The legendary Ray Harryhausen is finally getting his due this week when Sony releases the Ray Harryhausen collection on Blu-ray. This collection includes the Sci-Fi classics - "It Came From Beneath the Sea," "Earth vs. The Flying Saucers," "20 Million Miles to Earth: 50th Anniversary Edition," and "The 7th Voyage of Sinbad".  This should give any self respecting some good geek gasms and it’s all in beautifully restored HD.  Each disk is chock full of features and includes audio commentaries from Ray himself.  Check out the full press release, features and some clippage after the break. 

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Spend the night with Leonardo and Russell Crowe as EclipseMagazine.com and Warner Brothers team up to bring you the Washington, DC Screening of Body of Lies. The Screening will be held Tuesday, October 7, 2008 (that’s tomorrow night!) at Gallery Place in DC. I’m working with Warners on automating our contests, so we’re testing out this cool new system. To get your tickets, CLICK HERE!!! and enter the code ECLP9886.  This movie looks amazingly good so go, enter the code, download your pass, it’s that simple.

Roger Ferris (Leonardo DiCaprio) is the best man U.S. Intelligence has on the ground, in places where human life is worth no more than the information it can get you.  In operations that take him around the globe from the Middle East to Washington, Ferris’s next breath often depends on the voice at the other end of a secure phone line – CIA veteran Ed Hoffman (Russell Crowe).  Waging war from a laptop in the suburbs, Hoffman is on the trail of an emerging terrorist leader who has orchestrated a campaign of bombings while eluding the most sophisticated intelligence network in the world.  To lure the terrorist out into the open, Ferris will have to penetrate his murky world, but the closer he gets to the target, the more he discovers that trust is both a dangerous commodity and the only one that will get him out alive.

The film stars Oscar nominee Leonardo DiCaprio ("Blood Diamond," "The Aviator," "The Departed"), Oscar winner Russell Crowe ("Gladiator," "A Beautiful Mind"), Mark Strong ("Stardust"), Iranian actress Golshifteh Farahani ("M for Mother"), Oscar Isaac ("The Nativity Story") and Simon McBurney ("The Golden Compass").

"Body of Lies" is directed by Academy Award nominee Ridley Scott ("Black Hawk Down," "Gladiator") from a screenplay by Oscar winner William Monahan ("The Departed") based on the novel by former Washington Post columnist David Ignatius.  Donald De Line ("The Italian Job") and Ridley Scott are the producers, with Michael Costigan ("American Gangster," "Brokeback Mountain") and Charles J.D. Schlissel ("The Prestige") serving as executive producers.

The behind-the-scenes creative team is led by cinematographer Alexander Witt ("American Gangster"), Oscar-nominated production designer Arthur Max ("American Gangster," "Gladiator") Oscar-winning editor Pietro Scalia ("Black Hawk Down"), and Oscar-winning costume designer Janty Yates ("Gladiator").  Marc Streitenfeld ("Kingdom of Heaven") composed the score.

Opening nationwide on October 10, 2008, "Body of Lies" will be distributed by Warner Bros Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.  The film has been rated "R" by the MPAA for "strong violence, including some torture, and language throughout."

Last season, NBC and Warner Bros. introduced us to Chuck, a twenty-something computer geek who inadvertently downloaded critical government secrets into his brain which prompted his former college friend turned CIA to recruit him as a secret agent while keeping him out of the hands of those with more diabolical intentions.

Now Chuck is back for more adventures in season 2 of the hit NBC series and on Monday October 6^th “Chuck Versus the Seduction”, written by Matthew Miller and directed by Allan Kroeker, takes our hero undercover to retrieve the Cipher from the sultry but dangerous spy known as the Black Widow (guest star MELINDA CLARKE - "The O.C."). However in order to get close to his target, Chuck must first learn the art of seduction from the suave and sophisticated Roan Montgomery (guest star JOHN LARROQUETTE - "Boston Legal"), a legendary debonair spy.

Unfortunately for Chuck, Sarah and Casey, Roan is no longer the world’s greatest spy. Meanwhile, Morgan offers Captain Awesome some advice for a romantic night with Ellie, and Lester struggles to gain respect at Buy More as the new assistant manager.

