Episode 21 - Star Trek V: Kirk vs. God

In this episode of the Flashbacks Podcast I talk about one of the more disliked Trek movies. Star Trek V gets attacked a lot, and most of those attacks are warranted. However, in this episode I try to show why there are parts of it that I think are really good. It has some of the best character moments of the franchise, and Jerry Goldsmith's score is simply beautiful.

Are those things enough to make me like this movie?  Listen to find out!

30 Day Sci-Fi Challenge - Day 29

Best Pre-1980s Sci-Fi -- Star Trek: The Original Series

I've written at length during this challenge about how much I love Star Trek so this will be brief. Plus I did do a whole podcast episode about The Original Series so if you want to hear my thoughts on it check it out! Lets just say that I find it very impressive that a show that was cancelled after 3 seasons turned out to be the beginnings of one of the greatest and most widely loved franchises of all time. It launched five more series, and as of now 12 movies. Not to mention a ton of comics, and fan fiction.

Love this show.

30 Day Sci-Fi Challenge - Day 28

A Great Sci-Fi B-Movie -- Plan 9 From Outer Space

Ed Wood is known for making some of the worst movies of all time, and this his is masterpiece. If you've never seen it you should definitely check it out. Also check out Tim Burton's film Ed Wood. It's one of my favorites.

Plan 9 From Outer Space is about aliens who use a special technology to raise the dead in order to assist them in taking over the world. It's a really interesting and different idea for a genre that was being done to death at the time.

People joke that this is the worst movie of all time, but in reality it's in the same group as Rocky Horror. It's a bad movie, but it's a GREAT bad movie. Don't get me wrong, this movie is bad, but compared to some of the movies Syfy puts out these days this movie is brilliant

30 Day Sci-Fi Challenge - Day 27

Nastiest Villains -- The Daleks

The Doctor's oldest and meanest villain are the Daleks. They made their first appearance in the 2nd serial of the franchise, and have been a menace ever since.

Some what based on the Nazis, they believe they are the highest and greatest form of life in the universe, and their goal is to wipe out anyone who is not a Dalek. Their famous attack phrase of "Exterminate" haunts all who encounter them and for most it's usually the last thing you hear.

While the Doctor seems to defeat them again and again, they are partly responsible for the destruction of the Time Lords, and countless others. They might look silly(yes that's a plunger), but they are terrifying.

LOVE THESE GUYS!!

The Walking Dead 2x10 Review

18 Miles Out

This episode is my favorite since the show returned from the hiatus. There have only been three so that's not really saying all that much, but it's the truth. We had some really amazing scenes between Shane and Rick. Those two put everything on the table and I really loved how Shane couldn't even look Rick in the eyes. I know the show is trying to make Shane more of a bad guy and make Rick the hero, but I think that exchange alone shows that he's not a bad guy. He's clearly a little messed up and honestly feels he can protect Lori, Carl and the baby better than Rick can, but there is still a hint of shame in what he did. 

Once again Shane tells Rick about what it was like when he came for him. We've seen that in flashbacks and know that he's telling the truth. Obviously that's a luxury Rick doesn't have but I think we would have much more negative feelings toward Shane if we never got to see that scene. We don't know of course if he ever had his eyes on Lori beforehand, but even if he did I don't think that matters at all. I mean it's not like he planned any of this. 

30 Day Sci-Fi Challenge - Day 26

Best Battle -- Colony Fleet vs. Cylons above New Caprica

This was one of the most amazing sequences in history. The image above is what I see as one of the greatest moments in all of Sci-Fi History by the way.

This battle was the rescue mission to save the people stranded on New Caprica. Humans had made that their new home until the Cylons came and occupied it. It took a long time, and was a dangerous mission but both Adamas finally decided it was time to attack and get those motherfraking humans off that motherfraking planet!

So many great scenes. Galactica falling through the atmosphere and then jumping away, the Pegasus being used as a torpedo to take out two Baseships, and of course the after math of this battle lasted many episodes.

If I had to choose this topic everyday I might pick a different battle every day, but this is the one I chose today.  And hey, it makes sense.

30 Day Sci-Fi Challenge - Day 25

Funniest Sci-Fi - Spaceballs

When I was a kid I watched this movie all the time. I actually saw it before I saw Star Wars if you can believe it!

