|
Posted by Bob Muir on Apr 22, 2015 in Cinema, Television 
I think I saw and enjoyed Galaxy Quest way before I ever saw one episode of Star Trek, and it didn’t matter, because it’s such a funny movie. But soon, it will also be a (hopefully funny) TV series. Paramount is developing it, along with the original film’s writer, director, and producer, so the same crew is along for the ride. I wouldn’t expect any of the original actors to reprise their roles, but I could see the potential for this to work as a series. Naturally, Paramount isn’t giving out any more details, so we’ll have to imagine who could possibly step into Alan Rickman’s shoes. Read more…
Tags: Galaxy Quest, Science Fiction, Star Trek
Posted by Bob Muir on Oct 2, 2014 in Cinema 
In one month’s time, we’ll all be able to enjoy Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi epic Interstellar, a story about leaving a dead Earth to find a new home for humanity outside our solar system. If you’ve been watching the previous trailers, you’re likely already hyped up about what looks to be an excellent, gripping sci-fi movie. If you haven’t seen them yet, do yourself a favor and check out the ideas presented in this final trailer. Interstellar premieres November 5, so get your tickets now! Read more…
Tags: Christopher Nolan, Interstellar, Science Fiction
Posted by Bob Muir on Jul 9, 2014 in Cinema 
Technically, Scarlett Johansson looks deadly without a gun, but in this clip from Luc Besson’s Lucy, she’s using a gun to escape captivity. What follows is some very efficient shooting, probably because she’s using more than 10% of her brain. (You know, that old pseudo-scientific concept that’s been disproven over and over again, but whatever.) It looks like what I imagine the auto-lock slow-motion feature in some videogame shooters looks like, where time slows and you pick several targets to shoot instantly with no need for aiming. Will she be this cool the rest of the movie? I liked Leon: The Professional, but I disliked The Fifth Element, so I’m not sure about how much I should get excited for Lucy. Read more…
Tags: Science Fiction, Superheroes
Posted by Bob Muir on May 27, 2014 in Science 
Suspended animation is usually stuck in the realm of science fiction, but some scientists are testing out a similar process. Because of the differences between what they’re doing and what we expect, they prefer to call it “emergency preservation and resuscitation.” Basically, their goal is to suspend life to keep patients alive during dangerous operations through the use of internal cooling. A patient’s blood is completely removed and replaced with a cold saline solution, slowing down metabolism and reducing oxygen needs. The body cools to about 50ºF, basically inducing hypothermia. This will supposedly help buy time for important surgery for patients suffering from a massive heart attack or a shooting. A heart-lung bypass machine restores blood circulation and oxygenation for resuscitation. Read more…
Tags: Science Fiction
Posted by Bob Muir on May 1, 2014 in Television 
Well, that wasn’t entirely unsurprising. The sci-fi series Almost Human, which airs on Fox, has been canceled by the network after only one season. The show featured Karl Urban as a human detective partnered with a lifelike robot played by Michael Ealy. The show never quite impressed critics, and I can attest to being disinterested, despite enjoying Urban. Part of the show’s misfortune, however, stemmed from Fox’s decision to air the episodes out of order, messing up minor continuity and how the characters reacted to each other. My girlfriend stuck with the show and was quite annoyed at how this ruined the show’s pacing. You’d think after Fox did the same thing to Firefly, they would have realized not to mess with a show’s continuity like that, but that’s Fox for you. Read more…
Tags: Robots, Science Fiction
Posted by Bob Muir on Apr 3, 2014 in Cinema 
After playing Black Widow several times in Marvel’s films, it seems like Scarlett Johansson wants to continue being an action star. She’s starring as Lucy in Lucy, a new sci-fi superhero movie that’s directed, written, and produced by Luc Besson (The Fifth Element). After bad guys put drugs inside of her, intending for her to smuggle them, the drugs leak into her system, giving her superpowers. (That’s how drugs work, right?) Morgan Freeman is also there, which is fine by me, because I could listen to that guy’s voice forever. Anyway, check out this trailer for what could be a really fun movie when it releases on August 8, 2014. Read more…
Tags: Science Fiction, Superheroes
Posted by Bob Muir on Feb 20, 2014 in Cinema, Comic Books 
Marvel premiered the first full trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy on Jimmy Kimmel Live, and after seeing it, I’d say it’s out of this world. Puns aside, we get a nice overview of the team, learning a bit about what makes them special. There’s Starlord’s awesome looking ship, the Milano. There’s a guard listening to a Walkman. There’s Zoe Saldana. There’s a talking raccoon with a machine gun fighting alongside a tree-person. What more could you want? Admittedly, John C. Reilly falls a bit flat here with some of his “snark,” but that might just be the trailer editing’s fault. It’s looking like this first “true” entry into Marvel’s cosmic corner of its universe should be some fun, old-school fantastical sci-fi. Read more…
