Book Review “Star Trek: A Very Klingon Khristmas”

Author: Paul Ruditis
Illustrator: Patrick Faricy
Series: Star Trek
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Gallery Books
Release Date: October 29, 2013

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

Wow, what an amazing idea! That was what I was thinking when I first saw this book advertised. There are millions are “Star Trek” fans like myself that probably thinking the exact same thing. “A Very Klingon Khristmas” is a very clever and funny story and a must have for any fan of the franchise. This book is quite cheap (around $10) and I see this being a frequent cheap gift for many to give to their friends and family this holiday season.

Official Premise: This hilarious parody firmly plants Klingons at the center of the Christmas story—where they rightly should be—including everything from a Santa equipped with retractable claws, tribbles in the stockings of naughty Klingon boys and girls, and the spirited holiday warmth of a hot cup of mulled blood wine. Illustrated in a classic Norman Rockwell–inspired style, A Very Klingon Khristmas is the perfect holiday gift for every Star Trek fan!

The illustrations in “A Very Klingon Khristmas” are very eye-catching. They are very colorful and have that classic yet retro feel to them. You can tell that the author was a big “Trek” nerd himself since he aims to please all fans of the franchise here. Kudos also go to Gallery Books for delivering a fine release. The hardcover book is well presented and high quality. They could have cheaped out on this book knowing that “Star Trek” hardcore fans anyway but this delivers.

 

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DVD Review “Journey to the Christmas Star”

Starring: Agnes Kittelsen, Jakob Oftebro
Directed by: Nils Gaup
Studio: Vertical Entertainment
DVD Release Date: November 5th, 2013
MPAA Rating: G
Running Time: 77 Minutes

Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars

“Journey to the Christmas Star” caught my eye since I noticed it was made by the Norwegian chapter of Disney. That’s right Walt Disney. Obviously this film is dubbed in English over the original language but kids aren’t going to notice that aspect. The story is so sweet and it really is a beautiful holiday film. Even though it is quite short, I will look forward to adding to title to our must watch each Christmas.

Official Premise: A courageous girl sets out on an epic journey to find the Christmas Star, free the kingdom from a curse and bring back a long lost princess. With an evil witch attempting to stop her completing her journey, the little girl must overcome great adversity. A Christmas adventure for the whole family set in a magnificent winter wonderland.

One cool fact that I found about about “Journey to the Christmas Star” is that when it released in Norway during Christmas 2012 it sold 450,000 admissions and had become the second best-selling Norwegian film in 2012 only beaten by “Kon-Tiki”, which was also huge in the U.S. This film has some decent visual effects and some very impressive scenery. Sadly, there are no special features included on this DVD besides a trailer. I would have loved to seem some production featurettes.

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Blu-ray Review “Star Trek: The Next Generation – Season 5”

Starring: Leonard Nimoy, Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner, Michael Dorn, Gates McFadden, Marina Sirtis
Rated: TV-PG
Number of discs: 6
Studio: Paramount
Release Date: November 19, 2013
Run Time: 1182 minutes

Season: 5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3 out of 5 stars

Season 5 is an important one in the history of “Star Trek: The Next Generation”. During it’s production, we had the passing of “Star Trek” creator Gene Roddenberry. The show includes some amazing episodes including “Cost of Living”, “A Matter of Time”, “The City on the Edge of Forever” and “Conundrum”, “Time’s Arrow” and of course “Unification”. I might even go as far as say that season five has some of the best episodes of the series.  The show was really on auto pilot for this season and they really just had some amazing arcs. Seven episodes from this season were also nominated for eight different Emmy awards as well. Two more to go Paramount let’s finish with a bang! Keep them coming!

