(via Ectoplasmosis)

(2003) dir Jean-Paul Rappeneau - w/ Isabelle Adjani, Virginie Ledoyen, Gerard Depardieu, Yvan Attal, Peter Coyote, and Gregori Derangere as the hapless writer.  Starring some jugs of water as Heavy Water.

Synopsis: A scientist and his assistants, an actress, a writer framed for murder and his fellow escapee, a minister… and of course a Nazi spy.  In France, on the eve of World War II.

Review: I watched the preview for this movie, and knew I had to see it.  Then, months later, the movie in front of me, I read the description and was completely baffled.  I wanted to see this movie?

As it turns out, I did.

The movie has a richly textured plot — as it opens, a famous actress calls on a childhood neighbor and sweetheart to help cover up a murder (or was it?), which, in the middle of a rainstorm in the middle of a night, ends with him being stopped by the police, and arrested as a dead man falls out of his trunk.  Simple enough.  Throw in chance encounters, friendships formed over adversity, a looming war, political machinations of the rich and powerful, science, and you’re on a roll.  But the best thing about “Bon Voyage” is undoubtedly its characters.  They’re compelling, absurd, and full.  They’re awkward and uncertain and, even in the least likely scenarios, believable.  The brisk pace of the movie and the cartwheeling plot only helps things along.

Rating: [••••] out of [•••••]

As we become too lazy to do our own work, we send technologically augmented turtles and seals to be our detectives and scientists.

(via BoingBoing and NewScientist)

How long would Bruce Wayne have to train to become Batman?

In some of the timelines you see in the comics, the backstory is he goes away for five years—some it’s three to five years, or eight years, or 12 years. In terms of the physical changes (strength and conditioning), that’s happening fairly quickly. We’re talking three to five years. In terms of the physical skills to be able to defend himself against all these opponents all the time, I would benchmark that at 10 to 12 years. Probably the most reality-based representation of Batman and his training was in Batman Begins.

An interesting interview in Scientific American with a professor of kinesiology and neuroscience, tying into “The Dark Knight” and promoting a forthcoming book, Becoming Batman: The Possibility of a Superhero.

(And then of course there’s the question of who would win, in a universe of superheroes.  The battles have already been played out in the comicsverse, but of course not in the context of a rigorous, double-blind study.  Rigorous isn’t the right word, but HowStuffWorks looks at unlikely superhero match-ups in a vaguely science-y sort of way.  Starting off, quite naturally, with Superman vs. a Jedi.)

(Scientific American: “Dark Knight Shift: Why Batman Could Exist — But Not For Long,” by J.R. Minkel in conversation with E. Paul Zehr [14 Jul 2008]; and How Sutt Works: “Battling Blockbusters,” by Tracy Wilson and Robert Valdes [)

Your stomach will explode in fiery brilliance.

And yes, red gummy bears being excellent is scientific fact.

(via MAKE Blog)

Sort of.

The (terribly informal) verdict:

Believable: Iron Man, Batman

Unbelievable: The Incredible Hulk

Quote:

Now, many people are aware that the most incredible thing about the Hulk is the way his pants always stay on when he expands to ten times his original volume.

But did you also know:

The good superhero stories require only one miracle exemption from the laws of nature.

Oh.  You did?  Well then.

(via SciFi Scanner)