Chuck returns tonight
Apparently NBC has enough episodes of Chuck in the can that it feels comfortable in releasing two of them on the same night, a different night than you’re used to seeing Chuck I might add.
Chuck is a turn-your-brain-off-and-enjoy kind of show, and I’ll admit I’ve enjoyed many episodes. I did eventually stop watching due to a lack of time, but I might TiVo this just in case the writers strike goes on for a few more months.
Then again, my TiVo has recorded over 200 shows it thinks I’ll be interested in, and my Netflix queue has many many titles in it.. so perhaps not.
For those who want to watch, Chuck bookends The Apprentice tonight at 8 and 10PM.
James Bond “Quantum of Solace”
Bond 22 has a real name, Quantum of Solace. Mmmm… yeah.
Locations for the new flick have been released as well with filming in Austria, Italy and South America (I guess the person who wrote up the release things South America is just one country…)
In an interesting move, this movie follows directly on to the story of Casino Royale with Bond looking for the truth about Vesper, the one night stand he had that didn’t end up so well for the girl. This is a revenge tale, which goes well with the new “edgier” Bond franchise.
No word yet on if Q will return, but we’re keeping our fingers crossed. I don’t care how edgy Bond gets, he still needs his gadgets!
Quantum of Solace opens on November 7, 2008.
BTW, that poster doesn’t appear to be official, but it’s looks good enough to post.
A bunch of Semi-Pro pictures
If you’re a fan of Will Ferrell you’re anxiously awaiting the release of Semi-Pro, his upcoming basketball movie. I enjoyed Anchorman, and Talladega Nights was quite funny in parts so I look forward to Semi-Pro with optimism.
After watching the redband trailer (embedded after the break) I’m looking forward to it even more.
The gist of the story is Will made some money with a catchy song, then used it to buy his own minor league basketball team. He doesn’t always have the best attitude when playing though.. just watch the trailer. Joining Will this time are Woody Harrelson, Will Arnett, Rob Corddry and Andy Richter.
A bunch of high rez pics and that trailer after the break.
Star Trek pictures
These were out on the net last Friday, yet Paramount just “officially” released them today.. way to get ahead of the curve guys!
Anyway, just in case you haven’t seen a large format version of the new Enterprise under construction I’ve posted it here. The updated logo for Starfleet is also posted, after the break.
X-Files set pictures… spoilers?
According to JoBlo, these pictures are from the set of the upcoming X-Files movie, X-Files: Done One. Any discussion of these pictures could be considered spoilers since they are set pictures instead of ones being released by the studio. So, if you really want to be careful, stop reading.
Heck, just to be safe I’ll move the pictures and discussion after the break, so hit the read more link if you want to see them.
Midnight Meat Train
When I first saw the title I wondered if it was a train going to or from a red light district, but no, it’s a horror movie. Two things catch my interests on this one, first it’s a Clive Barker story. Second, it’s rated R. So not only should the story actually have a good creepy factor to it, it won’t be watered down in an effort to gain larger audiences.
Basic idea is someone hunts on the subway, killing people then disposing of the meat in some way. The trailer insinuates it’s going to a meat packing facility… just lovely.
I’ll embed the trailer and a second image after the break. Give it a shot, if nothing else the production values look quite high on this one.
NBC trying to screw up Top Gear
Remember The Office? This was a UK television show about daily life in an office, cubicles.. desks.. meetings.. more meetings.. it’s like a live action Dilbert but it’s not about engineers, it’s about all types of office workers. The show was a huge hit in the UK and NBC bought the rights to it here in the States.
Everyone just knew they’d screw it up, but they didn’t. The casting of the American version of The Office is spot on, and in many ways the show is superior to the original.
Well, NBC has its eyes on another hit from overseas, Top Gear. If you’re even slightly into cars you really need to watch this show. You can see it on BBCAmerica Monday nights and occasionally repeated over the weekends. The humor.. the insane things they do, the general attitude of it’s host… all are perfect. This is some mighty fine television.
And there’s no chance NBC can make a successful version here in the US, no chance at all. Why? One word.. lawyers.
Many of the things that make Top Gear so interesting just won’t be able to be done here out of fear of lawsuits. Letting the hosts of the show drive around a racetrack in excess of 175 mph without safety gear while they comment on the car? Just not gonna happen. Making non-road worthy cars and driving them on public roads? In traffic? Nope, not gonna happen. How about letting a host drive a Porsche into a concrete wall at 35 mph to see how the car handles is? Nah, don’t think so.. at least not unless he’s covered head to toe in protective gear.
No, the flavor of the show will have to change if it’s made in America, and it’s gonna be bland compared to the original. Maybe it’ll have some funny parts, and maybe it will be somewhat interesting to watch, but I suspect more annoyance than entertainment.
Here’s a telling quote from Craig Plestis, the man in charge of reality TV at NBC, “This is a favorite of all automobile companies as it shows their cars in such a great light.” Obviously Craig hasn’t watched much Top Gear as they routinely trash cars from every manufacturer. I’m not talking about a light ribbing either, if they don’t like a car they’ll be very vocal about everything they see wrong with it.. and call it some nice names in the process. For that matter, they usually have some pretty negative things to say about the cars they like as no car is perfect. But when they hate a car, they really go off on it.. and it’s fantastic TV when they do. They aren’t beyond purchasing a new car then destroying it just to show how much they hate it. Does that sounds like they’d be “favorites of all automobile companies”?
Duma Key by Stephen King
Stephen King releases a new book today, Duma Key. This one is listed as Horror, like most of his novels, but I’m not sure I believe it. Read this from the book jacket:
The tenacity of love, the perils of creativity, the mysteries of memory and the nature of the supernatural — Stephen King gives us a novel as fascinating as it is gripping and terrifying.
Does that sound scary to you? Not to me… but, I like just about everything he’s written so I’ll add this to my collection. Amazon will have it here soon, and I’ll dive in immediately and let you know if it’s worth reading. Gimmie a week, this will take a bit longer than a movie since it’s 592 pages.
Free Movie Monday has started
Jump in and grab yourself a free DVD, Free Movie Monday has started over on the mothership!
Things to add to your Netflix queue
It’s Monday again, and you know the drill. We sort what’s coming out on DVD this week so you don’t have to, here’s what you might find interesting:
The Game Plan - Action stars all get to a point of their careers where they think they need to show their “softer” side, so they do a family movie. This time Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson tries to be a daddy to a cute 7-yr old that he didn’t know he had. Only watch this if you’re a huge fan of The Rock. I’ll be skipping it.
Saw IV - I was not a fan of this movie, and I won’t be watching the DVD. But, I’m in the minority here, so have at it!
Fatal Contact - Martial arts with a budget and seemingly typical storyline. I watched this last night and will report in with my review later today on the mothership.
That’s it, seems to be a really lame week for DVD’s. Time to take care of some back titles in your queue.