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BLASTERMIND Trains

Dave Golder — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 18:43:37 +0000

A special video Blastermind for you this week. This was one round in the Blastermind quiz at the SFX Weekender. Can you name the films and TV shows these SF and fantasy trains come from (there are 11 different ones in all) plus can you name the person with a sci-fi connection who’s singing the song?

BLASTERMIND The End… Or Is It?

Dave Golder — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 07:03:59 +0000

This week’s quiz is especially for those of you who stay to watch all the credits after a film

Isn’t it annoying when you watch a film, leave as the credits come up, and then some mate in the pub later goes, “What, you didn’t see the bit after/during the credits that turned the whole film on its head?”

Marvel do it with all their films now, as a kind of teaser for the next film in the shared universe. Which is nice, but is really enough reward for sitting through ten minutes learning the names of the unit caterer, chest shaver and ant wrangle.

But for some reason, here at SFX, if we here there a post credit scene, we just have to star rooted to our seats, wondering if we’ll ever really need to know who were the insurers on Humanoid Hamster Warriors III…

This week’s quiz requires you to identify the films from the following screen grabs, each taken from either post-credit or during-credits extra scenes. Bet you wish you’d hung around now.

Usual request: Please don’t put answers in the comments section below (though feel free to use it to boast/bemoan how well/badly you’re doing) but the folks on this thread are quite happy for you to post and discuss answers if you follow the golden rule of only posting answers in invisible text (if you don’t know how ask somebody there – they’re very friendly).

Answers on the next page

BLASTERMIND From Russia With Love

Dave Golder — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 08:50:54 +0000

We’ve given our regular quiz a Russian makeover – NOW WITH ANSWERS

The cold war may have thawed, but we hope to freeze your little grey cells with this week’s set of teasers.

Because The Darkest Hour hits UK cinema screens this week, in honour of the film’s Moscow setting we have a Russian-themed quiz for you. All the images below either feature characters who are Russian, shows or films set in Russia (or with Russian-set sequences, at least) or were by Russian creators. Be careful to read the instructions below the images, as with two of them we are not after the name of the film or show, but the character’s name instead.

Oh, and the picture to the left, by the way, is from Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol which we daren’t use because it’ll open up that whole tedious argument about whether Mission Impossible is SFX or not. But it’s a great pic and it seemed not a shame to use it.

Answers on the next page, comrades…

1 Name of film or TV show

2 Name of film or TV show

3 Name of film or TV show

4 Name of film or TV show

5 Name of film or TV show

6 Name of film or TV show

7 Name of character

8 Name of film or TV show

9 Name of film or TV show

10 Name of film or TV show

11 Name of film or TV show

12 Name of character

Answers on the next page

BLASTERMIND Super Pets: Now With Answers

Dave Golder — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 14:00:23 +0000

How many super-powered animals can you name?

Why should humans have all the fun when it come to superpowers? Why couldn’t that radioactive arachnid have bitten some passing rodent to create Spider-hamster? Come to think of it, if a radioactive guinea pig had bitten a pig would we have got Guinea Pig-Pig? The world must be told!

In the meantime, you can try our superhero pets quiz. Some of the critters below are just normal pets that just happen to belong to superheroes (or comic book characters, at least). Other have superpowers themselves. In some cases it may be a tad too easy to name the owner (11 f’rinstance), so that’s not what we’re asking. We want the pets’ names. And no, in cases like numbers 4 or 13, Super… [insert name of animal] is not good enough.

And while you’re pondering the answers you might also like to come up with a few more “If a radioactive x bit a y you get a z” combos. No silly jokes about “woolly jumpers” though…

Have fun. And don’t forget to clean out the litter tray.

Answers on the next page…

SFX Weekender: Accommodation is SOLD OUT

sfx — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 15:42:47 +0000

But there’s still just time to get day tickets for the ultimate sci-fi event

This third year is going to be a record one for the SFX Weekender, the ultimate sci-fi and fantasy get-together. With a month still to go, the residential tickets have completely sold out!

That’s thousands of people filling the halls of Prestatyn Sands holiday park from Thursday 2 to Sunday 5 February, enjoying autograph sessions, actor Q&As, panel games, late night films, author discussions, music and more.

Craig Charles at SFX Weekender 2 in 2011

Alas if you were hoping to come and spend the weekend on site you’re out of luck. Sorry, maybe you’ll join us next year. However some individual day passes (valid until midnight and not including accommodation) are still on sale, so if you can get yourself to north Wales and want to come in to visit the dealer room or watch movie screenings then call 08700 11 00 34 now or visit www.sfxweekender.com/tickets and select the day pass option.

