In a recent interview on UK comedic chat show, Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, Vin Diesel and Ross discuss the possibility of two more Chronicles of Riddick sequels:

It’s been four months since the Doctor last graced our television sets and finally he’s back with an all new adventure. Planet of the Dead, the first of the Doctor Who specials – or what I like to call series 4.5 – aired Easter Sunday on the BBC.

Filmed in the deserts of Dubai, the Doctor finds himself transported to a barren planet on a double-decker bus through a worm hole created by a menacing swarm of bugs. This time around the Doctor is joined by Lady Christina de Souza, played by Bionic Woman alumn Michelle Ryan, a noble-woman turned thief who like many companions before her fell for the Doctor’s charms – he is clever, after all.

As Doctor Who specials go, this wasn’t all that exceptional. It seemed more like a filler episode from a regular season rather then a so-called special ( how I long for Voyage of the Damned). However, the thing I liked about Planet of the Dead was the integration of UNIT and the return of Capt. Magambo, played by Noma Dumezweni, who was last seen in the episode, Turn Left. Also, the addition of the slightly neurotic scientist and glorified Doctor groupie, Malcolm Taylor, offered some fun comedic moments.

All in all this was a decent episode. I’m hoping for something a little more epic in the next special titled, the Waters of Mars:

Spoiler Alert! Near the end of the episode, Carmen, a woman who can see the dead, predicts the Doctor will meet his end soon, “Your song is ending, it is returning through the dark, and … over there he will knock four times.” My first thought was the return of the Master.

Star Trek (TOS) and Doctor Who has a crossover episode? Let’s watch:

While watching the Battlestar Galactica finale (more to come on this, once I recover from the mourning period), I saw the trailer for Stargate Universe the new Stargate incarnation of the popular science fiction franchise:

Thoughts?

Since Christian Bale has become the “it” guy over the past couple of years, I’m not surprised to see him pop up in yet another action/adventure/cyberpunk/science fiction genre movie romp. What I am surprised about is the fact that it’s yet another sequel to the fledging Terminator franchise. As if Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines wasn’t bad enough, the Sarah Connor Chronicles fell short of expectations (maybe they’ll have all the kinks worked out by the time it returns in the fall). Can we just end this universe and move on? If James Cameron isn’t involved, I’m not interested and I fear that not even hotter-than-hot Christian Bale can save the franchise, especially with McG at the helm…but here’s the trailer anyway:

Boom! Studios has announced that it will be publishing Farscape comics that will tie in with the upcoming webisodes. This show was so incredibly groundbreaking and different than any other science fiction television show I’ve ever seen – past and present – and I’m so excited that there’s an outlet for the Farscape universe to be expanded.

Charlie Jade is coming to the Scifi Channel starting June 6th! I have to say that I’m surprised that Scifi picked up the Canadian/South African co-produced show that, like all great science fiction television shows, was canceled well before its time. I first discovered it last spring while browsing Canada’s Space Cast channel website and was instantly drawn to it. The show centers on title character, Charlie Jade, played by American actor Jeffery Pierce, a detective based in present day South Africa who finds himself stuck between three different universes while battling an evil corporation bent on exploiting each of those realities. With a distinctive visual style and strong cast consisting of mostly Canadian, South African, and French actors, Charlie Jade is sure to please fans looking for something less space opera and more substantive. Not only is the tone of the show much darker and grittier than any American science fiction show currently on television (including BSG), but also intellectually stimulating as it tackles some deep philosophical and dogmatic issues.

The thing I’m most concerned with is the amount of censoring the Scifi network will apply to Charlie Jade due to a plethora of intense adult situations and some strong language. Still, I think it’s commendable that Scifi is finally changing it’s programming and being creative with the network. Not to call out anyone specific (ahem, Bonnie Hammer), but now that they’ve lost the dead weight and added a new head of programming the Scifi Channel is well on it’s way to being watchable again. If only they could do something about those horrid B-movies…

Here’s a semi-annoying bootleg version to the new X-Files movie teaser trailer screened during last month’s Wonder Con. You can’t really tell what’s going on, but it looks like they’re setting up Mulder and Scully to kick some major secret government ass:

Sci-Fi hottie Ben Browder is developing a fantasy miniseries with former Farscape director Andrew Prowse titled, “Going Homer”, about a modern American boy, named Homer Ulysses Jones, who can see Greek and Roman gods walking among the populace. Hmm, could be interesting. Mr. Browder wrote some of my favorite episodes of Farscape (Green Eyed Monster, John Quixote) and I have every confidence that he can turn a luke warm idea into an impressive creative endevour.

“That’s no moon…that’s a Budong!” – Green Eyed Monster ]]> http://unchartedterritories.wordpress.com/2008/03/13/ben-browder-does-it-greek-style/feed/ 0 suncricton http://unchartedterritories.wordpress.com/2008/02/25/oscars-2008/ http://unchartedterritories.wordpress.com/2008/02/25/oscars-2008/#comments Mon, 25 Feb 2008 22:56:57 +0000 alainamo http://unchartedterritories.wordpress.com/?p=101 ]]>

The Oscars were last night. There was nothing new about the typically self-indulgent awards ceremony and the red carpet spectacle leading up to it, but I loved every minute of the glammed up version of a sporting event. Sitting on the couch with a bowl of popcorn while cheering on my favorite nominees is admittedly cheesy and most likely a waste of 3 hours of my life, but in the grand tradition of Hollywood self-indulgence I couldn’t help but soak it all up. With that said, one of my many pet peeves about the awards ceremony, and by default practically all film related awards shows, is the lack of recognition for science fiction and fantasy films.

Typically, the Academy grants science fiction/fantasy movies with technical honors (i.e. special effects, sound editing, ect.) and this year was no different. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, the Golden Compass, and Transformers were the only sci-fi/fantasy movies to be nominated: Transformers was nominated for sound editing and sound mixing, both of which were stolen by the Bourne Ultimatum; the Golden Compass was nominated for art direction and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End was nominated for make-up. All three films competed with each other for best visual effect and not surprisingly the Golden Compass took the honor. As usual, my favorite sci-fi film of the year, Danny Boyle’s Sunshine, wasn’t even considered for nomination.