The Sci Fi Web: There’s a lot of great sci fi/fantasy web series out there that too many genre fans don’t know about. This column is dedicated to filling you in on what you are missing. Currently, we are focusing on the winners and nominees from the 1st Annual IAWTV Awards.

Cell: The Web Series

Web Series (One Season of 13 Episodes Completed)
Credits: Mark Gardner (Creator/Writer/Director), Danny Cameron (Brian), Jourdan Gibson (Woman), Kevin McCarthy (Man)
IAWTV Nominee: Best Drama Web Series, Best Writing (Drama), Best Female Performance (Drama), Best Male Performance (Drama), Best Cinematography, Best Original Music

Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars (Highest Rating)

Synopsis: This Prisoner-esque series begins with a man named Brian waking up in a cell, but not knowing why he is there. He screams to be released before he discovers that another person is in the neighboring cell; a woman who claims she does not remember her name and she warns Brian to keep his temper under control. A man then shows up, we do not get his name, and proceeds to punish Brian for his misbehavior with an electric cattle-prod and other means. The man tells the woman that it is her job to teach Brian and keep him in line and from there follows a progression of humiliations to break the will and identity of both the inmates in an at times nightmare setting.

Review/Commentary: This production delivers a series in the vein of The Prisoner and Lost, though in much tighter quarters, giving us engaging drama, confounding mysteries, and an emerging mythology, and accomplishes all that on a single set with no more than three actors (until the final episode at least) and practically no special effects. And while this is definitely a small, intimate, claustrophobic story, it also has plenty of hints toward a grander tale much like what played out on Lost.

The synopsis above basically gives you the set up for the series, but you’ll want no more information than that going in because this tale does not follow the direction you would expect and delivers several shockers. And it also gives us some intense, riveting, drama. There were times that I found myself just staring wide-eyed at the screen with my jaws agape because I was so astounded by the events transpiring. The series runs thirteen episodes of around eight to twelve minutes each (some shorter and the finale goes twenty minutes) and I sat through it all in almost one sitting because I found myself so engrossed. It reminded me of the way I reacted to the early episodes of Lost, amazed by the subtlety and complexity that the writers weaved into the stories. I should note that the acting falls short in a few places and the series kind of drags in the middle, though count those only as nitpicks. For the most part the actors do an excellent job and the few stumbles barely detract from the overall excellence of the production. And Cell definitely manages to outshine much of the more “professional” work we see on television and delivers a much more challenging viewing experience.

Mark Gardner, who has some professional, work on his resume, created, wrote, and directed the series, and I would definitely count him as an emerging talent. And this series has received several awards and many accolades since it first came out last year. It recently received quite a number of nominations (six total) from the IAWTV awards, but unfortunately no wins, which I consider a travesty. While the other web productions that took away multiple awards like RCVR (more about that one at this link) and Aidan 5 have their merits, I consider Cell one of the best productions that I have encountered on the web and this is the one that should have walked away with multiple trophies. Still, the nominations alone speak to the show’s accomplishments and will hopefully bring more attention to Cell: The Web Series and help it move forward with production of its second season.

Links/More Information: Another area where this series succeeds is its website. So many web series out there have barely adequate websites at best and quite a few have next to nothing in the way of a homepage making it difficult to figure out where to view the videos and which one to start with. Not so with Cell: The Web Series. This show’s site (link below) gives you everything you need. It provides a brief description of the show, gives information on the cast and crew, links to reviews, and more. And most importantly, you can watch all thirteen episodes from this site. More web productions should follow Cell’s example and set up a similar, easy to navigate, all-encompassing page like this. You can also watch the entire series on YouTube, if you prefer, at the link below.

Visit the Cell Homepage at this link.

Watch Cell on You Tube starting from episode 1 at this link.

Watch the Trailer:

The Sci Fi Web: There’s a lot of great sci fi/fantasy web series out there that too many genre fans don’t know about. This column is dedicated to filling you in on what you are missing. Currently, we are focusing on the winners and nominees from the 1st Annual IAWTV Awards.

RCVR
Web Series (One Season of Six Episodes Completed)
Credits: David Van Eyssen – Creator/Director, Daniel Bonjour (Weber), Lexi DiBenedetto (Charlene)
Winner IAWTV Awards: Best Drama Web Series, Best Male Performance (Drama), Best Cinematography.  Also Nominated for Best Writing (Drama), Best Directing (Drama), Best Design (Art Direction/Production), Best Makeup/Special Effects, Best Visual Effects (Digital), Best Editing, Best Web Site Design

Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Synopsis: Taking place in 1974, a mysterious organization known as SIGMA investigates UFO sightings and alien contact and tries to convince people who have had these experiences that extraterrestrial beings are not involved. The agents of this organization, though, are actually looking for people known as RCVRs, humans who receive knowledge from alien intelligence that results in huge leaps in the human race’s technical skills.

