Closet Sci-Fi Geek

DVD: “The Cave”

“The Cave” came out in theaters just last year and bombed. I didn’t even know the film existed, but couldn’t help but put it into my Blockbuster queue.

The premise is simple: A bunch of explorers get trapped in a cave with superpowerful creatures that have one thing on their mind: dinner.

As you can imagine, the plot is standard B-grade sci-fi. What sets “The Cave” apart is the interesting location (the cave, of course).

As a young child, I remember exploring Luray Caverns with my family. Caves can be quite beautiful, mysterious places, and certainly would make for an interesting film setting.

“The Cave” kind of gets that - but only partially. “Respect the cave,” says one explorer ominously prior to descent. Yet, the film didn’t quite wow with the cave itself. The water scenes were great, but the rest of the cave seemed a bit, well, fake. (Granted, I was watching this on a standard television set.)

I was happy to see Eddie Cibrian of “Invasion” fame playing a leading role. The acting was fine, even though the dialogue itself was straight sci-fi cheese.

The film also stretches credulity at times - seasoned spelunkers would hardly be stepping foot into a huge cavern filled with methane gas (you’d die) - but oh well. I still enjoyed seeing the explorers do their thing, as unbelievable as it was sometimes. At one point, a female, rock climbing, swings herself around on a belay rope like she’s Mary Martin in the stage version “Peter Pan.”

Overall, I found “The Cave” to be entertaining enough to be worth a rental. Your mileage may vary.

TV: “Supernatural” Makes Top Five Favorite Endangered Shows

I’m not surprised - “Supernatural” has made it to E! Online’s Top Five Favorite Endangered Shows.

Now, readers most vote to pick their one favorite show to be saved. My vote is, of course, for “Supernatural.” Once again, you must follow the simple rules exactly: Email tvdiva@eonline.com with the name of your show in the email subject line only. (This will say “Supernatural,” of course.)

The other shows in the top five are: “Everwood,” “One Tree Hill,” “Veronica Mars,” and “What About Brian?”

I’m disappointed, but not surprised, that “Invasion” has not made the list. As I’ve mentioned before, ABC has effectively destroyed the show’s momentum by taking an arc show and screwing with the schedule. I was talking with an acquaintance yesterday who had seen some of the show, and found it interesting, but was completely confused by the gap in showings.

Wednsday’s episode of “Invasion” was very gripping: If ABC does not renew it, I can only hope (without much hope) that some other channel such as the SciFi Channel can pick up. The production costs on it can’t be that high. It’s not like it needs expensive alien puppets like “Farscape.”

Alas - networks rarely pick up other network’s leftovers, even if the show already has a fan-base and some ratings. If only…then we’d still have “Dead Like Me,” “Firefly,” “Farscape,” and a host of other good shows.

DVD: “Spawn” - Yikes!

I caught the Sunday matinee showing of “Spawn” on Fox a few days ago. The 1997 film is, I believe, a comic book rip - a man, killed in a terrible explosion, makes a deal with the devil to lead his army. He is sent back to earth to be reborn as “Spawn,” with all sorts of special powers and a very cool superhero suit.

The movie is mostly a disaster (it’s hard to believe anyone makes these sorts of films with any sense of seriousness), but it’s still entertaining in its way. Part of the entertainment comes from the worst performance Martin Sheen has ever done - he’s the bad guy, and speaks with a bizarre, cheesy, gruff voice that makes it sound like he’s trying to pass a gallstone.

The scenes in Hell are particularly bad - the CGI at the time certainly couldn’t keep up with the director’s vision, though the poor implementation gives Hell a cartoon quality that almost works. Satan himself is a huge hairy beast who opens up a tooth-filled jaw that does not move when he speaks. It’s a riot!

This is one of those clunkers to watch when you’ve got nothing better to do or you are looking for a cheap laugh. I myself was working on organizing my files while the show was on, which was the perfect way to enjoy this little sci-fi disaster.

Save One Show: Both “Invasion” and “Supernatural” on the Fence

It’s not surprising that two of my favorite new sci-fi series, “Invasion” and “Supernatural,” are now on the fence for renewal. “Invasion” has been suffering from ABC’s ridiculous scheduling tactics - it was taken off its time slot for a temporary mid-season replacement, just as the show got good. “Supernatural” has been suffering from a lack of publicity and awareness, and I think being on The WB is not helping it either, as so many more “mature” viewers don’t even touch that channel.

Kristin Veitch over at E! Online is now running her fifth annual “SOS: Save One Show” campaign. You can email her one show you want renewed. You must follow the instructions exactly and email only the title of the show in the subject line, or your vote will not count. (A full list of endangered shows is available at the site. I’m not disappointed to see “Surface” on the list of those to go.)

