Parenthood - In-Between

Wow.  So what the hell is this show going to do to our favourite Braverman family now?  Crosby and Adam finally hire someone for reception, who is very bright and knowledgeable about the music scene, but she is also very flamboyant and 'hot'.  Adam doesn't want to hire her essentially because of her looks.  Not only is this discriminatory but he obviously fears his fidelity to his wife who has just given birth to their third child!  So is this new woman, Rachel, going to be the cause of extra-marital problems in the future?  I hope not.  You see Kristina has been feeling very overwhelmed with the recent birth and the changes to her body and does not feel very sexy at all, so when she turns up at the Luncheonette and the hot young woman doesn't know who she is, she is feeling very vulnerable.  Of course Adam doesn't help by pointing out the baby vomit in her hair!  Now she is mortified!  No sex for you tonight Adam!
The boys decide to hold a grand opening party and everyone is excited, except Kristina, who is worried about being compared to all the young hot women who will be there.  Of course, while talking to Rachel, her breast starts to leak!  Horrified, Kristina hides in Adam's office.  He finds her and tells her that he is very horny for her and to not worry.  So far so good.  Keep this up mate and you just might get lucky!
Meanwhile, the Seth saga continues with him finishing rehab and holing up in a flea pit of a motel room.  Amber decides to give up her place for her Dad who gets offered a job and is looking for his own place.  But then Amber overhears her Mum, Sarah talking about Seth and that she really thinks they might be able to make a go of it.  Amber is upset because Sarah has been so happy with Mark.  So Amber tells her Dad that she wants him to think of Sarah and her happiness in all this.  At the end of this episode, Seth tells Sarah he has been offered a job interstate and is going to take it.  Could her finally be getting responsible?
Their son Drew finally makes it official with Amy and they are now boyfriend and girlfriend and she even instigates making out!  Go boy!
Lastly, Crosby has to deal with Dr Joe in Jabbar's life.  He has been reading the Harry Potter books with Jabbar and they are about to finish the fourth book when Jabbar tells him that Dr Joe brought over the sixth movie to watch.  Crosby is not happy but doesn't say anything (he's a good Dad) and decides to watch to movie himself so he can talk with Jabbar about it.  However, when he tries to talk to his son, he drops another bombshell by saying Dr Joe is taking him to his first football game.  That's the last straw!  Crosby confronts Dr Joe in his office and tells him he can't take Jabbar to the game because that is his right as a father to experience that with him.  Later, Dr Joe arrives at the Luncheonette and gives Crosby the football tickets but warns him that he is going to be in Jabbar's life and he is just going to have to live with it!  Not sure how true his words are going to be, because at the party, Jasmine came and congratulated Crosby for achieving his dream.  She seemed a bit too flirty for my taste.
And talking about flirty?  Kristina surprises Adam the next day with a bit of morning sex!  She is back in the saddle, so to speak!
Another great episode that is setting up some new story arcs.  This was the final episode in Australia in 2011, so looking forward to the show's return this year.  Bring it on.

Merlin - A Servant of Two Masters

This episode is just like it's title and has two masters.  On one side it is a very serious story with Merlin being turned to become an assassin with the job of killing Arthur.  On the other, it is one of the funniest episodes they have done!
You see while patrolling, Merlin is separated from the group when they are attacked (thanks to the treacherous Agravaine) and Merlin is taken to Morgana.  She takes a many headed snake called a Fomorroh and explains that it can't be killed and implants a part of it in Merlin's neck (a lot like a Goa'uld from Stargate is implanted into a host!) and explains that ti will take over his will and he will do whatever she commands, which is to kill Arthur.
When Merlin is returned, Arthur is very happy (he's had a replacement servant who while good at his job, is just dead boring!), but unaware that Merlin is out to get him.  Merlin's attempts are hilarious.  Poison on Arthur's dinner but is beaten to feeding him by Gwen, so he dumps it with the pigs, who die!
He sets up a crossbow, but that doesn't work.  He tries to kill him with a sword but is knocked unconscious when he runs into a column!  Meanwhile, Gaius and Gwen notice his change and realise what he is going to do and turn up just in time.  To ensure he stays unconscious, Gwen hits Merlin again with a jug!
They work out what is in Merlin and remove it but of course it grows back and Merlin again tries to kill Arthur by putting acid in his bath.  Gwen again knocks Merlin out with a jug!  Then Arthur is there, ready for his bath, naked in front of Gwen!  Brilliantly funny!
Gauis works out he can put the Fomorroh to sleep temporarily, which allows Merlin to change into Emrys, or Dragoon The Great, and go to Morgana's hut and destroy the snake by magic. 
Morgana walks in on him and at first flees because she fears him, but then returns and they have a mighty battle (Very Sword In The Stone just no changing into animals!) and Merlin eventually attacks her with a whirlwind knocking her unconscious.  He destroys the snake and returns to Camelot.
This was a really great episode.  One of my favourites.

The Hangover

I think it is really hard to find a really good comedy these days.  Maybe it is age, but I think most of the funny stuff was made about twenty to thirty years ago.  Now we mostly just get crap that riffs off whole genres of film and not very well either.  If you looked at my movie collection, there are not a lot of comedies, and I own over 900 titles.  So when The Hangover was released, I was not in any hurry to go and see it.  But the buzz continued to grow.  Word of Mouth was this was a very funny movie and not to be missed.  They had even released a sequel!  Finally, I saw it was going to be on television so I recorded it and my wife and I sat down to watch it.
The story is about three friends and a future brother-in-law, going to Las Vegas for a bachelor party.  They all stand on the roof of their hotel, looking out over the city and have a drink.  The film then goes to the next morning and now there are only three of them.  The groom is missing, the hotel room is destroyed, there is a baby in a closet and a tiger in the bathroom!  None of the three have any memory of what happened the night before.  So they embark on a search for their friend by retracing their steps of where they were and finding out the bizarre things they got up to.
I must admit, this is a very funny movie and I loved the 'Momento' style concept of going back to find out what they did.  The characters are hilarious especially Ken Jeong's Leslie Chow, the effeminate Asian gangster.  I need to see the sequel now.  I give this movie 8/10.

