You have to give the audience what they expect from the brand – what they love, loathe, or fear. But you have to put a new spin on it, to re-engage their interest. And hopefully, pave the way for the new-old franchise to continue.

Not everyone succeeds in this.

I’m sure you can think of numerous examples (right, kids?) where your primary reaction is: “Why did they bother? The original was fine. Much better than this crap, anyway.”

Occasionally, though, someone gets it right.

Director J J Abrams, and the team that gave us “Star Trek,” for example.

I saw the film on DVD recently, and I’m currently picking my way through Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman’s screenplay (diligent screenwriter / eternal student that I am).

It’s all there. The cast of characters we know and love. The technology. The backdrop.

Same.

But it’s not played out exactly the way we remember.

Different.

They’ve achieved this by staying within the conventions of the science fiction genre: An alternate reality, where the same people exist, but their life situations have been altered.

And they’ve assembled a group of actors who are instantly recognizable as the people they’re supposed to be, in appearance and mannerisms. But there are no 1960s beehive hairdos in evidence. Modern-day vernacular. And inter-personal relationships that provide more than enough mileage for Star Trek 2, 3 and 4 (Or however many they choose to make). Where, presumably, we may get to see Klingons, the conman Harry Mudd, and those pesky Tribbles – in different circumstances, of course.

It works. It’s got a good beat, and you can dance to it.

Even if you’re not a devotee of the franchise, the film stands scrutiny as a good entertainment, in its own right.

Have a look at the trailer (or better yet, see the film), and judge for yourself.

Live long, and prosper.

Peace.

This is a movie that comes loaded down with a ton of baggage but ends up proving, yet again, that seemingly everything J.J. Abrams touches turns to entertainment gold. As the person behind what is easily the best installment of the Mission Impossible franchise and the TV series LOST (to name just a couple of his accomplishments), he clearly understands how to bring you to the edge of your seat. Here, he does it again with a great balance of action, character conflict and humor.

As a new spin on an established franchise, they’ve come up with some genius ways to take it on. First of all, all those other Star Trek movies with William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy? They’ve already happened. See, this new movie follows the familiar characters after an alternate path of time, space and reality has been opened up by some bad guys. Genius, no?

We also see a nod to every cliché we come to expect with a Star Trek. You get Spock’s over-reliance on logic. You get the classic lines from Bones (“Dammit man I’m a doctor, not a physicist.”) and Scotty (“She’s giving you all she’s got.”) You even get the random, unestablished character in the red uniform who almost immediately meets his doom. In different hands, all this could easily make you roll your eyes but it’s handled so deftly, it only makes you root the movie on even stronger.

In this alternate reality, Kirk (Chris Pine) is a rebellious genius who is recruited into Starfleet by Captain Christopher Pike (Bruce Greenwood). Pike admired Kirk’s father who’s courage in the face of disaster, not to mention the impending birth of his son, opens the movie. Once at Starfleet Academy, Kirk is at loggerhead with Spock (Zachary Quinto) who resents Kirk’s emotional and intuitive approach to problem solving.

When a Romulan ship, captained by Nero (Eric Bana), attacks the planet Vulcan with similarities to the manner that Kirk’s father was attacked at the movie’s opening, all the cadets are called into action. That is, with the exception of Kirk who is secretly brought on board the new ship U.S.S. Enterprise by his friend Bones (Karl Urban). Pike is in command, assisted by First Officer Spock, Uhura (Zoe Saldana), Sulu (John Cho of Harold and Kumar fame) and a 17-year-old Chekov (Anton Yelchin).

So what happens? Nero goes on a seemingly unstoppable a tear against the Federation. Spock and Kirk butt heads. Kirk discovers the rift in the time-space continuum as well as Scotty (Simon Pegg), whose genius is yet to be recognized. You even get a cameo from Leonard Nimoy as…Spock. This movie is a top-flight roller-coaster ride, just hang on and enjoy the intergalactic action.

Just make sure you don’t hit play until you’ve gone to bathroom and have a drink and snack handy because you won’t want to hit pause for anything.

This is not heady material but is as good as a popcorn movie gets. I give this a solid grade A.

In one of the more interesting promos ever released, Adam West has taken up the banner of Fringe (because we all know that Fringe is desperately in need of standard-bearers). J.J. Abrams’ ‘Fringe’ hits IGN’s Endangered S… [From Adam West has an alter ego 'over there' in 'Fringe']

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Secret J.J. Abrams project codenamed 500 Rads is only the most recent secretive project that J.J. Abrams has teased at, and while little has been revealed about the project, speculation is wild across the Internet. What is known about J.J. Abr… [From Could J.J. Abrams new '500 Rads' project really be 'Cloverfield 2'?]