Check out the promo and teaser clips and watch Chuck on CBS Monday nights at 8PM EST.

Video Clips Courtesy of Warner Bros. Publicity Department

You’ve probably seen the trailers with the ancient Aztec ruins and the Esther Williams-like production number performed by Chihuahuas. The movie lacks the production number but the ruins play a crucial part in the proceedings. What’s really surprising is that Beverly Hills Chihuahua is a kids’ flick that will entertain the kids but has some gags that will work only for the parents.

Chloe [voiced by Drew Barrymore] is the queen of the Beverly Hills canine scene. Spoiled rotten by her owner, Vivian [Jamie Lee Curtis], Chloe is shallow, selfish and haughty – not to mention rude to Papi [George Lopez], the landscaper’s Chihuahua who loves her. That all changes when Vivian heads off to Europe for ten days, leaving Chloe in the irresponsible hands of her niece, Rachel [Piper Perabo] – who heads off to Mexico to party, dragging Chloe along.

More concerned about partying and meeting guys, Rachel lets Chloe get away from her and the poor thing is dognapped for a floating illegal dogfight enterprise. Because this is a Disney film, the dogfight never happens as Delgado [Andy Garcia], a noble German Shepherd, rescues her just before her opponent, a vicious Doberman named Diablo [Edward James Olmos] can rip her to shreds. The rest of the film is the story of Chloe and her new friend try to get her home – all the while Rachel, Papi and his owner, Sam [Manolo Cordona] are looking for them.

Director Raja Gosnell [Mrs. Doubtfire, Nine Months] keeps the pace up, giving the film the feel of a romantic farce. The voice cast is extremely good [big names are joined by animation veterans like Grey DeLisle], though Cheech Marin does a little scene stealing voicing a rat con artist who works with a dim iguana. While the film is mostly light and frothy – darkening only for brief periods [and kids love a good scare, so it’s not an issue] – it is not unintelligent. The characters are well [and sometimes cleverly] drawn and the relationships that form along the way feel very natural.

Off course, we’re taking about a talking animals film [though the animals are only understood by each other], and no one does them better than Disney. The CG work that makes the animals appear to be speaking is very good, and the practical effects are right up there, as well.

Beverly Hills Chihuahua may not quite be inspired, but it is definitely good fun – good enough to not embarrass the parents whose kids drag them along to see it.

Final Grade: B

The Sci Fi Channel’s new series, Sanctuary [Fridays, 9/8C] is adapted from the internet series of the same name. It revolves around Dr. Helen Magnus and her “sanctuary for all.”

Dr. Will Zimmerman [Robin Dunne] is a mess. A forensic psychologist, he’s lost his job with the FBI and now plies his trade with a police force that pays no attention to his theories and opinions. When he attempts to help the police investigate a triple homicide – including two police officers – he begins an adventure that will clear up mysteries that have tormented him since he was eight years old, even as he encounters new mysteries that will change the way he thinks, acts and maybe even dreams.

Who is Dr. Helen Magnus [Amanda Tapping]? Who is the blonde Valkyrie [Emilie Ullerup] on the motorcycle? And who is the tall, bald, sinister apparition [Christopher Heyerdahl] who can seemingly move faster than bullets? And what do they have to do with a scared ten-year old boy of Slavic ancestry? And what is Magnus’ semi-simian chauffeur, anyway?

Sanctuary’s two-hour premiere, Sanctuary For All, answers these questions and leads into a series that explores the concept that every creature from folklore and mythology is real. The physical Sanctuary is the place where Magnus and her team provide safety for those creatures who seek refuge, and confinement for those whose predatory natures threaten humanity.

Shot almost completely in CGI [only the cast and essential props are live action], Sanctuary has a unique look [think classic Universal horror mixed with urban cop show] and an equally unique feel. The premiere introduces the aforementioned characters plus a tall humanoid who might well be the so-called Missing Link. The ten-year old boy fits right in as a genetic mutation from Chechnya.

