Tim Burton’s imaginative new trip down the rabbit hole has finally arrived, and 2010’s “Alice in Wonderland” has already made a huge impact since opening night.

As of Friday, “Alice” brought in a $41 million profit, with an expected $100 million or more by close of theaters on Sunday.  This would make “Alice” the most successful March hare opener of all time, surpassing Zack Snyder’s “300″, which made $71 million in its opening weekend in 2007.

Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland” is not a remake of the beloved Disney classic or even a retelling of Lewis Carroll’s original stories.  As per the trailers, (no spoilers here!) Alice is now a young woman and faced with the pressures of 19th-century society.  Seeking to escape, she once again finds herself in the whimsical world of Wonderland, but perhaps not as she (or we) remember it.  The typical Burton cast are present:  Johnny Depp as the crazed Mad Hatter, Helena Bonham Carter as the wicked Red Queen, and newcomer Mia Wasikowska as Alice.

With a production budget of over $250 million, expect to be thrilled by the spectacular visuals, in both 2D and Disney Real D (3D) formats.

On a personal note, just having seen this film, go ahead and spring for the 3D: it’s quite impressive!

As of last week, three Google executives were found guilty of violating privacy laws in Milan, Italy.

Apparently, a video of Italian students bullying an autistic child ended up on Google in 2006.  Italian police let Google know, and the company removed the content.  Google also says that it did what it could to help police identify those who were shown in the video as well as the individual who uploaded it.  The result?  The uploader and other students were sentenced to 10 months of community service.

The Italian courts then indicted four executives from Google for defamation and violation of privacy laws.  Three of the four were found guilty of violation of privacy, and all four were found not guilty of defamation.  This case is slippery.  After all, to what extent should hosting sites be held responsible for user-placed content?  Most hosts do have some sort of policy on this subject, but should the law be allowed to override what’s stated by the site itself, and if so, to what extent?  Law and the Internet tend to advance at different rates.  Throw in the monkey wrench of different countries’ legal jurisdictions, and you’ve got a massive issue that, frankly, I don’t think anyone is quite ready to handle.  According to the Italian media, elements of the arguments presented stated that the trial was “not about Internet freedom, but whether a free zone exists where laws do not apply.”

On a side note, Internet bullying laws have been put in place in the United States and many other countries, but has anyone done nearly as much to stop ACTUAL playground bullying?  Bullying in schools is a huge issue, and the law has certainly looked the other way on that one.

It looks like the United States backs Google on the privacy issue.  The executives face sentences from six months to one year.  Google plans to appeal the ruling, but that might not be the end of its legal troubles.   It’s under investigation by European antitrust officials.

I’m interested to hear more opinions on this one.  When I get the chance, I’ll drag out Ye Olde International Law Textbook and see what I can find, as well.

I must preface this piece with the following, as it is quite well-deserved: Timothy Olyphant, you are amazing. You look so different in every single film, and you get into each part so well that I often don’t even realize you’re playing the (super hot) protagonist until I run to IMDB. You are a fantastic actor, and I applaud you. Oh, and I must reiterate the utter and complete hotness. Seriously. You are unbelievably hot. Call me.

I was looking forward to seeing the Crazies for a long, long time. For those not already aware, this incarnation of the film is actually a remake of a version released in 1973. It’s been moved from Pennsylvania to Iowa, but it is, in fact, a remake.

The Crazies is about how incredibly stupid and incompetent the government can be.

Semi-spoilers may follow.

Politics aside, the government manages to royally screw up the transportation of a biological weapon (for which it apparently royally screwed up the creation of a vaccine or a treatment). It then proceeds to screw up its incredibly stupid transportation fiasco.

For the benefit of humanity, I had a research chemist who actually handles hazardous substances put together a “how-to” manual for secret government programs that unleash diseases on their own populations because they apparently hire complete idiots. I call it “Biowarfare Oopsies for Dummies.”

An Idiots’ Guide to Contain Your Abominable Biological Weapon’s Accidental Release (Podunk Town Edition)

Step 1: If you’re going to set up roadblocks and have a way to tell if people are contaminated, have medical checkpoints at each block. If not, then replace would-be medical stations with (discreetly placed) sniper towers. If you want to be extra paranoid, Torch grassy or woodsy areas at the perimeter and use helicopters and troops all around. Remember, people have the magical ability to travel off-road using a technique called “walking.”

