Categories
Science Fiction Television

What’s Coming to Sanctuary this Fall?

Sanctuary returns in a few months, so I thought I would catch up with the only two episodes of season two I hadn’t yet seen. Kali Part 1 and Kali Part 2 were a pair of episodes well worth watching back to back. I wish I had waited just a little longer though because the cliffhanger means I have to wait until the show returns before I find out what happens!

Syfy's Header for Sanctuary - Does it mean Ashley is returning? I have several questions about the new season.

Are we going to see Ashley again? That’s the main question on my mind after seeing this image on the Syfy’s Sanctuary website. Otherwise, what’s the purpose of this promo for the new Fall 2010 season having Ashley Magnus on it, but to tease and taunt us fans?

Will we see more of Ravi? I really enjoyed him and the flirty moments between him and Kate. They could have something much more interesting than Kate has had so far with any of the other guys on the show. I’m still waiting for Henry to find a girl I like, but if Ashley came back… that’s the girl I’d want for Will. Don’t know why I like them as a couple, but I certainly think each has something to teach the other. Of course, I have not heard a word about that happening, so it’s probably just wishful thinking on my part.

Back to Kali. Paul McGillion looked horrible in the episode. His makeup was not good, nor was his character. ;-) I liked his character though because his kind always make good villains. The makeup however, I never liked. I did like the way he moved his head. I thought those jerky little movements made him seem quite unhuman-like.

I liked the way the episodes went, and I thought it was interesting to watch Magnus squirm. Terrance was completely correct in that she would not have stood for any other Sanctuary leader to do as she did. I also think she might be realizing finally what she’s set in motion by not maintaining some kind of ultimate authority over the other Sanctuaries. One or two power hungry people and you end up with a mutiny on your hands!

All in all, I’m getting excited about the return of the series. Can hardly wait. :) What about you?

Categories
Movies Science Fiction Television

Is The Last Airbender a Trilogy?

Apparently so. The Last Airbender, the live-action movie based on the Avatar: The Last Airbender animated TV series, is supposed to be part of a trilogy.

The first movie is in theaters now, while the next two installments are to be filmed one at a time. According to the article, "Last Airbender Trilogy Not Being Filmed Back-to-back, May Take Over 6 Years to Complete," on slashfilm.com from July last year, M. Night Shyamalan was still working on the script for the second film. This seems to support the idea that The Last Airbender is the first of a trilogy.

Finally, if you see the plot summary taken from the official movie website for The Last Airbender quoted further down this page, you’ll see that "‘The Last Airbender’ is the opening chapter in Aang’s struggle to survive."

So, yes, The Last Airbender is a trilogy.

The Last Airbender Image Some people made the assumption that The Last Airbender would be a trilogy based on the fact that the series was made up of three "books," Water, Earth and Fire.

More recently, critics have knocked the film heavily, giving it bad marks for any number of issues.

TV series viewers have done the same, but I always discount those kinds of reviews, simply because I know I don’t enjoy a movie as much if I go into it with expectations set by a book or television series I’ve loved.

The Last Airbender Movie Poster [Coming Soon] The Last Airbender Movie Poster [July 2]

I have family very interested in seeing this film. As someone who has watched bits and pieces of the television series, but not enough of it to have expectations about the style or content of the movie, I would also like to see this one. The Last Airbender looks quite appealing!

The Last Airbender Plot Summary

Air, Water, Earth, Fire. Four nations tied by destiny when the Fire Nation launches a brutal war against the others. A century has passed with no hope in sight to change the path of this destruction. Caught between combat and courage, Aang discovers he is the lone Avatar with the power to manipulate all four elements. Aang teams with Katara, a Waterbender, and her brother, Sokka, to restore balance to their war-torn world.

Based on the hugely successful Nickelodeon animated TV series, the live-action feature film "The Last Airbender" is the opening cahpter in Aang’s struggle to survive.

