We need to talk about Westworld

In my entertainment universe, Westworld was one of my most anticipated TV shows of all time — right up there with the return of The X-Files. The concept has my tastes written all over it.

Quite by chance, I saw the 1973 Westworld movie not long before news broke that HBO would be making a series based on the flick. It's an excellent movie, and it's easy to draw a line directly from its future world to things like Terminator (the indestructible villain coming relentlessly for you) and Jurassic Park (an amusement world gone deadly wrong).

Most of season 2 of Westworld sits unwatched on my DVR because the first couple of episodes continued to be a tepid, boring slog, while the show ought to be a nonstop rollercoaster. Wouldn't it be fun to occasionally see guests arriving at the park (the still functioning other sections) and letting loose? Playing poker and bagging some hookers? Having a shootout with the drunks at the bar? Robbing the bank? Something, anything?

Sometimes I wish I could tell Dolores to stop talking … to please just shut up about her endless naval-gazing robot vision quest. And the same goes for Arnold/Bernard. I'm all for deep and thoughtful sci-fi — it's why the Battlestar Galactica remake is my favorite show — but not at the expense of anything fun happening. This version of the robot awakening puts me to sleep.

I want to believe The X-Files can be good again

Is it possible the dreadful new era of The X-Files turned a corner with Wednesday night's "Plus One" episode? We're now nine episodes into the return of one of my all-time favorite shows (consider my avatar at right), and this was the first time I mostly enjoyed the results. I think part of the reason for the success of this one is it felt like a deliberate attempt to be a standalone episode from the old X-Files. Consider the description:

"A spate of deaths in which victims are plagued by their own doppelgangers leads Mulder and Scully to a pair of twins playing a dangerous game."

You could go back in time and tuck this into one of season two's long stretches of standalone episodes and no one would be the wiser.

Season 10 pretty much earned a pass for the novelty of having our old heroes back in the game; it was a joy to see them, even if the stories stunk. And boy, did they — the mythology episodes, most egregiously, seemed to openly crap on the mythology of the first nine seasons, leaving us to wonder why we bothered. 

Based on some decent buzz, I was hoping for more from season 11, but it started off with two massive bombs, perhaps worse than any in season 10, and I was considering bailing out on the show altogether. The only thing I had liked before "Plus One" was the opening soliloquy of the season 11 premiere; having The Smoking Man bloviate about his legacy was an excellent touch.

Gillian Anderson has said she's done with the show now, and she may have the right idea. The disappointing storylines have got me thinking about all these shows that are coming back and whether trying to recapture the magic is a futile exercise. But I am nothing if not a nostalgia whore, and I'll likely be among those of a certain age who will come back for more.

UPDATE // After a dreadful start, season 11 made a turnaround, and I quite liked it. The comical fighting-everyday-technology episode was a classic, and I even liked the mythology ending. More, please.

All these confused Star Wars feelings

Two years ago, I felt like I was one of the few detractors to The Force Awakens, which is so mired in homage to A New Hope that it fails to be its own movie, so I've watched with interest all the fan negativity being hurled at The Last Jedi. The truth lies somewhere between the critical 91 and the audience 51 scores bestowed upon this very long movie at Rotten Tomatoes … I find myself settling around a 3.5 out of 5. I left the theater feeling fairly conflicted … not outright disliking this one, but also thinking the whole franchise might be due for another good rest (which we know isn't happening), and I've never before felt that way.

Some things I know for sure:

• We do all expect a dose of humor in our Star Wars movies. "Will somebody get this big walking carpet out of my way," etc. Here, however, we have one after another painfully lame attempts at getting chuckles, starting right from the opening with the terribly awkward "on hold" for General Hux bit. It pulled me out of the movie. Along these lines, I also found myself becoming annoyed with the antics of BB-8.

• The Princess Leia moments in this movie are, sadly, not especially exciting.

• The homage problem is not as pronounced in this movie, but it's still there, as in the big fight scene in the imperial throne room, or whatever it is, when Rey is shown the attack in progress by Snoke on a handy little TV screen.

• Speaking of Snoke, who the hell is this guy?

• The absence of characters like Han Solo hurts. These movies generally have better casting than did the prequels, but the gravitas of character is lacking in The Last Jedi.

• After seeing them stand around in previous movies, it was cool to see the red-draped imperial guards engage in a major throwdown.

• Rogue One easily remains my favorite of the new films.

