Fangirling!

This Week's Comics

2009-07-29T21:15:00.000-07:00

Madame Xanadu #13, Unknown Soldier #10, Blackest Night: Tales of the Corps #3, Detective Comics #855, Final Crisis Aftermath: Ink #3, Justice League of America #35, Justice Society of America #29, The Last Days of Animal Man #3, Superman #690, Wednesday Comics #4, Wonder Woman #34, Dark Reign: Young Avengers #3, Dark X-Men #2, New Avengers #55, Wolverine Noir #4, X-Men Forever #4.

This Week's Comics

2009-07-22T20:50:00.001-07:00

Red Sonja #46, Doctor Who: Room with a Deja View #1, Hellblazer #257, Jack of Fables #36, Killapalooza #3, Blackest Night: Tales of the Corps #2, Final Crisis Aftermath: Dance #3, Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds #5, Gotham City Sirens #2, Green Lantern #44, Power Girl #3, Supergirl #43, Wednesday Comics #3, Captain Britain and MI13 #15, Dark Wolverine #76, Runaways #12, Wolverine: Origins #38, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz #8, X-Force #17.

This Week's Comics

2009-07-15T17:05:00.000-07:00

Doctor Who #1, Fallen Angel: Reborn #1, The Walking Dead #63, Air #11, Fables #86, Action Comics #879, Batman: Streets of Gotham #2, Blackest Night #1, Blackest Night: Tales of the Corps #1, Final Crisis Aftermath: Escape #3, JSA vs. Kobra: Engines of Faith #2, Wednesday Comics #2, All Select Comics #1, Captain America #601, Dark Avengers #7, Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers #3, The Mighty Avengers #27, New Mutants #3, X-Factor #46.

This Week's Comics

2009-07-08T17:50:00.001-07:00

BPRD: 1947 #1, House of Mystery #15, The Unwritten #3, North 40 #1, Batman #688, Green Arrow/Black Canary #22, Green Lantern #43, Red Robin #2, Superman: World of New Krypton #5, Warlord #4, Wednesday Comics #1, Dark X-Men #1, Uncanny X-Men: First Class #1, War of Kings: Warriors #1, X-Men Forever #3, X-Men: Legacy #226.

This Week's Comics

2009-07-01T19:10:00.000-07:00

Buffy the Vampire Slayer #26, Angel #23, Doctor Who Classics: Series 2 #8, Witchblade #128, Bang! Tango #6, Greek Street #1, Astro City: The Dark Age, Book Three #3, The Authority #12, Batman and Robin #2, Final Crisis Aftermath: Run! #3, Green Lantern Corps #28, Justice League: Cry for Justice #1, Secret Six #11, Solomon Grundy #5, Cable #16, Captain America: Reborn #1, Exiles #4, Invincible Iron Man #15, Uncanny X-Men #513, USA Comics #1, War of Kings #5.

Review: X-Men Origins: Wolverine

2009-05-03T16:35:00.000-07:00

X-Men Origins: Wolverine - While not without its flaws, this film is an entertaining action-oriented prequel to the X-Men films, featuring the most popular X-Man, Wolverine.

Beginning in 1845 and ending in 1979, the film explores the backstory of mutant superhero Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) and his relationship with his older half-brother Victor aka the future supervillain Sabretooth (Liev Schreiber), and their involvement in the Team X black ops squad created by Colonel William Stryker (Danny Huston).

Director Gavin Hood (Tsotsi, Rendition) gets as much as he can out of the script with several well-conceived big action set pieces and capable performances from the main cast. There were reportedly major disputes between Hood and studio executives about the tone and direction of the film, and executive producer Richard Donner (director of Superman: The Movie) spent time on the set to smooth over the tensions. The creative differences may explain the uneven tone of the finished film, but Hood still proves capable of delivering exciting action scenes that fans will enjoy.

The screenplay by David Benioff (Troy, The Kite Runner) and Skip Woods (Swordfish, Hitman), while faithful in broad strokes to the character's comic origin, suffers from rushing from one action scene to another while leaving characters and sub-plots undeveloped. Benioff's original draft had some good buzz attached to it and was reportedly more character driven, so the contributions of Woods and three other uncredited writers may represent what the studio wanted more than what the director wanted. It's satisfactory as far as summer action flicks go, but there was room to do much more. Still, it's not the disaster that X-Men: The Last Stand was.

The productions values are high, with contributions by cinematographer Donald M. McAlpine (Moulin Rouge!, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe), production designer Barry Robison (Rendition, Nim's Island), costume designer Louise Mingenbach (X-Men, X2: X-Men United), and composer Harry Gregson-Williams (Shrek, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe) leading the way. The CG visual effects are good and effectively add to the action scenes.

What really makes the film work are the performances of Jackman and Schreiber, both individually and together, providing some depth lacking in the script. Jackman's portrayal of Wolverine through four films has been iconic, and this has been true even when the scripts were lacking, and he carries this film with grit and determination. Schreiber delivers the goods as Victor, so alike his brother in some ways but also so very different. Where Wolverine struggles to control his dark side, Victor embraces his. I would have liked more screen time devoted to the dualism of these two characters and their relationship.

The rest of the cast is adequate to the task at hand, including Huston as Stryker (an older version of the character was played by Brian Cox in X2), Black Eyed Peas' singer will.i.am as John Wraith, Lynn Collins as Kayla Silverfox, Kevin Durand as the Blob, Dominic Monaghan as Bolt, Taylor Kitsch as Gambit (although his Cajun accent is weak), Daniel Henney as Agent Zero, Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool, Scott Adkins as Weapon XI, Tim Pocock as a teenaged Scott Summers (the future superhero Cyclops), Max Cullen and Julia Blake as an elderly couple who help Wolverine, Troye Sivan and Michael-James Olsen as young Wolverine and young Victor, and Tahyna Tozzi as Kayla's sister Emma (possibly Emma Frost). There's also a fun cameo that I don't want to spoil for anyone, but fans should love it.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine sacrifices character development and plot coherence for action, but despite its flaws it manages to be an entertaining start to the summer film season. If you like Wolverine and you like action, this film should satisfy you.

[3.5 out of 5 stars]

This Week's Comics

2009-04-10T18:40:00.000-07:00

B.P.R.D.: The Black Goddess #4, House of Mystery #12, Batman: Battle for the Cowl #2, Green Lantern #39, Secret Six #8, Solomon Grundy #2, Superman: World of New Krypton #2, Trinity #45, Warlord #1, Captain Britain and MI13 #12, Exiles #1, Wolverine: Weapon X #1, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz #5.

Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead Trailer

2009-04-02T17:10:00.000-07:00

This one hour special will be broadcast on BBC One on April 11th.

Also, here's a promo for the upcoming K-9 series.

This Week's Comics

2009-04-01T18:15:00.000-07:00

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season Eight #24, Bang! Tango #3, Greatest Hits #6, Haunted Tank #5, The Authority #9, Battle for the Cowl: Man-Bat #1, Dead Romeo #1, The Flash: Rebirth #1, Justice Society of America #25, Trinity #44, Avengers/Invaders #9, Cable #13, Captain America Comics #1, War of Kings #2, X-Men: First Class Finals #3.

Last Week's Comics

Jack of Fables #32, Madame Xanadu #9, Unknown Soldier #6, Top 10: Season Two Special #1, Battle for the Cowl: Commissioner Gordon #1, Justice League of America #31, Oracle: The Cure #1, Superman #686, Trinity #43, Wonder Woman #30, Captain America #48, The Mighty Avengers #23, New Avengers #51, Runaways #8, X-Force/Cable: Messiah War #1, X-Infernus #4, X-Men: Kingbreaker #4, X-Men: Sword of the Braddocks #1.

2009-03-21T22:55:00.000-07:00

The final episode of Battlestar Galactica? Brilliant. Simply brilliant.

Last Week's and This Week's Comics

2009-03-18T19:25:00.000-07:00

Air #7, Angel #19, B.P.R.D.: The Black Goddess #3, Fables #82, Hellblazer #253, Red Sonja #42, Top 10: Season Two #4, The Walking Dead #59, Witchblade #125, The X-Files #5, Action Comics #875, Azrael: Death's Dark Knight #1, Batman: Battle for the Cowl #1, Black Lightning: Year One #6, Green Arrow and Black Canary #18, Green Lantern Corps #34, Supergirl #39, Trinity #41, Trinity #42, Amazing Spider-Girl #30, Captain Britain and MI13 #11, Dark Avengers #3, Invincible Iron Man #11, Spider-Man Noir #4, Wolverine #71, Wolverine: Origins #34, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz #4, X-Factor #41, X-Force #13, X-Men: Manifest Destiny Nightcrawler #1, X-Men Noir #4, Uncanny X-Men #507, Young X-Men #12.

Review: Watchmen

2009-03-08T18:45:00.001-07:00

Watchmen - A graphic novel once labeled "unfilmable" finally arrives on the big screen. The result is breathtakingly good. It's not quite another Dark Knight, but it's easily one of the best films ever produced in the superhero genre.

In 1986-87, DC Comics published a twelve-issue comic book series called Watchmen, written by Alan Moore and drawn by Dave Gibbons. Later collected as a graphic novel, this series was a revolutionary and sophisticated take on superheroes with a heavy dose of social commentary. It also became the only graphic novel to be included on TIME Magazine's 2005 list of "the 100 best English-language novels from 1923 to the present." After several attempts to adapt it into a film by directors including Terry Gilliam (Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas), Darren Aronofsky (Requiem for a Dream), and Paul Greengrass (Bloody Sunday) all collapsed, it looked like it would never get produced. It was worth the wait.

After a retired superhero known as the Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) is murdered, the vigilante Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley) believes that there's a conspiracy to eliminate costumed heroes, and soon the other retired Watchmen--Nite Owl (Patrick Wilson), Silk Spectre (Malin Akerman), Doctor Manhattan (Billy Crudup), and Ozymandias (Matthew Goode)--become involved as events begin to spiral out of control, threatening the entire planet.

Director Zack Snyder (Dawn of the Dead, 300) proves his critics wrong, myself included, by successfully translating difficult source material into such a strong film. He's always been a talented visual stylist, so it's no surprise that by using Dave Gibbons' art as a blueprint, Snyder has quite literally and vividly brought the world of Watchmen to life, allowing fans of the graphic novel to feel like they've stepped inside them. He transforms each action scene into a slow motion ballet of carnage, and the opening credits montage that reveals the backstory is brilliantly executed. What's surprising, at least to me, is that after 300's cardboard story and woeful acting, Snyder manages to tell a compelling story with good performances. Perhaps it's simply a case of rising to the level of the material he's working with.

