Today: 24 May 2012

Posts tagged as:

Sci-Fi Channel

TELEVISION: And The New Doctor Is… Matt Smith?

Posted by   on January 3, 2009

in Television

The BBC today announced the identity of the eleventh actor to carry on as Doctor Who’s title character, The Doctor. Their choice, made public by Who Executive Producer Piers Wenger, is the twenty-six year old Matt Smith.

**THIS IMAGE IS UNDER STRICT EMBARGO UNTIL 18:10 HOURS SATURDAY 3RD JANUARY 2009** Picture Shows: MATT SMITH - the eleventh DOCTOR WHO

Smith has appeared in the two Sally Lockhart mysteries The Ruby in the Smoke and The Shadow in the North, which starred former Who companion Billy Piper in the title role. He got the role of The Doctor because, as Wenger puts it, “It was abundantly clear that he had that ‘Doctor-ness’ about him. You are either the Doctor or you are not.”

Smith begins shooting for the next season of Doctor Who later this spring. The final special being shot with David Tennant is expected to air in early 2010 – to be followed later in the year by Smith’s debut in the role.

No Comments

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

TELEVISION: Sanctuary Renewed; Series Keeps Getting Better!

Posted by   on November 14, 2008

in Sci-Fi Channel,Television,TV Reviews

With the announcement that Sanctuary [Sci-Fi, Fridays, 10/9C] has been renewed for a second season, perhaps those who those who don’t like to commit to a new series for fear it’ll be cancelled will now give TV’s first green screen series a chance. Two upcoming episodes are good examples of the kind of quirky quality that series is developing.

Sanctuary

Quick refresher courser: Dr. Helen Magnus [Amanda Tapping], a one hundred fifty-seven-year old scientist has established Sanctuary – a home for “abnormals” [creatures benign and otherwise that are not of the perceived normalcy – mermaids, a missing link, children with unusual fear reflexes]. She provides homes – or cages if necessary – for these beings. She is aided by her daughter, Ashley [Emilie Ullerup], forensic psychiatrist, Dr. Will Zimmerman [Robin Dunne] and tech wizard, Henry Foss [Ryan Robins] .

In this week’s ep, The Five, Magnus’ lecture to an underground group in Rome, on abnormals, leads to a meeting with Nikola Tesla [Jonathon Young] who warns her of an impending assassination attempt. Tesla has a few secrets, himself – the only one I can telegraph is that he sleeps during the day.

The episode is fast paced and smart, but has its moments of emotional truth that support the action. We get to see Magnus’ ability to improvise – and the rest of her team show initiative in the way they aid her from their home base. The CG sets and effects are improving and now have much more weight than early on. Even Tapping’s wobbly English accent is much more consistent.

On December 5th, Drs. Magnus and Zimmerman take a mini-sub to investigate the slaughter of a clan of mer-people and find an abnormal unlike any they’ve ever seen. Requiem is a bottle show – a one-set episode – and as such, relies on tour de force acting by Tapping and Zimmerman. Both actors are called on to run through a gamut of emotions in a situation where an unseen menace seems to be influencing their behavior.

Based on these two episodes, Sanctuary is deserving of its renewal and an even larger audience.

Final Grade: B+

No Comments

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

TELEVISION: Cha$e – The Sci-Fi Channel Brings Video Games to Life!

Posted by   on November 9, 2008

in Announcements,Sci-Fi Channel,Television,TV Reviews

With Cha$e [Tuesdays, 10/9C], The Sci Fi Channel adapts a highly successful Japanese game show format for American audiences. The rules are simple enough: ten runners must avoid capture by five hunters on a specified game zone for one hour – while finding devices to help avoid, misdirect or otherwise thwart the runners. Even the map of the zone is acquired through a test. Host Trey Farley explains the rules and gives the runners updates on various challenges – and the surprising nature of the fifth hunter – before eventually revealing the mystery exit point. Although runners must work together at times, only one can win – the prize is twenty-five thousand dollars.

hunters_800

There will be CG effects touches to make the show more closely emulate the feel of a video game. There are graphics that show the locations of the runners and the hunters; the hunters will be CG-enhanced figures [instead of just the already creepy men in black with designer sunglasses that appear on the screener]. Runners are shown in electronic “cards” each of which flashes their basic stats, and the equivalent of power gauging bars appear on the bottom third of the screen to show what devices the various runners have/have used/have failed to obtain. The actual gameplay is not especially exciting, though I expect that when all the CG effects are laid in, that will be an improvement.

What is interesting, though, is the way the runners think before, during and after gameplay. One losing runner says, “I thought I wouldn’t care, but I do” – another is quite expressly angry about having failed. Others are more philosophical.

In fairness, I should probably point out that – while Cha$e is based on the aforementioned successful Japanese game show format – the game should really carry an “inspired by” credit for the late Robert Sheckley, whose short story, The Seventh Victim, was adapted into the hit movie, The 10th Victim. With the exception that Sheckley’s hunters and hunted were a stand-in for large scale war – and the principles of his much more violent game [including being televised] are pretty much present here. Sheckley was right, too. The game makes for intriguing – if not brilliant – television.

