Articles by matt-raub
Mon Sep 8, 2008 — by Matt Raub
Early Review: 'Fringe'
J.J. Abrams plays Mix & Match with great TV
Long gone is the time when great science fiction programming came in two categories; Star Trek spinoff and everything else. Today, those categories have been split into dozens more, including things like superheroes, time travel, or even the occasional futuristic evil robot plot. Fringe seems to take just about all of the elements that fans have loved over the years of watching X-Files, Heroes, and Lost and purées them into an hour long drama that will inevitably go over the heads of millions of viewers.
From creator J.J. Abrams (Lost, Alias), Fringe follows the structure of too-curious-for-her-own-good government agent (Anna Torv) and the estranged son who must suffer from his father’s evil schemes (Joshua Jackson) solving mysteries surrounding a string of DNA that could “change humanity as we know it”. While the structure may not sound that boring, the actors make sure to help that point.
Anna Torv’s Olivia Dunham leaves enough room for a tractor to fit in her enthusiasm factor. She, along with everyone in the series, seems to be playing this out like it will be the next Lost, trying not to emote too much, because who knows where their character may lead in a season or two. This is a nice return to primetime TV for Joshua Jackson, seeing as how the last time we saw him, he was hanging around a creek. He plays the cunning-yet-brash son of the evil Dr. Walter Bishop (John Noble). There is room for plenty of father-son and even lover-dead lover drama, which eats up about half of the pilot.
The story loses steam when they introduce the stereotypical “evil corporation with a secret that controls the government” subplot. This will more than likely become the center of the entire series, if it even gets the chance to unravel that plot. Throw in a few cameos from Abrams’ other shows, and you’ve got a nice little vehicle to keep naive Lost fans happy until mid January.
The concept of DNA manipulation and secret government cover-ups is no longer flashy and original to an audience of modern primetime television. Add that in with more Lost-esque ambiguity and a very weak leading role, this show doesn’t look to be going too far. Fox has already ordered 13 episodes of the series, but those who know Fox’s M.O. when it comes to new series know that it will take a miracle if Fringe even makes it past three episodes. The network is infamous for dumping shows at the first sign of a bad review or bored expression, and this show is just asking for one-if not both of those conclusions. RATING: 6/10
Fringe premiers on Fox Tuesday, September 9 at 8pm Eastern.
Sat Sep 6, 2008 — by Matt Raub
Early Review: True Blood
Does HBO's new bloodsucking drama....suck?
For too long, paranormal dramas have been restricted to basic cable where they become weighed down with melodrama and morals that everyday teens can take away from each episode. I’d like to say that True Blood breaks that trend, but, sadly, it does not and with the exception of a few expletives and some exposed body parts, this show could certainly be made for ABC or the oh-so-hip CW.
From the Alan Ball, the creator of the acclaimed HBO series Six Feet Under comes the TV series based on The Southern Vampire Mysteries book series by Charlaine Harris about a southern telepathic waitress named Sookie Stackhouse who solves mysteries involving vampires, werewolves, and other such creatures. Keep in mind, this series was written four years before the nation’s newfound interest in vampires was peaked with Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight series. That said, this still isn’t safe from being called a watered down version of Buffy The Vampire Slayer.
There were only a few scenes that were of interest to any fan of the vampire mythos, the rest establishing the faux racism storyline that seems to be the backbone of the show. In a world where vampires have “come out of the coffin” (not my turn of phrase) and are now publicly known, they become the new racial scapegoat for the scared and angry citizens of Southern America to abuse. This storyline borders didacticism by using “vampire” as a replacement for words like “black” or “gay” or even “cylon”. In a world where these immortal creatures walk the earth, why should they care what the clerk at the Quik-N-Stop has to say to them? Unanswered questions like these makes one realize why this series needs to be looked at like a Vampire Romance novel, instead of a replacement for something like Buffy or Angel, much like watching The New Adventures of Lois & Clark.
Outside of plot holes like that, the other two issues with the pilot were the pacing and acting. The pacing seems to be almost at a torturous level, leaving entire chunks of time where nothing more than a lot of pensive staring goes on. We understand that there is a lot of animosity between the vampires and the “mortals”, but they can rip your throats out, so stop looking like a pissed off toddler. The acting (I won’t go into how bad the southern accents are) and motivation of characters just came across as inconsistent, as many of them were either set as “angry girl” or “delusional grandmother”. There was hardly any reasoning behind these emotions, and they felt unnecessary and distracting.
The ending left for a good cliffhanger and a want to pursue the next episode, which I encourage. This series will hopefully improve and become slightly more watchable, but this doesn’t seem like another Buffy the Vampire Slayer or even a Twilight, instead just a watered down amalgam of the two. Rating 6/10
True Blood debuts on HBO Sunday evening at 9 p.m. and has a twelve episode season.
Fri Aug 15, 2008 — by Matt Raub
An Animated Buffy the Vampire Slayer?
An original sizzle reel surfaces
Tue Aug 12, 2008 — by Matt Raub
Dark Knight Babies
Chris Nolan Effed Up Your Kids...
