Originally posted at PrimeTimeGeek.com.

PTG Episode 75 is brought to you by 2010. Yes, we’re not quite there yet, but it’s getting very close, and that means that it’s time to start looking back at all that was good about 2009. With Episode 75 we begin our 3-part series on the top geek movies/video games/comic book series of 2009, starting with movies. Our selections are pictured in the image below; As I said during the broadcast, our assessment is limited to what we reviewed and discussed on the program. Doubtless there are going to be great items in each category that are going to get left off the list. Also, I fully expect folks to disagree with our choices, so if you’d like to suggest an alternate list based on what you’ve seen, or just tell us that we’re out of our minds, head over to the Prime Time Geek Message Board at SomaCow.net/forum and share your thoughts in the discussion thread. See you there!

Also in this episode we review Dark City Director’s Cut on blu-ray and last week’s new Dollhouse episodes, “The Public Eye” and “The Left Hand.” Not much else to add this morning–life has pretty much come to a screeching halt thanks to Dragon Age: Origins. Thirty-two hours played and counting–woo hoo. Check back tomorrow for our weekly affiliate deals spotlight: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince arrives on home video this week, so we’ll have that and more Harry Potter-related toys and merchandise for your perusing pleasure.

PTG Episode 45 is brought to you by the Cure For the Run. Yes, SomaCow’s day to help the homeless and hungry in Orlando is this weekend, and there’s still time for you to get involved. Registration for the event begins at 4PM at Wall Street Cantina in downtown Orlando, and the event itself starts at 5PM, so if you’re local to Orlando and you want to help out, come on down, walk the 164 ft., and hey, get a free vodka drink from the Cantina for your efforts! If you’re NOT local to Orlando, you can still help by making a donation at the event website. Just click on the links in this article, hit the “Donate via PayPal” button, and you’ve done your good deed for the day. All proceeds go to Rock For Hunger. Thanks to everyone who has already donated!

In this episode, Mad Mario, EricathePimp, and I talk about last week’s announcement that director Bryan Singer has been tapped to direct a big-screen adaptation of Battlestar Galactica, one that will have no connection to the TV series we’ve all came to know and love, and compared it to other “Worst Ideas Ever” this year. We also hit on last week’s Blackest Night issues from DC Comics, and in our new “Mad Mario Potpourri” segment, the Destroyer of Worlds reviews Coraline and Watchmen on blu-ray and looks ahead to The Beatles Rock Band. It’s good stuff, but you knew that, ’cause it’s Mad Mario in the studio, and he always brings it when he joins us in the studio. Thanks again, dude–can’t wait until your next visit.

Oh, and speaking of games, just one last bit–Sony announced yesterday that FINALLY they’re dropping the price of the PS3 by $100 on all existing models AND introducing a new model, the PS3 Slim, in September that, among other neat things, uses 34% less energy. So what I want to know now is this: Any chance Sony will start a trade-in program for older PS3 systems so that we can get more “green” and use less energy as a gaming community? I mean, yes, we want those bigger hard drives, too, but seriously, it’s more about the lower electric bills and the environment! (Yeah, I know, not very likely, but you never know until you ask …)

Hour 2 of Prime Time Geek Episode 16 is brought to you by another clip from the upcoming J.J. Abrams-directed revival of Star Trek, courtesy of Collider.com. In this little bit, we get a particularly snarky Kirk going out of his way to piss off “Acting-Captain” Spock (Zachary Quinto) just after Kirk and a very out-of-sorts Montgomery Scott (Simon Pegg) beam directly aboard the Enterprise while the ship is traveling at warp. This little bit seems to give audiences a little more about why we’ve seen Spock beating the crap out of Kirk on the bridge in the trailers, and considering little Jimmy Kirk’s attitude, I don’t blame Spock for hauling off on him. These clips go a long way toward telling us who Kirk is going to be in this film at least at the beginning of the film: arrogant, iconoclast, smart-ass, in-your-face insubordinate jerk whose mouth is quicker than his head. It will be interesting to see how we get from there to the Kirk we know of old. Once again, you can hear the audio for the clip right at the beginning of the podcast, and you can watch the clip in its entirety below.

