The event held on Wednesday by PBS in preparation for their airing the second series of BBC’s Sherlock was a bit of a mess. This wasn’t due to any negligence on the part of PBS or the event organizers. Simply, it looks as though they had just not counted on what many of us Sherlock enthusiasts would have expected all along: droves of shrieking, hair-tearing fans. Like those videos of The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show.

This was only part of the madness that was last night’s PBS Sherlock event.

[On truly rabid fangirls, long Q&As, and autograph lines]

The Cabin in the Woods has everyone’s attention for the moment, but what the movie-going world is really waiting for is Marvel’s The Avengers. With a meticulously woven continuity that began with 2008’s Iron Man, the team up of four superfriends who already have their own film series’ (and three or four more who don’t) has been closely eyed since its inception.

Early reviews are in, and many are edging toward the positive, but only time will tell. Can this film actually live up to all the hype? And what about those who haven’t been enjoying this deluge of super-powered box office gold over the past decade or so? Is there anyone who might change their mind?

Sure there is. His name is Joss Whedon.

[From the man who brought you all those other things you like...]

So, the most recently released image of Catwoman in The Dark Knight Rises kind of got me worked up. The moment I saw it I think I said something to the nature of, “If I have to see one more woman posed with her behind in my general direction, looking smouldering-ly over her shoulder, I’m going to punch someone in the face. And you two [my Tor.com officemates] should be worried, since you’re the closest people at hand.” My co-workers generally prefer a non-violent environment, so I decided to work through this the only way I know how: with lots of photographic evidence.

It’s not that we all haven’t noted how prevalent titilation is where women in the media are concerned, but this pose in particular is everywhere. And why should that be?

Well, it typically does a good job of showing off all of a lady’s assets for one. And I’m sure if an actress isn’t quite so curvy, showing off her posterior (wow, how many synonyms for “butt” will I have to use in this?) sounds like a good way of ramping up sex appeal. It’s also a pose that tells you, in no uncertain terms, “I’m here for you to objectify me. It’s okay, you don’t have to feel bad about it.”

Now, there is no problem with women being sexual, of course. But when you begin to see certain trends over and over, it’s not hard to figure out who is the benefactor of the imagery. Also important to note, this doesn’t happen to men with anywhere near the same frequency.

And it happens all the time. Observe:

[No, really, look at this]

The IDW ongoing Star Trek comic series has started to boldly go where it hasn’t gone before: a totally original storyline. All the prior installments of this series have, up until this point, been retellings of classic 60s Trek stories, with both major and minor alterations to the plots, characters, and outcomes. Because current Trek screenwriter Roberto Orci is a creative consultant on these comics, it’s possible some of these developments could be considered spoilers for the new continuity of the current film series. With a limited amount of information available about what is happening in the new Trek universe, these comics are an interesting window into the continuing voyages of not just the Enterprise, but everyone else who lives in the same galaxy.

So what is the first IDW original story about? Well, it’s called “Vulcan’s Vengeance” and as you might guess, the Vulcans are pretty pissed about the destruction of their home planet. And they’re fighting back…

[Read more, spoilers]

Mirror Mirror is undoubtedly the less-favored of the two Snow White tales hitting the box office this season. The camp apparent in its trailer was not well-received by many commentators, especially not alongside the grit and iron of Snow White and the Huntsman. Still, Mirror Mirror seemed adamant about taking on the more traditional aspects of the tale, while adding a healthy dose of humor to ease its passing.

Does it fail? Yes. But what’s impressive is how spectacularly it manages to do so... and how badly you might find yourself wanting to enjoy it in spite of all that.

[All the spoilers]

The eighth and final episode of the season. This is a very important year for Being Human. The departure of friends, new foes, and the most relevant question answered: can this show stay afloat in the wake of a year full of changes?

Let’s just say... I can’t wait until season five.

[SPOILERS FOR THE FINALE]

There has been a substantial amount of commentary weighed over a statement made by the producer of The Hunger Games, claiming that while the film does not shy away from the violence of the source material, it does not commit “the sins of the Capitol” by making a spectacle of it.

What counts as spectacle might differ in some audience member’s minds, but make no mistake: this film contains plenty of violence. All the same, its success is marked not by the route it choses to go in addressing that violence, but rather in creating a film that sets up its two sequels with alarming clarity and avoids any romanticism where “bread and circuses” are concerned.

[24 of us go in, only one of us makes it out]

You know the time when you’re watching one of your favorite television shows and you’re aware that it’s gone off the rails? It’s a terrible feeling. More than anything, your struck by a deep wish that the creators had a magic Reset Button. Something they could press to make everything well again. Maybe better than it was before.

Turns out, showrunner Toby Whithouse has one of those. It’s called ’Season 4 of Being Human.’ We’re not even to the finale and it’s proven. What astounds is the practically elegant way he’s managed to pull it off....

[It’s like that Leonard Cohen song, “The Future”...]

We stand fixated on the man who directed Star Wars.

Why? The reasons are beyond number and impossible to mention in geek company without causing a riot: the special editions, the prequels, the re-edits. The betrayal and heartache as thousands of fanboys and girls took up the cry “Han shot first!” We’re furious. We’re mourning. We’re hoping that the next generation doesn’t think that Anakin Skywalker is cooler than Han Solo. And in the middle of it all, there’s George Lucas, telling us that everything he did made the films better. That what we really needed was Gungans, a Max Rebo band with backup singers, and Ewoks that blink.

