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Synopsis: Edgar Wright's exuberant adaptation of Bryan Lee O'Malley's celebrated comic book series centers on unambitious indie rock dude Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) and his elaborate video game-informed battles against the seven evil exes of his new love, Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead).

My Take: Let's stop talking about why Scott Pilgrim vs. the World "failed" at the box office and start talking about its unrivaled awesomeness (this summer at least) and creative success. First, this is the movie Edgar Wright was born to direct. O'Malley's clever story is only improved upon by Wright's unique visual style, hyper-paced storytelling, and gift for sly comedy and pop culture references. Second, this is the role Michael Cera was born to play. Scott is a slight and lazy milquetoast, but Cera brings a rush of energy, commitment and sensitivity to the role that makes you root for him all the way to the end, especially during the brain-melting fight scenes.

I've read complaints that the love story between Scott and Ramona isn't fleshed out enough and that it feels like nothing is really at stake during the fight scenes. That might be true on paper, but the romantic relationship on the screen feels real – it's casual, messy, floundering and ultimately refreshing. A lot of that has to do with the great performance (Winstead is believable and unforgettable as Ramona) and the movie's deft balance of video game and comic book fantasy with more traditional indie rom com tropes. And the fight scenes? At first, Scott's single motivation to fight is survival as he keeps getting jumped by a never-ending parade of douchebags. But he later finds a greater meaning in the battle, and it's not just to win Ramona's heart.

Who do you want to be leading the charge when aliens attack Earth? If you answered Bob Hoskins, the distinguished actor and star of Super Mario Bros., then I've got good news for you! Hoskins is set to star in Transmission, according to Moviehole, and will definitely be joined by Jason Flemyng and Talulah Riley. More potential good news: Willem Dafoe is in talks for a role in the alien invasion picture.

Jokes about his portrayal of Mario Mario in the horrid video game adaptation aside (he wasn't a fan of it either), Hoskins brings a welcome measure of gravity to the project, which is reportedly about an attack by aliens during a solar eclipse. He's also had small roles in Terry Gilliam's brilliant Brazil and Neil Marshall's crazed Doomsday; I'm hoping he'll have a substantial role in Transmission, though it's likely that the younger Flemyng, who's made an impression in smaller parts, will actually be leading the charge into battle. Riley is the St. Trinian's girl, an appealing presence, but likely bound for eye candy in this movie. Dafoe, of course, would be a terrific addition to the cast.

Plans are for the British production to shoot in 3-D, and talks are also being held with Roger Christian, infamous for Battlefield: Earth, to direct. Surely Transmission will be better than that travesty? Let's keep a positive thought.

(I consider myself a pretty serious movie fan. But the simple fact of the matter is that I miss stuff. Famous and interesting stuff. But not for long! Welcome to the column where I continue my film education before your very eyes. I will seek out and watch all of the movies I know I should have seen by now. I will first "review" the movie before I've watched it, based entirely on its reputation. Then I will give the movie a fair chance and actually watch it. You will laugh at me, you may condemn me, but you will never say I didn't try!)

The Film:



Soylent Green (1973), Dir. Richard Fleischer

Starring:

Charlton Heston, Leigh Taylor-Young and Edward G. Robinson.

Why I Haven't Seen It Until Now:

Because I know the ending. You know the ending. Everyone knows the ending. Soylent Green is people, right? What's the point? Did I just save myself two hours?

Neil Gaiman's epic DC Comics series The Sandman could be getting the television treatment. Supernatural creator Erick Kripke is being tapped by Warner Brothers Television (who has purchased the rights to the property from sister company DC Entertainment) to run this new show. Comics uber-star Neil Gaiman has not been contacted as of yet to be involved with this project.

There have been a few attempts to move The Sandman to another medium, most notably a movie involving Roger Avary. Much like Watchmen, The Sandman would likely lose something in translation which would incur the wrath of the fans. Eric Kripke would likely be taking a huge weight on his shoulders trying to get the concept right should he accept this project.

Please have this show on one of the pay networks like HBO. Don't put it on the CW. If it was on the CW, Dream and Death would end up becoming human teenagers that try to fit into high school or something stupid like that. Keep to the source material. Thank you.

Much like Chuck, The Big Bang Theory aims to please its core audience with a steady stream of geek-friendly guest stars. Battlestar Galactica vet Katee Sackhoff is returning to the show this season, and executive producer Bill Prady has confirmed that Star Trek alums George Takei and Wil Wheaton have also signed up to appear in upcoming episodes.