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In the Fringe calculation circus, the website IGN.com has weighed in by posting Fringe on their “Endangered Species List.” Fox opts to keep J.J. Abrams’ ‘Fringe’ on Thursday nights The “Endangered Species List [From J.J. Abrams' 'Fringe' hits IGN's Endangered Species List]

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Fringe remains on Thursday nights, despite all the statistics to suggest it should move elsewhere. J.J. Abrams’ show Fringe has been struggling on Thursday nights this season, being pitted up against some of the fiercest television compe… [From Fox opts to keep J.J. Abrams' 'Fringe' on Thursday nights]

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Reappearing from seemingly out of nowhere, the incredible popular Cartoon Network cartoon Samurai Jack seems to be returning at the hands of none other than J.J. Abrams. J.J. Abrams making a ‘micro’ film? The news, which slipped t… [From J.J. Abrams to bring 'Samurai Jack' to the big screen?]

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¿Que pasa cuando combinas la película de Star Trek de JJ Abrams y la músiquita del programa de televisión de “The A-Team”?. El resultado es este movidito video subido en Youtube. El intro está hecho por PhantomKnight y solo puedo decir que le funcionó bastante bien ya que entretiene al menos por unos minutos.

Ya sea uno fanático de la serie de televisión de antaño (y próximamente de su remake) o porque la venta del blu-ray y dvd de Star Trek ha de haber pegado en este viernes negro, nos sirve de pretexto para recordar que las compras navideñas han comenzado.

Segun de Hollywood Reporter ”Star Trek XI” se coloco con exito en el top 10 de Renta y Venta, segun el reprote de la industria que se dedica al giro de renta y venta han solicitado 5.7 millones de discos(DVD’s) y en Blue-Ray 1.1 millones de la pelicula de JJ Abrams para Norteamerica, la distribuidora ‘Nielsen VideoScan ‘ dice al respecto ‘en las ventas Star Trek fue el vencedor, no fue sorpresa, teniendo en cuenta que casi 38% de las ventas totales de primer-semana de título fue de la versión de Blu-Ray’.

Fuente:Trekweb.com

Fringe jest to serial Science Fiction wyprodukowany przez J.J. Abramsa (twórce takich dzieł, jak LOST, Star Trek XI, Cloverfield i wiele innych). Jest on emitowany w telewizji od 2008 roku, w w tym momencie ostatnio wyemitowanym odcinkiem był 2×8: August. <uwaga w treści recenzji mogą pojawić się spojlery, lecz obejmują one jedynie ogólny zarys fabuły> A więc serial od razu chcę to zaznaczyć jest moim ulubionym serialem Science Fiction emitowanym w tym momencie. Jego główną bohaterką jest Olivia Dunham, agentka FBI.Zostaje ona wcielona do organizacji badającej zjawiska paranormalne, po tym jak bada sprawę śmierci swojego partnera (również w życiu prywatnym) Johna Scotta, który zginął w dziwnych okolicznościach. Przełożonym j Olivii jest Phillip Broyles, a w rozwiązywaniu spraw pomagają jej Peter Bishop, wraz z jego ojcem, Walterem Bishopem, będącym niegdyś genialny naukowiec działającym dla rządu, lecz potem umieszczony w zakładzie dla umysłowo chorych (skąd zostaje wyciągnięty przez syna. Dodatkowo bardzo często pojawia się postać Niny Sharp, która jest pracownicą Williama Bella, założyciela firmy Massive Dynamic. Tyle z fabuły ogólnej, teraz skupię się na tym, co mi się podoba w tym serialu, a co raczej go podburza (tego drugiego jest raczej mało, jeśli w ogóle). Serial jest nakręcony w konwencji “Z Archiwum X”. No to jednym z moich ulubionych wątków są postaci obserwatorów. Są to (dla niewtajemniczonych) postaci pojawiające się w niemal każdym odcinku, lecz które zazwyczaj jedynie przewijają się przez kadr kamery podczas, gdy wydarza się coś paranormalnego (np. stoją w tłumie i obserwują te zdarzenia). W kilku docinkach ich historia została rozwinięta (zwłaszcza w odcinku 2×8). Mają oni za zadanie jedynie się przypatrywać i nie mogą ingerować w dziejące się wydarzenia. Oczywiście kilka razy zostały przez nich zagięte te zasady. Wszystkie elementy nauki wprowadzają do serialu odpowiednią otoczkę, dzięki której wszystko w nim zawarte ma sens i trzyma się kupy. Warto też zwrócić uwagę na niewybredny, czarny humor Waltera Bishopa, który pozwala również na pośmianie się podczas oglądania (zwłaszcza, gdy porównuje w typowy dla siebie sposób wycinany z ofiary mózg do koktajlu truskawkowego). Pojawi się również wątek równoległego wymiaru, z którego napływa widziane przez bohaterów zło. No to możemy skończyć z fabułę i wziąć się za resztę. Jedną z pierwszych rzeczy, na którą zwracam uwagę oglądając filmy/seriale jest muzyka. Serial ten może się poszczycić bardzo dobrą ścieżką dźwiękową. Z soundtracka głównie polecam do posłuchania utwór The Fringe Equation, Michaela Giacchino. W czasie trwania serialu, kilka razy na odcinek, pomiędzy scenami pojawiają się obrazy z pozoru nie przedstawiające nic szczególnego, lecz po wpatrzeniu się w nie można zauważyć pewne paranormalne szczegóły. Serial ten w odróżnieniu od innych produkcji posiada dobrą czołówkę. Oczywiści nie mógł bym nie wspomnieć o genialnej grze aktorskiej w tym serialu, oraz brak postaci “Jacka“. Chyba zapomniałem rzeczywiście napisać jakichś wad, lecz naprawdę jest ich niewiele. Jest to, jak wspomniałem na początku, mój ulubiony serial S-F, więc chciałbym polecić go wam wszystkim Dotychczas w stanach wyemitowano dopiero 28 odcinków, więc nie jest za późno, aby zacząć i następnie oglądać na bieżąco.

