The squid and I went to the museum today to see an exhibition called Pilgrimage of Light by Mike Chen, photography of space projected onto landscapes in national parks. It is beautiful and unexpected and got us talking about the parks we recognized in his photos, some from having experienced them and others from pictures. It also got us talking about space and the possibility/probability of extraterrestrial life. So tonight I’m watching a movie called Life because it is on topic and because Jake Gyllenhaal is my boyfriend. Dibs. I don’t think I’ll be doing reactions either. It just started and I already have to pay attention.

This movie was great. A lot of these space horror movies try to capture the essence of movies like Alien, but let’s face it, that’s a tough act to follow. I think what made this one different and more frightening is the timeline. It takes place in current times. The space station is current technology. It gives you a glimpse of what could happen if our astronauts lost control of a specimen. As of now, extraterrestrial life is a mystery. We might assume, like in the movie, that the life form could be killed with fire or oxygen deprivation. But we don’t know. What if fire did little more than piss it off? Gets you thinking. And that ending. I loved this one.