SciFi TV

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Originally posted by: blade2k5

Originally posted by: Barbarossa

I had a Ro-dan toy when I was kid. It was awesome. Yep, I miss that toy, 30yrs later.

Barbarossaquote>

Lucky you  Back when I was a kid, they didn't have cool toys like that, all we had were Tonka Trucks, hoola-hoops, slinkys, plastic soldiers, Hot Wheels & Matchbox toy cars and models.  That's probably why I spent most of my childhood outside from sun-up to sundown and covered in dirt from head to foot.

quote>

Here is a link for you both.  I lived in this era, and I am still here remembering how things were, too.

[blade2k5 1,523]

I know what your era was like, I heard all about it from my drunk old man when I was growing up. Every generation has it better than the one before it.  Been that way for at least the past century since we have modernized the world around us.  So that's nothing new.

But you know, this is really getting off topic at this point so to get this thread back on topic, I finally started watching the final 10 episodes of season 1 of SGU [saved on DVR]. I would have to say it's a little better than the first half, but not by much. If it doesn't get better by the final episode, I won't be returning for a season 2, if there is one.

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

We'll be interested in your opinion.  I wrote off SGU some time ago.

[beebs 129]

Originally posted by: blade2k5

But you know, this is really getting off topic at this point so to get this thread back on topic, I finally started watching the final 10 episodes of season 1 of SGU [saved on DVR]. I would have to say it's a little better than the first half, but not by much. If it doesn't get better by the final episode, I won't be returning for a season 2, if there is one.quote>

There were one or two slower eps in the second half but overall the pace was a lot better, I think.

And season 2 has been confirmed for a while

[blade2k5 1,523]

Originally posted by: beebs

There were one or two slower eps in the second half but overall the pace was a lot better, I think.

And season 2 has been confirmed for a while quote>

I'm 9 episodes into the second half and it's really no better than the first half, though a bit more up-tempo, but not enough to keep me interested.  Out of all the Stargate series, this by far is the worst and most boring.  They had a good concept and ran it into the ground.  But then again, this has been Sci-Fi's MO for 16 years.

[warrior 169]

Season 2 looks quite a lot better, with from the trailer what looks like some huge competition between the Earthlings for the ship:

Rush unlocks all of destiny's systems allowing him to control the ship, but doesn't tell anyone and the ship goes to somewhere so important the crew want to get there more than back to earth.

btw, Caprica returns in Jan'11 for the second half of Season 1.

(and the MyWorld thing that is on the front page of simtropolis currently, reminds me of new cap city in context of caprica.

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

OK, let's think of some stories that we'd like to see, not necessarily dreamed up by the TV writers.

Let's take a step into the past and do Arthur C. Clarke's "A Prelude to Mars".  The book doesn't do it NASA's way, but who says there is only one way.  Then if you want a prequel, there's "A Prelude to Space".  The novel is a little dated, but updating the science a little doesn't mean you have to scrap the maglev launcher, nor the NERVA powered rockets.  In fact, there are some good side stories about the hot end of the rockets.  Instead of trying to reflect current (pseudo)science, why not reflect an older vision?  What's wrong with telling it from the Commonwealth point of view?

In the realm of fantasy, why not do the E. R. Burroughs Martian series?  I think "A Princess of Mars" might just click.  Lots of special effects, remembering that most of the beings on ERB's Mars are hexapods.  Think of the fun you'd have if you were able to use a center set of limbs for either locomotion or grasping?  I don't think even Lucas thought of using that except with General Grivas.  Imagine having a whole warrior race of these guys.

As for straight drama, how about Alfred Bester's "The Demolished Man"?  Getting the graphical telepathic games over will be a real job for the FX guys.  And, it is a relatively good story, with murder, sex, and technology all chucked into one neat, one-season package.  Further, there are enough little clues about the main protagonist in the book to lead to other stories.  Maybe a series about this paranormal society and its law enforcement arm.  A police procedural ++.

Then there is Isaac Asimov and the "Caves of Steel".  A very poor job, played for the hoke was done titled I Robot, designed to scare the public away from robots, that had nothing to do with that set of short stories.  Caves of Steel is another police procedural with a twist.  Detective Bailey's partner is a humanoid robot, and we don't find out for quite a while.  After that, on to Aurora, the colonists, decaden societies and "The Naked Sun".

