Summer 2009 Movie Season Kicks Off this Weekend with Wolverine and Battle for Terra
April 30, 2009 at 5:38 am | In John J. Joex, Previews | Leave a CommentTags: Science Fiction Movies, X-Men
By John J. Joex
We’re still just under two months away from when the calendar says that Summer starts (somewhere around June 20th), but as far as Hollywood is concerned, it starts on May 1st. The 2008-09 television season is just about over which will quickly turn the Prime Time hours into a wasteland (yeah, yeah, I know , they’re pretty much a wasteland already), and while there are quite a few Prime Time entries of interest coming up later this Summer (more on that in May), let’s take a look at another place that fans of Science Fiction and Fantasy can pass a few hours as the weather starts to get warmer.
Since the box office smashes of such movies as Jaws and Star Wars, Summer has become the blockbuster season. A time when movie studios throw big budget, big name driven “events” at us in hopes of filling seats in the theaters. This Summer has plenty of those along with plenty of familiarity as we get high dollar sequels galore. In our Summer 2009 Science Fiction and Fantasy Movie Preview (which spans from May 1st to mid-September), we currently have 28 entries and of those 12 are either sequels, prequels, re-makes, or spin-offs. What’s more, of the movies bowing during the first three months of the season, 9 out of 17 fall into those categories. Well, whoever said the Hollywood was high on originality.
This weekend kicks off with one super-high profile prequel and another entry that seems to be picking up some steam as its premiere draws closers. X-Men Origins: Wolverine slashes its way into the theaters this weekend as we get a fourth installment in the X-Men theatrical franchise which delves into the roots of the most popular character from that super team. The animated Battle for Terra also makes its bow, providing a space-opera that looks to appeal to young and old alike. Wolverine looks interesting to me, but I’m in no hurry to see it. I’ll probably catch it at some point over the next month, though. Battle for Terra is much higher on my list, though I may hold off a week until the local pandemic fear subsides (schools are closing here locally quite rapidly as more possible cases of the swine flu pop up). Anyway, Battle for Terra might make for a good double feature along with next week’s Star Trek (ain’t no virus keeping me out of the theaters for that one). Also, for those of you on dates this weekend, you have the chick-flick take on the Scrooge tale as an option: Ghosts of Girlfriends Past.
I expect Wolverine to do big business at the box office this weekend, and Girlfriends could do well as a date movie. Hopefully Battle for Terra will hold its own as well against these other two and the possible fear of the flu that could keep some people (especially those with kids) away from public places over the weekend. For more information on these three movies plus all of the upcoming Science Fiction and Fantasy offerings, check out our Summer 2009 Preview page. And check back with us on Tuesday as we report on how well these movies did at the box office.
See the trailer for X-Men Origins: Wolverine
See the trailer for Battle for Terra
See the trailer for Ghosts of Girlfriends Past
Check Out Our Summer 2009 Science Fiction and Fantasy Movie Preview
Sci Fi TV Briefs – Heroes and Chuck Go Out on a Good Note, but What is Supernatural Trying to Pull Over on Us?
April 29, 2009 at 12:35 pm | In John J. Joex, Sci Fi Briefs | 4 CommentsTags: Chuck, Heroes, Supernatural
Short reviews/comments on select episodes from this past week’s Science Fiction and Fantasy television offerings.
