Author: Gary Varner | Page 12

^{Type
post

Gary Varner
Date
April 16, 2022

Categorized
Arts & Culture

Tagged
Jayne Cobb (character in Firefly), Malcolm Reynolds, Science fiction}

Sci Fi Saturday: The Vixen! She’s Back! Firefly TV Heats Up

_{So why is Captain Mal sitting naked in a desert? We get to hear the story leading up to that} _{Gary Varner
April 16, 2022

10

Arts & Culture}

The opening scene features Captain Mal sitting naked in a desert. A caption advises us that we must go back to seventy-two hours earlier to understand how that happened. Mal, you see, meets an old buddy and shares hugs and swapS banter until the buddy informs him that he is married. Mal is excited to hear this wonderful news until he sees a familiar face — Saffron, the vixen who’d tricked him into believing she was his bride in a previous episode. She is now hitched to Mal’s pal; so imagine the poor sap’s shock when the Saffron and Mal draw guns on one another. After a brief squabble, the swindled husband leaves Saffron in Mal’s angry hands. To save Read More ›

^{Type
post

Gary Varner
Date
April 9, 2022

Categorized
Arts & Culture, Relationships

Tagged
Featured, Malcolm Reynolds, River Tam (character in Firefly), Serenity (film), Simon Tam (character in Firefly), Wash (character in Firefly), Zoe (character in Firefly)}

Firefly Episode 10: Jealousy Divides the Firefly Crew in Space

_{And yet jealousy plays a key role in saving Mal and Wash from a villain’s sadistic torture} _{Gary Varner
April 9, 2022

11

Arts & Culture, Relationships}

Episode 9 marks a turning point for the series. The previous episodes have been somewhat hit and miss but so far, there’s only been one outright bad episode (Episode 5, which broke all the “rules” of consistent character). However, at best thus far, the series has been very… episodic. That is, a handful of the characters recurs but the events from the preceding episodes seem to have no effect on the upcoming ones. But with Episode 9, that changes. The transition from Episode 9 to 10 starts off on a promising note. We see the events of Episode 9 actually affecting the events of Episode 10. This is a trend that continues as the story builds to a crescendo. That Read More ›

dramatic lit image of a bloody crime scene with a knife on the floor

^{Type
post

Gary Varner
Date
April 2, 2022

Categorized
Arts & Culture, Neuroscience

Tagged
Jayne Cobb (character in Firefly), Malcolm Reynolds, River Tam (character in Firefly), Simon Tam (character in Firefly)}

Firefly Episode 9: A Medical Heist — the Best So Far

_{Simon, with access to medical equipment, diagnoses his erratic sister’s neurological issues — after she has unaccountably stabbed Jayne} _{Gary Varner
April 2, 2022

11

Arts & Culture, Neuroscience}

This is my favorite episode so far. It’s a classic heist with all the traditional beats! The crew is sitting around the table talking and eating while Jayne cleans his gun. He keeps spitting on the various parts for some reason, and Simon asks him to stop. He doesn’t. Jayne keeps spitting on the parts, glaring at Simon all the while River, Simon’s sister, gets up, grabs a butcher knife, and slashes Jayne across the chest. Jayne hits her, but she looks up, stares at the big man, and says, “He looks better in red.” With the stakes suddenly raised, the mystery of what happened to River surges to the forefront again. It’s time to get some answers. It so Read More ›

Blaze fire flame background and textured

^{Type
post

Gary Varner
Date
March 26, 2022

Categorized
Arts & Culture

Tagged
Featured, Firefly (TV series 2002-2003), Malcolm Reynolds}

Firefly Episode 8: The Ship Breaks Down in Space. What Next?

_{Mal, expecting to suffocate alone on the ship while the other crew members escape, relives the life that brought him there} _{Gary Varner
March 26, 2022

11

Arts & Culture}

This episode starts out strong, but gradually breaks down. We open with Mal collapsing onto the metal grating of the ship’s hull. He’s bleeding and the lights are off. We don’t know what happened but we witness a series of flashblacks consisting of three separate timelines: events in the present, how Mal found himself in his current predicament, and the deep past where Mal is first gathering his crew. The episode is essentially an abbreviated version of how the crew got together, sandwiched between a doomsday scenario for Mal. The trouble starts when the crew is celebrating Simon’s birthday. Suddenly, something blows up inside the ship. A couple of hallways are engulfed in flame and Mal and the others just Read More ›

