As the future is here and we continue to see more and more advances every day, it would not be out of the realm to think that our machines will soon have a mind of their own. It may be a great idea to create a fully automated A.I. for machines to be able to take care of more issues without any human interference, but I still look at Skynet and what it did to the future generations. Would this really happen, your guess is as good as mine, but I don’t want to be caught in the middle when something goes wrong. I am still trying to figure out our current technology and since it keeps changing on a daily basis, I don’t think I will ever catch up.

Receiving his orders for a new day, Captain Bukes is far from happy that he and his team are heading out on another training mission. Not seeing real action in several months, he is starting to question what his purpose is in the corps and wants answers. But keeping everything tight lipped is what he and his men are paid to do, so the next training mission is what will be done despite their objections. This mission will be special as well with Technician Mills from Harbinger along for the ride, so it is time to put on a good show.

Not knowing where they are going for their training exercise, Bukes’ crew gets a first hand look at what future tech is on the horizon. Mills is hooked into the mainframe deeper than any of them have ever seen, to the point that she might actually be a robot herself. Arriving to the training platform, the group sets out to find out where their fight will be coming from, but Mills starts to notice that the new series of fighters appear to be a little different than what she expected them to be. With autonomous surveillance drones keeping an eye on every movement that the team makes, this might turn out to be the first time the team does not make it back.

Seeing their targets in the kill zone, the team is able to take them out with very little effort, but they do not know what else is hiding in the woods. As their first night comes to a close on the island, the team finds out that their sentry has been killed by something unknown. Not being able to investigate too much since a new batch of killer robots has been unleashed on them, they see their own tactics being utilized against them. The new series of S.A.R. (Study. Analyze. Reprogram.) robots have picked up on their previous mistakes and are now in the driver’s seat. Seeing that the head of the automated killers is more powerful than anything she has ever experienced, Mills comes clean about how the 'bots are working together, yet has no idea how they have been cut off from the world to ask for help. In a race against time, the team must find a way to get back to the drop zone in hopes of getting word out, but the S.A.R. robots are being very calculated in their hunt and even allow for their opposition to get ready for the fight of a lifetime.

I never thought of robots really looking like bad guys in movies, but this one does make a demon out of the one in command. With it’s V shaped eye that is able to read into Mills’ mind and control all of the other robots on the island, it is one nasty robot. The distrust that the team shows for Mills has to be the best part of the storyline, even when she is able to prove that she is on their side, she still continues to leave many unanswered questions on the table. The fights between the marines and robots were nothing less than epic when lives are being put at risk, and I hope that whenever the robot uprising actually takes place that we have a team like Bukes’ who can help defend the innocent. With some fun characters and nasty robots, it is easy to get lost while watching this and wonder what will happen when we give our robots free reign over their thoughts…and what they will do with us.

Personally, I've always considered comedy to be the hardest genre to tackle as a writer. After all, it's easy to find a way to infuriate the audience with a particular character's actions, or terrify them, or outright make them cry. But to make someone laugh, and laugh heartily takes a special touch and one such comedy troupe that manages to find ways to unleash unique comedic fury upon all of us with ease, is the ultra talented Broken Lizard.

Comprised of comedians; Jay Chandrasekhar, Erik Stolhanske, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter and Kevin Heffernan; Broken Lizard spent many years as an east coast comedy troupe, performing in various clubs and colleges until they exploded onto the screen in 2001 with a hit motion picture that just about everyone out there has seen, Super Troopers. 

This quirky comedy chronicled the adventures of Highway Patrolmen from the great state of Vermont, stationed outside of the town of Spurbury and well, that's really all the time we are going to spend talking about the plot today because as I mentioned a moment ago, there's a fair chance you've seen this movie, you likely laughed pretty darn hard while watching it since it is quite the brilliant comedy, so instead, let's talk about what makes this film so wonderful and why it endures to this day because truly, this motion picture is an absolute modern classic for one simple reason...its characters. 

