New Year Joy!

Here is what I am looking forward to in the New Year!

The Crow: A Reboot.

The year was 1994. I remember it vividly because it is the year I graduated high school and would begin my college adventures, it was the year OJ Simpson allegedly committed murder and took his little drive down the freeway and it was a also the year one of my favorite movies and what would become an outright obsession was released: The Crow.

A brief little backstory...I had been in love with Brandon Lee for a few years at this point. Not because of his extraordinary acting chops, but because I was a teenage girl at the time with raging hormones and he was HOT! He was also the son of Bruce Lee and due to my love of martial arts movies, well, that was an extra added bonus. I remember the day he died shooting Alex Proyas' version of The Crow. I was walking through my living room where my grandma was watching one of those cheesy entertainment news shows and they were talking about how Brandon Lee had been rushed to the hospital after an on site accident and then a few moments later they confirmed that he had died. I remember running into my bedroom and calling the one friend who always understood my Brandon Lee obsession and telling her the shocking news! Needless to say I was waiting anxiously from that moment on for The Crow to hit theaters.

It is no surprise that it became one of my favorite movies. At that point in my life I was a bit goth and lets face it, this movie has goth written all over it. To this day I can quote almost every line and I can tell you the scenes that Brandon Lee is actually in or when they had to use a stand in and some clever CGI to mask the fact that it wasn't Lee.

As much as I love The Crow, I will also be the first to admit that this movie was not the best written or best acted movie I had ever seen. It wasn't going to win any Academy Awards. But, based on a comic book, of the same name, it had just the right feel and and the addition of an on set tragedy to become the cult hit that it did. Who doesn't love a story of a love that never dies and a need for vengeance so powerful that it would bring someone back from the dead to avenge that lost love? And even the comic book, written by James O'Barr, was written out of tragedy and a need to put into words the grief that one feels when a love one dies, especially if they die unnecessarily.

Which brings me to the point of the post. Sometime ago I heard that they were going to do another Crow movie. Not a sequel, but a re-imagining of the first film. I haven't posted on it sooner because frankly I didn't want to believe it. My first reaction is what most die-hard Crow fans first reactions were...how dare they!? Then my senses kicked in and I decided to do a bit of research before called foul.

So far there hasn't really been much information about the film. as it is is still waiting for the official greenlight, so things are a bit hush-hush. It is going to be written and directed by League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and Blade director, Stephen Norrington and produced by Ryan Kavanaugh. The script supposedly has been receiving good reviews, which is always promising. According to imdb.com, a 2011 release date is what they are striving for. Kavanaugh has stated that this film is not a direct remake, but a "relaunch of the franchise" and there is speculation as to whether they are even going to use the character of Eric Draven, although more recent articles have claimed that they are looking for an actor to play this character or at the very least an Eric Draven like character and as Kavanaugh puts it the actor will be someone we have heard of.

As it stand right now I have mixed feeling about the whole situation. After a much beloved movie was followed by a smattering of bad sequels and a mediocre at best television show, part of me just wonders why they don't leave well enough alone. It is no secret that Hollywood is running out of ideas and that they are remaking anything and everything that they think will make a buck. But, this film is barely 16 years old. Shouldn't it have a chance to age a bit more before they inflict their vision upon it? However, I am promising to defer judgment until I actually see a finished product. If it is a good script and they can make it into a good movie I may have room in my heart for two Crow movies. Plus, I love a good goth movie and in order to honor both the original Crow and to honor Brandon Lee's memory, all I can say is it better be a damn good movie!.

As an interesting little sidenote...The Crow comic book turned 20 years old this year.

(via io9.com)

Maybe Edward should be arrested!

I found this posted on a blog that I frequent. Let's face it...to anyone who has read Twilight, who would not find it creepy that some guy (especially a vampire) sits in your bedroom and watches you sleep while you slumber unaware of the fact that he is there at first and that your precious porcelain neck is all exposed! Even if you do find the guy attractive or said vampire is a "vegetarian". I would find it kind of creepy even if it was my own boyfriend.

(via TapatoCo)

The GT Podcast: Episode 10 - The Holiday Episode

 

It may be a day or two late, but the Holiday Episode of the Geek-tastic podcast is now available for your listening pleasure.

 

 

You can download an MP3 copy of the podcast by clicking HERE.

 

OR

 

You can stream the podcast by clicking HERE.

