Innholdsfortegnelse for No. 141 i SciFi Now

THE NEW MUTANTS Director, Josh Boone, has stressed that his take on the X-Men, The New Mutants, is very much intended to steer away from what we have seen from the heroes in the past and will instead venture into horror territory. We certainly got that vibe from the film’s first spooky trailer, which came complete with graveyards, ominous music and a ‘haunted’ hospital. It’s no surprise, then, really, that the film’s first poster is just downright creepy. That bleak colouring, the scratched font and those fanged teeth screaming out at you! It may not have much information on it but the stark, horrific imagery is all you need to know to look forward to this. The poster is like X-Men meets Dream Warriors and we love it. TOMB RAIDER…

By now you will have seen The Last Jedi (probably more than once). You will have formed your own opinion on Rian Johnson’s chapter in the saga, and you will have had endless conversations about its merits. Whether you are a fan of the film or think that it somehow breaks the canon, The Last Jedi is a film that will doubtless reward multiple rewatches and we can’t wait to revisit it over and over again. In the meantime, The Art Of Star Wars: The Last Jedi by Phil Szostak offers beautiful and fascinating storyboards and insights into the production and design of the film, from the visually stunning battle on Crait to everyone’s new favourite scene-stealers the Porgs. Let’s have a closer look… The Art Of Star Wars: The…

THE OA Brit Marling has confirmed that filming for Season Two will start this month. Get your movement clothes on. DIRK GENTLY’S HOLISTIC DETECTIVE AGENCY It’s sad times for fans of Max Landis’ spin on the Douglas Adams favourite, as BBC America has pulled the plug. DARK The best Netflix show that not enough people are talking about has been given a second season. If you haven’t seen this German supernatural mystery: get on it. THE PUNISHER Jon Bernthal will be back for more rage-filled screaming and vigilante justice as Netflix confirms Season Two. THE TWILIGHT ZONE Jordan Peele’s update on the Rod Serling classic has been officially greenlit by CBS All-Access. Marco Ramirez and Simon Kinberg are also on board.…

BLACK PANTHER #1-5, ‘THE CLIENT’ Writer: Christopher Priest Artist: Mark Texeira, Vince Evans Released: November 1998 Priest has spent a lot of time with the Black Panther over the course of his career, and got to know the character rather intimately. That fact certainly comes across in ‘The Client’, which kickstarted a thrilling saga that explores T’Challa’s identity as both a superhero and a king of an African nation. JUNGLE ACTION #6-18, ‘PANTHER’S RAGE’ Writer: Don McGregor Artist: Rich Buckler, Gil Kane, Billy Graham Released: October 1972 McGregor changed the Marvel landscape after expressing disapproval at the fact that Jungle Action only featured white, blond superheroes fighting crime in Africa. He wanted a black character as the hero, so he became a Black Panther buff and made him a central…

DUANE BARRY (Season Two, Episode Five) One of the finest hours The X-Files ever produced, the first half of this two-parter about a dangerous man claiming to be an abductee ended with Scully being kidnapped by the titular lunatic. The pay-off in the next episode, ‘Ascension’, was brutal, with Scully abducted and Mulder bereft. ANASAZI (Season Two, Episode 25) The Season Two finale is pretty much as good as it gets when it comes to The X-Files mythology episodes, as Mulder finds proof of alien life in Navajo territory. Just as he’s investigating a boxcar full of incredible evidence, the Cigarette Smoking Man pitches up and tells his men to burn it all… but where’s Mulder? PIPER MARU (Season Three, Episode 15) Having revealed…

WE’VE GOT TO BE HONEST, WE DIDN’T EVER EXPECT TO BE INTERVIEWING OSCAR-WINNING FILMMAKER ALEXANDER PAYNE FOR SCIFINOW MAGAZINE. Known for his ultra-real comedy-dramas satirising humanity, no-one expected Payne to make a sci-fi movie starring Matt Damon. Yes, the director of Sideways, The Descendants and Nebraska has made a film in which Matt Damon signs up to be ‘downsized’ – i.e. shrunk down to the size of a LEGO man so he can live a cheaper, lavish life on his meagre savings in the tiny luxury community of Leisureland. When we speak to Payne on the phone a few weeks before his film hits cinemas in the UK, he’s the first to admit that science-fiction is not his usual thing. But when you’re a filmmaker, he says, you’re just always…

Details 12 // 119 mins // Out now Director Jake Kasdan Screenwriters Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers, Scott Rosenberg, Jeff Pinkner Cast Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, Jack Black, Nick Jonas Distributor Sony Pictures Entertainment Preconceptions can sometimes make or break a film. It’s very easy to dismiss a reboot before even the title card has flashed on screen, and Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle has been particularly unlucky in that respect seeing as the loss of the origin film’s star, Robin Williams, is still raw three and a half years later. The film has certainly had its share of cyber venom but, remarkably, it’s still managed to tumble into the jungle with a positive outlook and a fresh attitude, while capturing the fun that made the original. Beginning at…

Details PG // 98 mins // 19 January Directors Lee Unkrich, Adrian Molina Screenwriters Lee Unkrich, Jason Katz, Matthew Aldrich, Adrian Molina Cast Anthony Gonzalez, Gael García Bernal, Benjamin Bratt Distributor Disney Pixar has a rich history of tugging at the heartstrings with a powerful profundity, from the opening ten minutes of Up to the way Inside Out explored how important it is to save room for the sad feelings as well as the good; the animation studio has regularly displayed its keen emotional intelligence. With its 17th film, Coco, Pixar uses the power of music and its Mexican setting on Day Of The Dead to tell an upbeat story about death and the importance of family. When 12-year-old Miguel (voiced by cheery newcomer Anthony Gonzalelz) is transported to the…

