XBOX 360 Review “Star Trek: The Game”

Format: XBOX 360
Publisher: Namco Bandai
Developer: Digital Extremes
Release Date: April 23, 2013

Our Score: 1.5 out of 5 stars

I am a huge fan of “Star Trek”, especially the new reboot from J.J. Abrams. When it comes to video game adaptations of films, things never usually turn out well. Unfortunately, “Star Trek: The Video Game” is no different at all. You are able to play as either Kirk or Spock or together as a co-op duo. 2009’s “Star Trek” cast is on-board reprising their voices for the game, including Chris Pine as Kirk and Zachary Quinto as Spock. Despite that though, this the game has poor controls, lacking animation and filled with a whole mess of bugs. While playing, I was just left repeating the same thing over and over…”Was this game ever tested before being released”. I guess with the release of “Star Trek Into Darkness” this summer, they were anxious to get it out there. Unless you are a die-hard Trekkie and need to own everything “Star Trek” as a collector, then I would recommend steering clear from this game.

The game itself was developed by Digital Extremes, who are known for games like “Bioshock 2”, “Dark Sector” and “The Darkness 2”. The story is set after events of “Star Trek” (2009) and is written by BAFTA award winner and “God of War” writer, Marianne Krawczyk, along with close collaboration with the writer/producers of the new “Star Trek films”, Bob Orci, Alex Kurtzman and Damon Lindelof. The story is decent but not enough to balance out the negative. You are able to explore new areas on the Enterprise and other ships, as well as never-before-seen sectors throughout the galaxy. I have to admit that I was very curious about how the co-op experience was going to be turn out and I was left very unsatisfied. I felt that it was very annoying, especially having to wait for the character to catch up when in one player mode. On the positive, you do get two different characters to explore, if you can deal with the bugs. I would have been happier to settle with one character backed with really good game play over what we got here.

For XBOX 360, I have certain expectations in terms of graphics and general animation. From the moment this game started, I was looking at Kirk and Spock and I just said out loud “Eww, they look terrible”. The graphics are very poor and not polished at all. I feel like this final product should have been like the first beta for this game before they cleared the bugs and polished it up. Same goes for the controls, which are all over the place and will have struggling to get a grasp on your characters. Also even though we get the original cast returning, there is also issue with terrible lip-syncing. The game clocks in at around 10 hours, which is pretty good for a film adaptation but that is not 10 hours of pleasure, more like aggravation. It is also 10 hours that you will never get back. “Star Trek: The Game” will leave you wanting more and wishing you didn’t just spend $60 on this game. I might recommend to check it out if when it drops to under $20 bucks, just if you are a die-hard fan.

Jeffrey Brown talks about new book “Star Wars: Vader’s Little Princess”

Jeffrey Brown the author of last years hit children’s book “Star Wars: Darth Vader and Son”. When this book was realized was a month before my daughter was born and I couldn’t help but ask where is the female version. Well my request was answered with the newly released sequel “Star Wars: Vader’s Little Princess”. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Jeffrey about his books and what we can expect next. If you want to ask him your own questions be sure to check out the upcoming Virtual Chat between Jeffrey, Daniel Wallace and Jonathan Rinzler on May 1st, click here to submit questions.

Mike Gencarelli: Are you surprised by the success of “Star Wars: Darth Vader and Son”?
Jeffrey Brown: I am. I thought it would do well, on the basis of it being a Star Wars book if nothing else, but I didn’t anticipate the incredible response it got. I’m most surprised by how much kids love the book. I wrote it from and for the parents’ perspective, but kids really get a kick out of it.

MG: What has been your son’s reaction to the book?
He likes it, although I suspect spending a year watching me write and draw the book too some of the shine off it.  He doesn’t like it as much as my nephew who’s just about the same age.

MG: Where did get your inspiration for “Star Wars: Vader’s Little Princess”?
There wasn’t really enough space for Leia in the first book, so I knew I wanted to do more with her. At the same time, I felt like I’d used up most of the four-year-old jokes and situations, so making Leia a teenager seemed obvious, and provided a lot more potential material – especially being able to show her dating Han Solo.

MG: Did you find this follow-up more challenging?
I did – first, because I’d used up some key bits of dialogue and scenes from the movies, and second, I don’t have a teenage daughter. Fortunately, I have a few friends with teenage daughters, and was able to get some ideas from them as well as my editor at Lucasfilm, J.W. Rizler. who has daughters.

How much research did you do within the “Star Wars” universe to complete these books?
Even though I’ve seen the films countless times, I re-watched them repeatedly the whole time I was working on the book. I also used numerous books, issues of Star Wars Insider, looked at toys, and finally had a good reason to spend some time intensely studying my collection of Topps Star Wars cards.

MG: Have you ever heard a reaction from George Lucas on these books?
I heard that he asked for more copies of Darth Vader and son, which is extremely flattering. As much as I was having fun with the Star Wars universe, I wanted to be true to it, and so I feel like I did it right.

MG: Can you give us a sneak preview for “Star Wars: Jedi Academy”
Jedi Academy is the story of Roan Novachez, a young boy from Tatooine expecting to spend middle school at the Pilot Academy, but ends up at Jedi Academy instead. The story is told through Roan’s journal, comics, letters from family, notes from class, and even pages from the school newspaper. It’s very different from anything I’ve done before in many ways, and I hope kids have as much fun reading it as I had making it.

