If holographic television were available today, would you go right out and buy it?

We’re more than four years into the widespread availability of affordable consumer 3D television and the viewing public hasn’t embraced it yet.  My best guess is simply because they haven’t seen it yet, or they are basing their lack of interest on a poor viewing experience with 3D in a public theater.  At borg.com, we’ve got no skin in the game–we don’t work for or with the studios–we’re just after the best viewing experience possible.  And we’re completely sold on both 3D Blu-ray and the lesser discussed 2D/3D “upconversion” technology.

Distributors have been relatively slow at releasing 3D Blu-rays, the current standard for 3D home viewing.  Many films actually produced in 3D, like Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit series, are very quickly released now in a 3D Blu-ray.  Other films are converted to 3D in post-production, like Star Trek Into Darkness, and they are also released on 3D Blu-ray.  Both films look far superior to standard films–you can’t even compare the quality.  The distinctions between a true 3D film and a conversion are probably not all that noticeable to the average moviegoer with normal vision.  But what we’re focusing on today is something different.

A different category of conversion, called 2D/3D conversion, is available on certain affordable 3D televisions today.  This is a technology available to anyone with a 3D television that includes the upconvert technology and compatible 3D glasses.  For films, TV series, or even real-time live or pre-recorded television, this technology manipulates the images to create a real 3D experience for the viewer.  Sounds like a gimmick?  It’s not.  To test it, we tried 2D/3D upconverting on an episode of each of Star Trek, the original series, and Star Trek: The Next Generation.  The result?  We were blown away.  We think if you try it, you too will ask:  Why don’t we watch everything now in 3D, and why isn’t everyone talking about it?

If you’re waiting around for holographic TV, that’s pretty much what you’re getting here, too.  You can even get up and walk around without the 3D image going away.  The only thing you can’t do is walk completely around a floating object, which is what a true holographic TV experience should be.  But this is the next best thing.  We watched two acclaimed, classic Star Trek episodes, the original series episode “The Naked Time” and the NextGen series episode “Darmok” using a 3D television, a Blu-ray/DVD player and, for “The Naked Time” a remastered DVD version, and for “Darmok,” a remastered Blu-ray version.  We then applied the 3D television’s upconvert and easily adjusted the various 3D settings, such as “Standard” or “Cinema” or “Extreme,” tint, and brightness/backlighting, to create the best picture possible for the room lighting.

The quickest way to see the difference in quality is by turning off the 2D/3D upconvert on your television after watching a few minutes with it on.  The difference is obvious in an instant and quite significant way.  Take “The Naked Time”–the classic original series primary colors and ample amounts of solid colors emphasize the contrast between background, midground, and foreground ranges.  Even Sulu’s sword when he enters swashbuckling mode seems to stretch out of the TV screen.  The frozen bodies in the opening scene float toward the viewer in a different plane from Spock as he approaches from behind.  The folds of his orange hazard suit form their own landscape in a way you’ve never noticed before.  The scenes of the planet below as the Enterprise spins in orbit around it create a sense of awe as if we’re really on a ship high above and far away from a celestial orb.  And that planet is in 3D as we see it through a viewscreen that also sits back from our TV screen and the two crewmen who sit out in front of Kirk’s captain chair.  Even the crew’s patches and shimmering wrist insignia have their own clear depth and clarity.

One of the best ways to be brought into an immersive 3D experience that we learned from watching Predator in 3D was how outdoor scenes really highlight the medium, with so many natural segments of depth, including the ground, the brush, the trees, the sky, and the clouds.  When Captain Picard and Captain Dathon try to understand each other on the surface of El Adrel IV in “Darmok,” the viewer is marooned on the planet with them.  Blades of grass in the foreground create this quick contrast to Dathon sitting at his fire several feet in the background of the scene.  When Riker, Worf and Data are discussing their solution to remove Picard from the planet’s surface, the decision of the director in staging the actors’ placement takes on a more useful purpose now, as we see–and almost can feel–the difference in space between each actor.

So how does it all work?

We all look at two-dimensional pictures every day, including watching TV, and yet something tells our brains there is perspective and depth to what we see.  These depth clues in the brain can see dimension using elements like color, motion, blur, and focus.  The computer within the latest televisions can take these clues and create a greyscale map of objects and their relative distances between them.  The view of a pair of three-dimensional stereo cameras can then be translated to data and adapted to the 2D mapping as if they are creating a scene in 3D, but again, using the 2D data.  Remember the simplicity of Viewmaster reels?  The technology is not all that different for the modern TV.  The glasses–either inexpensive static versions (as we used) or higher end battery-powered glasses timed to sync with the TV–work with the screen image by ensuring each eye sees what it needs to, so that in your brain your eyes are working together to sense that the TV is providing the same perspective as if you were standing on the production set.  You can literally see more from the screen than you could see before, with greater clarity.

For those wishing they could watch their favorite series for the very first time all over again… you can.  Still waiting for Lucasfilm for Star Wars in 3D?  You don’t need to.  We’ll be checking out the original series Blu-rays soon in 2D/3D upconversion, too.

Along with highlighting the best to watch in upconversions, we’ll also be continuing our reviews of the best available on Blu-ray 3D.

C.J. Bunce
Editor
borg.com

No other director has produced more hits and more variety than Steven Spielberg.  You’d have to travel pretty far to find someone who didn’t love at least one of Spielberg’s films.  Whether it’s Jaws, Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T., the Extra-Terrestrial, Jurassic Park, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Minority Report, or War of the Worlds, each of Spielberg’s genre blockbusters rival the best of other major directors’ films.  That doesn’t even include his more critically acclaimed dramatic works, Schindler’s List, The Color Purple, Empire of the Sun, Saving Private Ryan, Munich, and Lincoln. 

The films Spielberg directed at Universal Studios are being released tomorrow in a new boxed set in both a DVD and Blu-ray edition.  Whether you’ll go for this set isn’t a matter of whether this is a great collection of great movies.  It’s more about math.  Today only you can get the set for less than half the published retail price at Amazon.com here.  First of all you get eight films on eight discs, and unlike other directors’ releases, like the superb Clint Eastwood: 35 Films 35 Years at Warner Bros., this edition includes a bundle of great extras on several of the discs.  These films have been released singly and you may already have the best available editions of films like Jaws.   But if you don’t this may be the time to catch up your video library.

You get Spielberg’s first film, actually a TV movie, the suspenseful Duel (1971), featuring Dennis Weaver (Dragnet, Gunsmoke) being pursued by a psychotic truck driver.  It’s the ultimate road rage movie well before the term was even coined.  It includes “A Conversation with Director Steven Spielberg,” “Steven Spielberg and the Small Screen,” “Richard Matheson: The Writing of Duel,” a photograph and poster gallery and the original trailer.

You also get Spielberg’s first theatrical film, The Sugarland Express (1974), probably tied as the least of the discs in this set.  This early Goldie Hawn vehicle only comes with the original theatrical trailer, and no other features.

You get the best of the best, Jaws (1975), including several features: “The Making of Jaws,” “The Shark Is Still Working: The Impact & Legacy of Jaws,” “Jaws: The Restoration,” “From the Set,” “Marketing Jaws,” “Jaws Phenomenon,” as well as deleted scenes and outtakes, storyboards, production photos, the theatrical trailer, as well as BD Live access and the Pocket BLU App.

The fourth movie in the set is 1941 (1979), the comedy you likely forgot or never knew Spielberg directed, featuring John Belushi.  It’s a fun watch for nostalgia, but certainly not like any other Spielberg hit.  The disc includes “The Making of 1941,” as well as deleted scenes, production photographs, and theatrical trailers.

The second certified blockbuster in the set is E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982), a great flick for the Halloween season.  The disc includes several extras: “Steven Spielberg & E.T.,” “The E.T. Journals,” “A Look Back,” “The Evolution and Creation of E.T.,” “The E.T. Reunion,” “The Music of E.T.: A Discussion with John Williams,” “The 20th Anniversary Premiere,” as well as deleted scenes, designs, photographs and marketing, the theatrical trailer, a Special Olympics TV spot, and others.

One of Spielberg’s most underrated films is the supernatural romance drama Always (1989), starring Richard Dreyfuss, Holly Hunter, and John Goodman.  It’s unfortunate this disc doesn’t include features other than the trailer.