The screenplay by David Hayter (X-Men, X2: X-Men United) and Alex Tse (Sucker Free City), with uncredited revisions by the team of Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman (Transformers, Star Trek), is largely faithful to the source material except for certain events at the end, but it's really only the method by which those events occur that has been changed rather than the events and their repercussions. The story that unfolds on the screen isn't as deep as in the graphic novel, but the social commentary in Alan Moore's works have always fared better on the printed page (see the film adaptation of V for Vendetta as another example). Still, the screenwriters deserve much credit for distilling such a complex tale into a two hour and forty-two minute film without losing the essence of the story or its characters, allowing it to be enjoyed by both fans of the graphic novel and a mainstream film audience. A three hour and ten minute director's cut will eventually be released on DVD.

The contributions of cinematographer Larry Fong (Lost, 300), production designer Alex McDowell (The Crow, Fight Club), and costumer designer Michael Wilkinson (Babel, 300) are very important to realizing the story's world on the screen. Fong's bold use of color and lighting achieves the dramatic effect required, McDowell's sets convey a sense of the real world with a twist in some scenes and a sense of the fantastic in others, and Wilkinson's costumes, designed with an assist by comic book artists Adam Hughes and John Cassaday, look quite convincing on the screen. The sweeping score by Tyler Bates (The Devil's Rejects, 300) captures the changing moods of the story, punctuated by several perfect songs (some of which were actually referenced in the graphic novel). The visual effects are outstanding, but rarely drown out the human aspects of the story.

Former child actor Haley (The Bad News Bears) dominates the film with his visceral and frightening performance as Rorschach. Crudup is chillingly aloof as Doctor Manhattan, a man transformed into a cosmic being and who seems to have lost his humanity, conveying so much through body language and subtle facial expressions. Wilson is a very believable Nite Owl, while former model Akerman is respectably solid as Silk Spectre. The Comedian is a nasty piece of work who, like many such people, is also superficially charming, and Morgan captures that perfectly. Although Goode isn't a match for how Ozymandias was portrayed in the comics, he's well-suited to the role of an arrogant genius for whom the ends justify the means.

The rest of the cast is solid, including Carla Gugino as the original Silk Spectre, Matt Frewer as retired villain Moloch, Stephen McHattie as the retired original Nite Owl, Robert Wisden as President Nixon, Frank Novak as Henry Kissinger, Danny Woodburn as Big Figure, and Eli Snyder (the director's son) as a young Rorschach.

Watchmen the film lacks some of the complexity of Watchmen the graphic novel, but I suspect the former comes as close as possible to realizing the latter on screen as one could hope for. As a film, it's excellent, offering a compelling story, quality acting, incredible visuals, and a visceral experience. Highly recommended. I watched it on an IMAX screen. If you have an opportunity to see it in IMAX, I recommend it.

Note to parents: yes, I know it's based on a comic book and has costumed heroes, but Watchmen has an R rating for a very good reason. The film has graphic violence, profanity, nudity, extended sex scenes, and a violent attempted rape. Be aware of this before deciding to take your children to see it.

[4.5 stars out of 5]

New Star Trek Trailer

2009-03-06T18:55:00.000-08:00

New X-Men Origins: Wolverine Trailer

2009-03-05T18:45:00.000-08:00

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

New Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Trailer

2009-03-05T18:30:00.001-08:00

This Week's Comics

2009-03-04T18:10:00.000-08:00

Doctor Who Classics: Series 2 #4, Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season Eight #23, The Goon #32, Hellboy: The Wild Hunt #4, Bang! Tango #2, Haunted Tank #4, House of Mystery #11, The Authority #8, Fringe #3, Batman: Cacophony #3, Black Lightning: Year One #5, Gotham Gazette #1, Secret Six #7, Solomon Grundy #1, Superman: World of New Krypton #1, Trinity #40, War of Kings #1, X-Men: First Class Finals #2, X-Men and Spider-Man #4.

2009-03-02T19:05:00.001-08:00

Some thoughts on last week's comics...

New Avengers #50: Brian Michael Bendis ranks up there with Joss Whedon and Warren Ellis when it comes to writing clever dialogue. This issue is no exception.

Runaways #7: Takeshi Miyazawa's manga-influenced art is a sight for sore eyes after the previous six issues featured the hideous, cartoonish art of Humberto Ramos. I am so not a Ramos fan. Miyazawa, however, is perfect for these characters, and this is his third time working on them.

Angel #18: Angel the television show ended perfectly. After reading eight issues of Angel the comic book, I'm still not convinced it was necessary to continue the story in comic book form.

Wonder Woman #29: I'm a big fan of writer Gail Simone, but this story arc just isn't working for me.

Doctor Who: The Whispering Gallery: Good as a one shot story. The premise is a little slight, but at least it isn't stretched out longer than necessary. I love Ben Templesmith's art.

Marvels: Eye of the Camera #4: Alex Ross provided the art for the original Marvels in 1994. Ross isn't involved with this follow-up, but Jay Anacleto's lovely art is a fine substitute.

This Week's Comics

2009-02-27T18:25:00.000-08:00

Angel #18, Doctor Who: The Whispering Gallery #1, Conan the Cimmerian #8, Jack of Fables #31, Madame Xanadu #8, Unknown Soldier #5, Green Lantern #38, Justice Society of America #24, Sgt. Rock: The Lost Battalion #4, Superman #685, Trinity #39, Wonder Woman #29, Captain America #47, Marvels: Eye of the Camera #4, The Mighty Avengers #22, New Avengers #50, Runaways #7, Wolverine: First Class #12, Wolverine: Origins #33, X-Force #12.

This Week's Comics

2009-02-18T18:20:00.000-08:00

Hellblazer #252, The X-Files #4, Birds of Prey #127, Black Lightning: Year One #4, Justice League of America #30, Robin #183, Supergirl #38, Trinity #38, Dark Avengers #2, New Exiles #18, Nyx: No Way Home #6, Spider-Man Noir #3, X-Factor #40, X-Men: Kingbreaker #3, X-Men: Legacy #221, Uncanny X-Men #506.

2009-02-15T14:45:00.000-08:00

My review of Dollhouse's first episode is here.

2009-02-14T21:55:00.000-08:00

Joss Whedon's Dollhouse.

I like it.

More later.

This Week's Comics

2009-02-11T19:00:00.000-08:00

Angel: After the Fall #17, Doctor Who Classics: Series 2 #3, Hellboy: The Wild Hunt #3, B.P.R.D.: The Black Goddess #2, The Walking Dead #58, Fables #81, Action Comics #874, Batman #686, Nightwing #153, Green Arrow and Black Canary #17, Green Lantern Corps #33, Vixen: Return of the Lion #5, Trinity #37, Wolverine: Manifest Destiny #4, X-Infernus #3, X-Men Origins: Sabretooth #1, Captain Britain and MI13 #10, Amazing Spider-Girl #29, Avengers/Invaders #8, Patsy Walker: Hellcat #5, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz #3.

2009-02-05T17:35:00.000-08:00

Here is the trailer for Torchwood: Children of Earth, the third season of the Doctor Who spinoff. Torchwood: Children of Earth is a miniseries that will air on five consecutive nights on BBC One in the UK in late spring or early summer, and will air on the exact same days in the US on BBC America, so there will only be a lag time of a few hours for US fans this season instead of the usual weeks or months.

The two hour pilot of Caprica, the Battlestar Galactica prequel, will be released first on DVD on April 21st, with the series proper to debut on the Sci Fi Channel in 2010. Caprica is set fifty-one years before BSG, focusing on the rivalry between the Adama and the Graystone families as well as the creation of the Cylons. The showrunner is former 24 writer/producer Remi Aubuchon.

It looks like the next DC Comics superhero to hit the big screen will be Green Lantern. Warner Bros. has a script by Eli Stone creators Greg Berlanti & Marc Guggenheim and former Smallville and Heroes writer Michael Green, and the studio is in final negotiations with Casino Royale director Martin Campbell to direct. No casting yet, but the film will feature the Hal Jordan incarnation of the character.

Just eight days until the premiere of Joss Whedon's new show, Dollhouse. Some reviews have suggested the first episode is a little uneven, but that's to be expected. All of Whedon's previous shows took a little time to find their voice, too. I just hope the FOX network shows some patience, unlike with Firefly.

This Week's Comics

2009-02-04T15:10:00.000-08:00

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season Eight #22, Witchblade #124, Red Sonja #41, Sandman: The Dream Hunters #4, House of Mystery #10, Haunted Tank #3, Bang! Tango #1, The Authority #7, Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds #3, Justice Society of America #23, Adventure Comics #0, Secret Six #6, Black Lightning: Year One #3, The Mighty #1, Trinity #36, X -Men: First Class Finals #1, X-Men Noir #3, X-Men: Magneto Testament #5, The Mighty Avengers #21, Dark Avengers #1, Black Panther #1, Invincible Iron Man #10.

2009-01-30T17:45:00.000-08:00

I had a sudden insight about Final Crisis today. It's postmodern theatre. In comic book form.

I've also written an expanded review for the Geek Girls Rule! blog. Click the link below to read it.

Final Crisis: Some Thoughts

2009-01-28T21:30:00.000-08:00

Final Crisis #7 summed up in two words: holy %$#& (insert the expletive of your choice).

You might recall that I was somewhat disappointed by the first two issues of this major event miniseries. Once writer Grant Morrison hit his stride in the third issue, it just got better and better, culminating in a mindblowing finale that only Morrison could have crafted, and one that exceeded all of my expectations. It's so wonderfully weird and cosmic.

Morrison is one mad bastard of a writer, and I mean that in an entirely positive way. I love his work (although it took me awhile to forgive him for killing off Jean Grey again). I've been a fan since his work on Animal Man in the late 1980s.

And, really, how can one not love a comic where Captain Carrot makes a cameo appearance?

This Week's Comics

2009-01-28T19:15:00.000-08:00

Jack of Fables #30, Unknown Soldier #4, Greatest Hits #5, Ferryman #5, Fringe #2, Final Crisis #7, Final Crisis: Revelations #5, Superman #684, Batman #685, Wonder Woman #28, Trinity #35, Marvels: Eye of the Camera #3, Runaways #6, X-Force #11, X-Men: Worlds Apart #4, Young X-Men #10, Captain America #46.

In other news, the creator of the Geek Girls Rule! blog invited me to become a contributing writer to said blog and I accepted. I'm honored and thrilled to be asked to contribute there, and I hope you check out the blog.

