Hellmouth Podcast

Archive for the ‘Sci-Fi’ Category

Dragon*Con 2011, Where the Fan is the Guest and the Guests are Fans

I am still recovering from my four days in Atlanta at the convention we call Dragon*Con. Dragon*Con, where it’s socially acceptable to wear fabulous costumes around the clock. Dragon*Con, where you can spot a wookie dirty dancing with a klingon. Dragon*Con, where, no matter what your fandom, you can find your tribe and let your freak flag fly proudly.

I attended the convention with press credentials. However, this convention and its organizers do not cater to press. They cater to fans. Fans like you. Fans like me. Of course I enjoyed seeing the stars of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. And they seemed to be treated well. But the most fun parts of the convention for me had nothing to do with the actors. I met other people who loved Buffy as much as I did. I took part in fan-led panel discussions, debating nuances of character arcs and plot developments. I was able to quote Buffy and make obscure pop culture references all weekend, and people not only tolerated it, they enjoyed it. People got me.

The love everywhere was apparent. People smiled as a group of steampunk cosplayers with BDSM leanings strolled by. Chewbacca was hailed as royalty (not the guy who played Chewbacca in the movie; he was there, by the way, but I’m referring to the people who dressed as the wookie). A man pulling a golf cart, Read the rest of this entry »

I am very excited because I finally have an excuse to talk about The Dresden Files on the website. I have been trying to find an angle to introduce The Dresden Files into the Hellmouth Podcast Blog for a while but it didn’t fit with the general content of the site and I try to minimize the curve balls that I throw at you guys.

Finally my angle has arrived. James Marsters is narrating the audio-book version of The Dresden Files series.

If you are not familiar with The Dresden Files then sit back, grab a tight hold on your mouse and keyboard and be prepared to be blown away by some great science fiction/ fantasy literature. Jim Butcher is the author of a series of Sci-Fi/Fantasy Novels titled The Dresden Files. Imagine if you will a powerful wizard with some demons in his past (both literally and figuratively) and then instead of building his Read the rest of this entry »

It has been confirmed by both the SyFy channel and Felicia Day herself that she is set to star in a new SyFy movie to be released in 2011. The movie, titled “Red”, is a re-telling of the Little Red Riding Hood fairy tale with quite a twist.

In the action-packed Red, Red (Day) brings her fiancé home, where he meets the family and learns about their business – hunting werewolves. He’s skeptical until bitten by a werewolf. When her family insists he must be killed, Red tries saving him. Red also stars Kavan Smith (Stargate Atlantis) and Stephen McHattie (Watchmen). Red is produced by Angela Mancuso and Vesuvius Productions in association with Chesler Perlmutter Productions.

I have a love/hate relationship with the SyFy channel. I love them because they are always coming out with great new content for those who are huge Sci-Fi fans like myself. I thought “Tin Man”, the Wizard of Oz remake starring Zoey Deschanel, was phenomenal. I also am a huge fan of “The Dresden Files”. The hate part of our relationship has to do with the short lived run of Dresden Files which I felt could have gone on for at least 2 more seasons.

I am really excited about this new take on the Little Red Riding Hood story. Being a huge fan of Felicia Day’s, who most of you will remember as Vi the potential on Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Penny from Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog, and a fan of the SyFy channel in general this has the makings of a great project.

The only question in my mind is in taking such a classic fairytale and completely re-writing the concept. I am reserving judgement until I see the finished product. SyFy channel has done right by me for so long that I think I am going to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Check back here for news on this project as it unfolds.

James Marsters has been making the rounds doing interviews to promote his current run on the new Sci-Fi TV series Caprica. In these interviews, the topic of Joss Whedon and his role as Spike which catapulted him to stardom is a frequently discussed.

Marsters has stated that he loves the role of Spike and would definitely be up for reprising the role however Joss Whedon sees fit but the clock is ticking. When the Buffy TV series was drawing to a close and there were rumors about spin-offs, movies, animated series and a multitude of other potential projects; Joss approached Marsters and asked him if he would be up for those projects. Marsters comment to Joss was “I’ll follow you to hell or heaven.” That still stands as far as Marsters is concerned but he is beginning to have concerns over reprising the role of Spike. His concern stems from the ability to stay true to the character. Spike is a vampire, an immortal being who doesn’t age and Marsters believes that while currently it may be possible with lighting and makeup to give the illusion that his character has not aged after having been off-screen for closing on a decade, that window may be closing. Marsters is getting older and his features are maturing, if the writing staff has to come up with bizarre scenarios in the plot to explain why Spike appears to have aged then maybe the return of his character isn’t such a good idea.

Marsters has always been both a cast member and a fan of the world that Joss created with Buffy The Vampire Slayer and I think he probably would love nothing more than to revisit that world. I have to give him a lot of credit for wanting to do it the right way and stay true and honest to that role and that world or just not do it at all.

You can catch James Marsters currently on Caprica which is a new series. I have only caught part of the pilot episode but what I have seen is very good. First impression is that while the effects are great and the sci-fi world it revolves around is elaborate, the show itself is about the characters and their development.

If any of you podcast listeners have seen or are fans of Caprica and would like to write a short review to be posted on the website, please let me know at hellmouthpodcast@gmail.com.

Michelle Trachtenberg is making a little noise in internet news today. In a recent interview Trachtenberg was asked about whether or not she would sign on for a new Buffy movie. Trachtenberg said,”there was a Buffy movie, that’s what started it all. We had an amazing seven-year run, and at the end Buffy, the universe ended. There’s not really anywhere to go.”

While many fans are clamoring for some form of on-screen revival of the Buffy series and cast, there are a lot of obstacles and questions that would have to be answered before a project like that would have any viability.

Here are a few things to think about…

Would you want a Buffy movie if the TV cast was not involved?

Should the movie be a continuation of the series or independent?

Would you see a Buffy movie if Joss Whedon was not involved in the project?

Let me know what you think hellmouthpodcast@gmail.com

Amber Benson has teamed up with Adam Busch to direct a new independent film called Drones. Many of you will remember Amber and Adam from their roles on Buffy The Vampire Slayer where they played Tara and Warren respectively.

This new independent film Drones, recently played at the Sundance Film Festival and each of you should be hoping that it garners enough praise to warrant a nationwide release. The premise is simple, take your typical cube-farm where employees spend at least 8 hours a day earning a paycheck, punching a clock, etc. But what if some of the people in your office were not just cube fodder earning a check. What if they were in fact aliens from another planet monitoring Earth and preparing for its inevitable destruction? What if you had struck up an office romance with one of said aliens? What if you were only slightly put out that she was an alien?

Drones is one part Office Space one part V with just a dash of wit and irreverence. If the trailers I have seen are any indication of the film as a whole then we are in for a real gem which at the very least will be a cult classic. My only hope is that the big studios don’t try and pick the film up from Sundance, re-make it, run it through the mass market machine of doom and spit out a pale version of the original vision of the movie.

If you haven’t seen it yet, there are a couple of trailers available on YouTube, one of them is here. You should definitely check it out!

After the conclusion of the Buffy The Vampire Slayer series, there was talk that Joss Whedon and the BBC were working together to create a Ripper spin-off centered around the Buffy character Giles. Anthony Stewart Head was said to be set to reprise his role for the project in whatever form it took.

There seemed to be potential for a few different iterations of the Ripper project, either a TV mini-series, TV Movie or recurring episodic series.

When Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse project got the green-light the Ripper project lost steam and Anthony Stewart Head became involved in the BBC series Merlin which airs in the U.S. on NBC.

With the cancellation of Dollhouse, could it be possible that the Ripper project will garner some attention again? Buffy fans can only hope. A series based around Rupert Giles (Buffy’s Watcher) whose sordid past earned him the nickname Ripper would be a welcome fix for all the Buffy fans who are “jonesing” for a return to the TV format of some of our beloved characters.

While it may prove a possibility that Ripper will gain momentum, I think that we should all temper our excitement. Joss has said on numerous occasions that his projects are limited by time and not a lack of ideas. If his track record is any indication, whatever project Joss choses to work on next will both entertain and amaze all Whedon fans.

Dominic Knight discusses this issue more eloquently than I do. See here for his article regarding the Ripper series and its potential.

For those of you like me who are not only Buffy fans, but fans of everything in the Whedonverse, then you should definitely make your way over to www.browncoatsmovie.com.

Browncoats: Redemption is a Feature Fan-Film based on the universe create by Joss Whedon in the Firefly series and explored again in the Feature Film Serenity. Redemption will initially be released straight to DVD. The proceeds of all DVD sales will go to 5 different charities which are listed on the website.

It is a fantastic idea, and the charities are a fantastic cause. To see a trailer of the film visit the website, you can also follow them on Twitter @browncoatsmovie.

Hellmouth Podcast listeners, this is your call to action to respond to the signal and head on over to www.browncoatsmovie.com. Watch the trailer, check out the site and let me know what you think via email or the Hellmouth Hotline 1-888-818-8941.

For those of you who have heard me mention on a couple of occasions that I am a big fan of the Whedon/Buffyverse, here is a great opportunity for you to jump on the bandwagon. Believe me this is one wagon that once you are on, there is no falling off.

HuluTV now has Angel season 1 and Buffy the Vampire Slayer Seasons 1 and 2 available for your online viewing pleasure with limited commercial interruption. If you are curious about the worlds that Joss Whedon has created, then here is your opportunity to get introduced, free of charge and at your own convenience.

The picture Quality is very good and the site is very user friendly. I encourage you to check them out, go watch Buffy Season 1 Episode 1 and then come back here and read my Ep1 post Welcome to the Hellmouth and lets discuss, let me know what you thought…

If you don’t think you are up for an entire season of television and you are looking more for a quick sampling of his work the check out Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog you won’t be disappointed.

Geek Out

While working on my post for the Fall Season TV shows, I did some surface research on Dollhouse, the new Joss Whedon show airing on Fox beginning in January. I decided to do a little more research and see if I could come up with more info to give you a better picture of what this show will be about. What I found was even more exciting than I had anticipated. Read the rest of this entry »