Pozdrawiam, Fixer

IGN has recently posted a developer dairy by Star Trek Online Visual Effects Lead (VFX) Artist Michael Cavallaro. The new diary talks about the visual design for Star Trek Online and what he and his team faced in developing the Star Trek universe. Given that the Star Trek Franchise stretches over forty years and 11 movies and incomposes visual styles from the low budgets on TOS in the 1960’s to J.J. Abrams slick high budget reboot of 2009 you can imagine the difficulties of fusing it all together into one style that pleased all the fans.

” The effects changed from series to series and from movie to movie, and of course you have the J.J. Abrams version, which is different than all of them. If there is one thing we learned from Abrams it is if you make it cool enough, the fans will like it. “  said Cavallaro  ” The first step in visualizing an effect is to meet with the design team to see exactly what something does, when it’s used and how much damage it inflicts. From there we scour old episodes and movies to find all the reference for that particular effect. Sometimes we have several versions and sometimes it just doesn’t exist. In the case of different versions from different time periods, we try to find the most iconic one to build off of and give it a modern look. For new effects, we work closely with the Art Lead and Concept Team to make sure that what we are creating looks and feels like it is Star Trek IP. It’s kinda cool to think that a future Star Trek movie or TV show might use something we created as canon “

Judging from what I have seen so far Michael and his team have done a Great job the game looks better than I was anticipating  when Star Trek Online was first announced. To read the full article go to Michael Cavallaro’s dev blog hosted on IGN.

Star Trek; SciFi; Freigegeben ab 12

relevante Themen:

Yes, I like the Star Trek.  Yes, it’s by far the most entertaining of the Trek movies.

But has it ushered in a new age of Star Trek mania?  Is it the new face of science fiction?  Are we seeing the birth of a new series of voyages or is this new Trek just a flash in the pan?  This week, the Armchair asks…

Let’s look at the facts…

1) It’s got a unique take on telling a Trek story.  SO unique, in fact, that it can’t be repeated.  They went back in time and rewrote the origin of the series.  Can’t do that again.  By using this “have your space cake and eat it too” approach, they managed to pull off being able to tell a story that engages new viewers without pissing off the old and for that, much credit is due.  BUT that kind of trickery doesn’t work on audiences twice – they’ll have to modulate phaser frequency to hit us like that again – and with such a delicate formula at stake, I don’t think their warp core can take it.

2) If nostalgia was a load, consider it BLOWN.  They hit EVERY Trek joke in the book.  EVERY ONE.  The red shirt guy, the tribble, the “givin it all she’s got, cap’n”, the green girl gag, Sulu fencing, Bones being a doctor-not-a-brontosaur, even the stilted…Shatner…dialogue…Cadence was briefly touched on.  It was like a highlight reel of everything you like or even remember about Trek. 

So now what?

This isn’t to say they didn’t do it well, but…come on.  Let’s be real for a second, those bit aren’t that hard to pull off.  We the audience are MORE than willing to meet them halfway, right?  Hell, we’ve been making those jokes for 30 years.  The fact that they managed to put them ALL in one movie is the real feat.  But now that we’ve enjoyed our trip down alternate reality memory lane, what’s left?  Oh, right…

3) The story.  Look, I’m not tryin to be a jerk here, but if you rinse away all the nostalgia, sand away the fine performances and actually look under the special effects-laden hood…the story kinda…well…sucks.   Forget Siegfried and Roy, forget Copperfield, forget Blaine.  Kurtzman and Orci are the best illusionists working today.  They way they use misdirection and showmanship to distract you from the fact that nothing in the show quite makes sense is nothing short of extraordinary. 

