For those unfamiliar with this groundbreaking film from 1927, it’s hard to appreciate how exciting it is to finally be able to see the entire film, uncut in this newly released edition on DVD and Blu-ray. Like many things that have been lost in history, I never imagined the footage would ever be found to re-assemble this film to the original cut. At about 2.5 hours, I’ll be the first to admit it’s too long and drags at points, but I’m also more forgiving of an 80 year-old film than I would be for something released today. I’m actually not going to be an apologist for the length or the hokey aspects of this film either. It’s got so much to offer, the negatives aspects are dwarfed by the positive ones.

You don’t have to worry about not noticing any of the newly discovered footage, as it will be readily obvious what is what when you are watching. The only known complete print, discovered in 2008 in Buenos Aries, is a ravaged 16mm negative which is in terrible shape. They have cleaned it up considerably for this release, but it still looks awful, and has a different crop than the rest of the film. It’s so bad, in fact, and the running time is so long, it’s easy to wonder why they bothered to include it. Especially compared to the rest of the film, which is taken from a 35mm camera negative, as sharp and HD as anything other than an IMAX movie.

Aside from trying to capture Fritz Lang’s original vision, there are two reasons to see this extended version. Number one is that the story makes much more sense with the new material. I haven’t watched Metropolis as often as other movies because the plot seemed kind of choppy before. The second is the music. Since this is a silent film, the music is more important than in most movies today. Having the original score and the complete film, allows us, for the first time, to really get immersed in the world of Metropolis. There is a quote I’ve heard attributed to Stanley Kubrick, that “film is 90% sound”. An amazing admission from a guy who got his start as a photographer and is known for the keen visual style of his movies. The point is you can’t play the complete score of Metropolis without the complete film, and the music needs to be heard in it’s entirety to really do its job right. This is something one can really only appreciate if you’ve seen the edited version and the complete version, because, just as the plot is choppy in the edit, the music is choppy too, and that really detracts from the experience.
(more…)

What to say about this one . . . It’s the one that started it for me (which you know, if you read my last review). Had I not seen the cyborg Captain, I might have never discovered Doctor Who at all, or maybe would have, but much later. This story is far from perfect, but, having said that, it has a lot going for it thanks to an inventive script by Douglas Adams of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy fame.

Tom Baker once agian reprises his role as the Doctor and Mary Tamm is back as Romana. This story has four parts and aired 9/30/78 to 10/27/78. It is the second story in the Key to Time season story arc.

The first episode opens with our villains (notably, the captain, yelling at Mr. Phibulie, as he does throughout this four part serial), and then introduces more supporting characters, one of whom is ill, having been targeted by a cult of yellow robe clad zombie types. It is soon revealed that they have psychic powers, which it bears noting a lot of respectable people actually believed in in, back in 1978, along with ESP and Pyramid Power. I mention that, because it would have seemed much less fantastical than it does today.

Tom Baker is his entertainingly nuttiest, sort of an early indication of how his portrayal will develop over the next few years. He’s having fun with the role, and as is the audience, right along with him. Mary Tamm’s Romana is a great foil for him, more serious and bookish. I adore her and wish she had stayed on for more than one season. As much as this is the Key to Time season, it is also the Mary Tamm season. Lalla Ward’s take on the role was different, and I don’t think I like it much less, but it seems like one is always going to like the companion one starts with more than the others. That’s the case with me, though I do have a soft spot for Elizabeth Sladen’s Sarah Jane Smith and Wendy Padbury’s Zoe, and . . . well, you get the idea.

Douglas Adams really delivers with this script. This is a very inventive tale, with twists, new tech, great characters, and lots of jokes, some stolen from himself. He had not yet sold Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy to the BBC. For those unaware, before it was a movie, or television show, or stage play, or record, or book, it was a radio drama on the BBC, and if you have never heard it, I recommend you get all five seasons (phases, they call them), as it is the very best way to experience that story, bar none. People attached to the book will note that it is quite different in sequence and substance, but remember, it is the original, so it’s the book that is the departure, not the other way around. I also think, the people in the radio cast influenced him in the book writing and helped solidify the characterizations he employed in novelizing his radio play. I honestly can’t imagine other people playing those parts though I have seen the movie. Interestingly, most of the radio cast came back for the TV production, but a limited budget ensured that that series would be severely lacking. Still, worth checking out an early visual realization of Adam’s signature creation. He had a deep imagination and a real knack for comedy and liked to say he invented the sci-fi comedy genre. I’m not sure about that, but I believe he did give us it’s greatest contribution thus far and it’s not a stretch to say his view of the world greatly influenced mine, but I digress.