The SFX Weekender is the only event of its type. It’s a festival of activities for people who love science fiction and fantasy, hosted by SFX, the world’s best sci-fi entertainment magazine: TV and film guests, interviews, Q&A sessions, comic workshops, videogaming, music, author discussions and plenty more. It’s about bringing like-minded people together for a weekend that includes workshops, parties, quizzes and more. As well as around 50 authors and comic creators, there’s also the chance to meet Alex Kingston, Brian Blessed, Eve Myles and Sylvester McCoy. Discover more pictures and meet some of your fellow sci-fans over at the official Facebook page. See you in February!

BLASTERMIND Secret Santas

Dave Golder — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 14:00:57 +0000

A festive-flavoured quiz for you this week. No points for guessing the theme

Fra-la-la-la-la… La-la-la-laaaaaaaah! Either it’s Christmas, or your teach-yourself Judoon CD has just got stuck. Nope, it’s definitely Christmas. And in the spirit of bandwagon-jumping that has been hardwired into the DNA of SFX’s weekly Blastermind, we have a quiz as festive as figgy pudding for you. Whatever figgy pudding is.

Below are 12 sci-fi and fantasy Santas. All you have to do is identify which film, TV show or book they come from.

No prizes. It’s all for fun and jollity. But if you can’t get any, Father Christmas may not be giving you a visit this year. So sip some mulled wine and get Santa spotting.

After you’ve done this quiz, check out our classic 35 Greatest Christmas Episodes feature

Answers on the next page…

BLASTERMIND Sidekicks

Dave Golder — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 09:59:12 +0000

The weekly quiz celebrates the men and women who provide vital superhero back-up

Where would a superhero be without his sidekick eh? And where would slash fiction writers be, for that matter?

There have been some classic superhero pairings over the years: Batman and Robin, Green Hornet and Kato, Superted and Spotty, Dangermouse and Penfold. But all those would be a little too easy. So instead, we have 12 slightly less well known superhero sidekicks below, and all we need you to do is name them, and tell us who they partnered. Could it be any simpler? (Well, it will be on Friday when we give you the answers).

No prizes. Not even a naff trophy. This is just for fun and bragging rights.

Answers on the next page

BLASTERMIND Art Attack

Dave Golder — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 17:15:52 +0000

NOW WITH ANSWERS A sci-fi art challenge for you

Here’s a Blastermind art challenge – but don’t worry, you don’t need to have any artistic talent to take part.

Instead, we’re celebrating that under-appreciated film and cinematic art (literally) – concept art. Below are 16 pieces of preproduction artwork, and all you have to do is work out which films or TV shows they come from. But we’ll give you a tip – one is from a very famous abandoned version of a film that was later made by somebody else.

Answers on the next page

BLASTERMIND Bladder Busting

Dave Golder — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 16:28:05 +0000

There’s a bit of a difference to the weekend quiz this week, but it could also offer a public service… if you guess the correct films

There’s a bit of a difference to Blastermind this week. It’s not a picture quiz. So any regulars clicking through expecting 20 urine-related images… you weirdos!

Instead, we’ve put together a set of teasers based on the info over at RunPee.com. If you haven’t discovered the site yet then you haven’t discover the valiant public service it’s been offering. Basically, it lets you know the best times during a film to run to the bog. You know, the boring bits, or when you’re not going miss any vital information.

So this week’s task is to identify the following 20 movies from their optimum toilet breaks. We know you could just pop over to the site and cheat, but we trust you. And anyway, where’s the fun in that?

To help you out a little bit more, all the films are very recent – the last year or so.

Answers on the next page

1 PeeTime starts 47 minutes into movie
PeeTime lasts about 4 minutes
Cue to RunPee: When the Senator says to ?????, “Son, you’ve just been promoted.”

2 PeeTime starts 82 minutes into movie
PeeTime lasts about 4 minutes
Cue to RunPee: As President Kennedy begins his TV address.

3 PeeTime starts 59 minutes into movie
PeeTime lasts about 4 minutes
Cue to RunPee: Right as ????? and ????? leave on an EVA to go back to the Russian space ship.

4 PeeTime starts 73 minutes into movie
PeeTime lasts about 3 minutes
Cue to RunPee: After the black man dies.

5 PeeTime starts 30 minutes into movie
PeeTime lasts about 5 minutes
Cue to RunPee: When you see “Day 8” on the screen.

6 PeeTime starts 32 minutes into movie
PeeTime lasts about 4 minutes
Cue to RunPee: ????? – ?????’s girl friend – says, “Have fun with your neighborhood watch thing,” and leaves.

