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Sci-Fi Brain News - March 5, 2007
"Inappropriate" Scene Cut From 'Doctor Who'
digitalspy.co.uk is reporting that an "inappropriate" underwater scene was cut from an episode of Doctor Who, David Tennant has revealed.
Actress Freema Agyeman, as loyal assistant Martha Jones, apparently stripped down to her underwear for the piece. The footage will never be seen however, thanks to producers who decided it should be cut.
"There was an underwater scene in a draft of the new series but we nixed it out," explained Tennant. "It was bordering on inappropriate. You can't have shagging in the Tardis."
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Favreau Gives 'Iron Man' Update
superherohype.com is reporting that Iron Man director Jon Favreau has posted an update on the comic book adaptation at his official MySpace page:
First off, the sets are all being built, the locations are locked and the cast is, for the most part, set. As you all know, RDJ, Gwyneth, T Howard, and Jeff Bridges are all on board. We've had a week of rehearsals and I'm currently working with the writers to tailor the material accordingly. Mr. Bridges has a haircut that will no doubt be of interest to any of you fans of the books. Speaking of the the books, Joe Quesada, Adi Granov and myself have been collaborating on a very cool project that you will soon be hearing about. You want to know more, pester Marvel publishing.
Second, I am going up to visit ILM and the Ranch. I've never been and am as stoked as any of you can imagine. I love my job.
Thirdly, Stan Winston Studios has been unveiling suits for us. Once again, they have exceeded our expectations. Those of you who follow my career know that I am very skeptical about the overuse of CGI. I am happy to report that the film will be a healthy mix of both computer generated and practical effects. My goal is to make the two integrate in a way that they usually do not.
Lastly, this thing is huge. I've never been involved with a film this size. I've been prepping for almost a year and feel extremely confident in the enormously qualified team we've assembled. I would be lying, however, if I didn't admit that the scale of this project was daunting. I'm pretty confident that I've done and will continue to do my homework and that I'm ready, but so much is unknown. I feel like a ship's captain about to sail for the New World. Who can truly predict weather fortune or disaster awaits in the great unknown? Regardless, I thank God every day for his blessings.
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Tricia Helfer Interview
chud.com now has up an interview with Tricia Helfer from Battlestar Galactica.
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Julian McMahon Talks Dr. Doom Costumes in 'FF2'
rottentomatoes.com is reporting that Dr. Doom may be the comic book equivalent to Julia Roberts, trying on different outfits in front of a mirror in a romantic comedy montage. He seems to have more outfits in "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer" than most divas.
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'Transformers' Effects Progressing But Not Done
rottentomatoes.com is reporting that as the release of the live action "Transformers" movie approaches, some web sites have been strategically shown footage. While reports have improved some skeptical notions, the work is not complete, says producer Lorenzo Di Bonaventura.
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Silver Talks 'Invasion'
scifi.com is reporting that Joel Silver, producer of the upcoming Nicole Kidman SF thriller The Invasion, told SCI FI Wire that there won't be any crew changes on the movie, despite rumors that the Wachowski brothers were being brought in to finish it and despite a highly publicized on-set accident. Kidman was taken to a hospital after the vehicle rig in which she was sitting crashed early Jan. 25 during shooting in downtown Los Angeles. She was not seriously injured.
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Larter Reveals 'Heroes' Secrets
scifi.com is reporting that Ali Larter—who plays Heroes' troubled Niki Sanders and her kickass doppelganger, Jessica—revealed that one of her personalities takes over—or perhaps the two merge into a new one—in the March 5 episode, "Parasite." "One of the things that [series creator] Tim [Kring] was saying that we're kind of letting out was [that] one of the characters definitely takes control of me," Larter said in an interview over the weekend at San Francisco's WonderCon. "You'll see Monday."
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Headey Reveals 'Connor Chronicles'
scifi.com is reporting that Lena Headey, who stars in the the Fox SF drama pilot The Sarah Connor Chronicles, told SCI FI Wire that the show will begin with a confrontation between Headey's title character; her son, John Connor (Heroes' Thomas Dekker); and two new Terminators: a female model, played by Serenity's Summer Glau, and a male one, which she called Cromartie, played by Owain Yeoman. One is good and one is bad; she didn't say which is which. (Glau's character is named Cameron, an apparent nod to Terminator franchise creator James Cameron.)
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SCI-FI BRAIN INDEX
Lost (3.10) "Tricia Tanaka Is Dead" Review
By: jiggyj
It was nice to get almost all our Lost heroes back together – sans Jack who is still hanging with The Others – and though not an amazing or great episode, it had its moments, plus who doesn't like seeing the comical stylings of Hurley and Jin teaming up. Remember the first season "Pee on me discussion"? Good times, good times.
Actually, the whole episode was almost solely about Hurley, as we saw in flashbacks Hurley dealing with his numbers curse, which this time struck a chicken shack restaurant like he used to work for and re-opened, only to have a freaking meteorite hit it and kill the reporter Tricia Tanaka – name of the episode. The rest of the flashbacks dealt with Hurley trying to rid himself of his curse while his dad entered back into his life, after having been going for many years, which Hurley assumed was only to get some of his money. The flashbacks were okay, but nothing great. Probably the best moments came with Hurley's mom saying his dad was staying cause she had needs, liked to get her freak on, and needed some loving. Cheech Marin was okay as Hurley's dad, but felt a bit more like stunt casting than a natural choice. Cheech also didn't pull off the more intimate and emotional moments, like telling Hurley he wasn't back for the money, but rather his son, and that he wanted a new start.