The third and final blockbuster in the set is Jurassic Park (1993).  If you’re not into checking out the 3D Blu-ray version (to be reviewed here at borg.com tomorrow), this is the version for you.  This disc includes features “Return to Jurassic Park: Dawn of a New Era,” “Return to Jurassic Park: Making Prehistory,” “Return to Jurassic Park: The Next Step in Evolution,” “The Making of Jurassic Park,” original featurette on the making of the film, “Steven Spielberg Directs Jurassic Park,” “Hurricane in Kauai,” early pre-production meetings, location scouting, “Phil Tippett Animatics: Raptors in the Kitchen,” “Animatics: T-Rex Attack,” “ILM and Jurassic Park: Before and After the Visual Effects,””Production Archives: Photographs, Design Sketches and Conceptual Paintings,” “Jurassic Park: Making the Game,” the trailer, and other extras.

Probably tied with The Sugarland Express as the lesser of the films is The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997).  This disc includes “Returning to Jurassic Park: Finding the Lost World,” “Returning to Jurassic Park: Something Survived,” deleted scenes, “The Making of the Lost World,” an original featurette on the making of the film, “The Jurassic Park Phenomenon: A Discussion with Author Michael Crichton,” “ILM & The Lost World: Before and After the Visual Effects,” and other extras.

Again, you need to act fast to get the pre-release price from Amazon.com here.  It’s a pretty good small compilation of some of best blockbusters and lesser known films for fans to explore.

C.J. Bunce
Editor
borg.com

Review by C.J. Bunce

Whether a piece of art is appealing is in the eye of the beholder.  Everyone who gives a considered view to a piece of artwork is entitled to their own interpretation and commentary on it.  This month sees the release of a book that will allow the reader to take his or her own personal journey through the artwork that became the marketing posters for the Star Wars franchise.  Star Wars Art: Posters is the fifth and final hardcover installment in Abrams Books’ successful series pulling the best imagery from Lucasfilm.  It follows Star Wars Art: Visions, Star Wars Art: Concept, Star Wars Art: Illustration, and, to be reviewed soon here at borg.com, Star Wars Art: Comics.  With Star Wars Art: Posters, the best was saved for last.

Star Wars Art: Posters is a purely visual experience.  It includes only the slightest amount of text or interpretational information.  A one-page commentary is included, written by each of noted Star Wars poster artists Drew Struzan and Roger Kastel.  They each recount their own experience with creating Star Wars poster art, but do not give an overview of the rest of the galaxy of poster art.  Instead each piece of art is laid out roughly chronologically, stripped of the words and printed matter that would be needed for the completion of the final poster for distribution, but with a notation showing the artists’ name, date, significance, and medium.

Die hard fans of Star Wars will recognize many, if not most, of the included posters.  And you’ll find yourself embarking on your own nostalgic trip back nearly four decades.  Back to the first poster for the film from 1976: Howard Chaykin’s screaming imagery of Luke, Han, Leia and Ben, with lightsaber pointing downward, Tom Jung’s famous one-sheet–what most remember as the classic Star Wars poster, Tom Chantrell’s photo-real poster featuring Mark Hamill as Luke along with the rest of the main cast, and that famous circus-design poster by Charles White III and Drew Struzan.  My own trip back in time recalls the Del Nichols posters that were Coca-Cola giveaways, three of which are included in the book (and which covered the walls of my bedroom many years ago).

Years after the success of Star Wars, fans became familiar with the stylized concept posters created by Ralph McQuarrie.  Some of those can be found in this volume, dating way back to 1975.   His best may be his cover to the 1982 Jedi Master’s Quiz Book, featuring Yoda in Dagobah, found here, too.  The best of all Star Wars poster art?  It’s hard to beat Roger Kastel’s famous Gone With the Wind homage cover for The Empire Strikes Back.  It’s simply a perfect painting that sums up the adventure and excitement of Star Wars to many fans.  The rest of the Star Wars universe belongs to Drew Struzan, with his triptych of the first trilogy, and then the prequel trilogy, as well as the other odd images he created over the years.

One of the most fun posters would be the Yoda-centric image by David McMacken for Attack of the Clones featuring the legend “Size Matters Not (except on an IMAX screen”).  When I think of The Return of the Jedi, Kazuhiko Sano’s “B” poster image comes instantly to mind.

But Star Wars Art: Posters doesn’t stop at movie posters. An Adam Hughes piece illustrates the love the artist has for Return of the Jedi, with Leia as Jabba’s slave in an Arabesque design, created as a convention exclusive.  Mondo posters and other retro fan posters, and posters for the animated series, all may help fans form a better understanding of why Star Wars is so popular, and why we can hardly wait to see Struzan’s new posters for the third and final Star Wars movie trilogy.

A good addition for your science fiction and fantasy library, Star Wars Art: Posters will be a must-have for fans of the other four volumes in the series.  The cover price of this hefty, over-sized edition for Star Wars Art: Posters is $40.00.  Get your copy now at a discounted price here at Amazon.com.

It’s the second time TCM and auction house Bonhams have teamed up to offer screen-used and production-made costumes, props, and other relics from the Golden Age of Hollywood.  A November auction, TCM Presents: There’s No Place Like Hollywood, will feature a large private collection of rare items from Casablanca, including the piano featured prominently in the film where Sam plays “As Time Goes By.”  A lesser seen piano from another scene in the film sold in 2012 for more than $600,000.

One lot features a mannequin display with costume components worn by Bert Lahr as the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz, said to have been used in several scenes in the film.  Many of the costumes and props appear to be the same lots that have been featured in other auctions in the last few years, including various dresses from the Debbie Reynolds collection of items offered by auction house Profiles in History.

Costumes from several classic films are on the auction block, including a Clark Gable jacket from Gone With the Wind, Marilyn Monroe’s saloon gown from River of No Return, Jimmy Stewart’s Charles Lindbergh flight suit from The Spirit of St. Louis, Faye Dunaway’s dress from The Towering Inferno, a Jane Russell costume from The Outlaw, and a John Wayne Union Army coat from Rio Lobo and The Undefeated.  Sci-fi and fantasy fans aren’t forgotten in the TCM auction, as there will be costumes worn by Charlton Heston and Roddy McDowell in Planet of the Apes, a background crewmember astronaut jumpsuit from Close Encounters of the Third Kind, a test dress for Judy Garland as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, and a Saruman staff and Aragorn sword from The Lord of the Rings films, both from Sir Christopher Lee’s personal collection.

Movie memorabilia collectors will find many items to bid on, including movie posters, photos and scripts.  Nice condition rare movie posters include key John Ford and Alfred Hitchcock films, various James Bond movies, war movies, Humphrey Bogart films, and classic monster flicks.

See the Bonhams’ website here for more information on lot descriptions, bidding procedures and starting bid prices.  TCM and Bonhams’ first partnership auction included the sale of the original prop Maltese Falcon from The Maltese Falcon, which sold for more than $4 million.

TCM Presents: There’s No Place Like Hollywood will take place November 24, 2014, in New York City.

C.J. Bunce
Editor
borg.com

So what evil lies behind that door?

Can you remember the first comic book that ever landed in your hands?  More than a decade ago I first met one of my comic book creator heroes, Howard Chaykin.  Chaykin created the very first Star Wars movie poster, a stylized, action-filled cover in his unique style:

Chaykin was visiting town at a local Con and luckily for me most of the visitors at the show were in line for the newest young comic artist, and didn’t realize all Mr. Chaykin had done in his long career in comics and television, so I got plenty of time to chat with him, and have him autograph my first comic book: Star Wars, Issue #8, featuring a story called “Eight for Aduba-3,” influenced by The Magnificent Seven/Seven Samurai story.  I’ve bragged up Chaykin before here at borg.com.  He’s one of the most interesting guys in the comics business.

“Eight for Aduba-3″ came out when Marvel Comics first had the license to create the Star Wars movie adaptation, drawn by Chaykin and written by Chaykin and the great Roy Thomas, after a quick look at materials from the film and conversation with George Lucas.  They were tapped to take the characters from the new phenomenon in a new direction following the events in Episode IV: A New Hope.  “Eight for Aduba-3″ included more than one tough recruited mercenary, much like its source material, but the big standout was Jaxxon, a giant, angry green rabbit-man.

