Audiences today are spoiled.  They have a billion channels and what seems like a half-billion different streaming options.  In many respects, whenever any one of these outlets has a new program to push, they flood their particular airwave with adverts a'plenty; and this definitely gives those programs a greater chance to reach fans and/or develop a following.

Well, back in the days of truly syndicated programming on television, we had a little something called Cleopatra 2525.  If I remember correctly, it was one of the programs was Universal Television developed in an attempt to create a greater identity around the syndicated partners.  The upside to that?  Springing from some of the creative folks who delivered Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess, Cleo promised much of the same dynamic but transported to the world of a dystopian future.  The downside to that?  Well, syndicated stations were likely contracted to air local sport events as well, and this made having a consistent broadcast slot difficult to guarantee the fledgling SciFi/Drama.

In any event, I caught it when I could find it; and I loved it.  Yes, it was a bit cheezy ... but weren't many of the best genre entries?  No other show on television had the triple threat of Gina Torres, Jennifer Sky, and Victoria Pratt, three of the loveliest heroines to grace a single show of the time.  Their adventures ranged from low-camp to high-camp, but it was all delivered with restrained nods and winks to audiences willing to suspend their disbelief and, quite simply, cheer for the ladies.  Let's hear it for the girls!

I know that the program is out there in the marketplace available on DVD.  If you like your Earthbound SciFi a bit sweet at times, then you'd do well to pick it up or investigate it on whatever streaming platform you can find.  Torres was a great leader; Sky had an occasionally manic yet Marilyn Monroe vibe; and Pratt?  Oh, my goodness!  The abs!  Those lovely, lovely abs!

As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!

Four years ago this evening, The CW firmly upped its commitment to 'somewhat' superhero storytelling with the premiere of DC's Legends Of Tomorrow ... and a new franchise was born!

I don't usually use this space to sound off on individual programming, but I thought it relevant to through out a few thoughts on the state of that particular property, which I honestly gave up on with last season's tepid finale and equally painful season.  (Yes, you read that right.)  I'm not picking on a show that largely established itself on a revolving door of heroes as well as dipping in and out of time-travel stories ... but last season's way-too-long sidebar with 'magical creatures' really wore me out.

For what it's worth, I don't think anything in terms of quality has come near to its first season (with some caveats about an equally interesting Season Two): Rip Hunter's set-up was very solid, and giving these anti-heroes a reason to band together and save themselves and the galaxy-at-large (even when it didn't serve their own personal interests) set the show out with a solid dramatic dynamic.  The weekly stories naturally built on the premise, and the writers even managed to work in some interesting relationship twists that felt organic without adding a layer of saccharin prosthelytizing that sometimes (sadly) goes hand-in-hand with genre programming.  All seemed solid in the world of The CW.

And then we get to Season 4 ...

Now, I've got nothing against 'magical creatures,' per se.  In some regards, 'magical creatures' are part and parcel of what makes quality Fantasy storytelling its foundation.  However, adding 'magical creatures' to a world that already required a certain suspension of disbelief in order to accommodate time travel pushed the audience into tenuous territory, indeed.  I hate to harp on any show for trying something different ... but 'magical creatures?'  Really, Berlanti?

Still, kudos to the showrunners and storytellers for keeping the adventure on-the-air at all.  That's something still to be appreciated in this day and age when networks struggle to find audiences against the always growing threats of new channels and/or new streaming outlets.  Also, I'd be remiss if I didn't say I appreciate Legends ongoing ability to keep its special effects budget at a level that made the show acceptable if not occasionally even exceptional.

How long with it last?

No one ever knows, but thanks to all of those who've joined in and participated up to this point.  Here's hoping we'll be celebrating genre entries for decades to come!

​As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!

For those of you who don't quite follow the trade papers on the entertainment industry, then here's my summation: the Walt Disney Company is well on the way to becoming the one-stop-shop for all of your genre needs.  Not all that long ago, they purchased 20th Century Fox -- a move I personally think was largely done to bring nearly all of the Marvel properties under a single roof -- and this means that the Mouse House definitely has its ears wrapped around much of Science Fiction and Fantasy.

However, this move also meant that some of Fox's work appeared to have been lost in the shuffle.  Projects that were completed were shelved for the time being as Disney's plans -- namely, their slate of upcoming Marvel projects -- needed to be examined against the greater tapestry of things to come.  For example, Fox's ongoing adventures in the X-Men universe established some box office clout, but these films had been definitely underperforming so far as bean counters were concerned.  Thus, The New Mutants -- a Fox film that went into post-production back in 2018 -- was promised but delayed ... until today.

It looks like Disney has finally slated this youth-centric Mutants flick into its Spring theatrical schedule, and the film will finally open in early April, 2020.

