Tag: Sci-Fi

Gen V Review (No Spoilers)

by Deidra Kathleen

You know when you find yourself in a place of boredom blindly scrolling through options to watch with nothing new or rather of interest popping up and you are not awake enough to read? That was me when I stumbled upon Gen V. Full honesty, I had seen it promoted but had not paid mind enough to note that it in fact had already been released. But shortly after clicking play, my giving it a shot Hamilton-style would pay off.

Having not seen any of the directly related series, The Boys, the only way I can think to describe Gen V is to say it is like a blended mixture of rawer complexity and Sky High with an added in ensemble’s strength like that of The Magicians – which is an overly verbalized way to say I really liked it. I do not believe it to be perfection but I do see it to be truly one of a kind with celebrated diversity via all aspects of life and personages. What I found to be its best attribute is in that Gen V tackles so many issues in a way only a TV-MA-rated series could. Whilst some experiences are presented beneath sarcasm and dark humor, others more harsh are shown transparently in sometimes possibly triggering ways (ED/SA). Gen V is a rather well-written well-paced bizarre sometimes gory sci-fi piece with a potential to accrue quite a fanbase if word-of-mouth aka social media presents it binge-worthy enough to popularize – which is to say to the world, I personally do.

**Featured image: All rights reserved to Amazon Prime Video.

Geekscape 555: The ‘Volition’ Filmmakers On Indie Sci-Fi!

by Jonathan

Time to talk with Tony Dean Smith and Ryan W. Smith, the filmmakers behind the new suspense film ‘Volition’, about building an award winning time travel film that has been compared to films like ‘Memento’, ‘Looper’ and ‘Time Crimes’ (that last one is my comparison)! What is it like working together as siblings, finally releasing a film that you first had an idea for over 20 years ago, the challenges of writing a story with so many moving pieces and more! Enjoy!

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Geek of the Week: J. Paul Zimmerman

by Deidra Kathleen

Where are you from originally?
Originally, I am from Albuquerque, New Mexico.

How did you get into acting?
I got into acting because of my father. He was a longtime theatre and aspiring film actor. And some of my earliest memories are going with him to some of his rehearsals – sitting, watching, listening, and getting into it. And one day, I was watching ­– I think I was about five and I was watching Inspector Gadget on TV…And my Dad, he noticed me running around and acting out everything he was doing – you know everything you do when you’re a kid. And he stopped me and in a roundabout way explained that that was acting. That’s what he did – it was playing and having fun. He asked me if I wanted to give it a try. I was very young. It all sort of happened very fast. I was going on auditions and working – and it was a lot of fun!

What came first for you, theatre or TV?
Um, first for me to actually do was TV – but like I said theatre was definitely a very big part of it. It was always there and in my brain getting it started. But my first job was a McDonald’s commercial on television for Tiny Toons happy meal toy.

Can you name a couple or so actors you look up to and why?
My favorite actor is probably Bruce Campbell. I’ve never been able to find anybody to impress me or entertain me more than him. He’s got a charm. We can’t deny that. And he’s a very handsome fella. I appreciate his action skills and his comedy skills. He just – I don’t how else to describe it. He’s just always been a performer I’ve been drawn to – and sometimes I emulate. And one of my favorite moments trying to capture Bruce Campbell was when I got into the fight with Benny in the first HalloweenTown. I thought here I am fighting with an animatronic skeleton. I felt like Bruce Campbell in Army of Darkness. This – this is the big time!
And despite how much their styles are made fun of, I’m a genuine fan of [both] William Shatner and Arnold Schwarzenegger. I grew up watching them and have always been inspired by the passion behind their performances.

Used with permission from J. Paul Zimmerman

What is your Hogwarts house and why?
My Hogwarts house is Gryffindor. Why? I’m actually not sure. I took the test on Pottermore a couple times being very sure that I would come out Slytherin – probably because I took the test during dark feeling times and angry times…Maybe even wanting to come out as a Slytherin. But I got Gryffindor and I think it’s because I love people too much and I’m too honest.

If you could cast yourself in any movie or show you’ve ever seen, which one would it be and what role?
One of my actual dream roles – which seems more realistic now that there’s more of it on television – is to be a Star Trek character. I would like to be on a season of Discovery maybe or Picard…Or something new… My only stipulation would be that I would want to be a new character. I would not want to redo somebody’s character or play a younger or past version. I don’t mean to be a snob, but I would just love to add something to the Star Trek universe. Other than that, I would have to say I’m a big fan of those Snickers commercials that are, “You’re not you when you’re hungry.” I would love to do one of those commercials with Danny DeVito playing me when I’m hungry. I think that would be a good match up.

Why’d you pick these choices?
Well, to be perfectly honest, I am a big nerd. I love Star Trek, Star Wars, Doctor Who, Red Dwarf, Superman, and I could go on. I love many fandoms but you know, Star Trek I’ve been into for a long time. My sister got me into Star Trek when I was very young, so we have that to share and it’s definitely been one of my longest running fandoms besides Star Wars. And I’m just really happy to see that it’s back on TV and popular. I like the movies but I think it’s much stronger in its original television format and I would like to be a part of that history.

Okay, I know I’ve asked you about this before off the record and you were kind enough to tell me then, but I’ll ask now – how was it getting to work with Debbie Reynolds in HalloweenTown?
Getting to work with Debbie Reynolds in HalloweenTown was probably one of the best things that’s ever happened to me as a person, as a professional. It’s just something that I’ll never forget – especially getting to work with her on multiple films. The best way that I could describe Debbie is that she never seemed to take a minute off.  And from the moment anyone saw her, she was at eleven with all this energy – going from joke to joke but then would sit down with you and then give you this worldly sage advice. She was always there, always present. She wasn’t one of those people who go off to their trailer between takes. She was there with us, part of the family – and that’s what it was. As soon as Debbie showed up, we were all family. She made us all feel so comfortable with each other and there was literally never a dull moment with her. There was so much to learn.
I miss her all the time. She became so much like a real grandmother. I lost my grandmother a few years prior, so when Debbie passed, it was like losing my grandmother all over again. She was amazing… She would go around introducing herself as, “Princess Leia’s mother.”
When she introduced herself to Emily* for the first time, she said, “Hello, I’m Princess Leia’s mother. Do you know who Princess Leia is?”
Emily said, “No.”  Debbie said, “Well then I’m just some crazy old woman.”

*Emily Roeske played Sophie Piper in the HalloweenTown series alongside
J. Paul Zimmerman who played Dylan Piper.

Used with permission from J. Paul Zimmerman

That’s amazing. Snapping back to geeky things.
What are some of the geeky activities you partake in?
I love LEGOs. LEGOs, Magic: the Gathering, and Dungeons & Dragons when I’m lucky enough to be invited. I’m also a film geek. I’ve always wanted to be an artsy director like Stanley Kubrick or David Lynch.

Was there a time when you had to pick yourself back up whilst chasing your ambitions? Can you tell me about that time?
The time I had to pick myself up was a few years ago… I had retired from acting after fifteen years so I could travel and see if there was anything else I wanted to do. Eventually I realized I missed acting. I needed to come back but it took some time to save up and find a place. Then I reconnected with old friends who got me regular jobs and theatre gigs until I found my stride again…Getting started in this town is not easy, and I wouldn’t be where I am without the support of my friends.

Do you have a favorite quote that inspires you?
I always find comfort in the words of Bill Hicks: “Matter is merely energy condensed to a slow vibration, we are all one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively, there is no such thing as death, life is only a dream, and we’re the imagination of ourselves.”

What projects are you currently working on?
I am currently not working on any projects at this time but I am hoping to do some more theatre in the next couple of months. But for right now, I’m trying to catch up on some writing. I’m writing a sci-fi play that I would like to finish this year. I have a couple of screenplays in progress, TV series, and ideas for more screenplays that I’d like to make some progress on while I have the free time.

Where can people find you on social media?
Instagram: JPaulZim & Dr.Zimmerman
Twitter: @JPaulZim
Facebook: JPaulZim

Geeks of the Week: Mikayla Wiseman and Chad W. Wood

by Deidra Kathleen

Where are you from, originally?
Mikayla: I was born in Aurora, Nebraska, and grew up in North Platte, Nebraska.

Chad: Lancaster, CA, born and raised. It’s a medium-sized town in the middle of the desert, specifically an area known as the Antelope Valley. The only thing we’re known for is Aerospace manufacturing and being near Edwards Air Force Base.

What’s your Hogwarts house? Why?
Mikayla: We’re both solid Slytherins! We may come off as Ravenclaws on the surface, but I think we’re the perfect embodiment of the Slytherin ambition and conviction to do everything in our power to succeed.

Chad: One hundred percent Slytherin, I think if you looked at us you might think “Oi, that big guy’s a Gryffindor and the wee lass is a Ravenclaw no doubt” but anyone that has spent more than five minutes with us knows that those don’t fit. We’re both interested in the long game, some might even call it the ‘scheme’, which is what I think sets us firmly into the Slytherin camp. We’re not just interested in the story that’s being told now, but the story that could be told a year from now, and how what we’re doing now is going to affect it. We’re ambitious, and determined, but we’re also at times impatient and blind to the work that needs to be done to succeed, which can be self-defeating.

How long have you known each other, including prior to becoming a writing duo? How did you meet?
Mikayla: Chad and I shared many classes together in the film program at the Art Institute of California – Hollywood. Our classmates actually tried to keep us separate at first, saying, “We can’t leave Chad and Talon* in the same room, or they’ll kill each other.”
For whatever reason, they felt our two personalities were too strong to get along, and I actually believed them at first. But once we were alone in a classroom together, I think we both recognized the other as someone who had the power in them to do incredible things. We joke about it now, because now we’re each other’s greatest supporters.

*Talon is Mikayla’s nickname

Chad: We’ve known one another since college. Talon already told you the story of our mutual friends keeping us apart, but she didn’t mention that the first project I helped her on was a Nerf commercial she and her group were shooting for class. Honestly, as my first interaction with her, it could not have gone worse. I thought her project was boring and uninspired, and I made my feelings known. It was a clash of ideas on one hand, but more importantly it was the small conflict that was going to lead us to talking. I don’t think we’d be friends without that conflict, without something to break our initial conceptions and get us to talk. Not the best start, but certainly something unique.

Used with permission from Chad W. Wood

When was the point you considered collaborating?
Mikayla: Chad and I worked on most of our film projects together with a group of our classmates. One of our earliest projects was a very ambitious web series headed by Chad, where we had a team of four writers. Once we realized this process wasn’t working, Chad dropped two of the writers, asking me to help him write the series. I was surprised, but happy that someone I saw as very driven and an insanely talented writer also recognized me as a talented writer he could work with. It gave me much-needed reassurance in my abilities, but even then, I don’t think we could have foreseen that our writing partnership would continue about eight to nine years later.

Chad: This was my fault. She mentioned the ill-conceived, though ambitious, series I wanted to work on. It was here that I first started working with Talon, and I think it was during these writers’ meetings that I realized my earlier conceptions were wrong. She wasn’t uninspired. She was timid and she needed a place to freely voice her ideas. More importantly, she was willing to tell me no, willing to put me in my place. I needed that. She’s kept me focused ever since, kept me working towards something. In return, I’ve helped her in anyway that was possible.
You see, I’m like a sorcerer, filled with wild magic firing it off in chaotic patterns, hoping to achieve something. Talon is a sage, quieter, more professional, more concrete knowledge, spreading her magic out in delicate flowing spells. She keeps me moving, I try and keep her inspired. It’s hard to explain, but we’re family now and I couldn’t ask for a better writing partner.

You mentioned having to drop a couple of writers for the best of one of your works, has there been another challenging moment in your life as a filmmaker that stands out to you where you had to pick yourself back up? How did that go?
Mikayla: No project we’ve ever worked on together has ever come without challenges or setbacks. Sometimes these are very external obstacles. Chad had his thesis film sabotaged when his U-haul full of film equipment was stolen the morning of the first shoot. But lately I think we have been holding ourselves back more than anything.
There have been many times where we’ve both said, “Maybe we should just give up. Maybe we’re not cut out to be writers,” but the next day we’re always asking, “Okay, what are we going to accomplish today?”
I’ve personally had to pull myself out of a very dark place where I couldn’t devote myself to any of my art because of how destroyed I was in spirit. But Chad was by my side through all of it, never letting me give up on myself or let me forget that I am still capable of amazing things. I think we’ve learned throughout all of this that we’re never going to be satisfied with our lives unless we’re creating and always moving forward.

Chad: We’re constantly coming against one challenge or another, either from exterior or interior forces. I think I must swear off writing entirely at least three times a year if not more, just convinced I don’t belong there. And of course there’s the problem – of trying to be a writer while maintaining a full-time job, being on the opposite [end] of the country as your writing partner, life in general getting in the way, debt, heartache, etc. I could go on, but suffice it to say – most people think writing is easy, because all you do is put pen to paper and go. But honestly, as a writer, you’re not just scratching down words, you’re telling a story, and if you want it to be any good – It’s going to be a lot of hard work.

Used with permission from Mikayla Wiseman (left).

What was this first collaborative web series about?
Chad: It was a fantasy show about a group of rag tag supernatural heroes fighting against things that go bump in the night, heavily focused on family.
Like Scooby Doo meets Supernatural.
It was overambitious for the knowledge base we had. But honestly, I look back and see the fun we had.

Do you two lean towards a certain genre?
Mikayla: In the simplest terms, Chad is the sci-fi guy and I’m the fantasy fan. Sometimes our differences are very obvious in the genres and types of stories that inspire us. But we also complement each other’s skills very well, and this is just one place where our duality can be seen. Overall, I think we agree in that stories have the power to shape our world and touch lives, so even if we have different interests, we both want to write meaningful stories.