The Marvel Comics series ran to 107 issues, three annuals, and a four-issue adaptation of Return of the Jedi.  Then Dark Horse Comics later took over and gave us 20 years of great stories.  As we reported here back in July during Comic-Con, Marvel Comics announced that January 2015 will see the first of Marvel taking over the Star Wars comic book line from Dark Horse with three initial series.  Fellow Elite Comics regular Jason Aaron will write and John Cassaday will serve as artist on the new series taking place just after A New Hope, where the original 1978 Marvel Comics line began and the current main Dark Horse title takes place.

Today Marvel Comics made public a variant cover for Aaron and Cassaday’s new series–Star Wars, Issue #1, featuring none other than Jaxxon himself.

We couldn’t be happier with the result.  Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your tastes), we won’t likely see much more of Jaxxon in the ongoing monthly–the cover is more of an homage to Marvel’s first foray into the expanded Star Wars universe.  Drawn by John Tyler Christopher, this “Party Variant” will only be available at Star Wars launch parties in January.  We also couldn’t be happier the future of Star Wars canon will be in the hands of our pal Jason Aaron, one of Marvel’s best story writers.

Look for a Star Wars Marvel launch party near you in January 2015 with more details coming soon.

C.J. Bunce
Editor
borg.com

An Ohio movie poster collector is selling his collection of posters.

No big deal?  Not if you’re talking about Morris Everett, Jr., who claims to own the largest collection of lobby cards and movie posters in the world.  Over the past few decades Everett acquired nearly 200,000 of these items reflecting nearly every movie ever made.  In December, auction house Profiles in History is auctioning the entire collection as one lot.  One private collector or institution will amass a collection that includes not only rare posters, but the only known specimens of certain movie ephemera, such as the only known remaining lobby card for Fritz Lang’s Metropolis.

According to the auction house, the lot of 196,000 pieces of film art reflecting 44,000 movies since 1907 is expected to fetch a minimum of $6 to $8 million.

The history of cinema is represented in Everett’s collection, in addition to the history of fashion and design.  Advertising agencies and aspiring designers would be wise to download copies of the online catalog and galleries for a future photo reference.  A collection like this doesn’t come around often, and a chronicle so interesting is something sure to give anyone hours of mesmerized gazing and gawking.

Check out the Profiles in History website here for more information, including a video interview with Everett.

The Morris Everett, Jr. collection of movie lobby cards, posters and ephemera hits the auction block December 17, 2014.

C.J. Bunce
Editor
borg.com

What a busy year!  We took in more content this year than ever before, reading more books, watching more TV series, and reviewing more movies.  Wading through all that Hollywood had to offer, we try to hone in on the genre films and TV series we think are worth our time.  We went back and looked at it all and pulled together our picks for our annual “Best of the Best” list.  Today we reveal the best content focusing on movies.  Come back for more of our picks tomorrow.  If you missed any of these films this year, check them out when they arrive on video or digital release.

Edge of Tomorrow — Best Film of the Year, Best Science Fiction Fix, Best Action Fix, Best Actress (Emily Blunt), Best Supporting Actor (Bill Paxton).  The benefit of Blu-rays/DVDs is the ability to go back and verify whether a movie was as good as you remembered it in the theater.  Of all the top genre films of the year, including Guardians of the Galaxy and X-Men: Days of Future Past, it was Edge of Tomorrow that became an addictive re-watch, to see all those great, funny scenes, like Tom Cruise’s demoted soldier rolling under the jeep, and Emily Blunt’s Rita Vrataski destroying all those aliens.  Rita was the best character we saw this year–anywhere–and Blunt provided the best performance.  Superb sci-fi components?  Check.  Superb action sequences?  Check.  With top-notch acting by Blunt and Bill Paxton.  This will be the movie of 2014 that we one day will re-watch just like we re-watch Aliens and Predator today.

Guardians of the Galaxy — Best Superhero Fix, Best Actor Runner-up (Dave Bautista), Best Supporting Actress (Zoe Saldana), Best Villain (Lee Pace), Best Soundtrack, Best Rock Album.  It was the perfect blend of B-level superheroes and a space fantasy like we hadn’t seen since the original Star Wars.  A surprisingly fun ride.  Guardians introduced the world to Dave Bautista, who will likely get more and more popular in 2015 and beyond.  His serious but comedic Drax may have been the best part of a great cast of new characters.  Zoe Saldana created her best genre role so far and Lee Pace’s Ronan was a perfect comic book villain.  And those tunes on Starlord’s Walkman!  What was more fun this year than Rocket and Groot?

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies — Best Fantasy Fix, Best Supporting Actress (Evangeline Lilly), Best Supporting Actor Runner-up (Lee Pace).  Whether or not you liked The Hobbit trilogy as much as The Lord of the Rings, you’ve got to admit that no one can create visuals in the fantasy genre like Peter Jackson.  Quibble all you want about the details of the final installment of The Hobbit, ounce for ounce it provided spectacle like no other movie in 2014.  The challenge will be Hollywood creating something that can come close in 2015, our first year without a Tolkien movie in three years.  Evangeline Lilly’s Tauriel was a high point, even if her character wasn’t it in novel, and Lee Pace offered as compelling a performance as any actor in the Middle-earth saga as the grandiose Elfking.

The World’s End — Best Comedy Film.  You never know what you’re going to get with a Simon Pegg and Nick Frost flick, but you can be sure it will be funny.  The most laughs this year came from their bar-hopping, alien encounter in The World’s End.  The alien effects were also a plus, and nice performances by Martin Freeman and Rosamund Pike.

RoboCop — Best Movie Borg.  Of all the borgs visualized in 2014 we think the reveal to Joel Kinnaman’s Alex Murphy of his own cybernetics in the better-than-expected reboot of RoboCop was the best borg scene of the year.  Like the similar scene with Jake Gyllenhaal in Source Code, RoboCop’s creators gave us a real view of what a cybernetic human would look like if technology catches up with fiction.  And with a reboot of The Six Million Dollar Man coming our way in 2016, RoboCop has set the bar pretty high for how moviemakers address how an almost entirely destroyed human wrestles with bionic limbs.

The Imitation Game.  Best Actor (Benedict Cumberbatch), Best Actress Runner-up (Keira Knightley).  This historical drama/war movie slipped into 2014 at the last minute (see our review last week here), but the acting by Cumberbatch and Knightley was worthy of everyone’s attention.  A very gripping, moving film.

X-men: Days of Future Past — Best Scene.  It’s a scene that almost propelled the latest X-men to our best film of the year.  Evan Peters’ cocky and confident mutant Quicksilver must break Ian McKellen’s Magneto out of prison at the Pentagon.  To the tune of Jim Croce’s “Time in a Bottle,” he gives us the best scene of a superhero being a superhero in any movie.  Ever.  The Flash series needs to aim for this.  A different Quicksilver in Avengers: Age of Ultron already has the movie set up for disappointment.  Peters needs to come back in future superhero films as this great character.

Jaws Original Reel at Alamo Drafthouse — Best Retro Fix.  We’re lucky to have access to many great screenings of classic films on the big screen in art-house and other theaters, like The Birds and The Wizard of Oz.  This year the original negative of Jaws was a real treat, and something you don’t see too often for any movie in an era where you could simply project a crystal clear, re-mastered DVD edit onto the wall.  But this allowed us to see the film as originally seen by viewers in 1975.  And that was a great opportunity to enjoy this classic all over again.

Transformers: Age of Extinction IMAX 3D Blu-ray — Best DVD/Blu-ray.  We reviewed several new Blu-rays in 2014 and many in 3D.  The release that included the 3D Blu-ray, standard Blu-ray, DVD and digital copy, with the expanded edition as seen in IMAX 3D, was the best buy, and the 3D IMAX version provided the best 3D imagery that has yet been created for home theaters.  The high-wire escape scene atop skyscrapers provided incredible clarity and heart-pounding excitement for anyone with even a basic 3D television and 3D Blu-ray player.  Michael Bay knows how to make a big budget splash that kids of all ages will love.  That all easily translated to a great home theater experience and a new standard in 3D entertainment.