The Last Airbender Theatrical Trailer

 

The Last Airbender Cast

Aang – Noah Ringer

Prince Zuko – Dev Patel

Katara – Nicola Peltz

Sokka – Jackson Rathbone

Uncle Iroh – Shaun Toub

Commander Zhao- Aasif Mandvi

Fire Lord Ozai – Cliff Curtis

Categories
Science Fiction Television

Syfy Pilot Alphas to be Directed by Jack Bender, Lost‘s Director/Executive Producer

(Press Release Below; My Comments Below That)

SYFY PILOT ALPHAS TO BE DIRECTED BY LOST DIRECTOR/EXECUTIVE PRODUCER JACK BENDER

First Project For Acclaimed Director After Wrapping LOST Series Finale

New York, New York – May 24, 2010 – Syfy has inked award winning director/executive producer Jack Bender as director/executive producer for the action-adventure 90-minute pilot, Alphas (working title) from writers Zak Penn (X-Men: The Last Stand, Fantastic Four, The Incredible Hulk) and Michael Karnow, it was announced today by Mark Stern, Executive Vice President of Original Programming, Syfy and Co-Head of Content for Universal Cable Productions, which is the studio for the project.  Bender just wrapped six seasons as an executive producer and director on the critically acclaimed series LOST, and directed Sunday’s much anticipated series finale. Alphas is executive produced by Gail Berman and Lloyd Braun for BermanBraun Television and is slated to commence production in Toronto this summer.

Alphas follows a team of ordinary citizens who possess extraordinary and unusual mental skills.  Using physical feats and uniquely advanced mental abilities, this unlikely team takes the law into their own hands and uncovers what the CIA, FBI and Pentagon have not been able or willing to solve.  These gifted individuals must balance their quirky personalities and disparate backgrounds with their not always visible powers as they work to solve crimes, stop the ticking time bomb and catch the enemy.

“We are very excited that Jack has chosen to be part of ‘Alphas,’” said Stern. “His vision and expertise are perfectly suited to this project, and will truly elevate it.”

Bender is a film director, actor, television producer and screenwriter who was most recently a producer and lead director on the hit Emmy Award-winning series LOST. He has also directed popular shows such as The Sopranos, Carnivale, Alias and Boston Public. He is also an accomplished painter, sculptor and mixed media artist.  Bender is represented by the United Talent Agency and Bob Myman at Myman, Abell, Fineman, Greenspan and Light.

About BermanBraun

BermanBraun is an independent media company whose three divisions — television, feature film and digital media — create and exploit entertainment content and advertising solutions throughout the world. The Santa Monica, Calif.-based company, founded by principals Gail Berman and Lloyd Braun in January 2007, has separate strategic global alliances with NBC and Microsoft to create and distribute creative content across all platforms. In February 2009, BermanBraun launched WONDERWALL — the primary celebrity destination on the MSN Network, ranking ahead of TMZ.com and People.com in traffic, with number one user engagement in the celebrity news space.  In April 2010, partners BermanBraun, Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. (HFM U.S.) and MSN launched GLO, a lifestyle destination site.  BermanBraun is currently producing THE CAPE for NBC’s 2010/2011 television season.  They are also producing DECODED for the History Channel for Fall 2010.   BermanBraun also produces SWORDS for The Discovery Channel and IS SHE REALLY GOING OUT WITH HIM? on MTV.

About Universal Cable Studios

Universal Cable Productions creates quality content across multiple media platforms for USA, Syfy and other networks. A leader in innovative and critically acclaimed programming, UCP is the studio behind USA’s Royal Pains, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Psych, In Plain Sight, Covert Affairs and Facing Kate, along with Syfy’s Eureka, Warehouse 13 and Caprica. The studio also produced both long-running series Monk and Battlestar Galactica. UCP is a division of NBC Universal.

About Syfy

Syfy is a media destination for imagination-based entertainment. With year round acclaimed original series, events, blockbuster movies, classic science fiction and fantasy programming, a dynamic Web site (www.Syfy.com), and a portfolio of adjacent business (Syfy Ventures), Syfy is a passport to limitless possibilities. Originally launched in 1992 as SCI FI Channel, and currently in 95 million homes, Syfy is a network of NBC Universal, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies. (Syfy. Imagine greater.)

The short summary in this press release isn’t quite enough to pique my interest in this show, and I don’t find myself excited in any way by the premise. Would you watch?

