'Escape from Planet Earth': new poster

Silver Screen Saucers

Check out the new poster for The Weinstein Company’s upcoming animated adventure Escape from Planet Earth...

 

 

 

Escape from Planet Earth lands in theatersFebruary 14, 2013. Here’s the official blurb:

“The 3D animated family comedy catapults moviegoers to planet Baab where admired astronaut Scorch Supernova (Brendan Fraser) is a national hero to the blue alien population. A master of daring rescues, Scorch pulls off astonishing feats with the quiet aid of his nerdy, by-the-rules brother, Gary (Rob Corddry), head of mission control at BASA. When BASA's no-nonsense chief Lena (Jessica Alba) informs the brothers of an SOS from a notoriously dangerous planet, Scorch rejects Gary's warnings and bounds off for yet another exciting mission. But when Scorch finds himself caught in a fiendish trap set by the evil Shanker (James Gandolfini), it's up to scrawny, risk-adverse Gary to do the real rescuing. As the interplanetary stakes rise to new heights, Gary is left to save his brother, his planet, his beloved wife Kira (Sarah Jessica Parker) and their adventure hungry son Kip.”

 

 

 

Wahlberg mad for 'Transformers 4'

By Robbie Graham Silver Screen Saucers

Wahlberg: mental

 

It’s official: Mark Wahlberg has lost his mind. The star of Boogie Nights, Three Kings, The Departed, and The Fighter (keep those meaty titles in mind) last month officially accepted a role in Michael Bay’s Transformers 4.

This was a clear sign of insanity. But now, a new statement by Wahlberg about the movie would seem to confirm the complete loss of the actor’s marbles. At a recent press junket, Wahlberg told ComingSoon.net:

"I'm really excited about Transformers. Michael Bay and I just did Pain & Gain and we had such a good time making it. He came to me and said, 'I'm kind of doing a whole different reboot on Transformers. Are you interested?' I said, 'Yeah, I'll do it!' I loved the idea and I think we can make something really cool and kick-ass. This is not something where it's already established and I'm just in there to get a paycheck. I'm thinking this is the most important role of my career and I can do something really special."

Really, Mark? The most important role of your career? Really??

Transformers 4 is to shoot in May 2013 for a theatrical release on June 27, 2014.

'Giant Interdimensional Monsters from the Deep!' AKA: 'Pacific Rim' new trailer & poster

Silver Screen Saucers

"We always thought alien life would come from the stars... but it came from deep beneath the sea -- a portal between dimensions in the Pacific Ocean..."

Check out the trailer for Guillermo del Toro's epic alien monster movie, Pacific Rim...

Iconic alien movie props up for auction

By Robbie Graham Silver Screen Saucers

Ever dreamed of owning a 'real' facehugger, 'authentic' Kryptonite, the actual mask worn by Predator, or even the alien robot Gort's actual head (who hasn't, right)?

Well dream no more, because these and other iconic movie props will be available for purchase at the Profiles in History auction, which takes place Dec. 15 and 16. 

The only catch is you'll need a pretty healthy bank account to afford anything:

ESTIMATED PRICES:

Facehugger from Aliens (1986) -- $20,000 - 30,000

Gort's head, as featured in The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) -- £100,000 - 150,000

Lethal Kryptonite as featured in the 50's Superman series -- £5000 - 7000

Mask worn by the Predator in the 1987 movie -- $12,000 - 15,000

Lightsaber used by Luke Skywalker during the final battle between Luke and Vader in Return of the Jedi -- $30,000 - $50,000

Head on over to Blastr to check out some of the other famous movie props up for auction. 

'Man of Steel': new trailer lands

Silver Screen Saucers

Superman's spaceship features in the new Man of Steel trailer

Check out the new trailer for Superman reboot Man of Steel, which seems to be placing a greater emphasis on the beefy Kryptonian's alien origin and threats from outer space (General Zod!) than did Bryan Singer's ponderous 2006 movie, Superman Returns...

For a shot-by-shot breakdown of the new trailer, head on over to io9.

UFO movie news round-up (11 Dec. 2012)

By Robbie Graham Silver Screen Saucers

‘Oblivion’: trailer, poster & concept art

 

In theatres April 12, 2013, Oblivion stars Tom Cruise as Commander Jack Harper, one of the last remaining men on an uninhabited Earth. He repairs the drones which patrol the skies and protect the planet from warring aliens.

The first trailer is now online. Looks pretty epic...

 

 

 

Also check out the official poster (above) and concept art below.

Oblivion is written by William Monahan (The Departed) and directed by Joseph Kosinski (Tron: Legacy).

 

All you need is Cruise (and military support)

On the subject of Tom Cruise and aliens, the couch-pummeling star was pictured recently shooting his other upcoming ET invasion epic, All You Need Is Kill (plot details here), which is scheduled for a March, 2014 release. These pics were snapped in London last month and show Cruise in military uniform stepping out of an RAF helicopter in the center of London’s iconic Trafalgar Square, which had been sealed off for filming. The military hardware on show in these pictures is a clear sign that the movie has received production assistance from the British Royal Air Force (RAF). There is no indication at this point that the US Department of Defense (DoD) has had any involvement in the production. More pics here.

 

 

Indiana Jones and the Lawsuit of the Crystal Skull

"Lawyers... why'd it have to be lawyers."

Lucasfilm, Disney and Paramount Pictures are being targeted by a lawsuit relating to a “stolen” Crystal Skull. The Lawsuit was filed last week on behalf of Dr. Jaime Awe, director of the Institute of Archeology of Belize. According to The Hollywood Reporter:

“This real-life Indiana Jones is suing on behalf of the nation of Belize over the Crystal Skull artifact, popularized in the 2008 Steven Spielberg film Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

Awe is demanding the return of the Crystal Skull from a treasure-hunting family that allegedly stole it 88 years ago from Belize. And if that's not enough, the lawsuit targets Lucasfilm, its new owner the Walt Disney Co. and Crystal Skull distributor Paramount Pictures for allegedly using a replica "likeness" of the Crystal Skull. Among the damages claimed are the "illegal profits" of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. The movie grossed about $786 million worldwide.” More here.

Disney heads to ‘Terra Incognita’

Walt Disney Pictures has cooked up yet another original sci-fi (and potentially alien-themed) project called Terra Incognita.

Variety reports that Guardians of the Galaxy's Nicole Perlman will pen the screenplay.

The premise for Terra Incognitahas yet to be disclosed by Disney, but the title references a Latin term for "unknown land" that is most commonly associated with ancient cartography.

Terra Incognita joins Disney’s sci-fi production line-up along with the (allegedly) alien-themed 1952 and an untitled space adventure from screenwriter Max Landis. 

New ‘X-Files’ movie and TV reboot?

Former X-Files producer Frank Spotnitz told Den of Geek recently that he would love to make a third X-Files film with the existing cast to bring the series to a close.

Apparently Spotnitz and X-Files creator Chris Carter have been discussing the idea and, although not yet at the scripting stage, the movie would likely be “the climax of the alien colonization story that began the series."

Spotnitz was also asked whether he thought The X-Filescould return to TV the way Star Trek did. He told DoG:

"I wouldn't be surprised at all. I mean, I don't think I would have anything to do with it but you know, for better or for worse, these things are titles of big corporations, like Star Trek belongs to Paramount and The X-Files belongs to Twentieth Century Fox and it's a huge asset in their libraries so I can't imagine they would let it sit languishing forever.

Anything could happen. I just hope that if they do it, they do it well, that's my only request."

'Seasons'

First-time director Tim Miller has been chosen by Sony to helm an adaptation of Joe Haldeman's short sci-fi story, Seasons. The tale, which features in the author's anthology "Dealing in Futures," is about an anthropological study of a sexless – and supposedly placid – alien race. But when the seasons change on the aliens’ home world, so too do the aliens’ personalities. Needless to say, things go horribly wrong for the anthropologists.

