BackToTheFuture

This is a fun little image that is making the rounds online. It compares shots from the end of Back to the Future and the beginning of Back to the Future II, complete with new Jennifer and a shorter haircut for Marty McFly. It also looks like Marty's shirt had a little more red in it the first time around, and Michael J. Fox even seems like he may have lost a little weight between films.

Oh, but there's more -- can you spot all the differences in each photo?

[via topherchris]

People are obsessed with the DeLorean. No, not because it's a sweet ride from the '80s that never took off in real life, but because it took off to the time-traveling skies in Robert Zemeckis' Back to the Future. People are always rebuilding them for fun or repurposing them for art, but few are as obsessed as a one Rich W. From his website (which only looks slighlty newer than the novelty cars he cherishes):

"Rich W. is a DeLorean enthusiast who has dedicated a large portion of his time restoring DeLoreans to keep them from being scrapped. He also has great ideas on utilizing "sad" DeLoreans for better use and in doing so, will ultimately be promoting the DeLorean legacy. Rich's current projects include a 4x4 DeLorean, the worlds only monster truck DeLorean, a convertible DeLorean, and a hover craft DeLorean."

And while I love the idea of a hover craft DeLorean, the end product isn't as satisfying as the 4x4 DeLorean, which Rich W. describes as being "Not madness, just truth." I've included a few pictures of the glorious Frankenstein below, but hop on over to Rich W.'s EnterMyWorld.com (oh, yes, that is the name of his site) to see/read more.

Thursday may be your last chance to bid on your very own replica of Doc Brown's DeLorean time machine.

Gary Weaver, an aficionado of the time machine used in Robert Zemeckis' 1985 hit Back to the Future, built this and threw it up on eBay. While it's only a replica, and has no guarantee of crossing the time space barrier if it hits 88mph, it does have an AutoCheck Score of 88.

Weaver spent over six years researching and preparing to build what certainly appears to be one of the most accurate Delorean Time Machine replica vehicles at a 1:1 scale.

Weaver's obsession includes owning www.bttfparts.com, a website that provides parts for creating Back to the Future replicas.

The specifications include programmable time circuits, digital speedometer that reads actual vehicle speed, sound effects built into the main time circuit and door openings, simulated plutonium rods that can be loaded into the "reactor," exterior flux band lighting and a 1986 "OUTATIME" metal-stamped license plate with 1986 registration tag, just to name a few.

The original DeLorean only has 78,000 miles on it. It would have been too perfect to have that be 88,000 miles. Time is running out, so decide fast, if you have the 89,000 dollars (US) to spare.

If you demanded to know my favorite science fiction sub-genre, the answer would be time travel (although I'm not sure why you're demanding...that's just rude). The Terminator. Lost. Back to the Future. It was my selfish actions that allowed Primer and Timecrimes to make our Best Science Fiction Films of the Decade list and District 9 to not. The concept of displacing yourself in another world that is just your own minus or plus a period of time is simply fascinating to me. However, every time travel movie made before was lacking one thing: HOT TUBS.

Now, this has been rectified. The trailer for the aptly-titled Hot Tub Time Machine has hit Yahoo and it looks pretty damn funny. Like how Primer and Timecrimes used time travel as an excuse to deliver high-concept thrillers, Hot Tub Time Machine uses time travel as an excuse to throw John Cusack, Craig Robinson and Rob Corddry into the 1980s for various ski resort hijinks. The how's of time travel take a definite back seat to a comedic romp through a world of bad fashion and synthesized music.

Word out there is that Hot Tub Time Machine is a very hard R and that this approved-for-all-audiences trailer doesn't even begin to do the film justice, but my interest is piqued. I was sold the moment the ever-hilarious Robinson stole the trailer by turning to the camera and telling us the film's title. SOLD.

Hot Tube Time Machine hits theaters March 19, 2010 and is directed by Steve Pink, who wrote the wonderful Grosse Pointe Blank and directed the tepid Accepted. If this can latch onto the Hangover audience, it could be a sleeper hit.

While it's definitely not my favorite of the series, and readily admit that the film felt rushed and not all that inspired, it's still fun to throw on if only to watch Marty McFly and Doc Brown roll around in the dirt and quote Clint Eastwood films. And for those Back to the Future III fans out there who'd like to own a random piece of cinema history, Diamond Select Toys has announced that they'll be selling a 1/18th scale replica of the DeLorean Time Machine from the film, complete with electronic lights and sounds. It's estimated to arrive in April of 2010, and you'll be able to pick it up for $49.99. Check out an image above.

