dystopian – Looking to God

Anderson

Posted on September 24, 2014September 19, 2014 by Jack Flacco

Her name is Anderson, and in the cold future where the world lives in a state of overpopulation, she, along with her mentor take on the city’s most powerful gang. Her mentor? Judge Dredd.

Olivia Thirlby as Dredd's Anderson — Olivia Thirlby as Dredd’s Anderson

Today’s Women Who Wow Wednesday series is proud to add Dredd’s Anderson (Olivia Thirlby) to the list of powerful female characters worthy of example.

In the dystopian nightmare called the future, police have the power to act as judge, jury and executioner. Sentences are swift. Judgment is permanent. Among the officers, Judge Dredd (Karl Urban) emerges as the de facto force of reckoning. With him, a young woman, top in her class, the youngest potential judge the Department of Justice has ever seen, accompanies Dredd for a training day of sorts.

The ultraviolent society is their playground. The insane-riddled criminals are their toys.

They move to collect a witness residing in a city block overrun by the neighborhood’s most ruthless overlord who will stop at nothing to protect her turf. Dredd and Anderson vs. Ma-Ma (Lena Headey).

It should have been easy—walk in, grab the punk, and walk out. In the midst of their assault, Judge Dredd and Anderson meet with resistance. From then on, it becomes a game of survival and escape once Ma-Ma orders a lockdown of the whole block.

The wild card? Anderson. There’s more to the young trainee than the thugs had bargained for. She doesn’t need weapons or a rulebook. She’s lethal without the help of anyone other than her ability to make her will a reality.

Although the leather-suited Anderson may sport a tough exterior, she retains a soft heart. When confronted with the inevitable decision to take her first life, under the tutelage of Judge Dredd, she has to render judgment regardless of what she feels for those facing their potential execution. Adding to the young judge’s allure is her striking beauty. Golden locks, big doe eyes, a porcelain complexion, and the build that would make any reasonable guy perform a double take.

Despite the viciousness of her later attacks, and prior to unleashing her irrevocable judgment on criminals, she attempts to find a fair and equitable solution for everyone involved. Spare a life, spare a generation. The gangsters have other ideas. The only fair and equitable solution for them is seeing Dredd and Anderson’s bodies thrown off the side of their building after a lengthy torture session.

In the end, what will matter is the quelling of the criminals and their unavoidable destiny in the hands of Judge Anderson.

RANGER MARTIN AND THE ALIEN INVASION, on sale October 21.

What did you think of Olivia Thirlby in her role as Dredd’s trainee, Anderson?

Women Who Wow Wednesday

Clara Murphy

Posted on September 10, 2014September 10, 2014 by Jack Flacco

Detective Alex Murphy (Joel Kinnaman) is the cop who had it all, a loving wife, a beautiful son, and a job, even though dangerous, he enjoyed doing. When multiple injuries in the line of duty nearly kill him, science comes to the rescue. Rebuilt from scratch, he becomes a criminal’s worst nightmare. As cliché as that sounds, his life becomes worth living again as an organic robot bent on destroying crime without pity.

Women Who Wow Wednesday presents Clara Murphy (Abbie Cornish), RoboCop’s wife who stands by her man during his darkest days.

This 2014 film, a remake of the 1987 hit RoboCop featuring Peter Weller as crime’s mechanical nemesis, contrasts the original by delving into Alex’s relationship with his wife who ultimately makes the man inside the armor better. A better man. A better husband. A better cop.

After his injuries, all Alex has on his mind is the thought of his wife, and if she’d accept him for the new man he has become. Clara doesn’t have to think about it, he will always be her husband. Her willingness to overlook his appearance and go beyond the shell makes her responsible for Alex’s future actions as a powerful crime fighter.

Beyond being Alex’s wife, she’s also her son David’s inspiration, leading him to accept his father’s new life. Through her constant vigilance of David’s welfare, she manages to protect and guide the boy without her father’s presence in his life, always reminding that his father loves him, no matter what.

Clara’s role doesn’t end there. Her bravery surpasses all expectations when she stands in the middle of a street, stopping RoboCop’s motorcycle as it screams toward her. For months, she hadn’t had contact with her husband and she wanted to know where he had been hiding. The man in charge, Dr. Norton (Gary Oldman), kept Alex from her, but she couldn’t deal not having access to him. When she stands in the middle of traffic with her hand out, she does it knowing she could lose her life in the process.

The hardest thing Clara has to endure is not knowing. Not knowing what happens to her husband in the care of Dr. Norton. Not knowing if she’ll ever see him again. And not knowing if Alex would be the same person as he once was when they first met.

