CITY BOY GEEKINESS

Back from an almost indefinite financial hiatus, MGM is ready to premiere the latest international adventure of 007. Set to mark the series' 23rd installment, James Bond is back for another tale of action, fights and saving the world one villain at a time. Currently, the latest movie is set for an October 26, 2012 release date and has been titled: Skyfall.

Ever since I was a kid and watched GoldenEye for the first time (which also happened to be my first 007 film), I've been fascinated with the films. Gadgets, international destinations, action and one man going up against a nefarious villain have kept audiences (including myself) interested the adventures of 007 for over 50 years. Skyfall is the newest entry into the film series and will be Daniel Craig's third installment in the role. While the actual plot of the film has yet to be revealed, rumours have been circulating around the net of introductions of key Bond landmarks: introduction Q (Ben Whishaw), possibly also Moneypenny (as the role of  Eve played by Naomie Harris) and even Bond's gadgets.

I've never been able to watch a Bond film in theatres before - I was too young to watch without parental guidance from GoldenEye to Casino Royale. This year will mark the first time and I'm excited to check it out in theatres. MGM currently has released the first teaser trailer for the film which has been linked below for you all to enjoy.

May is the time of year for television fans to experience their fears, some tears and if they're the lucky few... cheers. The big five U.S. networks hold their yearly schedule upfronts in May to premier their new fall schedules and line-ups. Around this time, news is released to awaiting fans who will find out which shows have been renewed and which have received the quick and painful axe: cancellation.

On Friday, news broke about teen-domain network The CW and their plans for the upcoming 2012-2013 schedule. The CW has chosen to order the pick up of five new television dramas which include 80's prequel The Carries Diaries and the green superhero series Arrow. In the process, bubble shows that were eagerly awaiting their status were dealt a surprising blow with mass media revealing their status. Spy drama Nikita and perpetually dull Hart of Dixie received the green-light for another season while freshman drama Ringer and the teen-witch The Secret Circle were dealt a swift cancellation.

News was quite bittersweet for fans of the witchy teen-drama to take. Minutes after the news broke, The CW's Twitter and Facebook page were bombarded with comments from pleading fans for the network to reverse their decision. Initial reaction from fans were confusion and overwhelming anger, due to the fact that The Secret Circle is one of the networks current highest rated programs above all the remaining bubble shows. Ringer, while also holding a loyal fan base, was plagued with declining ratings for over a season - many deemed its cancellation from its mid-season hiatus. 

While no formal campaign has been set up, the movement has earned an international following from fans and reached several key points. Twitter hashtags such as The Secret Circle, TSC, The CW, and Bring The Secret Circle Back were trending in countries around the world, as well as trending for hours on the World Wide feed. Facebook pages and posts erupted with comments expressing their urgency for the show to be renewed. Even the idea of moving the show to a different network has been pitched with ABC Family, Sy Fy and MTV being messaged by fans.

Currently, two online petitions are gaining traction with support. Each have earned more than 10,000 signatures and the movement doesn't seem to be losing steam anytime soon: petition #1 (online) and petition #2 (twitter).

While only time will tell if The CW will reverse its decision, the network up fronts will still be held this Thursday, May 17, 2012 as planned. In that time, fans are still reaching out to the network in hopes that by their overwhelming fan reaction, petitioning, tweeting and a spike in sales of The Secret Circle online episodes will change their mind and spell a renewal for the show. 

CORRECTION: Based from several tweets and messages I've received, fans have stated that a formal campaign can be found at save.thesecret-circle.com. As well as searching on Twitter for other fan sites working for the same cause.

I felt a little inspired to create a review for a movie I saw yesterday in theatres. While it may not be the most widely recognized or talked about film hitting cinemas this week, it was one of the most strangely entertaining and campy films I've seen in a while. The movie is the big screen adaptation of the 1960's supernatural soap-opera: Dark Shadows.

The Premise: Gloomy yet-overwhelming campy, Dark Shadows is the story about an illustrious and wealthy family dealing with the plight of a devastating curse. In 1760, Barnabas Collins (Johnny Depp) has a torrid affair with a maidservant Angelique (Eva Green), only to spurn her undying love for his future bride. Unbeknownst to Barnabas, Angelique is secretly a powerful witch who casts a lasting and mighty curse that befalls every generation of the Collins family. His parents die from a tragic accident, his beloved commits suicide and Barnabas transforms into an immortal vampire after he tries to take his own life. Urged from the lies uttered by Angelique, the townsfolk condemn Barnabas to eternal torment and confine him to slumber underground, trapped in his own coffin forever. (Hey, this movie was based off of a soap-opera, the first paragraph deserved to be dramatic and intense!)

