Author: Nigel G Mitchell
In the last few months, Wikileaks has turned the political scene upside-down by releasing thousands of previously classified documents from around the world. What has not been fully publicized is that some of those documents come not just from our world, but from the worlds of science-fiction movies and television. We here at Geek Twins have recovered and reviewed some of those shocking secret documents. For security reasons, we’ll be releasing them only a few at a time. These selections come from The Matrix.
On Sunday, the first episode of PIECES was released on YouTube. PIECES is an online series that’s a classic sci-fi mindbender in the tradition of Inception or The Matrix. When a man named Jacob Clarke is diagnosed with a brain tumor, he starts hearing a voice that seems almost omniscient. When Jacob starts following the Voice’s instructions, he finds himself an unwitting hero. Then the Voice tells him to do something else: kill a man. Clarke’s decision whether to follow or ignore the Voice sends his life in a terrifying new direction, and he is forced to question whether he’s…
For the next two months, we’ll be creating the ultimate starship crew from the greatest sci-fi characters of movie and TV. You can help create the Spaceship Dream Team by voting in the sidebar. Last week, we asked who you would cast as the first officer. And the winner is: Spock! With fifty-two percent of the votes, Spock is the new first officer of the Spaceship Dream Team. His wisdom and emotionless calculations will make a perfect compliment to Captain Han Solo. Next, we’ll be choosing the pilot of the Spaceship Dream Team. Vote now in the sidebar.
Here’s this week’s geeky television you’ll want to watch… Monday, February 14, 2011 Chuck “Chuck Versus the Cat Squad” Season 4, Episode 15 Synopsis: Chuck orchestrates Sarah’s reunion with her former spy team, the C.A.T. Squad. The feline-quick team then try to take down their thuggish nemesis (Lou Diamond Phillips)—but simmering resentments and past secrets soon surface. Meanwhile, a C.A.T. member makes lusty moves on Morgan. Mini Anden and Mekenna Melvin guest star. Guest Cast Lou Diamond Phillips: Augusto Gaez Mini Anden: Carina The Cape “The Lich, Part 1” Season 1, Episode 6 Episode Synopsis: Part 1 of 2. Orphaned…
Sunday’s Super Bowl broadcast was a veritable geek marathon with a slew of commercials for upcoming sci-fi movies and TV shows. I think it’s a great sign that entertainment normally dismissed as just for nerds is now being targeted to the mainstream public. And you don’t get more mainstream than the Super Bowl. For those geeks who were too busy watching Dr. Who on DVD to catch the Super Bowl, you can still get in on the excitement. Check out the top five geek Super Bowl commercials below.
The “ultimate-ultimate” Alien disk pack comes in a nifty Alien egg box with a whole bunch of disks. There are a couple of Doctor Who DVDs also out this week. One is Doctor Who: The Movie (1995) and the other is Doctor Who: The Mutants starring the third Doctor John Pertwee. Both are considered kind of suspect by purists, but Doctor Who fans love them all. Blu-Ray continues to expand its catalogue of classic sci-fi films with Close Encounters of the Third Kind and The Right Stuff. A couple of DVDs for the geek kids are out or just buy…
Recently, we were tipped off to the online scifi series, Overturn. Along the way, we’ve discovered a whole community of filmmakers who are creating and releasing their own sci-fi, featured at a website called Scifinal. Another upcoming series that caught our attention is Pieces. It’s described as a sci-fi/mystery/drama about Jacob Clarke, a man who suffers a freak accident that lands him in the hospital. There, Jacob is diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor, but shortly begins hearing a mysterious voice in his mind. Is it madness? A side effect of his brain tumor? Or something more? Jacob’s life gets…
The best thing about having an Android phone is being able to use apps, and the best thing about being a Trekker is that you love technology. For those in that elite group that combines the two, we’ve compiled this list of the ten best apps for Star Trek fans. These apps will either customize your phone to be more Trekky or feed your love of Star Trek and space travel. And they’re all free. If you have an Android phone and you’re a Trekker, these are the must-have apps. To get the apps, you can go to the Android…
I’ve been holding back on reviewing the new NBC drama, The Cape. I thought the pilot was so good that they might not maintain it, and the next few episodes wouldn’t be as good. After four episodes, I’m still not sure The Cape will be a hit, but I do think it’s a very good show. Certainly it is the best superhero TV show I’ve seen in years, and could be the best superhero show of all time. In The Cape, a cop named Vince Faraday investigating a mysterious super-villain named Chess gets framed for being Chess himself. Faraday is…
Created by [OneMinuteGalactica]
