Sanctuary - Cinema Spy: Exclusive: Robin Dunne Has Found His 'Sanctuary'

At Cinema Spy:

(Please follow the link for the complete article.)

Exclusive: Robin Dunne Has Found His 'Sanctuary'

The Syfy series is out on Blu-ray and we chat to one of the stars

By Michael Simpson | Friday, June 18, 2010



Given that Sanctuary is filmed on an ultra-high definition camera, the Vancouver-shot fantasy series seems tailor-made for Blu-ray. It was surprising last year, then, when the First Season came to the home entertainment market only on DVD. Thankfully that has been rectified this week with the release of both Seasons One and Two on BD. Cinema Spy has a full review of those coming up. In the meantime we are marking the occasion with an interview with one of the show's stars, Robin Dunne.

Dunne plays Will Zimmerman, assistant and protégé to monster hunter Dr Helen Magnus (played by Stargate's Amanda Tapping). Magnus runs the sanctuary of the show's title. The unnaturally old but beautiful scientist uses the sanctuary to study and provide a safe have for so-called abnormals. These are mutant beings who might be seen as threatening by 'normal' humanity.

Sanctuary started life as a short Web series. It was popular enough to be picked up by a collection of broadcasters in various countries, including Syfy in the United States and The Movie Network/Movie Central in Canada (later moving to the SPACE Channel). In our chat Dunne discussed what it's like to have been there from the beginning, his character's evolution through the Web series and both seasons that have aired so far (a third is now in production) and why he thinks he has the best job in the world.



A brief excerpt:

CinemaSpy: What are the highlights for Will Zimmerman in Season Two?

Robin Dunne: The two-hour opening is really amazing. We ended on a serious cliffhanger on Season One and that just gets a hell of a lot harder and the stakes just skyrocket. From the get-go Season Two is just a major rollercoaster ride. We do have some amazing episodes. We have a couple of two-handers this season, which are a lot of fun. Amanda Tapping has directed an episode, which is a wonderful episode, and it was a really big treat to work with her as an actor and director. There's nothing that she can't do. Also, stylistically we've done some different stuff [in Season Two]. The shows now look a little different. The scope of the show's going to get a little bigger. And I think because of the stylistic changes the audience is going to get even more of a peek into the show and to see what all the characters are going through all the time. I think definitely it's going to blow your mind.

Stargate Universe - Cinema Spy: How 'Stargate Universe' Won Me Ove

At Cinema Spy:

(Please follow the link for the complete article.)

Redressing the Balance: How 'Stargate Universe' Won Me Over

Why one 'Stargate' fan didn't stop watching 'SGU' after all.

By Michael Simpson | Tuesday, June 15, 2010



Seven months ago I was not expecting to say this: Stargate Universe has been one of my favorite shows on TV this year. That is quite a turnaround from November 2009. Then I wrote an article for CinemaSpy titled Why One Stargate Fan Has Stopped Watching 'Stargate Universe'. I said I'd had enough of unsympathetic characters and soapy subplots, with too little action, humor and meaty drama. I said that 'Life' would probably be the last episode I watched.

Thankfully it wasn’t. Stargate Universe ended its first season last Friday. In the last 10 episodes it has started looking like the series I hoped it would be. With a few exceptions they were exciting, dramatic and thought-provoking. As a result SGU unexpectedly became an essential part of my weekly viewing schedule. After writing off the first half of the season, I think it's only fair that I redress the balance...

Stargate Universe - Resource List for SGU Episode Reviews

[NOTE: The following websites offer Stargate Universe episode reviews. Some links lead to a general list of TV reviews, you will need to search for Stargate Universe.]

Updated: June 12, 2010

Stargate Universe airs on Friday at 9pm on Syfy (US); in Australia on Friday at at 8:30pm on SciFi Channel, in Canada on Friday at 10pm on Space Channel; and in the UK on Tuesday at 8pm on Sky One.



About.com SciFi / Fantasy Guide
The Bright Idea - Video episode reviews!
Cinema Spy
Clique Clack
ColonelEZ.net
Curve House
Cybermage
Daemon's TV
dakinegirl
Den of Geek
Billie Doux
Eclipse Magazine
The Gate
GateWorld [Note: click on episode, and then look for fan reviews]
The Hachiko
Houston Chronicle (Houston, TX)
iF Magazine
IGN
Insights of a Television Addict
Memoirs on a Rainy Day
Our Side of the Universe
Pink Raygun
Read at Joe's
Remediating SGU
Right Fans: SciFi from the Other Side
Science Fiction Stuff
The SciFi Block
SciFi Now Magazine
SFX Magazine Blog
SG Univer
Show Me SciFi
Slice of SciFi
Suite 101
Total SciFi Online
Tubular TV
The TV Obsessed
TV Overmind
Wormhole Riders - Previews

Barry Pepper - CinemaSpy: Exclusive Interview

At CinemaSpy:

(Please follow the link for the complete two-page CinemaSpy interview.)



Exclusive Interview: Barry Pepper

The Canadian actor talks about his career, working with Clint Eastwood, and sailing the world

By Robert Falconer | Monday, March 30, 2009

Ever since his defining role as the devoutly religious sharp shooter in Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan, Canadian actor Barry Pepper has established himself as a solid character actor whose performances, whether big or small, are always memorable. And while Pepper may have seemingly made war films a specialty — Private Ryan, We Were Soldiers, Flags of Our Fathers — it’s a label the actor dismisses as merely coincidental.

He may be right. Pepper has also starred in two sports biopics, playing real life characters in both: 3: The Dale Earnhardt Story, in which he played Dale Earnhardt and 61, in which he starred as baseball legend Roger Maris.

Still, in Flags of Our Fathers, there’s an irony that cannot be overlooked: Not only does Pepper play a soldier, but a real life soldier—Sgt. Michael Strank, a Slovakian-born Marine immortalized in Joe Rosenthal’s Pulitzer Prize-wining photo of the United States Marines who raised the American flag over Mt. Suribachi during the battle of Iwo Jima in 1945, around which Clint Eastwood’s WWII film is centered. Strank fought in tough battles like Bougainville, and his subordinates all looked to him as a leader.