Details 18// 121 mins // 2017// • // Released Out now Director Darren Aronofsky Cast Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem, Michelle Pfeiffer, Ed Harris Distributor Paramount Home Entertainment Darren Aronofsky plunges the viewer into his horror movie about an egomaniacal male writer who threatens his young wife’s sanity and physical well-being with a booming intensity. At first, this allegorical tale jam packed with biblical references is intriguing but Aronofsky’s blunt message about the destruction of Mother Earth and the sacrifice of women turns into a condescending and repetitive nightmare. Jennifer Lawrence switches skilfully between mildly put-out, to frantic and then completely ruined as a woman treated like a lamb to the slaughter by ‘the poet’ and his adoring fans who invade her idyllic home. It is at this point when the…

Details 15// 115 mins // 1971// // Released Out now Director Dario Argento Cast Karl Malden, James Franciscus, Catherine Spaak Distributor Arrow Video Following the success of The Bird With The Crystal Plumage, Dario Argento returned to gialli with his sophomore film and although The Cat O’ Nine Tails doesn’t match the heights of his debut (or of what was to come), it’s good fun with strong performances and some nasty surprises. One night, retired blind journalist Franco Arno (Karl Malden) is walking past a pharmaceutical company when he notices a suspicious car. After he leaves, the building is broken into, but why? Arno joins forces with reporter Carlo Giordani (James Franciscus), but can they solve the mystery before all the suspects meet a grisly end? The Cat O’ Nine…

Details 15//135 mins //2017// • // Released 15 January Director Andrés Muschietti Cast Bill Skarsgård, Jaeden Lieberher, Finn Wolfhard, Sophia Lillis Distributor Warner Home Video IT floated on to cinema screens like a balloon on the wind, then blew apart just about every record worth smashing. After making a new generation scared of clowns, director Andrés Muschietti’s IT comes to Blu-ray. It is the first half of Stephen King’s classic story, with the second slated for cinema release in September 2019. Little Georgie Denbrough is bouncing along the street when the paper boat he is chasing – given to him by his brother, Bill – is swallowed by rain-swollen guttering. A strange set of (blue?) eyes look up at him and before you can look away, we are slap bang…

Details 15// 90 mins // 2017// • // Released Out now Director John R Leonetti Cast Joey King, Ryan Phillippe, Ki Hong Lee, Shannon Purser, Sydney Park, Alice Lee Distributor Vertigo Releasing One of the best things about horror movies is that they let us explore what happens when characters make the kind of bad decisions we’d never make ourselves. So when Clare (Joey King, the kid responsible for The Conjuring’s best scare) is given a magic wish-granting box and starts using it without heeding the warnings engraved on its sides, it would be easy to sit back and sneer. But it’s way more fun to go along for the ride. Inevitably, every wish Clare makes leads to disaster. This isn’t your standard monkey’s paw tale, though: Clare’s wishes negatively…

INFO Released Out now Certifi cate 15 Creators Baran Bo Odar, Jantje Friese Cast Louis Hoffman, Oliver Masucci, Karoline Eichorn, Maja Schöne, Jördis Triebel, Mark Waschke Distributor Netfl ix Format NETFLIX Running Time 500 mins A DARK WHO’S WHO The Kahnwalds Jonas is a good kid who has returned home after treatment following his father’s sudden suicide. His mother is Hannah, a lonely and determined woman who has her heart set on Ulrich Nielsen. The Nielsens Katharina is the local school principal, and she has two teenage kids (Magnus and Martha), and 11-year-old Mikkel. Her cheating husband Ulrich is a police officer, working for Charlotte Doppler. The Dopplers Charlotte is the local police chief and the mother of moody teenager Franziska and precocious, deaf 8-year-old Elisabeth. Her husband Peter is…

Details Author: John Gwynne Publisher: Macmillan Price: £14.99 Released: Out now If you weren’t aware that John Gwynne had already written a quartet of novels set in the same world as A Time Of Dread, you might marvel at the confidence with which he conjures this world with its feuding factions, horrifying creatures and big-hearted heroes. What you wouldn’t be is lost, as this, the first in a new series following The Faithful And The Fallen, is an excellent jumping on point for newcomers to Gwynne’s writing. The way in which Gwynne relays information and establishes the rules without sacrificing pace or plot is impressive. We’re given a great mix of plucky young heroes and grizzled old veterans, each with their own sets of problems and issues, and we’re thrown…

“Just fi nished Paris Adrift by @Catamaroon which was excellent and well worth picking up. #BookClub” @Cascararogue “Late to the conversation, but I’m finally reading Dune - and loving it! #BookClub” @Tom_Wookiee “La Belle Sauvage - so lovely to be back in the worlds of His Dark Materials. #BookClub” @martang66 “I’m reading Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. And I really like it. #BookClub” @JasminMaaz “Just fi nished Revenger by Alistair Reynolds. Arh it be pirates in space. Good, page turner. #BookClub” @tall_n_moody “Book 2 of 3 of The Lazarus War by Jamie Sawyer. All giant space ships, creepy aliens, and ray guns etc. Fast moving and no messing about sci-fi. Loving it! #BookClub” @johntheboy “Pattern Recognition by William Gibson. Am loving it. #BookClub” @sqbrose “I started reading Good Omens by Neil…

Details Author: Gregory Norminton Publisher: 4th Estate Price: £12.99 Released: 25 January In Roman-occupied Britain, a boy is torn between betraying a terrorist plot and staying loyal to his countrymen. In the present day, a former soldier is trying to find his way in civilian life while a teenager wrestles with the effects of her parents’ divorce. In the future, a group of feral young people struggle to survive in a world that’s been destroyed by climate change. Their connection? The landscape in which they find themselves, Bagshot Heath, a microcosmic world that survives through the ages. Gregory Norminton uses his three-narrative structure to explore a world changing through time, even as man stays the same. Violence punctures each of the three strands and the threat lurks throughout. Norminton’s style…

Details Writer: Saladin Ahmed Artist: Christian Ward Publisher: Marvel Comics Price: $10.99 Released: Out now Before the story even starts, this first solo book dedicated to the Silent King of the Inhumans has quite a foe to conquer: an unshakeable meme, born from Black Bolt’s unavoidably ludicrous full name – Blackagar Boltagon. Writer Saladin Ahmed, author of the Hugo nominated Throne Of The Crescent Moon, here makes his comic book writing debut, and embellishes a relatively straightforward story with odd, surprising flourishes. Hard Time is, at heart, a prison breakout adventure: Black Bolt, after sentencing his brother Maximus to incarceration in a deep-space, high-security prison, finds himself locked up instead, and left at the mercy of a sadistic jailer that tortures, kills and revives the prisoners at his will. And…

