Now, Jensen Ackles, the man behind Dean Winchester, is moving one step closer as he lends his voice to a new animated Batman DVD release.

According to the LA Times, Jensen will voice The Red Hood, an anti-hero, superhero in Batman: Under the Red Hood. Bruce Greenwood will voice Batman and even Neil Patrick Harris will be along for the ride.

No word on the release date yet, but a preview of the film will be included on the next Justice League DVD “Crisis on Two Earths.”

Photo: Jensen Ackles poses with his Ten Inch Hero castmates Danneel Harris and Elisabeth Harnois. Credit: Cynthia Boris

Post from: SF Universe

– The first prize winner will receive a Caprica DVD [Run Time: 1hr. 33min.]  and a Caprica T-Shirt.

– A second winner will receive a T-Shirt.

Set 58 years before Battlestar Galactica, Caprica follows two rival families – the Graystones and the Adamas – as they grow, compete, and thrive in the vibrant world of the peaceful 12 Colonies, living in a society close to our own. Entangled in the burgeoning technology of artificial intelligence and robotics that will eventually lead to the creation of the Cylons, the two houses go toe-to-toe, blending action with corporate conspiracy and sexual politics. Caprica will deliver, intrigue, political backbiting and family conflict in television’s first science fiction family saga.

Caprica will premiere Friday, January 22^nd at 9/8c. on Syfy and stars Eric Stoltz, Esai Morales, Paula Malcomson, Alessandra Torresani, Magda Apanowicz, Polly Walker, and Sasha Roiz.

HOW TO ENTER

Since this is a prequel, leave us a comment naming a show that you’d like to see done as a prequel.

US Only

Deadline to enter is January 22 at 9:00 PST (which is, not coincidentally, the day and time that Caprica premieres on Syfy.)

2 winners will be chosen by random draw and notified by email, so please be sure to leave a working email addy. Winners will have 72 hours to claim their prize or another winner will be chosen.

Good luck and have at it!

Photo: Syfy

Post from: SF Universe

**Best Buy – Collectible Gift Set with four pack of badge pins. (As seen in photo)

**Hollywood Video – Rent/Buy any Star Trek DVD and be entered to win an autographed poster of Uhura (Zoe Saldana).

**Transworld (FYE/Coconuts/Suncoast) – Collectible Steelbook packaging.

**CVS – Consumer Offer. Buy $15 (or more) in iTunes gift cards and get the DVD (single disc) for only $9.99 (First week only).

**Target – Limited Edition Collectible Starship Enterprise Packaging on both 2-Disc DVD and 3-Disc Blu-ray. (Video available at above download link).

**Amazon.com – Star Trek Limited Edition Replica Gift Set (Three-Disc + Digital Copy) [Blu-ray]

CANADA
**Best Buy Canada – 3-Disc Special Edition Blu-Ray Collectible packaging – Easily assembles to become a Star Trek U.S.S. Enterprise DVD Package! (same as Target in the US).

**Future Shop – Exclusive 2 Disc Steelbook Edition and 3-Disc Blu-Ray Steelbook Edition.

**HMV – Limited Edition Blu-Ray Gift Set – includes Star Trek 3-Disc Blu-Ray set with Digital copy and Four Replica Starfleet Division Badges.

**Wal-Mart Canada – Exclusive Lenticular o-sleeve package on the Star Trek 2 disc DVD.

Photo courtesy of Paramount Home Entertainment

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Transformers Revenge of the Fallen

If you’re going Blu-ray, head over to Best Buy for their limited gift set which includes an exclusive Optimus Prime mini head replica and $50 gift card to sideshowcollectibles.com. Now that’s a nice bonus.

If you’re not into the whole experience, Amazon has the single-disc DVD version of Transformers Revenge of the Fallen for under $20.

The official Transformers website has some fun content in honor of the release including personalized phone calls from Optimus Prime/Starscream and the “Robotize Me” app.

Want to go behind the scenes on Transformers Revenge of the Fallen. Click here for the video if you can’t see it after the cut.

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Sony Pictures Home Entertainment calls a press conference to announce the release of Icons of Sci-Fi: Toho Collection on DVD.