Predator 3D — Best DVD/Blu-ray Re-release.  How Predator was selected for an early upgrade to 3D is anybody’s guess, but what a great choice.  The concept of the natural world as the best way to dazzle with 3D was proven with this jungle adventure.  The direction and cinematography seemed designed for 3D and yet it wasn’t.  Fans of the film are sure to be impressed with what feels like a brand new movie in this new type of movie-watching experience.

Star Trek: The Compendium — Best Blu-ray/DVD Features.  So many versions of the 2009 Star Trek reboot and sequel Star Trek Into Darkness were released in different stores with different extra content that fans demanded one edition that combined all the special features in one box.  The Star Trek Compendium gave fans all that they asked for and hours of enjoyment digging into every aspect of the films’ behind-the-scenes production.

Terminator: Genisys — Best Movie Trailer.  With all the trailers for films that hit the marquee in 2014 and the previews issued for 2015 releases including the eagerly anticipated Star Wars: The Force Awakens, nothing was more exciting than the first look at the next Terminator film, with returning mega-star Arnold Schwarzenegger.  Terminator: Genisys may not ultimately get the box office take that Star Wars VII will receive, but we’re guessing it will be well worth the admission price.

Poltergeist Alamo Drafthouse Halloween event — Best Movie Poster.  We waded through dozens of posters advertising 2014 movies and none of them were as dazzling and eye-popping as Bryan Fyffe’s new look at my old nightmares from Poltergeist, created for a Halloween screening this year.  Look close at every nook and cranny of this piece.  It’s uber-creepy and appropriate for this horror classic.

Come back tomorrow and we’ll reveal our take on the best of what TV had to offer for 2014.

C.J. Bunce
Editor
borg.com

The last day of the year is finally here, and with that the last of our reviews of the best content of 2014.

We’ve previewed comic books each month thanks to publishers like Dynamite Comics, Dark Horse Comics, IDW Publishing, BOOM! Studios, and Image.  We sample the best of all that Marvel and DC Comics has to offer, too, and although we don’t have enough time to review everything we review those titles we think our readers might like to check out, especially those with a sci-fi, fantasy, or retro angle.  And we read plenty of books–sci-fi and fantasy, pulp and spy novels, movie and TV tie-ins, even Westerns and steampunk, as well as non-fiction books about movies, TV, and other genre topics.  This past month we have looked again at these titles, as we narrowed our selections to what we think are the very best.  So here are our picks for Best in Print for 2014.

Best Comic Book Series — Black Widow, Marvel Comics.  We were wondering early on what would take the place of Fraction and Hollingsworth’s Hawkeye series for the most satisfying superhero fix.  It didn’t take long to see this other Marvel series looking at another superhero in a similarly personal–but very different–way.  It was a standout in a great year of comics.  Phil Noto’s art and colors were incredible and Nathan Edmondson’s story didn’t let up once.  Full of action, espionage, and intrigue.  A great series to catch-up on in a trade edition.  See our reviews of the series here and here.

Best Comic Book Mini-Series — Afterlife with Archie, Archie Comics.  Who would have guessed someone could make Archie and friends so accessible to any demographic in the 2010s?  And whose brilliant idea was doing it via a horror genre story of zombies taking over Riverdale?  Smart writing by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and spooky atmospheric illustrations by Francesco Francavilla made for a sumptuous series like no other.  Not technically a mini-series, it feels like one because of its staggered release.  See our earlier raves about the series here.

Best Comic Book Writing – Dan Abnett, Wild’s End, BOOM! Studios.  Abnett’s Wild’s End really caught us by surprise.  An incredible fantasy read that is truly unique from BOOM! Studios.  Anthropomorphic characters with incredible archaic dialogue that’s witty and smart.  A crazy mash-up of War of the Worlds, Christopher Robin’s neighborhood, and the dark edge and high stakes of Revival.  We can’t wait to see what’s in store for the rest of this series.  Check out our earlier review here.

Best Comic Book Art – J.K. Woodward, Star Trek: Harlan Ellison’s The City on the Edge of Forever, IDW Publishing.  J.K. Woodward seems to be able to do anything with a paint brush.  Movie tech has not yet perfected a way to create new films interspersing actors from the past digitally, but Woodward is able to take a cast from a 40-year-old TV series and make them come alive.  We thought his Star Trek/Doctor Who crossover series was awesome, and he’s not letting up with each new project.  Check out our review here.

Best Single Comic Book Issue — Guardians of the Galaxy Annual #1, Marvel Comics.  It’s not easy to find a single issue that stands by itself in a year of good reads.  Then in December Brian Michael Bendis and Frank Cho’s Guardians of the Galaxy Annual #1 one-shot arrived and we had our winner.  Fun, unexpected, quirky and nice visuals.  What more could you ask for?  Here’s our review from a few weeks ago.

Best Borg in Comics — The Six Thousand Dollar Man, Legenderry, Dynamite Comics.  Bill Willingham’s seven-issue Legenderry series was a welcome surprise with a brand new pantheon of great steampunk characters.  Pulling from Dynamite Comics’ handy pile of licenses, Willingham came up with the most fun we had with steampunk in comics.  And his Six Thousand Dollar Man was just a brilliant idea, a Bionic Man of a different era, as rendered in a very cool way by artist Sergio Fernandez Davila and character costume designer Johnny Desjardins.  Check out our review of Legenderry here.

Best Comic Book Event — Ant Lucia Bombshell covers, DC Comics. We can’t get enough of all things retro and this year DC Comics smartly latched onto Ant Lucia’s 1940s pin-up-inspired characters.  They gave him an entire month where he took over the covers to the monthly DC Comics titles–a great way to obtain his poster art, in miniature form, and try out a new series.  Check out how he took over DC Comics in June here.

Best Comic Book Cover Artist — Adam Hughes.  Adam Hughes’ run on one of the last Star Wars series for Dark Horse Comics tipped the scales for us this year.  His beautiful cover art of Princess Leia, Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Chewbacca and Star Wars-themed backgrounds were the stuff of great wall posters.  And his Life with Archie cover to issue #36 was a good send-off for the death of the character.  Hughes created noteworthy cover art for Axis #9 variant, Big Trouble in Little China #1 variant, Life with Archie #36, Star Wars Rebel Heist #1-4, and Sirens #1 NYCC variant covers.

Best Comic Book Cover — Avengers & X-Men: Axis #1 Variant – Mike Mayhew.  If we had to pick one cover that was the most fun for the year it was Mike Mayhew’s Avengers & X-Men: Axis #1 variant cover for Midtown Comics.  It featured the best design–the queens of good and evil with a flip cover–Polaris on one side and Scarlet Witch on the other.  There’s a 52-card deck out there begging to be made.

Best Sci-Fi Fix — Copperhead, Image Comics.  Fans of sci-fi Westerns like Firefly should take note.  There’s a great sci-fi series released by Image Comics–Copperhead.  It features one of the best new women characters of 2014, the tough new Sheriff Bronson, large and in-charge in an off-world, sparsely populated town.  Writer Jae Faerber and artist Scott Godlewski created an instant hit complete with plenty of alien crime.  Check out our review of the series here.

Best TV/Movie Tie-In — The X-Files: Year Zero, IDW Publishing.  Of all the books, fiction, comic books series, etc. we read this year, including great reads in the worlds of Buffy the Vampire Slayer to Planet of the Apes to Firefly and Alien, we found the voice that was the truest to the original series was The X-Files: Year Zero by IDW Publishing.  Not only did it include Mulder and Scully working together better than we last saw them in the movies complete with perfect dialogue, the series was expanded with two new characters from the past history of the actual X-Files, giving an entirely new potential area for expansion of the franchise’s stories.  Writer Karl Kesel and artists Greg Scott and Vic Malhotra nailed it with this series.  We raved about it earlier here.

Best Graphic Novel — Toshiro, Dark Horse Comics.  A steampunk robot samurai.  And Civil War era zombies.  Jai Nitz and Janusz Pawlak wove a story that was a mash-up of so many things we lost track.  Pawlak’s rich Quentin Tarentino-esque artwork and Nitz’s spaghetti Western plot about a Japanese robot in England made for a truly unique work like no other graphic novel we read in 2014.  Check out our review here.

