Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 162 i SciFi Now

PARADISE HILLS Emma Roberts stars as a woman who is taught how to be proper on an island called Paradise before things become more sinister in Spanish photographer and costume designer Alice Waddington’s fantasy drama and directorial debut. The poster for the film gets the point across, going full America’s Next Top Model mixed with something out of a decadent Lady Gaga music video. With Danielle Macdonald, Awkwafina, Eiza González and Milla Jovovich on her side, Roberts’ Uma knows something we don’t. LITTLE MONSTERS The upcoming zombie film combines all the best parts of a blood-soaked horror and a happy-go-lucky summer flick. IT CHAPTER 2 There’s a fine line between beautiful and creepy and this IMAX poster for It Chapter Two does a Pennywise-style high kick on either side of…

HOW WAS IT BEING BACK IN DERRY? Sophia Lillis: It was weird at first, coming back to working on this big studio film that was kind of like my first big studio film! Chosen Jacobs: It was like a family reunion even though we never actually went apart, because these are my best friends and we’ve been going down this road for the last couple of years, and just growing together. Jack Dylan Grazer: It was cool to revisit it after having the most memorable moment of my life shooting it the first time. Finn Wolfhard: It [Chapter One] was something that we really worked hard on and had the greatest summer of our lives for, so that’s what people are watching up there, they are all watching the best…

THE DARK HALF Timothy Hutton stars as a famous author who kills off his pseudonym, only for the fictitious bastard to come to murderous life. It is rather overlong and never quite scary enough, but director George A Romero has some very nasty surprises in store for you and that opening brain surgery scene is simply unforgettable. NEEDFUL THINGS Speaking of overlong, this ridiculously star-studded film about Max Von Sydow’s devil opening an antiques store in a small town is definitely a bit of a slog but it has got some brutally effective and horrible sequences. Plus, there’s Ed Harris, Amanda Plummer, Bonnie Bedelia and JT Walsh… DREAMCATCHER Hear us out. Universally derided and loathed outside of a quite small contingent of SciFiNow writers, Lawrence Kasdan’s take on this batshit…

CREATED BY Steve Englehart (writer) and Jim Starlin (artist) FIRST COMIC APPEARANCE Special Marvel Edition #15 (December 1973) POWERS AND ABILITIES Master of Kung Fu; proficient in unarmed combat; an expert in various hand weapons including swords, staves, kali sticks, nunchaku and shruiken; trained in the art of meditation and concentration; in tune with the chi emitted by all living beings; able to create an unlimited number of duplicates of himself TEAM AFFILIATIONS Avengers, Agents of Atlas, MI-6, Freelance Restorations, Marvel Knights, Heroes For Hire, Secret Avengers, Protectors, Underground…

Following Felicity Smoak's departure in the finale of Arrow SeasonSeven, actor Emily Bett Rickards will not be returning for Season Eight. Instead, she’s been kick-starting a career in theatre, and received rave reviews for her performance in Zayd Dohrn’s stage play Reborning. However, she’s been a big part of the series since the start, so we’re not looking forward to her not returning, and Stephen Amell feels the same. "There's no way to sugarcoat this,” he says. “In a perfect world, she's still on the show. It sucks that she's not. She is one of my very best friends. And, on a personal level, I am so happy for her. I cried when I read the New York Times review for her play. I texted her on the way to…

JEAN-LUC PICARD IS BACK Okay, we know this isn’t news – his name’s in the title, after all – but this is still the most exciting part of Star Trek: Picard. Sir Patrick Stewart may be pushing 80, but he’s still got it. The moment he delivered his iconic “engage” in the trailer all doubts were gone – age is no hindrance when it comes to captaining a ship with strength, integrity, and powerful speeches on the nature of humanity. Stewart was initially reluctant to return to the role of Picard and had previously turned down offers, but the premise of this series was enough to draw him in. “As the subject matter of this new proposed series became clearer and clearer to me,” he told fans at the San…

Many of Billy West’s characters have withstood the test of time but one in particular has taken on a new level of resonance thanks to his resemblance to a certain bumbling Commander in Chief. “It’s funny that Zapp Brannigan is doing his voice because he sort of looks like him,” says West of his series of Twitter videos where verbatim Trump quotes are given a Brannigan make-over. “He’s got the hair, the pomp, the circumstance and the idiocy – it’s made in heaven,” he smiles. “Zapp was based on about three different disc jockeys that I encountered in radio. The ones with the fake bravado that enter a room and announce their own name like superheroes do, ‘I’m known as the man with no name, Zapp Brannigan-ah,’” laughs West. That…

