Sci-Fi Squad Sci-Fi Movies, News, Trailers, DVDs and More

What kind of a world do we live in where a worldwide box office take of $2.6 billion isn't a satisfying haul for a film? James Cameron and the folks at Fox feel that there's more box office life in Avatar yet, even after its April DVD release. They're talking about re-releasing Avatar in 3-D this Summer with an additional ten to twelve minutes of additional footage added in. Cameron confirms a scene where Jake Sully proves himself to the Na'vi (isn't that already in the movie?) and one where Tsu'tey gets drunk (is that worth a re-release?).

It seems like a very odd move to me, although I understand the business end of it. Avatar got booted from 3-D screens (including all IMAX theatres) to make room for Alice in Wonderland, while Avatar was still making money. I'm sure Cameron and company feel like they're just supplying for the demand, but what do you think the demand will be like for 3-D Avatar in the middle of the big Summer movie season, especially when you can already get it on DVD?

Are the ten minutes enough to spike an Avatar box office resurgence? Has Avatar become a poor-sport football team, just running up the score at this point to show that they can?

(via Hollywood Reporter)

I'm leading the Sci-Fi Squad Movie Club this week, and we're shifting gears a little bit with a 1980's action-thriller, that also happens to have an interesting take on how robotics might play a part in out future (or at least how our future was perceived in 1984, the time of the film's release). The film is Runaway, from writer/director Michael Crichton, who did a capable job in the director's chair, although the movie died a quick death upon release.

Runaway stars Tom Selleck as Sgt. Jack Ramsey, a cop in the "Runaways" unit, a special division of the police force that handles safety concerns caused by robots (almost like a futuristic version of animal control). When a household robot runs amuck and starts shooting people during a dangerous, but routine call, Ramsey discovers a trail that leads him into the most perilous case of his career, against techno-terrorist Dr. Charles Luther (Gene Simmons. Yes, The Demon from KISS). Kirstie Alley appears in an early role as Dr. Luther's mule and Cynthia Rhodes co-stars as Ramsey's partner Karen.

The film is available to "watch instantly" on Netflix, which should make it easy for you to join along. Here are some things to consider while you watch it...

--Does the mundane "everyday-living" approach to the robots help or hinder the film?
--Is Crichton's vision of the future obsolete or is this still a plausible direction for robotics?
--Cornfields and vertigo - Are these intentional nods to Hitchcock?
--What's your take on the acting style of Gene Simmons?
--Is the scene with the psychic necessary to the film?
--What elements make the film Michael Crichton-esque?

We'll be back with a discussion post on Monday. You can see the full trailer for Runaway after the jump.

For those following along at home, so far the Club has watched: Altered States - The Man Who Fell to Earth - Right at Your Door

While Marvel still searches for the right person to play the Star-Spangled Avenger Captain America, they've also got to find someone to play his arch-nemesis, The Red Skull, in the upcoming Joe Johnston film. The right man should be able to play cold and frightening, not be afraid to tackle one of fiction's most heinous Nazis, and be ready to spend some serious time in the make-up chair.

While some fans may have declared Christoph Waltz the perfect choice (a little too on the nose if you ask me -- save him for Dr. Doom in that eventual Fantastic Four reboot, I say), the folks at Marvel Studios may have their sights set on British actor Hugo Weaving, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

I think Weaving is a very good choice for the part, although it might ruin my fanboy armchair casting of Weaving as The Riddler in Christopher Nolan's third Batman film. The role would reunite Weaving with his Wolfman director, and would be the second comic book film for the actor (he also appeared behind the mask as V in V for Vendetta). The First Avenger: Captain America is currently scheduled for Summer 2011.

This Japanese poster for AVP2: Requiem uses a bold silhouette of the "Predator-ized" xenomorph to great effect, creating a very cool poster for a movie that most people found disappointing. Audiences didn't exactly flock to see the Predators fight the Aliens in a present-day, rural Colorado town. Fox has since decided to "reboot" both franchises, separate from one another.

Audiences seem split right down the middle on Tim Burton's take on Alice in Wonderland. I'm in the camp that found it a tedious mess of production design with very little in the way of story or character for me to cling to, and this is coming from a lifelong Burton fan. What I thought would be a perfect marriage of director and material was not so perfect, so why am I willing to root for him to take on the wonderful world of Oz?

The L.A. Times reports that Warner Brothers is looking at L. Frank Baum's Oz series as the next big fantasy franchise, and while no director has been announced, Alice's $210 milllion worldwide opening weekend has probably put Burton on their short list of dream directors for the series. Warners has a couple of Oz screenplays at the ready, one a traditional tale and the other a post-modern spin that sounds an awful lot like the failed Lost in Oz pilot that Burton produced in 2002.

I don't want to be let down again, but Oz has a couple things going for it -- it's easier to adapt than Alice (due to stronger plotting) and there are more novels to pull from, so there's a much richer, established fantasy world to work within. No matter how boring I may have found Burton's 3-D Disney flick, I'd be there opening day if he signed on to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Of course, there's a part of me that realizes his original projects (Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands) are far better than his films based on pre-existing properties (Planet of the Apes, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Mars Attacks).

What do you think? Is Tim Burton the man for the job or should he start exploring his own original material again?

I love that the Ronald D. Moore Battlestar Galactica just keeps on trucking, in one form or another. Whether it's merchandise or the TV spin-off Caprica, it's good to know that there are fans out there hungry enough to keep it alive in some form.

Game developer Bigpoint is working on a free, broswer-based massive multi-player online role-playing game (MMORPG) set to debut in Fall 2010. According to The L.A. Times, the new Battlestar Galactica game will feature space combat, along with exploratory missions. Instead of a monthly fee, the game will generate revenue by selling special equipment and game add-ons -- a practice that's been quite successful with games like MapleStory and Flyff.

I think we're long overdue for a Battlestar Galactica game that forces users into sticky moral predicaments, with no clear black or white answer. It's one of the elements of the show that made it such a compelling television show, and it's something that the generic space shooters that have worn the Galactica brand name just can't deliver on. Maybe this game can find a way to work some of that moral ambiguity in?

I love this poster for the American release of 1961's Mothra. In the first appearance of Toho's second most-recognizable monster after Godzilla, the exploitation of an uncharted island's people by greedy Japanese opportunists leads to the wrath of the island's sole protector -- a giant, irradiated moth. Mothra went on to appear in ten more Toho films, often as Godzilla's co-star. They're the Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan of destroying Tokyo.

If you haven't seen Firefly yet, or the spin-off feature film Serenity, then be warned that I'm going to get spoilery.

If there's one thing Browncoats can all agree on, it's that none of us liked it when Wash (played by Alan Tudyk) died. I think a lot of fans' problems with Wash's send-off in the movie Serenity had to do with how quickly he was written out while the crew moved on to the next bit of action. Sure, no one wanted to see him go, but it might've been nice if writer/director Joss Whedon would've slowed down for a moment and let the characters (and fans) say goodbye.

That goodbye is coming, and from a surprise celebrity Browncoat -- actor/comedian Patton Oswalt. Oswalt is writing the one-shot comic Serenity: Float-Out for Dark Horse, set for release on June 2. In the comic, Wash's old friends, from the days before he piloted Serenity, gather together to tell stories about their dearly departed friend. Oswalt hopes to give the fans some closure, while taking a deeper look at one of his favorite characters.

(via MTV)