Official Premise: Star Trek: The Next Generation Season Five never looked more stunning than it does on Blu-ray with 1080p high definition picture. Experience enhanced visual effects rebuilt from the original elements and surround yourself with the digitally remastered 7.1 sound (or choose the original broadcast audio). You’ll feel like you’ve plunged into the 24th century for some of the series’ most thrilling moments, including the epic two-part episode “Unification” as Capt. Picard (Patrick Stewart) pursues a rogue Ambassador Spock (Leonard Nimoy) into enemy Romulan territory. Discover all-new, never-before-seen bonus features as you join the USS Enterprise on the ultimate voyage.

The 26 episodes from season 5 are: :”Redemption Part II”, “Darmok”, “Ensign Ro”, “Silicon Avatar”, “Disaster”, “The Game”, “Unification Part I”, “Unification Part II”, “A Matter of Time”, “New Ground”, “Hero Worship”, “Violations”, “The Masterpiece Society”, “Conundrum”, “Power Play”, “Ethics”, “The Outcast”, “Cause and Effect”, “The First Duty”, “Cost of Living”, “The Perfect Mate”, “Imaginary Friend”, “I, Borg”, “The Next Phase”, “The Inner Light”, “Time’s Arrow Part I”.

Like the past four seasons, Paramount has really given a whole lotta love to this series. These episodes are newly remastered within their 1080p transfer. In fact, this series has improved its look throughout each season. The visual effects look better and overall the show just feels much sharper. Same goes for the DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 surround track, which is a such a treat for this series.

In terms of special features, I felt a little let down though for past season. There are audio commentaries tracks on “Cause and Effects”, “The First Duty”, “I, Borg” and “The Inner Light”. There are only three featurettes included. The first focusing on the season with “Requiem: A Remembrance of Star Trek: The Next Generation”. The second looks into the show’s tunes with “In Conversation: The Music of Star Trek: The Next Generation”. The last looks at the man who created it all with “What He Left Behind: The Roddenberry Legacy”. Rounding out the rest there are Archival Mission Logs, Deleted Scenes, Episode Promos and a Gag Reel included.

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Blu-ray Review “Star Trek: The Next Generation – Unification”

Starring: Leonard Nimoy, Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner, Michael Dorn, Gates McFadden, Marina Sirtis
Rated: TV-PG
Studio: Paramount
Release Date: November 19, 2013
Run Time: 85 minutes

Episodes: 5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3.5 out of stars

If you are a fan of “Star Trek: The Next Generation”, “Unification” is one of the fan favorite episodes since it brings back Leonard Nimoy to reprise his iconic role of Spock. I remember the first time I saw this episode and it has always left an impact with me. It is such an amazing two part story and one of my favorite arcs. If you follow the recent Blu-ray releases for “Star Trek: The Next Generation”, Paramount has been individually releasing each season’s cliffhanger finale. It may seem like a double dip but for us hardcore fan it is a must own to have these great episodes together and packed with exclusive extras!

Official Premise: The epic two-part story seamlessly unified into one feature length presentation! Leonard Nimoy reprises his iconic role as Spock and joins the crew of the Enterpriser in this fan-favorite double episode! When the Federation calls for help in locating an ambassador suspected of defecting, Picard is troubled to learn that Spock is the one who has vanished. Seeking information from Spock’s ailing father, Sarek, and unlikely help from the Klingons, Picard and his crew find the ambassador pursuing a personal mission on Romulus: a Vulcan/Romulan reunification. But though the Romulans claim to support the same goal, their motives are not what they seem.

The two unified episodes look amazing (as always for this series) with its newly remastered 1080p transfer. It is also backed with a phenomenal DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 surround track, which really makes this arc feel like a epic movie. For a Blu-ray only consisting of two episodes, the special features are quite impressive. There is an audio commentary track with Jeri Taylor and Mike & Denise Okuda. There is a great behind-the-scenes look with “From One Generation to the Next: The Making of ‘Unification'”. Must see for any fan of the show and might I add only available on this Blu-ray release. Lastly there is an deleted scene, which was restored to HD and episode promos for each part.

