“Elixir” is a story about a town which sells magic on every street corner. The illicit black market brings the worst sorts of outlaws and makes the “honest” townsfolk live in fear. Enter the Seeker. He makes it his mission to aid the village and free it from the dominion of black magic and the black market. Predictably, things do not go as planned. And the episode becomes a tale about temptation and betrayal – and whether or not the ends justify the means.

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Topics: Fantasy, TV Reviews
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Overview

The Return of the King is Epic. In size and scope, the film far surpasses both of its predecessors. And in terms of quality, only Fellowship of the Ring fares any better thanks to its much more streamlined narrative. But of the three Lord of the Rings films, it’s little wonder that The Return of the King is often listed as a favorite. Just about every aspect of this movie operates at an exceptionally high level. And the final thematic point, driven home by Frodo’s ultimate fate, is both truly profound and a natural evolution of thought from The Two Towers.

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Topics: Fantasy, Film Review
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Overview

The Two Towers is a grittier film than its predecessor. But like its main characters it’s also fraught with flaws which, despite the best of intentions, leads it astray. That doesn’t mean that The Two Towers isn’t an incredible film – by all rights it’s far superior to many films. But when compared to The Fellowship of the Ring, and even Return of the King, it is clearly the weakest of the three. While the acting, visuals and music all continue at an exceptionally high level, the writing and, in particular the pacing, weight down the film through its middle sections. The rest of the film, however, is still extraordinarily beautiful, powerful, and profound.

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Topics: Fantasy, Film Review
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Overview

It is a rare moment when a film captures not only the imagination, but the spirit and passions within us all. The Fellowship of the Ring is one such film – weaving a timeless tale with such inspiration that there are very few films which, from start to finish, are crafted so impeccably. Every bit of praise this film receives, it has earned. And while some of the visual effects may be slightly showing their age, the impact of this on the film as a whole is very minor. Instead, director Peter Jackson has forged a film that faithfully adapts the spirit and message of the original book by J.R.R. Tolkien.

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Topics: Fantasy, Film Review
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“The Dreamscape” is a strongly suspenseful, if somewhat unfocused episode.  Once again, plausibility is pushed to the limit, but for sheer tension, the episode packs a fairly powerful punch.  There are a couple of minor, but important, character moments.  But where it loses much of its overall value is a scattershot approach to its storytelling.  Ultimately, “The Dreamscape” provides some necessary plot details to the overall series arc, but does in such a way as to diminish the overall episode.

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Topics: Mystery, Sci-Fi, TV Reviews
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“Frozen Seas” is an episode which, as one might expect, explores the frigid wastes of both the Arctic Circle and Antarctica. The episode is split between the two regions and has a surprisingly large focus on the land animals. But the episode greatly reinforces a truism made popular by Jurassic Park: Life does find a way – even, in the harshest of environments.

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Topics: Documentary
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BBC’s The Blue Planet series begins with “Ocean World” – an episode which uses a few key examples to highlight how the seas are influenced by the sun, moon and ocean currents. It paints, with a very broad brush, the immense size, scope, and wondrous diversity of life in and around the oceans. The cinematography, while not quite as exquisite as the later Planet Earth series, is nonetheless fantastic and compelling. Narrated by David Attenborough and scored by David Fenton, “Ocean World” establishes The Blue Planet as the kind of documentary which sets a new standard for all others that follow.

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Topics: Documentary
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“Listener” deserves some credit for conveying a bit about Kahlan’s past, but the means by which the episode tells its story leaves quite a bit to be desired. Admittedly, the production values on the show remain consistently strong – as do the performances from the three main cast members. But the episode’s story and child guest star end up causing havoc for more than our heroes – indeed, the episode suffers mightily as a result.

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Topics: Fantasy, TV Reviews
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As part of ABC’s promotional campaign for Season 5 of Lost, they’ve released a music video from The Fray for a song called, “You Found Me.”  During the video, at 1:33 and 2:24, there are two brief, almost subliminal, images (pictured above) which appear.

So what does it all mean?

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Topics: ARGs, TV News
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“Heroes are made by the times.”

Overview

“Bombad Jedi” is neither as good nor as bad as one might expect out of an episode that features the now infamous Jar Jar Binks. In many respects, the episode just might prove to be a kind of Rorschach test for fans – many will likely see exactly what they want to see. There’s plenty of mind-numbing slapstick antics from Jar Jar. But at the same time, it’s all done with a wink and a nod to the fact that Jar Jar is one of the most universally loathed characters in the entire Star Wars universe. So if you’re willing to take it all with a huge grain of salt, you can be amused and entertained. But if the very thought or sight of Jar Jar Binks throws you into fits of curses to be hurled at George Lucas, then you would do well to stay away from this episode.

Very far away.

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Topics: Fantasy, TV Reviews
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Overview

“Bad Blood” benefits from a slight shift in the storytelling of the series. Instead of an episode which features Crusoe and Friday, the bulk of the action is between Crusoe and Oliver/Olivia. And while Philip Winchester’s performances as Crusoe are just as stiff and awkward as ever, the episode benefits from the relatively more inspired and plausible performance from Mia Maestro’s, particularly as Olivia.

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Topics: Adventure, Historical, TV Reviews
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“Wink of an Eye” is a marginally entertaining episode – if you can put your brain into hibernation for an hour or so, that is. It’s not often that Star Trek makes an episode that is completely mindless and hollow, but this is one example. Even the supposed “science fiction” of the episode is so badly mangled that unless you completely ignore it, the entire production comes crashing into ruin. For the most part, the episode is a mystery, opening with a bit of a supernatural feel. But once the science comes into play, it is, simply, pedestrian.

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Topics: Sci-Fi, TV Reviews
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“Knight of the Zodiac” is a return to the mostly juvenile sensibilities of the show. True, the show continues to try and build on the camaraderie of the main cast. And in that regard, the episode manages its best results. The incorporation of the zodiac itself is interesting enough, but like so much else with the series, it exists merely on a surface level, without managing to build anything meaningful or insightful.

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Topics: Action, Sci-Fi, TV Reviews
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In 1982, Tron was released to the public. It was mesmerizing movie, filled with computer graphics, an immersive story, and it quickly became a cult favorite. To that end, the film holds a great deal of nostalgia for its fans. Seventeen years before the Matrix, Tron told a story of the world inside computers, where programs and simulations were the law of the land. But the film’s success wasn’t simply because of its cutting-edge visuals or innovative story. In the end, this is a story about belief and the interdependence of humanity and its technology. Underneath the shimmer and the sheen of the film, there’s real substance. And it is in this regard that the film has enjoyed its good standing so long after its initial release.

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Topics: Film Review, Sci-Fi
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“The Equation” is an episode which has a decent mystery, but is presented by way of a by-the-numbers plot that ultimately saps away much of its suspense.  The episode also makes an attempt to connect its story into the larger “Pattern” arc that is being developed by the series.  And on that front it succeeds fairly well.  But the further attempt at creating some lingering drama over the ultimate fate of Walter pushes things just a bit too much toward the melodramatic.

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Topics: Mystery, Sci-Fi, TV Reviews
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