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Friday, February 09, 2007 |
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Lost (3.7) "Not In Portland" – Review
By: jiggyj
It's been a long, long time since Lost was on, but it came back in nice fashion with a quality episode focusing on probably the most rounded of The Others – Juliet. We're not too sure about the so-called "goodness" of the other Others, but with Juliet it seems like our cast regulars might have a friend with Juliet (and of course Alex probably since she did save Kate and Sawyer).
Juliet has been a standout the little time we've got to know her this season, but she had a solid backstory that seemed to fill-in The Others and Dharma Initiative current status and ideals more than probably any other episode before then. Though they didn't actually call themselves the Dharma Initiative, one could assume that since this is the job that led to her being on the island and even Ethan was there, it is only natural to assume that this was the Dharma Initiative. The only other thing that could be a possibility is that this was a group that moved next-door and then eventually onto the island to counter whatever the Dharma Initiative was doing. But we did get to see that this group is apparently more than anything focused on children and rebirth, seeing as how Juliet was working on getting her sister pregnant, making a male mouse pregnant, and the fact that Claire was abducted in season one so they could study her and that the young children after the crash was probably taken much the same reason since they were the youngest on the island.
The only problem with Juliet's backstory was the bus hitting her ex-husband. It was cool to see, but after what she told the guy from the company looking to hire her and seeing them walk outside, did you not just automatically assume he would indeed be getting hit by a bus? Plus, while he is walking to his death, you can even see a bus sitting up the street. Good moment, but unlike something like the Smoke Monster taking out Eko, this one was a little too telegraphed and easily spotted to be shocking.
The greatest mystery of the episode was probably Alex, Kate, and Sawyer rescuing Karl from the Clockwork Orange-esque Ludovico Technique where he was being forced to watch these images appear on screen, along with word phrasings, apparently brainwashing him back to the regular Others way or either some grander purpose we're not sure about just yet. It was both a really well done scene, giving us a mystery to ponder over, and yet the imagery, music, and filming was so well done it was also a very tense and dramatic scene.
Fox continues to do a great job as Jack, as the best scene of the episode came down to the walkie-talkie conversation between Kate and Jack at the end to prove she was safe. Jack obviously cares so much about Kate that he would sacrifice himself to save her, and it is also nice to see that though Sawyer at this time has Kate's body, Jack seems to have her heart. If Kate didn't feel that way, she wouldn't have got so emotional telling him the story about the girl he sliced open by accident, which was by coincidence a nice call back to the first season. It was also nice to see that while Jack was fumbling trying to stitch Ben back up, by Kate telling him the story he was able to calm down, remember he had been in worse positions than this before, and was then finally able to patch Ben up properly.
Overall, it was a really good episode of Lost for the show to come back from, and now we can't wait to see Jack's fate, the inevitable rescue attempt to save him, and to see just how or if Ben really does let Juliet leave the island.
8.5
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Friday, February 09, 2007 |
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Roswell (2.18) “It’s Too Late, and It’s Too Bad” – Review
By: jesuiscanadien
We join Maria and Liz in Alex’s room at his house. Maria tells Mr. Whitman that they’re using pictures of Alex in a two page spread in the yearbook as a memorial. Once Mr. Whitman leaves to order the girls some pizza, Maria gets upset with Liz, as Liz is only paying attention to Alex’s laptop and not the task at hand. Liz is obsessed with finding out who killed Alex, but Maria isn’t into it.
The next day, Liz is grilling a guy from the AP Computer class that Alex took, and he’s not telling her anything she can use in her investigation. Max walks up to her and he tells her to back off. She lets him know that she’ll do nothing of the sort. Later, she and Maria are in a school room, with Maria photographing part of the collage for Alex’s memorial. Liz is talking about Alex again, and Maria is trying to concentrate on the photo. Michael walks in, telling Liz that he needs to talk to Maria. Liz leaves, and Michael asks Maria if they can drop the whole “Alex thing”. Maria tells him that she can’t deal with that right now, which leads Michael to ask how he can help her. She explains what she’s doing and asks if he can drive her to the photo shop to get some colour copies after school.
Later, the “Alien Nation” have gathered to talk about Liz’s actions, and Isabel says that she thinks Liz may not be too far off. Max is not in agreement and that is the last word. Isabel changes the subject and tells everyone that she’s been waitlisted for college in San Francisco. Max tells her that they’ll talk about it later, and walks off with Tess.
Back at the Valenti’s home, Max and Tess are talking about their relationship. Max confesses that he’s a little freaked about their status. Tess deduces that he’s afraid to go home. Max explains why he thinks that way, giving Tess food for thought.
Meanwhile, Liz has gone over to the DeLuca household to talk to Sean. She finagles his help in breaking into the school. Liz finds what she’s looking for in Alex’s file at school, and then Sean comes back from his recon and tells her that they have to leave right away. It’s too late, as the security guard catches them leaving the office.
While Max is walking through town, Michael catches up to him and they talk about Isabel and her desire to go to school. Max tells Michael that she can’t leave, so Michael volunteers to talk to Isabel. As they talk, Max confides that lately he thinks that Michael may’ve been right to be always looking for their home and real identity. Michael tells Max that lately he’s been thinking just the opposite.
Back at the school, Deputy Hanson is busting Sean’s butt about breaking the conditions of his probation, and then he lets Liz off with a warning. Later on, Valenti is giving Max a heads up about what happened with Liz at the school, and Max tells him that he’ll take care of it.
Once Liz gets home, she calls the phone number in Alex’s files for his exchange family in Sweden. She leaves a message on the answering machine, asking for one of the Olson’s to call her back.
At school the next day, Isabel and Michael exchange heated words about her attending a college out-of-state. Michael tells her that Max has said she cannot go, and that’s that. Isabel tells him to advise Max that if he has something to say, he had best speak to her himself, and storms off.
