AMERICAN PIE to be rebooted? Seriously?

Apparently, Universal are looking to reboot the AMERICAN PIE movies franchise. Oh come on, of all the things you could make, of all of those thousands of scripts in your slush pile, of all of those properties that you could make some cash from, you choose AMERICAN PIE?

Look, I didn't mind the first two American Pie movies. They weren't brilliant, but they were funny and did have some gross-out moments that became synonymous with this kind of film. They also brought about the creation of a ton of copyist movies, not to mention all of those needless sequels. It didn't even need American Pie: The Wedding, in all honesty.



Sure, the American Pie DVD movies have been pretty popular (as far as endless DVD sequels go, anyway) and I can understand the interest in continuing to make those films, even though I'm not a fan of them. What I Can't understand is the need to bring it back to the big screen, or indeed to reboot it.

Really, come on, is there nothing else that could be done with the cash for another American Pie flick? In addition, hasn't the audience shrunk enough now that the DVD films have settled into their own genre? Please, for all our sakes, do something NEW.

Retro Video Games FTW

My girlfriend came up trumps with her valentine's Day gift to me this year- six Sega Megadrive games (Genesis to our US readers). I promptly spent a chunk of the evening playing Sonic The Hedgehog and reliving my youth before we headed out to see a film.

What a great idea for a gift. Plus, retro video games are a great idea for a gift at any time of the year. If there's a video games fan in your life, then retro video games would make great gift ideas for pretty much any occasion.



There's some great alternatives to tracking down vintage consoles too when looking for retro video games, including Plug and Play versions of classic games, handheld games devices loaded with 16-bit classics and even new consoles capable of taking old cartridges.

It's a cool idea that's sure to raise a smile with that games fan in your life, and it's a field which does seem to be growing right now as interest in retro video games continues to grow.

Zac Efron To Star In Bendis Adaptation

What? Nooooo! Look, I know the guy has his fans, but sticking him in as the lead in a gritty, violent and really damn good comic book story is just wrong and make my every atom quiver with fear. Word is that Zac is to tackle FIRE, the classic two issue indie title written and illustrated by comics luminary Brian Michael Bendis, in which he would play a college student who is recruited by the CIA for a secret program that takes a rather sinister turn.



It's nasty, hard hitting and really not the sort of thing I can see Efron pulling off. Then again, that's probably down to my abject dislike of High School Musical. I can understand the guy wanting to get away from his HSM days, but this just seems a bit wrong. Shia LaBeouf would have been great for the role, but if it's gotta be Zac, at least the flick will find a decent sized audience.

It's probably a good thing that FIRE, originally published by Caliber Comics and later reprinted by Image, was a pretty small scale tale that only the diehard comics geeks will have heard of, let alone read, as it means there's a smaller number of people that will be picking over the film for inconsistencies. It'll be interesting to see where this project goes.

Pirates of the Caribbean 4: Orlando Bloom Out

Following on from Keira Knightley's statement a while back about not appearing in any more Pirates of the Caribbean movies, Orlando 'Legolas' Bloom has also now said he won't be appearing in the fourth film, entitled Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, which is due to start shooting late this Spring.

Johnny Depp is set to return as Captain Jack Sparrow, which is good otherwise it wouldn't get made, really.

Rob Marshall is in the director's chair for this latest entry in the adventure franchise, which, while being greeted with open arms by the hardcore POTC fans, has the rest of the moviegoing public going 'Eh?'.

After the mediocre reception the last film got (despite its huge box office totals), isn't it time to just let this franchise fade out?

If anything, a TV series of young Jack Sparrow adventures would be a hit, and give the series a new lease of life rather than continuing to make loads of sequels with ever diminishing returns. Still, no matter what a geek like me says about it, the fourth Pirates of the Caribbean film will be a hit. The question is though, will it be any good?

REMAKES: JUST STOP IT ALREADY. PLEASE.

You will have to excuse my apoplexy. There are few things that make me seethe about the movie industry right now than the subject of remakes.