Clara’s strength comes from inside. Where others would have given up on their spouses, she stayed with him through it all without ever wafting from her center.

If there ever was a character with the resilience to fight back, Clara Murphy is that character.

RANGER MARTIN AND THE ALIEN INVASION, on sale October 21.

If you’ve seen it, what did you think of the movie RoboCop? How does it compare to the older version?

Women Who Wow Wednesday

Beatrice “Tris” Prior

Posted on August 6, 2014October 17, 2014 by Jack Flacco

You have a choice. Go with blood or with destiny. Some may call it destiny, at least. Truth is the test will tell you where you belong. For Beatrice (Shailene Woodley) who grew up as part of the Abnegation faction, she felt it in her heart where she belonged. Like all things, though, things get complicated when others get involved.

Shailene Woodley is Beatrice "Tris" Prior — Shailene Woodley is Beatrice “Tris” Prior

Today I am proud to include Beatrice “Tris” Prior in my Women Who Wow Wednesday series. Spoilers may lie therein. Jump to the last paragraph if you do not want to know anything else about either the book or the movie Divergent.

Other than Shakespeare, who has provided me countless hours of entertainment, I haven’t really gushed about any other author on my site. Veronica Roth has proven to be the exception. With thirteen years of writing experience, the 25-year-old, who penned the Divergent series, has won my admiration. Her former blog reads like a fairytale/journal. Among her tidbits of life’s episodes, you can also read how Divergent progressed from its story’s infancy to becoming a worldwide blockbuster movie.

The story centers on a futuristic Chicago divided by five factions: Amity, Candor, Abnegation, Erudite and Dauntless. The factions represent traits, respectively: peacefulness, honesty, selflessness, intelligence and bravery. Every year, sixteen-year-olds undergo a test to determine which of the five factions they belong. However, the ultimate decision rests with them. In Beatrice’s case, she has traits suited from more than one faction. In other words, she’s divergent.

In the Choosing Ceremony, instead of selecting Abnegation, her home faction, Beatrice chooses Dauntless. The Dauntless creed is never to give up—no matter what.

Shailene Woodley as Beatrice "Tris" Prior — Shailene Woodley as Beatrice “Tris” Prior

As part of her entry into the faction, Beatrice and the other initiates have to take a leap of faith from a tall building into a dark pit without knowing if they’d survive the fall. Not one to skirt around a challenge, Beatrice goes first. Her willingness to conquer her fears gains her a friend in Four (Theo James), the faction’s chiseled leader. Asked of her name, Beatrice simply says, Tris.

From that moment forward, Tris has to overcome a series of training exercises primed to show who will make the Dauntless cut. Beaten, scarred and exhausted, Tris resolves never to give up. In her enthusiasm to succeed, Tris wins an ally with Dauntless’ leader, Four. He notices her determination and quietly counsels her. Their friendship grows to become the catalyst for future victories on the battlefield.

In Tris, Veronica Roth has written a character unwavering in her principles and solid in her integrity. I’m eagerly anticipating to read this series and to watch the next movie, Insurgent.

RANGER MARTIN AND THE ALIEN INVASION, on sale October 21.

Have you seen Divergent? What did you think of the main character Tris?

Women Who Wow Wednesday

Solara

Posted on January 15, 2014January 17, 2014 by Jack Flacco

When is it right to kill. When is it right to eat of the earth that which it provides as food? The death of an animal may prove fatal for the animal, but for a human it becomes food. So begins the film The Book of Eli, in ash-filled woods with a cat chewing on the foot of a man with a bullet firmly planted in his head. The cat becomes food.

The Book of Eli's Solara — The Book of Eli’s Solara

Eli (Denzel Washington) travels the dystopian nightmare hunting for trade. A pair of gloves and scarf can provide him water for a week. Hijackers can also use those articles. Eli doesn’t have trouble dispatching the gang. Armed with a machete tucked neatly under his coat, five quickly become none.

In a bar across the street from where Eli left his battery for recharging, a patron picks a fight with the wanderer. Not a good idea. The machete appears once again to clear the room of all the other gangsters, rather, patrons. Just as he was about to deliver the final blow, Solara (Mila Kunis) appears saying two simple words prompting the barkeep maiden’s inclusion in my Women Who Wow Wednesday series. “Stop. Please.”

