Fanboys

2012: A Movie Odyssey - Another Earth

Another Earth. It’s not what you’d expect from the movie posters or the trailer. And, to be fair, the notion of a parallel earth isn’t exactly a brand new idea. So it’s somewhat refreshing to see this concept serving as merely a backdrop to the main story - the tale of two outsiders, whose lives are changed dramatically by the arrival of “Earth 2”. It’s a captivating film with some solid performances by Brit Marling (who also co-wrote it) and William Mapother (Ethan Rom in Lost). Although the ending is ambigious and, in my opinion, lets the film down somewhat, Another Earth is worth checking out. As long as you don’t mind your films somewhat downbeat that is.

Starfury Inva2ion

Just some of the attendees (including Dichen and Robin) who were still about after Sunday’s party (around 2.30 am) - Photo courtesy of Grant Gowdy

This weekend I attended my first convention in almost a year, Starfury’s Inva2ion (or Invasion 2, however you want to call it).
Run by organiser Sean Harry, Inva2ion celebrated women in sci-fi (mostly) with guests from Dollhouse (Eliza Dushku, Dichen Lachman); web series The Guild (Felicia Day, Amy Okuda, Robin Thorsen); Stargate Universe (Elyse Levesque, Alaina Huffman); Caprica (Alessandra Torresani); and Battlestar Galactica (the beautiful.. uh, Aaron Douglas); along with bonus guests Jim Swallows (writer of several tie-in novels and a couple of Star Trek episodes) and Starfury favourite Jonathan Woodward (one of Joss Whedon’s hat-trick guest stars).

After Saturday’s party, and copious amounts of alcohol, Jonathan, Aaron, Dichen and Robin took to the stage

Starfury Conventions are more than just your average Autograph/Photo Opportunity with the stars, they are much more social and intimate, with many of the guests intermingling and partying with attendees, and Inva2ion was no exception. In fact it was the best yet. Aaron Douglas, Robin Thorsen and Dichen Lachman in particular spent a lot of time with fans; hanging around until the early hours of the morning partying, drinking and socialising (despite photoshoots at 10am).

And that’s what so great about Sean Harry’s cons. Even if the guests were absent after their talks/autograph sessions/etc had finished, it’s more about having a party than anything else - having the guests join in is a bonus. Starfury events are about meeting up with people who have a common interest. We’re not just friends that get together, we’re all part of a larger family. They are not just another “geeky sci-fi con”, they’re an opportunity to see old friends, make new ones, and party like its 2099.

And what better way to party, than to have Dichen Lachman and Robin Thorsen join in on the Star Trekking con-dance; or to take chocolate liqueur shots with Aaron Douglas; or experience the absolute joy of starting a limbo competition in the middle of the dancefloor and having Alaina, Elyse, Felicia, Dichen, Robin and Amy all take part?

Without a doubt, Inva2ion was the best Starfury event yet.

A familiar sight for con regulars, Alessandra joins Jonny and Aaron for Sunday’s Communion

Winner of the Best Group at the Fancy Dress Competition, a Steampunk Lord of the Rings

2012: A Movie Odyssey - X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Wolverine should have been a good movie. The trailer looked very promising, making it seem like we were going to get Marvel’s take on the epic generation spanning superhero movie, a la Watchmen. But alas, the most interesting aspect of the film is the opening credits sequence where we get to see Logan being involved in most of the major battles in recent history.

The major issue I have with the movie is not that it’s a bad idea, but that it seems rushed and under-developed. The basic gist of the story is actually very good, but throughout the film I couldn’t help thinking that the script felt very much like a first draft rather than a finished product. It feels more like a story-breakdown rather than an actual story. If a little more time had been spent on the script (and CGI, but thats another story) then maybe we could have actually felt for Wolverine’s plight, we would have been shocked when the twists were revealed and we might have been satisfied in some way.

As it stands, Wolverine is simply another superhero movie that doesn’t reach its potential.