Say what you want about the movie series being crap, I still like them. They're fun, cheesy action-zombie goodness, and they all star Milla Jovovich, so that's a plus. So, the tweets from Ms.Jovovich about RE: Afterlife have filled me with something sort of like glee.

Jovovich, has been tweeting directly from the movie's set in Toronto for weeks now it seems, letting slip alot of little tidbits about the production (is it wrong that the cynic in me thinks this is all a cold calculated ploy to generate buzz? Eh, no matter). The tweets include snatches of information about her co-stars Ali Larter (returning as Claire Redfield), Wentworth Miller (as Claire's brother, Chris) and Shawn Roberts (as Wesker).

There's even a few references to returning characters (Jill Valentine), locations (Tokyo), and that they're pulling a scene directly from RE:5 involving a battle involving Alice, Claire, Chris and Wesker all at once (Never having played RE5, dosent mean a damn thing to me, but I wager its important). Some of the tweets are:

-The fight is Alice, Claire and Chris Redfield against super powerful Wesker. The moves r taken directly from RE5, a homage to the fans.

-Jill valentine, undead dogs, tokyo... Do u really think I can give all that away?

-It looks much more believable now. And I can stop thinking about it. Phew! Also, kasey is NOT the new Jill. Sienna is the ONLY Jill!

-Valentine MAY b back...

-But I'm so happy we're bringing characters back now. It really adds a new dimension to the series.

-i feel like this is really gonna b the best RE yet and if u all love, we'll get to continue the series!

-just finished an incredible shot! real trailer moment! me running, semi's blazing, glass exploding in front of me, walls exploding behind me

-have been talking to my friend maynard j. Keenan to potentially do a song 4 the soundtrack. http://myloc.me/1teq5

Resident Evil: Afterlife opens in 2010. Go check out the original article here.

Post from: New Film Dimension

RE4 goodness from Alice herself

Ahh, I do love a satirical motion picture, especially when it seems to be done well. Behold Kick-Ass, based on the comic book series by Mark Miller and directed by Matthew Vaughn.

The plot of the film centers on Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson), a comic-book fanboy who asks a simple question: "Why hasnt anyone tried to be a superhero?" He then follows it up by donning a costume and becoming one himself, choosing the moniker "Kick-ass". The problem is, really, a minor one: he has no super-powers, no training, he isnt even supremely physically fit a la Batman.  In donning the costume, Dave inspires a plethora of copycats (probably not any better at the whole superhero thing than he is), persued by various unsavory characters and meets up with a pair of masked vigilantes, including 11-year-old sword-wielding Hit Girl (Chloe Moretz) and her father, Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage).

The trailer opens up in a fairly expected manner, then pretty brutally subverts your expectations (or at least mine), and leads on from there. I thought having 'Fanfare for the Common Man' playing in the background was a nice touch, and I just want to ruffle Hit Girl's hair she's so cute; of course, given what she does just in the trailer, I wouldn't be in the same BLOCK as her or daddy.

Kick-Ass premiers April 16, 2010. Go check it out here.

Post from: New Film Dimension

Watch this Kick-Ass Trailer (see what I did there?)

Urban was quoted as saying:

"The film is set in a post-apocalyptic vampire world at the end of generations of war between vampires and humans," Urban said. "That's where this story takes place. I think that it's going to have some pretty dark moments in it, that's for sure. Dude, it's not Twilight. I do have fangs."

This sounds great to me - I love post-apocalyptia, and Karl further went on to state that they got to shoot on the same lots that were used in Blade Runner, which is awesome beyond words.  They had members of every race there, speaking native tongues, trying to prove how diverse and different the world now was.

There's also going to be some brutal action sequences (as shown by the pic), and Karl Urban supposedly stomped on Paul's fingers, cut his lip, and did other things during the intense action.

I can't wait, the theater has needed a lot more gritty action films.

Post from: New Film Dimension

Priest will involve blood, fangs, no sparkle

Chuck will have a 2 hour timeslot on Sunday, January 10th, to lure you all back in, then will be airing back at its regular time at 8pm on January 11th.  Heroes will be slotted back in at 9pm after it has a big two hour special on January 4th.  You can read more details over at SciFiWire.

The producers report that the back-six episodes will be a new plot, not padding for the old plot, so we'll get even more story out of this.  And as I've already reported before, we'll have some interesting guest stars that include Brandon Routh, Kristin Kreuk, Robert Patrick, and more.  Anyone else amused by the irony of Superman and Lana Lang together from two different genres?  I'm sure that amused the Chuck casting director too.

The trailer for Season 3 lies below.  I can't wait until January 10th!

Post from: New Film Dimension

Chuck’s Coming Back Early!