Review: Surrogates (DVD)

Verdict: 2.5 out of 5

The recent box office misfire Surrogates is based on a graphic novel with a clever premise: The world's populace sits at home in virtual hibernation, connected to sensors and diodes, operating robotic representations of themselves out in the world with their minds. I like this hook because it's really not that far removed from spending a day connected to a video game controller, something millions of people do more often than not. In this world, the death of a surrogate by an accident such as getting hit by a car while crossing the street leaves the hibernating owner untouched. Want to look sexier than you really do? That's possible here, too. The conflict in Surrogates arises when a couple of surrogates are "killed," and the action results in the deaths of the owners, as well. Enter Bruce Willis and his surrogate with really bad hair to tackle the case, which involves the remorseful inventor of surrogates, a military weapon and a protagonist steadily awakening to the dulled human existence of the surrogate world. The action intensifies as Willis casts aside his surrogate and reenters the world in his own skin. Although Willis spends some scenes trying to spark a renewed real-world connection with his wife, the movie lacks a compelling emotional anchor and ends up feeling much like the surrogates look — a bit too plastic and polished with nothing genuine underneath.

More X-Files for the X-philes

• Finally, Mulder and Scully get a second movie.

Setting aside most or all of season 9, I can't get enough of The X-Files, so the recent news of a second movie finally moving ahead is as exciting as a new season following a devastating cliffhanger at the end of the last.

Slated for July 25, the movie got a release date after Chris Carter and FOX finally cleared up their lawsuit ugliness. I would wager that dispute doesn't hold a candle to the fracases that go on in this house over merely watching The X-Files, because half of us refuse to watch mythology episodes, preferring instead to watch only the stand-alones, and particularly the "monster" ones. I have considered gifting my co-viewer one of those mythology episode collections out of pure meanness.

At least going to see the movie will be an easy choice, because it is confirmed to be a stand-alone (although I'm rooting for at least a cameo from some of the old mythology favorites — the mysterious Smoking Man, weaselly Alex Krycek or the slinky Marita Covarrubias). But the ongoing dispute has meant I'm getting through The X-Files DVDs at a snail's pace as we bicker over what to watch. While many of the non-conspiracy episodes are among my favorites — the Loch Ness-esque "Quagmire," the forest suspense of "Detour," and that one about the brain-eating boy, "Hungry," for a few examples — nothing compares to the complex wonder this series built in the prime of the conspiracy episodes. (Except maybe the new Battlestar Galactica. Get back to me on that after I've seen seasons three and four.) Doesn't matter that The X-Files didn't reach a wholly satisfying conclusion; the journey was its own reward, and now we have the hope of resolution in a future movie.

With Mulder and Scully on board, it's shaping up to be great fun at the cinema this summer. I can't remember the last time I was looking forward to summer movies this much, thanks to these must-sees:

The X-Files (untitled sequel) • July 25
Speed Racer (directed by the Wachowskis) • May 9
Sex and the City • May 30

Movies: I Am Legend

• A much-anticipated blockbuster is steeped in overly familiar themes.

Genre: Horror, sci-fi, adaptation
Run time: 1:40
Director: Francis Lawrence
Cast: Will Smith, Alice Braga
Verdict: &&&

It's unfortunate that a movie adapted from classic source material — Richard Matheson's 1954 novel — can end up feeling derivative of countless other zombie, virus and zombie-virus movies, but that's the fate of I Am Legend, which never musters the depth to make the viewer feel much more than the predictable tension of jump scares and chase scenes. Scientist Robert Neville (Will Smith) is, or thinks he is, the last person left alive after the cure for cancer goes terribly wrong (a clever touch), transforming the populace into vampire-like creatures that feed on human blood and do not mix with sunshine. Immune to the virus, Neville, with his dog friend, an emotive crutch for the movie, hunts deer by day on the car-littered streets of New York City, where the only sounds are those of birds and bugs. He works on a cure for the virus in his basement lab, using rodents and captured mutants as test subjects. He entertains himself with a fancy TV, visiting a video store daily to pluck new selections from the shelves and to interact with the mannequins he has placed along the way to make the world feel less empty. His wristwatch alarm is set to remind him when it's time to retreat to the security of home, where windows and doors are covered with steel barriers. As Neville appears to be on the trail of a cure, his circumstances take an increasingly desperate turn as the infected become wise to his location. While his encounters with the infected do build suspense, the movie fails to make the viewer truly feel the depths of isolation and desperation that would have tormented the man's fragile emotions, leaving this a less moving story than it could have been. Still, with this movie and, particularly, I, Robot, Smith deserves kudos for bringing smarter ideas to the blockbuster movie.

// DID YOU KNOW? // I Am Legend is the third movie based on Matheson's novel, following The Last Man on Earth (1964) and The Omega Man (1971).

Movies: Stephen King's The Mist

• The Mist is a crown jewel compared to many King adaptations.

