Jurassic Park Trilogy
DVD | Blu-Ray | Blu-ray Gift Set
Directed by Steven Spielberg, Joe Johnston
Starring Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Julianne Moore, Pete Postlethwaite
Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Release Date: October 25, 2011

When attempting to look critically at a piece of cinema like the Jurassic Park franchise, particularly the feature that started it off, a person from this writer’s generation must not only judge the features on singular scales of quality, but must also get past one huge roadblock: nostalgia.

I don’t know how many people who will read this are in a similar boat, but the Jurassic Park franchise is one of the first true-blue cinematic experience of this generation. Coming out in 1993, Jurassic Park played as the first real memorable cinematic experience for this generation, imprinting an eye of grandeur and spectacle on a group of people, so much so that the repercussions are still being felt today. Hell, it’s also a genuinely fantastic feature film [...]

Sketch Monsters, Book 1: Escape of the Scribbles
Written by Joshua Williamson
Art by Vicente “Vinny” Navarrete
Book Design by Keith Wood
Oni Press
Release date: October 26, 2011
Cover Price: $12.99

Eight-year-old Mandy isn’t a big fan of expressing her feelings and emotions. Instead, she prefers to draw her emotions as monsters in her sketchbook. One day, the monsters escape from her sketchbook and the only help she has to catch them is a monster named Happster.

Sketch Monsters: Escape of the Scribbles was a very enjoyable all-ages book. The theme of the book deals with expressing your emotions instead of keeping them bottled up inside. This theme is a good one to teach children and expresses a good life lesson. The book deals with an 8-year old-girl who doesn’t express her emotions well and essentially shuts her feelings off. Her only release is drawing her emotions as different monsters. I had a lot of fun reading this particular book. It’s a good read for children as well as adults [...]

Back in August Showtime announced that they would be airing a new dramatic series produced by Dreamworks Television based on Under the Dome, Stephen King‘s epic novel about the citizens of a Maine vacation hamlet forced to do battle with supernatural forces when their town becomes enclosed by a mysterious dome.

Now comes the news that comic book writer and Lost scribe Brian K. Vaughan has been hired to adapt the novel for the small screen [...]

Marvel Comics announced this week that the popular comics company would be bringing collected digital editions of their line of graphic novels to both the upcoming Barnes and Noble Nook tablet, as well as the Nook Color.

With the release of Barnes and Noble’s Nook tablet hitting stores (and digital storefronts) next week, considering the success of digital comics, it was only a matter of time before we heard some news regarding comics on the device. Do you remember when DC Comics took their digital collections exclusively to Amazon’s Kindle line, and then how Barnes and Noble got all mad that they didn’t get to play with DC’s toys? Well, it looks like Marvel has stepped in to fill the hole in Barnes and Noble’s heart [...]

Star Trek – Legion of Super-Heroes #2
Written by Chris Roberson
Pencils by Jeffrey Moy
Inks by Philip Moy
Colors by Romulo Fajardo, Jr.
Covers by Phil Jimenez, Steve Lightle, Gabriel Rodriguez
IDW Publishing
Release Date: November 9th, 2011
Cover Price: $3.99

In this second issue of Star Trek Legion of Super-Heroes, the story is primarily the characters figuring out just WHAT is wrong with their situations. While the first issue was mostly setting up the characters — who they were, where they come from, what there motivation is — this issue delves deeper into the story about just why things are the was they are.

Writer Chris Roberson does a fantastic job on characterization again in this issue. I’m a bigger Star Trek fan than Legion fan, but he doesn’t make the Legion characters seem at all foreign to me. [...]

The Occultist #1
Story by Mike Richardson, Tim Seeley
Script by Tim Seeley
Art by Victor Drujiniu
Colors by Andrew Dalhouse
Letters by Nate Piekos of Blambot
Designer: Justin Couch
Created by Mike Richardson
Covers by Steve Morris, Jenny Frison
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: November 9th, 2011
Cover Price: $3.50

The Occultist is one of those comics that has something for everyone. Horror, magic, mystery, and most importantly, hot girls. Everybody wins! I hadn’t read the previous Occultist one-shot, but I was very impressed with this issue.

What I liked most about this The Occultist #1 is writer Tim Seeley’s ability to catch the audience up on what has happened previously with the character without talking down to them or wasting pages recapping last year’s one-shot. This book is all over the place and it’s a really fun read. We get not only plenty of time with the main character and his story, we also get a good amount of time with the villains and supporting cast and find out their motivations [...]

