science fiction

Orphan Black Episode 2.1 Recap

The season two premiere of Orphan Black picks up seconds after Sarah discovered her house had been ransacked and her daughter Kira and Mrs. S. had gone missing. We find our main girl running for dear life in the rain, trying desperately to evade an enemy that at the moment could be the police, the Neolutionists, or the Proletheans.

Orphan Black: Season 1 Refresher

Being a fan of Orphan Black is difficult. On top of trying to convert all of your friends to this amazing TV show, you also have the added burden of trying to keep up with all of the insanity the show throws at you. So before our first recap on April 19th, let's take a look at what we've learned about our Tatiana Maslanys last season!

Phoenix Review

Though written with ages 9 -12 in mind, UK author S.F. Said's new graphic novel Phoenix has been one of my best reading experiences this year. A science fiction story with amazing and real characters, dramatic action, a fascinating mythology and incredible artwork by Dave McKean, I can't recommend this enough to any readers either with children of said age in their life, or for themselves.

Orphan Black
Episode 1.1 Review

Orphan Black is a slick, sexy new sci-fi thriller premiering this Saturday on the Space network. The pilot episode is engaging, tense, and deftly paced, electing to merely hint at the series’ genetic bio-conspiracy underpinnings in favour of establishing character and atmosphere.

Halo 4 Review

Master Chief is back, now under the banner of Halo-centric studio 343 Industries at the start of a whole new “Reclaimer” trilogy. In its return, Halo 4 may have just accomplished its duty, but does that mean it can win the war for a massive demographic's trigger fingers after being MIA for some key years?

Alien Retrospective: Part Three – Alien 3

What follows is the third part of my in depth journey through the Alien universe, beginning with Aliens, then back to Alien, and ending off with Alien 3 and Alien: Resurrection. I do this in the hopes that maybe I can explain even just a little bit of the mysterious dark, fury that has left me thinking about LV-426 for the nearly two decades.

Interview: Beyond The Black Rainbow Director Panos Cosmatos

Beyond The Black Rainbow is a deeply bizarre science fiction/horror film set in an alternate 1983 in a style of how that future was pictured in the 70s. First time director Panos Cosmatos recreates the aesthetic of late 1970s sci-fi with such mind-boggling attention to detail that it would be easy for an unsuspecting viewer to assume they stumbled onto a lost film from that era. We got a chance to chat with Cosmatos about the conception and production of his remarkable debut, as well as growing up in a house with the guy who made Rambo.

Alien Retrospective: Part Two – Alien

What follows is the second part of my in depth journey through the Alien universe, beginning with Aliens, then back to Alien, and ending off with Alien 3 and Alien: Resurrection. I do this in the hopes that maybe I can explain even just a little bit of the mysterious dark, fury that has left me thinking about LV-426 for the nearly two decades.

Alien Retrospective: Part One – Aliens

What follows is the first part of my in depth journey through the Alien universe, beginning with Aliens, then back to Alien, and ending off with Alien 3 and Alien: Resurrection. I do this in the hopes that maybe I can explain even just a little bit of the mysterious dark, fury that has left me thinking about LV-426 for the nearly two decades.

CONTEST: Win tickets to Toronto Comic Con!

Attention dorks: We know you're probably already planning to hit up the Wizard World Toronto Comic Con in April, but how would you like to attend the con for free? Dork Shelf would like to send ten lucky winners to Wizard World Toronto Comic Con April 14 - 15 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

TADFF 2011: Manborg Review

Manborg is meant to recreate that VHS tape you once found misplaced in the corner concert film section of a pawn shop. In a world being rapidly flooded with these rehashed nostalgia bombs, Manborg is challenged to represent a new era/aesthetic of re-re-re-rehash, and to be more entertaining than many of the other films in the running. Thankfully for Manborg, it is half man, half cyborg, all Manborg.

Toronto After Dark ’11:
Eight Films Announced

The Toronto After Dark Film Festival has announced the first wave of feature films slated for this year's event. The Canadian genre fest features some of the best and most off-beat horror, sci-fi, action and cult cinema from around the world. Hit the jump to see the line-up!

Attack the Block Review

While mugging a young woman on her way home, a gang of South Londoners are ferociously interrupted by what they think is a meteorite striking a nearby car. Seeing the youths distracted, the woman makes a run for the nearest building which happens to be her home: nicknamed The Block. Upon closer investigation, the gang discovers the object that struck the car was not a space rock at all: it’s an alien.

Doctor Who Episode 6.1 Review

In the previous series, Steven Moffat hit the ground running, creating one of the most entertaining collections of episodes in Doctor Who history. With the eleventh incarnation of The Doctor garnering an impressive amount of critical praise and fan approval, its understandable that Moffat's sophomore effort is one of the most highly-anticipated television shows of the year.