By John J. Joex
(THESE REVIEWS CONTAINS SPOILERS)
Chuck (“Chuck Versus the Ring”) – After Chuck has the Intersect removed from his brain, he decides it’s time to try and live a normal life which involves quitting the Buy More and finally trying to make something happen with Sarah. But lo and behold, the nefarious Ted Roark pops back up to lay claim to the new Intersect and, you saw it coming, by the end of the episode this new and upgraded computer is in Chuck’s head. This is one of those episodes where they try and tease you into believing that things are going to change for all the principal characters, but by the end we’re back to status quo with maybe a few modifications. At first it seems like a bit of a cheat, but then I will give Chuck a break. The show has always been just a fun romp that throws a lot of television clichés at us, but plays around with them at the same time. This all-star guest star episode (including Chevy Chase, Morgan Fairchild, Scott Bakula, and Bruce Boxleitner) provided a grand season (and hopefully not series) finale for Chuck, along with one the most hilarious sequences I’ve seen on Prime Time as Buy More nerds Jeff and Lester perform Mr. Roboto to an appalled crowd of wedding guests while a deadly shootout takes place in the reception area (and curse them because we are all going to have that song in our heads for the rest of the week). Of course the final sequence was pretty funny as well as they channeled the first Matrix movie and ended on Chuck’s line: “I know Kung Fu!”. Don’t try to think too much about the details of this episode (but let’s hope Chuck really will leave the Buy More), just sit back and enjoy. That’s what the show is all about.
Heroes (“An Invisible Thread”) – The final confrontation ensues as Sylar first gets Danko out of the way, then faces off with Nathan and Peter. Sylar kills Nathan (they promised somebody would die), but Peter manages to get Sylar’s powers. Sylar gets away and continues with his plan to become the President with his shape-shifting ability. Peter pulls a fast one with the same, newly-acquired ability, though, and tranquilizes Sylar. Angela then has Parkman mind-meld with Sylar to convince him to shape-shift and believe that he is Nathan Petrelli. Now, this new group will form a new, kinder, gentler Company to deal with other people with abilities. Hmm. Sounds like kind of a mess of an episode doesn’t it? And while watching it, I felt that way at times as well, especially the whole thing about Sylar becoming Nathan. But still, it managed to work for me. I can’t quite explain why, but it did. I decided to let the episode sit with me for a day before pontificating on it to see if it left a bad taste in my mouth like the Battlestar Galactica finale did, but as of today I’m still okay with how they wrapped up Volume 4. Sure, they left plenty of loose ends (now that the real Nathan is dead, I guess we will never get a resolution to the Harvey-Linderman asides). But even the idea of having Sylar become Nathan started to intrigue me the more I thought about it (and why do they make a habit of killing off Nathan after the end of each volume?). I believe they have laid some good groundwork for the next volume (titled “Redemption”), and even though Volume 4 was uneven at time, it managed to at least bring the series back from the edge of the abyss. Some fans may have cringed at the final minutes, though, teasing the upcoming volume as Tracy returns, now as some sort of water being. But I already knew this was coming from an interview with Brian Fuller, so it didn’t turn my stomach too bad.
Supernatural (“Jump the Shark”)- Sam and Dean are contacted by a nineteen year old boy because his mom has gone missing. Then he reveals to the surprised pair that he is their half-brother by their father. Sam decides to bring Adam into the fold and teach him the ways of the hunter so that he can help find the creature responsible for his mother’s death. But it turns out that Adam is really just a ghoul in the form of the person who was their half-brother trying to lure them into a trap. Sorry, but this episode really disappointed me. I really kind of liked the idea of bringing some new blood into the show (pun unintended, but accepted), and thought that Adam presented an interesting addition. But then to just kill him off (or actually reveal that he had already been killed off) just came as a huge disappointment. And all this after a pretty big media push about Sam and Dean finding a brother they didn’t know about. Turned out to be nothing but a smoke and mirrors trick, and I really expect more than that from this show.
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April 15th – Krod Mandoon Gets the Laughs and Benjamin Linus Gets his Comeuppance
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Book Review – Patient Zero: A Joe Ledger Novel
April 28, 2009 at 11:01 am | In Book Reviews, Sam Christopher | 6 CommentsTags: Zombies
By Sam Christopher
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
I’d never read anything by Jonathan Maberry until this novel. I’d heard of him, knew that he had won the Bram Stoker Award (an award given each year by the Horror Writers Association) a couple times. I didn’t know about all his non-fiction writing. Mr. Maberry is apparently an accomplished martial artist and has published several books on that subject. He is also a writing teacher and lecturer, and often speaks at writers conferences taking place at conventions like DragonCon and LunaCon. He has also decided to try his hand at comics writing, having published a story in Wolverine: Anniversary and having a Punisher story upcoming.