The script is solid, if not inspiring, and intriguing – especially since it gives us enough answers to make us wonder just how many more questions are out there waiting to be answered. The acting is, for the most part, adequate. Tapping’s English accent may wobble from time to time, but emotionally, she’s spot on. Dunne makes Zimmerman, who is almost a Daniel Jackson clone, seem fresh and different. There’s even a cameo from Battlestar Galactica alumnus Kandyse McClure as Zimmerman’s ex – just to emphasize how damaged he is.

The keyword here is potential. The premiere lays out an intriguing premise and gives us sufficient background to make us feel like we can relate that that specific world. It may be a bit stilted, but it manages to convey its concepts relatively clearly, and the cast of characters is an odd mix or near-immortal, exuberant youth, damaged professional and surly/quirky tech master. The mix of science and myth works, for the most part – and so does Sanctuary.

Final Grade: B-

Elizabeth Reaser did such a great job of playing the badly injured Ava/Rebecca on Grey’s Anatomy that it seems only right that she should have asked to front a series of her own. The Ex List [CBS, Fridays, 10/9C] is a bit of a high concept dramedy – Bella Bloom [Reaser] is told by a psychic [Anne Bedian] that she must marry within the year or she never will – but she has already met her soulmate, and he’s someone she’s had a relationship with in the past!

Bella’s situation arises from the bachelorette party for her younger sister, Daphne [Rachel Boston], and her own weird thought that visiting a psychic would be the perfect way to cap the evening. When other predictions she made come true in wildly unexpected [and funny] ways, she begins to take the psychic seriously – not least of all when bird poop leads to her discovery that former boyfriend Johnny Diamont [Eric Balfour] is back in town – and has a punk rock band. When she and roommate Vivian [Alexandra Breckenridge] go to his show, his first song shows he remembers her, and not particularly fondly…

The Ex List is based on an Israeli series, but seems to be of a vastly different tone [Diane Ruggerio, who adapted the series for America, left the show over creative differences – and she wanted to maintain the tone of the original]. In the premiere, she has a life – she runs a flower shop and has a core group of friends who share a house with her: the aforementioned Vivian, her best friend; Augie [Adam Rothenberg], Vivian’s boyfriend, and Cyrus [Amir Talai], who is a bit of a cynic and a slacker.

Although Reaser doesn’t have to do all the heavy lifting, she is the principal here, and her ability to shift from comedy to drama to melodrama in mid-line [and to look really, really good in a bikini] is the show’s primary plus. The cast has solid chemistry [always important], but the writing isn’t quite right, yet. The balance between humor, drama and melodrama needs to be tweaked [less melodrama, more drama – the humor content is about right]. I enjoyed the pilot, but I hope that the show will find that balance – that sweet spot – that can elevate it to the next level.

Final Grade: B-

In the season premiere for Ghost Whisperer [CBS, Fridays, 9/8C], Firestarter, Melinda [Jennifer Love Hewitt] has to say farewell to a friend, while helping a sceptical psychologist learn to deal with being able to hear ghosts. It’s an entertaining episode of a series that never quite achieves greatness, but is always entertaining.

When Jim [David Gordon] is called to a fire at the university, Melinda tags along fearing that her colleague, Rick Payne [Jay Mohr] might be a victim. Rick, it turns out, is fine – but Melinda sees a mysterious black woman who disappears, and the spirit of a victim leave his body while Jim works on him – and then return after being hit with the defibrillator.

The man is Dr. Eli James [Jamie Kennedy] and when Melinda sees him and a ghost chatting in his hospital room later, she decides to help him with his new “gift.” Unlike her, though, he can only hear ghosts – not see them. And he seems to prefer thinking that he’s gone crazy over being able to talk with ghosts – especially this ghost, Fiona [Alona Tal], who was his patient.

Like the best eps of the series, Firestarter is more than adequately written; directed with a deft touch and features the best performance that Jamie Kennedy has ever given. There are scenes that are simultaneously comic and dramatic – as when Eli is surrounded by a half-dozen ghosts, all imploring him to help them, in a bar that’s otherwise empty but for the bartender and a guy playing pool – and there are scenes that are heartbreaking – as when we learn why Fiona’s ghost hasn’t crossed over. I’ll let you discover who’s leaving…

Fans of the series will love this ep, while those who haven’t tried it before will find it to be a solid hour’s entertainment. No more, no less.

