Blog - Page 619 of 636 -

Grab your magnifying glasses and nicotine patches, because Sherlock is coming back to town! It has been some time after it’s temporary suspension back in January of 2012 due to schedule conflicts, that being Benedict Cabbage Patch in Star Trek, Martin Freeman in The Hobbit, and Steven Moffat running Doctor Who. After all the great work they have done individually, it’s exciting to see the Three Musketeers re-unite! The teaser trailer gives me so much hype:

Now, it seems that the premiere is set for January 19th of 2014, as reported by the L.A. Times. They also gave us a hint of what to expect from this coming season:

“The new season will introduce Mary Morstan, Watson’s future wife, played by Freeman’s real-life partner Amanda Abbington. Footage shown during the Comic-Con presentation revealed a glimpse of the wedding, as well as a humorous and heartfelt conversation in which Watson asks Holmes to be his best man.”

Indeed my friends. It looks like this season will be focused more on the emotional core of the series, at least for the first episode. They will of course show us the cleverness and the excitement of what the writers want to offer, but I wouldn’t mind a nice and calm episode, trying to humanize a person who seems to understand almost nothing except logic. Steven Moffat mentioned at comic-con that this episode contains one of his favorite moment of the show, which is when Sherlock reunited with Watson, stating:

“I think that’s the showstopper,” he said. “It’s a long, complicated, emotional journey, and extremely funny.”

If the episode itself was just him dealing with this major change in the dynamic relationship of Sherlock and Watson, I would be completely satisfied, and then kick my ass with the clever detective stuff in episode two. The reason I say this, is because this series is the definitive Sherlock series, in terms of bringing it to modern audiences. The Robert Downey Jr. Sherlock was really entertaining, but they focused too much on the action, which isn’t really what Sherlock is. Sure, there were some Sherlockian type stuff in there, but when it boils down to Sherlock chasing Mark Strong on a bridge trying to diffuse a steam punk bomb activated via makeshift remote control, it does get a bit ridiculous. So when they do the big reveal at the end with the whole “Ah ha! Let me explain to you how I discovered your entire plan after doing this crazy spiritual ritual, and show you things that the audience would never picked up on because we never gave you the proper clues,” I thought to myself “Yeah okay, it’s cool that you figured everything out and all, I just wish I was right there with you. How were we supposed to know that when you licked the cemetery tombstone, which is gross by the way, that you tasted an adhesive, if you didn’t tell us about it till the very end?”

This is why this series thrives. When we see Sherlock analyze things, those cool little super imposed texts appear, and we see how his mind works. Granted, some of the deductions get almost to a superhuman or clairvoyant level, but the show never breaks reality completely, and remains very much within reason. This way, I am able to see the clues that he picks up on, as well as giving me an explanation as to why they are clues, without trying to over simplify it and talk down to me. The series really has faith in the intellect of its viewers, and never tries to be smarter than it’s audience. So you can bet your ASS that I am excited for the return of the world’s greatest detective! Sherlock was a Velociraptor, he would indeed be a clever girl.

So OOUies, are you excited for the return? Which do you like better, RDJ or Benny Cucumber, as Sherlock? Whatever it is, comment below and let one of us know!

Via L.A. Times.

Hello boys and girls and everyone else, and welcome back to Big Finishing Move, where I have been given the honor to review Doctor Who audio dramas from (if you haven’t guessed from the title) Big Finish. On the docket today is an entry considered to be one of if not the first quintessential Doctor Who story Big Finish ever made, The Fearmonger. This was only the fifth outing in what would become Big Finish’s monthly range for Doctor Who and it was released way back in February of the year 2000, so does the story still hold up?

