Science Fiction news from around the globe.

We are working out just where we are headed with this site and some big changes that have been in the cooker for a while now are soon to be rolled out.  Our goal has always been to make this blog a scifi destination for news and information as well as a community of readers that can share opinions and ideas.

One of the things we are looking for right now is contributors, this is by no means our full time job and often the site doesn’t get updated as much as we would like it to.  So, if you have a love for all things scifi and a willingness to express yourself shoot us an email at phil {at} scifispy.com.  Even if you only have one post idea let us know, we’d love to have some guest posters.  Thanks for reading!

So the cool folks at Comedy Central sent us a pre-release copy of their new show Krod Mandoon & the Flaming Sword of Fire for review.  I finally had a chance to watch it and I was not disappointed.  This show is hilarious!  If you have ever been a fan of fantasy fiction like Lord of The Rings or The Seeker then you have to check out this show.  I was reminded of some of my old favorites like Spaceballs, Airplane, Loaded Gun.  Tons of quick one line off beat comments and some great physical humor.

Sean Maguire (Krod Mandoon) leads the cast well with good timing and clueless demeanor. India de Beaufort (Aneka) successfully executes her role with decent acting and provides ample eye candy for the true fantasy fan boys out there. Kevin Hart (Zezelryck) is by far my favorite.  He plays a hopeless mage that can’t seem to get it right.  Kevin Hart’s stand-up comedy is hilarious and I think he is a perfect fit for the role.  Krod Mandoon premieres Thursday, April 9 at 10:00pm ET/PT,  do yourself a favor and watch this one.

Here is some more info from the Comedy Central Press Release:

“Krod Mandoon and The Flaming Sword of Fire” is an outrageous, character-driven workplace comedy set in an ancient realm.  Narrated by Chris Parnell (”30 Rock”), the series follows reluctant hero, Krod Mandoon (Maguire, “Meet the Spartans”), a thin-skinned and underconfident freedom fighter, who is the last great hope in the struggle against the evil ruler, Chancellor Dongalor (Lucas, “Little Britain USA”).  To help fight the good fight, Krod has assembled a band of loyal, but remarkably ineffective freedom fighters: Aneka (India de Beaufort, “Run, Fatboy, Run”), the beautiful Pagan warrioress whose weapon of choice is sex; Zezelryck (Kevin Hart, “Fool’s Gold”), the young warlock whose greatest magical gift is spinning B.S.; Loquasto (Steve Speirs, “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest”), Krod’s oafish half human/half swine servant; and Bruce (Marques Ray, “Nick Cannon Presents: Wild ‘N Out”), who’s fierce and proud.  Together, they must overcome a myriad of evil obstacles in their quest to save the world, including name-calling, hired assassins and a bisexual Cyclops (or biclops).

The Maelstrom International Fantastic Film Festival(MIFFF), a three day international showcase of animation, fantasy, horror, and science fiction cinema, is pleased to announce its inaugural launch September 18-20th, 2009 at the SIFF Cinema at McCaw Hall in Seattle, Washington USA.

As a genre film festival in Seattle, MIFFF(www.mifff.org) is a unique entity. The Seattle Metropolitan Area is home to one of the largest film attending populations in the country. MIFFF is a venue that gives a voice to genre film fans through a wide spectrum of films and related programming.

Festival Co-Founder and current President Gabe de los Angeles sees a great opportunity for MIFFF: “We are thrilled to give Seattle and the Pacific Northwest audience something special in the film festival community, a showcase of international genre cinema. It’s incredible that we’re going to be able to host on this event on the historic grounds of Seattle Center”.

The first annual MIFFF plans to screen a variety of animation, fantasy, horror, and science fiction films over three days. The festival will include feature length films, short films, and genre specific documentaries. In addition to the film screenings, MIFFF plans to have panel discussions, Q & A’s with filmmakers, and after parties.

Eric Morgret, Festival Director of Programming and Co-Founder, comments: “There are genre films produced every year that are not shown in mainstream movie theaters. Many international genre films remain unseen or get very limited exposure in this part of the country. For three nights MIFFF will bring a strong slate of these titles to audiences here in Seattle. MIFFF wants to present films of the imagination the best way they can be: on a large screen with fantastic sound, and in front of an audience full of energy.”

Isaac Alexander, Festival Director of Publicity and Co-Founder, comments: “Seattle has a great history of supporting genre films with Poltergeist, The Empire Strikes Back, & Return of the Jedi having had their World or American premieres in the city. Also Seattle has a diverse local genre fandom community, as well as it hosts the Science Fiction Museum & Hall of Fame. We will be able to promote this city and offer a venue to gather and celebrate this unique form of entertainment, and join film festivals of the fantastic across the globe in celebrating this form of cinema.”

David Hewlett’s brain child Starcrossed may begin shooting as early as June this summer for SciFi/NBC.  Hewlett reported via twitter today (see below) that a conference call concerning Starcrossed was a successful one and that shooting looked to be a go for June/July.  Let’s keep our fingers crossed!  Starcrossed, written by Hewlett, will be a comedy series based on the behind the scenes viewpoint of working on a long running space opera set.  I am guessing it will be a little bit of Battlestar Gallactica meets Galaxy Quest.  The concept to me sounds hilarious and I am very much looking forward to it.

So the second Stargate franchise comes to an end.  Sad, but not suprising I guess.  I have enjoyed Stargate Atlantis, but still prefer SG-1 over SGA anyday.  I will miss the characters, especially Rodney McKay, Elizabeth Weir, Sheppard, and Zelenka.  The good news is MGM has greenlit a two hour movie for 2009 for Stargate Atlantis and if the previous SG-1 movies are any indication it will be great.  The final episode airs Friday 9/8C on SciFi.

Comment Discussion:  Did you like “Vegas”, the recent Stargate Episode?  John Sheppard as a detective?  Wraith serial killer? Alternate realities?  Zelenka in a suit?  I didn’t really love it, was kinda hoping for more ya know?  What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.

OK, so you probably have heard that Stargate Atlantis isn’t going to be picked up for another year and you were probably just as sad as I was.  What will you do without some sort of Stargate fix?  It has been over 12 years that you have enjoyed some sort of Gate action.  Well don’t fret, if you haven’t heard yet, they are already working on the next Stargate spinoff, Stargate Universe.  Sounds pretty cool, sounds like a new younger direction.  Check some of the details from the official site after the jump. [click to continue...]

Here is an early look at the new movie Angels & Demons due out in May 2009.  The prequel to Dan Brown’s famous Da Vinci Code novel.  I personally enjoyed the book Angels and Demons quite a bit more than Da Vinci Code and I think the movie has a lot of opportunity to blow the other one away.  If you haven’t read the book run out and buy it today, you will probably enjoy the anticipation and the movie far more after reading the book.

Trailer is just a teaser but it looks promising.  Can’t go wrong with Tom Hanks can you? (Well, I did NOT care for Charlie Wilson’s War but I forgive him)

Here is an interesting video made by the shatner project.  Apparently JJ Abrams has mentioned trying to work Shatner into the upcoming Star Trek Movie but Shatner tells a different story.  Check it out.

So you have, no doubt, endured the lonely cold nights alone without any new and exciting insight into the world of Firefly. But there is light at the end of the tunnel. Joss Whedon has announced that he will be writing a three-issue, one volume book outlining the past life of Shepherd Book. Book was one of my favorites from the series with a tantalizingly mysterious past. Just how does a man of the cloth know so much about guns? Well you’ll find out soon enough.