Genre: Horror, sci-fi, adaptation
Director: Frank Darabont
Run time: 2:05
Cast: Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden, Laurie Holden, Andre Braugher, Toby Jones, Frances Sternhagen, Nathan Gamble
Verdict: &&&&1/2

There's plenty of fodder to argue that Stephen King sometimes wants for originality, but Stephen King's The Mist is too well-crafted a movie to even go there. If it weren't for 30 Days of Night a few weeks ago, I'd be calling this the best horror movie since The Ring, although, like the most successful King adaptations, it succeeds by focusing as much on the human elements of the story as on the supernatural. With The Mist, Director Frank Darabont, who also helmed The Green Mile and The Shawshank Redemption, has crafted one of the truly great King adaptations and possibly made it even more enjoyable than the original novella from the Skeleton Crew collection, which had a verve lacking in many of King's latter-day short stories. The tale takes place in a small Maine town where a severe storm is followed by a thick, creeping mist. David Drayton (Thomas Jane), his young son and his combative neighbor set out to the local grocery for supplies after the storm. While there, the fog settles in just as an old man bleeding from the nose runs in shouting about "something in the mist" taking a man. It is here that Darabont expertly seizes the potential of the story: The grocery contains a motley crowd of folk who are now isolated together, and, as they are tested, their worst traits rise to the surface — it becomes Survivor: Food Mart. The first time we glimpse what's in the mist, it verges on hokey, but the movie continually picks up steam from there, and the later encounters with what lurks in the mist are incredibly intense, action-filled, edge-of-your seat nail-biters. Those segments are brilliantly woven with the character drama. While coping with fear and the injured, the group must also contend with Mrs. Carmody (perfectly pegged by Marcia Gay Harden) — a nagging yet solicitous bible-thumper who immediately begins to spout scripture and predictions of doom. Initially met with guffaws and derision, Mrs. Carmody becomes a powerful figure as the situation increasingly descends to hopelessness (the movie's tagline, "Fear changes everything," is oh-so perfect). The story becomes as much about the way people divide themselves and cling to any hysterical shred of hope as it is about the supernatural and unknown — it is about the horrors of the human mind, which King often captures with rare insight. An engaging cast of actors such as Laurie Holden (The X-Files' mysterious Marita Covarrubias) supports Jane as a strong lead, the family man trying desperately to hold it all together and comfort his terrified son. A relentlessly dark movie all the way to the bitterly cold ending, Stephen King's The Mist is a jewel among the King adaptations and an absolute must-see for anyone with an interest in the genre.

// DID YOU NOTICE? // A couple of bonuses for loyal King fans include a prominent shot of a painting of The Dark Tower and the gunslinger in the opening scene and the presence of the great Frances Sternhagen, who played the sheriff's wife in Misery, as Irene, a retired teacher who is among those hiding in the store.

Movies: The Invasion

• Show no emotion and don't go to sleep.

Genres: Horror, sci-fi, remake
Director: Oliver Hirschbiegel
Run time: 1:36
Cast: Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Jeremy Northam, Jeffrey Wright, Jackson Bond
Verdict: &&&1/2

On the heels of the last few years' needless glut of zombie flicks, The Invasion struggles to differentiate itself, even if the afflicted in this movie aren't flesh-eating zombies, and it is based on Invasion of the Body Snatchers, a major influence on the horror and sci-fi genres. A sentient, alien virus brought to Earth by the space shuttle is infecting the populace, and the victims become calm, unemotional and robotic as they carry out the mission to infect everyone. The sales pitch? Just let go and submit to a life without war, without conflict. Psychiatrist Carol Bennell (Nicole Kidman) begins to notice things are amiss around the time a patient comes to her complaining that, "My husband is not my husband." Bennell notices strangely vacant faces lining the city streets, and the thriller begins to accelerate when she learns that her husband, whom her young son is visiting, is infected, and Bennell herself becomes infected at his hands (or rather, by the stuff he sprays out of his mouth at her). The two big rules for the survivors are show no emotion — that's what tips the bad guys off to the unconverted — and, once infected, don't go to sleep — that's when the transformation to automaton takes place. Bennell fights both urges through the rest of the movie as she attempts to rescue her son and avoid her demise in an increasingly bleak existence in which no one, on the surface, can be trusted. Some late action scenes, including one in which Bennell careens through the city in a car covered with the infected, effectively turn up the tension in a movie that offers an above-average dark entertainment for those willing to check their expectations at the door (and judging from the reviews, most people aren't). // Rent this // The 1993 remake, Body Snatchers, has always flown under the radar, but it's absolutely worth watching. It centers on a teen girl whose family has moved to a military base where her father is to investigate an environmental issue. Directed by Abel Ferrara, the movie boasted fine performances from Forest Whitaker and Meg Tilly, and the elaborate transformation scenes are excellent — far better than those in The Invasion, which almost dodges that aspect of the tale altogether.

TV: Masters of Science Fiction

• ABC quietly burns off a sci-fi anthology in the summer wasteland.

