Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983): The Best and The Worst

Happy New Year! Last year I did the Best and Worst of the 2002 UPN version of The Twilight Zone and I realized that I ran out of Twilight Zones to write about. Or did I? Twilight Zone: The Movie was released in 1983. Two years before the 1985 revival on TV. The same year as Return of the Jedi and Scarface. Yes, Twilight Zone: The Movie was on the big screen. It was produced by Steven Spielberg and John Landis. Can you imagine hearing about this in the early 80's? That they are bringing back the Twilight Zone but, not only that. Spielberg and Landis are both producing and directing! One is a great story teller and the other is a master of horror! The movie turned out to be a disappointment. To begin with it went through a bunch of production problems which culminated in the death of three actors: Vic Morrow and two child actors: Myca Dinh Le and Renee Shin-Yi Chen. It was terrible and tragic. The three actors died on set during a staged helicopter stunt gone wrong. You can search for the story on the internet and there are clips on youtube as well. The production team ignored the safety of the actors and violated a bunch of child actors laws. The part being filmed was part of the Vietnam scene in the first segment, Time Out. It's a very over the top story about racism. I'll talk more about it in the Best/Worst section. Twilight Zone: The Movie was split into five segments. An introduction and an epilogue to book end the movie. Then four separate segments. Out of the four segments there is an original story and three remakes. The initial idea was to have a character from the introduction appearing in each of the segments. That idea did not ban out but, they got Burgess Meredith, who acted in a couple of episodes in the classic Twilight Zone, to narrate the introduction and for the individual segments. Just like how Rod Serling narrated the introduction and sometimes the ending for the classic series. You might remember Burgess Meredith in Time Enough At Least as a man who survives a nuclear bomb and finally has all the time in the world to do what he loves most. Unlike, Serling, Merdith did not appear on screen. Twilight Zone: The Movie had a budget of $10 Million which might have been a lot in 1983. I'm not sure but, the movie had a feel of "just throw money into it and it'll be good" quality. It feels over produced and under written. Even as a child, back in the 80's I thought the movie was crap. Everything was so over the top. No subtlety what so ever. I am very critical of this movie but I do revisit it once in a while. Sometimes, I do find myself enjoying it from a different perspective. During my last viewing, I had a great time watching Nancy Cartwright's (Bart Simpson) performance as Ethel, Anthony's sister, in the third segment. Since there are only five segments, I'll just rate them in the order of appearance instead of having separate sections for Best and Worst. The Intro and the Epilogue is technically one segment but, I'll split them according to chronological order. The list is right after the "JUMP!". Twilight Zone - The Movie [ 1983 ] - Intro Evaldo Stabinski A list of The Best and The Worst after the "JUMP!":

Darth Vader Voiced By Schwarzenegger

Hello Youtubes! A bit of a silly post but I know a certain Master Jedi would've loved it. He was a dear friend whose impact still resonates. This one's for you SC. The Force will be with you always. Darth Vader Voiced By Schwarzenegger Jason Einert

The Twilight Zone (2002): The Best and The Worst

Happy New Year! In 2002 UPN revived The Twilight Zone with stories that were more topical and edgy. Being produced after 9/11, there were stories that touched upon homeland security and terrorism. The biggest example being The Monsters are on Maple Street. A retelling of the 1960's Twilight Zone episode, The Monsters are Due on Maple Street. The original story dealt with the fear of an alien invasion (allegory for a communist invasion). The updated 2002 version dealt with the fear of a terrorist attack. The 2002 Twilight Zone intro music was covered by Jonathan Davis of Korn. It's not as good as the 1985 Grateful Dead cover. Actually, a lot of things in this updated version didn't measure up to its predecessors. The 2002 Twilight Zone didn't have a lot of positives going for it. Most of the stories were bland with bad cheat twist endings or, endings that just lead to nowhere. Some of the directing was boring. There were a lot of unlikable characters. In fact, the series was so bad the show was cancelled after the first season. For the sake of doing this list, this was my 5th attempt at watching the show since the first time I watched it in 2002. I'd finally succeeded in grinding through the 44 episodes. Not all of them were bad. There were some exceptional episodes that's worthy of the original and the 1985 series. There were a lot of directors and writers that I didn't recognize. Some of them worked on the shows that I like: Battlestar Galatica, Buffy, Angel, Firefly... just to name a few. There were also a couple of actors who were involved with Battlestar Galactica peppered throughout the series like Rehka Sharma, Kandyse McClure and, Nicki Clyne. But the notable stars advertised at the time were Usher, Jessica Simpson, Amber Tamblyn, Jeremy Piven, Jason Alexander, Elizabeth Berkley and Shannon Elizabeth. I remember the promos on UPN making a huge deal about them being in the "New" Twilight Zone. Another notable name attached was Forest Whitaker. He hosted and narrated each episode in the tradition of Rod Serling who did the same in the original Twilight Zone. Unfortunately, Forest Whitaker was a bit a bland in the role. Last year, I'd listed 15 of the Best and 10 of the Worst episodes from the 1985 Twilight Zone. The year before that, I made a list of 15 of the Best and 10 of the Worst episodes from the original Twilight Zone. This year, I present to you 15 of the Best and 10 of the Worst from the 2002 The Twilight Zone. They are listed in the order presented on the DVD set. The list is right after the "JUMP!". The Twilight Zone Intro - 2002 The Twilight Zone Channel The original broadcast version of the intro had Rod Serling's image. He was edited out of the DVD release. A list of The Best and The Worst after the "JUMP!":

Happy 4th of July! (From The Twilight Zone)

Today, the U.S.A. is celebrating Independence Day with cook outs, going to the beach, fireworks and The Twilight Zone Marathon. Happy 4th of July! I'm sure they celebrate the 4th of July in the Twilight Zone as well. For more information on today's TWZ Marathon check out my previous post: The Twilight Zone Marathon July 4th 2012 I'm not going to leave you with just a link. Below is a video I found on youtube titled: TWILIGHT ZONE LOST EPISODE. It's a comedy sketch Rod Serling did parodying his own seires. I haven't found any information on it yet. If anyone has any facts or trivia about this episode, feel free to share! TWILIGHT ZONE LOST EPISODE bartbro

The Twilight Zone Marathon July 4th 2012

Hello TWZ fans! SyFy will be marathoning The Twilight Zone on July 4th again this year. Of all the weird decisions that this channel makes, I am glad that they keep the tradition of The Twilight Zone Marathons. Let's hope this tradition will continue. Although, during the TWZ New Year's Marathon the episodes were heavily edited and there were a ton of commercials in between. Some of the endings were even cut before Rod Serling could finish his closing narrations. Then there were times when the closing narrations were played along with the audible advertisements which splits the screen and overshadows Rod Serling's voice. If we stop watching and supporting the TWZ marathons because of the annoying ads, will SyFy stop showing the ads or will SyFy cancel the The Twilight Zone altogether? Maybe another channel might be interested in picking this up? I wish I have enough finances to start my own... a TRUE SCI-FI CHANNEL! Anyway, the TWZ Marathon on July 4th 2012 will start at 8am EST on SyFy. Probe 7 Over and Out will launch us into the 5th dimension. The marathon will end at 5am EST July 5th, after the conclusion of The Little People. Below is a link to SyFy's July 4th schedule. I recommend not clicking on it unless you necessarily need to see the schedule because, the ads play automatically with sound (there are flash blockers out there to prevent this). The Twilight Zone Marathon July 4th 2012 schedule on SyFy: syfy.com schedule For approval, I submitted a bit of trivia on Ray Bradbury's I Sing the Body Electric after the "JUMP!"

Prometheus

I'm going to start with listing some of the Prometheus flaws that I've heard: Being a prequel to Alien, it doesn't answer enough questions It's too open ended Too slow Not the movie that was advertised If you are looking for the action that was introduced to the series by James Cameron and continued on with Paul W.S. Anderson, chances are you will not like Prometheus. The trailers and promos are sort of misleading and strangely enough, it gives away a lot and at the same time it doesn't spoil anything. Even after watching Prometheus, I am left with more questions than answers. Ridley Scott had left most of the ideas introduced in this movie to be vague and open for interpretation. It's really tough to talk about the movie with the mindset of not spoiling anything while, I'm not even sure if there's anything to spoil. With that said, I'm going to have a spoiler section after the review at the "JUMP!." I found more strengths in Prometheus than flaws. With most Sci-Fi stories, more questions are asked than answered. This is the same with the original Alien movie. The first act introduced a lot of questions which some were finally answered 33 years later in Prometheus. Then there was Blade Runner, we didn't get answers to the replicants' story until it was analyzed many times over since the movie's premier in 1982. What about 2001: A Space Odyssey? Some of the ideas from that movie is still a mystery and it is considered one of the best Sci-Fi movies ever if not one of the greatest films of all time. I consider Prometheus not being a true prequel as a huge plus. The movie introduced a lot of concepts which expands upon the universe that the Alien Series is a part of. This gives the stories more depth and makes it richer. The Star Wars Prequels were sorely missing this. The universe is a BIG place, if you have every single thing connected in the saga, this makes it feel like a small community and not a "saga." When I first heard Ridley Scott say that Prometheus is not a prequel, at first I thought to myself, "yeah, ok. Have you gone insane? How can it not be a prequel? This is set on the same planetoid that the Nostromo in the original Alien film explored (Update: actually, according to the Prometheus website, the moon the Nostromo crew landed on was designated LV-426 while the Prometheus crew explored LV-223)." I finally realized what he meant after watching Prometheus. The movie is set in the same universe as the Alien Series. Weyland Industries funded Prometheus' expedition. The space jockey  (Update: I found out that there's a strong chance that this might not be the same Space Jockey in Alien) A space jockey (called an "Engineer" in this movie) made an appearance; which answered some of the first movie's mysteries and also interjected more ideas. Xenomorphs invaded (raped) and terrorized the expedition crew. Xenomorphs, not necessarily THE Xenomorph. Those are the connections that I can remember. The movie opened up a bunch of concepts and veered off into a tangent that moves sideways from the Alien Series. What the hell am I talking about? Well, let's go with what Prometheus is about. Simply, it's about searching for the origin of life. As you can tell from the trailers, Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) and Charlie Halloway (Logan Marshall-Green) discovered a star map from the art of Earth's ancient civilizations which pointed towards a distant moon, LV-233. Once they touch down on the moon the crew of the Prometheus discovered what they didn't expect and had their faiths shaken. Impressively enough, even the android's, David's (Michael Fassbender) faith as well. Surprisingly enough, even the "Engineers' '" faith was put into question. Essentially, Prometheus is about procreating and the relationships between Parents and Children. What the hell am I still talking about? Actually, I don't really know what I want to say, especially without giving away too much of the movie. Let's see, how is it not a prequel? Again, there are xenomorphs in this movie which are different from the ones we are used to in the previous Alien movies. We were introduced to, what I can best describe as a parasitic type of organism that breaks down DNA and reconstructs it into another type of being. Hmmm... that still sounds like THE Xenomorphs. Let's start from the beginning then. I don't think I'll give too much away talking about the beginning of the movie. There is no secret that human DNA comes from the "Engineers." All the trailers had introduced this. So, the movie started with who I like to call Prometheus (an "Engineer"), standing on a cliff, near a waterfall on Earth. He drinks out of a vial, the contents causes his body to break down immediately. Eventually, he falls into the waterfall. As his remains washes down river, the camera zooms in and gives us a look at his DNA string. It breaks apart and reforms and then the camera zooms out and shows us a familiar cell mitosis. Then the rest of the movie is about finding out why this happened. What was the reasoning behind it? Was there a meaning? Was it deliberate? With these questions being the background of Prometheus, we don't get the survival horror movie or the action movie. We get a philosophical movie. Prometheus was not what most people expected it to be but, it was still creepy and scary. I liked it a lot and I have a lot of ideas rolling around in my head while I'm still digesting the movie. I was talking to RFblues after watching the movie and he had an interesting observation. Prometheus is a haunted house movie. The characters sticks their nose into where they shouldn't and gets haunted and possessed. To go a bit further, I thought it was like The Mummy from 1932. With the expedition, the infections (cursed), the "Engineer" being... well, I'll touch upon that after the "JUMP!" Is the movie for everyone? No. For me, Prometheus is along the lines of Solaris (both versions), Moon and Sunshine. It's thought provoking, haunting and exhilarating. Sure, there are action sequences in Prometheus but it's mostly built by tension and less of the "Get away from her, you Bitch!" type. It's atmospherically scary and not the slasher movie/cat scares type. If you are still curious, ignore the trailers, and go in with an open mind. The acting was great as you might have already heard from other critics. Prometheus had an awesome cast which includes Charlize Theron, Idris Elba, Logan Marshall-Green, Noomi Rapace, Guy Pearce and Michael Fassbender. Even the minor characters played by Sean Harris, Rafe Spall, Emun Elliott, Benedict Wong and Kate Dickie were really good as well. But Noomi Rapace as Elizabeth Shaw and Michael Fassbender as David, I just need to mention that they were amazing. Noomi Rapace plays an annoying idealistic archeologist in the beginning of the movie which convincingly grows into Perseus by the end (keeping in the theme of Greek Mythology). Michael Fassbender as the android David, stole the show. If you liked Rutger Haur's Battie in Blade Runner you will like David. Actually, there are a lot of parallels between David and the Battie. Hmm... My absolute favorite scene with David was when he confiscated one of the crew member's rosary because he believed it might be "contaminated." At this point in the film the crew member's faith was shaken. When David said it might be contaminated, did he mean physically or spiritually? Keep the rosary in mind because it comes back later near the end of the movie. It's a small subtle scene but, it's a huge statement on faith and the soul. Ridley Scott is both amazing and insane at what he wanted to show us in Prometheus. His statements on reaching the heavens and finding the creator/s and procreation is both familiar and alien. With the screenplay written by Jon Spaihts and Damon Lindelof... Lindelof being one of the head writers on Lost, no wonder Prometheus has a similar tone in mystery and faith as J.J. Abram's TV Show. One thing that absolutely met my expectations were the visuals. Prometheus is such a terrifyingly beautiful movie. Even the weird looking phallic designs were captivating. Was it worth it in IMAX 3D? It was worth waiting one and a half hours in line to get good seats at the IMAX theater. It was also worth awkwardly wearing the stupid 3D glasses over my own prescription glasses for the great atmospheric 3D. If you care about the visuals and not too opposed to 3D movies. I highly recommend watching Prometheus in 3D. There are some great 3D shots: the Prometheus shuttle traveling in space, the storm on Moon LV233, the "Engineers' " star map...those were the scenes that stood out for me. The 3D was not distracting at all. Nothing poking you in the eye. Speaking of atmosphere, the music was built a lot of tension and really sets the mood. It was done by Marc Streitenfeld who also worked on most of Ridley Scott's films like American Gangster and Robin Hood. Prometheus is a great film and works as a stand alone movie (from the Alien Series). It introduced THE Xenomorphs in a way that allowed the story to veer into another arc. As for the flaws, I really don't consider the open ended ideas as a flaw. I also didn't believe Prometheus is a ploy to create more sequels. I think as movie goers we are so used to the devices that film makers set upon us that we tend to look for gimmicks and it has become hard for us to see pass the cynicism. Ironically, the Prometheus trailers being cut like the Alien trailer was a gimmick to get us back into the survivor horror mind set and it worked. The movie is not entirely different from the advertisements but it is different enough to disappoint certain viewers. It was a bit slow at times but, there's always some sort of mystery and tension. I found the mysteries to be more compelling than an annoyance. It's unfair to judge Prometheus with the same expectations as Alien. The 1979 movie gives off a claustrophobic feel, while the 2012 addition opens up the universe and reminds us why we fear the unknown.. For me, Prometheus is Sci-Fi at its best! Prometheus International Launch Trailer Prometheus6812 Prometheus Viral Clip # 4 (Elizabeth Shaw) FilmsActuTrailers RATING: 5/5

Prometheus: Happy Birthday Joel!

I thought Prometheus' first David 8 promo video was creepy (Prometheus: More Promos!). This one gave me goosebumps. Check out Fassbender's David 8 crying without emotion at 1:20. No wait, that's not David! It's Joel McHale of The Soap and Community! Well, it's still creepy when Joel cries without emotion at 1:20: Happy Birthday Joel (Prometheus Parody) WatchTheSoup (Parody of Prometheus: Happy Birthday David!) What is Prometheus' flaw? Why do so many critics not like it? The biggest complaint is that it's like the TV show Lost. It introduces a lot of ideas and opens up a lot of mysteries but fails to answer them at the end of the film. In any case, I'm still super excited about Prometheus. I will be watching it this coming Friday (June 8, 2012) at the IMAX 3D. I know I will at least like the art direction and the cinematography... and Michael Fassbender... and Charlize Theron... and Idris Elba... and Noomi Rapace... There's a TV spot with TIme Magazine calling Promethues "The most anticipated event of the summer." I have to disagree with that one. What about The Dark Knight Rises? That's been anticipated since the release of The Dark Knight. No one cared for Prometheus at first and some people still thinks it's superfluous. Also, it's not summer yet! I guess Times Magazine is more excited than I am, they even forgot which season we're in.

R.I.P. Ray Bradbury (1920-2012)

The highly influential author Ray Bradbury passed away at the age of 91 on June 5, 2012. To label him as just a Sci-Fi author does him a lot of discredit. Being able to convey human nature and emotions through his writing which we can all relate to, makes him one of the greatest authors who ever lived. He had received numerous awards through his huge catalog of creative and thought provoking stories. Even one of the awards was named after him, The Science Fiction Writer's Association (SWFA) Award. How influential can one get?! A bit on Ray Bradbury on the main page of his site: RayBradbury.com I used to hate reading when I was younger and Ray Bradbury was one of the authors who got me into books. I started out watching TV shows based on his writing. Then eventually, I started reading his short stories and books. Aside from Fahrenheit 451 or The Martian Chronicles, I knew him through the original Twilight Zone's I Sing the Body Electric, the 80's Twilight Zone's The Burning Man and the Ray Bradbury Theater. After the "JUMP!" are a couple of Ray Bradbury adapted teleplays that stood out for me (the ones I can find on youtube).

Prometheus: Happy Birthday David!

I thought Prometheus' first David 8 promo video was creepy (Prometheus: More Promos!). This one gave me goosebumps. Check out Fassbender's David 8 crying without emotion at 1:20: Prometheus Viral Clip # 3 (David the Android) FilmsActuTrailers What is David 8's flaw? Why did Weyland Industries need to build the Bishop series? Are the androids in the Alien Series the same as the "Replicants" in Blade Runner? Is our technology there yet? I'm afraid to google it. I'm sure Japan is working on something that most likely will enslave us into the Matrix soon. Go ahead, look up "realistic robots" on youtube. I guarantee it'll creep you out.

Prometheus: More Promos!

More Prometheus promos! I'm getting super excited for this next installment in the Alien series. After watching all these trailers and comparing the designs to the art found on the Specials Disc in the Alien Quadrilogy Set, it seems as though modern special effects technology has caught up to HR Geiger's vision. Please Prometheus don't suck! First, we have the UK version of the full trailer that came out this weekend: Prometheus International Trailer - UK Prometheus6812 Then, we got a tie in to the original Alien movie with Guy Pearce: Next, we have a Michael Fassbender being built: Prometheus - David 8 Viral Video joblomovienetwork

Prometheus Full Trailer

The full trailer for Prometheus is out and it reveals a bit of the plot. We find out that the crew of the Prometheus ends up on the "Space Jockey" planet because of an interstellar invitation. These invitations never end up being a  friendly hang out of drunken Wii Tournaments. They tend to be as chummy as a Hannibal Lecter dinner invitation. Wait... didn't Ridley Scott direct Hannibal? Truth be told, if there was a real interstellar invitation, I'd want to be on that first expedition. Prometheus - Official Full HD Trailer amctheatres I'm loving the HR Geiger imagery in the Prometheus trailers.

R.I.P. Ralph McQuarrie

Looking onward to the far horizon with a sense of romance and adventure... "My destiny is out there." R.I.P. Ralph McQuarrie Ralph McQuarrie Remembered Ralph McQuarrie was best known for his Star Wars concept designs. That's only a part of this amazing artist's vision. You can check out his fantastic gallery here: ralphmcquarrie.com I am at the age where most of my childhood heroes are at their twilight years or braving towards that season. When I was young, they'd shown me the magic and adventures that awaited for me in life but, it always come with some sort of price. Some times these trade offs are harsh and unjustifiably cruel. Thus, lessons of consequences and responsibilities are learned. As I got older it seems as though these lessons gets tougher but, I wear their bravery as armor and I wield their inspiration as artillery. Ralph McQuarrie, my school notes are full of doodles because of you. I can't stop sketching and painting because of you. Without you, the world would never be able to experience dreams turned into reality: John Williams – Binary Sunset kbmf0580

Prometheus International Trailer and Rumor

As far back as the mid 80's there were rumors that Blade Runner took place in the Alien universe. The off planet colonization the Replicants were talking about could be the same as the ones being infected by the Xenomorphs. Recently, this rumor has resurfaced since the prequel to Alien (Prometheus) is coming out soon and, the side-story/prequel to Blade Runner is in production. But according to an article on the Film School Rejects website, the producers of Prometheus and the next Blade Runner are denying the connection: Producers Deny ‘Blade Runner’ Will Be ‘Alien’ Prequel Won't it be cool though? What DID Roy Batty experience to inspire the "Tears in rain" soliloquy? "I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched c-beams glitter in the dark near the Tanhauser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. [pause] Time to die." Was Bishop a Replicant? Oh right! I almost forgot the point of this post. There is an international trailer for Prometheus with some new footage: Prometheus - International Teaser Trailer #1 by addictomovie

The Twilight Zone (1985): The Best and The Worst

Happy New Year! "Like a wind crying endlessly through the universe, time carries away the names and deeds of conquerors and commoners alike. And all that we were, all that remains, is in the memories of those who cared we came this way for a brief moment. A blessing of the 18th Egyptian Dynasty, 'God be between you and harm and all the empty places you walk.'" - Harlan Ellison CBS revived The Twilight Zone in 1985 to go up against NBC's Amazing Stories that was spearheaded by Steven Spielberg. The 80's Twilight Zone was headed by Executive Producer Philip DeGuere (creator of Simon & Simon), Supervising Producer James Crocker and Sci-Fi author Harlan Ellison whom wanted the anthology series to be writer driven like the original series. The trio was able to get writers such as Ray Bradbury, Rockne S. O'Bannon, Alan Brennert... As a result the 80's Twilight Zone had some of the best stories written for television which rivals the original series. It also had a huge cast of stars like Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, James Cromwell, Helen Mirren, Jeffrey Tambor, Fred Savage, Shelley Duvall... Even some of the episodes had notable directors like Wes Craven and Joe Dante. The intro of the Series kicks off with a great cover of The Twilight Zone theme done by the Grateful Dead thanks to Philip DeGuere being a long time associate of the band. The awesome voice of Charlie Aidman narrates the first 2 season. As with the absence of Aidman during the 3rd season, quality in the show was absent as well. CBS no longer had faith in the series after the 2nd season. They cut the episodes from a running time of 45min to 25min. Filming moved up north to Canada and video (instead of film) was used. Even the original production team lead by Philip DeGuere, James Crocker and Harlan Ellison was let go. This was much more cost efficient for CBS and the result was some of the worst TV episodes ever. I kind of understand why the studio lost faith in the show. The show didn't draw in as many ratings as the First Season and some of the episodes in Season 2 was forgettable. But Season 3 was just bad. I don't even remember most of Season 3 and I just watched them again recently. Even with that said, I highly recommend getting the collection on DVD. Not only does it have some of the best of what American TV has to offer, the episodes are coupled with some very interesting commentaries. Last year, I'd listed 15 of the Best and 10 of the Worst episodes from the original Twilight Zone. This year, I present to you 15 of the Best and 10 of the Worst from the 1985 revival of The Twilight Zone. I included the 1985 Grateful Dead opening on the bottom and the list is right after the "JUMP!" Twilight Zone Intro (1985) morval99 A list of The Best and The Worst after the "JUMP!":

The Twilight Zone Marathon New Year's Eve 2011

I submit to you for approval: the time is upon us once again, the end of an exhausted hour leading into the rejuvenation of a new year. What will this new clock count down to? A brighter tomorrow or the end of the world? The future is uncertain but, what is certain (for now) is that the SyFy Channel will be airing The Twilight Zone Marathon once again. The SyFy Channel's decisions are as uncanny as some of the stories in this beloved anthology series. Instead of starting at midnight on December 31st like recent years, the marathon will start at 9am (4hrs later than last year). There won't be a wrestling break this time and the marathon is scheduled until 6am January 2nd. That's actually not bad this time around for the channel for Sci-Fi that hates Sci-Fi. Even their official site is obnoxious with autoplaying ads: I'm only linking this for info on The Twilight Zone Marathon: syfy.com/twilightzone UPDATE: Click on the link below for information on The 2012 New Year's Eve Twilight Zone Marathon: The Twilight Zone Marathon New Year's Eve 2012 Schedule Last year, I compiled a list of The Best and Worst of The Twilight Zone. Check it out and see if you'd agree with me: The Twilight Zone: The Best and The Worst

Prometheus Trailer

I got to admit, I was tentative when I first heard about a prequel to the Alien Series. I still enjoyed the hell out of Alien 3 and Alien: Resurrection despite their problems. Not so much the The Alien vs. Predator movies. They were pretty bad. After hearing that Ridley Scott will be directing the prequel, I was still iffy about the idea. His last few movies since American Gangster were not that good. But the recently released trailer for Prometheus got me excited. I take back all my complaints about Prometheus' trailers for the official trailer. I need to save up money for all these great movies coming out in 2012. Prometheus might still be bad but, I'm sold by the imagery in the trailer. Prometheus also stars a couple of actors whom I like: Charlize Theron Michael Fassenbender Patrick Wilson Idris Elba Guy Pearce Prometheus - Official Trailer [TRUE HD] PrometheusNews What is that noise in the background? Is that the Space Jockey to the far right at 0:44?! Does the Prometheus trailer look familiar? Alien 1979 Trailer (HD) evilutiontv

Warping Time (sort of)

Hello Youtubes! Over here in the U.S. we are at the end of Daylight Saving Time and returning to Standard Time. It means we turn our clocks back one hour (fall back, spring forward). The way I see it, I get an extra hour of sleep or, I'm time traveling back an hour and with that hour gained, I get a second chance at something or another. Kind of like Back to the Future. Which by coincidence, the flux capacitor was conceived by Doc Brown on November 5, 1955 and we turn our clocks back at 2am on November 6th hmm (eyebrow raised)? If only I can figure out what it is I want a second chance at. Anyway, on the subject of warping time... as we turn our clocks back, it's kind of like time traveling and isn't that like folding time? Kind of like how the Battlestar, Galactica warp space and time as it "jumps?" I'm really REACHING here! I just want to make a connection with turning the clocks back and how the composer for Battlestar Galactica, Bear McCreary finds exciting ways to "warp" his music. Bear McCreary is the most exciting composer working in television right now. Aside from Battlestar Galactica, you can also find his music on The Walking Dead. Check out the video below as he plays the entire composition of "Prelude to War" on an accordion. A frakking accordion! I wonder if Steve Urkel has that type of accordion skill? "Prelude to War" for Accordion Orchestra bearmccreary's channel The original "Prelude to War" composition: Prelude to War GalacticaTurkey's Channel Bear McCreary also has a blog. He updates it regularly and talks about how he comes up with ideas on his music. If you like Battlestar Galactica, The Walking and Human Target I highly recommend checking out his blog: Bear McCreary Official Site And if you are a fan of Daylight Saving Time: Daylight Saving Time

The Thing (2011)

Halloween Movie "The Thing" is an alien organism that invades its hosts on a cellular level and imitates them. Creating a near perfect copy of its victims. Ironically, according to a film critic, the 2011 version of The Thing is just like the alien in the movie. It (the movie) imitates the John Carpenter's The Thing (1982). I'd have to agree. Right off the bat, at the beginning of the 2011 film, the old 1982 Universal Studios logo was shown. The tonal structure of the movie was a lot like the 1982 version. Even the score is very similar to Enrico Morricone's composition for John Carpenter's movie. The Thing (2011) is a facsimile of the 1982 version but, much like the alien's imitations, it looks the same on the outside but something is off... That's as far as I'd agree with the critic because, I enjoyed the The Thing (2011). I think the similarities were done to be consistent with the 1982 version. At least that's what I got out of it. Sure the plot with the guessing game of who's a "thing" and who's not is just like the 1982 version but, we do get to see some pretty far out concepts. We get the story of what was in that slab of ice. Don't expect to see a full shot of the alien though. I was disappointed by that. We get blurry glimpses and parts of it but, the full infested alien was never on screen. I thought the entire movie was going to be like that. I'm glad it wasn't. All the infested human were shown in horrible mutilated alien logic. I don't even know how to describe them. A lot of tentacles and one of them was a huge mouth. I wonder if the "The Thing" is one huge organism that was broken apart on a cellular level and spread throughout the galaxy? In any case, this movie delivered on the "you gotta be $%#*'ing kidding" moments. Also, we finally get to see the inside of the alien ship and designs for the um... engine? controls? Whatever was in the ship, the designs were pretty interesting. I wish more of the ship was explored. Not only does John McLane (Die Hard) kick ass, so does his daughter, Mary Elizabeth Winstead. With the parallels of this movie and the 1982 version, she takes on a similar role that Kurt Russell had in the older film. I was afraid that Mary Elizabeth Winstead had too much of a doe eyed demeanor and couldn't take on the action that the The Thing (2011) demanded but, she kicked ass. I shouldn't be surprised, she did alright in Live Free or Die Hard and Scott Pilgrim. Joel Edgerton (Owen Lars from Revenge of the Sith) and Adewale Akinnuoye-Abaje (Mr. Eko on Lost) played the American helicopter pilots who were in charge of taxiing the Norwegian scientists from the Antarctic research base back to civilization. They could have been played by anyone. Almost all of the characters in this movie can played by any actor and the roles are interchangeable. They were there as fodder for the alien organism. That's one of the drawbacks of this prequel. I didn't care much for the characters other than Mary Elizabeth Winstead's Kate Lloyd. Yes, it's a prequel. Even at points, it feels like a remake. The Thing (2011) shows us what happened to the Norwegian base that Kurt Russell explored in the 1982 movie. All the details of the destruction was fleshed out... the axe on the wall, the holes in the base, the scorch marks, the fused body... creepy... Matthijs van Heijningen Jr. direction was able to give off the creepiness and other worldly concept of the organism. Heijningen also did a really good job of not just haphazardly blow a hole in the wall just because it was there in the 1982 film. All the predestined mayhem (like the axe on the wall) was done very well and felt organic. The Thing (2011) is not as bad as most critics made it out to be. There are some logic holes but nothing that's super dumb. Also since this film is set in 1982, there was nothing that I could spot which did not belong in that era. Technology for example. It's definitely worth checking out. Especially when you want to be creeped out in the season of Halloween. You don't need to watch the 1982 movie to understand this one. But if there is one Thing to watch, I'd go with John Carpenter's The Thing (1982). Every subsequent scene of the alien organism in the 1982 version makes me forget the previous $%#*'ed up moments. Rob Bottin's creature designs in the 1982 version is just #*$%'ing unreal. The Thing (2011) Trailer RATING: 3/5 A bit of trivia: The Thing (2011) is the prequel to John Carpenter's The Thing (1982). John Carpenter's movie is a remake of Howard Hawks-Christian's 1951 movie The Thing from Another World. The 1951 movie is an adaptation of John W. Campbell, Jr.'s novella Who Goes There?.

New York Comic Con 2011

Hotspot It was hot, smelly, claustrophobic, and exhausting. It was the New York Comic Con. Combined with the Anime Festival under one roof at the Javits Center, the Comc Con resulted in a record breaking attendance of 105,00 people. Literally a sea of people packed from wall to wall. Sounds intimidating? It was. It also had all the qualities I listed above but, what drew all those people to this place? The answer is one tiny word, FUN! The one thing that can supersede anything. When I was younger, I played basketball in 90 degree weather with 90 percent humidity for hours and not notice the heat because, it was FUN! There also was the time when I went skiing in subzero temperature, during hail conditions, when the snow was frozen and slippery. All that didn't matter because of the FUN! Such a small word for such an awesome vehicle for perseverance. The New York Comic Con was definitely an awesome experience. For the entire weekend of October 14th-16th I was overwhelmed by the convention. It was electrifying. I was thinking, if the Matrix needed energy, this would be the place to harness an unlimited supply. I had never experienced anything like it. Waves and waves of people flowing towards their fandom. There was something there for everyone. The vendors had a variety of interesting collectibles to offer. From food to toys to books to clothes, movies, posters, etc... The next neighborhood over from the Vendors Area was the Artist Alley where the artists were hard at work on fan commissioned sketches. It was nice to see a few familiar faces in there. Sarah Richard, Yuko Ota, J. Scott Campbell, and Adam Hughes were among the many talents in the Alley. In order to escape the hordes of people, I'd had to wait in line to get into the panels. Sometimes I was in queue for more than hr. They were worth the wait though. This year's big draw was the Walking Dead and the upcoming Avengers movie. During The Avengers Panel, Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hiddleston and Chris Hemsworth showed up to talk about the movie. Mark Hammill (Luke Skywalker) was also a guest for 2 separate panels. One dedicated to the Jedi Knight himself and the other was a promotion for the "New Gen" comic book (and soon to be movie). Mark Hamill was available for autographs as well. In order to get his autograph, I waited in line at the Autographing Area near the Hasbro Pavillion where the costume contest and some of the performances were held. Then there was the Anime Festival area. To get there, I banked a right at the giant balloon of Finn and Jake from Adventure Time to go up to the upper level of the Javits Center. A large number of Anime cosplayers were gathered there. I can't do the convention justice in this article. It's tough for me to put in words of being under one roof with thousands of creative cosplayers, hundreds of events, the many geek gods and goddesses promoting our favorite shows, movies, videogames and comics... and most importantly, to share a spot with a hundred thousand people whom are passionate about the same things I am. All those years of being made fun of for liking the things I like was washed away by this gigantic ocean of (my fellow) geeks. I belong! Even after a week I am still shocked and awed. I'm definitely going again next year and I recommend everyone to go, even at least for a day. It's a once in a life time experience to be in this ginormous assemblage of enthusiasm. There's a lot more after the "JUMP!"

The Thing Trailer With Randall

Hello Youtubes! "What is that crazy Thing?!" Randall's Wild Wild Movie Trailers: The Thing For more Randall check out his youtube channel: CZG123