Movie: Mickey 17 Premieres Next Month

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures.

Last April I mentioned the pending arrival of the movie Mickey 17, based on Edward Ashton’s book Mickey 7. Well, the movie premieres in theaters on March 7 (even though the poster above has the date 1/31/25). The first trailer was released four months back, while the second trailer came out two weeks ago. Both indicate the movie will be much wilder than the book.

Here are some of the main names associated with the film:

From the Academy Award-winning writer/director of “Parasite,” Bong Joon Ho, comes his next groundbreaking cinematic experience, “Mickey 17.” The unlikely hero, Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattinson) has found himself in the extraordinary circumstance of working for an employer who demands the ultimate commitment to the job… to die, for a living.

Written and directed by Bong Joon Ho, “Mickey 17” stars Robert Pattinson (“The Batman,” “Tenet”), Naomi Ackie (“Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker”), Academy Award nominee Steven Yeun (“Minari,” “Beef”), with Academy Award nominee Toni Collette (“Hereditary”), and Academy Award nominee Mark Ruffalo (“Poor Things”).

Generally, I prefer a movie to stick closely to the book. In this case, based on what I can see in the trailers, it shows much more of the alien life on the planet, which should make it interesting. The book also had a somewhat unsatisfactory ending, leaving a lot to the imagination. I expect the film makers will want to eliminate some of that uncertainty.

Given the lack of an humor in most of the recent space films, from battles on space stations to more aliens popping out of bodies, Mickey 17 should be a nice change. If not, we will always have the book.

A Day in Astronomy: Birth of Edgar Allan Poe

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Illustration for Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Unparalleled Adventure of One Hans Pfaall” in Jules Verne’s “Edgar Poe et Ses Oeuvres.” (Musée des Familles magazine from Pari in 1864, courtesy of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France)

On this day in 1809, Edgar Poe was born in Boston, MA. “Allan” was added later as his middle name after he lost both parents and was taken in by the Allan family. He would only live for 40 years, but in that short time he created a wealth of stories that are still fresh in the minds of all of us, be it The Raven or The Fall of the House of Usher.

While many may think only of Gothic fiction when hearing the name Edgar Allan Poe, you should add astronomy to that list given Mr. Poe 1835 short story titled The Unparalleled Adventure of One Hans Pfaall. In this tale, his main character spends 19 days traveling to the Moon in a balloon and sends back a letter detailing his exploits.

This simple story may have inspired the Great Moon Hoax in 1935 about a massive telescope sighting strange beasts on the lunar surface, including zebras and unicorns. More importantly, it may have inspired Jules Verne to write From the Earth to the Moon, which was published in 1865.

The short story itself is somewhat dry and filled with calculations, as is the case with From the Earth to the Moon. As far as Mr. Pfaall’s findings once arriving on the Moon, you will learn little about the lunar inhabitants he discovered nor the Moon itself (you can read the entire story here).

This is just an example of how he defines the Moon’s inhabitants:

I had barely time to observe that the whole country, as far as the eye could reach, was thickly interspersed with diminutive habitations, ere I tumbled headlong into the very heart of a fantastical-looking city, and into the middle of a vast crowd of ugly little people, who none of them uttered a single syllable, or gave themselves the least trouble to render me assistance, but stood, like a parcel of idiots, grinning in a ludicrous manner, and eyeing me and my balloon askant, with their arms set a-kimbo.

While it’s not The Martian Chronicles, it still represents Poe’s curiosity about lunar travel distilled into a single tale. It also became the starting point for all of the fantastic science fiction that followed to this day.

Movie: Star Trek: Section 31

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Credit: Paramount

While we await the return of the series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, a new Star Trek film will premiere later this month, and this time it focuses on the dark side of the Federation.

On January 24, Star Trek: Section 31 will premiere on Paramount+. If you anything about Emperor Philippa Georgiou from the television series Star Trek: Discovery, you will know she came from a mirror universe and found her home in the United Federation of Planets’ black ops division where she thrived. Later in that series, she was sent to another timeline and disappeared from the show. Well, she is back, this time running a night club.

