Star Trek: The Next Generation Diamond Select Enterprise D models in stock!

A fantastic pair of Enterprise models have arrived in store this week, with 2 versions of the USS Enterprise D landing on our shelves. One is the original Star Trek: The Next Generation version, and the other is the enhanced version seen in the series finale, 'All Good Things'.

Both of them are awesome pieces of Star Trek memorabilia that are an absolute must-have for any fan of this iconic incarnation of the famous Star Trek flagship.

Made by Diamond Select and stuffed with sounds and lights, these large format ships are a thing of beauty that no fan can really be without. The detail on the ships is gorgeous, and they are very reasonably priced for a model of such size. Brilliant.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen -The Starstore Movie Review

The hotly anticipated sequel to the hugely successful Transformers is here. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is the original on steroids. Its bigger, longer, with more battles and a whole host of new Transformers. So does Revenge of the Fallen crush its puny fleshling prequel?

The sheer scale of Revenge of the Fallen is epic, and Michael Bay has managed to fix one niggling problem from the first, and that’s the fight scenes. In the original, the fight scenes between Autobots and Decepticons where great, but it was hard to tell between them and the camera was too shaky. However, Bay has managed to overcome this and the fight scenes go from great to absolutely freaking awesome!

The one that sticks out the most is Optimus Prime's last stand in the woods, where he fights Blackout, Starscream and Megatron. It’s obvious Bay has had a lot of money to spend on special effects and it shows as the special effects are incredible, shown greatest with all the environmental destruction that ensues with Autobot on Decepticon fights. It’s not only the battles that have grown in scale, but also the locations. The original was mainly in LA, this time it’s on a global scale, with Autobots and the US special forces hunting down Decepticons that have gone into hiding in China, and the massive onslaught in Egypt.

One thing Bay is notorious for is his humour in his action flicks, most notable is the Bad Boys films. In the first film it seemed a bit strained and tacked on. However, the writers have done a much better job, especially with Judy and Ron Witwicky who stole the show. Their comic performances were brilliant, more so when Judy ate some marijuana cake.

As with most action flicks the story of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is simple, but works, the Autobots and the US military, along with Sam have to stop Megatron and the Decepticons, lead by The Fallen - probably the most evilest Transformer ever, from harvesting the Sun into Energon. The only problem with Revenge of the Fallen is it takes too long to get to the inevitable final battle. With it being over 2 hours long you are too stiff and numb to enjoy the epic final battle, but this is the only negative to what was an absolutely rollercoaster film that made the inner geek scream with delight as giant robots tried to smash each other up.

Doctor Who: New companion announced

The next big Doctor Who announmcement is here! The build-up to the era of Matt Smith's eleventh Doctor continues with the long-awaited reveal of the 11th Doctor's companion!

Scottish actress Karen Gillan has been cast in the role alongside Smith, and will be appearing alongside the eleventh Doctor in the 2010 series 5 of Doctor Who. Fans have already seen her in the show, as the Soothsayer in the series 4 episode 'The Fires of Pompeii'

The BBC press release features a quote from new showrunner Steven Moffat: "We saw some amazing actresses for this part, but when Karen came through the door the game was up. Funny, and clever, and gorgeous, and sexy. Or Scottish, which is the quick way of saying it. A generation of little girls will want to be her. And a generation of little boys will want them to be her too."

Looks like Doctor Who series 5 is shaping up to be something special. The main players are in place now, so who do you think will be the big villain this year? Here's hoping for sonething new. Moffat is in charge, so I think the series is going to turn out to be fantastuc, no matter who is in it.

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Douglas Adams and the answer to everything

For our next look at a classic author and work, we'll be covering The Hitchhiker's guide to The galaxy by Douglas Adams.

Let's face it, if you've ever read much SF, or indeed much fiction at all, chances are that you'll have read the Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy, by the late Douglas Adams. There's a much more to HHGTTG than the movie or the much-loved BBC TV series. The original radio series was marvellous, and the five books in the 'trilogy' are wonderful things that nothing else has genuinely been able to capture the magic of.

The use of language is ingenious, and it is a testament to the talent of Douglas Adams that the books have not only been hugely popular, but also have become deeply ingrained into popular culture.

The character of Arthur Dent is a very recognizable Everyman character that the general populace really latched onto. Add to this the wild levels of creativity in painting his vision of this science fiction universe and you have the basis for a classic.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy captured the imaginations of millions of readers, and via the TV series, radio plays and movie it found generations of new addicts. Not bad for a comedy Sci-fi story about not forgetting your towel. The various versions do differ from one another in subtle ways as Adams liked to rework the universe he created for it for each medium that it went to.