Takei will pop up alongside Sackhoff as part of Wolowitz's conscience.

"George Takei plays himself, and he's the other person guiding Wolowitz in his thoughts as he tries to figure out what to do about Bernadette," Prady told our sister site TV Squad.

Wheaton returns to the show to terrorize everyone as Evil Wil Wheaton. In a scene reminiscent of his first appearance on The Guild, Wheaton and three pals will cut in front of Sheldon and crew in line to see a one-time-only screening of a classic geek movie (possibly Raiders of the Lost Arc) with restored footage.

Need a surefire way to harass pizza parlors and telemarketers? We don't condone the use of the official Star Wars Qui-Gon Jinn soundboard for crank calls; but if you happen to find a better use for it -- we want to hear it. Who could forget such crackling dialogue as, "That is the sound of a thousand terrible things headed this way" or "I don't sense anything."

Okay, so maybe Qui-Gon isn't quite deserving of his own, dedicated soundboard, but if you're a Liam Neeson addict, it'll work for a quick fix.

I don't know who I feel worse for: Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson for never getting the chance to become The World's Greatest Action Star after the promising The Rundown, or Brendan Fraser for, well, everything. All I know is that Johnson is going to star in another kid-friendly adventure movie sequel and he's doing it by kicking Fraser out of the franchise.

The film is Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, the sequel to Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D. No word yet on whether or not they'll drop the colon and change the title to the infinitely hipper Journey 2 The Mysterious Island.

Tell us the plot, Heat Vision!

Johnson will play the boyfriend of Hutcherson's mom, who Hutcherson is forced to bring on a trip to a mythical and monstrous island to find his missing grandfather. The script is loosely based on Jules Verne's "The Mysterious Island."

After three seasons and countless geek friendly guest stars, I've finally made up my mind about NBC's Chuck. I love it! Shocker, I know! It's a light and funny spy romp with a likable cast, a sexy leading lady and, as I mentioned above, tons of geektastic guest stars that make my insides feel all good and caressed.

So far we've seen folks like Scott Bakula, super vegan Brandon Routh, and Chevy Chase show up to complicate Chuck's life. This season, we can look forward to seeing former James Bond Timothy Dalton and Olivia Munn on the show. And, of course, the mother of the future, Sarah Conner herself, Linda Hamilton will make an appearance as Chuck's mom in the season premiere.

That's one of the first pics from her guest stint up. Check out more photos of Miss Hamilton in action, and don't forget to catch Chuck when it premieres Sept. 20 on NBC.

[via: Spoiler TV]

After sparking a nationwide underage drinking epidemic* with the scene posted after the jump, Spielberg and crew apparently felt compelled to have America's Second-Favorite Alien** encourage responsible alcohol consumption. The result, as documented by Flickr user that geek in the glasses, is a strange "Know Your Limit" Coors-sponsored ad that features E.T. as a bartender.

I haven't been able to confirm that the ad in question is legit and not just a clever Photoshop mock-up, but it looks convincing enough to me. Click through to see the full ad, while you ponder what it means if you've reached the point in your life where you need to take drinking advice from a puppet.

It's shaping up to be my most anticipated movie of next year! Already, we heard from our own Mike Moody that pop singer turned actress Tiffany would be joining pop singer turned actress Debbie Deborah Gibson in the upcoming Syfy movie Mega Python vs. Gatoroid. The promise of a physical brawl between the two former teen sensations -- as an "overzealous park ranger" and a "fanatical animal-rights activist," respectively -- sounded too good to be true. The "sneak peak" at Syfy shows it's everything you'd hope it would be: faces get slapped, bodies roll around in the grass, and dresses get wet.

But add a Monkee to the mix and you have (potentially) an instant classic. Micky Dolenz, drummer for manufactured pop group The Monkees back in the 60s, will play an unspecified role in Mega Python vs. Gatoroid, according to Third Age. If Syfy can only find a way to squeeze Micky's daughter Ami Dolenz, star of the immortal She's Out of Control (and 2012 Doomsday), into the picture, all my dreams would come true.

On a serious (?!) note, veteran director Mary Lambert (Pet Sematary) is at the helm of the project, which is currently underway in Los Angeles. And the previous entry in the series, Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus, delivered the low-budget, cheesy goods. So that's another reason to tune in when the Syfy original airs sometime next year.