Running for just two seasons between 1963 and 1965, clocking up a total of only 49 episodes, The Outer Limits made its mark on pop culture. Unlike The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits dispensed with a creator-narrator like Rod Serling, opting instead for the eerie, unknowably alien Control Voice of Vic Perrin who started each episode reassuring the viewer that: ‘There is nothing wrong with your television set…’ Whether it’s the almost human-faced invading spiders of ‘The Zanti Misfits’, a man with a glass hand pursued by alien soldiers around the Bradbury Building (‘Demon With A Glass Hand’), or David McCallum mutating into the man of the future (‘The Sixth Finger’), the series’ best instalments are well-remembered by an avid fan base. We are controlling transmission Leslie Stevens, the creator…

The Outer Limits functioned as a kind of bridge between the black-and-white speculative tales of The Twilight Zone and the gaudy colour explorations of ‘new worlds and new civilizations’ of Star Trek. Both of Star Trek’s lead actors, William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy, appeared in The Outer Limits, as did Janice Rand actress Grace Lee Witney and Scotty actor James Doohan. Producer Robert H Justman also worked on both shows. Director Gerd Oswald helmed two episodes in the first series of Star Trek, while Byron Haskin worked on the special effects for the two Trek pilots. Wah Chang, of Project Unlimited, created many Star Trek props and monsters. Several Project Unlimited created creatures from The Outer Limits turned up, slightly altered, in the later show. In another connection, The Outer…

Some films have the most incredible power to take you right back to the first time you saw them. You never forget the first time you saw an Indiana Jones movie or where you were when you were introduced to Star Wars. When you watch Jason And The Argonauts you are hurled through time into your childhood, watching the swashbuckling hero and his men battle against grinning skeletons with a blend of terror, excitement and awe. There are a number of factors that contribute to the unstoppable flashbacking. The first is pure nostalgia, of course, and the power of that can’t be understated. There’s the pleasure of watching a good old-fashioned adventure story where the bad guys are easy to spot, the good guys will fumble in predictable but forgivable…

“YOU’LL SEE US GO THROUGH FAMILY ISSUES TOGETHER”NAFESSA WILLIAMS With 16 seasons of four different shows already under its belt, The CW’s Berlanti-verse isn’t done expanding. Sauntering into the party is Black Lightning, the superhero alter ego of high school principle Jefferson Pierce (played on the show by Cress Williams). After putting his superhero days behind him, Pierce is forced to get the suit on again and come out of retirement when his community comes under threat. “One of the things about the comics that is very important is that Jefferson Pierce and Black Lightning were almost two different people,” explains Williams. “They’re the same person but it’s like a dual personality. Jefferson Pierce is put together and almost Obama-like but with Black Lightning there’s more flavour. There’s more sarcasm…

1 Dinner date After almost dying horrible deaths together in Jurassic World, Owen and Claire probably hoped they’d never have to see each other again. Oh well. 2 Forever friends In a tender moment, we’re treated to a flashback in which Owen begins to train the adorable baby version of velociraptor Blue. 3 Yes Goldblum A bearded Dr Ian Malcolm coming back to give his two cents on the whole situation is all we’ve ever really wanted. 4 It’s a stampede! If you thought the stampede in Jumanji was bad, it’s nothing compared to being chased off a cliff by a gang of prehistoric beasts. 5 Fight! You know something wild is about to go down when the biggest, fiercest dinosaur is killed out of nowhere by an even bigger…

Welcome to Memory Bank, the part of the magazine where we select an issue of SciFiNow at random, flick through its pages and marvel at what on Earth was going on in the world of sci-fi, fantasy and horror that month. This time, we’re looking at issue 95, which featured a rather dashing image of the Guardians Of The Galaxy on the cover, illustrated by Brian Taylor of CandyKiller.com. Within the pages, we took a look at James Gunn’s first Marvel adventure and discovered how a band of killers, thieves, a walking tree and a psychotic raccoon became the saviours of summer 2014. “That’s the great thing about the whole cast: at the end of the day, we really are just a bunch of misfits, man,” said Drax actor Dave…

is making history, but for all the wrong reasons. If you haven’t been too preoccupied with hunting for Easter Eggs and hanging back for post-credits scenes, you might have noticed the distinct lack of black people not only in the Marvel Cinematic Universe but in the world of superhero movies in general. Yeah, there’s been a bit of representation every now and then, but nothing to write home about. The likes of Falcon and War Machine were only ever supporting characters, and although Deadshot was front and centre in DC’s Suicide Squad, there’s no denying that one was intended to be an ensemble film. Finally, 17 films deep into the never-ending MCU saga (or 18 if you count The Incredible Hulk, but who does?), Marvel has realised that the leading…

When actors are cast in comic book movies, it’s not unusual for them to end up playing their childhood heroes. However, for Humans star Letitia Wright, who plays tech buff Princess Shuri in Black Panther, she got to pretend one of her own personal heroes, the brilliant Angela Bassett, was her mother. “Angela was in the movie that made me want to become an actress, so it was incredible,” Wright enthuses. “Akeelah And The Bee was the movie that inspired me – and now I’ve got to work with Angela. It’s incredible. When the news came out that she was going to be in Black Panther, I was excited. On her first day, we had a table read and then went out to dinner and I knew I had to…

There are very few character actors out there who so consistently impress as Michael Shannon. He’s prolific but picks his projects carefully, and has garnered a well-earned reputation as one of the most watchable and intriguing stars out there. In The Shape Of Water, Shannon brings complex menace to the role of Agent Strickland, the man who brought the Amphibian Man back from the Amazon and is eager to make it reveal its secrets by any means necessary… We heard that you stayed in character in between takes… It may not be me staying in character per se. I’m just really focused on my work. I am focused on the film itself. I’m just staying focused so I will go and talk to Guillermo. I look at the footage. I’m…