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Blu-ray Review “Star Wars: The Clone Wars – The Complete Season Five”

Starring: Matt Lanter, Ashley Eckstein, James Arnold Taylor, Corey Burton, André Sogliuzzo, Mat Lucas,
Director: Dave Filoni
Number of discs: 2
Rated: TV-PG
Studio: Warner Home Video
DVD Release Date: October 15, 2013
Run Time: 447 minutes

Season: 4 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3 out of 5 stars

That’s it folks, here is the final (and fifth) season of “Star Wars: The Clone Wars”. This show was easily one of the best things on television for the last 5+ years. The show got increasingly better with each season as it matured. It also got quite darker with its storylines. I liked that they weren’t afraid to take that route and give the hardcore “Star Wars” fans what they were looking for while still adhering to the younger audience. Easily the best arc in this season has to be the one around Ahsoka Tano. I was blown away with this season and I feel that it just ended too soon. Luckily, LucasFilm has big plans for its next animated series “Star Wars Rebels”, which premieres next year. I will be anxiously waiting and hope that it can hold the same charm and excitement that “Clone Wars” did.

Season Five Official Premise: In its Emmy-winning fifth season, the gripping Star Wars story moves closer to the grim events of Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith and several major players face their destinies as the galaxy plunges into darkness. Planets are rocked by revolution, ancient Jedi secrets are explored, and Ahsoka Tano — the spirited Padawan so central to the series — faces a major crisis that will change her forever.

One thing I loved (loved…tear) about “The Clone Wars” was that it is extremely cinematic and each arc feels like a mini movie. The 1080p transfers like past seasons doesn’t cease to impress. The animation is extremely sharp and the details are extremely meticulous. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track also delivers for each episode completely. These episodes are so epic and action packed and you get a perfectly balanced track from every ship flying by to lightsaber activating.

The 2-disc Blu-ray release of “The Complete Season Five” delivers all 20 episodes bring the series to a close (another tear). It includes two episodes in their director’s cuts, which were never seen on TV. Get ready for this, there are an audio commentary track on EACH episode, so yes that’s 20 commentary tracks! Fans, including myself, are going to love going through each episode of this great season once again to get the inside tip. Also exclusive to Blu-ray (for a limited time) is “Jedi Archives”, which is an extensive database of early animation, concept art and 3D turnarounds for the season.

 

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Book Review “Star Wars: Frames”

Author: George Lucas/LucasFilm Ltd
Hardcover: 736 pages
Publisher: Abrams
Release Date: October 29, 2013

Our Score: 5 out of 5 stars

One thing that “Star Wars” has is that it is extremely visual. For a film series that started back in the 70’s it was and still is revolutionary in terms of visual effects. When I heard about “Star Wars: Frames”, I wasn’t sure what to expect but I was speechless when I opened this book. The book consists of over a thousand images from all six of the films…and that is all. But that is enough to leave you speechless for hours while you look through each of these amazing frames hand picked from the “Star Wars” franchise. I should also mention that this complete set a freaking ton, I would say at least 25 pounds. It is split into two books the first is the original trilogy and the second one is the prequel trilogy. This book may have no words but it is outstanding and a must have for any “Star Wars” fan.

Official Premise: After George Lucas finished work on Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, he wanted to look back on the Star Wars saga with an entirely new point of view: isolating stills, or frames, from each of the six Star Wars films, focusing on them intensely as works of photography and design, and reproducing them in a book. For two years Lucas went through more than 150,000 frames per film, editing more than 1 million frames down to the 1,416 images that now comprise Star Wars: Frames, a testament to the hard work, craftsmanship, and dedication evident in every frame of every film. Star Wars: Frames brings together Lucas’s personal shot-by-shot selections into a lavishly designed two-volume hardcover set—one volume for the Original Trilogy and one volume for the Prequel Trilogy. For collectors and fans, Star Wars: Frames is the ultimate look on this grand project devoted to a cinematic phenomenon—and the ultimate Star Wars collector’s tome.