For those of you interested, I encourage you to check out the trailer below.  It 'feels' a bit like the other X-Men entries (or, maybe, the more recent ones), but the focus is on mutants just discovering their powers and the dangers they pose not only to the world at large but to themselves.  Who knows?  There may just be some new blood in thar hills ...
​

As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!

I don't know about you, gentle reader, but I tend to avoid lists.  You know the kind I'm talking about?  Things like "The Top 10 Robots In Films" or "The Best Three SciFi Films You've Never Seen" tend to be almost entirely driven by the writer's subjective experience: what one person likes isn't always indicative of anything (especially quality), and while there may be some interesting observations in the general article or two the whole premise of ranking what's available in entertainment only lasts so long ... inevitably, something else comes along that impacts the list, and then the reader and writer have to start the process all over again.

Now, there are lists I promote from time-to-time, such as the case in this article from Screen Rant.  (link)  Writer Lauren Coates is simply trying to give readers a heads-up as to what Science Fiction films are due at the box office in 2020, and it's this kind of information that -- while still being somewhat subjective -- provides the age-old journalist pledge to "inform" readers.  Nothing more.  Nothing less.

So if you're in the market this morning for a little research into things to come, then I'd encourage you to give it a read.  As you know, SciFi tends to be pretty big box office these days, and Coates' polite summation might just have you working up an appetite.

As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!

Anyone's who has paid close attention to my periodic musings on the greater Star Wars universe knows of my love for the animated version of The Clone Wars.  While being somewhat kid-friendly (though it does feature a fair share of violence), the program truly opened the door to some high quality storytelling possibilities, pitting the brotherhood of Jedi Knights against the ongoing threat against the worlds of the Senate while occasionally exploring that Shakespearean backdrop of Anakin Skywalker's impending fall from grace.  Showrunner Dave Filoni and his willing conspirators did gangbusters with the show that introduced a few new characters but reignited our love for so many classic characters ... so color me impressed that the Mouse House finally decided to grant the series a new lifeline with a seventh season.

All that was needed was a premiere date ... and now we have one!  (link)  It'll be returning with new stories on February 17, 2020.

Seriously, peeps, if you've never seen Star Wars: The Clone Wars, then you need to start streaming it now; and this may very well be the best reason to sign up for Disney's streaming service I can give you.  (No, I haven't done so myself, so I can't speak to The Mandalorian.)  Its first season is a bit pedestrian, and it has a few stinkers in season two and three (such is the nature of episodic television) ... but otherwise The Clone Wars is a pretty epic vision that a universe like Star Wars deserves.  It might just make you appreciate the Force in a way you haven't before.

​As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!

Sorry, folks, but I don't read much by way of the comic book business these days.  Simply put, it just got too expensive for my tastes, and I couldn't justify the ongoing investment when the 'return on investment' (that being, enjoying a good book) seemed to be growing smaller and smaller with each passing year.

In any event, I do keep my eyes peeled for the occasional 'something special,' and I recently read a blurb about IDW's "The Kill Lock."  (link)  The set-up -- four robots are simply trying to stay alive -- sounds reminiscent (in a good way) of the seminal SciFi film Blade Runner (1982), but this one ups the ante by linking the four together with a lock: if one dies, they all die.  That definitely adds juice to the potential narrative, no?

If that premise alone tickles your fancy, then I'd encourage you to follow the link to get up-to-speed on the possibilities.  The book is just kicking off, and I'm sure IDW and writer/artist Livio Ramondelli would appreciate your support.

As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!

​No one can blame the global movie audience for suffering from a bit of superhero fatigue.
 
1989’s Batman blazed onto the silver screens compliments of Warner Bros. and Tim Burton, and – in the wake of its success – a reasonable number of other comic book properties gave it the sailor’s try to enjoy the same commercial and critical success.  While there were a few winners, methinks that there were more losers; but it wasn’t until Marvel Studios’ Iron Man – with the box office clout of critical favorite Robert Downey Jr. in the lead as Tony Stark – that Hollywood truly sunk its teeth into more substantive adaptations.  And once Walt Disney joined forces with Marvel – bringing along their ability to put serious capital behind such investments – the sky was truly the limit.  Caped wonders were everywhere – indeed, many of which were part of the larger, burgeoning Marvel mythology with motion picture after motion picture paving the way for even more – and suddenly every studio (and their mother’s uncle) joined the big business of modern era crusaders.
 