Ask anyone who has seen this film and they'll be happy to tell you who they identified with the most on screen or who they thought was the funniest and there really is a sense of familiarity when watching this movie. Because we've all managed to run into someone like Farva, or dealt with a prankster like Mac and to top it off, there's a strange but awesome experience that comes with watching this motion picture, in that it simply feels as though you're hanging out with a bunch of friends and those friends decided to see what it might be like to get drunk and be part of law enforcement and awesome and hilarious shenanigans ensue, which brings us to the best part of Super Troopers...the fact that every single joke in this movie works perfectly.

Sometimes comedies try something off the wall that doesn't quite stick with the audience, but I'm hard pressed to find anyone who can think of a slow or unfunny moment in Super Troopers. Which means that its clear that the members of Broken Lizard truly set out to try anything and everything they could on screen to see what happens and that kind unbridled humor, when coupled with a smart script results in the wonder that this film provides, a perfect comedy. There's something in here to make everyone laugh and let's also be honest, we've all waited a lifetime to hear a veteran and seasoned actor such as Brian Cox fire off that 'Rainbow Sherbet' line. Either way, this is truly a once in a lifetime comedy, one that propelled Broken Lizard to new heights and multiple and equally brilliant films which we will discuss in the coming days. But if by chance you haven't seen Super Troopers, go out and just buy it right now, so that you can experience true genius and own a piece of comedic film history. 

It is amazing what can be done when people decide to band together for a common goal. I mean, we were able to put a man on the moon because of how NASA was able to bring all of their departments together. If failure is not an option and you have the numbers, there should be nothing keeping you from accomplishing your goals. I am excited to see what happens when we make up a cure for the common cold, I am sure it is on the horizon.

Brothers Gray and Zach are on their way to a vacation of a lifetime with their aunt Claire. But what they do not know is that the attractions at the park they are about to visit can be more dangerous than the ads lead on. They are going to Jurassic World and going to see live dinosaurs, and although Zach is not that excited to be leaving his girlfriend behind, Gray could care less since he is about to have his mind blown by being able to see & touch creatures that he has only read about. But Claire is having a day and has to turn the kids loose in the park with her assistant since she has more pressing issues to deal with. 

With a new exhibit about to open, Claire has been ordered to bring the park's veterinarian in to make sure that everything is coming together. Owen is not too excited about what the park is doing with their new creations and this one has him worried. Being a hybrid mix between a T-Rex and something else classified, Owen knows that the genetic tampering will not lead to anything good for the park. When arriving at the paddock to see the new Indominus Rex, Claire finds that the hybrid is not on the infrared and must have escaped its cage. Owen and the workers investigate the habitat to find out what might have happened to the large beast, but before they know it, the Indominus is on top of them and making a run for freedom.

With a new predator on the loose, the island has to start looking at its disaster plans and make sure that none of the park goers become lunch for the hybrid. Finding out that the non-lethal route only leads to the deaths of the employees trying to hunt the beast, the owner takes up his biggest gun and tries to have a safari of his own. But before anyone knows what is happening, the hybrid breaks into the aviary releasing the pterosaurs (the flying ones) into the sky to wreak havoc upon all of the unknowing guests. With the loss of the owner, InGen’s man Hoskins steps into his new role of running the park and reveals his plan to take down the large predator that has escaped and it will make the park much more popular than ever. Releasing the Raptors that Owen has been forming a bond with over the years, the Raptors will be able to find and subdue the Indominus Rex without causing a casualty in the park, or so they think with Owen running the hunt.

This movie brought the legend of Jurassic Park back to life with a shock to the system that many people say they saw coming. I did not know what to expect from the movie, but after seeing what it did at the box office, I am pretty sure that they got it right. Everyone has a man crush with Chris Pratt these days and I expected a little bit more silliness from his character because honestly, I did not know he could turn it off. He does a great job in the role and I am starting to see him as the movie star everyone wants him to be. Lowery steals the show, Jack Johnson is your only character in the movie that will give it to you straight and I think that is something that the movie needed, at least for some additional foreshadowing. The cast was great, the production value was awesome and the story may have been stuck in a piece of amber for many years, but when they drilled it out and put it on the screen, it just seemed to work out famously.  ​

Fear can be one of the biggest reasons for mistakes being made at any level. Not knowing what is going to happen within any scenario, you are always wanting to make sure that you are protected. Trying to take the first swing can be the correct course of action sometimes, but more often than not, you need to wait and see what the other person is going to do. The fear of being hit first is so drastic for many of us, it makes us more aggressive than we need to be in many situations, but it has always been survival of the fittest and we never want to lose.

