By David Chen

The Shield
Series Finale
Starring Michael Chiklis, Walton Goggins, Catherine Dent, CCH Pounder, Jay Karnes, Laurie Holden
FX Network
Air date: November 25, 2008

After 88 episodes of groundbreaking, gritty television, The Shield is finally over. It was a crown masterwork of police procedural drama, utilizing such creative storytelling that viewers should feel blessed simply to have witnessed its unfolding. But if there’s been one flaw with this show, it’s that it’s always been just a little bit too in love with its main characters. Time and time again, we’ve seen Vic and his Strike Team worm their way out of every single legal conundrum and gang-related bear trap that has been thrown their way. This crew has done some pretty sick, twisted stuff over the past few years, and they had much to atone for leading into the finale. Creator and showrunner Shawn Ryan had plenty of opportunities to send some of these characters to jail or to kill them off, but he always seemed reluctant to do so. Not that we ever really wanted him to: It seems a warmed over observation, but part of the brilliance of The Shield was making you root for every single one of these characters. With season 7 being the show’s last, Ryan had nothing to lose anymore; he could deal with the characters and bring their arcs to a conclusion in whatever way he wanted to. The question after all these years of torture, corruption, and murder is, would Vic Mackey (Michael Chiklis) walk away? Or would he finally get caught?

With just one 90-minute-long episode left, I desperately wanted there to be a reckoning, some final closure for all the injustice that has been doled out, or at least some closure. To a huge extent, this series finale thoroughly delivered.

[WARNING: THE FOLLOWING CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THE FINAL EPISODE OF THE SHIELD].

Universal’s 2-disc special edition of Wanted arrives on DVD and Blu-ray this Tuesday and will be loaded with extras. For now, check out the sneak peek clips here below taken from the bonus materials from the upcoming release.

The first one — “Searching for the Hero” — is a behind-the-scenes interview-style feature about the search for the actor to play Wes, the action hero of Wanted, the role that went to James McAvoy. The other one — “Angelina Jolie Kicks My Ass” — in another behind-the-scenes feature with McAvoy talking about how Angelina Jolie, who plays the sexy assassin Fox, kicked his butt. Both clips have Jolie’s response to starring against McAvoy.

Also being released this week is the limited edition Wanted DVD Collector’s Edition, which includes the Book of Assassins, Collectible Postcards, and Motion Film Cell. See the video below of all the goodies that come with this collector’s set.

Be sure to check back at Geeks of Doom real soon for your chance to win a copy of the Wanted DVD Collector’s Edition!

Ever wonder what it might be like to have a Star Trek phaser of your very own? I have. Ever since I saw Kirk and Spock fire at a rock, a Horta, or a crazed crewman, I’ve been intrigued with the possibilities of coherent light. This led to early perusal of The Way Things Work: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Technology for the explanation of how lasers worked and time spent pouring over ads in Edmund Scientific catalogs for real lasers. Eventually, I got to do some experiments with lasers in my college physics classes, but I was still not completely satisfied.

Though the Executive Series Fusion has the size, dull matte finish, and heft of a high quality laser pointer, it means serious business. Meant for the optics enthusiast, it is bright — insanely bright. You can see the beam in darkened rooms. You can also damage objects. You can make holes in dark-colored balloons and dark trash bags and cut black electrical tape. The Wicked Lasers web site even says it will light wood or paper matches.

Kung Fu Panda
Pandamonium Double Pack
Directed by John Stevenson & Mark Osborne
Starring Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Seth Rogen, Jackie Chan, Lucy Lui, David Cross, Ian McShane
Paramount Home Entertainment
Release date: November 09, 2008

Kung Fu Panda tells the tale of Po (Jack Black), the son of a noodle maker who somehow becomes the sacred Dragon Warrior. In order to defeat an unspeakably evil foe, Tai Lung (Ian McShane), Po has to learn the art of kung fu and gain the respect of Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) and the Furious Five: Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Mantis (Seth Rogen), Crane (David Cross), Monkey (Jackie Chan), and Viper (Lucy Lui).

When Kung Fu Panda first showed up, most people just assumed that it was another “just thrown together” animated flick for kids with Jack Black as a panda. Fortunately, the movie ended up surprising a whole lot of people and made a killing at the box office. Many considered it to be the best animated movie from DreamWorks Animation since Shrek.

I can admit that I was one of those people who thought it would suck and I too ate my words.

Sony has released a new poster for their upcoming Terminator Salvation.

The cool thing about this poster is that it is kind of a mini teaser trailer within the poster, which is admittedly a very cool thing if you ask me.

Screw holographic “moving” posters — give me one of these I can hang on my wall and I’ll love you forever.

Check out the poster at Sony’s official Terminator Salvation site.

Terminator Salvation hits theaters on May 22, 2009.