Step 2: If you decide to cut off communication, there area a few key points to keep in mind. No information will be leaked, or gained for that matter, by airing “Deal or No Deal,” “Family Guy,” or “Jersey Shore.” For cell-phones and computers, you have two options. Just hotwire some P.O.S. pick-up trucks and fake some drunk fishermen or high school kids running their trucks into the town’s only cell phone tower and/or phone lines. I mean, Baton Rouge lost power AND cell phone service temporarily just because their were four freaking inches of snow on the ground.

Step 3: DON’T CAUSE A PANIC OR RIOT! Kindly call for a town meeting, and in small towns, word spreads like wildfire. Once everyone is gathered together, tell them that swine flu has mutated and is now “Wombat Flu” or “Platypus Flu.” DON’T SAY IT’S AIRBORNE! People will just go nuts. All residents need to be checked to make sure they don’t spread it to the people around them. If you mention causing a pandemic, people will freak out, but it’ll be a lot more difficult to control them. Set up medical posts with vans around the city. Everyone will want to be checked for the “Wombat Flu” just in case (think of it the way we all respond to tetanus shots). That’s the time to administer your vaccine or cure if for some reason you are not stupid enough to have created a bioweapon without even considering human consequences.

Step 4: . All positive results should be told that they have atleast 1 of 3 symptoms. Tell their families not to worry, and they need to be transported to a proper medical facility for testing. Tell the families where to meet their loved ones after testing (give them a random place and time with a phone number to a voice recording). Use this “step-by-step testing” to eliminate any individuals necessary AWAY FROM OTHER PEOPLE.
Rule of Thumb: People being shot + Random bystanders = RIOT!

Step 5: Act like door to door salesmen and not SWAT Tactical teams when looking for people. Only shoot people trying to leave the city or if being hostile. If anarchy breaks out in the city, hold the perimeter and they will probably kill themselves off in a few days or be infected. Same results.

Step 6: Sit tight, kick back, and stop any people trying to leave the city for a week. Secret sweeps of the area. Nothing big so people will come outside in plain view. They will think the army has left. The more stress and danger people perceive, the more creative they’ll get in inventing ways to get out of the area.

This is Pearce again. There were way too many logical issues with the film for me to accept the government’s strategy, which is exactly why I can’t let this go. I mean, you don’t tell people to proceed in an orderly fashion and then stick ‘em all behind a fence and shoot a few of them. Plus, if you’re going to say it’s airborne, why are you SETTING BODIES ON FIRE? You do that if it’s spread through fluid or rats or whatever. On top of that, if it’s airborne, you don’t have Sergeant Gruff Chewing on a Cigar cruisin’ around town in his humvee with the air conditioning running while not wearing an air mask.

And to all you townsfolk looking to walk out of town because the military blew up your cars, why are you walking down the middle of the one highway that runs through your town….with empty fields on either side in clear weather with visibility of a few miles. They have eyes, you know.

The Bermuda Triangle is one of the most fascinating combinations of mystery, folk law and bizarre coincidences on the planet. It’s about time a high end horror was produced inspired by it. And that’s the niche “Triangle” fills.

Even if the name refers to the yacht… not the triangle.

The film begins in what seems to be a fairly random sequence from the past, one which gives absolutely nothing away but still leaves you feeling chilled. The child’s fear, something which has been cleared away, the mother’s continuing appearance of not being quite there keeps everything slightly uneasy from the start, despite the higher tone of the cruise they set out on.

The basic story of the first third of the film is about the cruise, a freak storm which capsizes their boat and washes away one of their number, and their subsequent jump onto a cruise liner which steams past nearby. Now this isn’t an episode of Lost, they can’t fill the film with references and expect the audience to look it up later. As such it gets a little artistic licence. The ship is found to be called Aeolus (Greek keeper of the winds) and was around in 1932. What’s more however, in this mythology Aeolus is also given the role of Sisyphus, a Greek King who cheated death by chaining it. As punishment he was forced to for eternity roll a rock up a great mountain, only to watch it roll back down again. Hint – Repeating storyline – Hint. The film continues to get more bizarre as fleeting figures are seen in the halls, splitting the party as they run after them, and the slightly strange Jess begins to recognise things, the corridors, her own keys dumped on the floor… but no one believes her. In fact it’s fairly difficult for us to. Oh and don’t forget, there’s mirrors, mirrors everywhere. You’re going to see a lot of Jess!

The opening scenes are a little dull for a horror flick, but don’t worry, it moves on fast.

Things steadily get creepier (Remember, this film is British) to the point you’re sitting itching for something to happen. There’s blood on the floor, the food’s rotting in fast forward. Everyone’s split up. Don’t worry, you won’t be disappointed. There’s a lot of deaths within a few minutes. In fact you’ll be swept up in the weird pacing. Within only twenty minutes on the ship an entire film has played out, complete with climactic ending sequence. However there’s a reason for this, and a clue as to what’s going on. “You have to kill them, have to kill them. You have to kill them to get out.” But if you expect them to give anything away, keep waiting! Things only get weirder from here.