I don't think anyone has done a good job, or a job of any kind, on these books.  Since every one of these authors is now an estate, royalties shouldn't be too onerous.

With these particular novels, there is a considerable chance that they would be above the cognition level of the TV audience now conditioned to pap.  The only viable outfit to do this kind of thing may be someone like HBO.

[blade2k5 1,523]

This isn't exactly sci-fi tv, but for anyone who's interested, the Thor trailer is now available to view here.  Looks like Kenneth Brannagh has pulled it off.

Nonny:  Some of those ideas you posted sound interesting and would make for some good films me thinks, though I have to admit the only Asimov novel I've read is 2001: A Space Odyssey.  I lean more towards the fantasy side of sci-fi than I do the scientific side and Asimov is more of a scientific sci-fi writer than fantasy.

[Easy Bakes 253]

They already did Princess of Mars.

it was forgetable

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1531911/

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Originally posted by: blade2k5

This isn't exactly sci-fi tv, but for anyone who's interested, the Thor trailer is now available to view here.  Looks like Kenneth Brannagh has pulled it off.

Nonny:  Some of those ideas you posted sound interesting and would make for some good films me thinks, though I have to admit the only Asimov novel I've read is 2001: A Space Odyssey.  I lean more towards the fantasy side of sci-fi than I do the scientific side and Asimov is more of a scientific sci-fi writer than fantasy.

quote>

So the mighty Thor comes to the big screen (or little if you watch at home).  Looks like a multilevel success.  Conflict in Asgard with overtones of Gotterdamerüng (Odin can't die, by the way), and a disenfranchised Thor on earth among the idiots.  Should be a great film.  Wonder if they use the Välkyrs to carry messages and such.

BTW, The original short story of 800 words that was the basis for 2001: A Space Odyssey is by Arthur C. Clarke.

EB:  The Burroughs Martian books need the same treatment as LOTR.  A one-off rip-'em-up isn't what its all about.  Needs a producer with vision, not hunger.  It also requires a lot of suspense of disbelief.  It is a civilized fantasy, not a spaghetti western.  From the poster, I'd say the wrong people had hold of the book.  Captain John Carter is not a beefcake.  The social interactions of the red people is the whole story with very fancy descriptive sword fighting as a side line.  You have to have read the whole series to get the flavour, but some of the later ones were clearly pot boilers.  Holy Therns, indeed!

[blade2k5 1,523]

Originally posted by: A Nonny Moose

Originally posted by: blade2k5

This isn't exactly sci-fi tv, but for anyone who's interested, the Thor trailer is now available to view here.  Looks like Kenneth Brannagh has pulled it off.

Nonny:  Some of those ideas you posted sound interesting and would make for some good films me thinks, though I have to admit the only Asimov novel I've read is 2001: A Space Odyssey.  I lean more towards the fantasy side of sci-fi than I do the scientific side and Asimov is more of a scientific sci-fi writer than fantasy.

quote>

So the mighty Thor comes to the big screen (or little if you watch at home).  Looks like a multilevel success.  Conflict in Asgard with overtones of Gotterdamerüng (Odin can't die, by the way), and a disenfranchised Thor on earth among the idiots.  Should be a great film.  Wonder if they use the Välkyrs to carry messages and such.

BTW, The original short story of 800 words that was the basis for 2001: A Space Odyssey is by Arthur C. Clarke.

EB:  The Burroughs Martian books need the same treatment as LOTR.  A one-off rip-'em-up isn't what its all about.  Needs a producer with vision, not hunger.  It also requires a lot of suspense of disbelief.  It is a civilized fantasy, not a spaghetti western.  From the poster, I'd say the wrong people had hold of the book.  Captain John Carter is not a beefcake.  The social interactions of the red people is the whole story with very fancy descriptive sword fighting as a side line.  You have to have read the whole series to get the flavour, but some of the later ones were clearly pot boilers.  Holy Therns, indeed!

quote>

I'm a huge comic fan, have more than 15,000 comics from the 60s through the 90s before I quit collecting and Thor was one of my favorite titles among Spidey, Fantastic Four, X-Men and a few others. 90% of them are Marvel titles mixed in with some Image [mainly Spawn] and Dark Horse [star Wars].  The film looks fantastic, though having Odin 'die' is a bit far fetched and Loki becoming king of Asgard even more so.  Not sure about the Valkyries though as I've heard no mention of them yet.  Looking forward to this next May.