Each of these volumes consists of two 368 page hardcover books, which are enclosed in this gorgeous deluxe slipcase. What makes this very cool is that these frames are also George Lucas’ personal shot-by-shot frame selection from all six films. Guillermo del Toro gives a wonderful introduction for the original trilogy, which is very in-depth and we get inside the mind of one of my favorite directors and his real passion for “Star Wars”. For the prequel trilogy, J.W. Rinzler, who is the  author and editor for Lucas Licensing’s book division, gives an equally awesome (but slightly shorter) introduction. This book is retailing for $150 dollars but trust me it is worth every single dollar. This is going to be one of my prize pieces in my “Star Wars” collection.

 

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Book Review “Star Wars Art: Concept”

Author: LucasFilm Ltd
Series: Star Wars Art Series
Hardcover: 176 pages
Publisher: Abrams
Release Date: October 15, 2013

Our Score: 5 out of 5 stars

“Star Wars” is such a phenomenon and packs a presence like no other franchise. The “Star Wars Art” series has been quite amazing over the last few years, courtesy of Abrams. When it comes to concept art, you know that “Star Wars” is not going to disappoint. I couldn’t wait to open this book and I was literally blown away by hundreds of images of conceptual artwork from this franchise. I would call this book nothing short of spectacular. I read a lot of art of books for various films and this one is easily the best I have seen all year, no question. The detail is so in depth for these films and the images are absolutely gorgeous and delivered in very high quality. All six films are well represented here and you are literally transported to the amazing world that “Star Wars” has created and get an inside alternate look into that world.

Official Premise: From Ralph McQuarrie and Joe Johnston to Doug Chiang, Ryan Church, Iain McCaig, Erik Tiemens, and the next generation of animation and video-game artists, Star Wars Art: Concept collects, for the first time ever, the very best Star Wars conceptual artwork. As curated by George Lucas, the artwork that helped bring the Star Wars Saga to life is revealed in all its glory, featuring pre-production drawings and paintings from the Original Trilogy, the Prequel Trilogy, the TV shows, and the video games, including an exclusive preview of artwork from the highly anticipated 1313. Spanning the years from 1975 to the present, Star Wars Art: Concept is a fascinating look at the process of conceptual design. From pen and paint and paper to the digital realm, the result is the creation of breathtaking iconic worlds, vehicles, and characters that successive generations have embraced and made their own.

I think that any “Star Wars” fan big or small, young or old is going to eat up every page and every inch of this book. Who wouldn’t want to see early designs for various characters, creatures, and droids. I spent hours looking over different variations of our favorite characters including R2-D2, C-3PO, Darth Vader, Stormtroopers, Boba Fett, Padme, Tusken Raiders and of course everyone’s favorite Jar Jar Binks. Besides, characters there is also tons more including various locations and vehicles. There are even some that never made it into the films at all, which is a real treat for any fan of the series. So besides all six films we also get an inside look into the animated TV shows ”Droids” and “Ewoks” and also various video games including “Force Unleashed” and many more.

There is a great preface from Ryan Church, who is the Concept Design Supervisor for both “Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones” and “Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith”. There is a solid introduction from Doug Chiang, who was the design director for Lucasfilm on “Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace” and “Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones”. Erik Tiemens gives a very interesting afterword, who made the original art used to sculpt the Massassi frieze for “Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith”. He also wrote and drew the comic “The Artist of Naboo” for “Star Wars: Visionaries”. Lastly, Joe Johnston, who is the director of such films like ”Jurassic Park III”, “Jumanji”, and “Captain America: The First Avenger”. Joe gives a endearing foreward about his love for “Star Wars” and his work on Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, where he was responsible for the design of Boba Fett’s armor and equipment. Overall, a must have for any “Star Wars” fan!

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A Christmas Story Star Zack Ward Fights Bullying with “Go Fark urself & get Bullyproof” Campaign


“A Christmas Story” is celebrating it’s 30th anniversary this Christmas and Zack Ward, who played Scut Farkus in the film is looking to show my appreciation by giving back. “Fark-O-Vision!” is an app that raises money for Bully Prevention programs around the country! Click here to support the campaign and spread the word before November 30th, 2013.

