Upcoming Releases:: Star Trek

Finally, we are given images of next year's summer blockbuster, Star Trek!




What's that you say? Star Trek? A summer block buster? Really?

Well, it's true folks, J.J. Abrams (producer behind the T.V. shows Alias and Lost) as well as the writers of the Transformers movie are behind this new popcorn flick.




The movie was originally supposed to be released in December, but with this past years writers strike diminishing the amount of movies that could be made for the next year, combined with a strong faith in the studio of this movie, has pushed its release date back to the second week of May, making it a studio tent pole for the summer releases.

The plot has been kept extremely secretive. All that is known is that the movie will act as a "reboot" similar to how Casino Royal rebooted the Bond franchise. The crew have been completely recast with the exception of Leonard Nimoy , who will reprise his role as an older Spock from the future, with Zachary Quinto (best know as the villain Sylar of Heroes fame, see my last post) playing the present day Spock. Rumors have been flying around that the story will involve some sort of time travel, and the new look and faces being explained away as a divergent time line.

Personally, I am hopefully optimistic. I look at it this way, we have past the time where we can continue the current Star Trek continuity, and the majority of the original actors are a little past their prime to pull of the same roles they where cast for almost 50 years ago. I compare this to Casino Royal, hopefully, a reboot like this will make the material fresh again and more in tune with today's audiences. The more I read about it, the more excited I get. For better or for worst, I will be in the theater that weekend.

Top Ten Returning TV Shows #1: Heroes

"You must be strong for what's to come" - Angela Petrelli, portrayed by Cristine Rose

Subtle nuances, complex moral issues and the compounding of the modern day superhero myth has made this show one of the best shows of the season.

Heroes is the story of ordinary people suddenly discovering that they have unique powers and the decisions they make once they find that power.

As a long time geek, most of the concepts behind this show is nothing new. People being born with powers is a staple of the popular X-men series. But the new twist that they put on this has a naturalistic, character driven feel. Who knewl, in the world of Heroes, once you gain great powers, you don't put on a costume and fight crime. That is the strength of this show.

What Heroes, is about is the affect of power on people. What does a person really do if they have the capability to save the world. Where does that power come from, is it destiny? A divine intervention? And ultimately, what gain do people get from those in power.

Having followed this season so far, I am finding that I am enjoying it even more then the original first season, and the tragically short and disappointing second season. The title of this "volume" of Heroes is "Villians", though we are originally lead to believe that we encounter new threats to our familiar characters, the title has had even greater implications.

If you have yet to see this show, I am posting the first episode of this season below. You really owe it to yourself to check out what everyone is talking about.



Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Top Ten Returning TV #2: 30 Rock

"If you want to be a winner, you have to dress for success. That's why I sponsor a charity that gives away tuxedos to homeless people." Jack Donaghy (Alex Baldwin)

This has got to be one of the funniest, if not the funniest show I have ever seen.

Seriously, it has everything you can want in a comedy show, witty dialogue, bizarre situations, and excellent performences by a steller cast.

Tina Fey plays Liz Lemmon, the head of an "SNL" type sketch show with a certain vulnerability and brand of geekiness that is both sad and amusing, that hits a particular note that rings true to home.

Surrounding her is a cast of colorful characters, each bringing their own unique brand of comedy.

First of is Jack Donaghy (played by Alex Baldwin), Liz Lemon's ultra-conservative businessman boss. He takes a sort of mentorship role for Lemon. Alex baldwin perfectly plays the part with such a bravado, you half believe some of the lines he says.

Another is Tracy Morgan's character Tracy Jordan, the crazy loose cannon star of the show. Also you have Jane Krakowski as the limelight seeking Jenna Maroney. Jack McBrayer portrays the young, obedient Southern-born NBC page, Kenneth Parcell. Scott Adsit plays the "sane," quick witted producer of TGS, Pete Hornberger. Judah Friedlander acts as the trucker hat-wearing childish, sarcastic writer Frank Rossitano.

This show is excellent at creating it's own unique universe, complete with flashbacks, musical numbers, and subtle commentary played on a small scale. One episode follows Jack and Tracy as they compete over a community service baseball team. Another involves Kenneth's decent into darkness, because he had to much coffee (a drink that is "at the devil's temperature").

It's great, it is the best comedy on TV right now and more then worthy of you attention. Here is a sample episode, you can see more on Hulu.



Rating: 5 out of 5

Top Ten Returning TV Shows #3: The Office

"Sometimes I just stand here for hours, watching T.V." - Micheal Scott The Office (played by Steve Carrell)

This show is consistently one of the funniest shows this past decade. The interplay of office dynamics, awkwardness, and stupidity has made this a winning show and one of my personal favorites.

Last Season started with a bang. "Fun Run" has to be one of my favorite episodes. The producers of this show was wise to actually commit to a Jim (John Krasinski) and Pam (Jenna Fischer) relationship rather then drag it out for a few more years (at which point the plausibility of the show would be streatched). It was nice to see their dynamic back after a season of them being apart.