Patient Zero: A Joe Ledger Novel is the story of a Baltimore, Md. Police officer, former military, who is recruited by a (everyone say it with me now) “super secret government organization”, in this case named innocuously enough Department of Military Science, to help fight a terrorist organization that has apparently developed a virus that turns people into flesh-hungry zombies. That’s the plot in a nutshell but there is, of course, much more to it. There’s international intrigue, interpersonal relationships laced with love and trust and hatred and betrayal. There are good guys who really are bad guys and bad guys who turn out to be Evil Incarnate. And, of course, there are various shades of gray throughout the novel.
The Heroes:
Ledger’s team at DMS, codenamed Team Echo, is filled with characters which are real characters, all of them very distinct individuals who really stand out from the page and draw the reader into the story. They are drawn from various disciplines and government organizations, from the military to the CIA. Top Sims, Skip Tyler, Ollie Brown, and Harvey Rabbit (that is really his name) are all very different people who ostensibly share only one thing: a love of country. Mr. Church, the mind behind the DMS and someone whom everyone in DC fears apparently, is enigmatic and very hard to get any kind of read on but Maberry still gives him life and vibrancy. Grace Courtland is the other team leader we get to meet here and we watch her transition from a coldly military cipher into a real flesh and blood woman the reader cares about. There is intrigue within this organizational dynamic, as it is shown early on that there is a traitor lurking somewhere in its midst. It is also shown that most of these people have been recruited and put together in a very short amount of time, leaving the reader no way to truly judge who might or might not be on the up and up. The only people we can be pretty sure about throughout the novel are Joe Ledger and his friend, the police psychologist Rudy Sanchez, who is brought in by Ledger after his first “job interview” with Church.
One thing odd about the heroes is the names. Joe Ledger is the civilian name of the character Dr. Spectrum in Marvel’s Squadron Supreme super-team. Harvey Rabbit, of course, everyone knows. There is also here a Dr. Hu (pronounced Who), who is one of the scientists working for DMS and a comics/zombie movie geek. He asks Ledger if he knows about the comics use of his name and has a Marvel Zombies action figure set on his desk. He also sports what could be a fatal sense of humor given his chosen profession and the temperament of the men he works with. It will be interesting to see him in a non-zombie storyline that is surely coming in this series.
The Villains
If the “secret government organization run by the strange man with no discernable past and answerable to virtually no one” makes an unlikely refuge for the heroes of the novel, the villains at least fall under familiar categories. First we have Sebastian Gault, the pharmaceutical billionaire who applies seemingly endless layers of secrecy and machinations to the plot he believes he has concocted, and his Man Friday known to the reader only as Toys. These two represent the “evil corporation” side of the villainous duplex. The other side is represented by El Mujahid, a Muslim terrorist whose hatred of infidels Gault uses to accomplish Gault’s ends, and Amirah, El Mujahid’s wife who is having an affair with Gault and is a fabulously brilliant scientist in her own right. It is Amirah who runs the lab that makes and upgrades the virus. Evil Corporation and Islamic Jihad make uneasy allies, each wanting what it wants and not big on sharing.
I haven’t said much about the zombies themselves here because they do change through the book, as the disease is mutated and refined. They start out as mindless drones whose only purpose seems to be to gain sustenance by consuming the living. Dr. Hu will tell us later that they aren’t really dead in the strictest sense. The disease reactivates the brain of its host but only after oxygen deprivation and the virus has destroyed higher brain function. It then automatically shuts down any part of the body too damaged to function while keeping the brain going. Their only real purpose in violence and biting seems to be to spread the disease, which makes it seem very much like The Rage from 28 Days Later (which Hu also mentions in the novel, now that I think of it).
Terrorism is a frightening reality of the world we live in. Fanatics willing to both kill and die for whatever cause are something we have to think about and guard against. Bioterrorism is an even more frightening thing than simple bombings because its effects can be much farther reaching and devastating. This book takes a fantastic concept and couches it in the very real and concrete modern world we live in, making it true sf in the finest tradition of the word. It is, at it’s heart, a military/cop novel with an excellent narrative and a truly scary premise that could, in large measure, be coming true even as we speak.