Four friends are looking to blow off steam at a party, but the main reason of going was to help Vincent get his recent breakup out of his head. While Michael is working the dance floor and has found the most beautiful woman in the country, Vincent is hanging around the bar and drinking excessively. Before too long, the two get thrown out while Robin is proposing to his longtime girlfriend Dana. A scuffle arises with the bouncers and parts of the group's history together comes to light. Before heading home, the new love of Michael’s life finds him in the parking garage and she is ready to have the night of her life. 

While the group is trying to recover from the previous night’s festivities, they notice that there is no power in the house, along with no service on their cell phones. While talking to their neighbor, they find out that his wife who works for the government has been called into London for a special meeting. With the promise of bringing back whatever information he can find, the neighbor heads towards the city to find his wife. Not knowing what is going on, the group stays in the house and tries to fill the time with games since there is nothing else to do without power, but then, the ground starts to rumble. Thinking it is an earthquake, the group ventures outside and find that there is a large spaceship hovering over their town.

Wanting to beat the mass hysteria that an invasion can cause in their town, they head out to find supplies and plan to hunker down for the duration of whatever is happening. Being able to get their food and water, they are confronted by large men that are used to getting what they want based on pure fear. Michael pulls out his pistol and shows the men that he is not afraid and will do anything to keep himself and his friends safe from the likes of them. Knowing that their house is not the safest place available, the group breaks up and tries to find a safe passage to their friend’s house which is secluded in the country. As the night moves in, smaller space ships start surveying their assigned areas, but as everyone is afraid of what will come of it, shots are fired at them and a war slowly starts to break out.

Alien Uprising (also known as U.F.O​) is not just an alien invasion movie, it deals with more of the fear and what people will do when they have no idea what is happening around them. Watching as society starts to break down, you get to see the worst of the worst of people and their intentions. With survival being the only thing on everyone’s mind, the group has to pull together and protect themselves from the more dangerous threat, their fellow humans. As the movie moves forward, there are many instances where the worst of people come to light, but it is also shown in the skies above. You may never get to see the alien menace from above, but if you pay attention to what is being said about them, you may find out the reason they have come to earth, and what they were actually planning on doing while here. Happy Viewing.

Thinking about time travel, I am still on the fence if this is something that should actually take place. With all of the paradoxes that can happen that could wipe out a species by taking a wrong step frightens me greatly. I still think it would be fantastic to be able to go back in time and witness some of the greatest events that have taken place on the planet, but the fear of changing something, even a little bit that could alter the future sends shivers down my spine. I don’t know what kind of safeguards could be put into place, but I am sure after the first adventure back into time will come all kinds of regulations, especially when the time travelers get back and find out what they have changed.

The day has come for the humans to finally take down Skynet and everyone is ready for the full on offensive being led by John Connor. Even John’s best friend and right-hand man Kyle Reese is ready, even though he is not being allowed to take on the main part of the mission. But their mission is equally as important as Skynet has hidden its final weapon in a depot, John knows that the war will stop once the weapon has been secured. Watching as all of the Terminators fall when Skynet has been shut down off site, the weapon has been activated and now one trustworthy human will have to take the war back to the streets in Los Angeles in 1984.

Kyle believes he is the best choice for this assignment, as he knows everything there is to know about Sarah Connor and will give his life to save her from the Terminator that has been sent back to kill her. But while being sent back in time, Kyle sees a machine take hold of John and now he is remembering a different time stream and remembers telling himself that Skynet does not go active until 2017 instead of the 1999 date that he has always known. Arriving in the city and stealing a homeless man’s pants, Kyle is confronted by a T-1000 Terminator that knew exactly when he would arrive. Not knowing what has happened and why he has been marked, he is surprised to see that Sarah Connor may actually be his savior. 

