Lithium Cracking Station | Star Trek and more from the edge of space: April 2011

4/29/11

'Conan The Barbarian' Actor Speaks

Jason Momoa gives us a little insight into the upcoming Conan The Barbarian.

Daryl Sabara Talks 'John Carter of Mars'

Daryl Sabara talks about playing Edgar Rice Burroughs in the upcoming John Carter of Mars. He drops a few interesting things I hadn't heard before.

Watch the video below:
http://video.about.com/movies/Prom-Premiere-Interviews-6.htm

'Rise of the Planet of the Apes' Story Featurette

A bit more on the story behind the new Rise of the Planet of the Apes.

4/27/11

Race After 1977

These images are for an iOS game called, Race After 1977. Why am I posting them? I love everything post-apocalyptic.

Onion News Interviews 'Fast Five' Screenwriter

I couldn't help but post this. As a screenwriter myself it hits close to home. And besides, it's a riot.

Today Now! Interviews The 5-Year-Old Screenwriter Of "Fast Five"

4/25/11

First Behind-the-Scenes Look at Voltron Force

Nicktoons released the first behind-the-scenes look at the new Voltron Force. It's a little short, but it's cool.

Voltron Force In Scene: Overview

'Falling Skies' Producer Interview

I stumbled across this interview this morning. Mark Verheiden talks about Falling Skies and gives some insights into the alien invasion show.

A little taste:

Do you think that the show will appeal to people who aren't necessarily sci-fi fans?

"I hope so. I have a theory when I work on science-fiction, and I've done quite a bit of it in the past. It's that if the story doesn't work on an emotional level, then all the bells and whistles won't matter anyway. So my hope is that if you tune into the show looking for really heartfelt, emotional relationships, you're going to find a lot of that. You're going to find a family man trying to protect his sons, and trying to find one of his sons who's been taken captive by the aliens. But for people who enjoy the trappings of science-fiction, which I love, you're going to also have aliens, creatures, robots and all the fun stuff. I think it's an emotional story about people under great stress, and that could be a police story. You could do that in a lot of genres. But in this one, we also have the added mystery of who the aliens are, why they're here and what we can do to try and stop them."

I always get worried when producers talk about "emotional relationships," because it usually means they've went way over the top and made the show silly. Also, when they talk about science fiction as "trappings" it means they don't understand science fiction or worst hate it. And mentioning cop shows while a science fiction fan is listening is a kiss of death.

Still, I hope the show does well and I'll be checking it out.

Read the entire interview:
'Falling Skies' Q&A: A chat with Mark Verheiden

4/22/11

New Voltron Force Image

Here's the first clear look that redesigned Voltron for the new cartoon.

Megan Fox Voltron Fan?

Megan Fox sporting a Voltron shirt. Nice.

Taylor Kitsch Talks John Carter of Mars

The star of the upcoming John Carter of Mars drops a few morsels for the fans.

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

4/20/11

First Review of Thor

Check out the first review of the event movie, Thor. Watch the trailer.

Batman: Year One - Animated Feature

The first images from animated movie, Batman: Year One, have been released.

Here's a bit on the plot:

A young Bruce Wayne spent his adolescence and early adulthood traveling the world so he could hone his body and mind into the perfect fighting and investigative machine. But now as he returns to Gotham City, he must find a way to focus his passion and bring justice to his city.

Retracing Batman’s first attempts to fight injustice as a costumed vigilante, we watch as he chooses the guise of a giant bat, creates an early bond with a young Lieutenant James Gordon, inadvertently plays a role in the birth of Catwoman, and helps to bring down a corrupt political system that infests Gotham.

Read about the voice cast.

Conan Teaser Trailer

A Conan update is due out soon. Check out the first look.

Farscape Creator Returns to Syfy

Screenwriter Rockne S. O'Bannon, creator of Farscape and SeaQuest DSV, is in talks with Syfy for a new series. I'm excited by this news. I love O'Bannon's work. He's a great writer that has shaped modern science fiction on TV and the big screen.

On April 16th, he tweeted:

"Great meeting at Syfy yesterday. New project. HUGE. New series. Very excited. Very, very excited."

Vin Diesel the Next Terminator?

The day after Skynet went operational we get a little tidbit about the next Terminator film. Justin Lin directing? Vin Diesel in the lead?

Exclusive : Will Vin Diesel get to play a Terminator?

Voltron Force Image Released

One of the first images from the new Voltron Force show has been released. It looks like a groovy, Vegas-like planet.

Sneak Peek at Falling Skies

A new, grim look at the future during an alien invasion. Spielberg's Falling Skies will be coming to TNT soon.