Hour 2 features an impromptu visit from Mad Mario, Highlord of Home Theater, who returns to his role of movie and TV reviewer after delving into console games last week. He shares his always-colorful observations on “Hancock“, the Will Smith superhero-action film from last summer, as well as FOX’s Fringe and Dollhouse. But perhaps most vociferously, Mad Mario delivers his scathing opinions on the film work of Samuel L. Jackson, and in fact dared listeners out there to find one, JUST ONE, good movie featuring SLJ. If you can think of one, and actually defend the film’s worth, head over to somacow.net/forum, go to the Prime Time Geek Message Board, find the thread for the ongoing discussion of Sam Jackson’s work, and post your thoughts. Should provide for some interesting fodder. One film I didn’t think of during the show to mention was Patriot Games–yes, it’s a small role, but he’s IN it and that’s all that counts.

Finally, the final segment of the hour, “Felix is Fuming”, finds me gasping for breath with what little voice I have left by this point and discussing the number of great television shows that are “on the bubble” as far as being picked up for next season and why the broadcast networks continue to kill good TV before it has a chance to really hit its stride. This season, due in part to the lousy economy, a good number of shows face the axe, and most of those shows fall into the “genre show” catagory, shows like Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Dollhouse, Eleventh Hour, Fringe, and NBC’s midseason alternate-reality series,Kings. Pushing Daisies and Life on Mars have already bit the dust this season. Who’s going to be next? And though I’m a fan, I really must ask, “Why the hell isn’t Smallville on that list??”

I can’t help but be apprehensive about this title after the mess they made of the Wonder Woman feature, and this trailer already bothers me, although mainly on two VERY superficial levels: 1) Why change the uniform? Removing the white gloves leaves Hal’s uniform looking a bit drab; and 2) Sinestro in Sinestro Corps. uniform ALREADY? Couldn’t resist the temptation to use the newer look and go with the classic Sinestro costume, could you, Warner Bros. Animation designers?

I think I can safely say I’m not buying this one-I’ll rent the blu-ray, and save my money for Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, the next release on the DC Universe Animated slate.

Wonder Woman – Blu-Ray
2009 – Warner Premiere (Warner Bros.)
Released on March 3, 2009

Film: Lousy
Video: Decent
Sound: Decent

All you hardcore Wonder Woman fans out there who might read this, make no mistake: I WANTED to like this movie. I’m as big a male fan of Themyscira’s most well-known Amazon princess as any I know. I read Wonder Woman monthly (a task made much easier now that the book is in the hands of a strong writer, namely Gail Simone), I watch the movie news for any glimmer of hope about a live-action Wonder Woman feature, and whenever she makes an appearance in an animated feature or show, I cross my fingers and pray the writers get Diana right. Watching old Challenge of the Super Friends episodes makes me cringe. The first season of Cartoon Network’s Justice League took a while to do right by Diana, but by the time Season 2 and Justice League Unlimited came along, producer Bruce Timm, voice director Andrea Romano, and voice actor Susan Eisenberg were all on the same page and getting it right.

What do I mean by “getting it right,” you ask? Diana’s regal bearing, tempered by compassion for women and men, her limitless courage, her wisdom, a gift from the Greek goddess Athena, her devotion to Truth and desire to share with the world of Men the lessons of peace kept for centuries by her people, and her unmatched prowess as a warrior paired with the physical strength and speed to rival even that of Kal-El of Krypton or the Wizard Shazam’s champion, the World’s Mightiest Mortal, Captain Marvel–all these things are parts of the complex character that is Diana of Themyscira. To represent all of those facets of Wonder Woman on screen is no small feat, of course. But if you hope to tell a Wonder Woman tale that will satisfy her most ardent fans while also introducing those that only know her from Super Friends or the Lynda Carter TV series to a compelling character that’s far more than just bullet-deflecting bracelets, armor-plated bustier and a star-spangled leotard, then you must at least touch briefly on all those facets. To do less is to do a disservice to a character who has been throughout her history misunderstood and, let’s face it, pushed to the side in terms of primacy within the minds of the masses when it comes to her place among DC’s “big three.”