Best Marketing — Vandroid, website and faked vintage extras, Dark Horse Comics.  Vandroid should be made into a movie to air on the El Rey network.  A “grindhouse flick that never was” was the hook for this fun retro fix from Tommy Lee Edwards, Noah Smith, and Dan McDaid.  Outside of the comic book mini-series were mock-ups of ads and ephemera to help reel readers in to the mystique of the story and play along.  Vandroid was a great ride.  Check out what we had to say about it earlier here.

Best Comics Collected Edition: The Star Wars, Dark Horse Comics.  An easy pick for best hardcover and trade edition is the variety of compilations of last year’s The Star Wars from Dark Horse Comics.  Released as a trade paperback and in two high quality hardcover editions, this bestselling work is a must for Star Wars fans.  J.W. Rinzler’s adaptation of George Lucas’s original treatment for his vision of the galaxy far away and Mike Mayhew’s great artwork make this a book you’ll want to share with friends.  A superb deluxe hardcover edition includes nice extras.  Check out more about the series here.

Best Genre Non-Fiction — The Hobbit Chronicles: the Desolation of Smaug Cloaks & Daggers, Weta Workshop.  The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Chronicles: Cloaks and Daggers provides an unprecedented look at Peter Jackson’s Hobbit series even better than the stellar prior volumes in the Chronicles series.  No better book of high-quality photographs of props and costumes from a film or series is in print.  If you want to learn the details of what goes on behind the scenes of a huge production, this is the book for you.  Check out our review here.

Best Genre Fiction (New Release) — Dawn of the Planet of the Apes: Firestorm, Greg Keyes.  We read and reviewed more fiction here in 2014 than ever before.  Greg Keyes’ memorable bridge novel between the latest Planet of the Apes movies provided a character study of the apes like we hadn’t seen before, especially in its rich development of Koba the chimpanzee.  Great insight and interesting characters put this at the top of the year’s tie-ins and a great read.  Check out our review here.

Best Genre Fiction (Re-Release) — All You Need is Kill, Hiroshi Sakurazaka.  The re-release of Sakurazaka’s hit alien invasion story was timed to the release of its big screen adaptation, Edge of Tomorrow–our pick for best film of the year.  Sakurazaka’s heroine Rita Vrataski is exactly the kind of female lead readers can’t wait to find.  Even more exciting than the movie, this sci-fi and war novel is the stuff of sci-fi classics you’d read from the likes of Clarke, Heinlein, or Asimov.  See our review here.

Best Reviewed Genre Retro Read — From Russia With Love, Ian Fleming.  In our ongoing review of all of Ian Fleming’s original James Bond novels, there have been plenty of hits and misses.  So coming across the best of Fleming’s spy novels was a welcome treat.  From Russia With Love gave us a great Bond girl with Tatiana Romanova and an unusual but great Bond villain with the vile Colonel Klebb.  Full of intrigue and spymastery, it’s no wonder this was one of JFK’s favorite novels.  See our review here.

So that’s our list.  Don’t forget to check out the first part of our “Best of the Best” list for 2014 here and here.

And have a happy new year!

C.J. Bunce
Editor
borg.com

If you like modern noir or pulp throwback stories, as we did with last year’s The X-Files: Year Zero comic book series, ABC’s new Marvel Universe series Agent Carter is pretty much going to be a sure win.

Actors take note:  When you take on a supporting character role in your next film or TV series and do better-than-expected job at it, make sure you love the part as you may just end up living with the role for a while.  Along with a first film and franchise that also was taking off to parts unknown thanks to it success, Hayley Atwell’s tough 1940s British Secret Intelligence agent Peggy Carter pulled off that rare chance at a second life.  Tomorrow night she gets her own spotlight as her own weekly series begins.  Aside from the brief return of Dominic Cooper’s Howard Stark (father to Tony aka Iron Man), Atwell’s Carter will be forging ahead on her own.

Some of TV’s best characters were the results of a spin-off from one of those supporting characters who, because of great acting and great writing, popped with viewers beyond any expectation of the show’s creators.  Going back to the 1970s whether unintended surprises or gambled backdoor spin-offs, we wouldn’t have seen more Jeffersons or Maude, or J.J. Evans and his family from Good Times, but for their standout performances spun out of All in the Family.  We wouldn’t know Buddy Epsen’s seven years of sleuthing as Barnaby Jones without his guest role on Cannon, a decade of the kids in Facts of Life if not for Diff’rent Strokes, or spend primetime with the cops and firefighters on Adam-12 or Emergency! if not for some cool guest spots on Dragnet.

What would our TV night fun have been like without years of Laverne & Shirley and Mork & Mindy resulting from guest star bits on Happy Days, or, let’s not forget, our fave Lindsay Wagner’s Bionic Woman took on her own series from the episodes of The Six Million Dollar Man?  Modern genre fans’ reactions helped propel John Barrowman’s Captain Jack Harkness from Doctor Who into multiple Torchwood series.  Other coming spin-offs are Breaking Bad’s Better Call Saul and Walking Dead’s in-the-works spin-off (with the working title Cobalt), and we’re still hoping for a Special Operations Bureau spin-off from The Closer’s own spinoff, Major Crimes.

Atwell has already reprised Agent Carter in the short film Agent Carter, which can be found with the Iron Man 3 Blu-ray extras, as well as the second season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and she’ll be back in both Avengers: Age of Ultron and Ant-Man.

Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at the series:

Our only doubt for the TV series is the likely letdown of the show’s MacGuffin, usually the secret nature of the story’s enigmatic villain, which tends to be the weakest part of every entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  But those kinds of more minor failings haven’t yet torpedoed an otherwise exciting blockbuster film from Marvel Studios (Iron Man 2 aside).

Agent Carter appears tomorrow night, Tuesday, January 6, 2015, on ABC at 7 p.m. Central, with the first two hours back-to-back, so set your DVRs accordingly.

C.J. Bunce
Editor
borg.com

Review by C.J. Bunce

Whether learned or innate, the skill of a master artist is like nothing else.  That is true no less for the understanding of color, light, and shadow exhibited by 17th century Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer. His work is lifelike, so much so that a Texas-based inventor devoted years of his life to try to understand why Vermeer painted in a style so much different from his peers.  The result is Tim’s Vermeer, a masterful documentary by director Teller of Las Vegas magic act duo Penn and Teller fame, in limited theatrical release last year and now available on Blu-ray, DVD and Video On Demand.

Scientists and artists for hundreds of years have speculated what tools Vermeer might have used to achieve his mastery, other than his sheer artistic genius.  He left no notes to this effect to assist scholars.  Tim Jenison, a successful businessman with time to devote to an immense intellectual pursuit, spent years speculating, then he created his own optical device involving a simple mirror that would allow anyone to replicate perfectly any image.  This is an even bigger feat than one might expect, because Jenison is not, and never was, an artist.  Friends Penn & Teller accompanied Jenison on his research, meeting with experts and artists, and ultimately the magic duo decided to film Jenison’s journey of discovery.  Teller directs (and co-produces with Jellette) and Jellette narrates this unusual and enlightening story.

Which is which? Tim Jenison learns what may be Vermeer’s technique in Penn & Teller’s documentary.

Does Jenison get it right or not?  Penn leaves that question to the viewer, but he and Jenison give an abundance of reasons to support Jenison’s study.  The mission was simple:  Can a layman paint something as well as Vermeer with tools that would have been available to Vermeer in the 17th century?

Jenison is clear that he is in no way attempting to discredit the great Vermeer.  Yet skeptics may watch Tim’s Vermeer with eyebrows raised for any number of reasons.  Isn’t it possible Vermeer was a genius, a savant like Mozart?  Why must we attack such mastery?  On the other hand, if Vermeer used mechanical tools to literally create photographs in the 17th century–a conclusion you may make by film’s end–isn’t that just another reason to celebrate the artist’s contributions to culture and art?

Jenison doesn’t just sit back idly and direct the work of others in his project.  He rents a warehouse and builds by hand every item that Vermeer included in his painting “The Music Lesson,” so that he may attempt to recreate that work himself.  He then uses his invention (or what could be his discovery of a centuries old but lost invention) to paint a new version of “The Music Lesson” over the next 130 days.  His device is a smartly realized twist on the camera obscura, technology available to Vermeer in his time, that Jenison discovers as many inventors do, by accident.