Set after Survival, which was the last story in the classic TV series, The Fearmonger finds the 7th Doctor and Ace (my favorite classic Who companion by the way) as they try to hunt down a creature hides inside people and feeds on fear. The Fearmonger is using the realm of politics to help stir the pot and make more food for itself, and sadly for everyone, it is quite good at it. One of the themes running through the piece is a lack of listening and the inability of many people to see past their own rhetoric to entertain anyone else’s point of view. The Doctor and Ace’s multiple appeals for honest talk and peaceful moderation fall on deaf ears as everyone around them becomes more and more polarized and violent with every new development. Many of the stories of 7th Doctor’s final season had an underlying leftest social and political undercurrent to them and while the political charge can be found in The Fearmonger it takes a slightly more moderate view attacking buzz words and extremism on both sides. The story is littered with horrible characters who do nasty things but Jonathan Blum (the writer) was clever enough to show that there is a person behind those acts to keep us forgetting just how easily we could become like them ourselves.

Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred slip back into their roles without the slightest hiccup, the pairs natural chemistry off screen has always made their on screen counterparts respect and affection for each other all the more believable. The script knows this relationship is where the magic is and gives both actors plenty to play with. The other actors do the best they can with what they have, but since this isn’t a piece that lends itself to them doing any sort standout performance you won’t find any of them overly memorable.

So does the story hold up? Hell yeah it does! The world has gotten even more divisive since this this story came out making its call for peace and sanity all the more needed. It keeps adding new twists and turns to keep the listener engaged and you feel the pressure growing every second so when everything go crazy at the end it feels justified. The lack of special features does kind of suck, but if that’s the best complaint I can come up with it should tell you something. You can pick this baby up for a cheap-as-hell $2.99 so get cracking and pick this one up if you haven’t already.

Next time we jump ahead to the most recent offerings and look at Big Finish’s multi-Doctor story released in celebration of Doctor Who’s 50th anniversary this November, The Light At The End.

Remember to check out OneOfUs’ own audio drama, Infinite Variations, and in case you missed it, you can go view my first Big Finish review here.

Buy The Fearmonger Here

WELCOME TO EPISODE 5 OF THE INTERN-NET SHOW, WITH YOUR HOST CHRIS HARRISON!

THERE IS A VAST POOL OF EXCITING NEWS EVERY WEEK, AND IN OUR EFFORT TO BRING YOU BRAND NEW, ENGAGING CONTENT JOIN ME IN A DISCUSSION ABOUT FILM, TV, COMIC BOOKS AND ANYTHING ELSE THAT GETS US TALKING. GOT SOMETHING TO SAY? THIS IS THE PLACE TO DO IT!

THIS WEEK, IT’S A HALLOWEEN BASH AS CHRIS TAKES AT A LOOK AT SOME HORROR QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS DIRECTLY FROM YOU GUYS ALONG WITH SOME OF THIS WEEK’S BIGGEST NEWS, MORE CATS AND THE INTERN-NET’S BIGGEST WEAKNESS – CUTE CHILDREN!

NEXT WEEK, WE WILL CONTINUE THE HALLOWEEN THEME AND I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU

1. WHAT IS YOUR SCARIEST REAL LIFE EXPERIENCE THAT YOU CAN’T QUITE EXPLAIN?

2. FAVOURITE URBAN LEGEND, CREEPY PASTA, FOLKLORE STORY etc

MOST IMPORTANTLY, THIS SHOW IS ALL ABOUT YOU. GET INVOLVED IN THE DISCUSSION, TELL US WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT THESE STORIES AND IF THERE’S A STORY YOU WANT TO CREATE CONVERSATION ABOUT THEN THROW A QUESTION MY WAY EITHER ON TWITTER OR RIGHT HERE EACH WEEK. WE’RE WORKING ON MAKING THE SHOW EVEN BETTER SO DO MAKE ANY SUGGESTIONS YOU HAVE BELOW!

TELL YOUR FRIENDS TO JOIN THE INTERN-NET!

I’m not a passionate college football fan, but I love the halftime shows. I’ve done some marching band routines in my time and I’ll testify from firsthand experience that anything less than 100% precision can result in the downfall of the entire performance. It takes weeks of diligent rehearsal to commit the most basic field maneuvers memory. The more complicated exercises are impressive, but they demand absolute accuracy to be effective. Adding the musical component to the movements is an equally-taxing challenge. The best marching best in the nation make it look easy, but their routines are definitely not.

