Atom’s Antics

Here comes Speed Racer. Looks sharp.

Actress Billie Piper is coming back as Rose in Season 4 of Doctor Who. I held out hope she would return sooner or later. Between Sontarans, Rose, Martha leaving then coming back, Donna filling in for her, Rose coming back, and the rumoured David bowie villain; the Doctor is going to be a busy guy next season… You can read it all for yourself at the BBC’s website.

If you have never heard of Showtime’s Dexter or you have but have never given it a try, you MUST! Dexter is an original Showtime Network program that is more than midway thru it’s 2nd season. This show contiualy leaves you on the edge of your seat and waiting with baited breath for the next episode. It seriously is some of the best TV going in a long time.

“That’s great Adam, but what the heck is it about?” Dexter follows the story of Dexter Morgan, a Miami PD Blood Spatter Expert, who has a monster inside, he has this dark urge to kill. That’s right the series is about a serial killer that kills serial killers. Pretty morbid huh? But that’s the odd thing about the series, you really find yourself routing for Dex and caring what happens to him.

To give you the straight forward version of his back story, a cop named Harry Morgan found Dexter as a 4 year old left at the scene of a brutal murder. Harry took pity on Dexter and adopted him as his own. As Dexter grew he starting having dark urges. Thru flashback over the course of the 1st season we see teenage Dex being taught and couched by Harry on how to channel the dark urges into more “positive” uses… like killing those who have murder innocents, and how not to get caught. This is an over simplification of the story and there are plenty of twists and turns but the joy in this thriller (and a thriller it is) is the unraveling of the the story and I do not want spoil that experience for you.

Showtime is well worth adding to your channel lineup if you don’t have to check out the series or you can download it both legitimately and illegitimately in any number of places. I leave that to you to find. The series is so good I dare recommend it site unseen for purchase.

You can read more about the series on it’s official site here.

Ready to watch a giant monster destroy a city? I am. The trailer for the mystery J.J. Abrams Project is out now and it is indeed called “Cloverfield“. It is rumored it’s based or inspired by H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthullu horror stories, the monster is seen very briefly and it’s hard to make out what your seeing but it’s big. The trailer feels more like a scary Godzilla than anything I have ever seen or read in the Lovecraft universe. Either way it looks good. You can see it for yourself by clicking here.

My two favorite iterations of the Doctor met this past week in a special short made for Children in Need. Everyone on the production contributes their time to make these. So it really is done for a good cause, contribute if you can. BBC won’t let you view the clip if you live in the US off there site but it has been turning up on Youtube. So while it lasts clicky below to see the goodness.

OK. I just got real giddy today. Season 4 of Doctor Who has several cool things happening next season.

First Peter Davidson (the 5th Doctor) will join David Tenant playing, well of course… The Doctor. Yep were getting a Doctor’s meeting episode. Always a special event in the original series. Though upon rereading it appears the meeting happens in a special for Children. Not the actual series. It is slated to appear on November 16th.

Photo comes from Outpost Gallifrey (the premier Doctor Who website):

Slated to appear on the regular series are the return and the reintroduction of the Sontarans, classic villains much like the Daleks and Cybermen. Photo comes from Outpost Gallifrey again:

This show just keeps getting better and better. Now I am really looking forward to next season. The new Christmas special airs on Christmas Day on the BBC.

So you may have heard that the WGA has gone on strike. What does that mean for you TV and Film viewer? Well odds are pretty good that when your favorite show goes into Holiday hiatus this November it will not be back on air come January/Feburary. This also means that anything slated for film production during this time is essentially shelved.

Last time the WGA went to picket lines it was 6 months before a resolution was reached. So fire up the DVD players and video game system’s it’s going to be a longgggg winter.

Every now and then a film comes along that changes the way you think about the world or better yet changes the way you think about your place in the world. Films like this are few and far between. One such film I stumbled across a few years back was a film by Richard Kelly called Donnie Darko. It’s a story that covers a lot of things and no one person will get the same thing from the film. It truly is a gem. If you haven’t seen it and you like something that challenges you and makes you think, you owe it to yourself to check it out.

It was Richard Kelly’s first and only film to date. Until now.

His new film, entitled Southland Tales is due November 14th. What is his sophomore film about? The end of the world. Follow the link to check out the trailer and see… the way the world ends.

The film features Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson, Sean Williams Scott, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Mandy Moore, Cheri Oteri, Miranda Richardson, Jon Lovitz, Kevin Smith, and John Larroquette. That’s quite an interesting mix of actors. Music is by Moby.

The story is six chapters long. The first three chapters where told in graphic novel format and the last three are the film itself. I have read the Graphic Novel ( An interesting, yet eclectic read) and all I will say is we are in for an interesting story. I don’t feel you have to read the graphic novel to follow the film but I do recommend checking it out if Richard Kelly’s work appeals to you and you want the full experience.

You know I’ll be in theaters November 14th for this one.

