SCI FI PI

CAPTAIN'S BLOG : Heroes Marathon Starts This Saturday!

Captain — Fri, 5 Sep 2008 12:00:00 AM

"Yattah!"

Great news for all you sick Heroes fiends! The Heroes Marathon that SCI FI had to have starts this weekend!

It all starts 12.30pm on Saturday the 6th, running through till 10.30pm.

If you're a night owl, we're going to run another shift from 11pm all the way through till 9am Sunday morning!

With Milo and Masi's recent trip to Oz, we're all still feeling a bit Heroic here at SCI FI - and we'll be keeping the genetically enhanced magic coming your way with some worldwide exclusive footage coming to SPECTRUM.

Get back into the magic and relive the extraordinary! Relive your favourite moments - when Hiro met Nathan, when Sylar first got into 'surgery', when we met 'the invisible man' and, the top working conditions at Primatech, and lest we forget, the joy that only Mr Muggles can bring!

Remember - Save the cheerleader, save the world!

WHO'S YOUR FAVOURITE HERO?

Claire

Hiro

Niki

Nathan

"the man in Horn-Rimmed Glasses"

Peter

Matt

Micah

Mohinder

DL

AT THE MOVIES : Hellboy Ii: The Golden Army Review

Captain — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 12:00:00 AM

Released Aug 28
Starring Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Luke Goss, Seth Macfarlane, Jeffrey Tambor
Director Guillermo Del Toro
Rated M

It would perhaps be fairer to say that this is an action-filled fairy tale, rather than a comic book movie. Whilst it's not quite just a moosh of original Hellboy plus Pan's Labyrinth, it's not too far off. But it is definitely more than that.

This is a film that delivers much more than a comic book story, hero and villain. It is, at its heart, a fairy tale, with a strong moral for children and adults alike. it is also riotous, sumptious entertainment, a full course cinematic meal that will have you leaving the theatre enriched and satisfied.

Of course, Hellboy was originally Mike Mignola's comic book creation, but now, in the hands of Guillermo Del Toro, gaining in confidence after the successes of The Devl's Backbone, Hellboy and Pan's Labyrinth, his story is a vehicle for the fertile Mexican director's mind. The stunning visuals are a testament to the human imagination - and what can happen when studio influences are kept to a minimum. Whilst the film hasn't replicated the financial success of The Dark Knight in the US, it is equally as groundbreaking.

Where The Dark Knight took us into 'reality', The Golden Army takes us into 'fantasy', creating a world that, whilst peopled with comic book characters, is rich and alive with the symbols of the subconscious. It is the richness of this world and the moral complexity of the film that lifts it beyond the title of mere 'comic book movie'.

The story begins not long after the end events of the first film. Hellboy (Ron Perlman) and human torch Liz Sherman (Selma Blair) are a couple, but their relationship is under strain. Where Hellboy was essentially a child in the first film, in this one, he has to grow up. The journey of child to man is another thread in a complex film - there's also the natural world versus the world of man, the world of logic and order against chaos and emotion, and the idea of 'the rules' - where disobedience is the path to freedom and obedience is the path to destruction and death - and sometimes the choice between two evils is no choice at all.

Not quite what you'd expect from a comic book movie. But pretty much par for the course from Guillermo Del Toro. He tells this movie from the monster's point of view, horrified at the destruction of the magical, natural realm by man's hollow, greed-driven world of parking lots and shopping malls. The action is led by Prince Nuada (Luke Goss - the former Bros member who is now a Del Toro regular and gives yet another stand out performance), the Elf Prince who breaks a long-held peace between the world of man and the world of 'monsters' (for want of a better word) before the final destruction of the mythical and magical way of life by man's increasing destruction of the natural world.

The BPRD (Bureau of Paranornormal Defence) has to respond to Prince Nuada's opening salvo (using, of all things, tooth fairies - but evil tooth fairies) and sends in the team of Hellboy, Abe Sapien (Doug Jones) and Liz Sherman along with a few agents in suits (the Hellboy equivalent of Red Shirts). Hilarity ensues.

Hellboy, eager to act out, allows his previous frequent 'lapses' in secrecy to come to final fruition, and becomes a media star, much to the chagrin of his 'handler' Tom Manning (Jeffrey Tambor). But it isn't quite what he had hoped for. It never is, really, is it?

His insubordination sees a new agent take over the team - the ectoplasmic Johan Krauss, who is voiced by Family Guy's Seth MacFarlane. Lots of steampunk fun with this character, and of course, Hellboy chafes under his German rigidity.

This sense of disobedience gets several versions in the film, with characters being given the choice that you often see in films, but there's a few twists here, which will be a nice perk for the jaded cinemagoer. Del Toro uses his monsters (both good and bad) to illuminate humanity and its flaws and splendours, and there are moments which are played strictly for laughs, merely by juxtoposing human behaviour with monsterly form (and Barry Manilow).

However, it is when the movie becomes somewhat maudlin, placing our hero with one foot astride in our world and the world of the 'other' that it really succeeds, and even becomes a bit confronting. We don't just have goodies and baddies and go home after the thrill ride in Hellboy II. There are moments of genuine regret, marked with genuine beauty, that really will tug at the heartstrings. This is the thing you don't expect, and may put some of the 'crashbangwhammers' off, but for true film lovers, it's an emotional revelation.