SUPERNATURAL 2005 – present Thirteen seasons, 273 episodes GRIMM 2011-2017 Six seasons, 123 episodes LOST 2004 – 2010 Six seasons, 121 episodes FRINGE 2008-2013 Five seasons, 100 episodes WAREHOUSE 13 2009-2014 Five seasons, 64 episodes MILLENNIUM 1996-1999 Three seasons, 67 episodes SLEEPY HOLLOW 2013-2017 Four seasons, 62 episodes GRAVITY FALLS 2012-2016 Two seasons, 40 episodes SPECIAL UNIT 2 2001-2002 Two seasons, 19 episodes DARK SKIES 1996-1997 One season, 20 episodes THE LONE GUNMEN 2001-2001 One season, 13 episodes NIGHT STALKER 2005-2006 One season, ten episodes…

HONEY, I SHRUNK THE KIDS This Eighties classic gives you everything you could want from a film about shrunken people – bug attacks, giant every day objects and a mad scientist. ANT-MAN Being tiny gets a superhero spin, and the greatest Thomas The Tank Engine cameo anyone could have ever hoped for. FANTASTIC VOYAGE A crew of special agents and doctors are miniaturised and sent into a scientist’s body to cure a blood clot on his brain. RICK AND MORTY: ANATOMY PARK Rick and Morty combined Jurassic Park and Fantastic Voyage for this episode about an amusement park set up inside a homeless man.…

Altered Carbon’s leading man is somewhat unusual in that he has three faces. Thanks to the body-swapping tech, we see Takeshi Kovacs at three points in his life, with Joel Kinnaman playing the ‘present’ incarnation. The first we meet is played Byron Mann (Arrow, The Man With The Iron Fists), who plays the previous Kovacs, and the last, but earliest, is played by Will Yun Lee (The Wolverine, True Blood). “I had the advantage of going first!” laughs Kinnaman. “I was allowed to set the tone in a way and they both came in and asked me if I had any specific mannerisms and things like that. So, we had a couple of those discussions just to see if there was any sort of physical traits that they could pick…

INSPIRED BY JACOB’S LADDER • Silent Hill (1999—present), video games and fi lms • The Sixth Sense (1999), director: M Night Shyamalan • A Pure Formality (1994), director: Giuseppe Tornatore • The Jacket (2005), director: John Maybury • Room 6 (2006), director: Michael Hurst • Fractured (2014), director: Adam Gierasch INSPIRED BY DON’T LOOK NOW • The League Of Gentlemen (1999-2002), TV series • American Horror Story (2011—present), TV series • Antichrist (2009), director: Lars von Trier • Vinyan (2008), director: Fabrice du Welz • We Need To Talk About Kevin (2011), director: Lynne Ramsay • Texas Killing Fields (2011), director: Ami Canaan Mann INSPIRED BY ROSEMARY’S BABY • American Horror Story (2011—present), TV series • The Brotherhood Of Satan (1971), director: Bernard McEveety • Mark Of The Devil (1970),…

Details 15 TBC //117 mins// Outnow Director David Ayer Screenwriter Max Landis Cast Will Smith, Joel Edgerton, Noomi Rapace, Lucy Fry, Edgar Ramirez Distributor Netfl ix A gritty LA cop movie with genre elements should be the perfect fit for End Of Watch director David Ayer, and yet Bright is a plodding, uninspired twist on Alien Nation that lacks that film’s wit and invention and which squanders its potential. Here, magic and fairy tale creatures are a fact of everyday life. Elves are the elite, orcs are the downtrodden lower class, and magic users (Brights) are dangerous terrorists. Smith is Daryl Ward, a human officer who is reluctantly partnered with Nick Jakoby (Joel Edgerton), the first Orc cop. When the duo stumbles across a magic wand at a gory crime…

Details 18// 98 mins // 1977// // Released Out now Director Dario Argento Cast Jessica Harper, Stefania Casini, Joan Bennett, Alida Valli Distributor Cult Films It is extremely likely that fans of Suspiria will already have several different versions of Dario Argento’s masterpiece over several different formats, but the truth is that this 4K restoration is an absolute necessity. The film has never looked so good, and those incredible colours and thundering soundtrack will simply astonish you over and over again. It has been 40 years since Suzy Bannion (Jessica Harper) first arrived at the Tanz dance academy in Frieburg and uncovered a coven of witches and the technicolour nightmare has lost none of its magic. From the opening howling gale to the closing inferno, the combination of dream logic,…

Details 15// 87 mins // 2017// // Released 22 January Director Joe Miale Cast Lee Pace, Bérénice Marlohe, Jason Flemyng, Wandile Molebatsi Distributor Entertainment One It’s hard to look at Joe Miale’s feature directing debut and not see all of its influences. An alien invasion film that follows an amnesiac soldier (a miscast Lee Pace) and a doctor (Bérénice Marlohe) who have to make their way through the chaos and countryside to a resistance base in Nairobi, Revolt has its sights set on the grounded feel of Monsters and the social commentary/special effects extravaganza blend of District 9. The aliens look great; somehow sleek, sharp and a little clunky all at once. The problem is that all the attention seems to have been spent on how the film looks. The…

Details U // 101 mins // 2017// • // Released 12 February Directors Charlie Bean, Paul Fisher, Bob Logan Cast Dave Franco, Jackie Chan, Justin Theroux Distributor Warner Bros Though The LEGO Ninjago Movie arguably doesn’t live up to its predecessors, it’s still a marvellous effort. Set in the city of Ninjago, the film follows Lloyd and his band of secret ninjas as they try to protect the city whenever the evil Lord Garmadon (who happens to be Lloyd’s absent dad) decides he wants to try conquering it. The story has been told many times, but the combination of mesmerising animation and a stream of rich gags breathes fresh life into it. It takes everything that’s awesome about the world of martial arts films and adds a LEGO spin. It’s…