Mon Aug 11, 2008 — by Matt Raub
Watchmen: The Real Owlship??
Bring on the Virals!!
In news that can only be classified as weird and off-putting while still bordering on cool, there is a new blog entry on the Watchmen official site. In the latest entry, titled "A Mysterious Discovery in New York," production designer Alex McDowell recounts a story where he and director Zack Snyder received a call from a location scout in New York about a house that they "just needed to see." They then rush to a brownstone in Chelsea, to an abandoned building that was days away from destruction. Here's part of the post:
“The scout tells us that the tunnel and chamber was once a spur of a forgotten subway, an underground maintenance area for the cars, built in the 1920’s. In 1955, the tunnel suffered a collapse that flooded this section of the system, and the lower portions of the track were abandoned. 100 yards from the repair yard the tunnel now opens up directly to the East River.”
“Clearly someone had broken into the chamber from above, probably in the sixties, and build the steel stair that connected directly the basement we’d stumbled into.”
Mon Aug 11, 2008 — by Matt Raub
George Lucas Hangs Up The iPhone
Lightsaber app no more...
Those who own or know people who own an iPhone have probably come in contact with an application that has been on the iTunes top 25 applications since the birth of the App Store, and easily one of the most entertaining. The PhoneSaber app is a very simple yet enjoyable application which uses the accelerometer of the iPhone, turning the phone into a makeshift Lightsaber, sounds and all – minus the ability to cut off your bastard son's hand.
Well, it looks as if Star Wars creator and ultimate ruiner of all things good George Lucas has expressed that he is not pleased with the fact that there is a Lightsaber application, seeing as how his video game developer, LucasArts, along with sister company THQ, have all the rights for handheld Star Wars video games. This coming on the heels of the I Am Rich App scandal, Apple has pulled the popular PhoneSaber from the App Store.
There are currently talks about LucasArts retooling the application under thier name to coincide with the "Unleashing the Force" iPhone game later this year, with better functionality (and a price). Either way, if you own the application, and don't feel like spending $4.99 in six months to buy the exact same thing, make sure you don't delete it in a fit of rebellion.
Sun Aug 10, 2008 — by Matt Raub
Hey! Where is our 'Dark Knight' Video Game?
The score: PS3, EA 0
Since the birth of Tim Burton's movie Batman in 1989, there has been a video game tie-in with every incarnation of the Batman film franchise. So why is it that we haven't seen one for one of the most popular (and profitable) films for the character, if not for comic book films in general? It's not as if there wasn't a plan for a digitized Batman during the film's production. Game publisher Electronic Arts had the rights to make a game for the Dark Knight film, according to an unnamed developer for the EA-owned Pandemic Studios. Speculation says that the lack of a game caused up to $100 million in missing sales, and would be the first time that the caped crusader didn't have a game.
Sat Aug 9, 2008 — by Matt Raub
The Iron Man Ultimate DVD Commeth!
Not Ultimate Iron Man, but the big ol' movie
If you've grown tired of watching that bootleg copy of Iron Man that you've crammed onto your iPod/iPhone, then you will be happy to know that details of the Iron Man DVD release are now available for you to drool over.
Thu Aug 7, 2008 — by Matt Raub
Watchmen: Inside the Owlship and Owl Weapons
Owls well on the movie front...
On the heels of the latest trailer, a new Watchmen production journal was released with an inside look at Nite Owl II's ship. You can check out the video here, but don't ask me why nobody ever refers to it as "Archie."
Wed Aug 6, 2008 — by Matt Raub
Warcraft meets Star Trek?
ST goes MMORPG at last!
Become part of Star Trek®: The Star Trek universe will appear for the first time in a massively multiplayer online game. Everything from the elegant domes of Starfleet Academy to the ancient temples of Vulcan, from the towers of Qo’noS to the Fire Caves of Bajor, from the mysterious Mutara Nebula to the unexplored voids of deep space, all will be represented in stunning 3-D graphics. Immerse yourself in the future of the Trek universe as it moves into the 25th century: a time of shifting alliances and new discoveries. Adventure in the Final Frontier: Explore strange new worlds, seek out new life and new civilizations in an expanding vast universe. Make contact with alien races, discover resources and uncover mysteries that will change the future of the Star Trek universe. You Are the Captain: Command your own starship as a Federation Captain or a Klingon Warrior. Outfit it with the systems that you need to make your mark in the galaxy. Customize your ship as you see fit. Recruit, train and mold your crew into an elite force for exploration and combat. Surface, Shipboard and Deep Space Adventures: Command your vessel in thrilling space battles, or beam down to planets with your away team for face-to-face confrontations. Missions will take you and your friends into space, planetside and even inside starships! Powered by the Cryptic Engine, Star Trek® Online will be developed for both console and PC formats. With customizable ships and characters from the Klingon Empire and United Federation of Planets, ground, space and shipboard gameplay and unique options for player-generated content set in the Star Trek universe, Star Trek Online is the MMOG that allows you to boldly go where no one has gone before! Gameplay footage and a release date are both set to be revealed at the annual Star Trek Convention in Las Vegas's Gene Roddenberry Theater on August 10. (Thanks to Easy Strider for the tip)
Ever want to zip around different M-Class planets causing havoc, flirting with green ladies and punching out some Gorn? Well now that the Star Trek Universe is joining the world of MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games) with Star Trek Online, you can! In a press release from developer Cryptic Studios:
Tue Jul 29, 2008 — by Matt Raub
SDCC: Leaked Comic-Con Movie Trailer Round-Up
All the cool stuff you missed from Comic Con '08
As many know, Comic Con International has become more about showing off secret footage of upcoming TV and Film projects than about actual comic books, and for those unable to attend this year, or the attendees who weren’t fortunate enough (or patient enough) to make it into the major halls for the presentations, we’ve put together a small round-up of the leaked footage from this year’s show.