As if all of that weren’t enough, George Lucas is considering Pepper for a role in his next project, Red Tails, a chronicle of the Tuskegee Airmen during the Second World War.

Apparently, Pepper isn’t worried about typecasting. His last few films, including the role of Dan in Seven Pounds, and that of Rip Porter in the forthcoming adaptation of Karen Kingsbury’s novel "Like Dandelion Dust", are about as far removed from soldiering as one can get, yet still squarely within the realm of his growing repertoire as one of Hollywood's most versatile character actors.

A brief excerpt:

CinemaSpy: How would you describe the directing styles of Steven Spielberg on Saving Private Ryan versus Clint Eastwood on Flags of Our Fathers?

Barry Pepper: Well, they’re both very expeditious directors. And they’re both very relaxed when it comes to the script. They work in a completely organic way and give the actor full responsibility to explore the boundaries of the character, regardless of the dialogue. If something comes up in the scene where either you’ve forgotten the dialogue, or you think of something better to say, then you can say it. There’s an incredible amount of freedom that comes with that. You feel as though you’re being treated as a peer, or as a filmmaker. But it’s also a maturing process, because you’re not being held by the hand, you’re not being given literal direction. You’re being asked to take responsibility and perform as a professional. And at their level, which is daunting at first. Steven will give you a little more time. He likes to talk more about character and scene, because he has an incredible gift for storytelling.

Burn Notice - CinemaSpy: Exclusive Interview - Gabrielle Anwar

At CinemaSpy:

(Please follow the link for the complete interview.)



Interview: Gabrielle Anwar

The British charmer talks about her gun-toting status on 'Burn Notice'

By Blaine Kyllo | Sunday, February 8, 2009

She’s petite, she’s beautiful, and on Burn Notice, Gabrielle Anwar plays things tough as nails.

As Fiona Glenanne, an Irish expat with ties to the IRA, Anwar is more comfortable with a gun in her hand than a purse. She advises using a golf club rather than a bat for beating up on gangsters because they can be made to move faster.

It’s a bit of a departure for Anwar, who broke out in Scent of a Woman, which also starred Al Pacino and Chris O’Donnell, but the actress seems to relish her role as a tough, no-nonsense woman.

Burn Notice, which has been picked up for a third season of 16 episodes on USA, stars Jeffrey Donovan as Michael Westen, a former operative who has been functionally exiled in Miami and is trying to figure out who burned his career. Fiona Glenanne is a former girlfriend whom Westen came to know while on assignment in Ireland.

The specifics of the relationship between Michael and Fiona are ever vague, but the sexual and emotional tension between the two is palpable.

The third wheel is Sam Axe, played by Bruce Campbell, formerly a Navy Seal. Together, the trio work to help the little people who have been taken advantage of, all the while trying to help Michael restore his reputation.

A brief excerpt:

...Question: When we talk to a lot of actors and actresses they sometimes are fearful of couples getting together or not getting together, thinking about what ramifications it might have on the length or the life of the series. Do you want to see them get together? Do you want to see them stay apart? How do you want to see this relationship play out?

Gabrielle Anwar: I have to agree. I think there’s a certain amount of tension that is inevitable when a relationship isn’t really predictable. Obviously, Michael and Fiona have consummated their affection for one another. I think that the likelihood of their hooking up in a conventional manner with an engagement or a marriage or something, it’s just not in their cards. I don’t think it would appeal to either of them actually. They’re out of the box.

So I don’t think that would be an issue as far as . . . just not have any kind of predictability. I find that much more intriguing. When you start taking someone for granted in real life or in make-believe it loses a sense of passion, particularly in my eyes.

Stargate Atlantis - CinemaSpy: Remote View: Requiem for 'Atlantis

At CinemaSpy:

(Please follow the link for the complete article.)



Remote View: Requiem for 'Atlantis'

Blaine Kyllo looks back at five years in the Pegasus Galaxy

By Blaine Kyllo | Wednesday, January 14, 2009


Ah, Stargate Atlantis, you young upstart. You matured before our eyes. Now you are five, and all grown up, and it’s time for you to go.

Be sure that we’ll miss you. You were more than just the younger sibling of Stargate SG-1, the long-running television series that exceeded and supplanted its cousin, the feature film. Just as SG-1 moved on to bigger and better and longer things, we hope that you will, too.

And as we will miss you, so will we miss the characters that brought life to you. The charming blend of nationalities, the elevated status of scientists, the tender treatment of the indigenous peoples issue ...

... Atlantis, it’s time for you to go. There’s a new baby coming soon, and its time to make room for it. Instead, you can move on to the occasional feature project, the longer form that will give you the chance to linger on moments, to revel in breathtaking battle sequences and, most of all, explosions.

We’re not sure what your new sibling, Stargate Universe, will look like. In your final episode, Colonel Steven Caldwell mentioned that the Odyssey was on a top-secret mission even he wasn’t supposed to know about, so it’s likely that starship features in the premiere of the new series.

We know that Universe stars veteran Scottish actor Robert Carlyle as a character named Dr. David Rush. We hope that he and the other cast members that will soon join the crew will have the same chemistry, the same fast friendships, the same quick humor that you and your older sibling Stargate SG-1 have.

Go well, Stargate Atlantis, and go with the knowledge that you were great to us, and we loved you for it.

Battlestar Galactica - CinemaSpy: Exclusive Interview - Rekha Sharma

At CinemaSpy:

(Please follow the link for the complete CinemaSpy interview.)



