So here’s a thanks to all of our commenters along with some of the best of what we’ve seen these past few months.

Let’s start with Donald who had a lot to say about how Stargate Universe can be saved:

The story points that MUST change are as follows.
1. WE NEED A HERO. No heroes here to root for. Who is the good guy here?
2. A soap opera plot line. Need I say more? What is this doing here?
3. Wife and boyfriend problems back on earth. These trips to Earth serve little purpose in the story that the audience in really interested in.
4. No control of their destiny (no pun intended) but really they can’t even steer the damn ship! Its nuts the way the writers think that we will support a plot line like this. I’ll grant that it could be a short story arc but it’s gone on way too long.
5. PLEASE FIND SOMEONE WHO KNOWS HOW TO USE A CAMERA! This handy cam/dirty style of shooting does not give the show any gravitas. Someone sold the producers on this idea and they were robbed. Please hear the collective opinion of the viewers, WE CAN’T STAND IT!

Read his entire comment here.

Joe had this to say about Ghost Hunters Academy:

Steve needs to lighten up. He tells of how a former colleague ran out of an investigation and forbids any one else to do so. But yet he runs like a little girl when he sees a spider. Gimme a break…. Susan Slaughter is a hottie…..

Scott was a bit more detailed in his comments:

Concept of show is great. I would have like to see one contestant eliminated after each investigation. Then the last one standing becomes a finalist. Then you bring in a new group of five and do the same thing until you have five final finalists. Then you start eliminating the finalist until you have a winner. The current five you have now are not good. Don’t really want to watch them all doing multiple investigations. That girl who claims to be a psychic should have gone two episodes ago. refusing to go on tours and covering up her ears in the van. She’s on the show to be a paranormal investigator not a pyschic. be a team player or should leave the show and open up a storefront and do psychic readings. The entire group taking her on a second tour of the N. Carolina ship showed a real lack of leadership. Steve tells the group to not forget to tag and what do they do? Don’t tag. I saw get rid of them all or go to the elimination process I suggested. Thanks…

And Mark had even more to say on the subject.

Here’s some of my observations and ramblings…
I am just starting to study the paranormal field and I have shows like Ghost Hunters to thank for that. One of the areas that I find increasingly fascinating is employing the skills of mediums in conjunction with a “scientific” approach to ghost hunting. The case studies I have been reading about actually don’t want the mediums to accompany the investigators when approaching a new client, this might bias her/him, and so they ask them to hang back. Then, after hearing the history and reports of activity they bring in the medium to try and validate what they were told or to sense the presence (or not) of any entities. I have heard the term trance medium mentioned in some case studies, but I am not sure all of them have this ability. Trance mediums channel an entities personality through themselves.

Click here to read his full comment.

Phoenix gives it up for Vampire Diaries

Oh, you’re *so* right about putting “Twilight” out of your mind! I was extremely reluctant to begin watching “The Vampire Diaries” because it looked so much like just another leap onto the massively overpopular vampire bandwagon, but I finally settled in to an online streaming website and watched episodes 1-10 a couple of weeks ago and I’m extremely glad that I did.

TVD is actually a fairly original story — it’s true that the Stefan/Elena relationship (and Stefan himself) at times seems like almost *too* much of a throwback to watching Buffy and Angel’s tortured relationship in season two of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” but it’s just original enough — and just non-”Twilight”esque — to be enjoyable.

Not to mention, for a teen-show villain, Damon is actually rather frightening, if you take his murderously cavalier actions at face value. One thing the show never shies from is the grim reality of how Damon continues living — and thoroughly enjoys it. It’s nice that after so many sympathetic woe-is-me bloodsuckers we finally have a *real* bad guy to root against.

It’s just too bad that the culmination of this marathon is going to be on the same Friday that FOX will start airing the final episodes of “Dollhouse” or I’d rewatch “The Vampire Diaries” from start to finish. Oh, well — thank god for Hulu!

While Mark holds nothing back with his thoughts on the recent Prisoner reboot.

C-R-A-P!

I never got my hopes up with this farce of a re-make. The only thing that almost did was the casting of Jim Caviezel. I quote Tom above: “soul-crushingly disappointing” But now look, whomever says that Caviezel did a bad job portraying no. 6 is not thinking before opening their mouth. Did he not do as good a job as he could have, given that total CRAP of a script and story line by that Bill Gallagher genius? He was given too many dumb lines. Where Patrick Mcgoohan had the great ability to carry the original series with his dry humor and sardonic  wit (Clint Eastwood also comes to mind), not to mention TRUE genius writing and directing skills. But what was given Caviezel, did not make that nearly as possible for him to do. Give him a deserved break huh! I could picture the original no. 6 falling for the old buried childhood momentos in the sand ploy, and having that give him doubts..lol! And standing in front of the Green Dome screaming his head off that he was going to destroy no. 2 …..sitting inside eating some f*#^ing fruit cake (well at least that was quite fitting, given the casting of the actor who played no.2). Can you imagine McGoohan doing that? Or being so CONFORMING and going along with the “brother” lies…..or the going “back” to his bus driving job? Let me guess. It was all part of 6’s plan right? lol suurrrre it was.

