Allen Driskill

This was the first Netflix binge watching series I ever did. Couldn't wait to talk about the episodes at work with the friend who recomended Breaking Bad. This series is the most well crafted television show I've ever seen. Superb acting and story telling. Some episodes are slow, but are setting you up for the wild ride to the point you jump out of your chair with multiple fist pumps: "YES!" Walter White tried to do a good thing for his family, but was inevitably compromised. The drug trade compromises everyone without exception. The series is also so heartbreaking in parts. By the last season you are so invested in the characters that one feels you are losing a close friend. I highly recommend Breaking Bad.

I felt like I missed Captive State:The Beginning. I was plopped down in the middle of the story and had to try and figure out what was going on. The characters were all bland and did not seem to have a heroic quality that won me over enough to root for them. The setting greatly reminded me of the bleak industrial landscape of Eraserhead. Without the shocking plot twists and surrealism David Lynch created. Aliens that are thousands or millions of years advanced over humans would enslave us like we are today. We live in a prison we can't see, feel, or touch. A Matrix existence where we live out our lives and believe without question the propoganda fed to us that shapes our views, national identity, and religious dogma. All the while the interdimentional overlords are unseen because they inhabit human bodies in public. Since these aliens feed off negative energy, humans would be involved in perpetual war and suffering. Even political differences would be magnified to the point of civil war. Does this scenario sound familiar?

Easily one of my favorite television shows of all time. A very dramatic pilot episode that hooks you into the story and characters in a way that defines the binge-watching behavior of Netflix users. The casting of characters could not have been better. Agents of the National Threat Assessment Command (NTAC) Diana Skouris and Tom Baldwin attempt to solve the mystery and potential threat of the 4400 who were abducted and returned in a huge ball of light resembling a comet. They have no memory of the abduction, and have not aged during their absence. Each of the 4400 returnees has a distinct gift of an ability. Some can read minds, others heal illness or injuries with a touch of their hands. These abilities were given by a mysterious, powerful group from the future in an attempt to change history and stop the coming catastrophe on Earth. Jordan Collier, a 4400 and business mogul, gathers the returnees after a lengthy forced quarantine at the 4400 Center. The government and citizens don't understand the whole event, and have become fearful of the 4400 returnees. The plot twists in this series are always surprising. This is science fiction at it's best with a heavy dose of CSI. The writing grounds you in the story that mimics human behavior in it's clash with advancing science and paranormal abilities. The moral obligations of the creators of new medicine and technology are explored as well. I highly reccomend The 4400 to any superhero movie fan. In this series, someone with even a seemingly small paranormal ability can have a "ripple effect" that can change society and the future. When these abilities unite with a common cause, they are unstoppable.

I wasn't expecting much from Alita:Battle Angel. I figured these cyborg themes were played out and had nothing new to offer. Then Dr. Dyson Ido brings Alita to life! Later in the movie, her friend Hugo says that: Alita, you are more human than anyone I've ever known. That is the alluring truth of this movie. Alita is convincingly human. Love is the plotline in this story. Dr.Dyson does such a wonderful job of projecting his love for his surrogate daughter, Alita. The whole story seems complicated until you reach the end and you come to a knowing of how it all fits together. Some of the Cyborg characters are clunky and some almost mesmerizing in their innovation. I guess only natural with a floating city's garbage chute constantly depositing it's junk on a pile in the middle of the City. The visual stimulation of this movie is off the charts. From Alita's wonderfully large eyes to the crazy future world after an apocalyptic event. Alita drew me in and made me a believer in the story. That is magic.