That said, there's plenty of action - good fight sequences, plenty of dumb yucks and cheesy lines, and whilst there are variations in theme, the plot is very straightforward - so if you do want a bit of the old comic book movie, here it is.

But you also get the contents of Del Toro's magical sketchbook - the weird things in jars, the deeply disturbing monsters, shaped like nothing you've ever seen before, the mix of the mechanical and the organic and his fascination with clockwork and automatons brought to a head in a mammoth, spectacular climax.

The worlds and creatures created for Pan's Labyrinth haven't been copied - they've been elaborated and improved upon. If you see this film, you are guaranteed to see something you've never seen before.

To check out the trailer in Spectrum, click here.

SPECIAL FEATURES : Chad Vader - Episode Iii - Revenge Of The Night Shift

Captain — Fri, 5 Sep 2008 12:00:00 AM

Poor Chad, and things were going so well. Now, stuck in the bowels of the horror that is the Night Shift, he must deal with customer scum.

Will he find a young apprentice to bend to his will? Or only humiliation?

Perhaps a little of both!

If you're enjoying all things Vader-y, do have a look at the behind the scenes stuff on The Force Unleashed, in SPECTRUM - it's really quite cool.

VIDEO : Quarantine Trailer Is A Bit Scary

Captain — Fri, 5 Sep 2008 12:00:00 AM

Friday is often Zombie Day at SCI FI, not because we have to, but because we like to. It involves the living dead, and sometimes a hangover. Be that as it may, it's not suprrising that we're excited by the upcoming little indie film, Quarantine, which is a remake of an ultra low budget but stylish Spanish film, called (REC), which refers to the 'record' button on your video camera.

The gag is that we're following a news journo around one night who is riding along with firemen and then we run into trouble in an apartment block. Undead trouble.

And you thought skyrocketing rental prices was the only horrific thing you had to deal with in your building!

The film stars Jennifer Carpenter, who some (if not many) will recognise as Debra, the foul-mouthed sister of Mr Dexter Morgan, the delightful serial killer of serial killers and star of Dexter.

Click here to have a look at the chilling trailer in SPECTRUM.

If you would like to learn more about the original film, (REC) try friend to SCI FI PI, the horrorphile.net, which has a nice focus on classic and hard to find horror movies. If you need to know anything about Dario Argento, or 'Giallo' cinema, here's the place to start!

Click here to check it out.

SPECIAL FEATURES : Chad Vader - Episode Ii - Even Less Hope!

Captain — Thu, 4 Sep 2008 12:00:00 AM

Episode Two sees Chad losing the day shift and being forced to experience the dark side of the night shift. He also attempts to go on a date, which of course, is never a recipe for success, especially when Darth's younger, less impressive brother is involved.

Let the hate flow through you!

Make sure you check out the awesome Star Wars-style editing!

BLU-RAY / DVD : Stargate Atlantis Season 4 Review

Captain — Thu, 4 Sep 2008 12:00:00 AM

Stargate:Atlantis Season 4
Starring Joe Flanigan, Amanda Tapping, Rachel Luttrell, David Hewlitt, Jason Momoa, Jewel Staite
Released Sep 3
Available on DVD and Blu-ray

Season 4 is where Atlantis really hit its straps. By combining two enemies into its major story arc and introducing a new character, it really is one of those stand out seasons where a great deal happened to the characters that SGA fans have come to know and love.

This is the season where Teyla gets pregnant. This is the season where we say goodbye to Dr Weir. This is the season where we saw Atlantis 'dry up'. And this is the season where the 'money saving ship episode' became one of the most elaborate and expensive episodes of Stargate, ever.

First off, the tone and mood of Season 4 tends towards the feelings and relationships of the characters, rather than just blasting away at bad guys. It's a trend that really kicked into gear during Season 3, and in Season 4 you actually see the baddies and the goodies develop their people skills (not always to good effect). This makes for both good and bad television, depending on what side of the IQ line you stand. If you just want dumb action in your Sci Fi, Atlantis will always satisfy - but Season 4 really does have that 'talkie stuff' in there as well.

Yeah. There's a reason why there's no smoking on space ships.

That said, the special effects just get bigger and better every year. We have major, major, major space battles, where the size and scope of what the Atlantis team are up against is revelealed in full. We also have some really nice 'upgunning' of earth vessels, which after getting our behinds handed to us by space-faring aliens since the Goa'uld, is nice. It's Ori style wipe the floor with your enemies nice.

Which is nice.

The Season is however, a little up and down. It's not all pure rock solid gold. But when you do hit pay dirt, the going is good.

We start with Atlantis adrift and completely lost in space (the first ep is called Adrift) and you've got a limited amount of time before power goes out and they all die. Some nice special effects shots include a spectacular 360 view of a space walk and a nice little 'clear the road' asteroid excursion with puddle jumpers (the space ships that the Atlantis team use).

As we last saw her, Dr Weir is in deep trouble, and we know that it's not going to get much better for her, as Amanda Tapping's character, Samantha Carter, replaces her as boss of Atlantis. That said - Dr Weir's story is far from over - and it could get really, really interesting, with a nice open ended moment to get the juices flowing.

Her story all comes to a head in a massive attack on the Replicators - where the humans team up with - The Wraith. Todd's in there, getting up to no good, as is Michael, who has some major plans of his own and eventually becomes the big Season 4 bogeyman - particularly where Teyla is concerned.

Damn it! Where'd he go? Come back with my eyes!

Some of the more interesting and memorable episodes to look out for:

Doppleganger, where the team get infected by an entity that thrives on nightmares. It's a little bit Red Dwarf! However, there is a fight scene where evil John Sheppard fights good John Sheppard, which is one of those classic sci fi moments.

Tabula Rasa, where the humans get infected by a virus that wipes out all memories. Seeing what Atlantis looks like to someone with no idea about any of it is a rela refresher. There's also quite a bit of fun with the way that humans form alliances based on the most basic of assumptions. This is also a Ronon and Teyla episode, and indicative of a season where they provide more than just the 'alien' perspective.

Are you sure that's Ronon? I still say it's Sideshow Bob.

This Mortal Coil and Be All My Sins Remember'd are two eps that outline the final push of the Human/Wraith alliance against the Replicators. Absolutely gigantic CGI sequences and some terrific ideas - one which seems to have been borrowed from The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, of all things. A sentient weapon that knows what it is and is happy to do what it has been made to do. Disturbing and delightful.

Quarantine is a classic one on one show with characters stuck with characters they don't normally spend time with. Either you like these kind of shows for their character development, or you tap your fingers in irritation.

For comedy, there's light hearted fun in Harmony, where Sheppard and McKay get their arses handed to them by a ten year old princess, and the concept of 'hero' gets a thorough chewing over. This is the first of four really interesting episodes. Next is Outcast, where Ronon and Sheppard return to Earth, for Sheppard's dad's funeral. We get to see into the life of Sheppard for the first time, and we get to hunt Replicators on Earth! After that is a real love it or hate it gangbuster of an episode - Trio. Although chances are, you'll love it.

Essentially, Trio is a show with three characters stuck down a hole. They have to get out. And that's it. But it soon shifts from 'cool things to talk about while you wait' to let's get out of here, with a twist. This episode in many ways resembles the puzzles that people who enjoy first person shooters or adventure games have to go through to get to that impossibly high staircase above the cliff in front of you. First you need the rope then the tin can then the bag of nettles and then of course, the small key that you forgot to pick up back on level one. In this case, an ancient human bar trick is employed to help them out, although with limited success. As the episode progresses, the danger ramps up and the set and the action gets bigger and bigger. A great deal of fun and a really satisfying piece of entertainment if you don't need a laser battle to get you through the day.

If you do need a laser blast to get you through the day, then Midway is the episode for you. This is the one where Teal'c fights Ronon. Nuff said.

Everyone's favourite, Amanda Tapping, gets the thankless task of keeping Atlantis in line.

This leaves us with the last three episodes, which follows evil Wraith Michael and his plans for dominating the Wraith and the humans. Kindred, parts 1 and 2, also gives Teyla a bit of a hard time.

The final episode, The Last Man, is a great way to finish off, with Rodney and Sheppard bearing the brunt of most of the action. Sheppard comes back from a mission to find that the Atlantis is abandoned, and the sea has been replaced by desert. He soon realises that he's been sent into the future - a loooong way into the future, but with the help of a holographic (and really old Rodney) he may be able to make it back, and fix the awful things that happened after he disappeared.

For Atlantis fans, obviously you've already got this. For those of you curious about Atlantis, Season 4 shows some of the full blooming of the action/adventure/comedy/sci fi hybrid that keeps the fans coming back. Whilst this season brings in characters from SG1, it really proves the point that as spin off, it really has a life and flavour all of its own. Not a bad place to enter the Atlantis galaxy (Pegasus) at all.

Yet another cool Atlantis moment in the season finale, 'The Last Man'.

DVD EXTRAS:

3 Other Trailer(s) featuring Stargate: The Ark of Truth, Stargate SG-1: Seasons 1-10, Stargate: Continuum
13 Deleted Scenes
2 Documentaries
19 Feature/Episode commentaries by by cast and crew

Commentaries by Episode:

Adrift: Writer Martin Gero and Director Martin Wood
Lifeline: Director Martin Wood and Amanda Tapping
Reunion: Writer Joseph Mallozzi and Director William Waring
Doppelganger: Writer/Director Robert C. Cooper and VFX Supervisor Mark Savela
Travelers: Writer Paul Mullie and Director William Waring
Tabula Rasa: Writer Alan McCullough, Director Martin Wood and Amanda Tapping
Missing: Writer Carl Binder and Director Andy Mikita
The Seer: Writer Alan McCullough and Director Andy Mikita
Miller�s Crossing: Writer Martin Gero and Director Andy Mikita
This Mortal Coil: Writer Joseph Mallozzi and Director William Waring
Be All My Sins Remembered: Writer Martin Gero and Director Andy Mikita
Spoils of War: Writer Alan McCullough and Director William Waring
Quarantine: Director Martin Wood and Amanda Tapping
Harmony: Writer Martin Gero and Director William Waring
Outcast: Writer Alan McCullough and Director Andy Mikita
Trio: Writer Martin Gero, Director Martin Wood and Amanda Tapping The Kindred, Part 1: Writer Joseph Mallozzi and Director Peter F. Woeste
The Kindred, Part 2: Writer Alan McCullough and Director Martin Wood
The Last Man: Writer Paul Mullie and Director Martin Wood

Documentaries:
Mission Directive: Doppleganger with Robert C. Cooper

A New Leader: Amanda Tapping Joins Atlantis

The Doctor Is In: The Return of Paul McGillion
(All of those who notice that I didn't speak about his return in the main body of the review - there's spoilers, and then there's spoilers. That was one heck of a shock if you didn't know about it.)