But unfortunately, so does the acting. When you’re friend is shot by someone, is your reaction to shove them, call them a B**** and then let them past? All the emotions are a bit weirdly portrayed, and turn up at the oddest moments. Even factoring in that one of the characters seems to be insane, and the others are just plain confused in addition to their misery, it seems unnatural and hardly helps the audience connect.

Mirrors are seen again and again, and there’s a reason for it

The same can be said of the horror clichés. Blood writing on the mirror… more mirrors, killer in a sack hood, the fall from innocence to experience of the killer themselves. Again for the coincidences, every now and then you have to think, “wouldn’t they, with the slightly different circumstances, have done something different? Not hit that pipe? Not killed that person?” I may be thinking as a cynic here but it does seem to push you from the movie, make you see it as a member of an audience rather then a part of the action.

But on the other hand… this is all balanced out. The mirror imagery ties it all together (the broken mirror in the cloakroom is a great touch), the gradual revelation of the motives of the killer, the tie-backs into every bit of the story until it’s complete.

Prepare to see some scenes more than once

When I say complete… I mean everything ties together, I don’t mean it’ll make sense. The revolving storyline seems to start in the revolver and never really come out either end. Essentially the story has no beginning or end, and trying to work out how it started or how it finishes is a waste of time, because it doesn’t. This is a film you have to watch with a feel of suspended reality, give a little cynicism away so that the writers can drag you off on this odd tale, one you’re left wondering if it really happened at all, and may walk out of the room wanting a bar of chocolate or a cup of tea, something reliable!

The film is a good one, if a little odd, and has been fine-tuned well. The eerily innocent piano, again a tie point of the film, clashes with the dirty and old feel of the corridors of the ship. It can be said the writers took it too far with dragging the action from the ship back to land at the end of the film, but that’s not to say the rest of the film is excellent. And in true British style, leaves you suspended as if you expect the film to run through once more. In fact, why don’t you do that, ties in fine as an extension of the first time and you’ll get to notice all those little touches you missed the first time round.

PS. Also, it inspires one of my favourite movie posters!

3/5
B

Joss Whedon of Buffy, Firefly, and Dollhouse fame is teaming up with documentarist Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me) for the San Diego Comic-Con International, and they want your help!

The two directors want to follow “a still-to-be-cast group of convention-going superfans” for three months leading up to this year’s Comic-Con, as well as at the event.  They are looking for all types of people for this documentary about the mecca of geek culture.

No word yet on how to apply for this opportunity of a geek’s lifetime, but we’ll keep our Watchers on the lookout.

Source: E! Online

The BBC have released a brand new trailer for Doctor Who series 5, starring Matt Smith and Karen Gillan.

You can check the video out below:

Win 2 gold tickets to the official Star Trek convention in Vegas!

The official Star Trek Magazine has a sensational prize up for grabs for one lucky winner – two gold tickets to the official Star Trek convention on August 5-8 in Las Vegas.

The soon to be sold out gold tickets entitles holders to a host of sensational perks, including complimentary in-person autographs with guests and exclusive access to the Saturday night gala party.

Guests at the official Star Trek convention include: WILLIAM SHATNER (Captain James T. Kirk), JERI RYAN (Seven of Nine), JONATHAN FRAKES (William T. Riker), CONNOR TRINNEER (Charles “Trip” Tucker), NANA VISITOR (Major Kira), RENE AUBERJONOIS (Odo/ Curzon Dax/ Douglas Pabst), ARMIN SHIMERMAN (Quark/ Audrid Dax/ Herbert Rossoff), with many more to be added…

The Gold Ticket entitles holders to a host of sensational perks, including complimentary in-person autographs with guests and exclusive access to a Saturday night gala celebration.

For your chance to win enter the competition here

The last few years, it seems ever since the runaway success of Juno, we have been swamped by flicks based on the characters of awkward 90s American teens. Which suits us over this side of the water fine, as we’re not so different afterall. All of geekdom has poured out in praise of films celebrating people just like them, and Zombieland is no exception.

Although this isn’t reeeaally a sci-fi movie, and is only barely a horror movie, I felt it needed a review to itself anyway. After all it hit #1 on the film charts and has enough zombies in it to fill Dawn of the Dead. But it is, I admit, at heart, a teen comedy more along the lines of Superbad than the British great 28 Days Later. But nevermind.