But while we're on the topic, what was up with BTTF3? Do you feel like they copped out on the franchise ending? Was this a satisfying third installment in your opinion, or should they have gone in a different direction. Did you like the Old West setting, or maybe you would've liked it better if they went somewhere else. Sound off below ...

Above: An image of Eric Stoltz as the original Marty McFly before he was replaced by Michael J. Fox

Though Back to the Future isn't winning best scifi franchise in our ultimate fan poll, that doesn't mean we can't honor the franchise this week with a number of different posts about the original series. We began our official Back to the Future week with a post yesterday comparing the original film's ending and the beginning of part two side-by-side to see just how close they came to re-creating the first go-round with the old Jennifer. Now, today, we take a look at the original Marty McFly, Eric Stoltz.

Fans of the series should be aware that Stoltz was chosen to play Marty originally, and even shot several weeks of footage before producers decided he just wasn't right for the role. Surprisingly that footage has never leaked online, and it's being left out of any future BTTF DVDs because, according to Bob Gale, it's rather embarrassing. Here's his explanation as to why we won't be seeing that footage anytime soon: "It's because Eric Stoltz is a working actor. We made a mistake putting him in the movie. It's not his fault. But seeing the footage makes him look bad, and it doesn't make us look too good either."

But images still exist, like the one above (courtesy of BTTF.com), and we have a few more for you after the jump.

Have you ever watched the ending of Back to the Future and the beginning of Back to the Future II side-by-side? Fans of the series are already well aware that the original Jennifer (Marty's girlfriend) played by Claudia Wells was replaced by Elisabeth Shue for the sequels, thus making it so filmmakers has to re-shoot the ending of Back to the Future with the new Jennifer at the start of Back to the Future II. But how close did they get it? Did any of the lines change? What about facial expressions and body movements? Only the hardcore BTTF geeks (like me) will probably dig this, but I thought it was fairly interesting to watch both scenes next to one another.

Check it out after the jump and let us know if you pick anything up. My favorite part comes in at around the 1:46 mark ...

Discuss: Which was your favorite Back to the Future installment?

In anticipation of this year's San Diego Comic Con, SciFi Squad and Horror Squad have launched the ultimate fan polls, asking you readers to vote not only for the best films of all time in their respective genre, but also on favorite characters, female heroines, films from the past year and so on. We're going to ask you to make some tough choices here, but that's the point -- how else are we to determine the best of the best? So check out our Ultimate Sci-Fi Fan Poll below and vote away! When you're done, head on over to Horror Squad and do the same. We'll announce the winners just in time for this year's Comic Con.

Of all the awesome futuristic items they could sell from Back to the Future II, including Marty's Nike shoes with automatic laces (which they did imitate and sell, minus the laces), the 60-plus-years Sports Almanac that was, like, 15 pages long, the hoverboard or the jacket with automatic fit and drier, they had to go and replicate the weird metallic multi-colored hat Marty was forced to wear because it's what his dumb, moronic kid had on. According to Amazon, it shimmers and changes color -- and it even features some rockin' '80s Velcro (because Velcro will so be hot in 2015).

You can pre-order the hat now for $24.99, and it's being released on July 15. Check out a larger version down below. You're not really buying this ... right?



Discuss: Which BTTF II item would you want most? (Hoverboard, right? Gotta be the hoverboard.)

[via Gizmodo]

From Cinematical

In spite of the some rather negative early reviews, I plan on plunking down my cash to see Land of the Lost this weekend. It's a silly move, but I can't help myself; I blame my addiction to Danny McBride. Plus, I wasn't around for the original series, so it's not like Ferrell can mess up any childhood memories. But it did get me thinking; sci-fi and comedy are two genres that usually work pretty well together, right? So what does any movie geek do in this situation? That's right, we make a list. So now I present in no particular order, my top ten sci-fi comedies:

1. Hellboy
So technically, maybe not a pure sci-fi flick (it has gadgets...does that count?). But you definitely can't argue with funny; and it made for a nice departure for those of us tired of seeing our heroes 'brood' all the time.

2. Innerspace
Most people I know hate this movie; and to be fair, it hasn't aged well. The F/X are a little creaky, and Meg Ryan is downright annoying, but when I saw this film as a kid it was the height of hilarity -- score one for nostalgia.

3. Idiocracy
How could you not love Mike Judge's vision of a dystopic future where the #1 rated TV show is Ow! My Balls!

4. Ghostbusters
When it comes to sci-fi comedy, Ghostbusters is the granddaddy. To this day I consider it one of the funniest films ever made; and thanks to Bill Murray, I grew up to be the smart-a** that my family and friends know and love.

Read the rest at Cinematical

Discuss: What are some of your favorite sci-fi comedies?