Currently in its early stages of development, Seasons will be drafted by Sebastian Gutierrez and produced by Michael De Luca with Alissa Phillips executive producing.

UFO Disclosure: world leaders use Hollywood as safety net

By Robbie Graham Silver Screen Saucers

 

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev last week confirmed that extraterrestrial visitation is a reality... or did he?

In footage recorded Friday following a television interview, Medvedev commented to a reporter that every Russian leader is presented with two folders containing Top Secret information about alien visitation.

In the footage, Medvedev tells a REN TV journalist he could not reveal "how many of them are among us, because it may cause panic."

The Russian PM did not appear to be “joking” (contrary to the mainstream media’s take on this story) having made his statements without a hint of a smile. The only part of Medvedev’s ‘disclosure’ that, on the face of it, would cast doubt on its seriousness was a reference to the film Men in Black, which Medvedev advised the journalist to watch for more detailed information on how alien activity on Earth is covertly monitored. And yet, those familiar with UFO history will know that the Men in Black movies, although layered with fantasy, are strongly rooted in fact.

The journalist, of course, chuckles quietly throughout Medvedev’s seemingly bizarre statement, despite the PM’s deadpan delivery.

 

Here is Prime Minister Medvedev’s ‘alien’ statement in full as printed in the UK Telegraph:

 

“The president of the country is given a special 'top secret' folder. This folder in its entirety contains information about aliens who visited our planet. Along with this, you are given a report of the absolutely secret special service that exercises control over aliens on the territory of our country... More detailed information on this topic you can get from a well-known movie called 'Men in Black'... I will not tell you how many of them are among us because it may cause panic."

 

 

 

Notably, Medvedev's comments were made off-air and he was seemingly unaware that cameras were still rolling. The footage was later delivered to Reuters as a pool signal before being uploaded to YouTube.

 

This incident has very strong echoes of Reagan's 'ET is real' announcement back in 1981 during the White House screening of ET: The Extraterrestrial, at which director Steven Spielberg was present. “There are a number of people in this room who know that everything on that screen is absolutely true,” said the President to his distinguished guests who included politicians, military officers and astronauts. “And he said it without smiling!” confirmed Spielberg.

Despite giving no indication that he was joking, Reagan’s guests nevertheless erupted into laughter. How else were they to have responded to a statement of this nature immediately following the screening of a science fiction film? Polite guffaws were the only way to go, as Reagan would surely have been well aware.

The President – himself a Hollywood veteran – would also have known that the sci-fi context of the E.T. screening would act as a natural safety net for his otherwise earthshaking statement. For Reagan, this was a rare opportunity to ‘publicly’ speak the truth about an issue that had occupied his mind for decades without fear of the walls crashing down around him.

Medvedev’s recent statement about aliens certainly has parallels with Reagan’s: the Russian PM gave absolutely no hint of a smile, yet the perplexed journalist responded with laughter anyway, either out of surprise, discomfort, politeness, or all three.

If nothing else, the Reagan and Medvedev statements and the jovial responses they elicited raises the question: other than a formal televised press conference beamed live from the White House, the Kremlin, 10 Downing Street, etc., are there any circumstances in which heads of state can tell members of the public ‘aliens are real’ and expect to be taken seriously?  

The answer would seem to be ‘no’. This is not surprising. To most of those outside of the UFO research field, the subject of alien visitation inherently seems so fantastical that anything other than a ‘bells and whistles’ government press conference confirming its reality is dismissed out of hand as “humour.”

Not incidentally, both the Reagan and Medvedev 'disclosures' were linked to Spielberg productions: ET and Men in Black respectively. In this sense, it would seem that Spielberg is the go-to guy in Hollywood for world leaders attempting to publicly contextualise an otherwise dauntingly complex phenomenon. When it comes to the thorny issue of UFO Disclosure, Hollywood matters, and so does Spielberg.

Related:

UFO Disclosure: Why Hollywood Matters

Spielberg’s Saucer Secrets 

Has Russian Prime Minister Confirmed Aliens?

Aliens on the ‘Horizon’ for ‘Walking Dead’ producer

By Robbie Graham Silver Screen Saucers

 

The Walking Deadproducer Gale Anne Hurd (who also gave us The Terminator and Aliens) is moving ahead with a new alien-themed TV series for USA titled Horizon. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the series revolves around an alien battle in the South Pacific:

"Set during the height of World War II, Horizon centers on a secretary at the FBI who discovers that her husband might have been killed in a battle with a spaceship in the South Pacific. Obsessed with learning the truth, she becomes the only person standing between Earth and an alien invasion."

The show is to be written and co-produced by Bridget Tyler, who has worked on Burn Notice. Deadlinequotes USA co-president Jeff Wachtel and Chris McCumber as saying:

"Horizonis our first genre piece since The 4400 and the first-ever period drama for the network..." 

A secret war with aliens during WWII? Sounds suspiciously familiar to Dark Skies... No, not the new alien abduction movie Dark Skies, but the ‘90s TV series from which the former borrowed *cough-stole-cough* its name. Still, at least there’s no outright thievery going on here, and the tightly focused premise of the show – covert alien battles in the South Pacific – certainly has potential. Let’s just hope Gale Anne Hurd takes more than a few pages from Battleship’s book... and then rips them to shreds.

Robbie Graham PhD announcement

Dear friends and colleagues,

I am writing to inform you of my decision to withdraw from my PhD programme at the University of Bristol.

The reasons for my PhD withdrawal are threefold:

My primary reason for enrolling on the PhD programme in 2009 was to provide myself with an avenue that would safely and steadily lead to a book – the idea being to complete a PhD thesis and then adapt it for a populist market. However, populist opportunities having presented themselves several years ahead of my original expectations, the PhD is now far less vital to me than it once was.

Reason number two for my PhD withdrawal is that – having been enrolled in postgraduate studies for several years – I am now absolutely certain that a career in academia holds no appeal for me. I had originally considered that I might wish to pursue a career as a university lecturer. However, as a doctoral candidate it has been my experience that high-level academia is too often intellectually stifling, elitist, insular and regurgitatory. My preferred readership as a writer is populist and journalistic, not academic. I see little point in completing a PhD thesis that (as with virtually all PhD theses) will be read by only handful of individuals in a university library.  

Reason number three trumps reasons one and two: it is financial. As my PhD is self-funded and a constant monetary drain on my household, I find it impossible to justify three years further spending on a programme I now believe will be of little-to-no use to me professionally.

For the above reasons, the continuation of my PhD programme is no longer a viable option for me.

Obviously, this has been a major decision for me, one that I have not taken lightly. But I am pleased to say I have no doubts whatsoever about the choice I have made. I am a proud person, but not foolishly so. Continuing with a PhD I no longer want or need for a further three years is plain foolishness.*

Despite my above gripes regarding academia, my time to date on my doctoral programme has been extremely valuable and I don’t regret one minute of it. My time as a PhD candidate has allowed me to conduct a vast amount of research into the topic of UFOs and Hollywood from both cultural and political perspectives, and it has afforded me the opportunity to regularly present this research within the harsh scrutiny of an academic environment. Every last morsel of my academic research will now be adapted for the populist market and fill the pages of Silver Screen Saucers: Sorting Fact from Fantasy in Hollywood’s UFO Movies, which is on track for completion within the next six months.

The few people who were already aware of my PhD withdrawal have been overwhelmingly supportive of my decision, and I thank them. Thank you also to the fast flowing stream of visitors to silverscreensaucers.com. Since its creation in February of last year, this humble little blog has received almost half-a-million visits – and it will continue to grow.

With appreciation,

Robbie Graham

*Though I began my doctoral programme as a full-time student in 2009, following a successful viva (a course upgrade following an internal examination) I decided in 2011 to take my PhD part-time before requesting a 12 month leave in order to pour more energy into my populist book, which was clashing with my doctoral studies. Though welcomed and encouraged by my PhD supervisors, these decisions extended my course duration to 2015. 