Tags: Guardians of the Galaxy, Marvel, Science Fiction
Posted by Bob Muir on Nov 21, 2013 in Cinema 
It’s made the festival circuit, but chances are you haven’t seen Aningaaq, a seven-minute companion short to Alfonso Cuaron’s Gravity. That film is one of the best science fiction (in the literal sense: fiction about science) films in a long time and a sure-bet for a Best Picture nomination at the next Oscars. Without spoiling too much for those who haven’t seen the film, Aningaaq is about a titular Inuit man in Greenland who is contacted by Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) at a critical point in her story. It’s a great scene in the movie, but what’s interesting is how this short so perfectly matches the themes of isolation and survival found in the movie, but in different circumstances. Even grounded on Earth, the scene is touching in its poignance, regardless of whether or not you have seen the movie. Read more…
Tags: Alfonso Cuarón, Gravity, Science Fiction, Warner Brothers
Posted by Bob Muir on Oct 10, 2013 in Cinema 
Against better judgment, Ridley Scott wants to make a sequel to Blade Runner. The man has made some fantastic films, but his work of late hasn’t been quite as good (see: Prometheus). What’s even worse? Harrison Ford has considered returning to the role of Rick Deckard. During promotion for Ender’s Game, IGN asked Harrison Ford about the potential sequel. Ford revealed that not only was he interested in playing the human/replicant/whatever-you-think, but he has talked with Ridley Scott about it. Read more…
Tags: Blade Runner, Harrison Ford, Ridley Scott, Science Fiction
Posted by Bob Muir on Jul 2, 2013 in Cinema 
Not every poster design gets sent out to theaters. Take a look at these potential Ender’s Game posters focusing on the characters. As “draft” posters, they’re not the finished thing, but you could’ve fooled me. The main stars are present, everything looks futuristic, what’s the problem? We don’t know, since they were leaked, but I’d have been fine with them. Could it be they decided it was a bit weird to only show the male characters’ faces while showing almost all of the female characters’ bodies as well? Actually, let’s chalk it up to that. So whether the ad department was concerned with minor sexism or visual inconsistency, these aren’t your final Ender’s Game posters — but they still look pretty cool. Read more…
Tags: Ender's Game, Science Fiction
Posted by Bob Muir on Apr 3, 2013 in Cinema 
It’s easy to be skeptical when Disney talks about making a movie out of a theme park attraction. Sure, Pirates of the Caribbean turned out to be surprisingly great, but the rest of the films weren’t so hot, and the less said about The Haunted Mansion with Eddie Murphy the better. But when Brad Bird supposedly has an idea for the upcoming movie Tomorrowland based on a box of Disney memorabilia labeled “1952,” you start to wonder if it could possibly be intriguing. A supposed plot leak only piques interest further. Read more…
Tags: Disney, Disneyland, Science Fiction
Posted by Bob Muir on Aug 17, 2012 in Cinema, Science, Television 
Though sci-fi is an incredibly broad genre, modern sci-fi can occasionally feel pigeonholed into following the most popular franchises. That’s why this map by Ward Shelly is so fascinating, even if it’s been around for a while. It charts the growth and many off-shoots of fiction to show where science fiction came from and its relation to other genres and its own subgenres. From the horror of Frankenstein to the fantastic ideas of H.G. Wells and Jules Verne, through the pulp magazines and dystopian novels, all the way to the Star Trek and Star Wars explosion, it’s an intriguing look at where some of our most popular stories come from. Read more…
Tags: Science Fiction
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Apr 18, 2012 in Dr. Who 
It can be hard for Whovians having to wait for the next series of Doctor Who to start. With the season premiere still months away, you’ll probably need something to pass the time. While you’ve probably watched every episode on Netflix or Amazon’s instant video service, we tend to overlook the numerous novels, audiobooks, and radio dramas the BBC churns out on a regular basis. I’m sure some of you might not have known about the plethora of content available via Amazon or Audible, but there’s quite a bit of it t0 choose from, and fans of The Doctor both past and present will likely find a fair share of adventures starring their favorite incarnation of the Time Lord. One word of advice however, keep in mind the intended audience of these stories can vary from children to adults, so make sure to read the reviews before you spend your cash.
Read more…
Tags: Doctor Who, Science Fiction
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Apr 4, 2012 in Cinema 
The first trailer for Len Wiseman’s Total Recall hit the net this week, and surprisingly, it really looks good. Given Hollywood’s current fetish for reinventing classic films, I had plenty of reservations when plans were announced a year ago, especially after hearing that Colin Farrell would be cast as Douglas Quaid, a character we’ve only ever associated with the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Farrell isn’t unknown to the action genre but for a time, Schwarzenegger defined it. So how do they plan on tackling it? The answer is simple, believability.