You would have had to have been living in a cave for the last year to not know Transformers (yes the kids cartoon from the 80’s) was turned into a live action film this summer. Love it or hate it, it has made all parties involved a lot of money so of course they got it to DVD and HD DVD as quickly as possible. Judging by the half empty displays I kept seeing at local retailers it’s doing just fine in home video sales as well.

So odds are pretty good you don’t need me to rehash the plot or give a general review for the film. If you do or just want to read my thought about it at the time it came out you can click here. In a nutshell, I enjoyed it tremendously and I think it joins the company of the other great adventure films like Star Wars, The Matrix and Lord of the Rings, ect. ect.

So having just made the step into the High Definition arena my first HD DVD purchase was Transformers. It features all of the special features of the 2 disc version of the film but with several HD only additions. All of the bonus features on the second disc are presented in High Definition.

The set comes on 2 discs. Disc 1 includes the feature in High Definition with audio commentary from Michael Bay, Heads Up Display and Paramount HD Connect.

Disc 2 features the same features as the 2 disc DVD; Our World, Their War, Transformers Tech Inspector and More Than Meets The Eye. Basically it’s a set compressive set of documentaries following the entire production from concept to release.

The film transfer looks spectacular and the audio mix is very aggressive making for a great home viewing experience. There are no complaints on a technical front. It’s all good, the set delivers in aces.

The commentary by Michael bay is excellent with him explaining the choices he made and addressing his toughest criticisms head on. I must say he handles it all very well. It is popular to bash Michael Bay films, though I have found most enjoyable but I do think with this release I am calling myself a fan. He seems like a class act that knows what he wants to do before he does it and sticks to that vision. The guy knows how to spin an action yarn, no if’s, ands, or buts about it.

The heads up display is cool, but nothing new. I have seen this feature before on DVD’s in the past. Basically showing making of scenes or interviews in a picture in picture window or with pop up text at the bottom of the screen.

The Paramount HD Connect adds other extra features to the disc. Unlike “web enabled” features of DVD that you put into your computers DVD drive to access a web sight, with HD your player actually downloads new content and extra features after the disc is out. So far they have made several other interactive viewing modes and the 6 of the Sector 7 videos featuring classic Transformers available. While the viewing modes are nice they don’t really impart much in the way of new information. If your the type that re watches a movie several times to take in all the extras then it’s worth a look but otherwise it’s probably a pass. The Sector 7 videos (which where featured on the Transformers web sight this summer) are worth the download, especially if your a classic Transformers. Video’s include live action footage of Classic Bumblebee, Grimlock, Insecticons and Laserbeak/Buzzsaw.

The documentaries are comprehensive and if you enjoy behind the scenes and making of stuff the set doesn’t disappoint. My only criticism is the tech viewer. It’s pretty clunky and doesn’t really give that much of a better look at the robots. It’s a nit pick I know but other than that it’s a fantastic set that is well worth picking up. Get copy for your collection today.

If you where not aware Warner Brothers is releasing what they are calling the “Final Cut” of Blade Runner on all disc formats on December 18. Director Ridley Scott has spent several years now working on restoring and reediting the film. Early reviews have been glowing, saying the changes are subtle but work very well. I am very excited to get my hands on this release.

Better yet, Warner Brothers has released the film for theatrical showing in Los Angeles and New York. Don’t live in either of those major metropolitan areas? Fear not. Warner has heard our cry’s and has expanded showings to the rest of the country. The release is still limited but it’s out there.

The Digital Bits has dates and theaters listed, Warner Brothers as of this writing has not updated their site.

10/26 - Seattle (Cinerama, Seattle - 35mm), Washington D.C. (Uptown, D.C. - 35mm), Portland (Cinema 21, Portland - 35mm), Salt Lake (Gateway Megaplex, SLC - Digital)

11/2 - Chicago (Music Box, Chicago - 35mm), Santa Barbara (Arlington, Santa Barbara - Digital), Baltimore (Landmark Harbor East, Baltimore - Digital)

11/9 - Boston (Coolidge Corner, Brookline - 35mm)

11/16 - Detroit (Main Art, Detroit - 35mm)

11/18 - Austin (Paramount, Austin - 35mm)

11/30 - San Francisco (Embarcadero, San Francisco - 35mm), Dallas (The Inwood, Dallas - 35mm), San Diego (Ken, San Diego - 35mm), Minneapolis (Uptown, Minneapolis - 35mm)

12/7 - Denver (The Landmark @ Greenwood Village - Digital), Philadelphia (The Ritz 5, Philadelphia - 35mm)

12/25 - Boston (The Brattle, Cambridge - 35mm)

1/2/08 - Austin (The Paramount, Austin - 35mm)

1/4/08 - Nashville (The Belcourt, Nashville - 35mm)

1/18/08 - Durham (Carolina, Durham - 35mm)

2/1/08 - Columbus (Drexel Gateway, Columbus - 35mm)

2/15/08 - San Francisco (Castro, San Francisco - 35mm)

2/29/08 - Sacramento (Crest, Sacramento - 35mm)