Movie Review: Interstellar Overdrive

Space. The final frontier. Space is futuristic, no matter what the context. The eventual penultimate sequel of any series of horror film must end in space. Cheech and Chong went to space, Brian Blessed went to space, Michael Fassbender went to space, the potential future of humanity is seen to be in space. And it is with this sort of nostalgia for the future that the film Interstellar plays upon over the 190 million dollar blockbuster directed by Christopher Nolan out in cinemas...Now!

The film starts with actor Mathew Mahoney working as an uneducated farmer in New York city before catching a zip-line ride into a secret underground base and blasted in a rocket through the universe! The film pays homage to many classics of the sci-fi genre. Flight of the Navigator, The Last Starfighter, Man of Steel and 2001: Abe's Odyssey are just a few of the movies Interstellar 'parodies' for extensive lengths of its 120 minute running time. Mathew Majonnahugh literally weeps throughout the entire film as he battles ice beasts, alien planets and even Father Time himself as he goes on a quest to find the true power of love. I think the swashbuckling nature of the main characters in the film add to its charm. For instance, MacConeys crash lands his spaceship on an alien planet and stands in the water, leaning back slightly so that his six pack really pops in the light thrown from the binary star system overhead. He looks around at the horizon and his mouth slowly drops open, the cigar he was smoking falls to the floor.
"Those aren't mountains." he says, taking off his sunglasses that had reflected the tsunami approaching him to reveal the steely cool gaze of M.M. He runs back to his ship and clambers on top of it. "Here goes nothing." he mutters to himself, as the wave begins to hit him. The entire screen is filled with a wave and suddenly we see the star riding the spaceship like a surfboard. A Hans Zimmer soundtrack of surf guitars and organ music is so loud it literally rips the cinema screen to shreds and blasts the entire audiences heads back simultaneously. Another classy moment is when Mathew McConnaghey is playing bass guitar in his space pod, lazily rolling around and around as he plays a version of 'Space Oddity', letting the CGI hair and beard float around in the zero gravity. Space is shown as not being a glamorous place for super scientists, but a sort of hyper-industrial working class structure in which humans are disposable, which makes it glamorous again.

Nolan does it again with another terrific film that is so contemporary it will be looked back on as being a classic 10's action flick. Maybe you will understand Inception more after getting into the mad mind brain of Nolan. Film critics in the future will often talk about it fondly, just as we look back on Barbarella or Event Horizon. Scanning any nerds film collection one is bound to see either no science fiction or almost be entirely science fiction, because science fiction is the language of the future. You can barely walk anywhere now without seeing a Star Trek quote etched into a boulder or teenagers discussing The Prisoner on street corners as they share electronic cigarettes. By 2019 the world will be entering a time so futuristic it will resemble that of Blade Runner! Interstellar is less about humanity's literal place in the universe than it is a celebration of how much fiction influences civilization, it doesn't pretend to be real for one moment. If you move your head from side to side whilst watching you will see how the entire universe exists on a two dimensional shape. Most of the people in the film are even played by well known actors and actresses. How am I supposed to believe that the head of NASA is a scientist when I know that he is in fact Michael Caine, famous actor? Everyone in the film are stood around in clothes they don't own in a fake room saying things that somebody else thought.

One thing to take away from this film is its technological optimism in the face of democracy. People are dumb is the main message of the film, yet delivered in a audience driven market of Dumb and Dumber To and Nativity 3: Dude Where's My Reindeer it will be interesting to see how this sci-fi blancmange blemishes against the eye, blossoming the blood vessels around the iris like exploding planets around the films eponymous black hole; Megadrive. Regardless I will give the film 8 stars out of 10, go and see it, tell your friends about it, tweet about it. #seenit

TNG Fan Fiction; Riker's Curse

Geordi LeForge and Data were stood in engineering, examining a flow chart pinned against a wall.
"If we remodulate the frequency in which the dilithium crystals vibrate that means-" says Data.
"It means that this might just work!" says Geordi. He quickly snaps up a hand to tap his comm badge, bearing the insignia of The Federation. "Geordi to Captain Picard."
"Come in Geordi." says a comforting yet powerful voice through the communicator.
"Captain, if we pass dilithium crystals through a gamma frequency then we can get our warp engines back online."
"Commander LeForge, I trust you to do what's best." says Picard. On the bridge of the U.S.S Enterprise, Captain Jean-Luc Picard sits in a black foam chair in the centre of the room. Around him is his trusted staff, Commander William T. Riker, Lieutenant Worf, Dr. Beverly Crush and Troi.
"Computer, red alert." says Picard. Some lights turn on and a siren begins to be played through miniature speakers embedded in the ceiling. Outside the ship the warp engines begin to power up silently in the blackness of space, ready to fire the entire U.S.S Enterprise at many factors of light speed.
"Engage." says Picard. The entire ship and it's thousands of passengers are zipped through the galaxy at millions of miles per hour.
"Commander Riker. Set a course for the Delta Quadrant." says Picard.
"Computer, set a course for the Delta Quadrant." says Riker.
"Affirmative. Setting a course for the Delta Quadrant." says a computerized female voice.
"Lieautenant Worf, you have the bridge. Number one?" says Picard, turning to his second in command. Riker's eyebrows lift slightly.
"Captain?"
"Number one, if you would follow me into my quarters." says Picard, leading the way.
"Affirmative captain." says Riker, standing up and wiggling his body around.

The two men stand in a strange salmon coloured room. There is carpet on the walls, floor and ceiling due to Picard's predilection for turning the gravity off and doing a futuristic form of yoga and flute playing.
"Captain?" says Riker.
"Number one...what I'm about to tell you is top secret. I trust that once I tell you, no-one else outside of this room will know." says Picard.
"Of course captain, your secret is safe with me. Not just as a Starfleet officer but as a close friend." says Riker, straightening up slightly. Picard nods. He knew he could trust the bearded man before him. For ten years they had served together, lending each other a hand, and over the years they definitely considered each other to be best friends.
"Will. There is a serial killer on board. So far he has killed at least twenty eight members of this crew."
"Captain?"
"I have kept it secret up until now. The thing is this serial killer was allowed on board by The Federation. They know about it. He has been given a license to kill, it's all legal."
"Why would Starfleet send a murderer on board?"
"I haven't the faintest idea." says Picard, glancing at his fish bowl.
"Well can't we stop him?"
"It's not possible. They have replaced the Prime directive with a new one; they are free to kill anyone they want."
"That's ludicrous. It goes against everything Starfleet stands for!" shouts Riker.
"That may be the case. But regardless of that, we are Starfleet officers. I swore an oath; that I would uphold the Prime Directive with my life." says Picard.
"Not this one I didn't! Jean-Luc, we have to stop this serial killer, now!"
"That might be more difficult than you think." says Picard.
"Why?" says Riker.
"Because the serial killer...is you." says Picard. Riker stares at him, mouth agape.

They stood in the holodeck, watching a robotic exoskeleton enter Riker's room as he slept. It gently picked him up and fastened him into the suit like a puppet. Together they left the room, walked down the corridor and up a turbo lift.
"I don't understand." says Riker, turning to his captain.
"Watch." says Picard, staring at the hologram in front of him like a driver accelerating towards oncoming traffic.
They watched the somnambulist cyborg walk up behind a member of the crew, Riker didn't recognise him. A lever on the robot moved, putting a knife into Riker's hand before pushing his arm forward followed by his whole body being released from the suit. The knife went forward into the back of the man's neck, twisting slightly as it chipped away a piece of bone. They both fell forward, the man gurgling beneath as blood pumped from the wounds. All the way through Riker remained asleep and was gently picked up again and walked back towards the turbo lift.
"I still don't understand. Why would Starfleet do such a thing! It doesn't make any sense! I'm not a killer."
"You are Number one. We just watched you do it."
"That wasn't my fault, that damn robot practically did the whole thing! It must be destroyed."
"Practically, yes. Actually, no. You're in a serious situation Will, but I'm here to help." says Picard.
"How long have you known about this?"
"I was the one who chose you Will."
"What?"
"I got to decide who would wear the robot suit. I thought that you were the right man for the job, but I'm beginning to doubt my decision. I should have chosen Data, he wouldn't have minded. I felt...guilty."
"You made me kill twenty eight people and you feel guilty?" bellowed Riker.
"Yes. I'm sorry." says Picard. Riker punched the old man in the forehead, knocking him backwards. Revealing itself from the holodeck wall which had been cloaking it, the robot suit walks forward and clutches Riker.
"No! No! Get off me!" he shouts. Within seconds the robot suit has now wrapped itself around Riker and forces him to walk through the door. Through the corridors they run, the suit guiding Riker's hand as he carves his way through anybody that stands in front of him. Riker's screams are occasionally joined by others, until his is the only sound left on the ship.