Read more…
Tags: Science Fiction, Total Recall
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Mar 6, 2012 in Television 
Well, I can’t say I didn’t see this coming — Fox has decided to cancel Terra Nova, and will not be renewing the series for a second season. The series seemed popular enough to sustain an audience, but viewership declined over the course of its 13 episode run, leaving studio execs with the choice of footing the bill for the show’s enormous budget, or cutting their losses. Given Fox’s track record with shows like Firefly and The Sarah Connor Chronicles, I’m sure everyone could have guessed which option they’d pick. That being the case, the series did seem to suffer from poor writing, and the premise didn’t seem all that original to begin with. Read more…
Tags: 20th Century Fox, Science Fiction
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 3, 2011 in Cinema 
When news first broke of Ridley Scott creating a prequel to Alien, many people were rightfully excited. While that specific project broke down, it turned into something equally interesting: Prometheus. Now, I’m not using Alien “DNA” in the literal sense. Instead, I’m referring to Ridley Scott’s original comments about the film, in that it will share many “strands of Alien’s DNA” and have similar underlying themes. That fact is incredibly apparent with these new images released to tide us over until the inevitable trailer release. Read more…
Tags: Prometheus, Ridley Scott, Science Fiction
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 2, 2011 in Star Trek 
How incredible would it be to have had a father who had been the creator of Star Trek? There’s no doubting that Star Trek has influenced peoples’ lives throughout the years. Perhaps the person who can speak best about this fact is Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry’s son Rod, who is the narrator and guide in the Science Channel’s recent documentary, Trek Nation: Read more…
Tags: documentary, Gene Roddenberry, Science Fiction, Star Trek
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 26, 2011 in Fandom 
How many can say that attended the first science fiction convention that was ever held, were part of the first generation of great science fiction authors and are around today and blogging about it? That honor would go to Frederik Pohl who will celebrate his 92nd birthday today! Show above is a photo from the first science fiction convention in 1936 — Frederik Pohl is the gentleman in the center. To celebrate his birthday here are a number of cool vintage covers of his (and his co-authors) books: Read more…
Tags: Science Fiction
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 14, 2011 in Fandom 
What follows is an amazing in debt audio interview with science fiction author Philip K. Dick from 1979 — the interviewer is Charles Platt. The author goes into amazing detail about his life story and books that inspired him: Read more…
Tags: Science Fiction
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Nov 1, 2011 in Cinema 
It looks as though Fox may finally be ready to move on their plans to produce two back-to-back sequels for their 1996 sci-fi hit, Independence Day. It’s no secret that Sony’s been eyeing the project since earlier this year, but with the scripts finally penned, and Roland Emmerich’s schedule free and clear for the foreseeable future — his latest film, Anonymous hit theaters last weekend — its looking more and more likely. Will Smith hasn’t committed to reprising his role as Captain Steven Hiller, but that doesn’t rule out the possibility. Smith’s reportedly asking for $50 million, and budgetary concerns may prevent that. However, judging by the runaway success of the first film, Fox might justify cutting a big enough check. Either way, the show will go on, with or without him. Of course, that begs the question, do we even need Will Smith, or these sequels for that matter?
Read more…
Tags: 20th Century Fox, Science Fiction
Posted by Michael Pinto on Oct 28, 2011 in Fandom, Pulp Fiction 
The public television show Day at Night ran in the 70s and featured in depth interviews with a wide range of people from nuclear physicist Edward Teller to legendary boxer Muhammad Ali. This wonderful interview with science fiction author Ray Bradbury is from 1974 and he goes into wonderful detail on what inspired him: Read more…
Tags: Science Fiction
Posted by Michael Pinto on Jul 20, 2011 in Pulp Fiction 
Author Tim Maughan has just released a new collection of science fiction short stories titled Paintwork. The stories have a wonderful range of interesting characters from augmented reality street artists to two young Cubans caught up in video game tournament which turns out to be much more than that. The book is available at Amazon in the US and Amazon in the UK and at Smashwords.
Tags: Science Fiction
Posted by Michael Sacco on Jul 8, 2011 in Pulp Fiction 
The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction is considered to be the authoritative guide on the genre, but it’s oddly resisted the siren song of the information age. Until now, anyway! The Encyclopedia will be going digital, according to a press release on their website. All text will be free and available online, though admittedly that leaves the question of what won’t be free. Multiplatform users will appreciate that the Encyclopedia staff is investigating ebook and app versions of the tome as well. And for those who still love the feel of a book in their hands, fear not — a gargantuan physical version of the book will still be published. Read more…
Tags: Science Fiction
Posted by Linda Yau on May 9, 2011 in Fandom, Hobbies and Collections 
Recently I was at Anime Boston, and met an interesting cosplayer with a rich in potassium banana. I also definitely attended panels hosted by this person of interest. Meet Charles Dunbar aka Anime Antropologiest of Study of Anime. From the time I have met him to now, his panels at conventions will pack rooms. This is a scholar that has made my appreciation toward anime more interesting and academic in a sense that is away from the college environment. I hope to see more of this man speak, so I happened to be able to conduct an email interview with him. Read more…
Tags: Anime, Dr. Who, Fandom, interview, manga, Science Fiction, Star Trek: The Next Generation
|
|
