THE TARGET BOOK: DOCTOR WHO

The wonderful Target book range kept Doctor Who stories alive in the imaginations of viewers in the pre-video era. David J. Howe wrote the complete history of these classic publications in his lavishly illustrated tome, The Target Book. Readers who missed it after it went out of print will be pleased to hear The Target Book is back in an updated edition from Telos. From the press release: "A new edition of the popular and acclaimed guide to the Doctor Who Target paperback range of novelisations. With an additional Appendix covering audio releases and the recent BBC reprints of the books." Large format, hardcover, 176 pages. Whovians can pick it up for only 24 pounds from the publisher and for 27 pounds at AmazonUK here. Enjoy!

DOCTOR WHO TARGET BOOK EXHIBIT

The wonderful Target book range kept Doctor Who stories alive in the imaginations of viewers in the pre-video era. Join Peter Capaldi and others in this visit to the UK Cartoon Museum last spring to see some iconic book cover illustrations and to hear from a number of Doctor Who writers and artists. Enjoy!

NEW UFO BLU-RAY

I wanted to give everyone a heads up about an exciting new Blu-ray from UK distributor Network. They are working on a huge restoration project to release the ultimate edition of Gerry Anderson's groovy Sci-Spy classic, UFO. Man, I can't wait to see those purple wigs and Nehru jackets in glorious hi-definition! As a teaser to their set launch, Network just put out a Blu-ray edition of Invasion UFO, the 90-minute movie cut from various episodes that was originally made for theatrical release in 1980. More from Network: "Earth's greatest fear becomes a reality when UFOs are finally confirmed - the aliens come from a dying planet millions of light years away, seeking human organs to repair their own decaying bodies. In a raging inter-galactic space-battle, top secret defence organisation SHADO attempts to save Earth from this alien terror! Specially made on videotape for syndication in Europe and America, this amalgamation of six episodes from Gerry Anderson's UFO has always looked and sounded below par - until now! Re-made in full widescreen from restored High Definition elements sourced from the original 35mm negatives, Invasion: UFO is presented here with both original mono and Dolby 5.1 soundtracks." Special features include the original 1980 videotape version, 1980 trailer, full-frame credit sequences and end titles. Only 10 pounds from Network here. Enjoy!

ROM VEREGGE

Cool cover of IDW's upcoming ROM #5 by Jeffrey Veregge. Enjoy!

CROW T ROBOT

MST3K RIFFTRAX REUNION SHOW

The original cast members of Mystery Science Theater 3000 are reuniting for a big reunion show this month! Coming to select theaters via Fathom Events on June 28th, the two-hour special celebrating MST3K and Rifftrax will include both hosts, Mike and Joel! From the press release: Fathom Events and RiffTrax.com® are excited celebrate their 20th RiffTrax Live event with an exclusive MST3K Reunion show LIVE in cinemas on Tuesday, June 28 at 8:00 p.m. ET/ 7:00 p.m. CT and tape-delayed to 7:00 p.m. MT/ 8:00 p.m. PT, followed by a special re-broadcast on Tuesday, July 12at 7:30 p.m. (local time). Get ready for a Satellite of Love-fest as Michael J. Nelson, Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett – the guys who make movies funny – celebrate 10 years of RiffTrax with an amazing night of riffing and comedy with most of the original Mystery Science Theater 3000 stars. Joining Mike, Kevin and Bill, LIVE from the State Theater in Minneapolis, will be none other than MST3K creator Joel Hodgson (Joel Robinson), Trace Beaulieu (Dr. Clayton Forrester, Crow T. Robot), Frank Conniff (TV’s Frank), Mary Jo Pehl (Pearl Forrester), Bridget Nelson (Nuveena, Mr. B Natural), and the host of the revived MST3K, Jonah Ray (Nerdist Podcast and The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail) and more! In various, hilarious permutations, the cast will riff on a cavalcade of goofy, educational short films and comic interludes before concluding the evening with a grand finale “SUPER RIFF-A-PALOOZA!” More info and tickets here.

30TH ANNIVERSARY TRANSFORMERS MOVIE BLU-RAY

The Transformers: The Movie (1986) is coming to a 30th anniversary Blu-ray edition! Shout Factory has announced they will be adding the classic animated feature to their Transformers line on September 13th. So far they have listed it as a 2-disc edition, but no word yet on bonus content. I'm hoping they will include the full-frame version of the film (as was done with the 20th anniversary DVDs). Although the movie had theatrical release in widescreen, much of the art and original compositions were cropped. Either way, I'm psyched to see the film in hi-def! It's a wonderful time capsule of the 1980s, complete with anthem-rock action, transforming robot battles, some tunes by Devo and Weird Al, and an amazing cast that included Orson Welles, Eric Idle, Leonard Nimoy, and Robert Stack. I showed it to my students this year and they really enjoyed it! Ok, they though parts were cheesy, but they still kept begging to see it to the end. So, what's the plot? The Autobots must stop a colossal planet consuming robot who goes after the Autobot Matrix of Leadership. At the same time, they must defend themselves against an all-out attack from the Decepticons. Pre-orders at Shout Factory can receive a free cover art poster (see below) while supplies last.  Sweet! Stay tuned for updates.

HOLOGRAPHIC STAR WARS LP

GHOSTBUSTERS EVENT

The original Ghostbusters film is screening at select theaters on Sunday June 12th, 2016. Check local listings! I'm looking forward to seeing it again on the big screen and to sharing the event with some of my students. Enjoy!

DOUGLAS ADAMS