These damn things are popping up left right and centre lately, and they are getting to be ever more predictable. Case in point- recently we've had remakes of all of the big horror icons from years gone by, such as Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees, Leatherface and Michael Myers, fair enough, the originals were made decades ago.

But now we have things like the remakes of Let The Right One In (Let Me In), [rec] (Quarantine) and news of an American remake of The Orphanage coming too! What next? remaking Twilight six months after each film comes out? Actually, that one might work.

Nevertheless, this constant stream of remakes dilutes the power of the originals, and as many people already know what's going to happen in them, they are becoming an increasingly pointless waste of everyone's time.

Stick to the originals, people. Enjoy them and appreciate them, and maybe one day Hollywood will remember what it's like to put something new out that isn't based on a Japanese or European flick that most of the core audience will already have seen.

Nightmare on Elm Street Remake- Screening Reviews Start To Surface

Early reviews of test screenings of the NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET remake have started to turn up online, and while they are of an unfinished print of the film, there are still legitimate concerns for fans of the classic film.

It seems that a bunch of things that made the original Nightmare on Elm Street movie so special are missing from this reboot, such as the iconic 'tongue phone' shot and the hugely memorable 'blood fountain' that are so very much loved by horror fans.

But that's not all. It also appears that much of the atmosphere of the original is missing too, not helped by a mediocre cast. Jackie Earle Hayley (aka Rorschach in the WATCHMEN movie) apparently gives a great performance as a truly evil incarnation of Freddy Krueger. This is great news, as previous Elm Street movies (in particular entries 4, 5 and 6 in the original batch of films) saw the character become a cartoonish joke.

This time round he's the real deal, scarred and terrifying, cold and pure evil. There are also mentions of his background as a child molester and murderer being talked about more in the film, making his character even more unsavoury for the audience. This is cool, as Freddy Krueger should always be the villain and not the hero of a film like this.

Hopefully the film will be tightened up for its release, and some of he pacing issues and scare cues are dealt with. Now that we know this won't be brilliant but it also won't be terrible, we can all stop worrying. It's the same old remake deal. decent, but could be so much better, and nowhere near as great as the original.

San Diego Comic Con: New Movie Posters for SAW 6, NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, JONAH HEX and the new TRON: LEGACY logo!

There are some fantastic new movie posters being revealed at this year's annual San Diego Comic Con!

Many are only visible at the event as banners, but we've looked around for good, clear images of these great new posters.

While you can catch up on the biggest events at the convention with our San Diego Comic Con coverage and the new items from Sideshow with our Sideshow Collectibles San Diego Comic Con coverage, here we'll show you some of the new posters that are doing the rounds at SDCC!

SAW VI

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (REMAKE)

JONAH HEX


THE TRON: LEGACY LOGO

More news on the latest unveilings soon!

Green Lantern: First Flight - The best animated comic book movie yet?

Following on from hits such as Superman Vs Doomsday, Justice League: New Frontier and the awesome Wonder Woman animated movie, the latest DC hero to get the animated feature film treatment is The Green Lantern.

In Green Lantern: First Flight, fans of the character get to see Hal Jordan's transformation into the Green Lantern and his iconic first meeting with the intergalactic Green Lantern Corps. Featuring the voice talents of Michael Madsen and Trisha Helfer along with Christopher Meloni as Hal Jordan/Green Lantern, it looks set to be another hot for the DC Universe range of DVD movies.

These films are a great idea. They help fill a niche until live action movies come out, and they can also help gauge the demand for other films, as well as being superb entertainment. Something that is great about all of these animated DC universe films is the faithful representation of these classic characters in updated settings.

The films are an interesting diversion, but as they are being released, the DC Universe animated movies are building up their own unique vision of DC continuity and stories, and it will be fascinating to see where the range goes next.

Some of these films are surprisingly violent and brutal, such as the Superman Doomsday movie or the recent Wonder Woman 2009 animated film. They're cartoons, but they ain’t necessarily for kids.

That's cool, but parents need to keep an eye on what their children are being exposed to. That said, having children watch DC Universe animated movies is a damn sight better than exposing them to things like Gears of War, Halo and Resident Evil. Get your kids into something good. Try the Green Lantern: First Flight movie for starters.