Twilight of the Gods #0
Plot/Script by Aaron Stueve
Pencils by Oscar Bazaldua, President Nelson, Joel Rasmuessen, Gregg Paulsen
Inks by Oscar Bazaldua, Luis Alonzo, Victor Moyo
Colors by Ryan Vera
Letters & Production by George E. Warner
Bluewater Comics
Release Date: November 9, 2011
Cover Price: $1.00

Twilight of the Gods #0 is the beginning of what appears to be a new start for Bluewater Comics. Based entirely around the Greek pantheon of gods, it portrays them as being dependent upon mankind for survival. If people cease to believe, the gods cease to exist. I’ve seen this premise before, but there was just enough originality to it so that I wasn’t completely turned off [...]

Zombie Spaceship Wasteland
By Patton Oswalt
Hardcover | Paperback | Kindle
Scribner
Release Date: November 8, 2011 (paperback)

It was the summer of 2004 when I truly discovered the comedy of Patton Oswalt. What little I knew of him came from his acting work on the CBS sitcom The King of Queens and occasional guest appearances on shows like Seinfeld and bit parts in movies like Paul Thomas Anderson’s 1999 California dysfunction epic Magnolia, but it wasn’t until I caught a few minutes of a solo stand-up performance on Comedy Central one day that I realized he started his career honing his special blend (much like Starbuck’s coffee) of comedy on stage in front of crowds ranging from open and appreciative to drunk and rowdy to sparse and depressing. Then came the release of his first comedy CD Feelin’ Kinda Patton, and after listening to it at least ten times that first day I was a full-blown Patton fanatic […]

In this, the second part from my interview with author R.A. Salvatore, I explore his writings and other projects in which he is involved. I wanted to split the interview in order to create some continuity regarding the subjects our conversation covered. Being a New York Times bestselling author with more than 15 million books printed in the United States, having him take the time to answer so of my questions was both an honor and a privilege. As we talked, we kind of bounced from subject to subject as most people do when talking. Bob was very relaxed and very down to earth which enabled me to relax a bit. He is, after all, one of my favorite authors of all time. Hopefully I didn’t gush too much while we talked. If you have ever wondered how he got started in the business or what inspired him, he was kind enough to reveal that to me. He also explained his connection to the Forgotten Realms, who his favorite character is, and whether or not we will be seeing a Drizzt movie in the near future. Be sure to check out Part 1 of the interview, where he gives his take on electronic books and media, his preference between digital and physical books, and explains why he hates talk radio.

And with that, here we go [...]

Fans of the original Star Trek series in Germany got quite a surprise last Friday when an episode from the show’s second season was finally shown on the country’s public television station ZDFneo after being banned from broadcast for more than four decades, and the reason for the ban had nothing to do with the Chancellor being a Picard fan.

“Patterns of Force” was first broadcast in America on February 16, 1968 and found Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, and Dr. McCoy searching for a Federation historian (and one of Kirk’s professors at Starfleet Academy) on the planet Ekos. When they beam down to the surface they notice that the planet’s soldiers are dressed like Nazi stormtroopers [...]

The Night Eternal, which is Book Three of the Strain Trilogy by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan, was released today and we here at Geeks of Doom have a hardcover copy of the book to give away to one lucky reader!

One (1) winner will receive:

– One (1) hardcover copy of The Night Eternal: Book Three of the Strain Trilogy

From the authors of the instant New York Times bestsellers The Strain and The Fall comes the final volume in one of the most electrifying thriller series in years.

It’s been two years since the vampiric virus was unleashed in The Strain, and the entire world now lies on the brink of annihilation. There is only night as nuclear winter blankets the land, the sun filtering through the poisoned atmosphere for two hours each day?the perfect environment for the propagation of vampires. [...]

The $10 t-shirt deal of the day over at RIPT Apparel today is the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy-themed shirt called “Vote Zaphod Beeblebrox 2012″ by artist Tee Rex.

The shirt went on sale at RIPT today, Tuesday, November 8, 2011 (Election Day here in the U.S.), at midnight CST, and will continue for 24 hours from then, and once it’s over, it will not be sold on the site anymore [...]

The deal of the day over at Things From Another World today is the Avengers Next: Rebirth trade paperback for only $2.99 (that’s 79% off the list price of $13.99).