Commentary: This 2011 web series snagged the Best Drama Web Series category at the recent IAWTV Awards, and I can see why as it has first rate production values (it also won Best Cinematography), decent special effects, and good acting as well (picking up the Best Male Performance Drama award). Think of it as somewhat of a retro-X-Files, but with Mulder and Scully demonstrating a more sinister intent (at least based on what we saw from the first season). The six episodes from Season 1 (which average about seven to eight minutes each) set up the premise and establish the main characters and the central mystery driving the story. And Van Eyssen’s very professional directing helps propel the series forward so that it never wanders or goes astray. It does fall a bit short of fully exploring its potential during its first season, but that effectively just leaves the viewer eager for the story to continue with a second set of episodes.

RCVR is an ambitious, transmedia property that also offers a conspiracy-laden Twitter account and blog (lings below) where the fictional Alvin J. Peters is tracking the government cover-up of the people who have had contact with alien beings. And Van Eyssen has visions of this branching out to a TV series and possibly a movie as well. And currently the web series has something that few other similar productions can boast: a corporate sponsor in Motorola. I’m not certain how much they contributed to the funding of the project, but they can definitely help this one get some good exposure, and with the show grabbing some big wins (and a ton of nominations) at the IAWTV Awards, a second season seems almost assured.

RCVR shows the potential of the web series format and it makes good use of supplemental content on the web to help build up its mythology. It is definitely worth checking out for all sci fi fans whether they are new to web series or well-seasoned with the format.

Links/More Information:

You can begin watching the series from episode 1 on YouTube at this link.

You can watch the entire first season in one video (46 min) on YouTube at this link.

Browse through the Sigma Agency mock website at this link.

Visit the ProjectRCVR website where Alvin J. Peters provides more info on the government conspiracy at this link.

Follow Alvin J. Peters’ Twitter site at this link.

Read an interview with series creator David Van Eyssen at AssignmentX.com at this link.

Trailer for RCVR:

Sci Fi Ramblings

By John J. Joex

The sixth episode of Pioneer One is now available online and for download (and it’s actually been there for a month–sorry, I’m behind) and this wraps up Season 1 of the acclaimed web series. For those not familiar with the series, it comes to us from creators Josh Bernhard and Bracey Smith and delivers a speculative fiction tale about a man who returns to Earth in a Russian spaceship and who was allegedly the child of two Soviet astronauts sent to Mars in a secretive mission during the 1980’s. The story has unfolded across six episodes that range in length from thirty to forty five minutes and has focused on the investigation run by two Homeland Security agents to unlock all of the mysteries surrounding the crash-landing of the ship and its sole occupant. The series received extensive support from the sci fi fan community in the way of donations to fund the project and has received high praise from critics and fans alike and has also been nominated for several awards (it won 2010 Best Drama Pilot at the New York Television Festival and was nominated for Best Drama at the 2011 The International Academy of Web Television Awards).

I have to admit that I was a bit deflated by the final episode because it did not provide the resolution that I expected but instead set up the show for its second season. In retrospect, though, the direction that Bernhard and Smith took with the series finale makes perfect sense and it’s the same as you would expect from a series airing on television. And after my initial disappointment, I have to admit that the episode has since sat well with me and I want to go back and re-watch the full first season now.

In episode six (WARNING: Spoilers to follow, skip this paragraph to avoid), a group of mercenaries, allegedly hired by the Russians, breaks into the base and abducts Yuri. One of the key personnel involved in the project is killed during this attack, and the blame for that death and the loss of Yuri falls on Tom Taylor’s shoulders. He is pushed to address a press conference supporting the officially sanctioned terrorist explanation of the crash of the spaceship and mentions nothing about the possible Mars connection. Taylor then resigns and faces a committee to determine if he will be held criminally liable for his actions. He is acquitted (with a friend pulling strings to help him out), but knows that he still wants to find out the truth. He then seeks out Dr. Walzem and convinces the professor to go with him to Russia to track down Yuri.

I consider Pioneer One to be a triumph of independent film-making and a clear indication that the web truly offers a new range of options for episodic sci fi productions. The story is quite excellent, a rare piece of thought-provoking speculative fiction, and definitely hit a nerve with the sci fi community as Pioneer One would likely not have made it through six full episodes without their donations. And the production values for the series are excellent considering the budget it was produced on (I believe the full six episodes cost less than $100 thousand, a fraction of the cost of a single episode of a network or cable production). Of course the series had little in the way of special effects and it was rougher around the edges early on, but it made significant leaps forward with each episode and I believe that it delivered a much more satisfying viewing experience than the mediocre sci fi entries the networks have thrown at us of late, such as FOX’s recent mega-dollar misfire Terra Nova.

The question at this point is whether Pioneer One, or other shows like it, can continue on for multiple seasons in their current format. I have watched quite a number of web series that have produced great first seasons but then nothing after that because the funding and/or motivation just isn’t there. Creators tend to get invigorated by an idea and find it in themselves to produce an initial run for a series, but they typically exhaust their resources and/or burn out by the time they have that completed. And currently there is just not a good model for them to recoup the costs of an independently produced web series. Even those that run adds during the episodes do not get much back in the way of revenue from what I have been hearing. And while the Pioneer One guys have been able to fund their project mostly through donations, that covers just the expenses and does not compensate them (or the cast and crew) for the hard work they put into the production. And how long before the donation well dries up?