Chad: I live for sci-fi. Ideally I think it should inspire you, make you wish for something better for humanity and lead you towards a new line of adventure. Fantasy definitely has its place, and some of the best stories are based deeply in fantasy. But the one thing I think we both agree on is that character transcends genre. We both love a game called Persona, which is a little sci-fi and a little fantasy, but the characters are so good they could exist almost anywhere and I think we’d still love them.

What would be your dream project to work on, whether already made or one of your own?
Mikayla: It doesn’t matter what the project is. If we do one dream project, I hope the next one will also be our dream project. I think we know now that we work best when we work together, so I just want to keep that momentum going every day until we can’t write anymore.

Chad: This is a tricky one – I think if it was one of our own, I’d love to see the comic we’re working on turned into an animated series. I want so desperately for our characters (or our kids as we often call them) to come to life. I want to hear them speak and sing and cry and laugh and all the wonderful moments of growth we can muster.
If it’s one that’s not original, then I’d have to say I’d love to turn MechWarrior into a television series. I’ve got a lot of love for that franchise, and the story is a crazy combo of hardcore warfare, giant robot battles, and Game of Thrones levels of intrigue. Honestly, I think whoever decides to finally tap that potential first is going to make bank.

Used with permission from Mikayla Wiseman (right).

If you had advice to give to fellow creatives just starting out, what would it be?
Mikayla: Believe in yourself and your power to do great things. I’m a very strong believer in that if you want something, you can always make it happen. The only way it won’t happen is if you give up. Just stay focused and do whatever it takes to keep working toward your goals, and you’ll get there. The hardest part is believing you can.

Chad: Find a good writing partner, someone that can tell you no, someone that can question you, someone that will listen and debate, possibly most importantly, someone that will never get tired of listening to you about your stories. These absolute brilliant members of your team are worth more than gold.

What is one of your favorite inspiring quotes and written by whom?
Mikayla: “Never give up on a dream you’ve been chasing all of your life.” – Park Jimin, BTS.

BTS started from nothing and became who they are, despite all odds against them, through hard work, pure passion, and a dream that they could be something more. They inspire me to live for myself every day.

Chad: I have a dark sense of humor when it comes to quotes, most of my favorites are things like, “One death is a tragedy, a thousand is a statistic.”
But, one of my teachers from college told me on my last day of school, while referring to my thesis. ‘If you can go through what you did on your thesis and bounce back with something like this, you’re going to do just fine.’
Time has probably stolen the true words from me, but the meaning, that idea that I was strong enough to bounce back from all of my equipment and props being stolen, and still come out with something good enough to show. That if I just kept that tenacity, I’d do fine.
That idea has always stuck with me, and to this day makes me keep working so that one day I’ll be able to call that teacher up and say, “Look LeMond, I did it.”

What geeky activities do you partake in?
Mikayla: My first inspiration came from the books I read as a child, everything from Harry Potter to literary classics like Alice in Wonderland. Now I consume media in all forms (video games, films, anime and manga, music, you name it) but am in a place now where I’m trying to create more than I consume. That doesn’t take away the passion I have for other people’s art, but I’m trying to be just as passionate about my own art now as I am learning to love myself and believe in my ability to change the world.

Chad: Oh, I’m a big ol’ geek no doubt. I play all manners of games from video games to board. I play card games and role playing games. A friend and I even have a project in the works for an RPG adventure audio play of sorts. I read comics, science fiction, and fantasy novels. I love Star Trek, cartoons, anime, and more. Recently I’ve started getting into playing Warhammer 40k – painting the figures is kinda therapeutic in its own way. But yeah, I’m pretty deep into most geek culture and am always looking for more. But to echo Talon – I’m much more interested in adding to it at this stage in my life. And once we get something going, the avalanche that follows will, I think, change the game for geeks in the years to come.

Geekscape 527: Exploring Future Timelines With Former NFL Player Chris Kluwe!

by Jonathan

Former NFL player Chris Kluwe claims to be as much a geek as he is a jock… and he for sure proves it on this episode! I visited Chris to talk about his upcoming book dystopian future set sci-fi book ‘Otaku’ and on the way we got carried away by talking politics, futurism, evolving culture and tech shifts, cyclical history and a lot more! I tell you that ‘Terminator: Dark Fate’ is worth watching in theaters and Chris hilariously explains to me how 4Chan evolved (or devolved) into 8Chan! We also talk ‘Otaku’, writing sci-fi, some of Chris’ biggest influences and wrapping your head around getting things done. Also, what are the similarities between competitive gaming and playing pro sports? There’s a LOT to digest in this episode so enjoy!

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Seven Of Wine – Episode 019: ‘Sacred Ground’ / “Captain to Bridge: Namaste”

by Seven of Wine
It’s the episode that has Captain Janeway casting away science! Oh no! But also the episode that has Captain Janeway casting aside her clothes!
Awwyeaaaah.
In “Sacred Ground”, Kes walks into a big shiny hole while on an away mission and gets zapped into a coma. Luckily, Jacqueline Lopez and Jennifer Zhang drink a big shiny bottle and get buzzed into drunks… all while doing a deep dive into a rare STAR TREK: VOYAGER episode that pits science against spirituality.
And if you have thoughts, feel free to send them into the big shiny hole that we call our inbox: engage@sevenofwine.com

 

Be Part Of Our Federation. We Have Wine.

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Seven Of Wine – Episode 018: ‘Bride of Chaotica!’ / “He Used to Call Her on Her Cell Phone”

by Seven of Wine

When mysterious photonic beings get caught up in a fictitious war that’s being waged in Tom Paris’s 1930s sci-fi holonovel, it’s all hands on holodeck! This fan favorite (and arguably most meme-able) episode of Star Trek: Voyager, “Bride of Chaotica!” sees our dear Captain Janeway on a mission to boldly act where no one has acted before…

…in Chaotica’s mountaintop base of operations, as the deliciously fiendish queen of the Spider People!

But first, coffee.

Can “Arachnia” seduce and cleverly dominate this intergalactic evil? Will Tom ever get over the embarrassment of everyone finding out how he spends his free time? Will Jacqueline Lopez and Jennifer Zhang be able to polish off the rosé they’ve selected for the occasion? Find out on this week’s episode of Seven of Wine!

And as always, it would thrill us to hear from you. Quick! activate your Imagizer and beam us an electronic gram: engage@sevenofwine.com

Be Part Of Our Federation. We Have Wine.

Subscribe on iTunes to take us on the go and play us on your Personal Access Display Device. Or your phone or whatever.

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Follow our Twitter for our pithy Trek musings and humor. Meme me up, Scotty!

Seven Of Wine – Episode 017: ‘Body and Soul’ / “Blow Up My Fun Cave”

by Seven of Wine

Cheesecake and arousal are synonymous, as the Doctor discovers when he’s inside Seven of Nine’s body. NO, NOT LIKE THAT. Not everything is about sex, perverts! Anyway… also if Tuvok doesn’t have sex in this episode, he’ll literally die so Tom Paris makes him a holographic sex doll.

It’s the episode our listeners have been requesting, and we’ve picked up your distress signal. Beaming from our transporter room to yours is “Body and Soul,” in which the Doctor is forced to upload himself into Seven’s cybernetic matrix, and experiences a whole world of sensations for the very first time. Jacqueline Lopez and Jennifer Zhang raise their glasses of synthehol to that!

Meanwhile, we’re really hoping you want to be inside our inbox: engage@sevenofwine.com

Be Part Of Our Federation. We Have Wine.

Subscribe on iTunes to take us on the go and play us on your Personal Access Display Device. Or your phone or whatever.

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Follow our Twitter for our pithy Trek musings and humor. Meme me up, Scotty!

Geekscape 469: Talking Sci-Fi Books And More With Adam Korenman!

by Jonathan

Author Adam Korenman arrives on the show to talk about his brand new science fiction novel ‘When Skies Fall’, the second book in The Gray Wars Saga! Along the way, he talks about the current state of indie publishing, the decade plus struggle it took to get The Gray Wars Saga published and the impetus for the story! We also talk about the early days (and frustrations) of Star Wars MMORPGs, I freak out over the new Star Wars VR experience from TheVoid and Adam offers up some very good advice to writers! If you love books, sci-fi or just great conversation, this is a solid episode! Enjoy!

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Horror Movie Night Episode 90: Critters 2 (1988)

by Saintmort

We here at Horror Movie Night believe in the sanctity of religion, so on this extra special Easter episode, we want to discuss the holy cycle of death and rebirth by watching a guy in a bunny suit get eaten crotch-first by monster hedgehogs and then crash through a church’s stained glass window as parishioners in their Easter best scream in terror. That’s right, we’re talking about Critters 2 from 1988! What better way to celebrate the end of Lenten fasting than by gorging yourself on humans and the occasional frozen hamburger pile as you and your bros combine to form a gigantic ball of fuzzy murder teeth? Maybe the topless shapeshifting bounty hunter that looks like a Playoy model and has a very phallic-looking laser gun (if you’re into that sort of thing). Rejoice, as Crites have risen on this holy day, or (Horror Movie) night, I guess?

Feel free to join in discussion at on our Facebook Group or in the comments below.

Do you have a movie suggestion for us or just want to tell us stories about your experiences with the movies we’ve watched? Send them to us at HMNPodcast@gmail.com

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Geekscape 430: Celebrating The Eclipse With Zack Kaplan!

by Jonathan

We’re talking comics this week with Zack Kaplan, the writer of Top Cow’s newest book ‘Eclipse’, a near future sci-fi story in which sunlight has become lethal to humans! Zack and I discuss the origins of the story, his long history as a poker player (and dealer!) and why you should pick this book up NOW! We also discuss some highlights of Stan Lee’s LA Comic Con, our impressions of the ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’ trailer and look forward to the big Nintendo reveal plus trailers for ‘Logan’ and ‘Red Dead Redemption 2’!

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Here’s The First Creepy Teaser For ‘Wayward Pines’ Second Season!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: Finally!

I just finished the first season of FOX’s Wayward Pines last week (and loved every second of it), and I’ve been eagerly awaiting news of the upcoming second season ever since.

Last week we saw the first teaser poster for the upcoming episodes, and today FOX has debuted an awesome first teaser trailer. Yep, it’s full of mystery and doesn’t explain much of anything, but it shows off new and returning cast, and reminds us that this season is set to be all about some new residents.

The 10-episode psychological thriller picks up after the shocking events of the season 1 finale, with the residents of Wayward Pines battling against the iron-fisted rule of the First Generation. Dr. Theo Yedlin (Jason Patric) — a new resident of Wayward Pines — awakens from suspended animation and finds himself in the middle of this rebellion, as he tries to understand what Wayward Pines really is and help preserve the endangered human race. CJ Mitchum (Djimon Hounsou), an original resident of Wayward Pines and a historian for the town with extensive knowledge of its complex origins, is the only one who can provide a unique bridge between the current world of Wayward Pines and the previous world that humans inhabited. Megan Fisher (Hope Davis), is in charge of the scientific research being conducted on the Abbies, and remains deeply involved in the development of the hearts and minds of the future of humanity — Wayward Pines’ “First Generation”.

Take a look at the teaser below, and be sure to let us know what you think! Wayward Pines returns on May 25th!

https://youtu.be/fvnu2PBiL3k

Geekscape 409: We Get Abducted By ‘Venus’ The Movie!

by Jonathan

Filmmaker Canyon Prince is a long time Geekscape friend and guest and now he’s got another movie going into production: the female-led Science Fiction road film ‘Venus’! Along for the ride are producer and lead Elizabeth Cron and actress Brittaney Morrison (be careful on the pronunciation)! We talk about putting the film together, what makes this different than other alien movies and look forward to the film’s Indiegogo campaign! This is one you’ll definitely want to be a part of!

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‘Wayward Pines’ Second Season Gets A Creepy New Poster!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: Yesterday evening, my fiancé and I decided to drive around the dilapidated grounds of Riverview Hospital in Coquitlam, BC.

Many of the buildings in the area look as though they are straight out of a horror film, and interestingly enough, most of the less deathly structures are now used as sets in Vancouver’s booming film and television industry.

After driving by both Wayward Pines Academy and Wayward Pines Hospital, last night we decided to give the series a shot, and five episodes later it’s pretty clear that we’ve instantly fallen in love with it.

Like what the hell is happening in this town!?

Today, Fox debuted a new poster for the upcoming second season, which teases the feral creatures that I’ve only just met (no spoilers please). Take a look at the poster below, and be sure to let us know if you’ll be watching when Wayward Pines returns on May 25th!

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Starring Jason Patric (“Rush,” “Narc”), two-time Academy Award nominee Djimon Hounsou (“Blood Diamond,” “In America”) and Emmy Award and Golden Globe nominee Hope Davis (“American Crime,” “The Newsroom”), the 10-episode, second season will pick up after the shocking events of Season One, with the residents of Wayward Pines battling against the iron-fisted rule of the First Generation. Dr. THEO YEDLIN (Patric) – a new resident of Wayward Pines – awakens from suspended animation and finds himself in the middle of this rebellion, as he tries to understand what Wayward Pines really is and help preserve the endangered human race.

 

Also joining the second season are cast members Tom Stevens (“Cedar Cove”), returning from Season One as JASON HIGGINS, a member of the First Generation and Pilcher’s young acolyte; Nimrat Kaur (“Homeland”) as REBECCA, who has her own secrets she keeps from Theo, her husband; Josh Helman (“Mad Max: Fury Road,” “X-Men: Days of Future Past”) as XANDER, a resident working to undermine Wayward Pines from within; and Kacey Rohl (“Hannibal”) as KERRY, one of Jason’s lieutenants in the civil war going on in Wayward Pines.

 

Additionally, several Season One cast members will appear in Season Two, including Terrence Howard (SHERIFF ARNOLD POPE), Carla Gugino (KATE HEWSON), Toby Jones (DR. JENKINS/DAVID PILCHER), Melissa Leo (NURSE PAM), Tim Griffin (ADAM HASSLER), Shannyn Sossamon (THERESA BURKE) and Charlie Tahan (BEN BURKE).