Weekly Update: NBC Finales Tonight – Is this it for Chuck? Plus, Summer Premiere Dates for Eureka and Warehouse 13
April 27, 2009 at 5:23 am | In News and Updates, Paul S. White | 2 CommentsTags: Chuck, Eureka, Heroes, Warehouse 13
Finales for Chuck and Heroes Tonight: The first two thirds of NBC’s Monday night Science Fiction and Fantasy block will wrap up their current seasons tonight. The producers of Chuck promise that tonight’s finale will offer a series changing sequence of events, which is of course assuming that the series will return for another season. Fans are also using this opportunity to get a message to show sponsor Subway to save the series (for more information, check our Save My Show site). Heroes, which currently has a better chance of returning for another season, will offer the culmination of Volume 4: Fugitives tonight. In this one, Nathan Petrelli must face the situation he helped create which has turned people with abilities into fugitives. The two finales kick off at 8 PM EST on NBC.
Eureka, Warehouse 13 Premiere Dates: The long delayed second half of the third season of Eureka will finally air starting in July. Season 3 was originally truncated last Summer because of the writer’s strike, so the Sci Fi Channel decided to extend the original episode order beyond thirteen and air the second half of the season later. The first of ten episodes (cut back from the originally planned thirteen) for Season 3.5 will bow on July 10th as Eureka makes the move to Friday nights. Three nights prior to that, newcomer Warehouse 13 takes up Eureka’s old timeslot with its two hour premiere. That series will follow two government agents assigned to a warehouse that contains a large assortment of mysterious, supernatural artifacts. The Sci Fi Channel’s latest installment in the Stargate franchise, Stargate: Universe, was originally announced as a Summer series, but the website for the show is now indicating a Fall 2009 bow. Check back in May for our Summer 2009 Science Fiction and Fantasy Television preview.
Other Stories from Around the Web:
5 things Heroes must do to deliver a killer season finale
Which sci-fi TV pilots will live and which will die?
Sci-fi TV pilots, part two: The CW and Fox shows that will live or die
Last Week’s Updates:
April 22nd – Kings Gets the Boot, Again
Check out our Summer 2009 Science Fiction and Fantasy Movie Preview
Quick Hits – Detective Comics, Battle for the Cowl, The Avengers, and More
April 24, 2009 at 6:08 am | In Comic Book Reviews, Quick Hits, Sam Christopher | 2 CommentsTags: Batman, Comics
While sending wishes for a speedy recovery to the esteemed Dr. Stephen Hawking…
This week in comics revolves around one of the oldest characters from the Original Universe and one of the oldest teams from the Marvel Universe…
First off, Detective Comics #853 brings us the second half of “Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?” Let me start by saying it’s very hard to complain about Neil Gaiman’s (Sandman, Miracleman) story here, and Andy Kubert’s (Doc Savage, X-Men) art is perfect. Shoehorning all the Batman mythos into one story in order to put a coda on Bruce Wayne’s career is a Herculean task and they have accomplished it. BUT… the whole concept of Bruce Wayne not believing in an afterlife is frankly stupid. The guy works with The Spectre and Deadman, he’s seen Hal Jordan and Superman-among others-brought back from the dead; how can The World’s Greatest Detective not believe in that which he himself has seen and experienced? And the ending would have been much better for me if they hadn’t already used it for Barry Allen. This adds up to a very good two-issue set that won’t make me forget “Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?” And then there’s the question of why everything at DC is so late of late. The “Coming Next” blurb at the end of this book is Battle for the Cowl #1, and #2 of that title has been out for a couple weeks now. And don’t get me started on Final Crisis and lateness.
