Gotta tell you: most people hated Tron: Legacy, but I enjoyed it quite a bit. I guess I just allowed its high-tech contemporary take vastly updated from the original to win me over as opposed to looking/hoping for a stronger story. It was a modern fable set in a dream world, and Garrett Hedlund -- as the son to Jeff Bridges' original character -- convinced me he could carry the story for a new generation. Mr. Hedlund was born on this day back in 1984.
The camera obviously loves Valerie Perrine ... and so should every red-blooded adult male! She played the delightfully wicked if not slightly deviously deranged Eve Teschmacher is Superman - The Movie and again (all-too-briefly) in Superman II. (Curse you, Lex Luthor! Why couldn't she have been a supervillain?) Perrine was born on this day in 1943.
Merritt Butrick -- the young man who played Kirk's son, David, in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and again in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock -- was born on this day back in 1959. The character was actually given an impressive emotional arc over the course of the two closely-linked pictures: in Khan, David had to come to grips with the anger he felt over some abandonment issues with his dad, only then in The Search for Spock to have to confess to his father how he'd cheated to achieve the measure of success he had with the Genesis Project. Though he's no longer with us, Butrick will always be in the thoughts of Trekkers, Trekkies, and Trek enthusiasts everywhere.
In 1992's oft-maligned Alien 3, Holt McCallany played a convict who thought he was gonna have a little (sexual) fun with Ripley. Turned out that wasn't the case. However, the actor has also appeared in such properties as Heroes and the forthcoming White Space. McCallany was born on this day in 1963.
Screen veteran Costas Mandylor has dabbled in some quality genre projects. SciFi fans might recognize him from his work aboard Virtuosity (1995), Fist of the North Star (1995), Venus Rising (1995), The Outer Limits (1996), Last Exit to Earth (1996), and Andromeda (2002). Mandylor was born on this day in 1965.
Back during an era wherein his career was less about making headlines, Charlie Sheen starred in a smart little SciFi conspiracy thriller called The Arrival. If you haven't seen it, then I'd encourage you to check it out; it's similar in tone to Fox TV's stellar The X-Files, and Sheen delivers a convincing performance as the astronomer hell bent on exposing the invaders' secret plot. Sheen was born on this day in 1965.
The lovely Clare Kramer made a bit of a splash in a recurring role on Buffy The Vampire Slayer, and -- in 2013 -- she helped corral the mystery and mayhem that was part and parcel of the deliciously cheesy SciFi-themed B-movie Big Ass Spider! Kramer was born on this day in 1974.
Lovely Ashley Jones brought an additional romantic spark to HBO's True Blood during its early seasons. This luscious looker has far more conventional work on her resume, but she did appear in ABC's FlashForward. Jones was born on this day in 1976.
Easy on the eyes Nichole Hiltz (pictured above from her guest-starring spot in the WB's Smallville) is welcome to play in our beloved genre any time she likes. She's also had roles in Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Masters of Horror, and Alien Autopsy. Hiltz was born on this day in 1978.
In the early days of his career, Nick Wechsler served as a regular for Team Knight Rider before signing up for duty on the WB's teen SciFi drama Roswell (pictured). He's also enjoyed guest roles on Tru Calling and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. Wechsler was born on this day in 1978.
Note to Hollywood executives: can we please get Christine Woods a winning franchise all of her own? She first caught my eye in the middling FlashForward, and then she had a terrific performance in a supporting role on AMC's The Walking Dead. Woods was born on this day in 1983.
On this day in 1993, actor Christopher Lambert showed us what the future of incarceration might look like when Fortress premiered theatrically. This remains one of those films I've seen but I have very little recollection of anything impressive. Here's the film's plot summary as provided by our friends at IMDB.com:
"In a futuristic USA, it's forbidden to give birth to more than one child for each woman. As usual, you can escape to Mexico to avoid the authorities in USA, which is exactly what John and Karen Brennick were trying to do when Karen is pregnant with her second child (their first child was born dead). When they think they have made it they are discovered and put to prison (for 31 years), a modern prison called the 'Fortress' where the prisoners are controlled by lasers, neutron-cannons, cameras, mind-scanners and electronic pain-causing devices in their stomachs. With those odds, John still plans to escape with his wife."
"In a futuristic USA, it's forbidden to give birth to more than one child for each woman. As usual, you can escape to Mexico to avoid the authorities in USA, which is exactly what John and Karen Brennick were trying to do when Karen is pregnant with her second child (their first child was born dead). When they think they have made it they are discovered and put to prison (for 31 years), a modern prison called the 'Fortress' where the prisoners are controlled by lasers, neutron-cannons, cameras, mind-scanners and electronic pain-causing devices in their stomachs. With those odds, John still plans to escape with his wife."
On this day in 1979, Battle of the Planets aired "Secret Island." This served as the fiftieth episode of the program's first (and only) season in the United States, and here's the plot summary as provided by TV.com:
"There have been many planes and ships disappearing in the Bermuda Triangle. Mark and Princess are sent to Shipwreck Island in the Triangle to investigate. They discover a Spectra base and their latest weapon, the Whirly Knife. Mark summons the team, but can they stop the latest Mech from Spectra?"
"There have been many planes and ships disappearing in the Bermuda Triangle. Mark and Princess are sent to Shipwreck Island in the Triangle to investigate. They discover a Spectra base and their latest weapon, the Whirly Knife. Mark summons the team, but can they stop the latest Mech from Spectra?"
On this day in 1996, the UPN Network ventured bravely into The Burning Zone. Perhaps a weekly procedural wherein scientists explored the worst kinds of outbreaks known to man was a bit too much for modern audiences to stomach as the show pretty much came and went in the blink of an eye. Still, kudos to the fledgling network for giving the greenlight to something so SciFi focused. According to our friends at IMDB.com, here's the pilot's summary:
"After hibernating for 15,000 years, a malevolent virus is released from an ancient tomb in Costa Rica. A top team of specialists is assembled to research it. Infection causes blood-red eyes, a high fever and superhuman strength."
"After hibernating for 15,000 years, a malevolent virus is released from an ancient tomb in Costa Rica. A top team of specialists is assembled to research it. Infection causes blood-red eyes, a high fever and superhuman strength."
