STARGATE: SG-1 – Cinefantastique

Ben Browder on BAD KIDS GO TO HELL: Horror Interview Podcast

Posted on December 7, 2012 by Dan Persons

Ben Browder plays a janitor who knows when it's a good idea to mind his own business (or does he?) in BAD KIDS GO TO HELL.

In such series as FARSCAPE and STARGATE SG-1, Ben Browder traveled to distant universes filled with strange and fascinating creatures. But in all their adventures, neither FARSCAPE’s John Crichton nor SG-1′s Cameron Mitchell ever had to contend with an environment as daunting as high school, or a life form as enigmatic as teenagers. That’s just what happens in BAD KIDS GO TO HELL, the new horror comedy in which Browder plays Max, a janitor of the “quiet loner” breed, who tends to the corridors and classrooms of a tony private school as a clutch of the institution’s least-favorite students while away their time in detention, and find themselves being bumped off, one-by-one, by a resourceful killer with mysterious motives.
So in this episode, we talk to Browder via phone, our conversation ranging from his extended absence from the screen, to the difference between movie and TV shoots, to what it was like being a visitor to the world of DOCTOR WHO. Click on the player to hear the show.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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'Dr. Who' Season 7 Teaser

Posted on March 26, 2012 by Tom Powers

Via BBC AMERICA, here’s the first teaser trailer for the seventh season of the revived DOCTOR WHO.
In addition to the Doctor (Matt Smith), we see Amy & Rory (Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill) as well as our first look at Ben Browder’s (FARSCAPE, STARGATE SG-1) character, a lawman in an anachronistic Western town. And a Cyborg gun-slinger, scenes on a dismal beach where all is not well, a snowy landscape with oddities of its own, and much more.

'Stargate Universe' Series Finale—Clip

Posted on May 9, 2011 by Tom Powers

In the more or less unplanned-for Series Finale of STARGATE UNIVERSE, ‘Gauntlet’, the crew of the Ancients’ ship Destiny is surrounded by drone command ships at every turn, and they must take a stand against them to refuel and resupply—or risk being set adrift forever.
This is likely the last fans will see of STARGATE UNIVERSE, as it’s been indicated by SGU producer Brad Wright that the window has closed for any TVor Direct-to-DV movie that might have wrapped up the show in a more definitive manner. (See article)
The STARGATE frnachise has been a 14-year saga for MGM Television, beginning with SG-1 on Showtime, then moving to the Sci-Fi Channel and spinning off STARGATE ATLANTIS, and SGU for SyFy.
It’s possible that other STARGATE productions may surface in the future, but nothing appears to be in the works at this writing.

STARGATE UNIVERSE airs at 9:oo PM ET/PT, followed by a new eppisode of SANCTUARY ‘Wingmen’ at 10:00 PM ET/PT on SyFy.

SGU Earlier, and Soon No More.

Posted on April 18, 2011 by Tom Powers

STARGATE UNIVERSE moves to Mondays 9:00 PM ET/PT on SyFY as it goes through its remaining episodes.

In Common Descent: “Destiny comes upon a colony where the people claim their civilization was founded two thousand years earlier… by Destiny’s crew.”

Directed by Peter DeLuise, written by Robert C. Cooper.
Gateworld.net reports that SGU writer & executive Brad Wright announced at Creation Entertainment’s STARGATE convention this weekend that the hoped-for STARGATE UNIVERSE movie to wrap up the series is dead.

“We just recently found out that the SGU movie is not going to happen. It took too long. We just couldn’t get it together in time, and the window has closed. It’s actually sad for me, because after 17 years, I’m cleaning out my desk tomorrow morning”.

Wright also told the audience that plans for STARGATE: SG-1 and STARGATE ALTANTIS movies have been abandoned.
Is the a permanent end of STARGATE adventures? Brad Wright held out some hope.

“It’s a franchise. STARGATE is not over. Somebody smart from MGM is going to figure it out, and something will happen.”

Beginning of the end, COMMON DESCENT.