This Week's Comics

2009-01-23T17:30:00.000-08:00

Doctor Who: The Forgotten #6, Angel: After the Fall #16, Conan the Cimmerian #7, Hellblazer #251, 100 Bullets #99, Air #6, The X-Files #3, Final Crisis: Superman Beyond #2, Justice League of America #29, Green Lantern #37, Birds of Prey #126, Robin #182, Supergirl #37, Black Lightning: Year One #2, Trinity #34, Astonishing X-Men #28, Uncanny X-Men Annual #2, X-Men: Kingbreaker #2, X-Men: Legacy #220, X-Factor #39, Wolverine: Origins #32, New Exiles #17, Spider-Man Noir #2.

2009-01-17T16:50:00.000-08:00

KBTC, one of the two local Public Broadcasting Service-affiliated television stations, is doing its semi-annual pledge drive tonight from 6pm to 10pm to raise funds to continue to broadcast Classic Doctor Who (it's one of only three US stations that still show Classic Who).

As part of the event, it's going to show "The Sea Devils" in its entirety, the great 1972 six-part serial featuring the Third Doctor, the Master, and the titular monsters.

You know what I'll be watching tonight (I'll also send in my pledge next week when I get paid).

Review: Smallville, Episode 8.11, "Legion"

2009-01-15T22:35:00.000-08:00

Clark Kent meets the Legion of Super-Heroes. It's as simple as that. It's also one of the finest episodes of the show ever thanks to the quality teleplay by superstar comics writer Geoff Johns (The Flash, Infinite Crisis, Green Lantern: Rebirth, 52, and currently Action Comics starring Superman), making his first (and hopefully not last) writing contribution to Smallville.

Johns captures the spirit of the early Legion stories while easily fitting the characters into the show's continuity without significant changes. This episode fulfills the promise of what Smallville at its best can be, the story of Clark Kent's journey from young man to legendary hero, while reminding me of why I fell in love with the superhero genre in the first place. Truly, this was an exciting first appearance by the Legion in live action. I couldn't have asked for more.

This Week's Comics

2009-01-14T17:50:00.000-08:00

Doctor Who Classics: Series 2 #2, B.P.R.D.: The Black Goddess #1, Fables #80, Witchblade #123, Final Crisis #6, Action Comics #873, Nightwing #152, Batman Confidential #25, Green Arrow & Black Canary #16, Manhunter #38, Faces of Evil: Prometheus #1, Trinity #33, X-Infernus #2, Amazing Spider-Girl #28, Captain Britain and MI13 #9, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz #2.

Review: Stargate Atlantis, Episode 5.20, "Enemy at the Gate"

2009-01-10T23:30:00.000-08:00

After five seasons and one hundred episodes, the Stargate Atlantis story comes to an end, at least in the format of a weekly television show (one direct-to-DVD film is planned, with more possible if it sells well).

If it had to end, this is the way it needed to end, on an epic scale. Showrunners Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Mullie write a fitting final chapter of Stargate Atlantis. It's a roller-coaster ride from start to finish, putting fans through a wringer of emotions while keeping them on the edge of their seats waiting to see what happens next. There are "oh, no!" moments, followed by "oh, yes!" moments. Two former cast members return for the finale, and there's a nice tribute to the Stargate SG-1 character that was played by the late Don S. Davis.

Thank you for five entertaining seasons, Stargate Atlantis. I'll miss you.

The third show in the long-running Stargate franchise, Stargate Universe, will debut this summer. May it be as good as Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis.

This Week's Comics

2009-01-07T18:20:00.001-08:00

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season Eight #21, Hellboy: The Wild Hunt #2, Sandman: The Dream Hunters #3, Haunted Tank #2, The Walking Dead #57, The Authority #6, Detective Comics #852, Black Lightning: Year One #1, Sgt. Rock: The Lost Battalion #3, Vixen: Return of the Lion #4, Secret Six #5, Faces of Evil: Solomon Grundy #1, Trinity #32, X-Men Noir #2, X-Men: Manifest Destiny #5, Nyx: No Way Home #5, Wolverine: Switchback #1, Invincible Iron Man #9.

2009-01-05T22:05:00.001-08:00

I finally made it to the comic store to pick up the last two weeks worth of comics.

Doctor Who: The Forgotten #5, The Goon #31, Red Sonja #40, Jack of Fables #29, Madame Xanadu #7, Unknown Soldier #3, Greatest Hits #4, Top 10: Season Two #3, Ferryman #4, Final Crisis: Secret Files #1, Justice Society of America #22, Justice League of America #28, Superman #683, Batman #683, Batman #684, Batman: Cacophony #2, Superman & Batman vs. Vampires & Werewolves #6, Wonder Woman #27, Trinity #30, Trinity #31, Green Lantern #36, The Flash #247, Ythaq: The Forsaken World #1, Wolverine #70, Wolverine: Origins #31, Wolverine: Manifest Destiny #3, X-Men: Magneto Testament #4, X-Men: Worlds Apart #3, Young X-Men #9, X-Force #10, New Exiles Annual #1, Runaways #5, Marvels: Eye of the Camera #2, Captain America #45, Avengers/Invaders #7, War Machine #1, Patsy Walker: Hellcat #4.

2009-01-05T12:25:00.000-08:00

Doctor Who fandom never fails to disappoint when it comes to drama. This time, it's drama about the casting of the Eleventh Doctor. Poor Matt Smith won't even appear on screen as the Doctor until next year and some quarters of fandom are already declaring him the worst Doctor ever.

After watching the latest Doctor Who Confidential where Smith gives his first interview, I can see definite Doctorish qualities. His normal persona in the interview doesn't seem that far removed from that of the Tenth Doctor, as someone else first pointed out to me. There's something otherworldly about him.

One of the criticisms is that he's too young. Too young for playing an alien who can regenerate into a man of any physical age? The important thing for playing the Doctor is to be able to suggest a wise old spirit and a youthful enthusiasm at the same time. Peter Davison was able to do that as the Fifth Doctor despite being 29 and looking even younger than that. That's what Smith needs to do, too. It's far too soon for anyone to suggest that his youth will be a stumbling block. It's all about acting ability, not the actor's age.

New showrunner Steven Moffat and BBC Wales' Head of Drama Piers Wenger held three weeks of auditions for the role of the Eleventh Doctor. They considered many, many actors of different ages and even races. They actually wanted an older actor. Smith auditioned in the first hour of the first day of auditions and blew them away. After three weeks of auditioning other actors, he was still the best they'd seen.

That's not the first time that's happened to Smith. While still in college, he was picked from thousands of auditioning actors to play Thomas Becket in a National Youth Theatre production of T.S. Eliot's Murder in the Cathedral, for which he received critical acclaim. He obviously has some special quality that makes him stand out from the crowd.

It's certainly true that Smith has some big shoes to fill. I'd argue that there have only been two truly iconic Doctors, Tom Baker as Four and David Tennant as Ten. Like Davison, Smith is young and trying to replace an icon. Davison succeeded. Only time (how appropriate) will tell if Smith can do the same. Everything I've read and seen so far fills me with optimism. Fans should at least withhold judgment until his first episode airs.

2009-01-03T11:10:00.000-08:00

Doctor Who news: Matt Smith is the Eleventh Doctor. The 26-year-old British actor, who previously appeared with former Who companion Billie Piper in two telefilms based on Philip Pullman’s Sally Lockhart novels and an episode of The Secret Diary of a Call Girl, will be the youngest actor to portray the Doctor. He’ll appear in the final David Tennant special in early 2010 for a regeneration scene, followed by taking over fulltime in the fifth season later in the year.

I had really hoped that Paterson Joseph would get the role. New showrunner Steven Moffat and BBC Wales’ Head of Drama Piers Wenger obviously believe that Smith’s the right choice, and I’ll trust their judgment for now. Wenger is quoted as knowing Smith “was the one" as soon as he saw his audition, further saying “it was abundantly clear that he had that 'Doctor-ness' about him…you are either the Doctor or you are not." I’ll give Moffat and Wenger this, it’s a choice out of left field. The bookmakers and tabloids were completely off the mark.

As a fan since Tom Baker’s days as the Fourth Doctor, I’ve seen new actors come and go as the Doctor. I don’t think the BBC has made a wrong choice yet. Not even Colin Baker, whose Sixth Doctor was more a victim of questionable writing. I look forward to meeting the Eleventh Doctor (see photo below).

2008-12-30T15:40:00.000-08:00

What happens when you cross werewolves with Sex and the City? The FOX network is developing a television show about four female friends in the big city who happen to be werewolves. The title? Bitches. The creator of the show is X2 and Superman Returns co-writer Michael Dougherty, with former Pushing Daisies writers/producers Gretchen Berg and Aaron Harberts also involved in developing it.

After a court ruling that 20th Century Fox owns the film rights to Watchmen, the planned March release of the film is in question because it was produced by Warner Bros. Fox wants an injunction against the film being released by WB. I'm sure at some point a settlement will be reached giving cash and a cut of the profits to Fox, but I don't know how much of a delay that will create.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader looks like it won't get made any time soon after Disney pulled out its financial backing. This year's The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian was deemed a box office failure after it brought in only half of what 2005's The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe did. Walden Media will try to find another studio to back the third film.

For once it's not director M. Night Shyamalan's twist endings that are making people upset. His live action film Avatar: The Last Airbender is being criticized for replacing the Asian characters in the original animated series with an all-white cast.

The National Film Registry of the Library of Congress added several genre films to its list of culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant films meriting preservation: 1933's The Invisible Man (directed by James Whale), 1957's The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (special effects by Ray Harryhausen), and 1984's The Terminator (directed by James Cameron).

Review: Doctor Who, Episode 4.14, "The Next Doctor"

2008-12-26T11:50:00.000-08:00

No plot spoilers, except what was already revealed in the promo and by the title itself.

London. Christmas Eve, 1851. The Tenth Doctor (David Tennant) encounters a man who also claims to be the Doctor (David Morrissey) while trying to defeat an invasion of Cybermen.

As written by outgoing showrunner Russell T Davies and directed by Torchwood veteran Andy Goddard, "The Next Doctor" is a fun Christmas special with touches of melancholy and some nods to Dickens. It's slower paced than previous Christmas specials, but there's also more of an emphasis on the characters. It's a bit predictable and sentimental at times, but again, it's a Christmas special and Davies is always good at writing on an emotional level. There's also a scene that should make old school Who fans squee.

The production values are high. As always, the BBC is good at recreating the past, and there are a few nifty steampunk touches, too. These days, the visual effects on Who are always excellent for a television budget, and this episode is no exception.

