It was inevitable, I suppose, that the king of double dippers – Sir Peter Jackson – would try and wring a bit more cash out of his salivating fan base with an extended version of the first part of The Hobbit trilogy of films.

Ten years ago I was one of those salivating fans with more disposable income that sense. I’d been a long time fan of Jackson’s earlier cult efforts and was pleased with the reverence that the New Zealand native was displaying with Tolkien’s work. I am the proud owner of both the standard DVDs and the Extended versions of The Lord of the Rings trilogy.  Whilst I still hold up the three Lord of the Rings movies as example of modern cinema excellence, my view of Jackson has grown rather tarnished. Continue reading The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Extended Edition →

I’m a huge Riddick fan. Pitch Black blew me away with what I still see as the most intense spacecraft crash ever put too celluloid. Riddick’s video game debut in Escape from Butcher Bay is one of the best movie to game translations ever. Sure the movie sequel, The Chronicles of Riddick, bit of a bit more than it could chew, but it was still marvelous stuff giving the bald psychopath some extra depth and the franchise a proper sci-fi mythology. Continue reading Riddick motion comic Blindsided fills in the gap →

I’ve just been forwarded this interesting press release from my brother  relating to a remake of that other 1970s BBC sci-fi show Blake’s 7.

Whilst a Blake’s 7 remake has been mooted for some time, the fact that it is now being marketed to buyers and with director Martin Campbell named at the helm suggests that it is actually moving forward.

The original series which ran from 1978-1981 followed a group of escaped convicts on the run from the Federation. As with Doctor Who, the show was made on a shoestring budget by today’s standards. I recommend that anyone seeking a bit of nostalgia looks elsewhere, as the original TV show really shows it’s age and is best left as a memory.

It seems as if the remake is, thankfully, exactly that; going down the Battlestar Galactica re-imagining route rather than a continuation like Doctor Who. That being said it would be very difficult to continue the 70s show considering they all die in the last episode. Continue reading Goldeneye and Casino Royal director Martin Campbell to direct new Blake’s 7 TV Show! →

I love Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy. His decision to stretch JRR Tolkien’s relatively short children’s novel, The Hobbit, over three films did, however, raise an eyebrow. Continue reading The Hobbit: 13 minute featurette released! →

I’m still in a state of shock. Whilst checking Twitter as I was out the door this morning I saw a tweet about Disney, Star Wars and new films. It was an agonising hour before I could check the news in more detail.

What I read blew my mind. Continue reading Star Wars, Lucasfilm and me →