Alien Isolation “Creating The Alien” Trailer: Shaping Your Fears Is Tough Work…

Posted on March 13, 2014 by geelw

So, that’s how it’s done, hmmmm. Okay, now we need to see the underwear factory churning out adult-sized diapers with the Alien Isolation logo on them that will be packed in that Collector’s Edition of the game along with a pocket defibrillator and smelling salts. The folks at The Creative Assembly seem to be making the Alien game to end all Alien games because it’s closer to the first Alien film than a few of the more action-packed sequels ever were. Granted, there’s something to be said for those awesome Rebellion-made Alien vs. Predator PC games and yes, a few of the other games in this long running franchise have been quite well done and thrilling. But this may be the first game that feels frightening thanks to it looking to capture what made the original work all too well. Pre-alpha footage means there’s a long way to go before this one’s all wrapped up, folks. I’m betting it’s a big fat face-huggy surprise when it’s all done.

As usual, we’ll see…

Orphan Black Season 2 Trailer: Nope, No Musical Crap Here. Just Damn Great Acting!

Posted on March 10, 2014 by geelw

How great is Tatiana Maslany in this show? Let’s see now: I’d gotten a friend to catch up with the first season with his wife and after a weekend binge they both thought it was multiple actresses in some scenes where it’s just Maslany and her CG clones doing ~~their~~ er, her thing. Yes, I’m still cranked up that some kooky fan would dare to suggest a musical episode, so sue me. As noted earlier, I’d say that would kill the show in its tracks even as a dream sequence unless it was so well integrated into the plot that it made some kind of sense. On the other hand, if this were an anime, I’d bet we’d see a musical sequence every other week if not the show getting an opening and closing song. And nope, I don’t even want to imagine that happening either. Yeah, I like my pizza plain cheese, my ice cream vanilla and my favorite shows unmarked by pop songs and other fluff that take away from what they’re meant to be.

Random Film of the Week: The Colossus of New York

Posted on March 10, 2014 by geelw

The first time I saw Eugène Lourié’s The Colossus of New York, I think I was about ten or eleven and stayed up all night on a Friday or Saturday just because it came on at something like 2 or 3am. I recall falling asleep somewhere in the middle and waking up for the ending, disappointed that I missed whatever robot rampage the cloaked metal man went on. It turns out that I didn’t miss much of a “rampage” at all, although the thing did wreak some havoc on some poor important folks down at the United Nations before getting shut down for good without the military blowing it to scrap metal with a bunch of rockets.

Anyway, featuring some fine performances and an brilliant (and sometimes unsettling) piano score by Nathan Van Cleave, this is an interesting albeit flawed sci-fi film with a more human side to its fantastic bits thanks to the internal conflict of Jeremy Spensser (Ross Martin) who finds his brain in that bulky cyborg after he dies in an auto accident and his genius dad (Otto Kruger) and second genius (but somewhat devious) son (John Baragrey) decide to keep him living in that metal shell… Continue reading →

Orphan Black Better NOT Get A Musical Episode, Is All I’ll Gently Suggest…

Posted on March 7, 2014 by geelw

Holy cats, fans can be ten thousand percent nuts sometimes. HELL NO, this otherwise fine and well written sci-fi drama does NOT need ANYTHING resembling a sing-along hour with cast members warbling out tunes while facing death and danger. Nope. NO. No way. Stupid ideas are a dime a dozen, Buffy did it already and THAT show was campy from the get-go, so it’s excused. OB is fine as it is and even as if planned and executed a dream sequence, a musical episode would be such a shark-jumping moment that I’d probably never go back to it after that travesty aired. Let the fan-fictioners dabble in that nonsense all they want, but keep the clones away from the chorus line, please. Even as a joke, it’s a terrible one because that means someone has probably gone and thought out at least a way to make it happen. Yikes and yuck. I’m keeping my eye on you, Maslany – punch someone in the throat if they bring you a script that has you singing anywhere unless it’s necessary for the plot, grrrr!…

Harlan Ellison’s City on the Edge of Forever Finally Comics-Bound!