 

 

In this episode of the podcast, your host Patrick is joined by Matt Jeffrey and Wes Strawther as they discuss the Peanuts Christmas Special and just how crappy Charlie Brown's life is.  There is also a look back at the year 2009 and a discussion of some of our favorite movies, TV shows and video games of the year.  And, of course, we also talk about all the crap that came out in 2009 that we hated (Transformers 2, we're looking at you).

Alma, A Beautiful And Wonderously Creepy Film

 

 

Alma is a short animated film directed by Rodrigo Blaas, and I absolutely love how creepy it is.  This is Blaas' first directorial work, but he has worked with Pixar and other animation studios for many years now as an animator on films such as Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Ice Age and many more.  The Pixar look and style is obviously present in this film, but there's a lot of darker things going on here than you'll usually see in a Pixar film.  Just see for yourself.  The short is only a few minutes long, but it is really great. 

 

I highly suggest checking it out.  To find out more on the short film, be sure to check out the short's homepage.

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Snuggie

 

 

Not to be outdone by The Shredder and his awesome hoodie, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have responded with their very own TMNT Snuggie.  You can buy that Snuggie if you want to (dear god, why would you want to) by going here.

 

Personally, I think Shredder is totally winning the fashion war he is waging against the Turtles.  Let me explain it to you in mathematical terms.

 

Hoodie > Snuggie

Eddie Izzard With A Shotgun

 

 

The BBC is apparently doing a remake of the sci-fi classic Day Of The Triffids, which is cool and all, but to me the most important thing which warranted a post here on Geek-tastic was the picture above.  Eddie Izzard will be one of the stars of the remake, and this image of him holding a shotgun is all I need to make me want to see this show.

 

If you want to see the trailer, you can check it out here. 

 

On a personal note, if there were ever actually a film called "Eddie Izzard with a Shotgun", I'd be the first person in line to go see it.

Patrick Stewart To Become A Knight? Make It So!

 

It's been announced that Patrick Stewart will be knighted by Queen Elizabeth II early next year.  Yes, our very own Captain Jean Luc Picard and Professor Charles Xavier will be a royal knight of the British empire.  You may refer to him as Sir Patrick Stewart. 

 

On a completely unrelated note, while looking for a picture of Mr. Stewart to post with this article, I did a google image search for his name, and I came across this picture.  It was too cool, so I had to share it with you all. 

 

Wow, Patrick Stewart was ripped back in the day.  Who knew?

 

Random Awesomeness

 



 

Art by Kiersten Essenpreis

The Greatest Hoodie Of All Time

 

 

I'm sorry, but this Shredder hoodie is so awesome I can't help but do much other than stare at it in wonder.  I WANT! I WANT!! I WANT!!!

 

As an avid snowboarder, all I can imagine is how cool it would be to go down the mountain wearing this thing.  That face mask thing would be so nice to have.  Sure, the thing isn't waterproof, but it would be totally worth it for a run or two to go down the mountain wearing this thing and screaming, "I am Oroku Saki!"

You can buy this amazing hoodie here.

Two Bits Of Admiral Ackbar Greatness

With a single historic line of dialog, Admiral Ackbar has cemented his position in the cultural lexicon.  Here are two great parodies of that famous line which crack me up every time I look at them.  I hope you're as amused by them as I am.

 



 

The Ultimate Disney/Marvel Crossover Poster

 

It's like someone reached directly into my brain and pulled out a snapshot of what I was thinking of the day I heard that Disney had bought Marvel Comics.  Amazingly, the result is even more beautiful that I could ever possibly imagine.  Sure, there may be a ton of nay-sayers out there who are worried about the crossover effect of the Disney/Marvel merger, but I'm definitely not one of them.  I don't know about you, but I'd read the hell out of an Iron Man/Gizmo Duck crossover story.  And a Donald/Howard the Duck team-up is sheer genius. 

 

Hell, this image even has Squirrel Girl hanging out with Chip & Dale.  It simply doesn't get more awesome than that.  Let us not forget that Squirrel Girl has already defeated the likes of Doctor Doom and Thanos on her own and has even defeated Deadpool twice.  If she teamed up with the Rescue Rangers, she could easily become one of the most powerful characters in the whole of the Marvel universe.

Two Words . . . Chick Magnet

 

 

A Millennium Falcon bed?  Hells fucking yes.  Some mad geniuses have created this one of a kind piece of awesome, and they've been kind enough to post pics of it online for the rest of us to drool over.  You can see a full gallery of images of the bed here, and trust me when I say they are absolutely amazing.  The bed even has lights on the front and back of the bed which fully light up. 

