Archive for the 'Science Fiction' Category

SciFi Sunday: Indy, Sarah Jane and Sine Qua Non

June 1, 2008 | Science Fiction, TV/Film

We saw Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull last week. Was it as good as Raiders of the Lost Ark? No, but I don’t think the previous two sequels were either. The first film was an immediate classic; as a result, its sequels have a lot to measure up to. That they don’t — that they aren’t as good — shouldn’t surprise anyone. It’s pretty much SOP with most classic films.

Crystal Skull is still a good, fun summer film. Sure you have to suspend your disbelief pretty far at some of the situations the characters survive, but it’s great to see Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones again, even if he’s moving a bit slower. Aren’t we all? Shia LaBeouf was fine as new sidekick Mutt Williams. The best though, was the return of Karen Allen as Marian Ravenwood. It’s quite easy to believe that her character is the only woman who could capture Indiana Jones’ attention for more than a moment.

The storyline is farfetched, which is fine and expected, and a bit rushed at the end, which is unfortunate. Without revealing any spoilers, I think many kids will have trouble understanding what happens at the end, especially if they are not familiar with other Spielberg films.

My summer film recommendation remains if you are only going to see one film in the theater, see Iron Man. Wait for this one on DVD. If you are a big Indiana Jones fan or can attend the film with one, preferably a child, by all means go. You’ll have some nice summer movie fun.

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Sarah Jane Adventures wrapped up its first season on SciFi on Friday. We like this show very much. It is a sci fi show for kids with some intelligence, and I mean that in both possible interpretations — the show is smart, and so are the kids. It doesn’t dumb down but at the same time it is very accessible and quite entertaining. I’ve always like star Elisabeth Sladen, and they’ve surrounded her with a nice cast, juvenile and adult. Looking forward to more of these in the future.

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Battlestar Galactica Sine Qua Non. Finally the return of the Adamas. We’d seen so little of either character this season that I would have been happy with a scene or two. Instead, the two main story arcs focused on them. Plus, we got the HUGE bonus of Mark Sheppard as Romo Lampkin. Sheppard had scenes with both Eward James Olmos and Jamie Bamber plus a solo scene that was excellent. There also was a tasty side order of Tigh and Six, and the awesome fist fight.

I enjoy the chemistry of the four main actors, Olmos, McDonnell, Sackoff and Bamber; part of what makes the show so good is that no matter how you mix up those four, you generally get something interesting on screen. Some of the best Bamber scenes though are the ones with Mark Sheppard. This week’s episode was no different. I especially liked the parallel between their meeting last season, when Lee was looking for a new direction, and their first scene in Sine Qua Non, when it was Romo who was clearly adrift.

But the best thing? The return of Jake:

(image from Battlestar Wiki)

A nice love letter to longtime fans who’ve wondered for more than a year what happened to this resistance hero.

Technorati Tags: Indiana Jones, Battlestar Galactica, Mark Sheppard, Sarah Jane Adventures, Elisabeth Sladen

SciFi Sunday: Pre-empted for holiday weekend

May 25, 2008 | Science Fiction, Vermont

SciFi Sunday is pretty much pre-empted for the holiday weekend. We are up at our house in Vermont this weekend and have been doing a little site seeing. Douglas and I went to Billings Farm’s Sheepshearing Days yesterday and today all three of us went to Fort Ticonderoga.

I also attempted to get some pictures of the space station as it moved over us just past 9pm Eastern. The squiggles? That’s me moving the camera before the shutter closed. Yeah, I know, they suck. Oh well.

Next week, new episodes of Sarah Jane and Battlestar, plus we are planning to see Indy 4 on Tuesday night so there will be lots to talk about.

Request for help: I am putting together a panel on Social Media and the Writers Strike for a conference this fall. If you know anyone in either the WGA or the fan community who was actively engaged in creating videos for online distribution during the strike, please give me a shout. I’ve got some good panelists lined up, but I’d like one or two more.

Technorati Tags: Billings Farm, Fort Ticonderoga, space station

SciFi Sunday: Step into the Dollhouse, Sarah Jane and What the Frak?

May 18, 2008 | Science Fiction, TV

Late last week, the first trailers for the new Joss Whedon show, The Dollhouse, hit the ‘net (hat tip Twitter pal ProgGrrl). The premise is a sci fi fan’s dream — agents able to take on any persona, do the job and then revert back to a memory-less state. Except maybe not. Maybe they don’t forget everything. How does that change the equation?