Frankenstein’s android Release Out now Director Eugène Lourié Cast John Baragrey, Mala Powers, Otto Kruger Distributor 101 Films Certificate PG Format Everything’s going so well for the brilliant Jeremy Spensser. He’s got a loving family and he’s just won the Nobel Peace Prize… then he’s killed in a car accident. However, his brain surgeon father isn’t about to let that deprive the world of his son’s genius, and before long he’s put Jeremy’s brain inside a colossal robot. But he’s not too pleased to be there. This 1958 blend of sci-fi and horror is a neat and surprisingly nasty spin on the Frankenstein story from Eugène Lourié (a regular Harryhausen collaborator). The script is occasionally clunky and the supporting characters are extremely flimsy (although veteran character actor Otto Kruger is…

Bad boys too Release Out now Director Justin Copeland Cast Jason O’Mara, Jennifer Morrison, Stuart Allan, Sachie Alessio, Geoffrey Arend Distributor Warner Bros Certificate 15 Format The Dark Knight comes up against one of his most challenging cases yet in Batman: Hush. When a mysterious wrong-doer begins puppeteering some of Gotham’s most dangerous forces, the Caped Crusader finds himself battling Bane. And the Joker. And Harley Quinn, Scarecrow, the Riddler and more. Though Hush’s packed villain roster made for a great comic, here too many villainous cooks spoil the maniacal broth. Of course, a lot of superhero fans tends to love the antagonists more than the heroes, but the result ends up becoming something like a lack-lustre festival line-up, but with a rushed plot instead of music, and a very…

Deep space thrills Release 9 September Director Claire Denis Cast Robert Pattinson, Juliette Binoche, André Benjamin, Mia Goth Distributor Thunderbird Releasing Certificate 18 Format Amid all the brutality and desperation in Claire Denis’ unique deep space prison chiller there are tender moments of nurturing. Sure, there are also copious amounts of bodily fluids in this erotically charged and mysterious sci-fi as it navigates humanity with a provocative gaze, but at its core it has a lot to say about love. Robert Pattinson is Monte, who describes the death row inmates, himself included, aboard the ship as ‘scum that didn’t fit into the system’ and the film depicts an abyss where hope has almost disintegrated. The prisoners are essentially lab rats used by Dr Dibs (Juliette Binoche) for their sperm, ovaries…

JURASSIC PARK Koepp took on Crichton’s blockbuster novel and turned it into one of the greatest genre movies that has ever been made. One of the most intriguing changes is turning Crichton’s evil bastard John Hammond into Richard Attenborough’s lovely misguided teddy bear. STIR OF ECHOES One of Koepp’s best and most undervalued works is his take on Matheson’s grim ghost story. He directed Stir Of Echoes back in 1999, and Kevin Bacon’s turn as a man tormented by visions is still one of his very best. SPIDER-MAN Be horrified by the fact that Sam Raimi’s take on the friendly neighbourhood superhero is 17 years old, but be reassured by the fact that Koepp’s screenplay remains one of the best comic book origin stories, full of warmth, wonder and wit.…

Release 12 September Writer Alix E Harrow Publisher Orbit Price £12.99 Seventeen-year-old January Scaller has spent most of her life behind locked doors. Motherless, with a father who’s always travelling, she’s left in the care of a rich benefactor who teaches her to speak politely, dress demurely, and generally mind her manners. Mr Locke collects strange and beautiful objects from faraway places, lining them up tidily in glass cases, and January is treated like just another exotic specimen for his collection. Then, one day, she discovers a mysterious book that changes everything… Most readers will recognise the urge to dive into a story to escape the miseries and mundanities of everyday life. Here, though, the idea of magical doors that lead to new worlds isn’t a metaphor. Or at least,…

Release 3 September Writer Jac Jemc Publisher Titan Books Price £7.99 How haunted would a house need to be to make you move out, once you were in? Would noises in the night be enough? Or would you put up with the occasional growl from the shadows? And if the shadows sometimes moved of their own accord, would you move back in with your parents then? The haunting in The Grip Of It starts subtle but soon develops, growing ever more menacing. James and Julie, a young married couple fleeing their problems in the city, think it’s just a teething issue – it’s just about getting used to a small town, with nosy neighbours and some rumours about why their dream house had been empty for so long. But the…

Release Out now Writers Alicia Zaloga and Wendy Trimboli Publisher Angry Robot Price £8.99 Roger Weathersby is a resurrectionist, procuring dead bodies for the use of medical doctors studying the human anatomy. He has aspirations to become a doctor himself, but when he resurrects the wrong body and is accused of murder, he finds himself at the heart of a conspiracy. Elsewhere, his estranged childhood sweetheart, Princess Sibylla, is faced with the uninviting prospect of marrying her cousin to preserve the royal magic that she and her family all possess. Her path crosses with Roger’s once more and in order to save his life, he must be indentured to her in perpetuity. There are lots of great ideas in the novel. There are familiar hallmarks; the serial killer is an…

