Where can I start with SyFy’s Treasure Island Mini-Series/Movie-Event/Whaterver they want to call it? I guess I’ll start by saying I have always been a fan of the original book (by Robert Louis Stevenson), and the 1950 Disney Treasure Island movie. I even loved the 1986 Return to Treasure Island mini-series starring Brain Blessed as Long John Silver. So with SyFy’s recent record with their movies, I was very worried when the screener showed up on my doorstep. Although SyFy does usually do very well with their miniseries, which they have recently taken to calling Movie-Events, I was not that impressed with Neverland.
Let’s just say I was very impressed with Treasure Island. It looks like SyFy sparred not expense, the sets and costumes looked wonderful and Eddie Izzard was brilliant as Long John Silver. This was a very accurate telling of the original story.
The only thing I had issue with is very minor. There was this weird split second fast forward thing they would do when people were walking up the Admiral Benbow Inn. Like I said it is a very minor gripe. The rest of the movie is beautifully directed. I particularly liked the way they show Jim Hawkins remembering them sealing up his father’s coffin, with Jim looking at the table and seeing the ghostly images of the undertakers nailing the coffin shut.
Final Thoughts:
I do apologize for getting this out so late, I only received the screener a week before Treasure Island aired on May 5th, and it was a very busy week. This is one of the best versions of Treasure Island I have ever seen. Great Job SyFy, now please keep it up with the rest of your movies. If you can keep this kind of story and acting quality going, your movies would be top notch, and you could release them in theaters. I would easily give this movie 9 out of 10.
This Week is Preview-a-Palooza! We have Previews of the SyFy Christmas specials for Eureka, Warehouse 13, and Haven. Then we Preview/Review Lost Girl coming to SyFy in January. And finally we do a preview of the SyFy Channel movie Snowmageddon.
Eureka Preview:
http://www.scififx.com/2011/11/eureka-christmas-preview/
Warehouse 13 Preview:
http://www.scififx.com/2011/11/warehouse-13-christmas-preview/
Haven Preview:
http://www.scififx.com/2011/11/haven-christmas-preview/
Lost Girl Preview/Review:
http://www.scififx.com/2011/12/previewreview-lost-girl/
Snowmageddon Preview:
http://www.scififx.com/2011/11/preview-syfys-snowmageddon/
Follow Us on Twitter @SciFiFX
Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/scififx
Follow The Fellowship of the Geeks on Twitter @FellowshipGeeks
Follow TrooperTrek on Twitter @TrooperTrek
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Synopsis:
When a family in Normal Alaska receives a mysterious gift of a Snow Globe on Christmas Eve all Snowmageddon breaks loose. Snowmageddon premiers on the SyFy Channel on Saturday December 10th at 9PM Eastern Time.
My Thoughts:
Snowmageddon has some really good concepts, they just aren’t used to their full potential. Also if you are going to blatantly rip of Lord Of The Rings main plot line, don’t invent a fake game for the little boy (Rudy) to be relating everything to. Have Rudy relate it to Lord Of The Rings, I mean who hasn’t read it or at least seen the movies? In the first 5 minutes of the movie I was already thinking that the Snow Globe of Doom would need to be thrown into the volcano, of course that feeling isn’t hurt any by them constantly focusing on the volcano on the game’s playboard.
On with the mildly spoilery part of the Preview:
After the Mysterious package is opened and the Snow Globe of Doom is activated all kinds of craziness starts happening. The ground splits open in town, and of course when ever that happens 10 foot flames shoot up out of the ground. They latter mention that the gas mains are intact. And the busted town clock that hasn’t worked in decades starts working again.
Then a giant storm breaks out and shoots huge ice balls at the town. These ice balls shatter into lots of ice shards before impacting the ground. I have to give them this; the effect of the ice balls shattering in mid air and the shards flying in all directions was very well done.
For the most part the main characters are fairly likable, but have you ever just wanted to slap a character in a movie? Well, that’s how I feel about the teenage daughter. She is utterly useless; she just screams and panics constantly. So naturally once you get the parents, the teenage daughter, the babysitter, and the teenage snowboarding heart throb together, they decide to look for the Rudy, so they split up. I know, we’ll send the 2 adults one way and the 3 teenagers the other, makes perfect sense to me. Then Rudy’s baby sitter just kind of heads off and does her own thing.
The Snow Globe of Doom’s third act is to start shooting pointy trees out of the ground really quickly, impaling cars and people.
This Snow Globe of Doom would be awesome for reclaiming desolate land or terraforming, just make sure the area is clear of people and chunk it in there. First it splits open the ground (irrigation) then it pummels the ground with ice shards (ice melts you have water), then you get an instant forest. I wonder if Normal Alaska is a testing ground for some NASA/Area51 terraforming equipment.
Here’s a thought Syfy, if your Haven Christmas Special is based around a magical Snow Globe that affects the whole town, maybe don’t release a movie at the same time about a magical Snow Globe that affects the whole town. Try and space stuff like that out more than say a week.