Details 18// 77 mins // 2017// • // Released 5 February Director Ana Asensio Cast Ana Asensio, Larry Fessenden, Natasha Romanova Distributor Bulldog Films If a job sounds too good to be true, that’s usually because it is. Yet undocumented immigrant Luciana (Ana Asensio) is so desperate for readies, she’s willing to take the dangling bait when it’s offered. The well-paying mystery gig sounds better – and easier – than babysitting a pair of upper-class Manhattanite brats (her current main source of income), or standing around dressed as a chicken handing out flyers. A horror film about the plight of migrants who prop up our western economies, the exploited, the invisible, the discarded, Most Beautiful Island is an assured first feature from the striking Spanish director, and is executively produced…

Details 15// 110 mins // 2017// • // Released 5 February Director Niels Arden Oplev Cast Ellen Page, Nina Dobrev, Diego Luna, James Norton, Kiersey Clemons Distributor Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Niels Arden Oplev’s remake of Joel Schumacher’s 1990 cult favourite disappeared without much of a trace when it hit cinemas, and the living room may be a more forgiving venue. Still, it’s not a particularly thrilling watch, dragging along at close to two hours and suffering from some fairly woeful horror effects. The film uses the same starting point as its predecessor, as charismatic student doctor Courtney (Ellen Page) convinces her colleagues to stop her heart so she can see what’s beyond. When she comes back with enhanced abilities and a lust for life, the others quickly follow, and…

I read David Gemmell’s Legend when I was 16 or 17 years old. It was the first book I’d ever read that kept me up reading all through the night because I just had to know what happened next. Say one thing about David Gemmell, he most definitely knew how to write a page-turner. After that, I was hooked on Gemmell. Legend isn’t my favourite Gemmell book, though. That award goes to Sword In The Storm. It’s classic Gemmell, featuring a flawed hero facing insurmountable odds, this time set in a Celtic-Romano inspired world, with our young hero belonging to a Celtic-like tribe soon to be facing the brunt of an all-conquering Empire. The plotline sounds fairly linear and simplistic, but there is a whole lot going on in this…

Details Author: Holly Black Publisher: Hot Key Books Price: £12.99 Released: Out now All teenagers probably feel like they don’t fit into their world at one point or another, but for The Cruel Prince’s Jude, it’s true. As a child, her parents were murdered in front of her, and she and her sisters were taken to live with their killer – Madoc, a general of the High King of Elfhame. Growing up in fairyland is magical, but not in a cute, Enid Blyton-y a way. These fairies are brutal, and their world is terrifying. Just eating the wrong fruit could spell doom for an unfortunate mortal. So Jude grows up tough, all-too aware of the tricks and traps that await her every day. When the High King announces he’s going…

Details Author: Katherine Arden Publisher: Del Rey Books Price: £12.99 Released: 25 January The sequel to Arden’s debut The Bear And The Nightingale, The Girl In The Tower finds Vasya travelling from her village into the big, wide world of medieval Russia where she soon finds herself in trouble. When it looks like someone is making a play for the Muscovite throne, Vasya finds herself and Morozko, the Winter King, at the heart of it. The fairy tale tropes that Arden played with so adroitly in her first novel are transplanted into a more urban setting here and it works very well. Vasya meets familiar faces in her brother and sister, both now residing in Moscow as well as conversing with the magical beings that guard the homesteads of the…

Details Author: Tyrell Johnson Publisher: Scribner Price: £14.19 Released: Out now The world as Lynn McBride knew it has gone. No more sunny days, no more cosy suburban life. Now she’s a hunter in the frozen forests of the Yukon territory, adapting to survive in the aftermath of a devastating flu epidemic. That means the biggest danger is other people, and when a mysterious stranger arrives, she’ll realise that the outside world is closing in. There seem to be two competing novels in Tyrell Johnson’s debut. The first is a survival thriller which pits a young woman against the elements and the occasional human threat. This is where the author seems more comfortable, as detailed passages dealing with Lynn’s survival skills help to ground the story. The second is a…

Details Writers: Rich Tommaso Artist: Rich Tommaso Publisher: Image Comics Price: £12.99 Released: Out now A strong contender for the Ronseal-sponsored comic book title of the year, writer-artist Rich Tommaso’s Spy Seal is an espionage adventure starring – no, not the soul singer – an anthropomorphic, turtleneck-sporting marine mammal. Dapper flapper Malcolm Warner is looking for work when he stumbles right into a web of intrigue involving the art world, extremist terrorists and the secret service, and soon finds himself enlisted by the MI6, shipped off to the continent and sent in search of the mysterious Red Cortex Phoenix. Tommaso’s artwork, a colourful tribute to the ligne claire style of Hergé’s Tintin, is a delight: vibrant, full of humour and packed with distinctive (and well-dressed) animal characters. Narratively, Spy Seal…

Towards the end of the first season, ABC considered producing a spin-off series from The Outer Limits to be more supernatural than science fiction in tone and called The Unknown. Joseph Stefano wrote and produced ‘The Forms Of Things Unknown’ originally as an instalment of the first season of The Outer Limits, before ABC showed interest in developing a sister show based on it. “[It was to be] an un-science fiction series,” recalled Stefano. “Kind of scary, spooky, and mysterious.” The episode was shot two ways: the first offered the standard Outer Limits science fiction explanation of events, while the second was a darker, more gothic tale of madness. Both versions, however, revolved around a ‘time tilting’ device that is used to resurrect a murder victim. Gerd Oswald, working with…

How did you come to work on Doctor Who? I’d done nearly three years with the Royal Shakespeare Company with decent parts, and my agent decided (with me) that it was time I got more high profile on the television. So I turned down all the theatre work and held out for a TV series. Nearly got Angels, nearly got Survivors, nearly got something else that was going on at the time, and then along came Doctor Who. There were 60 of us, and then ten, then six, and then three and then me! It was quite a tough process, I was called back and back for it. I got on incredibly well with [director of Leela’s debut] Pennant Roberts, who is no longer with us. He also gave me…