Exclusive Interview: 'Battlestar Galactica's' Rekha Sharma

A candid conversation with one of the 'final five'

By Robert Falconer | Tuesday, January 13, 2009

With only two days left until the final 10 episodes of Battlestar Galactica debut on SCI FI Channel (SPACE in Canada), and 10 webisodes entitled "The Resistance" that have teased viewers during the interim break, anticipation about how this show is going to wrap is building to a fever pitch. By all accounts the series has been fortunate in that the producers had the opportunity to dovetail it's various story threads into a conclusion that satisfied them, something executive producer Ron Moore told TV Guide in the past few days.

"I think we were able to answer most of the questions that we’d raised over the years," Moore said. "And, sort of, to resolve most of the mysteries and at the same time give a resolution to all the character arcs and to wrap it up by the end. And we don’t save everything until the last episode. We sort of start answering questions along the way."

Chief amongst those questions, of course, is 'Who is the final Cylon?', something about which fans have been speculating across the blogosphere since the show ended its fourth season last March, with the fleet arriving at what — on the surface at least — is ostensibly Earth after some sort of apocalypse. Theories abound, but while we wait for the mystery to begin unraveling this Friday, we thought it would be appropriate to sit and chat with one member of the 'final five' for whom mystery and surprise has been a constant companion: Tory Foster, aka Canadian actress Rekha Sharma. As most readers well know, Tory embraced her inner Cylon (piss her off, say hello to an airlock) even while Tigh fluttered about in denial, the Chief cogitated, and Anders just went along with the whole thing, few questions asked.

For Sharma, it's a role that she has thoroughly embraced. The charming Vancouver-born actress — who has been featured on such American shows as Dark Angel, Smallville and John Doe, along with popular Canadian series such as DaVinci's City Hall and The Guard — is intelligent, warm, gracious and very cognizant of the fact that Galactica has offered a level of performance intensity and opportunity that comes along rarely for most actors. (To watch her debut scene on the series, click the Video tab at the top of the article.)

A brief excerpt:

Robert: Let's get right to it and talk about Galactica's final 10 episodes. Are you excited about what happens to Tory?

Rekha Sharma: Yeah...yeah...yeah. But I can't tell you what happens [laughs]. Other than to say it is beautiful, touching, heartbreaking and exciting. When I read the script for the two part ending there were about ten pages where my heart was literally racing as I was reading it. And there was another part where I was crying. I was on a plane and there was a woman next to me looking at me like I was insane as I was reading it and wiping the tears from my eyes.

Stargate Atlantis - CinemaSpy: Inside the VFX of 'Stargate Atlantis'

At CinemaSpy:

(Please follow the link for the complete Mark Savela interview and to view two special effects videos from Stargate Atlantis' 'Adrift.')



Mark Savela and 1st Assistant Director Andy Pappas courtesy of Joseph Mallozzi's blog.

Cinemagic: Inside the VFX of 'Stargate Atlantis'

Mark Savela on the series' Emmy Award-winning visual

By Robert Falconer | Monday, November 10, 2008

... CinemaSpy: Atlantis' visual effects are really first-rate. It must be an overwhelming workload season to season. Talk about how your department works to deliver consistently exciting effects for the series week after week.

Mark Savela: Basically what we do is get the scripts for each episode, break them down for all the visual effects in them, and then we have a content meeting with all the departments involved. Then we have another visual effects meeting where we go through all of it with the director and the producers and the writers...and go through our budget. And then about four or five days later we have a production meeting and a tech survey, where we go through all the shots on set and on location and see how we're gonna shoot specific shots.

After that, we shoot for about seven days, with a couple of days of second unit, then the director does his cut of an episode; the producers do their cut; we get our quotes from all our outside vendors...and then we spot the shows with the producers. Then we start work, delivering temps for the sound for the visual effects—something that's as close to accurate timing as we can get...and then we deliver finals at the end.

And we work well ahead. At any one time we're working on twelve episodes at a time, all at various stages.

Passchendaele - CinemaSpy: Paul Gross Interview

At CinemaSpy:

(Please follow the link for the complete CinemaSpy interview.)




Paul Gross and Caroline Dhavernas in a scene from 'Passchendaele'.

Exclusive Interview: Paul Gross

Why he's passionate about 'Passchendaele'

By Robert Falconer | Thursday, October 30, 2008

He is one of Canada's most recognized actors, and he has written and directed one of our nation's most important dramatic films. Paul Gross, who many remember as the always polite Constable Benton Fraser on the 1997 to 1999 series Due South, or as the quirky Geoffrey Tennant from the series Slings and Arrows (2003 to 2006), has, with one important new film, eclipsed all his previous creative endeavors — and yes, we're including Men with Brooms here — in his cinematic epic, Passchendaele.

For those unfamiliar with the story, Passchendaele concerns the Battle of Passchendaele (a rural town near Ypres in the Belgian province of West Flanders), one of the major skirmishes of World War I, in which British, Canadian, South African and ANZAC units engaged the Imperial German Army. The Second Battle of Passchendaele was fought by all four divisions of the Canadian Corps. The battle lasted from October 26 until November 15, resulting in atrocious casualties for Canadian forces before they were able to finally recapture the town.

The conflict robbed Canada of a generation of young men, forged a new identity for the country in hellish pits of fire and mud, and changed the face of Europe and modern warfare forever.

Gross' film depicts the struggle of the Canadian Corps, focusing on the life of Sergeant Michael Dunne (played by Gross), who fought for the 10th Battalion (aka The "Fighting Tenth") with the 1st Canadian Division, and participated in all the major Canadian battles of the war, setting the record for highest number of individual bravery awards for a single battle. Along the way, Dunne falls in love with a nurse, Sarah Mann (played by Caroline Dhavernas), while trying to shelter Sarah's brother David (Joe Dinicol) from the inevitability of military service.

The experiences of Michael Dunne are based upon conversations with Gross' grandfather, who served in the conflict, and the film is peppered throughout with an honest verisimilitude that could only come from the recollections of first hand experience, and a family lineage of military service (Gross' father was also a career military officer, who served in the armored corps in Korea).