An English Translation Of ‘Legend Of The Galactic Heroes’ Is Being Published For The First Time!

by Natalie Kipper

Bibliophiles, have we got news for you! Yoshiki Tanaka’s famous science fiction series, Legend of the Galactic Heroes, will soon make its way to North American markets for the very first time. Coming to us by way of Haikasoru (a part of VIZ Media), the first volume, subtitled Dawn, releases March 8 on just about every platform imaginable.

The story is set in the 36th Century, with mankind having colonized all across the galaxy. Out in space, a war is being waged between The Galactic Empire and the Free Planets Alliance. The first volume focuses on the conflict between Reinhard von Lohengramm, an admiral of The Galactic Empire, and Yang Wen-li of the Free Planets Alliance. Reinhard dreams of becoming an supreme but benevolent ruler of the galaxy by overthrowing the powers that be. Meanwhile, Yang’s desire to preserve democracy and defeat the Empire may come at the cost of his ethics.

There will be a print copy (MSRP of US$15.99) of Legend of the Galactic Heroes, Vol. 1: Dawn as well an eBook edition, available from Amazon’s Kindle store, the Apple iBooks store, Barnes and Noble’s Nook Book store, the Kobo eBooks store, and the Google Play store. If you prefer to hear rather than read the story, Simon & Schuster Audio will have an audiobook edition (MSRP of US$23.99) read by Tim Gerard Reynolds.

Yoshiki Tanaka is also known for The Heroic Legend of Arslan, a fantasy novel series that has seen two anime adaptions as well as several video game titles. Perhaps if Legend of the Galactic Heroes sells well, Arslan might see similar treatment. That is just a wish of mine.

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The Geekscape Interview: ‘Black Ops III’s Rachel Kimsey Is Pwning Hollywood!

by Gabriel von Grünbaum

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Rachel Kimsey is a regular person, just like us. Except, that she’s standing toe to toe with giants in one of the biggest throwdowns ever in the entertainment industry. 2015 was a huge year for the business of entertainment. Records were pushed past their breaking points—only to be shattered again within months.

First to break a global record was Jurassic World with the title of biggest opening weekend ever for a film, only to be fully supplanted in December by Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Thing is, while these movies were setting all-time records for film, neither of them were able to pass what was being called “the biggest [global] entertainment release of 2015,” Call of Duty: Black Ops III—who held that title, taking in over $550 million in just 72 hours, until being dethroned by the juggernaut release of Fallout 4, which pulled in over $750 million in a mere 24 hours. It’s a bare-knuckle drag-out showdown for the business suits in entertainment these days.

All that, within months of each previous release this year; an exciting time indeed. In this clash of entertainment titans, there’s only one person standing in the center of it all—shoulder to shoulder with the Chris Pratts, Bryce Dallas Howards, Jeff Goldblums, Ron Perlmans, Lynda Carters, Daisy Ridleys and Harrison Fords—whose performance makes you question the nature of reality to such a degree that she practically shares the same name with her character.

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Of course I’m talking about Rachel Kimsey’s Rachel Kane in Call of Duty: Black Ops III. “She was always named Rachel Kane from the beginning,” Kimsey humbly admits. (Although, after a little poking around, I heard rumors that some time may have been taken before settling on the name—and when Kane was decided on, it may have originally been spelled differently, with a C—just sayin’.) Like Hollywood releases, maybe even more so, the success of a video game such as this is the result of a large team of contributors. However, there’s no denying that Rachel Kimsey’s portrayal of CIA Agent Rachel Kane is one of the more vital elements to the success of the immersive experience this game provides.

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“Black Ops III, builds off of elements of Black Ops II but also stands on its own. Rachel Kane makes her first appearance [in Black Ops III] and I’m all over it.” Although Kimsey didn’t appear in that previous one either, this isn’t the first time she’s answered the. . . call of duty. “Well, this is the first time you’re seeing me in Call of Duty. I worked on Call of Duty: Ghosts with Infinity Ward; I worked on the DLCs doing a lot of really fun voice work.” Which wasn’t her first digital rodeo either. “I’m pretty sure my face and body scans from the Spider-Man 2 film actually ended up getting used in the Spider-Man 3 video game, for which I also provided voice work but it was for another character, Betty Brant—I think my face and body were paired with somebody else’s voice. So this is the first time my face and my voice have been matched together in a game—and, of course, being a principal member of the campaign it’s. . . I mean, it’s just the most exciting thing I’ve ever done. It’s so much fun.”

RachelKimsey_MotionCapture01_480x640Her entire performance is motion captured and paired with 3D model scans of her body, her voiceover is delivered through her tracked and recorded facial expressions so that every aspect of the CIA agent in the game is Kimsey. She performs Rachel Kane perfectly in the she-is-totally-on-our-side-right? storyline, providing a deeper level of realism that has players questioning their allegiances. “I have a lot of fancy contracts saying that I can neither confirm nor deny any of these plot conjectures. I can say, listen to all my advice in the game because I give really good advice. I’m on your side, people.” Really?—so it’s a bad idea to cross Agent Kane? “It’s just a foolish choice—you should be looking out for yourself better than that.” So the CIA helps those who help themselves? “It’s simple—you can win or you can ignore my advice.” She smirks. Dang it!

Rachel Kimsey’s just like us, except that she’s cooler. As the day approached for our scheduled interview I had some plans on where we might sit quietly and talk—maybe something covered in ivy with tea and VIP areas. Hollywood types are fancy, right? She had some plans of her own, requesting that we meet up in a quirky comic book shop in Studio City. She’s beaten me there so that when I walk in the door—knocking the bell above it—she pops up from behind a rack and peers at me over her already impressive armful of comics. “I’m working on a couple of projects that I cannot wait until my non-disclosure agreement gives me permission to disclose,” she gasps desperately through grinding teeth, “because they’re really really exciting.” The tortured declaration has left her nearly breathless but she soldiers on, “I really do think they’ll be just as exciting for the audience as they are for me.” She presses her lips together in an effort to stop before she says something she shouldn’t—and then blurts out, “So much fun!” The eavesdropping comic book guy behind the counter looks disappointed—he’s already recognised her from her time playing “Michelle,” a disguise of Candice Wilmer, on Heroes and wants the scoop on what’s next for Kimsey.

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To contrast or provide better perspective for the unspeakable excitement just around the corner she offers a little history in her own creative development. “There was a time I used to feel really jealous of other kinds of artists. I know it’s really hard to make a living as a dancer but at least you can always dance. Maybe no one’s ever going to buy your paintings but if you’re a painter, you can always paint. Maybe nobody buys your book but you can always write. But I’m an actor and you can’t act in a vacuum—you can’t act by yourself—you have to have an audience to be an actor because acting is all about connection. I used that thinking as an excuse to let myself off the hook for not showing up for myself—not being in my own creativity—because, the truth is, there’s a whole lot more than saying words in front of an audience that makes you an actor. I can be in class, I can be reading screenplays, I can be writing down ideas, I can be producing a web series or short film—even make my own movies nobody ever sees and edit them with free software that came on my phone; with a camera and lens that’s better than the cameras that I bought back in the day because I was going to make things. I realized it was just an excuse, it was an excuse to let me off the hook because I was sad I wasn’t making anything and I didn’t have the guts to step up and fix it. Redefining it makes everything feel different—you gotta be a maker. You can be a maker no matter what income is paying your bills; your income doesn’t have to define you. You can start small; just start. Define yourself, make stuff, make things—be a maker. It’s awesome. You don’t have to be ‘cooler’ than you are, just do what you do.”

Anywhere in Studio City, as the name implies, is a stone’s throw from many of the major studios Hollywood is famous for. The actress’ natural habitat for “doing what she does.” In fact, one memorable time I had the opportunity to talk with her about her work, she was just such a rock toss away from where we now stood. Across the cement shores of the “Los Angeles River”—(yes, that’s the actual name of the large cement drainage ditch that’s usually no more than a dainty creek) on the other side of the very same street, in a Universal backlot—she was being ripped out of a train by Doctor Octopus in the film Spider-Man 2.

You see, Rachel Kimsey is just like us, except that she’s tougher. With her comic book collection now properly augmented it’s finally time for us to move on to a quiet coffee shop where we can sit and. . . “There’s a Mexican place down the street I’ve been meaning to try. I hear they have fires in the patio area and a salsa that’ll Ark-of-the-Covenant your face off,” she offers. I’m actually surprised she doesn’t punctuate the pitch by pulling out Dr. Jones’ bullwhip and giving it a good crack. The exciting stories continue even as we navigate down Ventura Boulevard.

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Building an unshakable performance foundation with years of studying Shakespeare, she went on to train in stage combat, then elaborate stunt choreography and eventually martial arts. Her ever developing skills led to an extended stint working in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Stunt Show at LeoFoo Village in Taiwan where she would brawl cowboys, get shot “dead” and tumble off of buildings for eight shows a day, six days a week, delighting excited audiences. After all that, facing off against ghosts, ghouls and “Old Man Jenkins!” as Daphne in the Broadway touring company’s production of Scooby Doo Live! in Stagefright across the US (with dates in Las Vegas and, what is now, the Dolby Theatre in LA) was a walk in the park. Naturally, she was the easy choice for casting directors in search of a special someone to face off against Doc Ock.

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Her dedication to physical performance paid off a few years later when—after a motorcycle accident required a series of surgeries over several years to rebuild the bone in her leg—she would rely on that strength to fuel her recovery. Again, not content to merely complete her own physical therapy, she became fascinated with body mechanics and went on to study even further; picking up certifications along the way and even offering specialized training to those who were interested in what she was learning. As she began to refocus on acting again, she would find that her time spent studying therapies and teaching physical training would pay off once more—in an unexpected way.

“When I was working on [Call of Duty:] Ghosts, I would get into the booth and the director would say, ‘Okay, so here’s the situation; you’re the only woman on the field, the field’s full of men. There’s lots of ambient noise, it’s really loud and distracting—things are banging and exploding, noise all over the place—and you need to get the attention of this small group of men about twenty to thirty feet away from you. Go!’ Oh!—it’s just like teaching Crossfit every day! Music’s too loud, everyone’s doing this really intense thing, I have to make sure they can hear me really clearly through the noise about thirty feet away. . . Got it! So it turns out, years of teaching taught me the skills to support my voice and make a sound that could cut through noise—‘cause just getting louder didn’t work without shredding your throat. Turns out that’s exactly the sound you need to be a soldier on the battlefield in a video game.”

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Now, what about the new character in the new game? “Who is Rachel Kane? First, for there to be a game, somebody has to give you the operation. Who gives those operations?—the CIA. Well, I’m CIA Agent Rachel Kane, so come along with me—like I said, I’ve got some real good advice on how to survive.” There must be more to her than that, right? “The part was really well written and there was a lot of thought and a lot of care that went into the story. I was told early on that, ‘You’re not a damsel in distress; you’re going to hold your own on the battlefield and it’s going to be really clear that you belong there and have every right to be there right from the beginning.’ So before I’d seen any pages or knew what we would be up to, I started thinking about my character like, ‘I am capable, strong, prepared and active on behalf of myself and my team members. I can rise to any occasion.’ Keeping that in mind helped me shape the core and motivation for the character.”

Director Adam Rosas, Ben Browder (Player), Rachel Kimsey (Rachel Kane), Noshir Dalal (Khalil), Sean Douglas (Hendricks)
Director Adam Rosas, Ben Browder (Player), Rachel Kimsey (Rachel Kane), Noshir Dalal (Khalil), Sean Douglas (Hendricks)

Arriving at the Mexican restaurant, the host offers us a table inside since it’s chilly out but she squints at him to better judge the situation. “Do you have anything outside?—by the fire?” He glances my way and I joke that we’re not afraid to heat things up. “You know what else heats things up?” she adds. “Face melting salsa. Let’s do this!”

Rachel Kimsey is just like us, except that she’s way better looking. Our exuberantly awkward joky-finger-gun waiter’s attempts to “casually” uncover her relationship status are a natural and common testament to her allure. Comparing the end result Agent Kane character—built from precise scans, image captures and photo reference texture-mapping that the designers made of her—next to Rachel Kimsey in the flesh, you’ll notice that they decided to subtly tone down her natural beauty. Were they trying to keep players, like our waiter, from getting distracted? Did they want her looking a bit more rough and tumble; worn around the edges? Or is it simply that it’s not yet possible to technologically capture all of her appeal in a digital bottle?

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Maybe it’s something that only her fans will take issue with because it seems to be a non-issue for her. “I just noticed that—I think—they adjusted my eye color or something,” she mutters, taking a moment to consider the question. Yes, that’s one of the adjustments. I suppose an argument could be made that the digital scanners aren’t yet able to pick up her additional glow of inner beauty that shines through all the more when she drops wisdom on you like this—

Our salsas arrive—with chips, tacos and other delights to test them on—but she’s still reflecting on a point she wants to make, gazing into the flames near our table. “I can’t even tell you how many friends of mine have the story of, ‘I went through a terrible breakup and my life was falling apart and I got this audition that they tell me I nailed—because I got the job. I never would’ve gotten the job if my life wasn’t falling apart at the time because I didn’t have a filter and everything just came pouring out of me.’ Well, if you’re not in the practice of letting everything pour out of you because life is hard—because we’re sensitive artists and the world pokes at all of our soft and tender places—if you’re not in the practice of saying, ‘yes, and. . . I will show you anyway,’ then when that opportunity comes, are you going to be able to step up in that moment? Maybe not—so be in that practice.” It’s a good reminder not just for performers but for everyone who’s passionate about whatever it is they’re doing.

