ZoeSaldana

Zoe Saldana Happy with Sci-Fi "It Girl" Status

Dec 21st 2009 12:32PM By: John Gholson

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If there's a single thing in Avatar that everyone can agree on, it's the fantastic motion-capture performance from actress Zoe Saldana (as Neytiri). Virtually unrecognizable in her Na'vi alien body, Saldana inhabits the role in a way that we really haven;t seen since Andy Serkis broke new ground by playing Gollum in Lord of the Rings. It's one of the best female performances of the year, providing heart and soul to a massive, FX-heavy film, but likely to be overlooked come awards season.

Sci-fi is rarely considered an actor's medium, and Saldana is almost invisible under millions of dollars of CG-rendering, but she's not letting it get her down. She told the Boston Herald, "I wish there were more genres in which women can have more opportunities to be presented as what we are - complex creatures. We also have journeys. We can be the heroes and we can save everything. We can also be vulnerable and we can be saved as well - all in one person."

Saldana is having a great year in science-fiction, joining the cast of Star Trek as Uhura before gaining attention with her role in Avatar. Does she worry about being typecast? "I wouldn't mind actually. Look what it did to Sigourney's career."

Filed under: Interviews

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Sci-Fi Squad's 'Avatar' Review

Dec 11th 2009 12:02PM By: Peter Hall

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The buzz and buzzkill leading up to Avatar, it turns out, found inadequate purchase now that the world has finally glimpsed the fabled film. The echo chamber of hype that believed it would drastically alter the landscape of filmmaking forever, the virulent, vitriolic cries of Dances with Smurfs, the total indifference...all misplaced.

You are not prepared for Avatar. Roll your eyes at that; laugh it off, you've heard that pitch before. It's not hyperbole, though, it's bald truth. Whether it's your most anticipated movie of the year or your least, it is not precisely what you think it is. How could it be? Avatar is a motion picture precedent, after all. It's fair to say that the core conflict is less than revolutionary and that parts of the narrative are broad, but those ills are scarcely symptomatic of James Cameron's ultimate goal. It's not about challenging the formula of Group X oppresses Group Y, who then fight back. Nor is it about only showcasing the bleeding edge technology that Cameron and company have invented and licensed over the last decade. Avatar is about transporting a viewer to the awe-inspiring alien world of Pandora and integrating them into its fantastic way of life for 150 minutes. That's the bullseye Cameron is aiming for, and that is the bullseye he obliterates.

Filed under: Movie Reviews

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Sci-Fi Babes Top List of Sexiest Movie Stars

Oct 28th 2009 4:02PM By: Mike Moody

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sci-fi babes fix johansson saldana
Empire has released its yearly list counting down the 100 sexiest movie stars in Hollywood. Since Jason already pointed you to Inside TV's list of hot chicks in sci-fi, I decided to comb through the Empire tally to see if any of our favorite genre-friendly actresses made the cut. I was doing research, you see. It's my job. Really.

I wasn't surprised to learn that seven fantasy/sci-fi starlets topped this year's list, with Transformers' Megan Fox landing the number one spot, followed by Angelina Jolie (Wanted), Emma Watson (Harry Potter), Scarlett Johansson (The Spirit, Iron Man 2), Zoe Saldana (Star Trek), Natalie Portman (Star Wars), and Kristen Stewart (Twilight).

The full list, ranked by Empire readers, is lousy with babes known for steaming up the big screen in sci-fi flicks. Head after the jump to see some of our favorite vote getters.

Filed under: News/Reactions, Discussion Posts, Movies We Love

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Zoe Saldana Chats Up 'Star Trek' Sequel & 'Avatar'

Sep 14th 2009 9:02AM By: Sci-Fi Squad Staff

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By: Elisabeth Rappe

The lovely Zoe Saldana is quickly becoming a name to contend with after managing to land plum parts in not one, but two of the biggest sci-fi films of the decade: Star Trek and Avatar. One is a bonafide hit, the other remains shrouded in a lot of mystery, but it's a mark of Saldana's star power that she's making a name outside of their huge hype. Plus, she's becoming an action heroine in her own right, and just might be our generation's Sigourney Weaver or Linda Hamilton.

We had the chance to catch up with Saldana this week, and she was game to talk about both projects. Of course with the Star Trek sequel still in a misty writing stage, she didn't have any big secrets to spill, but she shared the opinion of a lot of female Trek fans in hoping Uhura gets to do a little butt-kicking later on. "In Star Trek, I had so much fun, but the boys got all the action! J.J. [Abrams] promised me that I'm going to -- [that] in the sequel, she will have at least one little fight. I mean, just [let me] kick a guy in the groin or something!" Laughing, she revealed that there was an enormous ongoing e-mail list among the cast, Abrams, and the Trek producers where they regularly chat and joke back and forth. From the sound of it, that's also where the groin-kicking requests are made.

Check out her thoughts on Avatar over on Cinematical

Filed under: News/Reactions

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New 'Avatar' Images: Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana and More!

Aug 26th 2009 11:02AM By: Erik Davis

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Our pals over at Marketsaw managed to get their hands on some scans from the latest issue of Empire Magazine, which features a whole spread on James Cameron's Avatar -- including new images of Sam Worthington's Avatar, Zoe Saldana's Na'vi character and our first look at Sigourney Weaver's Avatar (see above). Weaver plays Dr. Grace Augustine, who's responsible for mentoring Jake Sully (Worthington) while on the trip to Pandora. It's her job to make sure everyone that goes to Pandora is able to return back to earth safely. Hmm, I wonder if she'll be successful ...



Also featured in the Empire story is another closer look at Zoe Saldana's character Neytiri, who is a female Na'vi alien and a princess on Pandora. Her and Jake fall in love, get down with their blue selves and help protect the planet from invading humans.

Check out more images over at Marketsaw. Avatar hits theaters on December 18.

Filed under: News/Reactions, Photo Galleries

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New 'Avatar' Poster Features Zoe Saldana's Character

Aug 3rd 2009 6:02PM By: Erik Davis

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A new poster has been revealed for James Cameron's Avatar, and while it looks just like the last poster, this time it's Zoe Saldana's Na'vi character looking all blue and mysterious and sexy (yeah I'll say it!). In the film, due out on December 18, Saldana plays an alien creature named Neytiri who befriends Sam Worthington's militant human character and helps convince him to switch sides in order to protect her people.

You can check out the full poster below, and remember that August 21 is Avatar day across the globe -- with James Cameron screening some footage for the film for free in IMAX theaters around the world.

Gallery: Avatar



[via JoBlo]

Filed under: Photo Galleries, Fan Movies

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'Star Trek' Beams Into Living Rooms in November

Jul 17th 2009 12:02PM By: Sci-Fi Squad Staff

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By William Goss

Man, does it feel like ages since this summer season got off to a proper start. The blockbuster season was surprisingly front-loaded (and May was pretty great for it), so while I don't mind all the solid indies that have come around the bend recently -- Away We Go, Humpday, The Hurt Locker, In the Loop, Moon, (500) Days of Summer, etc. -- I'm still waiting for something big and blockbuster-y to surprise me quite like J.J. Abrams' exciting Star Trek reboot did.

Unfortunately, Paramount's putting off the DVD release for the prime holiday season (November 17th -- hey, whatever happened to that ever-shrinking theatrical video window?!), but the two-disc DVD and three-disc Blu-ray releases will both be packed with extras, not the least of which are a feature commentary by Abrams and company and several deleted scenes that keen eyes spotted in the trailers, but never made it to the screen.

We've included the full press release after the jump...

Filed under: News/Reactions, DVD News

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