Somewhere out there in the multiverse, there’s a world in which Fringe won the audience it deserved. In our version of reality, however, those of us who cherished this mesmerising, mind-bending show – a link in the chain of unforgettable science-fiction offerings that connects The Twilight Zone to Kolchak: The Night StalkerandTheX-Files–are left with tantalising echoes of all that might have been. Like a number of its forebears, it was cursed with poor ratings and an untimely end, yet Fringe succeeded on multiple levels. Bold, boundary-breaking and often brilliant, its five seasons (2008–2013) whirled from one high-concept premise to another, anchoring its flights of sci-fi fancy in emotional depth with as much skill as the best examples of its genre. FBI agent Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv) finds herself embroiled in…

JOHNNY 5 (SHORT CIRCUIT) Developed by the US military, this adorable little fella escapes from its Cold War lab and heads to Oregon, where he meets a young woman who teaches him about life. DARYL (DARYL) Daryl may look like any other ten-year-old boy. But he’s actually an advanced AI robot funded by the military and planned for use in combat. He’d rather play baseball, though. FIX-ITS (*BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED) No Cold War robots here. Instead, these handy little spaceships are of extra-terrestrial origin, and they’re here to help the bullied residents of an apartment building under threat from developers. SICO (ROCKY IV) When Rocky is worried that Paulie is getting lonely, he gets him the best gift money can buy – a robot helper. Okay,…

IN THE PANTHEON of great action movie heroines, there’s no one quite like Sarah Connor. From the terrified waitress of The Terminator to the battle-hardened warrior of Judgement Day, she’s a woman who has sacrificed so much in order to stop what she knows is coming. She’s been imprisoned, she’s been kept from her son, and she’s been told over and over again that she’s crazy. But, with the help of her boy John and the machine that was sent back in time to protect him, she won. Cyberdyne was destroyed, Skynet never went online, and Judgement Day was averted. At least, that’s according to the James Cameron storyline, which is where Terminator: Dark Fate picks up, as director Tim Miller confirmed when he and his cast presented some new…

HOW DID YOU FIND THE EXPERIENCE OF WORKING WITH THE OLDER ACTORS AND HANDING THE CHARACTERS OVER? SL: It feels strange giving my adult character advice on how to act considering she’s Jessica Chastain! We did talk about how to play the role of Beverly, although I did say just do whatever you feel is right. I kind of passed the baton to her: ‘Aw, you go, you have fun, you run that mile, I’m not doing it no more. I’m just here for the flashbacks.’ CJ: Mr Isaiah is one of the sweetest guys I’ve ever met. He had already researched my character, watched the film, read the book, he already had the mannerisms down to a tee. The main questions for me were, why did I make these…

Although It Chapter Two will run to nearly three hours, there was never going to be enough room for all of Stephen King’s epic to make it to the big screen. “I wish we could have told the story of Tom [Rogan, Beverly’s abusive husband] and Audra [Phillips, Bill’s adoring wife] with more time,” Barbara Muschietti tells us. “But we had a story to tell and although they are in the movie, they’re maybe not as prevalent as they are in the book. It is a 1300 page book and there were subplots that we just could not wedge in.” Andy Muschietti explains that the bigger scale allowed him to bring in some moments that fans of the novel may have missed in Chapter One: “There were a couple of…

Sure, we may have already cheated by including Salem’s Lot in our film list (it was technically filmed and released as a mini-series in the US, but it was trimmed to a theatrical release over here so we included it, don’t beat us up about it okay…), but we can’t let a tribute to King adaptations go without turning an eye to TV. Some of the best takes on his material have been on the small screen, and sometimes it’s the only place they’ll work (the man loves a long book). For example, Mick Garris’ mostly solid take on The Stand and the 1990 IT miniseries both greatly benefited from more room to breathe, as did the JJ Abrams-produced 11.22.63. It’s not clear whether anything would have made The Tommyknockers…

KEY DISNEY + FEATURE FILM ETERNALS RELEASE: 6 November 2020 DIRECTOR: Chloé Zhao CAST: Angelina Jolie as Thena, Richard Madden as Ikaris, Kumail Nanjiani as Kingo, Lauren Ridloff as Makkari, Brian Tyree Henry as Phastos, Salma Hayek as Ajak, Lia McHugh as Sprite, Don Lee as Gilgamesh The first film of Phase 4 introduces the Eternals, an immortal alien race created by the Celestials. Following an attack from their maniacal counterparts, the Deviants, the evil-fighting supergroup head to Earth the protect the planet’s people. • Hailing from China, Chloé Zhao is the first Asian director to helm a film for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. “I just really, really wanted to make a Marvel movie for so long,” she said at Marvel’s Hall H panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2019, “because…

BLACK PANTHER 2 • Black Panther director Ryan Coogler is back at the helm for the sequel, which is currently in the very early stages of development. The film currently has no cast attached beyond T’Challa actor Chadwick Boseman. Despite rumours that Michael B Jordan would return as Erik Killmonger, Kevin Feige has confirmed that he definitely won’t be coming back. GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3 • Director James Gunn has revealed that Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 will take place after the events of Thor: Love And Thunder. The Asgardian god was last seen in Avengers: Endgame aboard the Guardians’ ship, hoping to join the gang on their next big adventure. • Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 won’t be part of Phase 4. In the time…

