This week’s pick is another salute to our WW II flyboys in Michael Caton-Jones’s Memphis Belle (1990).  The film stars Matthew Modine (Captain Dennis Dearborn, Pilot), Tate Donovan (1st Lt. Luke Sinclair, Co-Pilot), D.B. Sweeney, (Lt. Phil Lowenthal, Navigator), Billy Zane (Lt. Val Kozlowski, Bombardier), Top Turret Gunner), Eric Stoltz (Sgt. Danny “Danny Boy” Daly, Radio Operator), Sean Astin (Sgt. Richard “Rascal” Moore, and John Lithgow (Lt. Col. Bruce Derringer, an Army publicist writing a story on the crew of the Memphis Belle).

The film is set in the spring of 1943 where American B-17 heavy bombers of the 8th USAAF have been practicing daylight strategic bombing for almost a year against targets within Hitler’s Fortress Europe. The crew of one bomber the Memphis Belle, are the first ever crew to successfully complete their twenty-fifth and final bombing mission before they are allowed to rotate home for R&R.

The film opens where the crew of the Belle are grounded due to their plane under repairs after their last severe mission. As the twenty or so planes from the group arrive back, personnel on the ground can see the battle damage inflicted on the bombers due to enemy guns and shrapnel from air bursts over the target. The last returning bomber’s landing gear is damaged and the plane crash lands on the field. They can hear the men on board screaming as they are trying to get out and then the plane explodes. The men look on as fire and ambulance crews respond to the fiery wreak.

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With not even one season under its belt, SyFy has decided not to renew the struggling Battlestar Galactica prequel Caprica for a second season. Not only that, they will stop airing episodes immediately and the remaining five for this season will air sometime in 2011 and, you would imagine, be included on any eventual DVD release.

“We appreciate all the support that fans have shown for Caprica and are very proud of the producers, cast, writers and the rest of the amazing team that has been committed to this fine series,” said Mark Stern, Syfy’s EVP of original programming. “Unfortunately, despite its obvious quality, Caprica has not been able to build the audience necessary to justify a second season.”

Never a ratings hit, the show debuted with relatively low ratings at the beginning of the year and once it returned for the second half of the season, the ratings were even lower. In fact, the show had only 889,000 viewers and a 0.4 rating with adults 18-49 so speculation about cancellation began almost immediately. Now, that speculation is proven correct.

Even with the show’s cancellation, there’s still one bright spot for fans of the BSG Universe. As we mentioned previously, SyFy still has plans to go forward with at least a pilot for another BSG prequel called Blood and Chrome. This show, which will deal with a young Willliam Adama during the first Cylon war, will hopefully fare better than Caprica.

So long Caprica, we hardly knew you.

As a fan of the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica I’ve been giving the prequel series Caprica as much benefit of the doubt as I can. I’m not sure I’m completely in love with the show or that I just miss the actual BSG so much I’ll take pretty much anything as a substitute. Either way, I’m still watching.

Toniught sees an all-new episode on Syfy and to get you ready we’ve got three previews for the episode to share today. The episode, entitled “False Labor,” has this for a plotline according to our pals at Syfy:

A gloomy theme heats up as Graystone Industries provides an opportunity to never lose a loved one thanks to breakthrough technology. Others are staring down the same path as the deceased when held at gunpoint, and even still others are doing the gun-holding against another life-force. What the frak will they do?

What indeed? Check out all three clips after the jump. Caprica airs on Syfy tonight at 10/9C.

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As Hollywood secrets go, this one wasn’t really all that well kept. Many people know that Eric Stoltz was originally cast as Marty McFly in Back to the Future but after five weeks of shooting he just wasn’t working out.

So, in a rather unprecedented move at the time, director Robert Zemekis recast the role with Michael J. Fox and the rest, as they say, was history. Even at the time Zemekis thought Stoltz was a great actor but he just didn’t have the kind of comedic timing the director was looking for.

