Since I ama fan of sword movies, I am going to watch the new show Spartacus: Blood and Sand this autumn even though it looks like a mix of Gladiator and 300.

Sam Raimi (The Evil Dead, Spider-Man) and Robert Tapert (Hercules, Xena) are producing this and Lucy Lawless (Xena, Battlestar Galactica) is starring – that makes it basically a must-see for me.

Categories: Short Review
Tags: 300 · Battlestar Galactica · Gladiator · Hercules: The Legendary Journeys · Spartacus: Blood and Sand · Spider-Man · The Evil Dead · Xena: Warrior Princess
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Deutsche Version | Galactica 1980 | Season 1: Disc 1

Synopsis: Many years ago the Humans in the Twelve Colonies of Kobol build themselves advanced machines that would work for them. But these machines developed and one day they began a war against their masters.
40 years has it been since the war has ended and the Cylons disappeared. Now they are back and they want the total annihilation of mankind. They have hacked into colonial defences and disabled it. The attack comes swift and deadly. Only a handful of ships under the lead of the Battlestar Galactica survives this holocaust. Now they want to find the mystical thirteenth colony of Kobol: Earth.

My Opinion: When I heard that there would be a new Battlestar Galactica series, I was excited. This series is nothing like the old one except for the basic story. Some of the characters have changed gender and/or skin colour, their names have become call signs and Adama is no longer the lone leader of the fleet. He’s now a military commander who was about to retire. The role of the civilian leader was taken by President Laura Roslin who is a counterpoise to Adama. Also, the characters aren’t so upright anymore: Lee “Apollo” Adama dislikes his father because of what happened to his brother, Kara “Starbuck” Thrace hits “superior assholes” once in a while, Colonel Tigh is a drunk, Baltar is the egocentric scientist who inadvertently let the Cylons into the defence mainframe and Sharon “Boomer” Valerii is a Cylon sleeper agent. Ah yes: And some Cylons look like Humans now. Of these 12 human models we know 4 so far.
What I like about this mini-series and the following series was that they didn’t overdo the Sci-Fi elements. When they use FX it looks great but they decided to don’t make everything futuristic. The interior and the normal stuff looks pretty much normal. No fancy laser pistols, no communicators, no spacy music instruments.

Season 1: Disc 1

Categories: BSG Marathon, DVD / Blu-ray, DVD Marathon
Tags: Apollo · Baltar · Battlestar Galactica · Boomer · Caprica-Six · Cylon · Gaius Baltar · Helo · Kara Thrace · Karl Agathon · Laura Roslin · Lee Adama · Saul Tigh · Sharon Valerii · Starbuck · William Adama
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Deutsche Version | Battlestar Galactica (1978) | Battlestar Galactica (2003)

Disc 1

Galactica Discovers Earth

Synopsis: After many yahren, the Galactica has finally discovered Earth. But Earth isn’t the save heaven they had hoped for. They are technologically inferior and wouldn’t survive a Cylon attack. Adama decides to send small teams down there to speed up Earth’s development while he leads the fleet away from Earth since they are still followed by the Cylons. Troy (who was called Boxey when he was a child) and Dillon are being send to a country called “United States of America” where they want to meet with a leading nuclear scientist. And the local TV reporter Jamie Hamilton becomes their “tour guide”.

My Opinion: And once again Los Angeles was destroyed by aliens – even though it was only a simulation. I liked this first episode of the series, it showed promise. To bad the bridge sets seemed to be destroyed. The new bridge looked far inferior to the old one, but I liked to see Colonel Boomer again. I had forgotten that another recurring character (besides Adama) from the old show reappeared in this show. I also like the new two-seated Vipers because I like Jamie and that gives her the chance to ride along.

Galactica Discovers Earth, Part II

Synopsis: Troy and Dillon have been ordered back to the Galactica and they brought Jamie along (they didn’t have much choice). Dr. Xaviar has travelled back in time to advance Earth’s development in th past. He’s gone into the year 1944 and to Peenemünde in Nazi-Germany. He’s helping to develop the V2 and must be stopped. Troy, Dillon and Jamie follow him there.

My Opinion: The whole plot doesn’t make much sense. Even if he could change the past, 36 years are clearly not enough to catapult Earth’s technology forward in a way that it would be of any use in 1980. And even though the Nazis were the most advanced in regards to rocket science at this point in time I think it’s very unlikely that the “Master Race” would be very open-minded towards a truly superior alien race.

