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alien
Posts Tagged “
Alien
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concept art
What would have happened if Raiders of the Lost Ark met Sid and Marty Krotfft's Lost Saucer? It might have looked a little something like this. Of course, you might have a chance to see this scene for real if the rumors about extraterrestrials in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull are to be believed.
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Raiders of the Lost Saucer!
What would have happened if Raiders of the Lost Ark met Sid and Marty Krotfft's Lost Saucer? It might have looked a little something like this. Of course, you might have a chance to see this scene for real if the rumors about extraterrestrials in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull are to be believed.
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triviagasm
Going Halfsies With the Best SciFi Half Breeds
Human-alien hybrids are everywhere in scifi. Whether they come from interplanetary love or mutant genes quietly sneaking into our DNA, we're all about hooking up the Human factor with anything else out there. Just ask Captain Kirk, who tried to dock with every alien woman he encountered. Check out our list below of some of the best science fiction halfsies. Hybrid vigor! More »
astrobiology
Future SETI: Looking for Alien Lasers, Gravity Waves
If you've ever seen the movie Contact, you'll know the alien-hunter stereotype: quirky, visionary loners who sit up all night listening to static, hoping for the signal that will change the world. That's probably not far off from real life, except that SETI (that's Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence) scientists are getting creative. Here at the Astrobiology Science Conference, 2008, they're presenting new ways of looking for little green men, including watching for signs of alien lasers, infrared signals, and even gravity waves.More »
summer movies
When Did Summer Become Science Fiction Overkill Season?
This summer will be the biggest "blockbuster" movie season ever, with no fewer than 23 would-be smash hits coming out between early May and mid-August. It didn't used to be this way. Back in the mists of time — like, say, in the late 1990s — there were only one or two big science fiction movies per summer, and only a handful of huge summer movies total. But summer movies have gotten bigger and more franchise-driven in the past decade, and science fiction is at the center of that transformation. We chart the rise of summer-movie gridlock, with a list of every summer scifi hit since 1980. More »
triviagasm
It's 1980, And You're Commanding A Tank On Another Planet
Ever wanted to pilot a tank on an alien world while blasting enemies and flying saucers to bits? Well, once upon a time in 1980, that was possible. And when Battlezone comes out on Xbox Live tomorrow, you can do it all over again. The new game will include both the updated online multiplayer version, and the original vector graphic classic. Back in the day when a quarter could put you in command of a tank light-years from home, making change could turn you into a hero. Find out everything you ever wanted to know about the original Battlezone below. More »
chart
Bad Movie Physics: A Report Card
Space epics almost always play fast and loose with science, treating the laws of physics like suggestions. Sound in space, unprotected bodies splatting in vacuum, and alien planets that all look just like Calabasas. But some movies dismember Newton and Einstein with way more gusto than others. We rated 18 movies based on how many laws of physics they mangled, and here's our report card. More »
cj7 review
Attack of the Cute Alien in Stephen Chow's CJ7
Stephen Chow's E.T.-inspired CJ7 opens this weekend, and although it's been critically kicked around like the lowest dog on Earth, we loved the cute little thing. It's not your typical science fiction movie, and it's not even a typical Stephen Chow movie, who is best known for comedies like Kung Fu Hustle and Shaolin Soccer. But this tale of a boy and his cute alien friend was the most fun we've had going to the theater in a long time. Spoilers and clips below. More »
9:04 AM on Thu Mar 6 2008
By Kevin Kelly
2,506 views,
11 comments
Latest by Taed: I know the clips above were subtitled, but does anyone know if the US release is dubbed? I'd love to take my 6-year-old, and if it's dubbed, that's a no-brainer, but if it's subtitled, I'm not sure that he'd get more »
horrorhead
The Seven and a Half Rules for Making Scary Aliens
Welcome back to Horrorhead, a fortnightly column where we explore the intersection of horror and scifi. For every bland, friendly Star Trek alien with a crinkle-cut french fry nose or waffle forehead, there are dozens of insanely scary aliens that could rip your face off. Certain alien characteristics, whether physical or psychological, are enough to put you into "no I will not jump during this dark corridor scene - shit I am now jumping" mode. But what exactly makes an alien truly horrifying, as opposed to just, you know, alien? Aided by Hollywood movie history, we've put together a definitive set of rules for making aliens that are guaranteed to freak you out — or at least make you queasy. More »
10:20 AM on Wed Mar 5 2008
By Annalee Newitz
7,272 views,
74 comments
Latest by Kanamit: Read the story, saw the episode, ripped the name. Where were the bugs in Independence Day (the movie, not the original novel--jk)? @Huxleyhobbes: I pretty much agree with you. Greatest scary alien aspect: inhuman thought process. Alien perspective = The Unknown = more »
Own Your Own Thing From 'The Thing'
If you haven't seen John Carpenter's classic The Thing, which shows you just how scary a remote Antarctic ice station can be when a parasitic alien thaws out, you should. If you have seen it, then you'll recognize this sucker designed by FX whiz Rob Bottin. Remember when Kurt Russell starts testing everyone's blood to see if they've become infected and have shapeshifted into an alien? Well, this is what pops out of the petri dish in one of those "shit your pants" screen moments, and it can be yours for the semi-outrageous opening bid of $3,499.00. Although there's no certificate of authenticity, there is a very nice glass case, which might explain the upcharge. If it were made out of diamond. [Ain't It Cool]
If you haven't seen John Carpenter's classic The Thing, which shows you just how scary a remote Antarctic ice station can be when a parasitic alien thaws out, you should. If you have seen it, then you'll recognize this sucker designed by FX whiz Rob Bottin. Remember when Kurt Russell starts testing everyone's blood to see if they've become infected and have shapeshifted into an alien? Well, this is what pops out of the petri dish in one of those "shit your pants" screen moments, and it can be yours for the semi-outrageous opening bid of $3,499.00. Although there's no certificate of authenticity, there is a very nice glass case, which might explain the upcharge. If it were made out of diamond. [Ain't It Cool]
toys
'Alien' Figures Have More Details Than Actual Humans
Hot Toys is a Hong Kong based production house, and they put out large-scale figures that are extremely detailed down to the smallest level. They not only put out 13" figures based on Marlon Brando's Jor-El from Superman, and Brandon Routh's Clark Kent from Superman Returns, but they're releasing 1/6th scale figures of Kane and Captain Dallas from Alien later this year. Check out the detailed geekery in the gallery below. More »
concept art
These paintings from the PS3 game Resistance: Fall of Man 2 make mayhem and alien invasions look downright gorgeous. We aren't sure if that's meant to be the Golden Gate Bridge in the image above, since the structure of the supports looks somewhat different, but if it is... San Francisco looks like it might take a pounding in this sequel. We've got a whole gallery of this beautiful art below.
