User:JimDunning/Sandbox/Cats can play
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high °F (°C) | 24 (8) | 26 (10) | 37 (13) | 49 (20) | 63 (24) | 71 (27) | 84 (28) | 76 (28) | 73 (25) | 55 (20) | 41 (13) | 29 (8) | 51 (19) |
| Avg low °F (°C) | 1 (-2) | 1 (-1) | 13 (1) | 28 (7) | 40 (11) | 49 (15) | 54 (17) | 53 (16) | 46 (13) | 35 (7) | 26 (1) | 10 (-1) | 30 (7) |
| Precipitation in. (cm) | 2.6 (6) | 3.1 (7) | 4.0 (10) | 3.3 (8) | 2.9 (7) | 3.5 (8) | 3.4 (8) | 4.0 (10) | 3.1 (7) | 2.7 (6) | 2.6 (6) | 2.7 (6) | 38.1 (39) |
| Source: Weatherbase[1] 2007-03-24 | |||||||||||||
| Leesburg, Virginia | |
| Government | |
| - Mayor | Kristin Umstaad |
|---|---|
| Time zone | 5 (UTC) |
| ZIP code | 20176 |
| Area code(s) | 703 |
 |
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This page contains copy temporarily removed from the article The Prestige (film) so issues of original research can be resolved. Please edit content and add verifiable and reliable sources as citations. Depending on the success of this effort, the content may or may not be returned to the article. Use the Discussion section below as needed. |
[edit] The Last Mimzy plot development
[edit] Synopsis
Loosely adapted from the acclaimed 1943 science fiction short story by Lewis Padgett (the pseudonym of husband and wife team Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore), The Last Mimzy is about a not-too-distant-future family with two children, Noah and Emma. Their lives are changed when they encounter a mysterious box containing strange devices, presumed to be toys. The story is framed by brief episodes taking place in a distant future, with most of the film's story presented as a flashback, or story-within-a-story.
Amongst a flower-filled prairie far in the future, a teacher describes to her students events from their distant past. Flashback to early 21st century Seattle, where Noah is struggling at school, particularly in science, and Emma, his younger sister, has a knack for music.
On vacation at the ocean, the children find a box washed up on shore while playing on the beach. Noah fetches it and it opens, revealing a compartment containing what appear to be toys: a green crystal quadrilateral pulsing with strange geometric patterns (which, as it turns out, only Noah and Emma can see), geodes, and shells. Recognizing the strangeness of the toys, Emma and Noah agree to keep them a secret.
That night Emma awakes and retrieves the box from where they've hidden it under Noah's bed. The box opens and reveals even more items in a lower compartment. They include a strange, organic blob and what appears to be a stuffed bunny, to which Emma becomes attached to almost instantly. In the morning Noah becomes angry when he awakens and finds that Emma has "stolen" his toys. He takes them all back except the bunny, which immediately begins communicating with Emma. Emma learns the bunny's name is Mimzy and, in moments, is taught by Mimzy how to use the geodes. They are called "spinners" and Emma is able to toss them into the air where they spin, suspended, creating an atomizing field.
As the children play with the toys, they become smarter, developing increased intelligence. They also develop abilities related to higher levels of brain activity and psi-phenomena. Noah learns to use a shell-shaped toy to communicate with arthropods via sound frequencies. This new skill allows him to build a project about spiders, amazing his science teacher, Larry White. This is a turning point for science-challenged Noah, especially when his teacher predicts success at a national science competition. Noah soon begins to see crystalline-like ley lines running everywhere through the air, enabling him to teleport matter using his mind. He is also able to draw mandalas in the air.
Larry and his hippie girlfriend Naomi spent time in Tibet where Larry experienced prophetic dreams featuring mandalas, and his girlfriend studied palm reading. When Larry visits the children's parents, he obtains permission to have Naomi read the children's palms. Noah's palm appears normal, but Emma's bears the mark. Shaken by the experience, Emma's mother asks Larry and Naomi to leave.
That evening in Noah's room, two of the toys begin to interact. The result is a new toy, shaped like a blue glass crystal, which causes a power black-out of the entire Pacific northwest. At breakfast the following morning, Emma's father grows frustrated with Emma's attachment to Mimzy. Emma responds by moving all of the sugar from the sugar bowl through the air using telekinesis, dumping it on her father's cereal. Disturbed by this, the parents invite Larry back. Larry is stunned to hear about the episode and tells the parents the children have surpassed genius level. Larry recommends taking the children to a neurologist for testing. The tests show that Emma's mind is developing at an alarming rate, too fast to be accurately measured.
As Emma's parents becomes increasingly frightened, the Federal Bureau of Investigation traces the black-out-causing power surge to Emma's home. The family is held for questioning. Emma reveals that Mimzy "teaches [her] things," and she also demonstrates her telekinetic ability with the spinners. Mimzy is analyzed using an electron microscope and is revealed to be an advanced form of artificial life utilizing nanotechnology and containing Intel components. Communicating through Emma, Mimzy explains to the scientists that they must use the "toys" to return Mimzy to the future, where 21st century DNA can be used to stop pollutants from causing an ecological disaster. This will enable humans to become more integrated with the natural world, gaining love, wisdom, stronger psi powers, and a strong sense of community, something they have lost. The FBI agents don't believe her, so Emma communicates with Noah via telepathy and the two use their powers to escape.
Recovering the toys, Emma realizes she needs more spinners to make the time transport Mimzy needs work. She and Noah steal a truck to drive to the family beach house, where more spinners are still in their bedroom. During the trip Emma is sad, realizing that Mimzy is dying and will be leaving her soon. A tear falls from Emma's eyes, landing on Mimzy. When the truck runs out of gas, Larry and Naomi show up (Larry having been alerted by one of his prophetic dreams), taking the children the rest of the way.
The FBI and their parents arrive, but not before Emma and Noah start using the spinners and blue glass crystal (the power source for the time transport). Mimzy is atomized and sent back to the future, almost taking Emma with her. Noah saves her at the last moment. If she had gone into the future, she would have died, since Mimzy revealed earlier that humans cannot travel in time without dying.
Back in the future, Emma, whose tear carried the required pure DNA, is used to preserve human DNA. Emma is viewed by the school teachers of the future as the "mother" of all the present generations, and children in the future exhibit the same gifts of levitation and telepathy that Emma had.