And, in case you haven't heard yet, Captain America is coming to the big screen in July 2011, so I'm waiting to see how that looks and whether or not it's going to be too over-patriotic or toned down a bit.  I do know that Chris Evans [Fantastic Four and Sunshine] is cast as Cap and the film takes place during WWII with the antagonist being the Red Skull, played by Hugo Weaving.  Following Cap and Thor next year will be the Avengers film, being directed by Josh Whedon [Firefly, Buffy/Vampire Slayer] and will feature Iron Man [Robert Downey Jr], Hulk [Mark Ruffalo], Thor [Chris Hemsworth] and Cap [Chris Evans] and will hit theaters in July 2012.

Also, John Carter of Mars is in the works, I'll dig up a little more info on that if I can find it.  Can't say it'll stay true to the books, we all know how Hollywood likes to butcher things like I, Robot a few years ago and I would suspect the same for John Carter.  Usually, the directors, screenwriters are at the mercy of the studios bigwigs who like to change things from the original source material so most of the time, those actually making the film have little say.  Of course, directors/filmmakers like Lucas, Spielberg, Jackson, Cameron and Nolan [TDK & Inception fame] can do what they want due to their track record.

[Easy Bakes 253]

The Avengers movie should be interesting.

depending on how Capt America and Thor go over.

[blade2k5 1,523]

Originally posted by: Easy Bakes

The Avengers movie should be interesting.

depending on how Capt America and Thor go over.

quote>

Did you watch the Thor trailer I linked to?  I think that will give you a good indication on the Thor film.

[Easy Bakes 253]

Originally posted by: blade2k5

Originally posted by: Easy Bakes

The Avengers movie should be interesting.

depending on how Capt America and Thor go over.

quote>

Did you watch the Thor trailer I linked to?  I think that will give you a good indication on the Thor film.

quote>

I saw the end of IronMan 2. ill check it out thou.

[blade2k5 1,523]

Originally posted by: Easy Bakes

They already did Princess of Mars.

it was forgetable

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1531911/quote>

That was obviously a straight to video 'z' rated piece of crud and is in no way associated with the plans to do John Carter of Mars.  Still looking for the info on JCoM I read about several months ago, but RT is a massive site and sometimes their search engine works as well as a rusty pair of scissors.

Originally posted by: Easy BakesI saw the end of IronMan 2. ill check it out thou.quote>

That was what they call an Easter Egg that connects IM to Thor, like at the end of IM1 when Stark paid a visit to Thunderbolt Ross in that bar and hinted at 'putting a team together' and offered his help in capturing the Hulk.

[Easy Bakes 253]

Originally posted by: blade2k5

Originally posted by: Easy Bakes

They already did Princess of Mars.

it was forgetable

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1531911/quote>

That was obviously a straight to video 'z' rated piece of crud and is in no way associated with the plans to do John Carter of Mars.  Still looking for the info on JCoM I read about several months ago, but RT is a massive site and sometimes their search engine works as well as a rusty pair of scissors.quote>

That what i thought of it. it was on Sci fi channel a few weeks ago.

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Ultra-short plot summary - My new "A Princess of Mars".

Setting:  West Point after the Civil War.

Captain John Carter, of some distinguishment, is looking at the stars longing for more adventure that he is getting here, teaching.  He notices Mars shining redly, and longs towards it.

Blurred transit scene.

Setting:  The Kaolian plain on Mars.  (Alternate universe, no explanation given)

Captain Carter, in his birthday suit, is lying on the yellow sward, the sky is red.  A troop of tharks happens by, (and you can follow the plot on your own from here).