Here is Zack’s pitch from indiegogo.com:
“We’re creating a free app that will allow people to “Fark-i-Fy” their photos. Ya know, you can take your face and mess it up…in a good way. You can then send your photos via text, email, Facebook, Twitter, or hard copy postcard to your friends, family, enemies, or random strangers. The postcard will cost about $1-$2 and that’s where we’ll raise money for Bully Prevention programs. So when it comes to sending out your personalized holiday greetings, you’re all set…and you help some kids at the same time.

The idea of Bullying has changed. Society has gotten smarter and more aware of the short term and long term damage it causes. It effects all races, sexes, religions and ages. It’s time for us to end it. And we can.

You can help us create programs for kids in underserved schools and communities. We can show them, in person, that there is a choice for both the victim AND the bully, to change and enrich their lives, and then pay it forward. We envision a world of young, kind hearted mentors, that find inner strength and gain confidence by helping their peers succeed. A true synergy for our children and our country.”

.

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Meet the Inquisitor, the New Face of Evil in “Star Wars Rebels”!


The next great villain from a galaxy far, far away is here. Fans attending Lucasfilm’s Star Wars Rebels panel today at New York Comic Con got the world’s first look at the Inquisitor, a black-clad, intimidating figure who will play a prominent role in the upcoming animated series.

In a new video screened at the end of the panel, Star Wars Rebels executive producer Dave Filoni officially revealed the character, showing design sketches, a sculpted maquette, and disclosing that the Inquisitor is “tasked by Darth Vader to hunt down the remaining Jedi Knights.”

The panel, hosted by Lucasfilm’s Pablo Hidalgo, focused on the Empire and how it is central to the story of Star Wars Rebels. Hidalgo revealed that the series takes place about 14 years after the events of Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith, a time in which the Emperor’s rule is secure and the Empire is seeking to expand its power to Outer Rim territories. Further details about the panel can be found on www.starwars.com.

If anything was made clear at today’s panel, it’s that the Empire is back — thanks to Star Wars Rebels.

Star Wars Rebels is scheduled to premiere in fall 2014 as a one-hour special telecast on Disney Channel, it will be followed by a series on Disney XD channels around the world.

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Book Review “Star Trek: The Art of Juan Ortiz”

Author: Juan Ortiz
Hardcover: 112 pages
Publisher: Titan Books
Release Date: September 3, 2013

Our Score: 5 out of 5 stars

Who is Juan Ortiz? Juan Ortiz is an illustrator/designer for Disney and Warner Bros. and also a hardcore Trekkie. He had created artwork for each of the episodes from the “Star Trek: The Original Series”. The style of the work was nothing like anything fans have ever seen before and really represented a unique vision. Being a huge fan of “Star Trek” and of alternate poster art, I was immediately drawn to this book.

The first thing I honestly wanted to do with these posters was to rip them out and hang up each one on my wall, they are really that amazing. The book is comes in a large format ranking in at  14.4 x 10.3 x 0.7 inches, which is much bigger than the typical art book. The paper stock is solid and very study. The colors are gorgeous and very rish as well. I have to admit though this is expected since the amazing Titan Books is behind this release. They put so much love into there books.

Official Premise: What if every Star Trek: The Original Series episode was a movie event? What would the movie poster look like? This was the inspiration to develop a one-of-a-kind set of images for the series that launched a franchise. Artist Juan Ortiz has created unique retro-style art with the look of a 60s movie poster, comic book, pulp novel cover or advertisement, one each for all 80 episodes.

Before we get to the posters themselves there is a nice background on Juan Ortiz. The posters are each scaled to around 11×17 inches and are broken up by each of the three seasons, including the unaired pilot “The Cage”. When you reach the end of the book, the fun doesn’t end since there is a brief description of each episode and where Juan got his inspiration for each poster. If you are a hardcore fan of “Star Trek”, I cannot stress how amazing this book is and is a must have!