I didn't get so many of the jokes, and I'm so surprised my parents let me watch this movie so much. I'm pretty sure I learned the word "shit" from this movie. Phrases like "Take only what you need to survive" became family jokes and I still laugh whenever I hear things like "We've been jammed" or "Merchandising!"  

If you've never seen this then you must be from an other galaxy or something because this is one of the all time greats. 

Oh and R.I.P. John Candy

30 Day Sci-Fi Challenge - Day 24

Who's the #1 Captain -- Jean-Luc Picard 

He may not have gotten all the ladies like Kirk, and he may not have had stones like Sisko, but this guy was epic. While he was far more diplomatic, and thoughtful than Kirk he also never shied away from a fight. Picard often won battles with words though. Clever diplomatic phrasing to the Romulans and Cardassians got him out of a lot of tough spots, but he also could go full on diplomatic ambassador style. A brilliant mediator he certainly was, especially when it came to the Klingons. He stood up to the omnipotent being Q several times, and saved humanity from...himself.

Interestingly, my two favorite Picard moments didn't even happen while he was serving on the Enterprise. I won't go into it here, but those moments are from episodes "Family" and "The Inner Light".

See Star Trek, when you cast a brilliant Shakespearean actor you get brilliance.

Fringe 4x14 Review

The End of All Things

Well that was certainly a crazy episode of Fringe. First though, I want to apologize for there being no review last week. I was very busy last weekend and by the time I was going to sit down and write it it was already a couple days past. It's not so bad because all I was really going to talk about was how blown away I was by that ending. Since all of it was explained there's no point to getting to it now. Suffice to say though, I was beyond thrilled with the shock that ending delivered. 

On to this episode! While I thought many aspects were brilliant, and quite epic I found other parts to be more iffy. We got a lot of information about the Observers this week, and as expected those answers only lead to more questions. Because of the hiatus we will now have to wait a month to get more episodes, and I was actually hoping for more of a cliffhanger. The episode ended with questions to be sure, but none that I'm climbing the walls waiting to hear. I certainly wish Fringe was on next week, but the ending didn't leave me demanding more right now as they've done in the past. 

30 Day Sci-Fi Challenge - Day 23

Favorite CosPlay Oufit -- Spock

Yes that's me. How awesome do I look?

30 Day Sci-Fi Challenge - Day 22

Coolest Alien Race -- Time Lords

They come from the planet Galiffrey, Before they were all wiped out(almost all that is) they spent their day watching over the universe making sure that time was protected. They didn't interfere unless it was necessary, well most of them anyway. 

They can see all of time and space, and they use that knowledge to create the coolest space ship ever...THE TARDIS!  

Oh, and according to on specific Time Lord they invented black holes. 

Too bad they're all gone, these guys knew how to party. 

30 Day Sci-Fi Challenge - Day 21

Best Adaptation of a Sci-Fi Book -- 2001: A Space Odyssey

This film is one of the most fascinating and confusing films of all-time. While the book is a bit different, I think it still is a brilliant adaptation for the simple reason that Arthur C. Clarke was deeply involved with the film making. He helped Stanley Kubrick make this true masterpiece of science fiction.

This film is about many things. Evolution, human nature, human endeavors, dependency on technology, where we've been, and where we are going.

I probably will some day do a whole podcast episode about this movie because there is so much here that it needs epic focus and examination. If this is one of those movies that you've always wanted to see but never found the time, then check it out. I warn you though, it's very slow in parts and could even be called "boring" depending on your mood and setting. I would suggest watching it with someone who has seen it before. That way they can help you to enjoy the more cryptic aspects of it.

P.S. the sequel, 2010 is also very good and actually follows the book more closely.

30 Day Sci-Fi Challenge - Day 20

Favorite Alien Invasion Movie/Series -- War of the Worlds(1953)

War of the Worlds is probably the most famous alien invasion story and this was the first time it was brought to the big screen. Obviously based on H.G. Wells' classic book it was the inspiration for virtually every single alien invasion story. Instead of the English countryside, or New Jersey this version had the Martians invade Los Angeles.

Like most alien invasion movies of the 1950s it was really about the treat of communism and the fear that was felt by ordinary people during that time. The Martians kill without mercy or warning, and their first victims are unarmed men trying to make peaceful contact.