During the Yearbook Committee meeting, Maria is begging for extra time to get the memorial collage together for the printing of the yearbook. The teacher tells her that they have to compromise, as she is sure the students don’t want to get their yearbooks after school has ended. Maria persists in furthering her cause, while the teacher wonders where Liz is.
In another part of the school, Liz is talking to someone from the Swedish Embassy in Washington, trying to get information about the building that Alex and Leanna are standing in front of in a photo. She offers to email the photo to the embassy, and is thrilled when the officer agrees. Max overhears her and demands to know what she and Sean DeLuca were doing at the school the previous evening. Liz balks at his demands, especially when he tells her to stop asking questions, and she tells him to let go of her, as he had grabbed her in the heat of the moment. Realizing what he has done, he releases her and leaves.
Later that night, Max is sitting alone, thinking about what happened, when Tess comes up and asks what’s wrong. She takes him to the Observatory and shows him Barnard’s Star, telling him that they can see that star from their home planet too. She tells him that home is reality and that Earth is the dream.
Meanwhile, Maria is yelling at Liz for leaving Maria in the lurch, with her investigation, just when Maria needs her the most. Maria demands that Liz stop what she’s doing and just be sad like everybody else. It comes out that Maria doesn’t believe that Alex was killed, and she thinks the whole thing was a waste of time. She tells Liz that she should be a little more aware, especially regarding the Sean DeLuca debacle.
Liz goes over to the DeLuca house to apologize to Sean and he tells her that due to some finagling by Amy and Valenti, he got community service. When Liz tells him that that’s great, but she should go, Sean tries to invite himself along. Liz tells him that it’s something she needs to do by herself. Sean asks her what can he do with her, and Liz tells him “nothing”, but before she leaves, she kisses him in appreciation.
Maria has gone over to Michael’s place, as he forgot to pick her up, and she tells him to forget everything because someday he’s going to leave her. She says that one day he’ll get into his spaceship and fly away home, leaving her alone, and right now she can’t take the perfect boyfriend routine.
Once Maria has left Liz’s, Liz calls Sweden again, but gets info that the phone number doesn’t belong to any Olsen; it’s a Lind at that number. Liz then looks at the card from the florist, regarding the flowers that the Olsen’s supposedly sent, and goes to the florist to get the scoop. It’s a dead end, as the florist only takes credit card numbers, not addresses for international orders. Liz then goes to the bank and empties her account, telling the teller that the money’s for a trip to Europe.
Back at school, Isabel and Max finally have their fight about her going to college. Max tells her that he will do anything in his power to keep her in Roswell, and she tells him that he’ll have to deal with his leadership without any followers as she walks away really cheesed off. One of the jocks tries to come onto her as she storms down the hallway, but she shoves him down the hall with a flick of her hand and the use of her power.
Over at the DeLuca household, Amy is trying to fix the garburator, when Michael walks in. They have a conversation about the “garburator” not being able to hang around anymore, with Michael alluding to the conversation he had with Maria. Amy tells him that she doesn’t think about tomorrow, as she thinks that maybe tomorrow isn’t something to worry about. As she proceeds to bang the garburator with a hammer, Michael fixes it with the use of his powers.
Meanwhile, Liz is waiting for a cab outside town, when Max drives up, peeved that she’s leaving. They argue. Max tries to pull the “king” card, which further angers Liz, so she tells him off. He then tells her that if she gets into that cab, which has pulled up and waiting for her, they can cancel their friendship. Liz tells him snarkily that it may be the price she has to pay. She then tells Max that Alex was killed and she has a responsibility to find the killer, before the cab drives off.
Michael is waiting for Maria at her house, and when she walks in, he gives her a heartfelt speech about how he may leave one day, but he’s there now and that’s what counts. Maria kisses his hand as tears roll down her cheeks. Michael then gets to work, helping her with her collage.
Later that night, Max meets Tess at the Observatory. They talk about Max’s desire to be human, and how he’s coming to realize that he’s lost everyone who matters in his life. Tess tells him that she’ll be there, and they kiss. While that is happening, Liz is rushing to make her flight at the airport, but gets a call from the embassy. They confirm that the building did exist, but was torn down years earlier. Liz then concludes that Alex never went to Sweden. Back at the observatory, Max and Tess are making love, oblivious to Liz’s discovery.
Ah-ha, the plot thickens. Liz is single-minded in her quest to find out who murdered Alex, even though Max is dead set against it. Liz is on the right track, but will she see the right things as she continues her investigation? And will she be able to deal with the fact that Max has moved on with Tess, in the most intimate way possible? These are the burning questions that hopefully will be answered soon.
While a mystery like this is unusual for Roswell, I find it a refreshing change of pace. I realize that not everyone likes mysteries, but I happen to enjoy them a great deal. While this doesn’t have the tension of say, an episode of “Wire in the Blood”, it does have a certain je ne sais quois. It made me want Liz to succeed, and I still hope that Liz’s certainty is vindicated in short order.
I also enjoyed Isabel’s determination to do what she wanted, going off to college in California, and applauded her chutzpah in telling Max off. Max was clearly being a butthead, with Isabel and with Liz, and he needed to get his fanny spanked, figuratively speaking, and Isabel was just the person to do it. Max pulling the “king” card with both of them was a low blow, and I don’t blame Isabel for getting cheesed, and Liz for leaving. Good for them, bummer for Max. I yelled some choice words at the screen when he was being a moron, too.
The relationship between Tess and Max is jeebing me out. I realize that it is a necessary evil, but I can’t wait for Max to get the picture that he’s being had. Sometimes leaders can be giant morons. Like that never happens in real life, the moron bit I mean.
The predictability of how Sean and Liz were caught in the school was a bit irritating. Like everyone didn’t see that one coming from a million miles away. Plus, Liz got off easy. She didn’t even get driven home by a cop, which is a time honoured tradition. It just isn’t right that Liz didn’t catch crap from her parents over her stunt. Sure, she doesn’t have any siblings to give her grief over her actions, but the parents giving the “I’m so disappointed in your behaviour” speech is really a part of the culture, and should’ve been included.