It makes me quite sad to say to Warner Premiere’s new direct-to-video release, Wonder Woman, despite the teaming of Bruce Timm, Andrea Romano, a stellar cast of voice actors, and the aforementioned Gail Simone, who received a story credit, does such a stunning disservice to the character of Diana that by the end you’re left stupified. Stupified and angry.

The story is certainly familiar–the Amazons, led by their wise warrior queen Hippolyta (voiced by Virginia Madsen), have their peaceful and hidden existence disturbed by the crash landing of American pilot Steve Trevor (voiced by Nathan Fillion). After Trevor is determined to be a non-threat to Themyscira’s security, Hippolyta decrees he must be returned to Man’s World, and that the one to return him there will be chosen by a contest, as per ancient custom. Hippolyta’s daughter, Diana (voiced by Keri Russell), participates in the contest against her mother’s wishes, disguised throughout the proceedings, and wins the right to represent the Amazons to the outside world. This version of the story however, features a new complication to Diana’s mission: she must also find and defeat Ares (voiced by Alfred Molina), the Greek god of war, who Hippolyta had defeated centuries before and the Olympians Zeus and Hera had punished for his bloodlust by leaving as Hippolyta’s prisoner on the island. Ares escapes into Man’s World at the same time that Diana wins the contest, and so her journey transforms into an epic battle to save the world from Ares, who feeds upon man’s hatred and penchant for violence and who would bring about all of mankind slaughtering one another in order to gain enough power to conquer the Olympians themselves. Sounds good so far, right?

As I said earlier, the voice talent here does its best with the material they’re given. Unfortunately, the script is uneven, inconsistent, and at times just plain silly. The battle that opens the movie, between the Amazons and Ares’ hordes, with Hippolyta and Ares’ confrontation at its center, is an example of the best the film has to offer in terms of dialogue, as the two warriors quip back and forth between sword swings and shield charges. But what else but “inconsistent” can you call the Amazons not being familiar with the word “crap”, yet Diana calling Trevor a “lightweight” after he tries to get her liquored up on tequila shots once they’re back in Man’s World? (No, I’m not kidding.) And if the immediate aftermath of the film’s climactic battle doesn’t have you groaning and booing, then you must have Cheese Whiz flowing through your veins. And this is just me and my personal issue, but screenwriters, if you’re going to use the Invisible Jet, can you please explain its existence in the context of the story? It’s bad enough that they don’t allow Diana to fly in this film, because YES, Diana CAN fly on her own power, but the Amazons have been cut off from the world of Men since antiquity, only ONE of the women on the island seems to care at all for reading or studious pursuits, so no one’s developing technology, but Diana gets to return ol’ Steve to the U.S.A. in an Invisible Jet that would make G.I. Joe envious. Yes, in the comics, the Amazons have technology, but it’s EXPLAINED. Here, well, best to just not even bring it up, right? Like, Trevor wouldn’t even ASK them, “Say, you’ve been cut off from the world for how long, but you’ve got a rig like this?” Please.

But the heart of the problem is the characterization of Diana herself. There’s nothing charismatic or inspiring about this Diana–here she’s written as simply a woman-child who disobeyed her mother’s orders in order to prove she’s worthy of being treated like a grown-up. As a warrior, she’s given few opportunities to shine throughout the film–in fact, in both of her major battles, she requires rescuing both times. Yes, I understand, this is meant to be a portrayal of Diana at the beginning of her career as Wonder Woman, but there isn’t enough in her characterization here to suggest that any other Amazon on Themyscira would not do just as well in the “Wonder Woman” role as Hippolyta’s daughter would, aside from the contest, which is covered in montage and completed in about 5 minutes of screen time.