NOTE: This footage was not taken by anyone on the ComicMix staff, and we are only linking to previously published video files, so don’t sue us.
Starting it off is the biggest of the projects: the trailer (in two parts) for X-Men Origins: Wolverine:
- Part 1
- Part 2
- The trailer for Disney’s Tron sequel
- Saw V Teaser Trailer
- Friday the 13th Trailer
- Smallville Season 8 Trailer
- A sneak peek at season 5 of Lost
- Finally, an extended scene from the film Twilight
I’d apologize about the unsteady handicam work, but it beats flying across the country and waiting in line for four hours to get a seat, trust me. This seems to be all the footage that has made its way onto the web so far, keep checking back for updates, plus our exclusive Comic Con ’08 video coverage!
Fri Jul 18, 2008 — by Matt Raub
Review: The Dark Knight
The Caped Crusader delivers once again...
Considering the amount of massive blockbusters that have disappointed the fans this year, it is safe to say that all of your expectations will be met going into this movie. The Dark Knight delivers on so many levels that it becomes hard to critique it, and all that's left is pure childlike enjoyment for approximately two hours.
Those of you who are unaware of the plot for the sequel to 2005’s Batman Begins
[SPOILER WARNING: READ ON AT YOUR OWN RISK]
Fri Jul 11, 2008 — by Matt Raub
ComicMix TV: The 'Hellboy II' Ron Perlman Interview
The 'Hellboy II' star has a touching moment with our ComicMix TV host...
No Hellboy interviews are complete without talking to the titular character himself. Ron Perlman’s name has been on the lips of just about any comic book or television fan since the mid '80s. In a fun interview with Perlman, we got to ask him about his evolution as Hellboy, his interest in comic books, and his thoughts on returning to the 1980s TV show Beauty and the Beast (at this interviewer’s expense).
Hellboy II: The Golden Army opens today, July 11.
Missed one of our Hellboy II: The Golden Army interviews this week? Here are links to all of the recent ComicMix TV interviews with the Hellboy II cast and crew:
- Selma Blair and the 'Hellboy II' Interview
- Luke Goss Talks 'Hellboy II'
- Doug Jones and the 'Hellboy II' Interview
- 'Hellboy II' and the Guillermo Del Toro Interview
Thu Jul 10, 2008 — by Matt Raub
Review: 'Hellboy II: The Golden Army'
Does Big Red go the way of Jaunty Monster or Campy Superhero?
If there is one absolute statement that can be made about Hellboy II: The Golden Army, it is that this is easily director Guillermo del Toro’s lightest and funniest film -- which may just be its greatest downfall. If the first film were to be classified as a “horror/action with comedic relief”, this film is most definitely a “horror/comedy with action sequences,” and that could be what hurts the film the most.
The story picks up about a year from where the first film leaves off: the B.P.R.D. has grown, with the addition of Liz Sherman (Selma Blair), who is now Hellboy’s live-in girlfriend. Tom Manning (Jeff Tambor) is still in charge of the team and is trying his hardest (“trying” being the operative word) to keep it all a secret from the public. There's all of this, and then there's also an epic war being forged between a renegade elf prince and mankind.
The film starts off sweet enough, on a military base on Christmas during one of Hellboy’s adolescent years. A cameo from John Hurt gets the audience excited right off the bat. Hurt then tells a young Hellboy the story of the first Human/Elf war. This is where we set the mood for the rest of the film. The story is told using computer-generated wooden dolls, rather than actual elves or humans. While Guillermo is known for his imagination with monsters and/or children, this may have been a bit much in the direction of puerility. Instead of giving the impression of a childhood story, the CGI comes across as sloppy and unfinished.
Thu Jul 10, 2008 — by Matt Raub
ComicMix TV: 'Hellboy II' and the Guillermo Del Toro Interview
Famed director explains his vision for the 'Hellboy' sequel
Guillermo del Toro has made his mark in the comic book and sci-fi/fantasy world with his work on both Hellboy films, writing and directing Marvel’s Blade II, and possibly now joining in on future projects such as Doctor Strange and The Hobbit. See what Guillermo has to say about his favorite comics, the evolution of characters in the new film, and even a little Pan’s Labyrinth homage in Hellboy II: The Golden Army, which hits theaters this Friday, July 11.
Missed one of our Hellboy II: The Golden Army interviews this week? Here are links to all of the recent ComicMix TV interviews with the Hellboy II cast and crew:
