Twilight of the (Teen) Idols

When I look for the number 17, I'm usually doing so in a particular context. I'm looking for the number to tie into an overarching narrative, linking to themes of restoration. Osiris died on the 17th, and Horus represented the restoration of his father's rightful throne. Horus himself was the last god to rule Egypt, so in my eyes he represents the restoration of that order of things. 

Classic Sun: Stuart Gordon's Dagon

Stuart Gordon, a veteran of 60's experimental theater, first burst onto the screen with his extremely loose adaptation of HP Lovecraft's short story, "Herbert West, Re-Animator".

 

Souls Traveling in Starlight

In that Kirby 2001/mushroom/star travel story, the astronauts are transformed into light for the journey through the furthest reaches of space. Which is fascinating to me, since that concept is at the core of the X-Files Mythology's cosmology- the transformation of souls into energy.

Egypt, Egypt Everywhere: Night @ Museum II

 

David D brought up this film in a recent comment, which I had been studiously avoiding. It's still a rental- at best, and a RedBox rental at that- but check out this synopsis:

 

Fringewatch: Alien Dreaming Edition

 

Did you watch the season finale of Fringe? The show took its time getting its act together, but seems to have constructed a fairly compelling mythology. It's always good to see smart sci-fi on network TV, but there's still something a bit distancing about it to me. 

Secret Star Trek: Dawson's Trek

 

 Well, I almost hate to say it, but this Onion video pretty much nails my reaction to the new Star Trek. 

I thought it was great fun - a highly entertaining and extremely well-produced thrill ride. Visually, this may be the best space opera to date. All the creatives involved seem to be die-hard fans trying to bring the concept back to basics and make it appealing for today's audiences. 

 But therein lies the rub, as some obscure Trek villain might say. 

Folk Horror: Harvesting Humanity

This is episode 3 of the 1979 series The Quatermass Conclusion (released full-length as simply Quatermass), and I can't seem to find the other parts online quite yet. But there's enough to chew on as Quatermass discovers a UFO cult in the British countryside that's being manipulated for sinister purposes. 

I'm stunned - again - by Kneale's meticulous attention to detail, keen understanding of human behavior, and most of all- his prescience. 

Secret Star Trek: Charlie is 17

For a concept created by a self-confessed atheist, there are a hell of a lot of gods in Star Trek. I've been watching selected episodes of Deep Space Nine in a state of utter disbelief (the show is unvarnished religious drama of a very strange variety) but the very same themes we see in that show are abundant in the original series as well. 

Stairway to Sirius: Tut, Tut, Tut

 

 OK, so you go to the Step Pyramid of Djoser to learn more about King Tut? 

Huh? The two were separated by 13 centuries. What do the two have to do with one another, other than that they were both Egyptian? Well, maybe not much on the exoteric level, but perhaps a bit more on the esoteric, symbolic level.