Technically speaking, the presentation of the film on blu-ray is on par with the other Warner Premiere releases, Superman: Doomsday, Batman Gotham Knight, and Justice League: The New Frontier. Colors are bold and vibrant, detail is crystal clear, as you would expect from a next-gen release. In terms of audio, the disc features both Dolby Surround and Dolby TrueHD tracks, and the TrueHD track is noticeably louder and more active in its use of speakers. During the two large-scale battle sequences, the sound COULD have been more immersive, but again, it’s on par with what Warner Premiere has provided in the past. Overall, its not a bad cinematic experience at all in terms of audio and video quality, and there’s far worse out there in terms of live action catalog releases on blu-ray.

What really surprised me about this debacle was Gail Simone’s involvement. In fact, as I was watching the credits roll I even thought to myself, “Ya know, Simone could have provided SUCH a better story than this!” And then I saw her name credited along with Michael Jelenic for the story. Jelenic received credit for the screenwriting duties, and this explains a lot, as Jelenic was a past writer on the “Legion of Super Heroes” series and is currently the producer of Cartoon Network’s “Batman: The Brave and the Bold” series, both of which present versions of iconic characters that are simplified to their most recognizable and marketable elements. I have to wonder just how much of the story that made it into the film’s final cut came from Simone versus what Jelenic brought to the table.

Green Lantern fans, be afraid. Be VERY afraid, because next up for Warner Premiere’s line of DC Animated features: Green Lantern: First Flight.

Sure, why not?

We saw it with the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, released in both theatrical and Extended Cut versions on DVD. More recently, we saw it with the release of the Blade Runner Five-Disc Complete Collector’s Edition, which featured FIVE different cuts of the movie (at least it was all in one package, as opposed to LOTR’s double-dip).

Now, we’re hearing straight from director Zach Snyder (300), that Watchmen, easily the most eagerly-anticipated box office release of the Spring, will come to home video in three separate, distinct cuts, starting with the theatrical cut on DVD and blu-ray in July. Here’s Snyder talking about his plans for the release (Thanks to Rob Allstetter, the author of www.comicscontinuum.com and someone who has to be one of the hardest working journalists covering comics and comic-related TV and film out there right now to do what he does EVERY day, for posting this story on Wednesday):

“We’re hoping that we do, at the time of relase of the DVD release in July, they release a director’s cut, which is three hours long,” Snyder said at the Watchmen press junket on Wednesday. “In the fall, they’re going to do the Black Freighter cut, which is all the ins and outs of the Black Freighter, which is the comic book within the comic book. We shot all of those. The final result of that is like a 3-hour, 30-minute/25-minute version of the movie which is everything. It’s the kitchen sink version.

“It’s really three different movies in a lot of way. I think the theatrical versions, which is radically strange in its own way, fits IMAX. I think the director’s cut, which is almost three hours, is pretty most of the stuff that we shot, 99 percent of the stuff that we shot, which I like by the way.”

Snyder goes to describe the director’s cut version as “more violent … [its] slightly more sexy. It’s more Manhattan nudity. It’s just more of everything.”

Here’s my question: is this going to be one of those situations like LOTR where once you see the director’s cut or the Black Freighter cut or whatever, you’ll realize you shouldn’t have bothered with the theatrical version? Seriously, did ANYONE (aside from me, because I rarely get rid of things) hold on to their theatrical edition DVD editions of LOTR once the Extended Cuts were available? Because honestly, this takes away from my desire to see this movie in the theaters, somewhat. I’ve said all along that the cuts the studio demanded for the theatrical release could do nothing but harm a TRUE adaptation of Alan Moore’s work. No real fan of the graphic novel is likely to be satisfied with what hits the screens March 6th. More than likely, they’ll walk out thinking, “Hope they get it right in the extended version.”

Time will tell. In the meantime, Watchmen fans, best start putting aside money for this “triple-dip” over at Best Buy or Amazon …

Blu-ray, you say? Let's see what she's got ...

For us Trek fans who have patiently followed blu-ray release news since Paramount gave up its ill-conceived jump to HD-DVD at this time last year, the wait is over.