Final Grade: B-

No Comments

Tags: , , ,

TELEVISION: The Ghost Hunters do it Live, this Halloween!

Posted by   on October 30, 2008

in Television

As Bill O’Reilly would say, “We’ll do it live, we’ll do it live!” My boys Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson, Sci-Fi’s The Ghost Hunters, will actually be in my neck of the woods this weekend doing a live 7 Hour Halloween Hunt at the historical Fort Delaware. This special event will be hosted by Destination Truth’s Josh Gates & Steve Valentine with special guest hunter Amanda Tapping. I’m not quite sure what’s going on with this, Sci-Fi is promoting this as a live event, but I’m pretty sure it’s being taped Wed night (tonight). Because they aren’t letting press attend – not even little ol me.  I was invited to lunch, unfortunately my day job keeps me from going. Either way, I love the Ghost Hunters, the show and the guys, after going on a hunt with them and Amanda a few weeks ago, I’m a believer in all ghostly things. Even ghost farts.

Who knew that I lived an hour and half away from one of the most haunted places in the country  Fort Delaware, commonly referred to as the “Black Hole,” Fort Delaware was used during the Civil War as a POW camp that housed over 33,000 Confederate soldiers. Ravaged by epidemics and torture nearly 2,400 failed to escape and died on the island. The restless spirits have never left.  Join the exclusive seven-hour hunt from home with access to thermal imaging camera feeds and live Q&A with TAPS team members and host Josh Gates. Watch carefully for anything out of the ordinary — you’ll be able to send instant alerts of any sightings you make straight to the Ghost Hunters!  Brace yourself this Halloween when TAPS takes you on the ultimate ghost hunt. The team returns to the Fort Delaware scene of this season’s most jolting and revealing episode.

No Comments

Tags:

TELEVISION: Fire & Ice – Duelling Dragons; Stubborn Princess!

Posted by   on October 18, 2008

in Sci-Fi Channel,Television

Maybe it’s because I saw Max Payne yesterday, but I really enjoyed Fire & Ice. It’s a colorful little B-movie that doesn’t really hang together all that well, but as directed by Pitof [Vidcoq, the unfortunate Catwoman], it is an energetic take on a classic theme – dragons and their attending problems.

fire-and-ice

King Augustin’s [Arnold Vosloo] kingdom one of peace and prosperity until it becomes the target of a marauding fire dragon. His daughter, the headstrong Princess Luisa [Amy Acker], decides to enlist the aid of Gabriel [Tom Wisdom], the son of a banished knight who once killed an ice dragon. His plan? To raise an ice dragon to fight the fire dragon – hopefully killing each other. When the ice dragon survives, he must come up with another plan. Complications arise when the corrupt King Quilok [Ovidiu Niculescu] offers to provide sanctuary for Augustin’s people if Augustin surrenders his kingdom. Augustin’s advisor strongly suggests he do just that.

John Rhys-Davies adds a little soul – and humor – to the proceedings as Sangimel, the man who raised Gabriel after his father died. Sangimel is something of an inventor, a plot point which does, indeed, have a payoff.

It seems that every character in Fire & Ice has a different accent, and both the good guys and the guys make some pretty obvious mistakes in their various plans of action. Somehow, though, its panache makes up for a lot. The dragons are very well done for the budget, soaring through the air like super-sized manta rays – though with traditional dragons’ heads – belching fire and ice and generally wreaking havoc.

In fact, unlike the technically superior Max Payne, Fire & Ice has both that panache and more than a little heart – qualities that make it far more of an entertainment. Even so, it’s only marginally above average – but fun is fun, and Fire & Ice is just that.

Final Grade: C+

No Comments

Tags: , , , , , , ,

TELEVISION: The End Is Near – Battlestar Galactica Returns In January!

Posted by   on October 16, 2008

in Sci-Fi Channel,Television

Last Cylon Supper

A brief news release from the Sci Fi Channel states that on January 16, 2009, at 10 p.m. [9C], “Battlestar Galactica will return with the remaining episodes of its 4th and final season. Picking up from last June’s jarring cliffhanger – the Colonial fleet and their new Cylon allies led by Admiral Adama and the Galactica crew discover Earth to find it a barren nuclear wasteland – the finale season promises to be rife with drama, action and revelation.”

Finally, we will learn the fate of Earth; discover the identity of the Final Cylon Model and maybe even find out who wrote the Galacticaverse version of All Along the Watchtower – and what the infamous Last Supper, Galactica-style, means!

.

No Comments

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

TELEVISION: Michelle Hangs out with Ghost Hunters, Sanctuary and gets Chased! Report from Sci-Fi’s recent Digital Press Tour!

Posted by   on October 7, 2008 · 1 comment

in Hollywood Insider,Television

Amanda Tapping

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 2nd 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.

[click to continue…]

No Comments

Tags: , , , , , , ,

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →