Sources on the interweb stated that sci-fi scorcher “V” could be in jeopardy. Considering the show is probably one of the best tv shows to hit mainstream viewer tellies since BSG, it wasn’t surprising to find that the show has now been officially renewed for a second season.

Wikipedia states:

As production of the fourth episode of V wrapped, it was announced on November 3, 2009 that Scott Rosenbaum had been named executive producer and showrunner of the series, with Peters and Hall remaining as executive producers. Production of the remaining eight episodes resumed in January 2010 with new episodes returning March 30, 2010. On May 13, 2010, ABC renewed V for a second season.

We at PCR omit a welcome sigh of relief at this news and continue to relish in the words that seem to drip from Ms. Anna’s lips like bubbles of liquid ecstasy: “We are of Peace – Always”…

Image via ABC

Latino Review have released an excellent video clip of the upcoming ‘Predators’ movie directed by Robert Rodriguez. It details the background story for the new movie which sounds pretty awesome and with Robert Rodriguez at the helm, it should be pretty good.

You can check out the full article here (sorry, we couldn’t embed the video clip as it’s an LR exclusive).

Predators is set for a Summer 2010 release in the US.

Thanks to an article posted on Digg, this curious feature over at Total Film just caught my eye and now I see why. If you’re a Star Wars fan, you’re going to absolutely adore these rare and unseen photos taken from the original Star Wars set.

Thanks to Total Film for the image. This photo shoot is fantastic! And boy does it bring back memories of old school Syfy…

You can view the entire photo gallery here at Total Film.

The movie Surrogates arrives in New Zealand very soon. For a movie starring someone as famous as Bruce Willis, it has largely gone under-the-radar. Trailers started showing up online back in May. The movie is based on a comicbook of the same name which features a futuristic world where people survive through ‘surrogates’ or robotic versions of themselves. Sounds rad? Well, it looks pretty ‘Minority Report’ -ish where people rely on technology for almost everything they do, including existing!

I’m down and I’ll be checking it out when it releases here on 22 October 2009. Thanks to TA for the trailer.

Christopher Nolan’s latest movie ‘Inception’ now has a trailer. Classified as a movie that’s similar to ‘The Matrix’ -  “a contemporary sci-fi actioner set within the architecture of the mind”. It’s a thriller which of course, is a little different to the main theme of The Matrix but stars a mean-looking Leonardo DiCaprio. Michael Caine and Cillian Murphy also star.

The teaser trailer was viewed by movie-goers who saw Brad Pitt’s latest ‘Inglourious Basterds’ on the weekend and is now available online.

Thanks to /film for the news and Screencrave for the tailer. You can view the trailer here.

A whole lot of websites including Trailer Addict have had to remove their Avatar trailers from the internet. I think there is only one official place to view the tailer now.

If you want to see what Avatar is all about you can view the full trailer here in HD.

Enjoy!!

The PC multiplayer beta for Section 8 the new first-person shooter from TimeGate Studios began for Australians and New Zealanders on the weekend and thankfully, I was lucky enough to score a beta key. I hadn’t done any homework on this title and the only thing I knew about it was that it’s a shooter (which immediately sparked my interest).

I decided to jump straight in (without reading the forums or the online manual) and found that the basic control mechanics used in most online shooters these days seemed to work fine for Section 8. The W, A, S, D keys are used for movement (strafing etc) and left mouse button for shooting. But there are quite a lot of different control keys required for alot of the other basic gameplay mechanics in Section 8 so I’ve got a few hours of gaming ahead of me to learn about all of the weapons and their functionality.

From a gameplay perspective, it reminds me of Halo 3 on the Xbox 360. You play as a soldier that is shielded in special protective armour capable of absorbing damage (just like Halo 3). You get to choose from several different classes (such as Assault, Infiltrator) much like Call of Duty with specific weapon sets (which you can edit and change before each respawn). The sprint boost is unreal! Finally, a game where you can dash around the map at super speed that lasts longer than 4 seconds!

Weapons are also really pretty kickass – grenade (like rocket) launchers, assault rifles, sniper rifles etc. There are various other weapons too which I have yet to use. I’ve spent most of my time playing Assault class but when I get more time, I’ll blog about the other classes. Section 8 also features vehicles (much like mechs).

There’s no campaign mode and you can’t upgrade when you rank up as yet. From the looks of things, ranking up (by team assists, kills etc) will be fully featured in the release and you’ll be able to upgrade everything from weapons to armour. Connecting to US servers was easy but laggy. My ping to Aussie servers was looking good on 37. It’s nice having local servers to connect to for online multiplayer.

So far, my first impressions of the beta for Section 8 is ranking at about a 4/5. I’ll blog more once I’ve had more time with the game online but so far, it’s looking pretty solid.

Flicks have just posted on their website that 20th Century Fox New Zealand will be hosting 15 minute previews of the James Cameron epic Avatar at selected theatres in Auckland and Wellington. If you’re friends of Fox, you might already have an RSVP (lucky, lucky) but if not, you can get the details for Auckland here and Wellington here.

Thanks Flicks for the heads up and 20th Century Fox – you rock!

[xrr rating=10/10 imageset=tiny_star label="Movie Rating:"]

Distributor: QED International  Released: 2009 Genre: Action/Sci-Fi/Drama/Thriller Credits: Director: Neill Blomkamp Writers: Neill Blomkamp, Terri Tatchell (screenplay) Starring: Sharlto Copley, Jason Cope, Nathalie Boltt Rating: R16

We’ve seen Terminator: Salvation and we’ve seen Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen but nothing will prepare you for the brilliance that is District 9. And if you’ve managed to catch the trailer, believe me, it does this movie no justice whatsoever. District 9 is sci-fi story-telling at its absolute best. It’s got aliens, it’s got spaceships, it’s got MECHS and it has lots and lots of fantastic firefights.

It also has a really engrossing storyline. At first you’re drawn into the crazy world of District 9 thinking it’s a little tongue-in-cheek but then suddenly, everything becomes just a little too realistic. The backdrop for the movie (for those who don’t know) is the South African city of Johannesburg which serves as the perfect environment for this story to unfold. The painful memory of Apartheid may be distant but never forgotten and District 9 does a really good job of pushing these thoughts and feelings to the forefront of your mind without even trying. How often would you think of Apartheid against an alien race?

Racism is essentially at the core of the story and it’s through this struggle that the heroes (and villains) of District 9 are born. The characters Wikus and the alien Christopher ultimately pilot the story and what begins as a basic alien/human sci-fi flick effectively transforms into a story of true humanity and spirit. If you enjoy the storyline as much as I did, you’ll definitely find yourself shifting allegiances as the movie progresses, which I found to be one of the best parts of this movie.

The aliens are created so well and although they look and sound so different to humans, you can’t help but feel emotion for them. And if that isn’t great script writing, I don’t know what is. And just wait until you see the alien technology…

District 9 is cleverly shot like a reality show/documentary which adds layer upon layer to the realism of the characters. It’s practically a no-brainer for me, District 9 is one of the best movies I’ve had the pleasure of seeing this year. It will blow you away.

It IS only rumoured at the moment (as reported by Slash Film) but apparently Steven Spielberg is showing some interest in a screenplay for Halo titled ‘Halo: The Fall of Reach’ which has sparked rumours that the director may be interested in pursuing this project.

There’s no news on Peter Jackson’s input thus far but if Steven Spielberg is interested, who knows where the project could go?

Apparently, Mr. Spielberg is also an avid gamer… another thing I never knew! Although admittedly, I have never played his Wii game ‘Bloom Blox’, in fact, I hadn’t even heard of it until now… oops.