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Even Neil Patrick Harris Can’t Save SNL
by Josh Roth @ 5:00 pm January 12th, 2009
Neil Patrick Harris is an absolute show stealer, he radiates pure talent, and yet Saturday Night Live was able to make even him seem unfunny. Out of the entire episode three of the sketches (including the digital short), and the monologue were the only good parts. The problem with the episode wasn’t NPH, it was the show, they just didn’t give him good enough material to work with. In fact most of the sketches he was in didn’t focus on him at all. -
Another Stargate Comes to a Close
by Josh Roth @ 5:08 pm January 10th, 2009
Last night saw the end of one of my all time favorite sci-fi franchises, Stargate, at least until this summer. Stargate SG-1 was the first show I ever became a fan of, and it sparked my interest in science fiction. SG-1 lasted a great 10 years, and never really lost its creative spark. A few weeks ago I went a bit nuts when Sci-Fi Channel canned Stargate: Atlantis, and now the adventure’s finally over. The finale wasn’t particularly thrilling or spectacular, there have been far more exciting episodes, and in the end it feels a bit rushed. But there were some great space battles, and some especially impressive special effects. What “Enemy at the Gate” did do well was wrap up the series, making way for the upcoming TV movie, and the next chapter in the Stargate saga. -
Doctor Who Goes to the Prom, Featuring a New Scene with The Doctor
by Josh Roth @ 6:16 pm January 6th, 2009
Get the Flash Player to see the wordTube Media Player.Not the Prom you’re thinking of, with limos, drunk teenagers, and party buses. The Proms are a series of summer concerts at Royal Albert Hall in in London, held and recorded by the BBC. Last July the BBC held a Doctor Who Prom, featuring music from the series composed by Murray Gold. And there’s an exclusive Doctor Who scene featuring David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor! The Doctor Who Prom is a fantastic celebration of the wonderful music and creature design of Doctor Who.
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The Most Underrated TV Shows of 2008
by Josh Roth @ 11:59 am December 30th, 2008
Since we’re nearing the end of 2008, I wanted to take this opportunity to present four shows that you may or may not already be a fan of, but which have, by and large, been overlooked by the public. Some are network shows, some are on cable, and some of them aren’t meant for everyone. Who knows, maybe you’ll find something wonderful to fill that extra space on your DVR with.
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The Most Underrated Films of 2008
by Josh Roth @ 12:02 am December 29th, 2008
2008 was a humongous year for movies. We had big superhero films like The Dark Knight and Iron Man, blockbuster comedies like Tropic Thunder and Pineapple Express, animated films like Wall-E and Kung Fu Panda…and the list goes on. But those weren’t the only good films to come out this year, there were some terrific overlooked gems that I wanted to touch upon right now. Hopefully you’ll find something here you may enjoy that you missed over the past year. Most of these films are available now on DVD.
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A Very Steampunk Doctor Who Christmas
by Josh Roth @ 1:35 pm December 27th, 2008
What could possibly be more fun than one Doctor fighting steampunk Cybermen on Christmas? How about two Doctors fighting steampunk Cybermen on Christmas!! David Morrissey guest stars as the next Doctor who has lost his memories of his past incarnations, complete with his own companion, sonic screwdriver, and TARDIS. David Tennant is wonderful as always, and Morrissey holds his own. All in all it was a thoroughly enjoyable Christmas adventure. Beware of spoilers ahead. -
Buffy: The Animated Series Gives Us a Break from Our Usually Scheduled Season Eight
by Josh Roth @ 8:43 pm December 18th, 2008
A few months ago the spec pilot for Buffy: The Animated Series leaked onto the web, stirring interest in the dead project. Jeph Loeb, famed TV and Comic producer/writer, worked with Joss to bring Buffy back to our screens starting in 2001 and continuing through 2005. Most the cast were ready to reprise their roles (expect Sarah Michelle Gellar who was too busy making Japanese horror remakes and Scooby Doo), and many of the original series writers were on board. But surprisingly no network wanted to ‘risk’ picking up the series…well their loss and our eventual gain. This week’s Buffy comic is a small preview of what the series would have been like, and it is simply wonderful. Loeb is able to capture the charming nature of the first few seasons and spice it up with bits and pieces of Season Eight goodness. Nothing in this week’s comic really propels the overall season arc along…but that’s OK, because what it does offer is a delightful look into the realm of what could have (and what maybe someday will possibly) been. -
Drew Goddard returns to Buffy with Season Eight’s best arc yet, Wolves at the Gate
by Josh Roth @ 3:26 pm December 14th, 2008
As an enormous fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and in fact all things Whedon, I was ecstatic to discover that it had returned in comic book form. I’ve been following each arc as it hits store shelves, I buy both the individual issues and the paperback trades, anything to support Buffy. So far I’ve quite enjoyed the comic books, Season 8 does exactly what every Buffy fan should want, it brings the show to new heights, doing things the show couldn’t possibly do on a television budget. Drew Goddard takes full advantage of the comic book medium, with shape shifting vamps, sending the slayers to Japan in an effort to retrieve the Scythe, and a few other surprises. Goddard is a fantastically talented writer, and is well versed in writing for the Whedonverse. He got his start in TV writing with Buffy‘s last season, and went on to work on Angel, Alias, and Lost. More recently he wrote the J.J. Abrams feature film Cloverfield, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Full of both dramatic and hilarious moments Wolves at the Gate takes Season Eight to new and wonderful heights, setting a high standards for the other writers. Beware of spoilers ahead. -
J.J. Abram’s Latest brings Feature Level Effects, Filmmaking, and Sci-Fi to the Small Screen
by Josh Roth @ 9:13 pm September 14th, 2008
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. -
Middleman Finale Does ‘Mirror, Mirror’ Better than Star Trek
by Josh Roth @ 10:21 pm September 2nd, 2008
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.