Terra Nova - Genesis (Parts 1 & 2)

Steven Spielberg's prehistoric television series, Terra Nova took a long time to arrive.  To keep it separate from Jurassic Park, he chose to move to Australia to film (plus it's heaps cheaper).  In fact it is made just over an hours drive from my place.  I even know someone who had a credited role int he show.  The only trouble with filming here in Oz is that I don't think we can make television at the same standard as the Americans.  However, I must say, this is the best looking television show ever made in Australia.  This took a long time to come because Mr Spielberg wanted to make sure the special effects are top notch and most of them are good quality but some are still a bit dodgy.  Oh well, apparently you can't have everything!
The season premiere was actually the first two episodes back to back.  The story starts in the year 2149 where the air is polluted and the population is controlled to a maximum of two children at a time.  We open with policeman Jim Shannon, played by Jason O'Mara (Resident Evil: Extinction) arriving home with a special gift for his family, an orange.  They just can't get them anymore.  We meet his family, his scientist/doctor wife, Elisabeth (Shelly Conn from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), his son Josh and daughters Maddy and Zoe.  Yes, they have three children.  Then the population control cops arrive and the Shannon's hide Zoe but she panics and cries and is found.  Jim fights to protect his family but is subdued, arrested and sentenced to prison.
Moving forward six year, Elisabeth is offered a second chance for her and the two eldest children to travel back in time to a place called Terra Nova.  It is a time of a pristine earth with no pollution.  But like any mother, she is not going to leave her family behind and engineers to break her husband out of prison.  As they line up to walk through the portal, Jim is noticed and with a massive backpack, makes a run for it and just gets through the portal.  The air is clean so it makes it hard to breath and Jim is incapacitated.  Guards immediately attack because he is unauthorised and are about to damage the backpack, when they tear it open to reveal Zoe.
The parents are brought before the Commander of Terra Nova, Nathaniel Taylor, a no nonsense leader who while he is not happy about the breach in protocol, is also a realist and is happy he has Mrs Shannon.  He assigns Jim to agricultural duty.  The Commander is played by Stephen Lang, a very similar role he played in Avatar.  I can almost see the casting process: "We need someone like Stephen Lang in Avatar.  Hey, rather than have someone act like Stephen and people draw comparisons, lets just get Stephen Lang!" While both characters have a tough job managing a new protected colony in a jungle infested new world, Commander Taylor is generally a good guy and will get the opportunity to grow as a character throughout the series.  I was half expecting him ot say "Welcome to Pandora!"
The enclosure of Terra Nova is a successfully realised creation made up of the command centre, markets, housing, medical centre/laboratory and fields.  I also like the way they have portrayed the family unit.  Zoe doesn't remember her Dad, Josh is angry that his Dad was sent to prison and left them to fend for themselves, and his wife is a little awkward around him when it comes to sleeping arrangements, especially as Zoe has been sleeping in her Mum's bed for years.
Our family came through the portal as part of the tenth pilgrimage.  The group of people who came through on the sixth pilgrimage where aggressive and tried to take over Terra Nova and were banished for their crimes.  Now they constantly cause problems for the Terra Novans and are called the Sixers.  They have one as a captive, who escapes and tries to kill the Commander, but Jim's police training kicks in and he stops the Sixer.  The Commander is impressed and instead of having to do the back-breaking agricultural work, he assigns Jim to his security detail. They trade the Sixer with his own group for a mineral ore that Terra Nova needs and we get to meet the leader of the Sixers, Mira.
Meanwhile, Josh has met some kids his own age, especially a young lady by the name of Skye, who invites him to come with them to the outside where they have an alcoholic still set up.  While swimming together, Josh and Skye come across some carvings in the rocks that look like mathematical equations.  She asks Josh to not let anyone know they have seen them.  When they go to leave, they find the Sixers have stolen their power cells and are stranded.  And then, they get attacked by some rather nasty dinosaurs!  This scene (while the other kids are annoying) is quite well done.  When the kids can't be found, a rescue mission is launched and Jim and the Commander go in search of the kids, find them just in time (is there any other type?!) and fight off the dinosaurs.
What are the mysterious carvings?  The Commander asks if Skye went to the waterfall and she says no.  Does he believe her?  The episode finishes with Mira looking at the carvings saying they are a part of a plan.
Cool.
I thought this was a pretty damn good start to a promising series.  I will definitely be watching this.  Keep up this level of story, acting and special effects and we might just have a hit on our hands!

Camelot - Reckoning

So we finally get to the last episode of this show (as it turns out) and I think it went out with a bang (so to speak).  In fact I think this was one of the best episodes out of all of them and it shows the wasted potential this show had.
So Arthur has set up a series of traps to fend off the invading army at Broden's Pass single handedly.  While involved in one of these heated one on ones, it appears he is dead and his sword is captured.  A messenger is dispatched immediately to Morgan to let her know that Arthur is dead.  But Arthur is far from dead, and because of his selfless bravery, he is no longer alone.  His knights return to do battle with him and they successfully fight off all of the invaders, but not before one gets off a lucky shot at Arthur.  But the ever loyal Leontes, jumps in front of the bolt and takes the fatal shot himself.  He dies asking his king to look after his wife!
Morgan meanwhile announces to the people of Camelot that their king is dead and asks who should take his place?  Sybil the nun suggests it should be Morgan and the people agree, but before they can crown her, Arthur arrives and takes back his thrown.  In order to protect Morgan, Sybil takes full responsibility for everything and says Morgan knew nothing.  Sybil is taken out to an unmarked grave and beheaded, but not before having it rubbed in that Morgan does not even try to help her and that there is no God.
Meanwhile, Morgan goes to see Igraine and stabs her in her side because she thrust her from her home.  But Igraine shocks her by saying she saved her life, because her father was going to kill her.  She cannot believe this to be true, because if it is, she has just killed someone who did care about her.
Arthur strips Morgan of her title, her claim to the Pendragon name and removes all protection for her castle.  She is on her own.
Merlin announces to Arthur that it is time for him to move on and says his goodbyes.
Later, Morgan visits Sybil's grave and the devil she raised turns up.  She hears a voice tell her to bear a king.  That night, Guinevere turns up to Arthur's chamber and has sex with him.  When she leaves, she is revealed to be Morgan.  So Morgan had sex with her own brother!  By the legend she will bear a child, the evil Mordred, but we will never get to see that storyline, unless Merlin takes a turn for the adult!
This show was such a hit and miss affair.  The reason they gave for no second season was that they could not get all the actors back.  Having killed off most of them or sent them on their way, they didn't need to many of them to return, so I think this is a bit of a cop out.  I believe the show just wasn't that good.  Shame really.  What did everyone else think?