Stargate Atlantis Bloopers
First made for dvd bloopers on Atlantis, ever, Weird.

Mission Directive: This Mortal Coil with William Waring

Mission Directive: Quarantine with Martin Wood

Mission Directive: Outcast with Andy Mikita

Making of Trio

A Look Back at Season 4

Plus:
Deleted Scenes

GADGETS : Lets Face Facts

Captain — Thu, 4 Sep 2008 12:00:00 AM

Things haven't gone well. The earth is overrun by the undead. Your step sister tried to eat your face first thing this morning and your neighbour's cat keeps digging its way out of its grave.

And you have nothing stylish to wear to your monster truck rally on Saturday night.

Never fear!

Our patented 'cool tracker' internet search engine has come up with the very finest of anti-Zombie attire that you could wish for. It's a little bit Sci Fi, it's a little bit Resident Evil, and it's a whole lot comfy.

Once again we have the good people at Thinkgeek.com to thank for this excellent little bit of sartorial attitude. If you would deign purchase such an item, by all means go ahead. But tell us about it when you get back from the shops...

NEWS : Heroes Milo And Masi Visit Sydney

Captain — Wed, 3 Sep 2008 12:00:00 AM

Milo Ventimiglia and Masi Oka finished off their 48 hour whistle stop tour of Australia last night with an appearance at a SCI FI cocktail party, under the glow of the Sydney Opera House, on the rooftop of the Park Hyatt, Sydney. Introduced by Mike Hammond, they shared their adventures with a select few and then went on to mingle with the crowd.

Presented with specially selected didgeridoos by SCI FI's President, Peter Hudson, they joined in an impromptu jam, live on stage, with didgeridoo master, Les Saxby. Masi contributed his (as he called it) 'spit heavy' beatboxing and Milo displayed remarkable speed in picking up the basics of the world's oldest wind instrument. He also learned that chewing gum and didge playing are not compatible.

Photos were taken with the Opera House in the background, and Milo and Masi picked up the finer points of Australian pronounciation, getting a quick hold on 'Au-z-ee'. They mingled with the crowd for an hour and a half in a relaxed and informal atmosphere, seemingly unaffected by jet lag.

Masi also shared his brilliant 'George Takei' impersonation, whilst Milo found himself quite the focus of photograph hunters. Both remained open and friendly during the evening. There was no 'VIP' rope - the only 'star' concession, specially prepared vegetarian nibbles for Milo.

Peter Hudson, chatted with them on stage, and shared with the crowd the upcoming news that Heroes Season 2 will be the major show to lead the upcoming expansion of SCI FI Australia into the much anticipated widescreen format, later this year.

Festivities ended around 8pm and the stars headed off to Sydney's exclusive Otto restaurant. Milo and Masi headed back to the US early this morning, with a few days left on their week-long hiatus from shooting Season 3 of Heroes. Having shot 11 episodes already, they will return to finish the next 14 eps in Season 3, meaning an unprecedented 25 episodes in total.

BIG NEWS FOR HEROES ADDICTS!!
This Saturday the 6th will see our Heroes Season 1 marathon begin - from 12.30pm. If you're a night owl, you can also do the marathon from 11pm until 9am on Sunday morning!

GAMES : The Force Unleashed Unleashed!

Captain — Wed, 3 Sep 2008 12:00:00 AM

In the world of all things Star Wars, some of the most reliable entertainment of recent years has been provided by Lucasarts, the gaming division of the Lucas Empire.

Games are a lot like movies these days - huge budgets, (gigantic CG sequences!) and with intricate storylines and plot design. With all the mammoth work that goes on behind the scenes, we thought it only prudent to alert the public as to what's been going on behind The Force Unleashed, which looks set to be one of the biggest games of 2008.

We've got a whole host of cool videos (eleven in all!) which give you an in depth look at both the game play and what had to be done to get the vision of the latest continuing chapter in the Star Wars saga. If you wanted to find out what happened after Episode 3 (and before Episode 4) The Force Unleashed has it all.

To get into The Force Unleashed, on SPECTRUM, click here!

NEWS : Alex Proyas To Talk Live In Sydney This Friday!

Captain — Wed, 3 Sep 2008 12:00:00 AM

Legendary director of The Crow and Dark City, Alex Proyas, will be the special guest of AFTRS' 'Friday On My Mind' series of filmmaker interviews, for this Friday the 5th of September, at 5pm on the dot.

AFTRS is now situated at Fox Studios (or the Entertainment Quarter). It's just around the corner up behind the big Hoyts Cinema.

Proyas will be the subject of a rigorous and candid interview (with plenty of 'behind the biz' chat) with clips from his films. The floor will also be opened up to questions from the audience.

Best of all, it's free!

Proyas is busily finishing off the editing of his latest film, Knowing, starring Nicolas Cage. The Director's Cut of Dark City will be available on Blu-ray and DVD in Oz on October the 2nd.

Here are the details for Friday's event:

FREE

Theatre 1
AFTRS
130 Bent St
The Entertainment Quarter Moore Park NSW

NEWS : Good News, Bad News For Trek Fans

Captain — Tue, 2 Sep 2008 12:00:00 AM

Producer of Lost and the upcoming Star Trek movie, Damon Lindelof, has shared his thoughts with the interweb, chiefly through the Sci Fi Scanner blog.

