Stargate Universe Cancelled

Sad news for sci-fi fans everywhere: Syfy has cancelled Stargate Universe. SG:U is the, technically, fourth series in the Stargate franchise. The other series were: Stargate: SG-1 which lasted ten seasons and has spawned two movies, Stargate Infinity the animated series that no one wants to talk about, and Stargate Atlantis which was cancelled after five seasons so that Syfy could focus on making SG:U which they cancelled yesterday halfway through its second season.
              Stargate Universe starred Robert Carlyle, Brian Jacob Smith, David Blue, Louis Ferreira, Alaina Huffman, and many others. The show told the story of a group of human survivors trying to make home after being transported through the Stargate to the Destiny. The Destiny was reached by activating the fabled ninth chevron. The story focused more on the people and less on the action than previous entries in the franchise.
             There is no news yet as to what the future of the franchise is, but last time a Stargate show was cancelled, MGM, the company that owns the rights, reportedly said that they weren't going to let the franchise die. Hopefully they will take the same stance again.
            The Stargate franchise has a special place in my heart, and I hope that this will not be the last entry. Congratulations and good luck to all who were involved in producing this amazing show. Your efforts were appreciated, at least by me.

Official Thor Trailer

So, the official trailer for Thor came out a couple days ago, and it looks awesome. All I can I say is, I cannot wait for this movie to come out! May 6th is much too far away right now. So tide yourselves over with this: Thor 2011 Official Trailer

The Walking Dead Full Season Review

I was asked yesterday if I had written a review for the entire season of The Walking Dead, so I thought, "hey, I should write a review of the entire season!" This will most likely be short and to the point, but I do sometimes get long-winded so you will just have to read and find out! Or just scroll through the entire thing to find out how long it is... but that's cheating. Just a warning, there may be some spoilers.
             The Walking Dead started with a bang and ended with a bang. So how were the episodes in between? Bang, bang, bang, and bang. Each episode was incredible in its own right. Some were incredible action episodes filled with sweet zombie killing, while others were full of well-written and acted character development. The writers and the actors made the characters easy to like and relate to. Most of the characters were people that we could (and probably do) see in our everyday lives. Because I don't have all day, and I don't want to look like a teenage girl gushing over her latest crush, I will limit my discussion of actors down to one: Andrew Lincoln. Wow. For those of you that don't know, he plays Rick Grimes. Rick is an interesting character; he is a natural-born leader, he inspires people to their best, and he is selfless. At the same time he expects everyone else around him to be selfless and to immediately understand why he does something or needs something to be done. He is also a man that remembers to be thankful for what he has. In the first episode he thought that his wife and son could be dead but he held on to the hope that they were still alive. That hope paid off, and it is evident in the rest of the episodes that he is thankful/grateful his family is still alive. Andrew Lincoln brings this character to life, he makes Rick Grimes seem believable. If I was a survivor during the zombie apocalypse, I would want Rick to be in my group.
                The zombies, oh baby. The zombies looked fantastic, I mean just look at this one:

Is she not gorgeous? That is a real person, in make up, not CGI. That's right, all the zombies in The Walking Dead were actual people in make-up. They chose this actress because she apparently had the right features to be a zombie. Think I am joking? Check out this making of video: The Walking Dead: Bicycle Zombie Time Lapse. The first time I watched the episode I did not think that was an actual actress, animatronics at best. Boy was I wrong. The fact that the show didn't rely on cheap CGI made me happy, and they had some truly disgusting zombies just with make-up. 
                 I could go on, talk about the gore, and the action scenes for pages, but it is late, and I am tired. Let me just say this, the gore and the action scenes stand up to the lofty standards set up the acting and the zombie make-up. This was a fantastic show. I just wish I didn't have to wait until next October for new episodes.