Camelot - The Battle of Bardon Pass

The final night of Camelot finally arrives.  Part one for the night sees Morgan escape Camelot leaving Igraine feeling crazed by seeing herself.  Merlin doesn't believe Igraine at first, saying they had been together the night before, then he realises what Morgan has done.  (I am confused here because I thought he recognised it was Morgan while he was busy having sex with her but chose to keep going!).  They travel to Morgan's castle to confront her and she captures them instead!
Meanwhile, Leontes confronts his wife Guinevere and she cannot lie to him.  He confronts Arthur and Arthur's 'brother' Kay exposes his treachery to his knights, eroding their love for him.
Morgan sets up an attack at Borden Pass, in the hope his knights will not support him as before and that he will be killed so she can take over.  Arthur and his men leave for Borden Pass and Morgan leaves her castle with her captives to await proof Arthur is dead so she can take over.
The battle at Borden Pass is deadly and Kay is struck by an arrow.  He needs to be taken away to be healed.  They realise that one must stay behind if they are to win this fight and Arthur volunteers because his men no longer trust him and he may very well die.  His men leave and he sets about setting traps for his enemy.
As the penultimate episode for this hit and miss series, it certainly sets up the story to finish with a bang, bringing everything to a head and everyone together for the final confrontation.

Parenthood - Forced Family Fun

Crosby arrives at Jasmine's early to find Dr Joe having post-coitus coffee!  The green-eyed monster reveals itself.  Jasmine effectively tells Crosby that Dr Joe will be in her life now and he will need to deal with it.
Sarah is helping Seth through rehab and even cancels a date with Mark to be with Seth in a session.  When she tells Mark why she cancelled at the last minute, he tells her that it will not be OK to do that again.  I think this might foretell something?
Julia tries to talk with Zoe about eating sushi when she is pregnant and even brings in a more healthy lunch, but Zoe does not take it too well.
And speaking of not taking things too well, Kristina finally releases some pent up frustration this week.  She tries unsuccessfully to spend some quality time with her family and cooks them breakfast but none of them can stay.  She then organises a night of min-golf but they complain so much in the car, she finally explodes and throws them ALL out of the car and she goes to golf with just herself and Nora!!  Loved this!  Maybe they might appreciate her more.  Why did she have to apologise though?
An OK episode, but I hope things pick up again soon.

Parenthood - Tales From the Luncheonette

Adam and Crosby finally have the opportunity to have a real star record in their studio, when Cee Lo Green enters the picture.  Crosby doesn't believe they are ready, but Adam needs this to work so he wants to work through the night to get the studio set up and working.  When Cee Lo arrives, he chooses the studio that Janis Joplin recorded in and tries to channel her in his music, to capture her magic.  But things are going right.  Adam and Crosby think it is great but Cee Lo is not convinced.  Take after take occurs, Crosby throws Adam out of the booth and keeps trying to make Cee Lo happy, but at the end of the day, he walks.  The boys are devastated.  What did they do wrong?
Meanwhile, poor Kristina has been at home with the new baby while Adam has been staying at the office and she is just exhausted.  Haddie, being usual selfish self, wants her Mum to read her essay but when Haddie discovers her asleep, having not read the paper, she gets cranky and won't talk to her Mum.  Personally I would have told her to grow up and help out around the house, but of course, Kristina is trying to keep everyone happy.
A bit like her sister-in-law Sarah who is trying to look after Seth, who was beaten last week.  She has him stay over and while nothing happens, he leaves his cigarette packet in the bed and of course Sarah's boyfriend, Mark, finds them in the bed and when she explains what happens, it shocks him a bit.  She keeps choosing Seth to protect and look after and if she keeps that up, Mark will walk.  Sarah ends up borrowing money from Julia and Joel to put Seth in rehab.  While at a dinner at their place, Joel inadvertently mentions it in front of Zeek, who goes off.  He also goes off about the adoption and how they shouldn't do it.  Joel finally grows a pair and in his best scene ever, he tells Zeek to back off.  Brilliantly done.
Sarah's son, Drew, is also finally getting some screen time with a love interest, Amy.  He is very nervous around her though and ends up going to his sister, Amber, who helps him out and he ends up getting his first kiss.  Nice work!
Lastly, the Cee Lo debacle wasn't a complete disaster, as he comes back the next day and explains it wasn't Adam and Crosby that was at fault, it was him.  Because he was trying to be Janis Joplin, his own music wasn't coming through.  He ditches the Joplin feel and sings his heart out.  Finally the boys are on their way!
Not a bad episode, but do people really react that way in some of these situations?

Body Of Proof - Broken Home

The season one finale certainly has a lot going on.  The thing I like about this show is that it is never clear cut who the killer is and why they do it.  There are ALWAYS plenty of red herrings set up.
Case in point: Lacey, Megan's daughter, is in the Principal's office because she was showing a photograph of a young socialite who had died being taken away from her house.  Megan, always on the job, notices something wrong with the photo: the blood from the girl has not travelled in the direction it would have if the girl had died in bed as the family has said.  Megan interrupts the funeral for the girl and takes the body, much to the family's anger.  After Megan investigates, she finds a cord mark around the girl's neck and on checking the girl's bedroom locates a curtain cord that matches and it comes out that she killed herself because she was very sick and the family wanted to keep it quiet and respect her dignity.  The family members include her mother, her brother and her sister as well as a young man from South America.  However, after further investigation, Megan discovers bruising that proves someone murdered this girl.  Was she killed for her money?  Her family was very wealthy and she was leaving her money to a Rainforest Charity in South America.
A few things come out: the girl had suffered from gout, but the medication she was on for her illness cures gout, so Megan checks the pills and finds they are only sugar and that the Mother has been responsible for not curing her own daughter!  She was keeping her sick to keep the friends she had that only seemed to be there because of the sick girl.  Did the mother kill her because the girl found out?
The brother has been trying to get her to change her choice of charity.  Is this motive to kill her?
The sister had been disinherited due to drugs.  Was she after her sister's money? And what connection is there with the boy from South America, the same place her Rainforest charity is from?
The team discover the sister's DNA under the girl's toe nails and it has a bug in it that can only come from South America.  They deduce that the sister and the boy from South America were in on it together.  They arrest them and cajole the boy by saying the sister is going to pin it all on him.  He tells them that the Rainforest Charity was a fraud that he and the sister set up so she could get her money, but she was going to change the charity because her brother had convinced her.  The sister couldn't have that.  She strangled her sister and then strung her up to look like suicide.  After the case is solved, the body is released for burial, but they arrest the mother for denying the girl her medication.
Meanwhile, while all this was going on, Lacey thinks her mother and her father are getting back together.  When Megan asks why, she says that her Dad has been coming home late at night and that there have been many calls coming from her Mother's office.  Megan proves it isn't her that is calling and deduces that her ex-husband is now sleeping with her boss!  Oh that's gonna cause some issues in the new season!! 