Snowmageddon is worth a watch if nothing else is on, but I would not go out of my way for it. On a scale of 1 to 5, I would give it a 2.5.
Follow Us on Twitter @SciFiFX
Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/scififx
This review is for November 18th 2011 episode of Sanctuary called Icebreaker with Amanda Tapping. You will find this simple story is very entertaining with all the twist and turns that take place. And even when you think you know what is going on there seems to always be one more twist. I would rate this episode 4 out of five stars. I would hope you all would listen to the review, to get the full story and how everything happened. But, I have included several promotional pictures just to be sure.
SANCTUARY - Icebreaker” 407 – Photo by: Chris Helcermanas-B
SANCTUARY - Icebreaker” 407 – Photo by: Chris Helcermanas-Benge/Syfy
SANCTUARY - Icebreaker” 407 – Photo by: Chris Helcermanas-Benge/Syfy
SANCTUARY - Icebreaker” 407 – Photo by: Chris Helcermanas-Benge/Syfy
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
This week we discuss the Nudist in Portland who re-created the Tauntaun scene from Empire Strikes Back with a horse. Then we have a preview of SyFy’s new miniseries Neverland.
Portland Nudist Poses Naked Inside Horse Carcass
http://www.scififx.com/2011/11/portland-nudist-poses-naked-inside-horse-carcass/
Neverland Preview
http://www.scififx.com/2011/11/neverland-preview/
Follow Us on Twitter @SciFiFX
Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/scififx
Follow The Fellowship of the Geeks on Twitter @FellowshipGeeks
Follow TrooperTrek on Twitter @TrooperTrek
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
This is a review of Sanctuary Resistance with Amanda Tapping. I review Sanctuary for a second week in a row as in remains one of the top rated shows on my personal watch list. I hope you enjoy the review and pictures attached below:
SANCTUARY — “Resistance” Episode 405 — Pictured: Ryan Robbins as Henry Foss — Photo by: Chris Helcermanas-Benge/Syfy
SANCTUARY — “Resistance” Episode 405 — Pictured: (l-r) Christopher Heyerdahl as Bigfoot, Robin Dunne as Dr. WIll ZImmerman — Photo by: Chris Helcermanas-Benge/Syfy
SANCTUARY — “Resistance” Episode 405 — Pictured: Amanda Tapping as Dr. Helen Magnus — Photo by: Chris Helcermanas-Benge/Syfy
SANCTUARY — “Resistance” Episode 405 — Pictured: (l-r) Amanda Tapping as Dr. Helen Magnus, Ryan Robbins as Henry Foss — Photo by: Chris Helcermanas-Benge/Syfy
Follow Us on Twitter @SciFiFX
Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/scififx
Follow The Fellowship of the Geeks on Twitter @FellowshipGeeks
Follow TrooperTrek on Twitter @TrooperTrek
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
SyFy Films announced today that it has acquired the rights to the Science –Fiction superhero anthology Wild Cards edited by George R. R. Martin. The ongoing anthology of 22 books was first published in 1987 and is based on stories by a consortium of science-fiction writers. Melinda Snodgrass will pen the script for Wild Cards which is the first acquisition for Syfy Films since its launch in December 2010. The announcement was made today by Syfy Film’s Senior Vice President of Production, Gregory Noveck.
“Wild Cards presents a terrific franchise opportunity given the volume of material from this compelling fantasy series,” said Noveck. “We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to develop a film based on the anthology’s supernatural heroes, and to be working with such talented and visionary writers as George R.R. Martin and Melissa Snodgrass.”
Wild Cards is one of the most successful and longest running, science-fiction book series. Its characters were developed with the goal of creating a realistic take on people with super powers and how they affect their daily lives. The series was conceived as a shared universe in which different authors contributed new characters and storylines to the overall mythos.
Martin and Snodgrass will serve as executive producers. Along with Martin and Snodgrass, original contributors include popular contemporary science-fiction writers Roger Zelazny (“The Chronicles of Amber”) and Walter Jon Williams (“Hardwired”). More recently a new generation of noted science-fiction and fantasy authors have contributed characters and storylines to this ever-growing universe. They include Cherie Priest (“Boneshaker”), Paul Cornell (“Doctor Who”), David Anthony Durham (“Acacia”) and Carrie Vaughn (“The Kitty Norville” series). The books have been translated into several languages and have been adapted into comic books and role-playing games.
SyFy Films was launched as a joint venture with Universal Pictures, with the goal of producing original theatrical releases in the SciFi, Fantasy, and horror genres. Beginning in 2012, SyFy Films plans to release two pictures a year.
I wish SyFy Films good luck in their endeavors. I look forward to the Wild Cards movies. Hopefully, they put more money/effort into their theatrical movies than the SyFy Channel usually puts into their SyFy Channel Original Movies.
Follow Us on Twitter @SciFiFX
Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/scififx
Loading ...
