Sliders | Slidecage

Seasons 1 & 2: Coming to DVD… again

Thomas — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 20:24:58 +0000

Updated April 25, 2012.

As you can tell from the images above Amazon has recently released some new artwork for the re-packaging. Season two now appears to be a purple case rather than a blue one and the font has been changed, which is definitely an improvement. The Sliders font is a signature of the series and I’m glad it’s been added.

Well it looks like Universal Studios is re-packaging the first two seasons of the Sliders DVDs. Seasons one and two are scheduled for a region 1 DVD re-release on July 24, 2012.

The artwork on the packages isn’t too shabby but the font used makes both sets look unprofessional. In fact, when I first saw the sets I thought they were bootlegs. Perhaps the artwork is only in developmental stages, I hope. After all the spine on the sets only say “Season One/Season Two”.

Did I mention it appears the episodes will be out of order again? The only bonus material currently listed is the audio commentary by Tracy Tormé and Robert K. Weiss on the Pilot episode. That of course, is likely old material from the Dual-Dimension set. It’s unclear as to how many discs each set will have and if they will be single or double sided. Universal and Amazon are in conflict over how many discs there will be.

At least the DVDs will finally be in a keep case or at least it looks that way. The NBC Universal Store has both sets on pre-order for $19.98 each. While there’s time, if you would like the episodes in order let them know at their product suggestion page that you want them in order by episode production:

NBC Universal Store | Product Suggestions

You can pre-order the set at various places online including the: NBC Universal Store.

The Original “Hunger Games”

Thomas — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 23:34:57 +0000

The new movie “Hunger Games” was released today in the United States and it’s eerily similar to the season three Sliders episode, “Rules of the Game”. The “Hunger Games” book was written by Suzanne Collins and was first published in 2008. Even hulu.com which features Sliders episodes has recently gave note, and put it on their main page. In the “Hunger Games” there is an annual televised event where opponents are enclosed in an outdoor area and fight their way to success… till death. It’s a form of entertainment for the masses and the ultimate prize for the successor is a large prize.

Sliders is quite similar in story with a fight to the death outdoor game and a large prize, all of which is publicly televised. Even the Hunger Games has vicious dogs like in the episode. So if you’re thinking about seeing the Hunger Games or have already seen it, why not give a great tv series episode a shot, “Rules of the Game”. It really makes you wonder how Tracy Tormé, Robert K. Weiss and writer Josef Anderson feel about this new fad of Hunger Games. All the while the brilliance of Sliders is rarely being mentioned.

The Fifth and Final Season DVD Set (S5)

Thomas — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 00:14:15 +0000

The fifth and final season of Sliders is now available on DVD. This Fifth and Final Season set contains 4 discs.

Details:
- 4-Disc Set
- Contains The Complete Fifth Season
- “Play All” Feature
- Runtime: 13hrs. 26mins.
- Subtitles: English
- Language: English Dolby Digital 2.0
- Full Frame: 1.33:1

The Fifth and Final Season Discography

Season 5 DVD Set Photos:
S5 Front Cover
S5 Back Cover
S5 Discs

DVD Review: The Fifth and Final Season (Region 1)
Release Date: 1/17/12
Review Rating: 7/10

Similar to the previous seasons, the Fifth and Final Season set of Sliders is displayed in a metallic-appearing shiny cardboard slip which contains a slide in dvd case… pardon the pun. I’ll get back to the DVD case in minute. This set has it’s ups and downs but as far as overall case design it’s really somewhat of an improvement.

The shiny cardboard slip however, leaves little to my satisfaction. You can barely make out the image of the Sliders on the case, not to mention the “Sliders” font. I know the metallic appearance is different and it does draw your attention. Yet they could have at least printed the photo on a non-shiny surface and leave the “Sliders” font in metallic. And that goes for all of the previous sets. Anyway, the back of the cardboard slip is designed nicely like the back of the season four set with three images and a vague series synopsis.

The best and most unexpected design of this set is that it actually has a standard DVD slim case. It’s just like a DVD movie case, but it’s clear (translucent) and holds two discs on each side by overlaying them like the Third Season set. The discs are blue and single sided, so I don’t think you’ll have to worry about scratching them.

One of the neatest things about this set is that the menus are actually in a widescreen format. The main menu in previous sets did have some short collaborated video of the Sliders, but now it’s just a single still image with the end credit season 4/5 theme. Speaking of the image why in the world is “Mallory” the centerpiece of the artwork? It really doesn’t make sense if you’ve been watching the series. They could have had Rembrandt or at the very least Maggie as the lead character in the artwork. And yes, “Mallory” is on every disc of the episode index screen.

Now on to one on of the worst things about this set. There are absolutely no episode summaries on this set – none. In the past DVD sets they were in the episode menu or at least on the set itself yet this season fails to have any. However the episode titles are printed on the discs themselves – and in order, so that’s definitely a plus. To my disappointment there are no Sliders extras for this set, just previews for other Universal Studios material.

Overall this set is an improvement on case design yet brings in flaws like bad artwork/printing, no episode summaries, no scene selection and the total lack of extras. I know it sounds like I have given this set quite a rough critique, but other Sliders fans like myself petitioned Universal by sending them requests for it’s release. So if you’re a diehard fan down to the very end, really, how can you complain? Thanks Universal!

You can purchase The Fifth and Final Season set at various places online including the: NBC Universal Store.

Sliders Vortex Wallpaper

Thomas — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 19:24:21 +0000

Download these digital vortex wallpapers for your a Sliders themed desktop.

A Decade of Stories

Thomas — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 22:14:24 +0000

It’s been over a decade since the last episode of Sliders aired on February 4th, 2000 entitled “The Seer”. I thought I would put together a list of ideas the show could use from current events of the first decade of the 21st century.

These plots could be used directly or indirectly in the series. There’s been a number of wars, terrorist attacks, natural disasters, and an explosion of technology all in the last decade. As the saying goes the possibilities are endless. Here’s just a few alternate themes that could be used for the series.

- The Sliders land in the middle of a war ravaged city. On this world Iraq’s Saddam Hussein invaded an underdeveloped United States waging war, claiming that America has weapons of mass destruction. Can the Sliders survive after being drafted into war?

- A tropical cyclone barrels down on the Sliders in San Francisco. They are forced to stay hunkered down in a local auditorium in poor living conditions. Looting of a large degree occurs and the Sliders most precious possession is stolen, the timer.

- The Sliders discover a world where terrorists plan to bomb the Golden Gate Bridge. An informant reveals to them that the real enemy is someone they never dreamed of… the U.S. government.

- A technological world is filled with numerous social media platforms. The Sliders discover this world requires social media participation under the penalty of law. The only catch is that their technology has mind reading capabilities. Could their secret of sliding be exposed and compromise the slide?

- Quinn and Professor Arturo decide to visit their old college class and are held hostage in a university auditorium. The gunman is a belligerent student who is constantly bullied and suppressed because of his crazed theory of alternate dimensions. Can Rembrandt and Wade come and diffuse the situation in time?

The Final Act

Thomas — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 16:02:42 +0000

If you can finish the end of something well whether it’s a speech, the closing seconds of a basketball game, or the last note of a song that’s what people will remember the most. Take for example just one of Michael Jordan’s game winning shots, or the final lap of an Indy 500. If you can pull of the closing act of something you’ll be remembered for that the most.

It got me to thinking about the various “final acts” or end scenes of Sliders episodes. Sure there were some bad endings and even worse episodes that could never recover from the most well written ending. It seems however, that more often than not there were good final scenes, whether they were comedic, shocking or emotional they always make you feel good after watching them.

That’s just one of the reasons that makes Sliders a great show. Remember the Pilot episode where Quinn sees his father’s double in shock and realizes they’re not home? Or how about “Fever”, where Rembrandt pokes fun at Arturo for being the “Quarter Pounder”. It makes you feel good after watching the episode and it seems your time spent was worthwhile.

Then there was season three which paid homage to so many movies, and in many instances lacked true original writing. Nevertheless they always pulled out the stops and made great endings. Just throw together some thoughtful words and music and there you go. Take for example “Sole Survivors”, a very lack luster episode, yet thoughtful ending:

Dr. Tassler: (to Debra) “We’re the only hope this world has. Look it’ll take time, but we can start to inoculate people. We can create a groundswell of recovery.”
Quinn: “That’s what it’s all about, isn’t it? A lot of things just come down to loyalty. Don’t they?”

Season three’s “Dinoslide” felt like a step back into the “Jurassic Park” movies, with a brain sucking Rickman. But there’s the emotional final scene with Rembrandt and friend Malcolm that doesn’t disappoint:

Malcolm: “I wish there was a way we could stay together, but I can’t see it.”
Rembrandt: “Yeah. Yeah, you’re too important to Gretchen. She needs you, all of these people do.”
Malcolm: “And your friends need you. (sighs) I’m not gonna ask you to promise you’ll come back. I’ll just hope for it.”
Rembrandt: “Me, too.”
Malcolm (gives drawing to Rembrandt): “So you won’t forget me.”
Rembrandt: “I will never forget you, son. Not in a million years.”

And as a final example who can forget the infamous last lines of “The Guardian”? “My name isn’t Jim. It’s Quinn.” After all, isn’t that what people remember the most about that episode? If there’s one thing to remember about Sliders, it’s their final scenes, they not only crafted them, but they crafted them exceptionally well.

Season 5: Coming to DVD 1/17/12

Thomas — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 22:36:19 +0000

The fifth season set can be pre-ordered at the NBC Universal Store for $26.98.

At last, the fifth and final season of Sliders is scheduled for a region 1 DVD release on January 17, 2012. It will be a four disc set with English subtitles and English stereo. At the current time there’s no word on extras.

Here are the details:

- 4 Disc Set
- 18 Episodes
- Single Sided DVDs
- Runtime 805 minutes
- English Dolby Digital 2.0
- English Subtitles
- Full Frame 1.33: 1
- SRP $34.98
- Pre-Order $26.98 @ NBC Universal Store

Season 5 DVD

Thomas — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 15:45:43 +0000

At the current time there is no release date for a Region 1 (North America) DVD of the fifth and final season of Sliders.

This is the only season of the series that has not been released to DVD in the United States. Companies such as Netflix and Amazon carry the season digitally. However a DVD release would continue to spread the series for those who don’t have an internet connection and allow for the potential for special features and extras.

NBCUniversal has highly recommended that we submit our requests to their product development page and it may be available in the future:

NBCUniversal Store | Product Suggestions

Sliders Earths | iWallpaper

Thomas — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 20:08:57 +0000

Slide anywhere with these Sliders themed wallpapers for your iPhone, iPod Touch, or other mobile device. Enjoy! All images courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech.

What If: Sliders Debuted In 2011?

Thomas — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 18:52:28 +0000

SLIDECAGE
Slidecage Parallel Earth News Service
Jul 26, 2011 10:52 EST

What if Sliders debuted in 2011 on a parallel world? Well my recent visit to a healthy superfit U.S. brought me just that. A healthy United States is another story, but I couldn’t resist writing about this earth’s Sliders series. The NBCUniversal giant had picked up “Sliders” with its first pilot airing in late February this year. I’ve noticed there’s no SyFy or Fox networks on this world, and apparently NBC is the most watched channel in the United States. Sliders is airing in full HD 1080p in a local electronics store and the online community is buzzing about its recent first season finale.

Timer replicas, t-shirts, board games, video games and action figures are just a few of the announced plans for merchandise. A movie is also in the works and it’s rumored to be directed by J.J. Abrams, and written by Tracy Tormé and Robert K. Weiss. It’s set to premiere in the fall of 2012 on this parallel world. The first season has already been released to Blu-ray, and video download purchases for the series are making history, reaching record highs.

I only had 29 minutes on this world (yes thankfully not 29 years) so I’ve only got sketchy details about its first season. The cast is dramatically different from our Sliders. Here’s what I’ve got. River Phoenix (Stand by Me) stars as Quinn Mallory and Michael Caine (Batman Begins) as Professor Arturo. Will Smith (Men in Black) stars as a rapping Rembrandt Brown, while Wade is played by Anna Torv (Fringe). That’s quite a change as we know it.

Apparently it took Quinn much longer to discover sliding. He only done so with the help of a college friend named Bennish. Quinn and Wade met at church, and he appears to be quite religious but it’s unclear as to what his belief is. Rembrandt is caught up in a moving vortex while he is rapping live on stage. The timer looks like an altered version of the iPhone, and they even have to “charge up” its battery. It’s left the Sliders with a lot of close calls especially on earths where technology is non existent. The season finale ends with Quinn being forced to open the vortex and slide with a criminal, leaving the other Sliders behind.

The setting of Sliders takes place not in San Francisco, but rather the capital of the nation, Washington D.C. And it seems the show has used a lot of historical “what-ifs” to keep the viewer interested and even up to date on historical facts and how they change from one world to the next. Quite clever, if I say so myself. I would’ve filled you in on some key episodes but like any slide my time has run out. Maybe our own earth will one day pick up the series and be just as successful as this one is.