And speaking of BftC, we got two titles under its aegis this week. Battle for the Cowl: Arkham Asylum One-Shot centers on the place where all Bats’ villains go. I’ve never really been a fan of Arkham, and I always found it strange that all Batman villains are insane rather than just bad guys, but I’m trying to get all the BtfC titles (praying they end up better than Final Crisis) so… Jeremy Haun’s (Chuck, New Excalibur) art is perfect in tone for this story. But David Hine’s (2000AD, Spawn) tale, while it starts off well, just collapses in on itself by the end. I just can’t believe that a guy who looks at himself in mirrors all day is worse than, say, The Joker or Killer Croc. The early part of the story was fine, the Victor Zsasz part was actually chilling, and while it seems this is the kickoff to some madness-inspired supervillain team I just can’t see any of these people threatening anyone. Then there was the second ish of the BftC: Azrael: Death’s Dark Knight mini, in which Talia al Ghul tells Michael Lane of the curse accompanying the Suit of Sorrows (wouldn’t the name kinda tip you off there was something amiss?) and Oracle draws a bead on him. And if Oracle knows you just know she’s going to tell Nightwing. And if Nightwing finds whoever has stolen anything from the Batcave you just know there’s going to be a fight. Stand by til next month.
Then we have Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, Marvel-style. First up, Mighty Avengers #24: I loved the thought of the Scarlet Witch returning. Then we found out it was Loki in disguise and I was less thrilled. In this ish writer Dan Slott (She-Hulk, Looney Tunes) has the Mighty Avengers trotting all over the globe to deal with menaces both large-as in a giant fish named Titan who wants to conquer the world-and small-as in a queen bee who forms her minions into duplicates of the Avengers in order to conquer the world. In doing so, they infuriate Norman Osborne, who has been trying very hard to have his Dark Avengers recognized as the only true “Avengers”, while forcing Pietro to chase them all over the place before finally offering him membership. Not a terrible story but some things just rang false. And then there was New Avengers #52, in which Brian Michael Bendis (Daredevil, Alias) and a few hundred artists continue to chronicle the search for the next Sorcerer Supreme. Young Avenger Wiccan saves Dr. Strange from a demon trying to wrest the Eye of Agamotto, leading the good doctor to run to New Avengers headquarters-Bucky Barnes’ impossibly huge apartment-to hole up and rest. The team decides to aid in Strange’s quest, taking him to New Orleans in a stolen Quinjet-stolen from Norman Osborne who had stolen it from them-to meet a possible candidate, The Son of Satan.
Other comics:
Angel #20- I like Kelley Armstrong’s story, not thrilled with Dave Ross’s (Alpha Flight, Rai) art here. Angel pitches in with James the Angel to kill a few demons, then quits his mysterious new employers.
Buck Rogers #0- Scott Beatty (Gen 13, Batgirl: Year One) and Carlos Rafael (Red Sonja, Highlander) bring us the end of the story they haven’t begun telling us yet. Looks good from this story, and we can only hope Buck can get better treatment than the film and tv raping of another seminal character from American sf, Flash Gordon.
Hulk #11- It’s Offender vs. Defender in various places, each plucked from a Defender’s past. Everything plays out pretty evenly. Until the Red Hulk kills the Green Hulk anyway.
Incredible Hercules #128- I might can see Sentry making it, beyond that only Ares from the Dark Avengers could possibly live through this. And Osborne shooting Hera in the back? No way does that not get him a three hour ride on Charon’s tour-boat.
Ignition City #2- Mary Raven makes some of the locals nervous as she continues to dig into her father’s murder.
Justice League of America #32- Dwayne McDuffie (Impulse, Fantastic Four) tells an excellent story of the JLA in the aftermath of Black Canary’s breaking up the team. I love Dr. Light, I have since she was created for Crisis on Infinite Earths. Nice to see her finally being used properly. One thing, though. Rags Morales (Hawkman, Nightwing) is a great artist, and his art fits this story very well. But there is something wrong with his John Stewart. Just doesn’t look right-kinda looks like a teenager.
Supergirl #40- LUCY LANE!?! WhatEVER!