First off - I won't be covering any Twilight premiere crap on this blog, so don't worry about that.  The concept of people finding it romantic when a dude lurks in their room at night just creeps me directly the hell out. Moving on...

Incredibly belated, I have a nice Halloween video - apparently Hoobastank covered the Ghostbusters theme, and as cheesey as it is, I still love it!  They riff more on the Real Ghostbusters than the Ghostbusters movie though, so be prepared for some outrageous props.  Still fun though.

The writer for FX's The Shield, John Hlavin, just announced that he will be writing the fourth Underworld film, and it will not be a prequel.  Little else is known, since no actors have signed on, except he hopes to provide a new tapestry for things to take place, and add to the mythology, while honoring what came before.

Next up, we have a clip from the very non-Twilight Vampire story, Daybreakers. This looks like it's going to rock the casbah in a big way, and give me another dark action flick to drool over -

In addition, this PSA came out reminding you to turn in all humans you find!!

According to SciFi.com, Sam Worthington has been cast in the Last Days of American Crime, a film based on yet another comic book.   It reminds me a bit of Dollhouse, in the fact the government will find a way to broadcast a signal that prevents anyone from knowingly committing a crime.  Interesting concept at least.

Gizmodo reports that R2-D2 is in the Star Trek blu-ray, amongst the wreckage of the fleet of ships Nero destroyed.

Over at Slashfilm, they reported that Idris Elba (The Wire) is joining the cast of Thor. This makes him another one of the proud cast, Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Hopkins, Natalie Portman, Ray Stevenson, and Stewart Townshend.  Good lord, it's like Marvel is making real Big Budget films now!  Good for them!

Premiere dates for Winter are already coming - Lost is going to premiere February 2nd, Chuck will premiere on January 10th.  The next two Doctor Who specials, officially titled "The End of Time" Parts 1&2, will air on Christmas Day in the U.K, December 26th in the U.S., and New Years Day in the U.K., no time in the U.S. yet.

They're making an American Gladiators movie, WHY?  Peter Iliff (Patriot Games) is writing.  But... still.  Why?

According to ComingSoon, Michael Bay is not killing off Megan Fox in Transformers 3, and infact Megan called him up and told him that the whole Hitler comment was just he press siezing on things out of context, and he believes her.  So now he's giving her a bigger part in the third film - she couldn't have a lesser role, I don't think.

It would appear that Stephen King's new novel, Under The Dome, is being optioned as a TV mini-series by none other than Steven Spielberg and Dreamworks TV.  Head over to Slashfilm for more details.

Jon Favreau has twittered that we may get an Iron Man 2 trailer in front of Sherlock Holmes - I hope so!

The ratings for V dropped another 18%.  Yee-gads, that show is going to tank.  It's a pity, because I enjoy it, but we'll see if NBC picks it up.  The new creator says that he wants to end every episode with a revelation, so that might improve how people digest the series.

That's it for now!  Everybody have a great weekend!

Post from: New Film Dimension

NFD Daily Returns! This time, It’s Personal (Okay, no, not really)

Bioware, one of the leading Canadian game companies and recent EA acquisition, made its name in the RPG business working with the Dungeons and Dragons license.  Early successes included the Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale franchises, using AD&D 2nd Ed rules.   Later, they followed up with Neverwinter Nights, a game loved more for its modability and toolset than its single player campaign.  Later, they left their dungeon-crawling roots to release Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, the first RPG set in the Star Wars Expanded Universe.  Following that triumph, they branched out into unique IPs, such as the wu-shu style Jade Empire and the 80s-ish Scifi of Mass Effect (the sequel to which comes out just after Christmas).

What does all this matter?  I'm just establishing Bioware's pedigree.  They are one of the few manufacturers of single player role-playing games left in the industry.  That distinction they share with Bethesda Softworks, makes of the Elder Scroll series and recently, Fallout 3, and to a lesser extent, the 300-ton gorilla, Blizzard Entertainment.   This is important because, over the last several years, the fantasy setting has been subsumed almost wholesale by the MMO market.  The vast majority of online games have a Tolkien-esque fantasy setting, so much so, that many people have been begging for a new MMO genre, which is one of the reaosns why projects like Broken Earth and Star Trek Online are being met with anticipation.

Play it this way...

"Dragon Age" is Bioware's "let's do what we used to do, but do it *better*" masterpiece.  A "real-time" tactical combat engine, capable of being paused at any time, to issue order to a party of up to 4 characters was a staple of the Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale games from the early part of this decade.  Also, aside from a standard third person over-the-shoulder view, on PC the player can zoom out into an overhead "isometric" style view, reminiscent of those same classic games, allowing a bird's eye view of the battle field.  But does all this nostalgia pay off?  And for RPG fans, is the story and setting engaging enough to make it worth the 40+ hours of playtime one would need to invest in Bioware's latest venture?