“It shouldn’t just be people who go through terrible breakups and whose lives are falling apart that land those good jobs! It should be people who are happy too! Everybody should be able to be able to find that place. People at rock bottom feel like they have nothing to lose and they become fearlessly raw. That level of honesty is uncommon and very attractive no matter where you are or what you do. You absolutely can do that without going through trauma, you absolutely can choose to keep the walls down—but it has to be a choice. Choosing to focus less on worrying about what you have and instead focusing on genuinely experiencing what’s currently happening can yield some amazing results. When everything is going well, you have to be willing to risk it all by letting those genuine elements come out and connect with others. If that’s not what [the casting director is] looking for, that’s okay too—you move on to the next thing. It’s going to be perfect for something.”

Truly beautiful.

She’s got me so captivated, I hardly notice that I’ve already polished off four salsa laiden tacos—face happily intact—and it’s time to wrap things up. She’s agreed to teach some private sessions in the morning and wants to be well rested. As she speeds off, vanishing into the twinkling lights of tinseltown, I can’t help but feel excited about the mysterious undisclosed projects she has lined up next—her final hint still ringing in my ears when I had pressed her for more, “I think that you and Geekscape readers in particular are really going to love it.”

The thing is, Rachel Kimsey is just like us AND she’s found herself smack-dab in the middle of a record breaking entertainment revolution worth billions and billions of dollars by doing things genuinely her own way. And that is what sets her apart. Ignore her good advice at your own peril, indeed.

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SPOILERS:

Here then are collected shots of Rachel Kimsey’s performance in cut-scenes from the game (obviously, this will be all SPOILERS for anyone who hasn’t played through yet).

Gabe’s SPOILER FREE ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Reaction!

by Gabriel von Grünbaum

So I’ve literally just walked out of the theater. (Side note to theater: This is Star Wars—no one’s in a hurry to get out—please don’t turn up the lights before the credits even start rolling! Party foul!)

How fanatical am I? Not too much—I mean, I don’t go around dressed up in costume or anything—although my hot neighbor (who I’m carpooling to the theater with and who thinks this is film isn’t any more significant than say, The Scorch Trials) immediately asks, “Han Solo?” Guess I nailed it, subtly.

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Here I am, ready to head to the theater.

The real benefit to seeing something as soon as it comes out isn’t just to avoid spoilers, it’s also great because your expectations have been formed strictly between yourself and the film’s marketing team. There have been more than a few times when a film’s accumulated hype left me disappointed with the actual delivery—the product of unchecked adoration from the fanbase. Returning to such a film years later, my expectations palate cleansed, I find it to be much more enjoyable. Sometimes, a lot of bad reviews will having me dragging my feet to see something; only to realize, when I finally do see it, it’s just my cup of awesome.

My aim here is to provide your expectations a solid baseline—something you can hang onto in the oncoming storm of reviews and reactions that will be thrust at you from all sides now—until you’re able to see it for yourself and enjoy forming your own genuine experience and reaction, good or bad.

Again, all spoiler free, cause I hate when the beans are spilled beforehand—Star Wars: The Force Awakens is everything we need it to be. It is an organic extension of the galaxy far far away constructed in episodes IV, V and VI. Satisfaction, excitement and anticipation are the words in play. Some of the more elaborate wish fulfillment that might’ve taken place is instead solid and healthy story development as a new generation rightly takes the reins of the galaxy.

The tropes and mechanics you want are all there. The comedy is fitting with the proper Star Wars tone; as is the drama, story dynamics, character development and interactions—which were sadly all lost in the prequel trilogy. The action and cinematography are taken up a notch without violating what came before. So the production is very solid, any remaining uncertainty is only to what degree the story will resonate with you.

Zero complaints for me—although, the end result feels a bit more “The Empire Strikes Back” in that it leaves you hungry for more—which isn’t a bad thing! My expectations were already at a level where they wouldn’t have been fully slaked unless I left the theater having finally been taught to use the force and handed my very own genuine lightsaber. Again, short of becoming a literal Jedi in just over two hours, it was everything I needed it to be. I’m looking forward to watching it again and again, picking up all the little things I’m sure I missed during this first viewing.

Bottom line? No regrets. Looking forward to seeing it many more times. I think Star Wars: The Force Awakens is very hard to dislike—unless you believe in general that movies pretty much suck and sci-fi/fantasy anything is rather stupid (in which case we probably wouldn’t be having this conversation anyway and I wonder why you’ve read this far in the first place—good luck with your sad life).

Star Wars!

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Here I am, in the theater’s parking garage afterwards. Because. . . the force?

‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Red Carpet Live, 12/14 5:30pm PT

by Gabriel von Grünbaum

TONIGHT: Watch the “‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Red Carpet Live” at StarWars.com!

The City of Hollywood is no stranger to big premieres and celebrity events. The Oscars actually shut down an entire city block to make room for the all the celebrities and media covering the event. A whole block!—tonight’s Red Carpet event has four full blocks shut down. Yeah, it’s that big, folks. In addition to the Hollywood police, Disney is ponying up thousands more for additional security to handle the anticipated crowd.

If you have a tough time with crowds of that size or can’t make it out to Hollywood, California you don’t have to surrender to the dark side as your anger consumes you. At 5:30 pm PT (8:30 pm ET) just head over to www.starwars.com to enjoy the event live, hosted by Andi Gutierrez, Anthony Carboni, and David Collins. See you there?

May the force be with you. . .

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The Amazon Exclusive ‘Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase Two’ Set Is A Must Buy!

by Gabriel von Grünbaum

Whoa. On Tuesday, December 8th Marvel teams up with Amazon on an exclusive offering to knock your Captain America socks clean off! The Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase Two collection drops only on Amazon with all new bonus content, film replicas and more. In addition, each film features custom disc sleeves from artist Matt Ferguson.

Geekscape got a sneak peek at these alternate covers to share with you—and they’re freaking awesome. Go ahead feast your eyes and start squirreling away your pennies!

This collection is not messing around—it doesn’t seem like this is going to be the “pretty good one,” only to be replaced next year by the “super awesome edition.” This collection already has all the goods I look for in my film collecting proclivities—and then a little more! I ended up buying a 3D TV several Black Fridays ago when it was the same price as the standard model and I’ve been enjoying it ever since. As a result, if a movie I want comes out on Blu-ray and there’s a 3D version—that’s the one I buy. That and so much more is already baked into this collection! In their own words:

The limited edition, 13-Disc Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase Two Collection invites you to hold the greatest power in the cosmos in your grasp – an orb containing one of the legendary Infinity Stones! Plus Blu-ray 3D™, Blu-ray™ and Digital Copies of all Phase 2 films, in collectible packaging designed by artist Matt Ferguson. This set overflows with stunning Marvel memorabilia, including a gold-foiled page from the book of Dark Elves, an ancient drawing from the Morag vault, Avengers and S.T.R.I.K.E. uniform patches, a replica of the Tony Stark Tattoo from Marvel’s Iron Man 3, and much more!

I mean, come on!—there’s a freakin’ ancient drawing from the Morag vault! What more can you possibly ask for?!

Personally, there were some moments I didn’t fully connect with in this film collection—but honestly, I take the blame on those for the time being. Maybe I was in the wrong mood when I saw them or something—planning to give Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World and Avengers: Age of Ultron further viewings before making my final call on them. (Especially after getting a better understanding of what went into this intricate web Marvel is weaving as best they can during this release event.) However, here’s the thing—even if every film isn’t up to the snuff of say, Guardians of the Galaxy, they’re still better than most other offerings in their genre; meaning—you can’t lose, even if you lose, with these films. You will be properly entertained come hell or high water!

This unveiling comes properly on the heels of the release of the premiere trailer for the first film in Phase Three, Captain America: Civil War, this week. Whoowhee!—that trailer’s some dramatic adrenaline right there.

And now, my lovelies, because these are just the sort of details I hunt down when considering investing in a collection to add to my. . . collection, here are all the technical details they’ve provided us at this time:

  • Marvel’s Iron Man 3 (Blu-ray 3D + Blu-ray + Digital Copy)
  • Marvel’s Thor: The Dark World (Blu-ray 3D + Blu-ray + Digital Copy)
  • Marvel’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier (Blu-ray 3D + Blu-ray + Digital Copy)
  • Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy (Blu-ray 3D + Blu-ray + Digital Copy)
  • Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron (Blu-ray 3D + Blu-ray + Digital Copy)
  • Marvel’s Ant-Man (Blu-ray 3D + Blu-ray + Digital Copy)
  • 1:1 Prop Replica of the Orb

PLUS an Exclusive Bonus Content Disc with 166 minutes of bonus material and more!

  • From Here To Infinity: Phases 2 & 3 Of The M.C.U.
    Journey back through Marvel’s Phase 2 films, from its launch in Iron Man 3 through its fulfillment in Ant-Man, to see how individual characters grow and change, how their relationships with each other evolve over time, and how the universe itself expands with each story. Listen to filmmakers discuss the first set of Phase 3 films– Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War, Marvel’s Doctor Strange, and Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy 2 – and discover there are no limits to the adventure!
  • Phase 2 Tag Scenes: A Making-Of
    Learn the story behind the post-credit sequence in Marvel’s Phase 1 and 2 movies, and explore how the scenes connect and unify the far-flung characters and worlds of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

    • Marvel One-Shot: The Consultant w/Audio Commentary By Clark Gregg
      Marvel One-Shot: A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To Thor’s Hammer With Audio Commentary By Clark Gregg
      Marvel One-Shot: Item 47 With Audio Commentary By Louis D’Esposito, Max Hernandez, Titus Welliver And Jesse Bradford
      Marvel One-Shot: Agent Carter With Audio Commentary By Louis D’Esposito And Hayley Atwell
      Marvel One-Shot: All Hail The King With Audio Commentary By Drew Pearce And Ben Kingsley
      Iron Man 3: Deleted Scenes
      Iron Man 3: Preproduction Creative
      Thor: The Dark World: Deleted Scenes
      Thor: The Dark World Preproduction Creative
      Captain America: The Winter Soldier: Deleted Scene With Audio Commentary By Anthony Russo, Joe Russo, Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely
      Captain America: The Winter Soldier – Preproduction Creative
      Guardians of The Galaxy: Deleted Scenes
      Guardians of The Galaxy: Preproduction Creative
      Avengers: Age Of Ultron: Deleted Scenes
      Avengers: Age Of Ultron: Preproduction Creative: Hulk vs. Hulkbuster
      Ant-Man: Deleted Scenes
      Ant-Man: Preproduction Creative

RELEASE DATE: December 8, 2015
PRODUCTS: Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray and Digital HD
AUDIO: Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray, Digital HD = English 7.1 DTS-HDMA, French-Canadian 5.1 Dolby Digital, Latin Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, English DVS 2.0 Dolby Digital
LANGUAGES: English & Spanish, French
SUBTITLES: English, French & Spanish

 

Fall TV 2015: Top 10 New & Returning Shows!

by Gabriel von Grünbaum

With shows debuting year-round now and the internet liberating us from the chains of broadcast scheduling, fall’s television premiere season doesn’t quite feel like the mark your calendar affair of yore. Still there’s some great new entertainment coming at us this time of year to gather and enjoy.

There is one trend I’ve noticed in combing through everything—there are a lot of variations on one particular theme. It feels like half the shows on television are an Unusual Genius Helps Authorities Fight Crime (UGHAFC?). It doesn’t mean we should write a show off just for falling into this category—some are doing it very well—only that I’m a little amazed to find the pattern unfolding right under my nose. Some returning UGHAFCs include Sleepy Hollow, iZombie, Castle, The Flash, Scorpion—Grimm mostly fits, although, the authorities are more often tolerated or managed. Some new UGHAFCs are Blindspot, Limitless, Minority Report—Gotham‘s side plot is technically the coming of age for a future UGHAFC. I’m sure you could probably come up with some more examples. I think the strength of UGHAFC shows like Sleepy Hollow, iZombie and Castle is the amount of time we get to spend in the Unusual Genius’ world and how well developed that world is.

I’ve been dutifully consulting my Magic 8 Ball about this fall’s lineup of new and returning shows and thought it only fair to share some results with you. There’s a lot of exciting stuff popping on screens all over and I decided to cut through the noise and find the best possible feasts for the ever dwindling spare eyeball-time. First of all, I’m trying to keep the focus on those shows with some sci-fi/fantasy elements—but there may be some shout-outs and honorable mentions that lie on the fringes. That’s about it, so let me shake this ball and we’ll get started!

Top 5 Harvest of Returning Shows:

№ 5: SLEEPY HOLLOW

(Oct. 1st, 9pm, FOX) Dear Magic 8 Ball (is that how you address these things?), I feel like Sleepy Hollow is poised now to embrace the power of the dark side with wit and and style to become even better. Muah ha ha ha ha! Will the new season mark its entry into the television halls of greatness?! — “Outlook good.”

Watching Sleepy Hollow develop, as it tests its footing on the shaky television landscape, has been enjoyable. Their strongest element is absolutely the man-out-of-time/fish-out-of-water dynamic of Ichabod Crane as he’s forced to face off against magical monsters tied to the American Revolution each week. The handsome Tom Mison, as Ichabod is inspirational casting and he deservedly carries the show alongside the innovative creatures/monsters each week. His back in my day gripes each week, comparing America today to the first days of the nation, are an absolute comedy highlight of the show—and moments like the time he’s handed a gun which he fires once and then tosses because pistols only had one shot during the Revolution—priceless.

As for the rest of the cast—fine actors for the most part—one gets the impression, subconsciously at the very least, that they and the writers are still trying to figure out how exactly they fit into this world. Personally, I was disappointed with the decision to write Ichabod’s wife, Katrina Crane (the lovely Katia Winter), off the show. She felt like the second most solid and interesting character next to Ichabod but it became apparent that the writers didn’t know what to do with her.