Thor #601- It’s official: Balder the Brave has indeed been ensorcelled. Only possible answer, other than he’s just playing along for some reason until he can pull the rug out at some point. Nice to see Hogun, Fandral, and Volstagg together again-if this were the ‘70s we might see a Marvel Premiere or Marvel Spotlight (why aren’t there any Marvel Essentials of these titles?) in which the Warriors Three show up on the set of some film defiling the image of the gods, like, say, Sci-Fi’s recent Thor: Hammer of the Gods. And I’m still wondering why Thor doesn’t use the Odinpower.
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April 18th – Captain America and Sub Mariner 70th Anniversary Specials and More
Cancellation Watch – No Surprise, Lost Gets Renewed; Is Reaper Really Gone?
April 23, 2009 at 4:39 pm | In Cancellation Watch, John J. Joex | 1 CommentTags: Cupid, Dollhouse, Heroes, Kings, Lost, Reaper
By John J. Joex
ABC has announced early pickups for next season, and to no one’s surprise Lost was on the list. Even though the series has slumped in the ratings in its fifth season, it was pretty much a sure thing going in that the show would continue into is sixth and planned final season. I only hope at this point that ABC executives do not tinker with the show in order to bolster the ratings. Networks are notorious for such hijinks and they could ruin Lost’s chances of going out on a high note. For now, though, let’s assume they will leave it alone.
The only other genre show on ABC still waiting for word on its fate is Cupid. We can pretty much assume this one won’t survive to another season, though. The series debuted with marginal, though not terrible, numbers. But its ratings went downhill from there and the network has already started shuffling it around the schedule to give more promotion to their latest cop show The Unusuals (with little success). The alphabet network never seemed to have much faith in Cupid anyway (why did they greenlight it in the first place), and they seem content to let it fade away.
The Hollywood Reporter chimed in with their opinion on several “bubble” shows this week and for the most part I agreed with their assessments, though I’m not certain why they dismissed Reaper as “gone”. They may have some insider information, but from what I am seeing from other sources, the show is still clinging to life, if tenuously. True, the show’s creators will leave after this season and Tyler Labine is working on a pilot for FOX, but this does not necessarily indicate that the show is sunk. We will have to continue to wait on this one and keep our fingers crossed.
TV Guide broke in today with an announcement that NBC would cut the episode order of Heroes for its fourth season to between 18 and 20 vs. the 25 it had this season. But then we’ve known this since Angela Bromstad promised the show would return over a month ago. Fans should note that this series still has not received an official pickup for next season and its numbers have really slumped over the past couple of months. Still, it should return for at least one more outing.
Kings seems like a goner now that it has been exiled to Summer. The producers are trying to get DirectTV to save, a la Friday Night Lights, but Kings was not around long enough to pick up much of a following, so its prospects seem grim.
Dollhouse’s chances seem to be slipping as well, though Joss Whedon still holds out hope that FOX will see its way to bringing the show back. We can only hope, because this show gets stronger with each episode, but I can’t say I’m too optimistic at this point.
The networks will issue more announcements over the next few weeks, so stay tuned. In the mean time, you can check the status of all your favorite shows at our Cancellation Watch page.
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Television Review – Knights of Bloodsteel
April 23, 2009 at 10:22 am | In John J. Joex, Television Reviews | Leave a CommentBy John J. Joex
Rating: 2 ½ out of 5 Stars
I have always been a huge fan of Fantasy/Sword and Sorcery tales, so when one of the rare examples of the genre makes it to television or the cinema, I usually try and check it out. The Sci Fi Channel’s Knights of Bloodsteel is a two-part mini-series that debuted this past Sunday and Monday which should appeal to fans of the genre.
The story focuses on a world that has come to rely on an enchanted metal know as Bloodsteel. The supply of this metal is running low, so all the nations are battling to possess the last few scraps. However, there is a rumor of an enchanted device called the Crucible which is the key to an unlimited source of Bloodsteel. The evil Dragon Eye (a half human, half dragon sort of thing) wants to possess the Crucible so that he can use it to rule the world (of course). The united Human, Elvin, and Goblin nations task four anointed knights to find the Crucible before Dragon Eye does (and of course there is a prophecy that they are the chosen ones).