I say all of this to put into perspective how BADASS the Ohio State Marching Band’s Saturday performance was. The band’s movie-themed act was a musical astonishment, but just wait until you see some of the formations they create with their members. Superman, Harry Potter, and Jeff Goldblum should be honored by such tributes. Check out the video below and share your thoughts about the performance in the comments!

Via Deadspin

This year saw the opening of Let The Right One In by The National Theatre of Scotland. A brand new stage adaptation of the Swedish book, which in turn also has two mainstream films. The show was a huge success and for me personally, was leaps and bounds beyond both the films.

The music alone from Ólafur Arnalds is some of the most haunting pieces I’ve ever heard (you might have heard some of his stuff used in Broadchurch recently)

But this show wasn’t the beginning of The National Theatre of Scotland’s work in Dundee. In fact, NTS’ creative learning team had been busy months prior creating an exciting and media crossing project, known as: Other. But what is Other? “Perhaps, Other is Deja Vu. Perhaps Other is a dream, you can’t quite remember. Perhaps Other is that thing in the corner of your eye that you thought you saw. Perhaps.” Perhaps these are also the very lines I spoke to the audience during Other.

Rather than creating one specific piece, or working with one specific group NTS engaged with a number of different groups, including Dundee Rep Community groups, Dundee College, Abertay University, Games Developer Quartic Llama, local film makers and writers all over the city creating distinct and interesting opportunities.

The Other project began with news of a live, site specific Theatre show based on horror elements and ghost stories, written by a local writing group. This show would exist in itself but also lead into the launch of the Other app for iPhone. Which takes those who dare on a similar ghost tour of Dundee with the use of augmented reality. The live show would also showcase new films created in horror themed 48 Film Competition and games created in a Games Jam.

I’ve done site specific theatre before, but Other Live was extremely different from anything I had ever done. The thing that immediately struck me was the ownership that was encouraged regarding whichever character you were playing. You were not only able to change and explore but encouraged to do so. This is very important for an actor and especially a community actor to have any kind of development process.

I played one of four ghostly tour guides throughout the show. I had the distinct honour of being the first actor the audience witnessed along with one of the only actors to utilise dialogue. The tour begins relatively normal, so for my part, I was relatively “normal” yet threatening, welcoming yet mysterious.

As mentioned, community writers collaborated in creating aspects of the tour and stories that would be used in both the tour and the App. The Live, theatrical portion is essentially a culmination of these efforts and sees groups from Dundee Rep embody these other characters in an exciting piece of dynamic theatre in which the audience tour the city encountering characters, moments and imagery.

I also got the chance to work with Deaf Actors who were also involved in the production. Not only was it a fascinating process but great to see any kind of barriers removed. We were all, simply performers. This concious decision to utilise deaf performers also ensured that the production itself was accessible to a deaf audience and the reaction from members of the audience who were deaf was terrific. Some, feeling it was more accessible and effective to a deaf audience than a hearing audience.

The scope of Other Live is extremely impressive and as a participant, each moment is ever changing and fascinating. Seeing actors engage with a genre that they may have no prior experience of is a joy to watch. I commend the National Theatre of Scotland and Dundee Rep for the level of engagement, creativity and ingenuity that was put into every aspect of Other to create such a unique opportunity for both audience and participants.

The Other app can be downloaded right now from iTunes and if you’re in Dundee I’d highly recommend it. If nothing else, you probably haven’t experienced anything like it before. You can also check out the Scrapbook of movies and games created during the project here at http://otherdundee.com/scrapbook/.

What’s that lurking beneath the waters? A hungry evil waiting to to devour you whole and spoil your aquatic hijinks? No, it’s not Jaws, it’s something far…cheaper.

That’s right, kiddies! We’ve got another premium horror movie commentary for you, and this time it’s got some real bite to it. We’re watching Joe Dante’s beautiful 1978 rip-off Piranha. I can’t tell you how much I have been waiting for the chance to feature a Roger Corman production, and did we ever line up one hell of a guest for this momentous occasion.

Screenwriter/novelist/fellow mega-geek C. Robert Cargill (née Carlye) sit down with Chris & Brian to sink our teeth into this hilarious, but still intermittently brilliant monster movie.

