Banal Musings

In the distant past, the biggest, strongest, meanest badasses became rulers. They controlled their clans, tribes, kingdoms or countries by the strength of their bodies and their savage cunning. They were the strongest, but not the smartest or most inventive.

One day in that distant past, a person invented a tool—a hammer or an axe most likely—and the first geek was born. Admittedly the first tools were used for survival, probably to ward off other aggressive tribes. Eventually these tools were used to build shelter and help cultivate crops. The rulers of the past discovered that geeks had a knack for inventing and many of those inventions could be used to wage war on neighboring tribes. It wasn’t long before the best rulers had the best geeks working for them.

Over time the warrior class has relied on geeks to help them win and secure more lands. However, geeks began to realize that their inventions leveled the playing field. Being the strongest was no longer insurance that you would be the ruler; having the best tech was a better way to ensure dominance. Geeks were still being used, but they were also more valued.

In recent times geeks have become the dominant force in many aspects of human life. The smarter you are and the better your tech, the more likely it is that you will succeed. Geeks are not only better respected; they are now considered cool.

In the future, geeks will most likely inherit the earth as well as the moon and many other colonized worlds. The strong will be vanguards to these other worlds, but the geeks will ultimately run them. So, live long and geek out.

By Will Turc
Edited by Starlight Steel

 
Please bear with me while I try to recover pieces of my old blog. Said old blog was on a service that went missing without warning. I am trying to find backups of my recent posts as well as a list of members. I have no way to refer my old membership here and I hope some of you find me again.

See you soon,
Will Turc

Super 8 has all the makings of a classic Steven Spielberg film; however, it was written and directed by J.J. Abrams in a departure from his normal style. From the young heroes and emotionally closed off adults to the mysterious glimpses of the creature and the moody visuals, this film seems like classic Spielberg. Abrams does a fine job of scripting and directing a suspenseful and entertaining film.

The heroes of the piece are a group of high school kids, and the young cast is comprised of some very good young actors lead by Joel Courtney and Elle Fanning. They are believable, and the sincerity of the cast drew me into the film rather quickly. Growing up as a geek who was into horror films, sci-fi and comics, I can relate to the characters on a very personal level. The adults seemed to be disconnected from the kids, as is the case in most films with young heroes. I thought the people in the film were well fleshed out and had enough dimension to add to their believability. I might add that Elle Fanning has grown into a fine young actor like her older sister Dakota.

The movie is not a special effects (SFX) extravaganza. The SFX are part of the narrative and not meant to elicit a “Gee Whiz” response. All of the explosions, gunfire, and general mayhem enhance the story without calling attention to themselves. It is refreshing to see a movie that understands the usefulness of restraint in SFX.

The title Super 8 comes from an old video camera format. Younger movie-goers have probably never seen or even heard of the format and that fact should give you an idea of the time frame for the movie. I won’t even go into the movie within the movie because that would be too much spoilage. Suffice to say that it drives the main story and is a believable device to pull us into the action. In addition to that, the secondary movie is great fun.

I thought the movie was well done on all fronts, and it should be on your list of films to see in 2011. Everyone involved with this movie should be congratulated. If there were any missteps in the production, there were minor and not evident to me. There is definitely a second viewing of Super 8 in my near future. Finally, just a hint: I advise you to stay for the credits.

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By Will Turc