Notes:

1. Can't start in the present.  People like John Carter don't exist any more
2. John Carter has a normal build for a cavalry officer of the time.  He is not a hunk of beefcake, so you can't cast Arnold or Vin.  You'll probably need an unknown, from the theater, maybe.
3. Dejah Thoris is a nicely proportioned girl of no great stunning beauty.  Find somebody new who doesn't mind light red body paint.  Need an actor (female) who can act, so look on the stage.
4. Zat Arrras, the villain, should be an ordinary, handsome red Martian.  He only acts nasty.
5. Other cast members who are Martians should be ordinary people in light red paint.  They all have some sword skill and all carry the regular long sword, including the women.  Tharks and other hexapods go armed always.  Don't forget they are light green.  They are also intelligent, equivalent of horse barbarians but in a single package.  Green Chewbacca without hair and six appendages.
6. Mars has considerably less gravity than earth, so John Carter would be exceptionally strong compared to the Martians.  He can certainly "sak".  Good FX needed here, but this is ordinary stuff.
7. Nude shots of the hero should be tasteful.  After he is accoutered with the usual set of Martian weapons belts, you could work in some sort of loin leather.  Ditto for the other members of the cast.  We don't want to be rated X.  PG13 would be nice, but I wouldn't kill myself to get this.  After all, unaroused naked men are seen every day in every household that has them.  Just make it all very casual.
8. A really good fashion designer to create a set of costumes that don't consist of modesty drapes.  This Mars is warm for the most part, and clothing is considered unnecessary.  Lots of weapons belts and jewelry, but no drapes.  Heck, you might even start a new fashion trend.
9. The plot should revolve around the dastardly deeds of Zat Arrras (triple r, well rolled).
10. You will need a weapons master and a great choreographer for the sword fights.  They should be brief, but flashy.  Everyone is a master swords person.  The swords should be longer than cavalry sabers and quite limber, but not epees.  Something like what was used by the Spanish grandees.
11. Take some time for some closeup shots of the jewelled weaponry.  Not too much, and only once per new piece.  You don't have to do all of them.
12. No time should be taken to especially give people the hierarchy on Mars.  Let them figure it out for themselves, or buy the original book, on sale in the lobby.
13. Plan for some good action figures to be sold to both boys and girls up to the age of 65.
14. Show the trailer for the sequel at the end of the show.  Run credits first, not last and keep them short.  We don't need to know the name of the gofer's driver or the gofer for that matter.  Just pay them, instead.  We also don't need to know the name of every person working for the animation and FX studios.

[blade2k5 1,523]

This is all the info I could find about the JCoM film....there is no official website yet, so this info came from RottenTomatoes.com

John Carter of Mars (2012)

Synopsis: Civil War vet John Carter is transplanted to Mars, where he discovers a lush, wildly diverse planet whose main inhabitants are 12-foot tall green barbarians. Finding himself a prisoner of these creatures, he escapes, only to encounter Dejah Thoris, Princess of Helium, who is in desperate need of a savior.

Starring: Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins, Willem Dafoe, Samantha Morton, Dominic West, Polly Walker, Bryan Cranston, Ciarán Hinds, James Purefoy, Thomas Haden Church, Mark Strong, Daryl Sabara, Ice Cube, Natasha Henstridge, Jason Statham, Pam Grier, Joanna Cassidy, Clea DuVall, Richard Cetrone, Rosemary Forsyth, Duane Davis, Robert Carradine, Liam Waite

Director: Andrew Stanton

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Good luck to them.  The biggest point of ERB's writing is pages and pages of description, especially of things like the individual jewels in a harness or a sword.

[blade2k5 1,523]

Originally posted by: A Nonny Moose

Good luck to them.  The biggest point of ERB's writing is pages and pages of description, especially of things like the individual jewels in a harness or a sword.quote>

I know.  I read those books when I was in Jr. High School back in the late 70s.  At least they have some big talent as far as cast goes, just have to hope that the director [whom I've never heard of before] will stay as true the source material as possible.

[Easy Bakes 253]

And real Sword fights.

No CG for those.

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Originally posted by: Easy Bakes

And real Sword fights.

No CG for those.

quote>

A good sword fight, properly staged by a choreographer and a weapons masster in cooperaton is one of the most entertaining pieces of ballet you'll ever see.  CG is stilted and usually done by programmers who have never held a knife let alone a sword.  Keyboard talent doesn't translate into the physical very well.

