Movie Review: John Carter (2012)

JohnCarterMoviePosterJohn Carter (2012)

4-4.5 out of 5 stars

I loved this film.  I would even go so far to say I loved it better than the original book the screenplay was adapted from, A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice BurroughsAs soon as the BluRay for John Carter is released, I am buying it.  That’s saying something, since I haven’t actually purchased a DVD or BluRay for myself in years (as a Netflix subscriber, why would I?).  The last film worthy of that feat (but only on the discount table because I’m so cheap) would have been Live Free or Die Hard, but I didn’t get the chance since my daughter gifted it to me for my birthday last year. I plan to add John Carter to my permanent collection, shelving it next to my special collector’s editions of Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings.

Go see John Carter.  Now.  Don’t wait.

You don’t need to be a fan of science fiction or epic fantasy to appreciate a good tale well told, one that leaves you shouting for more.

***

Oh, and I almost forgot.  I liked the musical score as well, which came as no surprise when the credits started rolling and listed Michael Giacchino as the composer.   His work on The Incredibles impressed me so much I bought the soundtrack CD (another thing I haven’t done since the days of Star Wars).

More March Mars Madness

I can’t wait until this weekend to see John Carter at the theater.  I would have bought my tickets over lunch except my favorite theater has not yet listed showtimes for this weekend.  I convinced my uncle to venture forth as well this weekend.  But the real icing on the cake came with the short note he sent me this morning proclaiming his success in finding A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs at Project Gutenberg  and getting it downloaded to his Nook Color.

My local favorite library posted a cool YouTube video via their Facebook and Twitter feeds that I’d like to share here, prefaced by their blurb:

Do you know who created Tarzan and John Carter of Mars 100 years ago this spring? Check out this video preview of an upcoming event featuring author, critic & broadcaster John Tibbetts celebrating the legacy of an American cult icon…

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCmfD5vDYaY]

If you live in the Kansas City metropolitan area, you can click this link to register for the event on March 18, 2012 at 2:00 pm (Plaza Branch of the Kansas City Public Library).  I have already RSVP’d and received my confirmation.

And thanks to an update from Sky & Telescope‘s Facebook feed, I learned that “Mars is at its closest to Earth for this apparition: 100.8 million km (62.6 million miles). Mars appears 13.9 arcseconds wide, compared to the 24″ or 25″ it reaches during its closet swing-bys. The last time that happened was in 2003; the next will be in 2018.”  I saw Mars shining brightly this morning in the west before the sun arose, when I let the dogs out after they ate their breakfast.

Winter Circled Moon and Leonine Mars

I valiantly kept myself awake past my pumpkin transformation time (usually half past nine o’clock on weeknights), reading an ebook on my Nook Color while Terry dozed through the UFC fights.  When I finally got within twenty pages of the end of my book, I put the ereader aside and checked the position of Mars from my front porch.  The waxing moon hung at about the one o’clock position in the sky almost hidden behind my house and Mars shown redly at about the ten o’clock position. I decided to setup the telescope in my driveway, even though all the street lights and house lights concentrated their glows more intensely on the east side of my property.

I opened the garage door and began transferring the telescope and accessories from the band room (behind the garage on the west side of the house) through the garage to the driveway.  I had put on a sweater but only had flip-flops on my feet (something I would come to regret an hour or so later).

In setting up my telescope, I made an error in the home position and failed two attempts at an easy alignment.  When I finally realized my mistake, after having run the motors up to and beyond the stops twice, I tried a third time, but the Autostar control device disconnected itself from the telescope and reset itself twice.  I gave up and finally just pointed the scope at Mars, shining brightly and sanguinely from the constellation Leo.

Two of the stars selected by the Autostar alignment program included Sirius, in the constellation Canis Major, and Capella, in the constellation Auriga, and both of these stars could be found in the Winter Circle.  The waxing moon enjoyed center-stage in the Winter Circle on a cold clear late winter night.

Once I got Mars in my sights, I tried various barlows and eyepieces, but could never quite get a good focus on it.  I could dimly and vaguely see the polar ice cap and Mars definitely had an orange-ish and pink-ish cast to it.

By this time, I could barely feel my toes, but I didn’t want to stop observing, so I turned the telescope farther eastward, looking for Saturn.  I found Spica in the constellation Virgo.  Saturn is just a short hop to the left of Spica.  I clearly saw the rings, but did not take the time to look for Titan or any of Saturn’s other moons.  I wanted to get my feet warmed up, so I shutdown the telescope, packed everything up and transported it back to the band room.

I may repeat this entire process tonight, but from a different location.  I will take a nap this afternoon to allow me to stay up past my pumpkin transformation point.

Oh, and I did get my feet warmed back up while finishing the last twenty pages of my ebook.

March Mars Madness and Messier Marathon

Much of my March will revolve around Mars.  For example, this Saturday, March 3rd, according to Sky & Telescope‘s ‘This Week’s Sky at a Glance‘ (both for this past week and the one ahead), Mars shines highest in the south, in the sharpest telescopic view, around midnight.

Mars is at opposition, appearing opposite the Sun in Earth’s sky. This is the most distant opposition of Mars in its 15-year cycle of oppositions near and far, so the planet appears only 13.9 arcseconds wide. At its next time around in April 2014, Mars will reach a diameter of 15.2″.

My goal is to stay up late enough on Saturday night to allow the moon to set (or almost set) and Mars to be either directly overhead or just over the top and falling towards the western horizon.  That will optimize my viewing, reducing the amount of atmosphere I must look through and minimizing the effect of the light pollution in my area.

For this first weekend of March, I think I will limit myself to my own backyard.  I did receive the new power cord I ordered for the ETX-90 yesterday, so I will test that out tonight with the portable battery pack my father reconditioned and gifted to me.  The following weekend will present more difficulties observing Mars since the Full Moon will be two days old on Saturday the 10th.

Astronomical Society of Kansas CityJust a day or two after the vernal equinox I hope to join other members of the Astronomical Society of Kansas City (ASKC) in the annual Messier Marathon – an attempt to find as many Messier Objects as possible during one night.  Since the new moon occurs just two days after the equinox, my only concern would be clouds to obscure an otherwise perfect dark night sky.  I don’t plan on needing a tent, since I wouldn’t be sleeping until the sun broke over the eastern horizon anyway.  I will really regret giving up drinking tea and coffee (or any kind of beverage except water) for Lent during that long night.  I just hope the excitement of discovery will keep me awake.