Sculptor artist creating a bust sculpture with clay

^{Type
post

Gary Varner
Date
March 19, 2022

Categorized
Arts & Culture, Ethics, Relationships

Tagged
Featured, Jayne Cobb (character in Firefly), Malcolm Reynolds, Simon Tam (character in Firefly)}

Firefly Episode 7: Jayne Can’t Live With Himself As a Hero

_{Jayne Cobb, otherwise dumb muscle, once helped many people — inadvertently — and is stuck with deadly consequences when the truth emerges} _{Gary Varner
March 19, 2022

10

Arts & Culture, Ethics, Relationships}

After the strong “Stagecoach” rebound of Episode 6, Episode 7 focuses on Jayne Cobb. Up to now, the dumb muscle has mainly been comic relief. But when Mal and his crew stop by a planet to retrieve some smuggled cargo — under the pretense of ordering a shipment of mud used to make ceramic parts — we learn a little more about the big man’s past. As the crew exits the Serenity to pick up the goods, they come across a giant mud statue… of Jayne. He has no idea why the statue is there but, come to think of it, he’s been acting nervous throughout the mission. Years ago, we learn, things went south at a job he was Read More ›

Stagecoach - Shepherd Boy. Date: circa 1840

^{Type
post

Gary Varner
Date
March 12, 2022

Categorized
Arts & Culture

Tagged
Featured, Jayne Cobb (character in Firefly), Malcolm Reynolds, Wash (character in Firefly), Zoe (character in Firefly)}

Firefly Episode 6: We Meet a Stagecoach — and a Vixen!

_{In this enjoyable episode, there is only one plot hole and it isn’t really significant} _{Gary Varner
March 12, 2022

9

Arts & Culture}

Episode 6 is much better than Episode 5. First of all, the “guns problem” is fixed. We’re back to shooting bullets instead of lasers (?) out of the guns. Some of the rifles do sound a bit different from what we might expect but at least the weaponry is consistent with the ammunition used. The story opens with a stagecoach driving down the riverbank. A group of robbers attempt to take the coach, but the drivers turn out to be Captain Mal and mercenary crew member Jayne Cobb in disguise. After a brief firefight, the bad guys are apprehended, and all is well. The next scene is a congratulatory party for the crew put on by the settlers. The next Read More ›

Still life with old-fashioned lamp, magic witch books, tarot cards and old papers. Mystic background with ritual esoteric objects, occult, fortune telling and halloween concept

^{Type
post

Gary Varner
Date
March 5, 2022

Categorized
Arts & Culture

Tagged
Featured, Firefly (TV series 2002-2003 Episode 5), Malcolm Reynolds, River Tam (character in Firefly), Science fiction, Simon Tam (character in Firefly)}

Firefly Episode 5: So River Is Now a Witch? Part 2

_{Simon and River are captured because a town on the planet lacks a doctor. But then things take an occult turn…} _{Gary Varner
March 5, 2022

12

Arts & Culture}

As I mentioned in the first part of this review of Episode 5, we stumble through a series of contrivances to get Simon and River kidnapped. Mal and his crew continue to make baffling choices. They decide to leave Simon and River behind. Mal essentially says that they were stupid enough to get themselves caught, so they are on their own. This is baffling because Mal’s driving force is worry about his crew, and he’s long since made it clear that he considers Simon and River to be part of his crew. Because he was the one who had told them to take a hike, one would think that he’d feel some sort of responsibility for their predicament. But he Read More ›

^{Type
post

Gary Varner
Date
February 26, 2022

Categorized
Arts & Culture

Tagged
Ambassador (character in Firefly), Featured, KayLee (character in Firefly), Malcolm Reynolds, River Tam (character in Firefly), Science fiction (Wild West theme), Shepherd (character in Firefly), Simon Tam (character in Firefly)}

Firefly Episode 5: Brawls That Don’t Make Sense, Part 1

_{In this episode, after the cattle are unloaded, characters act in an uncharacteristic way in order to create a plot crisis} _{Gary Varner
February 26, 2022

10

Arts & Culture}

The vast quantities of cow dung left on the ship after a shipment of cows was dropped off is a telling omen for how this episode unfolds. We do get some much-needed exposition in the form of hints and flashbacks regarding the Shepherd and River Tam’s past but, apart from that, Episode 5 is by far the worst. While the first four episodes had some weak moments, they’ve been funny and enjoyable. Episode 5 dives into the incoherent. We open with the cows from the previous episode being unloaded from the ship and herded into a corral. Mal (Captain Malcolm Reynolds) and his crew work the herd like real cowboys which is enjoyable, but as they’re working, Simon Tam begins Read More ›

Fencer with fencing sword. Fencers duel concept.