Disney to remake ‘Flight of the Navigator’

New writer-director team also developing United Nations alien contact movie

By Robbie Graham Silver Screen Saucers

 

Disney’s 1986 alien abduction fantasy Flight of the Navigator has been placed on ‘remake row’, with an updating of the movie now in active development at the House of Mouse.

The original movie was directed by Randal Kleiser (Grease), and followed a 12 year-old boy who mysteriously vanishes while walking in the woods one evening only to reappear eight years later having not aged a day. Meanwhile, an alien spacecraft is discovered nearby, which NASA scientists believe may explain the boy's disappearance.

A remake has been on the cards since 2009, when Brad Copeland (Arrested Development) was hired to pen the first script draft. Now, Derek Connolly and Colin Trevorrow have been hired to rework the new script, which the latter is set to direct.

Connolly told Variety:

"'Flight of the Navigator' wasn't a seminal movie of my childhood but I remember liking it and the original meant a lot to Colin as a kid, so it's really his baby. It'll be good to have some balance so it's not two fanboys writing the movie."

 

Connolly and Trevorrow are perhaps best known as the writer and director (in that order) of Safety Not Guaranteed (2012), which was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance film festival, where it also won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award.

Flight of the Navigator– though not an overwhelming success at the time of its 1986 release – has since become something of a classic to the generation who grew up watching it on TV and who couldn’t help but rent the VHS every single time they saw its AWESOME poster artwork staring at them in the video store...

Let’s hope Disney doesn't cock this up.

Perhaps more intriguing than the Flight of the Navigator remake is another in-development movie by Connolly and Trevorrow (which again Trevorrow is slated to direct). The movie – originally titled ‘Intelligent Life’ – has now been renamed The Ambassador. It is set in the United Nations Office of Outer Space Affairs, which monitors the skies for signs of extraterrestrial life and will serve as the first line of communication if alien life is ever encountered.

The plot follows “a shy and unassuming office worker accidentally making first contact with a beautiful woman who he must protect from dangers on Earth and beyond."

'Dark Skies' Vs. 'Dark Skies'

Silver Screen Saucers

 

 

From the Creators of the Original “Dark Skies” (NBC, Sony)

Written by Bryce Zabel & Brent V. Friedman

November 29, 2012

Friends and supporters have been contacting us, many with congratulations on how our “Dark Skies” has been made into a new film, starring Keri Russell, to be released by Dimension Films next February. While it sounds like a dream, we tell them, it’s actually a nightmare.

To set the record straight, we’re Bryce Zabel and Brent Friedman, the two writer/producers who created the NBC series called “Dark Skies.” It was produced by Columbia TV (now Sony) and aired in 1996 and 1997. We wrote the pilot, multiple episodes and produced all twenty hours that were aired in primetime on Saturday nights. 

Our original “Dark Skies” introduced viewers to an alien invasion that featured a continuing focus on the mysterious and terrifying abduction phenomenon. So our well-intentioned friends can be forgiven if they hear about the Dimension Films version that focuses on an alien abduction and assume we had something to do with it. While that is decidedly not the case, our definitive version may have inspired it. 

Our “Dark Skies” had been in the news even before Dimension decided to use our title for their film. Our series was given a world-wide release on DVD in 2011 from both Shout Factory (US) and Medium Rare Entertainment (UK). In dozens of reviews, the work received critical praise as a classic that has stood the test of time in the sci-fi and UFO media. It also spawned new interest in the reboot of our series, something that we were talking to Sony TV about when the news from Dimension Films broke.

Our "Dark Skies" has established itself in the minds of a significant number of science fiction fans as a gripping piece of conspiracy drama set in the world of UFOs and abductions. It anchored NBC's Saturday night "Thrillogy" concept in the 1996 season premiere and starred Eric Close ("Nashville") and the late film character actor J.T. Walsh (“Sling Blade”). Its main title design won the Emmy award and its pilot screenplay received a Writers Guild nomination. The Syfy Channel aired the entire series multiple times. Since 2010 there's been a Facebook page where thousands of fans from many different countries push Sony for a TV revival.