The Mentalist - Blinking Red Light

Blinking Red Light is one of the best episodes this season of The Mentalist.  BEWARE - SPOILERS!
It's starts with the discovery of a woman's body and that there have been others killed the same way.  There is a serial killer on the loose, The San Joaquin killer!  Jane tells Lisbon to trust her feelings and investigate the one person out of all the suspects that she thinks is the killer.  She chooses a photographer who lies about being in the same place the girl was murdered.  Did he do it?  What does Lisbon discover at his home?
Meanwhile, Jane is looking at foremost authority on the killer, a blogger, Panzer, who lived in the area of the first killing.  He speaks highly of the killer, saying how clever he is and how the police will never catch him.  Jane asks to meet with the parents of the first victim and when Panzer introduces them, it is clear he has had a lot of time with the family.  Jane goes to the victim's room and watches a DVD of her dancing to "It's a Wonderful World".  Jane then asks Panzer to see his files and discovers he has tons of information collected.  He also discovers "It's a Wonderful World" on Panzer's iPod and plays it to Panzer's discomfort.  Jane is on to something.  He starts to goad Panzer, saying the killer doesn't have any intelligence and is a deeply deranged man, effectively saying the same thing about Panzer.  Then another victim is found.
Jane decides to set Panzer up.  He tells a journalist that they are close to getting the killer and to not tell anyone and then he tells Panzer that they are arresting the photographer.  He waits to follow Panzer who leads them to where he has been carrying out the killings, only to find the journalist with a camera crew.  They say they received an anonymous tip about the location of the murders and called Panzer to consult.  Panzer must have set this up.  He proves to Jane that he is on to him and cannot be touched.  That maybe he is smarter than all the police.
Jane has one more trick up his sleeve.  They go on the journalist's show again and this time, Jane talks about Red John and compares him to the San Joaquin killer.  Panzer says that Red John is nothing but an amateur in comparison.
The trick works.  Panzer is found dead under a bloody face!  Red John is still alive!  Jane was right and he knew he would come out of the woodwork and deal with Panzer for insulting him!  What a twist!  Just brilliant!

Merlin - His Father's Son

Arthur is now King of Camelot and his first issue is a neighbouring kingdom trying to enter his lands.  He sets a trap and captures one of the knights of Caerleon, who ends up being the King.  Agravaine manipulates Arthur, chiding him that he needs to be more like Uther and that he must execute this other King.  Against his better judgement, and the advice of Merlin, Arthur kills King Caerleon and send his body back to his Queen.  Queen Annis is enraged and declares war on Camelot, raising an army and heading off to kill Arthur.  Arthur has no option now but to go to war.  While still not sure of himself, Arthur is manipulated again by agravaine who tells him he must end the relationship with Gwen if he is to be respected as the King.  Arthur goes to Gwen and tells her they are over.
Meanwhile, Morgana decides she will take advantage of the war and side with Queen Annis, to help her rid her of Arthur once and for all.
Arthur arrives at the battlefront and after seeing the size of Caerleon's army, he realises that many of his men may die because of the decision he made to kill the King.  He realises he made a terrible mistake and must fix this.  He goes to see Queen Annis and invokes the right to single combat to decide the victor.  If Camelot's champion wins, the Queen must leave, if Caerleon's champion wins, they will get half of Camelot.  The Queen agrees.  Instead of choosing one of his knights, Arthur decides to face the chamion of Caerleon himself.
In order to defeat him, Morgana enchants Arthur's sword so that he cannot even pick it up when she releases the magic.  The champion of Caerleon is a huge man and when he cannot use his sword, Arthur must use his fists, along with Merlin's unknown assistance.  Arthur defeats the champion, and instead of killing him, he shows him mercy in the hope that there could be peace between their kingdoms.
Queen Annis complies with the terms and agrees to peace and spurns Morgana.
Arthur returns to Camelot and apologises to Gwen, sho forgives him.
This was another great episode of Merlin, with a great story (a bit brutal for Arthur though) and some fantastic special effects.  Really loving this show.

Butterfly On A Wheel

I had seen this movie for sale on DVD and saw it was a Pierce Brosnan film, but I knew nothing about it.  I then saw that it also starred Gerard Butler and Maria Bello.  I love all these actors, why have I never heard of this film?  It came on TV and I decided to tape it.  While this is not a brilliant film, and you must suspend a level of disbelief, it is a clever story that will keep you on the edge of your seat right till the revealing conclusion.
It's the story of Neil (Butler) and Abby (Bello) Warner who live an idyllic life.  They appear to be happy in their jobs, their love life and their daughter, Sophie.  One night, the wife is going to go out with her girlfriends and the husband has a meeting with his boss, so they get a babysitter.  However, while driving, they have a man, Ryan (played deliciously by Pierce Brosnan) sit up in the back seat with a gun who tells them that he has their daughter and unless they do everything he says, he will kill her.  He forces them to take out all of their savings but then he sets fire to the case and throws it out of the car.  So if it is not their money, what does he want?  It becomes clear, he is going to destory their idyllic lifestyle, from Neil's work, to the relationship with his wife.  When he tries to trick Ryan, Neil finds he is one step ahead of him.  Even when he goes to the police, they have already been advised of the story he might come in and say.
Why does Ryan want to punish these people?  And to save his daughter's life, will Neil commit murder by killing his own boss?
A very clever story.  I recommend you stick with it, you will enjoy it! It's great to seeMr Bond playing the villian with such relish! 7/10