Tennant is in his usual fine form as the Tenth Doctor, while Morrissey delivers a big, bold, but never over the top performance as the other Doctor while handling the emotional scenes with equal skill. Velile Tshabalala and Dervla Kirwan are also quite good as the other Doctor's companion and Miss Hartigan respectively.

"The Next Doctor" is an entertaining and more than satisfactory Christmas special, which leads into David Tennant's four final episodes as the Doctor. Next up, "Planet of the Dead" in March, with three more specials to air in 2009 and early 2010 before new showrunner Steven Moffat and a new actor as the Eleventh Doctor take over.

2008-12-18T13:55:00.000-08:00

R.I.P., Majel Barrett Roddenberry.

This Week's Comics

2008-12-17T16:55:00.000-08:00

Angel: After the Fall #15, Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season Eight #20, Conan the Cimmerian #6, The Walking Dead #56, Hellblazer #250, Fables #79, Air #5, The X-Files #2, Ex Machina #40, Uncanny X-Men #505, X-Men: Legacy #219, X-Men: Kingbreaker #1, X-Factor #38, New Exiles #16, Spider-Man Noir #1, Samurai: Legend #4, The Mighty Avengers #20, Invincible Iron Man #8, Supergirl #36, Robin #181, Manhunter #37, Birds of Prey #125, Trinity #29.

2008-12-16T23:35:00.000-08:00

Last month was the 30th anniversary of when I started reading comic books. I still remember the very first comics I read: DC Comics Presents #6, Detective Comics #482, Justice League of America #163, World's Finest Comics #255, The Brave and the Bold #147, and Super Friends #17.

Yesterday was the 30th anniversary of the release of Superman: The Movie. I watched it again tonight to mark the occasion. I first saw it when I was eight years old. Along with Star Wars, it was one of the formative experiences in my development as a geek. It was never a perfect film by any means, but Christopher Reeve remains the definitive Superman/Clark Kent. The idea that a business suit and glasses would work as a disguise seemed silly until Reeve made it seem plausible. John Williams' theme still makes me want to tie a red towel around my neck and jump off of furniture whilst pretending to fly.

According to a recent report, Smallville may be canceled after the current season, its eighth. Although ratings have improved and the network would likely renew it for at least another season, star Tom Welling’s contract is up and he may be ready to move on. The big question of whether the show will end with Clark Kent becoming Superman and putting on a certain red-and-blue costume for the first time is up in the air because DC Comics is concerned it would somehow hurt any future Superman films, which is absurd. I'll be disappointed if it ends without at least one shot of Welling in costume.

I watched the first few episodes of Wolverine and the X-Men. It’s surprisingly good for a Marvel animated show. Not quite up to the standard set by the DC Animated Universe, but still good. The show was developed by former X-Men: Evolution writers Craig Kyle and Greg Johnson (Kyle has also written New X-Men and Young X-Men comics with writing partner Christopher Yost, who’ll also be writing episodes of the show).

Batman: The Brave and the Bold is also entertaining and has a Silver Age feel to it. In contrast to the darker portrayals of Batman, even in animation, here he has a good sense of humor, and it's nice to see characters like Blue Beetle and Plastic Man in animated form.

The first season of Merlin ended last Saturday. I stand by my initial description of it as the "Smallville of the Arthurian mythos. That's not a dig, either. It's a lightweight but entertaining show with a photogenic cast, and some strong acting each week from Anthony Stewart Head as Uther Pendragon. It succeeds on the level intended. While it will never win any awards for being great drama, I looked forward to its escapism each week. It's been renewed for a second season. Meanwhile, the first season will debut in the US on the NBC network in early 2009.

There are only two episodes left of Stargate Atlantis. It's ironic that its landmark 100th episode will also be its final episode. It was canceled so a new show set in the same fictional universe could be produced, namely Stargate Universe. I wasn't too keen on the idea of the new show until actor Robert Carlyle (The Full Monty, The World is Not Enough) was cast in it.

2008-12-10T21:40:00.000-08:00

Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog will be released on DVD on December 19th only through Amazon.com. I've pre-ordered a copy.

I'm going to see the remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still next week. I'm not keen on remakes, particularly of classics, but the visual effects look outstanding. The new cinema that opened nearby has an IMAX screen that the film will be showing on, which I think will make the visual spectacle even better. The first trailer for X-Men Origins: Wolverine is also attached to the film.

The Day the Earth Stood Still director Scott Derrickson and co-writer Stuart Hazeldine have an ambitious plan to adapt John Milton's poem Paradise Lost into a film. Derrickson is consulting with Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth) about how to visualize such a production. It seems folly to even consider making a mainstream film based on the work.

Bill Willingham's award-winning comic book Fables may be coming soon to a television screen near you. The ABC network has ordered a pilot to be written by Six Degrees creators Stuart Zicherman and Raven Metzner, and directed by David Semel (a veteran of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Heroes). If it's well received, the network will commission a full series. I think it'll be difficult to adapt, but ABC proved with Pushing Daisies that it can handle a quirky fantasy property (at least as long as it gets good ratings).

The cast of Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland has grown to include Alan Rickman as the Caterpillar, Anne Hathaway as the White Queen, Crispin Glover as the Knave of Hearts, and Christopher Lee and Stephen Fry in unknown roles. They join the already announced Mia Wasikowska as Alice, Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter, and Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen.

It looks like Watchmen's running time will be around two hours and thirty-five minutes, with an extended three hour and ten minute director's cut planned for later release on DVD. I don't know why they can't just release the director's cut theatrically, since The Lord of the Rings proved films of that length can be very successful.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader remains in pre-production. Several reports indicate that it won't be greenlit for production unless the budget can be cut, perhaps by as much as half, due to the disappointing box office results of The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian.

Remember John Carpenter's cool 1980s sci fi B-movie, They Live? Universal Pictures wants to remake it. Is there anything that isn't being remade?

We're two months away from the debut of Dollhouse, the new Joss Whedon-created series. Whedon insists the poor time slot on Fridays and massive network creative interference aren't problems, but I think he's simply being too nice about it. Former Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Battlestar Galactica staff writer Jane Espenson has joined the writing staff, though. If the show can survive long enough, I think her presence can only help.

This Week's Comics

2008-12-10T13:40:00.000-08:00

Doctor Who Classics: Series 2 #1, B.P.R.D.: War on Frogs #2, Witchblade #122, House of Mystery #8, 100 Bullets #98, Final Crisis #5, Final Crisis: Revelations #4, Action Comics #872, Detective Comics #851, Nightwing #151, Batman Confidential #24, Superman/Batman #54, Superman & Batman vs. Vampires & Werewolves #5, Justice League of America #27, Green Arrow and Black Canary #15, Secret Six #4, Trinity #28, Amazing Spider-Girl #27, Astonishing X-Men: Ghost Boxes #2, X-Men: Worlds Apart #2, X-Men and Spider-Man #2, Wolverine: Flies to a Spider #1, Captain Britain and MI13 #8, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz #1.

2008-12-06T19:25:00.000-08:00

R.I.P., Forrest J Ackerman.

This Week's Comics

2008-12-04T22:30:00.001-08:00

Sandman: The Dream Hunters #2, Doctor Who: The Forgotten #4, Hellboy: The Wild Hunt #1, Haunted Tank #1, The Authority #5, X-Infernus #1, X-Men Noir #1, X-Men: Manifest Destiny #4, Wolverine: Manifest Destiny #2, Weapon X: First Class #2, New Exiles #15, Nyx: No Way Home #4, Marvels: Eye of the Camera #1, Batman #682, Justice Society of America #21, Sgt. Rock: The Lost Battalion #2, Vixen: Return of the Lion #4, Trinity #27.

This Week's Comics

2008-11-26T15:15:00.000-08:00

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season Eight #19, The Walking Dead #55, Jack of Fables #28, Madame Xanadu #6, Unknown Soldier #2, Ferryman #3, Push #2, Wolverine: Origins #30, X-Force #9, Runaways #4, Captain America #44, Batman #681, Superman #682, Superman & Batman vs. Vampires & Werewolves #4, Kingdom Come Special: The Kingdom #1, Birds of Prey #124, Wonder Woman #26, Trinity #26.

2008-11-26T11:20:00.000-08:00

Paterson Joseph has reportedly been cast as the Eleventh Doctor on Doctor Who, although the BBC hasn't made an official announcement yet. If true, he'll be the first Black actor to play the Doctor.

He previously appeared in the 2005 episodes "Bad Wolf" and "The Parting of the Ways" as Rodrick, much like Colin Baker had previously played a different character in a serial before becoming the Sixth Doctor. He also played Benjamin in several episodes of Jekyll, a show created by new Who showrunner Steven Moffat, and may be best known in some circles as the Marquis de Carabas in the 1996 television adaptation of Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere.

Here's a backstage video diary Joseph made while in rehearsals for the play Saint Joan. I think he shows the qualities to make a good Doctor.

Review: 24: Redemption

2008-11-25T19:30:00.000-08:00

Welcome back, little yellow digital clock counting down the time!

24: Redemption is a two hour telefilm created to bridge the gap between the sixth season of 24, which aired in 2007, and the seventh season, due to begin airing in 2009. The large gap between seasons was a side effect of the writers' strike.

The concept of 24 has always been that each season takes place over a single day, with each of its twenty-four episodes covering an hour in that day. 24: Redemption takes place over a two hour time period, fitting its running time.

Three and a half years after the events of the sixth season of 24, Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) is living in the fictional African country of Sangala at a school for orphans run by his friend, former British Special Forces soldier Carl Benton (Robert Carlyle). Bauer is running from his past as a ruthless counter-terrorist agent while trying to avoid being subpoenaed to testify before the US Senate about the activities of the now disbanded Counter Terrorist Unit (the government agency he worked for during the first six seasons).

At the same time, a coup lead by Sangala’s genocidal former dictator General Juma (Tony Todd) is about to begin, and his right hand man Colonel Dubaku (Hakeem Kae-Kazim) is rounding up children to fight in Juma's militia. When Dubaku tries to kidnap the orphans at the school, it's up to Jack to save them and perhaps redeem himself.

Meanwhile, back in the United States, President-Elect Allison Taylor (Cherry Jones) is being sworn into office as America's first female President while her son Roger (Eric Lively) tries to help his friend Charles (Sean Michael), who's found himself in the middle of a conspiracy lead by the powerful Jonas Hodges (Jon Voight) to back the coup in Sangala.

The teleplay by 24 showrunner Howard Gordon (a former writer/producer for The X-Files and Angel, and creator of the short-lived Strange World) takes the show's concept and successfully applies it on a smaller, more personal level, and as a result there's a freshness to it that was lacking in the sixth season. The storyline will continue into the seventh season, with a major change to the status quo of the previous six seasons.