The island, meanwhile, dealt with Hurley finding an old Dharma van and his determination to fix it up. The van story was also okay, mainly because it got Hurley and Jin together, plus seeing Sawyer interact with someone besides Kate was a nice treat as well. Plus, we got to see Hurley slap Charlie to wake him out of his funk, and who didn't like that? The only problem with the van stuff – as the flashbacks – was that there was nothing very substantial and it was all just kind of…there. I mean, it was funny seeing some of this stuff happen, like Sawyer teaching Jin how to speak certain English phrases to get him out of a jam if he got in trouble, but the story didn't really move forward much if any at all really.
And Kate going to see Rousseau wasn't really a shock at all, because when all your heroes are on one side, and you don't have any friends in the Others and the only other person on your island is the French woman, then who else are you really going to get when you say you are going for help? She certainly wasn't going to go hit up the smoke monster for a favor.
So what's done is done and what was done was nothing more than an ok to good episode. Not bad, but we've seen better from Lost.
Sci-Fi Brain News -- March 2, 2007
'Heroes' Season 2 Will Be Volume 2
superherohype.com is reporting that Tim Kring, creator of NBC's hit series Heroes, told SCI FI Wire that the upcoming second season will constitute a new volume in the multi-volume series, with new characters and an entirely new storyline. "If you remember, the opening of the pilot pronounced the episode as the beginning of Volume One," Kring said in an interview. "Volume One comes to a conclusion at the end of episode 23, and Volume Two starts with the opening of season two. And Volume Two is a different story."
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'Iron Man' Set Pics and Howard on Rhodey
superherohype.com is reporting that two photos of Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow chatting (not filming) on the Iron Man have surfaced online and you can view them here.
You can also find a new interview with Terrence Howard talking about playing Rhodey in the Jon Favrea-directed adaptation here.
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'Fantastic Four 2' Set Footage & Story Comments
superherohype.com is reporting that do you want to see new footage of the wedding scene in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer? Access Hollywood has posted a new video that was taped during the filming of the scene.
Meanwhile, the film's director, Tim Story has posted the following on his MySpace page:
There's a lot going on. I've been seeing the billboards going up and hopefully you have all seen the TV spot. I thought it turned out well. I've been checking the web to see what people think. Always good to check in. There are still those that can't give us a break but whadayagonnado?! Haters! Wow.
There continues to be much speculation about Galactus. Major speculation. We haven't finished the design of him/it so be careful about what you read and believe. Trust me...no one knows. One things for sure, you can expect to see him/it. It will be pretty powerful. I'm having a lot of fun with the concept and believe me - MOST will be satisfied.
Doom? Oh he's coming. Just wait. Classic look! And we definitely touch on his roots in the film. We're working long hours to make it right.
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Paul Reubens Has Joined 'Area 52'
zap2it.com is reporting that Reubens, coming off a guest spot on "30 Rock," will star in "Area 52" as an alien who's housed at a secret government facility. The comedian and alter ego of Pee Wee Herman also appears in "Reno 911! Miami."
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Exclusive Video Interview: Quick Chat with Robert Downey Jr. On 'Iron Man'
iesb.net now has up a quick video interview with Robert Downey Jr. about Iron man.
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SCI-FI BRAIN NEWS
Heroes 117: Company Man - Review
By: zotquix
There is a wealth of great dialogue in 'Company Man', some of it pretty funny (and I'm going to give the writers the benefit of the doubt here and say it wasn't unintentionally humorous) such as a frustrated Theodore Sprague, "Why are you thinking in Japanese?" Even more original was Mr. Bennet saying, "People are fragile. Like teacups." I laughed when I heard it, and I think it was designed to show that Mr. Bennet started out as a pretty monstrous guy. My complaint is, in the flashback, I wonder if the this 'moral grey area' conversation would even have happened? I guess, ultimately, I like some self-awareness shown in the characters I'm watching, so I'm willing to give it a pass.
Enter George Takei. His earlier cameo seemed a bit too incidental. Now we are seeing a bit of a trend in the way different parties are reacting to the emergence of these new 'special' people. Mr. Nakamura seems to have a slightly different agenda from that of 'The Company'. Whether the company really is even the CIA (the graphic novels have military personnel denying it to 'Wireless', but that's neither here nor there) is another matter. What is certain is, the integration angle might work. Placing special people with 'normal' parents may be the key to some sort of peace and harmony.
We get some additional back-story about Jimmy Jean Loise's Haitian character in this episode, which is completely welcome. My major question at this point is, 'How do those of the company jam people's abilities?' Previously I had assumed it was something that the Haitian (and I'm kind of surprised that is how *everyone* refers to him) was doing the honors, but that doesn't seem to be the case now. In any case, the description of the drawing he did showing what his power is was so perfectly vivid. Just exceptional storytelling.
I'm not without some criticisms of 'Company Man'. The black and white or at least low saturation to show the past are a bit done already. I know we need to constantly remind the audience of what time period they're looking at, but I dunno, this is would be cliche even for first year film school students. Maybe producers could use one of those bugs, like networks and sportscasts have, except it would show what year it is (OK, I'm joking a bit here).
Mr. Bennet's boss was sort of poorly presented. I really didn't like him appearing in a flashback and then showing up a few minutes later in present day...looking practically identical no less. Also, when Claire's mother discovers what her daughter can do by seeing it with her own eyes, the zoom shot could have been either smart or hokey, but I'm leaning towards hokey. I don't want to be too harsh here. They tried something, it didn't work. I'm glad they're at least trying to mix it up.
In conclusion, I have to come back to how good the writing was this week, not to mention the acting that made the script live. The award for excellent line delivery of the episode goes to Greg Grunberg as Matt Parkman for, "Why didn't he make you forget?" Sometimes I find Grunberg a little too over-the-top cheesy, but the fault for that might lie with the direction. Grunberg is absolutely spot on this week dealing with a complex dramatic landscape and running lines against people that aren't actually speaking them.