That said, I do believe that Pioneer One has a better chance of soldiering on than some other web series that I have encountered because Bernhard and Smith have demonstrated commitment and perseverance with this project. And perhaps one of the cable networks will pick up season one and give it some exposure or maybe a DVD release could reap some financial rewards for them as well. And I would definitely like to see this one continue. It has delivered some rare, intelligent science fiction and deserves the chance to unlock its full story.

Go to the Pioneer One Website to Watch and/or Download Episodes and to Get More Information About the Web Series

Our ongoing series covering web-based productions in the Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror genres. If you have a recommendation for a web original that we should look at, contact us at mail@axiomsedge-scifi.com.

By John J. Joex

Rating (After Judgment and Before Judgment): 3 ½ out of 5 Stars

After Judgment is a web series created, written, and directed by Mike Davies Jr. that follows a small band of people who have survived Judgment Day. And Before Judgment is the prequel series that gives us some glimpses at what happened right before and after Judgment Day and sets up some of the storylines for the main characters in After Judgment.

The first series begins 100 years after the pivotal event with only a handful of people having survived and finding themselves living in a world where the sun never sets. We find that on Judgment Day, the vast majority of the human population, including all of the children, walked toward the nearest body of water and vanished. Many still survived and the world broke out into rioting, but then the “Trainers” (men dressed in black) appeared and took away a large number of the remaining people to concentration camps of some sort (never revealed in the series). A small number of people remained, whom the Trainers just ignored, and these people did not age and could not die (nor would they bleed). They began to live aimless lives in the ruins of civilization with no purpose or meaning left to drive them. But then, 100 years after Judgment, an ex-priest named Steve (and don’t call him Father) spots a child then later sees Trainers (who had disappeared for many years) carry off a woman. This prompts him to gather together several survivors (the ubiquitous “rag-tag” group) to find the child and see if some major change has occurred in this post-Judgment Day world.

This may seem like more of a religious oriented story, but it is described as a sci fi web-series and does approach its subject in a manner more akin to that genre. After Judgment has the feel of a post-apocalypse science fiction story while Before Judgment works in multiple conspiracy-type elements with neither series having much in the way of religious overtones. Despite that, the story seems to be pointing toward a Biblical explanation, so I’m not certain how they will eventually reconcile that with its sci fi elements.

Even though Before Judgment sets up some of the pre-story for After Judgment, you will want to watch the later series first as it was filmed first and the prequel does not make as much sense if you do not already know the characters and storylines that the first (produced) series covers. And while you will want to start with After Judgment, you may find the viewing experience a bit frustrating at first. This one picks up about midway into the story and then starts to backtrack, covering the same territory more than once. It definitely would benefit from some better editing, and perhaps the movie version that Davies is working on will rectify that issue. And I have to admit that I was wavering on whether I really liked the web-series throughout all sixteen episode of After Judgment. It wasn’t until the prequel series that I really started to warm up to the story as a whole. The post- Judgment side of the story had too many obfuscations and unanswered questions, and I also had a hard time buying into the fact that a full hundred years had passed, though perhaps the survivors were in a daze of sorts most of that time (but then how did all those pizza fix’ns survive that long?). The pre-Judgment side of the story started to fill in the blanks on some of the questions and also suggested the possibility of more of a science fiction rather than religious explanation to the events that devastated the world.

This is a bit of a spoiler, but the series leaves us on a pretty big cliffhanger. Episode sixteen of After Judgment brings our band of survivors to the brink of an explanation, but then Davies went back and started work on Before Judgment. And he apparently ended that one in 2010 with nothing new since. There is a comment on the show’s website that he is working on editing a movie version which combines both web series and gives us an alternate “ending”. But he final episode of After Judgment didn’t come close to answering all the mysteries running throughout that series and I would expect another series about the same length as the first to provide us with anything close to a satisfying resolution. Whether we can expect that, or even the promised movie version, is uncertain.

I did enjoy the series, though, even if it took me a while to get a good feel for it, and would very much like to see a continuation that will delve further into all of the mysteries and plotlines introduced. The episodes run about three minutes each (not including the credits) and you can get through both series (sixteen eps for After Judgment and 12 for Before Judgment) in about an hour and a half. It’s not really the best place to start if you are new to web series, but if you are a veteran of the format and like a good post-apocalypse/conspiracy tale, you should enjoy this one.  Just be warned that this one seems a bit unapproachable at first and it will definitely leave you asking for more. You can watch all episodes of After Judgment and Before Judgment at the show’s website.

SciFinal.com – Offering a comprehensive directory of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Web Series with over 200 listings.

Our ongoing series covering web-based productions in the Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror genres. If you have a recommendation for a web original that we should look at, contact us at mail@axiomsedge-scifi.com.

By John J. Joex

The Mercury Men

Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars

The Mercury Men is a retro-sci fi web series written and directed by Chris Preska that harkens back to the old serials from the 30’s, 40’s, and 50’s. It began as a short concept film that was featured at the 2008 San Diego Comic Con and since that time Preska has expanded it into a full ten episode series (of about six to eight minutes per episode) that Syfy has chosen to feature on their website. Preska made the entire series for a budget of about seven thousand dollars, though I’m not quite sure if Syfy leant any financing to that or not.

