It’s been a few weeks since I last posted something here. Frankly, I’ve been really busy playing an inordinate amount of Rock Band 2 and working on the upcoming EclipseMagazine.com book, “Tell Us Who You Are – The EclipseMagazine.com Interviews.” The book will be out in time for your Holiday shopping pleasure. Enough with the cheap plug, I was invited to attend Sci-Fi Channel’s 2^nd annual Digital Press Tour last weekend. At first, I was a bit skeptical and didn’t particularly want to attend. I mean the shows they were promoting were pretty much all reality programming and Amanda Tapping’s new sci-fi show Sanctuary. So it wasn’t like I was actually visiting a set and I’m not a particular fan of reality television; I generally avoid them like the plague. The only reality show I watch on a semi-regular basis is American Idol. But I must say after this weekend, I’m going to be logging some serious time with all of Sci-Fi’s fall lineup – starting with Ghost Hunters and Sci-Fi’s newest game show The Chase.

Last weekend’s event was held in Denver Colorado at the historic Stanley Hotel. This hotel is rumored to be haunted and is the place that provided the inspiration for Steven King’s The Shining. He spent a few months in Room 217 writing the book and staring at ghosts. The Jack Nicolas film wasn’t shot here, but King’s TV Mini-Series was. It’s a weirdly old world hotel where walking in you can almost imagine that ghosts actually do make this place home. The place has this weird otherworldly vibe to it. When I was outside taking pictures (see the Gallery) it did feel freaky.

Sci-Fi really rolled out the red carpet this year (this is where I say, this wasn’t a “junket,” I paid for the trip out of my own pocket). My carpool buddies were really cool Chris, his wife Tara and Derek were really cool. We had a fun 1 hour drive from the airport. It’s always really neat meeting other webmasters who have the same issues that I do, even at much more well known sites like the one Derek works at. I always thought the folks at his site hated me, but apparently they don’t. So that was nice to know.

The weekend started with an excellent dinner and soiree. The room was divided in half, apparently Sci-Fi used the weekend to also smooze with their advertisers and contest winners. They kept us press folks away from them most of the weekend. It is always interesting attending one of these things, I’m always reverted back to my childhood – “I don’t know these people, what am I going to say, will they like me,” blah, blah. All the folks that I knew were sitting at different tables, that actually had people sitting there. So I sauntered over and mingled a bit, when it was time for Dinner my table finally filled up.

Sci-Fi set up the seating so that the tables would feature the cast of one of their shows, a couple of Sci-Fi executives and a couple of press folks. It was a real intimate affair with everyone getting a chance to really mingle and get to know one another fairly well. Turns out I was sitting with the cast of Sci-Fi’s latest gamble, The Chase. The 4 hour dinner just flew by all of the guys and everyone else at the table were really cool. I was trying to get some dirt about this new mystery project but they wouldn’t spill the beans until the next day.

CHA$E is an action-packed, edge-of-your-seat reality competition show that pits a group of contestants against each other in the quest for cash prizes, while being stalked by relentless ”hunters.” The action takes place in real time over 60 minutes throughout various Los Angeles landmark locations including San Pedro Harbor, Universal Theme Park and Descanso Gardens. As the clock counts down, the competition gets harder as more “hunters” appear on the “game board,” the perimeter changes, and tasks are assigned that test fraying nerves. Contestants earn money for every second they “stay alive.” If they are overrun by a “hunter,” they lose everything. The last person standing can win up to $50k.

It was funny because Amanda Tapping was sitting in the table next to me and I was joking with the Chase guys all night that I was going to go over and talk to her, or ask them to go and bring her to our table. I discovered Stargate SG1 last year and went on a 6 month obsession watching all the shows and reading a lot of SG1 fan fiction. I was a giddy school girl. I met Amanda on Saturday and she was really cool people. I kept bumping into her all day and we “hung out” during our Ghost Hunt with Jason and Grant that night. And this was why the weekend was so cool for me.

Usually at an event like this, the actors are “air lifted” in. Do their Q and A and get the heck out of dodge. You never feel like you really get to know someone. This time everyone, The Ghost Hunters, the Destination Truth Guy, Amanda, The Chase Folks and the Scare Tactics Guys came in Friday morning and stayed the entire weekend. It was a really relaxing environment where everyone had drinks and just chilled. It was really interesting watching them interact with each other and everyone watched each other’s Q and A’s from the back of the room.

Jason and Grant – The Ghost Hunters (who, for some reason loved me and remembered me from when I met them at NY Comic Con a few months ago) took us on a midnight Ghost Hunt at the Stanley. It was just like being in an episode of their show, a very cool experience. We all met at around midnight and went into one of the rooms that was reportedly haunted. And there was definitely a sense that there was a ghost in the room. Jason had this meter that they called the K2. Supposedly it lights up if there’s a presence in the room. So every time we asked questions the light would respond. Really freaky stuff, we all started to believe we were talking to a Ghost. Later in the hunt Amanda and I started joking with each other about Ghost Farts.

Earlier in the day the boys from The Chase wanted to give us a taste of the show. So like an idiot I volunteered to participate. The game is Sci-Fi Channel’s version of The Amazing Race with a video game twist. They give you a backpack – which I never asked what went into it, compass and an iPhone. Every couple of minutes they sent a text message with instructions on what to do next. It was a calm experience until a major thunder storm came roaring through, at that point they released the Hunters who came after us. I thought I had a plan until I saw one of the hunters then my brain froze and I panicked when he took off after me. I was completely drenched and caught a cold. The game was interesting and will be fun to watch on television when they cut out the parts where you are just wondering around aimlessly. Once that rain started, I was staring at my iPhone wishing for a message or anything to happen other than getting soaked.

Sci-Fi development manager – Mark Stern (I don’t know his exact title) was air dropped in from an Argentina set to give us a peak at this weird new game show where it’s kind of like a real life version of the movie Saw, only it takes place in a castle. The object is to survive these “brutal” challenges like sticking your arm in a tank of crabs to grab cash, or survive a collapsing room, or run through a room where (I believe) glass is breaking. If you survive all of these challenges you end up in a vault where you are chained to the floor and the object is to find the key to unlock your chain. The catch is, each drawer contains something disgusting, like mice or snakes, or something else entirely. I’m curious to see how it works out. Mark is a really cool guy, I spent a lot of time with him at last year’s digital event, this year he was, like I said air dropped in and we didn’t see him for the rest of the weekend. If you want a show on the Sci-Fi Channel this is the man you talk to.

Overall a really good weekend and I’m looking forward to Sci-Fi’s fall lineup. Of course I can no longer be objective about the shows, which is why I have Sheldon around to do the TV Reviews. Later this week I’ll post the recordings from all the Q and As. And a full synopsis of all of their shows for this fall. If I had one concern it would be that it seems like other than Sanctuary it seems like Sci-Fi is abandoning scripted programming for the lucrative world of Reality TV. They have a strong line up, but it seems a bit like overkill.

Although the Sleeping Beauty fairytale has been around for much longer, Walt Disney’s Sleeping Beauty was inspired by the Pytor Ilyich Tchaikovsky ballet – some of Tchaikovsky’s music is even quoted in the score.

Sleeping Beauty is remarkable for a number of reasons: it was the first Disney film to be done in an angular, more medieval style in which every aspect of every scene was detailed and in focus; it was the first Disney film which Disney didn’t work on from beginning to end; it was the last Disney animation to use hand-inked final art. From the opening sequences, the film is more vibrant, more alive than any previous Disney animation – and it remains almost impossibly lovely to look at today.

As with previous Disney animations, the voice casting is superb: Mary Costa did both speaking and singing for Princess Aurora; Eleanor Audley’s Maleficent is pretty much the standard for evil females in animation, even now; and the Three Good Fairies – Flora [Verna Felton], Fauna [Barbara Jo Allen] and Merryweather [Barbara Luddy] – are quite possibly6 the best example of characters who not only provide comic relief, but are actually integral to the story.