The other choice I have reservations about was humanizing the headless horseman. Yes, it’s interesting to find out the monster’s backstory but the resulting manifestation of this personification of doom and destruction feels more effective when its operating out of a removed realm of all but inexplicable evil. I don’t necessarily feel the need to understand the daily emotional motivations of a headless demon (unless they are incredibly fascinating and unexpected). The fact that a decapitated creature from hell wants to kill and destroy works satisfyingly all on its own.

A really great thing to count for the plus column is that, whatever their special effects budget is, they’re using it very well to create some really stunning visuals and excellent creatures.

On the whole, the UGHAFC series had a very good start and it gets stronger and more enjoyable with each episode, even through most of its minor missteps. Considering that they’ve taken a short story by Washington Irving, twisted it with another of his short stories, Rip Van Winkle, and are managing to serve up entertainment that I look forward to each week is quite a feat in itself. I look forward to hoisting a mug of warm mead to the new season of Sleepy Hollow!—(P.S.: Bring back Ichabod’s wife!)

https://youtu.be/fzak6l4w11g

№ 4: iZOMBIE

(Oct. 6th, 9pm, CW) Dear Magic 8 Ball, I had a great time watching the first season of iZombie—will the second season be able to hold up and possibly be even better? — “Most likely.”

iZombie has been adorable fun right out of the gate since starting last season—which is an odd thing to say about anything having to do with zombies (see The Walking Dead below). Versatile Rose McIver is perfectly cast as Olivia “Liv” Moore (get it?!) who became a zombie after getting scratched by one at “the worst boat party ever” on Lake Washington and, after waking a little less than dead, left her budding career as a doctor to become a medical examiner’s assistant at the Seattle PD morgue—which supplies her all the fresh brains her new zombie metabolism craves.

As a viewer, you eagerly follow her through the unfolding plots. Zombies themselves are a conceptually diverse tool in storytelling, allowing for grim commentary on various aspects of modern life. The fresh take that iZombie uses is in identifying with the zombie main character, relating to the isolation and the desire to connect with others—to fit in when you feel like an outsider. Will she let her family get close to her again? Will she get back together with her fiancé? Or will she eat them all as she fears she will? Meantime, Liv is out solving the murders of the victims who come through the morgue as a makeshift UGHAFC “police psychic” because she gets visions from the lives of the brains she eats. Not only that, it’s a delight each week to watch her act in strange new ways because she also takes on the victims’ habits, skills an personalities! (You could almost say she’s the next best thing to Tatiana Maslany’s performance of over ten clones and counting in Orphan Black.)

Her two closest cohorts turn in great performances too. Rahul Kohli as the medical examiner and closest confidant about all things zombie, Dr. Ravi Chakrabarti, and Aly Michalka as Liv’s befuddled bestie and roommate, Peyton Charles, use the elegance of their natural comedic timing even in dramatic service to the more heartfelt scenes. The effect is laughs and “feels” at all the right moments.

After more developments than I can list here during the first season, I’m really looking forward to everything that’s poised to unfold for season two of iZombie!

https://youtu.be/E4I3BWFJwcg

№ 3: THE WALKING DEAD

(Oct. 11th, 9pm, AMC) Dear Magic 8 Ball. . . astonishment, cringing, canned food, The Walking Dead. . . More excellence? — “Without a doubt.”

The Walking Dead. Holy crap, The Walking Dead. I think we can all agree that this show has pushed television into new territory. I don’t recall seeing or hearing of anything like this on television before. Legit graphic horror as a television show that’s not really pulling any punches—and it’s not just out to shock you, it’s the thinking-person’s horror that’s exploring the nature of life, relationships and defending yourself with anything in reach. Wow. I think this likely helped pave the way for the horrifically gorgeous 3 seasons of Hannibal (til they yanked the plug on that awesome sauce).

This has the most realistic feel of all the entries in this countdown. The reason it comes in at number 3 for me is that it’s just so damn heavy—heavy drama and most times I’m looking for some more levity in my entertainment. If you’re a gloomy Gus, this could be your number one.

The Walking Dead is basically like daily American life with the volume turned all the way up. When hordes of rotting corpses lurk around every corner, hungry to rip you apart and eat you alive, what is it that’s most important to you?—and what are you willing to do to get it and protect it? The Walking Dead reveals the essence of life contrasted against terrifying death on an individual basis that exposes elemental truths of humanity—the good, the bad and the ugly. It questions the true nature of what it means to be strong and to be weak. The surprising and shocking punches these revelations land with sink in like reminders of what we’ve always felt was floating just beneath the surface of our world.

With everything (and everyone!) won, lost, taken and found in Arlington at the end of last season, I cannot wait to see what’s in store for our band of raw threadbare avatars to the richness of the human condition on the next installment of The Walking Dead. (P.S.: Someone please bring back hauntingly beautiful Hannibal!)

№ 2: SUPERNATURAL

(Oct. 7th, 9pm, CW) Dear Magic 8 Ball, I’m addicted to Supernatural. Will my love be returned yet again with a remarkable season 11?! — “It is decidedly so.”

If you were able to take the very best things about the greatest buddy-cop teams, blend that with the cream of campfire ghost stories and then throw open the doors of possibility—you’d have only the jumping off point for the series. It continuously finds ways to keep folding in more—more character dynamics, more storytelling structures, more deep questions tastily sandwiched into monster mayhem. . . If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that they were taking notes from Doctor Who.

The brilliant minds behind Supernatural have successfully built a dynamic that feels comfortable for the returning viewer week to week and at the same time allows for amazing flexibility. Much like The X-Files, one episode may be extremely dramatic followed by one that is practically an hour-long comedy! In fact, I might describe it to a potential viewer as a healthy combo of The X-Files, Ghostbusters and Starsky & Hutch. A sort of on-the-road dude version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, if you will.

The Winchester brothers, Sam and Dean (irreplaceably played by Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles), crisscross the country “saving people, hunting things.” The entire series started as a buddy-cop, road-trip, monster/ghost of the week flavored sort of affair—with the boys chiefly fueled by burgers, unleaded, damsels in distress and the hunt for the demon that killed their mother and Sam’s girlfriend. In those early days, the season-long story arc would take a distant backseat, in their black 1967 Chevy Impala, to each episode’s encounter.

Since then, the Supernatural universe has been massively fleshed out and now each week is most often about another piece in the puzzle for the season’s storyline. The boys have graduated from tackling urban legends come to life each week to taking on hell, purgatory and even a rebellion in heaven over the course of a season.

Every time I think, “Well, that’s it. The end of the series. There’s nowhere to go after that season finale,” they pick up on some unfinished aspect I missed to spin a fresh new season around. It’s a magically delightful sort of 3-Card Monte—”Whoa, I was looking over here while they were setting that up over there!”

They’ve picked up an excellent entourage along the way of reoccurring characters, including my current favorites, Crowley (I can never get enough of Mark Sheppard), the new king of hell, Castiel (Misha Collins is awesome!—he should be cast in everything), a rebel angel who once took over heaven, and now Claire (a very impressive Kathryn Newton) the orphaned teenage daughter of Castiel’s vessel (long story), who brings a fresh new dynamic and energy to the show for each episode she’s in.

One of the remarkable feats that Supernatural has pulled off, quite a few times now, is reaching through the fourth-wall. They’ve done it in several different ways and haven’t fallen on their faces yet—if anything, it has actually enriched the experience of the show each time—extending the definition of “supernatural” in a deeper way that seems to defy the physics of television shows themselves. (Tried a couple different ways of explaining more here—but I don’t think reading about it would give the experiences justice. I would rather not rob you of those first experiences yourself, if you don’t already know what I’m talking about.)

Without giving too much away, the ancient (original?) curse that kept Dean alive in the previous season has consequences that pit the brothers against each other last season. Now, with the setup for The Darkness impending, the new season of Supernatural looks promising indeed.

https://youtu.be/tdIbvJ_RgiA

№ 1: DOCTOR WHO

(Sept. 19th, 9pm, BBC America) Dear Magic 8 Ball, will the new season of Doctor Who be some can’t miss television? — “You may rely on it.”

The idea that Doctor Who isn’t the number one show on everyone’s must-see TV list (or “rather ought to” telly queue?) is a concept I find wholly befuddling. Doctor Who is, quite simply, the culmination of all human storytelling up to now—it is the ongoing saga that has successfully digested all other existing story structures. It’s sci-fi, fantasy, drama, horror, comedy, thriller, western, classical, procedural, ghost, love, family, monster. . . The storytelling lens of Doctor Who is so broadly fine tuned that the lucky and talented writers are able to weave any tale they wish through it. Every episode is a display of magic unfolding. It’s safe to say, if there is any kind of storytelling you like, Doctor Who has episodes for you—and if there are story types you don’t like, Doctor Who may just put them in a new light for you.

To say that Doctor Who is like The Twilight Zone, Star Trek, Star Wars, Back to the Future, The Terminator, Alien, Indiana Jones, and even The Labyrinth and Harry Potter all rolled into one isn’t inaccurate—but it just doesn’t do the show full justice because it’s even more than that.

There are two caveats for American viewers: the first is that it’s a British show—and it becomes far more British the further back in the canon you go. British, meaning that, the pace and construction of characters, themes and interactions can take a moment to adjust to for Yankee brains. It’s just a slightly different perspective on the world that Hollywood rarely shines a light on. The second thing to keep in mind, particularly if you plan to dig into the back catalog, regards the production: producers of the show have always done their best to show all of time and space with whatever limited budget they were allotted. Since the fabric of spacetime is apparently infinite and their budgets weren’t, you can see where they might often fall short—but, if you could forgive some papier-mâché costumes and old cardboard sets you were richly rewarded by the stories. To quote the Doctor himself, “it’s more like a big ball of wibbly–wobbly. . . timey-wimey. . . stuff.” That said, the further decades you go back, the more you can see how it has grown from something akin to filmed children’s theatre into the juggernaut it is today. Additionally—and this is coming from two decades working in digital format conversions—although recent advancements are making it unnecessary, the British have always broadcast television in the PAL format at 25 frames per second, while American eyeballs have been tuned to NTSC at almost 30 frames per second for decades and decades. Even after conversion, what you’re watching can feel “wrong” on a subconscious level to the Yankee brain just because the flicker is different. It took me about six of those earlier episodes to adjust. These days, most entertainment is being shot at standard film speed which is 24 frames per second, a frequency the entire world is accustomed to.

Now that the show has garnered ever stronger international audiences, the “Britishness” has become a bit more universal and the production values have gone way up. You can pinpoint the change to the episode of the first season that Matt Smith took over the reins of the Doctor. The only requirement now is a tolerance for the initially perceived silliness and frequent leaps of faith (fat that comes to life, alien assassins that consume your life’s potential and then leave you to live to death, a police “phone booth” that is a whole world larger on the inside and travels through time and space)—for which you are fully rewarded. After some time as a viewer, the concepts begin to feel much less far fetched—the show succeeds in taking nearly any “wacky” setup and presenting it as honestly valid and valuable.

Last season introduced Peter Capaldi as the Doctor and, while every “regeneration” is traumatic for viewers, this one somehow felt more so. The writers weren’t exactly sure how to write for him yet? It became the Clara Oswald season, which was perfectly fine by me. Jenna Coleman as the Doctor’s current companion is really electric and has delivered some of the most powerful scenes on the show recently.  Now the breaking news of this being her last season on Doctor Who is extremely disappointing after she carried the last season. What the future holds after this season is uncertain but I’m sure it will be great—I’m just devastated that this will be the last of Clara Oswald as the companion. So catch her while you can!

I’ve often been moved to tears, fallen from the couch in peels of laughter, cringed with fright and been held breathless in astonishment—frequently in the same episode (“Blink”, “The Girl in the Fireplace” and “Vincent and the Doctor” just to name a few). I expect all of this (and more!) with the new season of Doctor Who.

Returning Honorable Mentions:

№ yeah!: CASTLE

(Sept. 21st, 10pm, ABC) Dear Magic 8 Ball, should I stay loyal to my not-so-secret crush on Castle this season? — “Yes.”

Strictly speaking, Castle doesn’t belong on this list—but I feel the need to give it a shout-out regardless. The fact that it stars Nathan Fillion is practically a qualifier all on its own. The rest of the cast—including Stana Katic, Seamus Dever and Jon Huertas—are fantastically enjoyable as well.

Honestly, if it wasn’t for Fillion, I never would have checked this show out in the first place—procedurals just aren’t my cup of tea—but Fillion as a bestselling crime fiction writer embedding himself with the NYPD?! Had to give it shot—and I’ve been far from disappointed. (Well, that and—full disclosure—I first met Seamus back when I was performing standup with his lovely, funny and talented wife, Juliana Dever [frequent guest star as Det. Kevin Ryan’s girlfriend/wife], years ago and was excited to cheer on his big break with Fillion when the show premiered.)

Castle continues to plumb the writer playing cop—with actual cops!—UGHAFC premise brilliantly. They feature enough stories that blur the lines between the realities of a police procedural and Rick Castle’s love of sci-fi/fantasy to keep me hooked and invested week after week. Episodes like the one with the man who said he was from the future, the one with the artifact that may have been a portal to a parallel dimension or the one about vampires. . . or Bigfoot—the list goes on—are often left delightfully open ended. Am I looking forward to the new season of Castle? You betcha!

№ hope?: AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.

(Sept. 29th, 9pm, ABC) Dear Magic 8 Ball, the special Agents of SHIELD have yet to uncover my devotion. Will they pull it off this season? — “Better not tell you now.”

The fun thing about season premieres (and finales) is that shows typically have bigger budgets to play with. Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD is a good example of that this season. Fan reaction to the show overall thus far has been lukewarm on average. Scripts are lacking strength with some plots and dialogue that can feel forced. Characters are difficult to connect with. The whole thing has a sort of manufactured aftertaste.