The series focuses on dour government worker Edward Borman (played by Mark Tierno) who finds himself thrust in the middle of a plot by the Mercury Men (beings of pure light from the planet Mercury) to pull the Moon into the Earth and destroy the human race. It seems that these beings see humanity as a threat and believe the best way to deal with this danger is to wipe us out of existence. Borman finds himself drafted into action against the Mercury Men by Jack Yaeger of “The League” (played by Curt Wootton) as these beings attempt to plant their nefarious gravity engine in the City Building to draw the Moon into the Earth.

If that all sounds rather hokey, it is, and that’s part of the charm of this series. It throws in plenty of camp fun, just like the serials of old, even if its story does get a bit muddled at times and suffers from plenty of leaps of logic and plot holes. But where this series succeeds is the look and feel that it creates with its stylized throwback visuals. It’s filmed in black and white, lending to its movie serial homage, and throws in plenty of retro-future technology for good measure. And the special effects are actually quite good, much better that you would expect from a web series made on such an economical budget

Unfortunately, its camp appeal seems to work against it as often as not with many attempts at humor or winks to the audience seeming to fall flat. And while both Tierno and Wootton are likeable and seem to fit their roles, too often they vacillate between over-the-top and wooden acting (these two also appeared in Preska’s previous web series Captain Blasto–see below–where I thought they delivered more solid performances). Plus, despite emulating the action-packed old movie serials, Mercury Men can be slow and plodding at times with several scenes drawn out way too long.

But I will go easy on some of this, because conceptually the series works and it has potential. This first ten-part serial may suffer from occasional flawed execution, but I stayed with it through to the end and look forward to more adventures of Jack Yaeger, Ed Borman, and Dr. Tomorrow’s League. Call this a trial run for the concept and a chance to work out the kinks. And Preska definitely has his sights on a second season as well as comics and other possible venues for his story, so I’m hoping the exposure he gets from Syfy will allow him to run with this and unlock potential beneath the surface of this web series.  You can watch the full series at Syfy.com and get more information at the show’s website.

SciFinal.com – Offering a comprehensive directory of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Web Series with over 200 listings.
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Captain Blasto

Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars

Before Chris Preska did The Mercury Men, he cut his teeth in the world of web series with Captain Blasto. This series focuses on “high school outcast” Colin Carter who decides to get some recognition by dressing himself up as his favorite superhero (Captain Blasto of the title) and fabricating a group of villains to fight. He bands together a group of disillusioned nobodies (much like himself) and convinces them to stage mock robberies which he will thwart while dressed as Captain Blasto. At first these heists barely garner much attention, so they decide to invent a supervillain to lead the robbers whom they name Professor Fandango. Things take a bad turn for Colin, though, when the man playing Fandango decides he doesn’t like the game plan and wants to start staging real crimes.

I found this an enjoyable tale, though nothing that really breaks much in the way of new ground. It’s in a similar vein to the recent sub-genre of stories about normal people acting out superhero fantasies which movies like Kick-Ass, Defendor, Special, and the recently released Super have covered. And this one goes more for comedy than those films do, but it does shift to a bit more of a dramatic tone at the end. I wouldn’t say that Captain Blasto handles this concept any better than those other movies do, but it does add its own little twist.

This web series does push our suspension of disbelief pretty far at times as I have a hard time accepting that people would buy into any of the early heists as real. But that does play to the comic book fantasy world that the series tries to overlay on top of the real world. Captain Blasto also has a retro feel to it, like it takes place in an earlier era (the 60’s or 70’s), but multiple modern-day references play against that and are disconcerting at times. Still, both that comic book reality and the retro feel lends to the fantasy world that the characters try to live out through their capers.

The performances are all quite good with Mark Tierno (who has a supporting role as one of the robbers) and Curt Wootton (Professor Fandango) delivering much more even performances than what we saw from them in The Mercury Men. While I would not quite rank this in the upper echelon of web series, I found it enjoyable and would recommend it to those who might be interested in this “superheroes meet the real world” type of tale.  You can watch the entire series and get more information at the show’s website.

Our ongoing series covering web-based productions in the Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror genres. If you have a recommendation for a web original that we should look at, contact us at mail@axiomsedge-scifi.com.

By John J. Joex

The Hunt for Gollum

Rating: 4 ½ out of 5 Stars

The Hunt for Gollum is a semi-pro fan film that expands on the events from J.R.R. Tolkien’s first Lord of the Rings book, The Fellowship of the Rings. The story itself comes from the appendices of LotR and follows Gandalf’s and Strider’s attempt to track down Gollum before he can divulge the location of the One Ring to Sauron. The events take place between time of Bilbo’s 111th birthday (after which he gives Frodo the ring) and the time in which Frodo leaves the Shire. This actually spanned seventeen years in the book, but Peter Jackson’s film condensed that timeframe considerably to keep the action moving.