Perhaps it’s precisely owed to the proliferation of such big budget features that the smaller, quieter, spandex-free entries typically failed to attract the attention of ticket buyers.  After all, not every fictional character has the tax returns of Stark and Bruce Wayne, so the little guys and gals who curiously stumble upon powers not granted mortal men (and women) fight the uphill battle of finding a single silver screen for display when Captain Marvel has reserved half the multiplex’s.  For example, 2012’s Chronicle did solid business for a low-budget superhero thriller using the found-footage format to tell the story of three teens who develop superhuman powers they eventually turn on one another.  2018’s Fast Color stays much more firmly grounded in the traditional indie focus (the young woman finding her way in the world) while balancing the character’s need to fully understand what she can accomplish with her powers.
 
This brings me to 2018’s Freaks … which, in short, might just be one of the most bizarrely original ‘superhero’ movies I’ve ever seen.
 
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters.  If you’re the type of person who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last few paragraphs for my final assessment.  If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
 
From IMDB.com: “A bold girl discovers a bizarre, threatening, and mysterious new world beyond her front door after she escapes her father's protective and paranoid control.”
​

At times, it’s quite difficult what to make of Freaks, the 2018 SciFi/Drama release from Amazing which is both written and directed by the team of Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein.  The early claustrophobic scenes provide very little explanation for this world wherein a young child seems trapped (but is she?) by her father (but is he?) in a house (but is it?) against her will (or could it be …?).  All that the audience is treated to by way of a world outside – beside the rantings of what seems to be a delusional father (played by Emile Hirsch) – is a single ice cream truck driven by the aged Mr. Snowcone (Bruce Dern); and how can ice cream not be of interest to the shut-in Chloe (Lexy Kolker)?  Despite dad’s demands, Chloe eventually finds her way out into the sunlight, where she’s immediately kidnapped by the ice cream peddler and taken to … the nearby park?  Is this some bizarre abduction gone routine?
 
It doesn’t take long for this unlikely couple to draw the attention of a passing police officer.  Fearing that the young girl has either been abducted or might be one of the ‘infected’ hinted at but never quite explained, he attempts to intervene; eventually, his will succumbs to Chloe’s psychic demands, and he bewilderingly walks away without a look back.
 
It’s this perfectly executed uncertainty that makes Freaks such a delight to watch.  Hints are dropped so consistently and preternaturally that this world is not what it seems that the audience has no choice but to wait it out, hoping for some character to eventually rise up, break the Fourth Wall, and explain just what is up with everyone.  Has dad gone mad?  Is this child truly his own?  Could ice cream be the bridge to some fanciful tomorrow?  And what was happened to dear old mom?  None of these characters – the father, the child, and Mr. Snowcone – are what they appear to be at the outset, and only patience for what Lipvosky and Stern are strategically revealing is rewarded.  The pieces are deliberately placed in such a way as so build suspense around their shared journey – are they trapped by some greater, outside foe or could all of this be some massive cinematic hallucination fueled by a deranged few?
 
Once the audience realizes that not only dad’s fevered imagination holds a nefarious secret but also Mr. Snowcone and Chloe do as well does the wall come down – figuratively and literally.  Layer by layer, Freaks tugs on each dramatic reveal, displaying a world that might have far more mutants than just a fateful few showcased here.  This is a place where not even the neighbors can be trusted as paranoia against those different from us has paved the way for a Gestapo-like government to lethally enforce public will; each of us in only a drone strike away from destruction … unless we possess the ability to do something about it.
 
Hirsch and Dern turn in exceptional performances as men haunted by their recent past with motivations to set about change no matter the cost to their personal and supernatural safety.  (Supernatural safety?  It’ll make much more sense when you watch the film.)  Amanda Crew turns in fabulous work, balancing a woman’s maternal instinct against what she thinks might be a nervous breakdown.  Young Lexy Kolker – at the ripe young age of just under ten years old – shoulders much of the narrative burden here; and she delivers on every promise.  Her Chloe is curious and equally aghast at her circumstances, and the child actor turns in an seasoned performance here as a young girl who just wants a normal life, powers be damned.
 
Judging by the flick’s box office, essentially few people besides the critics and festival crowds saw this thing, and that’s a damn, damn, damn shame.  Seek it out.  Stream it.  Pick up the DVD.  Give it a try.  You may not enjoy all of it (such is the nature of entertainment), but I dare you to challenge its unique voice and originality.  Who knows?  You might just believe a man can fly.  Or a woman.

In many respects, the streaming business boom of the current era is very similar to the home video boom of the 1980’s and 1990’s.
 
Back then, anyone with some creativity, a video camera, some willing friends, and a bottle of ketchup could make an entertaining slasher film in the 80’s, and distributors were lining up to release them.  Largely, this is because every street corner had a video rental store – even small grocery stores ran a video rental counter – so there was money to be made for those willing to put up even a modest bit of capital.
 