Acting wise, The Pirate Planet is quite good. Almost everyone is very convincing in their roles, save the Captain, who is completely over the top. but even that works, given how his part is written, and when he later warms up and calms down. The art direction is mostly good. I don’t see the relationship between the interior and the exterior of the ‘bridge’ but like the design of both. You can see the budget limitations here and there, but mostly it all quite well done. I’ve always had an issue with the effects in this one, mostly on account of the Captain’s flying robot parrot, which only really flies -convincingly- on one occasion, a real disservice to a nicely realized robot design.

I highly recommend this one, but only to fans. There’s enough goofiness and production foibles to turn casual viewers off (he says, admitting this was his own introduction to the series, lol). It’s fun to try and spot the Adams recycled jokes and also nice to see a fairly successful Doctor Who that’s a space fantasy, because that’s not a genre Doctor Who does to often. It was surely a Star Wars influence, but not overtly so. It does drag a little in the middle, but it opens and closes with such aplomb, one ends up almost forgetting the sagging center.

THIS is why our readers/listeners kicks so much fucking ass. Check out this bad ass photo of a robot bar scene built by Nick:

He sent this note along with it:

Heya DGR,

I was out in the desert over the weekend and decided to build something out of all the rusty metal junk I found. I thought about your guys’ podcast/website and the themes of robots and drinking, got inspired and built the scene you see in the attached picture. I left him out there in 29 Palms (more specifically at GPS coordinates 34.193685, -116.153061) if anyone in the area wants to see it in person. Was a lot of fun to make and I hope you like it.

Keep up the great work on the podcast!

Cheers,
Nick
Los Angeles

We love, Nick. We love.

Now…this shit’s just cool:

Ryker XL has an eye for awesome shit. But this? This may be the most awesome EVAR.

Hilarious and true.

Every wonder about that day when we create something that may eventually turn on us? Some may think in terms of Terminator but others know that the eventual destruction of the world by advanced technology will come in a much more..sinister manner.

Well, ever vigilant reader Matt has discovered a video that may signal the beginning of the end. It’s funiture that is designed to destroy household pests. But, really, can it be that long before these things evolve to destroy other household pests? Namely….HUMANITY!

I think not. Read and fear.

It’s amazing what you find on a Friday, eh? Here’s a video of a delightfully creepy snake robot. Originally, I thought this might be CGI, until I followed the link provided on the YouTube page to this guy’s website. The creator of these apparently real Snake Robots is Dr. Gavin Miller and his obsession seems to have no end when it comes to creating the ultimate snake-like robot.

The version you see in the video is the S3 version of the robot. On the website you can see the more intimidating and downright scary S8. While the S3 slithers like a regular serpent, the S8 seems able to track heat, find objects and swallow you whole before taking a nap in your basement.

I have seen the future and it scares the piss out of me. Why did it have to be snakes?

Uncanny X-Men #509

Written by: Matt Fraction

Art by: Greg Land

Well, if you didn’t notice before, this month’s Uncanny cover really proves that Greg Land draws every chick like a porn star. And not that I want to look at some mishapen haggard”butter” face, it just gets annoying trying to tell every female character apart.

Again, Land’s art aside, this issue is a step up from last. The whole ridiculous scenario involving a Godzilla like monster fighting off one of the most boring and uninteresting X-teams in a long time, are gone. The science team is still there, they are just in a lab this month. The one aspect I don’t like about this science team, is the fact that they have so much screen time, if you will. It’s comprised of characters I really don’t care about, or at least I don’t amongst the other things happening in the book. Dr. Nemesis? I don’t like him. Madison Jefferies comes off a little tacked on. I mean, how often can he be of use? He talks to robots. Beast is cool, it is just strange that all this time after the events of House of M, they are just now trying to figure out how to reactivate the X-Gene.

The biggest portion of the book is dedicated to showing off mutants in California, just being themselves again. No wars, no global threats, just hanging out and stopping the occasional minor crimes. This is just to show that as soon as the mutants all flock to California, we learn that a new Mutant Control act is being talked about. If passed, the act will require all mutants undergo a chemical birth control operation that would stop them from breeding. Ever since a video tape was released that showed mutants involved in that disatrous event back in Messiah Complex, which also involved the first mutant being born since M-Day, people have become afraid of mutants again. So just when things seem calm, mutants are back in the spotlight being painted as a menace.