MG: You co-wrote last years’s “Save The Date”; do you expect to do more feature films?
I do, although it might be a while. I have a handful of ideas I’d like to work on, but I also have a ton of books I’d like to draw, and have more Star Wars books that I’m already working on. So for now I’m just letting the film ideas percolate in the back of my mind until it’s time to really get to work on them.

MG: Tell us about your upcoming book “A Matter of Life”?
I’ve had the idea of writing some stories about my experiences with religion for a while, and A Matter Of Life started out as that book. My dad is a minister, and I’m a father now myself, so at some point the book became about fatherhood as much as anything else. It’s more meditative and thoughtful than the other work I’ve been doing lately, and is probably my most personal autobiographical book yet.

 

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

Starring: Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner, Michael Dorn, Gates McFadden, LeVar Burton, Marina Spirtis
Number of discs: 6
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Paramount
DVD Release Date: April 30, 2013
Run Time: 1181 minutes

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

When I first watched the third season of “Star Trek: The Next Generation”, I was blown away. “The Best of Both Worlds” was one of the best storylines to come out of this series. I saw it long after it was originally aired and I have known about this arc but it still shocking and holds up as one of the best cliffhangers on TV. Overall, the whole series in general really running on all cylinders and kicking ass. The cast and the writers are settled in their roles and really delivered their best performances. Also available the same day is “Star Trek: The Next Generation – The Best of Both Worlds” for the mega “Star Trek” fans who are looking for a new edit of that fantastic storyline into a new-feature format. This is another very impressive release from CBS Home Entertainment and Paramount. They have been giving this series nothing but love since they started releasing these seasons. If you love this series, then this release is a must-buy!

“Star Trek: The Next Generation – Season Three” delivers absolutely perfect 1080p transfers of each episodes. These episodes don’t just look good. They look stunning. Top that with a flawless DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track for each episode and Trek fans will be nothing but thrilled. I wonder what Gene Roddenberry would have thought if he could have seen his creation presented like this. Alternate audio tracks also include an English Stereo Surround, French Mono, Italian Mono, Castilian Mono, German Mono and Japanese Mono tracks. If you have seen these episodes on TV or DVD, this give you the show like you have never seen it before due to this fantastic restoration which involved returning to the original film elements.

The special features are quite impressive for this season. The newly produced high definition extras (found mostly on disc six) include an all-new featurette called “Inside The Writer’s Room”, which is moderated by Seth MacFarlane. He leads a panel and a great discussion on the creation of the show’s acclaimed third season with some of today’s best science fiction television writers including Ronald Moore, Brannon Braga, Naren Shankar and Rene Echevarria. There is an entirely new multi-part documentary called “Resistance is Futile – Assimilating Star Trek: The Next Generation”, which really dives into the behind-the-scenes on the making of Season Three. There is a very nice tribute to Michael Piller, which includes never-before-seen interviews with cast, crew and more discuss his lasting influence on the “Star Trek” franchise. Rounding out the high-def extras is a new gag reel for fans, which is located on disc five.

Additional extras included are spread out over the six discs. There are four “Archival Mission Logs” including “Selected Crew Analysis Year Three”, “Mission Overview Year Three”, “Departmental Briefing Year Three: Production” and “Departmental Briefing Year Three: Memorable Missions”. There are four all-new audio commentary track spread out on the release. Disc one features a commentary track from Ron Moore on “The Bonding”. Disc three features features a commentary track from Ron Moore and Ira Steven Behr on “Yesterday’s Enterprise”. Disc four features the last two audio commentary tracks. The first is with Rene Echevarria and Mike & Denise Okuda on “The Offspring” and the second is with Ron Moore on “Sins of the Father”. If you are looking for audio commentary on the episode “The Best of Both Worlds: Part 1”, you should check out the stand-one release mentioned above. Lastly, there are also episodic promos available for each of the 26 episodes.

 

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Blu-ray Review “Star Trek: The Next Generation – The Best of Both Worlds”

Starring: Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner, Michael Dorn, Gates McFadden, Marina Sirtis
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Paramount
DVD Release Date: April 30, 2013
Run Time: 85 minutes

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

For all “Star Trek: The Next Generation” fans, we all know that “The Best of Both Worlds” was one of the best arcs in the series. The classic two-part cliffhanger ended the third season and started the fourth season. This Blu-ray contains both parts of this great story blended into one seamlessly edited feature length film. The only issue with this Blu-ray is that since “The Best of Both Worlds: Part 1” was one of the best cliffhangers ever, putting the two parts together kind of takes a little bit of that away anticipation away. But I love this story and this new edit works quite well. Also “The Best of Both Worlds: Part 2” isn’t available until Paramount releases the “Star Trek: The Next Generation, Season 4” on Blu-ray possibly later this year. But in the meantime fans can enjoy it in advance right here.

Official Premise: The powerful cliffhanger: The Best of Both Worlds Part 1 and 2 has been fully restored in brilliant 1080p HD and seamlessly edited together into one feature-length presentation…and the crew of the Enterprise is asked: How do you stop an unstoppable foe? The Enterprise team discovers the devastated remains of a Federation colony as an ambitious young officer joins the crew to confirm the presence of the deadly Borg. Soon after, Borg drones abduct Captain Picard, mutilating him horribly as they assimilate him into their collective. Commander Riker must take over as Enterprise captain as Steerfleet braces for an all-out battle to defend Earth. But the Borg’s power proves overwhelming, and resistance is futile. Will Riker be forced to destroy his former captain to save Earth and the Federation?