“But wait, why was Nero upset with Spock?  Wasn’t he the only guy trying to help?” 

“Nevermind that, Bones is being curmudgeony!”

“So, wait, the Federation just sent the one guy in one ship to save the planet from extinction?  Isn’t that like the United Nations dispatching Joe Biden in a Toyota to destroy nukes in North Korea?”

“Forget that!  Oooh, look at the scary snow alien!”

Pulling at even one thread in that movie’s plot unravels the whole thing faster than the plot of the equally threadbare “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” – written by…hey, wait a minute…!

Of course, pointing this out to any fans of the new Trek usually ends with that person saying “you’re being too picky, that movie was awesome.”

…

“Ta-Daa!!!  And for our next trick…” 

You know what?  Let’s talk about that…

4)  It’s a prequel.  Sure, it’s gussied up as an alternate reality retelling  of yadda yadda whatever.  But at its heart, it’s an origin story.  And I submit to you that prequels are the easiest thing to pull off.  You already know the punch line, you’re already invested in the characters which are usually the fruits of someone else’s labor.  All you need is someone to logically connect the dots for you, give half a damn about keeping the mythos intact and baby, you got a stew goin’. For instance:

A dedicated architect spends his whole life perfecting his life’s work – a huge labyrinth, a wonderful maze of glass and steel which will stand as a monument to man’s achievements and the wonders of human ingenuity.  He neglects his wife who is pregnant with their unborn son and even his own health to finish this project, limiting his meals to bowls of cherries, his one indulgence as a child.  But what no one knew was that in order to build on such a scale, he laid his foundation atop an ancient burial ground, disrupting the rest of the spirits that dwelled there.  He spends his life haunted by poltergeists and vengeful spirits, persevering only long enough to see his life’s work finished.  Seeing his determination, the spirits then go after his family and that’s when he begins to fight back.  Finally, on the day his project was to be completed, on what was supposed to be the happiest day of his life, he sacrifices himself to stop the angry spirits in what looks to everyone else like an accident.  But thanks to his sacrifice, his son is born unharmed.  And one day, he’ll grow up, re-enter that maze and avenge his father’s death.

There.  I just wrote a prequel to Pacman.  It’s that easy. (This should tell you had bad George Lucas’ storytelling skills are.)

The real test is going to come with this next movie.  Because now the cat’s out of the bag. You can’t smoke and mirrors your way through the next installment.  You’re gonna have to come up with new jokes, new characters and a new plot that can’t be garnished with a nostalgia-fueled retelling of a story we already love.  Remember how much you love Casino Royale?  Remember how much you disregard Quantum of Solace?  Texas Chainsaw Massacre (remake) vs. its sequel? Smallville season one vs. Smallville season nine?  Optimus Prime and Bumblebee vs. Mudflap and Skids?

 When the creative team is forced to come up with more of their own material to add to the mythos, it’s gonna be interesting to see if this franchise can indeed live long and prosper.

See what I did there?  You already  know that phrase so you forgive the fact that I didn’t really wrap up my story.

Ta Daa!!

O site Trek Brasilis publicou um interessante artigo comentando sobre as referencias inseridas no loga metragem de J.J. Abrams – Star Trek.

Conforme foi dito por Ralph Pinheiro, autor do artigo: “O filme Star Trek possui uma série de referências à Série Clássica, A Nova Geração, e também a Cloverfield, além de participações especiais de amigos, familiares e de alguns membros da própria equipe de produção. Destaque para o andróide de Star Wars, R2D2, o pingo, o irmão de Zachary Quinto e outros, que, agora, poderão ser vistos no Blu-ray/DVD.”

Para ter mais informações e ler a matéria completa acesse aqui .

Além das referencias ditas pelo site, o longa teve um prólogo que explica como e porque Nero desejava vingança contra Spock e a Federação. Esta história foi publicada em quadrinhos pela IDW sob o titulo Star Trek Countdonw, ainda sem publicação em portugues. Um resumo desta história pode ser acessada aqui

E para encerrar, o site Jovem Nerd publicou uma imagem comparando o tamanho da nova Enterprise com outras naves, como a Enterprise-A (usada nos longas da Série Clássica) e a Galactica (de Battlestar Galactica). A matéria completa, pode ser acessada aqui.

Até.