Galactica Discovers Earth, Part III

Synopsis: Troy and Dillon can successfully sabotage the start of the V2 and it explodes shortly after launch. Xaviar is accused of being a spy and gets arrested but can escape, returns to his Viper and travels back to his own time. Jamie, Dillon and Troy follow him but lose his trail. After they successfully returned Jamie to California a new problem arises: The cloaking field has deactivated and made the Vipers visible. They are now in the hand of the US military and they need to get them back.

My Opinion: Even if the V2 test had worked (btw: the V2 tests started in 1942, in 1944 they were already mass-produced in slave labour), one year later a nuclear bomb over Europe would have still ended the war.
Also: They won’t kill german soldiers because that would change the future but they free an entire train of Jews who were about to be brought to Auschwitz. Don’t get me wrong: I don’t critizise the break-out but then they might as well shoot the Germans.

The Super Scouts

Synopsis: After the Cylons have attacked and destroyed the fleet’s school ship, Dillon and Troy have to evacuate 12 of the children down to Earth. There they disguise themselves as boy (and girl) scouts. Due to the higher gravity and the denser atmosphere in the fleet the children are stronger and faster as normal children of Earth. But that doesn’t protect them from Earth’s diseases and especially not from water that is poisoned by a chemical plant.

My Opinion: C’mon, gimme a break! Kids that jump 30 foot high? How high can Troy and Dillon jump? The Empire States Building? It’s always a good idea to critizise how we treat our environment, but to shift the focus in a Sci-Fi show from their main protagonists to a bunch of kids who (of course) do childish things isn’t a good idea.

The Super Scouts, Part II

Synopsis: Troy and Dillon have to care for three of their children who are very ill. But that’s not their only problem. The military is after them because they detected the landing of the shuttle. The police is after them because they are accused of bank robbery. And the local workers are after them because they threaten the chemical plant.

My Opinion: And now a real “flying saucer”, too. This ship looks nothing like a ship from the colonies. Why would they use such a design? No, these two episodes didn’t work for me at all.
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Categories: BSG Marathon, DVD / Blu-ray, DVD Marathon
Tags: Battlestar Galactica · MacGyver · The A-Team
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Deutsche Version | “Battlestar Galactica” Marathon (1978-2009) | Galactica 1980

Disc 1

Saga of a Star World

Synopsis: For a thousand yahren the war with the Cylons has lasted. The Cylons are machines and their creators – the original race called “Cylons” – have died out long ago. But now an armistice was negotiated by Baltar and the fleet of the Twelve Colonies of Man meets with the Cylons to sign a peace treaty. But Baltar has betrayed his own species to seize power and the Cylons launch a large-scale attack on the colonial fleets and the colonies. Only one Battlestar – the Galactica – and a few refugees survive that holocaust. But there’s a myth about a thirteenth colony of Kobol. Commander Adama and his fleet of 220 ships leave the colonies behind to find that legendary colony: Earth. But it won’t be an easy journey and there are still those who believe that mankind should lay down its weapons and seek peace with the Cylons.

My Opinion: The show begins with an epic three-parter which was re-cut and re-published as a movie. The designs of that show are still great. The Galactica, the Cylons (“walking chrome toasters”), the Cylon Raiders, the Basestars. Although the deception of mankind and the destruction of the fleet was a bit too easy, it was a decent start for the story and it showed that Adama is an astute commander and that he has the best pilots in the fleet. I also liked their sense of humour: One of the ships had an advertisement printed on the side: “Colonial Movers – We Move Anywhere”. The characters are also good. They may not have the depth of nowadays’s characters, but they have charm: Adama, Apollo, Starbuck, Athena, Cassiopeia, Serina, … and of course the diabolical Baltar.

Lost Planet of the Gods

Synopsis: Starbuck and Apollo detect a vast electromagnetic void on one of their patrols. Once inside it, there are no more stars, no more anything. But Galactica hasn’t much choice because Jolly and Boomer have detected a cylon outpost on their patrol. And there’s another problem: Jolly and Boomer have brought some kind of disease with them and they have infected most of the fighter pilots during Apollo’s bachelor party. Now the shuttle pilots have to learn how to fly a Viper. Amongst them: Athena and Serina, Apollo’s fiancé.

My Opinion: It sounds a bit harsh but it would have been more realistic if they had killed at least one of the cadets. They’re sitting in a Viper for the first time and yet they destroy an antire squadron of Cylon Raiders. But I really liked it that they made no (verbal) issue about them being woman, just rookies. But one could see that Starbuck and Apollo felt a bit uncomfortable because “things had changed”.
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Categories: BSG Marathon, DVD / Blu-ray, DVD Marathon
Tags: Babylon 5 · Battlestar Galactica · Knight Rider · Star Trek TOS
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Deutsche Version | Battlestar Galactica (1978)

This evening the first part of the great finale of Battlestar Galactica airs in the US. And I thought this would be the ideal moment to re-watch the entire saga again, starting with 1978’s Battlestar Galactica, continuing with Galactica 1980 and then finishing with the re-imagined series from 2003.

