Author: Nigel G Mitchell

You may not know the name Dave Dorman, but if you’ve seen any of the Star Wars media like comic books, novels, or even the original Star Wars game Dark Forces II: Jedi Knight, then you’ve seen his work. Dorman is an artist most well-known for his photo-realistic work in science fiction illustration, such as the covers for Star Wars media, but he’s done a whole lot more. Illustrating covers for comic books such as Indiana Jones, designing toys for Alien: Resurrection, creating his own original property with a steampunk adventure series called The Wasted Lands…the list goes on and…

One thing that I have found most annoying about the movie Avatar is the chorus of praise for its “scientific accuracy.” I don’t know of any movie short of Star Trek that has tried so hard to convince its fans that it’s based on real science, and fallen so short. So I thought it would be useful to just make an archive showing that the movie is not science-fiction; it’s science mixed with fantasy. This week, we’ll look at another odd biological design, chest nostrils. Many of the creatures on Pandora like the Direhorse and the Mountain Banshee have nostrils…

We all love General Zod from Superman II. Ruthless, arrogant, elegant, and awesomely powerful. But he wasn’t always a general. At some point, Zod had to be a fresh recruit, just starting out in the Kryptonian military. So here, for the first time, we can present the lost journal of those early days. We present the first entries of “I, Zod: The Journal of Private Zod.” —– 3 Gree, 341 KC Greetings, mortals. I am Zod, the man who will one day rule the planet Krypton. You are wise to turn to me for guidance. Tremble at the very whisper…

One thing that I have found most annoying about the movie Avatar is the chorus of praise for its “scientific accuracy.” I don’t know of any movie short of Star Trek that has tried so hard to convince its fans that it’s based on real science, and fallen so short. So I thought it would be useful to just make an archive showing that the movie is not science-fiction; it’s science mixed with fantasy. This week, we’ll look at the big picture by focusing on the planet-moon Pandora. If you look at the technical details behind the scenes, Avatar did…

The Star Trek corset made by Evening Arwen allows women to be geeky and uncomfortable at the same time…just like when they go to a Star Trek movie surrounded by nerds. Unfortunately, they no longer seem to be available, so breathe long and prosper. [pic from Geekologie]

One thing that I have found most annoying about the movie Avatar is the chorus of praise for its “scientific accuracy.” I don’t know of any movie short of Star Trek that has tried so hard to convince its fans that it’s based on real science, and fallen so short. So I thought it would be useful to just make an archive showing that the movie is not science-fiction; it’s science mixed with fantasy. I know I promised this week to cover the moon of Pandora, but it’s taking longer than I thought since astronomy isn’t my specialty, and I…

WARNING: This post contains spoilers for the movie Avatar. One thing that I have found most annoying about the movie Avatar is the chorus of praise for its “scientific accuracy.” I don’t know of any movie short of Star Trek that has tried so hard to convince its fans that it’s based on real science, and fallen so short. So I thought it would be useful to just make an archive showing that the movie is not science-fiction; it’s science mixed with fantasy. We’ll start with one of the most complicated ideas in Avatar, the Avatars.

An innocent comment from a blogger at io9.com has triggered a grassroots Twitter and Facebook campaign to get former 30 Rock writer and Community performer Donald Glover an audition to play an African American Peter Parker in the new Spiderman reboot. Opinion: I actually think it would be a bold choice, but doubt this will happen. Sad to say, I don’t think the audience is ready for a black Spider-Man. Peter Parker’s problems are the problems of a nerdy white boy. Director Guillermo del Toro has announced that he will be dropping out of the project to create a two-part…

One thing that I have found most annoying about the movie Avatar is the chorus of praise for its “scientific accuracy.” I don’t know of any movie short of Star Trek that has tried so hard to convince its fans that it’s based on real science, and fallen so short. So I thought it would be useful to just make an archive showing that the movie is not science-fiction; it’s science mixed with fantasy. We’ll start with one of the most controversial ideas in Avatar, floating mountains. One of the most beautiful and memorable images in the movie Avatar is…

If you’re only familiar with superheroes like Iron Man and Fantastic Four because you saw their movies, you may be a little puzzled about all the buzz going around about the Avengers. You may have sat through the credits of Iron Man 2 and been baffled by the giggling and cheers you heard while looking at a hammer on the ground. This is your chance to catch up on the Avengers.

