ALL NEW DOCTOR WHO!

Doctor Who fans like me will be watching the first new episode of Doctor Who tonight, on BBC America at 8pm EST, since last year’s Christmas Special. This is technically the 6^th episode of season 7, but it is the first episode of The Doctor with his new companion, Clara, so it almost feels like a new season.

The episode is entitled The Bells of Saint John. It is described as: The Doctor’s search for Clara Oswald brings him to modern day London, where Wi-Fi is everywhere. Humanity lives in a Wi-Fi soup, but something dangerous is lurking in the signals, picking off minds and imprisoning them. As Clara becomes the target of this insidious menace, the Doctor races to save her and the world from an ancient enemy.

Watch the BBC America-Exclusive Trailer for the All New Episodes of DOCTOR WHO *** Premiering SATURDAY MARCH 30 at 8/7c *** Presented by Supernatural Saturday, only on BBC America.

Immediately followed by the World Premiere of New BBC AMERICA Original Series ORPHAN BLACK at 9/8c and the new season of BBC AMERICA Original Series THE NERDIST at 10/9c.

Through all of time and space, the unknown is everywhere. But sometimes, the universe's greatest mystery is the person right next to you...

"I look at you every single day and I don't understand a thing about you."

"You're the Impossible Girl, the only mystery worth solving..."

In these episodes, The Doctor (MATT SMITH) is joined by his new companion Clara (JENNA-LOUISE COLEMAN) for the latest set of incredible adventures through space and time. The duo finds new adversaries and familiar friends around every corner as they journey from the bottom of the ocean in a submarine to the center of the TARDIS and beyond. The Cybermen make a thunderous return and the Ice Warrior arrives in an unexpected place.

In the premiere, a modern-day urban thriller called "The Bells of Saint John" written by lead writer and executive producer Steven Moffat (Sherlock) and set in London against the backdrop of new & old iconic landmarks, a new nemesis - the Spoonheads - battle the Doctor as he discovers something sinister is lurking in the Wi-Fi.

http://doctorwho.tumblr.com

https://twitter.com/doctorwho_bbca

http://bbcamerica.com/doctorwho

TRAILER TUESDAY: FRINGE SERIES FINALE!

Fringe is science fiction television series that was co-created by J. J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci. It premiered on Fox on September 9, 2008 and the show's first season ran a total 22 episodes.

                                  

Fringe’s first season focused on a team which investigating bizarre scientific occurrences or a string of fringe science–related incidents worldwide related to "The Pattern". The team consisted of FBI special agent Olivia Dunham, scientist Walter Bishop, his son Peter Bishop and others at the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security. It followed a procedural story structure for most of this first season, only occasionally hinting at the cause of these “fringe” events.

The show was renewed for a second and third season of 22 episodes each, which aired from September 17, 2009 to May 20, 2010, and September 23, 2010 to May 6, 2011, respectively. As each season progressed, we found out what was causing the fringe events and who was behind the cause. The ties between Walter, Peter and Olivia become even more evident and critical as these two seasons progressed.

Fringe was officially renewed for a fourth season during the 2011–2012 television season which consisted of 22 episodes. All the plotlines from seasons one through three really come to a head in season four and the procedural format is almost completely disposed of.

On April 26, 2012, Fox renewed Fringe for a fifth and final season, consisting of 13 episodes. It premiered on September 28, 2012. The fifth and final season of Fringe takes place in a future that is not favorable to humans. Once again, it is up to Walter, Peter and Olivia to try and set things right and save the world one more time.

I've been watching Fringe since the first episode and it’s hard to believe that after four-and-a-half years and 98 episodes, this amazing mind-bending science fiction series is coming to an end! One thing that Fringe has never done is let me down in terms of fulfilling character arcs and satisfying story conclusions, so I am looking forward to the two episode conclusion this Friday night from 8pm – 10pm EST on Fox.

Here is the trailer for the last two episodes of season five of Fringe entitled "Liberty" and "An Enemy of Fate":

TRAILER TUESDAY: DOUBLE FEATURE! CONTINUUM AND LOST GIRL!

The SYFY Channel will be debuting Continuum in the United States on Monday, January 14, 2013 at 8 pm, EST. Continuum is a Canadian science fiction series produced by Reunion Pictures Inc. and centers on the conflict between a police officer and a group of rebels from the year 2077 who time-travel to Vancouver, BC in the year 2012. It premiered on Showcase in Canada on May 27, 2012 and ran for ten episodes. It has already been renewed by Showcase for a second season.

The SYFY Channel describes Continuum:

When a group of fanatical terrorists escape their planned execution in 2077 by traveling back in time to 2012, they inadvertently take City Protective Services officer Kiera Cameron with them. Trapped in a more “primitive” past, Kiera infiltrates the local police department to try to track down the terrorists before they change the course of history.

Continuum stars Rachel Nichols (Alias, Criminal Minds, G.I. Joe) as Kiera, Victor Webster (Castle, Melrose Place) as detective Carlos Fonnegra - who Kiera allies with - and Erik Knudsen (Jericho, Scream 4) as Alec Sadler, the teenaged tech genius who could be Kiera’s key to saving the future.

Continuum comes from executive producers Simon Barry (The Art of War), Jeff King (Stargate SG-1, White Collar), Tom Rowe (Tin Man), and Pat Williams (Smallville).

Watch the Continuum trailer for the Showcase debut below:

The SYFY Channel will be airing the first episode of season three of Lost Girl on January 14, 2013 at 10 pm, EST. On December 9, 2011, Kirk Hooper announced on the Showcase blog that Lost Girl had been renewed for a third season. It was later confirmed by Showcase the air dates for Season Three: Showcase will premiere it on January 6, 2013, making the SYFY broadcast of the first episode only a week later.

A press release describes Lost Girl, season three:

For Bo, Season Three is all about discovery. The victory in the final battle of Season Two has created new alliances but also reinvigorated old enemies - enemies like The Morrigan, whom Bo crossed in an attempt to bring peace to the Faedom. This year our favorite Succubus, who until now has famously refused to pick a side, will be forced to make a deadly decision - or risk a fate worse than death. Season Three also sees Bo make a romantic choice, as she commits to a real-life, grown-up relationship - but finds the road to commitment riddled with obstacles. Though she chooses the one she loves, can a Succubus ever be monogamous? Throughout the season, unexpected jeopardy stalks Bo and those she cares about. Though Bo battles many foes, her greatest enemy will prove to be the one that resides within herself. Bo will have to comes to terms with her own identity, and take on an ancient, almost unwinnable challenge if she hopes to finally lean the terrifying truth about who (or what) she might be destined to become.

Watch the Lost Girl season 3, 60-second teaser trailer for the Showcase debut below:

TRAILER TUESDAY! SUPERNATURAL SEASON 8 PREMIERS OCTOBER 3 ON NEW NIGHT - WEDNESDAY!

As I wrote in my post over a year ago, TRAILER TUESDAY!SUPERNATURAL SEASON SEVEN STARTS FRIDAY ON THE CW,  I have been a fan of the show since season one, episode one. It’s hard to believe that tomorrow night is the first episode of season eight and I’m just as excited to see what the Winchester boys are up to this year as the past seven! While season seven was far from my favorite, it still had plenty of fun exciting episodes "The Girl with the Dungeons and Dragons Tattoo" about a computer hacker named Charlie (guest-starring Felicia Day), and horrific, sad scary episodes "Death's Door", about the death of my favorite character Bobby Singer (Jim Beaver).

Season eight starts off a year after the end of season seven. Here is the official description of season eight:

Sam and dean are reunited after a year apart -- Dean (Jensen Ackles) re-emerges from Purgatory, but he isn't alone. He heads straight for Sam (Jared Padalecki), but the reunion isn't exactly what he thought it would be. Sam drops everything to join his brother, but leaving the life he had grown to enjoy turns out to be harder than he imagined. Dean and Sam look for Kevin (guest star Osric Chau) who has managed to escape Crowley's (guest star Mark Sheppard) grasp, but things come to a head quickly when Kevin tells them what it is that Crowley wants.

Supernatural has also had great guest spots and season eight is no exception! This year Amanda Tapping is set to play Naomi, who executive producer Jeremy Carver describes as "cool and mysterious, part of a new group of angels we've never seen before." She will make her first appearance in episode 8 titled "A Little Slice of Kevin” and it has been reported that she will make additional appearances beyond this episode. As any genre fan should know, Amanda Tapping is best known for her work in the Stargate franchise as Samantha Carter, and more recently she starred as Helen Magnus on Sanctuary.

Another interesting guest star will be Mike Farrell - best known for his work as Captain B.J. Hunnicutt on M.A.S.H., who will star in episode 8 as an aging mentalist with a slippery grasp on reality.

Season eight of Supernatural premiers tomorrow night on the CW network at 9:00 PM EST. Enjoy the trailer for season eight of Supernatural!

TRAILER TUESDAY! DREDD 3D – 2012 – NOT A DREADED REMAKE!

 

Dredd is not a remake of the 1995 Judge Dredd starring Sylvester Stallone, but a new beginning for a projected series of films based on the comic stories from the UK's 2000 A.D. I read the Eagle Comics reprints of the early Judge Dredd comics stories from the late-70’s/early-80’s and thought that the 1995 film didn’t do the comics justice. Reading some of the early  reviews, it seems as if Dredd will be truer to the comics.

According to ScienceFiction.com:

Judge Dredd is the law and proved it with the film ‘Dredd 3D’ topping the box office in the UK last weekend. According to THR, the Peter Travis reboot film took the #1 spot beating ‘Anna Karenina’, ‘Lawless’, and ‘That’s My Boy’.

This marks the first time an 18 certificate (which is equivalent to an ‘R’ rating across the pond) has taken the top box office spot in British theaters since 2010, the year ‘Saw 3D’ was released. While no exact figures have been released, estimates have the film taking in more than £1 million ($1.65 million) on its opening weekend ahead of the Kira Knightley and Jude Law film ‘Anna Karenina’ which brought in £980,000 ($1.60 million).

With such a strong debut in England, that tells me that Dredd pleased the fans who are more familier with that character and its source material than anywhere. That makes me hopeful that Dredd should be more than worth the effort to see in the theater.

 

Dredd opens in the United States on September 21. Watch the “red band” trailer for Dredd and see for yourself if Dredd is worth your time and money. If nothing else, this trailer proves that it deserves its R rating.
 

TRAILER TUESDAY! RESIDENT EVIL: RETRIBUTION – 2012 – REDUNDANT OR REQUISITE?

 

Resident Evil: Retribution is an upcoming fifth film in the Resident Evil film franchise and is set to be released September 14, 2012. I’m a fan of all the films and am looking forward to Retribution as well.

 

The Resident Evil is a film series based on the Campcon survival horror video game, which made its debut on the PlayStation in 1996. In January of 1997, Constantin Film bought rights to the first film. After failed scripts by Alan B. McElroy and George A. Romero, that film never got made. Sony acquired distribution rights to the film in 2001 and hired Paul W.S. Anderson as writer and director for Resident Evil (2002). Made on only a budget of $33 million, Resident Evil went on to make over $102 million worldwide! Anderson went on to write and produce both Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004) and Resident Evil: Extinction (2007).  Anderson then returned as director for the fourth installment, Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010). After finishing directing The Three Musketeers (2011), Paul W.S. Anderson went back to both writing and directing Resident Evil: Retribution.

There were rumors that this may be the last film in the franchise, but in a recent interview on Collider.com, Anderson hinted there may be more Resident Evil films to come.

Collider.com: We have heard from some of the cast that when you were writing this one you were thinking of a 5th and 6th film and that there was almost talk of you guys filming them back to back.

Anderson: We definitely…there was an earlier discussion about that, but then we just decided to focus on this movie. But if it is that we make another one, I do know where it would go. It would obviously be great to kind of make two full trilogies and then just bring everything to an end.

Collider.com: That is the thing. Your significant other was mentioning that she can only play the character for so long. In your mind, is the 6th film the finale?

Anderson: Definitely. Unless, of course, no one goes to see this one. Then this one would be the finale, just maybe not a very satisfying one. [laughs]

To read even more about Resident Evil: Retribution and other Anderson projects go to:

http://collider.com/paul-ws-anderson-resident-evil-retribution-interview

 

The official synopsis for Resident Evil: Retribution reads thus:

The Umbrella Corporation's deadly T-virus continues to ravage the Earth, transforming the global population into legions of the flesh eating Undead. The human race's last and only hope, Alice (Milla Jovovich), awakens in the heart of Umbrella's most clandestine operations facility and unveils more of her mysterious past as she delves further into the complex. Without a safe haven, Alice continues to hunt those responsible for the outbreak; a chase that takes her from Tokyo to New York, Washington, D.C. and Moscow, culminating in a mind-blowing revelation that will force her to rethink everything that she once thought to be true. Aided by newfound allies and familiar friends, Alice must fight to survive long enough to escape a hostile world on the brink of oblivion. The countdown has begun. -- (C) Sony

 

So, is Resident Evil: Retribution redundant or requisite? If Resident Evil: Retribution is as action-packed as the previous four films, then I’ll definately vote requisite and I for one can hardly wait for this one! I won’t have to wait long, because the film is set to be released September 14, 2012, which is less than two weeks away! Meanwhile, enjoy the latest trailer for Resident Evil: Retribution!

 

TRAILER TUESDAY! DOCTOR WHO – SEASON 7, FIRST FIVE EPISODES FULL TRAILER!

 

 

The BBC finally announced a few days ago that the first episode of the seventh season of Doctor Who will air on September 1 at 9pm in the USA on BBC America. This announcement came out on August 22 – just ten days before the air date! The titles for the first five episodes were also recently released, as well as descriptions for the first three. I’ll leave out the descriptions, as they are somewhat spoilerific.

 

The titles of the Season 7 episodes are:

 

Season 7, episode 1 - Asylum of the Daleks, written by Steven Moffat, directed by Nick Hurran

 

Season 7, episode 2 - Dinosaurs on a Spaceship, written by Chris Chibnall, directed by Saul Metzstein

 

Season 7, episode 3 - A Town called Mercy, written by Toby Whithouse, directed by Saul Metzstein

 

Season 7, episode 4 - The Power of Three, written by Chris Chibnall, directed by Douglas Mackinnon

 

Season 7, episode 5 - The Angels take Manhattan, written by Steven Moffat, directed by Nick Hurran

 

Enjoy the Doctor Who Season 7, first five episodes full trailer!

 

 

TRAILER TUESDAY! TOTAL RECALL: TOO SOON TO REMAKE?

When the original Total Recall debuted in June of 1990, it was generally well-received by critics and made a sizable profit. Directed by Paul Verhoeven, with a script originally penned by Dan O'Bannon, Total Recall was a big budget sci-fi film with a satirical edge. Total Recall was Arnold Schwarzenegger’s return to science fiction after dabbling in comedy with Red Heat and Twins and it demonstrated that he could still carry a big science fiction action-drama. Being a fan of Schwarzenegger’s (and in the 80’s and 90's who wasn’t?) I enjoyed Total Recall for what it was, but felt that as a science fiction film it fell short of its premise’s potential. The ending of the film always bothered me in its unrealistic portrayal of a body exposed to a near-vacuum and the speed at which Mars’ atmosphere is replenished.

Twenty-two years later, a “remake” of Total Recall is being released. This film is scripted by Kurt Wimmer , Mark Bomback and James Vanderbilt did a "polish" on the script.  This version is directed by Len Wiseman, who is best known for writing and directing Underworld (2003) and Underworld: Evolution (2006), as well as directing Live Free or Die Hard (2007). Colin Farrell stars as Douglas Quaid; with Jessica Biel playing Melina a Resistance member and Kate Beckinsale playing Lori, Quaid's "wife". With a reported budget of $200 million, this film looks like a big-budget sci-fi film, but I’m also hoping that it has a bit more science fictional ideas in it as well. Being a fan of Wiseman’s previous films, I have no doubt I’ll enjoy the look and style of this new Total Recall. I’m not a huge fan of Colin Farrell’s total body of work, but I did enjoy his turn as the vampire in the recent remake of Fright Night (2011), so hopefully some of the energy that he brought to that role will translate well to his portrayal of the put-upon factory worker Douglas Quaid. The bigger of the two female roles falls to Jessica Biel, who’s work I’ve admired in such diverse films as Blade: Trinity (2004), The Illusionist (2006) and Next (2007). Also, any film with Kate Beckinsale in it is always worth watching!

If the film is as good as this trailer looks, than I’m more than ready for this remake! Total Recall opens August 3, 2012.

TRAILER TUESDAY! FALLING SKIES - SEASON TWO PREVIEW!

Falling Skies, the science fiction alien invasion drama on TNT, will be returning for a second season of ten more episodes, starting on June 17, 2012 at 9:00 PM.

I had some reservations about this show in the early episodes of season one, but as the show progressed, I grew to enjoy it more and more. While I still find the main character Tom Mason to be a trifle dull, he is at least likable and somewhat relatable. I understood his obsession with recovering his son Ben, but I was glad when that storyline was resolved half-way through season one. Mason even demonstrated overt affection towards Anne Glass in the final episode of season one, which was a classic case of better-late-than-never. I really like Pope, the classic anti-hero of the show, and I was happy when he gradually integrating himself into The Second by making himself useful as more than just a good cook. The cliffhanger ending where Mason was taken away willingly by the aliens was a bit of a drag – especially knowing I was going to have to wait almost a year before seeing if he would survive the encounter – but the suspense was somewhat mitigated by the fact that he is the lead of the program.

Here is a three-and-a-half minute preview of the first episode of the second season of Falling Skies, which features a fast-paced battle between members of The Second and the alien Skitters and the alien robot Mechs! Enjoy!

TRAILER TUESDAY! LOOPER – 2012 – TIME TRAVEL DONE RIGHT?

“In the year 2042, a mob hit man assassinates targets that arrive from the future of 2072. For him it's just a job... till he receives a new target: himself from the future.”

I’ve always liked time travel stories that deal with the paradox of meeting your future or past self. This new film from director-writer Rian Johnson looks like a fascinating blend of thoughtful drama and intense action. Johnson has previously directed and written Brick (2005) and The Brothers Bloom (2008). Neither of these is science fiction, but The Brothers Bloom, which I watched fairly recently, demonstrated Johnson’s ability to construct a complex plot with interesting characters, that uses both drama and humor effectively.

The casting of the movie is also exceptional! Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays Joe in the “past” and Bruce Willis plays Joe in the “future”. Emily Blunt, Piper Perabo, Paul Dano and the always brilliant Jeff Daniels round out the cast and are always a treat in any film they appear in.

Looper is coming to theaters September 28, 2012. Enjoy the trailer!

TRAILER TUESDAY! THE AVENGERS: EARTH'S MIGHTIEST HEROES!

If you’re anything like me and are waiting impatiently for The Avengers movie that is coming to theaters May fourth, I discovered something with which to tide your superhero-team jones over! The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes is a half-hour animated TV program that debuted on Disney XD in the fall of 2010. I haven’t watched animated shows with any regularity for many years now, so it comes as no surprise that this show escaped my notice. However, the entire 26-episode run of the first season of The Avengers: EMH is now on Netflix streaming. At 23 minutes per episode, the stories fly by as they are jammed-packed with super-heroic action!

The roster of superheroes for The Avengers: EMH is almost the same as the upcoming Marvel film. However, the series initially features a team based on the roster of the original 1960’s Marvel Comics Avengers, which is comprised of Iron Man, Ant-Man, Hulk, Thor, and the Wasp. Later in the series, they are joined by Captain America, Black Panther, and Hawkeye. As a fan who grew up reading the 1960’s and 1970’s Avengers comics, I really appreciate that the series is based primarily on the original stories by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. There are a few concessions to the modernization of certain Marvel characters – namely Nick Fury is a black man (oddly with hair in season one) that is clearly based on the Samuel L. Jackson film version of the character. Since S.H.E.I.L.D., like the movies, is largely responsible for gathering together the Avengers, Nick Fury’s character plays a prominent role in the show.

The second season of The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes is already running on Disney XD on Sunday mornings at 11:37 Am, right after the new Ultimate Spiderman show (which I’m also watching, but not quite as excited about), so once you get caught up, you can look forward to even more super-heroic adventure of The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes!

TRAILER TUESDAY! DOCTOR WHO – SEASON 7 TEASER!

TRAILER TUESDAY! DOCTOR WHO: THE ETERNITY CLOCK GAME FOR PS3!

As a lifelong Doctor Who fan – both the classic and the new series – and a fan of video gaming, I was very excited to find out that the first Doctor Who video game to be released for PlayStation 3, Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock is coming to PS3 and Vita through PlayStation Network this March. Here are some highlights of an article posted on IGN.com on March 8, 2012:

Details on The Eternity Clock have been scant to date, but as the launch window approaches BBC Worldwide has opened the doors of the TARDIS to reveal what this side scrolling platformer is all about - and true to form, it's a lot bigger and more complex on the inside than one might previously have imagined.

First and foremost, BBC Worldwide and developer Supermassive Games are deadly serious about creating a game for proper gamers, aimed at your typical PSN user - 18-30 year old males, with the title getting a PEGI 12 rating for 'mild violence'. Rather than just farming the license out like they did for the two previous Nintendo titles (Evacuation Earth on DS and Return to Earth on Wii), BBC Worldwide actively sought developers keen to work on the franchise, choosing SuperMassive Games (Start The Party!, Tumble) from 6 original pitches.

"The franchise is growing enormously and the amount of time and money you invest has a huge impact on the game you get, so licensing it to people isn't going to get you the best quality. This time we're actually putting in the BBC's own money and working with really good partners."

The time and money seems to have been well spent upon first impressions. Crucially the game is evocative of an episode of the show. With lovingly-recreated distinctive cinematography showcased by the Unreal Engine 3, Matt Smith and Alex Kingston providing over 5000 lines of dialogue along with motion capture, AND a full score by show composer Murray Gold, the feeling of actually participating in an episode in uncanny.

The game is set over 17 levels across four fundamental time periods on Earth - Elizabethan, Victorian, present day, the near future - and with several extra-terrestrial locations from the show thrown in for good measure, including the Cyber-factory, the Dalek Ship and the Stormcage Containment Facility, which you break out of as River Song using her hallucinogenic lipstick. Spoilers!

Ostensibly a side-scrolling platform puzzler with some stealth elements thrown in, Simon estimates that The Eternity Clock will offer a new player between 8-10 hours of gameplay. There are a variety of puzzle mini-games peppered throughout the levels which you'll need to conquer to unlock doors, time portals, and lifts. If you're playing co-op, the puzzles become co-op too, meaning you'll have work together to solve them – much like the Doctor and his companions do in the show.

The Eternity Clock has been planned as a long term investment for BBC Worldwide with future instalments and DLC on the horizon, possibly to tie in with the show's 50th anniversary in 2013. "We've got really big plans. This was planned to be the first in a series of games, so the story is set up in that way," Simon explained. "It gets left on a clear cliff-hanger. The eternity clock is a big part of that. We haven't announced anything yet, but I expect there will be some DLC."

For the full article which includes some cool screenshots of the game as well go to this link: http://ps3.ign.com/articles/122/1220205p1.html?RSSwhen2012-03-08_072000&RSSid=1220205

Meanwhile, watch the trailer below and if you’re a PlayStaition 3 owner and a Doctor Who devotee like me get ready to fire up the TARDIS and go on an adventure through time and space in Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock!

TRAILER TUESDAY! CLOVERFIELD 2 - A TRAILER: TRUE OR FALSE?

When Cloverfield was released in January of 2008, I knew very little about the film other than what was shown in the trailer. Unlike many critics, I thought Cloverfield worked as both a giant monster movie and a dramatic character piece. Even the found footage and “shaky cam” gimmicks that normally cause me to immediately check out of a film did not deter my enjoyment of Cloverfield.

A little over three years later, an “official” trailer for a sequel to Cloverfield – simply titled Cloverfield 2 – was posted on YouTube. It is as inspired and dramatic as the initial trailer for Cloverfield was back in 2007. Unfortunately, there has been no more information to be learned about the production or impending release of Cloverfield 2 since the release of the trailer. The only official response to a possible Cloverfield sequel was in a brief interview with director Matt Reeves published by Total Film Magazine on March 17, 2011: "Well, you are going to see it - we just don't know when [laughs]. At the moment we are talking about the story quite a lot. Drew Goddard, who wrote the original, is going to pen the sequel and JJ Abrams is very much involved. However, the three of us have been so busy that getting the right idea together has been taking a long time. We have a lot of affection for the original and the sequel can't just be the same thing. But that is tricky when you need to have a monster destroying stuff once again."

Either this trailer is a fantastic fan fake – which I doubt – or once again director Matt Reeves, writer Drew Goddard and producer J.J. Abrams are keeping the production of Cloverfield 2 completely secret from the prying eyes of the press and the fans alike. I for one hope that there will be a Cloverfield 2 sometime early next year

Enjoy the trailer!

TRAILER TUESDAY! JOHN CARTER IN 2012 - A MEGA-BUCK MASTERPIECE OR BIG BUDGET BUST?

I’ll admit it. I’m a sucker for BIG BUDGET sci-fi and fantasy movies! Every year the huge Hollywood studios pump out several $100 – $200 million dollar special effects opuses for fanboys to drool over in anticipation every year. The first of these mega-buck epics for 2012 is John Carter!

John Carter is Walt Disney Pictures’ attempt at another tent-pole film for a new franchise on the order of their Pirates of the Caribbean films. After failing with Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010), which cost an estimated $200 million to make and only grossed a little over $90 million in the United States, they are rolling the big budget dice with John Carter. The budget for John Cater is being estimated at $250 million and if the trailer is any indication, most of that was spent on the vast special effects to create the fantastic setting for the fantasy-version of the planet Mars.

John Carter the film is based on the novel "A Princess of Mars" by Edgar Rice Burroughs, published under the title "In the Moons of Mars" and serialized in All-Story Magazine in 1912. In the novel, John Carter is a former Confederate soldier, who, while prospecting for gold in the Arizona desert of the 1870’s is somehow transported to the planet Mars. It looks as though the film John Carter has kept the time and character intact; which is the only possible way that the fantasy setting of Mars could work.

The director of the film is Andrew Stanton, who was the director and writer of the Pixar animated films A Bug’s Life, Finding Nemo and WALL-E. This is his first live action feature, but his experience with the all CGI animated features should serve him well for the effects laden John Carter. Another former Pixar director, Brad Bird (The Incredibles and Ratatouille) has had great success with his first live action feature Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, so there is hope that Andrew Stanton might have similar luck with John Carter.

Portraying John Carter is 30 year old Taylor Kitsch, who is best known for his role as high school football star Tim Riggins on NBC's acclaimed television series "Friday Night Lights”, but will also be featured in another big budget film in 2012 Battleship. Playing the Princess Dejah Thoris is relative unknown Lynn Collins. Voicing (and motion capturing?) Tars Tarkas is veteran actor William Dafoe.

The special effects are headed by Steve Benelisha, who has worked recently on Captain America: The First Avenger and X-Men: First Class.

I think Disney is taking a real chance on John Carter, because the source material is not nearly contemporary or classic enough to be recognizable to a large enough audience to sell it on name recognition alone. Also, by releasing it in March, instead of the summer months when most blockbusters are released, they are almost already admitting defeat. Perhaps they are hoping to score at least the meagerly profitable numbers that Clash of the Titans made, which was released in April of 2010.

Whatever the reasons for such an early release, I most certainly will be headed to my local cinema on the weekend of March 9^th to see the visual splendor of John Carter! Enjoy the latest trailer!

TRAILER TUESDAY! UNDERWORLD: AWAKENING THIS WEEK!

Underworld: Awakening is being released this Friday on January 20, 2012 and I will be the first in line! Okay. Maybe the first in line for the Saturday afternoon show, but still... FIRST IN LINE! Enjoy the latest trailer!

TRAILER TUESDAY! THE DIVIDE - AN OLD SCHOOL POST-APOCALYPTIC SCI-FI THRILLER!

I’m not a fan of the post-apocalyptic sub-genre of science fiction. Even when they are combined with action (e.g.: Mad Max or Book of Eli) I usually find them too downbeat and depressing. When they are done as straight drama (e.g.: On the Beach or The Road) I find them so depressing as to be unwatchable.

The latest post-apocalyptic film being released is The Divide. If the plot description provided by Anchor Bay is any indication, there is a definite horror slant to the story, which seems to concentrate on the psychological terror of being trapped and dying in a post-nuclear world. Here is the official description:

In this graphic and violent, post-apocalyptic thriller, nine strangers-all tenants of a New York high rise apartment-escape a nuclear attack by hiding out in the building's bunker-like basement. Trapped for days underground with no hope for rescue, and only unspeakable horrors awaiting them on the other side of the bunker door, the group begins to descend into madness, each turning on one another with physical and psycho-sexual torment. As supplies dwindle, and tensions flare, and they grow increasingly unhinged by their close quarters and hopelessness, each act against one another becomes more depraved than the next. While everyone in the bunker allows themselves to be overcome by desperation and lose their humanity, one survivor holds onto a thin chance for escape even with no promise of salvation on the outside.

This is only the third feature film by director Xavier Gens, who previously gave us the crime-drama Frontier(s) and the action-crime film The Hitman, which were both released in 2007. These films were visually stunning, but because of their subject matter, not really of interest to me. The Divide has one major attraction going for it for genre fans and that is Michael Biehn, who plays Mickey the paranoid superintendent of the apartment building that the group of survivors is hiding in. Biehn has been featured in several genre films; most notably The Terminator, Aliens and The Abyss. So for his presence alone, The Divide may be worth at least a rental.

The Divide is being released to theaters January 13, 2012. Check out the trailer and see if The Divide is a film worth a trip to the theater for you.