Guest reviewer Jeff N. drops by with a look at a new pop culture phenomenon:

Battlestar Galactica (Part 1)

Wow. It doesn't get any better than this . . . well perhaps it does. It is pretty hard to top the original, one of the greatest science-fiction melodramas of all time, yet this mini-series comes close. It doesn't have Lorne Green, but it does have Edward James Almos. Mr. Almos is almost as good as Mr. Green. The epic battle between good and evil, between man and Cylon, is so mesmerizing that I actually watched it four times last night and that is not just because it was on the Sci-Fi channel and was replayed back to back to back to back. The original was a big hit because it came along at the height of Star Wars hysteria; this recreation will be a big hit because it does not have Jar Jar Binks in it. I especially enjoyed the early homage in part 1 to the original design for the Cylon (a schematic for Cylon showing the creepy red computer eye floating back and forth across its helmet). Other good things about this mini-series: (1) it is not Shogun; (2) it is not The Thornbirds; (3) it is not about the civil war and Patrick Swayze is not in it; (4) it is not reality television - the only way to get kicked out or voted off is to be blowned up; and (5) it proves that all shows from 70s can be remade … I am still waiting on that Starsky & Hutch film.