Star Trek is coming to blu-ray. Well, some of it anyway.

Bill Hunt and the AWESOME folks over at The Digital Bits reported the news on their site first, from what I can see, and it was confirmed for me earlier today over at High-Def Digest.com. Star Trek: The Original Series Season One, Star Trek: The Original Motion Picture Collection, and Star Trek: Motion Picture Trilogy (containing the “Genesis Arc” films: II, III, and IV) will all street on May 12, timed no doubt to help promote the new Star Trek film’s theatrical release. Here’s what some of the packaging and special features look like (images courtesy of thedigitalbits.com)

Star Trek: The Original Series - Season One

Star Trek: The Original Series – Season One Special Features include:
* Spacelift: Transporting Trek into the 21st Century
* Reflections on Spock
* Life Beyond Trek: William Shatner
* To Boldly Go… Season One
* The Birth of a Timeless Legacy
* Sci-Fi Visionaries
* Billy Blackburn’s Treasure Chest: Rare Home Movies and Special Memories
* Kiss N’ Tell: Romance in the 23rd Century
* Interactive Enterprise Inspection

Star Trek: The Original Motion Pictures Collection

Star Trek: The Original Motion Pictures Collection features are too numerous to list, but there’s one in particular that home theater enthusiasts with a audio receiver capable of handling it should be excited about: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 audio tracks on every disc!

Star Trek: Motion Picture Trilogy

Star Trek: Motion Picture Trilogy will include blu-ray editions of Star Trek II, III, and IV identical to those included in the larger, six-disc set.

I don’t know about you, but my course is already set towards saving up for the 6-movie collection, Star Trek V be damned.

No, I’m not in New York at NY Comic-Con, but I can certainly wish I was. On tonight’s PTG we’ll be talking DC Comics’ “Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds”, last night’s Battlestar Galactica, Liam Neeson’s new thriller Taken, and the delightful nastiness that fills Garth Ennis’ independent comic “The Boys.” Also, JC Martinez of the Podgnosticast blog calls in to talk about vlogging and mini-camcorders, and Mad Mario, Highlord of Home Theater, returns to talk about Starship Troopers and Zach and Miri Make a Porno on blu-ray! Log on over at ustream.tv and check out the live show tonight @ 8PM EST!

In Hour 1 of this episode of Prime Time Geek, I spotlight Green Lantern #36, Justice Society of America #22, and Superman #683 for DC, along with Captain America #45, Avengers/Invaders #7, and Incognito #1 for Marvel, and Ms. September of the 2009 Geek Girls Calendar, Margie Cox, chats about B.A.S.E. Camp, the calendar, and costuming. In Hour 2, PTG’s newest contributor, “Mad Mario” Marsicovetere talks must-have blu-rays, Prognosticastor JC Martinez talks eBook readers and apps, and I wrap up with the rise of ‘Webisodes.’ Oh, and the phone gave me some issues, hence the alternate title, but no worries! Still a good show, so I hope you enjoy … and just for a bit of randomness, if you happen to be a fan of the Jean-Claude Van Damme CLASSIC film “Bloodsport”, there’s a treat for you around 45 minutes into the show. Hint: kumite, kumite, kumite, kumite …

My Podcast Alley feed! {pca-59cbbef9797454fc8f3fa798239c7257}

In this week’s Prime Time Geek, special guest Margie Cox, “Ms. September” of the 2009 Geek Girls Calendar, talks about cosplay, calendars, the convention season, and her ongoing charity work with B.A.S.E. Camp, new PTG contributor Mad Mario weighs in on “must-have” movies on blu-ray, Prognosticastor JC Martinez reviews Amazon.com’s Kindle and other eBook reading gadgets. All this, in addition to a TON of comics reviews and headlines from the realm of Geek, as only Prime Time Geek can bring it to you! Tomorrow night @ 8PM, log into the SomaCow Media ustream.tv page and take part in the show! Of course, if you miss any portion of the live broadcast on ustream, you can listen to it the next day here at primetimegeek.com! Hope to see you there!