I give 'Company Man' 9 out of 10. This is the drama we all knew 'Heroes' could be. One house. All the truths inside. Even a mind reader. A story moving forward, not lacking for action, with superpowered heroes facing off against each other. On the other hand, the switch in tone from previous weeks is a bit jarring. The promise is kept though, answers were provided, even while new mysteries are raised. I will end with a question to the readers: Do any of you have any idea who Claude was hiding? Maybe it isn't someone who has been on screen yet, but you've got to wonder who would fit amongst the 'Heroes' we've already met.
Sci-Fi Brain News -- March 1, 2007
Epps on 'Alien vs. Predator 2'
superherohype.com is reporting that Epps said, "I play Kendra, a human, and I basically try to protect my brother throughout the whole movie," she said. Remembering how "Jaws" once made audiences afraid to go in the ocean, Epps said "AVP2" is set in Colorado and will dictate where audiences will be afraid to go next. "The aliens return through the sewers," she said of the plot. "It's crazy." Epps won Best Female Lead at the Independent Spirit Awards for her role in "Half Nelson."
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Arnold Back For 'Terminator 4'?
chud.com is reporting that he overcame some long odds to become the governor of California. He’s survived many challenges since. He rebounded from the outright rejection of his definitive ballot initiatives to take the state in a different direction. He’s taken the lead on some of the most important issues of our day from healthcare to stem cells without waiting for the Republican leadership or the Prez to give the go ahead. Indeed, Arnold Schwarzenegger is a man who has crushed many enemies, seen them driven before him, and heard many a lamentation. But even he cannot beat back the one inescapable force in this world after death and before taxes: The Hollywood Contract.
Apparently, he’s contractually bound to at least make an appearance in future Terminator movies, and as Terminator 4 is tentatively moving ahead, he may be swept along for a brief cameo or something or other. The head of MGM, Harry Sloan, told The Boston Herald such recently. He also confirmed that they’re looking for a new main Terminator. I’m not moved one way or the other. T3 was entertaining enough, but I don’t think the T-800 is essential going forward in anything other than exoskeleton form, and it’s not like Arnie is in prime shape anyway. At best, I can only hope for a situation like Sean Connery when they roped him into a bewildering role in the second Highlander, where his Spanish/Egyptian gentleman character had suddenly gained magical abilities.
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Pixar's Going Sci-Fi for 'Wall-E'
rottentomatoes.com is reporting that according to a rather exuberant report over at Jim Hill Media, Pixar's 2008 project, "Wall-E" looks to be shaping up as some sort of sci-fi masterpiece. I wouldn't go that far, but Jim's pretty psyched about this project -- and it's pretty easy to see why.
Non-spoilery nutshell: It's the year 2700 and the Earth is entirely uninhabitable. On the planet is a lone sanitation robot called "Wall-E" whose long and lonely life is interrupted by the arrival of a newer-model robot.
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'Transformers' Ward Channels Paxton
scifi.com is reporting that Zack Ward, who co-stars in Michael Bay's upcoming Transformers movie, told SCI FI Wire that he plays a character resembling Bill Paxton's cowardly soldier from Aliens in the film, an action epic based on the 1980s toy, TV and comics franchise. "It's a $200 million movie, man," Ward said in an interview. "It was insane."
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SCI-FI BRAIN INDEX
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Wednesday, February 28, 2007 |
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Sci-Fi Brain News -- February 28, 2007
Daleks To Battle The Doctor In New York
digitalspy.co.uk is reporting that The Doctor will face off against the Daleks in thirties New York in the new series of Doctor Who.
The two-part story - episodes four and five of series three - is penned by Helen Raynor and directed by James Strong.
Joining regulars David Tennant and new companion Freema Agyeman on the cast for the special are Desperate Housewives actor Ryan Carnes, Spooks star Miranda Raison and Holby City's Hugh Quarshie.
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Matt Groening Discusses 'The Simpsons Movie' (and 'Futurama!')
rottentomatoes.com is reporting that Mr. Groening (aka the creator of all things Springfield) recently gave a solid interview to Crave Online, the highlights of which focused on where the series was headed, how the movie would impact the series (not at all), AND some mildly juicy details on those "Futurama" DVD movies that should hit stores some time next year.
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Bousman Helms 'Scanners' Redo
scifi.com is reporting that Dimension Films has closed a deal to remake David Cronenberg's 1981 SF horror movie Scanners, with Saw II director Darren Lynn Bousman at the helm, Variety reported. Blade and Batman Begins writer David Goyer will pen the script.
The story revolves around a scientist who infiltrates an underground movement of "scanners," whose telepathic abilities make them lethal weapons. The original was best remembered for an exploding-head finale.
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SCI-FI BRAIN INDEX
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Tuesday, February 27, 2007 |
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The Dresden Files (1.05) “Bad Blood” – Review
By: jesuiscanadien
A gang of balaclava-clad men gang up on a couple of lovely ladies in an alley late at night and attempt to kill them. These ladies are no ordinary delicate flowers, as one of them pulls out a gun after their bodyguard is taken down, and shoots back. When one of the men is wounded, they take off in a white van. The lady with the gun, Bianca, goes to Harry’s place to hire him. He had a lady friend over to watch a movie on her portable DVD player, and she leaves in a cloud of disappointment upon the untimely arrival of Bianca. Bianca tells Harry she’s in big trouble and is calling in the favour he owes her. Bianca is no ordinary woman indeed, she is a vampire, and she harboured Harry from the High Council after the big fight with his uncle Justin.