I’m torn - I have two shows I want renewed. But after some consideration, I have decided to cast my vote for “Supernatural” instead of “Invasion.”

“Supernatural” edges out “Invasion” for a number of reasons:

First, “Supernatural” is probably in more trouble due to the convergence of The WB and UPN. If The WB were continuing on as it had been, I would be much less concerned.

Beyond that, if I were forced to choose which show I’d like to see continue, I’d have to pick “Supernatural.” It’s just a better show overall. It’s not as complicated, and so in some respects lacks some of the intrigue that you’ll find in “Invasion.” But the writing is tighter, the characterizations better, and the shows consistently well done.

“Invasion” has gotten very good, but it still has moments where I’m almost squirming watching it. Quite a few things are unbelievable, and a few of the characters are so poorly written that it’s hard to enjoy the show sometimes. In particular, Russell’s wife, Larkin, provides enough irritation and idiocy that I’ve taken to calling her the “Cousin Oliver” of “Invasion.”

I also feel that “Supernatural” will do well on repeated viewings. It is just built better for syndication, as the shows work better as standalones.

So my vote goes for “Supernatural.”

If you have a chance to vote for either of these fine shows, please do. Let’s support more science fiction on network television.

TV: ABC to Start Streaming “Lost”

Don’t know why analysts are saying this is a bad idea: ABC is going to test out streaming episodes of “Lost” and “Desperate Housewives” after they air on regular TV.

Can I just say: Finally! Duh!

This is what the “media convergence” is all about. We should be able to download TV shows on demand, from the networks themselves…instead of getting them through (ahem) other means.

The New Doctor Who

It’s been a long, long while since I’ve watched classic Doctor Who, but I was a fan of Tom Baker and his famous scarf.

After a long hiatus, they released all new episodes of Doctor Who in 2005, with Christopher Eccleston as the ninth doctor. (The SciFi Channel is currently showing the 2005 episodes.) This year brings us yet another regenerated Doctor, played by David Tennant.

I was fortunate enough to catch the first episode for 2006, “New Earth,” which aired April 15. As my first new Doctor Who episode in years, I wasn’t sure what to expect.

In “New Earth,” we are taken billions of years into the future to the city of New New York on a planet that has replaced earth (destroyed when the sun went supernova). There, our heroes have a run-in with a woman who consists of a brain in a jar and a face made of stretched skin (or “trampoline” as she wryly described herself), and a bunch of zombie-like clones locked up in cages Matrix-style for medical research.

The plot, in and of itself, might be completely ridiculous, except the delivery and execution was simply delightful. The new Doctor Who is just fun. Smart writing and that lovely dry British humor made this episode highly entertaining and funny. (”It’s like living inside a bouncy castle!” exclaims the bad gal as she takes over the young Rose’s body.)

The pacing was terrific - there was hardly a dull moment - and the special effects weren’t that bad, though still filled with the trademark cheesy images you might expect to see in Doctor Who.

Unlike many American science fiction shows, Doctor Who does not strive to be realistic or serious. It is this terrific mix of the absurd and the fantastic that makes the new Doctor Who a welcome relief from the darker science fiction coming out of American studios.

David Tennant is the perfect Doctor, dapper, smart, and slightly wacky. He’s got a great sense of comic timing and he’s also kinda cute to boot. (”I’ve still got it,” he says, after the possessed Rose kisses him.)

As mentioned earlier, the Sci Fi Channel is still a year behind on the new Doctor Who series, but I’m sure we’ll be seeing David Tennant in the states soon enough. Meanwhile, I am looking forward to more of the new Doctor Who, and plan on dusting off some of the old classic series as well.

TV on DVD: “Kung Fu” Kicks Ass

The 1970’s TV show “Kung Fu” is not sci-fi, but I wanted to share anyway. I recently rediscovered this show, which is now on DVD.

For those who haven’t seen it, “Kung Fu” stars David Carradine as a Kwai Chang Caine, a half-Chinese, half-Caucasian Shaolin monk who is on the run in America’s Old West after killing the Chinese emperor’s nephew for murdering his Shaolin master.

I remember watching the show as a child in the 70s. Surprisingly, many vivid images from “Kung Fu” remained with me, including the opening credits where Caine must walk on rice paper without ripping it, as well as the painful branding of his arms with the tattoos of the Shaolin priests.

Upon fresh viewing as an adult, I am surprised at the beautiful cinematography in “Kung Fu” - no wonder these images were so memorable. It is rare to see such conscientious treatment of a subject in television (either now or then).

Kung fu (the martial art) was relatively unknown in America when “Kung Fu” came on the air in 1970. The show is quite respectful of Chinese spiritual teachings, and you’ll find it is less about cheesy martial arts stunts and more about the quiet spiritual lessons of the Shaolin philosophy. “Kung Fu” feels like a meditation in some respects.

