It's no secret that sci-fi is one of my favorite genres. Though I was raised consuming volumes of fantasy novels, sci-fi is cut from the same cloth. A good science fiction story draws upon enough believable material to make us engage with the story, with some good imagination and speculation to draw us into deeper, unknown, and perhaps bolder territory. I just saw a great example of how science fiction engages our deepest, very human questions, asking us to think and feel familiar things while venturing into new narrative territory. But before I talk about the film I'll give you a little background on why (and how) I came to love the genre. The journey began with some classic novels new and old (although science fiction is a relatively new genre, coming to prominence only in the middle of the 20th century). Some highlights include Frank Herbert's 1965 masterpiece Dune , where I followed the Messiah-like Paul Atreides on his quest to seek justice for the injuries again...
Hey, who put me on the cover of this movie? It is very difficult for me to summarize a topic as broad as the consciousness of a people. Although I cannot properly consider myself "Mexican," there are many Latino/Hispanic people who share both my ancestry and cultural dilemma. Consider California: we have an overwhelming population of Mexican Americans here, with the most vibrant communities of recent and established generations of immigrants proud to call this country their home, yet firmly rooted in their own culture and traditions. Today I need to remember that I should be sensitive even with labels; the majority of my friends greatly prefer the term Latino even when my family has considered itself Hispanic for so long. I could write for a long while on the distinguishing characteristics of New Mexican identity, even though I have never lived in New Mexico itself. Rather I find it helpful to take the macro scale: identifying those trends in Latin American culture that ...
We go through phases in terms of the stories that really captivate us, that connect to our humanity, connect us to each other, and to our deepest selves. Growing up as a kid in the Nineties, I remember a slough of disaster movies. Comets, asteroids, volcanoes, and other things threatened to end all life as we know it. We counted on people smarter than us, the scientists, engineers, and astronauts, to save us (unless you're Michael Bay, who will tell you that it's easier to train oil rig workers to fly into space than it is to teach actual trained astronauts how to use a drill). Later, in the early Aughts, it was fantasy that took over. The post-9/11 era taught us to depend on clear lines of morality, of good versus evil, and epic quests and heroic virtue that will rid the world of the darkness. That decade ended and ushered us into an era still in its heyday: that of the Superhero. Although Marvel and DC have different textures and color palettes, they both tell the sam...
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