Fresh out of the gate this season, the show is looking pretty dazzling but will they be able to connect with viewers who are dying to love them? Being one such viewer, I’m settling in for this season of Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD and hoping they finally open up to me.

№ zip-a-dee-doo-dah: THE FLASH

(Oct. 6th, 8pm, CW) Dear Magic 8 Ball, The Flash looks great but I think I’m missing something—should I take another run at it this season? — “Concentrate and ask again.”

There are a lot of folks that are huge fans of The Flash. I am merely a fan. For about the first 10 episodes you watched as the show sort of meandered around, testing its footing to see what tone it wanted, what kind of show it would grow into. It was interesting enough to keep me watching but, even as its direction became more focused in the final few episodes, I still wasn’t finding myself able to really connect with any of the characters. The portrayals all felt a bit too cartoony to me. I want to care, I really do, but I don’t. If I can’t invest in the characters, I can’t invest in the story—and there’s a lot of great story to work with.

To tell the truth, the show is already one of the better options on TV—but, in age of so many series that are able to make significant connections with viewers, The Flash is coming up a bit short. There is so much in the works for the series’ second season, more time travel, parallel dimensions, parallel Flashes. . . It’s all sounding very exciting—I’m just hoping The Flash‘s creators can get me to care.

№ bat: GOTHAM

(Sept. 21st, 8pm, FOX) Dear Magic 8 Ball, Gotham‘s looking good—did they lose some weight? Should we make a date this fall? — “Signs point to yes.”

Very pleased to see that Gotham recognized its shortcomings from last season, corrected course and is off to nice start this fall. Honestly, even after the last Gotham update here on Geekscape, I didn’t think the show was going to make this list. Many times, when a series or franchise attempts to make a course adjustment, creatives’ egos and/or executives’ bottom lines can interfere, making the adjustment not enough or overly extravagant.

So far, it seems Gotham’s refocus is just right—characters are exhibiting a fuller range of emotion and the whole presentation has just the right amount of silliness, inherent in Batman stories from the beginning. The dark whimsy has been blended back in to properly offset and enhance the ol’ Detective Comics‘ native flavor of gloomy dreariness on the palette. Its a balancing act that the comics have been pulling off for decades and you can feel when screen adaptations get wrong. I’m very much looking forward to seeing how the season plays out. Bravo, Gotham creators!

№ hmm: GRIMM

(Oct. 30th, 9pm, NBC) Dear Magic 8 Ball, what’s up with Grimm? Should we be watching the new season? — “Reply hazy, try again.”

Honestly, I really like Grimm. I look forward to each next episode. However, there is something I keep trying to put my finger on that keeps me from fully connecting with the show. My current theory is that there is an “underlying apology” to its presentation—maybe? A sort of, “Sorry we’re not a standard cop show—but we’ve got a really nice secret society of creatures mythology thingy we’re working on that we hope you’ll like!”

Just be true to yourself, Grimm!—be proud of the dorky/geeky genre baby that you are! If you double-down and go whole-hog with what you’ve created, your current audience will become solid devotees—and probably start dragging more people to the party!

The two characters that seem to genuinely inhabit the world of Grimm are Monroe and Trubel—with a shout-out to Bree Turner, as Rosalee, and Sasha Roiz, as Capt. Renard. Silas Weir Mitchell as Monroe, the gentle, awkward and reserved big bad wolf was a surprise hit very quickly. This guy is clearly a professional actor who studied the material he was given and created a marvelously rich character out of it that is my main draw to the show each week. Jacqueline Toboni as Trubel, a runaway who discovers she has special abilities to hunt as a grimm, is another example of marvelous acting chops and has been an invigorating addition. Her take on the character is an excellent fit with the mythos in play.

The real trouble is that it seems the writers too often lean on story constructs better suited to soaps and primetime cop dramas. Even when they try and dive deeper into the secret society and the royals it comes off more like something from General Hospital or The Young & the Restless rather than exciting and mysterious, like a Frankenstein, Dracula, Indiana Jones or Goonies type vibe. I mean, Nick’s longtime girlfriend gains powers and suddenly decides to be evil?! I didn’t get that at all.

The show is inspired by Grimms’ Fairy Tales; I recommend returning to that source material and capturing that magic. Should you watch Grimm? I don’t know—I do—and I wish I could feel stronger about recommending it.

Returning Show Quick Takes!

THE LEFTOVERS — Damon Lindelof, I love you as a human being with excellent taste and a creative soul—but I’ve been burned by your creations too many times to give this fascinating premise a shot.

AMERICAN HORROR STORY: [ANYTHING] — More like Eccentric European Fetish Story and I prefer to get my obscure French vampire sex romps from the source—Gérard Depardieu.

ARROW — A lot of people really love this show and it has clearly done well in the ratings. Maybe you’re one of these fans (or potential fans) but for my palette, I got the impression at the start that this might have that neutered and manufactured flavor to its construction and I have yet to see any clips or segments that make me think I might’ve been wrong. (Yes, I just used “neutered” and “flavor” in the same sentence and am now questioning all the life decisions that have led me to this point.)

ONCE UPON A TIME — I feel so strung-along by this show; like it’s always just about to get good—or even interesting. Once again, I’m just going to give it a few more episodes to. . .

SCORPION — This UGHAFC show is actually pretty neat and fun, I enjoy watching it—however, it’s placed pretty much at the end of my queue each week. I don’t feel like I have to watch it. I really do like it though.

Top 5 Crop of New Shows:

№ 5: HEROES REBORN

(Sept. 24th, 8pm, NBC) Dear Magic 8 Ball. . . Uh, Heroes Reborn? — “Ask again later.”

I was really ready to write this off out of hand but the pilot has me sort of pausing to consider. After the fizzle-out of Heroes the first time around, for its self-important meandering storylines that didn’t come to any interesting conclusions, it looks like we may be in for more of the same. The thing with Heroes is that it somehow makes you doubt if you’re really not enjoying it or just not synched up with it properly. Then once the episode’s been over for a few hours, you realize you really didn’t care about it at all and could’ve better spent that time gardening, researching French poetry or stalking your ex.

I have the feeling that Heroes Reborn is going to be more of the same. However, it’s just good enough to bite your lip and try to hang on for a couple episodes to make sure. It has started out addictive, like the first series (best story line; Zachary Levi’s serial mutant/”evo” killer—worst story line; the girl who can enter a video game with a sword), let’s hope that it’s not ultimately disappointing, like the first series. Damn, this is a special kind of hell. Just get it right, Heroes Reborn!—for crying out loud, just get it right.

https://youtu.be/7vs78vS7MFo

№ 4: BLINDSPOT

(Sept. 21st, 10pm, NBC) Dear Magic 8 Ball, the setup ingredients for Blindspot‘s entertainment level seem perfect—maybe too perfect. Is this a safe bet to get into this season? — “Signs point to yes.”

Blindspot sneaks onto this list with a decent sci-fi-adjacent premise and the casting of my favorite part of the Thor movies, Jaimie Alexander, as Jane Doe—a woman who wakes up naked, zipped inside a duffle bag and freshly covered in cryptic tattoos; with no memory of anything. . . except the skills to do everything. . . especially kicking ass. Are you kidding me?!—I’m so entirely in!

Her tattoos seem to point to large scale crimes and attacks that haven’t taken place yet—so, naturally, I’m holding out that she’s actually from the future and her memories were chemically wiped to keep her from playing the lottery, retrofitting a Delorean and starting Skynet or something. So far the show hasn’t backed up my theory yet. Bullocks. Alexander’s performance in the pilot is pretty dead on as, essentially, a newborn in a frightening world, with frightening skills and the frightening realization that she has no idea if she prefers coffee or tea because she doesn’t know what they taste like. The second episode feels a little worrying, like they may allow the super-cool setup to drift into the background as they concentrate on being just another UGHAFC procedural. Let’s hope not. Creators; if that is your intention, take a look at Castle and take notes—they’ve clearly nailed the formula.

I’m already hooked on Blindspot and I’ve got my fingers crossed that they keep me seduced.

https://youtu.be/9FHLBldRdIo

№ 3: LIMITLESS

(Sept. 22nd, 10pm, CBS) Dear Magic 8 Ball, will Limitless live up to its name—with entertainment!? — “Outlook good.”

Limitless returns us to the world of the film it’s based on. Chances are, your feelings about the film is probably how you’ll feel about the pilot—and then a bit more. For example; I thought the film was fine but I’m really liking the show so far. If you didn’t like the movie you may really not like the pilot—however, it’s got some good things going for it: great cast, pretty good (and simple) setup and, somehow, the show feels a touch more relatable than the movie did. I also found it rather inspirational; not in the, “I wanna do drugs,” kinda way but in the, “I’d like to reclaim that mental and physical agility I enjoyed as a youth. Do some Sudoku. Hit the gym. Bust out some parkour. Make sure my health insurance is paid up,” sorta way. The lingering feeling at the end of an episode is one of fun—a peek at what the world might be like if it really was your playground.

Some people like the instigating premise of the plot, some don’t. Either way, the strength of the show is in the casting and the clever writing. Jake McDorman plays the guy who stumbles into the super drug NZT. I last saw McDorman in the enjoyable failure, Manhattan Love Story, and he seems to bring a certain relatable sparkle to anything he does—I’m glad to see him again in the lead role here. Jennifer Carpenter plays the FBI agent who must hunt him down and control him to contain the situation. Of course, Carpenter was previously the delightfully scene-chewing sister in Dexter and she brings her relatably pleasing hidden below the surface cocktail of damaged-goofball.

The dynamic becomes the man-boy slacker, who is suddenly made into a super-genius, being wrangled by a woman who may secretly resent having had to grow up. She seems to sympathize and identify with the chemically induced slacker savant and struggles with the conflict of wanting to follow his lead while still following her orders from the FBI.

The danger here is the show falling into that same UGHAFC mold that’s been done a lot lately. If they manage to continue keeping that in the background and focus on telling the journey of a guy thrust into knowing infinitely more than he ever should, that will make for a really entertaining series. It probably helped a lot that the first two episodes are directed by the brilliant Marc Webb ((500) Days of Summer, The Amazing Spider-Man). All things considered, I’m enjoying Limitless a lot more than I thought I would.

№ 2: THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE

(pilot available now, series continues Nov. 20th, Amazon) Dear Magic 8 Ball, can The Man in the High Castle really deliver on the amazing promise shown in the pilot already? — “Outlook good.”

Amazon’s The Man in the High Castle is really rather impressive. I have to admit, while I am a huge fan of the shopping perks that come with Amazon’s Prime membership (anything I want can show up at my door in hours!), I haven’t ever used it to watch anything except for The Addams Family movie and episodes of Hannibal (so good—someone bring it back!) which weren’t available elsewhere. This pilot—which was picked up for series earlier to start this fall—looks like it’ll be the show that finally puts Amazon in my regular rotation.

The show is an engrossingly complex answer to a simple hypothetical question: What if the Allied forces had lost WWII to Axis powers? The story picks up in an alternate 1960s where the US has been split into Nazi and Japanese Empire controlled states. There’s a narrow band of neutral territory between them—and their political scheming against each other—running along the Rockies. It’s within this neutral zone that the mysterious Man in the High Castle is rumored to exist—releasing films of an alternate reality where the Allies won the war. I know, right?!

Adapted from a Philip K. Dick story, I should warn you it’s probably not going to be the feel good show of the fall (take other adaptations of Dick’s works; Blade Runner, Minority Report, Total Recall. . .)—but if they keep working the source material properly, you can bet it’ll continue to be great. That is to say, the pilot is great and very promising already. The success of this initiating episode must be due in large part to the executive producer—who directed that richly visceral adaptation of Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? creating Blade Runner—Ridley Scott.

So it’s already impressive and it’s in excellent hands?—I think it’s a safe bet that adding The Man in the High Castle is going to enrich all our queues with some marvelously engaging entertainment.

№ 1: ASH vs EVIL DEAD

(Oct. 31st, 9pm, STARZ) Dear Magic 8 Ball, I don’t even need you on this one. I couldn’t be more stoked for the arrival of Ash vs Evil Dead! — “Groovy.”

Ash vs Evil Dead?! Are you kidding me? No question—if you can only watch one new show this season Starz’s extension of the Evil Dead franchise is the one. To be fair, the Evil Dead flavor isn’t for everyone but if you’re reading Geekscape this is very likely your cup of tea, even if you don’t know it yet.

That “flavor” is difficult to put into words but here’s a shot: it’s a genuine horror screwball action comedy. It’s what might result if Monty Python teamed up with National Lampoon to produce a Stephen King story. It doesn’t pull punches with the horror or the comedy. You’re knocked out of your seat with frights and laughs.

The key players are back in what they are describing as a natural evolution of the material; prolific producer/writer/director Sam Raimi (Army of Darkness, Spider-Man) and the irreplaceable Bruce Campbell (Burn Notice, The Adventures of Brisco County Jr.) as Ashley “Ash” J. Williams. This time out, they’re joined by another regular Raimi player, Lucy Lawless (Xena: Warrior Princess, Salem) in what sure to be one heck of a badass team up.

I really don’t know what else I can tell you—it’s “you had to be there” entertainment. You could read the excitement of our reaction at the SDCC announcement. It’s the ol’ Evil Dead made fresh and new by the very same hands that made it in the first place—including the one and only Ash, his boomstick and his chainsaw hand! If you want more than that, you’ll have to make it yourself with your own army of deadites! Ash vs Evil Dead, baby! I think it’s going to be like pillow talk for your face.

https://youtu.be/unnLg1TPCYM

New Honorable Mentions:

№ ooh: CRAZY EX-GIRLFRIEND

(Oct. 12th, 8pm, CW) Dear Magic 8 Ball, I know this is kinda outta left field but—should I spend this fall with the Crazy Ex-Girlfriend? — “Most likely.”

