter) another possibility is something like a fungus where it is even more difficult to contain and destroy.

Review: Children of the Whales

Starring: Tony Azzolino, Brian Beacock, Johnny Yong Bosch (English)
Director: Various
Maturity Rating: 16+ (Netflix: Violence, nudity)
Studio: J. C. Staff, Bandai Visual
Release: 2017
Runtime: 12 episodes, 20+ minutes each

This is a twelve-episode Japanese anime set in a unique dystopian world where islands float as ships in seas of sand instead of water. The story centres on one such island called the Mud Whale. It is not clear what happened or what caused this and if it is set in the Earth we know or a totally unique universe by itself.

The inhabitants of Mud Whale consist of two castes - one with (Star Wars) Force-like abilities called Thymia and one without. Those able to wield Thymia are called the Marked which will become evident almost immediately because of strange markings that appear on their bodies when they call upon these magical powers. Unfortunately, they have short lifespans. Why? You will have to watch the series to find out. With obvious reasons, the Mud Whale is governed by the Unmarked, the caste without Thymia.

To survive, the people of Mud Whale count on rain, farming, and harvest other islands that they encounter throughout their journey. As strange as the world itself, they have never come across any other islands with people in it. As the story unravels, they will eventually find an island with its first inhabitant. While roaming the island, protagonist Chakuro encounters a girl whom by the label of her clothes she is named Lykos. She appears to be the sole survivor of some battle. She is weak and, as a result, she passes out and is brought to the Mud Whale.

Strange things begin happening and it is revealed later that Lykos’ people label the inhabitants of Mud Whale as criminals and are all out to terminate them. The rest of the story is all about the challenges faced by the Mud Whale and how they try to resolve the conflicts. Each episode is slightly more than twenty minutes. Although short, I did not find it boring. In fact, more often than not, I had to resist from binge-watching the series... and believe it or not, this is my first ever Japanese anime series.

There is not much world-building here but new characters are introduced every now and then. The pace of the story is sometimes uneven and towards the end, it seems a bit hushed - especially the last two episodes. Suddenly, new characters in a new location appear but without much introduction and information.

When I started the series, I expected it will have a clear cut ending (twelve episodes is a good length for a beginner). Although there is a major resolution, the series ended in some sort of an open-ended way. After some sleuthing through the web, it seems the manga which the series is based on still has ways to go. So we can anticipate a second season although, and sadly, as of now, there is no news of one in the near future. For fans of this anime, we will just have to wait.

Review: World War Z

Starring: Brad Pitt, Mireille Enos
Director: Marc Forster
Maturity Rating: PG-13 (Theatrical), 18+ (Netflix)
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Theatrical Release: 2013
Runtime: approx. 116 minutes

Set in the present day (well, the movie was released in 2013), Gerry Lane (Brad Pitt) and family are stuck in a very bad traffic jam and things start to go very wrong. Everyone eventually panics and we see our first zombies, straight into the action. As a former United Nations investigator, Gerry has a quick wit so it is not surprising that the Lane family manage to survive the night by taking refuge in another family’s apartment. With his connection, he manages to secure a helicopter evacuation the next day. The family in the apartment and their son, Tommy, decide to stay while the Lanes move to the rooftop for the evacuation. As the zombies invade the apartment complex, Tommy manages to escape with the Lane family onto a supercarrier.

Gerry is given a choice. Either aid a virologist to find a cure by locating patient zero or get moved out of the supercarrier. With little choice, Gerry travels to South Korea where things once again go awry. The film follows Gerry’s globe-trotting adventures, one tense moment after another. Will he eventually find a way to help make the vaccine or is it going to be the end of the world?

Brad Pitt holds his own in this movie and pulls the right punches at the right time. Whether or not if you are a fan of the main protagonist or the zombie genre, the movie is worth watching. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the other characters because the focus is on Pitt moving from one place after another so there is little room for the others to shine.

The movie does not have as much blood and violence as some zombie movies of recent times but this is where it works best. Rather than just mindless zombie culling gore, a better plot balanced with enough action steer the movie in the right direction.

The other zombie movie that I have watched and reviewed is the Korean Train to Busan reviewed here.

Review: Gone Girl

People love thrillers, especially those with so many twists and turns that by the end of the movie (or book), the good guy could well be the bad guy that is the good guy who becomes the baddest but ultimately the good guy that is bad and this goes on and on until the end is reached (and the most loved of the crop is where the ending is open for another sequel). The more twists the better. Gone Girl is one such movie but thankfully, the twists are well controlled and not as mindlessly overdone as some movies.

Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike play the estranged couple Nick and Amy Dunne. Apparently, one morning after a walk by the beach, Nick goes home and finds evidence that Amy was attacked and she is nowhere to be found. So he goes to report to the police. The narration by Amy and back flashes in the early part of the movie reveals how their marriage had degraded over the years. Slowly, but surely, all the evidence points to Nick but is he guilty? If he is, what has he done to her?

While Rosamund Pike fits well into Amy’s role, I think anyone can become Nick if Ben Affleck’s acting is the threshold. Pike can express warmth and frost quite well but Affleck is just frustrated all the way.