I am really looking forward to this show. Of course, there’s the Joss factor. He’s never done a show that I haven’t loved. And given the cast here, I don’t expect The Dollhouse to be any different. For starters we’ve got Eliza Dushku, Tahmoh Penikett and Amy Acker, and you have to know that even the actors we don’t (yet) know will be super.

More on The Dollhouse at Entertainment Weekly. To stay updated, follow The Dollhouse on Twitter

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While we haven’t been able to get into David Tennant as Doctor Who, my whole family is enjoying The Sarah Jane Adventures. In fact, we were pissed last Friday when SciFi seemed to truncate the end of Sarah Jane in order to start Doctor Who. Some reviews: Metacritic Wired.

I know some folks thinks it is a bit “kiddy” but it is nice to have a smart scifi show that appeals to kids. Anime cartoons and Power Rangers just don’t count. Fridays at 8pm on SciFi Channel. Not on next week due to Memorial Day weekend, but back on the 3oth.

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Battlestar Galactica. I’m enjoying the show, although I still wish for more Edward James Olmos and Jamie Bamber this season. I haven’t had the urge to re-watch an episode since the second one, but the show is still gripping me. Especially last week.

What was good?

• The interactions between Roslin and Lee. Mark my words, they are setting it up that Lee is the only person everyone trusts.
• The Cylon Rebel Leader Six. Natalie is the name I’ve seen on the boards. Tricia Helfer is doing a superb job this season. [SPOILER ALERT] From the previews, it looks like she is NOT dead, which fits. To become human requires suffering…
• Not a big Gaeta fan, but the song was haunting.

What would I like to see?

• Some Lee and Kara interaction beyond a glance on Colonial One. I’m fine with setting up the story, but I want a payoff. As do many of the Lee/Kara fans who’ve stuck with the show through the Quadrangle Of Doom. Doesn’t have to be happily ever after, although that would be nice. A scene. That’s all we ask.
• The payoff on the set-up with Lee as a Quorum member. I’m convinced he’s the next president after Roslin. How are they going to get him there, and do they have to kill her off - I hope not.

Now for the what the frak. Alert viewers — not me, I just read the websites — have noticed some changes between the original version of the Last Supper Photo as published in Entertainment Weekly, and the one that currently appears on the SciFi Channel website.

Here’s the original:

And here’s the one currently on SciFi Channel:

The changes? The little pot that Laura Roslin appears to have lit in the first image is not in the second, although the lit match is. And Baltar is no longer holding the hand of the central Six figure. What does it all mean? I have no clue, but it seems clear that we will need to keep checking this picture for changes as the season progresses.

Also, it has always appeared that Natalie (rebel leader Six) was pointing at Helo and Athena. Makes sense now.

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SciFi this week. No Battlestar this Friday but we do have Bones tomorrow night. And Indiana Jones returns to movie theaters on Thursday, an event much looked forward to in our household. Hard to believe that this character first hit the screen when I was in college. Douglas and I were discussing that this afternoon. His comment: “So the movies are pretty old.”

Yes indeed my dear. They are. But it looks like Indy still has a bit of life left in him and so do I.

And with that my friends, I bid you good night.

Technorati Tags: The Dollhouse, Battlestar Galactica, Sarah Jane Adventures, science fiction

SciFi Sunday: Speed Racer hits a speed bump, Friday’s Battlestar & Dr. “Who Cares”

May 11, 2008 | Movies, Science Fiction, TV

Tricia Helfer as Six on Battlestar Galactica

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Speed Racer. AS previously mentioned, I took my son and three of his friends to see Speed Racer at Jordan Furniture’s IMAX Theater on Saturday. The film wasn’t as bad as I expected from the reviews, but still, I wanted to like it more than I did. The story itself isn’t bad, as long as you understand going in that you are essentially watching a comic strip, just with living actors instead of pixels. The biggest problem — the film is just too damn long. Clocking in at well over two hours, they could have easily cut 30 minutes and had a better film with more appeal.

Initial reports have it falling far below initial box office estimates, with Iron Man in its second week beating it at the box office by far.

Which doesn’t surprise me in the least. I took Douglas to Iron Man, which is about as long, last weekend and he was captivated throughout. As were my brother, mother and I. At Speed Racer though, about 30-40 minutes before the film ended, he started pestering me with “how many more minutes?” When an eight-year old kid can’t wait for a film aimed at eight-year old kids to end, you know there’s a problem.