The inserted rules are fairly funny and will be familiar things in a new format for zombie apocalypse film enthusiasts

As with many films of this genre, the opening of the film is a self-reflective piece, giving you an introduction to the life of this lonely, awkward, pubescent American teenager. What’s unusual is this self reflective piece is an incredibly amusing sequence of him running circles round zombies reciting to us his common-sense rules of surviving in a world populated by zombies. Rules such as double-tap (that all self-respecting geeks would understand on hearing), cardio (the exact opposite) and wearing a seatbelt seem fairly minor given his predicament. But you begin to understand them as he carries out the execution of a douzen flesh-devouring creatures without so much as breaking a sweat. This is where Eisenberg shines through. He is challenging Michael Cera for the role of greatest virginal pubescent teenager and there’s a reason for it, he pulls it off extremely well. Not only does the role seem to come naturally to him, but he acts it extremely well, every emotion is realistic, every motive evident, every piece of dialogue felt and seen. There really is no faulting him, except that he’s not Michael Cera.

When in doubt, a cowboy with a grudge and a hella lot of guns is an instant success

…and then give him a banjo… just look at that look of concentration

The story develops with the addition of an amusingly stereotypical new-age cowboy and two teen girls, of which the eldest is the average geek’s wildest dream… probably why she also started in a similar role in Superbad. Together, despite their ups and downs, they struggle their way through in a world overrun, including an incredibly funny cameo by Bill Murray. This cast provides an excellent character selection for the film, with just the right number of characters to allow us to connect and yet keep us interested.

The storyline is a little odd, they are after all aiming to end up in a theme park, which seems to be more of a plot device for the ending than to actually make sense, though the cynic may see this as a ploy by the elder of the two sisters to keep her younger sibling’s hopes high… a little bit difficult to push to whilst watching a comedy movie. Bill Murray’s cameo, though funny, does send off logic on a little bit of a run. Again however, it is a comedy, and needs to be seen in this respect, and not taken too seriously.

What scary-ness the zombies have is removed by the amusing ways in which they are killed

Technically the movie is fine. Camera-work is ok, music is unnoticeable but does add to the film’s feel. Editing is again ok, a few more scenes could have been trimmed a little. Make-up again fine, making the zombies undead but not too scary. The addition of the “rules” system used by Columbus is clever and inserted well. Overall there’s nothing exceptional about it but also… there’s nothing wrong at all. This film makes no mistakes. I always try and keep a fair balance in my reviews and find things to say “well, but THIS wasn’t that great”, but here I just… can’t. Zombieland simply didn’t do anything wrong enough to put off the average audience. If you’re not a fan of comedy? It has its serious moments. Not a fan of emotional moments? It’s mostly comedy. Not a fan of zombies? They’re not even scary. To the point where half the time they leave me in stitches, including an amazing scene with a piano.

Zombieland crashed in with high critical reviews and ended up overtaking every other zombie classic in gross intake… and for once the agreement with both is an agreement for all. This is an exceptional movie if you stick to it, and together with Shaun of the Dead, proves Zombies are as successful in comedy as in horror. It manages to do plenty right, but with nothing wrong, and that proves to be good enough to make a movie I’d willingly watch over and over.

4/5
A

 Apologies for the recent site downtime.

This was due to a technical error at our hosts who were migrating servers.  At some point during this process, several database user permissions were lost.

These have  now been repaired, and the site is fully functional once again.

Sci-Fi/Fantasy films and television have had their fair share of lackluster ladies.  I recently came across an article that discussed the worst action heroines that have disgraced the small and silver screens.  Kennedy may be the most hated character in Buffyverse; Arwen was content to just sit around waiting for her man; and Queen Amidala let herself die of a broken heart despite her obligation as a new mother.  While these bad eggs exist, the superior women of Sci-Fi come along to remind us why we keep watching.  I’ve compiled a list of ten Sci-Fi heroines that top the chart of cool, in no particular order (because that would have been unfair, and way too exhausting):

1.  Buffy Summers  (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

She’s witty, she’s hot, and she’ll kick your vampy ass all over town.  Buffy changed the face of TV high school drama by giving girls the aspiration to carry stakes and crossbows in their purse instead of just lipstick.  Along with the Scoobie gang, many of us shared the same touchstones of growing up, just perhaps without the bloodshed.  Buffy’s graduation, the death of a parent, and tumultuous love were all some of the things we could relate to, expertly written by Joss Whedon and his team.  But perhaps most of the credit should be given to SMG, who’s depth, sarcasm, and playful wit brought the legendary Slayer of Sunnydale to life.

