Sci-Fi Heaven.net

Amazon.com have confirmed the final DVD artwork for the upcoming Stargate movie, Stargate: Continuum.

While Amazon are running this image, Gateworld have a slightly different version with white effects behind the text, possibly more up to date.

While I’m sure constant revision takes place on every major DVD cover, I’ve never seen a case of this many variations leaking online.

Regardless, his confirms that FOX eventually chose to run with a version of the ice-planet artwork over that of the planet, a story we covered earlier this month.

A FOX representative told GateWorld.net:

A modified version of the ice gate will be the “final, final, final” cover image when Continuum hits the shelves in North America this summer. It is also expected to be the art used on the movie’s international release.

Overall, it’s a definite improvement over the ‘potential’ ice planet image from a week or so ago, but it doesn’t quite have as nice a feel as the planet image, in my opinion.

I got the heads-up today on an interesting little sci-fi series coming out of Scotland at the moment.  “Night Is Day” is a fully self-funded sci-fi series about a superhero vigilante who has electricity in his body which he uses to fight crime on the city streets.

Now, this sounds like the kind of thing with the potential to either fall-short, not be produced, or look down-right awful even if it does.  However, I was pleasantly surprised, looking at the trailers.  What’s more, they’ve completed a first series which consists of 6 episodes, and is available on DVD.  Filming of a second series commences this month.

Okay, so it’s not Hollywood, but I’ve seen a lot worse out there.  They’ve really given this a go; I was even pleasantly surprised by the quality of some of the acting.  It seems well-produced, which is crucial in pulling something like this off.  I would echo the comments of Richard Brunton at Filmstaker.com:

The production is above par and I’ve found that after the first episode I’m actually interested to see where it goes, especially with the clips for the second.”

Now, I haven’t seen the first episode in its entirety, but I’m definitely interested.  That’s a sign something’s working well.

I’ve attached a selected trailer below.  Okay, so some of the acting looks a little suspect here and there, but some of the quality editing and production stands out.  It’s nice to see people giving this a shot, especially outside of the United States, where projects like these simply aren’t taken as seriously.  Full credit to the team behind it.

So, if you’re interested in checking this out, skip on over to the official Night is Day website and check out the content, or order the DVD.

*Contains Spoilers For Star Trek XI.  Read at your peril!*

According to reports coming out of TrekMovie.com, the beginning of Star Trek XI will not actually be set before The Original Series.

Instead, the movie will open in a post-Nemesis time-frame, supposedly to work in Leonard Nimoy’s performance as Spock.  Whilst the movie may open in the years following Star Trek Nemesis, I would be surprised to find if Abram’s portrayal of the Star Trek universe at this stage bore much resemblance to that shown in Nemesis.  This movie has been billed as more than just a prequel to TOS, but as somewhat of a reboot.  Whether later Trek incarnations are referenced at all would start working the movie down in all sorts of continuity obligation.  Then again, Nimoy is returning as Spock.  This could all get very messy, couldn’t it?  A semi-linked piece of canon.

Then again, perhaps it’s the writers like me that cause all this canon-loving continuity-hugging.  Does it really matter if Abram’s Trek slots seamlessly into the current  universe?  Personally, no.  I just want to see a good movie. 

There have been bootlegs hanging around the place, but this is the first official release of the trailer, coming from IGN just after midnight on 12/05/2008.

You can see it embedded below.

Warner Bros have officially released the trailer for Star Wars: The Clone Wars.  I’m almost 100% sure I saw this leaked a few months ago, when I wasn’t really paying much attention, but regardless, it’s out now and it’s official.

If you’re confused about what Star Wars: The Clone Wars is, then please check out the guide we posted when the official poster was released.

Enjoy!  Some great stylistic aspects coming to show here, such as the designs on Jabba and Count Dooku.  Also pleasing to see stars such as Samuel L. Jackson still providing their voices. 

Despite the greatness of the trailer, I’m tired of the Duel of the Fates music… do they have to play it in everything Star Wars related these days?  I’m hoping the movie and TV show will have a new John Williams score.

Update: Nope, it appears that Kevin Kiner will be doing the original score for the movie. Great. What experience does he have? Well, he composed two episodes of Star Trek: Enterprise once… Damn. They could have picked Brian Tyler. And does the name Kevin Kiner remind anyone else of Kevin Kilner, of Earth: Final Conflict fame?

Our friends over at VH1 and MTV gave us the heads up on their new “Become Tony Stark For A Weekend Competition”, in promotion of IRON MAN.

They’ve produced two promotion videos for the competition, which you can see below. Quite clever, really.

Basically, the contest allows one person to experience the life of billionaire Tony Stark. The winner and a guest will be flown to LA first class and greeted by their own chauffer driven Audi. They will stay in 5 star accommodations for 3 nights at the famous Beverly Hills Hotel. The winner and their guest will be given a private VIP helicopter tour around all of LA’s most prestigious land marks followed by dinner at one of LA’s best restaurants. Finally they will spend a day relaxing at a spa and be whisked off to Rodeo Drive on a $1,000 shopping spree.

Honestly, what can you lose?

If you want to enter, you can do so either through MTV or VH1.

Also, we’re going to be giving away an IRON MAN t-shirt and poster to celebrate the movie’s successful launch.

The following article contains spoilers for up to episode 4.05 of Battlestar Galactica.

Coming into the fourth and final season of Battlestar Galactica, I had high hopes.  The sublime season finale, and standard of the season which preceded it offered a great deal of excitement and promise for the final year.  However, five weeks in, and I can’t help but feel a little disappointed.

