Pathogen Review

Starring: Rose Kent-McGlew, Tiger Darrow, Tony Vespe, Alec Herskowitz, Rebecca Elliott, Alex Schroeder
Rating: 7/10
Directed By: Emily M. Hagins

Tonight, I had the pleasure of finally seeing Pathogen by Emily M. Hagins. Emily created Pathogen, her first film, at the age of 12. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but she definitely caught me off guard with her writing, directing, and filming of this creepy horror flick.

The story centers around a mysterious additive in the public Austin water supply, that affects people in horrible ways. The opening sequence was superb, juxtaposing the innocence of a small girl playing in a sprinkler with the evil you know is lurking in the water. The music track draws you in and I found myself engrossed in the story almost immediately, which is quite rare for me.

Pathogen had several unflinchingly, bloody gore scenes. I loved those, as well as the well-integrated flashback sequence. Since the movie was made on a tight budget, there were a few sound and lighting issues. However, I think the final result was very good and definitely better than some films I’ve seen on the shelves of my local video store.

Most of the main characters are laid-back teens, who seem to take the zombie carnage in stride. The casting of the teens and main researcher was great. My favorite character was Jen. Can you say CREEPY? She did an excellent job! Unfortunately, the math teacher and doctor were less convincing in their roles.

I won’t spoil the movie for you, but know that the final scene and closing track won’t let you down. It’s obvious that many talented people worked on Pathogen with Emily and I can’t wait to see her next film!

The Emergence of Geekdom

Last night, as I was attempting to slumber, my mind started down a path that had me pondering my personal journey into the world of technology. Accompanying  those loosely woven thoughts were the memories of how others slowly, then more readily, acknowledged their own inner geeks.

Now, I know many of you may have memories reaching much further into the past than I, but my first exposure to personal computers began in 1991. A friend of mine had AOL, which I thought was pretty awesome. I had another friend put together a computer for me, so that I could access AOL from home through my university account. Very quickly, I figured out that paying AOL by the hour was a huge rip-off. I started frequenting the computer labs on campus and came across IRC when checking my mail from my Unix shell account. At that point, I became a “Certified Internet Addict”. By 1992, I felt like a brave renegade on an untamed frontier. My fellow adventurers mainly consisted of other college students and people in the software and hardware industries. I hung out with computer science and math majors, playing RPGs late into the nights. My friends’ brilliant and quirky personalities kept me engaged and laughing.

There were several times when software and internet applications struck me as being essential. One instance is when I first saw Adobe Acrobat. I thought how great it would be if it became a standard format for easily sharing documents. I was shocked at how many people had never heard of Adobe Reader and how disinterested they were in the impact it could have on our lives.

In 1997, I stumbled into an awesome job with a start-up software company, even though my degree was in psychology. I finally accepted that I must have a good bit of geekiness inside, even though “geek” was still a bad word.

By this point, more “normal” people than ever had computers. Chat rooms became places to avoid, as online perverts and stalkers tainted the waters. The old-timers created new online places to meet. Their deep study of all things geek-related allowed them to retain their high-tech banter at outings, keeping passers-by confused by the plethora of acronyms being uttered.

Today, it seems that people are understanding and gravitating to new software and gadgets more quickly than ever. While not all humans will be full-fledged geeks, most can no longer avoid the bespectacled, cyber-hipster scratching to get their hands on the keyboard. I think this is healthy, overall. Adobe Reader is finally accepted as an easy way to read and share documents, Google is a verb, and Twitter made its mark almost overnight. I have mixed feelings about the speed at which people are adopting new applications. Going back to Twitter, for example, we see that it is already overrun with marketers and celebrities. That’s just another part of living on the harrowing edge of progress, I suppose.

Geeky types, such as myself, have made room for everyone, but not always without a grunt of disdain. However, we can still enjoy our niche where we create, test, and document gadgets and software for your inner geek. While many techology-related items are more understood and accepted by the general population, only a fun, socially-strained subset of us loves being bothered by the technical details. So, enjoy this time of geek power. Love your geeky neighbor and love your inner geek!

Kindle 2 out in February 2009?

Well, kids, I just read that the new Kindle may actually be coming out soon! I have been watching the cyber-radar for weeks, with hungry eyes, for mention of the Kindle 2.0. I saw a brief note last week, but got a great surprise when I searched again today.

The Christian Science Monitor is reporting that Amazon has a big announcement to share on February 9. If this is about the Kindle, I hope they more than enough to send out to those on the current waiting list. Many have theorized about a significant price drop. A price drop, along with the slimmer design and better button placement, make this a no-brainer for this gal!

My Bloody Valentine 3D Review

Starring: Jensen Ackles, Jaime King, Kerr Smith, Betsey Rue
Rating: 6.5/10
Directed By: Patrick Lussier
Runtime: 101 minutes

This evening, I rounded up my movie posse to go check out the new 3D movie that builds on the 1981 horror flick My Bloody Valentine. We paid our $12.50 with chagrin, but were excited about getting to experience some cool 3D gore. I was also enthusiastic about seeing Jensen Ackles, hailing from Supernatural, Smallville, and Days of Our Lives, play a major role in the film.

My Bloody Valentine 3D takes us back to the small mining town Valentine Bluffs, where a crazed killer named Harry Warden went wacko and killed his miner pals 10 years before. He swore anyone who tried to celebrate Valentine’s Day after this massacre would pay the ultimate price.

As the movie opens, a group of young adults is getting ready to enter a mine and party late into the night. I guess they forgot that Harry Warden forbade any Valentine fun. Woe! After the group enters, the visage of Harry arrives and uses a pickax to annihilate the bulk of the partygoers. Luckily, four of the partiers survive…barely!

Flash forward 10 more years to the next February. The four survivors are together again, just begging for trouble. A lot more killing transpires, resulting in some very cool 3D shots. My favorite shot occurred when the point of the pickax traveled up through a man’s jaw and curved out of his mouth. The killer yanked forward on the ax, causing the jaw to break loose and fly straight at me. I actually ducked!

The end of the movie was a bit of a letdown and the whole thing was a tad bit cheesy. However, I prefer my horror with cheese. Also, I did feel my heart racing a couple of times, and that is much more than I have experienced while watching the other new horror flicks that have come out recently. Because of the cool 3D effects and the fact that it kept me awake, I give My Bloody Valentine 3D a 6.5/10.