Spock is always the one to make the tough but logical calls. Like the problem with the red shirts.Here’s some of the other stories that came down this week in the world of Geek. It was announced last week that Megan Fox will not be appearing in Transformers 3. While the rumors have been that it was Michael Bay’s revenge for Fox’s trash-talking him, Megan Fox is insisting that she quit. Q: Do you think Transformers 3 is better or worse without Megan Fox? [Bleep] William Shatner – William Shatner is starring in a new TV show that’s already generated controversy…

From the Asylum, the studio who brought us Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus, comes a spiritual sequel titled Megapiranha. I say spiritual sequel, since it doesn’t feature the same characters or plot, but it’s clearly meant to be a follow-up. After all, how many movie studios have produced two movies about gigantic man-eating fish with the word “mega” in them? Of course, let’s be clear that there’s a reason this movie went straight to video. It’s strictly low-budget B-movie stuff, only for the die-hard sci-fi movie lover, so it’s unfair to compare it to something like Avatar. So let’s ask…

It was on this date in 1980 that Star Wars officially became a franchise with the release of Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. Not only was the movie a glorious follow-up to a great movie, but it also introduced one of the biggest plot twists in movie history, and cemented Star Wars into all our hearts and minds. Widely considered by fans to be the best film of the entire series, we here at Geek Twins decided to honor the movie with some lesser-known trivia. Add this to your databases for your next Star Wars marathon. 1.…

Since the very first rumors of an Iron Man movie, speculation has been rampant as to the main villain. Most of those rumors involved Iron Man’s archenemy in the comics, the Mandarin. For the uninitiated, the Mandarin is a Chinese warrior whose main weapons are ten rings that each give him a different power, making him an incredibly formidable foe. Before Iron Man was released, speculation was not about whether he would be the villain, but over who would play him in the film. Even while watching Iron Man, it seemed like they would come close with mention of a…

Our continuing series Comic Questions is asking the questions that comic book fans don’t often ask. We’ll be looking at some of the gaping flaws in logic in some of the most beloved figures and concepts in comic books. This week, we look at Angel’s wings. There’s a reason that human beings don’t just strap on a pair of feathered wings and fly. The misunderstanding of exactly how birds fly has led to some of the more humorous attempts in the last century before the Wright Brothers figured out airplanes. It’s because the ability to fly is about more than…

For some reason, more than any other genre, women in science-fiction frequently appear bald. Perhaps it’s because hair has become an aspect of femininity in our culture. A bald women is shocking, even alien, which of course goes well with the sci-fi genre. But a bald woman can also be kinda hot. Here’s a run-down of some of the best bald babes in movies and television. 10. Agatha (Samantha Morton) in Minority Report (2002) – In a movie about future cops who solve crimes before they happen, Agatha is a psychic who sees who will commit murder before they even…

The reason superheros don’t use computers as part of they’re crime-fighting activities.[Pic of the Week from agent-xcomics.com]The movie Avatar continues to break records with the home release on April 22. Avatar became the fastest selling Blu-Ray DVD, outselling The Dark Knight (which previously held the title) and sold four million DVDs on the first day alone. However, the movie’s release has inspired controversy over alleged double-dipping, since Fox has already announced that it plans two more releases of the same movie, a special edition in November, and a 3-D version in 2011. There was an uproar among the Chinese sci-fi…

I stumbled across this poster called Star Wars Saga, and after careful examination, realized that it perfectly captures everything that’s gone wrong with the series in the last decade. Let’s review some of the highlights. Exhibit 1: Anakin Skywalker. Right off the bat, the first thing that jumped out at me is the center. Who is placed as the center of the Star Wars Universe? Anakin Skywalker. One could argue that, in essence, the Star Wars series is all about Darth Vader. Specifically, George Lucas could and did argue that the entire series was really about the fall and redemption…

It’s the first Saturday of May, and that means it’s Free Comic Book Day! In case you haven’t heard of it, it’s a day when comic book shops across the world give away free comic books. The holiday was started in 2002 by retailer Joe Field in the United States to drive traffic into stores and promote small comic book distributors. Almost all the big comic book publishers release special free issues for the shops to distribute. Most of them, to be frank, are more like advertising brochures, but a few publishers get it and release actual comic books. Last…

Stephen Hawking, one of the world’s smartest human beings, has contemplated the structure and fabric of space, time, and the Universe itself. In a new documentary, he turns his staggering intelligence to the concept of extraterrestrial life and humanity’s interaction with it. His keen analytical mind has resulted in the following conclusions: “We only have to look at ourselves to see how intelligent life might develop into something we wouldn’t want to meet. I imagine they might exist in massive ships, having used up all the resources from their home planet. Such advanced aliens would perhaps become nomads, looking to…