CinemaSpy recently sat down with Gross in Vancouver to discuss this important new Canadian film, and why he believes that Canada's definition of heroism differs sharply from that of our cousins south of the 49th parallel...


A brief excerpt:

Question: How are you finding the reaction to the film thus far?

Paul Gross: The reaction so far has been wonderful. The most moving and stirring thing of all ... we've been doing a lot of premieres across Canada ... a lot of veterans are coming to the film, and they're Second World War guys now, and they'll get up and start talking after the film, and it's like something is uncorked in them. One guy in Winnipeg got up and started talking about house-to-house and hand-to-hand fighting in Monte Cassino in Italy during the Second World War...and he starts crying. And a young couple nearby, 18 to 20 years old, are watching him recount this story, and you can ascertain that they "see" him for the first time...not just as an old guy with medals that they don't understand, but as a guy who was their age and doing these things that he's describing that are similar to the things in the film.

It was unbelievably moving. If the film can mediate that sort of thing a little bit and cut through that cobweb of history so that younger people can see where we all come from ... that's deeply moving.

Passchendaele is currently playing in theaters across Canada. A theatrical release in the United States is planned, but no details are yet available.

Official web site

'Passchendaele,' stars Paul Gross, Caroline Dhavernas, Alex Arsenault, Meredith Bailey, Gil Bellows, Joe Dinicol, David Brown, Michael Greyeyes, Adam Harrington and Brian Jensen. Filmed in Calgary, AL, Canada.

Stargate/Sanctuary - CinemaSpy: Martin Wood Interview

At CinemaSpy:

(Please follow the link for the complete four-page interview.)



Exclusive Interview: Martin Wood

The director discusses 'Sanctuary', 'Stargate' and Canada's underrated production potential

By Michael Simpson | Thursday, October 16, 2008

Director Martin Wood is a dedicated ambassador for Canada's film and television industry. Not only is he a passionate advocate of the country's capacity to produce entertainment that can play on the world market, he's also proving the point with his work on the Stargate franchise and Sanctuary.

Wood has served as both a director and producer on Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis. Admittedly both series are backed by major American studios, but they are shot in CinemaSpy's home city of Vancouver (see here) and the crews that work on them are comprised largely of Canadians. Sanctuary, on the other hand, has foundations built in Canada. Wood worked closely with Damian Kindler on the creation of the show, which began in 2007 as a series of eight high-definition webisodes. These were released on the Net in on a pay-to-download basis by Stage 3 Media, the company Kindler co-created to make Sanctuary. Stage 3 Media was originally based in a small office in a crumbling building in Vancouver's Gastown district. Since then, it has moved to newer premises and Sanctuary has been picked up by SCI FI Channel in the United States, Movie Central/The Movie Network (TMN) in Canada and ITV in Britain.

Sanctuary has bucked the prevailing trend among the many popular series that have been shot in Vancouver. Instead of being 'imported' to Canada by US networks looking to reduce production costs, it was created, produced, directed and distributed in Canada using a cast and crew that is almost entirely Canadian. It was then popular enough on the Web to be sold south of the border. Of course, that has happened before with Canadian shows, such as Due South, Corner Gas and Flashpoint, but most have been unable to capture a prime-time slot on a US channel. Sanctuary, however, has been placed at the heart of SCI FI's popular Friday night line-up alongside Stargate Atlantis.

The show stands a chance of competing in this slot partly because it stars long-time Stargate lead Amanda Tapping. Also, many Stargate alumni have worked on the cast and crew, including Kindler, Wood, producer N. John Smith, stunt co-ordinator James Bamford and actors Christopher Heyerdahl, David Hewlett and Kavan Smith. Sanctuary is also there, though, because it has the same high production values that are seen in SCI FI's American-backed series. That's something new for a sci-fi show born in Canada and largely financed by Canadian money.

As Martin Wood explained in a recent interview with CinemaSpy, making Sanctuary an example of what Canada can produce has been integral to the vision that he, Kindler and Tapping have for the series. In the interview he also challenged the myth that nothing new is being produced in Canada and spoke briefly about his experience directing the DVD movie Stargate Continuum. Continuum was praised by Stargate fans when it was released earlier this year and Wood had good news for those hoping to see him return for a future film in the series.


A brief excerpt:

CinemaSpy: I spoke to Damian a while ago and I asked him what different qualities each of you brings to the scripts that you write together. He jokingly said that you are "reckless, chaotic and irresponsible," while he knows what he was doing [see here]. I'm going to turn that around and ask you the same question.

Martin Wood: [laughs] Well here's what happens. Damian has a sense of order and a sense of what a script should look like. I'm reckless and chaotic and completely throw all those rules out and say, "Look, let's tell the story in a lot of different ways, not just by people talking about it." So where he writes the words down and says, "This is what they're going to say," I say, "No, we're going to take those words away and I'm going to show them doing it." And we have this hybrid thing happening between us where both our brains are moving in different directions. He feels he has to explain everything; I feel you don't have to explain anything and you can have a whole show with five words in it. If Tom Hanks is talking to Wilson in Castaway, you can still hold an audience and they can still watch it if you know what you're doing. Honestly, when Damian writes a script he writes a really solid story, but it's always too many pages too long. So what I'll do, I'll go into his scripts and say, "You don't need this, you don't need this, you don't need this, you don't need this." It's like pulling the arms off a child in front of him, but he understands that it's sort of the symbiosis we have, because without the arms to pull off I wouldn't have anything to do, and without the arms being pulled off it wouldn't look as cool as it does. So we both sort of look at each other and say, "OK, this works."

Heroes - CinemaSpy: Exclusive Interview: Masi Oka

At CinemaSpy:

(Please follow the link for the complete four-page interview.)



Exclusive Interview: Masi Oka

The star of NBC's 'Heroes' dishes on Season 3!

By Robert Falconer | Tuesday, September 30, 2008

After a second season that both fans and critics acknowledged could have been better, NBC and producer Tim Kring have high hopes for the third year of Heroes, the groundbreaking series that sprang onto the scene to much acclaim back in 2006.

