Sci-Fi Storm

Syfy’s Being Human returns for its fourth season on January 13th, but we’ve had a brief glimpse into the future…and it involves a lot of running…

Way back in October, I was fortunately enough to visit the Being Human set and meet some of the production staff, crew and of course the stars of the show, along with a brief glimpse of the season premiere.

(you can see pictures of the visit, along with several other pics from the trip here on our Facebook page. While you are there, go ahead and like the page!)

Since then, I’ve seen a bit further into the future – about two episodes worth…

According to showrunner Anna Fricke, the theme for season 4 will be “Destiny”, and how the four roommates come to terms with what they are. However, they do need to deal with what happened at the end of last season: Josh not only has his wolf back, but is stuck as the wolf; Sally was dragged through her death spot to who knows where by Donna; and the vampires are in shambles after a widespread virus.
(continue reading…)

I wish I had the money…and the basement! Line Rainville, from Quebec Canada, remodeled her basement for $30,000, but it wasn’t your average finished basement. Instead, she themed it to various parts of the Enterprise, including the bridge, Spock’s quarters, observation deck, and rec room with faux replicators!

“Capaldi? He’s too old…”

Those were some of the first words I heard when they announced Matt Smith’s replacement, Peter Capaldi. He is, after all, 24 years older than Smith. But then, Matt Smith was the youngest ever to play the role – he was 27 when he debuted. David Tennant was third at 34. Ironically the second youngest debut was Peter Davison, who was 29 – and is now David Tennant’s father-in-law. Christopher Eccleston was 41. The only other sub-40 year old was Paul McGann who was 36.

But regardless of Davison’s age, all the “classic” Doctors played the character as a fatherly figure. Advisor. Friend. Protector of his companions, and of humans and the Earth in general. It wasn’t until McGann that we saw any sort of romantic side of the Doctor. And although we didn’t really see much of that in Eccleston, his Doctor was still different than previous incarnations. He appeared to be younger, hipper – a more contemporary character to Rose, where something more than a father-child relationship might appear. That certainly continued with Tennant and more with Smith.

But it isn’t just teetering-on-the-edge-of-a-romantic-relationship angle. Overall the Doctor was different. He was alone – his people gone, and as far as he knew, forever – and he was responsible for it. He’s having to come to terms with it, and is perhaps even annoyed that he survived to have to. He’s younger in appearance but hardened. Perhaps he’s becoming a rebel. He cares less about the consequences of his own actions. Beings die at his hands. He isn’t immune to them, but seems more willing to sacrifice. After all, he had to make that decision on a grand scale in the Time War. And there was no one to stop him, keep him in check – or punish him. His compassion was lost, so he needed his companions to help him feel. After “The Name of the Doctor”, the last 7 years of the “new” Doctor made more sense.

Now that the reasons for this shift in character have essentially been resolved to a certain degree, I think the shift to an older Doctor makes perfect sense. He doesn’t need to feel guilty, or alone, or be mad at the Universe that made him that way. He can return to what he was, the father, the protector.

Whether the fans will go with him remains to be seen. There is the danger of losing the chemistry that has built up since last year with Clara. But there is a potential for new angles.

And if it doesn’t work out…well, there’s always the next regeneration.

One last message from our favorite Sontaran, who wants to destroy us…this time, Strax discusses the human custom of “Christmas”…

Are you prepared for the end?

T minus 2 days and counting…to tide you over, here are a couple of clips from the Christmas episode, “The Time of the Doctor”, showing how a time machine can be very useful for certain things…
(continue reading…)

Marvel has it’s Ant-Man. Interestingly, after Wil Wheaton posted the following on Tumblr:

I actually got to thinking, “Hmm…maybe Joss could give Wil one of those superhero cameos in the next movie…wait, don’t they still need an Ant-Man?”, immediately afterwards the rumors started that Paul Rudd had been selected – and now it is confirmed. The Anchorman 2 actor was director Edgar Wright’s first choice for the role.

Maybe there’s still something for Wil to play… 🙂

This latest Strax report may be the best yet…the somewhat frustrated Sontaran nurse talks about ALL of the different Doctors – generally in relation to how they’d be as warriors…
(continue reading…)

Classic science fiction film Forbidden Planet and Disney’s Mary Poppins will join Pulp Fiction, Judgment at Nuremberg, The Magnificent Seven and others as the 25 films chosen to join the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress this year.

Being inducted into the Registry means that the Library’s Packard Campus for Audio Visual Conservation takes special effort to insure that the film is preserved for future generations.

The National Film Preservation Board selects the inductees, and is taking nominations for 2014.

A growing nation of genetically evolved apes led by Caesar is threatened by a band of human survivors of the devastating virus unleashed a decade earlier. They reach a fragile peace, but it proves short-lived, as both sides are brought to the brink of a war that will determine who will emerge as Earth’s dominant species.

Christmas Day, 9pm/8c on BBC America. Be there or be exterminated.
(continue reading…)