Some of the dialogue in “Kung Fu” could be written up into a spiritual manual for living.

“Avoid, rather than check. Check, rather than hurt. Hurt, rather than maim. Maim, rather than kill. For all life is precious, nor can any be replaced,” says Master Kan, in the pilot.

Such concepts were new in American at that time: I have a feeling they seeped into my brain as a young child and are probably directly responsible for the overwhelming interest in Buddhism and Chinese philosophy today.

The beauty of the Shaolin teachings is expressed stoicly through the main character, Caine, who is one of the most amazing anti-heroes ever to see the screen. Carradine does an excellent job exuding the quiet, peaceful nature of the Shaolin monk, and he was nominated for an Emmy as a result.

While some misinformation exists that Bruce Lee developed the show but was passed over by the Caucasian Carradine due to racism, it appears that the creators never really intended for Bruce Lee to be the star.

As a child, not quite understanding that Caine was only half Chinese, I was a bit confused over the casting of Carradine. There has been quite a bit of criticism over casting Carradine for being white.

Now, I feel the casting was perfect. Certainly, it would have been embarrassing if Carradine had been expected to play a full-blooded Asian. (Remember Mickey Rooney’s awful Asian stereotype in “Breakfast in Tiffany’s”?) But there is no negative stereotyping going on here, and the character Caine, as explained, is part Caucasian.

It’s worth noting that one of my ex-boyfriends is of mixed race: his mother was a Hawaiian with Japanese blood. Strangely enough, he looks just like David Carradine. The resemblance, in fact, is uncanny. If you know any Eurasians, you will notice that many look more Caucasian, as Carradine, for obvious reasons, does. (One has to wonder whether there’s not actually some Asian blood in the Carradine line.)

So I hope that any misgivings over David Carradine’s race won’t dissuade you from enjoying the show. The show actually does a good job showing the issues of racism that the Chinese immigrants faced in the Old West. For covering topics such as mixed race at a time when such things were barely on people’s radar, “Kung Fu” was ahead of its time.

DVD: “Cube”

This 1997 low-budget Canadian flick has a few good things going for it: A creepy setting (the cube, of course), and some horrific scares along the way.

The premise: A group of people wake up, confused and clueless, in a futuristic prison shaped like a cube, which is, in reality, a cube of cubes. The film follows their attempts at escape. Of course, each new cube they enter could either possibly lead to freedom or a gory death trap.

What makes the film work is its lack of information, and part of the fun is seeing the mystery unfold along the way. There are also some genuinely tense edge-of-your-seat moments as well.

Unfortunately, the acting isn’t so hot (despite the appearance of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’s Nicole deBoer) and some of the plotting gets ridiculous at the end, leaving one feeling somewhat unsatiated. It’s also quite obvious that the actors spent the entire film in the same darn cube (they just lit it up differently to make it look like new cubes), though that’s a minor nitpick.

This is the first in a trilogy; I hear the second one is so-so but the third wraps up the cube mystery nicely. More on that when I get around to placing these little gems in my film queue.

TV: “Supernatural” Finds the Right Mix in “Hell House”

Thursday’s episode of “Supernatural” once again demonstrated why this show should become a classic in the liturgy of sci-fi/horror shows.

Sam and Dean come to a small town where, legend has it, the ghost of a 1930s farmer, Mortici, hangs girls in the root cellar of a creepy abandoned house. They’re not sure if the story is just another urban legend, so they are about ready to leave when a teenage girl is found hanging in the house.

It turns out that the ghost is really a “tulpa,” a thoughtform created from thousands of people reading the urban legend on the “Hell House” website, run by two local geeks who fancy themselves paranormal investigators.

Sam and Dean’s ensuing interactions with these bumbling morons are quite hilarious, and in the meanwhile, Mortici the Tulpa/Ghost gets scarier and scarier.

But what really sets this show apart is its sense of style and internal irony. Sam and Dean drive around in a stark black and chrome 70s muscle car, complete with power rock playing. Instead of the usual overly produced pop music you’ll often hear on the WB, the “Supernatural” soundtrack is replete with hard rock classics from the likes of Deep Purple.

One of the things that amused me the most in the last episode was a subplot about a symbol on the wall in the “Hell House.” Dean kept commenting that the symbol looked strangely familiar. It was driving him nuts. Well, halfway through the episode, the symbol was driving me nuts too, since I also knew it from somewhere, but couldn’t quite put my finger on it.

Turns out the symbol was the logo for Blue Oyster Cult, one of the 70s rock bands you’ll hear regularly on the “Supernatural” soundtrack. “Don’t Fear the Reaper” - of course.

It’s mature, hip details like this that give “Supernatural” an edge that elevates what could have been teeny-bopper pablum into one of the coolest shows ever made in the genre.