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BlogtorWho has delivered the delicious news that the new series of Doctor Who will begin in the US on April 17th, a mere two weeks after the UK airing (seems the Beeb has learned a bit about the futility of making the Yanks wait forever for new episodes…..)

Here is the trailer for the upcoming series, which is a sure-cure for any geek suffering from erectile dysfunction

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Three clever lads produced this slick little film that follows the scrolling text from Star Wars after it disappears from view. Enjoy!

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It doesn’t get any better than this. To promote Russell T. Davies‘ book Doctor Who: The Writer’s Tale, BBC Books is making several Doctor Who scripts available for download online.

Among the scripts available are both parts of The End of Time, The Waters of Mars, and one of my favorites, The Next Doctor. Follow this link to the download site.

[Major hat-tip to io9.com]

The Hughes Brothers‘ film Book of Eli revisits the dusty, well-worn roads of the post-apocalypse — a scifi setting so familiar it’s become cliché. But the movie manages to rise above the predictability of this sand-blasted hellscape by telling a captivating story populated by strong characters.

I’m sure you’ve figured out from the trailers that the book in question is none other than the King James Bible — I don’t think that constitutes a spoiler. The protagonist, Eli (we learn his name from a pre-apocalypse K-mart employee name tag), is trekking across the United States, prompted by a divine voice that instructs him to deliver the very last copy “out west”, where it will be kept safe.

Eli confronts several murderous, grimy road bandits along the way; dispatching them with elegantly choreographed swordplay (well, machete-play). The fight sequences are masterful, particularly one early in the film which is played in silhouette against the bright, scorching sun. In this, and in other ways I won’t mention, “Eli” is an homage to the Zatoichi films and TV shows from Japan.

Eli blows through one Deadwood-esque enclave which turns out to be under the thumb of a tinpot tyrant named Carnegie (Gary Oldman). Carnegie has been looking for the book — but not for spiritual sustenance. He wants it so he can impose a Nietzschean “slave” mentality on the desperate denizens of his empire.

Struggles ensue, and Eli manages to escape with Solara (Mila Kunis), a kind-hearted, illiterate prostitute who is intrigued by all the fuss surrounding Eli and his book. Carnegie and his minions give chase, of course, leading to a surprising and exciting third act.

I found the movie to be quite absorbing, which is interesting considering that I’m an avowed atheist and anti-religionist. While the film was certainly on the preachy side, it did include some fascinating ambiguities about the uses of literature and sacred texts — suggesting that morality ultimately resides in one’s character, not in the scriptures one recites. The “book” is used in the film to justify slaughter and oppression — indeed, it is why all the other copies were destroyed: people thought it had caused all the destruction. But it is also the foundation of Eli’s indefatigable strength, and it inspires his young protege.

The film is also a visual commentary on our economic condition, especially the value of things. There is one particularly arresting sequence of an unhinged woman cowering behind an overturned shopping cart, jealously guarding its meager contents — “lost in the supermarket” taken to a new level. There are other clever visual flourishes as well, including a weather-beaten poster from the cult classic A Boy and His Dog hanging in Eli’s cell while he is a guest of Carnegie.

The performances are all top-notch, especially that of beautiful young Mila Kunis, whose talent is far beyond what you might expect from her well-known roles on That 70′s Show and Family Guy. I must also salute the small but excellent performance of Tom Waits, who has never disappointed me in anything he has ever done (that includes his Tweets, by the way — they rise to poetry sometimes).

I’m sad to say that Brent Spiner has refuted the rumors that he’ll be appearing in upcoming episodes of Torchwood. Spiner made the following comment on his Twitter account (@BrentSpiner):

Now how about those Torchwood rumors, hmm?–I think I would’ve heard something about it. Haven’t.

Let’s hope that’s not a blanket denial — perhaps there’s still hope!

[Hat tip to io9.com]