Bianca explains that she thinks that the High Council may be involved in the hit, and she needs Harry to find out for sure. Harry agrees to come to her club, as she has an “eye witness”, which is literally meant. Bianca has the eyeball of her bodyguard who saw the whole thing, and Harry can use that to see if she’s telling the truth about the affair.
A flashback to explain about when Harry was being harboured by Bianca after his duel to the death with Justin is shown. Bianca lies to Morgan, who is on the lookout for Dresden after his uncle’s death, and pseudo-promises Morgan that she’ll rat out Harry if he comes looking for sanctuary. She, over course, does nothing of the sort.
At Bianca’s club, Harry uses a special glass to see what the eye saw before the owner’s death. He sees that the hit looks like it was handled by a guy named Clive, who does wet work for the High Council. Bianca asks Harry to talk to Morgan to confirm their suspicions. Morgan tells Dresden that the High Council has not engaged Clive for any work, but not before Harry overhears the warden’s conversation about something called “third eye”.
Clive kidnaps Harry, after Harry tries to get the lowdown on Clive, and when someone enters the warehouse that Clive and his gang are hiding out in, Harry is stored in a closet while the gang defends their turf. Once the melee dies down, Harry sees that whoever staged the incursion has killed everyone in the warehouse except for Harry. Harry confronts Bianca, but Bianca has an alibi, so Harry is at a loss for who did the wet work.
Bob is disappointed with Harry, but that’s nothing compared with how unhappy Ancient Mai, from the High Council, is. The poop has hit the fan, and Harry has the unfortunate luck to be standing beneath it. Ancient Mai is grilling Harry about the current whereabouts of Bianca. Harry knows nothing, for real too, as he left Bianca at the club. Mai tells him that if he sees her again, he needs to cuff her with some enchanted shackles and Mai will know and come right away.
Bianca shows up after Mai leaves, and Harry is very upset about her appearance. Bianca tells Harry that she’s being set up. Harry asks about third eye, and Bianca tells him about what this drug for the undead does. She tells Harry in no uncertain terms, that she won’t associate with anyone who goes near it.
Another flashback and Harry is in bed with Bianca, as she makes love to him in his weakened state. Harry begs her to kill him, and she cryptically tells Harry that she’s not done with him yet.
Harry and Bianca go to the warehouse where Clive was killed, and Harry uses some mojo to suss out who the real killer was. Bianca sees that the image Harry brought up was from a vamp from the Black Court. Bianca is Red Court, and they don’t like each other. She tells Harry that the vamp involved was Arvin, so they go over to his quaint little abode, only to find him strung out on third eye. After Bianca tries unsuccessfully to glean info from the junkie, she kills him. Unfortunately, she cuts herself on a bottle of third eye and Harry has to subdue her with his blasting rod, which is his handy-dandy hockey stick. You just never know when a hockey game will break out. Best be prepared.
Harry manages to drag Bianca back to his place, and as Bob has a fit of pique, Bianca sobers up and wonders if Bob is a pain in the tuchis all the time. Bianca then thanks Harry for all his help, but tries to leave because she’s figured out who the dastardly dude is that’s behind the shenanigans. Harry demands to be kept in the loop, considering all the trouble he’s gone to for Bianca. Bianca admits that her former “business partner”, Jake Darius, is behind the attempts. She says that Jake wanted to expand into third eye distribution, but Bianca severed ties with him as she wasn’t down with the whole gig.
Bianca arranges to meet Jake in the warehouse where Clive was killed, but he has no idea what’s going on. He tells Bianca and Harry that he’s only come back to Chicago as he may’ve found a distributor for third eye there. Turns out, after Harry gets shot by a couple of crossbow arrows, that Natalie, Bianca’s playmate, is the one who wants the distribution gig. She tries to kill Jake and Bianca, but they escape when Harry pulls a Houdini and plants a couple of arrows in her guards. Harry uses some mojo to keep him from being seen, and knocks Natalie down with his blasting rod, and then he cuffs her in Mai’s magick shackles. Before Bianca can do any serious damage to the traitor, Mai shows up. Mai knows precisely what’s going down and tells Harry that.
Bianca and Harry repair to his place and share a glass of wine to celebrate the end of their tribulations. Bianca promises to try and not bother Harry again, and he tells her that she doesn’t bother him. They share a kiss before she leaves his life and home.
I really liked this episode, because it was not only fun to watch, but also gave some more backstory on Harry. Backstory is always good when you’re dealing with a new universe, but the episode needs to be fun to watch too, or the viewer could fall asleep from boredom before pertinent facts can be divulged.
I suppose when you’ve shared nookie with a vamp, you aren’t as afraid of them as before you did the horizontal mambo. Bianca didn’t seem that scary, but her power seemed to be of a sexual nature, so scary isn’t something I would expect from someone who uses sexuality over people. That power looks soft and intimate, even though it may be the farthest thing from the truth as to its real nature. Natalie made the remark that Bianca taught her to be ruthless, but there’s brute power, which is what Natalie was using, and then there is the insidious power of ruthlessness that is gloved in the softest of cloth. I know torture and power, and you get better Intel from the use of sympathetic coercion than using brute force to glean info. Bianca seemed like the type to lead her target into a mutually agreeable situation that would incur a debt owed to her, than to smack someone around to get what she wants. The subtle use of that type of power almost guarantees a stronger position for the wielder, as long as the wielder understands that force may be required in order to collect on some debts. I know that works in the real world, it isn’t hypothetical. There are tons of real-world examples of how that type of persuasion is successful in most situations.
