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