They're not the only ones. The cast, too, is filled with anticipation about this new season, none more than Emmy and Golden Globe Award-nominated actor Masi Oka, who plays Hiro Nakamura, the Japanese nonconformist computer/anime geek whose ability to pierce the space-time continuum and manipulate time has empowered him with foresight into a dangerous future—and what he must do to change it.

Oka is characteristically optimistic about this season, certain that the writers have listened to fans and learned to sidestep the pitfalls leveled at Season 2's storyline. "...I think the writers took those words to heart and delivered something that the fans wanted," he says.

With numerous guest starring roles to his credit on such shows as Without a Trace, Will & Grace and The Gilmore Girls, along with recurring roles on Scrubs and Luis, Oka has been around the Hollywood machine long enough to know that ups and downs are de rigueur in the business. Moreover, the 33 year-old actor also co-starred in the recent Get Smart feature; has a background in improvisation; and continues to provide ILM with groundbreaking effects technology for more than 30 films thanks to degrees in mathematics and computer science from Brown University. His multidisciplinary passion for the industry probably goes a long way towards explaining his balanced outlook on life, and the gracious way in which he comports himself when answering repetitive questions from not only journalists, but the show's fiercely loyal viewers.

Last Friday, CinemaSpy sat down for a conference interview with Oka in which the actor talked about what's coming up for Heroes third season, his thoughts on Hiro's development, and other assorted topics...


A brief excerpt:

...Question: Is it hard to keep the balance of the sort of happy, naïve, enthusiastic person we met the beginning with the weight of the experience and the tragedy he’s had, and make it seem like he’s growing without making him grow too tragic?

Masi Oka: Oh absolutely. I think that’s an important balance to have and the writers, you know, are very conscious of that. But that’s what makes Hiro great, you know, is his enthusiasm. He’s not—he’s (only) discovered his power so it’s a little bit different.

One thing we know about Hiro is that he’s always going to be very pure. No matter what it is, he’s going to do what he feels is right in terms of saving the world. So his naiveté might have gone away because of all the tragedy he’s experienced, but his purity and his sense of morality will always stay the same.

So that’s something we’ll see, and his childlike sensibility. So he’ll always be—there will always be some sort of wonderment. You know, we’ll see him as he goes through various locations and he’ll find some like wonderful discovery at—wherever he goes.

Also, the writers have actually come up with a very creative way of finding that rediscovering of the power and we’ll see that later on in the season. So I think—it’s definitely a difficult balance. You know, you got (sight)—Hiro’s storyline; Hiro and Ando have always been kind of like the comedic relief. And we want to makes sure we have some sort of that entertainment on the fun side, the light side of saving the world to balance kind of the dark tones of the rest of the storyline.

Stargate / Sanctuary - CinemaSpy: Christopher Heyerdahl Interview

At CinemaSpy:

(Please follow the link for the complete four-page interview.)



Exclusive Interview: Christopher Heyerdahl

On 'Sanctuary', 'Stargate', humanizing villains and supporting Canadian film.

By Michael Simpson | Thursday, September 25, 2008

Like every hard-working character actor, Christopher Heyerdahl has worn many faces. Yet, he probably goes unrecognized by most people on the streets of Vancouver, Montreal or Toronto, where he often plies his trade. Heyerdahl was born in Vancouver and that city has been a particularly good base for him. As Hollywood North, it has provided Heyerdahl with opportunities for roles in several films and television series produced by American studios, including Smallville, Psych, Masters of Horror, Jeremiah, Andromeda, 21 Jump Street, The Dead Zone, The Collector, Blade: Trinity and The Chronicles of Riddick. Heyerdahl has also appeared in Stargate SG-1 and had two recurring roles on Stargate Atlantis. In one of those roles he plays a Wraith named Todd, who has become one of the series' most popular returning characters. The role might have made Heyerdahl's face more familiar, except that he is concealed under the prosthetics that make the Wraith one of the scariest (and ugliest) alien races on television.

It is thanks to his work with Stargate regulars Amanda Tapping, Martin Wood and Damian Kindler, however, that Heyerdahl will play a prominent role in the upcoming series Sanctuary. Sanctuary is bucking the trend of Vancouver-shot shows and being exported down to the United States. It stars Tapping as monster-hunter Dr. Helen Magnus, who has a long and turbulent association with Heyerdahl's character, Montague John Druitt. Druitt is ostensibly the series' chief villain. Sanctuary was created by Kindler and first saw life as an eight-webisode Internet series directed by Martin Wood (who will be interviewed shortly on CinemaSpy). CinemaSpy recently caught up with Heyerdahl as filming of the first season came to an end. In the interview he discusses Sanctuary, the appeal of fantasy roles and his commitment to Canadian film and television.

A brief excerpt:

CinemaSpy: How did you get the part of John Druitt in Sanctuary?

Christopher Heyerdahl: Well, that's a good question. I was shown the script [and they said,] "Here, take a look at this Chris and just have a good read. It's a great script." And I looked at it. I fell absolutely in love with this character of Montague John Druitt. Just the tragic essence of the character was very attractive to me and I thought, 'Oh, if anybody else gets this part I'm just gonna...now maybe I'll become the murderer.' And I was given a call from Martin Wood about a half an hour before I had to actually speak. He said, "Christopher, we're doing this reading and I'd love you to come and read for us around the table. We're reading that script.' And I said, "OK, great." And so I jump on my bike and head out there and I arrive there about a half hour late, and they're already into the reading. I sit down and along comes Druitt and I start reading. I had such a wonderful time reading that. And at the end of it they just pulled me aside and said, "It's yours." I had no idea it was an audition or anything like that. I just was coming in for a reading for the producers and director and all the creatives and I ended up getting the part. So it was a surprise. [laughs] A very pleasant surprise.