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Film Review “My Lucky Star”

Starring: Ziyi Zhang, Leehom Wang
Directed by: Dennie Gordon
Not Rated
Running time: 1 hour 45 mins
China Lion Films

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

Sophie (Zhang) is a dreamer. While working her dull, unexciting job selling vacation packages over the phone she longs for the adventures she dreams up and home and puts on paper. Sophie likes to draw comics and submits them for publication. The latest one features a handsome, suave secret agent, whom she fantasizes about meeting one day. When she wins an all expense paid trip to Singapore that day comes sooner than expected.

Deftly directed by Dennie Gordon, who also used her skill to help make David Spade appealing in “Joe Dirt,” “My Lucky Star” is James Bond-lite – from the opening credits on- with a twist. Here the smart one is Sophie herself, with the occasional help provided by the object of Sophie’s attention and imagination: David (Wang). The story deals with a diamond (the “Lucky Star” of the title) Sophie thinks she won as part of her vacation package. The diamond is being kept in a case built to withstand an atomic blast. When Sophie tries to obtain the diamond she is made to luck the case so that she can only open it. She does this by kissing the case shut, which makes it bad luck for anyone interested in the contents of the mysterious case.

What is amazing about “My Lucky Star” is that it takes what is really a one note concept – artist begins to live her drawings – and turns it into a film that not only holds your imagination but helps to fuel it. Zhang, currently helping to kick box-office butt with the martial arts biography “The Grandmaster,” is perfect as Sophie. Curious as to what life has to offer, Zhang gives Sophie a true sense of naiveté that those around her recognize. Her life is a comic book and she does her best to fit in. In a way, Sophie is a lot like John Cusack’s character, Hoops McCann, in “Better Off Dead.” Zhang is also surrounded by some great on-screen talent, including the handsome Wang, who gives off an aura of coolness with just a glance.

Technically the film is solid. Director Gordon keeps the story flowing smoothly and the photography, by cinematographer Armando Salas, is picture perfect. From Beijing to Macau to Singapore, not an inch of screen time is wasted.

“My Lucky Star” is currently in limited release in the following cities: Boston, Chicago, Honolulu, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Toronto, Vancouver, and the Washington, D.C.

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Blu-ray Review “Star Trek: The Original Series – Origins”

Actors: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, Nichelle Nichols, James Doohan
Directors: James Goldstone, John Newland, Joseph Pevney, Marc Daniels, Robert Butler
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Paramount
Release Date: September 10, 2013
Run Time: 265 minutes

Our Score: 5 out of 5 stars

To celebrate the release of “Star Trek Into Darkness”, Paramount decided to cash in a little and release a new collection of episodes from “Star Trek: The Original Series”.  Included here are the episodes which showcased the debut of some many significant characters from the series.  They are all  introduced by Rod Roddenberry, son of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, which is a nice little bonus since that isn’t available previously.  But since the episodes are, I would have to say this would be recommend for the completists out there and hardcore “Star Trek” fans only. Though I have to admit, I loved revisiting the origin of Kirk, Spock, Pike, Khan, Klingons and even the Tribbles.

Official Synopsis: Here are the origin episodes of the most significant characters from Star Trek: The Original Series, introduced by Rod Roddenberry, son of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry. Episodes include: “The Cage”: the pilot that started it all and introduced Captain Pike and Spock. “Where No Man Has Gone Before”: the first time Captain Kirk is seen at the helm of the Enterprise. “Space Seed”: the debut of super villain, Khan. “Errand of Mercy”: the crew’s first encounter with the barbaric Klingons. “Trouble with Tribbles”: the arrival of the cute, but catastrophic creatures.