The new restoration of Sleeping Beauty marks the first time since its original theatrical run that we can see the film in its original widescreen aspect ratio, with the additional edges of the film adding even more richness to the experience.

This 50^th Anniversary Platinum Edition of the Disney classic also comes with enough Bonus Features to please the most discerning film buff: disc One: Audio Commentary by PIXAR CEO John Lasseter, Film Critic/Historian Leonard Maltin and current Disney Animator Andreas Deja; Once Upon a Dream Music Video by Emily Osment [Hannah Montana]; Disney Song Selection [plays just the actual song sequences from the film]; Princess Fun Facts – Pop-Up Video-style track that provides some historical background both for the film and princesses in general; Grand Canyon – a beautiful half-hour film that explores the Grand Canyon, set to the Grand Canyon Suite by Ferde Grofe; The Peter Tchaikovsky Story – an episode of the Wonderful World of Disney that featured a biographical film of Tchaikovsky’s life, plus sneak peeks at Sleeping Beauty. Disc Two: Briar Rose’s Enchanted Dance Game; Sleeping Beauty Fun With Language Game; Picture Perfect – The Making of Sleeping Beauty; Eyvind Earle – The Man and His Art; Alternate Opening; Sequence 8 [Forest Scene; Deleted songs; It Happens I Have a Penny [Version 1]; It Happens I Have a Penny [Version 2]; Art Galleries; Original Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough Attraction; Publicity; Four Artists Paint One Tree; Storyboard Sequences.

Grade: Walt Disney’s Sleeping Beauty: 50^th Anniversary Platinum Edition – A+

Grade: Features – A+

Final Grade: A+

Horror movies are notorious for many reasons other than the fact that people seem to enjoy a good scare now and then. For many first-time directors [see: Sam Raimi, John Carpenter], horror is attractive because fans are willing to buy into low-budget movies if they’re suitably original and/or smart, and/or fun. In the case of Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer, two of the three apply.

Somewhere between Raimi and Joss Whedon, Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer is a movie that has genuine with and more than a little gore – both components being sought after by horror aficionados. The film is a kind of origin story, telling of how Jack’s family was killed by a forest troll – leaving him prone to bouts of explosive anger.

Jack [Trevor Matthews] is a plumber who’s competent but not brilliant at his job and is taking a night course in chemistry to please his annoyingly strident girlfriend, Eve [Birds of Prey star Rachel Skarsten]. The problems begin when the class’ teacher, Professor Gordon Crowley [Robert Englund] asks him to fix the plumbing in his creepy old house at the top of an ominous hill. A weird smoke drifts into the home and possesses Crowley and before long, he’s ingested a demon’s heart – and not by choice!

One of the things that make Jack Brooks fun is the way it plays against convention. For example, in most genre movies, the audience wants the hero to get together with the girl. Here, we want him to bounce the squeaky shrew into the next town! Another is the kind of broad comedy we get from Englund’s Crowley. He doesn’t usually get to do this kind of shtick and he does it very well.

Most of the effects are practical – with the exception of enhancing the weird smoke that gets Crowley, the computer was used only to paint out wires and stunt mats. The result is some extremely fun “mutants;” one of the best Cyclops since Harryhausen [only here, it’s a man in a rubber suit], and some hentai-like tentacles. Of course, there’s also a big rubber demon that is more funny than scary [since it’s pretty much immobile], but the mix definitely gives Jack Brooks the kind of horror/comedy play that has elevated Raimi and Whedon to stardom.

Director and co-writer Jon Knautz keeps the pacing up and isn’t afraid to go for delicious moments of pure camp as well some genuine chills. First-time actor [and co-producer] Trevor Matthews seems to be having a lot of fun as the calmness-challenged Jack, who finally finds a way to put his temper to good use, while Skarsten is fine as the shrill, obnoxious Eve. The script is pretty tight, there are some clever uses of characters like the star student, Janice [Stefanie Drummond] but, is it just me, or are there a lot of star students named Janice?

As one might expect from an Anchor Bay DVD, there a lot of features here, too: Audio commentary by Knautz, Matthews, Producer Patrick white and Composer Ryan shore; Behind the Scenes – a fifty-minute making of featurette; Creating the Monsters; Creating the Music; World Premiere: Sitges, Spain; Five Deleted Scenes; Storyboard Comparisons; Conceptual Art Gallery; On Set Still Gallery and the Theatrical Trailer.

Grade: Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer – B

Grade: Features – A

Final Grade: B+

Originally a short film by Dez Vylenz for his film school thesis, The Mindscape of Alan Moore is an expanded ramble by Moore on various subjects – from Watchmen to the reasons he one day decided to tell his friends and family that he was a magician.

The format is incredibly simple: Moore sits on a comfy chair in his living room and speaks for almost ninety minutes. Given that he comes across as your favorite eccentric professor – the on whose lectures you never miss – this is not a hardship. Moore is an engaging speaker and is always witty and direct.

As he speaks, director Vylenz uses various means to enhance Moore’s subjects. There are some good old-fashioned psychedelic lightshow effects; CG animations that illustrate points Moore makes about concepts like “ideaspace,” and even live-action recreations of moments from some of Moore’s best known comics work: V for Vendetta [V putting on his unique mask], Watchmen [Rorschach perched on a rooftop looking out over the city], three instances of a blond guy in a trenchcoat, smoking as he wanders the streets of London [yup, it’s Constantine – though we only find that out in the end credits and the director’s commentary.

If you’re wondering what all the fuss about Moore is, The Mindscape of Alan Moore will give you a glimpse of his genius/madness – whichever you may take it to be. If you’re already a fan, it will give you some insights into the man that may actually enhance your enjoyment of his writings.

Features: Disc 1: Scene Specific Audio Commentary by Dez Vylenz; Making a Mindscape – a narration-free video diary of the film’s making; Director Interview – Dez Vylenz – Producer/Writer/Director; Interview: Brian Kinney – Special Make-Up Effects; Interview with Drew Richards – Music composer/Sound Designer; Trailer 1 [Lustmord St.], and Trailer 2 [Drew Richards St.]. Disc 2: Interviews From the comics World – Melinda Gebbie [The Lost girls w. Moore], Dave Gibbons [Watchmen], Paul Gravette [Author/Comics Historian], David Lloyd [V for Vendetta], Kevin O’Neill [League of Extraordinary Gentlemen], and Jose´ Villarubia [Promethea].

Grade: The Mindscape of Alan Moore – A

Grade: Features – A+

Final Grade: A

The legendary Ray Harryhausen is finally getting his due this week when Sony releases the Ray Harryhausen collection on Blu-ray. This collection includes the Sci-Fi classics - "It Came From Beneath the Sea," "Earth vs. The Flying Saucers," "20 Million Miles to Earth: 50th Anniversary Edition," and "The 7th Voyage of Sinbad".  This should give any self respecting some good geek gasms and it’s all in beautifully restored HD.  Each disk is chock full of features and includes audio commentaries from Ray himself.  Check out the full press release, features and some clippage after the break. 

