Fan Lists

Did you know that IG-88 downloaded himself into the Death Star, to take control of the planet-destroying machine, just seconds before it was blown up for the second time in Return of the Jedi? That's probably because you didn't read Star Wars: Tales of the Bounty Hunters like I did! Yes, I used to be the kind of Star Wars fan that chased down the side stories of even the most meaningless character. Need the backstory on the Max Rebo Band? Want to tell me about the home life of Mamow Nadon? This was the kind of minutia I thrived on.

My tastes have changed, but it's heartening to know there are others out there that are just like me. Topless Robot compiled a list of the 10 Star Wars characters with completely unnecessary backstories. Unnecessary?! I'm sorry, but I need to know why Dannik Jerriko smokes a hookah! I can't truly enjoy the films on the level they were meant to be enjoyed unless I know the life story of Salacious Crumb! How else am I supposed to feel for him and get emotionally attached to his character?

Most of these backstories are pulled from ancillary comics and novels, and can be read over on Wookiepedia, so that when the Rancor Keeper weeps, you can weep along with him.

Revenge of the Creature, Directed by Jack Arnold, 1955

Synopsis: The Creature from the Black Lagoon (referred to as the "Gillman" in this movie) is moved from the Amazon to Florida, as part of a theme park attraction.

My Thoughts: This was my first time to watch this film away from the MST3K commentary, and even when I originally saw that episode, I felt like the movie was probably too good for their usual lampooning. It's dated, but not a bad high-concept sequel. They could've chosen a whole new team to journey down the Amazon and run afoul of the Creature, but they didn't, so kudos for trying something new.

There's nothing particularly remarkable about it, and it plays out almost exactly how you expect it to, but as a monster matinee, you could do a lot worse. I like the scenes where the Creature is passed out face first in the water and the theme park workers have to sort of move him around in the pool, almost like walking a dog. I kept waiting for him to jump up and claw a trainer's arm off. This sequel bridges the gap to The Creature Walks Among Us, which I've always felt is one of Universal's most unjustly overlooked monster movies.

Recommended If You Like: Jaws 3D, Humanoids from the Deep

When I posted the rumor of Chris Pine being in the running for Captain America, I got an interesting response from an unnamed source that claims Pine was considered but is out of the running. According to that source, Marvel has all but locked down someone younger, not-yet-a-star, as Steve Rogers aka Captain America for Joe Johnston's Captain America: The First Avenger and the Avengers team movie. If the source is correct, Marvel has someone who isn't exactly an unknown, but a bit of a cool, unexpected choice. (A rumor over the weekend pegged Robert Buckley, but so far there's been no confirmation.)

Here are my guesses at who those contenders might be...

It's time for the first annual SciFi Squad Holiday Gift Buying Guide. But before we get to the goodies, a few things worth nothing.

- You're probably well aware that things like Star Trek and Watchmen are already out on DVD and Blu-ray. You'll not find them listed here.

- If you can walk into any Barnes & Noble and come face-to-face with a book, it's probably not going to be listed here.

- SciFi Squad is getting no kick backs for anything on this list. If it's here, it's because we think it's cool, and that's it. If it links to a specific store, that's purely for convenience as most of these products are available anywhere.

- The categories are: Books, Blu-ray Collector's Editions, Clothes, Gaming, Random Items, and, my favorite, Expensive Items That Look Like They're From the Future.

I cannot wrap my brain around it already being November of 2009. In less than 45 days we will all be living in the year 2010, which means that between now and then expect the Internet to turn into a breeding ground for Best of the Decade lists. The first I've encountered (via SFW) is The Telegraph's list of "100 Books That Defined the Noughties", and luckily for us, their list is quite friendly to fans of science fiction and fantasy novels. It's populated with titles like Cormac McCarthy's The Road, Phillip Pulman's The Amber Spyglass, Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones, and Audrey Niffenegger's The Time Traveler's Wife, but a bulk of their praise goes to J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, which took the number one spot:

"We've seen Harry grow from a spindly, messy-haired 11-year-old into a heroic young adult. Children have grown up with him, finding in his battles metaphors for their own. This volume alone sold 15 million copies in the first 24 hours after it was published. Whether wickedly skewering suburbia, or bringing Harry, Ron and Hermione into mortal danger, Rowling is never less than absorbing. Some may sneer at her books, but they are triumphant sagas about the defeat of evil that tap into our basic hunger for stories. Most importantly, she makes reading a 700-page book seem easy. This one even has a quotation from Aeschylus as its epigraph. It stands as a cornerstone of the decade, a melding of high and low culture that appeals to all ages and nations. "

As much as we all fervently and loyally love Joss Whedon, it's time to face facts: His mojo is off. It's not gone -- I'd never suggest such a thing. One look at Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog and the better episodes of Dollhouse prove that the magic is still there. However, it has lost its focus, writhing in the ether, struggling to gain the fame of his earlier television work -- fame that while never massive, was solid, loyal, and passionate.