Carnival Row has a take on fauns which may push memories of the adorable Mr Tumnus right out of your mind. British actor David Gyasi is playing Mr Agreus, a faun who causes a stir when he arrives in The Burgue. Gyasi explains to us that in Carnival Row there is a hierarchy. “Humans are on top and then mythical creatures go on a gradient down to the bottom, and I play this faun, who are considered the lowest of the low. They do all the menial jobs, they don’t rise up other than to do those jobs, and my guy comes in having purchased the biggest house in the most sought-after area. You don’t know how he’s able to do that, and throughout the episodes you find out more…

He’s got 75 golden camels Release 23 September Director Guy Ritchie Cast Will Smith, Mena Massoud, Naomi Scott, Marwan Kenzari, Navid Negahban Distributor Walt Disney Certificate PG Format It might not be as magical as the 1992 version, but Guy Ritchie’s retelling of Aladdin is all it really needs to be. It’s big, it’s camp and it’s got huge and extravagant musical numbers by the bucketful. More than a handful of fans had their concerns about Will Smith playing the iconic character of the Genie, but Smith makes the character his own in the same way that the brilliant Robin Williams did back in the Nineties, the charming Mena Massoud is the perfect live-action Aladdin for those out there that secretly swooned over the animated version, and Naomi Scott adds…

Nostalgic reboot with teeth Release Out now Director Bobby Miler Cast Tashiana Washington, Ava Preston, Jack Fulton, Dee Wallace Distributor Warner Home Video Certificate 15 Format “What is this, 1986?” exclaims teenagerTrissy. Critters Attack! is a series reboot, set in the present day - although in many ways it also remains a throwback to 1986, from Russ Howard III’s synth score to its practical creature puppetry and effects to the return of Dee Wallace – who starred in the original Critters – here playing a mysterious operative called Aunt Dee. After two extraterrestrial objects come crashing down into the woods, the small town where recently orphaned Drea and Phillip live with their police chief uncle quickly becomes overrun with ‘Krites’ – alien toothy furballs who create deadly mayhem as they…

Caught it Release Out now Director Rob Letterman Cast Ryan Reynolds, Justice Smith, Kathryn Newton Distributor Warner Bros Pictures Certificate PG Format Looking at both Detective Pikachu and his 2015 adaptation of Goosebumps, it’s clear that director Rob Letterman knows how to have fun with a strong piece of source material. His latest offers a brand new take on the fluffy yellow Pokémon that’s both surprising and likeable, and it’s largely down to the fact that he’s voiced by none other than Ryan Reynolds. The novelty of Pikachu having Deadpool’s voice doesn’t last long, but the film’s storyline is strong enough evolve it into a pretty alright family mystery. Alongside Reynolds’ titular character are Justice Smith as ex-Pokémon trainer Tim, Kathryn Newton as junior reporter Lucy and Psyduck as Psyduck.…

To grandmother’s house we go Release 26 August Director Neil Jordan Cast Isabelle Huppert, Chloë Grace Moretz, Maika Monroe, Colm Feore, Stephen Rea Distributor Universal Pictures UK Certificate 15 Format Isabelle Huppert stars as Greta, a very stylish older woman and widow from France who lives alone in a cute and cosy house in New York City. After finding Greta’s handbag on a train, young waitress Frances (Chloë Grace Moretz) returns it to her and the pair quickly become close friends. But, as this is a horror film, Frances soon discovers that Greta has actually been leaving identical bags all over the city for young girls to find and return, and it isn’t too long before Frances has a stalker on her hands. When we find out Greta’s big twist…

Dark, decent but with a disappointing final act Release Out now Directors Kevin Kölsch, Dennis Widmyer Cast Jason Clarke, Amy Seimetz, Jeté Laurence, John Lithgow Distributor Paramount Pictures Certificate 15 Format Stephen King stories are hot property nowadays, what with IT killing it at the box-office back in 2017 and Doctor Sleep – a sequel to The Shining – on its way. In between those two outings, however, is Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer’s Pet Sematary, which doubles down on the 1983 novel’s bleakness in its examination of grief. For the most part, the film sticks closely to the book; Louis Creed (Clarke) moves his family to a small town, their child is fatally hit by a tanker truck and he learns that “dead is better” when he uses ancient,…

Release Out now Writer Zach Powers Publisher Putnam Price £21.99 With the celebration of the Apollo Moon landing still fresh in our memories, with all its joy at humanity’s accomplishments, Zach Powers’ slippery and mournful alternate history novel feels somewhat timely. After all, every achievement has a cost and for the Soviet cosmonauts of First Cosmic Velocity and the men and women working with them, the cost is very high indeed. Because as far as everyone knows, these brave heroes from around the Union have visited the stars and returned safe and sound. Proof indeed of the moral fortitude and technological superiority of a great nation that believes in science rather than God. But the programme is a lie. Twins have been gathered and trained in secret. One is launched…