THE RAY HARRYHAUSEN BLU-RAY™ GIFT SET, containing the classic titles "It Came From Beneath the Sea," "Earth vs. The Flying Saucers," "20 Million Miles to Earth: 50th Anniversary Edition," and "The 7th Voyage of Sinbad" arrives in color as a Blu-ray™ High-Def four-pack October 7th!
Watch clips from THE RAY HARRYHAUSEN BLU-RAY™ GIFT SET:

Ray Harryhausen Blu-Ray Gift Set Trailer
http://www.sonypictures.com/sphe/ray_harryhausen/ray_harryhausen_dvdtrailer_high.wmv
http://www.sonypictures.com/sphe/ray_harryhausen/ray_harryhausen_dvdtrailer.mov

SYNOPSES:

SYNOPSIS FOR 20 MILLION MILES TO EARTH: 50TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION:

Upon its return from a mission to Venus, an American spaceship crash lands in the sea near Sicily. The rescue party discovers that the astronauts have brought back a curious gelatinous mass that soon hatches and evolves into a strange bi-ped creature which rapidly increases in size.  While being subjected to laboratory experimentation, the creature, now 20 feet tall, escapes its confines, goes on a destructive rampage through Rome, battles a zoo elephant and swims in the Tiber.  It eventually takes refuge in the Colosseum, where the film’s pyrotechnic finale occurs during a climactic showdown with the military.

Film Clip - 20 Million Miles to Earth: The Creature Hatches

http://www.sonypictures.com/sphe/ray_harryhausen/hatches_high.wmv
http://www.sonypictures.com/sphe/ray_harryhausen/hatches.mov

SPECIAL FEATURES FOR 20 MILLION MILES TO EARTH: 50TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION:

Audio Commentary by Ray Harryhausen, visual effects artists Dennis Muren and Phil Tippett, and producer Arnold Kunert

Featurettes:
- Remembering 20 Million Miles to Earth
- The Colorization Process
- Tim Burton Sits Down with Ray Harryhausen
- Original Ad Artwork: A video montage and discussion of the original marketing and advertising campaigns by Arnold Kunert
- Interview with Joan Taylor
- David Schecter on Film Music’s Unsung Hero

Video Photo Galleries

Sneak Peek of Digital Comic Book 20 Million Miles More

SYNOPSIS FOR IT CAME FROM BENEATH THE SEA:
A giant stop-motion-animated octopus attacks San Francisco. A pair of scientists and a nuclear sub captain try to stop the monster before it tears down the Golden Gate Bridge.

Special Features - Remembering It Came From Beneath The Sea: Like A Documentary

http://www.sonypictures.com/sphe/ray_harryhausen/docu_high.wmv
http://www.sonypictures.com/sphe/ray_harryhausen/docu.mov

SPECIAL FEATURES FOR IT CAME FROM BENEATH THE SEA:
Audio Commentary by Ray Harryhausen, visual effects artists Randall William Cook and John Bruno, and producer Arnold Kunert

Featurettes:
- Remembering It Came From Beneath The Sea
- Tim Burton Sits Down with Ray Harryhausen
- David Schecter on Film Music’s Unsung Hero
- A Present-Day Look at Stop-Motion

Sneak Peek of Digital Comic Book It Came from Beneath the Sea…Again!
Video Photo Galleries
Original Ad Artwork: A video montage and discussion of the original marketing and advertising campaigns by Arnold Kunert

SYNOPSIS FOR EARTH VERSUS THE FLYING SAUCERS:
Dr. Russell Marvin heads up Operation Skyhook, which is tasked with sending rockets into the upper atmosphere to probe for future space flights. Unfortunately, all the rockets are somehow disappearing. While investigating this strange occurrence, Russell and his new wife Carol are abducted in a flying saucer. The aliens claim to be from a distant solar system and demand to meet with certain people in order to negotiate. But it was a trick; the aliens only wanted to kill them. The invasion has begun and if Russell and Carol can’t find a way to get past their defenses and stop these creatures, it may be the end of the human race.

Special Features - Earth Vs. The Flying Saucers Ray Harryhausen Artwork: Flying Saucers
http://www.sonypictures.com/sphe/ray_harryhausen/flyingsaucer_high.wmv
http://www.sonypictures.com/sphe/ray_harryhausen/flyingsaucer.mov

SPECIAL FEATURES FOR EARTH VERSUS THE FLYING SAUCERS:
Audio Commentary by Ray Harryhausen, visual effects artists Jeffrey Okun and Ken Ralston and producer Arnold Kunert

Featurettes:
- Remembering Earth vs. The Flying Saucers
- A Present-Day Look at Stop-Motion
- Tim Burton Sits Down with Ray Harryhausen
- Interview with Joan Taylor
- David Schecter on Film Music’s Unsung Hero
- Featurette: The Hollywood Blacklist and Bernard Gordon
Still and Production Art Gallery
Digital Sneak Peek at Flying Saucers vs. the Earth Comic Book
Video Photo Galleries
Original Ad Artwork: A video montage and discussion of the original marketing and advertising campaigns by Arnold Kunert
SYNOPSIS FOR THE 7TH VOYAGE OF SINBAD: 50th ANNIVERSARY EDITION
This colorful adventure is the screen version of one of the classic tales from “1001 Arabian Nights.” It tells the story of Sinbad (Kerwin Mathews) and Princess Parisa (Kathryn Grant).  When they unexpectedly stop on the island of Colossa on their way to Baghdad, they find themselves battling all types of dangers, such as evil magicians, a man-eating Cyclops, a fire-breathing dragon, and a sword-wielding skeleton.

Remembering 7th Voyage - Finally Got The Film Made

http://www.sonypictures.com/sphe/sinbad/film_high.wmv
http://www.sonypictures.com/sphe/sinbad/film.mov

Advertising Song

http://www.sonypictures.com/sphe/sinbad/song_high.wmv
http://www.sonypictures.com/sphe/sinbad/song.mov

THE 7TH VOYAGE OF SINBAD: 50TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION - SPECIAL FEATURES
Audio Commentary with Ray Harryhausen, visual effects experts Phil Tippett and Randall William Cook, author Steven Smith and producer Arnold Kunert

Featurettes:
- Remembering The 7th Voyage of Sinbad
- The Harryhausen Legacy
- The Music of Bernard Herrmann
- A Look Behind the Voyage (includes interview footage)
- This is Dynamation (Special Effects)
- Ray Harryhausen Interview by Director John Landis

Music Video: Sinbad May Have Been Bad, But He’s Been Good To Me
Photo Gallery
RATING: All Titles are NOT RATED

Buy THE RAY HARRYHAUSEN BLU-RAY™ GIFT SET:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001D7T69K/?tag=sonypicturese-20

Visit the MySpace.com SONY HOUSE OF HORROR for this and other great Halloween releases:
www.myspace.com/horrordvd

Visit SonyPictures.com for other upcoming releases:
http://www.sonypictures.com/homevideo

Spend the night with Leonardo and Russell Crowe as EclipseMagazine.com and Warner Brothers team up to bring you the Washington, DC Screening of Body of Lies. The Screening will be held Tuesday, October 7, 2008 (that’s tomorrow night!) at Gallery Place in DC. I’m working with Warners on automating our contests, so we’re testing out this cool new system. To get your tickets, CLICK HERE!!! and enter the code ECLP9886.  This movie looks amazingly good so go, enter the code, download your pass, it’s that simple.

Roger Ferris (Leonardo DiCaprio) is the best man U.S. Intelligence has on the ground, in places where human life is worth no more than the information it can get you.  In operations that take him around the globe from the Middle East to Washington, Ferris’s next breath often depends on the voice at the other end of a secure phone line – CIA veteran Ed Hoffman (Russell Crowe).  Waging war from a laptop in the suburbs, Hoffman is on the trail of an emerging terrorist leader who has orchestrated a campaign of bombings while eluding the most sophisticated intelligence network in the world.  To lure the terrorist out into the open, Ferris will have to penetrate his murky world, but the closer he gets to the target, the more he discovers that trust is both a dangerous commodity and the only one that will get him out alive.

The film stars Oscar nominee Leonardo DiCaprio ("Blood Diamond," "The Aviator," "The Departed"), Oscar winner Russell Crowe ("Gladiator," "A Beautiful Mind"), Mark Strong ("Stardust"), Iranian actress Golshifteh Farahani ("M for Mother"), Oscar Isaac ("The Nativity Story") and Simon McBurney ("The Golden Compass").