In an interview, he has expressed grave concerns about WIlliam Shatners purported involvement in the 2009 feature film. But hearteningly, he has said that the new Trek movie will be something akin to what happened with the Batman franchise, where he specifically mentioned the nipples on the bat suit.

One wonders if Nemesis or Enterprise are the Star Trek equivalent of the nipples on the bat suit.

In good news, bad news news, he went on to say that he loved the material, and had done some research:

"I had a real reverence for the material, but more importantly, for the world and how special that world is, and how long it's persevered. I watched a fair amount of the original and I really watched a lot of Next Generation."

Which sounds pretty good for non-Trek fans, but for HARDCORE Trekkies, this is some kind of lame that only a Hollywood Producer would think is good enough. All hardcore Trekkies know that to do a revamp of the Trek universe, one must know all of it, every single movie, every single show, every single game where they tried to wedge some story in there.

But before we fly off the handle, remember that he's just the producer, not the writer, or director.

As for no William Shatner in the movie (who wasn't too thrilled to miss out on one more turn as James Tiberius Kirk), Lindelof had this to say:

"Mr. Shatner created Kirk, so I understand and sympathize with his feelings about what his role -- or lack of a role -- in our movie was. That being said, Kirk died; he fell down a cliff face. That made it incredibly challenging for us to tell the story we wanted to tell and figure out a way for William Shatner, who is now several years older than Kirk was when he died, to be in the movie."

This is another one of those 'you just don't get it, do you?' statements from someone willing to use 'logic', rather than 'Star Trek logic' to keep an actor out of a film. Sure, he may be 'correct', but hardcore Trekkies can (and will) tell you that a character being dead and even aging after their death means absolutely nothing to a world completely au fait with temporal paradoxes, godlike beings and alternate universes. That kind of talk may work in the 'real' world buddy, but not in anything that has an Alpha, Gamma or Delta Quadrant!

One hopes Lindelof was more in charge of getting people to work on time and making sure that the SFX budget was big enough, rather than saying yes/no to the size of Klingon ears.

However, in more of the good news department, he seemed to have quite a firm grip on what's going on on Lost.

For the full interview, goto: http://blogs.amctv.com/scifi-scanner/2008/09/damon-lindelof-interview.php

SPECIAL FEATURES : Chad Vader

Captain — Tue, 2 Sep 2008 12:00:00 AM

This is one of those 'you either have or you haven't' internet things.

Although most of us have heard of Chad Vader, maybe seen one or two clips, not everyone has, and it's our duty to spread the word of all weird but excellent Star Wars fan movies.

We'll also be interviewing Chad Vader himself. In one of the universe's best moves, ever, the man who IS Chad Vader has now started to work on cool games such as Soulcalibur IV and the upcoming The Force Unleashed.

We'll soon be posting his interview, but in the meantime, though it might be a bit fun to run all eight of the Chad Vader videos, to help spread the word that is the genius behind Chad Vader - Night Shift Manager.

But beware, you do not know the powaaah of the dark sieede!

INTERVIEWS : Joe Flanigan Interview

Captain — Mon, 1 Sep 2008 12:00:00 AM

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.

There may be just a hint of the guy who know's he's smart, but is also smart enough not to lord it over ever one else (a la David Hewlitt's character, Rodney McKay) but there's also the strong streak of 'well, this is who I am, I'm reasonably happy with it, you can take it or leave it', which among actors is not a common trait. At all.So an interview has more in common with a bus stop chat than some kind of weird hypefest.

Hopefully you'll soon get a feel for the real Colonel Sheppard, Joe Flanigan, and decide for yourself...

What have you gone and gotten yourself into this time, Sheppard?

Would you consider Sheppard as an old fashioned character?
Old school, maybe!

Well, what about say, what he does with Teyla (played by Rachel Luttrell) and his response to her getting pregnant, being rather protective of her during Season 4.
Well, first of all you have to remember that I don�t write this stuff, I act it! I think that, you know... actually, I�ve never thought about that. I guess if she is pregnant, you want to keep her out of physical harm, but if that�s old-fashioned... wouldn�t it be considered insanely irresponsible, not to?!

I think it actually plays as an �impatient� thing, more than anything. I said I should be really tough to Rachel, more than anything. He might be a little old school, but when it comes to men and women... he�s cool.

Ever since you were imprisoned with Todd (the Stargate team delights in naming the nightmarish Wraith individuals with rather mundane monikers) you guys have had an interesting relationship!
We pick up with Todd and try to do things together, but... surprisingly when plans go badly... we have, let�s say, trust issues! We just generally have fun with the character. The only thing we have to be really careful of is that we don�t get too familiar. There always has to be a freaky element. There�s always something adversarial going on and at any given moment we can clearly kill each other. So no love lost.

Season 4 has some pretty interesting episodes, starting off with the tremendous special effects display in episode one, but you had a personal journey in the episode, Outcast.
Outcast came from an original idea that I had that Ronon and Sheppard had to go back to Earth because Replicators (self-building super intelligent, super strong robots who take human form and want to kill all humans) had gotten on world and were being insidious, but it was basically us running around on Earth in familiar areas and blowing things up. They liked that idea and wove some backstory in it about my father passing away. It really took it to the next level, and we got to see a lot more about Sheppard and who he is.

Stargate Atlantis� 100th episode has now been filmed. Quite the milestone. Can you tell us anything about it?
We�re excited. We�re going to kill aliens in Vegas!