So basically, we get a hodge-podge of Sword and Sorcery clichés wrapped up with commentary on current events. But if this was meant as a parable for modern times, it offers very little in the way of enlightenment. Of course the actors feel like they are making a grand statements as they deliver their lines with a great amount of self-importance and dramatic emphasis as if they were bringing us Shakespeare. However, this is definitely not the work of the Bard, and dialogue they have to work with is often hackneyed or just plain clumsy.
Knights of Bloodsteel succeeds a bit more as a Sword and Sorcery tale, giving us a pretty straightforward entry in the genre. It definitely has its share of clichés, at times seeming like Lord of the Rings-light for television. However, it does not pile on the platitudes like The Legend of the Seeker does, but neither is it as much fun as that show.
The character development is minimal at best, but then you expect that in productions like this. At least the actors succeed in keeping their characters from disappearing into the scenery. Dru Viergever stands out with his performance as the Goblin Ber-Lak, and I found this race of creatures quite interesting, kind of like the Klingons from Star Trek. Genre veteran Christopher Lloyd also gives a bang-up performance as the Elvin wizard Tesselink. His performance was fairly straightforward, though, as we saw little of his trademark quirkiness and no attempt to step out and have fun with the role like he did with Commandeer Kruge in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock.
Production-wise you could tell it was done on a limited budget, but they did the most with what they had and it came off much better than many of the cheepies that the Sci Fi Channel throws at us. And as with almost any mini-series made these days, the two moguls of that genre, Robert Halmi Sr. and Robert Halmi Jr., were involved. However, Knights of Bloodsteel did manage to break away from their typical pattern of all style and no substance. Not too much, though, but at least it was better than 2007’s dreadful Tin Man.
All in all a decent enough Sword and Sorcery yarn as long as you don’t try to take it too seriously (like some of the actors did), and if you are prepared to yawn more than once over its rather tedious four hour run time. They definitely left it open at the end for a sequel or continuation as a series, but since they killed off two of the best characters, my interest in seeing more is minimal.
Cleaning off the DVR – Vol. 1
April 22, 2009 at 11:30 am | In Movie Reviews, Sam Christopher | Leave a CommentBy Sam Christopher
I record a lot of films and stuff, and then sometimes take forever to get to watching them. For awhile Turner Classic was running all manner of sf from various eras and I recorded the ones I found interesting and had never seen before, and then there’s the odd Sci-Fi Channel film that sounds interesting (although they so rarely are). Here is a sampling of a few things I’ve watched lately:
(All Ratings Based on a 5 Star System)
Wizard of Baghdad – Rating: 1/2 Star
This was a rather interesting unauthorized biopic of Saddam Hussein in which a womanizing, hard-drinking, singing sorry-excuse-for-a-genie saves the future ruler’s parents. Okay, okay, this really has nothing to do with Hussein, or any other real person. It is just a moderately racy—in spots—light fantasy, with a little singing and even less humor to help it along. The only truly interesting thing in the film for me was the treatment of a book of unbreakable prophecy: What’s the point of doing anything if it’s already destined to happen and nothing can change it? (Conversely, as we saw in the third season of Angel, if prophecy can be faked why should we believe any of it?) All in all: Meh.
The Unholy Three – Rating: 3 Stars (because of Chaney’s presence)
This is the 1930 version, starring Lon Chaney Sr.—The Man of A Thousand Faces—in his only talkie (he died a few months after making this picture of throat cancer). The 1925 silent version also starred Chaney but probably benefited from the superior direction of Tod Browning. Chaney plays a circus ventriloquist who, along with a strongman and a midget who masquerades as a baby, escapes the carny circuit to live a life of crime. The three take with them a beautiful pickpocket named Rosie who falls in love with a lunk Chaney frames for a robbery/murder committed by the strongman and the very violent midget. But then an ape kills the two perpetrators and Chaney confesses his part in the crimes. Confused? Try watching it. Chaney is excellent as always, most notably when dressed as Grandma O’Grady, the owner of the pet store used as a front by the three.