When seeing this referred to as a fan film above, probably many people will dismiss it as a cosplay affair with SCA members acting out their favorite parts from LotR. But that’s quite far from the actual product delivered by producer/director Chris Bouchard. Instead, on a paltry budget of around $5,000, this short film (38 minutes in length) actually (and amazingly) stands up quite well next Peter Jackson’s multi-million dollar productions. I believe that Bouchard borrowed some footage from the Jackson films, though I’m not quite certain on that. If not, then he has some incredibly impressive CGI and filmography here that very much captures the same look and feel of the Jackson feature film productions. The makeup and costume artists (as well as prop people) also did a fantastic job of recreating the orcs here, making them look like they just stepped off the set of the Jackson movies. This film also does an excellent job of capturing the Middle Earth setting, substituting location shooting in North Wales, Epping Forest, and Hampstead Heath quite well for the picturesque New Zealand locales Jackson used. And Hunt for Gollum is not just a triumph of style, it also has superior acting and a good script to carry it as well. Adrian Webster steps in as Strider and Patrick O’Connor takes up the mantle of Gandalf. Each has a similar appearance to the more famous actors that played the roles, but they both make their own mark with the characters as well.

I personally find it just astounding that Bouchard and his crew could have made such a professional-looking film on only $5,000, though I’m sure all involved worked gratis and the expenses only involved the equipment, props, costumes, etc. Still, even at that, it is impressive. And seeing as there are so many more stories to tell from Middle Earth, it makes sense that more films like this should follow. Bouchard made this as an unofficial and unauthorized not-for-profit endeavor, though he did apparently also work out an agreement with the Tolkien estate. The film first premiered at Sci-Fi-London film festival and has since been viewed on the internet millions of times. It would probably sell quite well if released on DVD, and additional installments would likely prove profitable even if the budget was fully loaded with the salaries of the cast and crew.  It seems like the Tolkien estate and New Line Films (the company that holds the movie rights to LotR) could work out something.  And Chris Bouchard definitely shows a great degree of talent here that should be tapped into for more films like this, if not other genre productions.  You can watch The Hunt for Gollum at this link.

SciFinal.com – Offering a comprehensive directory of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Web Series with over 200 listings.
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Batman Dead End

Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Batman: Dead End is a 2003 short fan film directed by Sandy Collora which stars the title character and pits him against his arch nemesis the Joker as well as the aliens from the Alien and Predator films. Collora is actually an industry professional who has worked behind the scenes since the 80’s starting with Stan Winston studios. And in 2009 he upped his game as he directed and co-wrote the sci fi indie feature film Hunter Prey (you can read my review of that one at this link). But several years before that, Collora did Batman: Dead End as a “proof of concept” film on a budget of $30,000, and it’s an entertaining piece that does a good job of throwing together several genre icons in its short, eight minute running time. It avoids that fanboy geek-gasm feel that you would expect from such a production that might come from a wannabe amateur filmmaker. That’s likely partially due to Collora’s professionalism, as he spent years in the business behind the scenes before attempting this. But you also have to give credit to Collora’s talent as a director, which he has demonstrated quite well with Hunter Prey. Batman: Dead End does have some cheesiness about it as actor Clark Bartram seems a bit to chiseled for the role and his costume harkens back more to the 60’s TV series than the versions from Tim Burton or Christopher Nolan (but then again, there’s no nipples on body armor here like the Joel Schumacher version). And as a plus, the performance by the late Andrew Koenig (son of Walter Koenig and best known for his role as Boner on the sitcom Growing Pains) as the Joker eerily foreshadows Heath Ledger’s infamous final role in The Dark Knight.

This one is definitely worth checking out whether you are a Batman fan, or just curious. Kevin Smith (of Jay and Silent Bob fame) has even referred to it as “possibly the truest, best Batman movie ever made”. Collora also did a mock trailer for a World’s Finest film in which Superman and Batman finally meet onscreen. That one’s even cheesier and not quite as enjoyable as Batman: Dead End, but still worth a look.  You can download the film at this link and you can download World’s Finest at this link.

Our ongoing series covering web-based productions in the Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror genres. If you have a recommendation for a web original that we should look at, contact us at mail@axiomsedge-scifi.com.

By John J. Joex

Press Start Adventures

Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

This fun little animated web series gives us a parody of video games and gaming in general and fills in some of the backstory to the Press Start live action movie. I was not aware of the movie when I started watching the web series but it intrigued me enough to seek out that indy direct-to-DVD release now that I have watched the first season. This collection of animated shorts (about two to three minutes per episode) introduces us to all of the good and evil characters of this video game world that is apparently explored further in the movie. The first season consists of fourteen episodes, of which the earlier ones are mostly stand alone vignettes while the later ones start to set up the confrontation with the main bad guy of the series, Count Vile.

It’s all good fun and provides great viewing for video game and animation fans. I have to admit that I’m not much of a gamer these days, so some of the parody aimed at (relatively) more recent games like Tomb Raider and Halo and others went right over my head. But there’s plenty of in jokes referencing back to the 16-bit and 8-bit games that will generate a chuckle or more from old-timers like myself (they even go all the way back to Pong). The action and humor comes at a breakneck pace (just like a video game), so you are sure to miss as many things as you get, but that makes it that much more enjoyable to go back and watch this one a second time. Note that the animation in the first season is rather crude, but no more so than your average South Park episode, and I actually find this show more enjoyable. And from what I have sampled from the later seasons (they are into their third now), it does seem to have tightened up.