Strong willed, persistent, yet something’s missing in Solara’s life she never knew she missed. She realizes Eli possesses the key. He knows, and it all begins with dinner for two holding hands and uttering words with closed eyes. She doesn’t know what it means, but she carries that memory to her mother, reciting the same words—a blessing over the food in God’s name.

By the time Eli leaves town, Solara’s curiosity drives her to follow him. A sidekick who gets into trouble more than once, Solara cries for what could have been her death. Soon after Eli saves her, she attempts to personally inspect the book he so guards with his life. In clear terms, he states no one touches the book. However, he neglected to commend her on her courage.

When a conflict ensues leaving her the last one standing, she takes it upon herself to save the day. With the wheel in both hands, she heads west, just as Eli had instructed. Filled with the hope for a new world, Solara follows Eli in faith, even though she doesn’t know what faith is. She trusts him. Wherever Eli goes, Solara follows. Nothing can stop her determined effort to live a life apart from the violence she left behind.

And that’s what makes Solara special. Into the mouth of the unknown she fights with her life for a place she can call her own. She believed all she saw, but with Eli, she believes in the unseen, having faith she will arrive where she belongs—a dwelling of peace and comfort.

Solara, Women Who Wow Wednesday’s woman of faith.

RANGER MARTIN AND THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE, now on sale.

Have you seen The Book of Eli? What did you think of the film?

Monday Mayhem

The Walking Dead: Lessons Learned

Posted on August 26, 2013August 26, 2013 by Jack Flacco

From the very first day when The Walking Dead premiered on AMC, I fell in love with the show. It brought together two main themes I enjoyed reading about yet seldom saw on the small screen. First, zombies. How can anyone not like these beasts of the undead? They’re virtual Tamagotchi. Second, a dystopian future. Who can say tomorrow will be all unicorns and rainbows? I can’t. That’s why for Monday Mayhem I’d like to explore the lessons I’ve learned from watching The Walking Dead.

I have friends of mine who wonder what could possibly attract so many viewers every week to a show about monsters eating the insides of a person’s head. The whole premise is silly. So, I usually ask:

Me: “Have you ever seen cop shows?”
Them: “Yes.”
Me: “Ever see The Silence of the Lambs?”
Them: “Yes.”
Me: “Did you like it?”
Them: No answer. [Of course they did.]
Me: “Hannibal Lecter eats people’s brains. He’s worse. He’s human. He should know better. Zombies don’t know better. They eat because it’s in their nature. They can’t help themselves.”

Here is my first lesson. The Walking Dead is not about zombies. Surprised? For you fans who just started watching the show, it’s about people who are stuck in an incredible situation and don’t know what to do next. Every facet of society they once enjoyed no longer exists. They’ve lost everything. Whatever they believed prior to the apocalypse is gone. Even rudimentary things we currently take for granted like running water, clean undergarments, electricity, bread, ice, a comfortable place to sleep, a safe place to live, movies, theaters, concerts, restaurants, ball games, museums, the smell of fresh cut grass, the sound of beautiful music have disappeared. Gone. Never to return.

Yet in that misery, lies hope—my second lesson. The survivors of the dreaded destruction of humanity hold on to that single shred of light. That if things should not return to the way it was, they would cling to the anticipation that one day they will once again enjoy their lives in peace and understanding.

Unfortunately, my third lesson tells of an otherwise different tale. In the midst of hope comes betrayal. Loyalty means nothing to the survivors. If two should leave for supplies and one comes back, the crowd should question who is next. If anyone shows any signs of a change, no matter how subtle, they will die. Either by that which renders them a walker or by the hands of their closest friends. They will die. It’s a certainty. No one is safe. No one will escape. Should there be an argument between survivors and the group exiles a member, that member will die. The sad reality is that friendships are of no importance in a future where society has collapsed from its fundamental moral pillars.

For in those days, there will be no friends. Only those to take advantage of.

The final lesson? As brutal and as honest as The Walking Dead is, it’s all fiction. We don’t know what the future holds. You know why? Right. Because it hasn’t happened yet. We’re in yesterday’s future. We don’t know what will happen tomorrow. Should we worry about what might not happen? No. But we should prepare. You can peruse the list that I had grabbed from the CDC site featured in my Zombie Emergency Kit post. That’ll tell you what to do in case the zombies come after you.

In the meantime, The Walking Dead will start a whole new season in October. I really hope everyone’s just as excited about the event as I am. It promises to be a game changer. I can’t wait.

RANGER MARTIN AND THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE, on sale October 22.

If anything, what have you learned from the show The Walking Dead? Would you recommend it to your friends?

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