Rage - New Post-Apocalyptic Game

G4 checks out the new game, Rage. It looks awesome, but I'm a post-apocalyptic fiend. I love this stuff. I don't play many video games, but this might be one I'll get.

PS3 Games - E3 2011 - Rage

Centipede Post-Apocalyptic Shooter

Atari reinvents the classic game Centipede as a post-apocalyptic shooter. Hmm... Will this work?

4/19/11

Karl Urban Speaks About 'Priest'

Karl Urban plays an evil vampire in the upcoming Priest. Check out a short interview for more gory details.

Here's the trailer just for fun.

Space:1999

Well, I've done it. I've gorged myself upon every episode of the classic science fiction TV show, Space: 1999. It chronicled the lives of the crew of Moon Base Alpha after the Moon is blasted out of Earth orbit and sent careening through space (and even time and other dimensions). The show was brought to us by the same creative minds that gave us "Thunderbirds", "Captain Scarlet" and "UFO."

My first impression wasn't very good. After watching the first three episodes I was ready to give up. But, I decided not to and stuck with it. I'm glad I did.

The first season became quite good. A number of the episodes were entertaining and thought provoking in addition to being creative, original and even daring television. The show is incredibly metaphysical and delved into myth creation like a 2001 every week.

It, of course, has its ups and downs. I found the pacing to be quite slow even for the era in which it was made. Personally, I hate the uniforms. The plant seance was way over the top (though it was saved a bit by being a McGuffin).

What surprised me the most was the influence of the show. Star Trek: The Motion Picture is basically "Space: 1999 The Motion Picture." The uniforms are almost an exact copy. The feel and pacing are very similar. Ilia's replicate was nearly lifted from an episode.

Star Trek: The Next Generation picked up a lot as well. A captain and a female doctor with a history that could lead to romance. The captain's Ready Room. Really, the whole idea of a comfort-minded ship. Possibly, even the idea of families on board. The quote, "resistant is futile," also plays a role in several episodes of Space: 1999.

Most surprising was that several Stargate SG-1 episodes echo themes, ideas or even situations from Space: 1999 (turning into a caveman for just one example). Also, the X-wing pilot suits from Star Wars look somewhat like the suits used in Space.

I don't think the writers were stealing or copying. I think Space: 1999 hit a mark that resonated with writers of science fiction.

If you get a chance check out this series. It's a trip.

Wait...! What...? Did I forget the second season? No, I watched it. It has a totally different feel. Some interesting ideas. But, it falls short of what the first season tried to create. Worth watching? Yep, but know what you're getting into.

4/18/11

First Voltron Force Promo from Nicktoons

The first promo for Voltron Force was released today. The reimagining of Voltron will hit the airwaves in June.

Voltron Force: "Let's Voltron!"

4/15/11

Interview with 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes' Director Rupert Wyatt

I just stumbled across a massive interview with Rupert Wyatt the director of Rise of the Planet of the Apes. It gives a lot of insight into the new film and answers a lot questions I had.

Why throw out the movies that came before?

"The original was made in 1968, that's over 40 years ago. We're telling a story that has never been told before in many ways, which is a real-world contemporary narrative set in 2011 about how the apes started the revolution. Now I know there has been a different take on how that happens with the earlier films, but this is actually setting up perhaps a more scientific approach to why that happened."
Why no ape suits?

"It was a narrative issue, frankly. Our story is an origin story. It takes place in the modern day. For the most part in the film it deals with real apes – real orangutans, real gorillas, real chimpanzees. The other films in the franchise don't do that. They deal with humanoid apes, so therefore you can have a human play a chimpanzee in an ape suit."

Is Apes a cautionary tale?

"Well, I'm a big believer in science and I'm a big believer in pushing the boundaries of science as much as we can. I'm not somebody who's a believer in the kind of cautionary tale in terms of careful what you dabble with, because I do think that there are certain aspects of scientific research and medical research that are part of our evolution."
And that's just a taste. Some of it I like, some of it I don't. But, it is always fascinating to see into a director's worldview. There's always a message even if the director doesn't know it.

The interview is quite long and involving. Read it!
Exclusive: 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes' Director Rupert Wyatt Q&A

4/14/11

Oblivion - Post-Apocalyptic Love Story

Tom Cruise maybe headlining a post-apocalyptic love story. Oblivion is likely to be Joseph Kosinski's follow up to Tron: Legacy.

Here's a bit on the plot :

"...a futuristic science fiction love story that takes place in an apocalyptic future where most of the population lives in clouds above an earth surface that has been rendered for the most part uninhabitable. An earthbound soldier -- stuck there repairing drones that patrol and blast a savage alien life form -- encounters a beautiful woman who crashed in a craft, and they have an experience that forces him to question his world view."