Battlestar Galactica (1978)

Categories: BSG Marathon, DVD / Blu-ray, DVD Marathon
Tags: Battlestar Galactica
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Deutsche Version | Season 6

Disc 1

Image in the Sand

Synopsis: The Siskos have gone back to Earth where Ben works in his father’s restaurant. He’s still hoping to get an inspiration on how to re-open the wormhole. And then he finally gets a vision about a human female that’s somehow linked to his father. In the meantime Kira (who has been promotoed to Colonel) has to deal with the Romulans who want to open a hospital on one of Bajor’s uninhabited moons. And Worfs seeks a way to ensure that his wife passes the gates of Sto’Vo’Kor (the klingon heaven).

My Opinion: So Sisko’s mother wasn’t Sisko’s mother? This is a bit of a last-minute revelation, isn’t it? Apart from that this was basically just a prelude to the next episode.

Shadows and Symbols

Synopsis: Just as he was about to embark to Tyree where he hopes to find an answer to his vision, Sisko finds himself in front of Dax – Ezri Dax. Ezri never intended to get joined but the Dax symbiont was dying and she was its only hope. So she joins Ben, Jake and Joseph Sisko on their journey to Tyree. And Miles, Julian and Quark have joined a dangerous mission to honour their memory of Jadzia Dax. Worf and Martok plan to take the Rotarran deep into enemy territory where they intend to destroy a ship yard.

My Opinion: So Dax is back. Why? Why did they feel the need to introduce a new character (and that’s basically what she is) in the last season? She’s a babbling irritant and it will barely get better. And Sisko was conceived by a woman that was inhabited by a Prophet at that time? And he re-opened the wormhole. Hallelujah! Praise the Emissary!
But I liked how Kira took a stand with her wing of impulse fighters agains a group of romulan Warbirds after they deceived her. And I liked the destruction of the ship yard – that should ensure Jadzia’s entrance into Sto’Vo’Kor.

But it was nice to see that they took the chance to show Casey Biggs (Damar) without a mask:

Afterimage

Synopsis: Ezri, who is a counsellor in training, has a hard time. She has to deal with all the memories of her previous hosts (especially Jadzia’s). But she also has to deal with all her – or Jadzia’s – friends aboard DS9 and of course with Worf. But she gets distracted when Garak’s claustrophobia panic attacks worsen and he nearly jumps out of an airlock “to get some fresh air”.

My Opinion: I liked Garak’s inner conflict about “betraying” his own people at the same time as I disliked the entire Ezri plot. And Garaks plot was basically written as a story device for her. If this would have been an exception I could live with it but we will see quite a number of Ezri episodes this season. They wanted to give her a proper profile and background but it feels forced. Ezri here. Ezri there.

Take Me Out to the Holosuite

Synopsis: The USS T’Kumbra (an all-Vulcan ship) comes to DS9 and its captain and Sisko have a history. He challenges Sisko on Sisko’s very own playing field – baseball. Sisko accepts of course and builds his very own baseball team and two weeks later the holo crowd is looking forward to a game of “Logicians” versus “Niners”.

My Opinion: I never cared for baseball but just as Major League this was fun to watch. The huge baseball cap to fit on a Ferengi head or Odo as the umpire or O’Brien’s scotch-flavoured bubble gum: great. But I would have expected more of Worf. He’s a skilled klingon warrior and he can’t even hit the ball once?
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Categories: DS9 Marathon, DVD / Blu-ray, DVD Marathon
Tags: Battlestar Galactica · Braveheart · Star Trek · Star Trek DS9 · The Lord of the Rings
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Deutsche Version

Battlestar Galactica
by Jeffrey A. Carver

Synopsis: Adama is about to retire. The Galactica is about to be decommissioned. The Cylons are about to return. The Twelve Colonies of Kobol are about to destroyed. Mankind is about to be wiped out. Fortunately only two of those “about to”s will come true. Unfortunately those two will decimate mankind down to 50,000 people – and that’s it.

My Opinion: It’s the novelization of the mini series and it follows the script very closely, including the jumps between the several plot locations (Galactica, Caprica, Colonial One, …). I’ve read better and worse novelizations, a better one would be Babylon 5: In the Beginning and worse ones would be the original Star Wars trilogy.
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Categories: Book, Misc
Tags: Babylon 5 · Battlestar Galactica · Star Trek · Star Wars
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Deutsche Version | Season 4 | Season 6

Disc 1

Arrival

Synopsis: Accidentally Chloe has been transported to the Arctic where the united stones have just built the “Fortress of Solitude” for Clark. Clark is allowed to rescue her and to fight a new enemy that has arrived with the meteor shower but he has to return until sunset. Meanwhile Lana and Lex meet these newcomers.

