Guest post: Nerd-approved movies to see before you die
Movies for nerds is a deeper category than just “Star Wars” and “Avatar.” Retrovo’s Jennifer L. Jacobson looks at the long tail of geek cinema. More at http://www.retrevo.com/content/blog/2011/12/epic-nerd-approved-movies-see
Epic Nerd-Approved Movies To See Before You Die
Not to quote Ned Stark, but, “Winter is coming.” And what better way for any self-respecting nerd to spend the season than hunkered down in the glow of some of the best nerd-approved films of all time. But you’ve watched your favorite films a billion times, so how do you find the films you haven’t seen yet, but should?
Well, today I’m putting my Cinema “Minor” to work and that means digging through film history and pulling out title gems that are too often overshadowed by Avatar or the all-impressive Star Wars. These films will change your life (or they should), so sit down, strap in and load these puppies up in your Netflix queue. Here are the best of the best in their respective categories. Enjoy these films. You will be a better nerd for watching them.
“Doctor Who: The Complete Sixth Series” Blu-ray review
Matt Smith and Steven Moffat each settle in more comfortably in their second seasons on “Doctor Who,” the science fictional BBC production about a time-traveling benevolent alien. He traverses time and space in the TARDIS, a ship that’s bigger on the inside than the outside, and that looks from the outside like a 1950s police call box.
Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) and Rory Williams (Arthur Darvill) are the Doctor’s main companions for this series. He also frequently crosses paths with River Song (Alex Kingston), who has a connection to all of the principals, and whose meetings with the Doctor occur in jumbled chronological order.
Moffat took over as executive producer from the much-acclaimed Russell T. Davies. His main push seems to have been giving the seasons more of an arc, which is in full effect this season. The Doctor, played by Smith, is faced with his upcoming death in the season’s first episode, and while the season has its detours, clues and movements key to the overall arc are seen throughout.
Amanda Tapping: Nerdage’s #10 actress with geek appeal
Amanda Tapping
Amanda Tapping is Nerdage’s #11 actress with geek appeal. She played Samantha Carter in “Stargate SG1″ and “Stargate Atlantis.” She now stars in and executive produces “Sanctuary.” The fourth season of “Sanctuary,” in which she plays Dr. Helen Magnus, is in production now.
Here’s how Syfy describes the series: Sanctuary follows brilliant scientist Dr. Helen Magnus (Amanda Tapping) and her team, who use their unique combination of instinct, medicine and cutting-edge science to find and aid a clandestine population of beings that the world refuses to believe exists. The series also stars Robin Dunne as forensic psychiatrist Dr. Will Zimmerman, Agam Darshi as the quick-witted Kate Freelander, Ryan Robbins as tech wiz Henry Foss and Christopher Heyerdahl as the sinister John Druitt.
The first and second seasons are available on DVD and Blu-ray.
Amanda Tapping’s related charity, Sanctuary for Kids, has raised more than $200,000 to improve the lives of children around the world who need protection and are in crisis. Amanda Tapping’s official website is found at www.amandatapping.com, and you can also follow her on twitter.
- Matt Price
Star Wars Blu-ray special features announced – what do you think?
The special features for the Star Wars: The Complete Saga Blu-rays were announced today – as part of Star Wars Day festivities at maythe4th.starwars.com. Star Wars: The Complete Saga will be on sale in North America on Sept. 16. You can also see a video about the release at the site. What do you think? Does this make you want to buy the Star Wars films? Does it make you want to buy them again, if you already own them on DVD? Details on the features are after the break.
- Matt Price
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Do you want Arnold Schwarzenegger back in Terminator 5?
Arnold Schwarzenegger (AP)
Arnold Schwarzenegger is out of politics and heading back to movies. The Hollywood Reporter indicates Schwarzenegger wants to return to perhaps his most-successful franchise, the “Terminator” movies. Are you excited about a possible Arnold return in “Terminator 5″?
“Wandering Star” features strong characters, interplanetary conflict
I picked up a copy of “Wandering Star” Vol. 1 at the recent Planet Comicon in Overland Park, Kansas. The trade paperback collects the first seven issues of Teri Sue Wood’s space adventure “Wandering Star.” After reading it, I found out that Wood – now Teresa Challender – is serializing the series online. So you can check out the first four issues at her web site.