"Body of Lies" is directed by Academy Award nominee Ridley Scott ("Black Hawk Down," "Gladiator") from a screenplay by Oscar winner William Monahan ("The Departed") based on the novel by former Washington Post columnist David Ignatius.  Donald De Line ("The Italian Job") and Ridley Scott are the producers, with Michael Costigan ("American Gangster," "Brokeback Mountain") and Charles J.D. Schlissel ("The Prestige") serving as executive producers.

The behind-the-scenes creative team is led by cinematographer Alexander Witt ("American Gangster"), Oscar-nominated production designer Arthur Max ("American Gangster," "Gladiator") Oscar-winning editor Pietro Scalia ("Black Hawk Down"), and Oscar-winning costume designer Janty Yates ("Gladiator").  Marc Streitenfeld ("Kingdom of Heaven") composed the score.

Opening nationwide on October 10, 2008, "Body of Lies" will be distributed by Warner Bros Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.  The film has been rated "R" by the MPAA for "strong violence, including some torture, and language throughout."

Last season, NBC and Warner Bros. introduced us to Chuck, a twenty-something computer geek who inadvertently downloaded critical government secrets into his brain which prompted his former college friend turned CIA to recruit him as a secret agent while keeping him out of the hands of those with more diabolical intentions.

Now Chuck is back for more adventures in season 2 of the hit NBC series and on Monday October 6^th “Chuck Versus the Seduction”, written by Matthew Miller and directed by Allan Kroeker, takes our hero undercover to retrieve the Cipher from the sultry but dangerous spy known as the Black Widow (guest star MELINDA CLARKE - "The O.C."). However in order to get close to his target, Chuck must first learn the art of seduction from the suave and sophisticated Roan Montgomery (guest star JOHN LARROQUETTE - "Boston Legal"), a legendary debonair spy.

Unfortunately for Chuck, Sarah and Casey, Roan is no longer the world’s greatest spy. Meanwhile, Morgan offers Captain Awesome some advice for a romantic night with Ellie, and Lester struggles to gain respect at Buy More as the new assistant manager.

Check out the promo and teaser clips and watch Chuck on CBS Monday nights at 8PM EST.

Video Clips Courtesy of Warner Bros. Publicity Department

You’ve probably seen the trailers with the ancient Aztec ruins and the Esther Williams-like production number performed by Chihuahuas. The movie lacks the production number but the ruins play a crucial part in the proceedings. What’s really surprising is that Beverly Hills Chihuahua is a kids’ flick that will entertain the kids but has some gags that will work only for the parents.

Chloe [voiced by Drew Barrymore] is the queen of the Beverly Hills canine scene. Spoiled rotten by her owner, Vivian [Jamie Lee Curtis], Chloe is shallow, selfish and haughty – not to mention rude to Papi [George Lopez], the landscaper’s Chihuahua who loves her. That all changes when Vivian heads off to Europe for ten days, leaving Chloe in the irresponsible hands of her niece, Rachel [Piper Perabo] – who heads off to Mexico to party, dragging Chloe along.

More concerned about partying and meeting guys, Rachel lets Chloe get away from her and the poor thing is dognapped for a floating illegal dogfight enterprise. Because this is a Disney film, the dogfight never happens as Delgado [Andy Garcia], a noble German Shepherd, rescues her just before her opponent, a vicious Doberman named Diablo [Edward James Olmos] can rip her to shreds. The rest of the film is the story of Chloe and her new friend try to get her home – all the while Rachel, Papi and his owner, Sam [Manolo Cordona] are looking for them.

Director Raja Gosnell [Mrs. Doubtfire, Nine Months] keeps the pace up, giving the film the feel of a romantic farce. The voice cast is extremely good [big names are joined by animation veterans like Grey DeLisle], though Cheech Marin does a little scene stealing voicing a rat con artist who works with a dim iguana. While the film is mostly light and frothy – darkening only for brief periods [and kids love a good scare, so it’s not an issue] – it is not unintelligent. The characters are well [and sometimes cleverly] drawn and the relationships that form along the way feel very natural.

Off course, we’re taking about a talking animals film [though the animals are only understood by each other], and no one does them better than Disney. The CG work that makes the animals appear to be speaking is very good, and the practical effects are right up there, as well.

Beverly Hills Chihuahua may not quite be inspired, but it is definitely good fun – good enough to not embarrass the parents whose kids drag them along to see it.

Final Grade: B

The Sci Fi Channel’s new series, Sanctuary [Fridays, 9/8C] is adapted from the internet series of the same name. It revolves around Dr. Helen Magnus and her “sanctuary for all.”

Dr. Will Zimmerman [Robin Dunne] is a mess. A forensic psychologist, he’s lost his job with the FBI and now plies his trade with a police force that pays no attention to his theories and opinions. When he attempts to help the police investigate a triple homicide – including two police officers – he begins an adventure that will clear up mysteries that have tormented him since he was eight years old, even as he encounters new mysteries that will change the way he thinks, acts and maybe even dreams.

Who is Dr. Helen Magnus [Amanda Tapping]? Who is the blonde Valkyrie [Emilie Ullerup] on the motorcycle? And who is the tall, bald, sinister apparition [Christopher Heyerdahl] who can seemingly move faster than bullets? And what do they have to do with a scared ten-year old boy of Slavic ancestry? And what is Magnus’ semi-simian chauffeur, anyway?

Sanctuary’s two-hour premiere, Sanctuary For All, answers these questions and leads into a series that explores the concept that every creature from folklore and mythology is real. The physical Sanctuary is the place where Magnus and her team provide safety for those creatures who seek refuge, and confinement for those whose predatory natures threaten humanity.

Shot almost completely in CGI [only the cast and essential props are live action], Sanctuary has a unique look [think classic Universal horror mixed with urban cop show] and an equally unique feel. The premiere introduces the aforementioned characters plus a tall humanoid who might well be the so-called Missing Link. The ten-year old boy fits right in as a genetic mutation from Chechnya.

The script is solid, if not inspiring, and intriguing – especially since it gives us enough answers to make us wonder just how many more questions are out there waiting to be answered. The acting is, for the most part, adequate. Tapping’s English accent may wobble from time to time, but emotionally, she’s spot on. Dunne makes Zimmerman, who is almost a Daniel Jackson clone, seem fresh and different. There’s even a cameo from Battlestar Galactica alumnus Kandyse McClure as Zimmerman’s ex – just to emphasize how damaged he is.

The keyword here is potential. The premiere lays out an intriguing premise and gives us sufficient background to make us feel like we can relate that that specific world. It may be a bit stilted, but it manages to convey its concepts relatively clearly, and the cast of characters is an odd mix or near-immortal, exuberant youth, damaged professional and surly/quirky tech master. The mix of science and myth works, for the most part – and so does Sanctuary.

Final Grade: B-

Elizabeth Reaser did such a great job of playing the badly injured Ava/Rebecca on Grey’s Anatomy that it seems only right that she should have asked to front a series of her own. The Ex List [CBS, Fridays, 10/9C] is a bit of a high concept dramedy – Bella Bloom [Reaser] is told by a psychic [Anne Bedian] that she must marry within the year or she never will – but she has already met her soulmate, and he’s someone she’s had a relationship with in the past!

