SCI FI PI

Jeffrey Katzenberg popped into Sydney this week to display some secret segments of Monsters V Aliens. The movie (which has Stephen Colbert playing the President) looks hilarious, and the 3D effects are quite astonishing. It’s not a gimmick – you’re right there.

But it seems that the movie isn’t just a movie, it’s a revolution. Katzenberg and Dreamworks are taking 3D very seriously. How serious? Try ‘we’re only making movies in 3D now’ serious.

Here are the best bits from his Q+A:


Where do you see the future of 3D?
I think it will have the same effect as sound in the 30’s and colour in the 40's - within five years you didn't see any silent films or any black and white films. I know it's hard to imagine now, but I really believe that almost everything you see in movie theatres in five to six years will be in 3D.
It's how we see. I don't think it matters if it's a big action movie or a drama. It intensifies the emotions. It's not about 'breaking the proscenium'. It's actually the opposite. It's about immersing the audience in the storytelling itself.

Brent Friedman, the Executive Producer and Creator of Gemini Division, took time out of an increasingly hectic Hollywood Schedule to talk to Sci Fi Pi about SCI FI's latest show, Gemini Division. Made for the web, mobile phones and for TV, it is a cross-media phenomenon, breaking new ground in the way that entertainment is made, with digital and live action combined to serve a compelling story. Brent tells us how it all came together, and some of the secrets of the webisodic world.

Stan Lee is the one of the greatest, most prolific storytellers of all time. He is quite literally, the most famous comic book writer in history. It is without a doubt that the creator of Spider-Man, THe Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, THe Fantastic Four, The X-Men, Dr Strange, Thor and Daredevil (to name just SOME of his superheroes) is a living legend.

And we got to speak with him, face to face.

Here is Part 2 of our 2 Part Interview


Comic book circulation isn't as big as it was. How do you reach the kids today with your company, POW!?
For those of you who don't know, POW! stands for 'purveyors of wonder' and we put the exclamation mark in their so no one thinks it means Prisoners of War. We're not doing comic books yet, although we may. We're doing movies, television shows and DVDs and electronic entertainment, things you'll be able to see on your phones. I've never been so excited, or busier. We've signed a first look deal with the Disney company, and we have three really big movies that are being developed there now - two of them feature new super heroes. I can't tell you what they are, but one of them is called Blaze, one is called Nick Ratchet, and one is called Tigris.

Stan Lee is the one of the greatest, most prolific storytellers of all time. He is quite literally, the most famous comic book writer in history. It is without a doubt that the creator of Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, The Fantastic Four, The X-Men, Dr Strange, Thor and Daredevil (to name just SOME of his superheroes) is a living legend.

And we got to speak with him, face to face.

Stan was in Los Angeles to discuss his life, his loves, his company, POW! entertainment, and of course, the recent Marvel Movie explosion, including The Incredible Hulk and the surprising success of Iron Man.

Matt Sloane is the man beneath the mask. The Chad Vader mask.

He is also the voice of Darth Vader in the tremendous new Lucasarts release, The Force Unleashed out September 16. It's an enormous responsibility that requires a special kind of talent, and a special kind of man. Matt Sloane IS that man. We felt it wasn't quite enough to run the full series of Chad Vader to share in the joy - we had to talk to Chad himself.

So here his ladies and gentlemen, the voice of Chad Vader, the voice of Darth Vader, Matt Sloane.

Sheppard, Colonel Sheppard. The coolest Colonel in two galaxies. Or is he just a big dork?

We found out in our chat with him on the set of Stargate:Atlantis.

(Turns out not that much of a dork, to be perfectly honest.)

Obviously with the recent news of SGA having its final full season with Season 5, the glory and the glamour of Atlantis will only return in movie-length form, so our trip to Vancouver now has something of a cherished, bittersweet feeling about it. What was interesting about meeting Flanigan was the way his onscreen persona and his off screen persona seemed to coincide. He's likeable, relaxed, easy going, yet underneath it all there's something a little bit more going on.

SCI FI PI SPEAKS WITH SETH GREEN AND MATT SENREICH - CREATORS OF ROBOT CHICKEN, AND STAR WARS ROBOT CHICKEN!

Star Wars is a sacred object. Since 1977 its influence has been felt across the known universe in ever-expanding waves of joy. The current crop of young Hollywood's finest owe their careers to it's inspirational original May screenings. When it comes to pop culture, the Star Wars reference is the one that first makes it into any TV show - and now it's got to the point that the pop culture reference has evolved into entire plotline and playbook, with The Family Guy entertaining with Blue Harvest (and working on the sequel - "Something, Something, Darkside". Seth Green plays Chris Griffin on The Family Guy, and if you've seen Blue Harvest you would have noticed an odd exchange at the end - about who brought their Star Wars special to TV first - and apparently, it was Chris.

Martin Wood has been directing Stargate for more than a decade - with forty six Stargate:SG1 episodes behind him, and thirty Stargate: Atlantis episodes under the belt, he was the natural 'go to' guy for the creator and writer of Stargate, Brad Wright, when it came to choosing the director for Stargate's first standalone feature, Continuum.

His career includes working on Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda, Earth: Final Conflict, Jeremiah, and the new SCI FI series, Sanctuary, starring Stargate's Amanda Tapping, where he is also producing and writing. We spoke to him about directing Stargate Continuum - and he had a heck of a time!

Christopher Judge is a man who's quick with a laugh, and with a deep resonant voice, it's a booming one at that. Booming. He's not shy of the occasional considered opinion, either.

But for all his success, he is laid back, relaxed and personable, and holds no airs or graces - in fact, the most refreshing and surprising thing about him is his utter candour - as you'll see in Part Two of SCI FI PI's epic interview with the man who is Teal'c.

In this installment, he speaks about (among other things) race relations, Stargate:Continuum, the war in Iraq, Michael Shanks' uncanny impersonations, golf, and why he should have been fired from Stargate SG-1. Something for everyone, really.

Christopher Judge is instantly recognisable to Sci Fi fans. For ten years, his role as Teal'c on Stargate SG-1 has resonated with audiences the world over. But Christopher Judge the actor is no stoic Jaffa warrior - in fact, the reality could not be further from the truth.

Larger than life, quick to laugh and quick witted, he brings an air of enthusiasm to everything he does.

On a recent trip to the Southern Hemisphere as a guest of First Contact Conventions, he stopped for a moment in between a whirlwind visit to Sydney and Wellington to have a heart-to-heart chat with SCI FI PI.