INTELLIGENCE – My rating 8/10

CBS has a winner in Intelligence.  This is a story about a  high-tech intelligence operative named Gabriel Vaughn (played by Josh Holloway, formerly of Lost) who has a rare generic make-up that accepted a super microchip placed in his brain without repercussions.  Instead of building an android, this chip sort of brings the android to the human. This means Gabriel can perform with the intelligence of an android but is still a human being.  From a physical perspective, he is not super human so he needs a sort of body guard, Riley Neal (played by Meghan Ory) to insure his safety.  Gabriel can access and alter almost any data base in existence, i.e., while listening to a criminal telling him that his name is John Doe and lives in Miami, Gabriel can use face recognition to scan John Doe’s face, get his real name and address fast enough to answer John Doe with the facts.  This can take place in less than 30 seconds.  He can also alter stop lights, locked doors, electrical parts on cars and much, much more.  Gabriel was a former decorated soldier who is now part of an elite government cyber-security agency who got into this because of his missing, presumed dead wife.  The series is pretty suspenseful, interesting and entertaining.

PACIFIC RIM (2013) — My rating: 7/10

I expected great things because Idris Elba is starring in this movie and Guillermo del Toro directed it.  It’s very futuristic with a decent story line on the human side.  However, the machine plot got a little complex when they started talking about destroying bridges underwater where the aliens took up residence.  The concept of machines controlling the world is understandable considering the many devices now in play.  I.e., devices that control your entire house activity from a cell phone and robots that vacuum your floors.  Hollywood has a powerful and great imagination.  Although the acting was good and the action was also good, I didn’t understand why 2 characters had to die (it didn’t make it any more believable nor any  more interesting).  I liked Pacific Rim mostly because of Idris Elba.  It just didn’t make me say “wow” and I wasn’t thoroughly entertained.  The best I could give it is a rating of 7.   I do however, think it’s worth seeing on the big screen and it’s definitely worth renting.