So I wouldn’t really consider this a double-dip since it does come with some great special features.  This is also the only place to watch the two-part edit since only Part 1 is available on the third season Blu-ray. Some fans also might want to only own the episodes in a feature-length format then the whole seasons. The Blu-ray presentation is pretty sharp as well with a nice Velcro snap half-cover slipcase, simple but nice touch. Another bonus to this release is that Paramount is including a UltraViolet digital streaming copy of the episodes. They are beautifully presented in 1080p with a stunning 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio. The episodes have never looked or sounded better. The special features include an audio commentary track with Cliff Bole, Mike & Denise Okuda and Elizabeth Dennehy. There is also a featurette “Regeneration: Engaging the Borg” and a Gag Reel included. These bonus features are also not available on the “Star Trek: The Next Generation – Season Three” Blu-ray release.

Win Passes to the Kansas City Screening of “Star Trek: the Next Generation – The Best of Both Worlds” [ENDED]

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

 

Last November, Media Mikes provided passes to a special in-theatre presentation of a celebration of the second season of the groundbreaking television series “Star Trek: The Next Generation.” This weekend we’ve teamed up again with Fathom Events and CBS Home Entertainment to bring the third season episode, “The Best of Both Worlds,” to the big screen.

One lucky fan will receive (2) passes to the Kansas City screening at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 25, 2013, at one of six Kansas City area theatres (AMC Barrywoods, AMC Independence, AMC Studio, AMC Town Center, Cinemark Merriam, Kansas City 18). Also presented that night will be an exclusive “behind the scenes” look at the making of “The Best of Both Worlds,” as well as the entire third season of the popular series.

“The Best of Both Worlds,” in which Captain Jean Luc Picard is assimilated by the Borg, consisted of two episodes – the season three finale and the first show of season four. The show has been remastered for the big screen and is considered one of the best “ST:TNG” episodes EVER!

The contest is simple. All you have to do to be eligible to win these passes is let us know your favorite “Star Trek: The Next Generation” character. Is it the brave and strong Captain Picard? The fully functioning android Data? Or are you strangely attracted to the beautiful Counselor Deanna Troi?

One random selection will be chosen at 8:00 p.m. EST on Sunday, April 21st. The winner will be notified by email. Only one entry per person please. Good luck!

For more information on the event: http://www.fathomevents.com/#!star-trek-best-of-both-worlds

Blu-ray Review “Fullmetal Alchemist- The Movie: The Sacred Star of Milos”

Actors: Vic Mignogna, Maxey Whitehead, Alexis Tipton
Directors: Mike McFarland
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Funimation Prod
Release Date: April 24, 2012
Run Time: 110 minutes

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

I have been a fan of “Fullmetal Alchemist” since day one.  I really enjoyed “Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos”.  I thought it was a great entry in the animes universe. The focuses on our heroes Alfonse and Edward but also introduces a bunch of other great new characters.  I did notice how they did shift the focus of the film to one of the newbies, Julia and focused some of the story on her. But I thought it still worked well and kept me very entertained and interested throughout. The series has never looked better in my eyes and I really hope that they are planning future films, maybe with Julia again (hint hint). If you are a fan of the series, this comes highly recommended.

Official Premise: A fugitive alchemist with mysterious abilities leads the Elric brothers to a distant valley of slums inhabited by the Milos, a proud people struggling against bureaucratic exploitation. Ed and Al quickly find themselves in the middle of a rising rebellion, as the exiled Milos lash out against their oppressors. At the heart of the conflict is Julia, a young alchemist befriended by Alphonse. She’ll stop at nothing to restore the Milos to their former glory – even if that means harnessing the awful power of the mythical Philosopher’s Stone.

FUNimation Entertainment has been very kind of the “Fullmetal Alchemist” series and “The Sacred Star of Milos” is no different.  It delivers a stunning presentation within its 1080p transfer and 1.78:1 aspect ratio.. The colors are very sharp and bright. Like with the last movie in the series, this one also includes both the original Japanese language track and my favorite, the English dub with very impressive Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround tracks.  I just love the English cast from the series and this is a rare time when I prefer over the original language. The action is well-used with either track and works perfectly with the films non-stop action.

The special features are seem like they don’t come with much but I enjoyed what they had quite a bit. “Fullmetal Alchemist: Making of Sacred Star of Milos” is a very solid hour long behind-the-scenes look into the production of the film. It is in Japanese with English subtitles. There is a fantastic commentary track from the English dub cast including Maxey Whitehead (Alfonse), Christopher R. Sabat (Armstrong), Vic Mignogna (Ed), and many others from the crew. Lastly there is a U.S. Trailer, Web Promo, and TV Spot included. What I like most about this film is that you don’t really need to know the series that well to be able to enjoy and follow unlike the last movie “Conqueror of Shamballa”. Don’t miss this!

Denise Crosby reflects about her work on “Star Trek: The Next Generation”

Denise Crosby is best known for playing the roles of Security Chief Tasha Yar and Commander Sela in “Star Trek: The Next Generation”. She was also the granddaughter of entertainer Bing Crosby. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Denise reflecting on the show and the fans support over the years.

Mike Gencarelli: Can you reflect on being a part of the “Star Trek: The Next Generation” universe and it still being relevant today?
Denise Crosby: I feel like “Star Trek” is a much larger entity and we are all little pieces of it. It continues to reinvent itself generation by generation. You have a younger generation now discovering it for the first time, whether it is through their parents who watched it. It also continues to play endlessly on syndication and cable. It is ever present and never goes away. There are always fresh eyes seeing it for the first time. I think that is what keeps it new and exciting. I am always touched by the stories that I hear from people all over the world and how much the show means to the and how they were inspired by the characters. I am always fascinated by how many far reaching corners it has touched. All of that continues to keep it relevant.