The introduction of Ancient Mai, the head of the High Council, was nifty. I’d heard of her from causal scuttlebutt on the web, but I didn’t really know what people were talking about. She’s a badass in pretty wrapping paper, but she likes to brutalize her targets. Perhaps at her age, she has no patience for the subtleties of the soft glove approach. Or maybe she likes to kick butt and take names. It takes all types to make the world go round. I don’t know what she did to Natalie after taking her into custody, but I’m guessing it would make a trip to the gulag in the middle of a Siberian winter look like a walk in the park. Seeing as how she’s so old and powerful, she probably picked up a few tips on torture from Pol Pot, Stalin, Hitler, Vlad the Impaler, and a host of others who enjoyed their “art”. She even has a sense of humour, after she hits Harry for nothing in particular. The really sick ones always have a twisted humour that drags after them like the stink of an unwashed toilet. Ancient Mai is somebody we’ll have to watch out for, as it seems like she’ll be back, and not in a good way.
My only complaint is that when Harry used his mojo to get a picture of the vamp that killed Clive, it was hard to see. The lighting, while more authentic to the scene, prevented me from figuring out what it was that I was looking at. I think HDTV might’ve helped, but I can’t be sure. I’m not losing my sight, I have better than 20/20, but sometimes the way things are lit, and the CGI used, don’t make it easy to figure out on the screen. Minor complaint to be sure, but it still irked me.
I also found the reappearance of the waitress from the first episode disconcerting, as I had supposed that Harry burned his bridges with her. Maybe they’re trying again, but she’s going to have to cut Harry loads of slack, or this weird thing they have won’t work out.
I’m giving this an 8.0 out of 10.0, as it was a solid episode and I enjoyed myself. This is a pretty good universe so far, with a perception of how things should be in a magickal world that is different from what I am used to. I’m having fun peeling back these layers.
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Tuesday, February 27, 2007 |
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Sci-Fi Brain News -- February 27, 2007
Piper Watches 'Doctor Who' In Tears
digitalspy.co.uk is reporting that Billie Piper says that she found it so upsetting to watch the Doctor Who Christmas special that she burst into tears.
The 24-year-old actress left the series last June, but she enjoyed filming it so much that she could hardly bare to watch an episode in which she did not appear.
Discussing Doctor Who on The Charlotte Church Show, she said: "We laughed a lot on that show. I watched the Christmas episode and I cried the duration of the show.
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Stephen King Interview
aintitcoolnews.com now has up an interview with Stephen King. The stuff is mostly horror and fantasy base, but I love The Dark Tower so I'm including it.
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SCI-FI BRAIN INDEX
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Monday, February 26, 2007 |
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Roswell 2.20 “Off the Menu” – Review
By: jesuiscanadien
This episode is set before the recent events with Tess and Max, and the discoveries made by Liz and Maria. Brody has been working on finding out what happened during the missing time periods when he was kidnapped by aliens, and during a virtual reality experiment, he manages to overload his brain, and the entire town’s electrical circuitry; and remembers that Max is an alien. Unfortunately, Tess visits just after this calamity, and Brody confronts them about his lost memories. Brandishing a gun, he takes a shot at Max, who deflects it with his powers. At that moment Amy DeLuca, along with Sean and Maria, go into the UFO Centre, and are taken hostage by Brody.
Over at Valenti’s house, Deputy Hanson is asking Jim what to do about the power outage. Hanson wants to call in FEMA, but the cooler head of reason, namely Valenti, calls for Ralph the electrician to get involved. Needless to say, Ralph wins.
While Tess and Max are directed to bind Maria, Sean, and Amy, Maria’s cell phone rings and she tells Brody that she has to answer it or whoever is calling will get suspicious. It’s Liz, and when Maria tries to give Liz a coded message, Brody hangs up the phone. Liz totally didn’t get the gist of Maria’s message, even though Maria is convinced that Liz will understand it. Michael, Isabel, and Liz are alone in the Crashdown, wondering what to do, with the power outage effectively stopping any potential business.
When Tess tries to use her mind warp on Brody to let them out of there, Brody gets cheesed. Tess tells Max that Brody’s mind is too crowded, and she can’t get in. Brody demands that Max tell him why he knows the things he knows, that are alien related, as he turns on a device to prevent Max and Tess from using their powers.
When Michael gets bored of Liz’s questions about Maria’s message, he and Isabel decide to go over to the UFO Centre and get Max. Brody sees them, and takes a shot at them, before they manage to escape. They then get Valenti involved in the situation.
Now Brody is really cheesed, and threatens to hurt Max and Tess if they try to get their alien friends involved. Valenti calls Brody on Maria’s cell phone, and Brody answers it. Brody demands food for everyone, and tells Valenti “no cops”. He hangs up and lets everyone know that they’re going to be there for a while.
As he barricades the stairwell, he remembers the place where Tess and Max first met when they were on their planet. He talks about remembering having to introduce Max to Tess, as Max was too shy to go up and talk to her himself. Tess accidentally confirms the info as Max is denying it ever happened. Max tells Brody that he and Tess have never been in love and none of his memories ever happened.
Valenti takes charge and gets Liz to take the food over to the Centre. Brody figures out that the food was “alien influenced” and takes Liz hostage too. Sean tries to intercede, and Brody gets angry. He is still angry when Valenti calls over to see if he got the food, and while Brody is arguing with him, Sean gets Liz to pull a knife out of his pocket and cut his tape. Just as Sean is going to stab Brody, Max calls out a warning and Sean gets stabbed instead.