24's politics have always been simplistic rubbish, but that's arguably true of the action-adventure/secret agent genre as a whole, and 24's have perhaps even improved some since the show's conservative co-creator Joel Surnow is no longer involved in its production and the more liberal Gordon is now firmly in charge.

Kiefer Sutherland has been nominated for six Emmy Awards, winning one, and six Screen Actors Guild awards, winning two, for his portrayal of Jack Bauer since 2001. He continues his intense portrayal here as he allows us to see just how emotionally damaged Bauer has become by his own ruthless actions and the loss of so many of his friends and loved ones over the decade of in-story time covered by the first six seasons. He remains the always watchable star of the franchise, even when you disagree with the character's politics (or the show's) and actions. Quite simply, he's the engine that makes 24 run.

If you're not a 24 fan, 24: Redemption isn't for you and probably won't make you one. If you are, you'll enjoy it and it'll get you stoked for the upcoming seventh season beginning January 11, 2009.

another Star Trek trailer

2008-11-25T19:15:00.000-08:00

Pretty much the same as the previous one, with one big and very awesome exception at the end.

2008-11-25T17:30:00.001-08:00

According to online reports, Doctor Who spinoff The Sarah Jane Adventures, which wraps up its second season in the next two weeks, has been renewed for a third and final season to air next year.

The other Who spinoff, Torchwood, will broadcast its third season next spring, and has been renewed for a fourth and final season to air in early 2010.

It seems the BBC wants to give new Who showrunner Steven Moffat a clean slate without continuity-linked spinoffs, so both The Sarah Jane Adventures and Torchwood will come to an end before the 2010 season of Who. This makes me sad.

2008-11-25T17:25:00.000-08:00

The promo for the final episodes of Battlestar Galactica is here. The second half of the fourth and final season begins on January 16th.

Coraline trailer

2008-11-25T17:10:00.000-08:00

Based on Neil Gaiman's novella and directed by Henry Selick (The Nightmare Before Christmas, James and the Giant Peach). A must see film for me.

2008-11-23T00:00:00.001-08:00

On this day in 1963, Doctor Who debuted on the BBC with the broadcast of its first episode, "An Unearthly Child."

This Week's Comics

2008-11-19T14:25:00.000-08:00

Doctor Who: The Forgotten #3, Angel: After the Fall #14, The X-Files #1, Ex Machina #39, Hellblazer #249, Air #4, Greatest Hits #3, The Goon #30, Conan the Cimmerian #5, Red Sonja #39, Uncanny X-Men #504, X-Factor #37, Young X-Men #8, Avengers/Invaders #6, Iron Man: Director of SHIELD #35, Fantastic Four #561, Supergirl #35, Batman and the Outsiders #13, Robin #180, Kingdom Comes Special: Magog #1, Flash #246, Trinity #25.

2008-11-19T11:55:00.000-08:00

The Genesis of Doctor Who Collection - a must see for fans of the good Doctor, as the BBC has created a web archive of key documents detailing the development of the show just in time for the 45th anniversary of the first episode's broadcast on November 23rd.

Star Trek trailer - the official release, not a blurry bootleg. I saw it on the big screen yesterday before Quantum of Solace, and it looked even more awesome. Some of the potential violations of canon in the trailer annoy me a little, but I'll withhold judgment until I see the actual film.

The First Avenger: Captain America has a director attached: Joe Johnston. His directing credits include Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, Jumanji, Jurassic Park III, the upcoming Wolf Man remake, and, last but not least, the underrated 1991 retro superhero film The Rocketeer. It's that last film that makes me think he's a good choice to direct The First Avenger: Captain America. The screenplay is being written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, co-writers of the first two Chronicles of Narnia films.

Josh Schwartz (creator of The O.C., Chuck, and Gossip Girl) has been hired to write the screenplay for the next X-Men film, which will focus on a younger team of mutants and will be called X-Men: First Class.

Has anyone reading this ever seen the French/Japanese anime-influenced animated series, Ōban Star-Racers? I've caught a half dozen or so episodes out of sequence on cable and I really like it. I need to get the DVDs and watch the entire series in order.

New Watchmen Trailer

2008-11-16T12:15:00.001-08:00

Star Trek Trailer

2008-11-15T14:55:00.001-08:00

It's a bootleg on YouTube, so it could be taken down at any time.

Doctor Who 2008 Christmas Special Trailer

2008-11-15T13:40:00.001-08:00

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Trailer

2008-11-15T13:35:00.001-08:00

This Week's Comics

2008-11-13T22:20:00.000-08:00

Fables #78, Walking Dead #54, B.P.R.D.: The Warning #5, Push #1, 100 Bullets #97, Amazing Spider-Girl #26, Captain Britain and MI13 #7, New Exiles #14, X-Men: Magneto Testament #3, Wolverine #69, Kingdom Come Special: Superman #1, Action Comics #871, Detective Comics #850, Nightwing #150, Batman: Cacophony #1, Batman Confidential #23, Superman & Batman vs. Vampires & Werewolves #3, Green Arrow and Black Canary #14, Trinity #24, Manhunter #36.

2008-11-08T18:20:00.000-08:00

Online reports say that Pushing Daisies has been canceled, although ABC hasn't confirmed it. If true, the show may be a late victim of the writers' strike. It was one of the few shows that didn't come back with new episodes after the strike was resolved. All of the shows that took that approach are doing poorly this season. Apparently networks didn't learn from the fate of Jericho that even critically acclaimed shows with good ratings can be killed off by a long hiatus. It won't surprise me if Chuck and Heroes have the same fate.

In other news, FOX has scheduled Joss Whedon's Dollhouse in the 9pm slot on Fridays beginning in February 2009. Some of you may recall that this is the same time slot FOX put Whedon's Firefly in, and the poor time slot combined with poor marketing spelled an early death for that show. If that's not enough bad luck, it's set to debut on Friday the 13th. And even worse, its lead in will be a genre show with declining ratings, namely The Sarah Connor Chronicles. The original plan was to air Dollhouse on Mondays at 9pm with the successful 24 as the lead in. As soon as I heard Joss was doing a new show for FOX, I had a very bad feeling about how the network would handle it. It's sounding like Firefly all over again.

Speaking of 24, the seventh season was supposed to begin in January 2008 but was postponed for one year due to the writers' strike. The seventh season is now expected to begin airing sometime in January or February 2009. Because of the eighteen or nineteen month gap between seasons, a two hour telefilm called 24: Redemption was made to bridge the sixth and seventh seasons. The telefilm will air on November 23rd.

The Middleman hasn't been officially canceled, but it looks like it's on an extended hiatus with a second season contingent on how well a planned DVD box set of the first season sells. That's something most shows never come back from, Family Guy being the only exception I can think of.

This Week's Comics

2008-11-06T23:00:00.000-08:00

Sandman: The Dream Hunters #1, Chas: The Knowledge #5, House of Mystery #7, Top 10: Season Two #2, X-Men and Spider-Man #1, X-Men: Manifest Destiny #3, X-Men: Pixies and Demons (Director's Cut) #1, Wolverine: Chop Shop #1, Weapon X: First Class #1, Final Crisis: Resist #1, Justice Society of America #20, Sgt. Rock: The Lost Battalion #1, Secret Six #3, Vixen: Return of the Lion #2, Adventure Comics Special #1, Trinity #23, The Authority #4.

This Week's Comics

2008-11-02T10:55:00.000-08:00

Posted a few days late...

Hellboy: In the Chapel of Moloch #1, Jack of Fables #27, Madame Xanadu #5, Red Sonja #38, Ferryman #2, Astonishing X-Men: Ghost Boxes #1, Giant-Sized X-Men: First Class #1, Wolverine: Origins #29, X-Force #8, Captain America Theater of War: Operation Zero-Point #1, Final Crisis: Rage of the Red Lanterns #1, DC Universe: Decisions #4, Superman #681, Justice League of America #26, Superman/Batman #53, Superman & Batman vs. Vampires & Werewolves #2, Trinity #22.

2008-10-29T19:20:00.000-07:00

David Tennant has announced his decision to leave his role as the Tenth Doctor on Doctor Who after the four 2009 specials, opening the door for a new actor as the Eleventh Doctor when the show returns for a full season in 2010.

I said before that I wouldn't be surprised if the final 2009 special ended with a regeneration scene, and it looks like I called it exactly right.

I'll miss him. Tom Baker's Fourth Doctor is and always will be my Doctor, but Tennant's Ten is a close second.

This Week's Comics

2008-10-23T23:05:00.000-07:00

Angel: After the Fall #13, Samurai: Legend #2, Final Crisis #4, Final Crisis: Submit #1, Hellblazer #248, Unknown Soldier #1, Runaways #3, Superman: New Krypton #1, Wolverine: Manifest Destiny #1, X-Men: Legacy #217, X-Factor #36, New Exiles #13, Captain America #43, Birds of Prey #123, Trinity #21.

Review: Supernatural, Episode 4.5, "Monster Movie"

2008-10-19T16:10:00.000-07:00

After beginning the season with four dark mytharc episodes, Supernatural dials down the intensity with a humorous interlude that's a homage to classic Universal horror films like Dracula, The Mummy, and The Wolf Man. As usual when the show needs to lighten up, staff writer Ben Edlund (creator of The Tick, and a former staff writer on Angel and Firefly) is responsible for penning the episode. An Edlund episode never fails to amuse me, and it's just as much fun this time because of the references to some classic genre films that I love.

Director Robert Singer gets into the fun of things with a credits sequence out of a 1930s film, going monochromatic for the entire episode (black-and-white with a slight blue-green tint), and taking a few camera setups right out of the classics the episode's referencing (I caught one from James Whale's Frankenstein).

Good fun. Now back to the dark mytharc.

Review: Eleventh Hour, Episode 1.1, "Resurrection"

2008-10-19T15:00:00.000-07:00

Eleventh Hour is an American remake of a British miniseries. The original was created by Stephen Gallagher (writer of two Classic Doctor Who serials), and starred Patrick Stewart as a scientist investigating weird scientific cases while being protected by a Special Branch agent played by Ashley Jensen. In the remake, Stewart and Jensen have been replaced by Rufus Sewell and Marley Shelton as a scientist and an FBI agent.

The US remake is from prolific film and television producer Jerry Bruckheimer (the Pirates of the Caribbean films and the CSI television franchise). Mick Davis (The Invisible) is the showrunner, and CSI producer/director Danny Cannon is also involved. Davis wrote this episode based on Gallagher's original script and Cannon directed it.