Final Grade: B-

In one of the goofier things I’ve seen in awhile comes a game company called 20Q.net.  They have produced a series of pop culture quiz games. They have one for Star Trek, Harry Potter and The Simpsons.  The Harry Potter game is shaped like a snitch, while the Star Trek one comes in the form of the Enterprise. I’ve been playing with it the last day or so and it’s kind of neat.  20Q™ is an artificial intelligence, a website, a company and a phenomenon that speaks for itself at http://20q.net. Players think of something, and 20Q™ guesses what is on their mind, in twenty questions or less. Each time the online game is played it learns a little more. After more than 62,000,000 games played and half a billion questions asked, 20Q™ has evolved from an experiment in artificial intelligence into a software development firm that licenses games built on the capabilities of the 20Q A.I.  It’s an interesting concept, but I’d prefer to see this game available on mobile platforms (I’m sure they are working on it) instead of the big, bulky packaging it currently comes in.

One of the great classics is getting the loving special edition DVD Treatment. Next week, The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, 50th Anniversary Edition hits the streets October 7th (next week).  This colorful adventure is the screen version of one of the classic tales from “1001 Arabian Nights.” It tells the story of Sinbad (Kerwin Mathews) and Princess Parisa (Kathryn Grant).  When they unexpectedly stop on the island of Colossa on their way to Baghdad, they find themselves battling all types of dangers, such as evil magicians, a man-eating Cyclops, a fire-breathing dragon, and a sword-wielding skeleton. Directed by Nathan Juran (20 Million Miles to Earth, First Men ‘In’ the Moon), the newly remastered film stars Kerwin Mathews (The 3 Worlds of Gulliver), Kathryn Grant (Anatomy of a Murder), Richard Eyer (The Invisible Boy), and Torin Thatcher (Witness for the Prosecution). The DVD contains an audio commentary by Ray Harryhausen, visual effects experts Phil Tippett and Randall William Cook, author Steven Smith and producer Arnold Kunert; six featurettes: Remembering The 7th Voyage of Sinbad in which Ray Harryhausen reflects back on the 50th anniversary with a look at the film, drawings, artwork, models, etc., The Harryhausen Legacy; The Music of Bernard Herrmann with Herrmann biographer Steven Smith; A Look Behind the Voyage with interview footage; This is Dynamation; and Ray Harryhausen Interview by Director John Landis, plus the music video Sinbad May Have Been Bad, But He’s Been Good To Me. 

I adore this movie. The DVD includes -

Audio Commentary with Ray Harryhausen, visual effects experts Phil Tippett and Randall William Cook, author Steven Smith and producer Arnold Kunert
Music Video: Sinbad May Have Been Bad, But He’s Been Good To Me Photo Gallery

Featurettes:

- Remembering The 7th Voyage of Sinbad
- The Harryhausen Legacy
- The Music of Bernard Herrmann
- A Look Behind the Voyage (includes interview footage)
- This is Dynamation (Special Effects)
- Ray Harryhausen Interview by Director John Landis

Start revisiting memory lane by watching these clips, after the break. 

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Ubisoft announced that War World is now available on Xbox LIVE® Arcade for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. Developed by Third Wave Games, War World is a fast-paced third-person shooter that combines a unique blend of heart-pumping action and tactical gameplay, introducing an entirely new genre to Xbox LIVE Arcade for Xbox 360. Complete with next-gen visual effects and robust gameplay, War World throws players directly into combat on the battlefield of a war-torn planet. Control one of 10 different Mechanoids, each with special abilities, and wreak havoc throughout the 100-level single-player campaign. War World is truly the first of its kind on Xbox LIVE Arcade for Xbox 360 with a robust multiplayer game set available through the Xbox LIVE online entertainment network. War World on Xbox LIVE Arcade for Xbox 360 is rated "T” for Teen and can be downloaded for 800 Microsoft Points.