Well, if you're a classic RPG fan, the answer is an enthusiastic "yes!"  If you're an "action-RPG" fan, then the answer is somewhat iffier.   Oh, and action-RPGs are Diablo, or any of its gazillion clones.  Basically, its a game with really fast real-time combat, no pausing, and LOTS of clicking.  It's classified as an RPG because of a character advancement system and massive loot drops.  Most (but not all, to be fair) tend to be very story-lite, however.

The Story

First off, Bioware has created a fairly epic and engaging storyline, provided you enjoy a good sword-and-sorcery tale.  I won't give out too many spoilers, but a kingodm is in danger, an ancient evil rises, and the lone hero must gather a merry band and stave off Armageddon.  "Yawn," you say?  True, taken to its most basic form, the plot of Dragon Age is fairly formulaic;  to a point.  Billing itself as  "dark" fantasy game, DA:O has a lot of blood and several morally ambiguous choices to make throughout the game.  "Morally ambiguous" is something that's gotten a lot of play in RPGs lately.  "The Witcher" and "Fallout 3" both made similar claims, with varying degrees of honesty.  Many responses do have A) Good B) Neutral C) Total Asshole kind of response.  But that's not where this comes into play.

My favorite option came in the form of a possessed boy.  To end the undead plague he'd unleashed, you were given a series of choices:  slay the boy outright, killing the demon but also the child, or take part in a magical ritual to enter the spiritual realm to do battle with the demon in its own plane and save the child.  Does the latter sound like the obvious choice?  Well there's a catch.  Such a ritual normally requires a group of mages working together.  To do it on such short notice with limited resources, a blood sacrfice is require:  a life, for a life.  The boy's mother immediately volunteers.  So who do you save and who do you slay?  Suddenly things aren't quite so black and white.

Or that.

Also, the setting itself has an enormous amount of detail.  Much like the crafter of the Lord of the Rings books, the writers at Bioware have managed to craft an IP that feels like an already established setting, like Forgotten Realms or the world of "A Song of Fire and Ice."  The Codex, your ingame encyclopedia just drips with lore and information that fleshes the world out.  But it's a strictly optional part of the game.  If you want to tear through it, just seeing the surface, there's nothing stopping you.  The story is completely understandable without it.  But for lore nuts, its a great addition to the game, fleshing the world out to an amazing extent.

Finally, there are the "origin" stories, for which game was named.  You can chose from three races (Human, Elf, Dwarf, of course), and three classes (Warrior, Rogue, Wizards), and several background.  Each one changes the first few hours of the game, as well as plot threads later in the game.  A Human noble can wed into royalty, a Mage can help shape the future of the Circle of Mages.  City elves escape the oppression of the ghetto they're forced to live in, while Dalish elves come from their homes in the wilds to investigate the Blight that ravages the land.  All in all, this adds a nice touch and real sense of involvement in the story, making it your own, as opposed to just being in an interactive movie.

The Characters

This is a topic that's typically overlooked or given a passing-over in most game reivews.  The companions Bioware saddles you with will be your allies and perhaps even friends throughout the course of the game.  But do they feel like characters, or just an extension of the character screen?   It was here I was most impressed with the time and dedication put into writing behind our tale.  Every NPC party member has their own distinctive tone and style.  Alistair is the class clown, Morrigan is the proverbial wicked witch, Wynne the grandmotherly sage.  For those who remember HK-47, the golem, Shale, fills the role of snarky commentator of all creatures fleshy, and does a fine job of it.

Perhaps the best bit is how the characters interact with each other.  Everyone has something to say, and not just to you.  As you walk along, your companions will talk to each other, and all react differently.  Alistair and Morrigan, for example, snipe at each other constantly, one a heretic witch, the other a former Templar, a knight who hunts down renegade mages.  There is an Approval system, where you vie for respect and loyalty (and in some cases, even love) from your fellows.  Your actions will please some and aggravate otheers.  Piss someone off too much, and things start to happen.  Stenn, the abrasive Qunari warrior, will challenge you for leadership of the group.   Zevran, the assassin, might betray you if he gets a better offer, if you haven't stayed on his good side.

And finally there are the romances.  A long-time staple of Bioware's RPG endeavors, these are perhaps the most controversial.  One group of fans all but demand them, while the others deride the side plots as a waste of time, and the refuge of those unable to get real romance.  Personally, I like them provided they're well done.  For the most part, they are.  There are four, two of each gender, and one of each is bisexual, catering to all sexual preferences of their fanbase.  Each one also responds differently.  The bard-turned-true-believer, is a wide-eyed romantic, who'll fall for you easily, but rebuff your advances till you've wooed her completely.  The witch, Morrigan, will bed you early on in the relationship, but if she actually falls for you, she cuts you off, as she has "commitment issues."  Zevran will flirt with you and anything that moves, and will even instigate a threesome with another NPC if you do it right.  Poor Alistair is the knight-in-shining-armor for all the ladies to adore... provided they don't mind someone who's a bit too glib with his tongue and perhaps a touch on the submissive side.