Steven Spielberg would direct a remake of the movie in 2005 staring Tom Cruise. While I enjoyed that movie and think it was closer to the book in its interpretation of the story, but this one is the better one in my opinion. While it might not be the BEST alien invasion movie ever, I love the original book, and of course the love Orson Welles' radio play. This movie is great 1950s sci-fi and I think it holds up very well.

Alcatraz 1x07 Review

Johnny McKee

Johnny McKee is one of the more terrible killers we've seen on the show so far. He's also one of the best explored characters. He poisons with nightshade, and another really complicated concoction that I won't even attempt to remember.  His targets are people he views as bullies, but his victims are pretty much everyone who has the bad luck of coming into contact with the poison. He has a pretty interesting back story, and I like that his reason for killing him getting revenge for what was done to him and not just him being a crazy guy. 

Like I've been saying for a few weeks I'm not totally cool with them giving every single bad guy a reason to kill and be a baddie but I think it worked here. I was legitimately scared of McKee throughout the episode because he didn't seem crazy and I was happy that they confirmed that. I mean, he was crazy in that he's a homicidal maniac, but he is in full control of his facilities and knows exactly what he's doing. They did remark at one point that he didn't see it as murder because the people he killed were not good people, and that is crazy. But again, killing for revenge is a reason and most of the killers we've seen on the show haven't had a reason at all for killing innocents. 

Walking Dead 2x09 Review

Triggerfinger

Like last week I'm not going to go all in depth with this review. There are so many Walking Dead reviews out there. I mean there's even a Walking Dead review show on at midnight on the East Coast. I'll just talk about things I noticed, and feel important. Once again, I will really try to refrain from talking about the comic book since they are clearly going a different direction in several ways, and if they are not then I don't want to spoil people. 

The biggest thing I took away from this episode was the two clearly defined groups we saw form at the end of the episode. Shane and Andrea are acting all rouge and outsider again, and Lori is really trying to convince Rick that it's time to kill Shane. With those two groups we have to see where the others would align. I think Glen clearly would be with Rick. Darryl and Carol would be on the sidelines since they clearly wouldn't give a rats ass who was in control since they've both lost everything that they could possibly care about. Dale is the tricky one. He would support Rick over Shane in a heartbeat, but he loves Andrea. I think if it came down to it, and he had to choose between protecting her, or helping to harm her he would turn his gun on Rick before anyone could say a word. 

30 Day Sci-Fi Challenge -- Day 19

Empire or Rebel Alliance -- Rebel Alliance (I guess)

I never really thought about it. As most people know(and as this meme has shown) I'm a much bigger Star Trek fan. But I'm doing this challenge, and that means answering each question put to me.

Once Upon a Time 1x13 Review

What Happened to Frederick? 

After last week's powerful ending I really wondered if they would pick up on that story, or move it to the back burner. It seems the latter was the case, and while I enjoyed this episode I missed Mr. Gold and Regina having a nice chat. 

This episode focuses yet again on Mary Margaret and David's relationship. Everything comes to a climax and once again the two different universes experience almost opposing directions for these two love birds. For me though, this was not the most interesting aspect of this episode. The Stranger revealed his name(information that looms large for several characters in this show). I'll get to the name in a little bit, and I am going to refute one of my own theories on who is is. Not based on any information or clues we got, but more so from his behavior. 

30 Day Sci-Fi Challenge -- Day 18

Best Use of SFX on the Small Screen - FRINGE

Once again probably not THE BEST, but this needs to be mentioned. Since the end of Season 2 Fringe has gone along with doubles of most the main characters. Sometimes they share scenes and even shots. It's some of, if not the best work in this regard that I've ever seen. Seen in TV, or Film.

It's a real shame that this perfection is what might cost Fringe a fifth season. This kind of greatness costs a lot of money, and shows that get low ratings on Fridays are not worth all the money it seems. If this is the last season of Fringe, then that's really sad, but they can never take away the amazing special effects work.

30 Day Sci-Fi Challenge -- Day 17

Best Use of SFX on the Big Screen - Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

Okay let me be clear. I know that this is probably not THE BEST ever use of special effects on the big screen. I mean there's Avatar, and Jurassic Park, and LOTR, and Star Wars I get it. I chose this because I couldn't figure out how to actually gauge this. I mean is it best looking? That's not really fair to older movies, plus CGI starts to look like crap after a few years. Go look at the original release of The Phantom Menace and tell me that CGI doesn't look horrible now even though it was groundbreaking and stunning back then.