Movie review: Paul
In this film publicity image released by Universal Pictures, Paul the alien, voiced by Seth Rogen, left, and Simon Pegg are shown in a scene from the film, "Paul." (AP Photo/Universal Pictures)
Simon Pegg and Nick Frost star as British geeks visiting America in the sci-fi comedy “Paul.” Starting at Comic-Con International in San Diego, the pair plan a cross-country trip in an RV, hitting the highlights of alien encounter sites such as Area 51 and Roswell, N.M.
“Space: 1999″ Complete Season 1 Blu-ray review
The first season of the British-produced “Space: 1999” from 1975 comes to Blu-ray. Martin Landau and Barbara Bain, popular from the “Mission Impossible” television series, starred in this sci-fi series.
“Lost” actor Neil Hopkins set for “Skyline”
Neil Hopkins
Physicist Stephen Hawking warned in a Discovery Channel documentary that humanity’s first contact with aliens might not be a pleasant experience.
“If aliens ever visit us, I think the outcome would be much as when Christopher Columbus first landed in America, which didn’t turn out very well for the Native Americans,” Hawking said.
The film “Skyline,” directed by brothers Colin and Greg Strause, takes that premise and moves forward from it, says Neil Hopkins, who plays the would-be womanizer Ray. He and his friend Terry (Donald Faison) work in the field of digital effects.
“He’s constantly trying to pick up on women in ways that are not necessarily proper,” Hopkins said in a telephone interview. “He’s based, supposedly, on somebody they (the Strause brothers) work with, though they wouldn’t tell me who he was.”
Hopkins said the appeal of the unknown draws people to films such as “Skyline,” which features an alien invasion of Earth.
“The less you know about something but the wider the possibility that it could possibly exist, the more the human imagination gets freed up and kind of goes wild,” he said. “Our imaginations have gone into outer space, all the way back to H.G. Wells.”
Hopkins said that unknown element and the infinite possibilities of space have led to humankind’s constant fascination. And he thinks often the fiction we create reflects our concerns as a society at that point.
“Our perception of what would happen with alien invasions in all these movies, going all the way back to ‘War of the Worlds,’ are more of a reflection about ourselves than they are about any would-be civilizations that are out there. We sort of project our own fears and nightmares onto that unknown.”
Hopkins is perhaps best-known for his recurring role playing Liam, the heroin-addicted rock-star brother of Charlie (Dominic Monaghan), on “Lost.” Hopkins was seen in the show’s series finale in May.
“You felt like you were part of this top-secret mission,” Hopkins said of the high secrecy surrounding the finale. “The scope of it was very exciting to be a part of. You just knew it was television history.”
Hopkins said while he doesn’t look exactly like Liam Pace in everyday life, he still gets recognized as the Drive Shaft singer from time to time.
“I get a lot of people looking at me like they know me,” Hopkins said. “You know the ‘Lost’ fans right away; they’ll be like ‘Oh my God,’ and then they’ll start singing, ‘You All, Everybody,’ which is pretty funny. Or it was funny the first 300 times, less so now. It’s a little embarrassing actually.”
- By Matthew Price
From Friday’s The Oklahoman
Christopher Nolan confirms Batman 3; She-Ra turns 25; Star Wars coming in 3-Da
It’s the most gruesome NewsOK Comics Podcast in history, as Kyle reveals what happened to him in a recent football game.
Star Wars in 3-D
The Los Angeles Times reports that “Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace” will return to theaters in 3-D in 2012 and will be followed in the stereoscopic format by the five other live-action movies set a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.
She-Ra turns 25
She-Ra
It’s the 25th anniversary of “She-Ra,” the He-Man spinoff that featured his sister, She-Ra, protecting the realm of Etheria from Hordak.
Matt Price talked to Melendy Britt, who voiced She-Ra, about how she became the inspirational 1980s heroine. Look for the article in upcoming editions of The Oklahoman.
Nolan confirms Batman 3 involvement
It’s not a surprise, but Christopher Nolan tells Empire magazine that yes, he will be the director of the third Christian Bale “Batman” film. No word on who the villains will be, however.
“If I haven’t announced it, I think that people probably all know at this point that I’m doing it,” he told Empire.
This week’s reviews are Captain America Patriot 2, Captain America 610, and Time Bomb 2.
