Sci fi Pod

Summer Glau & Jamie Bamber to appear in the new series of Dollhouse

2009-08-27T09:56:00.001-07:00

Good news for sci-fi fans as Summer Glau (of firefly and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles fame) gets to team up with Joss Whedon again in the new series of Dollhouse (see here for the original story).

Also joining the cast is Jamie Bamber (Lee Adama in Galactica) as Eliza Dushku’s character Echo’s new Husband.

After a slow start the first series grew on me towards the end . Lets hope the new talent and a second series give Whedon enough room to beat his well loved series Firelfly, which was only allowed a single series (for reasons which seem beyond comprehension).

Give me Firefly over Buffy any day of the week!

Is Megan Fox really CGI?

2009-06-23T07:39:00.000-07:00

Can it really be true, check out the video ;)

Top 10 Science Fiction Movies of all time

2009-05-21T06:34:00.001-07:00

10. Terminator

Definitely Schwarzeneggerger’s best movie and not simply for the lack of dialogue, this film really makes you sit on the edge of your seat the whole way. While lacking the special effects of the sequels, this movie packed a punch which was sadly lacking in the later releases. I don’t have much time for horror flicks personally, but the scare tactics employed in this crossover genre keeps the adrenaline pumping and the heart racing. The cold hard steel of the cyborg is perfectly projected by Arnie and who can forget the self surgery scene when the Terminator removes it own eyeball? Classic stuff.

9. Predator

A gritty retake on the Human becomes the hunted story line, with excellent effects and enough blood and guts to sicken a slasher movie fanatic. I am smiling as I write this realizing that I have added yet another Schwarzeneggerger movie to the list without a William Shatner in sight! (props to Shatner for his recent cameo in Fanboys by the way, in which he conspires with a bunch of Starwars heads to break into the Lucas Ranch and sneak a preview of Episode 1 good sport!). Again, the atmosphere of this first film in the series was never recovered in any of the Sequels, which proves that milking a single good idea for all it’s worth just doesn’t work. I cannot even begin to write about the Alien vs. Predator debacle, don’t get me started on that, it could get nasty! While cheesy in places the last battle turns the movie into a classic with Arnie using his special forces skills to level the playing field against his technologically and physically superior foe, yes I did just say that Schwarzeneggerger actually outthinks the enemy!

8. Alien

I love this movie because it exactly portrays what I believe deep space transportation to be like, boring as hell! The mundane nature of the crews daily lives and tasks is broken forever when they chance upon an alien ship containing the cocoons of a species which gestates by growing its offspring inside other species that the face sucking larva attaches itself too, the now legendary ‘Alien appears from the chest of John Hurt’ scene begins the race for survival of the crew, the unwilling hero Ripley, excellently portrayed by Sigourney Weaver wins through in the end, though more by luck than judgment. The film also aggressively addresses the issue of artificial intelligence and logic over humanity.

7. I am legend

A new film in the mix but truly the best ever of its genre with the palpable eeriness you feel looking at the deserted streets of New York, Will Smith quipped at an award ceremony that he couldn’t believe people would pay and sit through a couple of hours of him talking to himself. This proves that you can turn a movie about zombie flesh eaters into a contemporary peace of art, as Smith’s character relies on a daily regime to keep him sane, the unraveling of the routine in turn causes his character itself to unravel, beautifully mirroring lonely life in a city. The moral… metaphors work!

6. The Empire Strikes Back

No surprises here I am guessing, in my view the best of all the Starwars movies, it gets a bad rap because the big obligatory battle scene occurs not in space, GASP! but on an icy planet and happens at the beginning GASP! not at the end of the film. This is by far the darkest of all the movies and I will just get this out there, Yoda Rocks! After the happy go lucky good vs. evil of A New Hope this far deeper film explores many darker avenues and our no longer so perfect hero fights inside himself as he develops his Jedi skills, the ending kind of feels like an Anti Climax, but having found out your Arch Enemy is also your father and losing his hand to him in a light saber battle this is the way the film should finish, just to rewind for a second IMHO the light saber battle is iconic and outshines everything before and since, especially the much lauded Darth Maul fight scene in Episode 1, sorry Mr. Lucas but when you make something perfect it’s hard to find the force again!

5. 2001

Atmospheric, beautifully shot and harrowing. The sleek black monoliths menacingly representing how little we know about the universe. Even if you never watch the whole thing you must see the shuttle docking at the space station and the depiction of artificial gravity on the ship, these shots are actually based on real plans and data got directly from NASA. Again the subjects of this classic are first contact with Aliens and the realities of artificial intelligence.