Hanson comes to talk to Valenti about why he called Hanson on the cell phone. Hanson asks if the people down in the Centre are being held against their will, and Valenti asks if he’s going to go in there with his guns blazing. While the gang in the Centre talk quietly about the situation, Kyle crawls up to where Valenti, Michael, and Isabel are hiding and tells his Dad that Hanson called in the sharp shooters. Valenti asks Kyle to get plans for the building, so he can find out if there’s an outside lever to engage the Centre’s lockdown mechanism.
As Kyle is getting the plans, Max tells Brody that everything he remembers is true. Brody is relieved and almost gives over his gun before he spots the camera on Liz’s coat. He threatens to shoot Liz, but Max tells him not to. Before anything else can be said, Brody hears the sirens and orders everyone into the back office. The gang figure out how Brody fried his brain with the VR helmet, and Max tells them that he can heal Brody once the alien device preventing him from using his powers is turned off. Maria tells him that she’ll talk to Brody.
Kyle returns with the plans and they see the point to engage the lockdown mechanism. Isabel and Michael volunteer to turn it on, and as they go do that, Hanson is positioning the police to invade the Centre. Downstairs in the Centre, Maria has convinced Brody to turn off the device and let Max heal him. They have to work fast, as Hanson has a welder burning through the shelter doors with a torch.
Once Max has healed Brody, Maria and Max tell him that he was kidnapped, to explain why he had the gun. Liz convinces Sean not to tell, with the proviso that she’ll go out with him. And Tess uses her mind warp powers to make Amy forget what happened. When Hanson and his team get through the door, everyone is acting like nothing happened, and Brody offers to make everyone tea.
The next day Maria is talking to Brody. He admits that he can’t quite remember what happened, but he remembers that he felt like Maria was there helping him through the ordeal. Max goes to Tess that night and they talk about what he saw in Brody’s mind from the homeworld. He tells Tess that he remembers.
This episode was a wee bit disconcerting, mainly for the reason that it happened out of the timeline established by the show. It happened while Alex was still alive and before Max and Tess hooked up. Why they didn’t air it before now is odd, but whatever. Hollywood does whatever the heck it wants, doesn’t it? I must say, for a positive aspect, they didn’t have me confused as to what time or day it was, so good for them! Miracles do happen. Teeny-tiny miracles, but hey, miracles nonetheless.
The writers must’ve felt like they needed to explain the consequences of what happens to a person who’s mind has been hijacked numerous times, but this episode definitely lends credence to the “who killed Alex” mystery. Alex went nuts after his brain had been hijacked for an extended period of time, and Brody was the first to have this happen. Brody wasn’t hijacked for a long period, but he had his mind taken on numerous occasions, so that was why Larek didn’t like to keep the body too long. It would cause the person who owned the mind and body to go crackers.
While I liked the desperation Brody felt at having his mind go for a vacation without him, I thought that the higher reasoning was not consistent. If Brody was crackers from having his brain hijacked, and showed that he could not use reason to define who a friend might be and who an enemy was; why was he able to use higher reasoning to deduct that the burgers were made under alien influence? He should’ve missed the significance of the burgers and fries, and accepted Liz’s response. Or, he should’ve been suspicious about everything coming into the Centre and taken Liz hostage for that reason alone. A person suffering a psychotic break from reality would not be able to use deductive reasoning properly, they would exhibit hostile reactions to any new stimuli, or they would retreat into the recesses of their mind to hide from whatever they felt threatened them. A lack of insight is a present factor in psychosis, or a psychotic break, and therefore Brody really should not have been able to figure things out. He had suffered a brain injury from the electrical shock, which in turn caused the break with reality and the “hallucinations” of the other life he had as Larek. It may seem like a small complaint, but being familiar with what happens to a person when they suffer a trauma such as that, it irked me just the same.
This episode gives the viewer much needed information to conclude the “who killed Alex” mystery, so one must remember what has passed in this episode, in order to make the apprehension of Alex’s killer logical. While I personally had issues with how they wrote the psychosis, it wasn’t a bad episode, and I would give it a 7.5 out of 10.0.
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Monday, February 26, 2007 |
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Sci-Fi Brain News -- February 26, 2007
Hugh Grant To Appear In 'Doctor Who'?
digitalspy.co.uk is reporting that Hugh Grant is in talks to appear as an evil villain in Doctor Who.
The 46-year-old actor turned down the chance to play The Doctor a few years ago because he thought the revival of the series would be a flop, but he is keen to take on a role as a villain because it would be more "fun".
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JJ Abrams To Direct 'Star Trek'
chud.com is reporting that it looks like JJ Abrams made up his mind, and the decision he came to was, “Yes, thank you, I would like to direct Star Trek after all.” And thus ends months of back and forth and speculation and rumors and inaccurate reports. Thus Gail Berman is proved right.
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Weaver Says No More 'Alien'
darkhorizons.com is reporting that talking with Entertainment Weekly, actress Sigourney Weaver says that despite teaming up with James Cameron again for his "Avatar" project, don't expect anymore "Alien" films.
"I love the character, but I think the monster, once they did the other film (Alien vs. Predator), which I never saw, but that really maxes our monster out" says Weaver.
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SCI-FI BRAIN INDEX
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Friday, February 23, 2007 |
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Brainwaves 4 - Podcast
This week in Brainwaves Episode #4, Sci-Fi Brain's intrepid podcasters discuss the surprising announcement of a new Wing Commander game. Also, a new feature is introduced: the movie of the week. This week's movie is "Unbreakable".
And of course, you'll get the usual TV roundup with extensive coverage of Lost, BSG and Heroes, as well as this week's biggest sci-fi headline news.