The Walking Dead Season One Episode Four: Vatos

Wow. I mean, wow. This show is amazing. Last Sunday's episode was the best one so far. It is weird being able to watch something about zombies and having emotional attachments to many of the characters; with The Walking Dead, you have that. The episode Vatos was written by Robert Kirkman, the very same man that writes the graphic novels. And he delivers.
                     The episode starts with the two sisters, Andrea and Amy, fishing and reminiscing about their father. This scene is an emotional powerhouse. You learn so much about their strained relationship (they were born twelve years apart), and they come to some heart-breaking realizations about their father. Laurie Holden and Emma Bell, Andrea and Amy respectively, definitely show their acting abilities in this scene. The show takes an interesting turn by showing one of the survivors digging holes on top a hill, an action that leaves everyone with questions that would not be answered until the end of the episode. It moves from this right to where the last episode left off; Rick, Glenn, Daryl, and T-Dog standing on the roof of the department store they left Merle on.
                  I really don't want to give too much of the plot out because it is such a great episode and I want you guys to watch it for yourself. This episode has some of the scenes I have seen on television in a long time. There is even an hilarious scene involving someone's grandmother stopping a gunfight before it could start by walking into the room. There is some awesome violence, some emotional intense scenes, and humour.
                 The last scene of the episode was especially magnificent. The emotions ran high, and as a viewer you are sitting there tense waiting to see how it is resolved. Some of the camp survivors, the characters that the viewers get attached to, die. And the grief felt by the characters is felt by the viewers.
               This series has continued to amaze me with its stories, characters, and effects. I really hope this show stays on for a long time. I for one will continue to watch this show. And hopefully I will be enjoying every minute.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part One Review

First off, I am a huge fan of this series, both the books and the movies. I have been reading the books since they started being published way back in '97, and read the last five the day they came out. Literally. I pre-ordered them so that I could get them (without lines, and without fear of them being sold-out) the day they came out, and then I would sit down and read them, until I finished. I have read each of the books multiple times, and I own and have read the companions books that JK wrote. I say this to assure you that I am a fan. A huge fan, that had been waiting for this movie since finishing reading The Deathly Hallows. I was so happy when the news was released that there would be two movies for the final novel. I was a little disappointed with the last three movies (The Goblet of Fire, The Order of the Phoenix, and The Half-Blood Prince) mainly because they skipped over a lot of things that I thought were, well simply put awesome. Now to the review.
                The movie was amazing. It was so close to the book. Even some of the smallest details were thrown in. Characters that were introduced in previous books but not the movies were brought in and introduced. All of the actors were at the top of their game, even Daniel Radcliffe. You can see how much these young actors have evolved since The Philosopher's Stone came out in 2001. Their performances are strong, and you can feel chemistry between the three leads. They are believable as a trio of best friends.And for obvious reasons, these kids basically grew up together. The adult actors were good, the only one I had some problems with was Andy Linden's performance as Mundungus Fletcher. I just wasn't feeling his performance. Thankfully he wasn't in many scenes. And hey, only complaining about one small actor in a movie? That's not too shabby.
              The movie was very well-written, and a lot of the lines were ones that I remembered from the book. The movie has humour at the appropriate times (humour that was actually funny) and was emotionally tense at the correct times. The dedication the set designers showed was breathtaking. The backgrounds were beautiful and haunting. The interior shots of certain places (I don't want to ruin anything for those of you who haven't seen it yet) were almost exactly how I imagined them. There were a few changes that irked me, but to be fair they made sense for the movie; I guess I can't have everything I want in a movie.
            I feel like I am rushing through this review, but that is mostly because I want to remain impartial and at the same time I want to run out and see this movie again, because I loved it, and cannot wait for Part Two to come out. My opinion? Go and see this movie as soon as possible even if you are not a Harry Potter fan. It is simply a good movie in all ways. The time just flew by in the theatre, and I will be seeing this movie again.

Scott Pilgrim Vs The World: Review

Scott Pilgrim
Rating: Awesome









(real review to follow)

The Big Bang Theory Season 4 Episode 7: The Apology Insufficiency

First off, I love this show. I have watched it since it has came out and have seen most episode multiple times thanks to the wonder that is the DVD. Any show that tickles my nerd bone and makes me laugh is a great thing. Last night's episode is no exception. Howard (Simon Helberg) is chosen to help design a top-secret military satellite and the FBI sends an agent to interview his friends to see if he can get security clearance. Guest star Eliza Dushku (the star of the short-lived but amazing Dollhouse) plays the FBI agent that is blessed with the job of interviewing the socially awkward characters. Hilarity ensues, and Sheldon accidentally says something that causes Howard to be denied clearance. Sheldon tries to find a way to assuage his guilt, which was giving him Gorn filled dreams, through alcohol. I will let you watch and find out how that turns out!

The Big Bang Theory continues to delight with its characters and sense of humour. This is a show that I will continue to faithfully watch.