Bella’s situation arises from the bachelorette party for her younger sister, Daphne [Rachel Boston], and her own weird thought that visiting a psychic would be the perfect way to cap the evening. When other predictions she made come true in wildly unexpected [and funny] ways, she begins to take the psychic seriously – not least of all when bird poop leads to her discovery that former boyfriend Johnny Diamont [Eric Balfour] is back in town – and has a punk rock band. When she and roommate Vivian [Alexandra Breckenridge] go to his show, his first song shows he remembers her, and not particularly fondly…

The Ex List is based on an Israeli series, but seems to be of a vastly different tone [Diane Ruggerio, who adapted the series for America, left the show over creative differences – and she wanted to maintain the tone of the original]. In the premiere, she has a life – she runs a flower shop and has a core group of friends who share a house with her: the aforementioned Vivian, her best friend; Augie [Adam Rothenberg], Vivian’s boyfriend, and Cyrus [Amir Talai], who is a bit of a cynic and a slacker.

Although Reaser doesn’t have to do all the heavy lifting, she is the principal here, and her ability to shift from comedy to drama to melodrama in mid-line [and to look really, really good in a bikini] is the show’s primary plus. The cast has solid chemistry [always important], but the writing isn’t quite right, yet. The balance between humor, drama and melodrama needs to be tweaked [less melodrama, more drama – the humor content is about right]. I enjoyed the pilot, but I hope that the show will find that balance – that sweet spot – that can elevate it to the next level.

Final Grade: B-

In the season premiere for Ghost Whisperer [CBS, Fridays, 9/8C], Firestarter, Melinda [Jennifer Love Hewitt] has to say farewell to a friend, while helping a sceptical psychologist learn to deal with being able to hear ghosts. It’s an entertaining episode of a series that never quite achieves greatness, but is always entertaining.

When Jim [David Gordon] is called to a fire at the university, Melinda tags along fearing that her colleague, Rick Payne [Jay Mohr] might be a victim. Rick, it turns out, is fine – but Melinda sees a mysterious black woman who disappears, and the spirit of a victim leave his body while Jim works on him – and then return after being hit with the defibrillator.

The man is Dr. Eli James [Jamie Kennedy] and when Melinda sees him and a ghost chatting in his hospital room later, she decides to help him with his new “gift.” Unlike her, though, he can only hear ghosts – not see them. And he seems to prefer thinking that he’s gone crazy over being able to talk with ghosts – especially this ghost, Fiona [Alona Tal], who was his patient.

Like the best eps of the series, Firestarter is more than adequately written; directed with a deft touch and features the best performance that Jamie Kennedy has ever given. There are scenes that are simultaneously comic and dramatic – as when Eli is surrounded by a half-dozen ghosts, all imploring him to help them, in a bar that’s otherwise empty but for the bartender and a guy playing pool – and there are scenes that are heartbreaking – as when we learn why Fiona’s ghost hasn’t crossed over. I’ll let you discover who’s leaving…

Fans of the series will love this ep, while those who haven’t tried it before will find it to be a solid hour’s entertainment. No more, no less.

Final Grade: B-

In one of the goofier things I’ve seen in awhile comes a game company called 20Q.net.  They have produced a series of pop culture quiz games. They have one for Star Trek, Harry Potter and The Simpsons.  The Harry Potter game is shaped like a snitch, while the Star Trek one comes in the form of the Enterprise. I’ve been playing with it the last day or so and it’s kind of neat.  20Q™ is an artificial intelligence, a website, a company and a phenomenon that speaks for itself at http://20q.net. Players think of something, and 20Q™ guesses what is on their mind, in twenty questions or less. Each time the online game is played it learns a little more. After more than 62,000,000 games played and half a billion questions asked, 20Q™ has evolved from an experiment in artificial intelligence into a software development firm that licenses games built on the capabilities of the 20Q A.I.  It’s an interesting concept, but I’d prefer to see this game available on mobile platforms (I’m sure they are working on it) instead of the big, bulky packaging it currently comes in.

One of the great classics is getting the loving special edition DVD Treatment. Next week, The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, 50th Anniversary Edition hits the streets October 7th (next week).  This colorful adventure is the screen version of one of the classic tales from “1001 Arabian Nights.” It tells the story of Sinbad (Kerwin Mathews) and Princess Parisa (Kathryn Grant).  When they unexpectedly stop on the island of Colossa on their way to Baghdad, they find themselves battling all types of dangers, such as evil magicians, a man-eating Cyclops, a fire-breathing dragon, and a sword-wielding skeleton. Directed by Nathan Juran (20 Million Miles to Earth, First Men ‘In’ the Moon), the newly remastered film stars Kerwin Mathews (The 3 Worlds of Gulliver), Kathryn Grant (Anatomy of a Murder), Richard Eyer (The Invisible Boy), and Torin Thatcher (Witness for the Prosecution). The DVD contains an audio commentary by Ray Harryhausen, visual effects experts Phil Tippett and Randall William Cook, author Steven Smith and producer Arnold Kunert; six featurettes: Remembering The 7th Voyage of Sinbad in which Ray Harryhausen reflects back on the 50th anniversary with a look at the film, drawings, artwork, models, etc., The Harryhausen Legacy; The Music of Bernard Herrmann with Herrmann biographer Steven Smith; A Look Behind the Voyage with interview footage; This is Dynamation; and Ray Harryhausen Interview by Director John Landis, plus the music video Sinbad May Have Been Bad, But He’s Been Good To Me. 

I adore this movie. The DVD includes -

Audio Commentary with Ray Harryhausen, visual effects experts Phil Tippett and Randall William Cook, author Steven Smith and producer Arnold Kunert
Music Video: Sinbad May Have Been Bad, But He’s Been Good To Me Photo Gallery

Featurettes:

- Remembering The 7th Voyage of Sinbad
- The Harryhausen Legacy
- The Music of Bernard Herrmann
- A Look Behind the Voyage (includes interview footage)
- This is Dynamation (Special Effects)
- Ray Harryhausen Interview by Director John Landis

Start revisiting memory lane by watching these clips, after the break. 

Film Clip - Magic Barrier
http://www.sonypictures.com/sphe/sinbad/magic_high.wmv
http://www.sonypictures.com/sphe/sinbad/magic.mov

Film Clip - A Great Magician
http://www.sonypictures.com/sphe/sinbad/great_high.wmv
http://www.sonypictures.com/sphe/sinbad/great.mov

Film Clip - Inside The Lamp
http://www.sonypictures.com/sphe/sinbad/inside_high.wmv
http://www.sonypictures.com/sphe/sinbad/inside.mov

Remembering 7th Voyage - The Shrinking of Katheryne Grant
http://www.sonypictures.com/sphe/sinbad/shrinking_high.wmv
http://www.sonypictures.com/sphe/sinbad/shrinking.mov

Advertising Song
http://www.sonypictures.com/sphe/sinbad/song_high.wmv
http://www.sonypictures.com/sphe/sinbad/song.mov

Ubisoft announced that War World is now available on Xbox LIVE® Arcade for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. Developed by Third Wave Games, War World is a fast-paced third-person shooter that combines a unique blend of heart-pumping action and tactical gameplay, introducing an entirely new genre to Xbox LIVE Arcade for Xbox 360. Complete with next-gen visual effects and robust gameplay, War World throws players directly into combat on the battlefield of a war-torn planet. Control one of 10 different Mechanoids, each with special abilities, and wreak havoc throughout the 100-level single-player campaign. War World is truly the first of its kind on Xbox LIVE Arcade for Xbox 360 with a robust multiplayer game set available through the Xbox LIVE online entertainment network. War World on Xbox LIVE Arcade for Xbox 360 is rated "T” for Teen and can be downloaded for 800 Microsoft Points.

If you think you’ve been on every roller coaster ride possible that twists and turns through the Winchester brother’s lives in Supernatural, episode 3 of the hit series’ 4^th season is going to prove you haven’t been on the ‘big ride’ yet.  So sit back, strap yourselves in and keep your hands inside the car until In The Beginning comes to its full and complete stop.