My Opinion: Sure, they were lazy, but I still thought that it was too easy for Clark to get rid of those two(!) Kryptonians. I really would have liked a scenario where Lana wouldn’t have been knocked out and would have witnessed the entire scene (with or without Clark’s knowlegde). But maybe the writers thought it to be too soon to let yet another person in on Clark’s secret.
I wonder – if this were for real – whether Chloe and Clark have recapitulated their past, unfolding all the events where only Clark knew the whole truth, or if he told her that she already knew his secret (Rush).

Mortal

Synopsis: Three patients can escape from Belle Reve and they take Lana, Martha and Jonathan hostage. They force Clark – who has lost his powers because he disobeyed his father – to break into LuthorCorp and steal an experimental Kryptonite-based drug. In the past this wouldn’t have been much of a problem, but this time it turns out to be a good thing that he doesn’t have his powers.

My Opinion: It’s always funny to hear Clark saying, that he’s not to keen with heights. I also liked the comparison of Pete and Chloe in their role as “sidekick”.
But I also think, that the concept of “Belle Reve” and Lex’s influence there is a bit of a plot hole. Lex may not believe one particular loony in there but if he really has spoken with a few of them and promised them something and they would have told him all the same story about Clark Kent’s abilities (and there are quite a few in there that could tell such a story) then he wouldn’t need to resort to such crude investigation methods – especially when he adds his own experiences with Clark.

Hidden

Synopsis: Clark is still human and he and Lana have slept together and are very happy. Can it get any better?
In 60 minutes Smallville gets nuked and Clark lies in the hospital, dying from a gunshot wound. Can it get any worse?

My Opinion: Lionel takes up the role of Jor-El. In a weird way, Lex and Clark are now actually brothers. This episode marks the climax (pun intended) of Clark’s and Lana’s relationship. From now on it will go downhill.
What’s even more interesting about this episode, are the discussions on the internet about it. For example, people were seriously offended that he didn’t tell her about his true nature before they were sleeping together, because he is an alien. There were sentences like “If Lana were my child I would want to know that she’s sleeping with an alien.”.

Aqua

Synopsis: Lois is back in Smallville and she moves back to the farm. On a warm sunny day she, Chloe, Lana and Clark go swimming in the Crater Lake. Suddenly Lois nearly drowns and gets rescued – by Arthur “AC” Curry. AC can swim fast, even faster than Clark. But his motive to be in Smallville is not to rescue drowning girls but to save the oceans from a terrible weapon, created by LuthorCorp.

My Opinion: After the events in Arrival Lex has gone into full defense mode. It’s pretty ironic that he who wants to defend this planet from aliens will become the planet’s greatest threat by the end of the season.
I really liked the appearance of “Aquaman” and the hints they implanted in the script, especially when AC proposes the foundation of a “Junior Lifeguard Association” and Clark replies that he isn’t ready for the JLA yet.
And Tom seriously has to reshape his washboard abs, he looked pale in comparison to Alan Ritchson (AC) and he is supposed to be Superman.
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Categories: DVD / Blu-ray, DVD Marathon, Smallville Marathon
Tags: Angel · Battlestar Galactica · Buffy the Vampire Slayer · Mallrats · Smallville · Superman · The Dukes of Hazzard · Xena: Warrior Princess
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Deutsche Version | Season 2 | Season 4

Disc 1

Exile

Synopsis: Clark hides out in Metropolis under the alias “Kal” and has become a criminal in order to finance his lifestyle. The Kents have to sell the farm, they and Lana are still looking for him. There’s one person who knows where he is but she’s promised him not to reveal it. Meanwhile Lex “lives” on a tropical island with some other guy and tries to get off it.

My Opinion: Great continuation of the story. Though I haven’t understood why Jonathan and Pete didn’t try to knock him out with Kryptonite. Ok, they did that last time but that proved to be successful. I understand that using the same plot twice is uncreative, yet if it were for real I doubt that they wouldn’t have tried it again.
I also liked Michael’s performance on the island, he did a better job than Tom Hanks (What a boring movie!).

Phoenix

Synopsis: Both Clark and Lex return to Smallville and both have to deal with what happened lateley. That means that Lex has to straighten out what really happened on that plane and if his wife had anything to do with it. And Clark has to deal with a Metropolis crime boss who threatens his parents and he has to apologize to a whole lot of people.