MG: That describes me, I got a young daughter and I am started her young with the show [laughs]
DC: That’s what happens. You bring your kids into it. The beauty of it is that has become much more in the open and embraced by people. You are not hiding your Spock ears anymore and pulling them out on special occasions. People are able to be out of the “Trek-closet”, so to speak.

MG: You get to play two different roles in Security Chief Tasha Yar and also Yar’s own daughter, the half-Romulan Commander Sela; how was that aspect for you?
DC: It was really cool. I don’t know that anyone else has been able to do that. I mean, how many people can get to play their own daughter? Only in sci-fi, can you pull this off. It was great for me as well since I was actually very involved in creating that story line  It is wonderful to get a chance to continue being a part of this show. Fans were really delighted with that as well.

MG: What was it like working with such a legend as Gene Roddenberry?
DC: We were the lucky ones that were able to work with Gene and be a part of his vision. That was very thankful for all of us. He was a big cuddly teddy bear of a man. He was very protective of this franchise and all that it meant. He got how popular and how much it meant to the fans and he really embraced that. He also was very open with us. He wanted to know what our thoughts were and what our questions were. He wanted us to really define these characters and to help us do that in any way that he could.

MG: What made you getting involved with the “Trekkies” films?
DC: My thoughts always were that there is no “Star Trek” without the fans. It is the most symbiotic relationship with a television show that I have ever seen. There is something very unique and specific about being on one of the “Star Trek” shows. You enter into a world that is very exclusive. You can’t be talking about “Star Trek” without talking about the fans. I felt that the fans needed a voice. When set out to make the first “Trekkies” movie, the timing was perfect. It during the prime of sci-fi and comic books and it was suddenly cool to be a geek. The nerds were taking over. Everybody was a “Star Trek” fan and I felt the “Trek” fans needed a voice. I couldn’t believe that nobody had done this before. I just jumped on it, had no idea what I was doing, took a camera wherever I went and before I knew it…I had a movie.

MG: Any chance you would be making a new “Trekkies” film in the future?
DC: My partner, Roger Nygard, and I talked and we have some ideas. We really would like to do one more and make it a trilogy. It would be great to pass it on to the next generation with the JJ Abrams films and new fans. So we are hoping that we can do that in the near future.

 

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DVD Review "LEGO Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out"

Directed by: Guy Vasilovich
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: 20th Century Fox
DVD Release Date: March 26, 2013
Run Time: 22 minutes

Our Score: 4.5 out of 5 stars

I love the idea of “LEGO Star Wars”. I have various pieces built together all over my home office. When they made the feature, “LEGO Star Wars: The Padawan Menace”, I was head over heals. It was released in a beautiful Blu-ray/Combo pack with a limited edition Han Solo character. That brings be to wonder for this release, Why no Blu-ray? That is one thing that I am caught up for this release (would have been a 5/5 rating). Why release one in high def and not the other. If you can get over that than this is absolutely hysterical and a must own for any “Star Wars fan”. There is so much crammed in the short 22-minute feature that you are left wanting more but at the same time absolutely satisfied.

Official Premise: Your favorite characters are back to save the galaxy in LEGO Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out. The heroes of the Rebel Alliance including heroic Luke Skywalker, swaggering Han Solo and steadfast Princess Leia have no time to celebrate their victory over the Empire as a new Imperial threat arises. But as Jedi-in-training Luke embarks on this next mission, he discovers that his celebrity status as a “Death-Star-Blower-Upper” can be a double-edged lightsaber when he’s constantly mobbed by crazed fans. So much for secret missions! Meanwhile, Darth Vader and Darth Maul are locked in a hilarious “Sith-ling” rivalry as they compete for the Emperor’s approval. It’s an action-packed comic adventure that’s out of this world!

To be honest, I am shocked that they even got to release this film now that Disney owns Lucasfilm. They already canceled “The Clone Wars” and shelved “Detours”, so I am just happy that they didn’t shelf this as well. I do hope that Disney smartens up and that they are planning more of these “LEGO Star Wars” features because they are so much fun. “The Empire Strikes Out” packs some very funny yet witty slapstick humor. Fans can also expect your favorite LEGO Star Wars characters. Just because this title is related to “Empire Strikes Back”, we still get our favorites like Darth Maul, Ahsoka Tano and many more who pop in for a laugh or two.

Written by Emmy Award winner Michael Price (“The Simpsons”), the feature includes voices from series regulars including Anthony Daniels, Ahmed Best, Tom Kane and  Sam Witwer appear as the voices of C-3PO, Jar Jar Binks, Yoda and Darth Maul. Also a bunch of other veterans return including Kenneth Colley, Brian Blessed, Andrew Secombe and Julian Glover, whom reprise their roles of Admiral Piett, Boss Nass, Watto and General Veers, respectively. “The Empire Strikes Out” was dedicated in memory of Ralph McQuarrie, the designer of the original trilogy, who recently passed away. Lastly I haven’t forgotten  the DVD will include an exclusive collectible Darth Vader w/Metal LEGO minifigure. So that is easily worth the $10 price point alone.

Book Review "Star Trek: The Visual Dictionary"

Author: Paul Ruditis
Hardcover: 96 pages
Publisher: DK CHILDREN
Release Date: March 18, 2013

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

Are you a fan of the “Star Trek” franchise? Or just becoming a fan? Either way there is something here for you in the “Star Trek: The Visual Dictionary”. Obviously this book is aimed for the younger audience but it is still delivers. It covers the everything “Star Trek” including the live-action TV series and films. The book is only 96 pages, so it is a little crammed but there is a lot of great content included in this book. Fans of the “Star Trek” universe take a look at the characters, aliens, starships, and technology from this incredibly vast franchise. I highly recommend for all Trekkies.

We start off with a wonderful forward from John de Lancie (who played Q in “TNG”). I have had the priveldge of chatting with John and he is such a cool guy.  He contributed so much to this show throughout his few episodes and remains of my favorite characters. Each of the series gets its own sections to showcase their ship, captain, and crew. We also get to explore the various races in the series inclduing the Vulcans, Klingons, Romulans, Borg, Dominion, and Cardassians. If you know “Star Trek” then you know what a vast universe this is. So does this book cover everything? No. But it is enough to showcase the most important parts of the show and will easily assist with any new fans young and old.

For a long-time fan like myself, I was still able to learn new specific details about various characters and many obscure facts like costume or weapon background info. The images are extremely high quality and very detailed as well. You can tell that there is no shortage to the level of attention given to this book. The author, Paul Ruditis, worked in full collaboration with CBS Consumer Products on this, so you know everything is accurate and valid. With the new “Star Trek” movie just around the corner and the recent celebration of the 25th anniversary of “TNG”, “Star Trek” has never been more popular and this is a great way to get your fix.

Blu-ray Review "Star Trek – Enterprise: Season One"

Starring: Scott Bakula, John Billingsley, Jolene Blalock, Dominic Keating, Anthony Montgomery, Linda Park
Number of discs: 6
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Paramount
DVD Release Date: March 26, 2013
Run Time: 1149 minutes

Season: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 4 out of 5 stars

Star Trek: Enterprise” or better known as just “Enterprise” for the first few seasons. The show started in 2001 and would run for four seasons and 98 episodes before being cancelled. It was also the last series in an 18-year run of back-to-back which started in 1987 with “Star Trek: The Next Generation”. Personally, I thought this series was quite sharp. Who doesn’t love Scott Bakula. It takes the prequel approach to “Star Trek” and explores the roots of the Federation and the beginning of exploring deep space. Here we got a new crew, a great captain (you rule Bakula!) and a great new concept. The show was was met with mixed reaction but have established a decent cult following over the years. I feel that it gets its legs as the series matures but still a great entry in the “Star Trek” universe.

Official Premise: Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) commands the Enterprise NX-01, the first Earth-built vessel capable of breaking the Warp 5 barrier. With his trusted Chief Engineer, Charles “Trip” Tucker III (Connor Trinneer), Science Officer T’Pol (Jolene Blalock), and security expert Lt. Malcolm Reed (Dominic Keating), Capt. Archer is tasked with exploring new, unknown star systems. Propel your imagination farther and faster than before with an ever-expanding universe of captivating characters, interstellar intrigue, and adventures that will come to define the very essence of Starfleet.

Here are the episodes that are included in Season One: Broken Bow, Fight or Flight, Strange New World, Unexpected, Terra Nova, The Andorian Incident, Breaking the Ice, Civilization, Fortunate Son, Cold Front, Silent Enemy, Dear Doctor, Sleeping Dogs, Shadows of P’Jem, Shuttlepod One, Fusion, Rogue Planet, Acquisition, Oasis, Detained, Vox Sola, Fallen Hero, Desert Crossing, Two Days and Two Nights, Shockwave, Part 1.

If you are a fan of the show then thanks need to go to CBS Home Entertainment and Paramount Pictures. They are behind releasing the first season of “Enterprise” on Blu-ray for the first time. They continue to deliver very impressive releases for the “Star Trek” franchise after “Star Trek: The Next Generation” seasons one and two. The show takes us into deep space for the first time along with the starship Enterprise NX-01 and includes some really fantastic 1080p high definition picture and very impressive DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround tracks. I remember watching this show on UPN and let just say say “WOW”, this really really looks 10x better than I ever remember. If you are a fan of “Enterprise” you will be easily shot into warp speed with this wonderful Blu-ray presentation.

This Blu-ray comes packed with boasts some brand new bonus features that really makes this release shine for sure. The extras are spread out all over the six Blu-rays. Disc One features a brand new audio commentary track on the episode “Broken Bow” with co-creator/executive producer Brannon Braga, director James L. Conway, visual effects producer Dan Curry and cast members Connor Trinneer (Trip Tucker) and Dominic Keating (Malcolm Reed). “Broken Bow” also has an audio commentary track with Brannon Braga and Rick Berman and a text commentary track by Michael and Denise Okuda.

Next up there are some deleted scenes for “Broken Bow” and “Fight or Flight”. There are three “Archival Mission Logs” including “Creating Enterprise”, “O Captain! My Captain! A Profile of Scott Bakula” and “NX-01 File 02”. The rest of the extras are all brand new including “In Conversation: Rick Berman and Brannon Braga”, presented in HD. “Cast Introduction” , “Network Presentation” and “Syndication Presentation” wrap up the first disc. After watching these extras, I couldn’t believe there were still five more discs of extras.

Disc two puts forward the following special features including a deleted scene from” Unexpected”. There is a text commentary track by Michael and Denise Okuda on episode, “The Andorian Incident”. There are two “Archival Mission Logs” including “Cast Impressions: Season 1” and “Enterprise Secrets”. This wraps up disc two but there is still tons more to come. Disc Three includes a brand new audio commentary track with writer/story editor André Bormanis and visual effects producer Dan Curry on the episode, “Silent Enemy”. There is a deleted scene from “Sleeping Dogs”. Lastly there are two more “Archival Mission Logs” including “Star Trek Time Travel: Temporal Cold Wars and Beyond”
and “Admiral Forrest Takes Center Stage”.

Disc Four includes not one but two new audio commentary track with writers/executive story editors Mike Sussman and Phyllis Strong on “Shadows of P’Jem”. The second is with co-creator/executive producer Brannon Braga, director David Livingston and cast members Connor Trinneer (Trip Tucker) and Dominic Keating (Malcolm Reed) on “Shuttlepod One”. There is a deleted scene from “Shuttlepod One”. Lastly there are three “Archival Mission Logs” including “Inside Shuttlepod One”, “NX-01 File 01” and “NX-01 File 03”. Disc Five including two sets of deleted scenes from “Oasis” and “Fallen Hero”. There is another text commentary track by Michael and Denise Okuda on “Vox Sola”. There is another “Archival Mission Log” for “Enterprise Outtakes”. Lastly there is a new featurette called “On The Set”, though only in SD.

The sixth and last disc includes the best extra and also some deleted scenes from both “Two Days and Two Nights” and “Shockwave, Part 1”. There is also the last “Archival Mission Log: Celebrating Star Trek”. The last extra is also the best it is a brand new multi-part, retrospective documentary called “To Boldly Go: Launching Enterprise”. This is a real tribute to the show and a treat for the fans. It gives an inside look at the development and production of the series with new interviews with the show’s cast and crew and archival footage and behind-the-scenes clips.

The documentary includes the following three parts “Countdown, “Boarding the NX-01” and “First Flight”. Part 1, “Countdown” features all new interviews with creators Rick Berman and Brannon Braga, production designer Herman Zimmerman, technical consultants Michael and Denise Okuda, writers Andre Bormanis, Phyllis Strong and more talking about bringing this show to life. Part 2, “Boarding the NX-01” focuses on the series 2-hour pilot “Broken Bow” with all-new interviews with key cast and crew including series pilot director James L. Conway and series leads Scott Bakula (“Jonathan Archer”), Connor Trinneer (“Trip Tucker”), and Dominic Keating (“Malcolm Reed”). Lastly Part 3, “First Flight” looks into the first season with more all-new interviews with key production and post-production personal.

 

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John de Lancie talks about his roles in "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and "My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic"

John de Lancie is known for his role of Q in “Star Trek: The Next Generation”. Recently John was introduced to the world of “My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic” voicing character Discord. Since then he teamed up with Michael Brockhof in order to make “Bronies: The Extremely Unexpected Adult Fans of My Little Pony” to showcase this unbelievable fan base behind this show. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with John to look back on “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and also his work with “My Little Pony”.

Mike Gencarelli: Looking back on “Star Trek: The Next Generation”, what was your favorite part of playing such a great character like “Q”?
John de Lancie: I guess mostly the reaction. Everybody liked him a lot. It has been a long time but he wasn’t iconic when I started but he was iconic when I left. The reaction was more intense than the actual doing of it.

MG: Are you surprised that it is still so well-received and respected all these years later?
JDL: Yes it is phenomenal. “Star Trek” is a phenomenon. I don’t know of any other shows that keeps on giving like this one has over the years. A lot of people feel that I sort of came on full blown and that other characters slowly developed over the years. Maybe that is the case to the extend that I was used to playing characters that were like that. You didn’t have a very long time to establish who you were, so you had to come on strong.

MG: Do you have any experiences that stand-out from working on the show?
JDL: I don’t have one favorite moment…I have many favorite moments. But what was fun about this show was that you knew that you were on the set making cultural history or if nothing else TV history. It was a show that was really culturally important. People referred to it and it became a way to talk about anything futuristic – it would be “Star Trek-like”. So it was great.

MG: “Q” was always one of my favorites. He was bad but also threw you for a loop occasionally.
JDL: Well that is what I intended. He is very naughty and somewhat dangerous. You were left never quite knowing what would happen. But it was a lot of fun. He is the one person you would invite to the dinner party but really make sure that the guests can handle him [laughs].

MG: You are hitting the convention scene this year, what do you enjoy most about meeting fans?
JDL: I love meeting fans. I find myself talking to kids, who see me at the age of their fathers…if not older. Some of them are even third generation fans. Which is actually is pretty amazing and honestly really unheard of.
MG: I am a second generation, my father got me into it and now I have a daughter that is 9-months old and she already has a “Star Trek” jumper.
JDL: That is what I am talking about and it is really amazing.

MG: On the complete other side of the spectrum, tell us about voicing Discord on “My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic”?
JDL: It started with me being asked to do a voice over for “My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic” and I said sure. So I read the script and have never heard of it before. But I thought it was well-written and fun. I have done characters like this before but I didn’t know that they wanted a Q-like character. I didn’t think of it as that at first and I just did it as it was written. Then about three months later, I was on the computer and I thought I got spammed. I had about 300-400 emails and they all had the subject of “My Little Pony”. So, I reach a bunch of them and then asked my wife what she knew about “My Little Pony”. She reminded me I did a voice for it about three months ago, which I totally forgot about. She told me it was a cartoon for little girls. But let me tell you these emails were not from little girls [laughs]. So that was the beginning of it.