[Easy Bakes 253]

Originally posted by: A Nonny Moose

Originally posted by: Easy Bakes

And real Sword fights.

No CG for those.

quote>

A good sword fight, properly staged by a choreographer and a weapons masster in cooperaton is one of the most entertaining pieces of ballet you'll ever see.  CG is stilted and usually done by programmers who have never held a knife let alone a sword.  Keyboard talent doesn't translate into the physical very well.

quote>

When was the last good non- CG Sword fight in a movie?

I'm thinking Highlander.

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Not sure.  I was most impressed by the dancing in the great black and white performance of Hamlet.  The final bouts between Laertes and Hamlet are really impressive.

For parody, I like the one in, I think its "Pirates of the Carribean" (the one with Beau Bridges as Major Folly) at the end when the hero is trying to skewer the corrupt governor.  Not sure of the title, it might have been "Swashbuckler".

[Odainsaker 2,137]

What, another Godzilla movie?!  At least it won't be by Hollywood dreck duo Devlin and Emmerich, who took what should have been an easy win--Godzilla smashing New York City--and made a hokey farce out it.

Now, if I were making the movie, we would open on the hulking decks of the warprize IJN Battleship Nagato moored at Bikini Atoll for the atomic tests of Operation Crossroads.  As naval personnel setup final preparations and load the guinea pig animals into their cages, we glean that it was from the bridge of the flagship Nagato that Admiral Yamato monitored the attack on Pearl Harbor, and that final payback was about to come.  The blasts begin, and in a title montage of chilling shots and stylized stills we see Nagato's superstructure silhouetted against the flash and fireballs.  The roar of the burst is deafening, but for effect, we also still hear the screech of metal tearing combined with the agonized shrieks of the test animals as their burnt skins are shorn from their quivering bodies.  The blast, the screeches, and the cries combine into a http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRYq58QPTk8, and we know that we have committed a vile atrocity upon Nature, and her fury when unleashed will know no mercy.  Ominously, as the scorched Nagato lurches and sinks into the rampaging surf, we notice that the Nagato's bridge superstructure has an eerie and familiar profile, no doubt foreshadowing the avenging terror to be unleashed.  We are so dead...

...and that is just the opening sequence!  War guilt, battleships, avenging monsters, and animal cruelty all in five minutes.  While were at it, let us later have giant pairs of antennae seen from Venice Beach turn belong to giant radioactive cockroaches, who scurry out of the sea and begin chomping on Hollywoood.  Payback, afterall!

Actually, it would be kinda cool to have that modern deep sea expedition searching for the mysteriously lost Japanese submarine off Hawaii find its empty wreck sitting in an abyss amidst the sunken ruins of R'lyeh and the sleeping chamber of Cthulhu, the tentacled alien kraken god who, now awakened, has decided that the expedition's base in Pearl Harbor offers in the nuclear reactors of the stationed warships the energy necessary for the dormant alien to finally summon its minions from deep space.  We can overlay the hero's investigation into lost submarines and strange sightings with local Hawaiian mythology of how cephalods are believed the last survivors of the previous world before it was refashioned by the gods into this one.  We can have scenes of octopus-head cthulhi star-spawn charging out of the surf onto Waikiki, attaching octopus facehuggers to the beachgoing tourist crowds, followed by a mad invasion and squicky nightmare-fuel chaos in Honolulu, and culminating with Cthulhu itself entering into Pearl Harbor and engulfing the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Enterprise, so as to injest the vessel's reactor for the power to open the gateway for the Great Old Ones.  I doubt the Hawaii tourist board would go for this, but it would be great fun.

Speaking of facehuggers, Ridley Scott is apparently making an "Alien V" prequel centered on the Space Jockey derelict and with feelers soliciting back to H.R. Giger.  We haven't had a good "Alien" flick since the first two movies, and the derelict ship was among the most unnervingly alien set piece in cinema...I hope they don't screw it up.

You know, I must admit, I always wanted Asimov's "Caves of Steel" robot detective and later "Foundation" series to make it to the big screen.  Amusingly, after wondering who would I cast as the human-looking but awkwardly robot-acting R. Daneel Olivaw, I keep falling back to Keanu Reeves.  Woah, dude, I'm like totally serious...it would be difficult to pull off and the jokes and pitfalls are obvious, but he is The One!  From wondering whether he was an evil Spacer imposter with x-ray eyes, to questioning whether he was really a robot badly impersonating a human or a human badly impersonating a robot, to staring at him while he eats food and later observing him relieve his stomach, to even spying on his habits in the restroom to determine how precise was the anatomical reproduction, the whole thing sounds like a ripe vehicle perfect for Neo. Oh, and we get to see life in an arcology to boot!

However, I am really waiting for only one movie this year, "Space Battleship Yamato," the live-action version of what many of us watched as the space opera "Star Blazers" back in the late '70s, due out in Japan this December:

Yep, we've come full circle back to wrecked WWII Japanese battleships, but, this time in space.  Squeal!  Believe it or not, the Yamato/StarBlazers anime series aired just before the original "Battlestar Galactica" ABC TV series, which in many ways shared themes and settings with the "Star Blazers" anime, and now the live-action of the "Uchuu Senkan Yamato" anime is not-so-subtlely sharing the look of the new SciFi Channel "Battlestar Galactica."  Payback!

[blade2k5 1,523]

Originally posted by: Odainsaker

What, another Godzilla movie?!  At least it won't be by Hollywood dreck duo Devlin and Emmerich, who took what should have been an easy win--Godzilla smashing New York City--and made a hokey farce out it.

Now, if I were making the movie, we would open on the hulking decks of the warprize IJN Battleship Nagato moored at Bikini Atoll for the atomic tests of Operation Crossroads.  As naval personnel setup final preparations and load the guinea pig animals into their cages, we glean that it was from the bridge of the flagship Nagato that Admiral Yamato monitored the attack on Pearl Harbor, and that final payback was about to come.  The blasts begin, and in a title montage of chilling shots and stylized stills we see Nagato's superstructure silhouetted against the flash and fireballs.  The roar of the burst is deafening, but for effect, we also still hear the screech of metal tearing combined with the agonized shrieks of the test animals as their burnt skins are shorn from their quivering bodies.  The blast, the screeches, and the cries combine into a http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRYq58QPTk8, and we know that we have committed a vile atrocity upon Nature, and her fury when unleashed will know no mercy.  Ominously, as the scorched Nagato lurches and sinks into the rampaging surf, we notice that the Nagato's bridge superstructure has an eerie and familiar profile, no doubt foreshadowing the avenging terror to be unleashed.  We are so dead...

...and that is just the opening sequence!  War guilt, battleships, avenging monsters, and animal cruelty all in five minutes.  While were at it, let us later have giant pairs of antennae seen from Venice Beach turn belong to giant radioactive cockroaches, who scurry out of the sea and begin chomping on Hollywoood.  Payback, afterall!

Actually, it would be kinda cool to have that modern deep sea expedition searching for the mysteriously lost Japanese submarine off Hawaii find its empty wreck sitting in an abyss amidst the sunken ruins of R'lyeh and the sleeping chamber of Cthulhu, the tentacled alien kraken god who, now awakened, has decided that the expedition's base in Pearl Harbor offers in the nuclear reactors of the stationed warships the energy necessary for the dormant alien to finally summon its minions from deep space.  We can overlay the hero's investigation into lost submarines and strange sightings with local Hawaiian mythology of how cephalods are believed the last survivors of the previous world before it was refashioned by the gods into this one.  We can have scenes of octopus-head cthulhi star-spawn charging out of the surf onto Waikiki, attaching octopus facehuggers to the beachgoing tourist crowds, followed by a mad invasion and squicky nightmare-fuel chaos in Honolulu, and culminating with Cthulhu itself entering into Pearl Harbor and engulfing the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Enterprise, so as to injest the vessel's reactor for the power to open the gateway for the Great Old Ones.  I doubt the Hawaii tourist board would go for this, but it would be great fun.