I chose Who Framed Roger Rabbit? for this very reason. The movie was made in 1988 and still to this day looks amazing. It's seamless and the toons fit into this world better than almost any big time CGI does today. I worry about a possible remake, or sequel since they would demand massive uses of CGI, or motion capture. While movies like Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Hugo, and the upcoming Hobbit look amazing, I honestly thing they would be inferior to this now 24 year old masterpiece.

To add to this, not only is the SFX work perfect, but the way the real people interact with the toons(who clearly were not there during filming) is again some of the best I've ever seen. I dare you to watch this movie and not truly believe that these cartoons were not actually there during filming. That is the true magic that this movie achieved, and it will live on forever.

30 Day Sci-Fi Challenge -- Day 16

A Great Quote -- "Roads? Where We're Going We Don't Need Roads"

No explanation needed.  

30 Day Sci-Fi Challenge - Day 15

Which Spaceship Would You Want to Own or Fly - The TARDIS

Bigger on the inside and travel anywhere in time and space?  Yeah this was an easy decision.

Episode 20 -- Love and Ships in Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Hey guys,  I forgot to post the episode as a blog post. I'm sure everyone who wanted the episode is able to get it anyway but I like posting it here for all to see or sample.

This was a real fun show. Amanda returned to help me talk about some of the good, bad, and ugly love stories in Science Fiction and Fantasy.  ENJOY!

30 Day Sci-Fi Challenge -- Day 14

An Under-rated Sci-Fi Gem -- Sunshine

Sunshine from Danny Boyle is a great film. It tells the story of a mission to the Sun in an effort to save planet Earth. The science and reasons for the mission are discussed briefly, but I think it's smart that they don't go to much into what happened to the Sun to prompt this mission. The mission itself and the issues they run into are very realistic. From the way the ship is constructed, to the "Oxygen Garden" a lot of what is seen in this movie could really work on a real mission. The end of the movie gets a little insane, and horror movie like and I think it could done without that, but it is exciting.

The score of this movie is one of my favorites and really adds the appropriate sense of danger and wonder that is expected when it comes to the Sun. While the Sun is the giver of all life on Earth, it also is a giant ball of fire. There really is no better analogy for the giver life and bringer death than a star. The cast of the movie makes me smile. You have Chris Evans, Cillian Murphy, and a very creepy Mark Strong.

If you haven't seen this one, then check it out.  

30 Day Sci-Ci Challenge -- Day 13

Favorite Flavor of Star Trek -- The Next Generation

This was the Star Trek I grew up with. I used to watch it with my dad, and we went to all the TNG movies together. We also got all the episodes on VHS when they came out. I remember 2 episodes came on each tape, and we got one each month. When one would arrive we would watch it right away, and then put it on a shelf. That shelf still has all the tapes on it. It's a nice collection, and since it's complete I'm quite proud of it.

I love all of Star Trek, even Enterprise, but none of the series get to me the way TNG does. It was the last installment of Trek that was directly created by Gene Roddenberry and I think it shows. Yes it's nice and alittle too perfect. That's how he viewed the future! He actually believed that technology and science would better all humanity and launch us to the stars. With TNG he had to recreate Star Trek, and by placing it about 100 years after TOS it needed to be even better. Where TOS has more militaristic, but idealistic about civil rights, TNG had to be more diplomatic and broad in all forms.

Alcatraz 1x06 Review

Paxton Petty

This week we're back to tracking down criminals, and we've got a real bad guy this time. He plants land mines in public areas and hopes to kill as many as possible. While the crime is rough an scary I wasn't that blown away by the episode. We got more information about Lucy, but she still is cloaked in mystery, and we got a slightly better understanding of what the people being brought to the future know. In Petty's case, nothing. 

I was happy that Diego got some nice moments with the cute medical examiner. It's always nice when comic books bring people together. I wonder if part of the flirting he did was to show Rebecca that he too can be friendly with the opposite sex. He certainly didn't seem pleased when she was all chummy with her cop friend. Speaking of the cop friend, since we had never heard of him before, and she treated him like her best bud I immediately imagined him in a red shirt. In other words, I was almost certain he wouldn't make it through the entire episode. Turned out I was right. Not sure why they didn't have a robot jump in once all he had to do was cut something, but that's okay.  I mean once Hauser was off the mine, why not just get everyone out of there send in a robot and BOOM. No one hurt. I guess that's not dramatic though. 

