There's no Black N' White...

Alien/Predator: Total Destruction - the Ultimate Collection

2008-04-12T11:42:00.004+08:00

I guess some clear headed people had already seen this coming even way before the news of the dvd release for the movie Alien VS Predator: Requiem, but for someone like me who is new into this business of 'original' dvd collecting and one who had just scrapped the bottom of his pot of gold to get that bulky set of Alien Quadrilogy (a few weeks ago with a 56% discount), this comes as quite a shock and yeah, somewhat ridiculous.

Well then, I now present you with this latest dvd release from 20th Century Fox, the so called ultimate dvd collection which is - Alien/Predator: Total Destruction.

Anyway, from what I've gather from around the internet, this seems to be a some kind of a limited release, or well, currently only known to be coming in Region 2(UK), 3(HK) and 4(AU). And then here comes the other ridiculous part as it seems like all the different regions are coming out with different versions for the same release!

According to an unknown source, the Region 3 Hong Kong (by Deltamac HK) release will be the biggest release amongst the three, coming with a total of 17 disc which means that it actually contains the whole 9 disc (2 disc version of all 4 movies plus the bonus 9th disc) from the Alien Quadrilogy set and 2 disc version of both the Predator movies and yeah, the two AVP movies.

Coming in the second is the much more humble Region 4 Australian (spotted on EzyDVD) release which comes with only 16 disc, meaning that it's mainly a collection of the 2 disc version of all 8 movies.

And last, there is the Region 2 (as seen on Amazon UK) release that will comes with only 8 disc which is a collection of single disc version of all 8 movies and of course not only that, this release also comes with a different cover art, well, in themes of tones and shades...

And finally, the only other most ridiculous thing I find is that, this is first actual post that I have made since last year... What's more ridiculous than that!

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles

2007-11-17T12:24:00.000+08:00

Promotional poster for The Sarah Connor Chronicles:

In the year 1994, ten years after the events of The Terminator, Sarah Connor and her son John fought against an assasin from the future with the help of an unlikely ally and together they managed to stop the rise of Skynet and thus preventing 'Judgement Day' from happening... At the end of the that particular yet spectacular day, they were triumphant and thus humankind survives, even though temporarily...

Sarah and John now find themselves struggling in aftermath of said events, they had become fugitives from the law, and are confronted by a cold harsh reality that more enemies from the future, and, the present, would continue to come and attack them at any moment. As the 'running and hiding' tactic is no more an option, Sarah Connor decided to take on the offensive side by focusing on stopping the actual birth of Skynet - going against the enemy that has been trying to destroy her life, eliminating her son, and possibly the end of the world and humankind.

John Connor, now a 15 year old teenager realises about his destiny of being the future saviour of mankind, but is having doubt over his capabilities and feeling himself not yet ready to carry the burden. During his time in high school, John finds himself strangely attracted to an enigmatic girl named Cameron Phillips who is reveals to be a Terminator herself, and the next protector of John and his mother.

Pursueing Sarah and John is an FBI agent named James Ellison who believes that Sarah is deranged, but in time he will actually become a powerful ally. A Terminator named Cromartie will make appearance in the pilot episode but is it not known whether he will stays on screen longer than that, though...

Premiering 13th of January 2008 which is actually a day ahead of the original schedule (as a result of the writer strike), the series will be set in between the events of Judgement Day and Rise Of The Machine. So while we wait for the expected release of the next Terminator movie which is now titled as Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins in either 2009 or 2010, this does look like a good series to check out.

It is also quite a surprise (at least to me) to learn that TVB Pearl in Hong Kong will also be broadcasting the series next year probably around the same time.

Anyway, Sarah Connor is potrayed by Lena Headey who was Gorgo, the Queen of Sparta in 300.

John Connor is potrayed by Thomas Dekker best known for his role as Zach in NBC's Heroes.

Cameron Phillips is potrayed by Summer Glau well know for her role as River Tam in the short lived but highly acclaimed scifi series Firefly and the follow-up movie Serenity. (Yes, I am a Firefly fan but not a true Browncoats though...)

James Ellison is potrayed by Richard T. Jones who played Cooper the technician in Event Horizon and also starred as Avery Montgomery in Lockdown.

More promotional poster for The Sarah Connor Chronicles:

Trailers on IGN: http://media.tv.ign.com/media/850/850896/vids_1.html

The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born

2007-11-08T16:47:00.000+08:00

Chaos pretty much begins on Wednesday, 7th November as DARK TOWER: THE GUNSLINGER BORN PREMIERE hardcover version is loose on the streets! Even though I haven't yet to read the original novels of the Dark Tower series, I have always been attracted by it's exceptional concept and basic ideas and I didn't even realise that the single issues for it's comic adaptation had already been hitting stands and bookstores since early February, which is definitely a 'shame on me'...