 

Of course, a bed like this is just begging for inappropriate Star Wars quotes to be made while laying in it.  My personal favorite quote is, "You came in that thing?  You're braver than I thought."

Shy-Guys Really Freak Me Out

 

I've played Super Mario Brothers 2 for more hours than I can count, and while I've always seen the game as sort of a giant acid trip what with the flying face dudes and the ninja star guys and the throwing of perfectly good turnips at your enemies, it never really dawned on me before just how bizarre and frightening that world must look to Mario and Luigi.  This painting does an excellent job though of expressing just how pants-wettingly horrified the Mario Brothers must have been while trying to stop King Wart.

 

Just look at how creepy the Shy Guys are here.  They're like little versions of Death with tattered red robes on and scary "Eyes Wide Shut" orgy masks on.  And are those claws they have?  It sure looks like it to me.  Take a closer look at the one that is falling.  I'm pretty sure if he had the chance, he'd stab your eyes out with his pointy little fingers.  If I was the Mario Brothers, I'd be pulling vegetables out of the ground too and chucking them at the little freaky bastards.  Anything that would keep them away from me.  It all makes sense now.  Goombas you can squish by jumping on them because they're soft and squishy and have no hands.  Shy Guys though probably have little razor sharp claws that would cut Mario's legs up if he tried to stomp on them.  In that case, throwing foodstuffs is a totally valid alternative.

The Evolution Of The Cylon

 

You know, I had always thought that everyone on Battlestar Galactica calling Cylons "toasters" all the time was just some sort of derogatory term for their robot enemies.  It turns out though that the term comes from the evolutionary history of the cybernetic race that is so fond of human genocide.  According to this chart, the earliest form of the Cylon was indeed a toaster.  Over time, these toasters evolved, they grew wheels, then learned to walk on two legs.  They developed machine gun hands and learned how to build spaceships and nukes.  Then, eventually they became the Cylons we know today.  Hot women in skimpy outfits.

 

To go from a toaster to Tricia Helfer in such a short time is amazing.  This surely must be proof that the Cylons are a far more evolved species than we are.

Tasty Zombie Christmas Cookies

 

I know I haven't been posting a lot of christmas stuff on the site this year.  Sorry about that.  I do have a few fun items though that I've been collecting over the last couple of weeks.  They'll be posted soon, I promise.

 

The first of these items are these lovely zombie christmas cookies that were inspired by the video game Left 4 Dead 2.  For being undead, they sure do look tasty.  There's even frosting made into spitter goo and Boomer bile.  How festive!

Noyes' Ten Best Albums of the 2000's.

Okay, so this decade is coming to and end. Fuck, it feels like it just started really. But at the same time a whole hell of a lot has happened, both good and bad. But we're not here to talk politics or about my personal life. We're here today to talk music.

 

I was flipping through Rolling Stones top ten 50 albums of the decade and it really started to piss me off. LCD Soundsystem number 12? Really? Bright Eyes number 50? You've got to be fucking kidding me. A lot of albums on their list seemed either stupid to me or perhaps a little too obvious, or perhaps I just hate most popular music out there these days.

 

Well I decided to make my own list. (yes, three of my choices were also on Rolling Stones list, at least they got some things right).

 

This was a really hard list to put together. I wanted to pick my favorite albums, but I also didn’t want it to be nothing but Jack White records which it easily could have been. So I tried to limit each artist to one album, however most these bands easily could have had multiple albums on the list. But that would get a little boring wouldn’t it.

 

Some of these bands you may not be totally familiar with. Hopefully this list will open you up to some music you haven't heard before.

 

So here it is, without further ado, my Top Ten Albums of the 2000's. I honestly couldn't pick any album to be better than any other I (it was hard enough getting it down to ten!) so I list them here in chronological order. If you don't like that, then suck it!

 

Morphine - The Night (2000)

 

 

Morphine was one of the many great bands I discovered while in college. But it was The Night that made them one of my all time favorite bands. This album so perfectly embodies sadness I can't even describe it. Just take a listen to the title track above. It's utterly beautiful and heartbreaking. And the really sad thing is front man, Mark Sandman, died on stage before this album was released. I can only imagine where the band would have gone from here.