Arthur Dent is a very interesting character to have as the central protagonist in a science fiction comedy. he's not a hero, not particularly bright, but is someone audiences can really relate to because of those very things. Arthur was played in the 2005 movie by Martin Freeman of 'the Office' and other popular comedy shows, and while the film itself was flawed and imperfect, martin was pitch perfect as the rather hapless Arthur.

After Douglas Adams sadly passed away, it seemed the saga had ended. Not so. A new sixth book in the series is on the way from author Eoin Colfer, who used Adams' notes to help continue the legendary book series.

Why is it seen as one of the greatest works of fiction ever produced? Well, the simple answer is that it is brilliant, and the other answer, even more simply, is 42.

MARS ATTACKS: Tim Burton’s flawed pulp classic

When it comes to visuals that leave a lasting impression, there is little in the modern cinema era that match up to the films of Tim Burton. Whether it’s Johhny Depp’s mad turn as Edward Scissorhands or, erm, Johhny Depp as Willy Wonka, Tim Burton’s movies have a visual style and language all of their own. Before every film he made had Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter in starring roles, Tim Burton was responsible for Mars Attacks, a loveable yet flawed tribute to the classic era of Pulp SF and genre cinema.

With a hugely impressive cast and some eyepopping effects, Mars attacks is one of the most entertaining films of the 1990s, that most annoying of decades.

Mars Attacks features such sheer visual inventiveness that it is hard not to get swept away by it., This is probably a good thing, as the plot is paper thin and the acting (despite the pedigree of the cast), is far from perfect. The CGI had certainly dated since the movie was released, and looks even cheaper than it was intended to in the first place now, but you can still get a kick out of seeing bubble-headed aliens zapping people left right and center. You really can’t go wrong with people getting zapped, can you?

Mars Attacks is a curio now. Not one of Tim Burton’s most remembered or appreciated films, it was a huge hit at the time and was also very popular on Video (and latterly DVD) following its release. Definitely flawed but a ton of fun, Mars Attacks deserves a well-earned repeat viewing.

While you’re at it, you could follow up on Mars Attacks by sticking Galaxy Quest on after it. With movies like Fanboys, Free Enterprise and so on bringing the Geek manifesto to the masses in recent years, it’d be cool to go and check out this spoof SF gem from 1998. Thanks to the awesome cast headed up by Sigourney Weaver, Tim Allen and Alan Rickman, its cheesy (but oh so true) stabs at Star Trek and SF fan culture hit close to home, and are still hilarious.

Anne McCaffrey: Creator of the Pern books

The beginning of a series of articles in which we appreciate the true greats of the science fiction and fantasy genres.

If anyone has earned their status as a legend in the fields of science fiction and fantasy, then it is Anne McCaffrey. As creator of the Dragonriders of Pern and the hugely popular series of science fiction and fantasy novels that followed the first book ('Dragonflight', which was made up of two novellas originally published in Analog magazine), Anne has secured her place in the history books as a writer of monumental power and talent.

The Pern novels now number well over twenty, and many of them have become essential titles in the science fiction genre.

But there is more to Anne McCaffrey's career than just creating the Pern novels and the world that they take place on. She is also author (and co-author on several books) of several science fiction novels dealing with sentient spacecraft.

Some of the most influential of these books are probably the anthology The Ship Who Sang and the novel The Ship Who Fought. These showed a different side to her writing, allowing her to deal with a more SF style universe than the science-fantasy worlds of the Pern novels.

She is also the author and co-author of many other books in the science fiction and fantasy genres, and while her output has slowed in recent years, she remains one of the finest exponents of the genre around.

What is it that makes her work so special though? Dragons? Crystal Singers? Children hardwired into starship computers? maybe all of these, but she is also an incredibly talented writer when it comes to characterization and social issues within the fictional universes she has created.

Her books aren't just action extravaganzas or character studies, they are both and much more. Each book of hers boasts many layers that a lot of other writers wouldn’t even contemplate, and thus she achieved her status as one of the greatest science fiction writers of all time, as well as creating one of the most loved science fiction series ever conceived- Pern.

ROBIN HOOD: William Hurt joins the cast

Now here’s a project that is slowly gathering some interest to film fans. Ridley Scott’s forthcoming and as-yet-untitled Robin Hood movie has now added William Hurt to its cast. William Hurt is to play William Marshall, the Earl of Pembroke in the film.

Other actors now confirmed for the project include Russell Crowe (Billed on the IMDB as both Robin Hood and the Sheriff of Nottingham), Cate Blanchett as Maid Marian and Vanessa Redgrave as Queen Eleanor.

I guess it is something to do with Kevin Costner’s mullet in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, or that bloody Brian Adams song that went with it, that had me fearing any new versions. The thought of those things strikes fear into the heart of any seasoned film fan.

The good news is this Ridley Scott version of the classic Robin Hood tale looks set to be rather special. Well, anything has to be better than that atrocious TV version from 2006, anyway. Hopefully.