Release Out now Writer David Koepp Publisher Harper Collins Price £12.99 It’s not too much of a surprise that veteran screenwriting legend David Koepp’s debut novel feels like a breathless beat-the-clock suspense thriller. What is particularly pleasing, however, is just how weird he is willing to get to keep you turning the pages. Because while the Eighties-set prologue sets up an outbreak story along similar lines of The Andromeda Strain (where a team is sent to investigate a town situated in the middle of nowhere, that was suddenly wiped out by a fungus that ended up going to Skylab and then, of course, got weaponised), Koepp then sets about delivering something that’s laugh-out-loud funny, very tense and surprisingly sweet all at the same time. It’s also pretty gross. Now, said…

Release 13 August Writer Brian Naslund Publisher Tor Price £16.99 Bershad has had easier days. He’s just overcome a bastard of a hangover to track and kill a dragon and escaped with (relatively) minor injuries, when he gets a letter from the king who exiled him telling him to report in immediately. Yes, King Hertzog has an offer. Infiltrate a foreign kingdom and kill its emperor, and he’ll get his freedom. While Bershad isn’t inclined to do anything for Hertzog except kill him, he listens to the request when it comes from Princess Ashlyn, who explains that he could save countless lives. It’s clear from early on what flavour of fantasy Naslund is serving up and the author is clearly having a wonderful time in the sweary, grubby, violent world.…

Zack Stentz’s contributions to Fringe lore were significant, and he’s able to highlight more than a few favourite moments from his time writing for the show. “I loved writing ‘Grey Matters’, especially the part where Walter’s brain pieces are hooked up and you see the formidable, even terrifying man he once was. I also enjoyed coming up with a lot of the flavour of the ‘other side’, including the idea that it was an ecologically blighted place with shortages of a lot of common things like coffee. And, of course, any time you can write for the legendary Leonard Nimoy (as pioneering scientist William Bell), you’re doing pretty well.” Critic Noel Murray’s picks, meanwhile, hinge on the blend of sci-fi dazzle and emotional heft that characterised all of Fringe’s finest…

THE TERMINATOR 1984 Sleek sci-fi horror. Ground-breaking, visionary, moves like a rocket. Instantly iconic and made stars of Arnie and Cameron. Budget: $6.4 million Box-office: $78.3 million ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ TERMINATOR 2: JUDGEMENT DAY 1991 Epic sequel. Game-changing CGI. Turned the Terminator into a hero and Sarah Connor into a warrior. Budget: $94-102 million Box-office: $523.7 million ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ TERMINATOR 3: RISE OF THE MACHINES 2003 Cameron’s gone. Arnie’s old. Everything is a little bit daft and the magic’s not really there anymore. Budget: $187.3 million Box-office: $433.4 million ★ ★ ★★ ★ TERMINATOR SALVATION 2009 Whoah, this is gritty. Gritty AF. The world’s gone to shit since Judgement Day, mate. Not a great film, though, Baleout is the most remembered…

It was bound to happen. Danai Gurira is a busy woman, with a successful writing career alongside her acting career, plus the small matter of playing Okoye, one of the MCU’s most immediately iconic characters. Her seven years on The Walking Dead had to come to an end sooner or later, and Season Ten is when her character finally bows out. How that happens still remains to be seen – will she survive to fight walkers another day, perhaps in the mooted big-screen spin-offs, or will she suffer a horrifically grisly yet heroic death? It will be some time before we have answers to those questions, but for now Gurira is still processing her impending departure. She told fans at the San Diego Comic Con that “this has been one…

Event Horizon series - Why the hell not? - Can we get Sam Neill back please? - Someone get in touch with Sam Neill’s agent - Is Adam Wingard too famous for this? Does he even do TV? Even in the midst of all the TV reboot news that’s floating around right now , we weren’t expecting this fine nugget: Amazon Studios is currently developing a TV series of Paul W S Anderson’s 1997 scifi horror Event Horizon . Helming the show is The Guest and You’re Next filmmaker Adam W ingard, who is ser ving as a director and executive producer . It’s still in the early stages and could even end up becoming nothing, but we have our fi ngers crossed. The Stand - Big cast - we’re…

WAS THERE SOMETHING SPECIFIC ABOUT YOUR CHARACTER THAT YOU WANTED CARRIED OVER? WO: I think just his nervousness was a huge factor in it, because Stanley is always scared. Stanley’s kind of always scared of what the future holds, so he’s kind of defensive on that end, so I wanted to communicate that to Andy Bean. CJ: A specific thing that I wanted to carry over into the film was that even though this is scary and these are very horrible moments, Mike just wants to protect his friends and his family. I feel like that’s what Isaiah really carried over into the adult version. The fact that everything Mike does is to protect others. FW: I mean, just the comedy. That’s all I wanted. Someone to carry on making…