Categories
Science Fiction Television

No Ordinary Family Coming this Fall to ABC

no-ordinary-family On Tuesdays this fall, I’ll be ready at 7 PM Central for the new show from ABC, No Ordinary Family. From the trailer I just watched to the summary of the show on the ABC website, I am intrigued and excited by the premise. The actors look like a great bunch also. This is a show I’ll definitely have to try out this fall. Will you be watching?

No Ordinary Family trailer:

No Ordinary Family summary:

The Powells are about to go from ordinary to extraordinary.

After 16 years of marriage, Jim and Stephanie’s relationship lacks the spark it once had, and their family life now consists of balancing work and their two children, leaving little time for family bonding.

During a family vacation set up by Jim in an attempt to reconnect, their plane crashes into the Amazon River. But this is where the fun starts for the Powells, as they soon discover that something’s not quite right. Each of them now possesses unique and distinct superpowers.

But saving and savoring their family life will be equally important, as they try to find purpose for their new powers and embark on a journey to find out what defines and unifies them.

The Powells are a totally relatable family who happen to be a little bit amazing.

No Ordinary Family stars:

  • Michael Chiklis as Jim Powell
  • Julie Benz as Stephanie Powell
  • Jimmy Bennett as JJ Powell
  • Kay Panabaker as Daphne Powell
  • Romany Malco as George St. Cloud
  • Autumn Reeser as Katie Andrews
  • Christina Chang as Det. Yvonne Cho
  • Tate Donovan as Mitch McCutcheon

No Ordinary Family writers and producers:

The pilot was written and executive-produced by Jon Feldman. The series is executive-produced by Feldman, Greg Berlanti, Morgan Wandell and David Semel, who also directed the pilot. Joe Hartwick, Jr. serves as producer. No Ordinary Family is from ABC Studios.

Categories
Movies

2012 Movie, science fiction—or fantasy?

Ah, 2012. 2012 the movie I will admit I’ve watched more than an ordinary number of specials on the History Channel and the Discovery Channel of late about the scientific plausibility of 2012 actually meaning anything other than a date two years hence.

That said, I have always had and will probably always have a soft spot for disaster movies. I loved The Day After Tomorrow and I watch it whenever I’m in the mood to see the world changed forever.

The thing is though, after having watched all those TV specials about 2012 and the Mayan calendar ending and the upcoming galactic alignment of the sun with the center of the Milky Way, I still don’t think it all really means anything.

What will be will be and all that.

However, I also learned enough to know that 2012 the movie is more like a wonderfully wrought piece of fantasy than science fiction. Science fiction is fiction based on science. 2012 was exciting, touching, gorgeous, and devastating, but it wasn’t based on any science I’ve ever learned.

I once read a document put out by one of the Geological Society of London’s working groups called Super-eruptions: global effects and future threats. It was my understanding of what I read that 27 days wouldn’t be near the time needed to clear the air of the effects from a Yellowstone eruption, and that’s just one of the many disasters that struck the world in the 2012 movie and changed it—forever, but of which had less than realistic looking  long-term consequences.

The movie was great, nonetheless, but it certainly wasn’t based on science. Is science fantasy a genre? Because that’s where 2012 squarely fits.

If you’re a fan of Mega Disasters and similar TV programs, you’ll probably like 2012. I did. :)

Categories
Science Fiction Television

Sanctuary’s Next Tuesday (with and without commentary) is online at Syfy Rewind

Right now, there are several of the Sanctuary season two episodes available to watch online at Syfy Rewind.

As of this post, you can catch last week’s Sanctuary episode Next Tuesday, along with an enhanced version of the episode which includes commentary. The show is a good one, in my opinion, and well worth watching more than once. There’s one particular touching moment that I appreciated, and it’s nice to see a series truly mourn a missing character.

The commentary-laden episode is worth the commercial interruptions. Besides, that’s the only way you’ll get to see it for now. Season two DVDs will come later, I’m sure. :)

Categories
Sci-Fi Views

Have your TV viewing habits been forever changed by DVR technology?

Last year in an article about Chuck (the TV series), I wrote that my TV viewing habits had been forever changed by my DVR. I think now more than ever, TV networks need to take note of this change, because I know I’m not the only person who has adopted a new way of watching TV.

Years ago, if a show was important to me, I watched live. These days this is exactly opposite of how I treat the TV shows I love and adore.