Following the early years of the Roland Deschain, the lead character of Stephen King's most epic story who embarks on a quest for the dark tower in an otherly world with a combination of fantasy, horror and western themes, this limited seven issues comic is a prequel to the original story.

Overseen personally by Stephen King himself, scripted by one Peter David who had writen dozen of novels that have appeared many times on New York Times bestseller list, plotted by King's personal research assistant Robin Furth who is also the author of Stephen King's The Dark Tower: A Concordance and featuring gorgeous artworks by both Jae Lee and Richard Isanove, DARK TOWER: THE GUNSLINGER BORN is definitely something you don't want to miss!

This hardcover edition does not only contains all seven issues of single release, it also comes with variant covers by Joe Quesada, Steve McNiven, David Finch and many more, and not to mention a bonus which is in-depth coverage of Jae Lee and Richard Isanove's works of art.

Anyway, one might wonder what's a topic about comic doing in a movie blog, my answer would be, "Why not?". But seriously, with Stephen King's works frequently seen on top of Hollywood's list of movie adaptations, it's pretty logical to assume that this remarkable work will definitely get it's way onto the silver screen one way or another... And not to mention that dear Mr King himself has confirmed that a movie adaption of the book is on it's way and yeah, some talk about J.J. Abrams was suppose to be the director and all... Nuff Said...

Heroes: Origin shelved by NBC

2007-11-08T12:14:00.000+08:00

Heroes no more...?

Okay, I am sure that we have all heard of the news about NBC being forced to shutdown production on Heroes due to the writers' strike. NBC asked the production crew to reshoot the ending to episode 11 even though they were right in the middle of episode 13 and 14. The alternate ending will function as a season finale as originally the original story was supposed to be a conclusion of the current generation. So now, we're left with only 11 episodes which is half of of what we get for the first season...

Anyway, the latest 'bad' news is - NBC has shelved plans for Heroes: Origins which is a spinoff of the original series, and there is claim that the decision was made due to writers' strike as well.

An indefinitely halt has been made on the production the already planned six-episode spinoff. Feature directors Eli Roth and Kevin Smith and writer Michael Dougherty (Superman Returns) were supposed to be involve with the production. And it was planned to be aired during the time when Heroes is in a hiatus.

Hopefully it will be toss back to the hot pan again when the time is right again...

Untitled X-Files movie, coming soon 2008

2007-11-06T17:11:00.000+08:00

"Trust no one."

Nearly a decade after the original 1998 movie adaptation of the X-Files, 20th Century Fox finnaly announced on Halloween that a second movie adaptation for this award winning science fiction tv series of the 90's is now in production, and it is schedules to be release on the 25th of July, 2008.

The sequel movie will reunites both David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson under the direction of original creator of the series Chris Carter, who co-wrote the screenplay with former X-Files executive producer Frank Spotnitz. Both of them also co-wrote the screenplay for the first movie that was directed by Rob Bowman.

The yet to be titled movie is currently being kept a secret, but according to Fox, it will be a take on a totally stand-alone supernatural mystery that will also takes the relationship between Duchovny's Fox Mulder and Anderson's Dana Scully in unexpected directions. One would wonders if the movie is set after the end of the tv series in 2002 where we last seen Mulder and Scully in a hotel room in New Mexico after avoiding pursuit and escaping a certain death or somewhere during the time when they were still agents of FBI as the latter been undoubtly impossible! (Okay, this is too obvious. *laugh...*)

The movie is slated to begin shooting on December in Vancouver, Canada. So, here's to hoping that this highly anticipated movie will not only be as good as the tv series or the first movie but much much more better...

"The truth is out there."

DVD catch of the month

2007-11-06T16:04:00.000+08:00

My dvd catch for this month...

Transformers 2 Disc Special Edition- Region 3

DVD Features:-
Running Time: 143 minutes Approx.
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Language: English & Thai
Subtitles: English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Thai, Korean and Bahasa
Commentary Subtitles: English and Korean

DVD Special Features:-
Disc 1
Commentary by Director, Michael Bay

Disc 2
1)Our World - The Story Sparks, Human Allies, I Fight Giant Robots, Battleground
2)Their War - Rise of the Robots, Autobots Roll Out, Decepticons Strike, Inside The All Spark
3)More Than Meets The Eye -
a)From Script to Sand: The Skorponok Desert Attack
b)Concepts: Early sketches of the robots
c)Trailers

The second disc of the Transformers set actually comes with a lot of easter eggs, which is quite a nice surprise. But it's kinda disappointing that the aspect ratio for this region 3 release is 1.78:1 but the original 2.85:1 which is what the region 1 release is offering...

Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer Power Cosmic Edition - Region 3

DVD Features:-
Running Time: 92 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 16:9 Enhanced
Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1 dts
English Dolby Digital 5.1
Thai Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Thai, Korean, Tagalog and Bahasa

DVD Special Features:-
Disc 1
Audio commentary by director Tim Story
Audio commentary by producer Avi Arad, screenwriter Don Payne, and film editors Peter S. Elliot and William Hoy
Extended and Deleted Scenes (with optional commentary)
"The FantastiCar: State of the Art" featurette
Pre-vis Scenes
"The Four Elements"

Disc 2
"Family Bonds" Making-Of Documentary
"Sentinel of the Spaceways Comic Book Origins of The Silver Surfer" Featurette

Anyway, the region 3 Power Cosmic Edition doesn't come with both fullscreen and widescreen version like the region 1 release. The second disc comes with only two featurette which combine to make up to near two hours of viewing pleasure but it's still kinda a letdown compare to what the region 1 release is offering...

BIOHAZARD: Degeneration - Coming Soon 2008

2007-10-29T14:32:00.000+08:00

Well, this is it...

For those true hard core fans who really ain't too happy with the hollywood adaptation of one of CAPCOM's most iconic creation - RESIDENT EVIL or well, better known as BIOHAZARD in Asia (especially Japan.). This, may be the answer to all your prayers...

A new fully CG movie titled, "BIOHAZARD: Degeneration" has just been announced by CAPCOM. Producing by both CAPCOM and SONY PICTURES, this all new movie is schedules to be reveal by 2008. Will it be true to the original source? Will it be a spin-off of the live action adaptation? No matter what it is, this is still Biohazard in it's original medium... So, let's us all wait and see, shall we?

Original Source:
Biohazard: Regeneration

Transformers DVD Region 3 released in Malaysia

2007-10-27T11:45:00.000+08:00

Officially released by Berjaya HVN, the product will be seen on the shelves of all local video store next month (And Singapore as well). Both single disc and two disc special edition are available and the best part is - there will also be a nationwide limited release (200 sets only) of the two disc special edition, which comes with a transforming dvd case (just like the Region 1 Target exclusive).

Transformers Single Disc Edition- Region 3

DVD Features:- (edited)
Running Time: 143 minutes Approx.
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Language: English & Thai
Subtitles: English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Thai, Korean and Bahasa
Commentary Subtitles: English and Korean

Transformers 2 Disc Special Edition- Region 3

DVD Features:- (edited)
Running Time: 143 minutes Approx.
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Language: English & Thai
Subtitles: English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Thai, Korean and Bahasa
Commentary Subtitles: English and Korean

DVD Special Features:-
Disc 1
Commentary by Director, Michael Bay

Disc 2
1)Our World - The Story Sparks, Human Allies, I Fight Giant Robots, Battleground
2)Their War - Rise of the Robots, Autobots Roll Out, Decepticons Strike, Inside The All Spark
3)More Than Meets The Eye -
a)From Script to Sand: The Skorponok Desert Attack
b)Concepts: Early sketches of the robots
c)Trailers

And this is what the limited 2 disc edition would probably looks like...

Anyway, HVN is also having a special promotion which is a contest where the winners shall be awarded with prizes that are sponsored by Hasbro... So look out for it if you are interested!

DVD catch of the month

2007-10-27T10:58:00.000+08:00

My catch of this month:- Nothing too fancy though...

Pathfinder Extended Edition (DTS) - Region 3

Disc: 1 (DVD9\NTSC)
Running Time: 107 minutes
Aspect Ratio: Widescreen 2.40:1
Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1 dts
English Dolby Digital 5.1
Thai Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English,Thai,Cantonese,Korean,Mandarin,Tagalog,Bahasa
Special Features:
1)Deleted Scenes with Optional Director's Commentary
2)Featurette -
a)A Test Of Will 5-Part Documentary Includes: The Beginning, The Design, The Build, The Shoot and The Stunts
b)Marcus Nispel On The Set Featurette
c)Clancy Brown: Cult Hero Featurette
3)Audio Commentary by Director Marcus Nispel
4)Concept Trailer
5)Theatrical Trailer

Spiderman 3: 2 disc Special Edition - Region 3
(comes with a limited edition umbrella)

Disc: 2 (DVD9)
Running time: 139 minutes
Aspect ration： Anamorphic Widescreen 2.40 : 1
Audio: English - Dolby Digital 5.1
Thai - Dolby Digital Surround
Thai - Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles： English, Korean, Thai, Chinese

Content:
Disc 1 -
1)Commentary with Director & Cast
2)Filmmakers Commentary
3)Trailers