I have a major gripe - I don’t understand why the movie is mostly in the dark. It could do with brighter scenes. Probably it’s just me but I always dislike movies with too many dark scenes. Instead of setting the mood, it becomes too straining. At least this one is not an action movie or else it’s difficult to distinguish who is fighting with whom.

The movie has just the right pace and is supported by a rather intelligent plot. These alone make the movie watchable although the nude scenes will limit it to a more mature audience.

1Q84 Omnibus - All the way through

I reached midway after a month plus of reading this really thick collection of all three novels by Haruki Murakami. You can read my thoughts here. The story revolves around two main characters, Aomame and Tengo. The plot is set in the midst of mystical Little People and a cult. Somehow, it all happens in a world with two moons. Murakami never fails to remind his readers of this and many other details. On the plus side, it’s impossible to forget all the important parts so there is no need to backtrack (I love this because I’m always forgetful of who does what). On the other hand, the book gets swelled up to more than one thousand three hundred pages. I can’t be sure which is thicker, this omnibus or a brick.

Halfway through, the readers are exposed to a romance that spans decades and there is a possible resolution but everyone worth his/her salt would know this is going to drag on till the end.

As the story progresses, Murakami introduces what appears to be an antagonist in the form of an investigator in book two and then increased his presence to the alternating chapters between Aomame and Tengo in book three. As he brings the excitement up a notch at the end of book two, Murakami does his repetitive, mundane thing again to slow the pace.

Despite all these, 1Q84 is a unique story where Murakami’s characters weave mystical plots out of thin air (pun intended). The world is strange but at the same time, projects the kind of realism that we could relate to.

I also love how Murakami adds a subplot about a desperate and irritating NHK fee collector. He manages to inject some humour into this at the beginning of the final book in a rather smart way... and then turned the whole thing into something creepy. A nice touch.

At the end of the day, it takes quite a bit of perseverance to appreciate this book. If you are looking for something unusual with some romance, mystery, and mysticism all mixed in, this could be the book for you... provided you have the time and patience to go through a thousand and three hundred plus pages.

Caution! Not for those looking for fast-paced action and kids should stay away because of some intimate scenes.

1Q84 Omnibus - Half way there

This book by Haruki Murakami is an omnibus of all three novels. Its thickness was overwhelming but the challenge is on! I shall finish this book no matter what. It had been over a month now and I am only halfway through. That’s 645 pages.

The chapters alternate between the story’s two protagonists, Aomame and Tengo. It took almost the whole of the first book to introduce them and set up the plot. Aomame is a gym instructor that maroons as a dark justice-type of assassin who kills despicable men while Tengo is a teacher-cum-maths prodigy trying to make a break as a fiction writer. The first half peeks into their lives and weaves a plot where they get mixed up in a world with two moons, mysterious Little People and a religious cult at the heart of it.

Things only started to pick up after some chapters into the second book. Haruki Murakami’s writing is full of superfluous details and repetitions. Sometimes I get tired of it and doze off. There were a couple of times when I fell asleep and dropped the book, waking up the whole household. Fortunately, at midway, things started to get interesting. It was also at midway that I breathed a sigh of relief knowing I had managed this far and now that it is getting exciting, I have reasons to march on to complete the rest of the book.

All the mysterious built up in the early chapters are starting to unravel such as a mysterious teenage girl that seemed to run away from the cult, the elusive Little People that were mentioned every so often and how Aomame and Tengo are related and what part do they really play in this strange story. So far, the author is taking his time but the revelations are slowly building up to a crescendo… hopefully.

Short Story Posted On Medium - A Joyful Morning

Just posted a short story for the holiday season titled "A Joyful Morning" on Medium. It's about a boy sitting alone in the playground on Christmas morning. Something is bothering him because he is crying. Even a visit from Santa does not appear to cheer him up.

Bare Bear

We Bare Bears is a popular American animated series. There is little doubt that the title is a wordplay with the homophones “bear” and “bare”. I always get confused with the words and often misuse them. Hence, it is worth looking into their usage.

In its adjective form, bare usually means naked, devoid of any coverings; simple and basic. As a verb, it means to expose or uncover. Here are some sentences that will help to provide some context:

1. A bare, chubby baby is cute and cuddly but a naked, fat adult will be avoided at all costs!
2. The couple stands by the doorway to their new house which is bare of any furnishings.
3. The bodybuilder bares his muscular body from the waist up for all to admire.

Meanwhile, a bear is a furry, giant animal that we all know. It is often portrayed as a friendly beast in the movies but that is far from the truth, so don’t go near one. Sometimes, it is also used figuratively to depict a giant or huge person. The confusion with bare comes when it is used as a verb where it means to carry, support or withstand.

1. The old structure will not be able to bear the weight of the new equipment.
2. Greg’s parents could not afford to bear the expenses of his lavish lifestyle anymore.
3. Her husband can’t bear the taste of pickles.

It will not be easy to separate the two words, but hopefully, this article helps to shed some light. There are plenty of posts online that will be able to do a better job than me. Last but not least, for the fun of it, here’s a sentence that utilises both words:

Chased by a family of bears, the jogger ran for his life and barely made it out of the woods alive.

Phew!