A sci-fi fan could get excited about ABC's four-episode anthology series Masters of Science Fiction if the network hadn't given it a vote of no confidence by dumping it on the Saturday night trash heap during the summer and, more importantly, if it were any good. Judging by last night's episode, "The Awakening," it isn't, despite an abundance of solid talent (John Hurt, Anne Heche, Terry O'Quinn, Malcolm McDowell) and drawing from acclaimed source material, such as stories by Harlan Ellison and John Kessel. The second installment, "The Awakening," starred Lost's O'Quinn as a retired military expert on UFOs and aliens who is called back into duty after a mysterious creature is recovered from a crash site in Iraq. Even with Smoking Man William B. Davis as the U.S. president, the episode can't shake its dialog-heavy, coma-inducing pace as it crawls to a disappointing Oprah-moment conclusion.

Here's what's left of the anthology:

"Jerry Was a Man" (Aug. 18, 10/9c): Stars Anne Heche and Malcolm McDowell as a wealthy couple whose lives are changed when they acquire an anthropoid named Jerry. It's directed by Michael Tolkin and based on the Robert Heinlein story.

"The Discarded" (Aug. 25, 10/9c): Scripted by Ellison and Josh Olson (A History of Violence) and directed by Jonathan Frakes (Star Trek), this tale of minorities sentenced to drift in space stars Brian Dennehy, John Hurt and James Denton.

Pictured: Terry O'Quinn in "The Awakening"

From the vault: The Twilight Zone Seasons 2 and 3 (1986-89)

• Unlike the cold 2000s revival, The Twilight Zone was fun in the '80s.

Genre: Quirky-twisty drama, anthology
DVD released: June 28, 2005
Cast: Tom Skeritt, Joan Allen, Joe Mantegna, Gina Gershon, Fred Savage, Norman Fell, Shelley Duvall, Jeffrey Tambor, Louise Fletcher, William Sanderson, Janet Leigh, Terry Farrell, Dean Stockwell, et al
Verdict: &&1/2

The 1985-1989 version of The Twilight Zone, also known as The New Twilight Zone, rates more stars / medals in my heart than I can give it in a review. A handful of episodes captivated me when I was around 12 to 14 years old and likely shaped my interest in dark and clever tales that often don’t end happily — I wouldn't be surprised if a young M. Night Shyamalan was also a fan. Season one of the '80s Twilight Zone is stronger than the two subsequent seasons included here — the short bit of season two that aired on CBS before cancellation and the third, which consists entirely of 30-minute episodes. After CBS axed the show, the additional episodes were produced to pad the series for a syndication package. These featured different writers and Robin Ward taking over the narration previously done by Charles Aidman. One could argue that the best thing about the series was its creepy, mysterious imagery during the opening title sequence combined with The Grateful Dead's outstanding take on the theme music. Another strength was in casting; in addition to top-tier television talent, the series lured impressive names like Janet Leigh, Shelley Duvall and Joe Mantegna. Behind the camera, there's early directorial work by horror workhorse Wes Craven. Many of the scripts are undeniably beneath the starring talent, and the shift to 30-minute episodes didn't help. The hour-long format had allowed flexibility for segments as short as 10 minutes or as long as an hour, and the constricting half-hour format seems a likely factor in the uneven quality — a number of installments simply feel under-written. High points among the episodes include "The After Hours," in which a shopping mall's mannequins have an after-hours life; "The Curious Case of Edgar Witherspoon," in which an eccentric old man's junk collection keeps the universe in balance; "The Hellgramite Method," in which an alcholic tries an unorthodox cure; and, particularly, "Cat and Mouse," the story of a woman scorned who exacts a very clever Twilight Zone kind of revenge. One story, "Special Service," feels like a forerunner of a mediocre '90s movie, The Truman Show, as an ordinary man played by David Naughton discovers his life is voyeuristic entertainment for others. A number of installments, including "Something in the Walls" and the unimpressive "A Game of Pool," are rehashes of original Twilight Zone stories. It's a mixed bag, to be sure, but anyone who enjoyed watching this as a child of the '80s will enjoy being in the zone again.

// DVD notes // This seven-disc set contains a wealth of episodes but scant extras. A very small selection of deleted scenes are included, and about a half dozen installments feature commentary by directors and writers such as Craven, Philip DeGuere and Alan Brennert. The attractive set's booklet offers a synopsis and writing and directing credits for each episode.

// Related //
• Season 1 Jeblog review
• Postcards from the Zone - an episode guide for The New Twilight Zone

Random tracks: Battlestar's end, Jericho's resurrection, etc.

Battlestar Galactica's end
Say it ain't so: The numbing Lost gets to drag on for three more seasons while TV's best show, Battlestar Galactica, will end with season four, which is set to begin in early 2008 — so said the series' producers last week. During season three, they simply felt the story was nearing its natural end, they said. I can understand not wanting to go the X-Files route, but four seasons and less than 100 episodes? Damn you. At least this fall we get a bonus made-for-SCI FI movie, Razor, before season four's 22 episodes. Razor will reportedly go back in time to deal with events aboard the Pegasus.