Do I really need to make any "Witchy Woman" jokes?

This attention to detail extends to other NPCs encountered as well.  The chief antagonist (aside from the mindless darkspawn horde you have to thwart) is at first light, a traitor most foul, but is slowly revealed to be a well-meaning man who misread the situation and made a bad call.   Blinded by his own self-righteousness, he carries on, insisting he's the only one who can save the world, not you.  In the end, you defeat him, and can have him executed for his crimes, or give him a second chance and have him join you in the final confrontation with the army that threatens to ravage the countryside.

The Graphics

I've read a lot of comments from reviewers and fans alike complaining that the graphics are old and dated.  Is this true?  In a way.  The graphics are not cutting edge.  They are in fact, a year or two old-looking.  If that is a deal-breaker for you, ignore this game.  But the game does look good.  If you've ever played Mass Effect, it looks like a more polished, fantasy version of that game.  I don't consider this  a problem.  The artwork and style of the game is amazing and immersive, and to my mind, that is all that matters.  To each their own.

The Music

Inon Zur, the game's compose, has done a fine job with the score.  It has an epic feel, and yet times, dips into the almost folkish.  Long time fans of Bioware's earlier outings will hear snippets of the inn music from Baldur's Gate, or a theme from Neverwinter Nights, quietly worked into some of the tracks.  The voice acting is, for the most part, top notch.  There are few less than impressive bit characters, and some of the accents are a bit funny.  Overall, however, there is a great deal of variety in the cast, and the game does a good job of largely avoiding Oblivion's problem of having only three voices for a supposedly huge town.

Gameplay

For most games, putting this at the bottom would probably get me lynched.  But for an RPG, I feel the quality of the story and how deeply the world pulls you in to be of slightly more importance.  As mentioned above, this game is a throwback to the isometric days of Baldur's Gate, and its pseudo-realtime tactical gameplay.  For those who love a challenge, Dragon Age will not disappoint.  Many combat scenes will have you outnumbered; some vastly so.  You will have to have a good party build, the appropriate gear, and a sound tactical mind to get through some of the bigger battles.  And that's just on Normal.  Easy is for those who to just enjoy the story, and Hard (and the unlockable Nightmare) are for those who love to suffer, and prove their superiority over the rest of us mere mortals.

Dragon Age can be played in third person or overhead mode, as stated above.  Personally, I found the former beset for exploring and the latter best for the actual combat.  "Tactics" can be set in the menu, allowing you to customize scripts to control your characters during battle.  Basically, its the gambit system from Final Fantasy XII.  This allows you to automate basic strategies, while leaving you to focus on adapting those strategies.  You do that by hitting Pause, selecting the character in question and giving him his walking orders directly, then unpausing.  The character then goes about their business.  Unlike many RPG games, position is of crucial importance as well.  Rogues flank, doing more damage when backstabbing.  Mages do massive AOE damage, but these harm your party as well, so you have to maneuver everyone around for maximum effectiveness with minimal casualties.

When word leaked out that the game levelled opponents as the player advanced, an outcry went up.  Oblivion did this, and many complained it sucked the feeling of accomplishment from the game.  Fear not, Dragon Age only levels important NPCs and enemies to give you a challenge where one is called for.  You can enter areas a bit more difficult than you're prepared to handle, though only early on (do NOT go to Redcliffe until Level 10 unlessyou're Sun fricken'  Tzu).  Lesser enemies do get tougher, but at a slower rate, allowing them to stay a challenge in large numbers, but easy to deal with one on one or in small groups.

Darkspawn: Making Orcs Look Better By Default

Conclusions

It should be fairly obvious I give this game high marks.  It is not without it's flaws, however.  The game manual does not prepare you for advancing your character properly, making it easy to build a character improperly and hindering yourself early in the game.  I did this on my first play through and had to start over 6 hours into it.  The romances themselves are fun, but the "sex" cutscenes are kind of silly, to be honest.  Lastly, the difficulty curve early on is... harsh.  Dragon Age is designed around a Tank/DPS/Healer scheme, like most MMOs.  But unless you're playing the healer, you have to go through several hours of gameplay without one.  Your only options to acquire one is to either do one quest chain as soon as its available OR force Morrigan away from her Melee/AOE  role and into healing, making her less than optimal for both.  Why this was done when multiple tanks, two ranged archers, and three DPS are available is a bit... perplexing.

