The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror films has announced the nominations for the 35th Annual Saturn Awards in recognition of genre film making. Well, mostly in recognizing genre film making (just read the nominee list to see what I mean).

The Dark Knight and Lost have come away with 11 nominations a piece and are the clear nominee leaders.

Iron Man scored 8 nominations.  Heroes received 6 nominations.  Battlestar Galactica and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles received 4 nominations.  Fringe and True Blood received 2 a piece.  Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull received 6 nominations.

And of course Heath Ledger has been tipped for another Best Supporting Actor award.

Full Nominee List Here

Fringe - Notice the apple, there are more of these mystery symbols in Fringe...

Sadly, Fox has made a habit of throwing Fringe into chaos by airing its episodes almost randomly.  One episode aired in December, two in January, two in February, and now we have to wait until April to see the next one.  (By the way, I’ve installed a widget in the sidebar of SciFiScoop that will countdown when the next episode will air, so now there’s no excuse for missing it).  Yet despite Fox playing puppet with viewers ability to retain continuity, Fringe may yet become the ‘must watch’ science fiction series on television.

Fringe was created by J.J. Abrams and, just like he’s successfully done with Lost, he has introduced Fringe to the world by keeping the sci fi element of the series very low key.  Yes it is true that each episode of the series contains a fantastical element, but it is nearly always explained away with science (even if sometimes very loosely) and so the mainstream viewer is typically left thinking more ‘way out science’ than ‘unbelievable science fiction’.  It’s a stroke of genius on Abrams part just as it was with Lost.  Rope the viewers in, even the ones that normally recoil to sci fi, and then take them on the pre-destined sci fi journey.

The cast of Fringe

If you haven’t seen Fringe yet, or even if you have, the original trailer gives you a very good background to the story and characters:

Since its debut in September 2008, Fringe has received some fairly mixed reviews.  Some people have claimed it is a little contrived, others think it is too predictable, and others still think the story arc isn’t moving fast enough.  Perhaps the biggest viewer gripe relates to the idea that generally, each episode, the hardest scientific problems of all are usually solved in minutes by John Noble’s character, Dr. Walter Bishop.  And yet when you read review after review, one thing remains true: despite perceptions of its shortfalls, most people like it enough to tune back in.  This, amongst other things, can be heavily attributed to the excellent cast and the constant humor injected into each episode by the hilarious quips between the character of Dr. Bishop and his son Peter Bishop (Joshua Jackson).

Whatever the reason behind why you keep watching Fringe (if you are) the unfolding story as presented in the latest episode, ‘Ability’, has indicated it’s a good move to stick with it.   If not, it’s a good move to jump on board right now, for Fringe is slowly beginning to find its feet -- and its potential is enormous.

From here, there are major spoilers if you aren’t up to date with the latest episodes.

‘Ability’ clearly marks a pivotal point in the future story arc of Fringe. Just like those with mixed opinions about the series, I’ve been on the fence up until now.  I’ve neither liked nor disliked it, but I’ve kept watching it because it is enjoyable enough and because I’ve seen the potential it continues to allude to.   I’m pleased to say the potential is greater than I first thought.

In ‘Ability’, we learn that FBI Agent Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv) may be on the path of developing super-hero type abilities or, at the very least, telekinetic abilities.  A trial drug to ‘remove the limitation of the mind’ was tested on her when she was a child and in ‘Ability’, some of those powers manifest -- she may even have used telekinetic type powers to disarm a lethal bomb.    The episode also alludes to the fact that this is just the beginning of her abilities and, that rather than exist for the sake of it, they have a purpose -- one that might entail her taking on the role as a warrior destined to fight for -- wait for it- the existence of our entire Universe.

Quick jump to a regular criticism of the series -- Dr. Bishop’s incredible knack to solve the unsolvable.  Until now the argument that Dr. Bishop always seems to have the answers has been a fair one.  But thanks to ‘Ability’ it seems there is a reason why he does have them.  There is a plot unfolding that extends into an alternate Universe and, the hint given by ‘Ability’ was that there is a war coming between that Universe, and our own.  The developing of Dunham’s abilities coincides with the news that our Universe is recruiting warriors to fight the war, and FBI Agent Dunham’s mind defusing of the bomb is referred to as ‘the first test of the recruit’.    And, at the end of the episode, we learn that Dr. Bishop is connected, in some way, to the origin of it all -- he may have even wrote the book about it (literally).