This soooo reminds me of sunsets on Tatooine.

Who do you like fighting more, Wraith or Replicators?
Surprisingly we�ve dealt with Replicator variations, but we�ve been dealing with a lot of Wraith this season. I prefer the Wraith because they look creepier. With the Replicators, they look just like normal until they add the elements in post. With the Wraith � I enjoy acting against the bad guys � it�s the classic � there�s a monster! � let�s go get it! The episodes I have the most difficulty with are the conceptual pieces, the alternate universes and such. Atlantis is primarily a show that requires a lot of exposition and it�s challenging as an actor, as you�re dealing in high concepts and you have to create urgency out of a �concept�, as opposed to �there�s somebody�s claw coming for your chest!�. Conversely, though, it�s why Sci Fi as a format is so successful, because it�s so flexible � you can do anything.

What�s it like having a new boss in Season 5?
Our hot new female lead, Robert Picardo! I guess we were expecting an adversarial relationship, but it didn�t work that way. It was generally constructive, however. The writers like to make sure that people don�t get along. We found a moderate form of that, where he likes to be the peacock, where he likes to be in charge, stick to protocol, but when you close the doors, there�s a sense of humility, and he doesn�t know quite what he�s doing, and he looks for advice.

We�ve had a few scenes together - it�s not all that different from the relationship that me and Amanda (Amanda Tapping, who played Samantha Carter, head of Stargate:Atlantis in Season 4) had � Amanda�s perfect, on screen and off screen.

To be honest with you, it�s quite smart. If he came in too bombastic, it wouldn�t work. It would be fun to have that bureaucratic antagonist, messing with us, we need a loathsome bureaucratic personality.

Nothing to be alarmed about people. This is SCI FI, as per usual.

What do you think separates Stargate: Atlantis later seasons from other Sci Fi shows?
I think we�re going to emphasize a lot of action. I�ve been proposing a huge action episode with no dialogue, where Sheppard will just be fighting for his life, which will be a nice counterbalance with the high concept. I know that our show does air on a few �Action� networks, and I was astounded by how little action and action shows are on TV.
And I like action/adventure, and I�ve also learned to really like Sci Fi.

I�m all about action, and I think it�s also a great way to reach out to a broader audience. I�m a bit simple when it comes to watching TV, if someone�s there trying to talk about something, I�m more than likely going to change the channel, but if you�re watching someone getting the crap beat out of them, fighting for their life... oh well! Look at that! Turn that up!

Will we see more sparring sequences from you?
Well, when it comes to fight scenes, my solutions tend to be more Harrison Ford in Raiders of the Lost Ark, pistol finishes it off sword fight sort of thing. I�m kind of sloppy. When I started, Bam Bam, (James Bamford) our stunt co-ordinator, talked to me about what kind of fighting I�d be doing.

At the beginning of the show, he thought I was going to be this martial arts expert, where I saw the character as more of this regular guy, flying by the seat of his pants, hoping to somehow get through it, lucky to pull this thing off. It�s fun to have those martial artists on the show, but chances are Sheppard�s more likely to have a beer in his time off than sparring.

You talked about the kind of TV shows that you like. Can you be specific?
I don�t watch a lot of TV � I do like to buy DVDs of TV and watch that. It�s the best way to watch TV. You can see it all the way through, no commercials. I like Entourage, I really like Deadwood � I would love to do a western. I don�t watch Reality TV � it frightens me to the depths of my soul.

Global warming - it's everywhere.

How do you explain the success of Stargate :Atlantis?
I think the show works because of the chemistry of the characters, and because it doesn�t take itself too seriously. You can maybe get away with a $150 million movie, you can be serious. If you�re doing a 44 minute Sci Fi show for $3 million you can�t come off being pretentious and too serious.
Even all the dark characters, the edgy shows that some very well-known show runner shave put up -the characters are just not likeable, and that�s why they haven�t worked as well.

I think that we�re lucky - our characters are likeable, and we enjoy ourselves, and it shows . And to know when the adventure is urgent and when it is funny is key. Comedy and humour are probably the saving grace for us.

Where does the inner strength of Sheppard come from?
A lot of it is survival. He wants to live! A lot of those situations he�s in, he�s about to die! That never give up thing, that whole loyalty thing is something that always plays well with audiences, it�s a quality I admire.

You got to do quite a lot of cool makeup effects in Season 4 - have you had any episodes with prosthetics this year?
Not this year. But that kind of thing, I had no problems with it. I mean Rachel�s doing it tough this year as she�s becoming a Wraith Queen, and I was talking to her about it and she was saying that she was a bit upset about it � �I�m going to look like a monster!� I just thought it was hilarious. Of course the real problem when she�s breast feeding in makeup - that�s going to leave a whole lot of psychological detritus!

Explosions. In Space. Rock!

Stargate: Atlantis Season 4 is out on DVD and Blu-ray September 3.

To catch the latest Stargate Atlantis epsiode on SCI FI click here!

NEWS : Milo And Masi Coming To Sydney Tomorrow!

Captain — Mon, 1 Sep 2008 12:00:00 AM

If you live in Sydney, you're very lucky. Not just because it's the home of SCI FI, but also because real life Heroes are visiting us - tomorrow!

Milo Ventimiglia and Masi Oka will be face to face with YOU, in Sydney, THIS TUESDAY, the 2nd of September!