These oddities aside I can't help but recommend Dragon Age: Origins for any RPG fan, new or classic.  Give it a try, and you'll quickly find yourself wondering where 40+ hours of your life went.

Post from: New Film Dimension

Gamer Wednesday: Dragon Age Origins

The basic gist of the movie (based on a book series, one which I may have to pick up) is thus: Percy Jackson, ordinary high school kid, living an ordinary life. Well, not so ordinary: it turns out the Greek Gods are real, his daddy was Poseidon, and now someone's gone and stolen Zeus's lightning bolt. Problem is, the Gods and their associated mythological minions think *Percy* did it. Cue action scenes, grand adventure and at least judging from the trailer, more than a little comedy ("Its a *pen*").

The man's got some credibility in my book, at least, since he's the director of the first two Harry Potter movies, which I absolutely adored. The acting seems decent, the sfx are top-rate of course, and the trailer just gives off a Harry Potter vibe. Which is my main concern; I can easily see people treating this as a second-rate knockoff of the HP phenomenon, and pass it by. My recommendation? Dont. Give it a try when it comes out February 2010. At the very least you'll have nice eye candy (and not just because Rosario Dawson is in it).

Check out the trailer here

Post from: New Film Dimension

New Trailer for Percy Jackson & The Olympians

There is also no word at all about the villain of the second film; the obvious one is Khan. The fans want it, this writer wants it, the new Kirk honestly demands a villain of such scene-chewing greatness. However, ComingSoon has an interesting little rumor that Nestor Carbonell is Abram’s current favorite for the role were he to cast it today. After having looked the man up (I stopped watching Lost in season 1, and never looked back) Im forced to agree; I can easily picture him as Khan, he has the right sort of look. He might in the end choose a more big-name actor, but then again, its JJ Abrams, known for casting people he's worked with before.

I really do believe he'll be directing it however; in fact Im sort of praying in a non-denominational spiritualist way. Abrams revitalized the Trek franchise in a way that can only be described as fully awesome, and his hand behind the second movie would only, in my opinion (on which your mileage may vary), produce something even more awesome.

Read the original article here

Post from: New Film Dimension

KHAAAAAAAAAAN! Maybe.

The third of five special episodes of Doctor Who, which take the place of Series (that's Season to us yanks) Five this year, aired at long last, and I have to say, so far, it may just be the best one yet.  Following the adventure's of Great Britain's favorite time-traveller, and most iconic sci-fi character, the Doctor appears on Mars in the year 2059.  Shortly after arriving, he's discovered by the first Martian colonists from Earth who can't understand how another person got on-world.  Very quickly, the Doctor realized that he's arrived on the exact date these people are destined to die, according to history.

The plot is fairly typical "Who" faire.   The immediate crisis is how some waterborn microbe species is infecting the colonists, turning them into water-zombies, basically.   And for first two acts, the Doctor stands there, doing little to help beyond figuring out *what* the cause of all the problems are, every few minutes, reiterating how he should leave.  All during this, we get snippets of what looks like a futuristic wikipedia, showing blurbs of these peoples lives, apparently through the Doctor's mind's eye.

The Doctor is in a conundrum, in any other situation, he would be working his butt off to save these people, but as a Time Lord, he can *sense* when certain events are "fixed points" in time.  One person in specific, the leader of the colony, Adelaide Brook (played by Lindsay Duncan), one of the doctor's idols.  Apparently her death inspires her granddaughter to help push humanity into true space exploration, reshaping human destiny forever.

This is the heart of the story:  does the Doctor leave them to die, or does he flip destiny off and change history.  In a heartbreaking scene, our "hero" is walking across the Martian surface, the colony in flames and falling apart, the screams and cries of the colonists echoing over the radio in his space suit.  As he walks ever so slowly, audio-flashbacks of the Doctor, talking of the death of the Time Lords and how he is the only one left play over and over again.

That's when he snaps.  Charging back in, he declares himself *THE* Time Lord, and that time itself will do *his* bidding!  Through his usual brilliance, he saves the last survivors, but this isn't the fun-loving care-free Doctor.  This isn't even "the Oncoming Storm" the Daleks so fear.  No, the man who works so franticaly to save them is one who suddenly realizes  the full breadth of his abilities, and is no longer afraid of using them.

Taking the survivors to Earth, same date, he releases them, much as a man would release a captive pet.  Chuckling over his superiority, he announces that he is NOT the last of the Time Lords.  He's the winner, the "Time Lord victorious," in a scene that chills not only the viewer's blood, but those of Captain Adelaide as well.  Rejecting their benefactor's patronizing reassurances that time will sort itself out, she calls him on his hubris, walks into her home, and kills herself.