You can find a link to this week's podcast (as well as the past ones) at the link provided: BRAINWAVES
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Friday, February 23, 2007 |
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Lost (3.9) "Stranger in a Strange Land" Review
By: jiggyj
Jack has never, ever, never had a bad flashback episode. If there is a flashback featuring Jack, you can expect it to be a great episode and I dare you to prove me otherwise. Oh, wait, you said check this episode out if I want to be proven wrong? Yeah, can't deny you that one. I'll just come out and say it – this episode was pure crap.
I'm usually completely in love with an episode of Lost (like last week) or else only usually one or two minor gripes bug me. However, the purely craptastic episodes of Lost are usually far and farther between, with the only one of recent memory I can remember is the one with Charlie in the diaper. Looking back, I can't think of a single redeeming thing about this episode.
The big story of this episode was Jack trying to save Juliet who was being put on trial for the murder of the guy who was going to kill Kate and Sawyer the other week. We got an interesting new character this week in the way of Isabel, the sheriff of the island, but do we really need a new character? I'd much rather see the one eyed guy from the camera feed than someone new. I have nothing against introducing new characters, but make it seem like a natural extension of the story progression, not because you want to throw a new character in. The good news is that Juliet wasn't killed, but she was branded. Why? Is this The Scarlet Letter we are watching? And who the hell cares she got branded? Does it serve any purpose whatsoever?
And then we learn what Jack's tattoo really means. Alright, I'll give you that, cool to find out. But what did the flashback have to do with anything? The best flashbacks always parallel the action and story going on at the island, but this had no relevance at all. I guess I could say at least Achara (Bai Ling) was hot in the episode, but that isn't exactly a rousing endorsement.
And what was up with showing the flight attendant Cindy and the kids and then only have them say something like, "We're watching." No duh you're watching, you're staring right at him. But he asked you a direct and pointed question. By now you know I love Lost and don't complain when they fail to give answers, but there is a line that divides not giving answers and purposely doing something frustrating. So we don't know what the Smoke Monster really is – it isn't like we can exactly ask it so that question doesn't bother me. But when you are staring right at someone, ask them a question, and the only thing they can give you is another question then you've officially stepped over the line and pissed me (and probably many other viewers) off.
And Kate and Sawyer get back to the island, let Karl loose, and that is that.
I'm a huge Lost fan and have been very vocal in not caring that they haven't delivered answers quickly, but there is a line that the show crossed this episode with that one bit of line from Cindy that does nothing but infuriate me. And what was up with the misleading episode preview for this week – three things will be revealed. What the hell was revealed? We get the true meaning behind Jack's tattoo…AND???????
You know what, I'm doing wasting time on this episode. It sucked. 4 out of 10!
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Friday, February 23, 2007 |
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Heroes 115: Unexpected - Review
By: zotquix
Heroes is taking form, and not a moment too soon. The final stretch of episodes leading in to the end of the season is upon us. We're beginning to see sides taken, understand some of the mechanics of how things work and have some of our questions answered. Most importantly, developments were intriguing. Yes some of the progress is a bit, uh, cliche. Two heroes driven to conflict over the woman they love. Another "good guy" driven to theft and then joining the team of the dubiously motivated. A villain passing himself off as someone else, talking to a main character about himself. All of these elements are a bit...commonplace. Understandably, trying to make characters 'ambiguous' without making them out and out despotic can be difficult, but taken on their own, I would find these events disappointing to watch unfold. However, combining them together makes for a better realized universe in which things are happening.
Actually some of this works simply because of the execution. Sylar's moment with Mohinder, where they discuss the elder Suresh is absolutely fantastic. I wish I could've heard Sylar's thoughts when Mohinder says, "Justice never really could be done." The whole scene compelled me and Sylar's charisma seems to increase with his power, even while we know the sinister person that he really is.
This weeks open delayed the "Previously on Heroes" bit so we could meet a new character, Hana Gittelman aka 'Wireless', who has been featured in the online graphic novels. Excellent entrance, and I love the character. To the uninitiated (I was behind in my graphic novel reading when I originally viewed the episode so she actually was a surprise to me) she seemed mysterious, sexy, and obviously a little dangerous. Even without knowing much about her, I liked the new heroine.
To be precise, we were introduced to two heroines this week. The mechanic seemed like she could have been great to watch, and it was unfortunate that she really was only there to be slain, even after all her talking about how tough to kill she would be. I did enjoy how they represented her ability once Sylar had acquired. Artistic, watchable (listenable), smart.
So we have one group of characters (Sprague, Parkman, and the woman who can hear the net) coalescing. And they are even interacting with other major characters. I do have to wonder whether Matt Parkman would really point a gun at anyone's mother, but I will withhold judgement until that scene actually unfolds. I must say that I hope Claire goes with them. Even if they are an ambiguously motivated group (ug, I am so sick of contrived ambiquity), this could be fun to watch. I'm willing to suffer through more second rate effects (Sprague withering flowers=good, Sprague withering grass=bad) if there is some more action. I'd like to see Ted actually melt a wall...
I did have a few other problems with this episode: 1) I love Marvel, but could do without seeing Stan "The Man". He serves no purpose, and his egomania is so unchecked that his visage actually begins to detract from the things he appears in. 2) If I cared more about Simone, Peter and Isaac fighting would have much more meaning. Even so, I hope she's really dead. I like the move, and it leaves characters that I actually do care about. That stuff withstanding Unexpected took the story along at the faster pace that has been lacking in previous weeks.
I give this episode of Heroes a 9 out of 10. New characters introduced, other characters killed. Good stuff all around!
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Friday, February 23, 2007 |
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Sci-Fi Brain News -- February 23, 2007
Scorsese Keeping Busy 'The Invention of Hugo Cabret'
rottentomatoes.com is reporting that it looks like the beloved Martin Scorsese is back in high-demand these days. According to Variety, the filmmaker is in talks to bring recent kid's novel "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" to the big screen.