SciFiNow - Issue 57

I know I am a bit behind!  Not only am I three months behind because I am in Australia, but I am a bit behind in writing up my reviews.  But it is better later than never, hey?  This month's magazine is FILLED with brilliant articles!  Almost everything was just great to read.  Let me give everyone a list, especially for those who aren't reading this exceptional magazine yet (and just why the hell not?).
I was very excited to read it here first that Iron Man 3 was on it's way, plus also excited to read Star Trek XII is due mid 2012.  Another Aliens video game though?  Even with the support of Ridley Scott, come on?  Thanks (not) for the Twilight trailer break dawn, I mean, break down.  Was there no other movie coming out at that time that we could have got more excited about?  Great little article on Warehouse 13.  I love this show and it is great to read about Season Three which we have yet to get here in Oz.  Interesting interview regarding Camelot's non-renewal.  They go on about not being able to get all the cast together, but really, it was just plain boring most of the time.  Not going on my DVD list.  Neither is the new Superman movie.  I can't believe they are rebooting this AGAIN!  Thanks for the article on the book "World's Greatest Stuntman", I will definitely be tracking down a copy.
Excellent articles on Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes and Super 8.
Thanks also for the look at the latest season of Supernatural, but Teen Wolf looks like crap. How to draw a Transformer?  Really?
LOVED 101 of the best Geek-Out Moments article.  I would love to see more of these types of articles.  They are like little Easter eggs to look out for!  In fact an article on Easter eggs on DVDs and Blu-Rays would be great!
Once again though, you give Sucker Punch a crappy review.  I just don't understand why you can't look at the deeper story here.  At least you are consistent, even if you are wrong.
I was really impressed with the interview with Joe Hill, Stephen King's son.  Looking forward to reading some of his stuff. Another excellent article for Classic Fiction (or should I say Classic Writers, because it's all about the author and not about the book itself) this month about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
Timewarp gave us the complete guide to Hammer Horror!  So much I never knew, but I have to say, what is it with that top on that woman on page 103?!(or should I say almost not on that woman!)
Lastly, thanks for the Flashback to Star Trek IV, one of my favourite Star Trek movies.
All in all, another brilliant issue of SciFiNow!

American Horror Story - Home Invasion

The show begins in 1968 and the house is now home to some young girls, nurses.  They are all going out for the night but two stay home: an overweight plain jane (Gladys) and a pious young woman who does not want to do anything God wouldn't want her to do (Maria).  Bad move girls because once they are alone, they get a visitor, Franklin, asking for help.  They let him in and all hell breaks loose.  He drowns Gladys in the upstairs bathtub and then hog ties Maria and then stabs her repeatedly in the back. More death in this house, and not by some spirit in the basement.  Man can do evil just as much as any spirit.
Cutting back to the Harmon Family in present day and the neighbour Constance, is making cupcakes for Violet but is putting poison in them (she even gets her Down Syndrome daughter to spit in the mixture!).  Constance is hard to understand.  On the one hand she says she loves her daughter and on the other, she treats her terribly, like locking er in a room filled with mirrors so she can see her reflection everywhere.  We do find out though that she had four children, three 'damaged' but the fourth, a male, was a perfect specimen, but she lost him too.  Is she referring to Tate?  Constance delivers the cupcakes and before Vivien can take a bite, she insists they are just for Violet.
Violet has been spending time with the girl she scared (or is that scarred?) in the basement last week.  She is frightened, her face is torn and her hair has begun to turn white.  Even though Violet tries to reassure her it was just Tate trying to scare her, she insists she now believes in the Devil.
Meanwhile Ben is seeing a female patient who says she is having dreams of being cut in two.  In fact there is nothing wrong with her, she is actually casing the place.  She is part of a group who idolise Franklin and want to re-enact the murders in the house.
Ben gets a call from the woman he was having an affair with, Hayden.  At first he is angry that she broke the rule to call him at home, then she tells him she is pregnant.  His chance at remaking his life with Vivien, who is also pregnant, just went down the gurgler. But then Hayden lets him off the hook, slightly, by telling him she wants to have an abortion but she needs him to come back to Boston to be by her side.  He agrees and tells his wife that he is going to comfort a former patient who has tried to kill themselves.  That night he is with Hayden, drinking wine and when Vivien tries to call him, Hayden gets angry, so he gives up his phone and doesn't answer the call.
So with Vivien and Violet alone in the house, the home invaders, a man and two women, break in and attack our girls.  They tell them what they are going to do to them.  Vivien keeps her cool and wants to protect her daughter at all costs, while Violet just remains cool for her mother's sake.  But the girls aren't exactly on their own.  Firstly, one of the girls eats the poisoned cupcakes and starts to throw up violently, and Tate attacks and cuts her in half with an axe (just like her made up dream to Ben!).  Tate tells Violet to get the other girl down to the basement.  Violet is to take the role of Gladys, so when they go to drown her upstairs, she tells them the original bath is in the basement and it really should be done right.  She gets taken down there.  Meanwhile Vivien smashes the guy on the head with the same bowl Franklin used to knock out the two nurses and then tries to get to Violet.  But she needn't have worried because the bathtub in the basement is filled with not only water, but Gladys as well!  The man stumbles down to the basement and is confronted by not only Gladys but also the ghost of Maria as well.  That's the end of them.
Constance sees Vivien and Violet running down the street and goes next door to investigate, only to find Tate and the maid Moira looking at the dead bodies.  Tate says they will have to get rid of the bodies if she still wants him to see Ben.  So, is that confirmation that Constance is Tate's Mum??
Meanwhile, Ben is at the abortion clinic with Hayden and he watches her go in.  He sees his phone in her bag and finds there are numerous missed calls.  He knows something is terribly wrong and instead of waiting for Hayden, he leaves immediately.  At least he knows where his priorities lie!  Vivien declares that it is time to sell the house.
A very full on violent episode that answers a little question but opens the door for many more. I'm hooked!

