This was based and inspired by a dream I had with only a few hours of sleep on April 17th 2008 however I never found a way to properly end it or just leave it ambiguous:

Taking back dreams

Sent to another world where I have temporary detention. Being sent out of my home for only a few times a night I fall asleep with in a small 4 x 8 prison cell and wake up back in my own bed in my own room in my own house. In my dreams, prison guards come to my house and claim that I must come with them by force if needed. The odd things were they don't act forceful or order me in a loud voice. I never ask why I had to go with but I go with them.

When I go inside this prison it might not seem like a prison at all. The guards didn't any uniforms, just regular clothes No one was forced into any routine; you basically do whatever you what. Which takes me to my next topic, when you got this prison you're not allowed to bring anything but clothes on your back and whatever you have in your pockets. As whoever was in charge said I had to go through this routine for the next five years. But I didn't want to do this until I'm 26 years old.

One night, I remembered that I'm scheduled to have a roommate on my way to my cell I walked by another prisoner who talking on a cell phone in plan sight. I doubt the guards would even care. I went into my cell right when lights out began. In my 4 x 8 cell I saw my roommate a heavy set teenager that had to be 15. He sat down in a corner of the cell; he looked at me for one second and looked back down the floor. He didn't want to be there as much as I do.

I never knew why were but I knew it wasn't right. I wanted control of my dreams and I wanted control of my future…

...As a Hurrricane!

He's Hurricane Bill and he's on his way to the Bermudas! Go Dad!

I finally got contacts today, no glasses!

For the time being, I'm postponing my review of Batman: Year One. This movie I need to review, very badly just to get this off my mind. This movie is Without Warning, a made for TV mockumentary that appeared Halloween night on CBS back in 1994. The events in the movie were set up like real life news broadcast. If you're familiar with Orson Welles's broadcast of The War of the Worlds from 1938, then this is seen as a television update of that broadcast.

I didn't hear about this movie again until a few years back when I was looking at End of the World movies on Amazon, where copies are priced between 70 to 230 dollars. You might be better off downloading a torrent of it like I did. Now that I have it I can't stop watching it. It was intense for the first time in so many years but now every time I watch it made laugh inside about how scarred I was of this movie. I heard funny stories on this movie's imdb message board about how people were more scared of this movie than I was.

The movie starts out interrupting a beginning of a murder mystery. Five minutes into it the movie the interruption starts out with the news report of a near Earth asteroid breaking apart in the atmosphere and hit three different locations on the planet. The first impact was in Thunder Basin, Wyoming, the second is close to a ski resort in Lourdes, France and last one striking a deserted northeast section of China. The reporters found out from two astronomers that all three impacts were at the same exact latitude. All the craters gave off loud high-pitched static that disrupts with all air traffic in United States.

At the Wyoming and France strikes individuals were found speaking a few unintelligible words and nothing else. One an eight year old girl, the other is skier celebrating his anniversary with his wife at the resort. All the events were creating speculations by various scientists that everything was caused by aliens wanting to communicate with us. Many others believe that it was just a random act of nature.

I was six years old when I first saw that movie and me thinking it was real it scared the hell out of me. I still remember my parents who I was watching this with calming me down and my dad telling me with a smile on his face, "it's just movie." Even during the commercial breaks there was a message saying, "The following is not a happening it, it is only a movie." I might have to blame this movie for making me the paranoid mess that I was as a child.

As a movie simulating a news broadcast it went very well into detail. It went as far as having a veteran news reporters Sander Vanocur and Bree Walker in this to give it a since of realism. However they had Jane Kaczmarek who most people know now as Lois from Malcolm in the Middle as science editor Dr. Caroline Jaffie joined Vanocur in the broadcast for the entire movie. John deLancie who played Q from Star Trek: The Next Generation played Barry Steinbrenner, a news correspondent in Casper, WY. Two well known actors playing journalists in a movie that was meant to be played off as a real life event did kill the fantasy for me. Maybe if they had lesser known actors playing the parts like all the other roles this might not have been a problem. My guess is this is to help solidify the fact that this is only a movie.

Speaking of correspondents, the one covering the impact in China looked like she was behind a barely noticeable green screen instead of being behind a busy Beijing street. One thing that bugged now that I watched this movie again is Dr. Jaffie a science editor acts more of co-anchor in this broadcast than a science consultant. All of the Journalists in this move always called Sander Vanocur, "Sandy". I'm sure it's a pet name or something but seriously, who would want to call a grown man Sandy?

In the middle of the movie NASA found another asteroid on a collision course with the North Pole. The United States Air Force intercepted the asteroid with two F-16s. A scientist claimed that asteroid was really an alien spaceship coming to visit and now that the humans had destroyed it the aliens saw this as a declaration of war.

In retaliation the aliens fire more asteroids at Washington D.C., Moscow, and Beijing. Rumors were that those cities are the largest holders of nuclear weapons. The United States happened to launch missiles at those asteroids to be intercepted.

Being a college student studying Journalism wondered if this was a real broadcast would a journalist be that dedicated to cover an event that would bring about the end of the world. Any other person would spend with their loved ones when facing the end of the world. I would admire any who covered a story like that and they're definitely bold, but yet again if the interception attempt failed who would be around to remember the story.