Disc 2 -
1)Bloopers
2)Galleries
3)Music Video "Signal Fire" by Snow Patrol
4)Trailers & TV Spots
5)Gains of Sand : Building Sandman
6)Re-Imagining the Goblin
7)Covered in Black : Creating Venom
8)Hanging On... Gwen Stacy and the Collapsing Floor
9)Fighting, Flying and Driving : The Stunts
10)Tangled Web : The Love Triangles of Spider-Man 3
11)Wall of Water
12)Inside the Editing Room
13)The Science of Sound (with Optimized Audio)
14)On Location : New York - From Rooftops to Backstreets
15)On Location : Cleveland - The Chase on Euclid Avenue

The Mutant Chronicles - Coming Soon 2008

2007-10-23T14:29:00.000+08:00

Originating from a traditional RPG game named 'Mutant Chronicles' which was created by a Swedish company called Target Games, 'The Mutant Chronicles' is a science fiction movie taking place in a futuristic background.

Four hundred years from now, in the distant future, the earth have long since plundered into a desert world by mankind's over extortion of the natural resources. Humanity has since revert (Almost; As I've heard.) to steam power to mantain the survival of their civilization...

Four powerful corporations have taken over the world - the Bauhaus, the Mishima, the Capitol and the Imperial. Constantly at war with each other, their neverending battle for total dominance rages on...

But of course, all of that ended during a battle between the Capitol and Bauhaus when the destrution of a certain stone unleashed a new enemy of hellish origin - The Necromutants.

Bent on the purpose for total destruction, these hideous creatures reigns over humanity in no time, but an ancient race such as this never comes without another ancient force that will oppose and defeat them... And this is where the true journey begins...

"The Darkest Age Is Yet To Come..."

Described by some as a futuristic version of Saving Private Ryan (A movie that I haven't even seen yet. :P), the movie follows a team of soldiers who take the journey to the heart of darkness in an attempt to save the world from the marauding mutants. (instead of themselves...?)

Directed by Simon Hunter and is starring by actors like Thomas Jane (Frank Castle, The Punisher-2004/David Dayton, The Mist-2007), John Malkovich (Galbatorix, Eragon-2007/Unferth, Beowulf-2007), Devon Aoki (Kira, War-2007/Miho, Sin City 2-2008), Ron Perlman (Hellboy, Hellboy-2004 and the coming Hellboy 2:The Golden Army-2008) and Luis Megiul and others.

Links:-
The Mutant Chronicles Official Movie Site
Director- Simon Hunter's Official Website

Screen caps:-

Heroes: Season 1 Region 3 DVD released

2007-10-20T20:27:00.000+08:00

The first region 3 dvd boxset of NBC's Heroes (season 1) has been released in Malaysia, which is quite a surprise to me since I was kinda expecting other asian country like hongkong or taiwan to do so first. Is this a first? Anyone...?

Anyway, unlike the seven disc region 1 set which was released by Universal Studio in August, this is a six disc boxset which is released by Berjaya HVN in Malaysia (And Singapore too).

Below is the features for this release:-
Heroes: Season 1 (Region 3 - Malaysia)

Disc:6

Layers: DVD9 (SD)

Language: English

Subtitles: English, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Malay, Thai, Korean and Indonesian.

Bonus Features:
1)Never-Before-Aired 73 Minute Tim Kring cut pilot episode
2)Over 50 Deleted Scenes –

Exclusive:
1)The Making of "Heroes"
2)The Special Effects
3)The Stunts
4)Profile of Artist Tim Sale
5)The Score

For a comparison with the region 1 set:-
Heroes: Season 1 (Region 1 - US)

Discs: 7

Layers: DVD9 (SD)

Aspect Ratio: Widescreen (1:78:1)

Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1

Run Time: 1035 minutes

Language: English

Subtitles:
Bonus Features:
1)Never-Before-Aired 73 Minute Tim Kring cut pilot episode (with Audio Commentary)
2)Over 50 Deleted Scenes –

Exclusive:
1)The Making of "Heroes "
2)The Special Effects
3)The Stunts
4)"Mind Reader"
5)Profile of Artist Tim Sale
6)The Score

As one can see, the run time and aspect ratio are unknown currently but I'll update those when I can get my eyes or hands on this set. The audio should be the same as the region 1 set since it's suppose to be a Region 1 transfer. And yeah, the price for the set is around MYR150 (Approximately US$45) that makes it 15 bucks cheaper than the Region 1 set, which was about US$60 when it was released earlier, but of course that price must has dropped by now... Anyway, the content for both set are quite similar but some stuff are missing from the Region 3 set especially the "Mind Reader" test by Matt Parkman, and yeah, I am not sure about the audio commentary by Tim Kring (for the 73 minute unaired pilot) though...

And, before I forget, for those in Malaysia there is also a 'Join the Heroes' contest which gives out exclusive 'Heroes' merchandise to the winners. So watch out for it!