Posted on March 6, 2014 by geelw

YES. I’m SO pleased at this news that I’m too busy doing mental back flips and stuff to type out a boring descriptive post about the plot and whatnot, so you get to read a boring descriptive press release instead. Woo. Yeah, I’ll be grabbing this five-issue series for sure. Or should I hold out for the inevitable collected edition? Ah, whatever – we’ll see. Isn’t that cover awesome, by the way? Meanwhile, just for fun here’s an old Harlan Ellison’s Watching video for you on the implosion of the trading card collector’s market:

As to that Trek comic? Here, go read all about it below the jump… Continue reading →

More Orphan Black Tease-itude? It Just Won’t Quit Until You Watch, Folks…

Posted on March 3, 2014 by geelw

Nope, I’m still not watching these teasers, folks. I just embed and write up lines for you to read because I want not a thing ruined for me. I’ve already gotten a few people hooked on this show (whee!), so I’ll take my cut of the profits anytime, Beeb. Anyway, enjoy what’s here and if you run into me on the street, don’t spill any beans or else…

Orphan Black is Coming Back In April. Time To Get Teased…

Posted on March 1, 2014 by geelw

I didn’t think I’d like the show, but after a friend bugged the heck out of me, I caught the third episode of Orphan Black and got hooked in before I knew what hit me. I ended up catching the rest of the season and watched the entire thing On Demand over a weekend and got even more respect for Tatiana Maslany’s outstanding performance as so many clones is so many wigs and glasses and personalities.

If you haven’t seen th show yet, you may want to check it out even if sci-fi isn’t your cup of tea (or other beverage). The writing is solid, all those characters Maslany (who was ROBBED at the Emmys this year) plays hold your interest (even the ones that don’t make it out alive) and yup, you’ll be left on the edge of whatever you were sitting on when all is said and done.

Anyway, The new season kicks off Saturday April 19 at 9/8c only on BBC America (of course). I’ve been avoiding looking at these teasers because I want to drop into the new season as cold as possible, but I’m posting these here to get you folks who’ve yet to see the show all worked up about it. If I’ve done my job properly, the show will have a few new fans camping out at home on a Saturday night…

Because You Need Something To Do: “The Phantom Creeps” Could Use Some Watching…

Posted on February 19, 2014 by geelw

(Thanks, Audiovisualchannel!)
Okay, okay… I’ve been too busy this week, but I needed to go see all those toys and games this week because that’s part of my Cure for Everything (TM) treatment when I start to feel aged and creaky. Hey, better fun stuff than draining the blood of “wer-gins” any day of the week, right? RIGHT? Anyway, enjoy the movie, people. I’m going to go have a small dinner and pass out for a spell after that…

Guardians of the Galaxy Trailer: Not Your Average Folks In Tights…

Posted on February 19, 2014 by geelw

I didn’t think I’d be interested in this one at all, but this trailer got me turned around and a bit more hopeful that this actually works. The cast is out there and full of interesting choices, there’s a lot of humor and despite the Marvel logo and immediate knee jerk response that this is yet another super hero flick, there are nice signs that this one may be more than it seems. Of course, you don’t get what you expect with a James Gunn film, so it’s also great that this trailer really doesn’t do anything in giving away any major plot points (which should make this a nice surprise to see in a theater). Fan reaction seems quite positive overall, but as usual the trolls are out holding up under bridges and waiting for the saps that always get caught up in their toll traps. I pay them no heed and no fee, folks. I just roll over their flat heads with the heavy cart, hobnailed wheels and all…

Jazzpunk Trailer: Jack Into The Ultimate Crazy Trip From Adult Swim & Necrophone Games

Posted on February 13, 2014 by geelw

Lovely. Jazzpunk is right up my alley, folks. It’ll run on my old PC or laptop, it’s bizarre as hell and manages to cover that 90’s cyber-fantasy stuff much better than most games made IN the 90’s did. Yes, I played plenty of them back in the day from excellent to absolutely putrid and I still have some pretty awful flashbacks about Virtuoso and Cyberdillo on the 3DO and don’t even get me started on those Lawnmower Man games (yes, there were a few of them). Anyway, this one’s on sale for a few more hours on Steam (you save three bucks for another 20 hours), so go check it out if you’re curios after seeing that video above. These posts are coming in short bursts today because of the crappy weather outside and the fact that the library is closing early today thanks to that crappy weather (boo).