Now, with the help of the video we have for you today, you can judge for yourself if Zemekis made the right choice. In the video, which comes from the Blu-ray release of the Back to the Future trilogy, you an see Zemekis and Steven Spielberg talking about the decision.

But more importantly, you can see Stolz himself as Marty McFly. Take a look and tell us what you think. The Back to the Future Trilogy hits Blu-ray on October 26th.

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With the return of Caprica for season 1.5 fast approaching, it’s time for Syfy to start to publicize it. Of course, that means we’re going to have all kinds of videos and more to commemorate the event.

We’ll start things off with these two videos today. Both are from the first episode of the season entitled “Unvanquished” and both give us a great look at the episode and help remind us how nice it will be to have Caprica back on the air.

Now here’s some “PRspeak” which accompanies the videos to help get you excited: “The epic saga continues, transporting us from stunningly twisted Virtual realities to the fascinating outer worlds of the 12 Colonies. Revolutionary tensions rise, family power shifts, and our characters grapple with the physical and emotional consequences of their questionable decisions.”

Sounds good, right? I know it does to us. Check out both videos after the jump.

Caprica returns on Tuesday October 5th at 10/9C on Syfy.

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It’s nice that an entire network has decided to devote itself to the pursuit of Sci-Fi movies and TV programs. After all, before Syfy (previously known as Sci-Fi) we geeks had to seek our reruns of Star Trek and monster of the week movies elsewhere. Believe me, it was no easy task.

And finding anywhere that was running not one or two but several Sci-Fi TV series at the same time, forget about it. Fortunately, the Sci-Fi Channel changed all that and now, re-branded as just Syfy, they continue to push the envelope and bring us even more compelling content each and every year.

With that in mind we’ve got a new promo for you today highlighting all the upcoming Fall shows new or returning to Syfy. Among them you’ll see fan favorites Caprica, Sanctuary, Ghost Hunters and Stargate: Universe and some new shows you’ve probably not heard about yet.

Check out the promo after the jump. Syfy will start airing these new and returning programs in the Fall. In other words, pretty darn soon. Enjoy.

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The Syfy Network has confirmed that Caprica will return on October 5, three months earlier than originally planned. Previously, it was announced that season 1.5 of the Battlestar Galactica spinoff would not air until January of 2011, which really didn’t make much sense.

In its new timeslot, Caprica will air following new episodes of Stargate Universe, which makes a heck of a lot more sense considering they are both Sci-Fi shows and Stargate is a great lead in. Syfy EVP Mark Stern obviously agrees.

“Though we initially announced the January return of Caprica, we still had hopes of finding a way to get the series back on the air sooner,” said Stern. “We’ve been able to successfully re-work our schedule, and are thrilled to bring the show back during what is traditionally Syfy’s most-watched time of the year.”

Sadly, while this is good new for fans of the series, the fact that no decision has been made on a second season for the show makes this news not quite as good as it could be. It seems Syfy is trying to give the show a chance by moving the premiere earlier but will most certainly be watching the ratings carefully to see if a second season is warranted.

So, if you’re a fan of the show and want to see it come back for a second season, you had better encourage everyone you know to watch the show when it comes back.

At first when Caprica, the prequel to the awesome Battlestar Galactica, was announced I have to admit I was a bit skeptical. I was (and am) such a big fan of BSG that any other show, especially one that didn’t involve my favorite characters and a war with the cylons, just seemed like a pale imitation of the original.

However, once I learned more about Caprica and then began to watch and enjoy it, I realized it was a great show on its own and I have since become a big fan. With the first part of season one already aired, Syfy is finally bringing back the second part and will begin airing new episodes in January.

No specific date has been set for the premiere but if you happen to be at Comic-Con this week, Syfy will be debuting a brand new trailer for season 1.5 on Friday, July 23rd. We will, of course, bring you that trailer as soon as we can. It will also be available on the Zune Marketplace on XBox Live on June 26th.