The Walking Dead series premiere "Days Gone Bye"

First off, I have been eagerly awaiting this show since I heard about in mid-summer. I have been following the development of the show and have been reading any article I could find on it. I huge hopes for this show, and I was not disappointed. For the average person who wasn't obsessing over this, or perhaps has not even heard of it, The Walking Dead is a new AMC show based on a series of graphic novels of the same name. The show is about a group of people looking for a safe haven after the zombie apocalypse.

This a fantastic looking show. The zombies are creepy, disgusting, and at times downright terrifying. The amazing part about the zombies is that it is apparently all make-up, and they still look like decaying corpses walking around. The sets are spectacular, from the almost deserted (technically no one was alive except for that one guy) hospital, to the gas station swamped with empty cars, everything gave the appearance of people trying to flee for their lives. Perhaps one of the most chilling things I have ever seen on television was the scene of Rick Grimes (the protagonist) riding a horse through the deserted streets of Atlanta with burnt out cars and buses lining the streets. Even the violence looks good, if it doesn't sound too weird to say that but watching zombies get killed is kind of fun, or maybe that's just a guy thing.

The acting, the acting was phenomenal. Most of the actors were ones that I had not really heard of before watching the series. I am kind of sad that I missed the beginnings of their careers. Andrew Lincoln is completely believable as he portrays a cop who has no idea what is going on and only wants to find his family. You can feel his fear, uncertainty, and sheer determination as the show progresses. The other characters are portrayed equally well by their respective actors.

This is a show that I will continue to watch and will eagerly await each new episode.

First Official Review: Halo Reach

Halo. That is a name that resounds within the gamer community. Halo games, the ones made by Bungie, are known for their quality and addictiveness. The latest entry into the long running series is no exception. Halo Reach tells the story of the fall of the planet Reach, the UNSC military headquarters, and the lengths that the Spartans went to defend it. The campaign is one of the best, if not the best, that I have played in Halo, and probably one of the best I have played in any FPS.

You play as Noble Six, a last minute addition to Noble Team to bring it back to full strength. Your character has a backstory, but you never learn any of it except from a few choice remarks from your commander. It is a great experience getting to fight with a squad of fellow Spartans as you play through the various missions. Those of you who like to go it solo, there are a few missions where you get to be a lone wolf and be the hero all by yourself. The missions are of varied length, but overall the campaign is a good length for a FPS. Bungie brought in some new things for the missions, including space combat. The space combat is fun and fast, and, in my opinion, there is not enough of it. Another mission has you flying a Falcon assault helicopter around a besieged city taking out AA guns and landing to assault enemy forces and take out their jamming equipment so that the civilians can make their escape. Of course most of the missions are on foot or in the classic Halo vehicles (though they also have some awesome upgrades) and feature insane action.

The campaign is only one aspect of an amazing game. Bungie brought the Firefight mode that they introduced in ODST into Reach, and it is still awesome. There is a wide assortment of maps, and the games are amazingly customizable in what you can do. Ever wanted to play as an invincible, invisible Spartan with a rocket launcher that you never have to reload? and have a sword that never runs out? You can do that. If you wanted to.. it is fun for a while. Not that I have ever done that. That would be too cheap. You can play firefight by yourself, with a friend on split-screen, or with up to four people on matchmaking. An extra bonus of online play is that there are infinite lives whereas on split-screen you share ten. For those who don't know, Firefight is a fast-paced mode where you work with other players and take out wave-after-wave of covenant forces.

And last, but definitely not least, online multiplayer, a true test of one's Halo skills. There are the classic options of Rumble Pit, Team Slayer and its variants, and a couple new options that are quiet fun. The online play is tight and fast and most importantly fun. There are only two game type for ranked matches now, two-on-two and team ranked matches. These games are furious and brutal. That is where most of the best players go to spend their time. The maps are fun for players of all styles, and more maps are coming out soon.

Put all these things together and you have Bungie's Halo masterpiece. This is by far the best Halo game that has been released thus far. It is fitting that Bungie saved their best for their last dance with the Halo universe.

I give this game 9 phaser blasts out of 10.

Explanation of Blog

Hey, welcome to my newest blog! Here you will find my thoughts and opinions of movies, TV shows, and video games. I will review current and past movies, shows, and games just because I can. I hope you will enjoy my reviews. In the future, I may even incorporate video segments into my reviews and have guest writers come it and give their two cents on a particular item of interest.

Tune in later today for my first review--Halo Reach.