I haven't seen the British original, so I can't compare the two, but I wasn't at all impressed by the first episode of the US remake. It feels like a plodding cross between CSI and The X-Files, and its basic concept is too similar to Fringe. Even if it had debuted before Fringe, it still would be the lesser of the two. One episode was enough for me to cross Eleventh Hour off of my viewing list.

This Week's Comics

2008-10-16T14:20:00.000-07:00

Doctor Who: The Forgotten #2, Captain Britain and MI13 #6, Fables #77, Uncanny X-Men #503, Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds #2, Final Crisis: Rogues' Revenge #3, Air #3, Greatest Hits #2, Conan the Cimmerian #4, Batman and the Outsiders #12, Justice Society of America #19, Young X-Men #7, X-Men: Worlds Apart #1, Nyx: No Way Home #3, Iron Man: Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. #34, Trinity #20, Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #1, Superman & Batman vs. Vampires & Werewolves #1, Robin #179, The Flash #245, DC Universe: Decisions #3.

Review: The Dark Knight

2008-10-14T15:45:00.000-07:00

I may be the last person on the planet to see this film, but better late than never.

The Dark Knight - It's rare that a film lives up to all the hype, but in the hands of director Christopher Nolan and a brilliant cast, this one does.

One year after the events of Batman Begins, Batman (Christian Bale), honest cop Lt. James Gordon (Gary Oldman), and District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) are putting the squeeze on Gotham City's crime bosses. Just when it appears that they may be winning the war on organized crime, a sociopathic agent of chaos called the Joker (Heath Ledger) begins to terrorize the city with his own twisted propaganda of the deed.

Director Christopher Nolan (Memento, Batman Begins, The Prestige) proved with the previous film that he could craft intense action scenes and intense performances without skipping a beat. In his second journey into the shadows of Gotham City, Nolan turns the intensity dial up to 11 to deliver what may be the best superhero film ever made. It's certainly the darkest one, and despite the PG-13 rating in the US, one of the most violent. It's not a perfect film, but it comes close.

Screenwriters Nolan, his brother Jonathan Nolan (Memento, The Prestige), and David S. Goyer (Blade, Batman Begins) take the conflict between a dark hero and an even darker villain to almost Shakespearean heights. By not providing a definitive origin for the Joker or explaining his madness, they create a character who remains a frightening enigma. This is the Joker the way he should be, the twisted opposite of an emotionally scarred hero.

Cinematographer Wally Pfister (Memento, Batman Begins, The Prestige), production designer Nathan Crowley (Batman Begins, The Prestige), and costume designer Lindy Hemming (Batman Begins, Casino Royale) render an environment that seems part of our real world while also suggesting the twisted emotional terrain that gave birth to both Batman and the Joker. Reflecting the main character's war on crime, Gotham City looks cleaner and more prosperous than in the previous film. The musical score by James Newton Howard (Batman Begins, King Kong) and Hans Zimmer (Batman Begins, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest) is a dark, swirling mass of sound that captures the contradictions of Gotham City and its Dark Knight.

Bale once again brings substance to his portrayal of socialite Bruce Wayne and his obsessed vigilante alter ego, remaining the definitive Batman of film or television. What can one really say about the late Ledger's performance as the Joker except that it's brilliant. His Joker creates an indelible impression upon the screen. This isn't Cesar Romero or Jack Nicholson. This is a raw, messy, stark raving mad tour de force of a performance, to the point where Ledger ceases to exist and only the Joker remains. Eckhart gives a strong performance as the idealistic Harvey Dent, Gotham City's Light Knight to Batman's Dark Knight and Bruce Wayne's romantic rival, and his performance only gets better after he's victimized by the Joker's campaign of terror.

The rest of the cast is strong across the board, including Michael Caine as Bruce Wayne's butler Alfred, Maggie Gyllenhaal as Assistant District Attorney Rachel Dawes (played by Katie Holmes in Batman Begins), Oldman as Lt. Gordon, Morgan Freeman as Wayne Enterprises CEO Lucius Fox, Monique Gabriela Curnen as Detective Anna Ramirez, Chin Han as crime gang accountant Lau, Nestor Carbonell as Gotham City's Mayor, Eric Roberts as crime boss Sal Maroni, Anthony Michael Hall as reporter Mike Engel, Keith Szarabajka as Detective Gerard Stephens, Colin McFarlane as Police Commissioner Loeb, Melinda McGraw and Nathan Gamble as Gordon's wife and son, Doug Ballard as a businessman and Tiny Lister as a prison inmate who have key roles in stopping one of the Joker's plans, and Cillian Murphy briefly reprising his role as the Scarecrow.

The Dark Knight is a masterpiece in a genre where action and visuals are too often stronger than writing or acting. Everything about this film is high quality, and it serves as an enduring testament to the talent of the late Heath Ledger. Highly recommended.

[5 out of 5 stars]

2008-10-14T11:30:00.000-07:00

Alan Moore's "IN PICTOPIA!"

Brilliant.

This Week's Comics

2008-10-09T14:20:00.000-07:00

Ferryman #1, Walking Dead #53, The Goon #29, B.P.R.D.: The Warning #4, 100 Bullets #96, X-Men: Magneto Testament #2, X-Men: Original Sin #1, X-Men: Manifest Destiny #2, Action Comics #870, Final Crisis: Revelations #3, Detective Comics #849, Batman Confidential #22, Green Arrow and Black Canary #13, Green Lantern #35, Secret Six #2, Wonder Woman #25, Trinity #19, Avengers/Invaders #5, Invincible Iron Man #6, Amazing Spider-Girl #25.

Review: Sanctuary, Episode 1.1, “Sanctuary for All”

2008-10-05T09:45:00.000-07:00

To be honest, I found the premiere episode lacking and a little disappointing. The premise sounds similar to Torchwood--a team with a mysterious leader and a secret base who deal with strange creatures and unexplained phenomena--but it's no Torchwood. It lacks the style and the originality of that show. That said, it offers some entertainment value, especially for fans of star Amanda Tapping like myself.

Sanctuary is the creation of former Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis staff writer Damian Kindler, and began life as a series of eight webisodes. While it was initially reported that the webisodes would be edited together to make the two hour premiere episode, instead it appears that the first four webisodes were re-written and re-shot, with much less use of CGI backgrounds and sets, to make this episode, which was directed by Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis veteran Martin Wood.

It's refreshing to see Tapping take on a full-time character other than Captain-turned-Major-turned-Colonel Samantha Carter, the character she's played on Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis since 1997. She's well-suited to the role of mysterious team leader Dr. Helen Magnus, without making you think you're watching a Carter clone. My only complaint is the English accent she uses, which seems to come and go, and is shaky even at the best of times.

The cast also includes Robin Dunne as Dr. Will Zimmerman, a brilliant forensic psychiatrist (this character reminds me of Stargate SG-1's Dr. Daniel Jackson); Emilie Ullerup as Dr. Magnus' daughter Ashley (this pretty young blonde woman with super fighting skills and a penchant for quips seems derivative of one Buffy Summers); Ryan Robbins as Henry, Dr. Magnus' assistant; and Christopher Heyerdahl (Todd the Wraith on Stargate Atlantis and Zor-El on Smallville) as a dangerous man who shares a past with Dr. Magnus. Guest stars in this episode include Stargate Atlantis' Kavan Smith and Battlestar Galactica's Kandyse McClure.

Verdict: Sanctuary is an adequate genre show, but no more than that at this point. It has the potential to put together an interesting mythology, but it's held back so far by a predictable story and under-developed characters. It's not a bad show, it just needs some work. Time will tell if it improves. The presence of Tapping is enough to keep me watching for now.

Review: The Sarah Jane Adventures, Serial 2.1, "The Last Sontaran"

2008-10-05T09:40:00.000-07:00

Former Doctor Who companion Sarah Jane Smith returns for a second season of her spinoff series, beginning with facing off against a Sontaran left behind after an attempted invasion of Earth that was thwarted by the Tenth Doctor on Doctor Who earlier this year.

Sontarans are no strangers to Sarah Jane. She encountered one in her very first appearance as the Third Doctor's companion in the 1973 serial, "The Time Warrior," then again with the Fourth Doctor in 1975's "The Sontaran Experiment."

Head writer Phil Ford delivers another solidly entertaining two-part serial, although the first part is the stronger of the two. The Sarah Jane Adventures skews toward the youngest audience of the three Whoniverse shows (including Doctor Who and Torchwood), and that's important to keep in mind when viewing it.

Elisabeth Sladen is in her usual fine form as Sarah Jane, while guest star Anthony O'Donnell makes a very good Sontaran warrior. Some cast changes are afoot this season, and this episode also sets them up.

2008-10-02T18:00:00.000-07:00

With the current eighth season of Smallville possibly being its last, the CW network is looking to the future with a show about a young Dick Grayson before he becomes Robin. Titled The Graysons, it's being developed by Smallville co-showrunners Kelly Souders and Brian Peterson, along with Supernatural and Chuck executive producer Joseph "McG" McGinty Nichol. The network has greenlit a pilot episode, with a full series dependent on how well the pilot is received.

Speaking of Smallville, tonight's episode features the secret origin of Green Arrow, and an episode later this season will introduce the Legion of Super-Heroes.

Fringe is a hit for FOX on Tuesday evenings, so the network ordered an additional nine episodes for the first season to bring the total to twenty-two.

The second season of Pushing Daisies began last night with disappointing ratings. It was a surprise hit for ABC in its first season, but the network declined to order additional episodes after the WGA strike ended, preferring to simply wait for the second season. That strategy may have backfired to the detriment of a quality show.

Marvel Studios continues to develop the Thor film, which has a screenplay by Mark Protosevich (The Cell, I Am Legend). The company is currently in talks with actor/director Kenneth Branagh (Henry V, Dead Again, Hamlet) to direct the film, scheduled for release on 16 July 2010. Interesting choice, but the best superhero films of the 21st century so far have been from directors like Bryan Singer (X-Men), Christopher Nolan (Batman Begins), and Jon Favreau (Iron Man), all of whom were considered "interesting choices" at first. I'd include Ang Lee, but I know I'm in a tiny minority of people who liked Hulk.

The first season of Sanctuary begins tomorrow night on the Sci Fi Channel. It stars Amanda Tapping of Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis, and was created by former Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis staff writer Damian Kindler. Like big screen films Sin City, 300, and the upcoming Watchmen, it's filmed in a green screen environment and the sets, backgrounds, etc. are digitally rendered. Sanctuary began as an eight episode web series. The web episodes were edited together to form the two-hour first episode, with the remaining twelve episodes of the first season being new.

Tim Burton directing a new version of Alice in Wonderland with Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter and Helena Bonham Carter as the Queen of Hearts? Oh, I so want to see that when it's released on 19 March 2010. The screenplay is by Linda Woolverton (Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King).