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.

Sarah Michelle Gellar: 'Would love to see Buffy as a Mum'

Sarah Michelle Gellar, star of the TV phenomenon Buffy The Vampire Slayer and several movies, has said that she would consider returning to her legendary role as the vampire-killing cheerleader, but only if the story was right for her. The actress states "There is an idea for a script and to pick the story up with Buffy older and maybe even a mother", which kind of negates the whole 'Season 8' comics series created by Joss Whedon that has been such a hit. This is a shame really, as the stories that covered were great. Nevertheless, this may well be great news for fans of the Buffyverse and its characters. here's hoping that if this movie does get made, it is a damn sight better than the 1992 version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I still have nightmares about Luke Perry's hair.

NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET: One, Two, Rorschach's coming for you?

I love this one. The forthcoming Wolverine movie remake, which I was previously very dubious of, may have actually won some points. Word has come down that the current frontrunner for the role of iconic undead serial killer Freddy Krueger is none other than WATCHMEN's sociopathic nutter Rorschach, aka Jackie Earle Hayley.

This could actually work really well. Judging from his performance in Watchmen, he can certainly handle a deranged character well, but I'd worry a little that the makers of this new version of the 1984 horror classic may try and give Freddy too much of a sympathetic character overhaul.

There seems to be this trend in current horror remakes to explain away the background of horror icons and as such take away much of the impact they originally had. If the new Wolverine movie movie can stick to the basics and not go too deep into Kruger's motivations for what he does, then I think it can be saved.

The casting of Jackie Earle Haley would be a huge step in the right direction for a film I'd really rather not get made in the first place

DOCTOR WHO: Planet of the Dead trailer reaction

So then, the first trailer for the next Doctor Who special episode, Planet of the Dead, has now aired and also leaked online (but not through the BBC yet, so I'm not posting it here), giving us a glimpse at one of the tenth Doctor's final few adventures. While it seems that stylistically the episode will have some elements in common with season 4's 'Midnight' episode, I think it is going to be a winner.

Thanks to the fact that it doesn’t have to have any Christmas elements nailed to the script, it looks like a solid Doctor Who story with some interesting effects (although the Tritovore still look horrendous to me) and a nice, strong science fiction setting.

The Dubai footage has a beautiful look to it, and will hopefully provide the episode with a great atmosphere. I'm curious to see if the edit style in the trailer matches that of the episode itself- a little adventurous editing and visual effects will help elevate it above a mere episode into something more special. After all, isn’t that the point?

I'm still not quite sold on Michelle Ryan yet, but I'll reserve judgment until I see the episode itself. The Doctor seems a little on autopilot, but that is probably/hopefully just down to the limited running time of the trailer. It does look promising. Not long now!

Angel star Andy Hallet dies of heart failure

As reported across the media, Andy Hallet, aka Lorne in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer spin-off series Angel, died last night from heart failure. This sad news ends the story of his five year-long battle against heart disease. He was 33.

Hallet brought a unique personality to the character of Lorne, a demon who sings at a supernatural bar, in more than 70 episodes of the Joss Whedon creation. Hallet's talents as a singer came in handy, and in recent years he had been concentrating on his music career rather than acting.

Lorne became a fan favourite character throughout Angel's run, and while this is partly down to strong scripts, it is Hallet that really gave the character his sparkle.

Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time- The End is Coming

The late Robert Jordan's legendary series of books The Wheel of Time commences its final trilogy this November. The final three books are being completed by bestselling author Brandon Sanderson, working from material Jordan wrote before his untimely death in 2007. Originally intended to be one book, such was the scope of the story that it was decided that the final part of the iconic fantasy series would work better as a trilogy.

According to various reports, comics and a movie are also in the works (The movie will be made by Universal Studios).

The first book of these final three installments, The Gathering Storm, will be released on the 3rd of November this year. The previous eleven volumes of this truly epic work have each become mainstays of the fantasy literature pantheon, thrilling and enthralling millions of readers the world over. While each volume is a chunky beast of a book, there is so much action and plot on offer that fans have been gripped since page one.