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"If the Martians land, they're gonna need a place to stay. Just like everybody else."
Mars. No other planet has inspired as much speculation about the possibility of extraterrestrial life as the Red Planet. There are currently five functioning spacecraft on the surface of Mars, or in orbit above it, searching for signs of life and, while we've yet to find any of the little green men of popular fiction, the latest data from NASA's Curiosity rover indicates that Mars once supported a network of rivers capable of supporting life. But, enough about theoretical microbial Martians. More than anything, Curiosity's discovery got us to thinking about "real" Martians, the kind that thrill and terrify us in popular sci-fi movies, whether they be three-breasted mutant prostitutes, noble savages of a dying planet, or the icky, invader-y type.
Rate the Top 10 Best Mars & Martians Movies >>
Posted 03.19.13 by BrentJS -
"Never send a human to do a machine's job."
When Star Wars (now titled Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope) debuted in May of 1977, it forever changed sci-fi — and Hollywood’s perception of the genre — with its epic fantasy story and groundbreaking technology. It quickly became the highest grossing movie of all time and garnered numerous accolades, winning six of the ten Academy Awards categories for which it was nominated. Star Wars continually ranks near the top of just about every movie list category out there, including our own recent Best Sci-Fi Movies of the 1970’s and ‘80s, as voted by you, the Reelz.com readers.
The long-awaited prequel trilogy that was launched in May of 1999 with Star Wars: The Phantom Menace was a huge success for Lucasfilm, but, even though it boasted far superior special effects, it failed to make the same sort of impact on moviegoers as the original. Was Jar Jar Binks really the source of the ambivalence that many fans felt toward The Phantom Menace or was it that they had already had their minds blown by The Matrix, which opened two months prior? And how do the Star Wars prequels and The Matrix trilogy stack up against other sci-fi movies with next-level special effects like Avatar or more cerebral movies like Donnie Darko? Sit down, jack in and upload your choices of the best sci-fi movies from 1990 to today.
Rate the Top 10 Best Sci-Fi Movies (1990s - 2010s) >>
Posted 03.14.13 by BrentJS -
On Friday, The Hunger Games hits theaters. The movie takes place in a dystopian future where children are forced to battle each other to the death. You'd think that kind of movie would not easily lend itself to product tie-ins... But leave it to marketers to find a way.
Among the movie's product tie-ins is h20 water — you know, the preferred drink for when you're being chased to death by your peers for sport. The movie also offers Capitol Colours nail polish, modeled after the eccentric fashions of the Capitol citizens, you know, the same people who disfigure their bodies for fashion and cheer on child tributes as they slaughter each other for Capitol entertainment.
Hunger Games certainly isn't the first movie to come out with some questionable product tie-ins. Evidence the worst movie product tie-in merchandise we could find. Sadly, we own some of this horrible stuff.
Worst Movie Product Tie-Ins >>
Posted 03.21.12 by Chris -
Last week, it was reported that director Zack Snyder, producer Christopher Nolan, and studio Warner Bros. had begun the casting process for the upcoming Superman reboot. Reportedly, the search was for "an actor in the 28-to-32 age range" who perhaps is an actor from a TV show that "isn't well known yet." If the hard-to-trust rumor mill is to be believed, that person could be British actor Matthew Goode.
Superman to be CGI? >> Posted 11.24.10 by Ryan -
Director Adam McKay (the upcoming The Other Guys, Anchorman) has long been rumored to take the helm on an adaptation of the Garth Ennis-scripted comic book series The Boys, with McKay more recently entering "talks" to direct the movie for Sony Pictures. While doing press for The Other Guys, McKay told Collider that fans should expect an R rating from the adaptation.
McKay Compares The Boys to Watchmen >> Posted 07.19.10 by Ryan -
Critics didn't exactly fall in love with last month's romantic comedy Leap Year, and neither did its co-star, Matthew Goode. In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, Goode was refreshingly blunt, describing the movie as "turgid" and proclaiming that "I just know that there are a lot of people who will say it is the worst film of 2010." (There go the DVD sales.) So, if Goode didn't like the movie, why did he do it? To avoid something else he despises: traveling.
That was the main reason I took it — so that I could come home at the weekends. It wasn't because of the script, trust me. I was told it was going to be like The Quiet Man with a Vaughan Williams soundtrack, but in the end it turned out to have pop music all over it. A bit like Chasing Liberty again. Do I feel I let myself down? No. Was it a bad job? Yes, it was. But, you know, I had a nice time and I got paid.
Goode's hatred of travel could change, as the 6'2" actor admitted he'd recently auditioned for the role of Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit. Goode was not confident about his ability to land the role. "Look at the size of me for Christ's sake!" the actor lamented.