This Week's Comics

2008-10-02T15:00:00.000-07:00

Batman #680, Justice League of America #25, Witchblade #121, New Exiles #12, Trinity #18, Vixen: Return of the Lion #1, Supergirl #34, Nightwing #149, Manhunter #35, House of Mystery #6, Chas: The Knowledge #4, DC Universe: Decisions #2, Top 10: Season Two #1, The Authority #3.

Review: Merlin, Episode 1.1, "The Dragon's Call"

2008-09-26T22:40:00.000-07:00

BBC Wales, the production company responsible for Doctor Who and Torchwood, moves from science fiction to fantasy with Merlin, a new television series about the legendary wizard's teenaged years as he meets the future King Arthur for the first time.

The cast includes Colin Morgan (Jethro Cane in the Doctor Who episode "Midnight") as Merlin, Bradley James as Prince Arthur, Anthony Stewart Head as King Uther Pendragon, Richard Wilson (Doctor Who: "The Empty Child" and "The Doctor Dances") as court physician Gaius, Angel Coulby (Doctor Who: "The Girl in the Fireplace") as Guinevere, Katie McGrath as Morgana, and John Hurt as the voice of the Great Dragon.

Merlin is the creation of Hex co-creator Julian Jones, Hex producers Julian Murphy and Johnny Capps, and Jake Michie. Doctor Who and Torchwood executive producer Julie Gardner serves in the same capacity here, as the show is co-produced by BBC Wales and Shine Entertainment (Hex). It's filmed on location in Wales and France.

This first episode is crisply directed by James Hawes (Doctor Who: "The Empty Child," "The Doctor Dances," and "School Reunion"), and the teleplay by co-creator/showrunner Julian Jones quickly introduces the main characters, while setting up both the series arc and this episode's entertaining story. Visual effect company The Firm (Doctor Who, Torchwood) once again does some remarkable work on a television budget with the CGI Great Dragon and some other effects. Torchwood's Eve Myles guest stars as the enchanting Lady Helen.

In some ways, it can be described as the Smallville of the Arthurian mythos. It has a photogenic cast, it explores the younger years of a well-known character with some revision of canon, and there's sure to be some occasional angst. On the level it's intended, it's ripping good fun.

Serious admirers of the Arthurian mythos might howl in protest, but this is about entertainment, and it does what it's supposed to do extremely well. It's well-made, well-acted, and a fun way to spend forty-five minutes. I like Merlin.

For those in the US without access to torrents, NBC will broadcast the first season beginning in early 2009, albeit in a slightly edited form.

This Week's Comics

2008-09-25T15:29:00.000-07:00

Samurai: Legend #1, Hellboy: The Crooked Man #3, Jack of Fables #26, Fables #76, Superman #680, Wolverine: Origins #28, Wolverine Annual #2, X-Force #7, X-Men: Legacy #216, Runaways #2, Powers #30, Fantastic Four #560, Captain America #42, Angel: Revelations #5, Trinity #17, Superman/Batman #52, Madame Xanadu #4.

Review: Heroes, Episodes 3.1/3.2, "The Second Coming"/"The Butterfly Effect"

2008-09-23T12:55:00.001-07:00

The third season of Heroes debuted yesterday with the broadcast of back-to-back episodes, both written by creator/showrunner Tim Kring. If the first two seasons seemed deliberately paced, this one begins like a runaway freight train.

Picking up right where the second season ended, with Nathan Petrelli getting shot at a press conference just as he was about to reveal his superpowers to the world, we quickly learn the surprising identity of the shooter and why Nathan was targeted. That's only the first of several twists presented over the course of the two episodes, as we catch up with most of the other characters. There are some apparent plot holes, but more likely the audience is being set up for more surprises.

The third season will have twenty-five episodes, with the first thirteen forming a story arc called "Villains." These two episodes quickly lay the groundwork for what's to come, presenting choices between good and evil that some characters will have to make.

Although I enjoyed the second season, there were times when the show seemed to be spinning its wheels. Kring acknowledged that mistakes were made and vowed to fix them. He did. Big time. Welcome back, Heroes.

Review: Supernatural, Episode 4.1, "Lazarus Rising"

2008-09-19T21:50:00.001-07:00

The third season ended with the death of Dean Winchester and his soul trapped in Hell. Talk about a cliffhanger. No spoilers here, but creator/showrunner Eric Kripke starts off the fourth season by writing a whiz-bang episode that sets up what looks to be the main story arc of the season. Some things happened as I thought they would, others I didn't see coming, but every moment reminded me of why I enjoy this show so much.

Review: Smallville, Episode 8.1, "Odyssey"

2008-09-19T21:45:00.000-07:00

The seventh season ended with a cataclysmic showdown between Clark Kent and Lex Luthor in the Fortress of Solitude. The eighth season begins with both men missing and feared dead. Green Arrow's Justice League searches for Clark, while Tess Mercer, acting head of LuthorCorp, searches for Lex.

This is a fun start to what could be the show's final season. It was important to get off to a good start after original showrunners Al Gough and Miles Millar left after seven seasons and were replaced by the showrunning committee of Darren Swimmer, Todd Slavkin, Kelly Souders, and Brian Peterson, all of whom have worked on the show as staff writers since the second season. Based on this episode written by the four new showrunners, I'd say it's in good hands.

Besides the change in showrunners, regular cast members Michael Rosenbaum (Lex Luthor) and Kristin Kreuk (Lana Lang) also left the show after last season, while Justin Hartley (Green Arrow), Cassidy Freeman (Tess Mercer), and Sam Witwer (paramedic Davis Bloome) join the regular cast this season.

2008-09-18T18:25:00.000-07:00

Season eight of Smallville and season four of Supernatural begin tonight on the CW network. You know I'll be parked in front of the telly.

This Week's Comics

2008-09-18T18:20:00.001-07:00

Action Comics #869, Hellblazer #247, DC Universe: Decisions #1, Greatest Hits #1, Air #2, Walking Dead #52, Uncanny X-Men #502, Young X-Men #6, X-Factor #35, X-Men: First Class #16, Iron Man: Director of SHIELD #33, Trinity #16, Robin #178, Flash #244, Birds of Prey #122, Conan the Cimmerian #3, Batman and the Outsiders #11.

2008-09-11T19:55:00.000-07:00

Production has been temporarily halted on Joss Whedon's new television show, Dollhouse, because he felt the scripts for some episodes weren't good enough. He's going to oversee re-writes before production begins again. This won't cause a delay for the show, because it isn't going to debut until January. Earlier, he shot a new first episode, deciding to use the previously filmed pilot as the second episode.

Iron Man director Jon Favreau revealed details of Iron Man 2 at a news conference today. The second film will introduce the Mandarin as the villain, and will also see the character of Rhodey become War Machine. Favreau is considering shooting it in IMAX and/or 3-D. Actor turned screenwriter Justin Theroux (Tropic Thunder) is writing the first draft of the screenplay. Iron Man 2 is scheduled for release on April 30, 2010.

After a successful animated spoof of Star Wars last year, Family Guy is at it again with a planned spoof of The Empire Strikes Back, again with the approval of George Lucas.

According to a recent report, Spider-Man 4 is a go with director Sam Raimi and star Tobey Maguire both returning, and a screenplay by James Vanderbilt (Zodiac). Vanderbilt should help the franchise get back on track after Raimi and his brother Ivan (Darkman, Army of Darkness) wrote the script for Spider-Man 3 with mixed results. The studio may also shoot Spider-Man 4 and a planned Spider-Man 5 back-to-back. Look for Spider-Man 4 in May 2011.

20th Century Fox is expanding their list of X-Men spinoff films. X-Men Origins: Wolverine is set for release on May 1, 2009, and a film about a young Magneto is still being developed. Now the slate includes development of a Deadpool film (he'll be played by Ryan Reynolds in X-Men Origins: Wolverine) and a film about a team of younger X-Men (New Mutants, perhaps?). The studio might also make a Daredevil sequel.

Campy early 1980s television show The Greatest American Hero is being developed for a big screen remake to be directed by Stephen Herek (Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure). I remember watching that way back when.

This Week's Comics

2008-09-11T18:15:00.001-07:00

Doctor Who Classics #10, Final Crisis: Revelations #2, Red Sonja #37, X-Men: Magneto Testament #1, Wolverine: Saudade #1, Patsy Walker: Hellcat #3, Nyx: No Way Home #2, New Exiles #11, Amazing Spider-Girl #24, Wonder Woman #24, Green Arrow and Black Canary #12, Ex Machina #38, 100 Bullets #95, Trinity #15, Batman Confidential #21, BPRD: The Warning #3, The Goon #28.

Review: Fringe, Episode 1.1, "Pilot"

2008-09-11T12:45:00.000-07:00

Call me entertained.

Fringe is a new science fiction television show created by J.J. Abrams (creator of Alias and co-creator of Lost) and Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman (the writers of Transformers and the upcoming Star Trek film).

It bears a thematic resemblance to The X-Files (incidentally, this episode was broadcast on Tuesday, the day before the 15th anniversary of The X-Files' premiere), but Abrams, Orci, and Kurtzman have made their own show. One can see the touches of all three creators: Abrams brings the intrigue and an overarching mystery, while Orci and Kurtzman bring their knack for blending multiple elements (action, romance, humor) into an entertaining whole.

The premise is FBI Special Agent Olivia Dunham (Australian actress Anna Torv) investigates mysterious events with the help of brilliant but mentally ill scientist Dr. Walter Bishop (played by John Noble, best known as Denethor in The Return of the King) and his estranged son Peter (Joshua Jackson).

The first episode, directed by former West Wing and Journeyman producer/director Alex Graves, is quite entertaining and very polished for a pilot episode. Much time and money (reportedly US$10 million) was spent on the pilot episode alone, and combined with its 90-minute running time makes it feel more like a big screen film.

The first new show to debut in the 2008-09 television season lives up to the hype. It might be too slick for some, but it's well-written and well-cast, the two most important ingredients for a successful television show. The behind the scenes staff is also high quality: cinematographer Michael Bonvillain and composer Michael Giacchino worked on Alias and Lost, while production designer Carol Spier is a longtime collaborator with director David Cronenberg on films like The Fly, Naked Lunch, and Eastern Promises.

I can't wait to see where future episodes, shepherded by showrunner Jeff Pinkner (a former staff writer and producer on Alias and Lost), take the characters and the premise.

Edited to add: If you missed it, FOX will repeat this episode on Sunday, September 14th at 8pm, with new episodes to follow every Tuesday at 9pm.