This week’s pic has been getting a lot of buzz around the Net. It’s a seemingly innocuous photo taken at the re-opening of a bridge in 1940. The only reason it’s gotten any attention is because of the guy on the middle right, wearing sunglasses. Once you notice him, he sticks out like a sore thumb. Some people have claimed that his outfit didn’t exist in the 1940’s – a logo shirt, portable camera, and sunglasses? He must be a time traveler! Well, as cool an idea as that is, it’s not quite accurate. forgetomori.com has a good breakdown of…

With the DVD of the TV movie Virtuality now out, it’s time to review what could have been. First of all, let’s make something perfectly clear: Virtuality is not a TV movie. It’s a pilot produced by FOX. This is an important point, because Virtuality fails miserably as a movie. It ends without tying up any of the loose ends, and leaves a big unspoken “to be continued” that (judging from the low ratings of the movie) we’ll probably never get the answer to. So what’s the point of watching the movie at all? It actually is a very good…

[Pic of the Week from nba.com]What’s so great about this picture is not just that it has beautiful girls dressed as Star Wars’ Slave Leia. It’s beautiful cheerleaders dressed as Slave Leia, combining two male fantasies in one. In case you’re wondering, this came from when the Phoenix Suns had a Star Wars: The Clone Wars night. Yes, I am a Phoenix Suns fans…at least, I am now. But I have to nitpick a little bit…why do they have Darth Vader and Slave Leia on Clone Wars night, when neither character is in the Clone Wars TV series? And what’s…

Many were shocked by Avatar’s failure to win Best Picture at the 2010 Academy Awards, but keen observers would have known it wouldn’t win. Science-fiction has never gotten respect in the film community. Here’s a brief list of other science-fiction films that are considered some of the greatest sci-fi movies (and in some cases, greatest movies, period) that also got snubbed by the Academy. NOTE: Longtime readers, you’re not having deja vu. This list first appeared the day after Avatar lost, but we decided it should be expanded into a full fledged post. 10. Metropolis (1927) – The oldest movie…

It was X-Men that started the craze, but Heroes continued it. What we’re talking about is the idea that evolution can lead to superpowers. It makes sense on some level; if you have a normal human being, and a human being who can shoot fire out of his hands, most people would agree that the fire-shooting human has a advantage in combat. Therefore, one would argue that the fire-shooting man is superior on an evolutionary level. The problem is that evolution isn’t supposed to work that way. According to the theory of evolution, small changes over time are adopted by…

The Clash of the Titans remake is a controversial movie, not for the subject matter or the plot or even for the relevance of remaking the movie in the first place. The most controversial part of the movie was the 3D effect. The movie wasn’t originally planned to be released in 3D until the success of Avatar and Alice in Wonderland changed the studio’s mind. By then, the movie had already finished filming, so Warner Bros. rushed to convert it in post-production with only ten weeks to do it. Many people, including the evangelist of 3D himself James Cameron, were…

A while back, I wrote about the implausibility of Wolverine’s claws, specifically their length. There’s an excellent article at Comic Vine that tries to explain how exactly the claws work. The funny thing about it (to me) is how many other problems they had to solve while coming up with a solution. A partial list: Every time Wolverine retracts his claws, any blood, dirt, or other materials still stuck on them would be drawn into his arms, potentially causing infections and sepsis. Wolverine’s claws are made of metal, which means they’re heavier than his arms. That means that when retracted,…

The anti-Academy Awards, the Razzies, awarded the movie Battlefield Earth “Worst Picture of the Decade.” Having seen it, I can’t disagree too much. Interestingly, the original screenwriter J.D. Shapiro wrote an open letter in the New York Post apologizing and trying to explain the debacle of Battlefield Earth. To summarize the letter, Shapiro says he got involved when he went to a Scientology center to try to meet women. While he was there, the Scientologists found out he was a screenwriter and asked him to write a pitch for a movie based on their founder’s epic novel, Battlefield Earth. He…

Author Dean Koontz is a prolific and highly successful suspense novelist, but has fared less well in movie adaptations. When he originally wrote the treatment with Kevin J. Anderson for a sequel to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, it was as a mini-series for the USA Network. Unfortunately, Koontz left the project due to creative differences, and the film was produced without his name. Koontz ultimately went on to write a trilogy of novels based on his ideas. Now Koontz is getting a rare second chance. The film rights for Dean Koontz’s Frankenstein: Prodigal Son have been sold to 1019 Entertainment with…

On March 18, 1910, the first film adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein was released by Thomas Edison Studios. A silent film considered too scary in its day, the twelve-minute film was thought to be lost until a print was discovered in the seventies. Now it’s available online through the wonders of YouTube. The only thing that would make this film better is if it had used some funky steampunk technology. Click here to check it out. What do you think of Frankenstein (1910)? Leave a comment