Stargate Atlantis - Cinema Spy: Robert Picardo Interview

At Cinema Spy:

(Please follow the link for the complete three-page interview.)



Interview: Robert Picardo

On 'Atlantis' and playing a cross between Mr. Rogers and Hannibal Lecter

By Robert Falconer | Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Brilliant, neurotic, irascible, funny, brave...musical. These are all characteristics embodied in the performances of Robert Picardo. What's amazing, however, is that the actor brought each of these traits to a single character—that of Star Trek Voyager's holographic doctor (EMH), whom Picardo played every week for seven seasons between 1995 and 2001. This versatility caught the eyes of Vancouver's Stargate producers, who in 2004 hired Picardo to play the recurring role of International Oversight Advisory (IOA) member Richard Woolsey on both SG-1 and Atlantis, ultimately leading him to take command of Atlantis in the series' fifth (and now final) season.

Yet despite his extraordinary versatility, Picardo is about as relaxed and disarming on set as any journalist could hope for, in some ways belying the true range of his acting ability. During a recent press day, CinemaSpy had an opportunity to sit and chat with him about a variety of topics, from contrasting Voyager and Atlantis, to playing a rather weird cross between Mr. Rogers and Hannibal Lecter in his latest film, Sensored.



A brief excerpt:

Question: Was there any trepidation about jumping into another sci-fi show? Do you even think about that?

Robert Picardo: I've been able to do a number of different things since Star Trek ended. I've done several stage shows; Star Trek got me singing again, so I've done three musicals...and I've guest-starred on a number of kinds of shows: sitcoms, procedural dramas—CSI, Cold Case, things like that. I'm happy for the fact that I started outside genre material. China Beach and The Wonder Years were both in very different ways successful, mold-breaking shows, yet not genre shows. It helps you as an actor if you establish a certain credibility before you start working in genre. On the other hand, if it's your first job, then often that can be limiting. I personally think it's unfair that people have a prejudice against science fiction television. Patrick Stewart did a lot to change that. He's such a respected actor; he was just nominated for a Tony for his brilliant performance in MacBeth. So he did a lot to raise the bar as far as perceptions of sci-fi actors are concerned.

Having said that, a sci-fi audience is incredibly loyal. They will follow you elsewhere, wherever you are. They'll come see you on stage, or follow your website to see where you going to appear next, or watch you on other television shows ... so I think that science fiction has been very good to me, and I enjoy doing it, and the season is short enough that I still have the freedom to do other things. At the beginning of this year I did a horror movie. I haven't done a horror film since The Howling. And I just played the lead in a movie called Sensored, that I'm really excited about and that I have a very creepy role in. He's like your neighbor down the street who seems like Mr. Rogers, but who is torturing people in the basement...or maybe he's not. You don't know whether I'm a CIA deprogrammer, or whether I THINK I'm a CIA deprogrammer. Or imagine if Hannibal Lecter ran your local Jamba Juice. I'm a quirky guy who seems like just your regular old neighbor ... so it's a great role, because while I usually play the guy you love to hate, I don't usually play the guy who is going to kill you. And it's the first completed film on a brand new technology called the Red camera, which is getting huge attention, and will garner this film huge attention industry-wise...

Battlestar Galactica - Cinema Spy: Exclusive: Sneak Peek Coffee Table Book

At Cinema Spy:

(Please follow the link for the complete five-page article and the photos.)



Exclusive: The 'Battlestar Galactica' Cast & Crew Coffee Table Book

A sneak peek at intimate, behind-the-scenes reflections

By Robert Falconer | Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Battlestar Galactica wrapped production here in Vancouver earlier this year, ending a four year run that has not only transformed the landscape of science fiction, but garnered repeated critical acclaim both from mainstream news organizations and the blogisphere alike. As a special commemorative, the production published a beautiful, hardcover tome this summer in which cast & crew recounted their experiences working on the series.

Only intended as an internal publication for those who worked on the show (don't bother looking for it on Amazon, you won't find it), the book is filled with wonderful, intimate anecdotes from producers Ron Moore and David Eick, to almost every member of the production personnel and, of course, the cast.

CinemaSpy was fortunate enough to get our hands on a copy of the book, and since most of you will never get a chance to see it, we thought we'd share a few excerpts and photos from it herewith so that devout fans can partake in some of the wonderful behind-the-scenes thoughts and memories experienced by those who happily toiled on this grand project.

A few notable names surprisingly escaped the publication, among them Concept Illustrator Eric Chu, who was responsible for designing the new Galactica, Centurions, Raiders and Basestar, along with CG Supervisor Lee Stringer (Zoic) who worked on the miniseries, and Digital Effects Supervisor Emile Edwin Smith (Zoic).

Those omissions aside, however, it's a fascinating examination of the inner workings of a series, told through the ruminations of those who brought it to life. Broken into several sections, it also includes story summaries for each of the four seasons.

One of the more interesting extracts comes from Ronald D. Moore, who below cogitates over his first experience directing (the forthcoming episode "The Oath"), which is where we begin...

Stargate SG-1 - Cinema Spy: Ben Browder Interview

At Cinema Spy:

(Please follow the link for the complete five-page interview.)



Interview: Ben Browder

On 'Stargate', 'Farscape', writing a mini-series for SCI FI...and weed whackers

By Michael Simpson | Wednesday, September 10, 2008


Although he came to the series late, Ben Browder fits right in on the set of Stargate SG-1. The actor, who plays SG-1's leader Cameron Mitchell, signed on to the show at the start of its ninth season, following the departure of Richard Dean Anderson (who played Jack O'Neill). The cast and crew that Browder joined is characterized by an unpretentious openness and enthusiasm. The ebullient Memphis-born actor shares those qualities. He also has an infectious sense of humor that, by his own admission, is hard to contain. All of these traits were evident in an interview he gave earlier this year at Bridge Studios in Vancouver, where Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis are filmed. During the chat, Browder discussed his experience of coming aboard SG-1 towards the end of its 10-year run, what he likes and dislikes about Mitchell, why he's worried that he didn't get the girl in the direct-to-video movie Stargate Continuum (released in July), and what he thinks about being typecast as a sci-fi actor. He also asked for advice on weed-whackers.