Jericho resurrected
In a highly unusual move, CBS responded to a fan outcry over the cancellation of Jericho by un-nuking the show, which had suffered from a mid-season hiatus, much as Lost did. CBS has ordered a whopping seven episodes for next season, giving fans a brief window in which to prove their love in ratings. It's a reasonably entertaining show, but why can't this happen to a truly brilliant viewing experience such as Kidnapped? All the Jericho episodes can be viewed for free here.

Kyle XY gets a second season
That show about the boy with no bellybutton (portrayed by Matt Dallas) is getting a second season beginning Monday (June 11) on ABC Family, and he'll apparently be joined by a bellybutton-less grrrl this season. ABC will also air episodes on Fridays. For my money, the other ABC Fam original, Three Moons Over Milford, which was canceled after an eight-episode run, had the edge on this marginally interesting sci-fi diversion.

DRM-free tracks and that guy from the Beatles on iTunes
I don't even want to know what it would cost to upgrade my iTunes library from the locked DRM files to the new, higher-quality offerings, which cost 30 cents more per track and can be used on any device, not just the iPod. A positive step for Apple, no doubt, but 99 cents per track felt so right. An upgrade to iTunes 7.2 is required to use the new files. In another coup for Apple, the Paul McCartney library has just been added to the store. Not a big "Macca" fan here, but I immediately downloaded "Hope of Deliverance," a breezy gem from his 1993 album Off the Ground that had stuck with me through the years, even though I heard it only a few times on the radio.

Random reviews

• Quick takes on new and recent TV odds and ends.

TV The Ri¢hes (FX, 9 p.m. Mondays)
The pilot of FX's new drama found fertile material in the screwed up lives of thieving gypsies / travellin' folk / con artists. Here's hoping the Eddie Izzard and Minnie Driver-fronted series doesn't lose its edge as the Riches and their two children assume the lives of a recently departed, well-to-do family. Premiere: &&&1/2

TV on DVD Battlestar Galactica Season 2.5
Since I don't have Sci-Fi on cable, I've just finished up last season while the rest of the world is basking in late season three and news of renewal for the fourth. Season two continued to raise the bar for un-geeky sci-fi and still is, for my money, the best drama on television today from any broadcast outlet, cable or otherwise. Loaded with weighty plot points — President Roslin's bleak struggle with cancer, the fate of the hybrid baby and the pivotal presidential election pitting Roslin against a former ally — this season continued the trend of getting impossibly richer as the series progresses while maintaining its earthiness and toaster (cylon) sexiness. The last three episodes tease and twist beautifully; just when a viewer could get a tad complacent, a shocking new direction is cast. Verdict: &&&&&

DVD A Life in Pop
"Chris (Lowe) and I share in the fantasy that was and is the Pet Shop Boys," says Neil Tennant in this lengthy UK documentary on the career of PSB. Fans can rightly quibble that this or that album or issue gets glossed over, but this doc is made essential by frank interviews with the likes of Brandon Flowers (The Killers), Tim Rice-Oxley (Keane), Trevor Horn, Robbie Williams and, of course, Tennant and Lowe, who have refused to play by the rules over the course of nine albums. Verdict: &&&&

TV on DVD Seinfeld Season 4
"It's going to be hard to even watch Seinfeld now," a friend of mine said after the bizarre Michael Richards incident, but I'm not boarding that train — I'm still happily whisked away to the world of Seinfeldian minutiae. After perfecting its tone in season three, a confident boldness blossoms in season four with outstanding episodes such as "The Cheever Letters," "The Contest," "The Airport" and "The Outing." And it bears repeating that the Seinfeld DVDs are the gold standard in packaging and extras, enhancing an already sublime experience. Verdict: &&&&&

DVD: Slither

• Don't let them in your mouth!

Genres: Horror, sci-fi, comedy
DVD released: Oct. 24, 2006
Director: James Gunn
Cast: Nathan Fillion, Elizabeth Banks, Michael Rooker, Gregg Henry, Tania Saulnier, Brenda James, Don Thompson
Verdict: &&&1/2