American Horror Story - Pilot

After making Glee, creators Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk wanted to do the exact opposite for their next collaboration.  Imagine what that could be and you could be pretty close to the new show American Horror Story.
The story starts in 1978 (though the actual story of the house starts much earlier) when two boys who like to smash things, decide to enter the dilapidated old mansion to wreak their havoc on.  A small child with Down Syndrome stands outside and ominously warns the boys that they will die if they enter.  Being the brats they are, they ignore her and start smashing up the place.  Lured to the basement, the boys find old specimen jars filled with creepy items including baby fetuses.  After smashing a few things there, they go to leave but only one makes the stairs.  When he goes back to see what his brother is up to, he horrifically finds his brother with his throat cut and something terrible coming for him.  This certainly sets the tone for the show which looks like it is going to be scary and violent, so nothing like Glee!
Jumping back to the present time, we meet the new owners of the house, Ben Harmon, played by "In The Line Of Fire"s Dylan McDermott, his wife Vivien, Connie Britton (Spin City) and their daughter, Violet.  They have moved away from Boston to Los Angeles to escape their past where Vivien has had a stillbirth after her husband had an affair with a young student of his.  He is a psychiatrist and he decides to set up his practice in the house.  They learn that the house was built by a doctor in 1920 and the previous owners, who fully restored the house to it's former glory, where a couple of gay men who were found murdered in the basement!
They meet their neighbour Constance, played by the wonderful Jessica Lange who comes to collect her daughter who has Down Syndrome (the grown up girl from the beginning of the episode).   She gets in to the house and tells Vivien that she is going to die in the house!
Vivien hires the old maid, Moira, who is blind in one eye.  She says she has been the maid at the house for many years and will even work for free.  However, when Ben sees Moria, because of his adulterous inclinations, he sees a sexy, naughty woman in an incredibly short maids outfit with stockings and suspenders.  He does not want to hire her because he doesn't want to be unfaithful again, but Vivien wins.  But one morning, Ben sees Moria masturbating.  He leaves her and ends up masturbating himself, only to spy a man in the yard.  When he investigates, there is no one there.  Later Moira is looking at Vivien's jewellery, when Constance walks in on her.  After a few snide remarks to each other, Constance tells her, "Don't make me kill you again!" WTF?!
Meanwhile, Vivien is 'cleansing' the home by burning some sage that Constance had brought over as a house warming gift and comes across a gimp suit in the attic.  Vivien is shocked at first and then a little turned on by it. Ben comes running to her scream and thinks it might be a good way to crack the ice with their sex life again but Vivien demands Ben throw it away, which he does.  The next day, they fight about his affair and he wants to know how long is she going to punish him.  She lashes out at him which eventually turns to kisses and then she makes love to him.  Afterwards, Ben awakes in a trance and sleep walks downstairs and starts to play with the stove top, in an apparent attempt to start a fire, but Constance appears and wakes him, stopping him from burning down the house.
Meanwhile, upstairs, Vivien sees a man in the gimp suit standing in the doorway and assumes it is Ben and while he never speaks, she agrees to have sex again, which is not pleasurable at all.  Who has raped her?
The daughter, Violet is not happy they have moved.  She hates her school where she gets bullied by some girls on her first day.  But then she meets Tate, a patient of her father's.  He's young and angst ridden, a bit like herself and she is drawn to him.  She tells him of her issues and he convinces her to invite the bully to the house and to bring her to the basement where she is attacked by something horrific.  In fright, Violet accuses Tate of the attack and demands he leave her alone.
Ben catches the man from his yard, Larry, with horrendous burn scars on his face who warns him to get out of the house.   He used to own the house and lost his family in a fire.  He tells Ben that he heard voices and had dreams of setting his family on fire, and then his family was killed in a fire and he went to jail for the crime.  Now he wants to make sure it doesn't happen again.  Ben rejects him.
Later, Ben and Vivien learn that she is pregnant!  Who is the father though?  Is it Ben?  Or is it whoever was wearing the gimp suit?
This is a disturbing show, filled with sex and violence and anger.  It's bloody good to watch though!

Glee - The Purple Piano Project

After the incredibly disappointing season two finale, I have returned to Glee to give it another chance to keep me watching and I have to say, the season three opener, directed by Eric Stoltz, has given me another boost, (but as I am writing this late, I have missed a few episodes this season, and I really don't feel as bad as I thought I would).
Anyway, it is a new year for the kids of McKinley High and while we have lost the useless Lauren as well as Sam (who probably didn't get as much of an opportunity to shine as what he deserved), Quinn has also left the group and changed her look and joined the bad girls.  She refuses to rejoin New Directions. This could have a good storyline as long as she redeems herself.
So Mr Shuster decides they need more members and places three purple pianos around the school and asks the kids to spontaneously perform around one if they see it.  One of the best numbers for a while is The Go Gos "We got the beat" that the kids perform in the cafeteria.  It was really great but no one in the cafeteria was really getting in to it, until Becky throws food at the Glee Club and starts a massive food fight.  That didn't go well.
You see Sue Sylvester is up to her old tricks again and has tasked both Becky and Santana to sabotage the Glee Club at any opportunity.  She has already cut the strings of the first piano!
They only get one recruit, Sugar, and she can't sing for crap!  Thankfully Mr Shuster knocks her back.  I hope they don't keep her in the show. 
They do however, gain Kurt's boyfriend, Blaine, who leaves Dalton College to be closer to Kurt and he sings Its Not Unusual, with Santana and the rest of the Cheerios as back up dancers.  But Santana and the girls dowse the last piano in lighter fluid and Quinn flicks her cigarette onto it, causing it to burst into flames!  Because of this, Mr Shuster throws Santana out of New Directions!  Gee, they'll end up with no one soon!
And speaking of Kurt, he and Rachel want to try out for a college in New York but are intimidated by the awesome talent of the rest of the group there.  Are they not good enough?
This was a much better return to form for the show with some great numbers and storyline setting up the new season.  I hope it can maintain the excellence.