One thing that I have found most annoying about the movie Avatar is the chorus of praise for its “scientific accuracy.” I don’t know of any movie short of Star Trek that has tried so hard to convince its fans that it’s based on real science, and fallen so short. So I thought it would be useful to just make an archive showing that the movie is not science-fiction; it’s science mixed with fantasy. This week, we’ll look at the driving force of the movie; unobtanium. First of all, we need to define what unobtanium is, according to Avatar. It’s…
Despicable Me (Single-Disc Edition)I haven’t seen this movie but I’ve heard good things about it. Specifically, someone told me it’s better than Megamind.Product Description: In a happy suburban neighborhood surrounded by white picket fences with flowering rose bushes, sits a black house with a dead lawn. Unbeknownst to the neighbors, hidden beneath this home is a vast secret hideout. Surrounded by a small army of minions, we discover Gru planning the biggest heist in the history of the world. He is going to steal the moon, yes, the moon. Gru delights in all things wicked. Armed with his arsenal of shrink…
Here’s this week’s geek on TV. Check your local listings for times and channel numbers. No Ordinary Family Tues, Nov 30 “No Ordinary Anniversary” Season 1, Episode 9 Episode Synopsis: Jim and Stephanie’s plans for a romantic evening to celebrate their 18th anniversary go up in smoke when they harness their superpowers to go up against a serial arsonist. Meanwhile, with their parents out of the house, Daphne and JJ host a poker game, and use their abilities to win some big pots. Stargate: Universe Syfy, Tue, Nov 30 “Resurgence” Episode Synopsis: The Destiny follows a remote energy signature to…
For the entire run of Lost, executive producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse have insisted that the mysteries of the show would be answered. They claimed that there was a master plan all along, and that they knew the five-year run and even the ending all the way back in 2004. Now that the show has ended, and the run has ended, let’s imagine two scenarios… In September 2004, executive producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse walked into the writer’s room at Bad Robot Productions. They carried huge charts, graphs, and a stack of books. Cuse started setting up the…
After going through the just-released Green Lantern trailer frame by frame, I found some pretty amazing reveals in the trailer. Here are some of my favorites: Abin Sur is dying and apparently has sustained some pretty terrible wounds. How so? And what’s with the spaghetti-looking body damage? Someone appears to riding in some kind of weird vehicle. In the movie, the Lanterns use vehicles to travel great distances. Is that Sinestro in there? The planet Oa. What are the plumes of light coming from the planet? We see these again later Here we see Jordon and Tomar-Re looking out over…
TITLE: Boneshaker PUBLISHED: 2009 AUTHOR: Cherie Priest SYNOPSIS: In an alternate Seattle of the 1800’s, an enormous drilling machine (nicknamed the Boneshaker) collapses half the city. As if the destruction wasn’t enough, the Boneshaker releases a mysterious gas that transforms anyone who breathes it into a flesh-eating corpse. To prevent the gas from spreading, the city is walled in and abandoned. Sixteen years later, the son of the Boneshaker’s inventor journeys into zombie-infested Seattle to find evidence of his father’s innocence. His mother, Briar Wilkes, goes in after him to find a community of criminals and outcasts has made the…
This week’s new releases of geeky DVDs you’ll love: Avatar (Three-Disc Extended Collector’s Edition) Product Description: Experience the spectacular world of James Cameron’s Avatar as never before with this all-new three-disc extended collector’s edition. The journey begins with three movie versions: the original theatrical release, the special edition re-release, and the exclusive extended cut not shown in theaters. The set’s bonus feature run more than three hours and include over 45 minutes of deleted scenes and a feature-length documentary on the film’s groundbreaking production. The greatest adventure of all time just got bigger and better. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World …
First, the results of the last poll. We asked whether you thought The Dark Knight Rises was a good title for the next Batman movie, and the results are in. They’re decidedly mixed; both “I hate it” and “I love it” were tied at 41%. I think it’s safe to say that geekdom in general is divided on the title. We’ll see what happens when the movie’s released. Thanks for voting! Our next poll question is: “Were you satisfied with the series finale of Lost?” Were you disappointed that all the show’s mysteries weren’t resolved? Did you think the emotional resolution…
It was recently revealed by Chris Nolan that the Riddler (contrary to popular rumor) will not be appearing in the third of his Batman trilogy. That raised the question of which villains might be in the movie. Most of Batman’s most popular villains like the Joker and Catwoman have made the journey to the big screen. However, there are still plenty of villains in the Rogues Gallery that have yet to make the journey. Here are six that I think would be the best.