You can read his full rant right here.

If you really want to see the mother of all comment threads from the past few months, take a look at this post about the new Discovery Channel Show Ghost Lab.

Once again, thank you to everyone who reads and comments here at SFUniverse. We always welcome your opinions even if we don’t always understand them.

“Never underestimate the tenacity of a reprobate mind.”

—Mark Z.

Photo: Stock.xchng

Post from: SF Universe

The first two parts will air tonight, then two more parts for the next three days. Plan on paying attention because this isn’t a fluffy, action series. The Prisoner is loaded with twists and turns and clues are left like breadcrumbs all along the way.

Jim Caviezel stars as Number Six. We’ll travel with him to The Village and we’ll learn what happens when one tries to escape. But why would you want to? The Village is a lovely place where everyone is all smiles and sunshine. But series co-star Jaime Campbell Bower says that all smiles all the time is kind of creepy and we must agree.

The Prisoner has this off-kilter feel to it that leaves you wondering if something dreadful is going to happen at any moment. A happy reunion is tinged with darkness, and what about that family who won the trip to “Escape Resort”? It makes me think about the movie Running Man, where Richard Dawson shows the clip of the “winners” living it up on an island when the truth is their both well-past dead.

The Prisoner is a terrific reboot with a stellar cast and a beautiful cinematic style. The only downside is the two hour block. That’s a lot of information to absorb. If you can do it. Watch one hour and save the other for tomorrow. Time shift the whole series an extra three days and I think you’ll really enjoy this unusual show from AMC.

Remember, there are still a few more days to enter to win the original The Prisoner on Blu-ray. Click here to enter.

Photos: AMC

Post from: SF Universe

Jaime Campbell Bower

London-born Jaime has been jetting his way around the world these past few months, working and doing press for his projects, but he found time to talk with me one morning last week.  Me near the beach in Southern California and him at the top of a skyscraper in New York — it was, most definitely, a global conversation.

Anyone who reads this blog regularly will tell you that I’m often enchanted with the look of a TV show and The Prisoner is no exception. It’s simply beautiful to look at.

Jaime: Television has come along leaps and bounds in the last six years, everything is a lot more cinematic in a, the way it’s shot, b, the way it’s acted and c, the story lines. It’s either a really long film or a mini-series. (laughs) We did approach [this TV show] more cinematically and I think that’s great. It’s very unlike a lot of television that we, particularly in England, see.

I understand you filmed the series in South Africa.

Jaime: We shot the first two and half months in Namibia – bottom left, up a little bit, which was amazing but we all went a little stir crazy. We were in a rather small town and once you’ve seen the dolphins and the oyster farms and gone to the best restaurants in town for three weeks, you just have to do it again and again.

Then we had the shining light of Cape Town, the beacon of joy at the end of the two and half months. We spent two months in Cape Town having a great time seeing whales and doing all sorts of fun things, a little big of filming here and there, but it was mostly about the fun.

Ian McKellen plays your father. What was it like working with him?

Jaime: It was terrible (laughs).  He’s a lovely gentleman and very amazing actor and it was honestly a pleasure to be able to work with him. We’ve become friends and it’s just lovely, lovely, lovely.

I AM NOT A NUMBER

One of the themes of The Prisoner is this idea that we’re all becoming nothing but numbers. What are your thoughts?

Jaime: I think everyone suffers from a “lack of identity” crisis.  I’m sitting in New York now and out the window I can see some ginormous buildings and I feel like an ant in comparison to them. [I wonder] who is at the top of those buildings? What do they do? What companies are they running? Then there’s the idea of surveillance, the idea that we’re all being watched. Who’s watching?  All you need to do now is go on to Google maps and you can go to street view. If someone got hold of my address they could see my house and your house and see which would be the best way to get in if they wanted to steal something. It’s a pretty scary prospect.

It’s the evolution of man, maybe we’ll end up destroying ourselves, who knows, but I doubt we’ll be around to see it so we’ll be all right.

Another big part of the show is the idea of concept of freedom. No one is allowed to leave The Village but most people don’t want to since they have everything they need right there.

Jaime: For my character, having been born there and raised there, that’s all I know and who actually wouldn’t want to live in a society where everything is fine? That’s the idea of the village, everything is fine and everyone has a good time and smiles and hugs and sparkles. There’s something nice about that, but incredibly creepy as well.

Would I like to live in a world where I could have anything I wanted but I have to stay in the same place? I feel like that’s what I do anyway. Travel is so easy, but it doesn’t feel like you’re going very far and once you’ve been to a place before and you have to go back there, it doesn’t feel like much has changed.

A MUSICAL INTERLUDE

Moving away from TV for a moment, I understand you also play in a band. How do you manage to fit that in with your schedule?

Jaime: It’s whenever I get down time; I play with my band or write music.  It’s a different outlet. Performing a script is very different than performing one of your own songs. When you’re performing a script it’s someone else’s words and ideas but when you’re performing your own song you’re putting your balls on the line, effectively. It’s your opinion; your thoughts. They’re two different things, but I love them both equally.