Icons of Sci-Fi: Toho Collection is a great look at some of the classic films of Ishiro Honda and Toho Studios. This DVD set, which streets on August 18, includes H-Man (1958), Battle in Outer Space (1959), and Mothra (1961).  Each film has been digitally re-mastered for the best possible picture and includes the original Japanese versions and the U.S. versions, and commentaries on Battle in Outer Space and Mothra.

Mothra was one of my favorite Saturday afternoon monster movies beating out the original Godzilla by a mile. There’s something about the awesome, paintbox colors and bad split screen images that just screams Creature Double Feature. Back in the day, the films of Toho Studios were known for their patented widescreen technique, the Japanese version of Cinemascope, named TohoScope. I can still hear Lenny and Squiggy on Laverne & Shirley expressing their delight over an 18-hour monster movie marathon “in TohoScope!” Must have been something to see.

But, since I can’t see these cool movies on the big screen, I’ll settle for the remastered versions on DVD. Since I’ve only ever seen them on TV, I imagine I’ve been missing quite a lot.

H-Man (1958)

The Tokyo sewer system is an oozing mess after a radioactive liquid turns people into slimy blobs that float down the drains following a rainstorm. To add to the havoc, the gelatinous masses then begin to reproduce. The blobs are ultimately destroyed in a fire that lights up the city.

Battle in Outer Space (1959)

A series of mysterious catastrophes sweep the globe, causing the world’s scientists to conclude that beings from another planet are attacking earth. Two earth space ships damage the attackers, giving the world time to prepare for a gigantic battle in outer space.

Mothra™ (1961)

Members of a Japanese expedition to a heavily-radiated island find two tiny, beautiful girls and take them home for observation. When the girls are taken off the island, a mysterious egg hatches, producing a gargantuan moth which destroys everything in its path as it searches for the girls.

Icons of Sci-Fi: Toho Collection hits stores on August 18.

Photos courtesy of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

Post from: SF Universe

According to Variety, the DVD packaging will be the key to unlocking an online hologram image of the starship Enterprise. You’ll log in to a special site, then hold your box art up to a webcam for access. Now, if they stopped there, I’d figure that the box is simply a coded key – but the article says that by turning the box you’ll actual control the hologram, allowing you to move around, or move the Enterprise. And you can shoot things, but I’m not sure how. Maybe you shake the box rapidly, or something.

If any of you techies can explain it better, please do because frankly, I’m having a hard time picturing this.

What I can picture is the list of special features that will be included on the  Blu-ray and bonus disc versions of the DVD (there’s also a standard DVD release which is stripped down for those who want the quick and cheap movie experience.)

Now, concentrate hard on the computer screen then click the MORE tag and you too will be able to visualize the long list of special features:

DVD:

The STAR TREK two-disc DVD is presented in widescreen enhanced for 16:9 televisions with Dolby Digital English 5.1 Surround, French 5.1 Surround and Spanish 5.1 Surround with English, French and Spanish subtitles.  Special features are as follows:

Disc 1:
       •    Commentary—By director J.J. Abrams, writers Robert Orci and Alex Kurtzman, producer Damon Lindelof and executive producer Bryan Burk.
     • A New Vision— J.J. Abrams’ vision was not only to create a Star Trek that was a bigger, more action-packed spectacle, but also to make the spectacle feel real.  Every aspect of production—from unique locations to the use of classic Hollywood camera tricks—was guided by this overall objective.
        •    Gag Reel—Bloopers featuring the entire principal cast.

Disc 2:
        •    Digital Copy
        •    Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary 
            –   Spock Birth 
            –  Klingons Take Over Narada 
            –   Young Kirk, Johnny and Uncle Frank
            –   Amanda and Sarek Argue After Spock Fights
            –    Prison Interrogation and Breakout
            –    Sarek Gets Amanda
            –    Dorm Room and Kobayashi Maru (original version)
            –    Kirk Apologizes to the Green Girl
            –    Sarek Sees Spock

