Can the new video game and its tie-in TV show (or is it the other way around?) give a new twist to an old alien invasion tale?
by Kellie Sheridan
THE CONCEPT
Four years ago, Syfy/Universal Cable Productions teamed up with Trion Worlds (the creators of MMORPG, Rift) to work on something they hoped would be revolutionary for science fiction entertainment… and Defiance was born. On the one hand, Defiance is a video game in the Rift-school, a Massively Multi-Player Online Roleplaying Game potentially featuring thousands of individual avatars and scores of plotlines. …

Based on the comic character created by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, Don Heck, Jack Kirby
Written by: Drew Pearce, Shane Black
Directed by: Shane Black
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Guy Pearce, Jon Favreau, Don Cheadle, Rebecca Hall, Ben Kingsley, Ty Simpkins, the voice of Paul Bettany
In Short: Tony Stark faces his (and the country’s) demons.
Recommended: Hell, yes!
TONY: You know, it’s moments like these when I realize how much of a superhero I am.
The Marvel Universe is one of my very favorite vacation spots, but after the mind-blowing awesome that was Joss …

From genies to mermaids to gods and whatever the heck those things in Fantasia are, we pick our favorites from the Mouse House.
by Rachel Hyland and Kellie Sheridan
Since 1937, with the release of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, there has been no bigger name in the world of animated film than that of Disney. Yes, you have your DreamWorks, your Warner Brothers and even your Disney-adjacent Pixar Studios, but with a legacy of fifty-two feature-length animated cinema releases thus far to its name (alongside numerous straight-to-video/DVD sequels, prequels and …

I grew up around a lot of Disney, and it played a bit of a role in my childhood. In the 80s, the Disney Channel was a pay channel, like HBO for kids, and it didn’t have commercials. My mom paid extra for it so that we could have programming to keep my sister and I occupied while she did stuff. And unlike Nickelodeon, Disney didn’t promote kids talking back or being rude to authority figures so it was a bit more parent-friendly.
The bloom was off the rose for Disney …

For a company that has helped shape generations of childhood memories, Disney sure has to spend a lot of time defending itself against all kinds of accusations. Sure, things in the Magic Kingdom may not be perfect, but the outlook it projects to children and adults alike is invaluable. For me, being exposed to Disney’s brand of magic did so much to shape the grownup I turned into. I’ve seen most of the animated movies multiple times, made two trips to the parks in Florida and still own a few …

Earlier this year, geek goddess Felicia Day drew her hit webseries to a close… or did she?
by Kellie Sheridan
For anyone who has somehow not yet heard, The Guild is a geektastic webseries that follows the “real lives” of a guild of six socially awkward gamers as they interact both in and out of their favorite online video game. You can even argue it is the web series, as it was one of the very first to reach large scale popularity, and is even credited as being part of Joss Whedon’s …

Based on the folk tales Jack the Giant Killer and Jack and the Beanstalk
Story by: Darren Lemke, David Dobkin
Written by: Darren Lemke, Christopher McQuarrie, Dan Studney
Directed by: Bryan Singer
Starring: Nicholas Hault, Ewan McGregor, Stanley Tucci, Eleanor Tomlinson, Ian McShane, Bill Nighy
US Release Date: Friday, March 1, 2013
In Short: A guy called Jack slays giants.
Recommended: Yes and no.
[Jack hesitates while jumping from the beanstalk]
CRAWE: Wanna know a little trick? When I’m afraid I imagine a big piece of cake floating right in front of me.
JACK: Brilliant. Thanks.
CRAWE: Like a reward, …

Based on the Oz series by L. Frank Baum
Written by: Mitchell Kapner, David Lindsay-Abaire
Directed by: Sam Raimi
Starring: James Franco, Mila Kunis, Michelle Williams, Rachel Weisz
In Short: A less-wicked origin story, but less interesting.
Recommended: Kind of – this movie is best served on DVD.
OSCAR: I might not actually be a wizard.
GLINDA: Yes, but they don’t know that.
The Wizard of Oz is all about magic, and ingenuity and a sense of childlike wonder. Even with the other side of the MGM classic: that “not family-friendly” version where adults watch it on mute …

Written by: Ron Clements, John Musker, Barry Johnson
Directed by: Ron Clements, John Musker
Starring: [Voices of] Tate Donovan, Danny Devito, James Woods, Susan Egan
In Short: Hercules challenges himself to become a true hero and claim his place among the Greek gods.
Recommended: Hell yes!
PHIL: I trained all those would-be heroes. Odysseus, Perseus, Theseus. A lot of “yeuseus.” And every one of those bums let me down flatter than a discus.
Disney is known for retelling (and entirely reimagining) a variety of classic stories and fairytales, and in 1997, they tackled Greek mythology with …

Based on The Eaters of the Dead by Michael Crichton
Written by: William Wisher, Warren Lewis
Directed by: John McTiernan
Starring: Antonio Banderas, Vladimir Kulich
Movie Marathon: Gods
In Short: Some Norsemen. An Arab. A bunch of crazy folk who eat the dead. Hijinks ensue.
Recommended: Yes.
HERGER: When they come, we form a circle in the center of the room, backs to one another.
IBN: I am not a warrior.
HERGER: Very soon, you will be.
I’m probably going to sound mildly disturbed when I say that The 13th Warrior is a very enjoyable movie. Sure, sure, it can get …