There seems to be rumblings among the online viewer-ship of Supernatural’s season 4, which stars Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles as Sam and Dean Winchester - brothers, supernatural hunters and now two men seemingly on different paths that are about to converge in a way that may alter their lives forever - that there hasn’t been much of what fans/viewers perceive as a storyline presence for younger brother Sam Winchester in the first two episodes. That the first two episodes seem to focus heavily on the deliverance of older brother Dean Winchester’s (Jensen Ackles) soul from hell, from which it was yanked out of and fully restored to life and body by the angel Castiel (Misha Collins) on the command of God.

I’ll be right upfront with you my readers; there is a significant lack of physical presence of Sam Winchester (Jared Padalecki) in the 3^rd episode In the Beginning. However, if you are the kind of viewer/fan who can appreciate a storyline that is about the continuation of character’s journey, even though that character may not be physically present in the particular episode, then odds are you may really appreciate this episode. Possibly appreciate that it brings everything together and answers some major questions about Sam Winchester, his past and his possible date with destiny and sets things in motion that will bring the storyline heavily front and center to his character.  I can assure you, from this reviewer’s perspective, that Eric Kripke and Company have not forgotten about Sam Winchester/Jared Padalecki and their part in the process of making Supernatural an outstanding primetime drama series and cult favorite among its loyal fans.

Jensen Ackles as Dean Winchester & Misha Collins as the Angel Castiel

In the Beginning, written by Jeremy Carver and directed by Steve Boyum, is a time travel episode in which the angel Castiel transports himself and Dean Winchester back in time to 1973 where Dean meets his and Sam’s parents Mary Campbell (Amy Gumenick) and John Winchester (Matthew Cohen), who are two young people in love and eager to get married to each other despite the objections of Mary’s father. He also meets his maternal grandparents, Samuel (Mitch Pileggi) and Deanna (Allison Hossack) Campbell. Once again, Jensen Ackles gives a ‘knock it out of the ballpark’ outstanding performance as his character of Dean Winchester is confronted with one startling twist and turn about his family history after another. Since the very first episode of Supernatural back in season one Sam and Dean Winchester, as written by the talented writing staff of Supernatural and played by Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles, are the kind of characters that can make you cry and laugh right along with them. That still hasn’t changed and one scene in particular in this episode between Dean and the younger version of his mother Mary is so emotionally powerful it made this reviewer cry.

This episode boast some of best all round guest casting in the roles of the maternal grandparents and young Mary Campbell (soon to be Winchester). Mitch Pileggi, a long time veteran of the sci-fi and horror genre, was just perfect as Samuel Campbell. It almost seems as if he studied the way Jared Padalecki plays the grandson Sam Winchester so that Pileggi’s mannerisms were similar enough to create a feeling of family continuity between the generations. He and Ackles played extremely well off of each other and provided some of the same comedic moments that often happen between the brothers Winchester that again created that feeling of continuity between generations.

The only guest role I felt wasn’t as fleshed out as it maybe should have been was that of the young John Winchester. Not for any fault in the performance of Matthew Cohen in the role, just that he seemed to be almost a secondary character to the storyline. I am hoping that the episode in which we see Sam and Dean as high schoolers gives us more insight into John Winchester.

In the Beginning answers some very pressing questions such as how Mary knew the Yellow-eyed demon and some things about the origins of why Sam is chosen by the YED.  We find out how the ’67 Chevy Impala came to belong to John Winchester and who Dean is named after. It is also the episode that shows us exactly to what extent Dean has been pushed into the myth arc of the storyline. However in honesty as a viewer and a fan with a particular affection of Dean Winchester, I have some major reservations about how this was done and what the ramifications will be for Dean and for Sam because of it.

Yet, no matter how you look at it, In the Beginning is one helluva roller coaster ride of an episode and it really does set up a heavy hitting and no doubt soon to be fully involved storyline for the character of Sam Winchester. So tune in, enjoy the ride and know that the writers, creators and actors of Supernatural will be waiting at the end of it to take you on to the next ‘big ride’ with them.

 Supernatural season 4 airs on the CW Network this Thursday, October 2^nd at 9PM EST (but be sure to check your local listing in case of time change due to the Presidential Debates).

Ten years ago, ABC premiered a new half hour series the likes of which had never been seen before. With its single-camera walk-and-talks and three camera set pieces, it was a hybrid both in terms of style and content, being both dramatic and comedic in equal measure. Sports Night, which chronicled the behind the scenes goings on of running an ESPN/Sports center type of show, introduced the television audience to the unique perspective of creator Aaron Sorkin and his quintessential director, Thomas “Tommy” Schlamme.

With an ensemble cast of first-rate actors [Robert Guillaume, Josh Charles, Peter Krause, Felicity Huffman, Sabrina Lloyd and Joshua Malina as the main characters and recurring players including Greg Baker, Kayla Blake, Timothy Davis-Reed, Suzanne Kellogg, Jeff Mooring and Ron Ostrow] who could shift from drama to comedy [and vice-versa] in the middle of a line – hell! In the middle of a word!; dialogue-heavy scripts that could be as much as sixty-to-seventy pages for a thirty-minute show, and that unique shooting style, Sports Night became a cult hit even while it was airing – and it influenced an entire wave of single-camera shows. It’s safe to say that The Office and Arrested Development would probably not have been sold if Sports Night hadn’t laid the groundwork.

The show was groundbreaking in content as well as style. Some of the best episodes carried controversy lightly on their shoulders – The Six Southern Gentlemen of Tennessee dealt with race and the Confederate flag; Jeremy Goodwin dated an “adult film actress” over a four-episode arc; The Head Coach, Dinner and the Morning Mail dealt with date rape by a sports star; co-anchor Dan begins therapy, and so much more – not for the sake of controversy, but always in service of telling a compelling story.

In a momentary burst of controversy, I’m going on record as saying that Sports Night is the only series I’ve ever seen that produced no bad eps. None. Zero. Nada. Bupkiss. Zilch. It is a series that I can watch over and over and enjoy as much as I did the first time I saw it. Most eps of Sports Night are such works of beauty that I even mist over – made melancholy by the way the series died early, while far lesser programs flourished [I’m looking at you, According to Jim!] . For me, Aaron Sorkin will always the creator of Sports Night and those other two shows.

The six-disc Shout!Factory box set does it justice.

Features include: two excellent commentaries by Aaron Sorkin and Thomas Schlamme for the series premiere, Pilot, and the series finale, Quo Vadimus; a terrific commentary by editor Jane Ashikaga for Small Town; two decent commentaries for The Six southern Gentlemen of Tennessee by Josh Charles, Peter Krause, Sabrina Lloyd and Robert Berlinger, and Eli’s Coming by Peter Krause and Robert Berlinger; three so-so-to-awful commentaries by various cast members for Sally, Kafelnikov and The Local Weather; Season One Bonus Disc: The Show – new interviews with cast and crew; Face-Off – ESPN’s Sports Center vs. Sports Night – the pros talk about what the show got right and… not so much; Season One Gag Reel; Season Two Bonus Disc: Looking Back – an intimate conversation with Aaron Sorkin and Thomas Schlamme; Inside the Locker room – a look at the technical innovations of Sports Night, and the Season Two Gag Reel.

Grade: Sports Night: The Complete Series – A+

Grade: Features: A+

Final Grade: A+

The episode, titled “In The Beginning,” will air on Thurs., 10/2 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on The CW.  This episode, which features guest star Mitch Pileggi (“The X-Files,” “Stargate: Atlantis”) as Sam & Dean Winchester’s maternal grandfather, begins with the angel Castiel (guest star Misha Collins) transporting Dean (Jensen Ackles) back in time to Lawrence, Kansas in 1973.  In what promises to be a very revealing hour, Dean not only encounters his parents as a young couple in love, but also meets his mother’s family for the first time and learns the origin of a startling turn of events that will shape the future of the entire Winchester family – and possibly his relationship with Sam (Jared Padalecki) - forever.   “In The Beginning” was written by Jeremy Carver and directed by Steve Boyum.