        •    To Boldly Go— Taking on the world’s most beloved science fiction franchise was no small mission. Director J.J. Abrams, writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, producer Damon Lindelof, and executive producer Bryan Burk talk about the many challenges they faced and their strategy for success.
        •    Casting— The producers knew their greatest task was finding the right cast to reprise these epic roles. The cast, for their part, talk about the experience of trying to capture the essence of these mythic characters. The piece concludes with a moving tribute to Leonard Nimoy.
        •    Aliens— Designers Neville Page and Joel Harlow talk about the hurdles they faced creating new alien species, recreating the Romulans and Vulcans, and designing the terrifying creatures on Delta Vega for the new Star Trek.
        •    Score— As a fan of the original series, composer Michael Giacchino embraced the challenge of creating new music for Star Trek while preserving the spirit of Alexander Courage’s celebrated theme. 
        •    DVD-Rom:
            –    STAR TREK® D-A-C Free Trial Game for XBOX 360®
            –    Weblink to the STAR TREK® D-A-C Free Trial Game for PC
            –    Weblink to the STAR TREK® D-A-C Free Trial Game for PlayStation® Network

Blu-ray

The STAR TREK three-disc Blu-ray is presented in 1080p High Definition with English 5.1 Dolby TrueHD, French 5.1 Dolby Digital and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital with English, English SDH, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles.  Special features are as follows:

Disc 1:
        •    Commentary—By director J.J. Abrams, writers Robert Orci and Alex Kurtzman, producer Damon Lindelof and executive producer Bryan Burk.
        •  NASA News— This BD-Live feature gives viewers access to the latest NASA news about real space exploration.  Learn about new mission developments and check out featured imagery from around the universe.

Disc 2:
        •    To Boldly Go—See description above.
            –    Branching Pods:
                •    The Shatner Conundrum
                •    Red Shirt Guy
                •    The Green Girl
                •    Trekker Alert!
        •    Casting—See description above.
        •    A New Vision—See description above.
            –   Branching Pods:
                •    Savage Pressure
     • Starships—Abrams and production designer Scott Chambliss were careful to pay tribute to the design of the original Enterprise, but they also wanted to make it futuristic and cool for a modern audience. This chapter focuses on the unique stories behind the creation of the film’s starships.
          –   Branching Pods:
                •    Warp Explained
                •    Paint Job
                •    Bridge Construction Accelerated
                •    The Captain’s Chair
                •    Button Acting 101
                •    Shuttle Shuffle
                •    Narada Construction Accelerated
        •    Aliens—See description above.
           –   Branching Pods:
                •    The Alien Paradox
                •    Big-Eyed Girl
                •    Big Bro Quinto
                •    Klingons
                •    Drakoulias Anatomy 101
        •    Planets— >From the frozen landscape of Delta Vega to the desert plains of Vulcan, Scott Chambliss and the art department had a number of radically different planets to create. Abrams’ desire to shoot on real locations whenever possible led the production team to a number of strange and surprising locations.
            –   Branching Pods:
                •    Extra Business
                •    Confidentiality
        •    Props and Costumes— Property master Russell Bobbitt had the unique challenge of designing props that were both true to the original series and pertinent to today’s technology.  Likewise, costume designer Michael Kaplan talks about how he designed costumes that paid homage to what came before yet were relevant and timeless.
            –    Branching Pods:
                •    Klingon Wardrobe
        •    Ben Burtt and the Sounds of Star Trek— When famed sound designer Ben Burtt was hired to create sounds for the first Star Wars film, he took his inspiration from the original “Star Trek” series. Burtt jumped at the opportunity to pay tribute to the sounds that sparked his career with the sounds he created for the new Star Trek.
        •    Score—See description above.

        •  Gene Roddenberry’s Vision— J.J. Abrams, Leonard Nimoy, previous Star Trek writers and producers, and scientific consultant Carolyn Porco describe and commend the optimistic and enduring vision of Gene Roddenberry.   
        •    Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary—See details above.
        •    Starfleet Vessel Simulator—Explore extensive data on the U.S.S. Enterprise and the Romulan ship, the Narada. Submerse yourself in breathtaking 360° views and close-ups and review detailed tech information.
        •    Gag Reel—See description above.

Disc 3:
        •    Digital Copy
        •    STAR TREK® D-A-C Free Trial Game for XBOX 360®
        •    Weblink to the STAR TREK® D-A-C Free Trial Game for PC
        •    Weblink to the STAR TREK® D-A-C Free Trial Game for PlayStation® Network

Wow. Now that’s going where no DVD has gone before.

Photo: Paramount Pictures

Post from: SF Universe

The DVD from Universal Home Entertainment comes out on July 21 in a standard single disc version (the one we’re giving away) a Blu-Ray / DVD combo and a 2-disc collector’s version with tons of great special features.