I can’t wait to see this mystery concluded, mostly because I can’t remember how they figured out what was going on. This was a good episode, and I would recommend watching it again, after all these years. It deserves an 8.0 out of 10.0, which coming from me is high praise indeed.
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Friday, February 09, 2007 |
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Sci-Fi Brain News -- February 9, 2007
Writer Mark Fergus on 'Iron Man'
superherohype.com is reporting that JewReview.net tells us that they have posted a new interview with Iron Man co-writer Mark Fergus. He gives some interesting details about Tony Stark's transformation and more.
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'Capricorn Two'?
moviehole.net is reporting that Director Peter Hyams is said to be in development on a remake of his 80s sci-fi piece, 'Capricorn One'. The 'Time Cop' and 'Sound of Thunder' helmer will produce, and Dave Dobkin ('Shanghai Knights') will direct.
The remake, imaginatively titled (hmm) "Capricorn 2", has apparently been in the early development stages for about six months now, with a late ’07 start date being eyeballed.
The original film, written by Hyams, told of NASA faking a mission to Mars, and the company having to keep the secret. Elliot Gould, James Brolin and a pre-Bronco O.J Simpson starred. Peter Buchman ("Jurassic Park III") will write the remake.
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Zemeckis & Lasseter to Deliver CG 'John Carter of Mars'?
rottentomatoes.com is reporting that Film ick is reporting that Robert Zemeckis and Disney's John Lasseter will collaborate to present Edgar Rice Burroughs' "John Carter of Mars" as a full-bore motion-capture CGI project -- not unlike the movie magic you enjoyed in "The Polar Express" and "Monster House."
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'Lost' Ratings Are Off
scifi.com is reporting that ABC's SF drama Lost returned from a two-month hiatus to a new 10 p.m. Wednesday timeslot on Feb. 7 and won the hour among adults, drawing 14.7 million viewers and a 6.5 rating in the 18-49 demographic, according to The Hollywood Reporter. But CBS' CSI: NY prevailed among total viewers, with 15.8 million and a 4.9 rating, the trade paper reported.
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SCI-FI BRAIN NEWS
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Thursday, February 08, 2007 |
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Brainwaves #2 - Podcast
You wanted the best, you got the best, the hottest podcast in the world - Brainwaves!
This week on Brainwaves you can catch our guys talking about the latest sci-fi news, Heroes and Lost, Transformers, and much more.
You can download the podcast or listen to it streaming here: Brainwaves
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Thursday, February 08, 2007 |
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Anime Review: RahXephon Ep.22
By: samwiseb
TERRA proceeds with its plans to remove the time-space barrier surrounding Mu-occupied Tokyo. Will it work? Or will Makato “the White Snake” Isshiki finally get what he’s had coming to him?
Twenty-Second Movement: “Operation Jupiter Obliteration (Downfall)”
Ernst Bahbem appears unconcerned about Isshiki’s plans. He tells his niece Helena to “start getting ready”; Helena again sees the “child” apparition of herself and seems resentful at some unspoken sacrifice that’s implied. Quon’s “Ra-ra?” thing she that goes around saying has evolved into a rather depressing song.
Isshiki meanwhile fires Haruka (Shitow) for drawing deformed cartoon sketches of him. He gets a communiqué from the Federation and orders Operation Downfall advanced ahead one hour. Megumi picks up her sister’s stuff at TERRA HQ, and is crushed to find an old photo of Haruka with Ayato, taken from August 2011 before she was even born. The picture is conveniently hidden from us so we still don’t see what Haruka looked like at Ayato’s age (as has been the case with all “flashback” scenes depicting her).
Jin Kunugi calls Ayato over to pick up Haruka’s cat (left behind from Mamoru’s visit) and the boy manages to finally get on his good side. Kunugi denies the long-held rumor about blue cherry blossoms blooming in his yard. And informs Ayato that if not for Haruka, he might have long ago been sent to a concentration camp. Ayato later apologizes to Haruka for avoiding her, asking that she be the first one to see his latest painting.
Watari and Uncle Rikudoh talk about how Ayato won’t be human for much longer. Rikudoh’s thankful he had the opportunity to connect with Ayato as family, since he’s practically a grandson to him. Nanamori hands over to Haruka all her info on Isshiki, and confesses to having been jealous of Itsuki’s feelings for her. (She also mentions “killing” her own father and brother, who were building the Trans-Dimensional Drive for the Bahbem Foundation… however I do not presently recall this subplot going anywhere).
Operation Downfall commences, and the Tokyo Jupiter barrier is obliterated. Both Ayato and Quon appear psychically affected by it. The floating Mu city of Hiranipra, not seen since the earliest episodes, is now clearly visible over Tokyo. Isshiki gloats at his success: he’s finally achieved something nobody else had accomplished!
Ixtli-Haruka appears before Ayato (who has just finished his painting), and frees him from the “Haruka” spell, allowing him to again recognize her as Reika Mishima (with the same yellow dress she wears in his paintings). She explains that “Mishima” is the “false name of the true face”, and that her function is to appear in the image of the person Ollin most desires so that he would accept her and bond with RX. Ollin, Ixtli and Xephon would then attain Yolteotl together and reshape the world. But Ayato rejects Ixtli, saying she’s not the person in his painting and not the one he intended to see it. Ixtli vanishes into the painting, promising to wait for him regardless.
Ixtli also appears to Quon… but in the form of Ayato! She accepts him, her egg hatches and black wings emerge from it. Ayato’s RX tears its way out of Niriya Shrine sprouting luminescent wings. But Ayato “stabs” the Mishima in his painting, damaging Ixtli; RX instantly becomes “petrified” and returns to its egg.
