Starship Castle

If there’s one thing sci-fi fans love more than having their favorite books adapted for the big screen, it’s complaining about everything they got wrong. This is at least partially due to the more expansive and cerebral nature of text vs. budget and time constraints of film, but it doesn’t stop us trying.

On this theme, Sci Fi Wife has a list of seven great sci-fi books considered “unfilmable,” and the directors they think could pull it off – check it out here.

I’d throw Heinlein’s The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress on the list as well – so much of the book depends on internal monologue and the narrator’s philosophizing. But I’ve got a feeling that Rian Johnson, the writer/director of Brick and The Brothers Bloom could do something interesting here. He’s got a knack for off-beat storytelling with unusual characters that might be loony enough to work.

It’s June, which means temperatures are up and it’s time for grill out at least twice a week. It also means that most of our favorite TV shows have wrapped up their seasons, and won’t be back for a few months.

Fortunately, Sci Fi Wire has a list of every sci-fi and fantasy show putting out new episodes this summer.

Some of them sound like duds (a brown dwarf star collides with the moon? really? I think we’d have bigger problems than the moon’s suddenly decaying orbit), but a few have me excited.

Merlin, on NBC, will hopefully be a good source for epic fantasy, and SyFy’s Warehouse 13 has a premise that reminds me of the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark. The Storm is just a miniseries event, but it sounds like it’ll be interesting.

Most movies, no matter how dark, have at least a few funny bits (whether or not they’re intentional). Some, though, really stand out. io9’s made a list of what they think are the ten greatest sci-fi comedies.

Some are obvious choices (Spaceballs squeaks in at #10, and Army of Darkness and Shaun of the Dead share a spot). Some real gems show up on the list, though.

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home appears at #4, appropriately, pulling double-duty as a great comedy and one of the better Star Trek movies. And while Groundhog Day isn’t usually thought of as sci-fi, its time-travel element qualifies it for the list.

Mystery Men and Galaxy Quest are probably the funniest movies on the list that don’t have mainstream popularity, but Ghostbusters and Back to the Future may be the “greatest” movies on the list.

E3 was last week, and there was plenty to get excited about for anyone who likes video games. For sci-fi fans there are a few games in particular aimed at us, and they’ve got write ups over at Sci Fi Wire.

First up is upcoming MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic. I’m usually not a big MMO fan (I don’t like having to pay for something more than once), but the trailer is pretty BAMF.

Unlike the original BioShock, BioShock 2 will have multiplayer. That sounds pretty cool to me, but the previewer at Sci Fi Wire is a bit apprehensive.

The Conduit is reputed to be the first great FPS for Wii. I don’t know about that (even though it’d be awesome), but Mark Sheppard of Firefly and Battlestar Galactica fame voices the main character. That in and of itself is pretty awesome.

Darkest of Days has a pretty awesome premise – time travelers visiting important historical battles to ensure that the right people survive. This preview adds to the excitement.

If you liked the Aliens vs. Predator game or movies, you might be interested to know that they’re coming out with a next-gen version.

I mentioned earlier that I’m not big into MMO’s, but I do get excited (or at least intrigued) by the premises of some. Jumpgate Evolution sounds like a game I’ve wanted since 3rd grade - MMO meets space shooter. And Heroes of Telara describes itself as a “massively social” game that will attempt to do most of the processing server-side instead of on player machines.

Summer TV tends to be pretty hit or miss. I liked Traveller a few years ago, and Black Donnellys was great, but neither attracted enough of an audience to be renewed. That said, I’d describe myself as “cautiously optimistic” about NBC’s upcoming show Merlin.

And to whet my appetite Sci Fi Wire has an interview with Colin Morgan, the wizard himself. The conversation includes descriptions of what it’s like to act in anticipation of the special effects, and some details about the world of the show.

If you aren’t familiar with Sci-Fi-O-Rama, you really ought to check it out. They feature “art, design, & illustration with a sci-fi or fantasy slant.”

Today’s offering, in particular, is pretty awesome. It’s the original cover of Robert Heinlein’s book Have Space Suit – Will Travel, a wonderful illustration by Ed Emshwiller.

The trailer for The Road (based on the book by Cormac McCarthy) is available at Apple Trailers. Having read the book recently, it’s not exactly what I was expecting.

I read The Road in February, in hopes that the movie would get a release date soon. It was very good, but I remember thinking, “if they make a faithful adaptation, it will be the most depressing movie ever.”

Based on the trailer, it looks like the filmmakers dealt with this (at least partially) by playing up any action scenes in the book. Sometimes this works well for adaptations and sometimes it destroys the heart of the work.

I’m also wondering what they did with the story’s end. I don’t think that they need to be 100% faithful to the book to have a good ending, but it will have to be strong to make the rest of the movie work.

The Road (currently) has a release date of October 16, 2009.

I normally don’t go in for analyzing and re-analyzing photos, trailers, and everything else used to drum up anticipation for a movie (especially one that’s a year from coming out). But /film has found some interesting links between the two Iron Man 2 photos we have so far.

If you’re starving for Iron Man 2 information, you might check it out. For me, the most interesting aspect was how much a modern digital photograph from a movie’s PR department can be zoomed-in and still be sharp and clear.

Every good fan loves debating which movies are the best or worst of a particular category. For reference, see the Empire vs. Jedi debate in Clerks.

With this in mind, check out the list of 2009’s best sci-fi over at GFR. You’ll find what you expect (Star Trek) and a few surprise entries, like Crank: High Voltage.

File this under “just plain awesome.” Remember all the great music from Battlestar Galactica? The brilliant fusion of rock and ethnic traditions? If you move fast, you can experience it in person.

July 23-25, during Comic Con, Bear McCreary is putting on a concert performance of the music he wrote for BSG. It will take place at San Diego’s House of Blues. If you’ll be in the area and have the cash, this will definitely be a concert you want to catch.