Being able to escape his first run-in with a Terminator in the past, Kyle sees that Sarah has teamed up with another one that she calls Pops. Not being the woman he expected her to be, Kyle has come to terms with the past being changed and the alternate timeline that he has witnessed is the reality that Sarah and Pops should follow. With a new time machine being built, Kyle convinces Sarah and Pops that they will need to travel to 2017 to stop Genisys from being released to the masses. Arriving in the future and being picked up by the police, Kyle and Sarah are visited by a familiar face as John has been able to find them. Thinking that now the group will be okay, Pops knows that John has been infected by Skynet and is not there to help Sarah and Kyle, but rather kill them to secure Skynet’s future. Needing to find a way to stop Skynet from being released, along with keeping the infected John Connor from moving forward with his plans, Sarah, Kyle and Pops will need to find a weakness that can be exploited before time runs out.

Thus far, this is the final Terminator movie and it is a pretty good note to go out on. With time travel being thrown into the mix, all bets are off when it comes to what can happen and it was utilized very well. With several different types of Terminators being unleashed in the past, I must admit that John Connor’s new version, the T-3000 is pretty darn bad ass, but it still has its weaknesses. I was a little disappointed that the T-X did not make an appearance since that has been the only model I have seen that can morph weapons on its own, but the T-1000 seemed to do pretty darn well with using firearms, along with its pokers. The story might not have played out the way I would have liked, leaving a couple of holes, but the action was fantastic and you finally see an easier way to kill a T-1000 that should have been thought of in Terminator 2: Judgement Day. Oh well, I would not be surprised to see another Terminator film come out in the future, since now the time line has shifted and that allows for all kinds of madness to take place.  

When it comes to the Terminator franchise, every film that arrived after Judgment Day has been heavily scrutinized and picked to pieces by the fans time and time again. It's to be expected really, Terminator 2 was a damn good film when it came out and its a damn good film years later. 

Yet, out of all of the films in the franchise, there is one that manages to polarize the fans more than any other (yes, even more than Rise of the Machines) and despite its star studded cast and bleak look at the future in an era when post apocalyptic stories rule the airwaves, Terminator: Salvation is a motion picture that instantly stirs up debate as it is one of those films that you either seem to love to seem to hate. 

The plot we won't be discussing much of today, if anything today's review of this film will serve as a more in depth look at a couple of questions. For one, is it a good film and second, why the heck is it so polarizing? So let's start with the latter of the two. On the surface, the film tends to ignite our passions for one particular reason...no Arnold. Yes, I get that a CGI cameo comes at the end of the movie, but we both know that's not the same thing. Arnold's portrayal of the T-800/T-101 is the heart of the franchise so to do this without him was a grand mistake.  

The fans wanted one thing in this film...the Terminator we came to know and love, and we barely got a taste of that. However, if that seems like too simple a reason for debates to on rage about this motion picture, I agree and I think it does go deeper than that. Because while the film does feature a magnificent cast in Christian Bale and Bryce Dallas Howard, at the same time, this movie simply doesn't feel like a Terminator film and those A list names seem lost in the mix of a story that is truly missing something at its core, and not's just the matter of the massive plot holes in this story, like say Skynet's trap, it all comes down the fact that this is a film that is completely and utterly hopeless.

There's a powerful bleakness to this film in a franchise that started out giving us nothing but hope. In fact I recall many fans having a bit of a 'the hell' style reaction to Terminator 3 for the same reason...because the hope that we were left with at the end of the second film has been robbed from us, even more so in this story, and despite the heroic acts from the characters in this film, there's a sense that the audience has been cheated due to the fact that there was never a shot at changing the future, the fate of this world was always to face Armageddon and the horrors thereafter. On the plus side however, visually this film looks great but if anything this film feels like a place holder, one that's here to just fill in a few gaps because we know the ending will eventually be Kyle Reese heading back to 1984 to save Sarah Connor. 

In summary however, is it a good film? No. Is it a bad film? No. It's simply a film. Another take on the mythos that just happens to be set years after Skynet finally took control and beat down humanity. If anything, I've always seen this film as a love letter to the dark memories that Kyle Reese brought back with him to 1984, of the grand war that we have always seen snippets of and alas, there's nothing glorious about a bleak and never ending war in a franchise that was put together on the notion of hope and free will. Regardless, it is worth a watch to see Christian Bale's tortured performance as John Connor, and to experience one bleak and ugly post apocalyptic world. Until next time. ​