If you already own The Original Series on Blu-ray (and I know you do!), then you will know that the 1080p transfer of this amazing series is stunning. So you like be just as satisfied as your were with those episodes. The DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 still sounds as crystal clear as it has before and makes me realize what an impressive track this really is.  Besides the five episodes, there are no additional special features. To make this really worth the purchase, it would would have been amazing if they could have tacked on some new or even pre-existing commentary tracks since they are such epic episodes. So if you are wondering why I still gave this 5 out of 5 stars, it is because these are some of the best episodes of the series and for hardcore fans like myself it is great to have them all together.

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“William Shakespeare’s Star Wars” Book Giveaway [ENDED]

THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED AND WINNERS HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED VIA EMAIL. PLEASE CHECK BACK EACH WEEK FOR NEW GIVEAWAYS!


Who doesn’t love “Star Wars”? One of the best ideas of the year was to blend the world of “Star Wars” with the words of William Shakespeare. Thanks to author Ian Doescher. Media Mikes would like to giveaway a copy of the book. If you would like to enter for your chance to win one of these great prizes, please leave us a comment below or send us an email with your favorite character from the franchise. Check some of the great one-liners below or be creative or choose others since there are tons. This giveaway will remain open until October 4th at Noon, Eastern Time. This is open to all fans of Media Mikes in US and Canada only! One entry per person, per household. All other entries will be considered invalid. Media Mikes will randomly select winners. Winners will be alerted via email.

Return once more to a galaxy far, far away with this sublime retelling of George Lucas’s epic Star Wars in the style of the immortal Bard of Avon. The saga of a wise (Jedi) knight and an evil (Sith) lord, of a beautiful princess held captive and a young hero coming of age, Star Wars abounds with all the valor and villainy of Shakespeare’s greatest plays. ’Tis a tale told by fretful droids, full of faithful Wookiees and fearstome Stormtroopers, signifying…pretty much everything. Reimagined in glorious iambic pentameter—and complete with twenty gorgeous Elizabethan illustrations–William Shakespeare’s Star Wars will astound and edify Rebels and Imperials alike. Zounds! This is the book you’re looking for.

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3D Blu-ray Review “Star Trek Into Darkness 3D”

Actors: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Benedict Cumberbatch, Alice Eve, Simon Pegg
Directors: J.J. Abrams
Number of discs: 3
Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Paramount
Release Date: September 10, 2013
Run Time: 132 minutes

Film: 5 out of 5 stars
3D: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3 out of 5 stars

“Star Trek Into Darkness” was easily one of my most anticipated films of 2013. After finally seeing it and calming down, it became easily my favorite film of the film. I actually loved its 2009 predecessor and it improved upon it in nearly possible way. “Star Trek Into Darkness” is a great blend of aspects from both the original series and the feature film that introduced us to the franchise’s most memorable villain, KHAN! Sorry kind of a spoiler…but if you were going to see this film you would have seen it already.  Did I mention Khannnnn!!!! yet? The film is action-packed to the brim with some of the best visuals I have seen in any film this year.  How the rather dull “Iron Man 3” made more money than this just proves that despite how good the movie is, people tend to stear clear from “Star Trek” franchise. Highly recommended “Star Trek” fan or not!

Official Premise: When the crew of the Enterprise is called back home, they find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization has detonated the fleet and everything it stands for, leaving our world in a state of crisis. With a personal score to settle, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one man weapon of mass destruction. As our heroes are propelled into an epic chess game of life and death, love will be challenged, friendships will be torn apart, and sacrifices must be made for the only family Kirk has left: his crew

I have to admit, I am not the biggest Chris Pine fan. He does a great job playing Captain Kirk though with that arrogant persona. Zachary Quinto was fantastic in this film. Even though Vulcan’s aright suppose to show emotions, his character really had a lot of depth and his performance was spot on. what can I say about Zoe Saldana, except she is completely bad-ass. Benedict Cumberbatch played a fantastic Khan, hard to compare to Ricardo Montalbán but he is damn good. What a reveal too! J.J. kept going back and forth that I was never 100% sure. Alice Eve was a great addition to the cast as well and she like Zoe is not hurting on the eyes. Lastly and easily my favorite character in this new series is Simon Pegg playing Scotty. His role in this film was just amazing, everything from the rants and raves to the red shirt joke. Priceless.