We see the wiki-screen again, the text changing to reflect her suicide.  Ironically, the Doctor was right:  the other survivors praise the captain's brilliance and she remains the inspiration her granddaughter needed.  This shocks the Time Lord back to his sense, and he declares he's gone too far.  Asking aloud if this is the moment that leads to his (prophesied) demise, he runs into the TARDIS, declaring" No!"  The credits roll.

Capt. Adelaide & The Doctor

David Tennant, the man who's played the Tenth Doctor since the re-launched TV series 2nd season, was in fine form, first as the tormented man, trapped by his inability to help people, and even moreso as the arrogant godling.  His brief flirtation with the dark side was terrifying, though all too short.  It some ways, it seems cheap that he renounced his declaration of being the one, true lord of time so quickly.  This could have been an interesting story arc to follow.  But with Tennant's departure following the two-part special "End of Time", there simply wasn't enough time to give this the justice it deserved.  That's hardly a complaint, however.  For the first time since Season One, the viewer is given a serious look into the psyche of the Doctor.   Seeing him finally cross the line gave him a depth, that is normally reserved for season finales.

The "Companion" for this episode, Captain Adelaide, was a wonderful counterpoint to our wandering traveller.  Even after being told of her "destiny," she continues to struggle against it, doing everything in her power to try and save her crew.  And when the moment comes, it's she who bravely accepts the inevitable, not the Doctor.  Even at the end, after the Doctor callously announces how incredible he is for saving such an important figure in history,  completely different from the "little people" he normally resuces, it is she who has the courage to do what is necessary.

All in all, this is an excellent episode, though not for the novice.  While not dripping with Who-lore, much of the power of this episode is predicated on knowning the Doctor and how he works.  To understand his suffering, you have to know the lengths he goes to save those he finds, or why he doesn't just save them in the first place, history be damned, one needs to understand how he does what he does.  More importantly, "Waters of Mars" drives home the burden of being "Last of the Time Lords," and how that has weighed upon him the last four years.

Post from: New Film Dimension

Review: Dr. Who: Waters of Mars

Third movie? There is no third movie. Merely some unrelated pretender to the throne. The series was strong I feel, but without going into a VERY lengthy rant(perhaps another time...) I'm simply going to state that it had its problems, not least of which was Fox.

The franchise as of now is up for sale; The Joss responded to this on his blog, pitching an offer in the manner of a slick, oily and cheap infomercial salesman to buy it for ten grand. Naturally, the flame wars began, many people taking umbrage at the insult, others honestly concerned he WOULD get it and that the Terminator franchise would suffer his curse.

Honestly? The people afraid he'll get it because he's unable to write scifi? Bite me. Ill even go get the jaws off of an endoskeleton for you to use. If Joss were offered the franchise, or somehow acquired the millions to get it, Id dance a jig like Bruce Willis. Granted, he has a few rough areas, but a Terminator movie with plot, snarky humor, deep characters and action? That's not just a cash-cow of a retcon?

This Esoterica Master would love to see that. The franchise deserves it, the world Cameron created deserves it. Hell, the fans deserve it as well.

Post from: New Film Dimension

Joss makes a joke, proves sense of humor is a dying mental species

Greetings fellow readers! It is I, Russ, Master of Esoterica. Its been a little bit since any posts have occurred, but its time to get back in the saddle. Previously I wrote a little blurb about a web-series named  Riese (here, in fact), and stated I would be downloading it. Well, its embedded so I haven't downloaded it yet, however I have watched it.

In brief, we see the heroine Riese kicking seven kinds of ass, combating what I presume are either simple armed brigands or hired goons for the resident Big Bad of the series. Continuing on, she eventually makes it to an inn, only to be turned away by a guard. Pan down to her hand covering a bleeding wound in her side, and then she collapses.

Its only a 9 minute episode, so there's only so much that can happen; in fact, my first viewing left me wondering if anything HAD actually happened(note to self, please pay attention to what you watch). The production values are actually quite good, nowhere near as cheap or low-end as I was half expecting.  Christine Chatelain performed well, and Ben Cotton did alright, but considering he had perhaps 30 seconds of screen time, not much can be said.

I will keep an eye on this series and continue to review it as more episodes appear. Go ahead, give it a shot! After all, what ELSE are you doing with those 9 minutes(besides reading the articles written by myself and my wonderful cohorts?)

Check out the first episode here

Post from: New Film Dimension

First Episode of Riese: The Verdict?