'Sanctuary' Returns to SyFy

Posted on April 15, 2011 by Tom Powers

SyFy’s SANCTUARY returns tonight, after a nearly four month hiatus, with Pax Romana.
When last seen Helen Magnus (Ammanda Tapping) and her eclectic bunch were seemingly executed in the lost world hidden under the surface of the Earth.
Look for a leaner meaner second half of the third season of the series.
Interviewed at Blastr.com star/producer Tapping said:

“Parts of the season feel really hand-to-mouth.After what happens when we come back… it’s sort of blown the Sanctuary world wide open, and so there’s a massive amount of hand-to-mouth survival. And we do a couple of really small, sweet singular episodes within that, but then we just kind of keep getting hit… There’s a lot of kind of singular—just getting-whacked-in-the-side-of-the-head-with-a-2-by-4 episodes.”

Co-star Robin Dunne (Will Zimmerman ) added:

“It’s a crazy ride, and you’re going to see us in different times and in different dimensions and the impact that Magnus has had on history… And it’s interesting, too, to be at this point talking about it, because the first half is really the lead-up, and the second half of season three really is where things get crazy with Kate (Kate Freelander, played by Agam Darshi) .”

SANCTUARY airs Fridays at 10:00 PM ET/PT.

'Sand Shark' In the Can

Posted on April 2, 2011 by Tom Powers

American World Pictures tells us that their production with Remember Dreaming Productions SAND SHARKS has completed principal photography.

The science fiction feature film was directed by Mark Atkins (BATTLE OF LOS ANGELES) and stars Corin Nemec (STARGATE SG-1) and reality star Brooke Hogan (HOGAN KNOWS BEST).
The film, written by Cameron Larson (XTINCTION) features, unsurprisingly, Sand Sharks, as the press release explains.

These are: “…Prehistoric sand-dwelling sharks (that) are unleashed on the island of White Sands when an underwater earthquake cracks open a crater deep beneath the ocean surface. The most menacing beasts to ever rule the waters, now rule the sand; with their monster appetites they mercilessly munch on anything that crosses their path.”
Director Mark Atkins stated:
“SAND SHARKS will give a new meaning to a “fish out of water” story. The fish will be out of the water and in the air as they seek and destroy unsuspecting residents of White Sands. Fans… should prepare themselves for some serious shark mayhem as they try to cope with the terror in this TREMORS-esqe/JAWS homage. You won’t look at the beach the same afterwards. We are working overtime to take this terrestrial shark movie to a new level.”

Remember Dreaming Productions Stan Spry states:
“The cast and crew were extremely hard working; Brooke Hogan did fantastic and Corin Nemec, one of my childhood hero’s was amazing. The film is a fun, action packed, thrill ride with a mix of scares, thrills and laughs.”
AWP’s Mark Lester adds “We expect audiences to be on the edge of their seat when watching SAND SHARKS.”

SAND SHARKS also stars Gina Holden (SAW 3D, FINAL DESTINATION 3), Vanessa Lee Evigan (JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH [2008]), Eric Scott Woods (DARK METROPOLIS) and Julie Berman (GENERAL HOSPITAL).
Sounds like an old-fashioned drive-in horror/sci-fi movie, calling to mind both the OUTER LIMITS episode The Invisible Enemy and those classic SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE sketches with the door-to-door Land Shark.
“Candy-gram…”

SyFy Renews 'Sanctuary'

Posted on January 18, 2011 by Tom Powers

Via Blastr comes this press release:

“SYFY RENEWS SANCTUARY FOR SEASON FOUR

Syfy has greenlit production on a fourth season of SANCTUARY, it was announced today by Mark Stern, President, Original Programming, Syfy & Co-Head, Original Content, Universal Cable Productions.
Sanctuary season 4 is slated to commence production on a 13-episode season in spring 2011 in Vancouver, BC with an eye towards a fall 2011 premiere on Syfy.
Sanctuary follows brilliant scientist Dr. Helen Magnus (Amanda Tapping) and her team, who use their unique combination of instinct, medicine and cutting-edge science to find and aid a clandestine population of beings that the world refuses to believe exists.
The series also stars Robin Dunne as forensic psychiatrist Dr. Will Zimmerman, Agam Darshi as the quick-witted Kate Freelander, Ryan Robbins as tech wiz Henry Foss and Christopher Heyerdahl as the sinister John Druitt.
One of television’s most groundbreaking series, shooting almost entirely on green screen, Sanctuary was the first television series in North America to use the RED camera exclusively. Its stunning visual effects were nominated for a 2008 Emmy Award.
Created by Damian Kindler (Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis), Sanctuary is produced in association with Syfy and is distributed by Tricon Films and Television. Season three of the series is executive produced by Damian Kindler, Amanda Tapping, Martin Wood, Keith Beedie and Tricon Films.”