15 SILVER BULLET (1985) DIRECTOR: Daniel Attias CAST: Corey Haim, Gary Busey, Everett McGill CLASSIC KING THEMES: Small town, plucky kid, classic monster King adapted his own novella Cycle Of The Werewolf into this tale which just narrowly beat out Children Of The Corn for the number 15 spot. Corey Haim stars as a paraplegic young man convinced that the monster tearing through his town isn’t a run-of-the-mill serial killer but something that howls at the moon… It’s far from flawless but there’s an excellent cast, a great villain and a real sense that things aren’t going to end well. 14 CUJO (1983) DIRECTOR: Lewis Teague CAST: Dee Wallace, Danny Pintauro, Ed Lauter CLASSIC KING THEMES: Evil pet, survivor heroine Poor Cujo, all he wanted to do was…

THENA Born Azura in Olympia in ancient Greece, she changed her name to resemble Zeus’ daughter Athena to seal a treaty between the Olympian gods and the Eternals. She’s a scholar and a warrior. IKARIS Ikaris was born over 20,000 years ago in Polaria (now known as Siberia), and went on to play a big part in the Eternals’ saga. He is fuelled by cosmic energy, can levitate and possesses psychic abilities. KINGO After centuries learning the ways of the Samurai, Kingo became one of the most skilled swordsmen on the planet, and channelled his skills into becoming an action star in present day Japan. He prefers to use his sword in battle rather than his powers. MAKKARI Originally male in the comics, Makkari is a member of the Eternals’…

THE CW BET a lot on Arrow when the it first aired on the US network in 2012. It premiered a couple of months after the release of Avengers Assemble when mainstream audiences were really getting into the whole Hollywood superhero thing, but it was still a bit of a risk. Smallville had just finished a successful ten-season run, during which it gained itself a sizeable following, so the network needed something fresh to fill the void. Nowadays, there seems to be little risk involved in kick-starting a superhero series: audiences lap them up, and only a few titles fall through the cracks. Big comic book names bring in big viewing figures, but when production started on Arrow and it became one of the first modern superhero TV shows out…

Disenchantment sees Billy West put his expert talents to use on a number of new faces in Matt Groening’s colourful fantasy world. Season One introduced us to elves, princesses and demons – and even wizards, with West following up Futurama’s doddering genius Professor Farnsworth with another eccentric elder statesman. “Sorcerio was somebody that I saw as a great actor. He came from the old school theatre and talked very officiously,” reveals West, discussing his inspiration behind the voice. “Everything is based on something else - so Sorcerio was Dr Smith from Lost In Space. I watched that show just to see what he would do and I fell in love with his delivery and that voice. Everything was a proclamation. Whatever works is the key,” he admits. “A long time…

The eight episodes of Season One of the TV series aren’t all we are getting from Carnival Row, as Prime Video has taken the rather bold step of commissioning Season Two just a month before Season One drops on the streaming platform. David Gyasi is, of course, very pleased that a second season has already been commissioned, but he admits that he’s not overly surprised. “When I read it five years ago I thought ‘I think this might be a special project’. But you never really know, do you? You might come out and that may not happen, but to have the studio do that is a little bit of affirmation of what my instincts said five years ago.” Travis Beacham and the writing team have already started planning for…

No direction home Release Out now Directors Pella Kågerman, Hugo Lilja Cast Emelie Jonsson, Bianca Cruzeiro, Arvin Kananian, Anneli Martini Distributor Arrow Films Certificate 18 There’s a strange blend of nostalgia and anxiety that comes from watching Aniara, the first film adaptation of Swedish writer Harry Martinson’s Nobel Prize winning poem. The former comes from the fact that this is the kind of philosophical sci-fi that we don’t see that much of these days, heavily influenced by the likes of Andrei Tarkovsky and recently given a wonderful spin in Claire Denis’ High Life. The latter comes from the fact that this is an urgently relevant parable about where the human race is and where it is going, drifting aimlessly into catastrophe with no hope of turning around. The film begins…

Intermittently chilling Release 9 September Director Michael Chaves Cast Linda Cardellini, Raymond Cruz, Patricia Velásquez Distributor Warner Bros Certificate TBA Format On its surface Michael Chaves’ entry into the Conjuring Universe and his directorial debut is a heavy-handed take on religious superstitions and faith. It’s occasionally clumsy and goofy (with silly nods to Linda Cardellini’s turn as Velma in Scooby-Doo) but somehow manages to latch on to some scarily relevant themes concerning Trump’s vicious campaign to make America great again. Cardellini stars as a child protection officer who decides to remove two Mexican children from their mother’s care. Her decision results in the two boys drowning, and the curse of the weeping woman (taken from Mexican folklore) passes on to her two children. It’s now time for her to protect…

