There’s a lot to watch, play, read and stream out there. Some of it is good, and some of it is bad. Every week, pop culture junkie Mike Moody will help you navigate through the week’s glut of entertainment and pop culture offerings with ‘Check It or Chuck It.’ 

A list of five things to enjoy and five things to avoid for the week includes ‘Prometheus,’ ‘John Carter’ on Blu-ray, and Zombies. Which should you check out and which should you chuck?

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Prometheus

Ridley Scott’s much anticipated return to the ‘Alien’ universe opens Friday. With a script co-written by ‘Lost’ mastermind Damon Lindelof, a stellar cast (headed up by Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron and recent Crush of the Day Noomi Rapace), and an awesome, chilling trailer, ‘Prometheus’ promises to deliver two hours of artfully rendered, eye-popping visual effects plus gripping sci-fi suspense rarely seen since Ripley blasted ol’ slobber mouth into deep space back in the ‘70s.

Safety Not Guaranteed

One of the best-reviewed films of the year opens in limited release this Friday. ‘The League’ star Mark Duplass plays a lonely guy who writes a personal ad seeking a companion for his time traveling adventures (No, he doesn’t fly around in a big blue box … at least we don’t think he does). A journalist (Jake M. Johnson) and an intern (Aubrey Plaza) infiltrate the would-be time-traveler’s life in hopes of finding a compelling story. The film may be impossible to find this week if you don’t live near a major city, but ‘Safety Not Guaranteed,’ which currently boasts a perfect 100% score at Rotten Tomatoes, looks like it’s worth seeking out.

G4’s E3 Coverage

Not lucky enough to snag an invite to the largest video game conference in the world? Catch the cable network’s obsessive, round-the-clock coverage, which will feature spots on all the new hands-on demos worth highlighting. Plus, live Morgan Webb!

‘The Sting’ Collector’s Series on Blu-ray

The ‘70s Oscar winning classic that reunited Paul Newman, Robert Redford and director George Roy Hill (after 1969’s celebrated caper ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’) gets the 1080p treatment with this Blu-ray release, part of Universal’s 100th Anniversary collection. The cool and stylish con man flick offers great performances, a sharp, singular look, and more spit-take-inspiring twists than all of M. Night Shyamalan’s movies combined.

‘John Carter’ on DVD and Blu-ray

Here’s hoping ‘John Carter,’ a lush, old-fashioned sci-fi epic that’s as nerdy and adventurous as they come, finds an audience on Blu-ray and DVD after its Tuesday release. ‘Wall-E’ director Andrew Stanton’s first live-action feature deserves to be seen, if only for its wonderfully executed action sequences and Lynn Collin’s memorable turn as the Princess of Mars.

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Anything Zombie-related

I love zombie movies, TV shows, games and comics as much as the next nerd, but I think we’re due for a break after all the recent disturbing real-life ‘Walking Dead’-like activity we’ve read about lately. Please, God, make the flesh eating stop!

Bel Ami

It’s a movie about a powdered-up Robert Pattinson bedding sexy starlets (Again!) that claims to be a serious-minded Merchant Ivory-esque historical drama. You probably don’t need me encouraging you to avoid this new theatrical release at all costs.

The Real Housewives of New York City Premiere

Do I really need to persuade you from watching over-privileged, materialistic, self-entitled, haggy mouth breathers desperately bicker for your attention? I surely hope not.

‘Take Me Out’ with George Lopez

The hammy comedian flips up his faux hawk and pulls out more tired zingers to host a garish, pandering dating show on Fox (premiering on Thursday). N’ombre, no!

Dangerous Cosplay

We love seeing geeky super fans dress up as their favorite characters, and we’d never discourage, say, a sexy young nerd lady from sporting Vulcan ears and a skin-tight body sock to pay tribute to T’Pal. But please fellow nerds, do not use ballistic missile paint to paint your body Hulk green like this guy did. That’s dangerous. And stupid. And embarrassing. We don’t want that, you don’t want that, and I’m sure the Hulk doesn’t want that.

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