This week’s new releases of geeky DVDs you’ll love: Mystery Science Theater 3000: Vol. XIX Limited Edition Product Description: You are cordially invited to step aboard the stranded Satellite of Love as its crew continues its ongoing assignment of viewing (and mocking) the most . . . ahem . . . misunderstood . . . films of all time! Join hosts Joel Hodgson and Mike Nelson as they celebrate the very first and only 19th DVD box set of the hilarious cult phenomenon Mystery Science Theater 3000 with their loyal, albeit morally misguided, crew Tom Servo, Crow T. Robot…
In a recent interview in the Star Tribune about his new movie Morning Glory, the usually quiet Harrison Ford opened up about George Lucas’ stilted dialogue. He says that on the set, Ford told Lucas exactly what he thought of it: “I told him quite simply, ‘George, you can type this (expletive), but you sure can’t say it.” Guess that’s why Ford famously changed and ad-libbed a lot of his dialogue, including the infamous response to Leia’s “I love you” with “I know.” Having seen very good actors woodenly reciting dialogue in the new trilogy, I can’t disagree. [Source: Star…
Well, the results are in on our last poll. According to the voters, Iron Man would mop the floor with Spiderman. The new poll is about the recently revealed title for the third Chris Nolan Batman movie: The Dark Knight Rises. What do you think of it?
The folks at Giant Microbes are at it again, this time introducing a line of plastic vinyl toys. These toys are departing from Giant Microbes’ usual fare in that they’re more expressive characters inspired by symptoms of illnesses. There’s Sniffles (rhinovirus or runny nose), Ahh-lbert (streptococcus or sore throat), Bellie (dysentery or stomach ache), and Dr. Larkin (flu). You get some nice swag with each figure, too – a sticker, and an animated flipbook. I think this is a good direction, since it gives them more marketable characters. I don’t know about you, but I can see Giant Microbes: The…
1. Enterprise-d: In a move destined to set the cause of geek-dom back thirty years, the Internet rose up in fury over the accidental naming of the Star Trek Enterprise. In an article on Australia’s News.com site they accidentally referred to Captain Kirk’s ship as the Enterprise-E instead of D. They were hit with so much hate mail they were forced to send out a retraction: “There was no intention whatsoever to suggest Captain Kirk may have commanded the Galaxy Class Starships Enterprise-D and Enterprise-E. Any damage to the Star Trek brand incurred by the use of the term ‘hyperspace’…
The Event already has a few episodes under its belt, and while it’s not too bad, I don’t think it will last. The problem lies not with the show itself, but with the shows that have come before it. The Event is a show that is all about finding the answers to mysteries, but the declining ratings show that sci-fi fans aren’t willing to give it the benefit of the doubt. I think we can place the blame squarely on Lost. Lost has ruined serialized science-fiction television in the US, possibly for good. It began in 1993 with Babylon 5,…
The poll results are in, and Marvel should be nervous. When presented with the question “which Marvel superhero movie are you most looking forward to, Captain America or Thor, most of the voters chose “neither.” But when forced to choose between the two, Thor came in second. This doesn’t bode well for Captain America, but that could have to do with the fact that we haven’t seen much of Cap’s new movie, and he’s a character who’s been screwed up twice in movies. Our new poll will tackle a comic book question: Spiderman versus Iron Man – who would win?
Believe it or not, there’s other people who dislike Avatar even more than me. One of them is Nate Winchester, who created a post called “1001 Things Wrong With Avatar.” It’s not 1001, but it’s quite a few. I’ve actually been helping him add to the list, and some of my comments evolved into my “Flawed Science of Avatar” posts. Check out his very astute observations at his Hunting Muses blog [warning: strong language].
In honor of the release of the DVD for Iron Man 2, we’d like to take a look back at some of the background of the movie. Today, we’ll be profiling Iron Man 2 and comparing the comic book version and the movie version. Justin Hammer in the movie Iron Man 2 was an incompetent and awkward rival who was mainly there to provide resources for the real villain, Whiplash. In the comics, Hammer was much, much more.Ruthless and cunning, Justin Hammer was one of Tony Stark’s greatest enemies, even though he had no powers or weapons of his own.…
Well, the votes are in and the result? Star Trek is better than Star Wars. Now this was an official poll, so geekdom, let’s have no more debates on the matter. Looking forward, our newest poll is on the upcoming movies that will set up The Avengers. Which Marvel superhero movie are you looking forward to more, Captain America or Thor?