(that is of course if YOU are a huge Heroes fan and will be there to see what giant worldwide TV stars really look like in person)

To get up close and personal, all you have to do is turn up to JB Hi-Fi in the city in your lunch hour. What could be more simple?

When: Tuesday, 2 September
Where: JB Hi-Fi Store, The Galeries Victoria, 500 George St, Sydney
Time: 1:15pm to 2:45pm

If you do want signatures, though, there is a stipulation that you have to purchase a pre-order of Season 2 from JB of the Heroes Season 2 DVD and Blu-ray, out October 1. But that shouldn't be a problem for Heroes fans!

CAPTAIN'S BLOG : Whats On This Week Sep 1 - 7

Captain — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 12:00:00 AM

Spring has sprung! The final loathsome shackles of winter will drop with a clank this week and to celebrate, SCI FI is bringing you just what you wanted.

That is, if you wanted Jericho Season 2, and a Sci Fi marathon. You did want that, didn�t you?

Monday gets us started with a bit of midnight Lexx madness � the crew of the Lexx hit the �Luvliner� and get themselves into real trouble. If you�ve never seen Lexx before, imagine what would happen if some true, no holds barred Sci Fi geeks got together and built a show just for Sci Fi geeks � sexy alien women, strange alien sexual encounters, bizarre freakish aliens and at the heart of it, a bit of a dork who travels the length and breadth of two galaxies with only one aim � to get laid.

It�s heart-warmingly refreshing, and often quite twisted. Enjoy.

Taking things to a slightly more highbrow level, (well, at least above the belt) is Jericho, which has its Season 2 SCI FI premiere, this Thursday night!

For all our anxious viewers who needed to know what happened after the Season One finale, the wait is over. Join Skeet Ulrich and Gerald McRaney in some back-to-basics double episode fun, this Thursday, starting 7.30pm. Find out what happened after �the battle of Bern!�

Thursday, 10.30pm also has a ripper of an Outer Limits episode � called... Ripper. This one�s set in Victorian London, and as you may have guessed, is about Jack the Ripper. Problem is, he�s an alien � and he�s busy framing the doctor who�s trying to catch him! Olde Schoole Toppe Notch Stuff!

Although, when it comes to old school � there�s really nothing quite so enjoyable as a marathon. And in this case, it�s a Heroes Marathon. Give yourself over to the pure joy of taking the phone off, pulling down the blinds, ignoring the sunny weather and just hunkering down before your Heroes as we go from 12.30pm to 10.30pm, all day, Saturday. That�s ten (10) uninterrupted hours of Heroes, Season 1. And right after that, we�ve got �Heroes:Unmasked�, the behind the scenes goodness that reveals all.

Of course, to be medically responsible, we�ll finish off the other ten hours the Saturday after.

However, if you are busy early Saturday afternoon and in the evening, may we recommend the sadistic yet possibly even more alluring �Heroes All Nighter�?

Starting at 11pm, we�ll be showing them all again, all the way through to 9am in the morning.

Surely, this superhuman, dare we say it, �heroic� attempt to drink caffeinated beverages, eat salty (and from time to time, crunchy) snacks and watch Heroes all through Saturday night deserves an attempt by our intrepid viewers? Dare your friends, collaborate and celebrate - with a victorious Sunday morning Tim Tam.

Good luck!

Saturday September 6 � Heroes Marathon, Season 1, First Half.12.30pm � 10.30pm, and 11pm � Sunday 9am.

NEWS : Heroes Season 3, Episode One - Sneak Peek Report!

Captain — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 12:00:00 AM

For those who didn't try to download the crappy rip-off from the first fifteen minutes that was shown at Comic Con - we have a small hint of a taste - of the first full episode from within the belly of the Heroes Machine.

A super secret gathering at the Universal screening rooms showed the first full episode - and there's much to report. We'll try to keep the spoilers to an absolute minimum... but really, there's going to be a great difficulty in completely avoiding them, so if you can't stand it, look away - we'll start vague and then get more specific at each paragraph.

It's a bit of a tease to get you in the mood for our upcoming Heroes Season 1 Marathon in September, starting on the 6th.

First up - is it better than Season 2? Yes it is.

Do all the regulars make it from Season 2 to 3? Yes they do. Not that surprising, but still, there was a doubt.

Is there a bit of 'comic book comedy' - yes there is. Cheesy fun moments abound. Hiro and Ando are together again.

SPOILER ALERT!
The plot starts off in the world of '5 Years from now', intersects with our own time, and then stays there.

SPOILER ALERT!
As this Season is called 'Villains' it's no surprises that Sylar makes a grand entrance, and meets up with someone who he's been trying to meet up for a long time. It doesn't go well for her.

We find out something very special about The Heroes - just where exactly their powers come from. A doctor we have met finds out.

We also are back with the change the future to save the world, with some pretty rough things predicted for Tokyo, rather than New York.

SPOILER ALERT!
We find out that what affected the major villain in Season 2 is also affecting more than one other hero. We also meet another villain from Season 1 (in a hell of a surprise).

Some people from the sub continent and others from South America look to be forming a bond.

Hiro starts off in his dad's office - with 250 mill in the bank and 52% of Yamato - and a legacy.

MASSIVE HUGE MASSIVELY ENORMOUS SPOILER ALERT!

Oh, and the discovery of the root cause of the heroes' powers means that ordinary people can be injected - with instant super powers.