Well what most of us have long expected has happened:  Fox has cancelled Joss Whedon's latest series, Dollhouse.   After what many fans feel was poor treatment of his previous TV endeavor, Firefly, jokes abounded around the Intarwebz as to how long it would take Fox to cancel his newest show, revolving around reprogrammable people, who's daily function were to be the perfect prostitute.  Suffering from its lowest ratings yet, the chief herald of Dollhouse's foreclosure came when Fox pulled the show from the November sweeps schedule.  The show is returning December 4th, where they will be allowed to finish airing the last of its 13 episode allotment for this season.  The silver lining is this particular cloud, however, is that Joss reported that he was given enough notice to re-write the last couple of scripts and give the show a finale.  I'm not sure where the announcement originated from, but you can read the full article here.

As much as I love Joss Whedon's work, I find myself of mixed feelings about this.  For its first season, I was not a huge fan of Dollhouse.  It was "okay," but I expect more from a Joss Whedon production.  To me, its chief flaws were an unsympathetic cast, and a near-total lack of the sharp dialogue that were trademarks of Whedon's previous projects, such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly.   I adore Eliza Dushku, and I think she showed her chops as an actress with this series.  But to hook viewers,  you need a character who makes you interested in her plight.  Echo/Caroline, however, spent too much time being someone else to really make an emotional connection with the past.

Also, I felt that the weekly plots were less than inspired.  I understand Fox executives were uncomfortable with the slavery/prostitution theme underlying the show, and they hindered Whedon and his stable of writers from taking the show where they *really* wanted to go.  However, this doesn't make up for the fact that in Season 1, most of the stand-alone episodes were throwaway plots with only two common themes:  Echo is not a normal Doll, and that Ballard is obsessed with her.   Whoo, don't get me started on Agent Paul Ballard.  In season 1, he was a fairly unlikable jackhole, despite being played by my second-favorite actor from Battlestar Galactica.

I could go on endlessly about the cast and characters, but that would be a book, not an article.  Suffice to say, if they'd cancelled the show at the end of Season 1, I wouldn't have shed a single bloody tear.

Then I saw "Epitaph One," the "missing" thirteenth episode that Joss created pretty much specifically for the DVD release.  Intended to be a kind of swan song if Fox axed the show in-between seasons, this episode finally unmasked the brilliant potential of the series that had been hidden behind bland scripts, uninspired plots, and executive meddling.  Suddenly, I couldn't *wait* for this show to come back on the air.  I wanted to see the full story behind all the "flashback" scenes in this "dark future" in which the narrative was set.  I was chomping at the bit, and so were a lot of other people, from what I heard and saw online.

Then Season 2 hit, and it's premier was a good solid intro, much better than the show's original premiere.  Ballard was now Echo's handler,  Echo herself was becoming a unique character beyond the mindless "doll" that wandered around blissfully ignorant.  More importantly, Topher and DeWitt and the other cast members started showing signs of growth, and the dialogue improved greatly, highlighting the drama and humor many Whedon fans have come to expect from him.

But ultimately, what killed Dollhouse, in my opinion, is that Whedon didn't deliver on the promises of "Epitaph One" quickly enough.  Despite a strong season opener, the subsequent episodes returned to the formula of the previous season.  While hints were being dropped that called to what was coming, the meta-plot unfolded at a snail's pace.  And that wasn't quick enough for the viewers it would seem, and they left in droves.   And it's a shame, because the show *was*  turning around.  But for the fans and the executives, it was apparently, too little, too late.  So now, I'm left unsurprised, but sad at the demise of "Dollhouse."

Post from: New Film Dimension

The Dollhouse Closes Its Doors

Post from: New Film Dimension

Third One’s The Charm

I just wanted to check in with you guys and tell you that we're still getting ready to go.

Post from: New Film Dimension

New posts on the horizon…

I've decided New Film Dimension will go on without me, however, I'll still be owner and chief editor.

I'm sure those of you who are regular readers have noticed a sharp decline in posting from myself over the past couple of months and recently, the last two weeks.   Although I've asked two wonderful writers to join the team, the overall maintenance of the site and being an editor has taken a toll, a toll of donating time for no money.  That, my friends, is something that I can't continue.  Money is life, and when in an economic recession backed by a socialist, statist, government administration who thinks spending money and introducing policy that will tax nearly 40% percent of our paychecks, is unexceptable and costly to the taxpayer.  I am a taxpayer, and I can't afford that.

A couple of weeks ago, I began a hard endeavor into job hunting, something to add with my position at UPS.  As you can imagine, there isn't much available for someone with out a doctorate and 30 years experience of whatever during an economic decline...  I can't do much with that.  Last week, I decided to stop writing only for a couple of days while I focused on finding work, then it lasted the week and it's still continuing.  With several prospects, resumes sent, a dream of owning my own grass, among other things, blogging became unrealistic unless I was making some pocket change, at least.  So I've come to the final conclusion to stop blogging as I want to devote all of my energies into working, making money, etc.