While Goode admitted the Hobbit would be "impossible to refuse" if he was cast, it wouldn't be the first time Goode has felt wrong for a part. Goode recently told Metro UK that he "shouldn't have been cast" in last year's comic book adaptation of Watchmen.
There were many reasons I shouldn't have been cast in that film and I think people were quite pissed off. I'm lucky I don't own a computer.
But trust me, the negative feedback was relayed quite well by friends of mine: "Oh my God, everyone hates you, man. It's awesome." When I got there to start filming, all the artwork still had Jude Law's face on it so I figured he was meant to be doing this but was too expensive. That was good for me.
Goode can be seen next in Cemetery Junction, an insurance comedy from Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, where Goode will play Ralph Fiennes' prospective son-in-law. "Ralph's character is a complete a**hole and I'm an a**hole in training," Goode said of the role.
Posted 02.26.10 by Ryan -
The ReelzChannel 100 began when we asked Leonard Maltin for his favorite Hidden Gems of the decade. His list led the web team into a general discussion about the best movies of the decade and — after no small amount of debate, arguing, and (we're not proud to say) some petty name-calling — we decided we'd better bring it to an end with a company-wide vote. Then it was just a matter of tallying up the votes and hoping for the best. Lucky for us, ReelzChannel is filled with a staff ranging from movie lovers to movie fanatics. What turned out isn't what you'll find on a critic's best of list — instead it's what movie fans really enjoyed.
In day two of the ReelzChannel 100, we highlight the 10 best DVDs and Blu-rays from the past decade.
Posted 12.22.09 by reelz -
While 2008 was a high-profile year for movies adapted from comic books (Iron Man, The Dark Knight), 2009 had its own army of super properties arrayed on the big screen — nine notables all tallied, including the highly anticipated Watchmen.
So, how did this year's movies stack up? We take a look back, identifying the 2009 Comic Book Movies: Winners and Losers. And here's a bonus tip for studios that just can't be repeated enough: Don't turn an anime property into a live-action movie.
Posted 11.24.09 by reelz -
Actress Malin Akerman's career has been on an upward trajectory since her breakout role on the short-lived Lisa Kudrow series The Comeback. Since then, Akerman has gone psycho in The Heartbreak Kid with Ben Stiller, played a superhero in Zack Snyder's Watchmen, and is currently starring in one of this year's biggest comedy hits, Couples Retreat.
In the October issue of 944 magazine, Akerman talked about some of her upcoming projects and discussed the price of fame. For her next film, she's taking a break from comedy for a dramatic role.
Yes, The Bang Bang Club — it's based on a true story of two photojournalists' journey through the end of Apartheid — I play the photo editor. The story's incredible and it's really raw. We used a lot of locals and shot in all the same places where things happened.
Akerman will return to comedy in writer-director Josh Radnor's HappyThankYouMorePlease, an ensemble piece that Malin calls her "love."
I play a woman with alopecia universalis. I shaved off my eyebrows for the part and wore a bald cap. It's about all of our journeys to find love — and obviously I have added difficulties as a bald woman. It's [about] her trying to stay positive.
The more projects Akerman does, the more famous she becomes, a situation she says is "manageable" for the time being.
I couldn't imagine being Robert Pattinson right now. That would scare the sh-- out of me. I'd rather be able to walk out the door have a life.
Posted 10.25.09 by BrentJS -
In what is admittedly only a rumor at this point, Harry Knowles of Ain't it Cool News is reporting that a "pretty reliable" source has tipped him off about some very interesting Green Lantern movie news. If what AICN is reporting is true, it could be the first sign that DC Comics/Warner Bros. is listening to the fans and taking a page from Marvel Studios' playbook by making GL part of a shared universe, rather than a stand-alone universe like its Batman franchise.
As of now, the only official cast pick is Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan, the most popular Green Lantern from the DC Comics series. In the comics, Hal's arch-nemesis is Sinestro, a former Green Lantern twisted by his need for order and control, and the character is expected to be the major antagonist for the feature. According to AICN, that role could be going to Jackie Earle Haley, who famously portrayed Rorschach in Watchmen and will be starring as Freddy Krueger in the A Nightmare on Elm Street relaunch.
And, in news that would trump the Hayley announcement if it turns out to be true, Green Lantern may be visited by at least one other major character from the DC Universe. According to Knowles' source, Superman will make an appearance in the movie. If this rumor turns out to be true, it could be the preamble to the Justice League movie that Warner Bros. has been planning for years, in much the same way Marvel Studios is planning on interweaving characters and concepts in Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Thor, and The First Avenger: Captain America leading up to The Avengers.
Posted 10.17.09 by BrentJS