Cosmos Is Returning, Neil deGrasse Tyson Says Brace Yourself for Awesome

I had the wonderful pleasure of being able to attend the Cosmos panel at Comic-Con with Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson, Ann Druyan and producer Brannon Braga. First off, it probably was one of the coolest panels I have ever attended and it was the second time I have heard Dr. Tyson (or Neil at the panel if you were lucky enough to ask him a question) speak. The first time being the Starship Smackdown panel last year where he expounded on why the original Starship Enterprise deserved to win the smackdown (which, not shockingly, did win). The second time I heard him speak in person was this panel and it proved that seeing him in person is an experience in itself. Very eloquent and never condescending, he spoke with passion yet never overpowering the audience. You can definitely see why he was chosen to be the next host of Cosmos.

cosmos neil degrasse tyson

Even better was the involvement of Ann Druyan, the widow of Carl Sagan, and what she had to say on the subject of bringing back this show of science and discovery so that a new generation can enjoy Cosmos. I had never seen her speak before but you can definitely tell she is more than capable of carrying the torch that Sagan lit with this program. For those that don’t know, Cosmos was a mini-series from 1980 that had 13 episodes. It was presented by Carl Sagan and talked about a wide range of scientific subjects, whether the origins of life, life out in the universe or even investigating our own mysteries here on Earth. It was well received and people have been clamoring for a return. Luckily, Seth MacFarlane carries an enormous amount of clout these days and is executive producing Cosmos: A Space Time Odyssey because he was such a big fan. So in 2014, we will be treated to the next iteration of the series on both FOX and the National Geographic Channel. It’s hard for me to really explain more about the series so below is the trailer to the new mini-series.

Yeah, I know right? I managed to watch Cosmos when I was a lot younger and it really did turn me on to science as a young kid and the whole idea of exploration and curiosity. By bringing this to a whole new generation, the goal is to at least expand the minds of new generations and provide a starting point for those to inquire more about science. I hope this project becomes a great success and a starting point for those younger kids to begin looking into the world. Again, Cosmos: A Space Time Odyssey will air on FOX and National Geographic sometime in Spring 2014. Below is a small bit from the Cosmos panel, showing why Neil deGrasse Tyson has the ability to speak to the new generation and get some blood flowing to the brain.

Orphan Black – Top Ten Reasons You Should Be Watching

When the Emmy nominations were announced, one of the biggest names missing was that of Orphan Black star, Tatiana Maslany. The Canadian actress plays the main character in the BBC America show that has taken the internet by storm. It was actually tumblr where I kept seeing references to this show that I’d never even heard of before. Finally curiosity got the best of me and I headed over to Amazon and bought the first season. Two days later I was a full-fledged Orphan Black apologist.

I feel as if everyone should watch this show so here’s my argument… the Top Ten Reasons You Need to be Watching Orphan Black.

This will be as non-spoilerish as I can possibly make it so prepare yourself for many vague statements that allude to things also vague.

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The Iceman Trailer Gives Us Another Reason to Love Michael Shannon

With an all-star cast, an unbelievable true story, and a period setting, it’s remarkable that The Iceman got such a limited release and such little buzz.  Directed by relative unknown Ariel Vromen, the film is based on the true story of Richard Kuklinski, who not only was a contract killer who worked for various mobs over 30 plus years, but managed to hold a stable family that knew nothing of his work. Michael Shannon stars as Kuklinski with Winona Ryder playing his wife. Chris Evans, Ray Liotta and a few other well-known faces join the two as well. Originally given a limited release last May, the film did poorly, only earning back about an eighth of its 10 million budget. Now coming to DVD soon, this movie will have a second chance to reach an audience. While I have not seen the film myself, reviews have been mostly positive. Plus by the looks of the trailer, Shannon seems to be putting in one hell of a performance. This seems like something to keep your eyes out for in the coming months. Check out the trailer, and then read on if you want to know more about the true story.

The Iceman is hitting DVD and Blu-Ray on September 3. Here’s a little more background on the true story of Kuklinski for those interested. Richard Kuklinski grew up in an abusive family in Jersey City, New Jersey. Between his brother dying at the hands of his father’s abuse, his other brother going to prison for murder, and the constant beatings by his mother, Kuklinski had a tough upbringing. First going through the ranks as a loan shark, the DeCavalante crime family eventually caught wind of his ruthless, no nonsense tactics, and in the mid 1950’s hired him for his first hit. From there sprung a period of about 30 years, where he jumped across various crime families in New York City performing assassinations for money. In this period, he claimed to have committed over 100 killings, but at the same time, was in a healthy marriage with three children all while keeping his entire work private to his family.  In 1986, Kuklinski was finally caught by undercover cops and was incarcerated. The oddest part of the story is the media frenzy that sprung up. During incarceration, and until his death in 2006, Kuklinski provided multiple interviews on his time as a contract killer, had two documentaries made on his life and had two biographies written about him. While clearly no saint, Kuklinski had a quite an interesting story that could make one hell of a film. Hopefully, The Iceman is just that.

Iceman - Michael Shannon

In addition, here’s a test scene with Michael Shannon as Kuklinski that was shot about a year prior to production on The Iceman. If you want to get a better sense of Shannon’s dark and soft-spoken portrayal, without spoiling any of the flick, check out the clip below.

47 Ronin: First Trailer for Keanu Reeves’ New Samurai Flick

47 Ronin, the long waited and twice delayed samurai film starring Keanu Reeves, is finally getting its first official trailer. Newcomer Carl Rinsch is at the helm of this epic, marking his feature film debut. Universal has apparently went all in on this tale, putting forth upwards of 170 million dollars towards its budget. Aside from starring in the great documentary Side by Side, Keanu Reeves has yet to have a major hit since his Matrix days. Samurais. Fantasy. Badassum. This could be that major hit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9t9UVcxHGlE&feature=share

The premise is a fantastical take on a said to be true story of the forty-seven Ronin, which of course it takes its title from. The basic story is a group of samurais set out to avenge the death of their master, who’s life was taken by a ruthless leader. Sounds like a simple revenge flick, but from the looks of the scale and fantasy elements, this could easily be much more than that. Additional to Reeves, the film stars Tadanobu Asano (Thor) as the villainous leader, and Rinko Kikuchi (Pacific Rim review) as his samurai servant.

47 Ronin

47 Ronin is due out on Christmas Day this year, right in the thick of other holiday season films looking to be in the awards hunt. Check out what is sure to be an Oscar contender with this 12 Years a Slave trailer.

Game of Thrones Casting News Regarding Red Viper’s Paramour

Last week we announced that Oberyn Martell had been cast and the pieces are now continuing to fall into place. The latest Game of Thrones casting news is that Indira Varma has been cast to portray Ellaria Sand in the upcoming fourth season of Game of Thrones. Varma is the 3rd alumni of the HBO show Rome to have joined the cast so far, following Ciarán Hinds (Mance Rayder) and Tobias Menzies (Edmure Tully) over.

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DC Animation Announces ‘Justice League: War’, ‘Son of Batman’, and ‘Assault on Arkham’

This year we saw no shortage of announcements from DC Entertainment, who shocked Comic Con by announcing a Man of Steel sequel to include Batman, as well as finally confirming the Flash and Justice League films. Knowing that their live action films are in the works, we also learned about the ongoing awesomeness that are the DC Animated Features.

Whereas Marvel Studios has been leading the charge in Hollywood, DC Entertainment has been absolutely crushing Marvel when it comes to full length animated films. Marvel has had a couple that aren’t terrible, but DC has been adapting storylines and releasing great animated films for years now.

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