Slither is played more for laughs than frights from start to finish, and a new generation has likely found its Tremors. An alien falls to earth on a meteor, landing in a small backwater, and begins populating the planet with slithering, slug-like creatures that inhabit humans by entering the mouth. The entity begins its Earth takeover with regular guy Grant Grant (Michael Rooker), whose body changes and appetite for meat becomes overwhelming (he stockpiles fresh cuts from the grocer). Grant must evade the suspicions of his sweet wife, Starla (Elizabeth Banks), and Sheriff Bill Pardy (Nathan Fillion, bringing the same engaging wit and cockiness that served him well in Firefly and Serenity). The script borrows elements from movies such as Body Snatchers and any number from the tired zombie genre (Gunn scripted the respectable 2004 Dawn of the Dead remake) without ever feeling derivative, while also relentlessly delivering smart comic relief. Gregg Henry brings down the house as the foul-mouthed mayor, and one of the most hilarious bits involves a romantic scene and the Air Supply song, "Every Woman in the World." While never taking itself seriously, however, Slither actually uncurls a sci-fi horror plot more compelling than that of most of the straight-faced horror flicks of the last few years. // DVD notes // Slitherites are rewarded with a loaded DVD treatment including deleted and extended scenes, bloopers, making-of and effects featurettes, a feature on Fillion's character, a set tour with star Fillion, feature commentary with Gunn and Fillion, and a video diary by Tromeo & Juliet director Lloyd Kaufman.

TV on DVD: Battlestar Galactica Season 2.0

• It's unlike anything else on TV, and better, too.

Genres: Sci-fi, drama, action
Released: Dec. 20, 2005
Cast: Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Tricia Helfer, James Callis, Jamie Bamber, Michael Hogan, Aaron Douglas, Grace Park
Verdict: &&&&& (instant classic)

I live for the Battlestar Galactica DVDs. It's true not just because it's the best show on television — a show that gets impossibly better and better as it progresses — but because that's the only way I can watch it. My cable provider, Comcast, gives us obscure fare such as Discover Outdoor Health II in favor of more obvious choices, such as Sci-Fi and Comedy Central. But that's OK; this alluring show is best savored in crisp DVD images with surround sound. With season three set to begin Oct. 6 and the second half of season two new on DVD, I've just finished up the first half of the season, a remarkable extension of a show that sets a new standard for space drama. The season begins with Commander Adama's (Edward James Olmos) fate unclear and the fleet's perilous fate in the hands of deliciously flawed Col. Tigh (Michael Hogan), who is under the influence of strong beverages and his manipulative wife, Ellen (Kate Vernon), a character so suspect that she simply must be a red herring. Meanwhile, President Roslin (Mary McDonnell), as her health deteriorates, is increasingly intent on fulfilling religious prophecy and finding the mythical Earth, a delicate bit of plotting that is navigated successfully in a two-parter, "Home." While that bit of spirituality is an area where the show could risk losing its edge, the god angle continues to work brilliantly for the conflicted cylons, who, in human form, do not always know their true nature. Apart from Number Six (Tricia Helfer), who tightens her tease-torment routine on Dr. Baltar (James Callis), the cylon Sharon (Grace Park), in various incarnations, continues to have a prominent role; one of my favorite moments of the season finds two of the officers who engaged in toaster action with different Sharon copies coming to fisticuffs over her/it. With so many outstanding episodes, it's difficult to choose favorites, but among them are "Fragged," in which Baltar, demonstrating a rare instance of backbone, elicits the number of cylons in the fleet from the imprisoned Sharon, and mid-season cliffhanger "Pegasus," in which Adama's command is threatened by the queen bee of the Battlestar Pegasus, and two favorites face execution over an incident involving — would you believe — sex and the cylon Sharon.

// DVD notes // Deleted scenes have rightly been moved where they should be — viewable after each episode. I'd like to hear more use of the surround channels, but the picture quality is ace. One head-scratcher: Why does an extended version of cliffhanger episode "Pegasus" appear on the subsequent season 2.5 set, but not here?

// Related // Season 1

DVD: Serenity

Genre: Sci-fi
Director: Joss Whedon
DVD released: Dec. 20, 2005
Verdict: &&&1/2

There's a hint of Han Solo in Nathan Fillion's smug and cheeky Captain "Mal" Reynolds, leader of a small-time band of smugglers who, like Solo, are good guys who prefer to avoid entanglements with a not-so-virtuous government (referred to here as "the alliance") as they tool about the galaxy in a firefly class craft. When they find themselves with a hot piece of cargo — a young, telepathic subject of government experimentation, River (Summer Glau), who vacillates from calculating but docile mind-reading young adult to cold killing machine — they are thrust perilously square in the sights of the government and a brutal assassin (Chiwetel Ejiofor) who creates some of the movie's greatest drama. A tense space battle sequence and a no-they-didn't government secret make this effectively buttery popcorn sci-fi, whether or not you have seen a single episode of the source material, Fox's 2002 "sci-fi western" series Firefly. // DVD notes // Lots of gratuitous noise in this movie: Apartment dwellers like me will find this one a nightmare for volume control, as the dialogue is often quite muted. I had to turn the subwoofer down. There are deleted scenes and bloopers plus an assortment of featurettes for the Firefly cultists.