Fringe intertitle, image via Wikipedia

It’s fitting that this show will premiere on Fox, since this was the network of the X-Files. Fringe has got much in common with the X-Files, yet it is different. Fringe is the latest show of wunderkind J.J. Abrams. Like most new shows, the pilot was leaked on the internet a few weeks ago.

Just like a few other shows, like True Blood, I’m happily surprised by Fringe. The production values are great and I’m enjoying it a lot. A lot of money has been pumped into this show, and it just looks fabulous. The protagonists are also an interesting bunch. There isn’t much more that we learn of the Pattern, but Massive Dynamics is most definitely deeply connected with those events, even though they aren’t sharing their information with Agent Dunham.

I think that this show takes a few common elements from Alias, especially for all the things that concerned the mystic scholar Milo Rambaldi. The same kind of esoteric science is involved in this show. It’s done very well. I’d actually like to see this type of mystic science have more of an impact on the show. It would suit the show very well. A bit of the supernatural wouldn’t be bad either.

Warning: spoilers ahead

* * * * *

The code for this week is BLIGHT. This episode is all about the Observers. We learn a bit about them, but not much. It’s kind of annoying, but it lets you believe that something bad is going to happen to Dunham quite soon.

Fringe is one of the best shows on TV right now. It’s getting better and better, and I like it maybe a bit more than X-Files. Why? There are less filler episodes. Most episode deal with the mythology of the show.

* * * * *

An Observer is observing and taking some strange notes. He’s got some alien technology with him. A vet gives him a flag pin. He’s looking for something. He tries to abduct a girl and then is forced to fire his ray gun. He tranquilizes the girl and puts her in a car. A guard fires at him, but it doesn’t affect him. He starts the car with his finger.

Olivia is hanging out with her niece. She gets a call about the incident. She has to leave. She calls the Bishops about the Observer. The check the footage and see that it isn’t the same Observer that they encountered before. They also see him catch a bullet with his hand as if it was a fly. Walter isn’t talking.

The Observer is tying up the girl in a motel. He says that it will be safer for her. Her name is Christine Hollis. Broyles says that she is quite normal. Her parents are dead. Dunham doesn’t know what to think. They usually only observe.

Peter is trying to find out more about the Observer, but Walter isn’t talking much. Peter finds some blood on the page. Astrid isn’t making progress with the writing. There are no repetitions in it. It looks like Walter knows what the code is saying, but he isn’t talking.

Astrid finds out that Massive Dynamic is researching the symbols as well. They go back to the earliest writing of mankind. He shows them art where the Observers have been captured. He says that they aren’t limited by the human perception of time. He says that we think of time as linear. He says that they are observing time and show up at important moments. It’s very rare. There have been maybe 2 dozen different appearances over the last 5 thousand years. Recently, he’s charted 26 sightings in the last 3 months.

We cut to a scene with some observers having some Indian food. They like it very hot. Another Observer arrives and says that they have a situation with August. The girl was supposed to be on a flight. It looks like the flight was important. The elder Observer says that they need to repair this irregularity. He wants Donald contacted. We see Donald. He’s some kind of alien fixer.

Christine’s roommate says that she was leaving for Italy. Her family died in San Francisco in ’89. In the last photo of her family, we see an Observer in the background.

Meanwhile, Christine gets loose but August returns. He sees that she has hurt her wrists trying to get free. He brought her some food. She wants to know why he abducted her. He shows her the news. The flight she was on crashed. Dunham and Peter hear this on the radio as well. The Observer tells Christine that she isn’t safe yet.

They find that the blood is actually chili sauce, the hottest kind. They try to trace it. August appears before his fellow Observers. August thinks that Christine is important. The only time that they interfered was to correct something that they caused themselves. They tell him that they sent someone to correct his mistake. Walter is being secretive.

Walter gets a message and meets August. He doesn’t want them taking Peter. He needs his help.

The bagman arrives at August’s flat. Peter and Dunham are on their way there. The bagman has the address of the motel. The bagman has a gun on Peter. Peter is fast enough to disarm him. The bagman runs away. He’s fast for a fatty.

August says that the others are trying to kill Christine, no matter what he does. Walter says that he must make her important. That would solve his dilemma. He comes back to Christine and has some instructions for her.

The bagman finds the motel. August has the man shoot him a few times. The bagman tries to get away, but Dunham is after him. August gives Peter his ray gun. From the effects, it looks like a plasma gun of some sort. The bagman is about to shoot Olivia when Peter takes him out. Dunham shoots him as well. They find that August is gone. They only find his hat. Dunham finds Christine. She’s fine.

Another Observer got August out of there. August tells him that he developed feelings for her. He thinks that he loves her. The other Observer says that she will be safe because August made her important.

