The Importance of Being Pregnant.

Stories have a correlation to the world we are living in. They are man-made. There is nothing natural about stories.

Shortly after 9/11 a bunch of mainstream Hollywood movies best described as revenge movies came on the scene. No one explicitly taking on the subject of course, it was too early to do that.

We have struggled for a long time now with an enormous amount of post-apocalyptic movies and TV-shows. It does not seem to fade away.

Not so strange when crisis after crisis has had the world in turmoil this last decade. Economic collapses, political and environmental disasters. You name it!

Post-apocalyptic themes and zombies usually follows vampires, a leech that not so strangely correlates with economic changes in society.

I am not kidding. You can google it.

What comes after the post- apocalypse?

Babies, is the right answer!

We need something stabilizing. We need society to move one. We need the family to stay together and we need hope. Nothing says hope like a baby.

I do hope this fad is short-lived.

The last time we had a wave of pregnancies was during the mid-90 to mid-2000 and every drama/comedy in mainstream cinema had at least one pregnant woman or unprepared parents in it.

TV science fiction is now picking up the torch, expecting and bursting with babies.

Extant combines pregnancy with alien intrusion. As if it was not hard enough, Halle Berry need to struggle with aliens, a husband on a mission and Roboboy too.

This show tries hard at many things. Thankfully, they have money enough for visual effects, good actors and a solid production.

Perhaps it would be a better show if they had not done both the ‘alien pregnancy conspiracy’ plot at the same time as the ‘Roboboy is just like human boys’ plot.

The Lottery  is seriously taking the subject of pregnancy, or the lack of, straight on. This show has potential.

I know. It is just another way to say they fucked it up.

It was supposed to be Children of Men  for TV but perhaps they got too afraid it would look like a copycat? Children of Men was good on as many levels as this show is bad.

Okay, you had a beautiful baby. Can we please move on now?

Christine

 

The Last Ship. Fire In The Hole!

OMFG!
I do not know how or where to start this rant.

At first, The Last Ship looks cool.

A post- apocalyptic pandemic scenario and a US Navy guided missile destroyer.

Straight of I get a Battlestar Galactica feel. A hint of old school sci-fi, like with real sets and everything.

In addition, there is a present and an imminent danger.
Not in a far future. Furthermore, it is on our earth. No parallel worlds. No aliens.

Oh Gosh, I am getting my hopes up!

Not 12 minutes into the episode, the Russians attack.

Ah, I see.
A nostalgic nudge to 80’s and 90’s action movies with American number one favorite enemy Russia. I am cool with that.

From there on EVERYTHING about this show goes horribly wrong.

Half way through episode 2 I am getting increasingly uncomfortable as our heroes searches Guantanamo Bay for supplies.

Freed because of the virus, Al-Qaida prisoners rule this playground hell-bent on killing everyone although the virus is killing everybody anyway.

So not to be confused with our heroes, Al-Qaida is dressed in their standardized uniform complete with orange neckties, afghan turbans and beards.

It is as if they never left the Afghan mountains.
They are even accompanied by an exotic soundtrack.

Do the US and their military need a pat on the shoulder?
Here represented by the Navy. The finest of the whitest. Yeah, I am talking about their iconic white ceremonial uniform.

Is their reputation THAT tarnished?
‘Cause in my mouth this tastes awfully like propaganda.

Russia is the enemy throughout the season. Thank goodness, we have evolved though!

Our hero captain speaks Russian.

In addition to reading books.
About Russian military captains.

However, there is no Russia anymore. Only forces operating on their own authority according to what is left of the US Government holding out in a bunker underground, hanging on the US of A is still standing strong!

Although it is in shambles.
Just like Russia.

But in control.
Unlike Russia.

The ongoing threat by the Russians and the one from the Al-Qaida is only the beginning.

Meet El Toro. The drug lord type living it easy in the Nicaraguan jungle he calls his own.

He molests young girls, preferably right before they hit puberty. He is surrounded by jungle music with sounds of monkeys and bongo drums.

So to best get that jungle vibe.

Still not convinced this show is crap?

Every military person on board is understandably American. Therefore, we need an intelligent alibi.

Thankfully, the scientists guesting the destroyer are British. The man is however a traitor.

He does not speak much in the beginning. When he does, it is with the Russians. Therefore, you accept his stone cold nature without blinking while the female scientist runs around all emotional.

To top it off, he has red hair and bad acne scars across his face for goodness sake!

Of course, he is bad.

I mean British.

To complete this work of crap, the Asian-American engineering guy does not stop reading while eating and one of the two Afro-American guys you get to know, is the first to die. On an away mission of all things.

Christine