Final Heroes Volume 5: Redemption Preview

In honor of the fact that the Heroes season premiere is on tonight, here is an extended preview. It's on tonight, though I won't be able to watch until tomorrow. Can't. Wait.

Surrogate Advertising... Ripped off From Terminator?

I stumbled across this advertisement for Bruce Willis' upcoming Matrix-esque movie Surrogates while browsing the web today.

This immediately brought to mind the advertising for Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.



Funny how similar they look, yes? Sad how we're running out original ideas for advertising robots who look like people already.

Heroes Volume 5: Redemption, Season Premiere Sneak Peeks

IGN's got some awesome footage from the first episode from Volume 5. Check it out, and remember, Monday is the full 2 hour episode on NBC.

I Got It

More Heroes News & Previews

Man With The Plan

Heroes at IGN.com

Heroes Volume 5 in One Week

Just a reminder, folks. Heroes Volume 5: Redemption hits next Monday. In just a week, we finally get to see if Volume 5 can redeem the once amazing show and bring it back to its former awesomeness. I've been getting pumped as we've been getting closer.

This could be so ridiculously good - new arch villain, carnival goodness, Tracy back for revenge, Sylar versus Matt Parkman, Claire's (probable) lesbian college sorority fling... and the possibility of an actual story line with meaningful dialog, worthwhile events that actually propel the story forward, and other cool things that actually make sense!!!! Whoo hoo!

Anyway, I don't actually have TV, just Internet, so I'm going to watch the season premiere as soon as it hits Hulu. Check back probably Tuesday evening for thoughts and reaction.

Remember: 2-hour season premiere Monday, NBC, 8/7c. Be there!

Also of note, my other favorite thing to watch on NBC, Southland, also returns next week. Season premiere of that one next Friday 9/8c. Watch that too!

Review - 9 The Movie

I must admit, the primary reason I wanted to see 9 was to see how good a movie could be that used Coheed and Cambria's "Welcome Home" for their trailer music. The trailers for the movie gave me some chills, as the use of Coheed's amazing music was top notch.

So, what then, of the movie?

First and foremost, I was sitting near somebody who smelled obnoxiously bad... atrocious really. So, some of my enjoyment of the movie was leached as I tried to find something better-smelling to put in front of my nose... my ticket stub, the inside of my shirt, my finger....

Anyway, stinky people gripes aside, the movie was quite a treat. The standout feature of the film was easily its visual appeal. The animation is superb; the attention to detail borders on perfectionism. The characters, visually, are fully realized and smoothly animated. In fact, most of the care I felt for the characters was driven by their animations, their facial expressions (so poignant for creatures made of potato sacks), and their body language. There is so much to absorb on the screen, it is sometimes a challenge to take it all in.

Also of note, the voice acting is great. Elijah Wood, Jennifer Connelly, and company were spot on in almost every scene in the movie. Make no mistake, it's the animation that truly brings the characters to life, but the voice acting certainly doesn't hurt either.

The story, while a tad cliche, is interesting and exceptionally dark. I've heard many a tale of folks who saw that movie with their kids and ended up leaving because of how disturbing some of the scenes are. Yes, things die, yes there are some very dark visuals, but it is rated PG-13 after all.

The movie is certainly part cautionary tale - of the "artificial intelligence is bad" variety - and in that aspect, the story fails, as other movies (I, Robot; Eagle Eye) have done it previously and better. Yet, its achievement is its interesting little quirks and its entertainment value.

This is certainly not to say the movie is without fault, as it's got its fair share of them. First and foremost, the character development is utterly lacking in numerous areas. Take, for example, the character 2. Much of the story revolves around this character, indirectly, but we have so little chance to get to know him, it's hard to care how his large piece of the story ends up. Give me characters that are more fully realized, like 5, 7, 9, and 1, and I'm quite happy. The rest of the characters, no matter how central a role they play, never feel like anything more than husks, like potato sacks with eyes. The movie clocks in at a stumpy 79 minutes. I really would have enjoyed the movie more thoroughly had they added an extra 10 minutes even and devoted it to more fully fleshing out the characters.

Ordinarily, I'd come out of a movie like this a little upset that I'd wasted time and money watching it. There was something enchanting about 9, however, something that took what could have been a waste of time and turned it into a thoroughly enjoyable movie. By the end of the movie, even through the nauseating smell, I was thoroughly engrossed in the story and the characters, I cared about what happened and wanted the good guys to come out on top. For that alone it was well worth the time and money.

Score: 7.5/10.0

Final Fantasy 13 Music Live Performance

IGN's posted the title track for the hotly anticipated Final Fantasy XIII. The live performance video is actually quite awesome, though the instruments are often overwhelmed by the singer's voice (which happens to be rather beautiful).

Check it out, and get a taste of what's to come musically from the next Final Fantasy.

More Final Fantasy XIII Info

Star Trek - Back in IMAX for a Limited Time

OK, folks. If you were one of the peeps that did not see Star Trek in full IMAX glory, Paramount Pictures is giving you another chance to do it. Starting this Friday, Star Trek will be re-released in 85 IMAX theaters across the country.

Do yourself a favor and GO SEE IT. I would love to go, but the IMAX screens here in Colorado are not participating (again... Star Trek was never in IMAX here).

You can find a full list of participating theaters here.