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The Alien Warships That Took San Francisco
These paintings from the PS3 game Resistance: Fall of Man 2 make mayhem and alien invasions look downright gorgeous. We aren't sure if that's meant to be the Golden Gate Bridge in the image above, since the structure of the supports looks somewhat different, but if it is... San Francisco looks like it might take a pounding in this sequel. We've got a whole gallery of this beautiful art below.
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meathaus
Exclusive Scifi Pages From The New Meathaus Comics Anthology
Comics anthology Meathus has been showcasing a slew of talented artists for the past eight years, under the Nerdcore banner. The newest edition, Meathaus S.O.S. comes out this May, and features art from superstars like James Jean, Farel Dalrymple, Brandon Graham, Tomer and Asaf Hanuka, Thomas Herpich, Jim Rugg, Corey Lewis, Matt Furie, D-pi, Ross Campbell, Sheldon Vella and Dave Kiersh. Publisher Jon Gibson was nice enough to pull sixteen of the scifi related pages from the book for us to show off exclusively, and you can check them out inside. More »
triviagasm
Back, Back, Back To Life With The Best of the Worst Scifi Resurrections
Anyone who reads comic books knows that no one is ever really dead. Every character from Superman to Green Lantern has returned to life from the whereverafter they went to when sales figures dropped. Plus every zombie movie ever made brings your loved one back from the beyond, although they are never quite the same. Insta-reanimation doesn't happen as much in science fiction, where you have devices like nanobots and cellular regenerators that should make returning from the state of deadness quite easy. Of course when we do get a scifi resurrection, it's often so lame that you wish the character had stayed dead. Read on for our picks of the best bad returns from the grave. More »
triviagasm
You Have Ten Seconds To Reach Minimum Safe Distance
Science fiction has always had a dark obsession with destroying things, and spaceships are a constant target. When not worrying about enemy ships fragging them to pieces, crews have to worry self-destruct sequences, on-board bombs, lousy construction, bad driving, and suicidal commanders who seem hell-bent on piloting their ships to certain death in what we like to call "shipicides." Damn the photon torpedos! Set the engines for ramming speed in our picks of the best ship sacrifices in science fiction.
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horrorhead
The Scariest Settings Ever Created in Scifi Movies
Welcome to another installment of Horrorhead, a column where we talk about the intersection of horror and scifi. Anyone who saw Alien as a kid knows that the smashed-up alien ship where Ripley's crew first finds the alien is one of the scariest places ever. It's basically a haunted house set in space, with its bulging, intestine shape, cobwebby alien skeletons (their ribs burst open), luminescent mists, and the hushed creepiness of that cargo bay full of dormant eggs. Setting is a crucial ingredient in scifi horror, and for your spine-tingling pleasure, here are some of the scariest settings ever created for scifi film. More »
10:06 AM on Wed Jan 23 2008
By Annalee Newitz
68,728 views,
80 comments
Dark Swarm... Of B-List Actors
A swarm of deadly aliens has attacked the Earth and eaten up everyone and everything on the planet, except for a small group of survivors. What do you do? Make a B-movie of course. Dark Swarm is just that: a CGI alien-infested monster movie, complete with an infestation of B-grade scifi TV actors in its lone band of survivors. They include actors from Stargate, Babylon 5, and Eureka, which might just slate it for the direct to DVD shelves. At least Christopher Judge can finally play a role without having that giant thing that looks like an @ symbol branded onto his forehead. [IESB]
A swarm of deadly aliens has attacked the Earth and eaten up everyone and everything on the planet, except for a small group of survivors. What do you do? Make a B-movie of course. Dark Swarm is just that: a CGI alien-infested monster movie, complete with an infestation of B-grade scifi TV actors in its lone band of survivors. They include actors from Stargate, Babylon 5, and Eureka, which might just slate it for the direct to DVD shelves. At least Christopher Judge can finally play a role without having that giant thing that looks like an @ symbol branded onto his forehead. [IESB]
concept art
The multi-spiked item in the artwork above may be some sort of high-tech craft touching down for directions, or it could be a very advanced research station set up over a crevasse in Antarctica. Probably outfitted with scads of sensors, heated seats, and a fancy beverage dispenser as well.
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An Ice-Bound Research Station on Another Planet
The multi-spiked item in the artwork above may be some sort of high-tech craft touching down for directions, or it could be a very advanced research station set up over a crevasse in Antarctica. Probably outfitted with scads of sensors, heated seats, and a fancy beverage dispenser as well.
More »