This Crazy Ex-Girlfriend stalks her way on here for living in a hilarious world where she can bust out musical numbers wherever she goes. That can technically qualify as fantasy when. . . What? You say you don’t like musical numbers? Ha ha ha, I was once like you. However, I think series creator, star and certified geek herself, Rachel Bloom begs to disagree with your feelings—making her point with her hit, NSFW (without headphones), YouTube sensation: F*** Me, Ray Bradbury. See now how your feelings were wrong? It’s okay—the same thing happened to me. If that video is what she can do with a shoestring indie budget, I’m looking forward to what she’ll might pull off with a Hollywood bankroll—after she has to wash her mouth out with soap! Salacious! Sign me up for a recurring date with Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.

№ sooner!: JESSICA JONES

(Nov. 20th, Netflix) Dear Magic 8 Ball, Jessica Jones is absolutely can’t miss, right?! — “Signs point to yes.”

Jessica Jones really deserves to be in the top 5 of new shows—Heroes Reborn could easily be bumped to make room for such promise—but, at this point, this really is mostly just promising promise. There aren’t many details out there about what Netflix is doing with Jessica Jones. Marvel fans know it’s the story of an UGHAFC who has mostly hung up her superpowers to become a private eye but exactly where and how this series picks up the story remains to be seen. Netflix has done a fantastic job with Daredevil so the outlook is very good for this new entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I’m a huge fan of Krysten Ritter since Veronica Mars so I’m super excited to see her in the super title role here. David Tennant as Kilgrave and Carrie-Anne Moss as Harper are just a couple more of the excellent cast. If and when any new shreds of detail emerge you can bet that Geekscape will get the Jessica Jones nuggets to you, just as we have been. I want to put this in my eyes right now!

New Show Quick Takes!

THE MUPPETS — Hell yeah! Already into this all the way. Bit darker than I was expecting—almost like a drama with hilarious frosting. Like a slower paced Aaron Sorkin creation—with puppets.

SUPERGIRL — Man, I hope this is any good! At this time, I have yet to see anything that conclusively tips the scales—and my expectations are low. So, here’s hopin’ you fly, Supergirl.

SCREAM QUEENS — Happened to catch a clip of Scream Queens and found it delightfully amusing. Looking forward to catching up and watching this little gem. Judging by the creators’ former effort, Glee, it should be great for at least a season.

MINORITY REPORT — I’m sorry. I just don’t have any more room—especially for something that appears to have gutted all the fascination out of the original story to make this show just another UGHAFC lightly dusted with sci-fi. What I really wish is that this was another season of Almost Human—damn, that was a good show. . . bad name, good show.

Fox Releases The Official Trailer For ‘The X-Files’

by Shane O'Hare

I believe. I believe so fucking hard.

Fox has JUST released the OFFICIAL trailer (there were some shady bootlegs rolling around yesterday)  for the upcoming continuation of the beloved sci fi television series The X-Files. Watch this trailer with me, and believe.

https://youtu.be/_1SmJUBT5q0

In 2016 FOX presents the next mind-bending chapter of, THE X-FILES, with a six-episode event series from creator/executive producer Chris Carter. David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson return as Mulder and Scully in, THE X-FILES!

If you’ve been living under a rock forever, The X-Files is one of the quintessential sci fi TV programs out there. It’s groundbreaking storytelling and narrative spawned an entire generation of shows and films in a similar ilk.

Earlier this year it was confirmed that the show would return as a six party miniseries.

The trailer was amazing, it was like I was jettisoned back to my youth. Terrified but intrigued of what I was seeing on my television.

The trailer really is hitting on the current troupes of the “conspiracy theory” community. What with things like the NDAA, The Snowden Leaks, Operation Northwoods, Agenda 21, Operation paperclip, Operation Mockingbird (is it apparent that I like to read up on these things?) Chris Carter and his team are definitely going to be bringing an interesting story to the airwaves.

The X-Files returns to the airwaves January 24th 2016!

‘The X-Files’ Event Series To Have A Screening At New York Comic-Con!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: It’s still hard for me to believe that The X-Files is coming back.

Us regular folk will be waiting until January 24th, 2016 for the six-episode (and then hopefully more) event series to begin (and hopefully rock our nostalgic worlds), but Fox today revealed that the series premiere episode, titled ‘My Struggle’ will screen at New York Comic-Con on October 10th following its world premiere at Cannes on October 6th.

The episode will screen on the Main Stage of the Javits Centre, and be followed by a Q&A with series creator Chris Carter and David Duchovny.

This sounds freaking awesome, and I’m pretty jealous of those that will be in attendance.

It’s a long wait until January 24th, but it’ll all be worth it if The X-Files lives up to the high points of the original series (and maybe not hold many similarities with that second movie).

Are you looking forward to the series? What do you hope to see in its six episodes? Sound out below!

https://youtu.be/CFJnWwh12j0

‘Doctor Who’s 9th Season Gets A Prologue, Watch It Now!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: With just over one week remaining until the ninth season of Doctor Who premieres (and the entire internet goes crazy), BBC has officially released a two minute prologue for the upcoming episodes.

The premiere episode is called ‘The Magician’s Apprentice’, and… I’ve never watched an episode so I have no idea what’s going on.

You can take a look at the prologue below, and be sure to let us know what you hope to see this season! Doctor Who returns on September 19th!

“Trapped and alone in a terrifying Dalek city, the Doctor is at the heart of an evil Empire; no sonic, no TARDIS, nobody to help. With his greatest temptation before him, can the Doctor resist? And will there be mercy?”

‘The Final Girls’ Latest Trailer Is Super Fun!

by Gabriel von Grünbaum

The potential that The Final Girls (theaters, streaming, on-demand October 9th) seems to suggest goes beyond parody or homage and, leveraging mechanics borrowed from science fiction, actually uses the horror motif to birth a new experience in a unique genre that has few other entries.

Off the top of my head, Stay Tuned and Pleasantville are a couple examples of movies where entertainment becomes a viable dimension, while television’s Supernatural has toyed with the concept, using various approaches (coming at it from inside and outside!), in several episodes to fantastic effect. [At this point, I took off on a tangent about one of my unexpected all-time favorite examples of this—but it went on a touch longer than I’d imagined, so I’ve scooched it down to the bottom here. I do think it’s relevant and really expands on the potential covered here. I finally summarize with:] Bottom line; the conceit possible here is a still-fresh existential exploration of the meaning—while also testing the limits of functionality!—behind our very existence on an individual level. . . and that’s freakin’ exciting.

My reactions to the trailer alone are already leaping around the emotional spectrum. Is it possible that these filmmakers are able to tap genuine emotional moments within their “lightly sci-fi” parody of a horror film homage? Could this be another level of intelligent creative force such as Community and Rick and Morty creator Dan Harmon has been safeguarding as of late? The only bigger thing I see on director Todd Strauss-Schulson’s resume up to this point is A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas, which means he’s pretty much unproven at the moment. Maybe unlike some in Hollywood, I find this very exciting—do we have here an emerging voice about to burst on the scene? My fingers are crossed.

The cast looks pretty darn decent with a couple existing genre entertainment favorites, Nina Dobrev (The Vampire Diaries) and Malin Akerman (Watchmen), as well as a few comedy heavy-hitters that have been making names for themselves recently, Alia Shawkat (Arrested Development), Adam DeVine (Pitch Perfect, ModernFamily) and Thomas Middleditch (Silicon Valley), while the rest of the cast looks like some talented rising stars without a bad apple in the bunch.

Could the “feel good horror movie of the year” literally have it all?—horror, hilarity and genuine feeling stuffed in a clever wrapper with a side welcomed cheesy? I say we find out together!

The Part Where I Go off on a Fitting Tangent I Hope You’ll Enjoy:

One of my favorite examples, because I never saw it coming and it fit a square story peg in a round show hole better than could ever be expected, happened on the sitcom ‘Til Death. Actually, I don’t think anyone ever saw it. . . period. I only ran across it because I was working at that time to get the episodes up on iTunes. What sets this example apart is that it directly includes the viewer in on the event. If you never saw the show—and, according to ratings, few did—it was the story of a married couple (Brad Garrett and Joely Fisher) who were bitterly holding on to their marriage “til death,” putting up with each other, their struggling twenty-something daughter (several actresses, including Krysten Ritter) and the dope she married (wonderfully played by Timm Sharp). That’s a broad stroke because I was never really watching either until the daughter’s husband, who she lived with in a trailer, parked in the backyard. . . started seeing the set! Like he would point out the lighting rigs, reference the boom mics and talk about the set props! It was brilliant!

At one point he references there was like four different actress that had played his girlfriend/wife over the years! He laments not being able to have sex because the scene always cuts away just as it’s starting! He could see beyond the forth wall but it wasn’t violating the reality for any of the other characters who convinced him to start seeing a therapist (Mayim Bialik, who’s acknowledged as having played Blossom!).

It was some of the most innovative television I’ve ever seen and the flashy hook was deftly used by the writers to explore the nature of reality, acceptance and what the meaning of life could be—the promise of science-fiction as a tool of revelation crammed into a dying goofy sitcom that wouldn’t see another season! (If you ever want to see this for yourself, seek out only season 4. The previous seasons were trying all the standard attempts to save a sitcom that never should’ve been. That last season found a fantastic world on the very far side of jumping the shark.) It’s one of the greatest events I’ve ever witnessed and a lot of fuel behind why I’m so excited about what the filmmakers could pull off with The Final Girls.

Force Friday! We Review ‘Star Wars: Rebels’ Season 1 On Blu-Ray!

by Gabriel von Grünbaum

With the release of Star Wars: Rebels season one on blu-ray (yes, and DVD for those trapped in the previous decades), now you can make every day of the year #ForceFriday!

After getting the generous opportunity to preview the disks and dive deep into the extras, I’m finally prepared to confidently provide you with what you can expect. Here’s the quick and dirty: Firstly, if you’re a Star Wars fan, anywhere within six years of the age 12, this show is bulletproof! I would’ve sold my grandmother to Tusken raiders at that age to have a show like this! I settled for re-watching The Empire Strikes Back after school each day—which wasn’t bad. The next question is; how does it stand up for everyone else? Not bad. . . Believe it or not, the characters and dialogue is often better than the three recent Star Wars prequel films. It also does a far better job of introducing cute and/or fun alien creatures that play a part in the storyline without giving you that creepy Jar Jar effect. I still can’t get enough of these Loth-cats!—I want one! So, for adult Star Wars fans, I’d say it scratches that Star Wars entertainment itch but you’ll still be hungry for more—after all, this show is clearly geared toward kids.

Full disclosure; this is really the first non-feature film Star Wars entertainment I’ve gotten into—with like three exceptions: that ’80’s Christmas special (the main reason I got gun-shy about straying from the films), The Empire Strikes Back game for Super Nintendo (loved it!) and Captain EO in 3D at Disneyland (magical—and probably the closest comparison I can make, entertainmentwise, to Rebels; minus the music, dancing and Michael). So I can’t draw comparisons for you with Clone Wars, except to say that I’d now like to see Clone Wars.

StarWarsRebels_Loth-cat01_400x330For those that are new to the series—like me—it’s the story of a teenage punk, Ezra Bridger (Taylor Gray), who’s scrounging and pilfering from the powerful Empire—now that they have taken control of his home planet—when he runs into a band of outlaws doing the same thing but with a more “Robin Hood”-style agenda of aiding those under the boot heel of the Empire. It isn’t long before it’s revealed that one of these outlaws, Kanan Jarrus (Freddie Prinze, Jr.), was training with the Jedi until they were all hunted down by the Empire and he escaped into the underground. When he recognises that “the force is strong” with our young protagonist, he feels it’s his duty to take the kid on as his padawan and train him in the ways of the force, even though he never finished the Jedi training himself(?). Many adventures ensue and the season-long story arc results in the first event that is the official formation of the Rebel Alliance.

Vanessa Marshall, Tiya Sircar, Steven Blum, Ashley Eckstein and Jason Isaacs (excellent as the Inquisitor) round out the voiceover cast, turning in some really good performances.  The character animation is likewise impressive—several times I found myself reviewing a shot or scene just to examine the excellent, and sometimes subtle, motion choices. (That said, I was surprised to find a few half-baked herky-jerky walk-cycles.) When it comes to the modeling, lighting and texture mapping, I understand much of it is done for style but I think a little more detail would’ve been fitting. It would’ve been nice to see shapes and surfaces with a little more character and lighting with a bit more range (when you’re in space, I’m sure some shadows would be fully dark and direct sunlight might wash things out a bit more). Atmospheric effects cost rendering time/money, so I won’t hold the lack of such visuals against them. . . but if they ever have the budget, it really could push the visual style over the top.

As an adult, for the first few episodes, the experience was a bit like being invited to a Thanksgiving dinner and being served Tofurky with a smile—you just sort of grin and bear it while trying to connect with what the real thing tastes like. Then, with the episode 5 (on the disks), “Rise of the Old Masters”, things suddenly seem to click into place and Rebels becomes its own distinct story. Characters, dialogue and relationships gel and become compelling on their own without the need of Star Wars features’ memories to fuel them. That said, there are some truly excellent cameos that were well worth the price of admission—including one Mr. Lando Calrissian in a revealing encounter that was a fun enrichment of my connection with the Star Wars universe.

StarWarsRebelsSeasonOneBluray_600x729If you’re an adult, chances are that you won’t find the dialogue or character arcs particularly compelling but you will get a satisfying sense of a fuller experience with the Star Wars galaxy as it continues to become more colorfully defined. If you’re physically or mentally anywhere near the age of 12, this is an absolute must-have! The character development and challenges faced are tailored to opening up the world of a young mind. For the older, more jaded and cynical brains, the connections may form around the unfortunate recognition of the tyrannical bureaucracy of the Empire and the vague memory of adolescent dreams where anything was possible. Either way, Rebels finds its way under your skin in a pleasant way. Kids will love it for years on end—adults will find it very pleasant and enjoy confidently re-gifting it to a niece or nephew. (If you’re a parent, I think you’ll both feel like winners.)