As the World Wide Web expanded, more and more folks flocked to the internet to satisfy some of their entertainment needs.  The expansion of sites like MySpace, Facebook, and YouTube gave everyday people the opportunity to build home-grown franchises.  As Netflix morphed from the premiere home rental outlet to a veritable streaming giant, it became clear that streaming was the way of the future.
 
Still, it’s that 80’s craze that captivates so much of what’s still being rediscovered.  The demand for new flicks was insatiable, and this brought a handful of small(ish) production companies into existence, many of them sprung out of other studio systems when the getting was good.  One of the more fondly remembered ones was Full Moon Features, a little giant that produced such motion pictures as Trancers, the greater Puppet Master saga, and today’s flashback review Robot Wars.
 
Producer, writer, and director Charles Band founded both Empire Pictures and Full Moon largely for the purposes of creating genre-exploiting releases; and he’s been credited as just one of the many masterminds he helped fuel the home video explosion mentioned above.  1993’s Robot Wars was his idea (as per the flick’s IMDB.com citation), but scripting duties were fulfilled by Jackson Barr (who was also responsible for such SciFi features as Trancers II, Seedpeople, and Bad Channels).  While some might argue Barr and Full Moon’s scripts were always a bit derivative by other similarly themed big budget features, the production team still managed to eek out a bit of charm from an overused premise.
 
Robot Wars story is set in the year 2041, wherein some unnamed catastrophe has left the United States in geographic shambles.  However – as capitalism still reigns supreme – tours into the wasteland are common, and crack investigative archaeologist Leda Fanning (played by the eternally fetching B-movie queen Barbara Crampton) and her journalist/friend Annie (Lisa Rinna) believe there’s a secret hidden in them thar hills.  But they’ll need to team up with wise-cracking robot pilot Marion Drake (Don Michael Paul) and his partner Stumpy (James Staley) if they’re to thwart the terrorist group Centros from winning the day.
​

With a film named ‘Robot Wars’ one might expect more robots and even a war or two, but sadly the flick offers very little by way of action, drama, or interesting conflict.  For clarity’s sake, there’s really only one robot battle – naturally withheld until the flick’s final reel – and it’s a bit of a disappointment as this B-movie’s special effects were limited due to the size of Full Moon’s capital.  The motion picture does feature a pretty fantastic stop-motion Scorpion-shaped robot – it’s depicted prominently in all of the film’s advertising – and it definitely would’ve been grand to see the mechanical creature put to greater use in a longer film: for the record, Wars clocks in at barely 70 minutes … and even that includes uncharacteristically long opening and closing credits sequences.  Think of the film as a bloated telefilm, and you’re certainly on the right track.
 
Actors Paul and Staley really aren’t given much to do as the film’s central partnership: while their relationship is built around the usually snarky barbs of the young pup versus the wizened engineer, the dialogue devolves to unsubstantiated smart-aleck remarks and eighth-grade-level humor.  Staley is particularly wasted with observations couched in word choices probably befitting a much younger man; while Paul is shoehorned with overt anti-authority speeches which end up making his one-dimensional.  In short, he’s the hero because he’s been written to be the hero, so expect no substitutes.
 
Likewise, Crampton and Rinna fare no better from Barr’s attempts at exposition.  Neither are given all that much to do, hampered with exchanges that sound more like drunken high school tête-à-tête than they do adult dialogues.  Crampton, in particular, has proven herself capable of so much more throughout her career, and her work in Wars appears to have been little more than showing up and delivering lines as written; the second half finds her somewhat in damsel-in-distress mode as well as shackled in a romantic entanglement (with macho-flavored Paul) that seemingly blossoms out of nowhere.
 
Sadly, Barr’s script never truly clarifies this particular universe – the greater history of the U.S. much less these particular players, though Stumpy offers the occasional reflection of the way things used to be when the plot needs moving forward – and the end result is that Wars seems at conflict with itself, never rising up or going anywhere unless its on the written page.  Clearly, there’s an antagonist in here somewhere – Danny Kamekona’s Wa-Lee is the closest thing the audience is given as an adversary, but his motives appear to be limited to grand theft and general nastiness.
 
B movies do have their own charm, and Wars manages to dish some out, though much of it is limited to scenes involving the Scorpion-bot and its interiors.  Production design for these lesser films of the 1980’s and 1990’s was always fairly simple (yet effective), and these behind-the-scenes wizards do their best with what they were provided.  In fact, the film works best when its left in these environments; everything else – including the 1990’s era tourist town Crampton and Rinna visit to further investigate the script’s conspiracy – display the obvious limitations of budget which constrain every small studio.
 
In short, if you’re looking for a way to kill an hour, then Robot Wars is effective.

Beyond that?

​It’s all wasteland.