Sci-Fi Storm

Star Trek: Into Darkness, the second adventure in J.J. Abrams rebooted Star Trek franchise, is out on [sfs=1342]Blu-ray[/sfs] and [sfs=1343]DVD[/sfs] next Tuesday…is the Blu-ray worth it? I’d say a conditional Yes. What may be a deciding factor is how much you like special features.

First, some of the technical details…I will talk about the film later for those who would still like to avoid the “big spoiler” that is probably widely known across the interwebs by now…

The Blu-ray version of the movie comes on a single disc, with the 3D version on another disc, and both come with the feature alone on separate DVD…there is no additional special features disc included. The feature is in full 1080p, with a Dolby TrueHD 7.1 audio track (no DTS-HD track), as well as Dolby 5.1 English, French, Spanish and Portuguese, plus English Audio Description. It is also captioned in English, English SDH, French, Spanish and Portuguese.

The feature looks amazing on Blu-ray…and that is very important to this film, because the visuals are top notch, and there are a LOT of them. Spectacular scenes abound. The audio quality is good, although when listening just through my TV set was a little unbalanced volume-wise. At times the audio had to be turned way up to hear dialog, but then blasted the ears during fight scenes. I think this may be fairly typical however of most Blu-rays through my TV system, however, but I’m still on the search for a new HD-capable receiver.
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The Hugo Awards were presented this weekend! Here is the list of winners:

Best Novel:

[asin=0765334798]Redshirts: A Novel with Three Codas[/asin], John Scalzi (Tor)

Best Novella:

[asin=1616960922]The Emperor’s Soul[/asin], Brandon Sanderson (Tachyon Publications)

Best Novelette:

“The Girl-Thing Who Went Out for Sushi”, Pat Cadigan (Edge of Infinity, Solaris)

Best Short Story:

“Mono no Aware”, Ken Liu (The Future is Japanese, VIZ Media LLC)

Best Related Work:

Writing Excuses Season Seven, Brandon Sanderson, Dan Wells, Mary Robinette Kowal, Howard Tayler and Jordan Sanderson

Best Graphic Story:

[asin=1607066017]Saga, Volume One[/asin], written by Brian K. Vaughn, illustrated by Fiona Staples (Image Comics)

Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form:

[sfs=1249]The Avengers[/sfs], Screenplay & Directed by Joss Whedon (Marvel Studios, Disney, Paramount)
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I sadly report that according to Emily Pohl-Weary, his grandaughter, via a tweet, SFWA Grand Master Frederik Pohl passed away at the age of 93.

Pohl was named the 12th Grand Master of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America organization back in 1993, and served as its president from 1974-1976. He won the Hugo Award in 1978 for [asin=0345475836]Gateway[/asin], three more as editor of If Magazine from 1966-1968, and Nebulas in 1976 for [asin=0765321785]Man Plus[/asin] and 1977 for Gateway.

It’s such a bittersweet day.

Filming of the final six episodes of Warehouse 13 concluded in the early hours this morning in Toronto, in what I’m sure was a tired and emotional end.

Thanks to Eddie McClintock’s tweets, here are some pics from the final days. I don’t know what the episode is about yet, but it sure is going to be interesting…

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HBO has given a pilot commitment to a Westworld series from J.J. Abrams, ad Robot, Jonathan Nolan, Jerry Weintraub and Warner Bros. TV. Inspired by the 1973 movie from Michael Chrichton, the series as described as “a dark odyssey about the dawn of artificial consciousness and the future of sin.” The movie, which starred Yul Brynner, Richard Benjamin and James Brolin, was about a near-future amusement park where guests could live out fantasies in various worlds, including the western-themed West World, populated by androids. However, a malfunction spreads through the system and the androids begin to kill the guests.

It was followed by a sequel, Futureworld, and a short lived series, Beyond Westworld.

