Anne Hathaway Catwoman

I just stumbled across this interview. It's thorough. It's fun. It's cool. And it's all about the upcoming motion picture Battle: Los Angeles. The movie certainly looks cool. I just hope it makes sense and tries to rock the boat a bit.

Here's the interview: Director Jonathan Liebesman, Producer’s Ori Marmur & Jeffrey Churnov, James D. Dever, and Screenwriter Chris Bertolini On Set Interview BATTLE: LOS ANGELES

Here is another trailer, posters and some pictures.

Word on the street is that an Ender's Game screenplay is complete and being shopped around town. Star Trek (2009) writers, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, have written the script with Gavin Hood the director of Wolverine: Origins.

I hope someone picks it up. The book is awesome and I'd love to see it on the big screen.

Star Trek writers and Wolverine director pen script to Ender's Game

Wow. Well, I'm probably not going to get any more work done today...

Ever dreamed of making a Vulcan character that had a rating in every skill? No? Well, maybe that would be over the top. But, here's a master skill list culled from books, supplements, movies, episodes and the Internet. This gives a player a lot of freedom to really design the character they want.

GM's should use common sense when allowing players to gain certain skills. Consider a character's past and back story before allowing for example: assassination. Again, common sense is a good guide.

Master Skill List

Accounting
Administration
Armored Vehicle Operation*
     Atmospheric Craft
     Ground Vehicles
     Water Craft
Armored Vehicle Tech*
     Atmospheric Craft
     Ground Vehicles
     Water Craft
Artistic Expression*
Assassination
Bribery
Carousing
Civil Engineering
Clandestine Ops
Cloaking Procedures
Cloaking Device Tech
Combat StrategyTactics*
     Boarding Action
     Planetary Combat
     Small Unit
     Starship
     Zero G
Comm Sys Op
Comm Sys Tech
Computer Op
Computer Tech
Construction
Cryptology
Damage Control Proc
Deflector Shield Op
Deflector Shield Tech
Demolitions
Disguise
Electronics Tech
Environmental Suit Op
Forgery
Gaming*
     3-D Chess
     Poker
     Dabo
     Strategema
     Dom-jot
     Billiards
     Terrace
Heavy Weaponry Op
Heavy Weaponry Tech
Holodeck Interrogation
Holodeck Sys Op
Holodeck Sys Tech
Instruction
Intelligence Proc
Inter-Planetary Relations
Interrogation
Investigation*
     Criminal
     Forensic
     Research
Language*
     Alpha Centauran
     Andorian
     Arcadian
     Ariolo
     Arkenite
     Bajoran
     Benzite
     Betazoid
     Bolian
     Bzzit Khaht
     Caitian
     Capellan
     Cardassian
     Catullan
     Cygnian
     Deltan
     Edoan
     Efrosian
     Elasian
     Ferengi
     Galacta
     Gorn
     Hyleen
     Hirogen
     Joridian
     Kaferian
     Kasheeta
     Klingon
     K'Normian
     Orion
     Romulan
     Saurian
     Tellarite
     Tiburon
     Trill
     Troyian
     Vulcan
     Xelatians
     Zakdorn
Leadership
Life Sciences*
     General Biology
     Bionics
     Botany
     Ecology
     Exobiology
     Genetics
     Zoology
Life Supp Sys Tech
Marksmanship, Archaic*
Marksmanship, Modern
Mechanical Engineering
Medical Sciences*
     Gen Med, 1st Aid
     General Medicine
     Pathology
     Pharmacology
     Psychology
     Surgery
Mining
Mining Equip Ops
Mining Equip Tech
Negotiation/Diplomacy
Personal Combat, Armed*
Personal Combat, Unarmed
Personal Weapons Tech
Physical Sciences*
     Chemistry
     Computer Science
     Cybernetics
     Drafting
     Gravitics
     Mathematics
     Metallurgy
     Physics
Planetary Sciences*
     Geology
     Hydrology
     Meteorology
Planetary Survival*
     Arctic
     Cool Temperate
     Desert
     Tropical
     Warm Temperate
Port Deflect Op
Port Deflect Tech
Security Procedures
Shuttlecraft Pilot
Shuttlecraft Sys Tech
Small Equip Sys Op
Small Equip Sys Tech
Small Vessel Engineering
Small Vessel Pilot
Social Science*
     Anthropology
     Archaeology
     Economics
     General Philosophy
     Law
     Political Sci
     Sociology
     Cult/Hist
Space Science*
     Astrogation
     Astronautics
     Astronomy
     Astrophysics
Sports*
     Parrises Squares
Starship Helm Op
Starship Sensors
Starship Services
Starship Sys Integration
Starship Weaponry Op
Starship Weaponry Tech
Stealth
Streetwise
Structural Engineering
Surveillance
Trade and Commerce
Transporter Operation
Transporter Sys Tech
Trivia*
Value Estimation
Vehicle Operation*
     Atmospheric Craft
     Ground Vehicles
     Water Craft
Vehicle Technology*
     Atmospheric Craft
     Ground Vehicles
     Water Craft
Warp Drive Tech
Zero G Operations