The Walking Dead 2x08 Review

Nebraska

Since everyone and their zombifyed mother is doing reviews for The Walking Dead I thought I would just talk about something I noticed, or particularly thought were important to talk about. Since I don't have a DVR and also review Once Upon a Time I plan on watching The Walking Dead at 11 every week, and then watching Talking Dead with Chris Hardwick. I think this will help me figure out my thoughts and see what everyone is talking about. If everyone is talking about something, I probably will discuss it a little less since I won't waste people's time with stuff they can find anywhere. 

Another things I'll try to avoid doing is talking about the comic book. I've read a good portion of them, and while knowing what happens in the book doesn't spoil things I think if I was constantly comparing them I would be disappointed with the show. Worse still, I could spoil the comic book for people, and that would be a true crime. Discussing the events of the show without talking about the comic book will be very difficult, so we'll see how long I last with that.

30 Day Sci-Fi Challenge -- Day 12

Yeah I know It's Rubbish But I LOVE It - The Day After Tomorrow

This is a disaster movie that is in rare form. Usually in natural disaster movies they discover some big threat, it builds as the movie goes on, and then in the end they use some crazy made up science thing to stop it, or they just use nuclear weapons. However, in The Day After Tomorrow they are like "oh, this is happening...we're all frakked".  They don't try and stop it, or even save anyone they just run away.  Which is what one would normally do.


Now of course Denis Quaid(who is a brilliant climatologist) sets out to save his son, his hot girlfriend and black friend, and a number of other people who decide staying alive is more important than preserving books. I mean who needs books? Just buy a Kindle from our friends at Amazon! OR click the link to the left and get a free Audiobook from our friends at Audible!

Once Upon a Time 1x12 Review

Skin Deep

It was Valentines Day in Storybrooke and love is in the air. Well, for some people anyway. This episode deals with a new classic fairy tales and Disney movie, Beauty and the Beast. I really loved this episode and how they brought it into the main story arcs we've been seeing. Both the Fairy Tale Land, and Storybrooke plotlines this week are deep and further our understanding of several characters, and introduce us to a couple new ones. 

In Fairy Tale Land we meet Belle, one of the most loved Disney princesses of all time and she's played by Lost alum Emile de Ravin.  I was never a fan Claire, but I think she didn't a great job in this episode. This is a side note, but I like that they didn't have her do a French accent. Maybe Eddie and Adam remember everyone making fun of her Australian accent, and decided to go with the classic idea that a British accent simply means "not American" to us here in the States. Good call! I also loved that both Rumpelstiltskin and the Evil Queen played a large role in the story. We usually get one of them, but rarely both being so vital to the episodes. I love their dynamic and chemistry so I hope we get more scenes of them together. 

30 Day Sci-Fi Challenge -- Day 11

Favorite Space Film or Series -- Battlestar Galactica

I loved Battlestar so much that there were times I convinced myself that I loved it more than I loved another science fiction show of the time. One clue, it won the title of favorite Sci-Fi series in this Challenge. While I wasn't very pleased with certain aspects of the finale I still do love part of that episode, and the finale season is simply incredible.

When I watch a show I'm always looking for something I call "the moment". "The Moment" is something that happens in a show where I sit up in my chair and realize the show is different from almost any in the past, and I WANT to see more. This show gets the record for the earliest "moment". It happens in the Miniseries, and getting a little spoilery, is when the new President Roslin orders the FTL Ships to jump away leaving thousands behind to be killed by the Cylons in order to save as many as she can. The scene is breathtaking. The score in this scene is chilling, and we are forced to listen to the pleads and screams of the people being left behind. It, more than anything else in the miniseries showed me what this show would be. A gritty, realistic depiction of survival.

30 Day Sc-Fi Challenge -- Day 10

In Which Sci-Fi Universe Would You Like to Live -- Star Trek

This Sci-Fi challenge is being taken over by Star Trek! Which is perfectly understandable, I love this franchise and universe more than any other.