Broyles says that the bagman was an assassin. They also cannot fire the ray gun anymore. They think that Peter fired the last round. The tip off to find the Observer came from the motel.

Ella and Olivia go to the amusement park. Two Observers are watching. The older one comments at how things are going to get so hard for Olivia.

* * * * *

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• Fringe S01E02
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• Fringe S02E02
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Fringe intertitle, image via Wikipedia

It’s fitting that this show will premiere on Fox, since this was the network of the X-Files. Fringe has got much in common with the X-Files, yet it is different. Fringe is the latest show of wunderkind J.J. Abrams. Like most new shows, the pilot was leaked on the internet a few weeks ago.

Just like a few other shows, like True Blood, I’m happily surprised by Fringe. The production values are great and I’m enjoying it a lot. A lot of money has been pumped into this show, and it just looks fabulous. The protagonists are also an interesting bunch. There isn’t much more that we learn of the Pattern, but Massive Dynamics is most definitely deeply connected with those events, even though they aren’t sharing their information with Agent Dunham.

I think that this show takes a few common elements from Alias, especially for all the things that concerned the mystic scholar Milo Rambaldi. The same kind of esoteric science is involved in this show. It’s done very well. I’d actually like to see this type of mystic science have more of an impact on the show. It would suit the show very well. A bit of the supernatural wouldn’t be bad either.

Warning: spoilers ahead

* * * * *

The code for this week is ARRIVE. A Massive Dynamic employee’s son is kidnapped. We learn that there is more to this than meets the eye. It’s part of William Bell’s experiment in mind control.

Fringe is one of the best shows on TV right now. It’s getting better and better, and I like it maybe a bit more than X-Files. Why? There are less filler episodes. Most episode deal with the mythology of the show.

* * * * *

In Queens, NY, two men kidnapped a boy. When they get cornered by the cops, something happens to one of the uniformed officers. He is pushed off a parking structure. Another cop is forced to shoot the cops and then shoots herself.

The kid is Tyler Carson, 15 years old. Walter says that the victims were mesmerized. He’s bored. The kid’s father works for Fleming Monroe, Massive Dynamic’s aerospace division.

Walter, Peter and Dunham go to MD. Carson is there with Nina Sharpe. Patrick Hicky and Tom Dobinson have nothing to do with MD. They are the kidnappers. Both Sharpe and Dunham believe that these men are trying to extort corporate secrets from MD.

Walter is amazed and despondent at how much William Bell has achieved. He tells Peter that Bell introduced him to his mother in Berlin.

One of the men has got these mesmerizing powers. He uses them to great effect and in front of security cameras. It seems like they don’t have any plan. The boy isn’t running. Maybe the boy is controlling the men.

The kidnappers were great used car salesmen. Peter and Dunham float the idea that they were foreign spies. Walter is examining the brains of the victims. He says that it isn’t hypnosis, but mind control. The brains had hematomas, which could be caused by brain control. Walter hypothesizes that the mind control is used by sound.

The kidnappers make their demands. They want $2 million. That’s strange. Nina Sharpe says that they will cover the ransom demand. Dunham says that money is a distraction. They took Carson’s son for a reason. Walter is going to use white noise in order to block the mind control. Dunham is planning on laying a trap.

Do not remove the headphones under any circumstance, if you do, you might die a gruesome and horrible death. Thank you for your attention, and have a nice day.
Bishop briefing the tactical assault team

The tactical squad is wearing headphones which are used as relay points to play white noise to block the mind control. One of the kidnappers comes to get the money. They move in when they don’t see the hostage. His partner tries to drive away, but his car hits an obstacle, and tumbles and explodes.

The kidnapper is trying to kill himself. He was being controlled by the boy. The boy takes Peter hostage. He wanted the money. He says that the headphones won’t work.

Sharpe says that Carson was collaborating with a pharmaceutical company for a hands free piloting project. The pilot was given a drug to enhance his brain waves. Carson thinks that Tyler might have found the samples of the drug at home.

Bishop proves that it’s possible that since Tyler is a teen, he was taking ADD drugs, it created a mind control cocktail.

Peter and the kid get stopped by a cop. Tyler is about to make Peter shoot him with his own gun. He knocks him out instead.

The Director of the FBI classified Tyler as a National Security threat. They have to stop him. Tyler bought 2 tickets to go to Costa Rica before this all started. This could mean that he is working with a foreign handler. Broyles says that they need to stop him ASAP, or Peter could become collateral damage.

Olivia and Astrid find out that Tyler was looking for his mom. Tyler tells Peter that his mother was dead when she was alive. Tyler discovered this. They arrive in Springfield. They meet Renee Davies. She tells him that his dad isn’t to blame. He doesn’t know that Renee has a new family. She isn’t going anywhere. He makes Peter get the gun.