A detective story of sorts, Tim Jenison’s surprisingly exciting and entertaining journey may remind you of Stephen Fry’s personal struggle in Wagner & Me, reviewed here at borg.com back in 2013, or even more so, the tedious making of objects and painting a seemingly never-ending image may remind you of the incredible skill of fellow inventor and maker Dick Proenneke, as detailed in the Alone in the Wilderness series.

Tim’s Vermeer is accompanied by a compelling soundtrack, now available on CD at Amazon.com here, by composer Conrad Pope.

Tell any artist friends to check out this film and share their thoughts.  Whether you’re a fan of art history or not, expect to add Tim’s Vermeer to your list of best documentaries.  It’s that good.  You can pick up the movie on many On Demand channels, or via Amazon.com here.

It’s what Star Wars fans have been hearing about for months.  This week Marvel Comics is releasing its first Star Wars comic book since it lost the license back in 1986.  We discussed the history of the licensing a few weeks ago here.  Three new monthly series are on their way: a main title beginning Wednesday, followed by Darth Vader and Princess Leia-focused titles discussed back in July here.  Unlike past series the new stories are going to be considered “canon”–officially part of the Star Wars movie universe unlike past Star Wars tie-ins and tie-ins from most other sci-fi and fantasy franchises.  We’ve previewed Issue #1 and agree it’s going to be a pretty good year for Star Wars.

Launch parties are planned for Wednesday across the country for the release of writer Jason Aaron and artist John Cassaday’s new Star Wars #1, which already has orders totaling more than one million copies–likely to be the bestselling comic book of 2015.

But there’s only one comic book store where you can celebrate the release with writer Jason Aaron and get one of the several new variants autographed, and that’s Elite Comics in Overland Park, Kansas.  Check out a preview of Issue #1 after the break.

We previewed most of the variants being produced for the launch here, but note that not all stores will be carrying all variants and quantities of many are limited and available for more than the cover price.

Here’s the marketing summary for the series:

Luke Skywalker and the ragtag band of rebels fighting against the Galactic Empire are fresh off their biggest victory yet—the destruction of the massive battle station known as the Death Star. But the Empire’s not toppled yet! Join Luke along with Princess Leia, smugglers Han Solo and Chewbacca, droids C-3PO and R2-D2 and the rest of the Rebel Alliance as they strike out for freedom against the evil forces of Darth Vader and his master, the Emperor. Written by Jason Aaron (Original Sin, Thor: God of Thunder) and with art by John Cassaday (Astonishing X-Men, Uncanny Avengers), this is the Star Wars saga as only Marvel Comics could make it!

Here’s a preview to Star Wars, Issue #1, and see above for new final covers for the first issue (in addition to the dozens of variants we already previewed at the above links):

Star Wars, Issue #1, is available everywhere this Wednesday, January 14, 2015.

C.J. Bunce
Editor
borg.com

Oliver Queen, Supergirl, Firestorm, Captain Jack Harkness, Amy Pond, and Princess Buttercup’s Westley all set to appear

For more than a decade Planet Comicon has been one of the Midwest’s biggest comic book and pop culture conventions and that was no less so in 2014 when it became the largest attended event in the history of the Kansas City Convention Center.  Last year’s show featured William Shatner and the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation, and this year Planet Comicon is bringing in some of today’s biggest names from TV and movies featuring fan-favorite superheroes.

The star of the CW’s Arrow, Stephen Amell will be attending the event along with cousin Robbie, who starred in Tomorrow People and is the new Firestorm on the CW’s The Flash.  Genre mega-star John Barrowman, Doctor Who and Torchwood’s Captain Jack Harkness, will also headline the Con this year.  Barrowman played Arrow’s key villain from seasons 1 and 2, the Dark Archer.

Most famous for playing the Doctor Who companion Amelia Pond opposite Matt Smith, Karen Gillan will make a rare convention appearance this year in Kansas City.  Gillan starred most recently in 2014’s blockbuster hit Guardians of the Galaxy as Nebula. Also appearing from Guardians of the Galaxy is Michael Rooker, who played the blue-faced mentor to Star-Lord, Yondu, along with Sean Gunn, who was the physical on-set actor as Rocket.

Rooker appeared on The Walking Dead, and also appearing from that series will be Scott Wilson, known to fans for his role as Hershel Greene.  Wilson has starred in plenty of TV shows and movies, including The X-Files, CSI, The Last Samurai, The Twilight Zone, and the adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s Radio Free Albemuth.

“As you wish”–star of one of the greatest fantasy films of all time, The Princess Bride’s Cary Elwes is scheduled to appear at Planet Comicon for the first time.  Elwes has also guest starred on several TV series, including The X-Files, Leverage, and Psych.

From classic TV, star of one of the greatest police shows of all time, Adam-12’s Kent McCord will make his first appearance at Planet Comicon.

Following last year’s appearance of Zoie Palmer at Planet Comicon, three other stars of the Syfy Channel’s Canadian production Lost Girl will appear this year:  Rachel Skarsten, who plays the Valkyrie Tamsin (and starred as Dinah Lance on Birds of Prey), Kris Holden-Ried, who plays Dyson (and starred in The Tudors and Underworld: Awakening), and Emmanuelle Vaugier, who plays The Morrigan (and had roles on Charmed, Smallville, and Veronica Mars).

Another former star of Smallville as Kara/Supergirl, Laura Vandervoort is scheduled to attend the Con, along with Star Trek Voyager’s Raphael Sbarge, Defiance star Grant Bowler, and Being Human’s Sam Witwer–there’s something for every TV and movie fanboy and fangirl at this year’s show, with even more guests to be announced.

Check out the Planet Comicon link on the home page of borg.com year-round for updates.  Come back soon and we’ll run down the slate of comic book and other creator guests coming to Planet Comicon 2015, including the return of our all-time favorite writer/artist Howard Chaykin!  Planet Comicon is March 13, 14, and 15 in downtown Kansas City at the Kansas City Convention Center.

C.J. Bunce
Editor
borg.com

Forty seconds into “Vortex,” the opening track on John Carpenter’s new album Lost Themes, and you’re already caught up in a 1980s thriller.  You don’t know for certain who is doing the chasing and who is being chased, but you get the feeling you are the one running.  Are you Roddy Piper in They Live?  Stevie Wayne in The Fog?  Jack Crow in Vampires?

Carpenter, known for composing 16 of the soundtracks for major films he directed, has released his first solo album, on the Sacred Bones Records label, full of tracks that could be scores for future–or lost–films, films only Carpenter could make.

You’re dropped into what could only be the aftermath of Carpenter’s Prince of Darkness with the second track, “Obsidian.”  There, behind the old tenement.  Jameson Parker’s Brian Marsh awakens from a dream in the alley.  His girlfriend is back and this time she made her way through the portal of green goo into our time.  Again, it’s time to run.  And then there’s a shift.  In fact, in 8 minutes an entire story plays out.  Carpenter’s trademark pulsating synthesizer rampage and unapologetic steely trumpet solo is cheering on our hero in an honest to goodness rock ‘n’ roll hero anthem.

We get some relief in “Fallen.”  Maybe Karen Allen’s Jenny Hayden is helping our lost friend as he returns from afar in a lost soundtrack to Starman?  Maybe it’s the return of The Thing or the theme of the ice cream man in Assault on Precinct 13.  Whichever, Carpenter knows the soundtrack of someone strange amongst us.  Think classic 1950s sci-fi meets the 1980s.

You can’t help but get that hollow feeling at the opening of the next track, “Domain.”  Uncertainty?  Maybe.  But it’s a trick, juxtaposed against something.  Someone hopeful, someone optimistic leads the way this time, almost in a Sam Jones Flash Gordon sci-fi/fantasy montage, replacing Eddie Mercury with our eminent director composer.  The themes here are new for Carpenter, no Snake Plissken, no Jack Burton.  This is an entirely new sound and perhaps the unmade movie he makes us want to see the most.

With “Mystery,” we return to the Carpenter voice we know so well.  Jamie Lee Curtis’s Laurie Strode.  Forget about those other umpteen Halloween sequels.  Laurie is teaching at some Northeast private college.  The first leaves of autumn are beginning to drop.  Dread.  Who opened that door?  Why?  This time Laurie isn’t running though.  This time she’s Sarah Connor in Terminator 2, picking up Plissken’s portable cannon and no Michael Myers is going to best anyone today.  Damn you, Carpenter.  Why do you taunt us like this?