A second live action movie is supposed to come out this year (it’s currently advertised on their website), so after watching these webisodes and checking out the first movie, you may want to keep an eye out for that as well. But the web series is definitely worth a look and it will not take you long to get through each season seeing as the episodes rarely go past three minutes. You can watch all three seasons at the show’s website and you can buy the first Press Start movie from Amazon.com.

SciFinal.com – Offering a comprehensive directory of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Web Series with over 200 listings.
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Bumps in the Night

Rating: 3 ½ out of 5 Stars

Okay, so Syfy’s Ghost Hunters is now in its seventh season or so, right? And its spinoff series Ghost Hunters International has put away something like three seasons as well. And then there’s any of a number of other “reality” shows along this line with paranormal investigators trying to get proof on camera of things like ghosts and spirits and poltergeists and what have you. And have we seen anything that makes us believe any of this yet? Any evidence in the least bit concrete to back up claims of paranormal activity? Didn’t think so. And that’s where the web series Bumps in the Night comes in (tagline “Real Evidence of the Paranormal Almost Caught on Camera”).

This one is a mockumentary of sorts following three guys who decide to go into business as paranormal investigators and form the North Hollywood Ghost Strike Team (NOGHOST). Only problem is they couldn’t make any money so they had to take a side job working for their friend’s uncle as pool cleaners, something they’re not very competent at. But lo and behold, they get a call to clean a pool that just may have a ghost haunting it. And our ghost hunters jump at the chance to get this apparition on camera and then . . . beat its face in!

That’s the set up for the first season of Bumps in the Night and it does a pretty good job of pointing out how ridiculous shows like Ghost Hunters really are seeing as they have gone on so long but have yet to provide any real proof of the existence of the paranormal phenomena that is their raison d’etre. This web series has pretty low production values, but then it’s supposed to be filmed by a group of amateurs so they manage to devise an excuse for their own low budget. It doesn’t have too many laugh out loud moments, but it is consistently amusing and worth a look. The first season runs only four episodes of about six to eight minutes each, so you can work your way through it pretty quick. And if you like what you see, they have completed a second season which spans eight episodes.  You can watch it all and read more about the series, cast, and crew at the show’s website.

Our ongoing series covering web-based productions in the Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror genres. If you have a recommendation for a web original that we should look at, contact us at mail@axiomsedge-scifi.com.

By John J. Joex

Suck and Moan

Rating: 4 ½ out of 5 Stars

In the Suck and Moan web series, two sub-genres collide (vampires and zombies) with hilarious results. The vampires in the series look like normal people who have integrated themselves into our society while keeping their true nature a secret so that they can go about feeding on humans unhindered. The zombies have arrived as the results of a pandemic (though some argue it is not a pandemic and that it is actually hardly worse than the Black Death of the Middle Ages), and their rampage threatens to curtail the food source of the vampires. Oh, and one of the vampires attempted to feed on a zombie (not realizing what it was) and now appears to be infected. But how exactly does zombieism affect the immortal undead?

This fun series takes great delight in skewering both the vampire and zombie genres, and it does so with high doses of wit, demonstrating both brains and a bite with its humor (sorry, couldn’t resist). It focuses mostly on a group of vampires (actually, a support group of the bloodsuckers) as they try to decide the best way to deal with the situation at hand. They debate on what parts of zombie lore from the many movies they have seen are true (seeing as they didn’t realize zombies could exist to begin with), then they start debating on what other supernatural creatures are real as well. And the series jumps around from one hilariously deadpan conversation to the next (taking many stabs at the Twilight style vampires) while also mixing in bits of action as the vampires work on thinning out the zombie hoards.  And whereas some comedy webseries (or network sitcoms or big screen movies for that matter) have few laugh out loud lines, this one just keeps them coming with plenty of ringers in each episode (which run about four to five minutes).

The series has some pretty cheesy special effects and the acting comes up short from time to time, but it’s still first rate for a web series and actually I would rather watch this than quite a number of the “professional” offerings the networks regularly throw at us (especially most of the sitcoms they have given us of late). Vampire and zombie fans alike should enjoy Suck and Moan and pretty much anybody who enjoys a well written, wry comedy series will like it as well. They have completed eight episodes so far with the ninth due out soon.  You can watch the entire series and read more about the show at its website.