Walter is modifying an electro-magnetic pulse to affect Tyler’s brain. They don’t have time to wait for Bishop. Broyles storms the front door. He tasers Tyler, but it isn’t enough. Tyler has Peter shoot him in the arm. They leave. Bishop fires his device. Peter uses the few seconds he has to crash the car.

Broyles is fine. Peter managed to shoot him in the arm. The kid wanted to shoot himin the head. Tyler’s powers wore off when the drugs wore off.

Sharpe briefs Bell. She says that one of the Tylers did display mind control abilities. It was part of their experiment. Davies wasn’t his mother, but his surrogate mother. Sharpe is suspending the project. Their experiment was a success. Tyler Carson was just one of many copies.

* * * * *

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Fringe intertitle, image via Wikipedia

It’s fitting that this show will premiere on Fox, since this was the network of the X-Files. Fringe has got much in common with the X-Files, yet it is different. Fringe is the latest show of wunderkind J.J. Abrams. Like most new shows, the pilot was leaked on the internet a few weeks ago.

Just like a few other shows, like True Blood, I’m happily surprised by Fringe. The production values are great and I’m enjoying it a lot. A lot of money has been pumped into this show, and it just looks fabulous. The protagonists are also an interesting bunch. There isn’t much more that we learn of the Pattern, but Massive Dynamics is most definitely deeply connected with those events, even though they aren’t sharing their information with Agent Dunham.

I think that this show takes a few common elements from Alias, especially for all the things that concerned the mystic scholar Milo Rambaldi. The same kind of esoteric science is involved in this show. It’s done very well. I’d actually like to see this type of mystic science have more of an impact on the show. It would suit the show very well. A bit of the supernatural wouldn’t be bad either.

Warning: spoilers ahead

* * * * *

The code for this week is DEJA VU. People are dying and falling into ashes. Broyles was involved with a similar case years ago. This is the case that broke his marriage. He gets personally involved in the investigation to resolve it.

Fringe is one of the best shows on TV right now. It’s getting better and better, and I like it maybe a bit more than X-Files. Why? There are less filler episodes. Most episode deal with the mythology of the show.

* * * * *

A man is planning on surprising his wife and gets killed by a shadowy thing. His wife finds his body as he collapses into ashes.

Walter rules out fire as a cause. There were no scorch marks. Broyles comes to the scene. He says that it’s not the first time he saw this phenomenon. Four years ago, victims were turned into dust just like Danzig. Each of the vics worked at or had been at Tyson General in DC. Broyles was contacted by someone who claimed being the killer. He would turn himself in if they could decipher his formula. Some sort of compound was injected into the patients.

Danzig visited his mom at Latchmere General. At Latchmere, the shadowy man stalks through the corridors.

The FBI arrives at the hospital to take over. They think that someone is involved in this hospital, either a patient or a part of the staff. The body doesn’t contain any radiation, which is strange because everything has background radiation. Walter hasn’t cracked the formula, but thinks that it’s organic in nature. Broyles says that the killer was distraught, like he couldn’t help himself.

At the same hospital, a fly touches a patient and she crumbles into dust. They have a name. His name is Thomas Kozalov. He’s a night nurse. His place is empty. He knew they were coming. He was building something. Kozalov is an alias but he’s definitely Russian.

Broyles gets a call from a friendly Senator. The CIA wants to take away his case. The Russian is searching for this guy. Apparently, he removed some Russian property. Broyles tells Dunham that he was ordered to hand over the case to the CIA, but he won’t. From this point onward, they will put nothing down on paper nor computer, everything will have to be said in person. Dunham is worried about Broyles. Who will protect him? Dunham finds a shadowy man stalking the corridors on the security footage.

Kozalov arrives in his motel room with a bunch of car batteries and some more gear.

Walter thinks that this is part of some Russian Fringe Science experiment. Broyles gets a package from Senator Van Horne. He knew that Broyles wasn’t going to follow orders, so he sent him what he had. Timor abducted his brother in Russia. His brother was a cosmonaut. He was being studied and Timor removed him from the ward.

Walter thinks that the entity is absorbing radiation. It is going after radiation and while it does, it vaporizes the victims. All of the victims had higher levels of rads than normal. One of the nurses finds Timor about to take out a patient. Broyles and Dunham find her sedated. Timor is moving out his brother.

Walter is making some progress on the formula. He’s quite engrossed. He says that it’s something inside the cosmonaut, some kind of organism that he brought back. The organism projects another version of himself without leaving the host body. Walter thinks that he can solve the formula. They leave Timor a message. Timor is trying to contain the monster. He’s partially successful. It comes after him. He uses electricity. He used too much and his brother Alex flatlines for a few moments before coming back.