A brief excerpt:


CinemaSpy: Have you found the experience of filming in Canada, Australia and the US different?

Ben Browder: Well, I have more experience filming in Australia and in Canada than I probably do filming in the US just because of the longevity of the work. They're surprisingly similar in many ways. The differences are more cultural. The physical mechanics of making movies is similar. Every set has its own culture and vibe, so I really couldn't compare Canada to Australia. I could compare Stargate to Farscape. I'm sure you guys have probably been on more sets than I've been on. You go on a set... everyone has a different vibe. It comes from both ends of the food chain in regards to how a set is because of what the script is like, how successful the show is, what's the creative process. So every show has a different culture, and I don't know how to compare those in regards to nationalities because I think I would probably be only speaking specifically about the two shows. And there's a danger in there because I'll end up saying something like, "Canadians sound really intelligent, but somehow evil, eh. They sound like they're from Minnesota, but smarter, eh." [laughs] I made the mistake of talking to RDA [Richard Dean Anderson] about it. He appeared in one the later episodes of Stargate, I think it was Moebius, where he's on the boat, and I thought he was affecting a Canadian accent, not realizing it was Minnesotan, which is his native accent. I said, "So why d'you choose to do the Canadian accent?" He said, "What are you talking about?" [I said,] "You know, when you were on the boat and it was the separate timeline thing. Was it like a homage to the crew or something." [laughs]He looks at me like, "What?" [I said,] "You know, the timeline thing, and you were on the boat and you were like, ëeh'" He goes, "Like, 'I'm from Minnesota,' eh?" I went, "Oooh, right." [laughs] I thought the Canadian's had a lock on "Eh." No?

Eureka - Cinema Spy: Colin Ferguson Exclusive Interview

At Cinema Spy:

(Please follow the link for the complete interview.)



Colin Ferguson as Sheriff Jack Carter

Exclusive Interview: Colin Ferguson

The star of ‘Eureka’ dishes on the show’s quirky humor

By Blaine Kyllo | Monday, September 8, 2008

Colin Ferguson, the Canadian-born actor who anchors the ensemble cast of the quirky sci-fi series Eureka, has been floating around TV screens for a few years, being cast in pilots that just never seemed to take off. His role on the U.S. version of UK hit Coupling fizzled, but served to get him some notice in the industry.

In 2006 he was cast to star in yet another pilot, for a new series to air on Sci Fi, about an everyman who ends up living in a community of geniuses. The charming brand of humor delivered by the high-concept show was perfectly suited to Ferguson, who had trained on improv stages in Montreal and with Second City in Chicago and Detroit.

To his surprise, Eureka, which is lensed in Vancouver, was a hit, and is well into a third season on Sci Fi, which placed a 21-episode order (it airs on Tuesday; Canada’s Space premieres Season 3 on Monday, Sept 8).

In an exclusive interview with CinemaSpy, Ferguson talked about the importance of his improv roots, his connection to the two Steves (Colbert and Carell), the dramatic changes that have impacted the town of Eureka in Season 3, and what it’s like to be part of the quirky show that could.

A brief excerpt:

Blaine Kyllo: What is it like to be part of this quirky little show that suddenly gets a 21-episode third season?

Colin Ferguson: It’s great. It’s interesting. There’s good and there’s bad to it. All you want when you start out is to do a show that lasts. You want to know if you can do it. You want to know if you can be a part of something that people want to see. You want to know if you “have it”.

Blaine Kyllo: Spoken like somebody who’s been around Pilot Season for a few years.

Colin Ferguson: Yeah. This is probably my eighth pilot. And I’ve had pretty good luck with them. I had three or four go to series. Not that they lasted, but . . . . And then you get into your third year, and you get the 21 order, and you’re, like, “Yeah, 21!” And then you look at your contract, which is for eight years. And all of a sudden you go, “Oh, my god. Eight years?” [laughs] Thats basically a decade when you get the pilot year in there. I’m going to be living outside of my home for eight years? The reality of that sinks in and you realize you have to go about it differently to make it more livable...

Stargate Atlantis - Cinema Spy: Exclusive Interview: David Hewlett

At Cinema Spy:

(Please follow the link for the complete four-page interview.)



Exclusive Interview: David Hewlett

The 'Atlantis' veteran on damaging the image of Canadians

By Blaine Kyllo | Sunday, August 24, 2008

David Hewlett is the de facto veteran of the Stargate Atlantis team. He’s not only got more credits than his ensemble castmates, but his character of Rodney McKay appeared regularly on Stargate SG-1.


A brief excerpt:


On Atlantis the character of McKay has expanded beyond being a comic foil or trickster-obstacle. He has become less annoying and more sympathetic, less pathetic and more flawed, an understandable transition if audiences were expected to sympathize with him as a main character. The fact that Hewlett, also a veteran of the Canadian film and television scene, gets to play McKay as a Canadian brainiac is something he derives a winking pleasure from.

At Vancouver’s Bridge Studios in May, Hewlett sat down with a group of journalists to talk about the pleasures and pitfalls of being a costar on Stargate Atlantis and what it’s like to work with his sister, Kate Hewlett, who plays Rodney McKay’s sister, Jeanie Miller.


CinemaSpy: What does it mean to play McKay as a Canadian?

David Hewlett: It’s fun, for a change, to do some damage to people’s opinions of Canadians. Every time you see Canadians on television they’re always the sweetest, nicest, not terribly bright people. They are often mounties who, by accident, rescue people. It’s nice to play the genius astrophysicist who’s actually a complete asshole as well. I think I’m doing some permanent damage to the image of Canadians, and I think it’s always fun to mix it up a bit. Especially now that I’m actually living in the States...