TV: Kyle XY

Genre: Drama, unintentional comedy
Logistics: ABC Family, 7 p.m. (Central) Monday
Verdict: &&

If the American Broadcasting Company wants to use one of the networks it owns to show 24-hour footage of grass growing or janitors cleaning up the Desperate Housewives set, that's their business. More power to them. But let's don't completely misrepresent what a network is all about. I'm no prude, but when I recently came across the film Igby Goes Down showing on ABCFam, I did more than a double take. It's a fine movie, but its sexed up antics have no business on a network with "fam" in its name. Then, thumbing through my copy of Entertainment Weekly, I see several consecutive pages of ads for a new series called Kyle XY. The ads focus exclusively on young actor Matt Dallas … his blue eyes and, most provocatively, a close-up of his midsection as he pulls up his T-shirt. Granted, he has no bellybutton, but isn't that a convenient excuse? Just what are we up to here? Sex sells, of course, and apparently that's openly applied to family programming in the 2000s. But what of the show, you ask. "Kyle," a mysterious blank slate, is found wandering aimlessly and is taken in by the Trager family, which conveniently includes a predictably snide teenage daughter and son. Somewhat interestingly, Kyle has the ability to soak up knowledge such as languages very quickly, but, less interestingly, the show focuses on obvious gags such as Kyle standing at the refrigerator, discovering food. The son's running commentary on why Kyle is an alien is sometimes funny, but you can see the very special episode with the discovery of hormones coming six miles away. A guilty summer pleasure? Perhaps. Family programming? Maybe, but something is warped in the ABCFam psyche.

TV on DVD: V - The Complete Series (1984-85)

Genre: Sci-fi
DVD released: July 27, 2004
Cast: Marc Singer, Jane Badler, Robert Englund, Faye Grant, Michael Ironside, Jeff Yagher
Verdict: && for general audiences, &&& with '80s/geek factor

Without the image of the reptilian aliens dangling mice in the air and lowering them almost sensuously into their mouths, V probably never would have made it past the first mini-series. For its time, the devouring of mice whole was a morbidly compelling gross-out moment. Then, there was the peeling away of the human skin to reveal the vile creatures underneath, unmasking the evil we always suspected to be lurking within authority figures (never mind that they're wearing hideous jumpsuits that appear to be leftovers from the set of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century). This short-lived TV series, which followed two successful miniseries – the first quite good, the second not so much – is, for the most part, goofy sci-fi fun for viewers willing to overlook some truly awful special effects and A-Team-caliber action scenes. The most enjoyable stretch is episodes two through six, in which we witness the development of the alien-human hybrid Starchild; a virtual-reality style ruse designed to milk information from resistance leader Mike Donovan; the conversion of Donovan's son into a member of the Visitor Youth Corps; and an over-the-top episode in which Visitors gather at a conference to salivate as humans are transformed into food. The cast does the best with what it has, particularly Jane Badler as conniving alien queen Diana. By the series' midpoint, however, it's quite clear that the writers had run out of ideas, and the handwriting is leaping off the wall and slapping you in the face by the later episode in which half the cast is killed or sent away and the tighter opening title sequence is replaced by an incredibly long, aimless one – possibly to fill time? Watch V not for compelling space drama or allegory but for Diana's Dynasty-worthy catfights with big-haired alien nemesis Lydia (June Chadwick), and there's fun to be had.

// DVD notes // 19 episodes on three double-sided discs with Dolby Digital mono audio. Zilch extras. C'mon, would nobody talk about how Marc Singer's pants got tighter in every episode?

// Other TV on DVD // Battlestar Galactica Season 1 • The Twilight Zone (1985-86)

DVD: Mysterious Skin

Genre: Drama
DVD released: Oct. 25, 2005
Director: Gregg Araki
Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Brady Corbet, Elisabeth Shue, Michelle Trachtenberg
Verdict: &&&&

Not a movie for anyone who has delicate sensibilities or is offended by sexual themes, Mysterious Skin reveals Third Rock from the Sun's Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a tremendous dramatic actor while brilliantly blending the notion of repressed memories of childhood sexual abuse with elements of contemporary alien abduction mythology, such as nosebleeds, missing time, and visions of tall, shadowy figures. As young boys, Neil (Gordon-Levitt) and Brian (Corbet) shared a common disturbing experience as members of the same little league baseball team. Ten years later, Neil is a cold-hearted street hustler, and Brian is a slightly dorky young man who is obsessed with the idea that he was abducted by aliens. As their stories unfold separately, Brian is drawn closer to the truth and, finally, Neil, who helps him connect to a past experience even more horrifying than he imagined. There's a searing realism here that will particularly resonate with certain audiences. // DVD notes // Rather surprisingly has a dts soundtrack, but I can't recall any use of the surround channels.