SPN 4.03 Clip One

SPN4.03 Clip Two

In my review of Iron Man during its theatrical run, after noting that the film worked mainly because of its honouring the source material from the Marvel comics, I wrapped up with:

“While the action scenes aren’t as accomplished as something by Michael Bay, they come off better because director Jon Favreau understands that it’s the characters that make everything else in the film work. He keeps the pace high enough to prevent lessening of interest and knows how to make the film’s effects serve the story. This is a film with surprising wit and genuine intelligence.”

Repeated screenings [twice more in the theater and twice more on DVD] convince me that I was remiss in grading the film a mere A-. Considering that the film’s only real flaw is that the big fight scene between Iron Monger and Iron Man is a bit clunky [which, when you think about it, is appropriate for the big, clumsy looking Iron Monger], and considering that the film translates extremely well from big screen to small, I have to revise that upwards.

Then there are the multitudinous features. How many are there? Check this out: Disc One: Eleven Deleted and/or Extended Scenes; Iron Man Adventures Teaser; Disc Two: I Am Iron Man [Seven Featurettes Documenting the Making if Iron Man: The Journey Begins; The Suit That Makes The Iron Man; Walk of Destruction; Grounded In Reality; Beneath the Armor; It’s All In The Details; A Good Story Well Told]; The Invincible Iron Man [Six Featurettes Covering the History of Iron Man In Comics: Origins; Friends and Foes; The Definitive Iron Man; Demon In a Bottle; Extremis and Beyond; Ultimate Iron Man]; Robert Downey’s Screen Test; The Actor’s Process [Downey, Jeff Bridges and Jon Favreau figure out a scene]; The Onion: Wildly Popular Iron Man Trailer To Be Adapted Into full-Length Film; Galleries: Concept Art [Environments: Afghan Cave, Stark Estate, Stark Garage, Stark Industries; Characters: Iron Man, Iron Monger, Tony Stark]; Tech; Unit Photography, and Posters. There is no commentary track and that costs the Features grade.

The DVD’s menus are patterned after the 3D Hologram effects in the film and are both really cool and easy to navigate. The DVD comes in a standard box inside an embossed card stock slip cover.

Grade: Iron Man – A

Grade: Features – B+

Final Grade: A

In May, 1977, NBC premiered a [very] short-lived satirical science fiction series created by Buck Henry – one of the duo behind Get Smart. The series was called Quark and it ran for seven weeks before it was unceremoniously cancelled. The series was based around a United Galactic Sanitation Patrol vessel captained by Adam Quark [Richard Benjamin].

Most of the components of the series were based on Star Trek – particularly the relationship between Quark and his Vegeton science officer, Ficus [Vegetons, being plants have no emotions] – The Captain’s “Space Notes;” the transporter [or at least its sound effects], and even one episode, Goodbye Polumbus, which was a send up of the classic Trek ep, Shore Leave.

Henry took the Get Smart template [smart stories about less than brilliant characters in important positions] and transferred it to Quark. The crew of the USGP ship included Gene/Jean [Tim Thomerson], a “transmute” who exhibited both male and female behaviors; Ficus [Richard Kelton], the aforementioned Vegeton; Bettys I & II [Trish and Cybill Barnstable], a human and her clone, both of them second in command [and both of them crazy about their captain], and Andy [Bobby Porter], a cowardly android/robot that Quark built from spare parts. They received their missions from Otto Palindrome [Conrad Janis], commander of Perma Station 1 and The Head [Alan Caillou], a disembodied giant head seen only on a video screen.

Besides the show’s riffs on Star Trek, it also poked fun at all manner of SF and space opera conventions. The episode, May the Source Be With You, had a pretty obvious target [and skewered it pretty thoroughly] and set the tone for the series. But the show was just hitting it stride with the two-part Flash Gordon spoof, All The Emperor’s Quasi-Norms, when it was taken from NBC’s schedule.

Much of the series has held up pretty well, but there are instances where the silliness doesn’t quite make it. Overall, though, even some of the effects hold up – the transporter is more colorful than Trek’s and the series did show a fair number of actual alien lifeforms [some of which changed shapes disconcertingly – check out Captain Walker who is radically different in each of two eps].

Final Grade: B+

Last week our own Tiffany did a series of great interviews with the amazing cast of The Secret Life of Bees. Those interviews will be posted over the next few days. But coincidently the folks at Oprah sent over this trailer.  Queen Latifah, Dakota Fanning, Jennifer Hudson, Alicia Keys and Sophie Okonedo will sit down with Oprah to discuss the film and answer viewer questions.  Alicia Keys will close out the show with her hit song “Superwoman”! To think, Tiffany sat down with them before Oprah.  This eppy airs this Thursday.

I just got back from Sci-Fi Channel’s 2nd annual Digital Press event. It was a fabulous weekend with lots of time spent with the Casts of all of their popular reality shows and Amanda Tapping. The weekend even included a real live Ghost Hunt with the Ghost hunters, a chance to play Sci-Fi Channel’s version of The Amazing Race in their real life video game show The Chase and more.  I’m going to do a full write up on the weekend either Monday or Tuesday.  One piece of news that was announced - exclusively at the event by Sci-Fi President, Dave Howe was their brand new 2009 series RelicQuest.  Based on the description Dave gave, I would call this show Sci-Fi’s attempt to bring Indiana Jones to life.  It sounds like a great concept.  Here’s the official release.   Again, I will have full details on this amazing weekend and reports from the panels during the course of the week. 

SCI FI GREENLIGHTS INVESTIGATIVE ADVENTURE SERIES ‘RELICQUEST’

Hosted by Documentary Filmmaker Bruce Burgess NEW YORK, NY — September 27, 2008 — SCI FI Channel has greenlit production on the new investigative adventure series RelicQuest (working title), hosted by documentary filmmaker Bruce Burgess, it was announced today by Dave Howe, President, SCI FI Channel. With a 6-episode commitment and production slated to begin in October, the one-hour show will premiere in early ‘09.

RelicQuest is an action and adventure series that travels the globe in search of some of history’s greatest relics and artifacts. British filmmaker Bruce Burgess guides the viewer in a first-hand exploration down mysterious roads to uncover objects fabled to hold hidden powers and mystical significance for both ancient and modern cultures. Utilizing worldwide contacts and exclusive access to restricted sites, RelicQuest promises to be the action-packed thrill ride through the
world’s most interesting sites, as you have never seen them.

"’RelicQuest’ fits perfectly with the kind of investigative reality programming viewers enjoy on SCI FI proven by the success of our original series ‘Destination Truth’," said Dave Howe. "It explores the mysticism and mythology of legendary artifacts rooted in real history and set in fascinating locales."
"I’ve always had a passion for tackling tough subjects and investigating mysteries, and I have spent my career traveling the globe tracking down
new evidence. RelicQuest will be a professor-free zone. Instead we’ll be talking to the locals, the people on the ground at these ancient
sites-the smugglers, the traders, the tomb raiders, and the antiquities dealers," says Bruce Burgess.

Traveling to Cairo, Egypt, Burgess attempts to solve the riddle of who Moses really was and to unravel the true story of what happened on Mount
Sinai. Burgess will also go to the ruins of Montsegur Castle, to investigate the Holy Grail of the Cathars, a small cup that was said to
have enormous healing and spiritual powers. Other journeys will take viewers to Amman, Jordan on the trail of the Armageddon Priscillian
Codex, a sought-after document said to be a prophecy for the alleged "end times."

As The Unit [CBS, Sundays, 10/9C] wraps up its latest mission overseas - with the help of an undercover female soldier [pictured below] - their wives are told to drop every connection they have to their everyday lives, send their kids off to distant relatives and repair to an unknown location.