Multiple Mu fortresses appear over every major city on Earth: New York, Moscow, Beijing, Istanbul, Kinshasa… etc (yeah, I’d say that worked out really well). Isshiki is completely stunned. The Federation calls up and relieves him of duty for (apparently) having ignored their orders to cancel the operation. He seems genuinely confused at this, and calls out to (Ixtli) Haruka for support… only she’s disappeared and nobody remembers her. His sanity cracks while we all sit and applaud.
Haruka (Shitow) finds Ayato in distress about his seemingly unavoidable destiny, plus this isn’t the painting he meant to show her. They share an intense embrace. Ernst Bahbem meanwhile transfers his consciousness into Helena’s body. To Be Continued!
Obviously it was great to finally see Makato Isshiki put in his place. This is the payoff we’ve been waiting for ever since we first met him in the fourth episode.
Also rewarding is finally seeing the commander and our protagonist on good speaking terms. There’s a scene I skipped over a couple episodes back, in which Kunugi asked Rikudoh how he could be comfortable around Ayato, knowing what he is. This adds a degree of insight into their antagonistic relationship, as we know the Mu have indirectly cost Kunugi his career, marriage and daughter. To say he has a score to settle would be an understatement. Expect some payoff for him next week.
By now, alert viewers will have figured out the whole Ixtli/Mishima riddle. Quon’s Ixtli appears in the likeness of Ayato, presumably because that’s who she’s attracted to. So if Ixtli represents the person Ollin most desires, was there in fact a Reika Mishima in Ayato’s past? We know there was Haruka, even though he doesn’t consciously remember her. Itsuki swiped one of Ayato’s Mishima paintings to keep, but when could he have actually met this mystery person? It’s Haruka he loves, hence one of the reason’s he’s jealous of Ayato.
The only thing that didn’t work for me this week, was Sayoko Nanamori expositing about her father and brother in the middle of another one of her angst sessions. I just don’t remember anything coming out of this, and I find her a fairly useless and uninteresting character story-wise. My final score for this episode: 8 out of 10.
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Thursday, February 08, 2007 |
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Sci-Fi Brain News -- February 8, 2007
Exclusive Interview: James McAvoy Talks 'Star Trek XI'
iesb.net is reporting that with Paramount currently reviving the Star Trek franchise for the big screen, rumors have run rampant regarding JJ Abrams, Young Kirk and Spock, and much more. An interesting rumor came up about Scotsman James McAvoy portraying the beloved character of Scotty in Star Trek XI.
During the press junket for his latest film, Starter for 10, the IESB sat down exclusively with McAvoy to see if there was any truth to the rumor.
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NBC SF Pilots Get Cast
scifi.com is reporting that Kevin McKidd (HBO's Rome) has joined the cast of NBC's Journeyman, the 20th Century Fox TV SF drama pilot about a man who travels back in time to fix events, including those in his own life. McKidd will next be seen in Hannibal Rising.
Meanwhile, Jane Lynch (A Mighty Wind) has been hired for NBC's Area 52, the NBC Universal TV-produced office comedy pilot from Dean Parisot, about workers who must watch over a manipulative alien. Lynch, one of the regulars in Christopher Guest's ensemble films, recently had a multi-episode arc on Criminal Minds.
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SCI-FI BRAIN INDEX
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Wednesday, February 07, 2007 |
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Heroes: The Fix - Review
By: zotquix
It's hard not to get excited seeing some familiar names in the opening credits of a show with an excellent, but relatively unknown cast. In the words of Christopher Eccleston, "Fantastic!". Of course, in George Takei's case, we don't actually see much of him in this episode, but the premise is intriguing. It may take some time to see Takei as anyone other than Sulu. Still, his entrance was rivaled only by Martin Sheen's in the first episode of the West Wing, where the president booms from off screen, "Thou shalt have no other Gods before me" before walking on to camera for the first time.
On the other hand, expanding an already large cast may push some people out. In soap opera fashion, we only see some of the character's stories in each episode of 'Heroes'. Still, I was a little surprised that in an episode titled "The Fix" we don't see Isaac Mendez. Instead. the fix refers to Peter Petrelli and his brother's search for a way to avoid apparent impending doom and possibly to Nikki Sanders' feeling that drugs could keep her destructive alter-ego in check. With regards to the latter situation, the asylum is placed in is handled more realistically than I had anticipated. Despite the fact that MPD is essentially considered a pseudo-pathology by the mental health community, the case worker's approach is pretty spot on. Of course, if Nikki really is 'fixed', she might still have to stand trial for her crimes, which, depending on what she's told them so far, would keep her in prison, so it's hard not to feel like she's being fed a line.
The writing in "The Fix" is overall better. From Zach saying he didn't find anything, even porn on the Claire's father's computer and then saying that he wouldn't keep secrets of this kind at home, to Eccleston's character talking about free will, the dialogue worked. In fact, the invisible man is especially insightful, and well written such as when he says, "Nurse who's an empath. Cute," or, "I'm no one, I'm Claude Raynes, the invisible man."
Another strong moment in this episode is Hiro and Ando's conversation underneath the SUV with the chassis in the foreground. Admittedly, it's a bit unrealistic to think that they wouldn't notice someone getting into the vehicle and starting it, or that someone in the vehicle wouldn't notice them (and it would be fairly dangerous in the real world to boot), but it is good TV.
Still, the episode wasn't without some bad. I've decided that I hate Matt Parkman's wife. I suppose that's by design, but still she is very grating. After your husband proves to you that he can read your mind, the miraculous powers exist in the world, you are skeptical about his conspiracy theory? And you're pissed about the plumbing? Is this woman entirely stupid? I suppose they are both a little dense, as Matt could approach his entire life differently now as well. While Hiro and Ando may have demonstrated some sort of karmic principle about not using your powers for gratuitous personal gain, there are practical applications here that are hard to avoid. If nothing else, bringing more people into the circle of those who know about your talent might make sense. Admittedly it could potentially be dangerous, either because there are those who already know of and hunt special people like Matt, or because of the paranoia such a power will undoubtedly evoke in people, but the ability to read minds helps defray that danger. Near the end of the episode the Parkman's agree to trust each other and we have the touching scene where Matt finds out he is an expectant father. Instead of being moved, I found myself loathing the impending paternity angst (where the question will be asked, is the baby Matt's former best friend's kid?) but alas it is inevitable now.