4. Tron

Back in the 80’s when Video games just started and Pac man became the first electronic superstar. Disney, looked at their aging animations and took a leap of faith. This film looks CGI heavy but in actual fact uses many older techniques (like animation) to create a visually stunning masterpiece. While it looks dated now, few who saw the light bike scene on the big screen back in the 80’s can forget it. In some ways the visual spectacular dwarfs what is actually a very well written film. This film explores the possibility of universes within universes, virtual reality becoming reality and artificial intelligence. Heady Stuff!

3. The Matrix

Take the red pill! I went to see this having no idea about the plot or having seen any trailers, ok so it’s a VERY cool film but after you get passed the leather, PVC and sun glasses the depth of the story is incredible, sure it borrows from the Cyberpunk genres and ideas from Terminator and other movies, but it does it so well you don’t even realize until after you have come down from the adrenaline high. Some films are worth watching on the big screen, this is one of them. The vision fest just captures you and simply drags you in. See how far the Rabbit hole goes for yourself!

2. The Dark Knight

Dark dark dark, any fans of the graphic novels will know what I am talking about, I loved the darker novels like the Arkam Asylum , and for me, even the darker, but not yet cooked, Batman Begins was not yet dark enough! Finally a Joker to be truly scared of, Heath Ledgers unforgettable performance as the disfigured, dysfunctional and psychopathic ultra baddie sets the bar in my view. The movie has already attained cult status despite it being relatively new, this is sadly because of Mr. Ledgers untimely demise, but what a way to go out! Like Bruce Lee and other greats before him, this haunting performance will be his epitaph and a totally worthy one at that.

1. Blade Runner

What can you say. A masterpiece. If you have ever read Neuromancer by William Gibson then this is what the sprawl looks like. The movie was way before it’s time, the sheer attention to detail and the atmosphere it creates by layers, like the mixed up street language and the plastic neon fashions intricately combining to create a totally believable jaded world of the future. The dark flawed characters listlessly seek meaning in their lives while trying to kill the emotionally immature genetically engineered beings who crave longevity, meaning and ultimately the same answers. Do robots dream of electronic sheep? is the the question posed by the book that the film is loosely based on. The real question? Is Harrison Fords character a replicant just like the replicants he is tasked to retire? I have watched this a 100 times and I still find something new, certainly Ridley Scotts finest hour.

I think this is probably the hardest list I have ever had to make! Some of the choices are at best controversial and I am sure there will be Trekkie death squads out for my blood by the time I am finished, where is a Klingon cloaking device when you need one eh?

Some Which Missed the list (Just) but Deserve Mention:

Star Trek The Wrath of Khan
Iron man
Enemy mine
Starwars Return of the Jedi

Cyberdyne HAL exoskeletons on sale

2009-04-17T05:40:00.001-07:00

The Japanese company Cyberdyne (interesting name there) are currently selling off their ultra cool cybernetic exo-skeletons for a mere $4200

The suit detects the nerve impulses sent from the brain via Moto neurons to the limbs and moves accordingly. The suit is designed to assist people with disabilities but can also be used to enhance human strength when lifting heavy objects.

Count me in boys, give me a few minutes to hit the ATM, don’t worry

I’ll BE BACK

Babylon 5, The War & Peace of Modern Sci-Fi

2009-03-15T01:22:00.001-07:00

Introduction

I recently ran out of Sci-Fi series to watch so I started to think of an old series that I could dust down and re visit. I thought of the obvious ones first and while both the original Battlestar Galactica and Star Trek the next generation got a few minutes of thought, I finally decided on Babylon 5.

Like a Good Wine

I have to say that I was suprised at how well it has aged, considering the early 90’s CGI. The first series was always a little slow for me but is still good, but I have to say that Bruce Boxleitner’s Commander Sheridan is far superior to the Commander Sinclair of the first series (he always looked like Burt from sesame street to me for some obscure reason).

The Father of 21st Century Sci-Fi?

I was also suprised to see how many ideas and effects had been lifted from Babylon 5 in more recent series. I can remember being very impressed by the movement of the fighters (Vipers and Raiders) in Galactica and I had completely forgotten that this particular idea had been first used by the Star Fury’s in B5. Also, the time distortion Story Arc’s and subsequent plot references have been well used in many recent series, Star Trek Enterprise for one. The use of biological technologies including ships is heavily used in the series Farscape where the main ship Moya is a living organism which is interfaced biologically by an alien pilot.

