Rachel Weiss can see evil spirits. She is a sweet girlwith a troubled soul caused by this unique gift. After witnessing the brutal killing of her mother, Rachel and her father look for a fresh start by moving to a small town. Rachel quickly warms to her new schoolteacher Abby Miller, and becomes ‘best friends’ with classmate Michelle Lowe.

When Michelle’s penchant for schoolyard pranks turns from goodnatured fun to potentially deadly, Rachel suspects that her friend may be less than friendly. Rachel’s visions could be the key to stopping a series of violent attacks against the town’s children and unlocking the puzzle behind a decade-old disappearance.

So reads the press release for the new movie Within which makes its debut this Saturday on Lifetime at 9pm EST.  Its a stark departure for the network that largely pioneered "chick flicks." 

Within won "Outstanding Feature Film" at the Big Bear Horror Film Festival, as well as awards at several other festivals.

[MORE]

Whosoever holds this hammer...if he be worthy...

When I was a kid the two things I loved more than anything else were superheroes and mythology.

I know.  I know.  They're pretty much the same thing.

Excuse me for not having read Joseph Campbell by age 7.

So, you can imagine my joy when I discovered Marvel's Thor. 

Wait!  He's a superhero FROM mythology?

My tiny head nearly exploded.

In my teens,  it was Walt Simonson's definitive run on the title that really sealed my loyalty to the Thunder God.  Come on!  He created Beta Ray Bill!

To say that I'm looking forward to the next year's Thor movie is an understatement.  I think I was more excited about the appearance of Mjolnir at the end of Iron Man 2 than just about anything else in the movie.

Now, the fine folks at Sega are bringing the Son of Odin and his mystical Uru hammer to your home gaming console.  Beat up Frost Giants, evil half-brothers and maybe even the Fenris Wolf without every getting out of your gaming chair.

From the press release:

Coming next year to the Xbox 360, PlayStation3, PSP system, Wii and Nintendo DS, this 3rd person action adventure boasts an original storyline exclusive to the videogame, for which Matt Fraction, lead Thor comic book author, served as story consultant.

Verily, methinks tis good.

The first official trailer for the game is after the jump.  Enjoy!

[MORE]

Its hot out there kids. Summer is in full swing and its getting harder and harder to cool off.  

Its also been a hot month for us here at GonzoGeek.  Our traffic went through the roof thanks to folks looking for pictures of Katherine Heigl.  We thank each and every one of you who looked at this picture.  

This week saw the debut of season 2 of Jersey Shore on MTV.  MTV finally worked out the last possible iteration of the The Real Worldidiom and has started moving the entire cast to a different city, presumably to spread the crabs around.  

No, this doesn't mean Snooki is going to be our cheesecake.  I wouldn't do that to you.  Instead, I decided to go with a Jersey Girl who is much gentler on the eyes.  

Say hello to the pride of Cherry Hill, New Jersey...Ali Larter.  

 She first jumped into our collective consciousness wearing a whipped cream bikini in Varsity Blues.  Then she spent a few seasons as America's favorite schizo She-Hulk on Heroes.  Now expecting her first child, she'll be seen next kicking zombie ass in Resident Evil:  Afterlife.  

On to the links.

[MORE]

I’m a sucker for market research.

Will I ‘Definitely’ do them, ‘Maybe’ do them, or ‘Not Lkely’ to do them?

Definitely ‘Defintely’!

Marketing is slick.  You might not realize it, but most everything you see on TV, hear on the radio or read in a magazine is filtered through people like me.  Ever hear of ‘cheesy queso’ sauce?  Nope?  Then you owe me a big thank you.  While some in the group thought is sounded ‘rich’ and ‘cheesy’ and ‘delicious’, I suggested it be slathered all over a carne-beef burger served on a pan-bread bun, topped with lechuga- lettuce and a cebolla-onion slice.  Call it the Redundant’s Spanglish-Special.  I’d like to think that I, personally, put an end to cheesy queso sauce.

I’ve put food on your table, beer in your fridge, a phone in your pocket, and gotten you laid.

Aren’t you glad you know me?

Anyway…

[MORE]

I know. It doesn't seem like a year has passed since the first anniversay post. It hasn't. The first anniversary was supposed to have been a serial celebration of the music I love as logged by my iPod. I tired of it, however, and finished it off with one big list right before the second anniversary date, thus clearing the way for this post.

Jr's influence, though still present, is not quite as prevalent as it was over the first year, his having gotten a portable music listening device of his own in the meantime.

Perhaps the influence is most seen at the top of the charts: Green Day, 'She'. I first saw Green Day at Numbers in Houston, Tex., opening for Bad Religion. It was early in their touring for 'Dookie', before 'Longview' had landed, and I liked them, saying as much in my review for Kerrang! Never in 1,000 years, however, would I have imagined that I'd one day be enjoying them with my son. One of music's many wonders is its ability to not just tranform a particular time and space but to travel between them intact.

Hail, hail, rock n' roll.

[MORE]

Well kids, if its late July the geeks are convening in sunny Southern California.

