July 19, 2012 - SciFiEmpire.net

Continuum episode 8 ‘Playtime’ Preview! UPDATE Promo trailer

Jul 192012

Fans of Continuum are slowly starting to wonder why Showcase hasn’t renewed Continuum for a second season, normally this is done when the show is still airing in order to show confidence. However, as Continuum will have a short first season of only 10 episodes it is actually well possible that the decision could be delayed by as much as a few months until production for a second season has to be green lighted. The ratings for continuum hardly tell the complete picture as those are just for Canada and the online income of this series is unknown to anyone but Showcase. My guess is that Continuum will be back for another season and not in the least because other shows have or will end (Eureka and Fringe) and so it won’t have much competition and fans from those series will probably come over to this show (if they haven’t already). Canadian ratings for Continuum have hovered around 400.000 and last weeks episode managed to beat expectations with 427.000 official viewers, so that is some good news at least.

As for this weeks episode of Continuum, entitled ‘Playtime’, here is the synopsis and cast list…

When Kiera and Carlos investigate two mysterious murder-suicides, they quickly realize that both may be the result of a lethal computer program turning video game programmers into killers.

Rachel Nichols - Kiera Cameron

Victor Webster - Detective Carlos Fonnegra

Erik Knudsen - Alec Sadler

Stephen Lobo - Matthew Kellog

Omari Newton - Lucas Ingram

Richard Harmon - Julian Randol

Mike Dopud - Stefan Jaworski

Tony Amendola - Edouard Kagame

Cameron Park - Sad Tech Exec

Evan Frayne - Cole Bartley

Victor Ayala - Copeland

Danny Wattley - Greg Morit

This cast list allows us to see that the friend of Kiera’s husband, the boob-grabber from the last episode, is going to be a regular of the series. I think that will add more tension to the 2077 storyline. Fans are also eager for Kiera’s bodysuit to make a reappearance (with her in it preferably) and I am guessing they won’t be disappointed for long. One oddity on the cast list is the character of Stefan Jaworski, as he was killed off in the pilot I am wondering why he is still on it? Is it just a contractual obligation on the part of Showcase or does Liber8 have a plan.

***UPDATE***

It seems as though my prediction of Jaworski has come true, about a week ago (sorry I missed) Showcase released a trailer of all the last episodes and it includes the character of Jaworski being put on trial in 2077 (in a flash-forward). I must say it seems that the last bunch of episodes of this season will pretty much unravel the entire plot of Continuum.

***UPDATE***

Here are the promo pictures for ‘Playtime’…

Alphas Season 2 Preview!

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Jul 192012

Next Monday Syfy Channel’s Alphas will be back for a second season of 13 episodes. This season is strangely enough highly anticipated by other websites despite the rather low ratings the first season got, alphas almost got cancelled last year. I can speak for myself and say that season 1 was a bit of a let down, I thought the plot lines were too jumbled together in order to legitimize the collection of characters that form the Alpha team. The show wasn’t lacking in action, drama or humor but it all felt a little rough. Season one guest star Summer Glau was a bright star in the mediocre sky and I hope she will be back this season.

As for season 2, here is a brief synopsis that can tell us what to expect…

The new season picks up eight months after last year’s stunning season finale with the stage set for an explosive turn of events at the Binghamton facility (the Guantanamo of the Alpha world) that could have devastating, far-reaching consequences. Dr. Lee Rosen, having exposed the existence of Alphas to the unsuspecting public, finds himself discredited and imprisoned by a government desperate to cover up his stunning revelation. Some of the team have disbanded and without Dr. Rosen’s care and guidance, have regressed to their old, destructive ways. They must now battle their individual demons, reunite and try to save their own.

To me it sounds like this is the plot outline for just the first episode, I am expecting that later in the season everything will return to the way it was and that Alphas will resume its ‘Super-power of the week’ style episodes. I am not hoping for this, but I am expecting it. The whole set up of season 2 as described in the synopsis sounds too much like just a season cliffhanger thingy.

We can also expect more Warehouse 13 tie-ins, which may make some people cry at the very thought. As Eureka has now ended with a fizzle we might even see some characters from that series making a few guest appearance. Season 1 didn’t have that but Alphas is connected with Eureka through a mutual relation with Warehouse 13. To me that kind off sums up everything that is wrong with the Syfy Channel.

Here is the trailer for season 2…

And another one for good measure…

First below are some still pictures of season 2′s first episode entitled ‘Wake Up Call’.

Season 2 posters…

New Dredd High-Res Pictures!

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Jul 192012

It seems as though all the studios are all at once releasing high-resolution pictures of their upcoming movies. Thanks to the website KarlUrbanInternational (Really!) we have been given a whole slew of pics for the upcoming Judge Dredd inspired movie Dredd, starring Karl Urban in case you’re not that quick. The movie also notably stars Lena Headey (Game of Thrones) and Olivia Thirlby.

The plot as you may have already have inferred from the trailer is about Lena Heady’s character Ma Ma owning all the production facilities of a drug called ‘slo-mo’ in the future Megacity-One. Due to her violent past as a prostitute she seems hellbent on using Mexican drug-war tactics with scaring everybody who is opposed to her dominance, even the ‘judges’. But of course not Karl Urban’s character Judge Dredd and his sidekick Judge Anderson (Olivia Thirlby).

The movie is set for a September 7th release in the UK and a September 21st release in the US. During last weeks Comic-con there was an advanced screening of the movie and reviews have been quite favorable. Dredd invokes memories of 80′s classics such as Escape from New York, the slow motion special effects and the gore were also singled out as giving the movie a very unique signature. All in all the movie stays true to the original source material but it does not have a complex plot, which I guess isn’t such a great loss.

As a side note you may have all heard of Karl Urban’s antics with the Star Trek sequel scheduled to be released may 2013, his efforts to wind up J.J. Abrams are quite hilarious though I hope he won’t accidentally spoiler anything.

Kirk out!