Again, helping to bolster this is the fact that Pixie is growing up and doing what all girls do at that age, go out to parties and flirting with boys. As far as she knows, she is just having fun socializing and becoming a young woman, but out there in the distance looms Propostion X. So in a time where girls like Pixie are becoming interested in boys, this Propostion X aims to ruin all that. Her coming of age may soon be dashed if nothing is done about this. But we all know that it will be addressed. In a very “God Loves, Man Kills”, Uncanny 509 sets out to again cause more grief to the remaining mutants on Earth.

The ressurection of Madelyn Pryor through Psylocke’s body will also bring about some added drama to the mutants. The ending of the book, shows that not only do the remaining good mutants of the world know where they can find refuge in California, but the bad guys women know where they can find their targets.

Lands’ art is good. I don’t hate him, I just think that he sometimes gets a little stale, where every female looks the same. This issue still stays true to that. The opening pages show the Stepford Cuckoos cavorting around town, and the next page shows Dazzler and Pixie on a rock concert stage. What I’m getting at, is the girls all look the same. Just short of hair color, you really can’t tell the difference between them. I only knew this because Dazzler is a singer, and has sparkly things flying out of her hand, and the Stepford Cuckoos are triplets. Oh and Pixie has wings. Other than that, that is where my problem with his art lies. While not badly drawn, it just begs for more varied character depictions.

All in all, not a bad issue. Some of the nagging aspects I have had with Matt Fraction’s story have been remedied, making room for some really great plots. And I mean plots in the most literal sense available. He is tossing around so many plots, it really is amazing that he can give us a taste of all of them in just one issue.
(more…)

SPOILERS…..obviously.

Walking Dead #60

Written by: Robert Kirkman

Art by: Charlie Adlard

The BIG 6-0. 60 is most notably the time in your life when you start to lose your hearing, and your eyes start getting worse, along with your driving skills, and you go hobble your way into your huge, boat sized Cadillac and break off the odometer at 25 in a 45 mph zone while heading to your local Walgreens and buy some of those huge, wrap around glasses that look like some kind of virtual reality visor. Yeah, its those years when retirement homes scare you, along with all that new fangled technology, and don’t even talk about those young punks with their “raps” and “skateboards”. But you know what isn’t getting old? The Walking Dead.

60 issues in, Robert Kirkman hopes to bring back the original antagonist of the series: zombies. While most of the series has been about the fact that the zombies aren’t the worst thing roaming the land, issue 60 tries to convince us that they are still a contender.

Last issue, we finally caught a glimpse of the “herd” of zombies heading after our intrepid heroes. Rick & Co. could defend against a group of zombies with little to no effort, but a herd comprises of thousands of zombies. Not a walk in the park.

So in this issue, we witness our car-less heroes running from the herd, trying desperately to get back to their loved ones in time to warn them of the incoming danger. While not the most illuminating issue of the series, this issue does help emphasize the immediacy of the undead flock.

I have always said that the issues that deal with the more humanizing aspects of the story are my favorites. Issues where the characters are just sitting around trying to gather some shred of hope while being surrounded and confronted by acts of horrific violence and sanity breaking situations. This issue still brings that to the table. One character in particular gets this in spades.

So all in all, this issue doesn’t reveal a whole lot, but it does hint at the herd arc coming to an end, but not before a little preview at the end of the book. With preview pages with phrases like “”The dead do not stalk” and an accompanying picture of shadowy figures hiding in the trees right above some of the main cast.

Yeah, I don’t really need to tell you about the art and the writing because it is just so good. It’s just a given with this series.
(more…)

This story and video comes to us from the always excellent Gizmodo.com and falls squarely into our “Robot News Must Be Published” rule.

Tisch School of the Arts student, Kacie Kinzer, created a cute little robot to run down the streets of New York City as an interesting social experiment. Now, normally I don’t care about this kind of thing but this experiment has a robot in it. Therefore, it’s cool. Kacie explains her idea like this:

I wondered: could a human-like object traverse sidewalks and streets along with us, and in so doing, create a narrative about our relationship to space and our willingness to interact with what we find in it? More importantly, how could our actions be seen within a larger context of human connection that emerges from the complexity of the city itself? To answer these questions, I built robots.

Over-intellectualized purpose aside, damn it’s cool to see some robot love out there. It might make PanicBot 5000 think twice about enslaving our race.

Maybe.