Who wouldn't want to live in the Star Trek Universe? You can go flying around the galaxy in fancy ships, the women wear amazing outfits, you have technology that makes the iPad look like a pet rock, and the Earth exists in a near Utopia(and not one of those Childhood's End utopias either!)

I want a holodeck! That and hover boards. I'm sure the replicator can make a hover board if you asked nicely. Replicators!! Oh man, I NEED that. Imagine this. it's 4:00 AM, you get a craving for a specific type of turkey sub from a specific deli. WELL the replicator can make you that sub!!!


Second choice for this topic is Doctor Who Universe.  But only because that means I could meet the Doctor, and have him say "run" to me.

Fringe 4x12 Review

Welcome to Westfield

Another very interesting and creepy episode of Fringe tonight. While watching I had flashbacks to great X-Files episodes, and even The Twilight Zone. Some of my favorite Fringe episodes are those that remind me of The X-Files so it's no surprise that I really liked this one a lot. The best part about this episode for me was that they blended the "Case of the Week" and the main story arc of the season. In the past Fringe has struggled with that in my opinion. Usually what they do is they have a very good COTW episode, and then reveal how it connects to the main plot in the very end with a bit of expository dialogue. Many episodes in season three did that. This episode though succeeded that combining them very well. 

The episode starts with a generally Fringe-tasticly creepy opening. I love beyond belief how they make us think for a moment that the crashing plane is a UFO because they know many Fringe fans were also X-Files fans. Electronics shutting down, and metal things floating are so UFO encounter. Speaking of the airplane, how many airplane disasters have there been on Fringe? 5? Interesting. 

30 Day Sci-Fi Challenge -- Day 9

#1 Sci-Fi Hottie -- Jeri Ryan

Nothing more to say really. 

30 Day Sci-Fi Challenge -- Day 8

Best Robot/Android -- Data

This was a fairly easy decision. Yes it's true I could have picked someone from Battlestar Galactica, or Doctor Who, or any number of movies, but this is the BEST.

Data was first introduced in the first episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation as an android trying to whistle on the holodeck. During the show we learn that he has super human strength, can preform tasks at a supercomputer level, and he is fully functional in terms of sexuality. All that makes him awesome of course, but the reason we all loved him, and why he's on this list is because he would have given all that up in a moment in order to be human. Data is the Pinocchio of Star Trek.

30 Day Sci-Fi Challenge -- Day 7

Best Non-Human Character - The Doctor

What is there to say about The Doctor? I could go on and on about how much I love him, but I think the best thing to do is just list some quotes that describe him. Cause the writers are much better than me at explaining how awesome/terrifying/glorious/genius/funny/crazy he is.

Yes I know these are all from the new series. I love classic Who, but I love these quotes. If there are some from classic Who that you'd like to share please post them in the comments!

"I am just a mad man with a box" -- 11th Doctor

"I'm the Doctor. I'm a Time Lord. I'm from the planet Gallifrey in the Constellation of Kasterborous. I'm 903 years old and I'm the man who is gonna save your lives and all 6 billion people on the planet below. You got a problem with that?" -- 10th Doctor

"Because I've seen him. He's like fire and ice and rage. He's like the night, and the storm in the heart of the sun. He's ancient and forever... He burns at the center of time and he can see the turn of the universe... And... he's wonderful." -- Tim Latimer

"You make them so afraid. When you began, all those years ago, sailing off to see the universe, did you ever think you’d become this? The man who can turn an army around at the mention of his name? Doctor – the word for healer, and wise man, throughout the universe. We get that word from you, you know. But if you carry on the way you are, what might that word come to mean? To the people of the Gamma Forests, the word "doctor" means "mighty warrior". How far you’ve come. And now they’ve taken a child. The child of your best friends. And they’re going to turn her into a weapon, just to bring you down. And all this, my love...in fear of you." -- River Song

"It's like when you're a kid. The first time they tell you that the world's turning and you just can't quite believe it 'cause everything looks like it's standin' still. I can feel it; the turn of the Earth. The ground beneath our feet is spinnin' at 1,000 miles an hour and the entire planet is hurtling around the sun at 67,000 miles an hour, and I can feel it. We're fallin' through space, you and me, clinging to the skin of this tiny little world, and if we let go... That's who I am." -- 9th Doctor

The Amazing Spider-Man Trailer is spectacular!

HOLY COW!  I don't know about everyone else, but that's a friggin amazing trailer. Where do I start...actually How about I just list things in a stream of consciousness Spider-Man fan since I was a small child kinda way.

• Fire escape...doorman's intimidating.
• Peter designing and building web shooters(FINALLY!!)
• Can't??
• Don't dress like a car thief...actually all of the Peter Parker humor we all know and love that was absent from the Tobey movies.  
• Remaining in High School for more than 15 min! That's why Spidey is amazing. He's a frakking high school student and he's one of the best heroes in the Marvel Universe!
• After years of teasing Dr. Connors...FINALLY...LIZARD
• Showing off Peter's genius. The other films didn't really show that Peter Parker is a complete genius.
• Don't know why I didn't mention it until now but...GWEN STACEY...and we all know what happens to her eventually!
• Not sure I love that the police trying to catch him thing is a big part, but we'll see.
• Garfield!! Stone!! Sheen!! Ifans!! Leary!!!  What a cast!

So YEAH! in conclusion, a very cool trailer. I love that it's darker, but not SOO dark, Spider-man was mostly a very lighthearted story that often went in dark directions. 

Thoughts? 

Alcatraz 1x05 Review

Guy Hastings

Ever since this show started there have been many questions. Some are so mysterious and interesting that it's near impossible to imagine a plausible explanation for them. Others though have some very interesting theories that make me very excited for upcoming episodes. In this episode, we got some answers to some big questions. Not full answers, but the events leading up to the 63s coming to the future got a little more light shed on it, and I think I will need to watch that episode again. 

There's also a minor reveal in the episode about Rebecca and Ray's relationship. It's not huge, and doesn't really change things for us I don't think. But it certainly does change things for them. We learn that Ray is not a friend of her grandfather, he's her uncle! That's right, Ray and Tommy are brothers. I guess it was a lot easier to change your name and hide your past back in 1960 than it is today because you would think Alcatraz would check the history of their guards. It's a small quibble, but they went out of their way to mention how that would have been an issue so I think it's warranted. 

30 Day Sci-Fi Challenge -- Day 6

Best Sci-Fi Villain -- The Master

The Master is brilliant, nearly immortal, and completely evil. First introduced along side the Third Doctor, he spent the next 20 years tormenting the Doctor by coming up with scheme after scheme. He always lost, but sometimes with serious cost. His actions have killed the Doctor more than once, and all that time all he wanted was for the Doctor to see him as an equal.

He looks up to the Doctor so much, and desperately wants to be seen as a genius that he's willing to take over, or destroy the universe in order to get that respect. If that sounds insane, that's because it is.

30 Day Sci-Fi Challenge -- Day 5

Best Sci-Fi Hero - James T. Kirk

Captain James Tiberius Kirk is the most celebrated Starship Captain in Starfleet. While boldly going where no one has gone before he save countless lives, stopped the Klingons and Romulans multiple times, single handedly defeated a Gorn Captain by building a canon from scratch, and was even considered a god by one specific alien race.

He's also the master of confusing and defeating logical robots and machines. All you have to do is read poetry and dance around a little bit. Why didn't they ever think of that in BSG? Kirk risked his life to save his friend Spock more than once, and went to a Kingon penal colony to preserve some manner of galactic peace. He twice defeated an enhanced human by the name of Khan, and helped another enhanced human named Charlie discover what it means to be human.

He traveled through time to save the Earth from a whale seeking probe, and brought his crew back to protect Earth from a super intelligent machine race lead by V-Ger.  He gave up true love in order to set history right, and made sure that those tribbles would be no trouble at all. He also get more alien action than Jack Harkness could ever hope for, and that's really saying something.

Say what you want about Kirk, and how he ranks among other Captains, but we all must agree that he was one hell of a hero.

30 Day Sci-Fi Challenge -- Day 4

Best Sci-Fi Heroine -- Ellen Ripley

Sigourney Weaver's Ripley is one of the all time best heroes, let alone heroines. She's more badass, more courageous, and more of a leader than almost anyone else in movie or TV history. When we first meet her, she's just part of this salvage team. Sure she seems cool, and reacts intelligently to the events, but the awesomeness doesn't show itself until people start dying.

The other thing I've always loved about Ripley is that she's not superhuman. She's really part of that group of heroes that includes John McClaine. A regular person, thrown into a crazy and dangerous situation and they just rise to the top, and become the ultimate protector.  At the end of Alien she defeats a giant monster while being almost naked, that's gotta be worse something.