Parenthood - Nora

Adam discovers that Crosby's idea of a sure thing with a rapper as a customer is not entirely true and he has to go to the rapper's house (mansion!) and convince them they are the right people to work with.  Crosby suggests he 'hips it up', meaning loosen up a bit but Adam in a panic finds he has nothing hip in his closet and goes to a rapper clothing store to try and fit in.  Before he goes in for his meeting, he realises what a fool he looks and calls Crosby to go to his house, pick up some 'normal' clothes and meet him for the meeting.  Crosby arrives at the house and Kristina tears him a new one over his handling of the business.  Problem is, her water breaks and Crosby is the only one that can take care of Kristina and get her to the hospital.  Meanwhile Adam has to go in to the meeting and is waiting for Crosby to come, while Crosby is trying to ring Adam.  Eventually Crosby calls one of the rappers who passes on the message that Kristina is having the baby!  Unfortunately, he doesn't make it in time and Crosby has to be there for the birth and help Kristina through it all.  The Braverman's have increased by one with little Nora coming into the world!
They aren't the only ones with good news on the baby front as Julia helps Zoe through Braxton Hicks.  She goes back to Julia and Joel's house and see how they interact with their daughter and she decides to give them her baby, but she is not overly happy about it.  I am sure this won't end out well.
But wait, there's more going on this week!  Max gets detention over last week's fight with Jabbar, but he doesn't understand because he didn't start it.  Amber agrees to sit with him and she works with him to help him understand that it was really his responsibility as the older boy to not fight and now he needs to apologise for his behaviour.  What I loved about this was Amber not only got him to write an apology but got him to really understand why he had to write it and that this awareness allowed him to apologise in person.  Wow.
Oh and Amber's Dad, Seth, is back on the scene and I am sure he is going to cause problems between Sarah and Mark.  She insanely decides that she should look after Seth and tell Mark he will just have to in essence, sit on the sidelines and wait.  Nuts!
Another fantastic episode of Parenthood.  Love this show!  Welcome to the world, Nora!

The Defenders - Nevada v. Greene

Unfortunately, this was the last episode of The Defenders that I got to see.  For some reason, I missed the final episode.  Not happy!  I have said this before but I really don't understand why this show got axed.  It was fun, brilliantly written and acted and really deserved more time to gain an audience.  Especially considering some of the crap that gets renewed.
Anyway, for MY final The Defenders episode there are again, two stories going on.  The main story has Nick's past coming to seek him out when a mob boss needs Nick to defend his son who is accused of murdering a girl.  She is found dead floating in a spa after a huge party and the accused was so drunk he passed out and can't remember if he did anything or not.  Nick and Pete have to work together to find the killer.  Was it the accused or was there someone out to get the girl?  Or was there another reason for killing the girl?  A very clever storyline.
The second storyline guest stars the very funny Kathy Griffin who is being sued by an 'overweight' person for picking on him during her stand up routine.  It caused him humiliation, especially when his date left him.  This was pretty funny.  I wonder if Kathy wrote her own material here because she delivered it like it was naturally her voice, not some character she was playing.
Another great episode and I am sorry to see this series come to an end, but I am very happy to have been able to be a part of its audience.
I am very interested to hear from others out there if they enjoyed the show too (or even if you didn't!).

Blue Bloods - Hall of Mirrors

Finally, Blue Bloods returns to Australian television.  We didn't even get to the end of the first season when it was first on!  Thankfully, they have started exactly where they left off, and this episode is an excellent example of why this show is so good.
I liked that the title of the episode is reminiscent of the storyline where not everything is as it appears.  Firstly a man is shot dead in Central Park and the Commissioner gives the job to his son, Danny, to investigate because he is the only one he can trust with the real story behind the investigation.  The dead man was an undercover cop who had infiltrated a terrorist cell who is about to unleash a bio-terrorist attack on New York in just 48hrs.  Danny must not only find out who the killer is, but also if the cop has been compromised, because there is a second undercover cop.  If the first cop was compromised, then they need to pull out the second but then years of work will be undone and a terrorist attack may not be able to be stopped.  Against his better judgement, Danny cannot tell his partner that the dead man was an undercover cop and she is wondering why he is doing so much on his own.  Why was he really killed and will the terrorist attack be stopped in time? 
Also, Danny brother, Jamie, who is a cop on the beat, gets called to a woman's apartment who believes someone keeps coming in and moving things around.  She thinks she is going mad.  Instead of seeing her as a crazy person, Jamie believes she is telling the truth and discovers that someone is getting in and moving things around and more importantly why they are doing it.
In the background of this show is the story of the death of another brother, Joe, who was murdered.  There have been small tidbits about secret groups within the police force and that Joe was investigating people in that group, perhaps even his own family.  Another small piece of the puzzle has a Detective Molevsky come up to Jamie and tell him he used to work with his brother and he says ominously "It can be dangerous out there."
Another excellent episode.

The Mentalist - Where in the World is Carmine O'Brien?

A title for an episode that doesn't evoke the colour red?  What's with that?  Probably not my favourite episode, being about the body of a female police chief being found shot to death, but it was made watchable by Lisbon's brother, Tommy and his daughter , Annie.  Tommy is played by E.T's Elliot, Henry Thomas, who is now a bounty hunter and the case he is working on seems to be linked with Lisbon's.  He's a bit useless and his 14 year old daughter frequently saves his butt, but Lisbon continuously shoots him down which is a bit unfair but she believes she is the cop in the family and he should just do something safe to look after Annie.
So who killed the cop?  Was it the womanising Russian mafia slob or the crack head druggo?  Or is there someone who links the two together?
Not one of the better episodes.