Bottom line: See Iron Man in the theater, save Speed Racer for DVD. It’ll be there soon enough.

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Friday’s episode of Battlestar Galactica, Faith. One of the better episodes this year to-date. Still not enough Adama and zero Lee, but the two main stories, one featuring Roslin dealing with her cancer and the other Kara and her crew dealing with the Cylons, were far more gripping than the previous two eps, which felt more like story exposition than action.

As the title suggests, the episode dealt with Faith. In one arc, Roslin comes face to face with a terminally ill patient whose faith has been restored by Baltar’s preachings. How will Roslin reconcile this with her feelings about Baltar? The other arc was devoted to the prickly rapprochement of Kara’s crew and the rebel Cylons.

It was refreshing to see Starbuck, Helo and Athena acting as a team again, for whatever reason, but the best part of the episode, and one of the highlights of the season to date, is Tricia Helfer. She absolutely rocks, the way she can imbue each and every Six with a different personality. Certainly, the hairstyle and wardrobe changes help, a device not offered as extensively to the other Cylons, but it goes beyond that. She has developed into a superb actress who can hold her own with some of the best on this show, and I look forward to watching her every week. Especially when she portrays the Six leading the Cylon rebels.

Bottom line: A-. Full episode streaming on SciFi.com.

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I’m sorry, friends, but as far as I am concerned, it isn’t Doctor Who. It’s Doctor Who Cares? I watched Friday while waiting for Battlestar, and the best part of the episode was the intimation that this version of the Doctor wasn’t long for this, or any other, world. Beccause literally that’s all I can remember about the episode two days later, and I have a pretty good memory. I am sure David Tennant is a wonderful actor, but he’s not my idea of Doctor Who. I adored Tom Baker in the 80s, and thought Christopher Eccleston was brilliant as Doctor Number 9. I still get goosebumps thinking of the episode The Doctor Dances. While I don’t want to rush him through his remaining incarnations, I long for a Doctor I can love. Especially since the future of Torchwood seems a bit unclear.

Technorati Tags: Speed Racer, Iron Man, Battlestar Galactica, Tricia Helfer, Doctor Who, science fiction

SciFi Sunday: Iron Man

May 4, 2008 | Movies, Science Fiction

Warning: This post may contain spoilers.

I am Iron Man.

Today we saw Iron Man. And I am going to go out on a limb and say this is the best sci fi film I have seen since Blade Runner. Not that others — ET, Close Encounters, Serenity, iRobot among others — haven’t been good.

But this film rocked. And not just because of the Black Sabbath tune. In fact, it may get a place on my top ten films of all time.

What’s so great? The story. And Robert Downey Jr’s performance. When he’s on the screen, he owns it. I know action films don’t tend to get nominated for Academy Awards, but this performance deserves it.

The supporting cast. Terrence Howard and Jeff Bridges are excellent. Gwyneth Paltrow, who can be annoying and whiny, is excellent.

The special effects. Awesome but they don’t eclipse the performances, and that’s what makes a great film. Versus a video game masquerading as one.

Bottom line. Run don’t walk to your nearest theater for this one. And stay ’til the bitter end, all the way through the extensive credits. You’ll be glad you did.

Sequel? Please.

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I have an SG-1 action figure of the Prior hanging around from my last contest. So, here’s your chance to win a present to give your geek nephew or niece for his or her birthday or some other holiday. Tell me your top ten movies of all time in the comments on this post. Giveaway period: now through May 31st. Winner announced June 1st.

Here are mine, in no particular order.

• Blade Runner
• Serenity
• Princess Bride
• Usual Suspects
• ET
• Iron Man
• Wag the Dog
• Rocky Horror Picture Show
• Raiders of the Lost Ark
• Notorious

I’d also like to recognize 1930s and 40s comedies in general. Among the best: The Thin Man, It Happened One Night, Bringing Up Baby, Arsenic and Old Lace and The Philadelphia Story.

Same general terms as previous giveaways: Adults, US including Alaska & Hawaii, Void where prohibited. One prize winner, picked using a random number generator, gets the SG-1 Prior action figure. Entry period ends May 31st at midnight Eastern Daylight Time. Winner announced June 1st.

Technorati Tags: Iron Man, science fiction

Cam and Vala off to new homes

May 1, 2008 | Contest, Science Fiction

There were 10 comments (excluding my own) on the Ark of Truth review, so we have winners for the Mitchell and Vala figures. The poor Prior is still in the storage closet with the second set of figures, so I guess I’ll have to come up with another way to get him out of the closet.