^{Type
post

Gary Varner
Date
February 19, 2022

Categorized
Arts & Culture

Tagged
Ambassador (character in Firefly), KayLee (character in Firefly), Malcolm Reynolds, Science fiction, Science fiction (Wild West theme)}

Firefly Episode 4: Mal Ends Up in a Swordfight Amid Outer Planets

_{It all starts when ship’s engineer Kaylee decides she wants to dress like a Southern belle…} _{Gary Varner
February 19, 2022

10

Arts & Culture}

In Episode 4 we open with the crew returning to the planet Persephone where the series began. While in the Market, Kaylee, the ship’s engineer, finds a dress that she particularly likes and Mal, who is growing impatient because he’s carrying something heavy, says there’s no way she could use such a dress because she’d look silly working on the ship in such a thing. Of course, this infuriates everyone, and they all leave in a huff. Now, what’s interesting about this scene is the world-building. The show really commits to the whole Western genre because the dresses remind one of the southern belle’s style or even something out of the Victorian Era — vintage garments that high society might Read More ›

Laser Cannon Incapacitates Enemy Satellite In Space

^{Type
post

Gary Varner
Date
February 12, 2022

Categorized
Arts & Culture, Ethics, Medicine and Health, Religion

Tagged
Malcolm Reynolds, River Tam (character in Firefly), Science fiction, Shepherd (character in Firefly), Simon Tam (character in Firefly)}

Firefly Episode 3: Should Some People Be Left To Die?

_{After the space crew rescues the survivor of a pirate attack, Captain Mal faces off against The Shepherd on whether God can save even that man.} _{Gary Varner
February 12, 2022

10

Arts & Culture, Ethics, Medicine and Health, Religion}

Episode 3 begins with a friendly game of basketball… or something like it. Simon, a doctor who has joined the Firefly crew, notes that there appear to be no rules to the game as he watches from the balcony. The game is interrupted by a “proximity alert” and the crew discovers a wrecked ship floating in space. The captain decides to check it out and they quickly discover that the ship has been attacked by the infamous Reavers. We’d seen their ship once in episode one, and we’d heard some ominous descriptions of what they do to their prisoners: “If they take the ship, they’ll rape us to death, eat our flesh, and sew our skins into their clothing. And, Read More ›

Concept of asteroid mining in space for rare raw materials

^{Type
post

Gary Varner
Date
February 5, 2022

Categorized
Arts & Culture, Ethics

Tagged
Malcolm Reynolds, River Tam (character in Firefly), Terraforming (in science fiction)}

Firefly Episode 2: When Captain Mal Gets a Pang of Conscience…

_{In the 2002 series, he decides to return stolen goods when he learns of the plight of those from whom they are stolen — with fearsome consequences} _{Gary Varner
February 5, 2022

9

Arts & Culture, Ethics}

Last time, we discussed the first episode of the 2002 Firefly series because Disney is thinking about ruining it with another season. In case you were wondering, this review contains spoilers. In Episode 2, we find Captain Malcolm getting to know his passengers. The doctor’s sister River is suffering flashbacks from her time in the “labs.” Despite being a doctor, her brother Simon has no idea what’s wrong her. She keeps repeating the phrase, “Hands are blue, two by two.” After a bar brawl, the crew lands a job. It’s an old-fashioned train heist. Malcolm and Zoe, his partner in crime, land on the train and steal the goods by latching them to their ship and lifting them into the Read More ›

^{Type
post

Gary Varner
Date
January 29, 2022

Categorized
Arts & Culture, Environment

Tagged
Firefly (TV series 2002-2003), Malcolm Reynolds, Science fiction (Wild West theme), Terraforming (in science fiction)}

Firefly: Can Science Fiction Reimagined As The Wild West Work?

_{I strongly recommend the original 2002–2003 series for its careful development of the culture that grows up around world-building (terraforming)} _{Gary Varner
January 29, 2022

10

Arts & Culture, Environment}

I recently read an article in Screen Rant which claimed that Disney+ was planning a Firefly series remake. A trailer for the original: Five hundred years in the future, a renegade crew aboard a small spacecraft tries to survive as they travel the unknown parts of the galaxy and evade warring factions as well as authority agents out to get them. (2002-2003) When I heard this rumor, I felt like Darth Vader screaming No! into the void and wanting to choke something. Since Disney+ has a reputation for producing films which are nothing short of family-friendly abominations, it isn’t surprising that the fandom mobbed Twitter, demanding that the Mouse stay away from their beloved sci-fi franchise. So far, there has Read More ›

Logging. Aerial drone view of deforestation environmental problem.