Fringe has been criticized as ‘just another X-Files‘.  But now it seems very clear that the Fringe story is on a direction to go way beyond X-Files, and all the experiences of Dunham, episode after episode, are links in a chain of training her to become a super-powered warrior to defend our universe.  That’s a pretty big sci fi leap from simple ‘weird FBI crime scenes’.  And it’s a good one.  Thanks to ‘Ability’, my view of the potential of Fringe has sky rocketed.

Ah enough of me talking about it.  Watch this recap on ‘Ability’ to catch up:

Dunham’s training, on face value, appears to be directed or, in some way, orchestrated by Mr. David Jones as played by Jared Harris.  I would argue Harris’ character is one of the best in television right now. His character is a brilliant but clearly important mystery, and his acting is simply superb -- and it appears he may be on his way to a transformation into something beyond human as a result of the use of a teleportation device.  Or, judging by the huge hole ripped in a hospital wall, that transformation may be complete.  Either way, the character of Jones looks like becoming more pivotal to the series than his cameo roles have to date, and this again, is a good thing.

The mysterious Mr. Jones in Fringe, as played by Jared Harris

I mentioned ‘Ability’ gave us at least a partial explanation for why Dr. Bishop is capable of nearly always saving the day -- he knows far more about everything that is going on in advance than anyone, including the ‘war between the universes’.  This was touched upon in a subtle way in ‘Ability’ when Mr. Jones pays homage to him when they meet.  Clearly there is a relationship between the two that is connected to the looming war and, therefore, to Dunham’s training.

But more than these mere details, what ‘Ability has shown us is that this series is very well planned out and as more of the planning begins to show, the pace of the series is picking up.  This would seem to be the intention of the series producers, with Executive Producer Jeff Pinkner recently saying, “The goal now is to have the energy of the show get bigger as each episode goes along.”

The thing about Fringe is this: the characters are finding their synergy, the stories are beginning to gel, the links from what appear to be minor events in different episodes are pulling together to create a monumental sci fi story,  and much of what has appeared contrived in the past may in fact be shown to have been perfectly understandable in the future.

The only criticism I presently have of Fringe is the inhibitor character, Agent Harris (Michael Gaston).  Don’t get me wrong, Gaston is a great actor -- but the character he’s been dished sucks.  He reminds me of Woolsey from Atlantis -- always getting in the way of the main characters but never in a believable way.   He’s like an annoying version of Scully, never having faith in the hero character despite being proven wrong by them time after time.  I realize the motivation of the writers when it comes to Harris, but his character is like finger nails on a blackboard.  I’ve read we’ll see more of Agent Harris, but I sincerely hope only in context of him being turned inside out or maybe vaporized.

Oh yeah, and dump the cow.  Cows don’t produce milk unless they have calves.  For a scientific series it’s not very on the ball with that obvious flaw.  It was funny in the early episodes, but come on, that cow can’t stand in a room all its life!

Back to the positive stuff.   I Fringe now has the potential to be what so many other series, including Heroes, have tried to be.  I have faith in J.J.Abrams (especially with the current way in which Lost is unfolding and how Star Trek XI is shaping up) and now that I’m beginning to see his vision, there’s not a chance in hell that I’m going to miss future episodes of this rapidly improving series.   I’ve also got friends who have in no uncertain terms stated Fringe is becoming their favorite show of all time.  Big calls, I know, particularly given the shortfalls mentioned, but honestly, I’m not the only one saying it.  Fringe has a future with great potential.

Speaking of its future, the series has yet to be given the nod for a second season, although Fox have more or less guaranteed it if you are to take their public comments on board.   With production of the series recently being shipped off to Vancouver for ‘economic reasons’, it’s almost a given that this wouldn’t occur unless Fox were gearing up for further filming.  At $4 million per episode it’s understandable that they would take steps to reduce the bill.   All I can say is I’m now very happy that action is being taken to keep this series alive, whether it means filming in Canada or anywhere else.

Finally,  I said that Fringe might become the best sci fi series on television.  If you’re inclinded to argue, fair enough.  But consider this.  There are so many great sci fi shows coming to a close.  Battlestar Galactica will be over, Lost will be over soon, Heroes no longer ranks, and the future of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles is in question -- and no, Doctor Who doesn’t make the grade.  There’s a couple of new sci fi series on the horizon, and magic-meets-modern-medieval-society Kings may end up being one of those stars, but as it stands, I can’t name one sci fi series that is in its early days or that is on the horizon with the potential that Fringe has.  So yes, I stand by the comment that if it continues to go down the path it is presently on, in the future many people may be surprised at just what this series becomes for the sci fi genre.