Compliance! Release Out now Director Randal Kleiser Cast Joey Cramer, Paul Reubens, Veronica Cartwright, Cliff De Young, Sarah Jessica Parker Distributor Second Sight Films Certificate U Format For people of a certain age, Flight Of The Navigator is one of those films that prompts a gigantic nostalgic grin. It certainly feels like a film of its time upon rewatching but that’s not a criticism. It’s a sweet-hearted, innocent childhood romp that is not without its moments of peril but is absolutely an adventure. It may not have the box-office clout of some of its contemporaries but its reputation has only grown and with good reason. Second Sight’s new Blu-ray release features a brand new 4K restoration and the effects work still holds up, particularly the design of the spaceship (which…

Break on through Release Out now Director Andrew Marton Cast Dana Andrews, Janette Scott, Kieron Moore, Alexander Knox Distributor 101 Films Certificate U Format You can’t have a man-made disaster film without a good ‘colossally misled scientist’ at the centre of it, and by far the biggest factor working in 1965’s Crack In The World’s favour is Dana Andrews’ turn as Doctor Stephen Sorenson. A brash and arrogant scientist who’s too proud to tell his wife that he’s dying of cancer, and who is so insecure about her feelings towards his young rival Dr Ted Rampion (Kieron Moore, who is having less fun but has a good line in tightly wound outrage) that he ignores all of his colleague’s concerns about firing a nuclear warhead through a crack in the…

Listen up Release Out now Director Pedro C Alonso Cast Eddie Marsan, Paul Anderson, Ivana Baquero, Richard Brake Distributor Signature Entertainment/ FrightFest Presents Certificate 18 Format VOD Pedro C Alonso’s feature debut observes a near Aristotelian unity of time and place, unfolding almost entirely over the course of one evening in real time and in a single location. On this night, Radio DBO’s controversial presenter Jarvis Dolan (Eddie Marsan) is due to share his popular talkback programme with Andrew Wilde (Paul Anderson), his regular sparring partner from back they were rising voices in radio. Yet when two masked intruders - one older and calm (Richard Brake), the other a young hothead (Oliver Coppersmith) - burst into the station taking producer Anthony (Alexis Rodney) and his assistant Claire (Ivana Baquero) hostage,…

There are very few screenwriters who have had as big an impact on modern cinema as David Koepp. He adapted Jurassic Park for Steven Spielberg and Spider-Man for Sam Raimi, he worked with Brian De Palma on movies likeMission:ImpossibleandCarlito’s Wayand he wrotePanicRoomfor David Fincher. He’s tackled authors like Richard Matheson, Dan Brown and Stephen King, he’s worked in nearly every genre under the sun, and now he’s written his debut novel. Cold Storage is a gripping, fast-paced outbreak thriller in which a long-forgotten and deadly extraterrestrial fungus finally escapes its container. Unfortunately for humanity, the government facility it was once housed in was sold off. Now it’s up to an unlucky ex-con and a single mum saving up for vet school to hold off the infected until badass retired special…

The Martian Chronicles “An acutely moving and sensitive book about our need to explore but our imperative not to harm. #BookClub” @AlmostMoriarty The Long Way To A Small Angry Planet “The characters are simply phenomenal and the attention to detail is exquisite. #BookClub” @PasmineJalmer Foundation “Fantastic vision for its time predicting new technology and covering millenniums of time. A real #pageturner. #BookClub” @MarkWarren3 Have Spacesuit, Will Travel “Has great characters, period history interest and a lot going on for such a short book. A #scifi classic! #BookClub” @Anthonyaddis The Stainless Steel Rat “Do The Stainless Steel Rat books count? If so, I’ll go for them! #BookClub” @DaddyMelodys Tell us what you’re reading on Twitter or Facebook…

“Started reading @StephenKing from the start so on Carrie - forgotten how extremely effective and scary Carrie’s mother is and the ending still packs a punch! #BookClub” @Kev_h80 “I’m three quarters of the way through Wanderers, by @ChuckWendig I’ll tell you what I tell everybody else: Whatever you’re reading right now, PUT IT DOWN and pick up Wanderers. ...I’ll just leave it at that. #BookClub” @WmRFrank “The Girl In The Woods by Christina Henry is insanely good. A brilliantly creepy yet practical approach to the apocalypse. #BookClub” @PasmineJalmer “About halfway through Happy Hour In Hell by Tad Williams, the second Bobby Dollar book. Enjoying it so far. #BookClub” @coffee_heathen “The Soul Of An Octopus by@SyTheAuthor. Fantastic read so far! #BookClub” @NerdyFarm “Re-reading the Charlie Parker series by @jconnollybooks Absolutely addictive.…

Release Out now Writer Kira Jane Buxton Publisher Headline Review Price £18.99 We’ve seen what happens to humans in the event of a zombie apocalypse but what happens to the animals we leave behind? This is the ingenious question at the heart of Kira Jane Buxton’s novel, which features a domesticated crow, ST, as its narrator. He’s brash, foul-mouthed, and obsessed with Cheetos. He also might be the only creature capable of saving the other domesticated animals who are struggling to survive in a world without their human owners. Buxton imbues ST with such a distinctive voice that it’s easy to get swept up in his tale of the end of the world. He provides us human readers with an eye into a world of class structures, where domesticated animals…

