J.J. Abrams is one of the biggest name in sci-fi and all media (movies, TV, and even comics) at the moment, and frankly he deserves quit a bit of the praise. Lost was his first work that caught my attention. It’s brilliant use of science fiction concepts but with real life consequences and down to earth, epic, cinematic filmmaking quickly made it a work of television genius. Lost set a new high for TV shows, the scope of the show was enormous, with epic effects and more epic storytelling; which series like Heroes quickly followed. Fringe takes what Lost started and brings it to the next level. Abrams’ latest foray into TV is much more liberal with it’s use of sci-fi, but the trademark Abrams storytelling and filmmaking elements are still there in spades, making Fringe another milestone in television history alongside Lost and Heroes. MORE »
It has arrived, the penultimate episode of my favorite series of the year, The Middleman has graced our HDTV’s and old fashioned boob tubes, and boy does it go out with a bang. Back at Comic-Con Middleman-mastermind Javier Grillo-Marxuach let slip the title and plot of the finale, and when I heard that it was called The Palindrome Reversal Palindrome, and it took place in a mirror universe a la Star Trek (goatees and all) my love for sci-fi comedy gem was sealed instantly. What a brilliant premise, and a great way to play with some of the most classic sci-fi cliches, which is one of the things Middleman does best. In the Middle-verse Fatboy rules with an iron fist, the Middleman is a Snake Plissken rip-off, Nozer totes a shotgun, and Tyler is the deceseased former Middleboy. This easily could be my favorite episode of the series, perfect to get newcomers into the the show, and a shinging example of great television. If The Middleman doesn’t come back, I will loose faith in media all together. Yeah, it’s that good. MORE »
As we approach the end of the first, and most hopefully not last, season of the glorious gem known as The Middleman Javi and the gang continue to show us how unbelievably talented they are. As I said last time, the latter half of The MIddleman’s first season has been significantly deeper and more character-focused. That trend continues as we get to “The Clotharian Contamination Protocol”, the second to last episode of the season. And this week builds up to what looks to be one hell of a finale, introducing us to our main villain, Manservant Neville, as played by Mark Sheppard! Now Sheppard is no stranger to us Battlestar Galactica fans, where he played the suave and infinitely clever lawyer Romo Lampkin earlier this season. He also had a brief stint on Whedon’s Firefly as the conniving criminal ‘Badger’. With his wit and awesome accent he melds perfectly into the Middle-verse. And next week’s season finale is shaping up to the most brilliant episode of the series so far. MORE »
Thanks Sci-Fi, thank you for killing the franchise that got me into sci-fi to begin with. Stargate SG-1 was such a unique and delightful experience that it opened the door for me to classics like old school Doctor Who and more modern classics like Firefly and Farscape. The show was funny, action packed, and stuffed to the brim with sci-fi goodness. Even when it started to slump in season 8, it rebounded with a vengance. Bringing Ben Browder, Beau Bridges, and Claudia Black into the mix was a stroke of genius, it gave the show a much needed new dynamic which worked brilliantly with the remaining members of the SG-1 crew. Stargate Atlantis started off great, got a little old, and kicked up again last season. This year, season five, has had its ups and downs, but overall it’s been quite good. “Daedalus Variations” was a stroke of genius, “The Seed” was a bit stale, and “Ghost in the Machine” was surprisingly good. So what does Sci-Fi Channel do? They cancel the last fringe of the franchise that made them what they are today. And why? That remains to be seen, but it would seem they like to pimp their wrestling matches instead of their original sci-fi programming! Sci-Fi has been going down hill for years, and to me this is one devestating blow. MORE »
Tropic Thunder’s trailers made it out to be a new high in the genre of Hollywood comedies. That’s quite a high standard to appease, but luckily Tropic Thunder comes out smelling like restroom soap. It’s an action comedy war movie directed/written/starring Ben Stiller, and starring Robert Downey Jr., Jack Black, Danny McBride, Jay Baruchel, and Brandon T. Jackson; with guest appearances by Steve Coogan, Nick Nolte, Matthew McConaughey, Bill Hader, AND Tom Cruise. How could you possibly go wrong? Simply put, Tropic Thunder is a comedy masterpiece, filled to the brim with genius parodies and cameos, and enough action to make John McClaine choke. The action is beautifully executed, and the comedy doubly so. This is a real gem of a comedy, and easily the funniest movie of the summer, and more than likely the whole year. MORE »
I had the pleasure of meeting Javi (the creator of Middleman) on the Comic-Con show floor. He gave and fellow Nerdgasmic blogger Sam Siskind some tidbits on upcoming episodes, and just from those quick one line synopsis I was amazed at how the show was evolving. This week brings us “The Ectoplasmic Panhellenic Investigation” where Wendy must infiltrate a haunted sorority and the Middleman is possessed by a sorority sister mad scientist. Javi and crew continue to impress me, every week brings another brilliant mix of sci-fi and comic book action/adventure on a shoestring budget. Matt Keeslar and Natalie Morales are brilliant as always, and Natalie really got to flush out Wendy’s character (like Matt got to do in last week’s Titanic tuba episode). But some of the real charm this week comes from Brendan Hines as Tyler (back from the Luciador episode) and Louis the ghost interpreter. They help give the episode an added level of charm and cleverness. MORE »
Runaways is one of the most surprisingly fun and clever books I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. I first heard of Runaways after Brian K Vaughn did an arc of Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 (titled “No Future For You”, and currently available in trade paperback). The story synopsis alone was enough to catch my interest, but the fact that Buffy creator Joss Whedon had worked on an arc of Runaways made it a must read for me. I got a chance to check out the first trade hardback today, just before Comic-Con. Brian K Vaughn’s brilliant writing, combined with some of my all time favorite comic artwork by Adrian Alphona make Runaways an incredible must read. It combines the quick wit of Whedon’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer with another of my loves, the world of Marvel superheroes and supervillains.
I watched every trailer, every clip, and every interview available for The Dark Knight, I even delved into the viral campaign for a bit (had tickets to the free IMAX pre-screening, but I had my wisdom teeth out, great luck eh?), and I’m proud to say this movie still knocked me on my ass with surprise. At the midnight show for The Dark Knight the feeling in the air was unbelievable, the sheer excitement could power a small country for a week. When the Warner Bros. logo flew out of that fog the crowd exploded, and was dead silent for the next of the 2 and a half hours. This film will leave you speechless and in awe, and that’s what a great film is supposed to do, show you something you’ve never seen before. “It’s not about making money, it’s about sending a message.” - Joker MORE »
I don’t want to spoil the surprise of the Dr. Horrible Sing-Along-Blog finale, but believe me it’s perfect. It’s a serious bash to the mind (in the words of Captain Hammer), a bit depressing, and quite dark, but it couldn’t have ended any other way. In typical Joss Whedon fashion Dr. Horrible ends with one hell of a bang. The first act was light hearted and upbeat, the second was slightly darker but still had a glimmer of hope, the third and final act is down right morbid, but with that Joss Whedon touch of charm. Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along-Blog is a rare gem of brilliance in a sea of mediocrity; not just in the internet but in media in general. MORE »
Act II of Joss Whedon’s web series Dr. Horrible went live at midnight last night, and I was up eagerly awaiting it’s arrival. I was a huge fan of the first part of this three part musical about a supervillian in love, and I was more excited to see where Whedon would take it. Act II brings us a slightly darker, more rock opera, professional addition to the first act. Whedon gets to really flush out the characters, pumping me up even more for the finale on Saturday. MORE »