The fourth season of The Unit, Sacrifice, finds the team attempting to thwart a terrorist attempt to assassinate the President-Elect Benjamin Castillo [Benito Martinez] – a task made more difficult because the men attempting the assassination are dressed in proper military garb and know the codes of the day.

Written by the show’s Co-Executive Producer, Frank Military, and directed by the show’s creator, David Mamet, Sacrifice is the show’s best season premiere since the first one. Military’s script is smart and manages to create an arc that allows The Unit and their families to become – in an unexpected way – connected, story-wise. With the seeming uprooting of the families, and a terrorist organization that has the funding and training to attack the United States President, Vice-President, President-Elect and Vice-President-Elect, this first part of a two-parter pretty much cooks from beginning to end.

And that unofficial rule that “The Unit has no women?” It appears that the knowledge of that rule may have given the team an unexpected advantage as they track down the group behind the assassination attempts. Between that twist and the upheaval in the lives of The Unit’s families, the show’s creative team is showing that they have no plans to let the series get stale.

I just wish my screener had both eps. I hate cliffhangers! Seriously!

Final Grade: B+

It’s hard to believe, but Cold Case [CBS, Sundays, 9/8C] has been setting the ghosts of the past to rest for over five years. The sixth season premiere, Glory Days, follows the familiar pattern – after we see the final moments of Michael “Bad Moon” McShane [Aaron Hill] in 1973, a piece of evidence is discovered in the present that suggests he was killed much later than was previously thought. Enter Lilly Rush [Kathryn Morris]  and her team of cold case investigators.

“Bad Moon” was a football star who disappeared the night before the championship game. The investigation puts together a picture of how his last few days were spent by questioning various of his friends, coaches, tutors and such. There’s his teammate, Tom “The Breeze” Bernard [B.J. Britt/Clifton Powell], who lost his scholarship because McShane reported his ill health; Steve Pratt [Sean O’Bryan/James Karen], the alumnus who recruited McShane [and treated him to dinner once a week – and gave him extra spending money for books]; Assistant Coach Walters [Tom Griffin/M.C. Gainey], who was aware that the team’s unofficial, off-campus doctor was giving them steroids, R. Boretski [Justice Leak/James Read], McShane’s tutor, who, McShane threatened to reveal was cheating on class work for members of the football team.

With lots of suspects, there are lots of stories – some of them touching, some funny, and some false. The procedures through which the team solves the case may be familiar but the variations provided each new set of circumstances and suspects allow for enough variety to keep the series feeling fresh – especially when each ep is anchored by music of the period [here it’s by BTO and Steely Dan].

Another ep furnished by CBS, Wednesday’s Women, the third ep of the new season, deals with a group of women who drove from Philadelphia to Mississippi to help run Freedom schools under the cover selling Tupperware®. In it, what was thought to be a hit and run turns out to have far greater implications. The ep’s guest cast includes Olympia Dukakis and Carl Lumbly, among others.

The Cold Case ensemble [Morris, John Finn, Thom Barry, Jeremy Ratchford, Danny Pino and Tracie Thoms] is reliably together and between the regular cast, the guest stars and the consistent writing, the show remains one of the more watchable procedurals around.

Final Grade: B

Spike Lee’s latest joint, Miracle at St. Anna, has a number of incredibly good moments. Unfortunately, the movie as a whole sucks big. The film, which is intended to show how black soldiers figured in World War II [and every war the U.S. has fought], has several plot threads and character arcs – enough to fuel two – or even three – sleek, ninety minute films that could make his point with benefit of sledgehammers or piledrivers.

Of course, Lee has never been known for his subtlety, but sitting through Miracle at St. Anna is somewhat akin to being hammered by a sack of flying mallets. The plot twists and turn are many and varied [there’s even a flashback in the middle of a flashback], but just in case that’s not enough, we get three different tones for each piece of this unnecessarily large puzzle. The one main theme – the treatment of blacks, even in the armed forces – is hammered home time and again. If the Buffalo Soldiers aren’t been treated like imbeciles by their prejudiced commanding officer, they’re commenting on how they’re being treated like real people by the citizens of the Italian village where they spend a few days hiding from the Nazis.

Then there’s the shining hypocrisy of a character called Axis Sally [Alexandra Maria Lara] – a version of the infamous Tokyo Rose, only she aims to sew dissension among the Buffalo Soldiers so that they will turn on their white officers and join the Nazis – who would kill them outright. You need a major appliance to cut the irony – it’s that thick.

The only really compelling arc in the film is the bond that develops between the somewhat slow Private Samuel Train [Omar Benson Miller] and an orphaned Italian boy named Angelo [Matteo Sciabordi]. The two mange to figure out a way to communicate the basics, and give each other strength.

An arc that’s meant to be compelling is the triangle developed between a village woman, Renata [Valentina Cervi], Private Hector Negron [Laz Alonzo], who is falling in love with her, and Sgt. Bishop Cummings [Michael Ealy], who just wants to get in her pants. It is clichéd and trite and again, badly handled. And let’s not forget the framing device for the film, in which the postal employee kills a customer - it was in the trailers, and in the actual film, it’s just preposterous.

At two hours and forty minutes, Miracle at St. Anna is more enervating than inspiring. I can’t put it any more plainly than that.

Final Grade: D

A couple of interesting things happen over the first four episodes of the third season of Dexter [Showtime, Sundays, 9/8C]: Dexter [Michael C. Hall] commits a spontaneous act that calls into question Harry’s Code, and Dexter makes a friend in the person of an Assistant District Attorney named Miguel Prado [Jimmy Smits]. The spontaneous act is the murder of Prado’s brother, whom he thinks is a drug dealer named Freebo [Mike Erwin] – and the manner in which he has to cover up this act while dealing with the police investigation and Miguel.

Otherwise, Dex’s life is pretty good. He no longer has the FBI on his trail; he and Rita [Julie Benz] seem to be in a good place [and he dotes on her kids], and his sister, Debra [Jennifer Carpenter], seems to have sworn off men, drinking and smoking – if not cussing. The thing of it is he doesn’t refer to himself as a monster every so often, either. Somehow, while he would probably vehemently disagree, Dexter is becoming more human – maybe not much more, but enough that it is noticeable.

The Showtime series does continue to play with the idea of morality, though. Dex’s moment of spontaneity has him rethinking Harry’s code even further when he spies a creepy guy asking Rita’s daughter Christina Robinson] for directions in a supermarket. His fierce feeling of protectiveness for the kids is as human as anything he’s ever felt. Couple that with his growing friendship with Miguel, and there are moments that find him seeming practically normal.

Dexter continues to be one of the most compelling dramas on television. From its opening sequence that emphasizes the violence of the everyday, to the odd relationship between Dexter and Rita, to his day job as a blood spatter expert for the Miami-Dade Police, Dexter is an examination of all the kinds of violence that permeate our existence. It has some of the best dialogue anywhere and a cast that serves it up perfectly - and manages a perfect balance between drama, melodrama and gallows humor.

The exceptional ensemble also continues to warrant intriguing arcs as well. Angel [David Zayas] gets promoted to sergeant – and has to deal with the sometimes unhappy responsibilities that come with his new position. Vince [C.S. Lee] has an article printed in a prestigious forensics journal but can’t find a way to persuade anyone to help him celebrate his success. Debra finds her swearing off of men challenged by a most unlikely guy – and is harassed by Internal Affairs to spy on the new guy in the division, Quinn [Desmond Harrington]. The richness of the plotting and the depth of the characterization remain amongst the absolute best on TV. Even the jaunty theme music is oddly creepy and utterly appropriate.

Dexter may not be for everyone, but for those of us who are into it, it is a treasure.

Final Grade: A