To win your copy, courtesy of Universal Home Entertainment, simply leave a comment on this post and we’d love it if you mentioned your favorite animated film. US only and contest ends on Monday, July 20 at midnight PST.

Now click through for a look at the making of Coraline!

Box art: Amazon

Post from: SF Universe

In 1958, as part of the dedication ceremony for a new elementary school, a group of students is asked to draw pictures to be stored in a time capsule. But one of the students, a mysterious girl who seems to hear whispered voices, fills her sheet of paper with rows of apparently random numbers instead.

Fast forward 50 years to the present: A new generation of students examines the contents of the time capsule and the girl’s cryptic message ends up in the hands of young Caleb Myles. But it is Caleb’s father, professor Ted Myles (Nicolas Cage), who makes the startling discovery that the encoded message predicts with pinpoint accuracy the dates, death tolls and coordinates of every major disaster of the past 50 years. As Ted further unravels the document’s secrets, he realizes it foretells three additional events—the last of which hints at destruction on a global scale and seems to somehow involve Ted and his son.

When Ted’s attempts to alert the authorities fall on deaf ears, he takes it upon himself to try to prevent more destruction from taking place.

Would you like to win Knowing on DVD? All you have to do is leave a comment on this post with the name of one of your favorite thrillers, scifi or otherwise.

The contest ends on July 8 midnight PST. US entries only please. Five winners will be chosen at random and notified by email shortly after the closing date. Good luck.

Box art and giveaways courtesy of Summit Entertainment

Post from: SF Universe

The Ghostbusters are hiring and they’ve set up a new website where they’re taking applications. It’s called, (appropriately) GhostbustersIsHiring.com. Egon Spengler is still putting the finishing touches on the site, but when it’s done you’ll be able to upload your own ghostbusting photos and videos. The best Ghostbusters applicants will appear on the Blu-Ray Live special feature on the new Ghostbusters Blu-Ray DVD. And one lucky applicant will win a trip to Comic-Con – a place that is simply overflowing with the creepy, the spooky and the ookey!

Who you gonna call? Win this contest and the answer could be YOU!

Photo: Amazon

Post from: SF Universe

It’s also been ten years since the release of the original Star Wars fandom documentary, A Galaxy Far Far Away. Back in 1999, filmmaker Tariqu Jalil decided to take his camera along on an exploration of the Star Wars phenomena. He hung out with fans who camped for more than a month outside of Grauman’s Chinese Theater, captured the frenzy of the new action figure releases at Toys R Us and he profiled those that saw Star Wars as a way of life. He cut this all together with celebrity interviews and other madness to form an 80 minute pop culture documentary that was called “incredibly clever” by Fim Threat.

Me? I say, not so much.

On April 21, 2009, Cinevolve Studios released A Galaxy Far Far Away: 10th Anniversary Collector’s Edition and they sent me a copy for review. I’m sure they thought I’d praise it up one side and down, but sadly, I can’t. Working backwards here, I have to say, “collector’s edition?”

What you have here is the original documentary from the 90’s with a new package, and two additional commentaries by the filmmakers to go along with the old commentary, deleted scenes and new interviews. Seriously, fellas, you had that much to say that you needed three commentary tracks to do it? And when you take into concideration that this is a documentary — which by the very nature of the beast, IS a commentary on the subject matter being explored. . . it gives me a headache.

The bigger issue here is the documentary itself. It’s predictably a look at the freakiest of fans, the ones that can’t form an English sentence. The ones that think Luke Skywalker is the messiah, the ones that name their kids after the characters despite the fact that they’ll be teased unmercifully for the rest of their lives. I’m a fan, so I get it and I’m not denying that there are plenty of fannish people who need a reality check — but we’re not all like that. All I’m asking for is a little balance. I’m cool with the guys dressed as Stormtroopers, but where’s the guy who was so inspired by the movie he became an award-winning filmmaker.  How about those fans who put together a charity auction to help the bushfire victims in Austrailia? Or the talented Japanese artist whose work was influenced by Star Wars?

Mocking is easy, and we’ve seen it time and time again. But why is it that If a guy paints himself blue and sits in the bleachers with no shirt in 30 degree weather he’s a football fan! Whoohoo! But if a guy dresses up a Yoda and goes to a convention then he’s a reality-challenged freak.

Enough with the mocking already. Fandom rocks. This DVD, doesn’t.

Post from: SF Universe