The story focuses on a small boy who lives inside a Paris train station in the 1930s. Apparently a robot is involved somehow. But if it's a brand-new book and it caught the eye of Scorsese ... it must be a pretty good book.
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Interview: Billy Bob and Virginia on 'The Astronaut Farmer'
iesb.net is reporting that a few days ago Billy Bob Thornton and Virginia Madsen sat down with a few members of the press to talk in lengths about their newest family drama, The Astronaut Farmer.
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'Transformers' As Real As Possible
scifi.com is reporting that Ian Bryce, one of the producers of Michael Bay's upcoming Transformers movie, told SCI FI Wire that the director shot as much of the SF action live as possible. "I think that as much practical photography as you can get is the best," Bryce said in an interview on the film's Los Angeles set last August. "I think the audience is so sophisticated these days that they can tell what's [computer-generated], what's animatronic, what's not real. So we certainly like to capture as much original photography as we can, and then enhance it with the CG shots."
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'Avatar' Stakes Out 2009 Date
scifi.com is reporting that Avatar, James Cameron's upcoming SF epic movie, is eyeing a Memorial Day 2009 release date, the ComingSoon.net Web site reported.
Avatar is the futuristic story of a wounded ex-marine who is unwillingly sent to settle and exploit a faraway planet. He gets caught up in a battle for survival by the planet's inhabitants.
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SCI-FI BRAIN INDEX
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Thursday, February 22, 2007 |
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Anime Review: RahXephom Ep.23
By: samwiseb
Twenty-Third Movement: “From Here to Eternity (Where the Sweet Bird Song)”
Commander Jin Kunugi returns to TERRA where a warm welcome awaits him. Meanwhile, Mu cities continue to multiply over Earthspace, and sightings of Mu apparitions are reported from across the globe. The worlds of human and Mu are overlapping.
Mu henchman Kuki Masayoshi delivers a “thank you” to TERRA for freeing the Mu from their “prison of time”, along with an ultimatum to disarm and surrender RX. The largest D-1 to date appears over Chukyo, demolishes the city, then proceeds toward Nirai-Kanai Island to wipe out TERRA. Unfortunately RX is still sealed up inside its egg and cannot be transported nor activated. Kunugi pays a final visit to his daughter’s grave, thanks Watari for the opportunity to work with TERRA, and entrusts his pet bird to Sou. Nirai Kanai is evacuated, its residents packed like refugees into every ship available including the Lilia Litvyak. Ixtli/Mishima is seen among the refugees.
Inside Hiranipra Fortress, Mother Maya and her goons have apparently become full time Mulians, decorated in their robes and Mulian tattoos. Mamoru criticizes Kuki for his arrogance, and still seems resentful of his job to “protect” Ollin. Maya refers to Quon as her “elder sister”. On Lilia Litvyak, Elvy advises Ayato not to take Haruka for granted.
Ayato comes across Ixtli at the Barber Shop where he and Quon first met in ep 4, and she teleports him to the Small Shrine of Time, apparently the passageway through which the “original” Ollin were sent into our world. She cannot understand why Ayato resists her; is hers not the image of the person he most desired? She warns that if the world is “tuned” without him it will return to a sea of mud (her words).
Kuki’s Dolem lays waste to Nirai Kanai, while Kunugi (who stayed behind) retaliates with all the TERRA weapons at his disposal. Massive exchange of firepower here, kids. Kuki appears via hologram to taunt the commander, denying responsibility for Kunugi having given in to the order that sacrificed his daughter during the Mu war (see episode 10… and yes Kuki, we get it, you’re evil). Kunugi arms the Jupiter System, which incinerates TERRA HQ and himself along with it. A new Absolute Barrier expands around Nirai Kanai, trapping Kuki and his Dolem inside. Sou and the Lilia Litvyak crew mournfully salute the commander. Elsewhere in the world, Jin Kunugi’s ex-wife senses that something is wrong.
Ayato finally accepts Ixtli, appreciating the fact that she’s protected him whenever he and RX got into trouble (you think?). Because now he too has somebody he wants to protect (his words). Back on the Litvyak, a jealous Itsuki promises Haruka that Ayato will return to her. To Be Continued.
Another character finally gets what was coming to him this week. My only complaint is that Kuki’s theatrics seem a little over the top, as though the writing staff realized they needed to remind us who he is (you think?) and why they we’re supposed to hate him. It’s still unclear whether Kuki had already been assimilated/co-opted by the Mu at the time he and Kunugi last crossed paths (my guess is probably not; though it doesn’t mean he hasn’t always been an arrogant bastard).
Meanwhile the loss of Nirai Kanai, which has served as our primary setting since episode 5, effectively pushes the series into unfamiliar territory. I’d say we’re approaching the grand finale.
The Shrine of Time is, of course, the place where Ayato and Quon got lost in episode 9. In that ep, it was mentioned that two sisters had been “spirited forth” through the shrine some thirty-eight years before. Could these be the “original” Ollin whom Ixtli now refers to? Maya would seem about the right age, given the number of years that she raised Ayato in time-differentiated Tokyo. And Quon recently commented that Maya had “grown passed the capability of becoming an instrumentalist”. But now Quon we know is still very much qualified as instrumentalist material, a fact that places her at the same biological age as Ayato. So how could she be Maya’s older sister? As always, stay tuned.
This episode gets an 8.5 out 10. A solid episode, with plenty of action and emotion, as well as some powerful music and visuals, but just a bit excessive with the overacted villainy of a supporting character whom we’re still just as happy to see meet his end.
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