That's right, its Comic-Con weekend in San Diego.  And while we at the 'Geek were able to secure press credentials for the mecca of all geekdom, due to timing issues we were unable to get there.

That doesn't mean we haven't enjoyed reading the press releases and marvelling at the missed opportunities (an interview with Pauly Shore?  Christopher Daniels?  Elvira?).

Discussions have been had.  Plans have been tentativised.  Next year kids.  Next year, we at the 'Geek will bring it to you first hand.

Until then we'll just have to do our part with this week's cheesecake.

Say hello to Lynda Carter, better known to a certain generation of American males as Wonder Woman.

Spinning her way into our homes and our collective consciousness in 1975, Ms. Carter came to epitomize the DC Comics Amazonian princess for decades.  Why, I still remember a summer vacation at my grandmother's house during which I read the local paper and it mentioned that Ms. Carter and Farrah Fawcett would appear on a new show called Battle of the Network Stars and they would both be wearing swimsuits.  I asked my dad if we could watch it that night.  He didn't hesitate to say yes.

Gread guy my dad.

Remind me to tell you the Risky Business story sometime.

But I digress.

Despite a recent costume change in the comics, Ms. Carter's iconic portrayal of Wonder Woman makes her our choice for cheesecake this week as we sit at our desks lamenting what might have been.

Next year.

Next year.

On to the links.

[MORE]

Remember The Max Rebo band from Return Of The Jedi?  Remember that song they play in the movie?  It's called "Lapti Nek"  Here is my version of the lyrics to that song... Port O Prince has got me I'm ridin around in your car I'm goin to Atascosita...yeah You think you're dead, but you better not move And the little man says He's a boner A boner he's got...yeah But keeps on saying yeah gaa gaa juuta juuta And a suffix one

[MORE]

Boys and girls, the dog days of summer are upon us.  

Its been a rough week in the world of Geek.  

First we lost Harvey Pekar.  The next day it was "The Boss," George Steinbrenner.  Note to all you celebrities out there, the rule of 3's is currently in play.  

The National League won an All-Star Game for the first time since 1996.  

And I discovered that IFC is rerunning Freaks and Geeks on Friday nights.  

That's good news kids.  

The much lauded cult show never really got a fair shake a decade ago when it was on NBC, but it served as the career launching pad for Judd Apatow, James Franco, Seth Rogen and Jason Segel among others.  

If you haven't seen the show, or want to see it again, tune in tonight for the episode entitled "Tricks and Treats."  Its my personal favorite.  

And speaking of Freaks and Geeks, that brings us to this week's cheesecake.  

Say hello to Linda Cardellini.  

She played the geek trying to become freak, Lindsey Weir, on Freaks and Geeks.  Watching her mathlete try to rebel against suburban Michigan (I'm looking at you Chris) norms formed the core of the series.  She went on to play Nurse Taggert on ER and Velma in theScooby-Doo movies.  

You always knew Velma was a freak didn't you?  

On to the links.

[MORE]

Dear Mr. Dell,

Your customer service sucks!

Wait. 

Let me back up a step.

For Christmas I was given the very generous gift of $1000 in Dell/Amex gift cards (5 x $200) by my mother-in-law.  I was thrilled and looked forward to using those certificates toward some items I had been researching, namely a digital SLR camera and a netbook, both of which are featured prominently on your company's website.

Before I got to the major purchases, I bought a GPS, an auxillary hard drive for backup purposes and a wireless mouse.  The total on these purchases was just over $200.  I put them in my shopping cart and tried to check out.  That's when I hit my first snag.  It seems that no matter which "coupon code" or "gift card" section of your check out process I tried to enter the number into, it wouldn't take.  Okay, that's annoying but workable.  I called your customer service number and was able to give the number to the associate over the phone.  The gift certificate was applied and I paid the balance.  No real problem to speak of.

A few weeks later, I found the DSLR camera I wanted to purchase on sale for $399.99 on your website.  I placed the camera in my cart and called customer service to give them the gift certificate numbers to pay for my purchase.  Remember, the certificates were for $200/each so I gave them $400.00.

After going through the order, and giving the CSR the gift certificate numbers I was told that he couldn't use the gift certificates because they totalled 1 cent more than the purchase price.  1 CENT!

To say I was incredulous would be an understatement.  I couldn't believe that a CSR for a multi-billion dollar company like Dell was unable to make a 1 cent adjustment on a $399.99 purchase, especially when it was an adjustment in Dell's FAVOR!

The CSR was unable to help me so I cancelled the order in frustration.

That's when I ran into a bigger/different hassle.

[MORE]

It was 1997 and I was standing in the Paris subway system.  I noticed posters for Faith No More on the walls at many of the stops.  The band had just released “Album Of The Year” and it would be their last studio effort until officially disbanding in 1999.  Upon further travels in Europe and after returning to the USA; I realized how loved this band is/was overseas rather than in their own home country.  FNM was way ahead of their time.  Ignorantly, they are ...

[MORE]