Radiohead - Kid A (2000)

 

 

Radiohead has come a really long way from their Creep days. While OK Computer really showed the world how much they were changing (and finally won me over as a fan) It was Kid A that really broke the mold. I know a lot of people who hate this album because it's so electronic sounding, but I love it.

Ween - White Pepper (2000)

 

 

Ween is a band that has matured wonderfully over the years while still maintaining their silly sense of humor that makes them so lovable. White Pepper was a huge leap forward in the maturity of their sound. It's a wonderful pop album with that Ween twist that sets it apart. This is probably their most accessible album as well, for people who aren't familiar with their stuff.

 

White Stripes - White Blood Cells (2001)

 

 

My wife bought this album when it was first released but after I heard it, it rarely left my car. This is the album that introduced me (and most the rest of the world) to the White Stripes (even though it was their third album). Just when I thought rock n' roll was dead Jack White proved me wrong and has continued to do so for the last ten years. Whenever I get angry at all the shitty music that is polluting the youth of today, I just put on a White Stripes record and all is well.

 

The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots (2002)

 

 

The Flaming Lips have been around since the early 80's. They had a hit in the 90's with "She Don't Use Jelly" and their 99 album The Soft Bulletin was a critics darling. However it wasn't until this album that I became utterly obsessed. Wayne Coyne is totally insane and this album is a sheer masterpiece that has been born from that madness. I love many of their albums now (not the new one sadly) but this one will always be their best.

 

Tom Waits - Real Gone (2004)

 

 

Tom Waits is the kind of guy that could fart on a snare drum and I'd probably buy it and pronounce its genius. I love this guy. I love his gravely carnival barker sounding voice. I love his bizarre lyrics. And I love his jazz/lounge/blues/whatever musical style. You never really know what you're going to get from Mr. Waits with a new album, but Real Gone is an amazing album with not one bad song to speak of on it.

 

Danger Doom - The Mask And The Mouse (2005)

 

 

Who knew rap and cartoons could go together so amazingly? Well apparently Danger Mouse and MF Doom knew, because they put their hip-hop genius together with the misfits of Adult Swim and delivered easily my favorite rap album of all time. MF Doom has an amazing voice and wonderful rhyme style that is unlike anyone I've ever heard. I've since gotten other MF Doom albums and while most of them are really good, they all pale in comparison to the brilliance that is The Mask And The Mouse.

 

The Raconteurs - Broken Boy Soldiers (2006)

 

 

Jack White decided it was time to see what he would sound like with a full backing band and not just his ex-wife on drums. With that we get The Raconteurs who have now put out two fantastic albums. To hear White's genius (gee, I seem to be using that word a lot!) with a full band behind him is a truly wonderful thing and I look forward to hearing more of it in the future.

 

Wolfmother - Wolfmother (2006)

 

 

Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath might not be making classic albums anymore, but luckily they had an Australian love child and named it Wolfmother. This band combines the greatness of those two classic bands and makes it into something all their own. It was love at first hear with these guys for me. I've seen these guys live and they put on an amazing show to boot. Their new album is really good to.

The Dead Weather - Horehound (2009)

 

 

The ever-prolific Jack White got himself another band. (see why I didn't but another other White Stripes albums on here?) But this time he sat himself at the drums and gave the front man job to a chick. Specifically speaking Alison Mosshart of The Kills. And her vocal style works perfectly with Jacks. "Cut Like A Buffalo" is quickly becoming one of my favorite songs ever. And the video above for "Treat Me Like My Mother" is easily the best of the year.

 

Honorable mentions:

Them Crooked Vultures - Them Crooked Vultures (2009)

 

 

This is a really new album that I haven't fully been able to digest yet, but it's quickly growing on me. Dave Grohl, John Paul Jones and Josh Homme are amazing together. And I don’t even really like Queens Of The Stone Age all that much, but when pared with these two Homme is pretty good.

The Residents - Demons Dance Alone (2002)

 

 

The Residents are one of my all time favorite bands and I like to take any opportunity to expose them to new people. This is easily their most accessible album. Some of their albums take multiple listenings to get into, but I dug this one right away. Duck Stab from 1978 is also an amazing album. I really have Primus to thank for getting me into this band because they covered a couple of their tunes and I had to hear the originals. So thank you Les Claypool.

 

Well there you have it. The Ten (…twelve…) best albums of the last decade. I'm sure a lot of people would disagree with some of the choices on this list, but to Hell with them. This is MY list. Let them make there own damn list!

 

Well, this has been Mike Noyes. I hope you all had a great decade and look out for 2012!

Where Comic Book Art Gets A Shout Out

I have always been a fan of fantasy/sci-fi/comic book art. In fact, I will be the first to tell you that one of the main things that actually drove me to my first Comic Con was the art. At the time I could probably tell you more about the artists of most comic books than I could tell you about the writers and while the artist get tremendous cred nowadays, sometimes I don't think it is nearly enough.

This why as the year, as well as the decade, is quickly approaching I figured I would post this little nugget of comic book art-y goodness!


(via Whedonesque)

Top 10 Geeky TV Shows On The Netflix Instant Play Feature

We're already well into the holiday season and Christmas and New Year's are just around the corner.  For many of us, that means days off of work and vacations spent relaxing around the house catching up on our favorite movies or TV shows.  But what to watch?  There are so many choices and so many options to view them with.  One of the perks of living in the future like we all do is that we have some amazing Video On Demand (VOD) services available to us.  Aside from Hulu, my personal favorite is the Netflix Instant Play feature.

 

For anyone who has a Netflix account, there are literally thousands of titles, both TV and movies, that can be streamed on demand whenever you want to see them.  You can watch them on your computer monitor if you want, but they can also be viewed through both the Xbox 360 and the PS3 as well as through Windows Media Center.  With so many choices though, it's difficult to decide what to watch, that's why we here at Geek-tastic have developed this list of the Top Ten Geeky Shows Available On Netflix's Instant Play Feature to help you find the best shows to geek out to while chilling on your couch on your days off.  Let's get started, shall we?

 



 

10.  Heroes - ONLY Season One

 

My hatred for Heroes in its later seasons is well known, but I will freely and openly admit that I liked the show for the most part in its first season.  Sure, it's not the greatest superhero TV show of all time (that title is still held by The Greatest American Hero), but it's not a terrible show either.  Long before the show was reduced to Claire's desperate ratings-grabbing Lesbian storyline or before Sylar took a long road trip that went nowhere with the most annoying twins since Mary-kate and Ashley Olsen, Heroes was actually a fairly entertaining comic book superhero drama.  Sure, the whole thing was a great big ripoff of the X-Men, but it is still cool to see superheroes on TV.  In season one of the show Hiro is still cool, Sylar is still a badass Villain and Claire is . . . well, Claire's been annoying as hell since day one.  Nothing really changed there.

 

If you want some superhero goodness over your holiday break, go ahead and enjoy the first season of heroes.  Just promise me that you won't continue on to Season Two.  For your own sanity, just don't do it.  Pretend like I do that the show was cancelled after Season One and nothing else came after it.  In that light, the show is actually really good.

 



 

09.  Lost

 

Lost is one of those shows people either love or hate with a passion.  There really isn't much of an in-between.  It's an X-files kind of show in the sense that there's a million questions that the viewer has, but the show almost never answers those questions.  When they do, each answer they give only serves to spawn three new questions.  If you like a good adventure/mystery show though, Lost really is the best there is.  The first two seasons of the show are non-stop heart-pounding action and suspense.  Sure, the show may have lost (no pun intended) its way a bit in Season Three, but they've since recovered and are back again in top form as they approach the beginning of their final season.

 

If you've never seen Lost before, now is your chance to catch up before it's all over.  All five seasons of Lost that have aired so far are available on the Instant Play feature.  Even if you've seen Lost before, now is a good chance to go back and get reacquainted with Jake, Kate, Sawyer, Hurley and all the rest.  As Desmond would say, "It's the right thing to do brother!"

 



 

08.  Dexter

 

Who knew a show about a demented serial killer could be so funny?  Strangely enough though, it's hilarious.  Dexter is an interesting mix of suspense, violence and very dark comedy that never fails to entertain immensely.  The show follows the daily life of a serial killer who just so happens to also be a blood spatter analyst for the Miami police force.  Dexter doesn't just kill anyone though.  No, he has a code.  He only kills bad guys.  Killers, rapists, pedophiles, anyone who escapes justice becomes his next victim. 

 

Of special geek note in the show, Dexter's girlfriend is played by actress Julie Benz, whom you'll remember as the vampire Darla from both Buffy: The Vampire Slayer and Angel.  If you aren't squeamish about blood at all, and love a good suspense story, Dexter will certainly creep you out in all the best ways possible.