My Opinion: It was a good conlusion to this four-parter. Unfortunately it ends with Clark’s break-up with Lana against her expressed wish and he is retreating into his shell again.
I liked to see Rutger Hauer in the role of the crime boss, if it were for me, it could have lasted longer than these two episodes but unfortunately he had to share the fate of bad guys who know Clark’s secret.

Extinction

Synopsis: A “meteor freak” attacks Lana in the school pool and a secret vigilante shoots him to death. He has killed before and his next target is Lex whom he believes to be a meteor freak, too. Clark can save Lex once again but that makes him also a target. Unfortunately the shooter has found Clark’s Achilles’ heel and he uses Kryptonite bullets.

My Opinion: I liked the theme of the episode: Are all meteor-infected people murderous freaks? If I were in Clark’s position I wouldn’t have told her (Lana) my secret either. Her point of view at the begin of the episode was quite firm and although she said that she wouldn’t mind if Clark were bullet-proof (i.e. a meteor freak), I wouldn’t be sure that she really wouldn’t mind. This topic will surface again, especially in one of the key episodes of the fourth season: Pariah.
I also liked the Eastwood-y way he protected himself from the bullets and put Lana’s mind at rest (at least for a while).

Slumber

Synopsis: Clark has the weirdest day: He somehow can fly, he skinny-dips with Lana, Lex finds out his secret and a young girl is chased by a mysteriously hooded figure in the woods and disappears into the ground. But then he awakes, after he’s been asleep for 36 hours. He learns that new neighbours have moved into Lana’s old house and that there’s a young girl in a coma.

My Opinion: I wonder what insurance company insures the Kent’s truck and what garage does the repairing. It had been in several very heavy crashes and was even blown up. Maybe they just like the brand and the colour.
I liked the episode because it had a different angle than usual.
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Categories: DVD / Blu-ray, DVD Marathon, Smallville Marathon
Tags: Battlestar Galactica · Smallville · Stargate SG-1 · Supergirl · Superman
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Deutsche Version | Season 1 | Season 3

Disc 1

Vortex

Synopsis: Lana’s Truck is torn apart by the tornado but Clark is there to protect her. But on the day after the storm he has to go on a search for his father who has run after the reporter that wanted to disclose Clark’s secret. While they are searching for him, Chloe makes the suggestion that they should stay “just friends”.

My Opinion: This was actually a good resolution. Of course they had to find a way to silence that reporter and this way had an ironic touch. If Lex knew what secret the reporter has taken into his grave, I believe he would have killed Jonathan instead.
And when it comes to woman Clark is as sensitive as a wrecking ball.

Heat

Synopsis: The new school year has started and Lex wants to marry! And his fiancé is Clark’s new biology teacher. She’s so hot that Clark sets the silver screen on fire just by staring at it. But something isn’t right with her. She has a strange control over all men, including Lex – but not Clark.

My Opinion: A “new ability” episode. It’s always fun to see Clark learning to control it and he always can put it to good use in the same episode. But I didn’t care much for the pheromone lady, maybe because I watched a similar story recently on Stargate SG-1.

Duplicity

Synopsis: Pete finds Clark’s spaceship (that had been lost since the tornado) in a field and he wants Clark’s help to salvage it. But then someone steals the ship and Pete suspects Clark – which isn’t far from the truth because Clark and his father actually intended to steal it. Then Clark decides to reveal his secret to Pete.

My Opinion: A really good episode. I’ve been waiting for it. Clark simply needs someone he can confide to (apart from his parents) and his best friend Pete is the perfect choice. And Pete will prove that he’s worthy of that knowledge in the very next episode.
The fact that Lionel now knows of the spaceship will also lead to very interesting storylines.

Red

Synopsis: Clark buys a ruby ring for $350. But the stone isn’t ruby, it’s red Kryptonite (not yet) meteor rock. Clark loses all stoppages and becomes a badass guy. But just as the effect of green meteor rocks worsen his condition over time, so does the red one.

My Opinion: Great episode. Loved it. It rarely happens that Tom can play Clark out of character and the red Kryptonite (sorry, it’s simply easier than “meteor rock”) gives him the perfect opportunity. I don’t really worry about the end, he will save Lana’s live once or twice and they will be friends again.
But the episode reminded me of Harley Cat:

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Categories: DVD / Blu-ray, DVD Marathon, Smallville Marathon
Tags: 24 · Battlestar Galactica · Buffy the Vampire Slayer · Emergency Room · Home Improvement · Smallville · Stargate SG-1 · Superman
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