Everyone knew the day would come when the robot armies would converge on Washington, D.C. I assumed it would happen after the field of robotics had accidentally stumbled upon a firmware upgrade for sentience, at the trail end of an era of violence that would have washed the streets of this proud nation in blood. The Robot Revolution has to kick off sometime.
As it turns out, robots have converged on Washington far earlier than I anticipated. As part of the Kennedy Center's "Robotopia Rising" exhibit, hundreds of adorable, non-murderous robots are on display doing the most innocuous of robotic activites, such as dancing, walking up stairs, playing the trumpet, and having monotone yet provocative cyberchat exchanges with Japanese salarymen.
The excellent And I Am Not Lying blog has a detailed write-up: "As astounded as I was during the Asimo demo, I couldn't help but think "this is how it starts. Now they're cute and helpful, and we all kinda want one. Later ... who knows." It was like being in the boardroom of OCP 2 minutes before the ED209 freaks out, or in the first 30 minutes of the first "V" movie. Right now, robots are fairly delicate and any robot uprising could be quelled with a Super-Soaker and a Louisville slugger."
This clip from the Star Trek animated series is a perfect parody of its live-action predecessor. Kirk and Spock, as is typical, are trapped in bamboo cages on the surface of an alien planet. The backdrops expertly recaptured the cheesy two-dimensionality of the TOS' papier-mache sets, and the animation even managed to capture the bored, drugged-out demeanor of the original actors.
But it's the dialogue in this clip that really nails it. It perfectly reduces the plots of the show down to their essence. The whole exchange feels like something out of Sealab 2020.
About the only thing that went right with the Star Wars prequels was the casting of Samuel L. Jackson as Mace Windu. The bald, purple light saber wielding Jedi master succeeded largely because there was no attempt to make him anything short of a pure Jackson caricature: He is Jules Winnfield with a shaved head and a laser sword.
The Lucas prequels themselves didn't do much with Windu, but TheClone Wars animated spin-off took the proper cue and cast him as the ultimate Jedi bad ass... albeit voiced by a passable Samuel L. Jackson impersonator. TheClone Wars series was so successful that Lucasfilm is working even now at spinning it off into a new CGI animated series. And Jackson's totally up for returning to the Windu role.
I wonder if this means we'll see an appearance by Jackson's Windu in the upcoming but delayed Star Wars live action series. It takes place between A New Hope and Revenge of the Sith -- but that still leaves the possibility for Windu to return in spectral form. Jackson continues to age almost invisibly, and he always seems up for a return to the character.
When a famous director or actor dies, there's a clear sense of loss. Less so when a cinematographer, or lighting expert, or set designer, or wardrobe designer kicks off. But for sci-fi fans, the loss of John Alvin, who passed away last Wednesday, will be palpable. You've probably never heard his name, but chances are you have some of his art hanging in your house or adorning a T-shirt or lunchbox. You've definitely seen his work: Alvin was one of the most iconic poster designers in Hollywood history.
The stretched forefingers above a gloaming earth from the E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial poster was by Alvin, as were the iconic posters for Gremlins, Blade Runner and The Goonies.
If you're looking for more of Alvins' work, his fan site has a complete image gallery. For more info, check Cinematical's poignant tribute to one of the unsung Hollywood heroes of sci-fi.
Movie sites around the web are turning in their post-mortem posts on Roy Schneider, a talented actor who despite starring in one of the most successful movies of all time, Jaws, never quite made the A list.
Schneider, of course, wasn't a stranger to sci-fi. He starred on SeaQuest DSV, a moderately successful NBC sci-fi show executive produced by Schneider's old Jaws guru and created by Rockne S. O'Bannon, who went on to create Farscape.
Every few years Tron fans hear rumors about a remake, a sequel, or an animated series. This week, the rumor is real: Disney Interactive Studios is releasing the second arcade game based on the 1982 film Discs of Tron. It goes on sale this Wednesday, February 13th. Players can play both the original version from 25 years ago, or an enhanced mode with upgraded graphics and sound. The game features a 3-D arena where Tron faces-off against Sark. Discs of Tron is available for Xbox 360 and Xbox LIVE Arcade; it's rated "E for Everyone" and it scored an 8.0 (out of 10) in Xbox Magazine.
If you can't wait until Wednesday, you can buy the original Tron game (including four mini-games inspired by the film) on Xbox LIVE Arcade now.
This week the Sci Fi Department looked ahead to some blockbuster comic-book movies coming your way. One title escaped our radar, so let's put it on the record. Turok: Son of Stone was just released on DVD and it's been gaining some serious buzz. And let me tell ya, it lives up to the hype.
Turok is an Indian warrior who first appeared in 1950's comic books where he battled dinosaurs. He resurfaced in the 1990's where he fought robot dinosaurs! And some people know the character from the best-selling video game. Normally I feel sorry for anyone who has to adapt such a storied character into a movie, because you can't please all the fans. But Turok: Son of Stone might do the impossible: It delivers exciting comic-book action with a healthy does of Joseph Campbell, along with some horse decapitations, underwater dino-carnage and caveman cannibalism. What's not to love?
Turok is a bad-ass hero. And the filmmakers share his boldness by releasing an ambitious, epic direct-to-DVD adventure.
• The Carl Brandon Society -- a group dedicated to underlining the contributions of minorities in the speculative fiction genres -- have a suggested reading list of sci-fi for Black History Month. Awesome.
Hollywood has a lot to learn about video game players. Whether they're depicted as idiots like in Stay Alive or as immature gore-hounds like in Gamer, the Xbox-inclined always get a bad rap.
When a famous director or actor dies, there's a clear sense of loss. Less so when a cinematographer, or lighting expert, or set designer, or wardrobe designer kicks off. But for sci-fi fans, the loss of John Alvin, who passed away last Wednesday, will be palpable. You've probably never heard his name, but chances are you have some of his art hanging in your house or adorning a T-shirt or lunchbox. You've definitely seen his work: Alvin was one of the most iconic poster designers in Hollywood history.
Movie sites around the web are turning in their post-mortem posts on Roy Schneider, a talented actor who despite starring in one of the most successful movies of all time, 
Every few years Tron fans hear rumors about a remake, a sequel, or an animated series. This week, the rumor is real: Disney Interactive Studios is releasing the second arcade game based on the 1982 film Discs of Tron. It goes on sale this Wednesday, February 13th. Players can play both the original version from 25 years ago, or an enhanced mode with upgraded graphics and sound. The game features a 3-D arena where Tron faces-off against Sark. Discs of Tron is available for Xbox 360 and Xbox LIVE Arcade; it's rated "E for Everyone" and it scored an 8.0 (out of 10) in Xbox Magazine.