Merlin - Aithusa

##Beware, LOTS of SPOILERS Ahead!!##
A thief steals something from the Druids, but it is only a part of an artifact that has a few components that go together.  The thief then turns up in Camelot and it turns out he is Julius Borden (played by the wonderful James Callis from Battlestar Galactica) who used to be a pupil of Gauis and he goes to Gauis asking for help to steal the last part of the artifact, the Triskelion, which is in Camelot's vault.  He says he knows the location of the last Dragon's Egg.  Of course, Gauis refuses to help him, unknowing that Merlin has overheard the conversation.  As the Last Dragon Lord, Merlin wants to protect the egg and agrees to help Borden.  But Borden isn't out to protect the last egg, he wants it for himself, to give him power.  After Merlin steals the keys to the vault and opens the way, Borden knocks Merlin unconscious.
When Arthur learns of the theft and what the Triskelion is for, he gathers his knights to capture Borden and to destroy the last egg!
Gauis is furious with Merlin.  He always knew where the egg was and wanted to ensure it remained hidden to protect it.  Merlin vows to stop Borden.
While hunting Borden, Borden throws some poison into the knight's food who start to get sick and pass out.  Merlin does what he can to save them but they are left asleep, leaving Merlin to go on alone.
He follows Borden to the Tomb of Ashkanar where they find the egg and Borden reveals he will never give it up.  Merlin fights him and knocks him out with his magic.  He grabs the egg and the sets off a booby trap that destroys the tomb and Borden with it.  Merlin tells Arthur that the egg was destroyed in the Tomb.
Later, Merlin calls on the dragon Kilgharrah for help on what to do with the egg.  He is very thankful that Merlin has found the egg and explains that only a Dragon Lord can call forth the new dragon by naming it.  He calls the dragon Aithusa, which means 'the light of the sun'.  A new white dragon is now in the world. What impact will Merlin's actions have on the world of Camelot, now that there is another dragon?
This was a really great episode of Merlin.  It really highlighted two things for me: we should trust our elders.  If they say no, there is probably a very good reason for them saying no.  However, there is also a lesson for elders.  Instead of just saying no, perhaps they needs to explain why they are saying no so there is full understanding on both sides (makes for crappy story telling though!).

Ghosts Of Girlfriends Past

I can see the executives sitting around the table discussing the genesis of this movie: "It's a Christmas Carol, except Ebenezer Scrooge is a hot sex-crazed fashion photographer, Tiny Tim will be his brother who is going to be getting married and Jacob Marley will be his long-dead benefactor Uncle who taught him everything he knows about women." At least 'Scrooged' had the good sense to keep it about Christmas.  Charles Dickens material as a romantic comedy?  Strangely, this fun little movie actually works!
One of my wife's favourite talking bare chests (sadly my chest is not on the list), Matthew McConaughey, plays Connor Mead, the sexy photographer who can break up with multiple women over the internet and (almost) get away with it.  He doesn't believe in the institution of marriage, so when his little brother asks him to be his best man at his own wedding, Connor believes he needs to stop him from making a terrible mistake and do everything he can to prevent the wedding.  Everything is happening at his late Uncle's mansion, and on the night before the wedding, Uncle Wayne, played by the always brilliant Michael Douglas turns up.  There were two things wrong.  One, he told Connor that he was wrong when he taught him about marriage and that he needs to do everything he can to save the marriage, and two, he's been dead for ages and is a walking ghost!  He tells him that he will be visited by three ghosts of girlfriends past, present and future and to change his ways.
To complicate things, the one girl that could have been the love of his life if he had treated her properly is also at the wedding.  She is Jenny Perotti played by the incredibly talented and beautiful Jennifer Garner.
After doing his best to destroy the wedding, can Connor save the day, bring the love birds back together, and save himself, letting his heart be captured by one woman?
The bride's parents are played by Robert Forster and the still sexy Anne Archer.
This was a great little movie which I fully recommend to anyone wanting to watch a good quality romantic comedy. 8/10

Empire - Issue 128

I am behind again, so bear with me!  The first thing that caught my eye was the 'First Look' at Daniel Radcliffe's new movie, The Woman In Black, which I have to say, looks brilliant.  I hope to see it when it comes out.  He looks very grown up in the photos!
Couldn't work out the shuffled up name in the crossword again this month. Paul Greengrass did alright with the My Movie Mastermind.  He's up there with Jack Black and Frank Darapont.
Thanks for the feature on Sherlock Holmes 2.  I am going to see this in a couple of weeks.  Looks brilliant and Noomi Rapace looks incredibly hot!
However, my favourite part of this month's issue was the Stephen King special on The Shawshank Redemption (one of my all time favourite movies) and Stand By Me (another much loved film).  As a side issue, I was really interested in the 'Welcome To Castle Rock' side story.  I had no idea.  The interviews with the guys from Stand By Me was priceless.  Thank you for this wonderful insight into these two wonderful films.
A very brief but welcome introduction to the new Mission Impossible movie, which I saw today and I will do a review of soon (loved it by the way!).  Thank you to Hugh Jackman, my favourite fellow Aussie for a fun interview.  Worth the price of the mag on it's own! "If you're a wanker, you're a wanker!" - Love it!
Another great issue of Australian Empire Magazine.

Parenthood - Clear Skies From Here on Out

The title of this episode of Parenthood alludes to the major changes that occurred in this episode clearing the air for new storylines.
Firstly, Zeek (Craig T. Nelson) continues with his new found 'acting' career by landing a job in a 'erectile disfunction' medication television commercial.  While this was a small step up for him, it had a major impact on his wife, Camille (Die Hard's Bonnie Bedelia).  She realises that she is not getting any younger and is upset that it appears Zeek is still improving in his life and she has stagnated.  Camille is the only one who can get herself out of this funk and she does, opening the door to a more invigorated woman. (And I have to say, she is still looking hot!)
Max causes a major rift in the family when he can't comprehend why Jabbar won't sit with him EVERY single day and wants to play with other people.  It escalates into a fight.  When the families are called in, Adam and Crosby end up fighting about it, which makes their business life difficult.
Lastly, now that the issues with Alex have been resolved, he can see that in order to protect himself and the life he has fought so hard to rebuild for himself, he needs to separate himself from Haddie, who caused all his problems and nearly got him sent back to jail. Finally!!  He can go on to a better life and maybe Haddie can learn to be less selfish.
Another good episode of Parenthood.  Love this show.  What do other people think?

The Mentalist - Blood and Sand

This week, the team get to leave mainland California and visit idyllic San Felix Island, well not so idyllic for one woman who has washed up on the beach.  It was originally believed by the islanders that she must have drowned near the mainland and been washed ashore, but Patrick Jane deduces she was murdered on the island and thrown out to see and she was then washed back on the island due to where the body was found.
So once again, there are any number of suspects, with a red herring storyline to keep everyone guessing.  Jane calls a town meeting to smoke out the real killer.
A run-of-the-mill episode without too many big story twists.