^{Type
post

Gary Varner
Date
January 22, 2022

Categorized
Arts & Culture, Environment, Ethics

Tagged
Day the Earth Stood Still (2008), Gort (robot in Day the Earth Stood Still), Klaatu (character in Day the Earth Stood Still)}

Aliens as Both Angels — and Bugs? Superior But Sociopathic?

_{A look at the puzzling 2008 remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) - environment doom replaces the Cold War} _{Gary Varner
January 22, 2022

5

Arts & Culture, Environment, Ethics}

Last week I reviewed the 1951 classic The Day the Earth Stood Still. Before watching the original, I had decided to watch the 2008 remake. I now regret my decision. Let’s talk about the 2008 movie featuring Keanu Reeves. The 2008 movie opens with essentially the same beats as the original. The spaceship lands, but it is not metal; it’s a bizarre space orb, made of different kinds of luminescent biological material. This change gives the aliens an ethereal quality. They are entities that have reached demi-god status. The writers even go to the trouble of showing the ship hovering over a cathedral, illuminating the building. The movie is practically screaming, “They’re Angels! Get it!” The alien, Klaatu, steps out Read More ›

Shaved male nape and a lot of usb cables connected to it. Concept of dependence in thinking and information

^{Type
post

Gary Varner
Date
January 15, 2022

Categorized
Arts & Culture, Ethics, Robotics

Tagged
Day the Earth Stood Still (2008), Gort (robot in Day the Earth Stood Still), Klaatu (character in Day the Earth Stood Still)}

Enforce the Law With No Bias? Use Robots! Oops, Wait…

_{The 2008 remake of the 1951 film, The Day the Earth Stood Still, explores the concept} _{Gary Varner
January 15, 2022

5

Arts & Culture, Ethics, Robotics}

Since we’ve been reviewing the Matrix movies, I thought I would review another sci-fi film starring Keanu Reeves, The Day the Earth Stood Still, (2008) which was a remake of a film of the same name that came out in 1951. However, as I was watching this train wreck, even by remake standards, I thought I ought to watch the original for a little extra context. What I saw compelled me to write this review. Here’s a trailer for the original, which gives some sense of the period: Now the new version: The movie opens with a spaceship landing and the alien, Klaatu, and his robot, Gort, stepping out of the ship. Klaatu is shot and Gort destroys a few Read More ›

Red Pill Blue Pill concept. The right choice the concept of the movie matrix. The choice of tablets

^{Type
post

Gary Varner
Date
January 8, 2022

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture

Tagged
Agent Smith (character in Matrix series), Neo (character in Matrix), Trinity (character in Matrix)}

Matrix Resurrections: What Does Existence Outside of Time Mean?

_{Call me a sentimental child, but I liked watching Neo and Trinity fly off into the sunset. I liked watching them fly in the same way those random birds kept flying in a circle. Did it make sense?} _{Gary Varner
January 8, 2022

7

Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture}

For all the latest Matrix movie’s faults The Matrix: Resurrections it tried to play with an interesting concept, the difference between linear speed and time. In the previous two reviews, we discussed Trinity becoming the One, the merit behind the writer’s decision, and one of the fatal flaws within the Matrix series as whole, which is technology being used as an ambiguous magic system rather than a system with clearly defined rules. This time we’ll discuss the movie’s villain, the The Analyst. I vacillated about this character, unable to make up my mind about whether or not the Analyst was a worthy addition to the series. To be honest, I’m still not sure, but I’m leaning toward yes because of Read More ›

^{Type
post

Gary Varner
Date
January 1, 2022

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture

Tagged
Matrix Resurrections (film)}

The Matrix Resurrections: Technology as a Soft Magic System

_{Gary Varner
January 1, 2022

8

Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture}

Stakes and believability are connected, especially when it comes to science fiction. Last time, we discussed the most controversial element of the The Matrix: Resurrections , as well as the meta narrative Lana Wachowski set out to establish at the beginning of the film. Now, the Matrix Resurrections is much better than The Matrix Reloaded (2003) and The Matrix Revolutions (2003) because it, at least, brings the original trilogy full circle. That being said, there are loads of problems, and many of them are issues I’ve already discussed in reviews of the earlier films First, we have the pacing issue. Wachowski says too much too fast. This time, we’re not getting conflicting narratives that are confusing the plot but rather Read More ›

Movie at cinema concept. 3D glasses with red and blue lenses with soft colored shadow on dark background.