SciFinal.com – Offering a comprehensive directory of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Web Series with over 200 listings.
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Tights and Fights: Ashes

Rating: 3 ½ out of 5 Stars

Tights and Fights: Ashes is a superhero web series made up of a succession of video blog entries and confessionals by a number of superheroes and supervillains who are not really quite as super as the characters that we are used to seeing in the pages of comic books. I started to watch this series and then found out that it is actually a sequel web series to Tights and Fights: Captain Euchre that first came out back in 2007 and ran through 2008. Ashes picks up where that one left off and adds some new characters. The superhero Captain Euchre has disappeared (the details of that were covered in the previous series) which has caused problems for the supergroup he once lead known as Ronin Force. Also departing from that group are Dynagirl who is now in a mental institution and Major Faultline who got kicked out because he spent time in prison (he claims he was framed). Now, Leopard Woman (Faultline’s wife) has taken up as the “acting director” of Ronin Force and is trying to recruit new members to go out and find Euchre. Meanwhile, the super villain the Evil Trojan Borscht is trying to discover the truth of his identity (he has lost his memory and this ties back to the first series) and why exactly he has absconded with a nuclear missile.

Tights and Fights: Ashes is a silly little web series that doesn’t do anything that Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog didn’t already do and doesn’t add too much to the many other parodies of superheroes that we have seen in comics, in the movies, and on television (where FOX’s short-lived, live action The Tick still has few peers). But it’s still good fun and worth checking out for fans of the genre. I found it a bit choppy and hard to follow at first, but as I mentioned I missed the entire first run so that contributed some to my confusion. I have made it up to episode 28 of Ashes and it definitely improves as it goes along. The best episode so far is the one with Fantabulous Girl’s Power Point presentation on why Ronin Force should pick her as a new member. If you have ever had to sit through one of those deadly dull Power Points at the office where the presenter tries liven it up with the stock cheesy graphics and silly canned effects, you will be rolling as you watch that episode. Ashes has already amassed over a hundred episodes (they run about one to three minutes in length) and they ultimately plan on having 180 total for this series. I haven’t decided yet if I am going to go back and watch Captain Euchre first before continuing on with Ashes, but in any case this series has sucked me in so that I will end up catching all of both of them at some point.

The series is definitely very cheesy, but that’s what it is going for. And the fact that all of the “action” (which is mostly just talking) takes place in front of a webcam makes judicious use of the web series format and helps keep it from reaching too far beyond its own bounds.  For those still hoping for more Dr. Horrible from Joss Whedon, Tights and Fights should provide a decent enough diversion in the meantime. You can start watching from the beginning of Ashes at the show’s website at this link.  The page for Series 1 (Captain Euchre) is at this link, but I haven’t quite figured out how to maneuver to the beginning of that series yet.  I will report back when I get that resolved.

By John J. Joex

The Apocalypse Diaries

Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

This is an ongoing apocalyptic/conspiracy web-series that has currently produced seven episodes and airs a new installment each Wednesday. It has thus far taken place entirely in the apartment of Jen and Evan where they have taken refuge after an unspecified disaster (apparently linked to tests with the world’s largest SuperCollider) has decimated the population of Los Angeles and perhaps beyond. Jen manages to get a Wi Fi signal and transmits video journal entries to whoever is listening (we assume she is using a laptop with extra-long battery, because they mention that the power is out). In the first episode, Evan leaves to find supplies and perhaps help, but then he is not seen or heard from after that. The subsequent episodes (all two minutes or less) consist of Jen’s transmissions as she grows increasingly more paranoid because of her isolation and because of the recurring strange sounds and vibrations that suggest something more is coming. Then, through the window, she sees men in hazmat suits taking a woman away, and Jen fears they will come for her next, prompting her to leave and try to find Evan or someone who can help.

The episodes of this web-series are very brief, some less than a minute, but they have succeeded in building up a sense of tension and paranoia thus far that draws the viewer into the story. Through episode seven, it takes place completely in the apartment, but the most recent (unnerving) developments suggest it will change its location with the upcoming installments. The tense, sparse feel of this web-series definitely works in its favor, and hopefully the creators can keep the momentum going. We have only seen a few glimpses of the story at this point (the seven episodes clock in at less than eleven minutes total), but the concept has a lot of potential. For now, I will keep tuning in each week to track how this one is progressing. You can watch the past and upcoming episodes at the show’s websites and also read more of its conspiracy theory notions there as well.

SciFinal.com – Offering a comprehensive directory of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Web Series with over 200 listings.
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Hollywood Wasteland

Rating: 3 ½ out of 5 Stars

Los Angeles just can’t seem to get a breaking seeing as it always appears to be the target of destruction. In this web-series, the City of Angels gets nuked again, but the survivors are too self-involved to really notice. Sharing an apartment in the middle of this wasteland we have four roommates who all seem to deserve each other in these apocalyptic times. First there is Jeff, an insurance analyst who has the only sense of responsibility among the four and who the others regularly leech off of. Jeff dreams of being a comic book artist and a sketch he drew of a demonic character may very well have led to the end of the world. Then there is Chad, a self-proclaimed “entrepreneur” always looking for the next scam to grab a quick buck. Rounding this out is Veronica, a production assistant mostly concerned with her appearance and status, as well as Chlora, an aspiring actress who may not have what it takes to survive in the cut-throat world of (what used to be) Hollywood. Added into the mix is survivalist Walter who lives in the basement and has been preparing for the end-times for years. Oh yeah, also stepping in is the blond-bombshell robot Synthia (Get it? Synthetic person) who has been give the task of protecting Jeff, though we do not know who she gets her orders from or why he is so important.