Here’s what I wrote:

One thing I will say as a last side note, Networks and TV people need to take note of how the DVR has changed tv for so many people. I watch stuff live when it catches my interest but isn’t on my have-to-see list. If I absolutely don’t want to miss a show, it gets recorded.

I don’t watch any of my favorite programs live anymore. I want to be able to see Chuck and my other favorites from start to finish without interruptions–and that includes the commercial content. It’s only the stuff that doesn’t really matter that I watch live these days. I feel it’s important that networks understand this. I’m not the only one with this attitude. The DVR has forever changed my TV viewing habits. (Link: Chuck TV show news article where I made these comments)

Do you depend on your DVR the way I do for favorite shows, but leave live viewing for less-than-beloved series? How do you watch TV these days?

Categories
Science Fiction Television

Dollhouse still getting better, even though it’s too late

Back when it was first announced that Dollhouse had been officially cancelled, I wrote that I didn’t care. I didn’t. But after watching the the latest episodes of Dollhouse (shown as a 2 hour event), I have to say it saddens me to notice how much better the show has gotten lately. If it had been this compelling, this entertaining, from the get go, this series would have stood a much better chance of gaining a wide audience.

In fact, I have 16 minutes left of the 2nd episode and I am pretty sure these two (The Public Eye and The Left Hand) are the best of either season.

Click here to watch these Dollhouse episodes online.

Don’t take it as a bad sign that I’m writing this, since I needed a bathroom break and had my laptop sitting beside me on the couch when I came back. I’m so excited about how interesting I’ve found these episodes that I tried to call a friend who watches but she wasn’t around. There was no one else to share my excitement with, so here you are—a blog post instead. :) Now I really do have to go. I want to see how it ends.

16 minutes later… I’m back.

I love how so many threads have come together and how much of the episode isn’t Echo-centric. Don’t get me wrong, I like Echo, but I think the show is so much better when she’s just a part of a much bigger whole. It’s also nice to see Adele with a backbone but still on the darker side of things…

Ballard isn’t the most interesting of the bunch, but he’s taken a backseat to the more compelling storylines and “Victor” has shown some delightful and seriously talented acting. There’s not much more to say without giving stuff away, but if you’ve been a fan but have been on the fence about whether or not to watch these final episodes, I say give it a shot. You might be as pleasantly surprised as I’ve been.

There’s gold in these episodes and it’s unlikely you’ll be disappointed.

As Todd VanDerWerff said in his recap of “The Public Eye”, “It’s too bad this show has been officially canceled, because "The Public Eye" is the first episode of season two to fully live up to the show’s potential.” Read these engrossing recaps if you have the time. They’re worth it.

Also, don’t miss your chance to watch the episodes. Click here to watch Dollhouse online.

Categories
Science Fiction Television

Fox shop free shipping deal

Dollhouse Season 1 There’s a good deal going on at FOX Shop this weekend. They’re offering free shipping. That would be great if you haven’t gotten yourself or a friend a copy of any of the DVD sets for Dollhouse, Buffy, Angel, or any other sets they might be interested in watching.

Here’s the link: Get Free Shipping on all orders with code FREESHIP from 12/4 – 12/6

Don’t forget to use the code!

Not that the show fits, but the Glee music is on there too, and I have to admit I’ve become a fan. :)

Categories
Science Fiction Television

Veritas Tricky Sanctuary

Click here to watch Sanctuary episodes online.

My attempt at a joke might have backfired on me, but if you got it, thank you veritas much for getting it! ;)

When I started watching this episode tonight (I am always behind it seems—only one more reason to be forever grateful to the inventor of the DVR), I had high hopes something was up. Big Guy dead? So soon after Ashley’s apparent demise? My first reaction was that someone was interested in shaking things up on Sanctuary a little too much for my liking, but then of course, the episode started moving quite quickly and I couldn’t relax enough to worry about what the hell the writers of Sanctuary were thinking by killing off Big Guy.

Good thing the writer’s know better than I how to craft a crafty story. I enjoyed the mystery of this one, and for a while, I admit to being confused and most definitely off the trail. I figured things out just a hair before Will, and I enjoyed every tricky moment of it.

Click here to watch Sanctuary episodes online.