May 2009 Archives

By Dan Owen

The summer is traditionally a time where television takes a backseat, as networks are aware many viewers will be making the most of the clement weather, or going on holiday. That said, it's hardly a drought in this multichannel era, so here are my recommendations if you find yourself in front of the goggle-box on a warm summer evening...

My Own Worst Enemy, Sci-Fi Channel – Thursdays @9pm
This is another casuality of the cutthroat US system, axed after nine episodes. Christian Slater plays Henry Spivey, a middle-class guy in middle-management with two kids and a wife in the suburbs. Edward Albright is a womanizing secret agent who speaks 13 languages and can run a four-minute mile. The twist is: Henry and Edward share the same body, but only Edward is aware that his "cover" is the unassuming Henry personality. Sadly, the potential in this Jekyll & Hyde-meets-James Bond action-adventure never really gets going – thanks primarily to a premise that has more holes than a teabag and storylines that never really grab your attention. Still, I've seen far worse and MOWE does have a handful of nice surprises in its short run...

By Erik Samdahl

We're four movies in to the 2009 summer season, and boy has it been a disastrous start. Star Trek exceeded expectations for most people, but X-Men Origins: Wolverine was terrible. Angels & Demons, which I have yet to see, has received pretty disappointing reviews, and now Terminator Salvation, a movie with what are arguably the best trailers of the year, has proven our worst fears: McG was not the right choice for taking on such a decorated franchise.

Terminator Salvation is not your parents' Terminator, which means it also isn't your Terminator. From the first previews it was clear that this was going to be case - which is fine - but regardless of a different tone and look, McG's effort had some huge shoes to fill. And it doesn't come anywhere close, like a little person trying to walk around in Yao Ming's Nikes.

By Jay Garrett

First off, thanks for putting up with my random Tweets on Twitter when I shifted all my posts from my old site to the new GadgetyNews.com home.

All is well now :)

Since our last meeting Sony's new Alpha DSLR's have been officially priced after being leaked on their Russian site, TeamXbox say that Microsoft is releasing something that sits 'tween Xbox and Zune and Someone with waaaaay too much time on their hands has built a full-sized replica of a Fender combo out of LEGO!

We have also been treated to leaked pics of Microsoft Office 2010, Phosphor have released some really cool looking e-Ink watches and Sharp have released a cameraphone that's more camera than phone.

By Dan Owen

Once again, BBC1's Saturday evening was swallowed up by the EUROVISION SONG CONTEST for three hours.

There were actually a few good reasons to bother watching this year, too: Terry Wogan has been replaced as the competition's narrator, by fellow Irishman Graham Norton. Norton did a decent job of imparting the information while gently mocking the entries, although it was a little strange to hear him essentially reading a very Wogan-esque script.  Maybe next year he'll have the confidence to bring some of his own brand of humour to the event.

By Erik Samdahl

Will Angels & Demons be better than The Da Vinci Code? How could it not be?

Despite what you may think of Ron Howard, he’s a pretty sturdy director who consistently pumps out solid, entertaining fare. Tom Hanks, respectively, has generally proven to choose his projects wisely as well. And yet, when the two joined forces to adapt the wildly popular “The Da Vinci Code” by Dan Brown, something went horribly awry. The movie was boring, plodding and at times cheesy; this was not the cliffhanger-filled suspense novel so many people read.

By Jay Garrett

Wow!  What a week.

There's actual real personal jet-packs coming on the market, robotic panda bartenders tell you when you should stop drinking, drivers have their speed managed via satellite, and motorbikes are powered by air!

It's the future – now!

In Apple-flavoured areas: The WWDC date and keynote time has been announced as well as some of the new  iPhone specs being leaked.

There's also been a couple of great things for fans of building things of plastic bricks.

Yup – LEGO has inspired a funky lamp as well as some rather cool shades.

By Dan Owen

I was unimpressed with the first episode, but has it improved over the past few weeks? Well, not really. For a show where the main character sells razors, its satire is conspicuously blunt. But, despite its sitcom-y rounded corners, I do find myself pulled along by Martin Clunes' performance as the eponymous misanthrope having a midlife crisis. He's a more lovable version of Leonard Rossiter's original caustic grouch, but that's not necessarily a bad thing...

You can sympathize with Reggie's languorous lifestyle and share his pain at being surrounded by office dullards. Even the fact none of them are realistic people lends added horror to proceedings; it's as if Reggie's been dropped into a trite sitcom (with sycophant underlings, a deadpan secretary and an idiotic, younger boss.)

By Erik Samdahl

It only took two weeks of summer to get to the good stuff, as J.J. Abrams' Star Trek for non-Trekkies has arrived, and it is quite a spectacle.

Exciting action and an entertaining, swift screenplay are capped by stunning visual effects in what can only be described as the first blockbuster Star Trek of the franchise. It isn't perfect, but it is one of those movies I will be going to see again in theaters - and those don't come along very often.

As an introduction, I am a Star Trek fan. I am not, however, a Trekkie. I don't dress up, I don't know the science behind warp drive and I can't speak Klingon. I make fun of Trekkies, but I also have enjoyed all of the television series save for "Enterprise" and most of the movies. 

By Jay Garrett

It's been a Googley week since we last met.

HTC's Magic has been released, Android 1.5 (or Cupcake) has also been unleashed and most recently Bigfoot (that's the G1 v.2) has been leaked via T-Mobile's roadmap.

The other software story of note is that Microsoft 7 Release Candidate 1 is now available for all to download for free and most feedback has been good.

The Sun's Page 3 Models have helped uncover the fact that parental controls are coming to iPhone's 3.0 os.

By Dan Owen

First, some orientation for readers. Box-Eyed is the new name for TV Week, so-named because it allows for a slightly broader approach to what I was doing on TV Week. As a keen blogger writing lots of TV reviews every week at Dan's Media Digest (DMD), it was becoming difficult to come up with fresh material here at Newslite.tv. So, rather than just repeat myself with abridged versions of days-old DMD content, Box-Eyed has come about. It will still feature reviews of shows I don't have the time to fit into my personal blog, but it will also allow me to take a different approach to the column when needs be. To kick-off, I'm going to highlight what I think you NEED to be watching every week, on British television:

By Erik Samdahl

Is there really any question as to what to see this weekend? The only real movie to see this weekend is X-Men Origins: Wolverine, the prequel to the hugely successful X-Men series. The movie returns Hugh Jackman to his signature role, pitting him against Liev Schreiber, who plays Sabretooth.

Wolverine allows Fox and Marvel to put on display all kinds of mutants that fans have been waiting to see, and explore the back story of one of the most interesting heroes in comic book history. More importantly for the studios, Wolverine is a catalyst for a line of X-Men Origins stories, each a potential cash cow (though I’d compare the planned Magneto film to the forgettable Hannibal Rising).