The trailer for the new film promised plenty of action, as well as the trademark humor that follows Philippa Georgiou. She was one of the brighter spots in the Discovery series, where everyone else was usually too stressed out to have any fun.

The idea of another film or series involving the secret Section 31 has been rolling around for some time now. While a new series may have been preferable, a film is better than nothing. Moreover, maybe it will lead to more.

Just expect some fireworks from Trekkies because the film plays with the Star Trek timeline and emphasizes the dark side of the United Federation of Planets. I am not so concerned about the timeline since that was destroyed sometime ago when the films were rebooted, but the critics may have a point about the focus on the dark side. That said, we have at least two more seasons of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds to look forward to with its hopeful vision for the Federation.

I am okay with the balance. We all need some escapism, but we cannot banish the real world forever. It will leak in one way or another.

A Day in Astronomy: The Birth of Philip K. Dick

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Credit: Gollancz

On this day in 1928, American science fiction writer Philip Kindred Dick was born in Chicago, IL. He would go on to write some of the best known books on science fiction, including:

  • The Man in the High Castle (1963), which won the Hugo Award;
  • Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (1968), later made into the film Blade Runner; and
  • Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said (1974), which won the John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel and was nominated for both a Hugo Award and a Nebula Award.

Mr. Dick had a troubled life with multiple wives, yet he created some of the most memorable characters and fiction. You may recall some of his other books and stories that became films in recent years, including Total Recall with Arnold Schwarzenegger, Minority Report with Tom Cruise, and A Scanner Darkly with Keanu Reeves.

In his last interview of his life, Mr. Dick discussed how he left behind his writing in the late 1950s:

Many writers had left the field. We could not make a living. I had gone to work making jewelry with my wife. I wasn’t happy. I didn’t enjoy making jewelry. I had no talent whatsoever. She had the talent. She is still a jeweler and a very fine one, making gorgeous stuff which she sells to places like Neiman-Marcus. It’s great art. But I couldn’t do anything except polish what she made.

Fortunately, he returned to writing, thereby provided all of us with amazing stories that live on today.

Television: Skeleton Crew

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Credit: Disney+

On December 2, Disney+ will premiere Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, its latest television series trying to cash in on its Star Wars investment.

This is Disney’s quick summary of the story:

“Skeleton Crew” follows the journey of four kids who make a mysterious discovery on their seemingly safe home planet, then get lost in a strange and dangerous galaxy, crossing paths with the likes of Jod Na Nawood, the mysterious character played by Law. Finding their way home—and meeting unlikely allies and enemies—will be a greater adventure than they ever imagined.

Clearly, this series is targeted at children, though given how bad some of the series for adults have been, maybe this one will be better. Jude Law has signed on for this adventure, which is a positive sign.

Maybe this is Disney’s plan – rebuild the brand from the ground up for a new generation of kids. Given the earlier series that litter the landscape, that might be the best bet for this franchise.

I would have put my money into Andor, but Disney seems to have abandoned the adults in the room.

Stay tuned.

Update: I enjoyed the first season and hope to see more. It is better made and not as stuck to the Star Wars orthodoxy as the other television series, making it a fresh take on a well-worn galaxy. It may be Goonies with light sabers, but that’s okay. Plus, when you throw Jude Law into the mix, you get an edge that keeps in all the more interesting. A number of critics appear to agree, and Rotten Tomatoes gives the series a 91%.

  • Zaki Hasan, San Francisco Chronicle: “Fresh score. For anyone who says the House That Lucas Built is out of ideas and has been picked clean, “Skeleton Crew” proves there’s still meat left on those bones.”
  • Jack Seale, Guardian: “You’re best advised to pretend Skeleton Crew isn’t there until the holidays begin, and then enjoy it non-judgmentally, sprawled en famille eating chocolates from a round tin. This less-serious Star Wars is an escape to a happy place.”
  • John Nugent, Empire Magazine: “This is a perfectly fun entry in the ever-expanding Star Wars canon: light and frothy by design, driven by a genuinely sweet cast of younglings at the fore.”