“Abyss” takes you back to your neighborhood in suburban America as a kid.  Playing monopoly with friends into the wee hours.  You break away from the game to monitor the progress of a friend who is rebuilding not an old red Plymouth Fury but maybe a Ford Torino in his garage.  But it’s not any old car.  This car is perfection and his obsession.  This car does something… more.

Carpenter’s next track, “Wraith,” skips us ahead into our future, beyond Escape from New York (and skipping way over Escape from L.A.) to Plissken’s last encounter.  Escape from Detroit?  That thumping, building synth drum is taking us along for the ride as we peer into that chasm and jump in at the last minute to save the day, along with our only friend, Kurt Russell and that eyepatch.  Is this the end?  Not quite.  The heart-pounding rhythms of Prince of Darkness are here, too.  An echo of his second track, “Obsidian?”  “What theater is this?” you ask as you reach for the ticket in your pocket to recall what movie you bought the ticket for.  You go to ask the man at the ticket booth and notice he looks a lot like Donald Pleasance.

So what’s not here?  A requiem?  The everyman theme of Nada in They Live?  Nope.  A quiet dirge followed by the arrival of Piper’s hero comes midway through the eighth track, “Purgatory.”  Looking for a theme to your own soundtrack?  This would be a good choice.  And you can see Nada moving onto his next town in the last main track of the album, “Night.”  And here the title is apt.  It’s Carpenter’s cruising theme–the theme of a dark, endless highway to Noplace.

If John Carpenter’s Lost Themes were on cassette it would get worn out quickly, like my old copy of Carpenter’s They Live soundtrack.  Like John Williams’ ability to bring out the best of Steven Spielberg’s blockbusters, it’s easy to see why the pairing of Carpenter with Carpenter created such a unique body of work, and has earned such a loyal fan following.

The six bonus tracks in the digital version of the album expand and offer remixes of “Night,” “Wraith,” “Vortex,” “Abyss,” and two other versions of “Fallen.”  These have a completely different vibe from the earlier cuts–more modern, darker, sinister–the soundtracks for someone else’s films.  Voices are added, lyrics in “Night,” ghoulish human sounds in “Wraith,” and Carpenter brings us back to the present day.  The best of the final three remix tracks is the penultimate track, the epic, Daft Punk-esque JG Thirlwell remix of “Abyss.”

If you want to write your own film to accompany John Carpenter’s Lost Themes, pick up your copy here from Amazon.com, in CD, vinyl, or digital, available now.

C.J. Bunce
Editor
borg.com

Review by C.J. Bunce

A wealth of concept art for The Hobbit can be found in the fifth volume of Weta’s Chronicles series: The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies Art & Design.  Writer and Weta artist and designer Daniel Falconer again delivers a stunning hardcover account of the behind-the-scenes artistry that forged the last of Peter Jackson’s Middle-earth series.

Including much more pencil sketchwork and inspirations for the cities of The Hobbit than prior volumes, this edition showcases many designs that made it into the final film but also many that did not.  It’s those pieces that did not make it to the final cut of the film that form a rare treasure trove here.  As costume designer Bob Buck writes in he book, “The designs that were never realized are as important as the ones that were, being part of the process and representing the elimination or germination of an idea that grew into the visuals as seen on the screen.”  Buck provides valuable insight into the ideas behind many of the costumes in the film along with many other Weta designers and special effects artists, including concept art director John Howe.

Highlights of this volume give a detailed look at concept sketchs and paintings from Weta Digital, 3Foot7, and Weta Workshop of Galadriel’s Maxfield Parrish-esque costume design development from her descent into Dol Guldur, and the ghostly dead Ringwraith kings and the Necromancer, who at many times appeared as if he could have been designed by Bernie Wrightson or Frank Frazetta.  Costume designs featured include the elegant Thranduil, Elven soldiers, Bard, an unused but brilliant set of armor for Stephen Fry’s mayor of Lake-town, and every angle and type of Dwarf you could imagine.  Not surprisingly, it is the culture and artistry of Dwarves that fill the bulk of the pages here.

Detailed full-color photographs of prop artwork include Dwarf weapons and personal effects, Radagast’s staff and bird’s nest, the vast weaponry of Lake-town and Dale, sketches of goblets of Erebor, the Arkenstone, the sleek Elven swords and knives, and our final look at Bilbo and Bag End.

In contrast to prior movies of Middle-earth is The Five Armies’ extensive use of CGI effects over three-dimensional model work.  The Orc and key battles scenes are examples of this.

As with each prior volume of Chronicles, this work includes a special insert–this time a removable printed art plate by Weta Workshop Concept Artist Gus Hunter of the Necromancer in flames.  And consistent with each uniquely designed volume, this edition has a finely textured cover with gilt trim, sporting a sharp Dwarven armor theme.

Originally released only weeks ago in a limited signed edition, the same exact edition minus the autographs can be purchase through Weta in New Zealand directly here and through Amazon.com here.

Strange how you can be completely in sync each year with the supporting acting categories and the “other” categories at the annual Academy Awards ceremony, and walk away from the Oscars scratching your head over the rest of the wins.  Highlights of the night were those TV-actors-turned-movie-actors-turned-Oscar-winners J.K. Simmons (Skoda!  Chief Pope!) and Patricia Arquette (Alison Dubois!) getting their wins, long-time working actors who have paid their dues and finally got recognized for it.  And I admit I love not being in sync with the Academy each year, and never as much so to their selection of Birdman as winner for this year’s Best Picture, a positively abysmal, unwatchable flick that rested on the acting of Michael Keaton, who the Academy snubbed.  Go figure.  But Hollywood likes to pat itself on the back for its own idiosyncracies so it’s no surprise they did it again (full disclosure: I hated A Chorus Line, too).  You can see how I really feel in my earlier review at borg.com here.

It was another ceremony of young presenters you’ve never heard of all showing their deer-in-the-headlights inexperience with public speaking, making you wonder just how many takes directors had to slog through this year to get anything out of them worth putting onscreen.  (More polished presenters next year like Zoe Saldana, Dwayne Johnson, and Eddie Murphy, please).  When was the last good year of Oscars anyway?  2013.  Contrast this year’s films with the films of 2012 and the corresponding winners at the 2013 Oscars ceremony (Argo, Brave, Skyfall, Django Unchained, Les Miserables all took home at least one statue) and this year seemed pretty shabby by comparison.

But all is not lost.  Take a look at the winner for Best Animated Short Film, Feast.  It’s from Disney, which can be good or bad, but this time their short film harkened back to some of the best of the classic cartoons produced by the studio.  It’s a love triangle about a little dog, his love of food, and his owner.  It’s full of solid artistry, great animation, humor, action, and best of all–heart.  And you can (and should) watch it now via Amazon Prime or the link below, after the break, via YouTube (a deal at only $1.99).

If you’ve had a dog in your family you’ll know how successful director Patrick Osborne and his team of animators were at showing the passion and spirit of man’s best friend.  We can only hope there’s more in store from the team that put this work together.

And now we start all over again with a new slate of films.  Our fingers are crossed that this will be a better year at the movies.

C.J. Bunce
Editor
borg.com

The next James Bond film, SPECTRE, directed by Sam Mendes, is well into production, as shown in two short features released by the studio.  The new main cast will return, Daniel Craig of course as Bond, Ralph Fiennes in his first full stint as M, Naomie Harris as Moneypenny, and Ben Whishaw as Q.

In one new video we see the first look at villain Mr. Hinx–Guardians of the Galaxy’s Dave Bautista filming on snow-covered mountains along with the newest Bond girl Madeleine Swann, played by French actress Léa Seydoux.

In the biggest year of franchise blockbusters probably ever, with a new Avengers, a new Mad Max, a new Jurassic Park, a new Ted, a new Fantastic Four, a new National Lampoon’s Vacation, a new Guillermo del Toro movie, a new Star Wars, a new Mission Impossible, and a new Quentin Tarentino movie all on their way, a new Bond will help keep our theater calendars full all year long.

After the break, see two new behind the scenes looks at the making of the latest Bond:

No sign yet of Christoph Waltz as the main villain in the film.

