V: (The Second Generation) by Kenneth Johnson

  This is what the latest remake of V should have been. In fact, this was what the remake would have been until Warner Bros decided to remake the series completely. Nothing against the newer V series, I did like it and was bummed when it was cancelled.

  

   But this version of V is in a word awesome. It's pays tribute to the show's history and manages to create new story lines that keep the story fresh. First of all, it did what the new series did not, bring back all the old characters not just Diana. In fact, Diana barely came back, the remake flanderized her and wasted the talents of the phenomenal Jane Badler. 

  The novel takes place 20 years after the original series ended. The Visitors are in full control of the world and having been slowly draining the world's water, turning San Francisco into a desert wasteland. The Resistance has been almost destroyed in the Great Purge of '99, leaving only a few left. Things change when a new race of aliens arrives to help the humans take back their planet.

  Starting off, most of the old favorites are back. Mike, Juliet, Willy and Harmony, Robert, Martin, and Diana are all back. There is also the introduction of the second generation who are well written and fit seamlessly with the older series. Particular favorites are Emma and Nathan, former Visitor sympathizers turned vigilantes. And Ruby, Juliet's scrappy half-breed daughter, who avoids being a stereotypical Mary Sue like a lot of child characters turn out to be.

  I wasn't too crazy about the newer alien race; they were rather bland with no real back story. In fact, most of their story was observations on how hot the alien babes were. If I wanted to read alien porn, I would. My biggest quibble with the book was the absence of Robin and her half-breed child, Elizabeth.

  Robin and Elizabeth were an integral part of not only the original mini-series but also the following television series. The alien birth scene is probably one of the most memorable in Sci-Fi history and they don't even warrant a mention. At least scribble a couple of lines about them dying in the purge or whatever. To add insult to injury, Robin's father is a major character in this novel and all he utters is some throwaway line about Mike saving his daughters, just insulting.

 Still this is a great novel, if you loved V or even just love a good Sci-Fi novel, then check it out. You won't be disappointed. 

Starship Troopers 3: Marauder

Well my only excuse for watching was that it was on Pay Per View and there was nothing else better. It's been seven years since the events of the first film and things have gotten worse. The bugs have adapted and have since spawned new and different bugs for the Federation to fight.

There's no real plot to this film, just the typical bug deaths, obligatory group nude scene, and of course Casper Van Dien hamming it up for the camera. There's a subplot about how the government is executing war protesters and how religion is banned. Of course the underlying theme of this all is that religion is good.

The film also stars Enterprise's Jolene Blalock playing the latest eye candy and looking like she could be Angelina Jolie's long lost twin. The movie was worth it because I had never seen this actress out of her Vulcan make-up.

Former Charmed killer er I mean actress Marnie Patterson plays an irritatingly religious and hopeful flight attendant. (Yes for some reason flight attendants are allowed to go on dangerous missions with soldiers. Her character is one note and wooden and hardly worth the storyline that was written for. The film also wastes the talents of Boris Kidjoe and Danny Keough.

This film couldn't even hold up to the loose standards set up by Starship Troopers 1. While ST1 was not the best film at least it was a good guilty pleasure film. ST3 could've have gone that route and been okay but chose to litter the movie with deep and meaningful plots that made the movie basically a snore.

Simply put don't bother, rent the first one or the animated series on DVD if you want to get a Starship Troopers fix

The Ruins

The Ruins was a lot better than I expected. In light of what horror has been reduced to lately, I was worried that I was going to spend two hours being grossed out. The Ruins focuses on a group of Americans who decide to go to some hidden ruins to explore. They are joined by Matthias a European looking for his brother who had gone to those ruins a few days prior.

Inexplicably the gang is attacked by Mayans and are quarantined in the Ruins with no contact to the outside world. The Mayans are not their biggest problem as some mysterious vines begin to infect the gang.

The premise may seem silly but the films is a good way to pass the time. Jena Malone is a great actress even though I found the character she played to be whiny and unlikable. People who have read the book the movie is based on, be warned. The movie barely follows the books aside from the basic plot.

This film is refreshingly light on gore and doesn't bore the viewers with the generic crap that most horror films are hindered with. The only thing that really bugged me about the film was the vague ending and the selfishness of the protagonists. Even after knowing they are infected and knowing they could infect others they still want to escape. If I were in that situation, I would be thinking of other than my own skin.

The film also stars Joe Anderson (Across The Universe) and Shawn Ashmore (Iceman from the X-Men films.)

Cloverfield

Fair warning: if the Blair Witch made you feel sick to your stomach or you are prone to motion sickness do not watch this film. Cloverfield is an interesting if not visually intense film seen entirely from the point of view of a camcorder.

The film focuses on a going away party for Rob (Michael Stahl-David) who is moving to Japan for a job. Rob and his best friend Beth (Odette Yusman) are estranged due to the two of them having made love a month prior. The two argue and Beth leaves the party early. His best friend Hud is asked to film the party but winds up documenting the chaos that follows.

Soon the building rocks with earthquake-like intensity and the party goers race down to the streets where the Statue Of Liberty's head is thrown in to the streets nearby and a gargantuan creature is seen in the distance.

Despite the inherent danger Rob and his friends face they navigate the city to locate Beth who is trapped in her apartment.

If you can get past the jerky camera work, Clovefield is an awesome, atmospheric, thrillfest that you simply cannot miss a minute of. The actors aren't big Hollywood stars which also lends credibility to realness of the flick. The film also stars Lizzie Caplan who is best known for her role as Janice Ian on Mean Girls.


Update: They finally released a studio pic of the Cloverfield monster. Click here for viewing

This is image was found on Cloverfield Clues. Which if you are a fan I highly recommend visiting.