And yet here we are. A film in the same genre as our work is being promoted right now using the same exact title as our work. Most Hollywood businesses legitimately consider creative and artistic interests and rights in these cases. This one seems to have slipped through the cracks of acceptability.

Supporters of the creative rights of writers should ask Dimension Films to let their film stand on its own merits and call it by a different title. "Dark Skies" is taken.

Join the Dark Skies Resistance @ Facebook

See the Dark Skies Playlist @ YouTube

Read more about Dark Skies @ AfterDisclosure.com

‪Get the original, classic and definitive Dark Skies Series @ Amazon

Dark Skies @ IMDB

WGA (Writers Guild of America) Credit, 1996
“Dark Skies” | Created by Bryce Zabel & Brent V. Friedman

Halloween contest winners + Hudson Horror Show 666!

Greetings b-movie fans! The holiday season has suddenly arrived and is keeping me extremely busy at work and at home. Because of this, I haven't had much time to do anything with The Vault (or any of my other blogs or sites for that matter), but fear not for I have not abandoned my dark little corner of the web!

The first thing I want to do before I start talking up a certain film festival that's happening NEXT WEEKEND, is give a hearty congrats to the winners of the Vault's two Halloween giveaways. Last month, I asked readers and Facebook fans to send me photos of their jack-o-lanterns and latest Halloween costumes. Several entries were turned in, but two gents won the day, and walked away with some kick ass prizes. (Which included a "Halloween II / Halloween III: Season of the Witch" double feature DVD and a 2-disc "Zombi 2" Shriek Show DVD w/mini poster.) Here are the photos that the winners sent in; great stuff guys! Congrats on winning; I hope you enjoyed your prizes!

James Tompson as Jason Voorhees!

Amazing pumpkin carving awesomeness, courtesy of Brandon Fields!

With that taken care of, it is time to talk about my all-time favorite cult film festival, namely the HUDSON HORROR SHOW! This sixth incarnation of the increasingly popular film fest boasts one of the best lineups I have ever seen! 

Yes, you are reading that correctly folks; there are indeed SIX awesome flicks included in the show! I've seen all but two of them ("Switchblade Sisters," and "Black Christmas"), and as an added bonus, I haven't seen any of them on the big screen before. In an era where all theaters are being forced to go digital, it will be a real treat to catch all six films in glorious 35MM! As the poster above says, the show is located at the Silver Cinemas in Poughkeepsie, NY! The fest begins at 1 PM and seats WILL SELL OUT, so if you plan on going, shoot over to www.hudsonhorror.com now and pre-order yourself a ticket! Even if you don't, you should get there early to snap up any remaining tickets and two snag one of their limited edition t-shirts!

Also, I have to note that I will not only be attending the event, but I'll also be giving away some cool swag (DVDs, posters, and more!) in between films, so be sure to brush up on your Horror/cult film trivia AND work on delivering your best Ah-nuld Schwarzenegger impression! Also be sure to bring a pillow to sit on (the seats can be unforgivably uncomfortable) and extra cash, because there will be vendors selling books, comics, action figures, posters, artwork, and DVDs at the theater entrance!

Finally..... I want to wish you all a fantastic Thanksgiving Day! Hopefully you have the day off from work so you can chow down and spend some quality time with your families. Remember to chew your food before swallowing, unbutton your pants and/or loosen your belt in order to fit more food into your belly, and if you decide to go out Black Friday shopping be sure to bring protection. I highly suggest riot gear, a tranquilizer gun and/or tazer, and a mug of hot coffee. The latter will give you the extra energy you need to race past other shoppers to discounted items, or it could serve as a weapon too!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING FROM ALL OF US HERE AT THE B-MOVIE FILM VAULT!
(And Radiation-Scarred Reviews, The Casual Gaming Blog,
Bill's Beta Ray Blog, and The Riff Bros.!)