And remember, although we’re watching the Blu-ray release, you can watch this wherever it’s available (except on TV with commercials, silly). Again, it’s on Netflix, so that’ll make it even easier. But just in case you want to pick up the same version we’re watching, you can pick it up from Amazon here…

Click Here to download this commentary track.

We’ve got some very exciting things happening at One of Us. One such exciting thing is the launch of our official Tumblr page in two weeks time. To celebrate the launch we’ve decided to host an art contest. The winner of the art contest will get a One of Us T-shirt and an Amazon gift card! There will be one winner, but all entries will be posted on the Tumblr page so everyone can enjoy it.

Now for some details. We are looking for site-related art. It could be a drawing, a painting, a clay figure, or any other form of art you like. Just make sure you’re able to send in a picture of it. All of the submissions should be sent to Oneofusnet@gmail.com with the “ART CONTEST” in the subject line. The deadline for the contest is November 4th. If you have any questions please just leave a comment and we’ll get back to you.

We can’t wait to see what all of you amazing artists will come up with.

That is right, ladies & gentlemen. Yahoo reports that Michael Arndt, who won an Oscar for penning the script for Little Miss Sunshine, has put down the pen for the Star Wars: Episode VII screenplay. “Arndt” you disappointed? The reasons why he left are still unknown. Kathleen Kennedy, who is currently the president of Lucasfilm, made a vague statement about his departure:

“Michael Arndt has done a terrific job bringing us to this point,” she wrote, “and we have an amazing filmmaking and design team in place already prepping for production.”

The screenplay is now going to be tackled by J.J. Abrams himself, along with a man who is quite familiar with the franchise, Lawrence Kasdan. He has written for the franchise before back in 1980 for The Empire Strikes Back, which if my IMDB powers serve me correctly, was his first screenplay. Afterwards, he further collaborated with Lucas in writing Raiders of the Lost Ark and Return of the Jedi. Mrs. Kennedy had this to say to the YAHOOligans on the matter:

“I am very excited about the story we have in place and thrilled to have Larry and J.J. working on the script,” Lucasfilm boss Kathleen Kennedy wrote on StarWars.com. “There are very few people who fundamentally understand the way a ‘Star Wars’ story works like Larry, and it is nothing short of incredible to have him even more deeply involved in its return to the big screen. J.J. of course is an incredible storyteller in his own right.”

Hmmm, I don’t know how to feel about this, but I don’t mean that in a bad way. In terms of Arndt leaving, it is a bit of a let down. He’s the kind of writer that knows how to bring out the emotional core in a story. What made me confident in him to yield the pen for the Star Wars VII screenplay, was in his work with Toy Story 3. That film showed in its writing that it was able to be sentimental with its characters, without being sappy and pathetic. This demonstrates that he is able to work within a franchise that already has established characters, and create a solid story that fits within the spirit of the previous films. However, his work in sci-fi hasn’t been too impressive. His one and only sci-fi film was Oblivion, and although that film was a fun watch, it seemed to be a little uninspired. That almost makes me want to retract my previous statement, because I do not know how much of Toy Story 3 was him, and how much was with his collaborators John Lasseter and Andrew Stanton. So I guess we’ll have to wait for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire to see if he still has the magic touch to work within an already established franchise.

Arndt aside, I actually like the idea of bringing Kasdan and Abrams together to write this bad boy. Also, they already have what Arndt has contributed, and I believe that they can make a fantastic script. It is no secret that Abrams is a HUGE fanboy when it comes to Star Wars. So we can have faith that we will probably put a lot of love and care in to this film. Also, The Empire Strikes Back is the epitome of the entire franchise to many fans, and even though Jedi had its problems, it was still a fun time and a good cap to the trilogy. With a brilliant director/fanboy collaborate with the writer who wrote (arguably) the best film in the entire series, it sounds like we are going to get the best of both worlds. We have both the passion at play, as well as the people who understand the mechanics of the Star Wars universe. So shut up and take my money!

So fellow OOUies, what are your thoughts? Whatever they are (or Arndt), comment below, let One of Us know

Via Yahoo

If you look at a TV lineup these days, fantasy and horror take up much of the schedule. It is unsurprising companies try and gain a footing in that market share by any means possible. Today, Vulture are reporting that whilst in the very early stages, a Charmed Reboot is in the works and CBS have ordered a pilot script.

