Fantasy and Sci-Fi Together Again

Found this metallic foil art over at our friend’s place this weekend. Turns out she has been holding onto this gem since the 80s. It is a real treat to see dragons, fiery sci-fi landscapes and pilots coexisting in one fantastic, 3-d, shiny medium. Thanks Dorothy!

Sci-fi Fantasy Picture 科幻奇幻系列美图 (24 HQs Pics)

Sci-fi Fantasy Picture

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Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007), Poster, Synopsis, Plot and Movie Trailer

Synopsis:

An alien spaceship crash lands in a small Colorado town, triggering an alien invasion, and the only thing that can stop it is an alien from yet another world.

Fanboys the world over let out a collective drool in 2004 when the thought of the Alien and Predator franchises colliding on the big screen finally became a reality. However, the final result could never live up to the expectations, and while the film was a success at the box office, reactions were decidedly mixed. Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem purportedly aims to correct the first movie’s errs in judgment, but other than changing the rating from PG-13 to R, little about this sequel improves on the previous film. In fact, it vies with Alien: Resurrection for the worst entry in either series.

The Plot

Picking up where 2004’s Alien vs. Predator left off, Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem opens with a Predator ship leaving Antarctica with the body of the first film’s Predator “hero” on board. Once in space, though, an Alien-Predator hybrid bursts through the hero’s chest and wreaks havoc on the ship, causing it to crash in rural Colorado. The last surviving Predator manages to send a distress signal to his stony home planet before he’s killed by the “Predalien.” A lone Predator picks up the signal and sets off to eradicate the Alien threat and save Earth (Earth apparently not being worth an entire rescue party). Read more …

Andy Serkis on Fantasy-Adventure Inkheart; Poster, Production, Plot and Trailer

Inkheart is a 2008 fantasy film, directed by Iain Softley. It is based on the 2003 German novel of the same name by Cornelia Funke. The film was first slated for release on March 19, 2008, but has been pushed back to December 12, 2008 in the UK and January 23, 2009 in the US, partially because of New Line’s marketing worries in connection with the now-concluded 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike.

Production

The author of the book on which the film was based, Cornelia Funke was quoted as saying that “we had our second screening (summer 2007), which went well, and I really loved the movie, but they are still changing things, especially at the end.”

As with the production of The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian,[citation needed] the production progressed very slowly. The American release was originally slated for Christmas 2007, but then was changed to March 19, 2008.

In addition, due to the writer’s strike, the film was further pushed back and is now set to open January 23, 2009.

Inkheart was filmed at Shepperton Studios near London, England and on location in 2006/2007. Read more …

Sex In The City Meets Werewolves, And Nobody’s Safe, in “Bitches”

The next Fox dramedy series follows a foursome of New York women who are buddies by day and werewolves by night — which isn’t that far from the last season of Sex In The City.

The new lady werewolf series is still in development, but the script comes from Superman Returns and X2 screenwriter Michael Dougherty.

Gretchen Berg and Aaron Harberts, Pushing Daisies producers, are on board to supervise Dougherty, and since it’s being described as a quirky fairy tale, they seem like a great fit.

So this would be the next in the long line of werewolf projects coming out next year. What, is the mainstream public sick of Vampires already? With The Wolfman, Twilight’s wolf-centric New Moon sequel and the werewolf that should be joining the pack on True Blood, werewolves are becoming the next vampires. I’m just not looking forward to the after-feasting gab session that these ladies are certain to have. Read more …

Battlestar Galactica Proves Environmentalism Is A Waste Of Time

Stop sorting your paper and plastic into recycling bins, urges economics professor Art Caden. Instead of trying to save the planet, we should be preparing for its inevitable demise, and building our own Battlestar.

Writes Caden:

If environmental stewardship obligates us to be mindful of future generations in making our day-to-day decisions, what should we do? Should we be recycling paper and preventing people from building parking lots to save trees? Or should we acknowledge that the planet will be destroyed sooner or later and try to find ways to build something like Battlestar Galactica so the species will be preserved?

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At first glance, the goal of recycling more and conserving more seems appropriate, even desirable. Read more …

SciFi Makes You A Better Person - Well Possibly

Does having science fiction in your life turn you into someone who’s more handsome, charming and a better lover? Maybe not - but there may be some evidence to demonstrate that it opens your mind.

Matthew C. Nisbet, a professor in the School of Communication at American University, uses a recent study from the American Journal of Bioethics as a jumping-off point for his theory. The AJB study showed the effect that television medical dramas had on medical students, which turned out to be more than you may be comfortable with, if you’ve seen an episode of Grey’s Anatomy. Nisbet’s point, however, is that this isn’t an isolated incident; the same type of thing happens to those who watch science fiction shows:

What we find among the general public is that fictional TV portrayals of science are not currently turning the public off to controversial biomedical research, at least among regular consumers of these programs. To the contrary, science fiction may in fact be preparing viewers for some of the real-life ethical and moral policy debates that are likely to arise in coming years, preparing audiences to think through the implications of startling new discoveries or research initiatives rather than react in an immediate “yuk factor” response. Read more …