For more info, click through to read the entire press release from Syfy. So say we all!

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Since Battlestar Galactica ended, fans of that world and characters have had to content themselves with watching the show on DVD or by watching the BSG prequel show Caprica. That show started strong but then floundered for a time finally hitting its stride over the last few weeks with some truly excellent episodes. Obviously, the quality of these recent episodes has paid off as the rating for the show have improved as well.

Now, the mid-season finale is upon us and to give you an idea of what’s going to happen, the folks at Syfy have sent us a little preview. Of course, we’re going to share it with you. Here’s what to expect from tonight’s episode, entitled “End of Line”, directly from Syfy:

Daniel (Eric Stoltz) finally sets a deadline for resetting the U-87 Cylon – and unknowingly ending Zoe-A’s (Alessandra Torresani) existence as she knows it – she makes a desperate attempt to save herself. But when her plan backfires, she finds herself out of time and out of options. Furious with a recent comeuppance, Barnabas (James Marsters) ignites his feud with Clarice (Polly Walker) into an all-out war. Trapped in the middle is Lacy (Magda Apanowicz), who is forced to make a decision she may regret forever. Daniel makes a confession to an already reeling Amanda (Paula Malcomson) that sends her over the edge.

Mmmm, sounds very interesting. Can’t wait. Check out this preview of tonight’s mid-season finale after the jump. Caprica airs tonight at 9/8C on Syfy

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Okay, I’ll admit it. At first, I wasn’t exactly sure what to make of Syfy’s spin-off of Battlestar Galactica, otherwise known as Caprica. The pilot was good but once the show got going, it kinda took a down turn. I know it’s probably blasphemy to say this and it’s probably mostly due to my love of BSG that Caprica seemed to pale in comparison. But now, thank the Gods, this show has found its way and had vastly improved to be one of the best shows on TV.

To get you ready for tonight’s all new episode entitled “The Imperfections of Memory,” our friends at Syfy have given us a promo for the episode and we are, of course, sharing it with you right now. Also, because we care, we’ve also included a recap of last week’s episode “Know Thy Enemy” to help set the stage for tonight.

Also, before I forget, I need to mention that Syfy is hosting a Caprica mini-marathon today, starting at 2PM EST, beginning with the Pilot and airing all subsequent episode suntil the new one premieres tonight. Is that cool, or what? Now you can see the progression of the show from the beginning and gain a greater appreciation of how much the show has improved.

Check out both videos after the jump. The brand new episode of Caprica airs tonight at 9/8C on Syfy.

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After long month of waiting since the news first broke, tonight fans of Buffy and Angel finally get their wish as James Marsters makes his debut on Caprica. Taking on the role of terrorist Barnabus Greely, Marsters will bring the crazy and definitely up the tension even more on this great show.

In the clip we’re introduced to Greely and from the first moment we know he’s not messing around. He’s here to make a difference and will do whatever it takes to get what he wants. It’s great to see Marsters, one of my favorite characters from Buffy and Angel, become a part of my favorite new Sci-Fi show. Now, all things are as they should be.

Check out the preview for tonight’s episode after the break. Caprica airs at 9/8C on Syfy.

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Much like we’ve done in the past, we’ve got another preview of this week’s episode of Syfy’s original series Caprica. The episode, entitled ‘There Is Another Sky,” features the elder Adama (Esai Morales) reaching out to his son as he goes deeper into the underworld his uncle inhabits.

Plus, Adama’s daughter finds new power in the virtual world created by Greystone (Eric Stoltz) and learns things in the virtual world may not be what they seem. Even with its somewhat slow start, this series continues to grow on me and be more and more interesting each week.

I know it’s not Battlestar Galactica and it never will be. But maybe that doesn’t really matter after all.

Check out the preview after the jump. Caprica airs Fridays on Syfy at 9/8C.

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