 



 

07.  Cosmos - With Carl Sagan

 

If you were a child of the 80's like I was, chances are you were introduced to Carl Sagan's Cosmos at an early age.  An entire generation grew up watching this show, and every generation since then has followed suit for good reason.  Cosmos is the single most popular science documentary ever made.  It's been seen in countries around the world and has been viewed by millions of people.  It's won more awards than I can count, and it's still as relevant today as it was when it first aired back in the early 80's on PBS.

 

What is Cosmos, you ask?  It's a documentary about space, the earth and Man's role in the universe.  Everything from the Big Bang to UFO's are covered in the course of the series, and it's all narrated beautifully by one of the greatest minds of the 20th century.  Carl Sagan's delivery and narration are really what make this show so addictive.  His absolute passion and excitement about the subject matter come across so powerfully that the viewer can't help but get excited about science too. 

 

This is the series that forever endowed me with a love of space exploration, science and an interest in how my own brain and body work.  The fact that this can be viewed whenever one wishes makes me smile inside.

 



 

06.  The IT Crowd

 

If you like british comedy shows like the original Office, Coupling, Teachers or Absolutely Fabulous, you'll adore The IT Crowd.  The show is about two computer geeks who work in the IT department of a big corporation.  In the first episode they are assigned a new boss who doesn't know a thing about computers and, as usually happens in these types of shows, hilarity ensues.

 

The character of Moss and Roy (the two IT guys) are wonderful.  They're the kind of every-day geeks like us that we instantly love.  They're smart and funny, but a bit socially awkward (especially Moss).  The show is filled with geeky references to computers (of course), comics, movies and other pop culture stuff.  The show also features one of the coolest 8-Bit style intros I've ever seen.  Be warned though, the theme song is very catchy and you'll be humming it for days.

 



 

05.  Mystery Science Theater 3000

 

MST3k is a classic of science fiction comedy.  It's show about a guy trapped on a space station with two smartass robots who is forced to sit through the worst films ever just to see what happens to him.  To stop himself from going insane, he and his robot friends constantly mock the movies they are seeing.  The vast majority of the show is actually the films that are being watched, with the guy (either Mike or Joel depending on the episode) and the robots appearing in the bottom corner of the screen as silhouettes in theater seats.  You're watching the movie with them, and their commentary is really what makes the show great.

 

If you've ever watched a really crappy movie with some friends, and you talked over it for most of the film, you'll know what MST3k is like.  While there aren't full season sets on Netflix to watch, there are a ton of individual episodes that can be selected.  Click the link above and you'll see a good list of what is available.

 

Note: Somehow, the drunker one is while watching MST3k, the funnier the jokes are.  I don't know quite how that works, but I can attest to the validity of this statement after hours of strict scientific research on my part.

 



 

04.  Farscape

 

Long before Battlestar Galactica became the phenomenon it was for the SyFy Channel, Farscape was by far their most popular and highest rated show.  The series is about a NASA pilot named John Crichton who gets sucked through a wormhole and ends up on the other side of the galaxy.  His goal is to find his way home, but through a series of events in the first episode he finds himself travelling with a group of escaped prisoners in a living spaceship.  Oh, and they're being hunted by a very powerful and evil empire-like army.

 

One other important fact about this show.  It was produced by the Jim Henson company, which means a good number of the aliens and the makeup and whatnot on the show was done by them.  Now, don't go thinking that this is a Space Muppets show.  This isn't Pigs in Space.  This is the Henson company at the height of their game.  Think Labyrinth or Dark Crystal, but with better effects.  These are some serious puppets and special effects we're talking about here. 

 

What do you get when you blend space operas and Jim Henson?  You get Farscape, and the show takes the best parts of both worlds and is ever more awesome for it.  The entire series of Farscape is available on the Instant Play feature too, so you won't miss a moment of its greatness.

 



 

03.  Doctor Who

 

There's a reason that Doctor Who is the longest running science fiction show of all time.  It's beyond awesome.  The tale of the Time Lord known only as The Doctor has been going on for over 40 years now, and I doubt it will be stopping anytime soon.  Don't feel daunted by the show's long history though.  The series got a reboot of sorts back in 2005, and it's the perfect jumping on point for those who have never watched an episode of Doctor Who before.

 

The Doctor is an immortal alien known as a Time Lord.  He's a super genius and he travels through space and time just for the fun of it.  Along the way he gets caught up in one adventure after another.  His life is definitely not boring.  Oh, and he usually has a pretty and smart sidekick with him on his travels.