The reboot is described as a

“re-imagining of the original series centred around four sisters who discover their destiny – to battle against the forces of evil using their witchcraft.”

Charmed focused on three sisters who were magically linked and fought the week to week demon whilst dealing with love, life and whatever else people dealt with in the 90′s (probably not having Iphones yet). After Season 3, Shannon Doherty decided to part ways with the show and Rose McGowan was brought in as the fourth, until then unknown sister who re-established the Power of Three and continued the show. In fact, the demise of Prue paved the way for a fresh new dynamic to the point where the show may not have lived as long with Prue alive.

Charmed was on my favourite shows in my early teens and I’m unsure about this. For a long time I hoped for some kind of reunion episode or spin off season. This can potentially work however, for me, if they can get a cast that has the same dynamic as the original and also if it works to gets rid of the sillier elements to create something a little bit more dark. I don’t want to see a show in the same vein of True Blood, Twilight etc. What also interests me is the talk of “four sisters”. I assume what was a plot device to continue the show originally will be reintroduced from the beginning.

Source: Vulture

What say you? Are you excited about the prospect of seeing a new interpretation of the Halliwell sisters? Or should this demon remain locked in the Book of Shadows?

Welcome to the Pre-Weekend Recap for the week of October 25, 2013! Did school or work prevent you from sitting around listening to podcasts and reading geeky articles all day? Never fear, the Pre-Weekend Recap is here to help! Below you’ll find a brief highlight reel of some of the cool stories and features the One of Us crew presented this week. All you have to do is click on the images and you’re set.

Of course, while these features are a fine starting point, I encourage you to spend your entire weekend combing through all of our content, because who really needs sunlight?

Write A Movie With Us

Attention all creative types! One of Us’ newest feature, Write A Movie With Us, debuts next week! Starting Halloween and continuing every Friday for the next seven weeks, you can join fellow One of Us contributors in a series of discussions about the horror genre. You’ll be pitching dialogue, developing characters, setting scenes, and otherwise contributing your ideas which will eventually be written into one incredible script. Additionally, you’ll be working alongside our Chris Harrison and two notable directors I’ll tell you about in just a second. No previous experience required! For more details about this ambitious project, check out the preview page here.

15 Seconds of Horror

We had a major premiere here this week, the debut of the first Instagram horror film, 15 Seconds of Horror. Directors Tim Buel & Cody Rhyse are the two visionaries behind this project and from what I can tell, they are masters of their craft. The popular micro-video app was implemented to produce a series of horror shorts, which is a much more productive use of Instagram than anything else I’ve ever seen hosted on it. Tim and Cody released their unique and creative endeavor right here on One of Us first and we couldn’t be prouder to have it. Did I mention they’ll be working with us throughout the duration of Write A Movie With Us? Once you check out the video, you’ll realize you’ll be collaborating with some top-level talent. Don’t forget to share it with everyone you’ve ever met!

From De Lion’s Mouth: JC’s Top 10 NBA Games to Watch This Season

If there’s one person who knows basketball, it’s J.C. Deleon. He’s been an avid NBA fan for decades and he knows a thing or two about the game. This week, J.C. wrote the first of a new series of editorials dedicated to basketball and the people who make it worth watching. In this entry, you’ll find out which games you ought to keep your eye on this upcoming season, in addition to J.C.’s predictions about who might win MVP and Defensive Player of the Year. Definitely something you’ll want to read if you’re hyped for the return of basketball!

Digital Noise Episode 16: War of the Monsters

Look, I didn’t want you guys to find out this way, but you’ll hear it anyway, so you might as well hear it from me. Brian and Chris are dead. That’s all right, take all the time you need. While they may be loose from their mortal coils, what is dead may never die. Alongside specterly special guest Matt Frank, Brian and Chris are reviewing the latest Blu-Ray and DVD releases, including Pacific Rim. Of course, they’re also giving away some movies to some lucky listeners, so don’t miss out on your chance to win. Pour one out for our fallen hosts, then press play.