”Ray Harryhausen at his best. Was completely entranced as a kid by those sword fi ghting skeletons!” @BobHammond2 “Fond memories of my childhood, I loved watching the stop-motion animation, the stories were really brought to life. This and Sinbad!” @StephanieMPR “Brilliant Ray Harryhausen awesomeness.” @Tom_Wookiee “An absolute classic that I used to watch EVERY time I went to my grandad’s house! That and Clash Of The Titans.” @candii_h “Harryhausen’s finest hour. My six-year old daughter’s all-time favourite movie and definitely in my top 10. Please never remake it, America!” @mrmarkmillar “Loved it! As a kid, I saw it in the theater on a special engagement re-release. One of only two Harryhausen movies I’ve seen on the big screen. Best movie Hercules ever!” @cullenbunn…

It’s got to be one of the biggest deals in Hollywood history. If Disney’s proposed buy-out of 21st Century goes through (for the Disney Princess-ly sum of $66 billion), we’re going see a lot of signficant changes. It’s worth noting that, at the time of writing, the deal has not been closed and won’t be for some time, and that the full impact this will have on jobs and divisions at Fox is still unclear (there’s been some concern about the future of arthouse-skewing arm, Fox Searchlight). However, there are some things we know. For starters, Disney will definitely be looking to bring the X-Men, Fantastic Four and Deadpool (hey, he’s kind of his own thing) into the MCU, as Bob Iger confirmed to Deadline. He also told THR that…

1 THE REAL STORY IS FASCINATING The history of the Winchester Mystery House sounds more like a movie plot than anything else. It was built by Sarah Winchester, the heir to the Winchester rifle fortune, who was convinced by a medium that she was being haunted by the souls of those who had been killed by the weapons she’d made millions from. Once work began, it didn’t stop for nearly 40 years, as Sarah demanded constant work and more and more rooms… 2 HAUNTED HOUSES DO NOT GET MORE HAUNTED THAN THIS When we think of the great haunted houses, we think of The Overlook Hotel, Hill House, or, more recently, Allerdale Hall in Crimson Peak. The Winchester House seems to have been almost custom-made in anticipation of a horror…

1 IT’S GOT ROBERT RODRIGUEZ Rodriguez may have a history of being inconsistent in terms of the quality of his films, but the fact that he’s helming Alita makes us sure of one thing: it’s going to be bloody fast-paced and action-packed. We’re keeping our fingers crossed for some of his best work yet. 2 MANGA EYES Though the first trailer for Alita: Battle Angel (released in early December) packed a punch, it seems the main takeaway was that Alita (Rosa Salazar) has CGI manga eyes, like in the source material. But that’s more of an observation than a criticism from where we’re standing. 3 WHAT A CAST With Christoph Waltz, Jennifer Connelly and Mahershala Ali involved, the film is sure to have great performances. Supporting cast include Ed Skrein…

ERIK KILLMONGER (Michael B Jordan) Alias: Killmonger Occupation: Tribal leader Bio: Erik Killmonger was born in Wakanda as N’Jadaka. However, his family was exiled after the death of his father and he ended up in Harlem. He has no superpowers, but extensive training has made him as expert fighter and the Panther’s greatest nemesis. SHURI (Letitia Wright) Alias: Black Panther Occupation: Princess; regent; queen; Black Panther Bio: Shuri always dreamed of being the first female Black Panther. Her powers include enhanced durability, and the ability to turn her body and clothes into rock-like material and transform into a flock of birds. OKOYE (Danai Gurira) Alias: N/A Occupation: Driver; bodyguard Bio: A member of the Dora Milaje (an order of bodyguards and wives-in-training), it’s Okoye’s job to serve and protect the…

“GUILLERMO SAID ‘YOU’RE A GOOD CATHOLIC BOY AND I WANTED TO MAKE SURE YOU’RE OK WITH THIS’”DOUG JONES It all started with Creature From The Black Lagoon: “Every Sunday they had most of the Universal library on Channel 6 in my hometown,” remembers Guillermo del Toro. “So, I was about six years old, and I saw it. I fell in love with Julie Adams and I fell in love with the Creature. And I really wanted them to end up together because the Creature was so lonely and Julie Adams seemed to be out of place with the rest of the guys, they were kind of regular creeps! I thought that could be a great love story and it wasn’t, it didn’t end well so I wanted to correct that.”…

DESIGNING THE CREATURE Del Toro: The first time I talked to the design team, I said, there are two things we’re not going to refer to. We’re not going to refer to Creature From The Black Lagoon because that’s already in the DNA. It’s like you’re designing a giant ape, King Kong is in the DNA, you don’t have to even address it. But the one we’re going to avoid systematically is Abe Sapien, because if you take Abe and put it in the middle of this film, it won’t work. Jones: I had to make this fishman not look like or resemble any of the other fishmen I’ve played for Guillermo del Toro! People are going to be looking at me and making that comparison no matter…

“Knowing the way Chris likes to name characters, I’m surprised he hasn’t had a character named Cliff,” David Duchovny quipped at the NYC Comic Con late last year. “‘Nice to meet you. What’s your name? Cliff Hanger. Nice to meet you, Agent Hanger.’” It’s unquestionably a dad joke of the highest order, but Duchovny has got a point about Chris Carter’s fondness for leaving the audience wanting more. At the conclusion of The X-Files’ return in 2016, 14 years after Mulder and Scully were last on the small screen, we were left with one hell of an ellipsis. While her partner is on death’s door thanks to a virus that could wipe out the entire human race, Scully, protected by the alien DNA in her body, stares up at the…

KENNETH BRANAGH THOR The British actor and director was famed for bringing Shakespeare plays to the big screen, alongside other similarly high-class productions. His experience of Shakespearean tragedies is no doubt what led to Thor and Loki’s relationship becoming one of the most complicated and fascinating elements of the MCU. DANNY BOYLE A LIFE LESS ORDINARY Danny Boyle exploded onto screens with Shallow Grave and Trainspotting and was heralded as the voice of gritty Nineties Britain. Then he did A Life Less Ordinary, an American fantasy-comedy featuring angels, and the critics were stumped. Later he did 28 Days Later and Sunshine. Clearly he’s a guy who likes variety. ANG LEE HULK The Taiwanese director had done action before – of the elegant, lyrical kind – with Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.…