 

In the current series of the show that started back in 2005, two different men have played The Doctor.  Christopher Eccleston, whom you may remember as the army commander in 28 Days Later or as the invisible man from Heroes, plays the doctor for the first season of the show.  After he leaves, The Doctor is played by the truly amazingly talented David tennant.

 

Doctor Who is sci-fi at it's campiest best.  It's meant to be fun.  This isn't dark sci-fi, it's fun sci-fi, filled with hope and wonder and the belief that tomorrow will always be a better day.  With so many franchises that have tried to get darker and edgier over the years, it's so nice to see a show that has steadfastly stuck to its roots and is even more popular today than it ever has been before. 

 



 

02.  Legend Of The Seeker

 

When I first heard that Sam Raimi and his production company Renaissance Pictures would be adaptating Terry Goodkind's beloved Sword of Truth fantasy novels into a TV series, I was incredibly skeptical.  The only thing I could think of was that this was going to be another cheesy fantasy series like the Hercules and Zena: Warrior Princess series' he had produced before.  Not that those are bad shows, mind you.  But since Lord of the Rings came out in theaters, I've been dying for a good fantasy series on TV and I thought that Legend of the Seeker would never be that with Raimi producing it.

 

Oh how wrong I was.

 

Make no mistake, Legend of the Seeker is no new Hercules or Zena series.  This is a Lord of The Rings scale epic fantasy series beyond my wildest dreams.  I think my jaw actually dropped a few times during the first episode of this show.  The production values are movie quality.  The special effects are flawless and gorgeous.  The whole thing is shot on location in New Zealand, so the scenery is beautiful.  The writing is superb.  The actors are top notch.  The characters are fun, endearing and exciting.  And best of all, the story is epic as all good fantasy tales should be.

 

Legend of the Seeker is about a man named Richard Cypher.  He is the first true Seeker born in over a thousand years.  He has been destined to save the world from the evil lord Darken Rahl, a ruthless wizard and king who rules the lands with an iron fist.  Richard must go from a humble upbringing and train to become the warrior he needs to be to complete his destiny.  Helping him is a very powerful wizard named Zedicus Zu'l Zorander and a beautiful Confessor named Kahlan, who has the power to turn men away from evil with a single touch. 

 

Think of it like this, Legend of the Seeker is a weekly series that has badass swordfights, cool magic, dark wizards, evil armies, damsels in distress, forbidden love, epic quests and all of the other things that make fantasy so great in the first place.  In my opinion, it is hands down the greatest fantasy TV series I have ever seen.  The whole first season of the show is available on Netflix's Instant Play feature as well as the first few episodes from season two so far.

 

My only hope is that this show  continues on for years and years to come.

 

 

 

01.  Star Trek - The Original Series

 

Where would we as geeks be without Star Trek?  The original series of Trek is a foundation upon which most of science fiction today as we know it is built.  This is the series that gave us Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, phrases like "Warp speed Mr. Sulu" and "I'm giving it all she's got Captain!".  It's the show that introduced the concept of the "Red Shirt" to us.  It made words like "Phasers" and "Warp Drive" common household terms.  It taught us the greatest hand signal of all time and also gave television it's first ever interracial kiss. 

 

It broke down more barriers than I can even think of.  It's gone beyond being a TV show and has become ingrained in our popular culture.  Walk up to anyone on the street and ask them what "Beam me up Scotty" means and they'll be able to tell you, even if they've never ever watched a single episode of Star Trek in their whole life.

 

Now, the first season of the original series that started it all is available for viewing on the Instant Play feature.  This is the newly remastered version of the series too.  The special effects have been updated with amazing CG work that still evokes the original look of the show.  The overall picture quality of the show has been cleaned up too so that it looks even better today than it did when it first aired on TV.

 

For both new Trek fans and old, having Star Trek on demand like this is like a present from the gods.  It is something to be cherished and loved.

Pure Beauty

 

Anything I say about this new poster for Tron Legacy would pale in comparison to the sheer beauty that it presents us with, so I'm just going to shut up now and stare at it some more.

Please, a moment of silence is needed to appreciate this properly.