Taking over my duties starting next week will be NFD writer Chris, your new managing editor.  You can read a note he sent just below.

Don't worry!  Those of you who've come to this site, looking to read news, reviews, and what have you, it won't be the last time I'll write online.  Whenever I get a chance, whenever I feel the NEED, I'll post here and there.  Also, they'll come a time when I'll make a big return, a return backed up by something new and exciting meant for you and meant for building a new larger community.  Details, I won't tell you.  I'll fill you in one of these days - I have cool ideas floating around.

Anyhow, let me introduce you to your new awesome leader, Chris B.

Hey all, this is Chris B. (Or you can call me Soran, whichever you prefer), your friendly former co-administrator of NFD.  I just wanted to say a little something about the changeover that's coming to New Film Dimension.

First off, I want to personally state that I'll miss Phil badly - his dedication and passion flowed through every entry he wrote here, and you can't replace a guy who has that much drive, you can only hope to succeed someone like that. I realize some of you are long-time fans of Phil's as well, and it's never easy hearing that your favorite blog's chief editor is going on a sabbatical - but I know a lot of you have also been very supportive of myself and Russ's work, and for that I thank you.

I also know that drive like Phil's doesn't just vanish, so he'll be back to the blogging game before you know it, and I bet myself and Russ will be working with him still when that time comes - at least I hope so.

All of you need to know, though, that myself, and my co-writers David A. and Russ F., are passionate about this site and the awesome content it has brought to us for so long, and we want to give you more of the same.  As soon as I told them that Phil would be going away for a while, they leapt at the chance to keep the site alive.  There will be changes, of course, because there always are, and we don't have the same resources that Phil does, but those changes will be kept to a minimum so you, the viewer, can stay happy in knowing that if you come here looking for insightful commentary, fresh news, and gorgeous celebrities, you shouldn't go anywhere else.

The porch light's still on, folks, we'll be right here waiting for you.

--Chris B.

Post from: New Film Dimension

I’m Sorry, I have bad news for my loyal NFD friends HOWEVER Good news too

Post from: New Film Dimension

MAJOR Administrative changes coming!

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Post from: New Film Dimension

LOL Friday

Not to long ago, the network announced the series will complete its 13 episode run and will indeed be aired in November, sweeps month.  That, however, is now changed as the series has been yanked from November.  Apparently, according to the new schedule, Dollhouse will be doubled up in December - showing both Summer Glau episodes on the same night, which for me is satisfying.  After the new year, in January, Dollhouse will return to only one episode a week until its season is complete.

Thanks to The Futon Critic, here's the schedule:

Friday, October 23
8:00/7:00c - "Brothers"
8:30/7:30c - "'Til Death"
9:00/8:00c - "Dollhouse"

Friday, October 30
8:00/7:00c - "House: Broken" (Two-Hour Repeat)

Fridays (as of November 6)
8:00/7:00c - "House" (Repeat)
9:00/8:00c - "Bones" (Repeat)

Sundays (as of November
7:00/6:00c - "Brothers"
7:30/6:30c - (Various Programming)

Fridays (December 4-18)
8:00/7:00c - "Dollhouse"
9:00/8:00c - "Dollhouse"

All I can really say is I'll be waiting for its return in December.  I really don't know what else to say and I'd rather not go into another rant about why I hate the FOX network and studio so much.  What's the point, they'll continue to not learn anything and ruin franchises.

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Post from: New Film Dimension

Dollhouse has been removed from November Sweeps: On the fast road to cancellation?

In an interview over at Zap2It.com, Glau makes a few quick comments about her character.

"I see Bennett as a sensitive, creative girl, who spends all of her time alone in a world of her own," she says.  "She is a mad scientist who is searching for happiness.  This is  a challenging role in many ways. The most challenging thing is the dead arm!"

"She has a vendetta against Echo," she continues.  "She knew her back when she was Caroline, and there was this horrible accident, and she has been waiting to reunite with her for quite some time - waiting to get my revenge."

I already like her character way more than Eliza Dushku's Echo, but that's because I'm admittedly bias - I'm obsessed with Summer.

She concludes, "I'm making he as creepy as it gets, but I asked Joss, 'Can I still be sexy?'".

Summer, you don't even have to try.  You're amazing.

So that's it folks.  Tune into Dollhouse; support Joss Whedon, Summer Glau, and Eliza Dushu because if you don't create a ratings change, the series will get canceled and all evidence is already pointing to that.

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Post from: New Film Dimension

Summer Glau talks about her role on Dollhouse

A new trailer for James Cameron's new film Avatar is hitting theaters today with an internet release soon after, but expect bootleg video to hit the net late in the weekend.  Here's five new promotional stills.

(click to enlarge)

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Post from: New Film Dimension

Avatar: 5 new promotional photos