Speaking of facehuggers, Ridley Scott is apparently making an "Alien V" prequel centered on the Space Jockey derelict and with feelers soliciting back to H.R. Giger.  We haven't had a good "Alien" flick since the first two movies, and the derelict ship was among the most unnervingly alien set piece in cinema...I hope they don't screw it up.

You know, I must admit, I always wanted Asimov's "Caves of Steel" robot detective and later "Foundation" series to make it to the big screen.  Amusingly, after wondering who would I cast as the human-looking but awkwardly robot-acting R. Daneel Olivaw, I keep falling back to Keanu Reeves.  Woah, dude, I'm like totally serious...it would be difficult to pull off and the jokes and pitfalls are obvious, but he is The One!  From wondering whether he was an evil Spacer imposter with x-ray eyes, to questioning whether he was really a robot badly impersonating a human or a human badly impersonating a robot, to staring at him while he eats food and later observing him relieve his stomach, to even spying on his habits in the restroom to determine how precise was the anatomical reproduction, the whole thing sounds like a ripe vehicle perfect for Neo. Oh, and we get to see life in an arcology to boot!

However, I am really waiting for only one movie this year, "Space Battleship Yamato," the live-action version of what many of us watched as the space opera "Star Blazers" back in the late '70s, due out in Japan this December:

Yep, we've come full circle back to wrecked WWII Japanese battleships, but, this time in space.  Squeal!  Believe it or not, the Yamato/StarBlazers anime series aired just before the original "Battlestar Galactica" ABC TV series, which in many ways shared themes and settings with the "Star Blazers" anime, and now the live-action of the "Uchuu Senkan Yamato" anime is not-so-subtlely sharing the look of the new SciFi Channel "Battlestar Galactica."  Payback!quote>

I've been hanging around the Toho message boards the past couple of weeks reading up on what Big-G fans are hoping to get, what story we could get and all that fun speculation stuff.  Hopefully this time around, we get the big-budgeted Godzilla film that we should have gotten 12 years ago.

I am so looking forward to the Alien prequel and glad that Ridley Scott is taking the reigns on this project.  Alien is by far the best of the series IMO.  Aliens was good, but didn't have the atmosphere Alien did, it was more of an sci-fi action film rather than a sci-fi horror film which Alien so good.

Never heard of Space Battleship, must not have been a big thing here in the States, but it sounds interesting.  As for payback, don't kid yourself if you think this will be as popular or as well received here as it may be in Japan, but then again, no-one knows for sure.  The one thing I liked about the re-imagining of BSG was the idea that we Humans did not originate here on Earth, but came from somewhere else and how we ever so intelligent Humans keep repeating the same mistakes over and over and over again.  Guess we Humans are not as intelligent as we 'think' we are.

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Interesting stuff.  Did Toyo make a dub into English of space Battleship?  I think if it was well done, it might be worth watching.

[blade2k5 1,523]

Here's the latest news about JCoM....

On June 8, 2012, the studio will release the Andrew Stanton-directed John Carter of Mars, starring Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins, Samantha Morton, Mark Strong, Ciaran Hinds, Dominic West, James Purefoy, Daryl Sabara, Polly Walker, Bryan Cranston, Thomas Hayden Church and Willem Dafoe.

Based on the first of Edgar Rice Burroughs' "Barsoom Series," the film chronicles the journey of Civil-War veteran John Carter (Kitsch), who finds himself battling a new and mysterious war amidst a host of strange Martian inhabitants, including Tars Tarkas (Dafoe) and Dejah Thoris (Collins).

[simfreak90 3]

 When I posted a picture of my Godzilla themed desktop, blade25k informed me that their was going to be another american made Godzilla movie. This got me excited so I looked into it and found that they are making a movie and this time Toho is involved! I don't know if anyone has seen the new Godzilla design, but here it is-

Is there anyone anyone else whis is as excited as me? Any other news? Please post!

[blade2k5 1,523]

Don't want to rain on your parade, but this probably belongs in the sci-fi tv thread where we have/are already discussing this topic.  Maybe a mod could meld your post into that thread to keep everything neat and orderly.  Here's the link to that thread simfreak90.... https://www.simtropolis.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=25&threadid=106593&STARTPAGE=8&FTVAR_FORUMVIEWTMP=Linearlastunread

Enjoy