For sheer romance, I'd take DL holding Nikki in the padded room over the Parkman's any day. That scene is just perfect for a couple that I didn't always care about. Somehow their family angst doesn't annoy me. Rather, D.L. learning to be a better parent is interesting and fun to watch. Who knew.
Surprising homage of the episode: Claire speaking with her birth mother in split screen. Very '24', golden hues and all. While I'm on the topic, I've got to say, I'm pretty excited about Claire's mother's ability. The effects are bit weak, but I'll forgive that. I look forward to seeing full fledged comic book fighting going down at some point with Claire's mother involved. And it seems like several plots involving Claire are coming together. While, Sylar's escape is predictably handled (I'm still not certain I know precisely what happened after he killed Eden, presumably the outer door kept him from getting out of his cell), I am glad for the development and the ending is a good cliffhanger. Not so much because of the dialogue, but because it seems unavoidable that Mr. Bennett is going to get a good thrashing, if not dead (well, I doubt they'd kill him off now, which too bad, because it'd be a great, unexpected move).
Speculation of the week: Is there anything special about the other Bennett child, Lyle? It stands to reason if one kid is adopted, they both might be.
I give it a 7 out of 10. A strong return after last week, but in addition to my other criticisms above, I am bothered by the dead end conversation Claire had with the Haitian. I realize that it was probably just to get him on the screen, but it really felt like so much pointless prancing about and stalling. When someone Claire can only trust so much tells her that her mother is dead, only to find out that she is alive later in the same episode feels like we've been jerked around. Still, "The Fix" has so much going for it. Eccleston is not a wasted character here, and every moment he's onscreen is totally gold. Looking forward to more next week.
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Wednesday, February 07, 2007 |
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Sci-Fi Brain News -- February 7, 2007
Piper May Live to Regret Quitting 'Dr Who'
digitalspy.co.uk is reporting that Billie Piper has admitted that she misses working on Dr. Who, and claims she could yet come to regret her decision to leave.
The actress, who quit the show last year after two series working with David Tennant, told the Sunday Telegraph that she pondered her career moves for a long time before coming to a decision.
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JJA Leaves 'Star Trek XI'
latinoreview.com is reporting that JJ Abrams has left the "Star Trek XI" directors seat. Instead, he is going to direct "Cloverfield," ironically enough, for Paramount. Another amicable parting it seems.
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SCI-FI BRAIN INDEX
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Tuesday, February 06, 2007 |
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Sci-Fi Brain News -- February 6, 2007
Jeff Bridges Aboard 'Iron Man'
superherohype.com is reporting that Marvel Studios continues to build a golden foundation for its big screen adaptation of Iron Man as it announced today that Jeff Bridges will join the cast of the highly-anticipated summer 2008 event film. Bridges marks the fourth Academy-Award recognized actor signed on to the project, starring alongside Oscar® nominee Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man, Oscar® nominee Terrence Howard as Jim "Rhodey" Rhodes and Oscar® winner Gwyneth Paltrow as Virginia "Pepper" Potts. Directed by Jon Favreau, Iron Man is scheduled to blast into theaters May 2, 2008.
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SCI-FI BRAIN INDEX
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Monday, February 05, 2007 |
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Sci-Fi Brain News -- February 5, 2007
'Fantastic Four 2' Trailer News
superherohype.com is reporting that IESB has learned which movies you'll be seeing new Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer trailers with:
Earlier today 20th Century Fox informed the IESB that the new trailer for Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer will be attached to Warner Bros. 300 on March 9th.
Good news for Fan Four fans is that Fox is hoping to also release a third trailer and for it to be attached to Spider-Man 3 coming out May 4th.
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Stan Lee to Make 'Heroes' Cameo
superherohype.com is reporting that Stan "The Man" Lee is set to make a cameo appearance as a bus driver in the Monday, February 19 episode of NBC's hit drama "Heroes." The episode, titled "Unexpected," features a scene in which Hiro Nakamura (Masi Oka) encounters the legendary Lee.
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Peter Webber Directing 'Barbarella'
superherohype.com is reporting that Variety has a follow-up on last week's news saying that Hannibal Rising director Peter Webber will helm the new version of Barbarella for producer Dino De Laurentiis.
"Female James Bond -- in outer space," is how De Laurentiis described the project. Barbarella will shoot at Morocco's CLA studios.
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George Takei on Starring in 'Heroes'
superherohype.com is reporting that ComingSoon.net has posted a new interview with "Star Trek" alum George Takei talking about his role as Kaito Nakamura on NBC's hit series Heroes and more. You can read the full interview here!
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'Heroes' Mastermind Tim Kring Interview
aintitcoolnews.com now has up an interview with Tim Kring about Heroes.
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SCI-FI BRAIN INDEX
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Friday, February 02, 2007 |
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TK-422: XBOX LIVE Arcade versus Nintendo’s Virtual Console
by Grimzo
Retro gaming is big business. A massive amount of micro-transactions used to deliver downloadable content is an appealing concept for any business. Console makers know this very well and all three major players have announced some form of retro gaming availability via their shiny consoles. While Sony’s efforts are relatively insignificant at this point, both Microsoft and Nintendo have taken the retro gaming craze somewhat seriously. The question is, who’s done the better job in bringing gamers a classic arcade experience? Both Xbox Live Arcade and the Wii Virtual Console provide gamers with some great downloadable gaming options, but TK-422 tells you which one is best!
Greetings Wiimotional Beings!
Nintendo's Virtual Console or XBOX Live Arcade? Who is better. I know. Now you can too!