In the second season finale of Continuum, Kiera hurries to save Alec from himself and preserve her chances of getting home, while Alec must choose between solving Kiera’s dilemma or his own. Tune in tonight at 10/9c on Syfy for “Second Time”!

Also check out the interview with the cast where they discuss the major theme of the season.
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Marvel announced today that actor James Spader (Boston Legal, Stargate) will take on the role of Ultron in the upcoming Avengers: Age of Ultron movie to be directed by Joss Whedon and expected to be released on May 1st, 2015.

Spader, who’s most recent feature credit was as W. N. Bilbo in Lincoln, has a lot of television experience as well – he has three Emmys for his role as Alan Shore in The Practice and Boston Legal, recurred on The Office and is starring in the upcoming NBC series The Blacklist.

Ultron is a robotic supervillain with an adamantium shell, making him nearly indestructible, and an Oedipus complex. In the overall Marvel universe, he was created by Hank Pym (Ant-Man) by duplicating his own brain waves, resulting in an unstable robotic intelligence, obsessed with constant upgrading.

Haven returns for its fourth season on Syfy September 13th – 10 days after Season 3 releases on [sfs=1361]Blu-ray[/sfs] and [sfs=1362]DVD[/sfs]. And Season 3 purchasers will receive an extra bonus – a 16-page graphic novel called Haven: After The Storm, which fills in some of what happens after the Season 3 finale and the Season 4 premiere, which picks up 6 months later. The comic was limited to 100,000 copies.

And here’s a teaser for Season 4, along with some interesting found footage from a group called the Darkside Seekers…looks like there is going to be more Trouble…and don’t forget, Eureka‘s Colin Ferguson joins the cast!

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Syfy released their fall programming lineup today. Not much on the scripted drama side beyond Haven, as most of that will return next year, but some returning and new unscripted programming and feature movies.

September:

GHOST MINE (SEASON 2 PREMIERE)

Returns Wednesday, September 4 at 10PM – In Season 2, the hardened team of gold miners and paranormal investigators return to Eastern Oregon’s notoriously haunted Crescent Mine to continue their quest for gold and evidence of ghosts. The investigators and miners delve further into the mine’s mysterious history revealing new information about the recurring Masonic symbols, Native American presence and the spirit of “Joe,” all while battling the elements in hopes of striking it rich. This season, they’ve revamped the popular Remote Investigator of Paranormal Activity (RIPA) and brought in a surprise new addition to the team. The Season 2 premiere will be preceded by the 9PM one-hour special, Ghost Mine: Back on the Mountain, hosted by Adam Copeland (Haven), in which the miners and investigators gather ‘round the campfire to reminisce about the highs and lows of last season.

RAGIN CAJUN REDNECK GATORS (ORIGINAL MOVIE PREMIERE)

Premieres Thursday, September 5 at 9PM – Contaminated moonshine dumped in a Louisiana swamp turns the bayou’s gators (and the people who eat them) into deadly mutants. The movie stars Victor Webster (Continuum) and Jordan Hinson (Eureka).

HAVEN (SEASON 4 PREMIERE)
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Syfy is greenlighting 12 Monkeys, a drama series based on the 1995 Universal Pictures film directed by Terry Gilliam, to pilot. The 60-minute cast-contingent pilot is being produced by Universal Cable Productions and Atlas Entertainment, producer of the original Bruce Willis-Brad Pitt theatrical.

Based on the classic hit film, 12 Monkeys follows the journey of a time traveler from the post-apocalyptic future who appears in present day on a mission to locate and eradicate the source of a deadly plague that will eventually decimate the human race.

Production is set to begin in November with Terry Matalas & Travis Fickett (Terra Nova, Nikita), who wrote the pilot script, serving as Co-Executive Producers. Atlas Entertainment’s Charles Roven (American Hustle, Man of Steel, The Dark Knight Trilogy) and Richard Suckle (American Hustle, The International), will Executive Produce. Roven produced the original film.

Terry Matalas & Travis Fickett are represented by Manager Brian Lutz.