While using Tinkertoys to make a physical representation of the molecule, Walter makes a bad discovery. He tells Dunham that the Russian tried to remove the organism, but failed. The two organisms merged. There is no way of removing it without killing him. Broyles tells Timor this. While he is talking on the phone, Timor is vaporized. The line is still open and Alex’s shadow leaves the room. They arrive and Walter notices that the shadow is gone. Alex’s body has no radiation. Peter suggests distressing the host, since that was what Timor was using. They hear a scream. Broyles shoots Alex in the head. I think that the organism moved onto the little girl, who’s acting strange.

Broyles tells Dunham that this case was the one that broke his marriage up. Broyles tells his ex-wife in person that he closed that case. Broyles meets a CIA bagman. He is told not to make a report. They took the cosmonaut. Once he started breathing, they launched him into space. At least, that’s what the bagman implies.

* * * * *

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Star Trek 2-Disc Digital Copy Special Edition

The Rogers Revue’s Personal Log – Stardate: November 17, 2009

It was only a mere six months ago that we witnessed a rebirth of a timeless classic. For some of us, it was a journey into a familiar world of ultimate science fiction. For others, it was their first taste of “Warp Speed”, “Scotty, Beam me up”, and “Kirk Out”.  Yes, we are talking about one of the first summer blockbusters of 2009, STAR TREK! J.J. Abrams had taken a four decade worldwide phenomenon and made it more action-packed, hip, and exciting for today’s audiences. In return, the new Trek brought in over $257 million dollars, making it the eighth-highest-grossing film of 2009 and rebooting the fledging franchise.

Now, Star Trek is back in full force with its set of DVDs which was released this week. Fans can choose between the standalone disc, the 2-Disc DVD Digital Copy Special Edition, or the 3-Disc Blu-ray Digital Copy Special Edition. For my DVD revue, I will take on the 2-Disc Special Edition.

The 2-Disc Special Edition packs a serious punch for the ultimate Trek Fanatic in your family. It includes ninety minutes of special features within its two discs. In the first disc featurette “A New Vision”, the viewer will get a twenty minute behind the scenes look into the reboot of Star Trek. You will see the crew use some old fashioned movie making techniques, interviews with the cast and crew, and how the producers used real locations instead of green screen to incorporated realness into the movie. My favorite featurette in the first disc is the “Gag Reel”. We’ll witness how several of the cast flub their lines and the trek technobabble. In addition, J.J. Abrams shows his hidden talent – the beat master of the microphone. In one climatic scene of the movie, you will see the comedic interpretations of Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto. Fans will enjoy see the cast and crew get their groove on in a dance montage. For trek fans, to FINALLY see a gag reel in any of the films is a blessing!

 The second disc brings more special features to the table. The first of which are the deleted scenes. You will see nine scenes that did not make the film including Spock’s birth, Nero captured by sentenced to the Klingon prison planet Rura Penthe, and an extended scene Kirk and Gaila which leads to the Kobayashi Maru simulator. There is commentary for each of these scenes.

“To Boldly Go” is another behind the scenes look at the reboot. This focuses more on the crew of J.J. Abrams, Bryan Burk, Kurtzman, Damon Lindelof, and Roberto Orci on how they got involved with the development and making of this epic movie. Their goal was to make the film enjoyable for not only lifelong trek fans, but to all movie audiences. In addition, another goal is to pass the baton to the new cast and crew of the Starship Enterprise. We learned how to the producers brought Leonard Nimoy to put on the ears that made him famous for over four decades.

In the “Aliens” featurette, you will see some new species that are making their debut in the Star Trek galaxy. The new aliens include Kasia, Madeline, a new alien barfly, and Scotty’s alien companion, Keenser. Keenser is played by Deep Roy who was recently in Charlie & the Chocolate Factory. Fans will get to see Leonard Nimoy’s process of getting his ears once again to play Spock Prime and Zachary Quinto embracing his transformation as he takes the reins as Mr. Spock. The most unusual alien in the new Trek was Big Red on the Delta Vega planet. It’s a combination of a turtle, dragon like monster that chases Kirk on the ice planet.

The icing on the cake with both the 2-Disc and the 3-Disc Blu-ray edition is that they include a digital copy that IS compatible with your PC, Mac, and iTunes.  Simply put, you can transport the ultimate trek saga anywhere in the known galaxy. With its outstanding interactive graphics, spectacular features, and bounds of trek trivia, Star Trek DVD is ahead of the curve at Warp Factor Nine!

FINAL GRADE: A+