The extras are a lot of fun—shorts that inform references and sequences in the episodes; behind the scenes interviews with artists, writers and actors; summaries; overviews and excellent teases of what’s to come in the next season (lots of action, development and more fantastic appearances of vital Star Wars characters!).

Recommendations: If you’re within spitting distance of age 12, convince your parents, guardian or doting uncle/aunt/grandparent to get it for you—loads of fun. If you’re an adult Star Wars fan, find a kid in your family/neighborhood that you can sit and watch it with as an excuse to pick up this fun show.

Now that I’ve seen this, I’m looking forward this fall to season two of Star Wars: Rebels and looking forward to spending more time with my nephews as I head out to pick up Star Wars: The Clone Wars for us to watch together. That Christmas special from a long time ago in a galaxy far far away has finally been cleansed from my palate.

From Lucasfilm/Disney:

In the first groundbreaking season of Star Wars Rebels, young hero Ezra Bridger joins the clever but motley crew of the starship Ghost in their resistance against the Empire. As the series begins, Imperial forces have occupied a remote planet, ruling with an iron fist and ruining the lives of its people. Ezra and his new rebel friends — Hera, Kanan, Sabine, Zeb and Chopper — embark on daring adventures in their fight against oppression across the galaxy, receiving help from familiar heroes such as Lando Calrissian, Ahsoka Tano, and Jedi Master Yoda. Pursued relentlessly by the Imperials and a Jedi hunter called the Inquisitor, this tenacious ragtag band of rebels will find itself in the crosshairs of none other than Darth Vader when season one closes in a shocking two-part finale.

Bonus Features:

Blu-ray:

  • Rebels Infiltrates Star Wars Celebration (Exclusive to Blu-ray)
  • Season One shorts: “The Machine in the Ghost,” “Art Attack,” “Entanglement,” “Property of Ezra Bridger”
  • All DVD Bonus (see below)

DVD:

  • Rebels Recon: 14 behind-the-scenes featurettes
  • Star Wars Rebels – The Ultimate Guide
  • Star Wars Rebels Season 2 – A Look Ahead

Ridley Scott’s Next Film Is ‘Prometheus II’!

by Gabriel von Grünbaum

While talking with Empire Magazine about his tantalizing new movie The Martian, Ridley Scott said that he’s already begun scouting locations for his next movie, Prometheus II. The offhand comment sent me into fits of geeky glee.

First here, let’s attempt to get everyone on the same page. Number one; Aliens was James Cameron’s (Terminator, Terminator 2, Avatar, etc.) movie, as much as Alien³ was—I say this very lovingly—David Fincher’s (Seven, The Game, Fight Club, on and on. . .) and Alien: Resurrection was—again, with love—that wonderfully crazy French bastard, Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s (Amelie, City of Lost Children, Delicatessen) and Joss Whedon’s (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly, The Avengers, etc.) “love child.” I deeply enjoyed each of these films on their own; appreciating what each filmmaking team brought to the original story told by Ridley Scott’s Alien. I considered each to be its own perspective and take on the Alien universe and appreciated them as such. I’m still working on my own romance/buddy-cop/comedy version that ends in a space port with the fiance running from a hive of xenomorphs to stop her true love from leaving over a misunderstanding about seating arrangements for their wedding while her space-cop partner tries to deny his feelings for the alien queen. Working title: Alien Schmalien.

Prometheus_BehindTheScenes01_640x425

The point being, Prometheus was meant to be Ridley Scott‘s extension of the Alien lore specifically, rather than the visions of other filmmakers or what the studio had in mind. The problem some may have had with the film is where it deviated from those other visions.

The problems I had, that some others might share, may have had to do with the contributions of Damon Lindelof—this is just a theory. It’s based on the number of projects I’ve been so excited to see that have come up short in the execution of the final vision—stories I discover Damon Lindelof had a hand in creating. For example: Lost, World War Z, Tomorrowland, Cowboys vs Aliens, The Leftovers, etc. Has anyone done this math yet? I believe Lindelof has excellent taste and his interest in projects he wants to be a part of is fantastic. I also believe he’s got some great skills for building intrigue and investment in a story line but he can’t seem to master the fundamental skill of the satisfying wrap-up.

I truly believe Lindelof is an excellent storyteller; his characters, dialogue and scenarios are top notch—he just can’t seem to stick the landing. He’s almost an inverse of George Lucas in some ways, who has marvelous worlds and story arcs bleeding from his very essence but seems to have trouble with characters talking.

Prometheus_FassbenderRapace01_240x480
Fassbender & Rapace mugging for EW

So, for those who didn’t enjoy Prometheus at all, I think these are the two likely reasons: those who are not actually Ridley Scott fans (Blade Runner, Legend, Thelma & Louise, on and on. . .) but probably James Cameron fans and/or those who couldn’t see past the weaker parts of the story. Good news for those who are Scott fans? Lindelof is not (yet?) part of Prometheus II. But that doesn’t mean we fans are out of the woods just yet—the writers attached at the moment are Michael Green and Jack Paglen. Green (Green Lantern, Heroes) and Paglen (Transcendence) are another couple writers who, so far, are working with great material but not generating the results we’d hope for. I’m always excited to think that anyone can transcend expectations and emerge a hero!—uh, lantern. I only have their pasts to temper my hopes with for Prometheus II and I’ve got my fingers crossed that we’re all impressed—even those who aren’t Scott fans and would rather be watching Sex and the City (Green). On second thought, maybe not those ticket-buyers. (Some days I’m a Carrie—others, a Samantha.)

My recommendation to anyone looking to set the dial on their own expectations (good or bad) is to watch Alien and Prometheus—these are directly Ridley Scott’s visions of this universe. Any of the other films, entertaining as they may be, won’t properly let you know what you’re in for. If you’re just a fan of the marvelous Aliens, you’ll be better off hosting a Terminator 2/Avatar marathon—”Come with me if you want unobtainium!” If you’re a fan of the grossly underloved films Alien³ and/or Alien: Resurrection I think we should get together to form our own support group. Seriously.

Bottom line? I’m stoked! IMDB has Michael Fassbender and Noomi Rapace—two names I cut and pasted to make sure I didn’t misspell them—attached to reprise their roles as android David and archaeologist/scientist Elizabeth Shaw. The story will likely involve their voyage to the homeworld of the “engineers.” Again, full on stoke mode! And you can be sure that we will keep you up to date as any new details emerge.

‘Turbo Kid’ Is Finally Hitting US Theaters!

by Gabriel von Grünbaum

This trailer looks bad—awesome bad! Badass! Just the sort of cheat-day candy I wanna fill my eyeholes with!

These writer/directors clearly love three things:

The ’80s
B-Movie Apocalyptic Coming of Age Stories
Over the Top Awesome Badassery!

TurboKid_Poster01_700x1041

If, like me, you’re also a fan of such shenanigans, then the winter of our discontent may be about to blossom into a spring of BMX fueled laser explosions. Based on the trailer, Turbo Kid looks poised to hit that sweet spot where it’s self-aware enough not to be self-conscious—delivering on its promise without apologizing for it.

As far as I can tell, these filmmakers have yet to burst on the Hollywood scene but if this film is nearly as good as its trailer I’ll be happy to say I watched it happen for them when Turbo Kid hits theaters August 28th.

Watch Another Teaser For ‘The X-Files’ Return!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: It’s still hard for me to believe that The X-Files is coming back.

Following the news of the Lone Gunmen’s return, and the very first teaser from last week, Fox has debuted another tiny teaser trailer for The X-Files.

Just like last time around, it features small snippets of non contextual footage, though this time around, we hear David Duchovny’s Mulder ask Scully if she’s ‘ready for this’.

I’m freaking ready for January 2016, when The X-Files returns on Fox. How about you? Take a look at the trailer below, and let us know what you’d like to see in the comments below!

Ah, that theme song. Really brings you back, doesn’t it?

X-Files: The Lone Gunmen Rise Again!

by Gabriel von Grünbaum

They’re back from the dead! Or they were never dead! Or they were just at a really long Grateful Dead jam show—and now they’re back! Word through the grapevine is that The Lone Gunmen will appear in The X-Files revival that’s slated to start January 24th, 2016—apparently premiering after the NFC Championship Game—on FOX.

They’re joining creator Chris Carter’s roster of other verified returns; David Duchovny as Fox Mulder, Gillian Anderson as Dana Scully, Mitch Pileggi as Walter Skinner and William B. Davis as the Cigarette Smoking Man.

The original Lone Gunmen—Dean Haglund, Bruce Harwood, and Tom Braidwood—will be back to reprise their roles much to the unbridled glee of “X-Philes” everywhere. The characters are proving to be quite hard to kill, surviving the dangers on The X-Files, surviving the season one cancellation of their own self-titled spin-off and now returning after apparently having been killed! Details on their return are slim—is it flashback(s)?—was their demise staged?—but I have my theories that could tie-in with yesterday’s news of Lauren Ambrose (Six Feet Under, Dig ) and Robbie Amell (The Tomorrow People, The Flash) joining the cast as Agents “Einstein and Miller.” I put those character names in quotes because I have some thoughts—and because their character descriptions are pretty vague and interchangeable; “sharp and confident” and “smart and smooth”. These thoughts of mine hinge on this visual characteristics comparison:

X-Files_MulderScully-AmellAmbrose_Comparison01_800x400

I mean, come on! You’re seeing this too, right? They’re almost clones of Duchovny and Anderson! Now, here are my theories—

Theory One: These are not the same Lone Gunman! They’ve come here from a parallel dimension! And they somehow brought Young Parallel Scully (Ambrose) and Mulder (Amell) with them! Come on—you know you were thinkin’ this too.

Theory Two: The Lone Gunmen that died were copies made by aliens! The real Lone Gunman are back from space! And once again, they’ve somehow brought Young Space Scully and Mulder—who were being grown from samples of Dana’s and Fox’s DNAs!

Theory Three: The Lone Gunmen appear in flashbacks where they set up—through flashbacks within the flashbacks—the groundwork for the spin-off X-Files: The Quantico Years featuring the Young Impressionable and Ambitious Scully and Mulder. The angsty spitfire show would feature a lot of love triangles (often with aliens and monsters) and serve to reboot the entire series for the YA crowd with special guest turns from members of One Direction (who in a nod to the wordplay of “The Lone Gunmen” will be referred to as “One Directions”.

You know one of these is what’s really going on—admit it!—and it’s probably theory three. . . Unless!—The Lone Gunmen were thrown into the future! They’ve returned with Scully’s and Mulder’s eventual offspring in an effort to save the us all from Skynet! I could go on and on—the point being that something is absolutely going on and FOX is trying to hide it from us. It’s a conspiracy! Look at the evidence! Thank our lucky stars that The Lone Gunmen are back to get to the bottom of all of this. What do you think? The truth is out there!—in January.

‘Wayward Pines’ Is All That And An Extra Scoop Of Rum Raisin

by Gabriel von Grünbaum

These days it’s not at all uncommon to be a little gun-shy when a new show debuts. Will it deliver? Will the network stick with it as it builds an audience or pull the rug out from under the early adopters? Will it feature often overlooked ice cream flavors? Well, I’m here to tell you, you have nothing to fear with Wayward Pines.

I’m going to attempt two things here. One is to encourage you to watch the season finale with me next Thursday on FOX at 9/8pm. The other is to tell you about the show without telling you about the show—trust me, it’s better that way and you’ll thank me for it later. (If you want spoilers, I’m sure you’ll have no problem finding them around online—but I think a lot of the magic lives in not fully knowing what you’re signing up for.)

I’d like you to imagine a love-fest between The Twilight Zone, The X-Files, Lost, Twin Peaks, The Matrix and The Prisoner, where some of the best parts of their DNA are harvested and used to create what is easily the best sci-fi show on television right now—and it’s got Carla Gugino. Boom. Don’t believe me? Go ahead and look around and you’ll see that it’s getting solid scores from the critics (Rotten Tomatoes has it at 86% fresh, IMDB is at 8.2/10).

FOX tells it like this:

Based on a best-selling novel and brought to life by suspenseful storyteller M. Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense), WAYWARD PINES is an intense, mind-bending 10-episode thriller starring Academy Award nominee Matt Dillon (Crash) as a Secret Service agent on a mission to find two missing federal agents in the bucolic town of Wayward Pines, ID. Every step closer to the truth makes him question if he will ever get out of Wayward Pines alive.

It’s not often the case where a new show will deliver on its promises and then continue to get even better week after week, as is the case here. I feel confident the season finale won’t be letting us down—I anticipate it’ll leave us satisfied and hungry for more at the same time. I’ll spoil one thing and that is this; there are rules to living in Wayward Pines.

1. Enjoy your life in Wayward Pines
2. Be happy
3. Work hard
4. Always answer the phone if it rings
5. Do not discuss the past
6. Do not discuss your life before
7. Do not try to leave

Unlike some other mystery shows of late, Wayward Pines never leaves you hanging for long. The mysteries are solved just as new ones are introduced—it makes for a very satisfying and engaging experience.

So I encourage you to catch up—watching the first 9 episodes on FOX.com is one easy way—and then join us fans in watching the season finale so that the network gets the number of eyeballs it’s looking for and brings the show back for another season.  That is, unless you’d rather just watch a lawyer/doctor/cop/fireman/politician struggling with a love/family/work triangle instead—’cause I think the networks always have a few hundred of those waiting in the wings.

If you’d like a little more background on the show, check out Geekscape’s original piece from the Wayward Pines‘ debut by Dennis Finocchiaro. If you’re just looking for a little visual tease, here’s a replay of FOX’s trailer:

https://youtu.be/QmFPf7I0Jlc

Remember this; there are no crickets in Wayward Pines.