Quantity of Content
With a one year head start and the promise of great things, Microsoft’s half-hearted Live Arcade efforts have been completely trounced on by Nintendo’s Virtual Console. With a mind-boggingly immense pool of games to pull from, Nintendo has inundated the Virtual Console marketplace with some of the greatest classic games ever made. Content is king, and the sheer number of classic content made available on the Virtual Console blows Microsoft’s lame efforts away completely. If this was a competition based on quantity alone, there wouldn’t even be a point in taking the two nano-seconds it does to write this article. There are several Virtual Console games released every week, XBLA users are lucky if they get one game a week.
Winner: Nintendo, by a landslide.
Quality of Content
This is where things get just a little trickier. Sure you’ll get more games than you can count for the Virtual Console, but bear in mind that none of these games are enhanced in any real way. That’s not the case at all with Live Arcade. Every single arcade game features some form of online/multiplayer component. Every Live Arcade game is also high definition video compatible as well. Also weighing in on Microsoft’s favor is the fact that many of the Live Arcade games are completely original experiences. This is not the case at all with the Virtual Console. That being said, Nintendo’s virtual console has some of the greatest games of all time under its belt. With gaming giants such as Mario 64 and Zelda, - who needs enhanced graphics and gameplay?
XBOX Live Arcade has brought us:
- Geometry Wars
- Street Fighter II
- Assault Heroes
- Lumines Live
- Doom
- Cloning Clyde
Nintendo’s Virtual Console’s best:
- Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past
- Super Mario 64
- Gunstar Heroes
- R-Type
- Super Castlevania IV
- Mario Kart 64
Now, it’s really not a fair comparison at all. While it’s nice to have the online multiplayer component of Doom, most of the above 360 games don’t really benefit too much from any of the enhancements these games are supposed to get. While Achievement points can certainly help make a game more challenging, it can't take a bad game and turn it into a good game. In Microsoft’s favor however, many of the above games are unique and new experiences. Unfortunately, unique and new is simply not good enough against games like Zelda and Mario 64.
Winner: Nintendo by 99 Stars.
Future Potential
There are literally thousands of games that Nintendo has in its arsenal. If they can ever get Square to allow them to release the RPG juggernauts such as Final Fantasy III or Chrono Trigger for the Virtual Console, there will be nothing that Microsoft would be able to do to even come close to competing.
As it stands, Microsoft has announced a series of ten moderately interesting titles to be released over the next couple of months, including the heavily anticipated Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. While that game is a true gaming classic, every other release seems to be somewhat uninspired and uninteresting. With Microsoft putting a heavy emphasis on things retro gamers don’t care much for (“enhanced” graphics and some form of online component), they seem to be shooting themselves on the foot, because these enhancements seem to cause unnecessary delays and add to the development time. While their efforts to bring some original content to the Live Arcade is admirable, most of the original efforts are somewhat forgettable compared to the classics Nintendo has at its disposal.
Winner: Nintendo, but Microsoft should get some credit for attempting to bring some original content to its arcade.
Conclusion:
With Nintendo churning out multiple games on a weekly basis, it won’t be long before Microsoft’s Live Arcade will be remembered as a half-hearted diversionary experiment compared to the monster retro gaming haven that Nintendo Virtual Console has the potential to bring.
Nintendo has already released better games, has access to a much more interesting library of games, and is taking the effort to give gamers many options. Microsoft is being very slow in releasing its titles, and most of the retro titles they release feature useless enhancements, and the newer games they release tend to cost too much, have broken online play, or employ some annoying money stealing tactics like the Lumines debacle.
While the 360 has proven to be a great gaming platform, its Arcade component pales in comparison to what Nintendo has to offer, mostly due to its poor release strategy, nominally interesting new releases, and some incredibly evil sneaky pricing tricks.
If you had to pick one platform as your source for some classic arcade experiences – the only place to go is Nintendo’s Virtual Console.
TK-422: End Broadcast.
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Friday, February 02, 2007 |
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Roswell (2.17) “Cry Your Name” – Review
By: jesuiscanadien
Alex is talking on the phone to Isabel, and Maria and Liz are trying to help him increase his desirability quotient with her. Isabel wants to hang out, but Alex is instructed to keep his distance so she’ll be more interested. Once Liz and Maria are satisfied with his performance, they leave him to his take-out that has just arrived. Alex acts a little out of sorts with the delivery guy, and ends up staring at a picture of him and his Swedish girlfriend, Leanna.
Later, Valenti is driving his truck when he comes across the scene of a car accident. Meanwhile, at the Crashdown, Maria and Liz are working, Max and Michael are talking movies, and Kyle, Tess and Isabel are laughing over photos. Valenti comes in the back door of the café, and looks at Maria. Maria screams and runs into the dining room, running to Liz for a hug. Valenti comes in and gives everyone the bad news. Alex is dead.
Later, the “Alien Our Gang” try to revive Alex, with Max’s healing skills. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work, and Alex is still dead. Isabel is in shock, and runs off, while Maria is so upset, Michael has to take her home. Tess and Liz tell Max to go after Isabel. Kyle, Valenti, and Tess then go off, leaving Liz alone with her grief.
The next morning, Valenti reminds Kyle that Alex died yesterday, not on his birthday. Isabel has a dream that Alex is still alive, and is devastated when she wakes up and realizes it wasn’t real. Over at the DeLuca household, Maria and Amy are sitting on the couch, grieving together, and Michael is on the phone with Sean, giving him the news. Max calls Liz’s house and Liz’s mom, Nancy, tells Max that Liz isn’t doing very well, and she’s gone out to god knows where. Liz is over at the wrecking yard, looking through Alex’s totalled car, when she finds the picture of Alex and Leanna, but with Alex’s head cut out.
Over at the hospital, Valenti and Deputy Hanson are questioning the driver of the semi that Alex plowed into. And at the Evans’ home, Diane is trying to calm her daughter down, telling her that Isabel wasn’t responsible for Alex’s death. Isabel, in her state, admits to her mom about her early graduation.