B5 was, IMHO, the first Sci-Fi series to really embrace the Story Arc series method, in fairness the original Battlestar Galactica did do this first, but B5 brings it into a new dimension, with it’s political, love interest, religious and moral subplots spiralling in all directions there truly is something for every pallet. This is probably why I call B5 the War and Peace of Sci-Fi as it is just that, careering through alien wars, dictatorships, revolutions, xenophobia, alien marriages, civil wars and the ethics of cross breeding alien races it is colourful and handles all sorts of philosophical ideas using the Sci-Fi vehicle to cleverly open access to these ideas without the emotional baggage that it’s fictional drama counterparts would inevitably bring along.

Conclusion

I think that B5’s appeal lies in the vast reservoir of ideas that it it draws on, it like many of the best Sci-Fi series can be watched on many levels, with it’s trade mark struggle for good and evil and enough gadgets to keep the geeks (me) happy! Go on give Babylon 5 another watch, you will be pleasantly suprised.

Battlestar Cylon, Top Lesser Known Facts

2009-02-14T08:16:00.001-08:00

Here are some lesser known facts about the Cylon Race in the Galactica series:

Origin of the word Cylon
In line with the Greek historical and mythological associations of the series the word Cylon (also spelt Kylon from the greek Κύλων) is a reference to an Athenian who was associated with the first dated event in Athenian history, the Cylonian affair. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cylon_of_Athens
There are 4 Types of Cylons

Centurion
This is thought to be an entirely mechanical unit, heavily armed and armoured and seemingly intentionally less intelligent than the other types, relying on programming from the Hybrids to function. Unlike the original series these do not have the ability to speak. There is some ambiguity as to whether they may be in fact partially biological.

Raider
This is the biomechanical Cylon in the form of a spacecraft. Like the humanoid Cylons they are also resurrected in the hub after they die. The episode Scar showed at least one raider of the same name exhibiting personality traits.

Humanoid
According to the writer Ronald D. Moore there are 12 types, of which 5 were kept secret from the others. They are supposed to represent the typical human Archetypes and are the controlling class of Cylon. While present later on in the original series, they have become the main plot line in the new series.

Hybrid
Have a human appearance but are more akin to cyborgs as some body parts are mechanical conduits which interface with and control the base stars. After the centurions and the raiders this is seen as the next incarnation prior to the predominantly biological Humanoids.
The Achilles Heel
While physically superior to humans the Cylons are in fact prone to an ancient virus called lymphocytic encephalitis. This can be transmitted to other Cylons with the exception of Centurions (mechanical), which become affected when a Hybrid contracts the Virus.
Cylon Religion
The Cylons practice a Monotheistic religion which is essentially a fanatical belief in one god. It is this fanaticism which leads to the genocide of the Human Race at the beginning of the mini series. Some Cylons believe that the gibberish spoken by hyprids is in fact the God talking directly through them.

Top 10 Sci Fi TV Series

2009-02-05T07:06:00.001-08:00

I was thinking the other day about my favourite Sci Fi TV shows, so I thought I’d put a list together. I’m sure you will all disagree so please feel free to post your comments, there is nothing like a good heated discussion!

Stargate SG1
This is my favourite, although the last couple of series were not quite as good as the first 8. Richard Dean Anderson has had the dry sarcastic wit of Colonel O’Neil down pat since the very beginning and when combined with the other characters, like T’ealc (masterful control of the power eyebrow) it is IMHO an unbeatable combination.
Galactica
The mini series got me hooked, with the ultra slick graphics and the breathtaking battle scenes. It retains a gritty human realism which is lacking in other series. I like my Scifi dark so it’s a difficult choice between this and SG1. It’s a real shame the series will finish soon. The spinoff Caprica will have a lot to live up to.
Star Trek: The Next Generation
This series really shaped modern Scifi TV as we know it, can you believe it started 20 years ago? I can still watch this over and over again. Gene Rodenberry will be sorely missed.
Star Trek: Enterprise
This new take on the Star Trek franchise really grew on me, the story arcs were well crafted and Jolene Blalock’s portrayal of the sexy vulcan T’pol really added spice to an already great series. This was another series which should have gone on and on.
Farscape
This Australian series really successfully managed to fuse the Scifi and Fantasy genres with it’s often outrageous costumes and alien ideas. The first couple of episodes really gave me alien culture shock. This probably should be higher in the list for it’s sheer creativity, but it did sometimes go too far down the Scifi comedy path, I can live without flatulent aliens thank you very much!
Babylon 5
I call this the War and Peace of the scifi genre, this long running series really took story arc scifi to it’s outer limits. I also think the CG, while possibly dated now, was truly ground breaking. I think i’ll dig out the box set again and give it another watch soon!
Firefly
Sadly this excellent creation by Joss Whelan only managed a single season. A real shame in my opinion, as the space western genre was really born with this series. Joss Whelan also managed to create a new space hillbilly dialect in the process!
Odyssey 5
I don’t know how I managed to miss this, but for some reason this series never blipped on my Scifi Radar. I got given it as a gift and was immediately drawn in by the pilot. Notably unlike others in the list, this series sported a lot of bad language and nudity which gave it a unique ambience and a more grown up after the watershed rating. The basic idea of the series seems to have been reworked for the recent Threshold series, but this version is in my view superior.
Stargate Atlantis
The spinoff from Stargate SG1 really came into it’s own in the second series and it was a real shame to see it end this year (with a hastily completed finale which was a bit disappointing in my view). With 2 great forbears the new Stargate Universe series will really have a lot to live up to.
Terminator The Sarah Connor Chronicles
This spinoff series from the terminator franchise is really growing on me and I am looking forward to the new episodes which will start airing this month. It is usually very difficult for actors and actresses to step into the shoes of existing famous characters but I really think the cast has pulled it off this time.