Glad to see SANCTUARY’s returning, it’s a fun show. Seems odd that SyFy’s only committing to 13 episodes, though they do have a lot of projects in the works.

American World teams with Bron Studio for 3 SF Films

Posted on October 1, 2010 by Tom Powers

L.A.- based indie American World Pictures has teamed up with producer Aaron L. Gilbert (TRANSLYMANIA) and his Bron Studios to co-produce three science fiction films.

From their press release:
“JABBERWOCKY, now in pre-production, is the first of the three films that the duo will produce. The film tells the story of a young squire who must become a warrior to save his people and the woman he loves after a horrific beast is unleashed on the Kingdom. Bron’s Bernie Melanson and John Raymonds serve as Executive Producers.
Films to follow will include LEVIATHAN and PANDORA’S BOX. “We love the sci-fi genre and are excited about these high concept films and about growing our relationship with Mark and Dana at American World Pictures” said Gilbert.
AWP Founder Dana Dubovsky states “Our first project, JABBERWOCKY, has been fast tracked and will begin filming in Bulgaria in late October.”
President of AWP Mark L. Lester and Dana Dubovsky first joined forces with Bron when AWP picked up the sales rights to Gilbert’s film PARADOX.
PARADOX, which has been invited to the 2010 International Science Fiction Film Festival in Korea, in late October was directed by Leo Award winner Brenton Spencer (STARGATE ATLANTIS, Syfy’s SANCTUARY), and features a host of sci-fi stars, led by Kevin Sorbo (Andromeda, Hercules); Steph Song (jPod, The Thaw); Christopher Judge (Stargate); Alan C. Peterson (Shooter, Narc, Beautiful Joe); Alisen Down (Battlestar Galactica); and Emilie Ullerup (Sanctuary).
The film introduces homicide detective Sean Nault (Kevin Sorbo) a cop on a parallel Earth who is investigating a baffling series of murders committed by a means his Earth has never seen before: the power of science. Sean uncovers an apocalyptic plot that will lead him to another dimension and the realization that, unless he prevents it, both earths could well be destroyed. Bron is currently in development on the PARADOX television series.

Sounds like an ambitious slate, always interesting to see independent genre productions continuing in the era when much of it has been co-opted by mega-budget big studio fare.
PARADOX is based on the comic book from Arcana Studios.

'Naught For Hire' – SF Detective

Posted on July 29, 2010 by Tom Powers

According to SFX , Ben Browder (FARSCAPE, STARGATE: SG-1) is set to star in NAUGHT FOR HIRE, a web series based on John E. Stith’s (Redshift Rendezvous) SF detective stories.
Nick Naught is a private detective in the relatively near furture, a 1930’s throw-back with a well-earned distrust of the semi-sentient machines that complicate his life and work.
Jennifer Sky (CLEOPATRA 2525) will play Annette Taylor, investigative reporter and Naught’s old flame . Juliet Landau (BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER) is set to voice Precious, the detective’s fiercely protective AI car/secretary, while Chase Masterson (DEEP SPACE NINE) will portray Maxine McCormick, the CEO of the company that created the “smart chips” that make the technology self-aware —or close enough.
Producer Jeffery Berman (THE WRITE ENVIRONMENT) says the mystery-comedy will shoot this summer, but no date has been set as to where and when the ccliff-hanging webisodes will debut.

“I can’t say too much about it just yet, but I like to think that if you put out a good product an audience will find it. What’s great about a project like NAUGHT FOR HIRE is that it appeals to a large demographic. By airing it on the web, we don’t have to worry about a niche broadcast channel that only airs Science Fiction or Comedy or Drama. We can allow the story to dictate those choices, and not a network.”

The Nick Naught stories first appeared in Analog Science Fiction Magazine in the `90’s and two novelettes have been collected as a book, All For Naught, published by Wildside Press.

An earlier version of this article erroneously credited producer Jeffrey Berman with having worked on STAR WARRIORS, a direct-to-video film whose crew included another person of the same name.