With Dollhouse canceled, the question on everyone's mind is how can he get back to the success of Buffy? How can he shrug off the pain of two battles for ratings and second seasons, and present a show that ushers in a fandom rivaling what came before with Buffy, Giles, Willow, and Xander?

Hit the jump for 5 sure-fire ways to get Joss back on track.

Their engines whine; their walls creak. These spaceships may look like antiques from the future, but many pack more punch under the hood than they let on. Never judge a book by its cover, and never judge a spaceship by its rust-holes and sputtering warp drive. What space-faring rattletraps make the cut in our top five list of "hunk of junk" spaceships?



5. EAGLE V from Spaceballs

The most impressive thing about the Eagle V is its amazingly pristine (and retro-hideous) 1973 Winnebago chassis. Piloted by Captain Lone Starr and his Mawg co-pilot, Barf, the Eagle V is a ship-for-hire last seen crash landing on the surface of MoonaVega. I would say it was last seen on the recent Spaceballs cartoon series, but that would imply that people actually watched it.

FEATURES: Interior shag carpeting, perfect for camping.

DRAWBACKS: Screen door, chemical toilet, small fuel tank.

Held annually in Spain, the Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival has long been the gold standard in exhibiting and honoring genre films and filmmakers. Sure, other festivals have risen to champion international sci-fi, fantasy, and horror films, most notably Fantastic Fest in Austin, TX, but it'll be a long time before any are held in as high regard among fans of unique, genre-specific cinema as Sitges. I say that not to besmirch my beloved Fantastic Fest, but to preface how historically refined a barometer Sitges is as far as rewarding films goes.

Which is why Moon, Duncan Jones' directorial debut about a lonely industrial worker (Sam Rockwell) on an isolated moonbase, winning Best Production Design, Best Actor, Best Screenplay and Best Film is no easy feat. Films it beat out for these top honors included Thirst, The Children, Splice, Dogtooth, Dorian Gray, Heartless, Metropia, and Enter the Void.

The Jury, of which The Descent and Doomsday director Neil Marshall was a member, also gave their Special Jury Award to Gaspar Noe's Enter the Void, a film about a teenage drug-dealer who dies only to come back as a ghostly guardian of his sister. Read on for the complete list of categories and winners. Note, I'm not sure what the Ben & Jerry's Award qualifications are, but I'm glad [REC] 2 won it.

In honor of the season 2 premiere of Syfy's webseries turned television series "Sanctuary", which stars Amanda Tapping as a doctor out to provide a safe-haven for the "abnormals" of society, SciFiWire has put together a funny little chart examining just how believable a lot of science fiction's heroine researchers and scientists end up being on screen. Even casual watchers of sci-fi should be able to pick up on Hollywood's tendency to miscast roles purely because an actress is either sexy or somehow relevant to pop culture at the time of production.

SciFiWire's chart breaks it down into four gradating quadrants: 1) Not Hot, but Plausible, 2) Hot & Plausible, 3) Hot but Implausible, 4) Not Hot & Implausible. Surprise, surprise, there are a whole lot more "Hot, but Implausible" scientists on the big (and small) screen than there are any other variety. While I'm sure the list has a few oversights it does a pretty good job of nailing some of the biggest eye-rolls I can recall in sci-fi; namely Tara Reid as an anthropologist in Uwe Boll's Alone in the Dark (Not Hot & Implausible) to Denise Richards as a nuclear scientist in The World is Not Enough (Hot, but Implausible).

So what say you as far as their rankings go? Any glaring omissions or wrong calls? I, for one, am a little confused as to why Rachel Weisz is considered "Not Hot, but Plausible" in the first Mummy, but "Hot & Implausible" in the sequel...

Bruce Willis unplugs from a cybernetic utopia to crack some skulls and kick some ass in Surrogates, director Jonathan Mostow's big-screen sci-fi comic book adaptation, opening everywhere today. Willis plays an FBI agent investigating a murder in a world where people live vicariously through well-preserved – and sometimes just plain creepy -- robot avatars. While on the case, he uncovers a conspiracy that, if you believe the trailer, threatens to cripple the entire world.

Of course, this isn't the first time ol' Bruno has been tapped to save the world in a big-budget sci-fi actioneer -- he does it all the time. To celebrate his return to our beloved genre, we present the Top 5 Sci-Fi Heroes Played By Bruce Willis. Yippee-ki-yay, motherfracker!

5. Harry Stamper, Armageddon
Sure, critics called Michael Bay's 1998 end-of-the-world action flick brainless, senseless and bloated (and those were the ones who liked it), but Willis instills some heart amid all the gloss and fireworks as a hard ass oil driller tasked with saving the planet from a giant meteor. Harry Stamper is no John McClane, but Willis manages to turn the character into a lovable and noble SOB who makes the ultimate sacrifice to save the world.