But we all want to believe that people are reasonable deep down, so we try to understand. To figure out why George doesn’t care that his original audience is crushed by what he’s done to Star Wars, despite the fact that even Steven Spielberg recently copped to being wrong about changing E.T. in a similar fashion. (He still defended Lucas, like he always does.) But no matter how we try to parse it out, George Lucas’s motives are an utter mystery, which in turn creates a surprisingly strong feeling of betrayal.

[Et tu, Yoda?]

This week’s episode begins when a young girl runs away from home. As starting points go for a journey, it’s certainly a familiar setup, and a typically rewarding one. You’re immediately saddled with a number of questions: Who is she? Why is she running? What was in that letter she left to her parents?

Of course, this situation’s a bit different. Because she’s a werewolf… and a debate team champion.

[Read more]

Remember Adam from last season? He had been a vampire since he was kid, and he was living (read: feeding) off his parents who loved him very dearly until they died. He left Annie, Mitchell, and George with the intent of going out on his own, trying to survive without his safety nets. You kind of figured that was going to come back and bite them in the backside (in a completely normal, human sort of way).

What did you reckon? Could that kid of 47 years make it on his own, avoid draining the general population with none of his regular safety nets in place? Well, it’s time to catch up with Adam, and learn about some new supernatural figures in the Being Human universe. Not to say that the episode misses out on any of our new gang antics — there’s all sorts of fun down that road.

[Read more for spoilery spoilers]

The momentum that Catching Fire, sequel to The Hunger Games, manages to maintain is staggering in wake of the breakneck pace of its predecessor. In fact, I recall giving myself a few months before picking up the second book because I wanted to see how easily it drew me back in.

I read the book in two days. Not two leisure days, mind you. Needless to say, I didn’t put up much of a fight when reentering that world.

[The smell of blood and roses]

Remember these immortal words: The Lorax made $70 million dollars in its opening weekend.

Yes, you read that correctly. $70 million. It has already made back its budget, which means we can probably expect a sequel somewhere down the line. The orange’n’moustached marketing gambit has been the focus of general derision for a while now, but it seems to have done its job. The Lorax selling SUVs and diapers, judging reality TV, and telling people to turn off their cellphones in rhyme has culminated in box office platinum.

Who else feels indescribable rage on behalf of Theodor Seuss Geisel?

[I speak for the trees, for the trees have no tongues]

It’s likely that Toby Whithouse anticipated fan concern following the almost too-epic season 4 opener. The future! A prophecy! New characters! It all might have seemed a bit too much to your average viewer, and perhaps we were in need of a little reassurance. After all, the initial premise of Being Human was elegantly simple: a vampire, a ghost and a werewolf try to achieve some sense of “normalcy” by starting a life together.

And the show is still about exactly that. Well, baby makes four. What’s intriguing is how it all comes to pass this time around….

[Spoilers!]

While it remains to be seen just how much of this continuity will carry over into the next Star Trek film, the ongoing IDW series continues to add strange, new ideas to the lives of the rebooted Enterprise crew. In part 2 of the reimagined version of “Operation: Annihilate!" the deadly parasites of Devena are driving a bunch of colonists insane and Kirk is faced with some tough choices, as well as some family drama from the past. Did everything shake out the same way it did in the original version? Yes and no. Spoilers ahead!

[Read more]

The staples of horror can get tired pretty fast. Once you know the rules of the supernatural in one place, you generally know them everywhere. A rule gets bent over here or broken over there, but vampires drink blood, ghosts can’t eat, and zombies are mindless monsters that hunger for brains.

That is, unless you’re watching The Fades subvert the entire genre.

[Some spoilers]

You know what no one likes? Guests who show up and decide they’re going to stick around for an untold period of time. Which should have been the first tip-off that this week’s offering of Being Human was going to make us all super uncomfortable.

I’m not saying there was anything wrong with the episode. Just that this week’s guest star might have left you feeling a bit… queasy.

[There are spoilers down there]

One of the immediate questions that flies when you bring up the words “Hunger Games” and “men” in the same sentence is “Gale or Peeta?” The instant bias toward the Top Two is almost funny; The Hunger Games series has a slew of interesting male characters who all have their own “type” to play into, even if Katniss isn’t interested in their charms.

Don’t believe me? Maybe it’s about time we examined romantic tropes foisted on men in The Hunger Games. Gale and Peeta follow the specific guidelines fiction usually dictates for the “competing suitor” scenario, but they’re not the only fellas worth mentioning, all of them designed to get a specific reaction out of female (and also potentially male GB) readers. How are they being offered up and which one of them melted your heart like butter in a frying pan?

[Whoever she can’t survive without]

After the triumph of last week’s episode, it was hard to wait for the next installment with our new trio. Are they coming together as a family? Are they taking turns baby burping? Are the dominos still falling? This week’s episode gave us some precious background on the new resident vampire and offered even more by way of hysterical day-in-the-life minutiae.

Well, you honestly didn’t think that house was paid for, did you?

[Read more and beware the Spoiler Monster]