Bad bad guys, previously dead bad guys, and people who we know are good guys acting like bad guys make this a real Villains story - it's going to be ace!

GADGETS : The TV Experience Of The Future - Today

Captain — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 12:00:00 AM

It seems these days that the future of the television is something is so amorphous, so dishearteningly 'liquid' that it hardly seems worth the trouble to go and buy that 16:9 LCD or Hi Def Plasma, or Oled, or projector. What with the future replacing the past so rapidly, it seems like once you actually settled down on one particular TV, by the time you've bought it, it's already obsolete.

But those days will soon be over. Advances in technology now mean that the latest LCD and Plasmas are almost as good to look at (in picture quality) as the trusty old CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) TV's that many of our older readers will remember from the 1990's. And TV makers are getting more and more innovative - making it not just about sight or sound, but sight and sound - and in the future, evne the actual physical sensation of being in or at or participating in the actual activity you're watching?

Sounds a bit much, doesn't it? A bit Sci Fi? But no. It's actually a bit Dutch.

The people at Phillips who brought out the rather funky Ambilight technology (the TV that glows with the same colour as the images on screen) are heading into a brave new, immersive world, where the same technology can not only apply to your TV, but to your entire house.

That warm glow that changes with your TV screen will soon max out any game and action movie experience with dynamic and dramatic effects, but the coolest thing is when they apply this 'mood lighting' to the rest of the house.

Feeling a bit 'beige' after a hard day's work? No problem! An impromptu lava-lamp chillout session after a hard night on the tiles? You bet! And then, they're going to pimp out your TV so much that you'll be feeling the Michael Bay wind in your hair.

For realsies.

If this all sounds too good to be true, maybe it is. Maybe it is just a little bit more PR than next year's products. But maybe it isn't. Maybe we will all be living in selected moments from Logan's Run and 2001:A Space Odyssey. It may not be a jetpack, or a hovercar, but at least it's a start.

To check out the original post at crunchgear.com, click here.

VIDEO : Journey To The Centre Of The Earth Trailer

Captain — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 12:00:00 AM

The world's first ever made-for-Imax full length action adventure (in 3D!) will soon be hitting our shores - and of course, it's Sci Fi!

Jules Verne's classic, Journey to the Centre of the Earth, is getting a reworking, with the emphasis on kid-friendly thrills and spills as they track down good old Icelander Arne Saknussem.

It stars Brendan Fraser from The Mummy series and releases September 25. If you've expecting hard-hatted gritty narrative - think again, with the film having more in common with the bright and bubbly 1959 classic.

To see for yourself, check out our brand new trailer, in SPECTRUM, by clicking here.

And here are some pics to give you an idea of the family-sized fun:

NEWS : Real Life X-File!

Captain — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 12:00:00 AM

Reuters has reported something a little bit creepy, a little bit amazing and a whole like the kind of thing that would send Mulls and Sculls heading for the nearest Ford Taurus rentacar.

A stillborn Israeli baby who was pronounced dead by doctors "came back to life" after spending hours in a hospital refrigerator.

The baby, weighing only 600 grams at birth, spent at least five hours inside one of the hospital's refrigerated storage units, before her parents, who had taken her to be buried, began noticing some movement.

"We unwrapped her and felt she was moving. We didn't believe it at first. Then she began holding my mother's hand and then we saw her open her mouth," said 26-year-old Faiza Magdoub, the baby's mother.

The baby was pronounced dead several hours earlier, after doctors at Western Galilee hospital in northern Israel were forced to abort her mother's pregnancy because of internal bleeding.

Ms Magdoub was 23 weeks into her pregnancy.

"We don't know how to explain this, so when we don't know how to explain things in the medical world we call it a miracle, and this is probably what happened," hospital deputy director Moshe Daniel said.

The baby was then taken to the hospital's neonatal intensive care unit for further treatment, but doctors were not sure how long she would live.

Motti Ravid, a professor of internal medicine, told Israel's Channel 10 that the low temperature inside the cooler had slowed down the baby's metabolism and likely helped her survive.

Sounds like a perfectly rational explanation - or is it just a rationalisation?

Dedoo do do do dooooh...

VIDEO : Web Exclusive! Sneak Peek At Babylon A.d.!

Captain — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 12:00:00 AM

We've been tracking Vin Diesel's latest Sci Fi extravaganza and the kind people at Fox have managed to slip us a sneak peek at Babylon AD, releasing in Oz on October 2.

Star and director take a break from blowing up the future.

For those who haven't cottoned on yet, the Matthieu Kassovitz directed film goes a little something like this:

"A mercenary is hired to deliver a �package� � an innocent young woman raised in a monastery � from the ravages of a post-apocalyptic landscape of Eastern Europe to a destination in the teeming megalopolis of New York City. But this is hardly a typical job for the hardened gun-for-hire. As he, the young woman, and her fearsome guardian make the 6,000-mile trek, they are threatened by a religious sect that has taken a special interest in the woman � who may hold the secret to mankind�s salvation."

You want me to stick it where?

Michelle Yeoh, Gerard Depardieu and Charlotte Rampling also star in what looks to be a very Euro Sci Fi outing, without the brassy wall-to-wall hype that usually comes with this sort of thing.

So, please to enjoy these subtle, delicate moments from our exclusive Babylon AD scene, in SPECTRUM, click here

Now, once we make it through the paparazzi, up the red carpet, and into the theatre, we should be fine!