Trailer Reaction: Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Captain America is easily my favorite superhero in comics and I am eagerly counting down until April 4, 2014 (160 days, for the curious). I was going to write the trailer reaction myself, but all I could come up with was an entire page of smiley face emoticons, “woo” with three paragraphs worth of o’s, and a bunch of expletives. Thankfully, INTERN-Net crew member Thomas Mariani is much more adept with his words than I am with mine. His reaction to the Winter Soldier trailer lays out exactly what he is so hyped for this film and why anyone who isn’t is probably a secret communist.

Halloween comes to the INTERN-Net Show!

The INTERN-Net Show is badass. It has a dude with a beard and an accent, plus your input has a direct impact on the shape of the program and its topics. Take next week’s episode for example. Chris Harrison has presented a few questions about Halloween and the horror genre and your answers will be used to fuel the discussion. All you have to do is click the image above, read the questions, and answer them in the comment section. You’re basically making the show yourself, and all you have to do is express your opinions on the internet. Little effort, big reward!

Chairman of the Board: The Traitor Among Us

Our resident Dungeon Master, Mr. Jacob Hall, is back with reviews of two games, Shadows Over Camelot and Battlestar Galactica. These games were made for the person who loves to bring everyone else down with the sinking ship. Take a look at Jacob’s article and find out how great it is to betray your friends as a knight in the fields of Arthurian legend and as a Cylon in deep space.

That’s all for this week! But one last thing: be sure to purchase the Watch a Movie With Us audio commentaries for Carrie and Halloween. You can enjoy these classic films side by side with the One of Us crew for only $1.99 and every purchase helps to keep the lights on here. Click the link below and nab these because they are perfect for the holiday!

‘Sherlock’ Is Such a Tease!: January 19th Premiere Date Set

Big Finishing Move: ‘Doctor Who: The Fearmonger’

The INTERN-net Show episode 5 “Halloween Shenanigans”

WELCOME TO EPISODE 5 OF THE INTERN-NET SHOW, WITH YOUR HOST CHRIS HARRISON!

THERE IS A VAST POOL OF EXCITING NEWS EVERY WEEK, AND IN OUR EFFORT TO BRING YOU BRAND NEW, ENGAGING CONTENT JOIN ME IN A DISCUSSION ABOUT FILM, TV, COMIC BOOKS AND ANYTHING ELSE THAT GETS US TALKING. GOT SOMETHING TO SAY? THIS IS THE PLACE TO DO IT!

THIS WEEK, IT’S A HALLOWEEN BASH AS CHRIS TAKES AT A LOOK AT SOME HORROR QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS DIRECTLY FROM YOU GUYS ALONG WITH SOME OF THIS WEEK’S BIGGEST NEWS, MORE CATS AND THE INTERN-NET’S BIGGEST WEAKNESS – CUTE CHILDREN!

NEXT WEEK, WE WILL CONTINUE THE HALLOWEEN THEME AND I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU

1. WHAT IS YOUR SCARIEST REAL LIFE EXPERIENCE THAT YOU CAN’T QUITE EXPLAIN?

2. FAVOURITE URBAN LEGEND, CREEPY PASTA, FOLKLORE STORY etc

TELL YOUR FRIENDS TO JOIN THE INTERN-NET!

The Ohio State Marching Band’s Latest Performance Will Blow Your Mind

Games, Theatre and Film; Horror goes cross platform in The “Other” Project.

Watch a Movie with Us: ‘Piranha’

What’s that lurking beneath the waters? A hungry evil waiting to to devour you whole and spoil your aquatic hijinks? No, it’s not Jaws, it’s something far…cheaper.

Screenwriter/novelist/fellow mega-geek C. Robert Cargill (née Carlye) sit down with Chris & Brian to sink our teeth into this hilarious, but still intermittently brilliant monster movie.

Art Contest and Tumblr Launch

We can’t wait to see what all of you amazing artists will come up with.

Oscar-Winning Screenwriter Leaves ‘Star Wars Episode VII’

‘Charmed’ to be rebooted

The Pre-Weekend Recap: October 25, 2013