In Aliens she's the veteran, and for some reason no one listens to her when she tells them the shit is about to hit the fan. Her best line in that movie clearly is "Get away from her you bitch!".  We all know Molly Weasley was quoting Ripley when killed Belatrix.

After Aliens the movies kind of fall off a cliff, but Ripley remains awesome in all forms, and scripts.

Fringe 4x11 Review

Making Angels

After last week's "Case of the Week" episode we kind of got another one. The different though is that this particular case played into the larger mythos of the show far more than future seeing girl did. Future seeing guy was much more creepy too. There was a lot going on in this episode, and in classic Fringe form it all comes down to the families, and issues we have with our parents. 

As advertised this episode also featured Astrid more than entire seasons seemed to in the past, and I LOVED IT. I've always been a fan of Astrid, and Jasika Nicole doesn't get near enough praise. Lets for a moment recap Astrid's character for the first four seasons. Here's a smart, talented, and committed FBI agent who went through all the training and preparation it takes to get to that position.  What is her assignment? To babysit a crazy man who likes to do wacky experiments, and never quite gets her name right. One could wonder, "Why does she stick around?" I think we all knew the answer to that, and this episode confirmed it if you had not figured it out in Season 2's Snakehead. Astrid cares a great deal about Walter, and he cares about her all the same. Walter as much as admitted that getting her name wrong is a sign of affection, and just a little playful humor. More on her later. 

30 Day Sci-Fi Challenge -- Day 3

Favorite Sci-Fi Book/Story - The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy

I don't remember when I first read this book, but whenever it was I know that I fell in love right away. Douglas Adams' dry sense of humor is perfectly British, and so inline with my own that I couldn't put it down. Since then I've read all the books in the series(Originally a trilogy is has 5 books...6 if you count an extra one that I personally don't since I don't think it was written by Adams). The first two are my absolute favorites though. The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, and Restaurant at the End of the Universe are that perfect kind of comedic sci-fi. They are hilarious, but also are pointed in their mocking of everything from imperialism, to education, to the many uses of towels.

30 Day Sci-Fi Challenge -- Day 2

Favorite Sci-Fi TV Series -- LOST

If you look to the left side of this blog, and scroll down a bit you'll see my Top TV Series of All-Time. Lost is #3, but it's the highest of the sci-fi shows. That pretty much made this decision the easiest of recent memory. It's not so cut an dry though because I have a hard time making decisions. I thought about the various Star Trek series, but I've long decided that while I love the franchise, and the universe more than any other, I don't love the individual series enough to put them high on a list. I'm sure many people would be able to, but I can't.

VIVA BUY MOREIA (A Sendoff to Chuck)

By Guest Poster, Jimmy

So this is how it ends, with a bang and then a whimper. NBC’s fan favorite show with a cult following Chuck signed off the airwaves for the final time on January 27th. The end was always lurking around the corner for the nerdy-Buy-More-employee-turned-Super-Spy, but until now, it’s always just been a looming fear of cancelation. Now it’s real, and when the final scene played with “Rivers and Roads” by The Head and The Heart playing in the background (which I’ve had playing on repeat for several days now), the screen faded to black and I felt an immediate nostalgic sentimentality, over the loss of one of my favorite shows.

30 Day Sci-Fi Challenge -- Day 1

Favorite Sci-Fi Movie -- Jurassic Park

I know what some of you are thinking. "Wait, you said Back to the Future was your favorite in the last challenge!" Yes I know, but that was because I had already selected Jurassic Park in that challenge and I don't like doubling up if I don't have to. Jurassic Park is actually my favorite Science Fiction movie. BTTF is close though.

I've loved this movie since the first time I saw it, and it always makes me feel so good. I talked about this movie at length during the Film Challenge so I won't do that again. I will mention two things that I talk about every time this movie comes up. First, the score is amazing. I still listen to it quite often, and I think it's John Williams' best work.

Episode 19 -- Star Trek IV: Save The Whales

Here's the episode of The Flashbacks Podcast where I cover Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. I play a ton of clips, and discuss the movie on a pretty deep level.

Also I read two emails that point out errors I made on the previous show.

Listen to it below, or Download the episode!