2.  Princess Leia Organa  (Star Wars trilogy)

An iconic figure since the debut of Star Wars, Leia was the princess that empowered young girls.  She proved that royalty could be headstrong, intelligent, and didn’t wear a bra (feminist statement or lack of underwire in space?  you be the judge).  Leia’s hair started a cultural phenomena, and her gold bikini is still pretty hot over twenty years later.  You would think the daughter of Amidala might be clingy, but Leia loved Han Solo and orchestrated a mission to rescue him.  Leia is worthy of all the praise, and the action figures.

3.  Leeloo  (The Fifth Element)

What if the key to saving Earth and all of humanity was 5′8, strikingly beautiful, and running around in strategically placed bandages?  Leeloo is not only all of these things, she’s also adorable when eating chicken and figuring out make-up.  She can also kick major alien ass and learn the entire human history in a few hours.  No one can forget “Leeloo Dallas, Mulitpass”, or that strange neon orange hair that only Milla Jovovich can pull off.  Let’s just be glad Corbin Dallas is sexy enough to convince her the Earth’s worth saving.

4.  Hermoine Granger  (Harry Potter series)

She’s the youngest lady on this list, but she certainly packs an academic wallop worthy of being recognized.  Hermoine is known at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for being a know-it-all, Muggle-born, and the brightest witch of her age.  Though she doesn’t fight with her fists (okay, there was that one awesome time – Malfoy!), Hermoine wages battle with her mind and her trusty wand, which might be even cooler.  Smarts and intellect count for a lot in my book, and Hermoine certainly makes the grade.

5.  Sydney Bristow  (Alias)

What’s cooler than getting to dress up and kick ass while doing it?  Sydney and her endless trunk of disguises played double agent for the CIA in J.J. Abram’s entertaining spy drama.  Syd had Daddy issues, a mysterious (and sexy) spy boyfriend, and Bradley Cooper as a best friend (lucky girl).  Syd dealt with a lot of hardships, but her sweetness and determination saw her through the darkest times, including a zombie sister and an evil best friend.  But after a tough day of saving the world, Agent Bristow seemed like the kind of super spy you could just share a drink and some girl talk with.  The best spy is the relatable kind.   

6.  Ellen Ripley  (Alien saga)

Sigourney Weaver made women just as valuable as men on the final frontier.  No longer were they in the background translating dialects (no offense, Uhura) or waiting around to be saved.  Ripley, throughout the Alien movies, did what she had to do to stay alive where no one would hear her scream.  She protected her team, her child, and the world from aliens and corporate corruption by sacrificing her own safety and eventually her life.  Ripley bended gender stereotypes and gave Hollywood a new kind of action hero, not afraid to shoot a gun in her skivvies.

7.  Juliet Burke  (Lost)

On a mysterious island that no one can find, Juliet manages to maintain her cool surprisingly well.  If you’ve watched an episode of Lost, you know how hard that is.  Brought on as a fertility specialist to solve a puzzling epidemic of killer pregnancies on the Island, Juliet becomes deeply tangled in the web of the Dharma Initiative and Ben Linus’ pile of bullshit.  Her seemingly stoic nature was perfect Ben lackey criteria, doing his evil bidding until she decided to switch teams and play for the good guys.  Juliet is strong, intelligent, and cool as a cucumber under enormous stress (and ticking time bombs – literally), and that’s why she’s the Lostie I’d pick in any crisis.     

8.  Trinity  (The Matrix)

Computer hackers might have been those losers in mom’s basement before 1999.  But after Trinity, they were hot, decked in leather, and owned an unlimited supply of shades and ammo.  There’s probably no one cooler than Trinity, or no one cooler than I can think of.  Out of all the ladies on this list, she can learn how to fly a helicopter in three seconds and kick your ass a thousand different ways if you give her an hour or two.  And in slow-motion.  Dodge that.

9.  Neytiri  (Avatar)

The newest woman to the list is tall, beautiful, and blue.  Neytiri is the cat-like Na’vi princess of James Cameron’s Pandora, existing organically by living off the earth and connecting with her world.  Her peaceful symbiosis with nature is what makes her such a great new addition to feminine canon, but also her gargantuan bow and arrow for keeping you the hell off her planet.

10.  Sarah Connor  (T2: Judgment Day)

Everyone remembers The Terminator, but Sarah Connor didn’t become a presence until T2: Judgment Day.  Having been locked away for talking nonsense, Sarah made sure to tone those guns in case Arnold ever showed his face again.  Sarah Connor busting out of the hospital is one of the best payback scenes in cinema history (that orderly certainly had it coming).  She has a rough exterior, but underneath it all, she’s driven by an overpowering love for her son.  Maybe just a little rage, too.