If this were any year other than the closing season, the negative aspects of the last few weeks could probably be over-looked.  After all, it’s not that the show is bad; far from it.  Galactica remains, behind ‘Dexter’, one of my favourite shows on television.  The acting is still top-notch, as is the style of production and the intensity of performance on the screen.  So where’s it gone wrong?

The writing.  Once again, it’s not that the writing is particularly bad, the plots just don’t seem to be moving fast enough.  This is the final season, surely we should be having some development?  For the moment, we’re forced to watch Starbuck floating around space in the Demetrius with her crew looking worried; Baltar talking pseudo-religious clap-trap with a group of attractive young women, and Chief Tyrol deliver Rambo-esque glaring and cut his hair post- Cally murder.  And it’s been this way for a couple of weeks.  What’s happened in the time since Cally’s death… um… Leoban showed up, and made Starbuck even more crazy-looking.  Wow.  Even one of the greatest aspects of the new season, the Cylon council meetings on the baseship (and particularly the performances from Dean Stockwell), didn’t even make an appearance last week. 

I know I’ll probably get crucified for negativity towards the Holy Grail of Science Fiction, and perhaps I am being harsh; I felt particularly disappointed with last weeks episode, ‘The Road Less Travelled’.  I don’t intend to turn people against the show (as if my journalism carries that much influence).  I’m simply expressing frustration, and trying to make it sound justified. 

I’m sure I’m not alone in believing that this final season has the potential to be one of the finest pieces of television ever written, and indeed some of the writing so far has been superb.  Of note, some of the Tigh/Helen/Six interactions in 4.04 ‘Escape Velocity’ were particularly enjoyable, and any scene with Adama and Roslin  usually ends up being magnificent.  On the whole, however, I just can’t help but feel that the show is trotting instead of sprinting towards the finish line; wasting time and valuable character opportunities along the way.  Surely characters like Anders and Gaeta deserve more coming in to the final episodes than to be exchanging concerned glances for forty-five minutes each week.

I will continue to watch, and I will no doubt continue to enjoy the episodes for the most part.  However, I sincerely hope that soon the show will pick up the pace, and deliver the stunning conclusion of which I know Ronald D. Moore and his gifted team of writers are capable.

Let us hope the words of the Cylon Hybrid are not true in this case, that “all of this has happened before, and will happen again“.  So many sci-fi shows go out with a whimper, and I’m hoping Battlestar is not one of them. 

According to id Software’s official website, “production has begun on DOOM 4™, the next journey into the legendary DOOM universe.”

The latest installment of the best-selling DOOM franchise comes on the heels of DOOM 3, considered by many to be somewhat of a disappointment. Many praised the stunning visuals and early portions of the game, but felt later segments became repetitive and mindless; simply not fun.

Regardless, the franchise is one of the most recognizable and important in gaming history, having been named “one of the ten most influential games of the decade” by PC Gamer and “the #1 game of all time” by GameSpy.

id Software is also hiring for development of the title, so if you happen to fulfil requirements listed on their website, why not give it a shot?

“DOOM is part of the id Software DNA and demands the greatest talent and brightest minds in the industry to bring the next installment of our flagship franchise to Earth,” said Todd Hollenshead, CEO, id Software. “It’s critical for id Software to have the best creative minds in-house to develop games that meet the standards synonymous with our titles.”

Just a little update on the status of the site.

General Updates: We’ve had a lot of new content posted lately, coupled with a few minor design updates. Hopefully these design updates will help refine use of the site, making it more useful for you, our readers. The new content is something we hope to continue to add with increasing regularity.

Competition Updates: Our winners for Stargate Ark of Truth and Sands of Oblivion should now have been notified of their success, so please check your e-mail and respond as soon as possible.

Staff Update: If you’re interested in sci-fi, and have a talent for writing, please e-mail us about joining our writing staff. You’ll be accepted by a friendly bunch of people, and have the chance to get your writing published here on Sci-Fi Heaven.

Esai Morales, best known as Major Beck on Jericho, has joined the cast of SCI FI Channel’s two-hour pilot for Caprica, the proposed television prequel to Battlestar Galactica, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

According to reports, he will portray the character of Joseph Adama, the father of William Adama (played by Edward James Olmos in Battlestar Galactica).

A description of Joseph Adama has surfaced, with details of him being a “deeply passionate man with a strong sense of justice” as well as being “someone you wouldn’t want as your enemy”.

Morales had previously joined the cast of Jericho for the Second Season, playing Army Major Beck, placed in control of the Jericho town in the aftermath of a civil war with neighbouring town of New Bern. For more on the Jericho cancellation, please see our article.

Kelvin Pike did. And that’s not all…

This Saturday, Raindance are welcoming veteran cameraman Kelvin Pike BSC to the Kodak Masterclass at BAFTA. His work includes 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, THE SHINING, STAR WARS: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, DR. STRANGELOVE and HEAVEN’S GATE.

Kelvin will speak about his filmmaking career and show examples of his work giving an exclusive behind the scenes look at what it was like working on some of the most iconic films of the 20th Century.

And yes don’t worry, we’ve made sure to save some time for all your questions about Kubrick and Lucas.

When? Saturday, May 10th from 2-4pm
Where? BAFTA, 195 Piccadilly London W1J 9LN
Price? £10

To book a place ring 020 7287 3833 or go to www.raindance.co.uk and look under ‘upcoming events’. Be quick - space is very limited so tickets are in short supply!