CORTICAL STACK The chip at the base of your skull in which your consciousness is stored. If this gets destroyed, you’re dead. Like, properly dead. DFH Digitised Human Freight. That’s the consciousness itself. SLEEVE A new body into which your consciousness can be transferred, or ‘re-sleeved’. They are expensive, but if you’re rich, who cares? If the state pays for it, well, it may not be exactly what you wanted. NEEDLECASTING This enables your consciousness to be transferred to another sleeve remotely. You can be in Russia while you’re taking care of business in Bay City. METH One of the ultra-wealthy elite. They’re named after Methuselah because they can afford to never die. Must be nice. NEO-CATHOLIC According to the pious, re-sleeving is an abomination and that everyone should just…

FILM INFO Released Out now Certifi cate 12A Director Rian Johnson Screenwriter Rian Johnson Cast Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Kelly Marie Tran, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson Distributor Disney Running Time 152 mins THE LAST JEDI FAQ So, is it time for the Jedi to end? Well, that depends on who you ask, really. The film certainly makes the case for both sides of the argument but I guess the most succinct answer to that question is ‘yes and no’. Or ‘see the film’. Which of the newcomers is the MVP? That would be Kelly Marie Tran as plucky maintenance worker Rose. She’s relatable, she’s got a big heart and she’s brave as hell. That being said, Laura Dern is brilliant as Vice…

FILM INFO Released 16 February Certifi cate 15 Director Guillermo del Toro Screenwriters Guillermo del Toro and Vanessa Taylor Cast Sally Hawkins, Doug Jones, Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins, Octavia Spencer Distributor 20th Century Fox Film Running Time 123 mins THE SHAPE OF WATER FAQ How do you make a monster sexy? It’s all in the eyes and lips, apparently. And del Toro reportedly insisted that he had to have a nice bum, too. Is it a Beauty And The Beast kind of scenario? Nope! The amphibian man stays an amphibian man, there’s no magical transformation into a human man or anything. Is it all CGI then? Again, nope! The fishman effects are mostly prosthetics: actor Doug Jones spent three hours a day being strapped into a latex, foam, and rubber…

Details 12A //117 mins //19 January Director Fedor Bondarchuck Screenwriters Oleg Malovichko, Andrey Zolotarev Cast Irina Starshenbaum, Alexander Petrov, Rinal Mukhametov, Oleg Menshikov Distributor Bill Melendez Productions In 2011, a sci-fi called The Darkest Hour was released – no connection to the similarly titled Winston Churchill biopic about to hit cinemas. Starring Emile Hirsch and Joel Kinnaman, and written by Prometheus scribe Jon Spaihts, the critically and commercially underperforming film concerned an alien attack on Moscow, which, to give that film a modicum of praise, is an interesting setting for a decently budgeted English language production. Most who made or have seen The Darkest Hour would probably like to forget it, but for those people, it may spring to mind when watching Attraction – a decently budgeted Russian language production…

Details 12//92 mins //2017// • // Released 15 January Director David Lowery Cast Casey Affleck, Rooney Mara, McColm Cephas Jr. Distributor Lionsgate Home Entertainment Director David Lowery cites Poltergeist as a visual reference for his melancholic and profound meditation on grief, love and loss which he also uses as a touchstone for an extended sequence where the viewer is led through death from the point of view of a ghost. Casey Affleck plays that hulking ghost figure from under a bedsheet who returns to the home he shared with his partner (Rooney Mara) for answers but gets distracted by the wondrous life brimming over from inside the house and accidentally ends up travelling through time. Lowery also takes his visual cues from masters of cinema such as Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Chantal…

Details 18// 90 mins // 2017// // Released Out now Directors Alexandre Bustillo, Julien Maury Cast Lili Taylor, Stephen Dorff, Sam Strike, Vanessa Grasse Distributor Lionsgate Home Entertainment The prospect of yet another TCM reboot didn’t exactly fill us with excitement, particularly after 2013’s risible Texas Chainsaw, but directors Maury and Bustillo delivered two of the most striking French horrors of the last decade with Inside and Livid and we were curious to see what they would do. Sadly, although there are a couple of nice grisly flourishes (one involving a cow is particularly good), there’s nothing about Leatherface that really stands out. It follows a group of teenage inmates who break out of a mental institution during a riot, one of whom will end the film by donning the…

Details 18// 108 mins // 2017// • // Released 22 January Director Ben Young Cast Emma Booth, Stephen Curry, Ashleigh Cummings Distributor Arrow Films Based on the crimes of David and Catherine Birnie (think of them as Australia’s answer to Fred and Rose West), Ben Young’s fiercely disturbing debut, Hounds Of Love, is dominated by Emma Booth’s award-winning performance. When high-school student Vicki Maloney (Ashleigh Cummings) attempts to buy a stick of weed for a party, she gets into the wrong car with the wrong people. Suburbanites Evelyn (Booth) and John (Stephen Curry) are responsible for a spate of abductions and murders in Perth. Upon entering their house, the pair’s chatty bonhomie quickly disappears, Vicki is slipped a Mickey Finn and repeatedly brutalised by the pair. Hounds Of Love could…

Details 15//164 mins //2017// • // Released 5 February Director Denis Villeneuve Cast Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, Jared Leto, Robin Wright, Ana de Armas Distributor Sony Pictures Home Entertainment A sequel to a revered classic was always going to be tricky to pull off – not least because you’re competing not just with a film, but with the idealised version of it that fans have carried around in their heads for years. Blade Runner 2049 passes the comparison-with-the-original test as soon as it shows us its iconic world, reproduced from the original with care, while also expanding on it. This is a film that respects the original, treating it as an unchangeable holy text. Not one aspect of the original is retconned or otherwise ‘ruined’. Director Denis Villeneuve even manages…

1. Kings Of The Wyld “Hands down my favourite of 2017. #BookClub” @MCM_ EnglishGent 2. Worldmaker “@ silvanhistorian’s Worldmaker trilogy has been an awesome ride. #BookClub” @andyangel44 3. Demon Cycle “I recently discovered @PVBrett’s #DemonCycle. Great saga that has me totally hooked. Highly recommended. #BookClub” @StuN_UK 4. Blackwing “This thing is just magnifi cent. #BookClub” @PeteMC666…