Is there a band you like that you think everyone should be listening to?

Jaime: Yes, there’s a great Danish band called Kashmir who are incredibly progressive with their sound.  They started off sort of post-punk, kind of Radiohead-esque and then moved on to more Jeff Buckley kind of spacey sounds.  They released an album The Good Life, which I actually hold as possibly my favorite album of all time. And then they released an album in 2005 called No Balance Palace. I really think people should listen to them.

Wrapping up with The Prisoner — what would you like people to take away after watching the show.

Jaime: I’d love people to sit up and ask the questions, ‘who’s watching us,’ and ‘why are they watching us.’ I hold faith in humanity that hopefully they will, but who knows what they’re reaction will be.

The Prisoner premieres on Sunday, November 15 at 8pm/7c on AMC. The series will air over three consecutive nights, with two episodes each evening, from 8PM to 10PM.

A man, known as “Six,” finds himself inexplicably trapped in “The Village” with no memory of how he arrived. As he explores his environment, he discovers that his fellow inhabitants are identified by number instead of name, have no memory of any prior existence, and are under constant surveillance. Not knowing whom to trust, Six is driven by the need to discover the truth behind The Village, the reason for his being there, and most importantly — how he can escape.

Two-time Academy Award nominee Ian McKellen (Lord of the Rings, X-Men) plays the role of Two, and Jim Caviezel (The Passion of the Christ, The Thin Red Line) plays the role of Six.

Visit the official site for more info: http://www.amctv.com/originals/the-prisoner/

Photos courtesy of AMC

Post from: SF Universe

The 1968 series stars Patrick McGoohan as a man caught in a nightmare. After leaving his super-secret job, he is kidnapped and wakes up in The Village, a happy, Waldenesque town where people are numbers and no one is allowed to think for themselves. Under the watchful eye of Big Brother, Number Six, as he is labeled, must decode the secret of The Village so he can escape and get back to the real world. . . that is if the real world still exists to return to.

This Blu-ray features a newly remixed 5.1 surround sound track and hours of bonus footage including:

• ‘Don’t Knock Yourself Out’: a feature-length documentary chronicling the production
• Two Brand-New Featurettes: ‘The Pink Prisoner’ and ‘You Make Sure it Fits!’
• Newly restored original edit of ‘Arrival’ with an optional music-only soundtrack featuring Wilfred Josephs’ complete and abandoned score
• Ooriginal edit of ‘The Chimes of Big Ben’
• Production crew audio commentaries on seven episodes
• Archive textless material, including the title sequence with clean  themes by Ron Grainer, Wilfred Josephs and Robert Farnon
• Image Archive with over 1200 stills
• Production Paperwork Archive, featuring scripts, call sheets and press releases (DVD-ROM Feature).

I love behind the scenes materials, so that DVD-Rom feature makes me giddy with joy.

If you would like to win the original The Prisoner: The Complete Series on Blu-Ray (remember, this will not play on your DVD player, you must have a Blu-ray player), here’s how you enter:

ENTER TO WIN

Leave a comment on this post with the answer to this question: If you were a number, what number would you be?

Deadline to enter is November 18 at midnight PST. Winner will be notified by email and will have three days to respond.

US only please.

Photo: Amazon

Post from: SF Universe

Jim Caviezel stars in the AMC remake of The Prisoner — the perfect show for those of you who enjoy a twisted puzzle. The series premieres next Sunday, November 15 from 8 to 1o and I’ve got some goodies to get you ready to take the plunge.

It all begins on The Prisoner Portal Page. There you can what the 90-second trailer and view the six spotlight videos that discuss the themes behind this scifi thriller.

Once you have the basics, you’ll want to explore your new surroundings. Here is a map of The Village and a wiki page that will answer some (but never all ) of your questions. Don’t stray too far though or Rover will come and get you.

If you have iTunes, you can download a free sneak peak and then find out how the original Prisoner influenced the creators of Battlestar Galactica (here’s a hint, it’s in the numbers), Lost and more with The Prisioner Pop Culture Time Line.

Earlier this week, I had some one-on-one time with Jaime Campbell Bower who stars as the Number 11-12 son of Ian McKellen’s Number 2 in this new series. Jaime, who also stars in Twlight: New Moon and the upcoming Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows, had plenty to say about the concept of “big brother is watching” and the famous Prisoner quote, “I am not a number.” We also talk about filming in South Africa and his favorite Danish band. I’ll have the full interview for you early next week, so keep checking in here at SFUniverse.

The Prisoner premieres on Sun., Nov. 15 from 8PM to 10PM ET | PT. The Prisoner will air over three consecutive nights, with two episodes each evening, from 8PM to 10PM ET | PT on AMC.

Photo courtesy of AMC.

Post from: SF Universe

The trailer is a nice mix of recreated scenes from the original and new scenes all with that same happy but creepy feel! Oh, you crack me up, Six.

Welcome to The Village.

Post from: SF Universe