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New Four Minute Preview of Starz 'Spartacus: Vengeance' Hits the Web

bobs@screenrave.com (Bob Suggs) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 18:35:46 +0000

A new, four-minute preview video of the new season of Spartacus, officially titled Spartacus: Vengeance and starring Liam McIntyre as the fearsome gladiator, has hit the internet.

Actor Andy Whitfield - Star of 'Spartacus: Blood and Sand' Passed Away

bobs@screenrave.com (Bob Suggs) — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 15:27:11 +0000

Andy Whitfield, the Australian star of the Starz drama series "Spartacus: Blood and Sand" is dead at 39 after being diagnosed with non-Hodgkin Lymphoma.

Whitfield was preparing for a second season of the Starz series when he was diagnosed with the disease 18 months ago.

His acting talents were so strong in the first season of the show that once he made the announcement, the network opted to shoot a prequel, "Spartacus: Gods of the Arena," and season two of the original was stalled for a year in order to try and get Whitfield on board.

Unfortunately, Whitifeld did not make it.

'Spartacus: Vengeance' Cast Changes and New Season in 2012

bobs@screenrave.com (Bob Suggs) — Mon, 09 May 2011 19:37:56 +0000

There is a new Naevia! Cynthia Addai-Robinson replaces Lesley-Ann Brandt who revealed a few months back that she would not be coming back to the new season, so the job was open for a new Naevia.

You will see Cynthia in January 2012 in Spartacus Season 2 (aka Spartacus: Vengeance).

'Spartacus: Gods of the Arena', Episode 6 'The Bitter End' Finale

bobs@screenrave.com (Bob Suggs) — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 00:43:40 +0000

Spartacus: Gods of the Arena comes to a close as the finale reaches it's end. A mini-season of six episodes done as a flashback storyline taking us to the past and back to where it ended in season one. The journey was at times bumpy, trying to care about characters you knew were not in the original season. But "Episode 6: The Bitter End" concluded the journey in epic proportions and in ways I didn't expect. For me it was the best episode of the season and tied all the ends into a beautiful, violent, red bow colored with blood.

For the characters, a few of them would meet their inevitable grisly ends in and out of the arenas. For the fans, this would be the end of a miniseries that helped tide them over, while they wait for the title character to come back in 2012.

Now let's breakdown some of the events...

'Spartacus: Gods of the Arena', Episode 5 'Reckoning' Breakdown

bobs@screenrave.com (Bob Suggs) — Sat, 19 Feb 2011 06:00:00 +0000

Spartacus, God's of the Arena, continues after last week's episode filled with sex, murder and mayham. Episode 5, 'Reckoning', picks up where Titus gives his son the ultimatum to get rid of his wife.

Passion still burns in the heart of Gannicus for Melitta and they engage in the forbidden down in the wine cellar. Oenomaus shows up during the act of betrayal and thrusts his sword through the neck of Gannicus. Melitta wakes from the horrific dream.

Lucretia mourns the passing of her friend, Gaia, at the hands of Tullius and confides her feelings to Melitta and tells her that they must perform a ritual cleansing to remove Gaia from the Ludus commanded by Titus. They decide not to do it, but if asked, will say it was done.

'Spartacus: Gods of the Arena', Episode 4 'Beneath the Mask' Breakdown

bobs@screenrave.com (Bob Suggs) — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 20:53:34 +0000

'Spartacus' - 'Beneath the Mask' - The house of Batiatus is caught in the power struggle between the younger and elder Batiatus. Last week the show ended with Titus Batiatus (played by Jeffrey Thomas) announcing he will stay until his death.

We know the outcome based on the first season but still, it's fun to see the events unfold and get a little deeper insight into each characters plight. What some will do because they are commanded and others who seek glory, power or an elevation in status.

Opening the episode we are drawn into the arena where life and death are decided in a single blow. Ashur (played by Nick Tarabay) and his friend enter the arena to prove themselves worthy of the mark and as gladiators. His friend quickly dispatches his opponent with deadly precision, but Ashur has not fared as well. Fortunately his friend comes to his rescue and saves him before his opponents axe stakes its claim.

Spartacus: Gods of the Arena' Episode 3 'Paterfamilias' Breakdown

bobs@screenrave.com (Bob Suggs) — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 17:09:30 +0000

Spartacus: Gods of the Arena' Episode 3 'Paterfamilias'

The superficial reputation of 'Spartacus' among those who haven't paid close attention to the show is that it's merely a toga-era soap opera drenched in sex, blood and more sex.

Sure, it has all those elements, many of which can be counted on for good, unclean fun. But there are emotional stakes to most battles and bedroom encounters. And as 'Paterfamilias' showed, sometimes sex can be used as a weapon, and those encounters, when choice is removed, can be uglier than anything seen in the arena.

'Spartacus: Gods of the Arena', Episode 2 'Missio' Breakdown

bobs@screenrave.com (Bob Suggs) — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 03:02:42 +0000

['Spartacus' - 'Missio'] - After receiving the beatdown of a lifetime last week, courtesy of his new rival Tullius, what would Batiatus' next move be? How could he possibly rebound from that setback?

With some typical Batiatus deviousness, of course. That's the good news. But not all of 'Missio' worked. Though Batiatus' clever plan to ensnare Titus had its merits, and though it was a pleasure to see him get some revenge on the sneering Tullius and Vettius, other aspects of the episode didn't didn't have the impact of Operation Titus.

Let's start with what did work: Batiatus cleverly tricking the wealthy patron of Capua's upcoming games into checking out his merchandise. Seeing a well-oiled team pulling a well-planned con job on an unsuspecting mark is a thing of beauty, and that's just one reason such gambits are staples of film and TV. It's just fun when a team has a plan, whether they're Vegas operators or toga-clad schemers.