Details Author: Nick Clark Windo Publisher: Headline Price: £16.99 Released: Out now Nick Clark Windo’s debut is a blend of cautionary tale and post-apocalypse wandering, beginning in a near future in which pretty much the entire world is hooked into (and hooked on) The Feed; hardwired knowledge, messaging, and advertising pretty much removing the need for spoken communication and learning. Until, that is, something comes through, hijacking people and turning them into murderous monsters until The Feed goes down. Now, several years later, Tom and Kate survive in the countryside in a small group, watching out for the warning signs and doing their best to make a life for their daughter Bea. But when Bea is taken, they will have to set out into this broken world to find her.…

Details Author: Lidia Yuknavitch Publisher: Canongate Price: £14.99 Released: 18 January History is written by the victors. Right? Maybe not. In her futuristic retelling of the story of Joan of Arc, Yuknavitch delves into the art of storytelling, and the ability of the written word to shape the world. After an apocalyptic event renders the Earth unliveable, the remnants of humanity huddle on space stations. Living in space has changed them: their skin has bleached out, their hair disintegrated, and their genitals shrivelled. With sexuality and reproduction distant memories, the brutal Jean de Men strives to keep the species going through cruel experiments. And on the radioactive, barren world below them, someone – or something – has survived, inspiring a new kind of mythology. There’s a lot to absorb, and…

Details Writer: Chip Zdarsky Artists: Adam Kubert, Michael Walsh Publisher: Marvel Comics Price: £14.99 Released: Out now Launched to coincide with the cinematic release of Spider-Man: Homecoming earlier in 2017, Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man offers up a jumping-on point for new readers, taking Spidey back to the streets and away from the complicated continuity of writer Dan Slott’s mammoth run on the flagship Amazing Spider-Man series. With Chip Zdarsky on writing duties, there’s a sense that the lunatics have taken over the asylum, as Zdarsky, known for his playful and eccentric work on Howard The Duck (as writer) and Sex Criminals (as artist), has one of Marvel’s most iconic heroes in his toybox. This is a Spider-Man series with the quip-factor dialled up to 110%. This isn’t to say…

THE ZANTI SPIDERS (THE ZANTI MISFITS) One of the best-remembered episodes featured these near human-faced spider puppets, actually criminals from outer space who’ve crashed on Earth. It was filmed at Vasquez Rocks (later made famous by Star Trek), where Bruce Dern confronted creature maker Wah Chang’s puppets that were partly manually manipulated and partly depicted through time-consuming stop motion animation. THE THETAN (ARCHITECTS OF FEAR) Inside the complex costume of the Thetan was stuntman Janos Prohaska, who was raised a foot off the ground and strapped in to backward-tilted stilts. The lengthy arms were cable controlled from inside the suit. The giant head featured blinking and eye movements controlled through air pressure, while Prohaska could only see out of the nose. THE EBONITE (NIGHTMARE) In the episode, ‘Nightmare’ this pointy-faced…

Free spirit Leela’s first scene [in ‘The Face Of Evil’] is a perfect introduction to the character. On trial for heresy, she stands her ground and won’t let others speak for her. The Doctor doesn’t exactly invite her onboard the TARDIS either – but once she’s made up her mind there’s no stopping her! Fish out of water Leela never fully loses her ‘savage’ identity, and Jameson does wonders with the culture clash comedy. Her supper with Professor Litefoot [in ‘The Talons Of Weng-Chiang’] plays up this angle and is charming. Direct action Leela doesn’t stand on ceremony. If something needs doing, she chooses the most direct route. When the Doctor says he needs to talk to lighthouse-keeper, Reuben, locked away in his room [in ‘Horror Of Fang Rock’], Leela…

PROLOGUE Mimicking the spirit of Carpenter’s classic, the tension-driven pre-title opener of H20 sees nurse Marion reenter her ransacked house with ‘the shape’ lingering into frame behind her. Despite putting up a good fight it doesn’t end well for Loomis’ former associate. BATHROOM BREAK We know that Myers’ vehicle is parked outside when a mother and daughter use the public restrooms. The door closes, the mother’s handbag is snatched and Myers is peeped through the crack of the door... but walks out of frame. Nothing happens but the anticipation makes it scary as hell! FAMILY REUNION The scene where Myers comes face-to-face with Strode, with only a circular door window between them, is a superbly unforgettable goosebumpinducing moment in this throwback sequel. FINAL CONFRONTATION Finally facing her fears, Laurie delivers…

JURASSIC PARK (1993) 1 The special effects of the first Jurassic Park film are still astonishing even today, and they owe a huge debt to the spectacle and expressiveness of Harryhausen’s creations. STAR WARS (1977) 2 When Harryhausen passed away, George Lucas paid tribute by saying that without him, “…there would likely have been no Star Wars,” and the great Phil Tippett was a life-long fan. THE LORD OF THE RINGS (2001) 3 Peter Jackson also wrote that: “The Lord Of The Rings is my Ray Harryhausen movie.” It’s clear from the effects, but also the spectacle and sense of adventure. TERMINATOR 2: JUDGEMENT DAY (1991) 4 James Cameron had made a fair few effects movies before this, but the design of the T-100 definitely owes a debt to Talos,…

POW! 1. What is the Joker’s real name? 2. Where does the film take place? 3. What was Carl Grissom’s occupation? 4. Where did Alexander Knox work as a journalist? 5. What question does the Joker say he likes to ask all of his victims before killing them? THWACK! 6. Bruce Wayne’s parents were murdered in the alleyway between which two streets? 7. What kind of acid does the Joker throw in Alicia Hunt’s face, badly scarring her? 8. How much money does Bruce need to raise at the bicentennial fundraiser at Wayne Manor? 9. What is the Joker’s codename for the poisoned products that, when paired in specific combinations, cause people to begin laughing uncontrollably? 10. After Vicki Vale took photos of Batman fighting the Joker’s henchmen, where did…