Qel'Narin sinks his teeth into the space hippie episode of Star Trek: The Original Series. He sheds his usually calm exterior and actually sings the hippie song. This is something you don't want to miss. Watch if you dare, Earthling!

I have always felt 1982 was a great year for science fiction and fantasy movies. In the wake of Star Wars the late 70's and early 80's saw a number science fiction/fantasy films appear. Some were great, some not so much. But for overall quality I think 1982 is when the studios and the creators hit their stride.

Let's hit rewind... And travel down the long hall into memory back...

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

The Wrath of Khan happens to be my favorite movie of all time. I, also, think it happens to be one of the best movies ever made as well. Seriously, I do. I know, I know... you think I sit around watching nothing, but Star Trek. Wrong. I study film. I know what I'm talking about.

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is better than Citizen Kane. There I said it. You know you all were thinking it, I'm just the one brave enough to admit it. Okay, I'll also admit Casablanca is right there with it and may (I stress "may") be better than Wrath. And to give Welles his props The Magnificent Ambersons is flippin' genius. But Wrath is still up there. 

Why? Look at the construction of the plot. It's tight. It moves and never lets up. Look at the themes. Friendship. Lost. Usefulness. Revenge. The list goes on and on. It is human drama wrapped in the package of science fiction. Simply, awesome.

I know you're thinking if it's so good why don't you hear about it more? The main reason is because it's science fiction and the second reason is because it's Star Trek. But those who dismiss it are making a mistake. It is truly a treasure among what we call movies.



The Road Warrior

The Road Warrior wasn't released in the US until 82, so I'm counting in my list. Here is science fiction and fantasy elevated to the status of myth. The opening narration sets the tone and the film never disappoints. One word describes it best: powerful.



Blade Runner

Visually Blade Runner is groundbreaking science fiction. Don't look for a plot, though. It makes no sense. Just watch and enjoy this version of the future.



Tron

Sure the story was weak, but what an idea. Tron was and still is a "wow" movie. As you watch it you can't help, but to say to yourself, over and over again--wow.



The Dark Crystal

The Dark Crystal is simply a joy of creation and imagination. Even though hurt by a weak story structure and dialogue the creative core of this unique film still shines through. Enjoy.



E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial

E.T. doesn't play as well as it did when I was kid, but still a great movie. There was something about this movie back in the day. It felt different than other films. I guess the right word is magical.




More?

1982 would have been an awesome year for science fiction and fantasy if only those movies were released. But here are a few more:

The Thing
Conan the Barbarian
The Secret of NIMH
Firefox
The Beastmaster
Airplane II: The Sequel
Megaforce
Swamp Thing
Time Masters
Battletruck

Okay, a few of these aren't really that great, to say the least, but they appeal to fans of the genre. And of course there are even more I could list just from 82.

My list is getting a bit unruly, but as you can see I've proved my point. 82 was a great year for science fiction and fantasy. It's almost hard to believe that all these movies came out in the same year. To me it seems there was a bit more freedom to experiment back then. Sure, some were sequels, but most were risks. Most were low budget movies. Most could not even get green lit today. But, our world be poorer if we didn't have them.

New from Dreamworks this June is an alien apocalyptic TV show called Falling Skies. The preview looks pretty good, nothing too special. But, who am I kidding they had me at apocalyptic. With Syfy moving away from science fiction maybe TNT can help us out.

Preview and photos below. On a side note: I do find one photo troubling. The one where the entire cast is looking down and the camera is pointing up. Hopefully it's only a promo shot, because if they are looking at an alien corpse I'm going to scream.

From the official site:

FALLING SKIES opens in the chaotic aftermath of an alien attack that has left most of the world completely incapacitated. In the six months since the initial invasion, the few survivors have banded together outside major cities to begin the difficult task of fighting back. Each day is a test of survival as citizen soldiers work to protect the people in their care while also engaging in an insurgency campaign against the occupying alien force.