Stargate Atlantis - Cinema Spy: Exclusive Interview: Joe Flanigan

At Cinema Spy:

(Please follow the link for the complete four-page interview.)



Exclusive Interview: Joe Flanigan

The 'Stargate Atlantis' star on being an action hero

By Blaine Kyllo | Monday, August 18, 2008

Joe Flanigan, who plays John Sheppard on Stargate Atlantis, is a funny guy. But he has a dry sense of humour, so when he’s telling a joke it takes a moment to register because the only cue to the fact that he’s just said something funny is a slight shift in the cadence of his speech.

In talking with journalists at Vancouver’s Bridge Studios in May, he kept the group so relaxed and at ease that the 30 minutes seemed less like an interview session and more like a group of people hanging out at the pub. Flanigan talked about the sorry state of the action-adventure genre in the medium of television and why he prefers the Wraith to the Replicators.


A brief excerpt:

CinemaSpy: You talked about the action-adventure aspect of the show being one of its popular elements. What other things appeal to people?

Joe Flanigan: I have very specific beliefs. The show is successful because of the chemistry of characters and because I don’t think the show takes itself too seriously. I think that’s really important. I think you can take yourself seriously, and you can say all sorts of profound things and everything can be really dramatic, but you’d better be awfully good. And the odds are you’re better off doing a $150 million science fiction movie that’s serious, but when you’re doing a 44-minute television show for $3 million, then you have to know what your limitations are, and if you come off as very serious and pretentious, and it comes off instead as being, well, pretentious, then I think you lose people. Also, my favourite shows, movies, and TV shows were always - I loved Rockford Files as a kid, I loved all those guys where they were having fun. They’re good guys and they are having fun. For some reason over the last ten years it seems like Hollywood executives have fallen in love with bad people, edgy dark characters because that’s cool. So what they’ve done is they’ve created tonnes of these shows and they’ve all failed. Almost all of them have failed. Even if you go to the Sopranos, the dark character is a good guy. You can call him dark all you want, but the truth is he’s a good guy. And a lot of the shows I’ve seen some very well-known showrunners put up, the characters are just not likable. I think we’re lucky we have likable characters and we also have fun, you see us having fun, we’re making fun of the genre a little bit, we’re making fun of ourselves. Knowing when the adventure is urgent and when it’s kind of funny is important. Comedy and humour are probably the saving grace for us. It allows us to keep going, I think.

Stargate Atlantis - Cinema Spy: Jason Momoa Interview

From Cinema Spy:

(Please follow the link for the complete three-page interview.)



Exclusive Interview: Jason Momoa

Actor not as stoic as his 'Atlantis' character

By Blaine Kyllo | Monday, August 11, 2008

Like Ronon Dex, the character he plays on Stargate Atlantis, Jason Momoa is tall, muscular, and imposing. Unlike the stoic Ronon, however, Momoa is loud, boisterous, and larger than life. He’s the kind of actor that makes sure people know when he’s entered the room, and when he takes to the Daedalus set where interviews with press are being conducted, his voice booms through the hallways.

The day before we saw Momoa in his car, a ’50s-era pink Cadillac he purchased in Santa Barbara and drove to Vancouver in a winding road trio. “She’s called Lulu. Honolulu. Did a road trip, Keroac-style, me and a buddy. Got lost. And found Vancouver. Destination: Vancouver. Windy roads. No heater. We froze our asses off.”

A brief excerpt:

CinemaSpy: Both [stunt coordinator] James Bamford and [costume designer] Val Halverson mentioned how involved you are in idea generation for your character. Talk about that.

Jason Momoa: I’m very involved because to me, my process starts with whatever sparks in my head, my imagination of what this character’s going to be. Then, when I get to set, when I first got here, it was so amazing what these women did with my wardrobe. But it starts for me with the wardrobe. Just like stepping into the character. Val, I would think, is annoyed by me because I’m constantly in there about wardrobe. That’s my passion; I’ve got to constantly be creative. There’s always an outlet there for me, whether I’m doing my art or writing or just having an idea. With that shop down there, they can make, distress, build anything, and Ronon is that guy. He’s always been on the run and he makes his clothes and he’s got these imperfections and it wears the scars of him running. He’s like, “I’ve bled in these. This is my home.” That’s what it is, his boots and his clothes. That’s what he’s carried. To me that was very important, wardrobe.

**snippage**

Stargate Atlantis - Cinema Spy: Exclusive Rachel Luttrell Interview

From Cinema Spy:

(Please follow the link for the complete three-page interview.)



Exclusive Interview: Rachel Luttrell

'Atlantis' actress on motherhood and becoming a queen

By Blaine Kyllo | Monday, August 4, 2008

Rachel Luttrell, who plays the warrior princess Teyla Emmagan on Stargate Atlantis, is full of a boundless joy that spilled from her when she sat down with a table of journalists at Vancouver's Bridge Studios in May. Her energy and enthusiasm seemed at odds with the fact that she’s a new mother. Her character becomes pregnant in Season 4 of the series in part because Luttrell herself became pregnant.

Luttrell talked about Teyla’s journey, her own journey, and how the two have at times crossed. She also discussed how life has changed on set with a baby on board.


A brief excerpt:



Question: I like all the scenes with Ronon. I hope you get more.

Rachel Luttrell: Yeah, I hope so, too. We have fun. This season we’ve had a few moments.

CinemaSpy: What’s the connection? There’s a distinct connection between Teyla and Ronon. What is that for you? It’s more than simply being the outsiders. There’s more to it than that.

Rachel Luttrell: The short answer would be that the two of them are truthfully the only people who have any kind of historical - the two of them share a lot of the same kind of history, and childhood references, and even though they didn’t grow up in the same cultures, they grew up in this galaxy and so I would imagine that they can share a lot of things with each other that perhaps the other people on the team wouldn’t necessarily understand. Also given the fact that the two of them are warriors, and of this realm that we occupy. It gives them a lot. And there is a familial thing going on with them as well.