Running Out of Sci Fi

2009-02-03T09:13:00.001-08:00

Is it just me or recently does it seem like all the good Sci fi series are either finished or finishing up?

Stargate Atlantis for example, finished this year with what looked like a rushed ending and left a bitter taste in mouth, as a fan and loyal watcher we want our favourite series to go on and on and wasn’t it the case that they used to? Take SG1 for example, a whopping 10 seasons and the Star Trek franchises.

The only news on the horizon seems to be spin off series, many of which have yet to begin filming. Granted there are some great movies in the pipeline, like the much awaited Neuromancer (good luck to the director on that, the mindscapes created by William Gibson in that particular novel and given the movie timeframe will be difficult if not impossible to pull off), the Tron sequel (please change the name Tron 2 doesn’t cut it for me!) and the new star trek movie will be fun at least.

I have to admit that I am enjoying the Terminator Sarah Connor Chronicles series, it was a slow starter but has definitely improved over the course of the first and second series.

After the writers strike, which cut short many series last year, and the world recession beginning it’s onset, we all need our bit of escapism. So I suppose it’s time to get out our DVD box sets and settle in for a long wait, Stargate Universe and Caprica get a move on!

Blade Runner: Is Deckard a Replicant? The old argument

2009-02-03T00:50:00.001-08:00

I don’t know how many times I have watched Blade Runner, but I remember distinctly the first time I saw it. I would have been about 10 years old and my baby sitter had rented the video. Up till then I had been a die hard Starwars fan, but this dark and beautiful film captured me and even now it has never lost it’s edge no matter how many times I watch it.

The first time I came to Japan I took the limousine bus from Narita airport into the centre of Tokyo, it would have been late November when the days were short, so the sun set early and the blue sky was replaced by an orange black glow, punctuated with neon and the strangely shaped shadows of skyscrapers crowned with communications antennae. I truly felt as if I had driven onto the set of Blade Runner, with the spaghetti like expressways giving the trip the illusion of flying through the futuristic cityscape.

Ridley Scott has called Blade Runner his most personal and complete film and originally both he and Harrison Ford denied that Deckard was a Replicant. I always found this hard to believe, as for me the numerous clues in the original version made this a certainty. The glowing eyes, dreams of unicorns and the script etc. I was inclined to believe that this ambiguity had been worked into the movie by choice and that the subsequent ruminations about it made for good press worthy material, possibly pushed by the studio (who had fought long and hard for more of an Action movie and a stronger ending).

The directors cut and more recent comments by Ridley Scott have completely set the record straight on the matter and there can be no doubt that Deckard is indeed a Replicant in this version of the movie.

So Why the Question?
Last night I watched the old version of the movie again by chance, with perhaps more objective (from age) eyes. I am now of the opinion that the hinting in this movie is an accident that that wishful thinking had me convinced otherwise.

So to anyone who may have had me pushing this point down their neck at 3am after a couple (or few) nightcaps (you know who you are!) I apologise, I now consider the case closed. It’s only taken me 27 years.

Dancing Starwars Storm Trooper

2009-02-02T09:22:00.000-08:00

Hi welcome to the SCI FI Pod Blog! I was youtubeing the other day and found this mad dancing storm trooper in Tokyo. It had me rolling around the floor and then I saw the guy's name, Danny Choo.

After checking out his site I realised, as I suspected, that I had in fact worked with this mad man before. Nice going Danny, I'm proud of you! especially seeing as you made the suite yourself. Consider yourself the first honorary recipient of the Sci Fi Pod award for outstanding contributions to the Sci Fi Blogosphere. Keep it up feller, May the force be with you.