When those asteroids were intercepted the whole world celebrated. At the ending of the movie, the two people who were found speaking in tongues suddenly died. Before then, their ramblings were deciphered to be revealed that its fragments of the audio message on the Voyager 2 spacecraft from the United Nations. The aliens somehow relayed the message back to earth when they were trying to communicate with us, an odd way to do it if you asked me.

In the end of movie the broadcast goes back to the Johnson Space Center where the correspondent and all the scientists were looking at the screen to find out there were hundreds if not thousands of asteroids were on a direct path of all Earth's cities. Everyone in the space center is dumbstruck knowing that were going to die. In the background you can hear radio traffic about cities all over the world being blown off the map.

Sander Vanocur being that dedicated veteran is able to stay focused on the broadcast that they'll stay on the air as much as possible. The last thing Sander says is a quote from Shakespeare, "The fault, dear Brutus doesn't lie within the stars, but within ourselves." The picture freezes and goes to static.

That quote made me think that this movie as a cautionary tale. With the whole speculation of aliens, the U.S Government took full advantage their "Shoot first, ask questions later" policy. Not taking advantage about all their options about what these impacts could mean.

It can be up for debate on which is the real bad guy is in this movie. From the perspective of humans all the asteroids appeared be threats to their survival and did something about it. However from how the aliens could have saw the humans intervening into their communication with an unprovoked attack and fought back in retribution. If the aliens wanted to make contact with us they would of choice a way that would come off as a life threatening disaster.

Or maybe in my opinion there is no villain in this story, all the events in this movie are huge misunderstandings that lead to the deaths of billions of people and maybe a few aliens. If there is a moral to this movie it has to be, "Assumption is the mother of all screw-ups." Overall I like this movie really wished they did more movies like this just to scare the pants off of people just like me. For a score I'd give it 3.5/5.

I remember hearing about Kingdom Come a few years back and I was intrigued by its artwork. Being the cheapskate that I am I wasn't able to get this until I found a copy of it in my local library in the literature section. The concept of Kingdom Come is inspired by creating a generation gap between the heroes of breed super hero mentality and generations leading before it. All of the events in the story were to make a parallel to the Book of Revelation.

Kingdom Come was written by Mark Waid and its artwork done by Alex Ross who is known for his photo realism in his artwork, and this is no exception. It was published back in the 1996. The story is set many years in the future in the DC universe. A rift is created between the superheroes of old (The more "traditional" ones) and the newer heroes that have become reckless and irresponsible. The Events in the story are seen from the perspective of an elderly pastor named Norman McCay being reluctantly chosen by spiritual being known as The Spectre to be his anchor to humanity and with him view the upcoming events as an omnipresent form where no one can see or hear them.

Superman had gone into seclusion in his fortress of solitude attending to his own makeshift farm. He no longer goes under his secret identity of Clark Kent after the Joker killed multiple staff members of the Daily Planet, one of them being Lois Lane. Later the Joker was killed when he was taken into police custody by a new hero who calls himself Magog. Magog was put on trial for murdering the Joker but was eventually acquitted. Since then Superman had gone into hiding.

Wonder Woman who is now banned from Paradise Island for failing to bring peace to Man's world as an ambassador, encourages Superman to come out of retirement and reform the Justice League after a superhero incident left Kansas and most of America's heartland irradiated. The disaster killed millions, bringing global famine and near worldwide economic collapse. At first he refuses but later joining to help the superhero community, donning a somewhat new costume with the shield being red and black as suppose to his original red and yellow.

Superman attempts to bring along Batman, who the public knows that he is Bruce Wayne. He now wears an exoskeleton to support his old and feeble body after years of being the Batman now had taken a physical toil on him. Batman uses robots he created in his image to patrol the streets of Gotham City turning into a city state. However Batman refuses Superman's offer after not agreeing to his new agenda.

The majority of heroes of the current generation have gotten out of line where they ether endanger civilians or war with one another, one example violently forcing away immigrants on their way to Elis Island. Superman puts together a new justice league to police the new vigilante problem. He places Wonder Woman as his second in command. He and his league imprison the rouge heroes in prison nicknamed the gulag in the ruins of what was Kansas. Superman claims this is for the sake of educating the prisoners to not be reckless heroes.

Another divide is created between superhumans and mere mortals. The United Nations begin to lose faith in the Justice League's Gulag and its attempt to reform rouge heroes. Lex Luthor and a couple members of Batman's Rouges Gallery help create the Mankind Liberation Front. The Front sees that putting an end to the League's actions by destroying them completely.

I find this whole graphic novel as an example of old verses new when it comes to superheroes with a generational gap, for instances having Batman and Robin (Now known as Red Robin) become separated on the meta-human vigilante issue. With Red Robin siding with Superman's league and his daughter Nightstar side with Batman along with other sons and daughters of League members that support superhero re-education.

Speaking of the superhero re-education concept, I just found it idiotic that you change a person. A person with super powers would have a notion that they're better than anyone else. However Superman and Wonder Woman's idea did make since of trying to be the law for those that are above the law.

This story is put together show how dangerous individuals or groups with too much power can be. With all the powers and abilities that a superhero may or may not have the greater power above all of that has to be making the difference between the right and wrong.

One thing about comics is that not everything is set in stone and one can take as many creative liberties with characters and storylines as they want. In the novel they had Superman absorb so much solar rays over the years that he is immune to kryptonite and have a budding romance between Wonder Woman. I have to recommend this to any who is either a big fan of comics or an art buff. For a score, I'd give it 5 out of 5.