At school, Liz and Maria ruminate in their grief. Liz pulls out the picture that she found in Alex’s car, but Maria is too grief stricken to listen to Liz’s suspicions. Liz believes that it means something, but exactly what, she is not sure. Valenti is grilling the delivery boy, but comes up with nothing major, until Hanson comes in and tells him about the teachers’ comments about Alex’s performance the past few weeks.
A memorial has been set up outside, by the track. Max is talking to Tess behind the bleachers, when Isabel, Michael, and Maria walk up. Maria is peeved that kids that normally didn’t give a crap about Alex were suddenly his best friends at his untimely passing. Kyle walks up and tells the gang that Mr. Whitman asked Kyle, Max, and Michael to be pallbearers at his funeral the next day.
Back on the track oval, the delivery guy, Jerry, is waxing dramatically about Alex’s mood before he died. Liz lets him know that it isn’t cool and he backs off. She tells him that she wants to ask him some questions.
Under the bleachers, Isabel tells the gang that she’s graduating early and will be leaving Roswell. As she is giving the bad news, Liz is getting the lowdown on what Alex said the night before he died.
Later, over at the Valenti household, Liz is giving her suspicions to the sheriff, and he tells her about what they found out about Alex. He tells her that they suspect suicide. Liz is angry about these conclusions, and Valenti says that the cut up picture adds to the theory. In an angry huff, Liz leaves and promptly throws up outside the house. She goes to Max and asks him if she can stay the night.
Liz tells Max the theory about Alex. Max is disbelieving, and he offers to talk to Valenti. When Liz’s stomach growls, Max asks when she last ate, and Liz tells him the day before. Max offers her frozen mac and cheese, and she accepts.
Over at the DeLuca’s, Michael and Amy talk. Amy tells Michael that she’s glad to see her daughter so well-loved, and Michael is welcome in her house, with the proviso that he’s on the couch.
Isabel is having another Alex dream, but this time Alex is reminding her that she’s dreaming. Isabel tells him that she’s sorry, and Alex tells her that she’s not at fault. Alex tells her that he needs to say goodbye and they kiss. When he gets up to leave, Isabel calls out to him that she loves him, and Alex returns the sentiment.
In the kitchen of the Evans house, Max and Liz are talking about Alex and the stunts he used to pull. Liz tells Max that she saw him kissing Tess and she tells him that she’s okay with it. She asks him to always be her friend, and Max agrees.
The next day at the funeral, Max confronts Valenti about calling Alex’s death a suicide. Valenti shows Max the file on Alex and it doesn’t look good for the no-suicide push. Back at the Whitman house, Liz asks Mr. Whitman if she can sit in Alex’s room and when she is there, she finds two tickets for a concert that night sitting in a book of poetry by Robert Frost. Most specifically, “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”, and the lines regarding that fact that the narrator has “miles to go before I sleep”. This lights a fire under her.
Liz calls a meeting of the “Alien Our Gang” to tell everyone what’s up. Max tells Liz that he’s seen the file that the Sheriff’s office has gathered about Alex. Liz broaches the subject of murder, but others feel that she’s postulating off the deep end. It ends up that she accuses the “Alien Nation” of being involved and they walk out in a fit of anger. Kyle makes the observation that it is “us versus them”.
Later that night as Liz is grieving over photos from the Prom, Jerry the delivery guy, drops by and show Liz the credit card receipt from that night, where Alex signed it in 0’s and 1’s. Liz realizes that she was correct in her suspicions.
This was a bit of a sad episode, as we say goodbye to Alex. He was a fun character and I enjoyed his interactions with Isabel. They made a good couple, as long as they weren’t in formal wear.
The grief that the kids went through was pretty realistically depicted. I especially resonated with how kids who didn’t even know Alex, allowed themselves to be swept into the drama of an untimely death, and grieved like only teenagers can. They went to school with the kid, so their grief by association was rational to them. I always find it ironic when I see kids that cannot stand someone so much that they spend time abusing them, and then act like their best buddy died, when in fact it was a nemesis.
The whole scene where the “Alien Our Gang” were enjoying themselves prior to receiving the bad news of Alex’s death was good as well. Death, especially when it is unexpected, has a tendency to stop life for a moment. It feels like the world has ceased rotating, and you’re thrown into a deep void, and all you can do is sit in stunned silence. It is the harsh realization that the world has not stopped spinning that throws your grief into sharp relief. I think they captured that well.
I did not care for how I am now being made to wait to find out what Liz will figure out now that she has a new clue. I am not a patient person when I am interrupted in the middle of a story, and this is no exception.
This was a good episode, and I had a hard time finding anything I didn’t like about it. The writers have gotten over their spate of insipid drivel and we’ve gotten back into real storytelling. I am looking forward to the conclusion of this episode with the next instalment. This episode deserves an 8.5 out of 10.0, it was that enjoyable.
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Friday, February 02, 2007 |
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Sci-Fi Brain News -- February 2, 2007
'Hulk' Director Answers Fans' Questions!
superherohype.com is reporting that The Incredible Hulk director Louis Leterrier is answering fans' questions at the Superhero Hype! message boards and has already revealed a few items on the new movie, scheduled for a June 27, 2008 release.
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SCI-FI BRAIN INDEX
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Thursday, February 01, 2007 |
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Heroes 112: Godsend - Review
By: zotquix
Often times when a production comes back from a break, it can be a little flat. That is clearly the case with 'Heroes' as this is probably the worst episode of the series so far. Where to even begin? You know that thing when you overuse a word in something you're writing? Claire's conversation with her father is terribly written. "What do you remember?" "Memory's a funny thing." "Well I can't remember." Ugh.
And the story itself. God what a disappointing turn of events. Parkman's stakeout and then raid on the paper warehouse should have yielded something. It's not like the Haitian is always around. And by now Parkman should understand that this is how his power is being jammed.