MG: How did you get involved with “Bronies: The Extremely Unexpected Adult Fans of My Little Pony”?
JDL: It just so happened that Michael Brockhoff came over my house the night I got those emails and I told him about the story. He laughed and I agreed I didn’t get it either. Why would 20 year old guys be interested in “My Little Pony”? He asked me if I would want to do a documentary about it and I say “Oh my God, no way”. So that weekend, I had to go up to Vancouver on a job and some kids came up to me and asked me to sign pictures of Discord. I say kids, I mean 20 year olds. They are the typical geeky fans that I recognize from “Star Trek”. So, I asked them all a lot of questions and still I didn’t quite get it. But as they explained me to more and more what the show was about, it started to click. The show has the elements of harmony, being kind, generous, loyal and tolerant. I thought what is the problem with that? So now I had a face to put to what a Brony was. Mike sent me a link the following week for a Fox News, whom I am not a fan of, piece of this trend. It trashed the idea of Bronies calling them “a bunch of homosexuals, living at home on food stamps and disability watching cartoons in their parents at day in their parents basement”. That made me upset because it is not true. This is typical of Fox News. Have we really gotten to the place in our society that we are so threatened by everyone, that if we have 20 year old guys watching cartoons intended for girls, which is about being kind, loyal, generous and tolerant that we are going to demonize them and turn them into something that they are not. So that is when I called Mike back and said “I’m on board with the documentary, let’s do it”.

MG: Tell us about how you ended up with the Kickstarter campaign?
JDL: I asked Mike how was he going to fund this projects and he said through Kickstarter. I asked him how much he needed and he said about $60,000. He asked me if I could get myself into one of the conventions for BronyCon and I said “Yes”. The deal was that we were going to shoot for two days with two cameras, edit for about six weeks and that would be it. So yeah, instead of $60K, we got $322K. At that point, I was blown away. We’ve shown this film to people in the business and they just go “Wow, you’ve put a lot into this” and that was out intent. So when you see this film, I think you will be impressed.

Book Review "Star Trek The Next Generation: On Board the U.S.S. Enterprise"

Author: Michael Okuda, Denise Okuda
Hardcover: 48 pages
Publisher: Barron’s Educational Series
Release Date: March 1, 2013

Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Being a big Star Trek fan-or Trekkie, I just had to add this latest book to my collection. The U.S.S. Enterprise is represented all around my office with model, toys and even Christmas ornments. So if you are a fan of “Star Trek” then who wouldn’t want to be transported to the Final Frontier for a 3D tour within this book? I have to say I was hoping for a little more since this book really is putting its audience under the age of 12.  Nonetheless, I like to consider myself young at heart.  This brand-new book contains a detailed 48 pages contains a 3D tour of everyone favorite way to cruise through space, the U.S.S. Enterprise.  This year is a big year for “Star Trek” with “Star Trek: Into Darkness” coming out this May, as well as the 25th anniversary of “Star Trek: The Next Generation”,  so fans are sure to be on “Star Trek” overload.

As long as they are aware that it is rather short and aimed at a younger audience they should still be left satisfied. If you are a new “Star Trek” fan or a life-long fan, this contains the history of the starship Enterprise in detail and with very sharp illustrations.  I was excited to get a chance to see the Enterprise from new angles and it almost feels like you are a fly on the wall. So what can you expect to see inside the ship? How about the ship’s bridge, the captain’s chair, the main consoles, as well as their Starfleet members living quarters.  Even though the book is only 48 pages, there is still some decent information packed into it.

So if you are left wanting a little more from this book, it also contains a CD-ROM, which gives a digital detailed tour of the Enterprise . This software program was developed along with the creators of the “Star Trek” sets that were used in the films and on the television series, so you know that it is accurate.  I feel that this kind of makes up for the length of the book and gives the reader an added bonus. Speaking of accuracy, the book is authored by Michael Okuda, and his wife Denise.  In fact Michael was the scenic art supervisor for “Star Trek: The Next Generation”, and the designer of the ship’s control panels, computer readout animations, and other features. So that also shows the book is in good hands. Like I said, try having a fan pass this up.

Exhibit Review "Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination" Orlando Science Center

Orlando Science Center
777 E. Princeton Street
Orlando, Florida 32803
Saturday, October 13, 2012 – Sunday, April 7, 2013

I first received a flyer for this exhibit while attending 2012’s Star Wars Celebration VI at the Orlando Convention Center. Being a life-long “Star Wars” fan, I was immediately interested.  Science mixed with fantasy? Where do I sign up.  This exhibit was developed by the Museum of Science in Boston along with the collaboration of Lucasfilm Ltd, which makes me more excited. “Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination” is not just a couple of props, it is a 10,000 square-foot exhibit that transports you into the world of “Star Wars”.

This wonderful exhibit not display costumes and props from all six Star Wars films but it blends them with current technologies. Besides just viewing the exhibit you can also go one step further and get the inside world with many kiosks setup throughout with extensive video interviews with the filmmakers and even scientists and engineers. Even being such a big fan myself, I actually learned a lot of things that I never knew because of this.  To be honest it is a bit overwhelming when you realize that you are literally standing right next to these props that really have been used on screen for these films.  Of course, who doesn’t want to see the real Luke Skywalker’s Landspeeder, Yoda puppet and Han Solo costume, just to name a few of the amazing sites included.