Fast forward to the 1970s, the Collins family has become a shell of its former self. Their mansion is falling apart, their shipping business is barely making ends meet, and the family is still plagued by the infamous curse cast centuries before. After an unfortunate discovery at a McDonald's construction site, Barnabas is freed from his tomb and discovers that things have changed since his time in confinement. He soon returns home to his manor and resumes the role as the patriarch of the Collins family. Remaining of his lineage is Elizabeth Collins Stoddard (Michelle Pfieffer), the head matriarch, Carolyn Stoddard (Chloe Grace Moretz), rebellious wild child daughter of Elizabeth, Roger Collins (Jonny Lee Miller), Elizabeth's irresponsible brother, and David Collins (Gulliver McGrath), Roger's bright-eyed son. Rounding out the main cast of the Collinswood Manor is Victoria Winters (Bella Heathcote), David's Governess and the reincarnation of Barnabas' lost love Josette du Pres, Willie Loomis (Jackie Earl Haley), the Collins' handyman, and Dr. Julia Hoffman (Helena Boneham Carter), the live-in psychiatrist.

The Good: Dark Shadows has one major thing that will encompass the reason to watch this film: it was directed by Tim Burton. Tim Burton has a specific and unique directing style which you can notice in each of his films. It's dark, campy, and doesn't rely on the requirement of special effects or past references. Sure, this is a film adaptation of a former television show, but excluding that factor altogether, it could stand as its own movie.

The acting was also a positive for Dark Shadows. Even though the film is primarily set in 1972, which is the time of free-love, disco and rock music, it's easy for any character (and by extension actor) to go really campy and silly in their role. Surprisingly, not many of the characters decided to take that route with their impersonations. Standouts would have to be Chloe Moretz, Helena Boneham Carter, Michelle Pfieffer and Eva Green. Particularly Eva Green and Michelle Pfieffer the most. Green shined in her role as villainous Angelique and defined the part of a soap-opera villain brought to the big screen while Pfieffer always brings an essence of superiority to her matriarchal roles.

The Bad: Nothing really stood out for Dark Shadows. Sure, it was a campy film about a television soap-opera from the 1960s but what else was there? There was no real presence or urgency to follow these characters throughout the film and hope for a satisfied conclusion. While the movie did have a dramatic and cinematic confrontation between Barnabas and Angelique, most of the film could have been classified as filler or scenes included from the series. One moment in particular which should have been developed further was the role of Dr. Julia Hoffman (Boneham Carter), it was a main role and she did play an important part but at times, it felt more like a cameo.

The final point that some viewers could deem the deciding factor was Johnny Depp. As if with tradition for any Tim Burton film, Johnny Depp plays the leading role as Barnabas Collins. His presence is the one that carries the story throughout, from the beginning of his family's demise to the conclusion at the end of movie. His performance in Dark Shadows was good, a little reminiscent of his previous work but it didn't standout overall. Barnabas Collins wouldn't be a role that many would classify as one of his best acting pieces. Don't get me wrong, I liked him in the role and he did do a good job but it wasn't an incredible performance.

The Results: 2.5/5!

A bit harsh with the rating this time; it's probably the lowest I've ever given to one of my reviews. Before going to watch the movie, I'd never heard of Dark Shadows (the TV show) before or had any inclination to look it up. After seeing the film, I did take a couple of minutes to put some information together and discovered it was a TV show from the past. Overall, it was a good film and some of the actors stood out in their performances. Special effects were great, storyline was a tad dull at times and you will get a few good laughs. My recommendation is to watch the film if you're into Tim Burton and Johnny Depp movies, but don't go into it expecting groundbreaking or inspiring work. It's a popcorn movie and you'll most likely catch the film in the future when it airs months/years later.

Agree or Disagree with the review? Leave your comments below and let us know what you thought about the film.

I've got some very exciting news!

Typically, I try to throw in a new post here-and-there about a review, a list, something fun or an article on my mind. Well... as many of you know, I've got a love for TV. There are a ton of programs that I follow and I usually just share my thoughts on Twitter or to the dismay of my friends and co-workers.

For the upcoming fall 2012-2013 broadcast season, I'm going to start doing weekly updates on certain television programs with fun taglines and insights. Since I'm the only writer on this blog/website, I'll try to brace myself with a few shows at first and see where I go from there. This summer will be good practice and you'll probably see some new updates coming up pretty soon for the summer.

If you've got a show or series that you'd like me to recap, share your thoughts below or send me a quick message.

Spring season is upon us which means that more video games and consoles titles are soon going to be released for the upcoming summer and holiday shopping seasons. I've had a list forming for the last couple of months and one of the games still on it is Lollipop Chainsaw.

There's always a special place in my heart for campy and unusual games. The problem with this genre is that sometimes the title has a tendency to let me down with its technical and visual quality. Two perfect varying examples are Deadly Premonition and Bullet Witch for the Xbox 360. While one game's graphics were sub-par in comparison (Deadly Premonition), its storyline and overall performance excelled partially due to its inspiration. Bullet Witch, however, was good in theory but it failed with its fighting mechanics, gameplay and graphics as a stand-alone title.

Lollipop Chainsaw is a game about a zombie-fighting cheerleader battling against hordes of the undead in a Robert Rodriguez movie-style video game. Only time will tell if the game will truly succeed, but I'll wait for the first wave of online reviews before buying the game.