All of this comes together to give us a pretty silly series that never quite soars, but that still delivers more than a fair share of humorous moments. The acting is definitely over-the-top, and some of the actors take this a bit too far at times. But for the most part, they succeed at what they are trying to do: getting a few laughs out of the end of the world while poking fun at our own hang ups and shortcomings. And while it rarely has any laugh-out-loud moments, the series regularly proves amusing. And it all seems to be building to a bigger story, but how quickly it will get there remains to be seen. There was a three month delay between episode three and four and no indication on when the next installment will hit (though a couple of vignettes did follow the most recent episode). Still it’s worth a look and the episodes only run about seven to eight minutes each so they don’t require too much of a time commitment. You can watch the available episodes and vignettes and read more about the series at its website.

Our ongoing series covering web-based productions in the Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror genres. If you have a recommendation for a web original that we should look at, contact us at mail@axiomsedge-scifi.com.

By John J. Joex

Pioneer One

Episode 4 – “Triangular Diplomacy”

Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars (Highest Rating)

This fan supported science fiction web series from creators Josh Bernhard and Bracey Smith continues to move forward with the fourth of six episodes planned for its first season. In this installment, we see that speculation on the outside of the quarantine zone has begun to run rampant and the Canadian people are demanding more information on what is going on and why the United States is controlling this area. Meanwhile, Deputy Secretary McClellan must deal with the Russian Ambassador who insists upon the return of any Russian Cosmonauts the United States may be detaining. McClellan plays coy though and denies that the U.S. is holding anybody and questions the Ambassador’s reference to Cosmonauts. After the meeting, McClellan has his people look for a technicality that can allow them to claim the Cosmonaut is not a Russian citizen, assuming he was actually born on Mars (McClellan does not believe that story, though). Meanwhile, Taylor pushes Jane to get some results from the Cosmonaut and get him to give them some sort of information. She’s not happy with the pressure placed on her, but agrees to try. Then the media gets information that Dr. Walzer was brought into the quarantine zone and questions start arise as to why a Mars expert is involved. But then one of Taylor’s people makes good use of one of the media personalities to discredit the Mars theories starting to spread.  The episode ends with an important development for McClellan that could dramatically change the progress of the investigation.

Episode 4 picks up the pace a bit from the previous episode with quite a number of plot advancements coming in rapid succession as it begins to focus on the political maneuvering going on outside the quarantine zone. And this episode definitely continues the same level of quality we saw with the ones that preceded it and the series really seems to have hit its stride. Pioneer One started out as a very well made amateur project yet has grown with each episode to the point that it now rivals many professional productions. The acting continues to improve and Bernhard’s writing and Smith’s directing remain confident and focused. I would say that this series (despite its limited budget) far surpasses the mediocre big dollar sci fi shows the networks have thrown at us recently like V and The Event. And the snappy script regularly delivers some good zingers (“Where did you get all of this?” “Wikipedia.” . . . “We see same news you do. CNN makes it even to Moscow.”) This first season has two more episodes to go and the producers have promised some big surprises as the season wraps up. They are still seeking funding to complete those, though, so if you would like to contribute you can do so at this link. And if you have not seen Pioneer One yet, then I highly recommend you jump on board and see what all the fuss is about.  You can download or stream episode 4 at this link.

Previous Reviews of Pioneer One:
Episode 1 & 2
Episode 3

SciFinal.com – Offering a comprehensive directory of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Web Series with over 200 listings.
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Vampire Mob

Rating: 4 ½ out of 5 Stars

You think you have problems? Well then just talk to Don Grigioni. He’s a hitman for the mob and a vampire, but his contracts have been drying up and that also happens to be his regular source of fresh blood. On top of that, his wife, who is also a vampire, keeps nagging him about his work and when he’s going to bring home some more blood to satisfy her ravenous appetite. But that’s not the worst of it. His wife decided to bite his mother-in-law and turn her into a vampire and now she will be moving in with them. And since vampires are immortal, that means she will be with them . . . forever!

And that, in a nutshell, is the premise of this fun little web series that mixes Sopranos-style mob antics with blood-sucking vampires. Created, written, and directed by Joe Wilson, the series stars several actors with professional experience on their resumes including John Colella (CSI: NY, The West Wing) as Don, Reamy Hall (Criminal Minds) as his wife, and Marcia Wallace (best known as Bob’s secretary Carol from The Bob Newhart Show) as his mother-in-law. The series goes for a comedic angle, combining two disparate genres, but it does not go for the more obvious broad parody of both mob and vampire shows/films. Nor does it deliver much in the way of laugh out loud moments (though it does have a few), preferring a more subtle approach to its humor. And that’s where it succeeds, building on its premise organically and developing the characters into more than just one-dimensional genre caricatures. The first season consists of only six episodes of five to six minutes each, but it does a nice job of setting up its premise. The production values are first rate and it’s a quick view at around five to six minutes per episode. The show has built up a strong fan base across the internet and the second season is already in production and the are currently looking for donations to help complete (go to this link if you would like to contribute). This one is definitely worth checking out for a quick, fun, well-made example of a web series.  You can watch the series online at its website.