Wall-E and The Dark Knight with 3 VES Awards a piece

The 7th Annual Visual Effects Society (VES) Awards were held on February 21st and a few sci-fi / fantasy films took home awards.   Ironically Iron Man, which had led the nominations leading up to the awards (with 5 Noms), didn’t win a thing.  Instead, Wall-E and The Dark Knight stole the show  (behind The Curious Case of Benjamin Button which won the top awards of the night).

The winners list (that we care about):

Animation in an Animated Motion Picture
“Wall-E”

Visual Effects in a Broadcast Series
“Battlestar Galactica: Season Four” – BSG Space Battle

Supporting Visual Effects in a Broadcast Program
“Fringe” – Episode 101 – Pilot

Animated Character in an Animated Motion Picture
“Wall-E” – Wall-E and Eve Truck Sequence

Effects Animation in an Animated Feature Motion Picture
“Wall-E” – Effects in Wall-E

Matte Paintings in a Broadcast Program or Commercial
“Doctor Who” – Series 4 – “Silence in the Library”

Models and Miniatures in a Feature Motion Picture
“The Dark Knight” – Garbage Truck Crash Models and Miniatures

Created Environment in a Feature Motion Picture
“The Dark Knight” – IMAX Gotham City Scapes

Special Effects in a Motion Picture
“The Dark Knight” – Overall

Apart from the sci fi/fantasy genre, the rest of the winners list is available here.

If you haven’t yet tuned in to an episode of Fringe then I suggest you give it a shot.  Fringe is basically a cop show with a sci-fi element similar to (but not the same as) X-Files.  It follows FBI Agent Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv) as she is forced to work with an institutionalized scientist and his son as they battle a brewing storm of unexplained phenomena known only as ‘the pattern’. 

Fringe is another brainchild of J.J. Abrams (Lost / Star Trek XI) and whilst it’s not in the league of Lost, it is certainly enjoyable to watch – as proven by high ratings that have guaranteed it a second season.  It’s main stars are all excellent actors and the more the series unfolds, the more impressed I am becoming with Anna Torv as the lead.   John Noble is also excellent as the deranged Dr. Walter Bishop (whose character brings an entertaining sense of humor to the series), and surprisingly Joshua Jackson (aka Pacey from Dawson’s Creek) is suited to the role of Bishop’s son.

The series is in its early days but the most recent episode, Bound, provided definite proof that the series is only getting better.  Giant slugs bursting out of people’s mouths and Agent Dunham kicking arse – what more can I say about Bound?.   I won’t spoil the episode any more than those tidbits – but if you really want to spoil it (or if you’ve already seen Bound) head on over to SyFyPortal where they’ve written a pretty good review.  Read the rest of this entry »

Battlestar Galactica – Want to buy a full size Colonial Viper?  Your chance is now.  Between January 16-17 the Auction Network are going mad on auctioning off real Battlestar Galactica props.  Not just any old prop either, some very cool and very iconic gear is included in this auction.  No need for me to list the items as there are far too many.  In fact, if you can name it as a prop from the show it’s probably in the auction.  These are the real deal, so if you’ve got some money to burn head on over to The Official Battlestar Galactica Props and Costumes Auction and take a look at what’s up for sale.  Oh yes, and don’t forget, the final eleven episodes begin airing today!

Terminator: Salvation – McG has let more info out about Terminator: Salvation – a lot more.  Linda Hamilton, who played Sarah Connor in the first two movies, will be back.  Not in person, but doing a voice over.  Remember Sarah Connor (John Connor’s mother) was making tape recordings for her son in the 1984 Terminator movie?  Well these will be the recordings we hear in Salvation (freshly recorded by Linda Hamilton).  If that wasn’t cool enough, McG also hints that talks are underway for Arnold Schwarzenegger to become involved – whatever it is it will probably be minor, but it’s looking like he will be involved in some capacity.  Rumors have it that there may be Terminator T800’s sporting Schwarzenegger’s face in the movie, perhaps using some form of CGI capacity. Read the rest of this entry »