Winner of the Cameron Mitchell figure is Nightsister, who said this about Daniel Jackson:

“I also think you need to really watch how Daniel (and the rest of the team too) develops from “Children of the Gods” to the present — it’s not just the hair that changes, honest! — but I would recommend “Lifeboat” for an amazing Michael Shanks performance.”

Winner of the Vala Mal Doran figure is ColeJ, who had this to say:

“If you want to see the best of Daniel Jackson, then “Meridian” from the 5th season is a “must watch” episode because 1) Daniel sacrifices himself to save a planet of people who are too stupidly selfish to save themselves; 2) you will get to see how profoundly Daniel/Michael Shanks affected each of his teammates in the first five seasons. The cast’s reactions are genuine and mirror that of the characters. For a later episode that shows, again, how far Daniel will go to make life better/safer for the masses, watch season 10’s “The Shroud”, which ties in directly to the Ori storyline and “The Ark of Truth”. The geeky nerd from the original movie, though he becomes macho and militaristic in later years, manages to retain his deeply unselfish tact throughout the ten years of the show and continues to believe in and dedicate himself to a “greater good”. He never becomes cynical, which is refreshing in the often-dark environment of the Stargate reality.”

Winners were selected using a random number generator.

Thanks to everyone who shared their thoughts on Daniel Jackson with me. Please keep reading SciFi Sunday, especially when Continuum is released, when I will do my second SG-1 action figure giveaway.

Technorati Tags: Stargate SG-1, Ark of Truth, science fiction

SciFi Sunday: Short Subject

April 27, 2008 | Science Fiction, Travel

Still getting over the jetlag from the trip back from California, so SciFi Sunday tonight is going to be a short comment that I was disappointed with last Friday’s Battlestar Galactica. Let’s call it the Cylon adjustment episode — the focus was mainly on the three of the frakked four who are still with the Fleet. I don’t dislike Tory or Chief, but I just wasn’t that interested in their turmoil, or not, at Cally’s death. Tigh, on the other hand, was more interesting but I thought they drew the device of Ellen/Six out way too long. Not enough Lee, Kara, Roslin or Adama.

Back to our regularly scheduled sci fi conversation next week. In the meantime, enjoy this picture of Douglas feeding Pewani, a 9-10 year old giraffe, at San Diego Wild Animal Park.

More photos from our vacation on Flickr.

Technorati Tags: San Diego Wild Animal Park, Battlestar Galactica

SciFi Sunday: Pre-empted by vacation

April 20, 2008 | Douglas, Holiday, Science Fiction, Travel

SciFi Sunday is pre-empted this week by our family vacation. I’d much rather spend time exploring the environs of San Diego California than waxing poetic about science fiction and fantasy.

Although I will say that Battlestar Galactica rocked last week. I didn’t even mind that there was so much Cally in it for once

Regularly scheduled rantings and ravings about science fiction will be back next week. In the meantime, please enjoy the pictures of our first day in California.

And don’t be confused by the picture of the dog and the cat, or our family room at home. They were on the same card as the CA pictures and I have a small person who wants to do Webkinz hanging on me, so no time to create multiple sets.

Technorati Tags: La Brea Tarpits, Lawrence Welk Resort, pillow fort

SciFi Sunday: Go Speed Racer Go

April 13, 2008 | Science Fiction, TV/Film

The live-action Speed Racer film starring Emile Hirsch, Susan Sarandon, Christina Ricci and Matthew Fox is slated to hit US theaters on May 9th. Douglas has already decided to defer his birthday celebration with friends until it opens so we can all go see it at Jordan Furniture’s IMAX Theater. I’ve watched a few of the trailers on the official movie site, and I’m guessing watching on the IMAX screen is going to feel like being inside a video game.

Before long, we’ll be inundated with tie-in promotions and contests for the film. The Speed Racer Legos are already on the market, and just this week, I learned that MTV is giving away a $100,000 tricked out Corvette. Details here.

Next topic: The Sarah Jane Adventures premiered on SciFI Channel Friday night. I have not been too enamored of Doctor Who of late, mostly because I just don’t like David Tennant’s portrayal. I know I am in the minority, but Tennant just doesn’t do it for me. For the Doctor to work, you have to believe he is capable of both the most wonderful and the most awful things. Tennant just makes me think of a little boy who has been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

I always liked Sarah Jane, the Companion of Doctors’ Three (Jon Pertwee) and Four (the wonderful Tom Baker), and probably the best-known, most loved Companion. It is great to see actress Elisabeth Sladen again, and I quite liked her two young side-kicks.