^{Type
post

Gary Varner
Date
December 25, 2021

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture

Tagged
Agent Smith (character in Matrix series), Featured, Matrix Resurrections (film), Matrix Trilogy (films), Neo (character in Matrix), Trinity (character in Matrix)}

The Matrix Resurrections: The Studio Is Making Us Do This!

_{Mark Zuckerberg, eat your heart out. If there is one word to describe this movie, that word is Meta.} _{Gary Varner
December 25, 2021

6

Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture}

Let’s address the most contentious issue first. This movie isn’t great, but it’s not The Last Jedi bad. Matrix fans aren’t going to be storming the gates in protest, because their beloved characters were assassinated for “the message.” It’s true that Neo is nerfed so that Trinity can take his place. This is annoying because, as I’ve said before, nobody wants to see a Dragon Ball Z spectacle featuring Neo’s powers just so the poor sap could die in obscurity because nothing he did mattered anyway. They didn’t do this, and that is to the writer’s credit. If there was anybody who deserved a deus ex machina sent by the Social Justice Warriors from on high, it was Trinity. Her Read More ›

^{Type
post

Gary Varner
Date
December 18, 2021

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture, Philosophy of Mind, Relationships

Tagged
Agent Smith (character in Matrix series), Featured, Matrix Revolutions (film 2003), Neo (character in Matrix), Trinity (character in Matrix)}

The Matrix Trilogy: Some Final Thoughts

_{I enjoyed the films and am looking forward to the Matrix Resurrections but there are some things I need to say as a reviewer} _{Gary Varner
December 18, 2021

5

Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture, Philosophy of Mind, Relationships}

While waiting for The Matrix: Resurrections, December 22: I admit, I’ve given this trilogy a hard time. But I do actually enjoy the films… when I’m not thinking about them. There are some good elements, and I want to point those out before going further. First of all, the relationship between Neo and Trinity is solid. It develops with the trilogy and we don’t have to suffer through a bunch of “will they?/won’t they?” tropes. A viewer can get invested in their relationship, so it hurts when Trinity dies. I appreciate any film where this risk is taken, instead of breaking up the characters and then getting them back together just so the writers don’t have to show the relationship’s Read More ›

many falling translucent multicolored dices with white dots on black background

^{Type
post

Gary Varner
Date
December 11, 2021

Categorized
Arts & Culture

Tagged
Matrix Revolutions (film 2003)}

The Matrix Revolutions Churns Into a Cosmic Drama

_{It turns out to be a conflict between chaos and probability with no apparent moral compass} _{Gary Varner
December 11, 2021

6

Arts & Culture}

In preparation for when The Matrix: Resurrections drops, December 22, I’ve been reviewing the Matrix trilogy (1999–2003) that provides a foundation (links below). Last time out, I offered a map of what happened in The Matrix: Revolutions, the third film in the trilogy. Now for the details from that film: There is one important scene that must be mentioned before Neo is rescued from digital purgatory. While searching for Neo, Morpheus and Trinity visit the Oracle, and we get some much-needed exposition concerning her relationship to the Matrix. The Oracle turns out to be — more or less — an avatar for chaos, or variables, and the Architect, is an avatar for order, or probability. So, the movie balances its Read More ›

^{Type
post

Gary Varner
Date
December 4, 2021

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture

Tagged
Matrix Revolutions (film 2003), Neo (character in Matrix), Science fiction, Trinity (character in Matrix)}

The Matrix Revolutions (2003) Spins Out of Control

_{In Part I of this review of the third film in The Matrix trilogy — anticipating The Matrix: Resurrections (December 22) — we bring you up to date on the story} _{Gary Varner
December 4, 2021

6

Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture}

Recently, I’ve been reviewing — and reminiscing, if you like — The Matrix (1999) and The Matrix Reloaded (2003). After all, The Matrix: Resurrections opens December 22. Although I find the plots disjointed so far, I can at least provide you with a cheat sheet for what happened earlier. Now let’s see what happens in the third film in the turn-of-the-millennium trilogy, The Matrix Revolutions (2003). Alas, the confusion continues. The movie opens with our lead characters discovering that Neo is not in a coma after all but has been taken to a zone between the Matrix and the real world; think digital purgatory. How does this happen? We don’t know. How can Neo be taken anywhere when he’s not Read More ›