What tragically written dialogue parading around as suspenseful:
Parkman: "Where is Sylar?"
Mr. Bennet: "Oops"
Even Hayden Panettiere is off. Claire simply sounds whiny when she says, "I don't want to be alone". I suppose there is some authenticity in this performance, in the sense that, she sort of channeled some of those girls from MTV's "My Super Sweet 16," but really, the world doesn't need to see that anymore than it already does.
There are certainly resonances here with the first episode, and I wonder, especially with a time traveller as part of the mix, if we won't see much repetition during the course of the series. Claire replaying the scene where she has Zach videotaping her jumping. Hiro having no power, etc.. It seems likely the series will never go into full fledged comic book super hero team mode, which is probably for the best. It might be more likely that Jospeph Campbell's "Hero with a 1000 Faces". Which is fine, but then, isn't that a theme that's been overdone?
Jessica's fate seems to lie with the typical hollywood cliche view of what the mental health establishment. Hopefully this won't last overlong, as it should be annoying and painful to watch. I can understand people wondering if she suffers from MPD (despite the fact that in the real world, that is not accepted as a real pathology), but the padded walls stuff will get to be a bit much quickly.
I was ready to give this a 4 out of 10 until half-way through where Hiro and Nathan meet again. That bumped it up to a 5 out of 10, which means it still is inutterably bad in some parts and merely tolerable in others. A short review, because the episode just wasn't worth our time.
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Thursday, February 01, 2007 |
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Anime Review: RahXephon Ep.21
By: samwiseb
“In the not-too-distant future you will become unable to remain human. And I will be there to witness it when you do.”
Twenty-First Movement: “The Carved Seal of Xephon (Good-Bye my Friend)”
TERRA HQ. Makato Isshiki announces Operation Downfall, his plan to neutralize the Tokyo Jupiter Barrier using new technology developed by the Federation. The operation is scheduled for 19:50 on 5-23-28. At the Bahbem Foundation, Quon talks with Ernst Bahbem about how awkward it was to see Maya having grown up passed the capability of becoming an instrumentalist. Creepy moment in which Bahbem asks Quon to show her blue abdominal markings to him.
Isshiki pays Ayato a friendly visit in an attempt to win his cooperation. Ixtli-Haruka is with him; spying Mamoru recognizes her for the mysterious non-human entity she is. Isshiki likens Ayato to Haruka’s adopted stray cat, while Ixtli tells him he’s destined to “spin the thread of the world in your own way.”
Nanamori all-too-cheerfully gives Ayato a lift on his way to Itsuki’s lab, then has a frighteningly sudden meltdown as she drops him off (Itsuki still isn’t talking to her). She slams the gas and tears off yelling that she hates everyone. Ayato apologizes for not returning with Quon, but Itsuki assures him she’s safe. He explains that Haruka (Shitow) has only ever cared for one man all this time, who hasn’t even noticed her in return, then chastises Ayato for being so casual with his sympathy. We later see that Itsuki has the same red abdominal markings as Ayato, whom he strangely refers to as “elder brother”.
Mamoru visits Kunugi at his cottage, introduces himself as Mulian and warns that TERRA is about to open up a Pandora’s Box. He exposits that “Xephon” (what the Mu call RX) will soon be “tuned” by Ollin and gain the title of “Rah”, at last becoming the true RahXephon. Ixtli will guide Ollin to attain his Yolteotl (his "true heart"), and the world itself will be tuned… presumably according to Mu specifications. Mamoru disappears, leaving Haruka’s cat Bucchi behind.
Megumi tries to learn more about Ayato by becoming closer to Mamoru… who is unfortunately back in Unstable Possessive Boyfriend Mode after discovering Asahina’s blood-stained dairy. We get a creepy scene in which it almost appears he’s trying to sexually assault Megumi before he falls apart in tears of grief.
Ayato catches up to Mamoru, whom Megumi’s been showing around town, and confronts him about having learned of Asahina’s fate. Whereupon his best friend grabs Megumi in a stranglehold and starts to tell her how faithless Ayato is for killing Asahina and not having the courage to confess about it. With a jealous rage he admits to having been instructed to become Ayato’s friend just so as to “protect” and monitor him. Megumi breaks free and scrapes Mamoru’s face, calling him a coward for thinking he’s the only one who suffers (he then proves she’s right by punching her in the mouth). Mamoru sneers to Ayato of impending changes to come (see header above) and vanishes. Ayato runs to check on Megumi, relieved that she is alright. To Be Continued.
This episode is mostly talking heads, more so than any other RX ep I’ve reviewed, and almost nothing actually happens in it. Ironically, I did not even notice this until I started writing the above synopsis. There’s a lot of information here, with some rather frustrating half-answers to many of the questions we’ve had throughout the series. Even the most static scenes here are charged with a sense of urgency, amidst some ominous dialogue about time running out.
In one suggestive scene we overhear Kim Hotai throwing up in the restroom. Has Sou gotten her pregnant? We don’t know; the question is never again addressed. The scene serves no narrative function; it is completely atmospheric. Perhaps the same can be said for Nanamori’s temper tantrum. Each character in his own way, from Itsuki’s silent jealousy to Megumi’s innocent naivety, seems to be acknowledging some unavoidable doom that’s in the air. We are one episode away from the beginning of the final act.
We have a better idea of Ixtli’s purpose with regards to Ayato/RX, but what is she and how does Itsuki know her? What exactly is Itsuki’s relationship with Ayato, or Quon’s relationship to Maya for that matter? What is the Mulian idea of a properly “tuned” world, and what will it mean to humanity? What will become of Ayato and Haruka if he cannot remain human?
I give this episode a 7.5 out of 10 for its strong character moments, and setup of events to come. It’s not quite enough to forgive the fact that the characters are basically making house calls to each other for the sole purpose of bouncing expository dialogue back and forth. However, things only get more exciting from here on out.
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