The breakout character of Dwight (Rainn Wilson) had an excellent story arc. He lost his love due to a mercy killing (true story) and his rivalry with Andy hit new lows. Micheal Scott (Steve Carell) went through a little bit of a rough patch himself, first financially then relationally.

Unfortunately, because of the writers strike, the final felt flat.

The upcoming season shows some promise. Will Micheal still commit to Jann now that he has found the perfect woman (which is a surprise in its own right). How is Jim and Pam doing now that Pam is off to college. And what is with Dwight and Angela?

If you haven't seen this show, you owe it to yourself to lock yourself up in a room for a couple of days and just burn through the seasons. Be careful though, you may come out of that experience with a permenant grin.



Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Top Ten Returning TV Shows #4: How I Met Your Mother

You can't deny it. This show is just funny.

It takes a lot for a laugh track comedy to consistently maintain quality, it is so easy for writers and producers to fall on "proven" methods that makes a sit-com average at best. But this show continues to push the format, and keeps things interesting.

Part of that is the premise of the show. Having realized that he was ready, the main character, Ted, is essentially looking for his future soul mate. A soul mate we know he eventually finds, thanks to the fact that the series is narrated by the a future Ted telling the story to his future kids. (Though you do have to wonder how long are these kids sitting for this extremely long story to unfold).

What makes this show is the chemistry between the cast. Not since Friends have you had a group of actors that felt so comfortable around each other. These are people you would really think are life long friends. A lot of the humor is really reminiscent of the types of conversations you would only have around your closet friends with the support and advice they give you. You get a real feeling of the angst that goes along with those types of relationships.

Another stand out is the character Barney. The well dressed womanizing friend adds his unique brand of wisdom to every conversation. His unique character combined with the, usually true, rules he runs his life by add the extra flavor to an already great show.

I have watched this show since it has started and it still continues to be a constant source of quality entertainment, even after three seasons.

Here are some examples of favorite moments:





So check last season out and prep for the new one!



Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

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Top Ten Returning TV Shows #5: Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles

Last years the writers strike happened, for better or for worse, the television landscape became a desert of new programing.

One show of that period had a chance to shine when competition was limited. That was Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.

Stop me if you have heard this before. A mother has to protect her child from future robots who wants to kill him.

To put things into perspective, I am a huge fan of what I like to call "80's Sci-Fi". Terminator, Aliens, Predator, and Robocop are still action Sci-Fi classics that stand and resonate today. And nobody can argue with just how plain cool those concepts are.

So watching this show on a weekly bases is like capturing the feeling I have every time I pick up one of those classic films.

The cool thing is that technology has advanced enough to where we can have the type of effects that where once kept to Film on the small screen. Sure, you will have better effects in movies now, but the transition from these older movies to the small screen is less noticeable.

As far as the cast goes, you really can't mess with the chemistry built in this series. Sure, you can't really match the stellar performances of the cast of T2, but for a television series, they aren't bad. Sarah Connor is strong yet vulnerable to the concerns of every mother and John Connor is an adolescent that is struggling with his maturity in the face of destiny.

The down side? This show did suffer a little in the beginning. It lacked a coherent direction and the plot felt like it was spinning its wheels for a few episodes. But after the introduction of some new characters, and some gripping story lines, the show really found its footing.

Now that I have seen last nights premiere. I am extremely excited for this season. The show is consistently getting better and is a fun roller coaster action ride while providing some real heart. I am particularly found of the direction John Conner is taking, he is taking initiative and truly becoming a man, which really is starting to emphasis his destiny and makes the show really interesting to watch.

So I highly recommend it. If you can look past its flaws and watch it for what it is, you won't be disappointed.



It is a great show, and i highly recommend picking up the first season. It is a great set of episodes for a relatively small price.



Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars.

Top Ten Returning TV Shows #6: The Big Bang Theory

This was easily the break out comedy hit of last years television season.

It was smart, witty, and incredibly funny.

The Big bang Theory is a Comedy show about a group of lovable nerds sharing an apartment across the hall from an extremely attractive woman with normal intelligence. The main protagonist is Leonard, a timid scientist who instantly falls for Penny, the above mentioned woman, who doesn't seem to recognize Leonard as anything more then a friend.

What makes this show is Leonard's roommate Sheldon. He is essentially Mr. Spoke from Star Trek with a superiority complex. His cool logical and highly intelligent way in which he handles situations often, if not always, clash with those around him. Penny usually doesn't get him and Leonard often debates with him over the merits of normal human interaction in a way that is hilarious but doesn't insult the audience.

The surrounding cast really helps as well and the whole thing is a great commentary on the clash of intelligence versus common sense, the society of Nerd/Geek dome, and the struggles such people have fitting in to the world around them.

It really is quite funny, and if you don't laugh at least once an episode, I would question if you have a soul...

Here are a few examples, if you need more proof:





Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars