It is easy to get pushed over the edge when it comes to people picking on you. Wanting to fight back can be the first response or the last depending on how you handle the stress. It is hard to imagine that people these days are less thick skinned than they used to be and allow every little thing to bother them, but it seems to be a fact that we have to live with. With so many people taking things to heart, it is easy to set something off in them that is not intentional, so it is easier to be mindful of your own actions and if you see that you are disturbing someone, you might want to lay off since you never know what their final reaction will be.

Harlon Mackey has had a tough life from day one, with a father that wanted to make him as strong as he is, Harlon is not made for that world. When his father gets him a gun and takes his little boy hunting, the tormenting does not stop, but when Harlon has the opportunity to take out a little rabbit, he is forced to take the shot. Missing on his first chance, the magical opportunity presents itself again when the rabbit gets stuck and cannot escape. Being commanded by his father to kill the helpless animal, Harlon kills the little rabbit but does not feel right about what he has done. When arriving home that night, his brother starts picking on him for crying after killing the rabbit and Harlon is able to take matters into his own hands, keeping his brother at bay at gunpoint, Harlon receives a very valuable lesson from his father.

Years go by and Harlon is still being tormented, not only by his family but by the kids at school. With his only friend being an outcast like him, the two get along and even though they are willing to stand up to their bullies, they both are vulnerable and get beat up regardless. Needing to blow off steam, the two have found an old abandoned factory that they go shooting in and have a great time doing so. When walking home from their target practice, they find a dog that has been thrown into a dumpster and try to make it their own. Steve’s parents are not happy with the idea and Harlon is forced to take the dog to his house but gets the same response. After taking the dog to the pound, Harlon gets word from his mother that something happened up the street from them where his friend lives and when he arrives to see what is happening, the police and ambulances should have been a giveaway to what happened, but Harlon will not allow it.

The days at school get harder for Harlon and he tries to fight back against his teachers when they embarrass him in front of the class. Needing someone to listen to him, he turns to his comic books and they start talking to him, giving him inspiration to defend himself. Not believing that he can carry through the hardcore storylines, something else falls into Harlon’s lap when a new girl moves to town. Julie is not like the other girls in school and wants to do things out of the ordinary and lucky for her, Harlon is less than ordinary. With a relationship starting between the two, Harlon sees that Julie likes to drink and flirt with the boys that have been making his life hell for years and wants to make a stand. When his comic book characters start telling him all that is wrong about the girl and what he will need to do to make her pay, he is able to calm the voices down when she says that they are very much the same type of person. But everyone in Harlon’s life has problems and they are forced to deal with them and make difficult life choices and adapt to the new world, will Harlon be able to accept this and move on as well, or will he continue to listen to his books that are telling him to get revenge?

I have had to watch this movie twice to make sure that I was not missing anything in the storyline and even though you may think that there are some holes in the story, they eventually all get answered. Seeing a young boy have to deal with the abuse all of his life and the only time he tried to stand up to it, he got punished, I can understand why he is never willing to make a stand. It takes me back to my high school days when I was being picked on and did not want to cause a stink since it did not seem too important to me. Words can be harmful to everybody and if you have never developed the thick skin that you need to have to make it through life, every attack seems to make it worse and worse and you think that people are out to get you. It may be true, but most of the time, these words are thrown at you since the person saying them does not respect themselves and they need the love and attention. This is really a powerful story that might open up some kids, along with their parents' eyes when it comes to dealing with bullies and the traumas that childhood abuse can cause.  

It is said that if you want a new perspective on life, you should walk a mile in someone else’s shoes. While this is a good saying, most people are not able to subscribe to it, mainly because they do not really want to know how someone else lives, especially if they are less fortunate. But that is really where the disconnect comes from, for some of us are well off, most of us are doing alright, and there are plenty of us are struggling to get by, while there are those who have nothing and are just fine with their way of life. When all is said and done, it is important to remember to have fun and live your best life, because in the end, we all end up with the same amount in our postmortem checkbook… nothing.

After being forced to move in with his in-laws, Joel is far from in a good place, but his wife Jessica is still feeling very optimistic. Being forced to relive his recent failure at his former company, which he founded, Joel is just looking for some time to relax, while his father in-law Ward is doing his best to keep him from sputtering away. With plenty of money in their savings, Ward and Vicky are looking to help take care of their daughter and her husband, but Joel is not willing to take a handout for any reason. Taking a walk to clear his head, he finds himself in a bar trying to drown his sorrows when he gets a visit from an old friend.

While sitting alone at the bar, Joel is approached by his old friend Nicolaus who has heard the news.  Ragging on his old friend about his company going under, Nicolaus has a little venture of his own that he is looking to sell. Learning of a new XVR experience that can change the world, Joel has his interest piqued, but needs to know much more about it before trying to raise the funds to bring it to the world. But Nicolaus is always in salesman mode and offers up a powerful selling point, in that, XVR can make every rich client, experience what it is like to be poor. While he is very skeptical about the proposition, Joel is intrigued and allowed to take a test run in the chair and finds himself in another world that he has never known before, which helps to change his outlook not only about the program, but about life as well.

Being able to convince his in-laws to invest into the little XVR program, Joel has a million dollars down and wants to be rewarded for his efforts, but is shocked to find out that Nicolaus and programmer Lester are shutting him out of the shop. Needing to get another taste of what the program can do, Joel steals a keycard and breaks into the building during the night to get another ride in the chair. Not following the rules that were laid out for him in the first go round, Joel has a run in with a police officer and finds himself running for his life. Escaping the situation and getting into a gas station bathroom, Joel looks at his face in the mirror and is shocked to see it is not his own. As a few days pass, Joel hears that he has been doing things that he does not recall doing, but while he can chalk that up to people being crazy, he cannot deny the familiar face in the newspaper staring back at him, the one of a man who is being brought up on charges.

Wow, this movie caught me a bit off guard. As I was expecting more Virtual Reality things to be going on, we are brought into the real world, just through someone else’s eyes. I really liked how quickly Joel was brought into the new VR Company, and being the money man, he believed that he would have full access to the company, yet, when Nicolaus tells him the truth, well, his outlook is forced to change. With the loss of leadership on his end, Joel breaks the rules of the program and finds out that there is something much shadier going on, as the program is not VR at all, but a mind swap with the less fortunate.
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Trying to extort the company to get his in-laws their money back, Joel is met with plenty of pushback and while going to the cops could be an option, doing so would make every dollar of the company’s profits disappear, making him take a different route. With a failing business, a move back to the parents’ house, talk about making a baby, plenty of money changing hands, a VR program that is much too real, a non-trusting partner and a secret that only a VR company can keep, this movie really makes you wonder where some of those new VR programs are coming from. With all of the innovation in the industry, it may not be that far off to have a mind swap, not only to live out a fantasy, but to never have to fear death again. Happy Viewing.

One of the things I am hoping to witness in my lifetime is cloning. Don’t judge me, I just wonder how good this world would be with two or three of me and while others shudder at the thought, I relish in it and cannot wait. With so much work to get done, two of me doing it would be better than one, but then once the clone starts to change its way of thinking from my own, well it might be time to say goodbye and get myself another one. At this time of the year, I could use another me to do my work when I get tired. But this gift from science may have its downsides since I'm pretty sure my clone will follow me around and if we get to having some serious fun it could land my clone or myself in jail.

Returning home after a short vacation, Spencer and Maya Olham are ready to get back to work. Watching the news as the Chancellor is taking center stage to discuss the next steps to fighting the alien race, the two will have a front row seat to meet and greet the high commander. Being the man that invented the new bomb that can exterminate the alien race, Spencer is starting to have second thoughts about setting it off, but the government will not allow him to stop it. Being approached by Major Hathaway in his office, Spencer is in for a rude awakening and finds out he is being categorized as an alien android.

Being taken into custody, Spencer is subjected to intense questioning that most humans have never seen. After finding out what happened to the last subject, he knows that escaping is not the option, but it is the only way he can prove his innocence. Being able to break free from his captors, Spencer is able to make it to the outside world and see how the outcasts of humanity have to live without pristine accommodations, like he had in his dome. With only his will to get him back home, Spencer is being chased by the government who is looking to exterminate him before he can release the wrath of an alien explosion inside of the dome and kill the Chancellor. 

Needing someone to believe him that he is not an alien or an android, Spencer has to convince his new friend Cale to get his tracking hardware removed so he can enter the city undetected. With the promise of a great trade for his assistance, Cale agrees to aid Spencer on his reentry, but has no idea what kind of trouble the man is in with the authorities. With Major Hathaway on his trail, Spencer has to think quickly and move even faster to stay one step ahead of the trigger-happy officer. Being able to gain access to his wife’s hospital, Spencer is able to get the drugs that will help the families living outside of the dome, but the real reason he entered the facility is to be tested so he can prove to himself and the many people pursuing him, is that he is who he says he is and not a robot looking to kill anyone.

I had little expectations when I let this movie fire up on my queue, and now I feel bad that I have not seen it before. This is a great look at how the future civilizations live when being threatened by an alien race that is only trying to exterminate them. With all of the technology at their fingertips, everyone still has to rely on their gut feelings to prove a point and once the endgame is met, well, they can be proved correct. There is so much going on in this movie, so you have to focus on which story you want to follow, and I tried to pay attention more to the hospital storyline. I loved Maya as she works at the hospital and will bring in the wounded from anywhere to make sure that they are being saved and even though her staff does not seem to like the decision, they respect what she is trying to do. I wish there was a little bit more to her story, since she is a good strong character that deserved a lot more screen time. Technology may not save us from the end, but it could prolong it just a little bit longer. Happy Viewing.