Paramount delivered an all-star Blu-ray presentation with this release. The combo pack included a Blu-ray 3D + Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy and UltraViolet. So we get all the grounds covered here. The 1080p transfer is easily up there as one of the best for a Blu-ray release this year. Let’s get to the 3D aspect of this film now, it is good but it also isn’t really required to enjoy the film. It adds some good depth to certain scenes, like the volcano scene, warp speeds and the final battle but other than that it is a little idle in between. The film itself wasn’t shot in native 3D instead it was converted in post production. So luckily though the conversation to 3D doesn’t hurt the film, I just wouldn’t really care less if I was watching it in either format, which just adds to the fact of how amazing this film is. The Dolby TrueHD 7.1 is just as epic as the film itself. I loved Michael Giacchino’s score as well, which really delivers the true meaning of what a “Star Trek” film should sounds like. A+ guys!

The slight downfall of this releases comes within the film’s special features, or lack there of in terms of “blow-you-away extras”. There are a eight short yet still sweet featurettes included. There are no extras presented in 3D either. The featurettes include “Creating the Red Planet” talks about shooting in Hawaii and creating Nibiru and of course the volcano set. “Attack on Starfleet” looks into the film’s crucial scene and epic finale. “The Klingon Home World” looks into the incorporating of the Klingons. “The Enemy of My Enemy” looks into everything behind the villain Khan. “Ship to Ship” looks into this amazing sequences, from pre-viz to final scene. “Brawl by the Bay” chats with Zachary Quinto on the intense scene. The last two extras “Continuing the Mission” and “The Mission Continues” can be skipped all together.

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Filed Under: DVD/Blu-Ray Reviews Tagged With: 3d, bluray, darkness, review, star, trek, ...

Book Review “Star Wars: Jedi Academy”

Author: Jeffrey Brown
Age Range: 8 and up
Grade Level: 3 – 7
Hardcover: 160 pages
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Release Date: August 27, 2013

Our Score: 5 out of 5 stars

I first heard about author/illustrator Jeffrey Brown when he released his bestselling book “Darth Vader and Son”. At the time, my wife was a few months away from having our daughter and I wondered where the female version of that book was. Well a few months later, “Vader’s Little Princess” was released. Read our interview with Jeffrey, here. When I spoke with him, he gave us a sneak peak at “Star Wars: Jedi Academy” and I know I just had to have it. Sure the age range is 8 and up but key word being up. I finished this book in literally one sitting and loved every minute of it. If you are a “Star Wars” fan young or old, this is a must have in your collection!.

The story is really cute and fun. It follows a young boy Roan and his journeys through middle school as he attempt to complete his dream of leaving home and becoming a Pilot Academy like his older brother, father, and grandfather. When he is denied entry into Pilot School, he fears that he will end up having to go to farming school instead.  But instead he receives an invitation out of the blue to attend Jedi Academy from Master Yoda and decides to give it a try. He find that he possesses more strength and potential than he could have ever dreamed and that his destiny leads him to a new path.

The illustrations in the book are extremely fun and each page is a new journey into this world. They are black and white and have a real fun comic book feel. There is tons of great humor all mixed within the common issues and stresses of attending middle school. Since we either you are going through it or have been through it, the story and its situations are very relatable no matter what age you are. It is told through various formats including Ronan’s comics, journal entries, letters, doodles, and newspaper clippings. So at first you will be reading his report card and then a letter from his brother.  It moves the story along so well and makes it very entertaining and fresh. I do not think that I have ever sat down just to check out a book and ended up reading the entire book within a few hours.

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Filed Under: Book Reviews Tagged With: academy, book, jedi, review, star, wars, ...
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