“I’M DRAWN TO FANTASY BECAUSE OF THAT ABILITY TO BREAK THE RULES”ALIX E HARROW In Alix E Harrow’s debut novel The Ten Thousand Doors Of January, our lonely young protagonist, January Scaller, discovers something miraculous. Among the artifacts that occupy the mansion where she lives, there is a very special book filled with wonders to be discovered… This feels like a love letter to books and the power of the written word. What was the first book you had that kind of escapist, all-consuming relationship with? This question is very stressful, because all of my childhood books are watching me from their shelf and I don’t want to hurt any of their feelings. So I’ll whisper: My Father’s Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett (1948) was the first chapter book I…

‘FAUXLIVIA’ Hair colour isn’t the only difference between our Olivia and her opposite number on Earth 2. Fauxlivia’s mean streak and glib charm set her far apart from the agent we’ve come to know. All rather awkward when impersonation is required… ‘WALTERNATE’ No LSD or pet cows for the alternate Walter. This version of the character is a cool, forceful scientist in full possession of his mental faculties and unencumbered by a conscience. Can anyone reach him? COLONEL BROYLES Broyles is a family man in the alternate universe and a seemingly loyal supporter of Walternate’s regime. In the end, it’s the compassion and decency he shares with his alter ego that save the day – and seal his grim fate. LINCOLN LEE The confident Agent Lee (Seth Gabel) is one…

“Did you see it when you were a kid?” asks Randal Kleiser as we settle into talking about his 1986 family SF cult classic Flight Of The Navigator. Having confirmed that we did indeed, and that we revisited it prior to this interview, the filmmaker chuckles and follows up with “…and did it look different?” Going back to childhood favourites can be risky. For every classic that holds up, there’s a film that really tests the limits of your nostalgia. Thankfully, Flight Of The Navigator is very much the former, and it’s about to be reissued in a brand-new 4K restoration, supervised by Kleiser himself. It’s the story of a young boy named David (Joey Cramer), who wakes up after taking a tumble on 4 July 1978 to discover that…

Whilst genre buffs will probably always cherish the summer of 1984 for such established classics as Ghostbusters, Gremlins, Indiana Jones And The Temple of Doom and The Last Starfighter, at least one lesser known, but equally ambitious, epic slid out in those hot and humid months to etch its way into sci-fi history. The motion picture in question is The Philadelphia Experiment – debuting in American theatres on 3 August 1984 from the short-lived but aspiring mini-studio New World Pictures (which had previously been run by Roger Corman) and underperforming its way to a gross that was just a touch over $10 million. It had to be a crushing disappointment for a project that was based on a famous conspiracy theory and featured John Carpenter’s name on the credits (as…

THE PHILADELPHIA EXPERIMENT (STEWART RAFFILL, 1984) A solid Eighties sci-fi classic that, in some ways, might even be seen to have inspired John Carpenter’s Starman (also released in 1984, but the director worked on the story to this beforehand), this original opus offers star power, heightened romance and an intriguing time-travel mystery. THE PHILADELPHIA EXPERIMENT II (STEPHEN CORNWELL, 1993) This belated, ten years later, sequel is one of the least likely franchise decisions in history, especially given the closure offered by the original. Nevertheless, this not-without-interest follow-up presents an alternate universe in which Hitler wins the Second World War after a time travel experiment goes awry. As far as ‘what if’ scenarios go, this is quite smart and deserves some reappraisal. THE PHILADELPHIA EXPERIMENT (PAUL ZILLER, 2012) When the second…

GIVE HIM A HAND 1. What does the Inventor give Edward as a Christmas gift? 2. Where is Kim when Peg shows Edward around the family house? 3. Where does Peg Boggs first meet Edward? 4. During the talk show, what does Edward say is the best part of his new life in town? 5. What does Edward say to Kim when she asks him to hold her? THE NEIGHBOURHOOD 6. What is Peg Boggs’ occupation? 7. What famous dish does Joyce bring to the neighbourhood barbecue? 8. Which neighbourhood resident believes Edward has the sign of Satan on him? 9. Who asks Edward to cut her hair after seeing him groom a dog? 10. What kind of topiary creature does Edward trim into the Boggs’ hedges? SHISH KABOB 11.…

16-20 PEG A mother always knows and a mother is also always right, and you’re a mother three times over which makes you a force to be reckoned with. Nothing will get in the way of you and your babies, not even a dumb quiz. 11-15 THE INVENTOR With the brain of a genius scientist and the heart of a philosopher you’re hot stuff in academic circles and second-to-none at quizzes. Which is why it’s such a shame that you’re dead. At least you’re on top in flashbacks. 6-10 KIM You’re inquisitive but suspicious, passionate but private: you are an enigma. But your instincts aren’t really the best and you judge people before you get to know them. At least you keep people guessing. 0-5 EDWARD Though you have known…