TV on DVD: Battlestar Galactica Season One

Genre: Sci-fi, drama
Director: Michael Rymer
DVD released: Sept. 20, 2005
Verdict: &&&&& (instant classic)

Like my old Battlestar Galactica lunchbox forgotten somewhere in my parents' attic, memories of the 1978 show were lost in the fog of time when a new version of the show emerged on Sci-Fi. The new Battlestar Galactica throws the tricorders, lizard-like aliens and hokey space drama out the window as it reinvents the sci-fi genre, raising the bar in the way that Star Trek: The Next Generation did in the 1980s.

Character-driven and complex, this show has rattled my chain unlike anything since the prime years of The X-Files and is so far superior to any drama on the major broadcast networks that they should be shamed out of business. With a ragtag fleet of human survivors on the run from their own creations run amok, the basic premise mirrors that of the 1978 series. Now, however, the Cylons have evolved to mimic human form, and there are many copies of certain individuals who are carrying out a grand plan. While the human imitators initially riled fans of the old show, it is one of the driving creative elements of the new series and has fueled an atmosphere of paranoia onboard Galactica as everyone becomes suspect. I was hooked from the opening scenes in which the ambassador for the 12 colonies of man journeys to the annual truce meeting with the Cylons, who haven't bothered to send a representative in years. This time, in strolls Number Six (played with smoldering sultriness by Tricia Helfer), who sidles over to the emissary and says, "Are you alive?" "Prove it," she says when he answers in the affirmative. Her idea of proof? Making out.

Make no mistake, this is not just about lasers and shiny toasters (as our heroes often call the robotic Cylons): Galactica is as much about human drama as it is about space duels. The cast is impeccable in nailing the character's foibles, from Edward James Olmos' steely Commander Adama to Mary McDonnell's vulnerable but determined President Roslyn, whose role as secretary of education is elevated to head of government when everyone else is wiped out in the Cylon attack. Then there's James Callis' brilliant take on Gaius Baltar, the "mad" doctor who appears to be a pawn of the Cylons and literally can't get Number Six out of his head or his pants. Does she appear only to him or is she on a chip inside his head? Or is he just nuts? With Number Six we also see another of the show's fascinating themes, religion. "God has a plan for you," she tells Baltar. Why would machines profess to believe in god? This theme expands and teases as the series progresses. The humans are clinging to belief in gods, as well, and the prophecy of a mythical planet called … Earth.

Space battles are beautifully executed, and the look of the show is more organic and believable than, say, any of the modern Star Trek series. The only thing I don't find true to the spirit of the show is use of the euphemism "frack" for cursing, but that's a small price to pay to have such a wonderful show on television. Late in the season is a killer episode, "Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down," that hints at a whole new level of fun that can be had here, as the writers give us humorous scenes somewhat reminiscent of The X-Files' self-mocking episodes. The Golden Globes and Emmys should laud this series with dozens of trophies. By the time I reached the final episode, whose opening juggles pivotal moments for several ongoing threads in a symphony of drama, I felt a level of faith for this show bordering on the religious – enough to make Number Six proud.

// DVD notes // The picture quality and sound are impeccable, as you would expect from this first-class DVD set. It includes the miniseries, so there's no need to buy it separately. The 45 minutes of deleted scenes are often interesting, and the behind-the-scenes material is entertaining and enlightening. I would ask that the deleted scenes be made available with the appropriate episode rather than only on the bonus disc.

DVD: Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith

Genre: Sci-fi
Director: George Lucas
Released: Nov. 1, 2005
Verdict: &&&1/2

It's supposed to be about Anakin Skywalker succumbing to the dark side of the Force, but Ian McDiarmid's scene-stealing makes Revenge of the Sith more about Chancellor Palpatine as evil seducer. McDiarmid owns this movie: His delivery of lines like "Not … from a Jedi" and "Master Jedi, are you threatening me?" is simply chilling. His grand presence underscores the thinness of other performances – Hayden Christensen gets the youthful petulance of his role right, but he is hopelessly out of his league when bouncing lines off McDiarmid. And, if Samuel L. Jackson and Natalie Portman have ever come across more wooden than they do here, someone tell me where (Phantom Menace doesn't count). I think some critics gave George Lucas a bit of a free ride on Sith because it's the last movie and we all really wanted to love it. I do like it, but I prefer Attack of the Clones, with its thrilling assassination attempt/chase opening and water planet scenes. One of the best things about Sith is its visual bridging to Star Wars in the final scenes, creating a sense that the story truly has come full circle. Sith's second half succeeds in creating a sustained tension as Anakin moves further down the path to transformation and the Jedi come under attack, but this is also where the movie makes its biggest plot fumble – the failure to provide a single, believable event that pushes him over the edge. That event came in the wrong movie – Attack of the Clones – when Anakin finds what the sand people have done to his mother and gets in touch with his inner dark side. // DVD notes // For a six-channel soundtrack to a Star Wars movie, there's very little happening in the surrounds. The deleted scenes, including an action sequence chopped from the opening and some political maneuvering, are worth watching but not revealing.