Review: Torchwood: Lost Souls

2008-09-11T11:30:00.000-07:00

BBC Radio 4 celebrated the switching on of CERN's Large Hadron Collider with what it dubbed the Big Bang Day. One of the elements of this was a 44-minute Torchwood audio play featuring the television show's regular cast (John Barrowman as Captain Jack, Eve Myles as Gwen, and Gareth David-Lloyd as Ianto) and special guest star Freema Agyeman (reprising her Doctor Who-originated role of Dr. Martha Jones).

Writer Joseph Lidster, who scripted one of the stronger episodes of the second season ("A Day in the Death") and is also a veteran author of Doctor Who audio plays, delivers a solid story set sometime after the second season finale, with Team Torchwood still dealing with the tragedy that befell them. When Dr. Martha Jones from UNIT calls them to Switzerland to help her investigate a mystery, can Team Torchwood save the day once again?

Lost Souls is a satisfying entry in the Torchwood mythos. The voice cast is in good form as their familiar characters (successfully making the transition from television), there are chills to be had for the listeners, and it provides some needed closure after the second season finale.

Torchwood: Lost Souls is available as a free mp3 download until September 17th from here.

2008-09-04T20:45:00.000-07:00

The first season finale of The Middleman on Monday was so completely made of awesome that I'll be sad if this clever little show doesn't get renewed for a second season. If you didn't notice it, the prop used for the phased polaron cannon in the episode was Dr. Horrible's freeze ray (and the name of the weapon is a Star Trek: Deep Space Nine reference)! There were also references to Escape from New York and The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai, among other things.

The fourth season premiere of Bones last night was pretty good, mixing humor and relationship angst into an entertaining two hours. Also, Indira Varma (Suzie Costello in the first season of Torchwood) guest starred.

After Guillermo del Toro finishes directing The Hobbit and the unnamed Lord of the Rings prequel, he'll still have a lot on his plate thanks to his new deal with Universal Pictures. He's set to direct remakes of Frankenstein, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and Slaughterhouse Five, as well as an adaptation of Dan Simmons' upcoming novel, Drood, and an adaptation of Lovecraft's At the Mountains of Madness is also being developed.

As excited as I am for a del Toro version of Frankenstein, my dream was to see remakes of Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein done by Tim Burton.

According to Variety, Ghostbusters III is being developed with The Office staff writers Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky writing the screenplay. The plan is to reunite the original cast of the first two films: Harold Ramis, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Ernie Hudson.

The first season of Fringe, a new science fiction drama, begins next Tuesday on the FOX network. The show is the creation of J.J. Abrams (Alias, Lost) and the writing team of Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman (Transformers, the upcoming Star Trek film), with former Alias and Lost writer/producer Jeff Pinkner serving as showrunner. It's being described as influenced by The X-Files, The Twilight Zone, and Altered States.

WildStorm is publishing a Fringe prequel comic book, and the first issue was released today. The comic book is being co-written by Zack Whedon, best known as the co-writer of Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog.

2008-09-04T15:10:00.000-07:00

This week's comics: Fringe #1, Detective Comics #848, Angel: After the Fall #12, Buffy the Vampire Slayer #18, X-Men Origins: Beast #1, X-Men: Manifest Destiny #1, Iron Man: Golden Avenger #1, Invincible Iron Man #5, Trinity #14, Secret Six #1, Nightwing #148, Manhunter #34, House of Mystery #5, Green Lantern #34, Chas: The Knowledge #3, Fables #75, The Authority: World's End #2.

2008-08-28T15:20:00.000-07:00

New comics purchased this week: Final Crisis: Superman Beyond 3D #1 (complete with 3D glasses!), Final Crisis: Rogues' Revenge #2, Wolverine #68, X-Force #6, X-Men: Legacy #215, Ultimate X-Men #97, Runaways #1, New Exiles #10, Superman #679, Angel: Revelations #4, Trinity #13, Madame Xanadu #3, Catwoman #82, Jack of Fables #25, Justice Society of America #18, DC Universe: Last Will and Testament #1, and Marvel: Your Universe Saga #1.

2008-08-26T18:39:00.000-07:00

The third season of Torchwood just began production in Cardiff. As previously announced, instead of a thirteen episode season it'll consist of five episodes aired on consecutive nights as a BBC One miniseries in Spring 2009. The title of the miniseries is Torchwood: Children of Earth.

Creator Russell T Davies returns to serve as showrunner in place of Chris Chibnall, who left after two seasons to become the showrunner of the upcoming Law & Order: London. Davies is writing two of the episodes, with former Coronation Street staff writer John Fay writing two more and James Moran (writer of last season's "Sleeper") writing the remaining one. Euros Lyn, director of nine episodes and two mini-episodes of Doctor Who (including "The Unquiet Dead" and "The Girl in the Fireplace"), will direct all five episodes.

The principal cast consists of John Barrowman as Captain Jack, Eve Myles as Gwen, and Gareth David-Lloyd as Ianto. Previous rumors of Doctor Who's Freema Agyeman (Martha) and Noel Clarke (Mickey) joining the cast have been proven untrue. Supporting cast members Kai Owen and Tom Price will also return as Gwen's husband Rhys and PC Andy respectively. Peter Capaldi, Paul Copely, and Liz May Brice are the major guest stars.

As for Law & Order: London, with former Torchwood showrunner Chibnall and producer Richard Stokes moving over to take on the same roles here, as well as Who's Agyeman as a prosecutor and Battlestar Galactica's Jamie Bamber as a police officer, I'm interested in seeing it.

Review: Doctor Who: The Forgotten #1, "Amputation"

2008-08-26T11:34:00.000-07:00

Without giving too much away, this new six issue comic book miniseries from IDW Publishing features the Tenth Doctor and companion Martha in a story that necessitates flashbacks to the adventures of the Doctor's previous incarnations. In this issue, we get a flashback to the era of the First Doctor, with granddaughter Susan, Ian, and Barbara as his companions.

The miniseries is blessed with the creative team of writer Tony Lee and Eisner Award-winning artist Pia Guerra, both longtime Who fans, and they bring a certain fannish enthusiasm to their work here. Lee captures the personalities of the Doctor's different incarnations and his companions while delivering a story that makes you keep turning the pages to see what happens next, while Guerra accurately renders the looks and mannerisms of the characters for the comic book page while still bringing her own personal style to the drawing board.

With no new Who on television until Christmas, this miniseries is an excellent way to dispel the withdrawal symptoms and a good piece of entertainment in its own right that's sure to make any fan of a certain Time Lord happy.

2008-08-23T21:20:00.003-07:00

How ironic is it that two days after it was canceled, Stargate Atlantis aired one of its strongest episodes ever with an equally strong performance by star David Hewlett?

2008-08-22T15:25:00.000-07:00

This week's comics: Doctor Who: The Forgotten #1, Birds of Prey #121, The Brave and the Bold #16, X-Factor: Layla Miller #1, X-Factor #34, Uncanny X-Men #501, Young X-Men #5, X-Men: First Class #15, B.P.R.D.: The Warning #2, 100 Bullets #94, Conan the Cimmerian #2, Ultimate Fantastic Four #57, Iron Man: Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. #32, Captain America #41, Trintiy #12, Superman/Batman #51, Robin #177, Justice League of America #24, The Flash #243, Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds #1, Air #1.

2008-08-22T15:15:00.001-07:00

One day after canceling Stargate Atlantis, the Sci Fi Channel announced that it has given the green light for production of Stargate Universe, which will become the third show in the long-running Stargate franchise. Unlike the first two shows, this one will be set aboard a starship. The first season will begin airing in summer 2009.

2008-08-21T21:40:00.000-07:00

It was announced yesterday that Stargate Atlantis has been canceled and will cease airing after the completion of the current season, its fifth. The show's final episode will be its 100th overall and will be broadcast on December 26th. Like the show it spun off from, Stargate SG-1, it will continue as a series of direct-to-DVD films.

I wasn't really shocked by the announcement because the Sci Fi Channel is as notorious as FOX when it comes to suddenly canceling shows. With Battlestar Galactica also set to end early next year, the Sci Fi Channel suddenly looks very light in the original series category with only Eureka and the upcoming Sanctuary left.

It's a conspiracy against Jewel Staite! She was a regular cast member on the canceled far too soon Firefly, then as soon as she joined Stargate Atlantis as a regular cast member it was also canceled.

Doctor Who: Music of the Spheres

2008-07-27T09:35:00.001-07:00

Can't wait for the Doctor Who Christmas special? Then perhaps you'd like to see "Music of the Spheres," a new mini-episode released today to coincide with a BBC promenade concert featuring music from Doctor Who. Just click here to watch both parts of it, with a combined running time of seven and a half minutes.

2008-07-22T20:35:00.000-07:00

I love The Middleman. Unfortunately, so far it's one of those cult television shows that gets great reviews from critics and has a small but enthusiastic fan base rather than a ratings success. Creator/showrunner Javier Grillo-Marxuach and the ABC Family network have mutually agreed to limit the first season to twelve episodes and then see what the future holds. The network is very supportive of Grillo-Marxuach's vision, but it needs to see that there's a large enough audience to justify a second season.

Caprica Trailer

2008-07-21T19:40:00.002-07:00

Here's the promotional trailer for Caprica, the upcoming Battlestar Galactica prequel telefilm (it starts with a brief promo for the Stargate: Continuum direct-to-DVD film, so just keep watching).

2008-07-21T19:35:00.000-07:00

As a follow-up to yesterday's post about how some feminists have criticized Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, here's Joss Whedon's response from an online Q&A session:

But, yeah, Penny is not the feminist icon of our age. And yes, she does exist in the narrative as part of Doc's fate -- but everyone in the story is there to move the story. Is she less real than Hammer? (Is ANYTHING?) We gave her a cause so she wouldn't JUST be the Pretty Girl but the fact is, neither Doc nor Hammer gives her the attention she deserves -- Doc's crush comes before he has the slightest idea what she cares about. Which is not uncommon. It reminds me of "Sweeney Todd," the Judge and Sweeney singing "Pretty Women" -- a beautiful duet with no insight whatsoever. Just images.

2008-07-20T13:30:00.000-07:00

Wow. Joss Whedon seems to have angered some feminists with Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog because of how they perceive the treatment of Penny within the story. As a feminist, I think that Dr. Horrible is a satire of the superhero/supervillain conflict as male power fantasy, and the characters are largely stock figures who exist to further that concept. Viewed within that context, the characterization of Penny makes sense. Of course, I've been reading superhero comics for three decades, so what might seem obvious to me might seem less obvious, or be invisible, to other viewers.