Grade for the premiere episode: B+

Finally, Friday’s episode of Battlestar Galactica, Six of One. Best moments: Adama’s fight with Roslin - I loved how he told her she could stay in the room but to stay out of his head. And Lee/Kara shipper that I am, you know I loved their scene. In large part because it underscored how much the characters care for each other without all the gnashing and wailing we’ve been subjected to in past. At the same time, they realized that they have to go in different directions to fulfill their destinies. Not together but in sync, whereas Adama and Roslin are together in some sense, but clearly not in sync at all. And finally, the Six on the Cylon basestar. Loved how she faced down that slimeball Cavil.

Grade for the episode: A

Reviews: Entertainment Weekly, TV Squad (source Galactica Sitrep, the best BSG fansite out there)

Next week’s preview at SciFi.com. (I’m going to stop linking to Battlestar clips on YouTube as they seem to get taken down very quickly.)

Bye bye Cally?

Technorati Tags: Speed Racer, corvette, Sarah Jane Adventures, Battlestar Galactica

SciFi Sunday: Battlestar Galactica (duh!)

April 6, 2008 | Science Fiction, TV/Film

This post has spoilers for the first episode of Battlestar Galactica, He That Believeth in Me. If you haven’t seen the episode yet, and want to remain spoiler free, go read last week’s SciFi Sunday review of the Stargate SG-1 film The Ark of Truth and enter my SG-1 action figure giveaway.

Or go watch the ep on SciFi Rewind, then come back when you’re done.

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A pretty good start to the season. As with most Battlestar episodes, there are three storylines. This year, it looks like they are going to play out as:

• The Adama arc: Storyline generally involving Adama, Roslin, Lee and Kara. Often includes Helo & Athena, and I suspect will include the Six/Sixes on Galactica
• The Baltar arc: Baltar’s storyline, including “Head Six”
• The Cylon arc: The seven, the four, the one

Let’s start with the A-storyline, the first he that believeth, Lee believing in Kara. My little shipper heart was warmed by the welcome Lee gave Kara (and the welcome she did not give Sam) as well as Lee’s immediate acceptance of her. Mary McDonnell’s performance was excellent, but I think the character is in the wrong this time. Think about it — she can have visions under the influence of drugs and send Kara on the mission to Caprica, but now she is completely closed to the possibility that Kara is right. Odds are, Lee is absolutely right — what they were meant to find in the nebula was Kara.

The two best scenes in this storyline were Adama and his children. When Kara asks him to believe her, it is heartbreaking that he can’t. That the counsel he seeks is Lee’s is heartwarming, especially given how estranged they had been over Baltar’s trial. Lee rewatching Kara’s “death” also evokes the episode Scar, another important episode in the Lee/Kara storyline. I loved how Lee makes it clear that it makes absolutely no difference to him what Kara is or isn’t. He has her back, literally and figuratively, and that’s all that matters.

Of all the characters in this episode, clearly the character of Lee has had the most visible character growth, although I expect that Kara has changed tremendously as well; we just don’t know the extent of it. Adama and Roslin, though, seem to be repeating old patterns. All this has happened before and will again….

Now to the B-storyline. Don’t need to draw us a map on this one. We get it. Baltar is a Christ-like figure, at least in that his followers believeth in him even though we know he doesn’t believe in much other than saving his own skin. I love watching James Callis perform, even though the character is mostly despicable. It will be interesting to see if/how Baltar is or is not redeemed. That said, I thought some of these scenes dragged a bit.

Finally, the Cylons. This episode focused on our friends the final, or frakked, four, and their determination to believe in themselves, as the individuals they’ve always thought themselves to be. Michael Hogan (Tigh) owns the screen when he is on it, so I for one am glad he is one of the four as that means he’ll get plenty of screentime. I thought it was particularly effective the way they had the four in various scenes discussing the possibility that Kara might be a cylon. Everything said, by them and others, in those scenes refers more to them than to her, and you can clearly tell that they know that. And what happens when Kara discovers that Sam is a Cylon…

Grade: A-/B+

Preview for next week:

Warms this fangirl’s heart, although I hope they resolve Starbuck’s headache soon. Katee Sackhoff is an excellent actor, but watching her scream “we’re going the wrong way” over and over is going to get old, fast.

Technorati Tags: Battlestar Galactica, Stargate SG-1