One aspect, I would like to focus on with this exhibit is the presentation from the Orlando Science Center.  They really gave this exhibit a lot of respect and care.  When you walk into the doors, you are put into a room with black sheets hanging from the ceiling.  Then like the black sea, the curtain part like a theater and you are revealed to see the original and breath-taking Millennium Falcon.  It was very well presented and a great way to start this tour.  I also loved the complete atmosphere in the exhibit.  The lights were dim but the props where perfectly lit.  You are not allowed to use flash photography in the exhibit but you honestly do not even need it in order to get that perfect shot.  It is setup so well that each item on display is surrounded by a wonderful halo of light.

As much as I love “Star Wars”, I love the science behind. I mean who doesn’t spaceships and mechanical robots, just to start with? But like I said the exhibit doesn’t stop at displaying some amazing props from the “Star Wars” saga, it delivers much more.  There are a lot of “real-life” aspects with that gives its visitors some real hands-on action. There are two Engineering Design Labs, where you can actually build and and play with your own speeders and robots.  Does it get cooler than that? This is also not just for kids, there plenty of fun to have for us big kids as well! There is also a simulated ride where you can see what it is like to actually drive your own speeder, this was very cool!

The price of admission to the Orlando Science Center will run you a little steep $27 dollars per person, but it will also include entry into “Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination”.  I have to say as much as I liked it, I feel like it is a little pricey especially for a large groups of families. If you are a hardcore fan though, you will leave this exhibit very satisfied and believing you still got your money’s worth for sure. So with all that being said…Orlando, you still have two months left to experience this great exhibit before it continues its museum tour.  It’s next stop will be at the Indiana State Museum, Indianapolis, IN from Saturday, May 25th – Monday, September 2nd.  I would highly recommend catching this.

For more information on the exhibit, please visit: www.mos.org/star-wars.

All photos are courtesy of the Orlando Science Center:

Blu-ray Review "A Star is Born"

Actors: Barbra Streisand, Kris Kristofferson, Gary Busey, Oliver Clark
Directors: Frank Pierson
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Warner Home Video
Release Date: February 5, 2013
Run Time: 139 minutes

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

They just don’t make films like “A Star is Born” anymore.  The wonderful cast of Barbra Streisand, Kris Kristofferson, and Gary Busey.  Yes Gary Busey, before he got all messed up! This 1976 musical was awarded an Academy Award and five Golden Globes, back in the day. The main draw for this Blu-ray release is the fact that it comes with packaged with a super cool 40-page Digibook with live performance photos and rare behind-the-scenes photos and more.  If you are a fan of this movie and of musicals in general, I would highly recommend this release for sure. The film is still as touching as it was and very entertaining.  Time has been good to this film, as Warner has been good with this Blu-ray release.

Official Synopsis: The fire of Barbra Streisand. The magnetism of Kris Kristofferson. The reckless world of big-time rock ‘n’ roll. All three bring a new passion and timeliness to A Star Is Born one of the screen’s classic love stories (previously filmed in 1937 and 1954) and winner of five Golden Globe Awards including Best Picture Actress and Actor (Musical/Comedy).Paul Williams Kenny Loggins Leon Russell and others worked with Streisand on one of the most popular song scores ever topped by the Streisand/Williams Evergreen winning the Academy Award and Golden Globe Award as 1976’s Best Original Song.

Warner does not chimp on its Blu-ray releases. They always deliver the best possible video and audio for their catalog title Blu-ray releases. The 1080p transfer looks amazing for the near 40 year old film within its original aspect ratio: 1.85:1. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track also perfectly works with the film. Especially for a film who’s soundtrack sold over four million copies in the US alone. “Evergreen” sounds amazing and is just such an amazing and emotional song. The special features include a nice audio commentary with star Barbra Streisand. There are a few additional deleted scenes and wardrobe tests included as well. Lastly there is a trailer gallery included. Overall not bad but nothing new to really draw ya in.

 

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DVD Review "New Fist of the North Star: Complete Collection"

Actors: Takehito Koyasu, Gackt, Unshou Ishizuka, Adam Dudley, John Paul Shephard
Director: Takashi Watanabe
Distributed by: Section23 Films
Rating: TV: MA
Running Time: 175 min.
Release Date: February 12, 2013

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

If you are a fan of Kenshiro and the “Fist of the North Star” franchise, then you know that this release is nothing new and has been released before. But since it has been long out-of-print, Section23 has given life to this OVA yet again. This is the complete OVA collection and contains all three episodes; “The Cursed City”, “The Forbidden Fist” and “When a Man Carries Sorrow”. I really enjoyed this series and it has been a while since I last saw them but they have held up well. It is crazy to believe that it has been almost 10 years since these were first released. Wow, time sure does fly. I still wish that this series will be rebooted or continued in the future cause Kenshiro is such an awesome character and he needs to continue kicking ass (and blowing people’s heads up).

Official Synopsis: A twist on the classic favorite that begins in the aftermath of the great apocalypse. Across a barren Earth, chaos is the rule and order, the exception with bandits and enterprising overlords terrorizing the survivors of the holocaust. Will a hero rise from the ashes and cut a swath of justice across the Earth’s ruined landscape?!

I was just thinking that since this was previously released on DVD, I would have loved to seen it cleaned up and coverted to Blu-ray format. That would have been ideal for this release. The DVD contains two audio tracks both English & Japanese with English Subtitles. So you have the option to watch whichever you want but of course we know that the Japanese track is the way to go. Lastly, There are no additional special features available on this release. This release is also timed perfectly with the new release of Tecmo Koei’s “Fist of the North Star: Ken’s Rage 2” available on XBOX 360 on February 5, 2012.

 

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