Pride And Prejudice And Portman

 

 

Holy crap!  This is the best news I've heard in a while.  Variety is reporting that Queen Amidala herself, Natalie Portman, will be both producing and starring in a movie adaptation of the book Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.  If any of you read my review of the book, you know I pretty much loved the crap out of it.  To have any movie adaptation at all made of the book is awesome news to me.  Then throw in the fact that it will star Natalie "OhMyGodShesSoHot" Portman as the zombie slaying Elizabeth Bennett and I pretty much lose all coherent thought as a result of the awesomeness bestowed upon me.

 

Seriously.  Think about it.  Natalie Portman, in a Victorian gown, whooping zombie ass.  Can we ask for a better film than that?  I think not.

 

And it's not just zombies too.  Let's not forget that the book had Ninjas in it.  If the movie adaptation is at all faithful to the book, we could very well get to see Natalie Portman punch her fist into a Ninja's chest, pull out his still beating heart, and then take a bite of it.  I only have one word for that.

 

FUCKAWESOME!!!

 

As of this moment, I have stopped caring about any other film currently in production.  This is the only film I want to see.  It can't get made fast enough!

I Proudly Admit That I Am Team Edward

 

Team Edward James Olmos that is.  The only real team worth joining.  What? Did you think I was talking about some lame-ass wannabe sparkly vampire douchebag?  Please, give me some credit here people. 

 

Team EJO is the shit.  If there was ever an Edward worthy of my faithful devotion, it would be EJO.  This Edward isn't some wussy pretty-boy with crappy hair who has a thing for underage girls.  No, this Edward has hunted down Blade Runners and has led humanity to safety from the armies of the Cylons.  He's a tough-as-nails badass and he has more than earned my respect.

 

I Am Team Edward.  So Say We All!!!

 

If you too are Team Edward and would like to proudly declare your status to the world, this amazing shirt can be bought here for only $20.  The shirt itself is actually based on a web comic, which is rather amusing too.  If you'd like to see the web comic, go here.

Facebook Updates From A Galaxy Far, Far Away

 

 

I know, I know, the fictional facebook updates thing may be getting a little old, what with me already having posted video game characters and superheroes updates before.  I'm sure though that if you indulge me here once again, you too will enjoy the hilarity that is Star Wars Facebook updates.  The one above with the Stormtroopers talking is my favorite, but there'll all really good.

 

Be sure to swing by Geekologie to check them all out, but here's one more that had me cracking up when I first saw it.

 



 

Poor Wedge, Luke will never let him live down having to pull out of the trench run on the first Death Star.  Even all these years later.  That's gotta get to a guy after a while.

Giant Robots Go On The Warpath

 

There are some staples of Science Fiction that are so timeless they never get old. Giant robots marching into a city and leveling it are one of them. No matter how many times I watch 80 foot tall metal monsters laying waste to entire downtown areas, I always enjoy it. This is especially true when the attack looks as pretty as it does in this video. It's only a five minute short film made with the intention of getting the director's name out there, and I for one have taken notice. The filmmaker is from Uruguay and his name is Fede Alvarez. Be sure to remember that name because he's possibly about to become the next Neil Blomkamp. His attempt to become known seems to be paying off.

 

From the Sci-Fi Wire:

 

The video so impressed Sam Raimi that his Ghost House Pictures has made a deal with Alvarez to direct a movie based on the short, Variety reports. Kinda like District 9 director Neill Blomkamp, whose sci-fi movie grew out of a video short.

 

And to add to the film's already impressive visual effects, consider this. The short film only cost $500 to produce. That's right, just $500. To all of you budding filmmakers out there, take note. If you want to get noticed in Hollywood these days, the trick seems to be to independently fund your own small projects and get them onto the internet for the world to see. If they're good enough, the Sam Raimi's and Peter Jackson's of the world may just stumble across you and take you under their wing.

 

On a personal note, I absolutely love the inclusion of the music from 28 Days later in this video as well as the classic look of the robots. The giant hydraulic legs look a thousand times cooler than any robots that Michael Bay has ever created, and the missle launcher arms are too perfect. It was almost like watching a live-action version of the Iron Giant.

New Iron Man 2 Poster Includes War Machine Goodness

 

Holy hot damn!!!  Marvel recently released the above ass-kicking poster for Iron Man 2, which is notable for being our first official glimpse at what War machine will look like in the film.  If this heavily photoshopped poster is anything to go by, it looks like good old W.M. was lifted straight from the comics page and has been brought into the live-action film with his certified status as a badass left firmly intact.

 

Sweet Cheadle!!!  I can't wait to see War Machine whooping some serious ass next summer.