a byte of sci fi

Blood Ties: The Complete Series

Due out April 6th

Before True Blood and even before Moonlight there was Blood Ties, a Canadian made vampire series which starred Christina Cox (Defying Gravity) and Kyle Schmid (Odyssey 5, Smallville).  Cox plays Vicki Nelson, an ex-cop turned private investigator, who gets involved with a case that results in her forming a partnership, and relationship of sort, with a 480 year old vampire (Schmid).  The series aired on Lifetime in 2007 and had a pretty rabid following and now all 22 episodes are available in one DVD set!

See more of this week’s new releases at Amazon.com at this link

The Lord of the Rings (1978 Animated Movie) (Remastered Deluxe Edition)

Due out April 6th

Amazon.com Product Editorial Review:  Although it was ultimately overshadowed by Peter Jackson’s live-action Lord of the Rings trilogy, Ralph Bakshi’s animated adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy classic is not without charms of its own. A target of derision from intolerant fans, this ambitious production is nevertheless a respectably loyal attempt to animate the first half of Tolkien’s trilogy, beginning with the hobbit Frodo’s inheritance of “the One Ring” of power from Bilbo Baggins, and ending with the wizard Gandalf’s triumph over the evil army of orcs. While the dialogue is literate and superbly voiced by a prestigious cast (including John Hurt as Aragorn), Leonard Rosenman’s accomplished score effectively matches the ominous atmosphere that Bakshi’s animation creates and sustains. Bakshi’s lamentable decision to combine traditional cel animation with “rotoscoped” (i.e., meticulously traced) live-action footage is jarringly distracting and aesthetically disastrous, but when judged by its narrative content, this Lord of the Rings deserves more credit than it typically receives. –Jeff Shannon

See more of this week’s new releases at Amazon.com at this link

Sherlock Holmes (2009):

Due out March 30th

Amazon.com Product Description: The hangman did his job, Dr. Watson declared the condemned man dead…yet Lord Blackwood has emerged from the tomb to assert his deadly will over 1890 London. Is he in league with the forces of hell itself? Is the whole Empire in peril? It’s a mystery macabre–and only Sherlock Holmes can master it.  Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law put memorable imprints on Holmes and Watson in this bold new reimagining that makes the legendary sleuth a daring man of action as well as a peerless man of intellect. Baffling clues, astonishing Holmesian deductions, nimble repartee, catch-your-breath scenes of one slam thing after another–director Guy Ritchie helms the excitement reintroducing the great detective to the world. Meet the new Sherlock Holmes!

Click Here for More New and Recent Releases in Science Fiction and Fantasy

The Prisoner (Miniseries) (2009)

Due out March 23rd

Amazon.com Product Description:  The Prisoner miniseries is a reinterpretation of the British 1960s cult hit series that starred and was co-created by Patrick McGoohan. The Premise : A man, known as Six, finds himself inexplicably trapped in The Village with no memory of how he arrived. As he explores his environment, he discovers that his fellow inhabitants are identified by number instead of name, have no memory of any prior existence, and are under constant surveillance. Not knowing whom to trust, Six is driven by the need to discover the truth behind The Village, the reason for his being there, and most importantly — how he can escape. Jim Caviezel (The Passion of the Christ, The Thin Red Line) plays the role of Six; and two-time Oscar nominee Ian McKellen (Lord of the Rings, The Da Vinci Code) co-stars as Two.

Also Due Out: Krod Mandoon & The Flaming Sword of Fire, Zombies of Mass Destruction

You may or may not be familiar with these two movies but both were pilots that aired in the 1970’s and came from Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry.  They focus on a man from the 20th century who wakes up from suspended animation over a hundred years later to find that society has collapsed and sub-divided into little pockets of civilization.  Genesis II came first starring Alex Kord, then a few years later Roddenberry tweaked the concept slightly and this time cast B-Movie mainstay John Saxon in the lead role for Planet Earth.  Neither spawned a television series and both went mostly forgotten until Warner Brothers recently released them on DVD.  And now they are on sale for only $14 per movie.  Click on the links below to go to WBshop.com and purchase these sci fi treasures and you can also read Johnny Jay’s recent reviews of the two movies at this link.

Buy or Download Genesis II and Planet Earth on DVD from the Warner Bros. Store:

Astro Boy (2009)

Due out March 16th

Amazon.com Production Description: Set in futuristic Metro City, Astro Boy is about a young robot with incredible powers created by a brilliant scientist in the image of the son he has lost. Unable to fulfill the grieving man’s expectations, our hero embarks on a journey in search of acceptance, experiencing betrayal and a netherworld of robot gladiators, before he returns to save Metro City and reconcile with the father who had rejected him.

Also Due Out: The Princess and the Frog, Wizard of Oz (70th Anniversary Edition)

The Fourth Kind

Due out March 16th

Amazon.com Product Description: In remote Alaska, citizens have been mysteriously vanishing since the 1960s. Despite multiple FBI investigations, the truth behind the phenomena had never been discovered—until now. While videotaping therapy sessions with traumatized patients, psychologist Dr. Abigail Tyler (Milla Jovovich) unwittingly exposes terrifying revelations of multiple victims whose claims of being visited by alien figures all share disturbingly identical details. Based on actual case studies, The Fourth Kind uses Dr. Tyler’s never-before-seen archival footage alongside dramatic reenactments to present the most disturbing evidence ever documented in this provocative thriller critics are calling “terrifyingly real…The most shocking alien abduction movie to date.” –Tim Anderson, BLOODY-DISGUSTING.COM

Also due out: The Twilight Saga: New Moon, Mystery Science Theater 3000: XVII