Look for SPECTRE in theaters November 6, 2015.

C.J. Bunce
Editor
borg.com

Producer and writer Harve Bennett passed away Wednesday in Oregon.  Fans of the Star Trek films credited him with resurrecting not only the franchise with Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, but with the idea of resurrecting Ricardo Montalban as the show’s charismatic villain.  Bennett served as an active force behind four Star Trek films, and we actually get to see Bennett in front of the camera as an admiral briefly in a conversation with Captain Kirk in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier.

Bennett was also responsible for talking Leonard Nimoy into staying with the franchise by agreeing to kill off Spock in Star Trek II.  Bennett was executive producer and co-developed the story for that film, and then went on to write the script for and produce Star Trek III: The Search for Spock.  Along with Nimoy, Bennett came up with the “save the whales” theme of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, serving as producer on the film as well.

Bennett’s voice was used for a flight recorder in Star Trek III, but his most far-reaching contribution was not that voice work, but his seven memorable words at the beginning of each weekly episode of The Six Million Dollar Man before Richard Anderson utters his “we have the technology” lines:

Steve Austin, astronaut, a man barely alive.

The Six Million Dollar Man was one of the most popular shows of the 1970s, watched by millions of viewers each week for its five season run.

Bennett was executive producer of pop culture favorites The Six Million Dollar Man, The Bionic Woman, and he produced the Mod Squad, along with several other series.  He won an Emmy for A Woman Called Golda starring Ingrid Bergman and Leonard Nimoy.

Re-watch the title credits for The Six Million Dollar Man and listen for his lines (and try not to wonder if this sequence was going through Harrison Ford’s mind as he crash-landed his 1942 Ryan ST3KR yesterday in a California golf course).

Bennett was 84 years old.

C.J. Bunce
Editor
borg.com

The biggest pop culture and comic book convention ever in the region begins today.  It’s the third annual Planet Comicon to be held in its new venue–the Kansas City Convention Center at Bartle Hall.  This year is even bigger than last year’s show, with more vendor space and more creators in Artists Alley.  Set-up began yesterday morning and continued until late last night.

We discussed some of the media guests previously here at borg.com.  You can get a current line-up at the Con’s website here.

Don’t know where to begin?  Start here, with this short list creators and attractions to check out:

• Amanda Lynn Chainmaille Creations, Booth 812
• Elite Comics, Booth 2214 at the Pillar
• Kansas City Costume Company, Booth 928
• Wildman Drinking Horns, Booth 1017
• Writer Jason Aaron, Booth 153
• Artist Rob Davis, Booth 1036
• Author Kevin Dilmore, Booth 323
• Artist Bryan Fyffe, Booth 2740
• Artist Greg Horn, Booth 2730
• Writer/Artist Phil Hester, Booth 536
• Artist Damont Jordan, Booth 2739
• Artist Ant Lucia, Booth 2745
• Writer Jai Nitz, Booth 540
• Writer/Artist Ande Parks, Booth 538
• Writer Seth Peck, Booth 139
• Artists Nathen and Keven Reinke, Booth 1436
• Artist Greg Smallwood, Booth 542
• Author Dayton Ward, Booth 323
• Artist Freddie Williams II, Booth 2776
• Artist Darryl Woods, Cosplay Showcase

And don’t miss these media guests:

• Actor Stephen Amell, Booth 2528 (Arrow)
• Actor Cary Elwes, Booth 2536 (Princess Bride)
• Actress Karen Gillan, Booth 2508 (Doctor Who)
• Actor Kent McCord, Booth 2535 (Adam-12)
• Actor Mitch Pileggi, Booth 2527 (The X-Files)
• Actor Michael Rooker, Booth 2516 (Guardians of the Galaxy)
• Actor Garrett Wang, Booth 2517 (Star Trek Voyager)

Planet Comicon runs through Sunday, March 15, 2015.

C.J. Bunce
Editor
borg.com

Plenty of fun was in store for everyone attending Planet Comicon 2015 this weekend.  With the Big 12 Championship basketball tourney between the Iowa State Cyclones and the Kansas Jayhawks, downtown Kansas City was booming Saturday.  At the third annual Planet Comicon at the Kansas City Convention Center at Bartle Hall, actors, writers, artists, cosplayers, vendors, and tens of thousands of fans of everything from comic books to toys and from Doctor Who to Walking Dead continued the convention tradition of sharing their common interests in a positive and exciting environment.

Elizabeth C. Bunce and your humble editor from borg.com were back again meeting up with creators and friends from past years (this year as Daniel Craig’s Jake Lonergan from Cowboys and Aliens and Kate Beckinsale’s Anna Valerius from Van Helsing).  Check out the great little green toy army men cosplayers at the show above.

Kent McCord, known best for his role on the classic TV series Adam-12, shared some great stories about working with Martin Milner, Jack Webb, Harry Morgan, and Stephen J. Cannell.  What better than to spend the day chatting with someone who has starred in shows like Dragnet and Unsub?

We also had a great time with Mitch Pileggi, co-star of one of the all-time best genre TV series, The X-Files.  He talked about the possible renewal of his role of Director Skinner on a rebooted X-Files series and working with Judith Light on TNT’s reboot of Dallas as Harris Ryland.

Our old friend Randy Wildeman was back at Planet Comicon for his second year selling Viking drinking horns, this time with his excellent Ragnar Lothbrok-inspired Viking beard.

And we talked Trek and Kansas City restaurants with Star Trek Voyager’s Ensign Kim, Garrett Wang.

As always, the most fun was to be had at the Planet Comicon after-party at Alamo Drafthouse, the annual bash hosted by our friend William Binderup at Elite Comics, which featured a drink and draw.  Here’s yours truly with Greg Hyatt and The Flash star Robbie Amell (TV’s Firestorm), who were rocking the upstairs crew.

More tomorrow!

C.J. Bunce
Editor
borg.com

The three-day Planet Comicon comic book and pop culture convention wrapped yesterday in Kansas City.  The highlight of the day for thousands of attendees was the one-day visit to the show by Stephen Amell, star of the CW Network’s Arrow TV series.  If you’ve been reading borg.com for very long, you’ll know I’ve been tracking the show as the world’s biggest Green Arrow fan, including spending the night with 7,000 other fans in San Diego for the show premiere with Amell and his co-stars back in 2012.

After hanging with his cousin (and CW star of The Flash) Robbie Amell last night at the Elite Comics after party at the Alamo Drafthouse, we got to meet Stephen today.  As you’d expect, fans were happy to meet him, and he kept a cheery disposition throughout a whirlwind day of signing autographs and being featured on a panel at the convention.

Because he was only at the show for one day, that meant plenty of lines to get to see him–lines that barely even looked like lines.

But as typical with attendees at comic book conventions, everyone handled it all with great attitudes.

One of the first in line to meet Amell was our friend Mike Steinmetz, who also donned the best Arrow cosplay at the convention this weekend.  Mike is the best at fabricating everything from Halo to superheroes.  And of course it was great for me to meet the first actor to ever play Oliver Queen on film.

Planet Comicon also made it possible to meet Rachel Skarsten, who just wrapped her role as the Valkyrie Tamsin on the great Syfy Channel series Lost Girl we’ve raved about before here at borg.com.  Skarsten previously played Oliver Queen’s long-time partner Dinah Lance aka Black Canary on the TV series Birds of Prey.

Skarsten was the most engaging of all the celebrities at the show this weekend, chatting with Elizabeth C. Bunce and me, talking about Valkyries, her coming appearance as Queen Elizabeth I on CW’s series Reign (she’s excited to be working with Anne of Green Gables’ Megan Follows on the series).

She also shared our enthusiasm for our commissioned Black Canary sketch by Philadelphia-based artist Phil Noto.  As with past conventions, we sought out artists for either Green Arrow or Black Canary commissions.  Noto’s superb work on the current Black Widow series for Marvel Comics, his retro style such as his work on Trigger Girl 6, and interior work on Birds of Prey several years ago made it a no-brainer to track him down.

Noto was happy to create this for us, and his work as usual is simply stunning.  Noto was also interesting and eager to chat, and we hope he comes back to future shows in Kansas City.

C.J. Bunce
Editor
borg.com