Note – This deal is valid only for today, Tuedsday, November 8, 2011, til 11:59PM PST while supplies last (and they will sell out, so hurry!). Visit the TFAW’s Deal of the Day page to view the hours left in the sale as well as quantities left on the item.

If the deal, which is on the “nick and dent” version, does sell out before the end of the day, there’s a new version of Avengers Next: Rebirth for on sale for 50% off for $6.99.

This trade paperback edition from Marvel Comics collects the Avengers Next #1-5 comic book series from the creative team of Tom DeFalco and Ron Lim [...]

The $10 t-shirt deal of the day over at TeeFury today is a Futurama-themed shirt called “Mars University” by artist kgullholmen.

The sale began at Teefury today, Tuesday, November 8, 2011, at midnight EST, and will continue for 24 hours from then, and once it’s over, it will not be sold on the site anymore [...]

London Boulevard
DIRECTED BY: William Monahan
WRITTEN BY: William Monahan
STARRING: Colin Farrell, Keira Knightley, Ray Winstone, Anna Friel, David Thewlis, Ben Chaplin, Stephen Graham, Eddie Marsan
IFC Films
RELEASE DATE: October 5, 2011 (on demand); November 11, 2011 (limited theatrical release)

Writer William Monahan has made quite a name for himself as a screenwriter, crafting the scripts for films such as Kingdom of Heaven, Body of Lies, Edge of Darkness, and The Departed, for which he won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. Now Monahan is stepping behind the camera for his directorial debut, London Boulevard (which he also wrote), but can he find the same kind of success as the man in charge?

The movie follows Mitchel (Colin Farrell), a very dangerous man who’s just getting out of prison. [...]

It’s been a long road from the first season of the Starz original series, Spartacus: Blood and Sand, to its second season, Spartacus: Vengeance. A road that saw its very popular star, Andy Whitfield, diagnosed with cancer, his eventual replacement with Liam McIntyre, and, ultimately, his heartbreaking death this past September.

A short prequel season, Spartacus: Gods of the Arena, was produced while these devastating events put the show’s production on hold, but come January 27th season 2 will finally arrive. [...]

With the American Film Market in full swing, news has been shockingly slow moving. However, that’s changing today.

Collider snapped a photo of the teaser poster for the upcoming, Jake Paltrow-directed sci-fi picture, Young Ones, and it looks like one hell of a departure for the Good Night director [...]

Day by Day Armageddon: Origin to Exile
By J.L. Bourne
Paperback | Kindle
Gallery Books
Release date: September 27, 2011

Day by Day Armageddon: Origin to Exile is the terrifying zombie masterpiece by J.L. Bourne (you can watch the book trailer below). The book contains two novels, Day by Day Armageddon and Day by Day Armageddon: Beyond Exile, plus the short story If You Can Read This. Both novels are chilling journal entries that begin as a result of one Naval officer’s New Year’s resolution just before a mystifying plague abruptly ends the world as we know it. The journal becomes the narrator’s salvation and point of reference as day by day he tries to survive the madness that unfolds before him [...]

Wake Wood
Blu-ray l DVD
DIRECTED BY: David Keating
WRITTEN BY: David Keating
STARRING: Aidan Gillen, Eva Birthistle, Timothy Spall, Ella Connolly
Dark Sky Films
RELEASE DATE: July 5, 2011

It’s the most wonderful time of the year for horror movies. OK—so maybe it’s a little after the “most wonderful time,” but folks are always seeking out the most terrifying, twisted, bloody and gory, and downright fun horror flicks they can find, October or not.

But therein lies the problem, as well. Finding good horrors can be a troublesome task, requiring you to sit through hours of unwatchable crap in hopes of finding a bright and shiny gem from time to time. It is in these circumstances that having a friend who knows lots of gems can come in quite handy, leading you to enjoy much more scary good times and helping you to avoid the aforementioned crap. [...]

Back in 2009 there were reports that a movie based on the popular puzzler books, Where’s Waldo?, was being developed by producer Chris Meledandri through his Illumination Entertainment for Universal Pictures. Before that, the project was set up at Paramount Pictures with Like Mike and Aliens in the Attic director John Schultz attached.

Now the movie has yet another new home, this time the recovering MGM. President of Motion Picture Group Jonathan Glickman made the announcement, which will see the Martin Handford character getting its own feature-length live-action family adventure movie. [...]