Welcome to part 2 of Khyron's fall TV preview.

As I stated in part 1, the big broadcast and cable networks will be banking on the paranormal for ratings in the coming months. To recap briefly, NBC looks to dominate the first half of the week with the returning fan-favorite Heroes as well as new shows like Bionic Woman and Cavemen. Not to be outdone, ABC will be premiering odd dramedy Pushing Daisies. And, as usual, the CW looks to be continuing its trend of mediocrity.

Now then, let us continue onward to the remaining days of the week as well as look ahead to what the midseason has in store. Science fiction on the week's end is a hit-or-miss business, but there are some promising gems worth checking out. Time to break it down.

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Now that Lost and Heroes have made it cool to be a TV geek, all the big networks will be going paranormal this fall season in an attempt to cash in on the potential ratings. A focus on the esoteric certainly isn't new for network television--as the big four have been pushing the supernatural on us for the past few years--but it appears as if the trend will be continuing in the coming months.

The broadcast networks will be host to a gamut of new shows with themes ranging from a time travel drama to a Cro-Magnon comedy. Meanwhile, the cable networks will be relying on the return of popular sci-fi franchises for success. Also, be on the lookout for the re-imagination of two cult classics from decades long past.

Not sure what shows will be worth your time? In the next couple installments of the K-Files, I will be going through the Fall 2007 lineup, as well as look ahead to the midseason early next year, and separate the hopeful from the duds. I dare say it looks to be a promising year for the ol' idiot box--maybe even one of the best ever...?

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Review: The Bourne Ultimatum - Directed by Paul Greengrass
Rated PG-13 for violence and some strong language

I fell for it. I tried my best, but they got me on this one. You see, I generally try to avoid reading reviews for new films before I go to see them myself. Not only do I find that my reviews end up sounding like just about everybody else's when I do, but, as was the case with The Bourne Ultimatum, certain reviews have a way of hyping movies up to astronomical levels.

So let's see then, what did I hear about this one...Well, one person said it was the best of the Bourne trilogy. That didn't seem too bad. Several different people claimed it was the most enjoyable movie of the summer. Considering the only real competition is The Simpsons Movie, I could believe it. But what really upset me was all this talk that Ultimatum was not only the best spy movie of all time, but also a candidate for one of the best movies ever. When talk like that starts floating around, the movie is pretty much ruined.

In The Bourne Ultimatum, Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) continues to search for his identity while fighting off every grizzled hit-man the CIA can throw at him. Eventually, his quest leads him to New York, home to the secret training facility that made Bourne the efficient killer he is.

I really wish I didn't read those reviews. Ultimatum is definitely a very good film, only I was waiting the whole time for it to become epically good; hoping that some last minute plot twist would blow my mind and turn it into a classic. That moment never came.

Still, with this third (and potentially final) addition to the series, the Bourne movies have achieved a rarity in the movie industry--that is to say it's one of the few universally liked trilogies. Along with The Lord of the Rings and, to a lesser extent, Back to the Future, the Bourne Trilogy really doesn't have a weak link.

To put it another way, if you liked the first two, you're pretty much guaranteed to enjoy this one. Director Paul Greengrass' trademark 'shaky cam' film style, love it or hate it, remains intact and as dizzying as ever. I feel it worked well in some shots--mainly a brutal hand-to-hand combat scene in a small bathroom--but other times I was wishing for more stability.

The high point of the movie for me was showing us the behind the scenes workings of the top-secret CIA command room in charge of finding Bourne. The speed at which the agents can pull up satellite or CCTV feeds from all over the globe and tap cellphone calls with ease makes for interesting cinema for this technophile. I'm not sure how much of it is real-world accurate, but it's thrilling nonetheless. It's also interesting to note that the film is told not so much through the eyes of its lead protagonist, but rather through those trying to catch him. And it's sad to say that they're usually five or six steps behind Bourne.

Ultimately, although not living up to the hype, The Bourne Ultimatum is as good a conclusion to the Bourne story as could have been hoped for. For those still planning on seeing it, let me set you straight. This is not the best of the three. It's not the best movie of the year. It will not pay your taxes. But, do know that few spy thrillers can match its driving pace and frenetic intensity.

Rating: 4/5

Review: Sunshine - Directed by Danny Boyle
Rated R for some strong language and graphic images.

I'm not quite sure what Fox had in mind for Danny Boyle's Sunshine. As part of their 'Spotlight' wing of independent films, Sunshine has been getting a limited but expanding release for the past couple weeks. That said, I had to seek out other theaters near me playing it and ditch my usual place.

Thankfully, It was worth the extra effort.

In Sunshine, a team of 8 astronauts are on a last ditch effort to deliver a massive bomb to the sun, thus saving the Earth from a solar winter. However, as is usually the case when you cram people in a small space, tempers begin to flare up and disagreements arise.

The best way to describe Sunshine would be that it has the look of Alien with the feel of 28 Days Later (also a Boyle film). It has that sort of old-school sci-fi atmosphere to it, but with a modern--and at times horrific--flare.

The more I think of it, the more I can draw parallels between Sunshine and 28 Days Later. In both cases, they start out as tight, riveting character dramas. However, they also seem to fall apart at the end. With 28 Days Later, the problem was with the final conclusion--which Boyle has voiced was a difficult task. In Sunshine's case, it's as if he needed to add a few more minutes and another conflict to the plot so Boyle figured he'd turn it into a Friday the 13th-esque slasher.

Nevertheless, Sunshine is still one of the better sci-fi films of the last 7 years. If you can find it playing near you, I recommend checking it out. If nothing else, it'll make you appreciate the sun a heck of a lot more.

Rating: 4/5

This is hard for me to believe, but today, August 1st, marks the 2-year anniversary of KHYRON.NET.

To celebrate this accomplishment, I figured the old faithful layout could use a bit of a makeover. I've been working on this new theme for the past couple weeks now. It is an accumulation of my desire for better space management, code efficiency, archiving, and readability.

It will probably take a few days to get used to (it has for me, anyway), but I hope you will enjoy the improvements.

Added to the site are a couple of new blog techs that I've been meaning to implement. The first of these is an increased subscription links section on the sidebar. For those that use RSS feeds to keep track of their favorite blogs or the very cool iGoogle homepage, feel free to use the button links to follow the latest happenings at KHYRON.NET on your terms. Also new on the sidebar is my Twitter update box. Check that space often to see up to the minute updates as to what Khyron is up to.

So then, I invite you to take a look around and get used to the new look. I'm very proud of the site and spent a great amount of time on this update, so I hope you all enjoy it as much as I enjoyed putting it together.

Also, be sure to clear your browser's cache in order to get the new blue favicon icon to show up in your bookmarks list.

Finally, I would like to thank all returning and long-time readers. Without your support and encouragement, this little blog probably wouldn't have even gone 2 months, let alone 2 years. Here's to another 2 years of cutting edge commentary.

~Khyron

The K-Files - Ouija Wuss Out

I don't like to be so negative about Coast to Coast AM all the time. I really don't. It would please me to no end to come on here and write about how entertaining an episode was. Though wish as I might, every week it seems George Noory and crew manage to let me down with some monster-hyped show.

This past week, the disappointment fell solely on George Noory's Ouija board blow out. I think 'wuss out' is the better way to describe it, however. After building this monumental event up for months, Noory decided to back out at the last minute and not dabble with those daemonic Parker Brothers. The reason? To save us all from almost certain death and eternal damnation, no less.

All the while, I was picturing a leather jacket wearing hipster Noory jumping over the pits of Hell on an oversized planchette, shooting us a wink and a smile before we collectively turned off our radios...

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