We just found out that Will Smith might not be appearing in the two planned Independence Day sequels because his price tag is far too high. Some would argue that doing the movie without Smith’s face plastered on all of the posters, no matter what the price is, is pointless. But they’ve been prepared to make the sequels without the megastar for a couple of years now at least.

While doing a Q&A session for his latest movie, White House Down, director Roland Emmerich was asked about what other stars of the first movie we might see in Independence Day 2 we might see return if not Smith, to which he replied that both Jeff Goldblum and Bill Pullman were on board so far.

A month ago, we reported that legendary producer Roger “King of the B’s” Corman was starting a subscriber-only YouTube channel this summer called Corman’s Drive-In that would bring an extensive catalog of over 400 films he either produced, directed, or both to the Internet.

Corman’s Drive-In is now officially open for business and we have some other crucial details for you. The channel will feature a rotating selection of 30 titles that will be refreshed every month and it will all be made available to viewers for the low monthly price of $3.99. It will premiere with a double feature of the first two films Corman made with future Oscar-winning Hollywood icon Jack Nicholson: the 1958 exploitation drama The Cry Baby Killer and 1960’s man-eating plant comedy Little Shop of Horrors, the latter the inspiration for the 1986 musical remake and the off-Broadway show it was based on.

The Serpent And The Rainbow
Netflix Streaming
DVD
Directed by Wes Craven
Written by Richard Maxwell and Adam Rodman
Based on the novel by Wade Davis
Starring Bill Pullman, Cathy Tyson, Zakes Mokae
Universal Pictures
Originally Released: February 5, 1988

After taking a look at a couple of documentaries for our Netflix review series, I concluded it was time to jump back into something a little more familiar for me: Horror. Recently added to the Netflix streaming collection, The Serpent And The Rainbow is a classic horror movie in the true sense of the word “classic” – it hearkens in the past to an age where overrated frights and intense gore was not necessarily a part of the genre.

Torchwood: Miracle Day continues and finds our heroes separated across the world, until one chance meeting with Oswald Danes (Bill Pullman) forces the team to reunite and begin to ask the tough question: What is The Blessing?

As they dig deeper, their questions will take them to separate poles of the Earth where they discover that the blood of Jack Harkness (John Barrowman) may have more to do with The Blessing and The Miracle than they previously had thought.

During TARDISblend 36, we review the events of The Gathering, and find ourselves less than enthused about the episode’s inclusion of elements unconnected to the Blessing and the Miracle, such as the Nazi-style Welsh police trackdown of Gwen Cooper’s (Eve Myles) father, Geraint (William Thomas).

Later, we deconstruct Oswald Danes’ arrival in Wales to confront Gwen, another aspect of the episode that felt somewhat out of place. We also discuss the significance of Jack’s blood thus far in the series, and speculate with some predictions on where this thread will go for the season finale.

Finally we throw in a few Classic Torchwood UK recommendations for new fans to check out, and find out what our listeners recently had to say about the podcasts. All this and more on the latest TARDISblend!

Torchwood: Miracle Day continues, as we find the governments of the world re-categorizing life. Gwen Cooper (Eve Myles) returns home to Wales to investigate the segregation of the ill and the injured into Overflow Camps, while the rest of Torchwood is joined by Doctor Vera Juarez (Arlene Tur) to investigate the American camps, under the guidance of Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman).

During TARDISblend 32, we review the events of The Categories Of Life, in which we drill down into many criticisms we have of the episode in addition to the series as a whole. We comment on Gwen’s return to and mission in Wales, and discuss the pivotal moments for the character of Vera Juarez during the episode.

Performances seemed a little off this time around, and even Bill Pullman wasn’t up to his usual best. We also look at some past Torchwood episodes, and make some new recommendations for some of the new fans out there.

All this and more on the latest TARDISblend!