The Man Who Fell to Earth – Rating: 1 Star
I have read very little other than absolutely glowing reviews on this film, many of which say that it’s the best thing David Bowie ever did acting-wise. I can’t argue with that since I never thought he was much of an actor anyway. The story is about an alien who comes to Earth looking for water and finds sex and nudity and mistrust. At least the nudity was all right (it was the only thing that got this its one star rating). Rip Torn was pretty good as a college professor whose main goal seemed to be having sex with as many co-eds as possible—everybody needs a hobby—and Bowie himself spent most of his time on-screen reminding me of Michael Stipe (and, man, has that guy not aged well—whew!). Bowie creates a company and by the end of the picture he looks like the typical middle-aged businessman of ‘70s dramas—sitting in a bar drinking his life away, lamenting lost dreams.
Thor: Hammer of the Gods – Rating: If it had good nudity it could have gotten one star.
It’s so easy to down this picture: It’s made for SciFi (pronounced “skiffy”, in the Harlan Ellison tradition), the acting is nonexistent, the mythology is spotty at best and generally just weird and wrong… and weirdly wrong, and Mjolnir, the most powerful weapon ever created, looks like it’s made of cardboard. All that’s without my mentioning this is apparently the first Viking ship in history to sail with its own hairdresser on board. I hate to blame people for things like this. I mean, we don’t really know how close the product on the screen is to what the writer wrote, and we don’t know what kind of pressure the director was under to do certain things or make certain so-and-so gets a lot of screen-time. On the other hand, if Fenris were to eat everyone involved with this…
Webs – Rating: 2 Stars
Another made for SciFi flick but not as God-awful as the above. Richard Greico and friends on the crew of a building demolition team in Chicago find a trans-dimensional travel device in the basement of a building and are transported to an alternate Earth evidently taken over by Lolth, the Spider Goddess. If you’ve played Dungeons and Dragons you’ll get this right off. In D&D there are dark Elves who worship Lolth and at a certain age have to go on a quest for Her. If they fail they are made into half-spider things that exist only to do Her bidding. The humans on this alternate Earth are affected in much this same way when bitten by either the Spider Queen herself or any of her infected minions. They are also looking for a way to expand her power to other dimensions. The film is a little long, probably would have been better as an Outer Limits ep, or maybe even a Stargate ep, and the ending tries too hard to be Evil Dead II: Dead by Dawn, but it is watchable. It may be the best thing SciFi’s ever done. Which isn’t saying much.
Update – Kings Gets the Boot, Again
April 22, 2009 at 5:54 am | In News and Updates, Paul S. White | 7 CommentsTags: Kings
NBC has decided to shuffle its low rated series Kings once again. The show premiered in March on Sunday nights to very low ratings. This prompted the peacock network to move it to Saturday nights to allow the show to finish out its run (it’s a foregone conclusion that it will not get picked up for a second season). After one abysmal outing on Saturday, pulling a 0.6 rating in the 18-49 demographic and 2.4 million viewers, NBC has yanked Kings from its schedule until Summer. The show will return to the Saturday 8 PM EST timeslot on June 13 and will air out its remaining episodes until July 25th. Producers of the show have asked fans to send Twitters to @DirectTV in hopes that the satellite provider might save the show, similar to what they did with Friday Night Lights. However, since Kings has only managed to air five episodes, it has not been able to build up the same positive buzz that show had. At this point, it seems certain that Kings will fade after its Summer run.
Previous Update:
Dr. Horrible Sequel; Cartoon Network’s King Arthur; and Will Smith will Partner with Sci Fi
Before Battlestar Galactica, there was Caprica. Now Available on DVD:
Check out our Summer 2009 Science Fiction and Fantasy Movie Preview
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- DVD Review: Star Trek November 17, 2009
- Comic Book Review: Star Trek: Countdown November 17, 2009
- Weekly Box Office Results: The Apocalypse Rules! 2012 Explodes at the Theaters November 17, 2009
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