First Look at Stargate Universe, And It Looks Fantastic

by Josh Roth @ 7:47 pm July 25th, 2009

Comic-Con 2009 is already in full swing, and as you may have guessed we couldn’t make it out there to cover it. Lucky for us SyFy has released the Stargate Universe footage they showed off at Comic-Con the other day. We’ve seen teasers before but nothing this detailed about the plot. Personally, this is the return to Stargate that I’ve been waiting for since Atlantis went off the air. Check out the trailer after the jump.

BBC America HD Launches for Nobody

by Josh Roth @ 6:02 pm July 22nd, 2009

A few weeks ago it was announced that BBC America would finally start broadcasting in HD starting on July 20th, the problem is the deadline came and went without any sign of the channel launching. Well, BBC America released a statement saying their channel is indeed in HD now…but that no cable providers are carrying it. Effectively, they are broadcasting to no one.

Support The Middleman!!! Pre-order the DVD!

by Josh Roth @ 2:30 pm March 26th, 2009

ABC Family may have tragically cut down ‘The Middleman’ before it’s time, but you can help support everyone’s favorite milk drinking superhero by pre-ordering the DVD!! The Complete Series will be released on DVD to coincide with Comic-Con 2009. Middleman creator Javi has said before that the DVD will feature episode commentary, as well as other making of content I’m sure. Shout Factory will be producing the DVD, the same guys who do the Mystery Science Theater 3000 DVD’s, and they produce quality stuff. So head on over to Amazon and pre-order your copy. Right now. Go do it.

SCI FI to Become SyFy?!

by Josh Roth @ 9:27 am March 16th, 2009

What the frak are you doing to yourselves, SCI FI Channel? First you start airing wrestling, then you cancel your flagship show (Stargate SG-1), then the wildly popular spin-off to your flagship show (Stargate Atlantis), and now this?! In an announcement that’s shocked and awed the sci-fi crowd, NBC Universal’s SCI FI Channel has announced it will be changing its name to SyFy to appeal to a wider audience. This is just the latest in a long line of bad ideas from SCI FI in an aim to make itself less of a geek network.

A Sad Day for VFX, The Orphanage Shuts Down

by Josh Roth @ 11:12 am February 5th, 2009

The Orphanage may not be the best known visual effects company, people usually think of Lucas’ ILM when they think of the men behind the magic, but The Orphanage is, or was, in my humble opinion the best visual effects company out there right now. They’re best known for their work on the monster in The Host, but they most recently worked on Iron Man (they did that fantastic HUD within the suit). Their work is simply unrivaled in its expertise. They are able to create environments and creatures that look absolutely real, and yet have a hand crafted sensibility that is very reminiscent of the old Ray Harryhausen days. Hopefully some former Orphans will find their way to a new home and continue their phenomenal work. Good luck fellows, you’ve done good.

Credit goes to /Film for breaking the story.

Matt Smith Announced as the Eleventh Doctor, And Why It’s NOT the End of Doctor Who

by Josh Roth @ 6:44 pm January 4th, 2009

I won’t lie and say I wasn’t a little disappointed by the BBC’s announcement that actor Matt Smith would be the Eleventh Doctor. A 26 year old white man isn’t exactly all that surprising or exciting, I suppose I was expecting something a bit different, or an actor I was familiar with, or both. I was hoping for Paterson Joseph or James Nesbitt, instead I got what I thought was a Twilight reject…but after watching interviews with Steven Moffat, and Matt Smith himself I’ve become more optimistic about this Eleventh Doctor, if only a little.

ABC Kills Pushing Daisies, Further Proves Ignorance of Network TV

by Josh Roth @ 1:34 pm December 28th, 2008

Let’s be honest with ourselves, it was nothing short of a miracle that Pushing Daisies was renewed for a second season in the first place. But that doesn’t mean it was any less devastating to find out that it wasn’t being picked up for a whole season this year. It’s a perfect example of a show that is too good for network television. It’s heartwarming, charming, clever, and tragic all in the span of one hour-long episode. I have been watching the show religiously since I caught the pilot early two summers ago. I shouldn’t be surprised that in a world where Dollhouse is given a Friday ‘death slot’, and shows like TMZ are renewed for another two seasons, that gems like Pushing Daisies get shafted, but I think the fact that this show survived for two seasons make its death that much more tragic.

Why David Tennant is the Greatest Doctor Ever, and One Hell of an Act to Follow

by Josh Roth @ 1:08 am December 15th, 2008

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Sorry I haven’t posted so long, but it took some grim news on the sci-fi front to shake me out of my blogging coma. A few weeks ago the BBC officially announced that David Tennant was leaving Doctor Who after the pitifully short 4 episode “season” in 2009. I’ve been mulling over how I feel about this news over the past few weeks, I tried to be optimistic and say that Tennant’s reign had to come to an end eventually, but I’ve concluded that this is grim news indeed. David Tennant encompasses everything wonderful about all previous incarnations of the Doctor. He is and will always be my Doctor. His performance inspired and wowed me time and time again, I started wearing canvas and navy converse because of him (geeky I know). Tennant’s Tenth Doctor is curious and enthusiastic in ways we haven’t seen in the Doctor before. I’m not saying it will be impossible to best Tennant’s Doctor, but whoever takes the reigns best be prepared.

Sci-Fi Kills Stargate Atlantis!!! And Why I Am Pissed Off!

by Josh Roth @ 8:36 pm August 21st, 2008

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.

First Panel – Masters Of The Web

by Samuel Siskind @ 10:53 am July 24th, 2008

9 AM – The floor was tremendously crowded on preview night last night, and the attendance this year is sure to start questions about the venue’s size, but we are on line at 9 AM to pay our respect to our fellow bloggers for the Masters of the Web panel.

9:10 AM – the Fire Marshal has changed his policy and we are now allowed to be seated while in line.

10 AM – 11 AM – Mark Nevaldine and Brian Taylor moderated the panel and were big fans of the movie trailer guy voice. The panel was pretty mediocre, with some general advice on blogging. Footage of the Game was premiered and it looked like a 90s Cronenberg future thriller with plenty of nudity and testosterone.