7 PeeTime starts 37 minutes into movie
PeeTime lasts about 4 minutes
Cue to RunPee: When the aerial shot of the island villa appears after their first night together.

8 PeeTime starts 72 minutes into movie
PeeTime lasts about 4 minutes
Cue to RunPee: ????? says, “Notify the 101st Airborn. We have to hunt this thing down.”

9 PeeTime starts 47 minutes into movie
PeeTime lasts about 4 minutes
Cue to RunPee: After the escape from the lions.

10 PeeTime starts 39 minutes into movie
PeeTime lasts about 5 minutes
Cue to RunPee: When ????? is on the ship and tells his friend, “This is something I must do alone.”

11 PeeTime starts 77 minutes into movie
PeeTime lasts about 4 minutes
Cue to RunPee: When the boys are caught watching film at school by Air Force soldiers.

12 PeeTime starts 34 minutes into movie
PeeTime lasts about 4 minutes
Cue to RunPee: As soon as ????? is put into the ambulance in front of ?????’s house

13 PeeTime starts 62 minutes into movie
PeeTime lasts about 2 minutes
Cue to RunPee: Right after ?????’s eyeball is run over.

14 PeeTime starts 64 minutes into movie
PeeTime lasts about 4 minutes
Cue to RunPee: After ????? says to ?????, “I have faith in you. Prove me right!”

15 PeeTime starts 57 minutes into movie
PeeTime lasts about 4 minutes
Cue to RunPee: When ????? yells, “Canasta” and knocks out ?????.

16 PeeTime starts 76 minutes into movie
PeeTime lasts about 4 minutes
Cue to RunPee: As soon as ????? and ????? are invited to go up to ?????’s owner’s private viewing room.

17 PeeTime starts 42 minutes into movie
PeeTime lasts about 4 minutes
Cue to RunPee: The statues march out to protect ????? and ????? says, “I always wanted to use that spell.”

18 PeeTime starts 72 minutes into movie
PeeTime lasts about 4 minutes
Cue to RunPee: After ????? arrives on ?????’s balcony at work and ????? says, “?????? Is that you?”

19 PeeTime starts 68 minutes into movie
PeeTime lasts about 4 minutes
Cue to RunPee: After ????? and ????? kiss in the back of the limo.

20 PeeTime starts 78 minutes into movie
PeeTime lasts about 5 minutes
Cue to RunPee: ????? comes out of his vision and says, “I know where they are.”

Check out our previous Blastermind quizzes

Answers on the next page
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BLASTERMIND Rock’N’Roll Quiz* NOW WITH ANSWERS

Dave Golder — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 10:00:02 +0000

* Well, mostly rock and roll. Your challenge this week is to identify 14 sci-fi bands and singers

Are you ready to RRRAAAAAAAAWWWWWKKKKKK??!! Well, rock at this quiz, anyway. Not that it’s exclusively rock – there’s a bit of crooning and big band action in there too.

Below are 14 images of fictional bands or band members from sci-fi and fantasy films and TV shows. What we want to know is, what movies or TV series are they from and what are the names or the fictional combos or (when there’s only one of ’em) performers?

Because of the genre we’re in, there’s at least one case where that isn’t quite such a clear cut question, so we’ll accept the easier answer as well as the trickier one.

And in another case, we’re doing a Moffat – we’re fibbing! Yep, in one of the images the band or performer is not fictional or performing under a fictional name. But we still need a name – and a bonus points if you correctly identify the case in point.

Answers on the next page

BLASTERMIND Bad Wolf – Now With Answers

Dave Golder — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 08:00:01 +0000

As it’s a full moon tonight, what better than a werewolf-themed quiz for the weekend?

We reckon this week’s quiz is going to be a hooooooooowwwwwwlllllllll-ing success. Just mind you be wary of strangers whose eyebrows meet in the middle while pizzling it out, no matter how much help they claim they’ll be. And keep a check on Grandma.

The format is, as ever, unfeasibly simple. There are 21 images of werewolves below; you just have to identify what TV show or film (or in one case, something else) they come from.

ANSWERS ON THE NEXT PAGE

BLASTERMIND Gadgets And Gizmos NOW WITH ANSWERS

sfx — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 12:19:33 +0000

How many of these sci-fi gadgets and gizmos can you identify in our weekly weekend quiz? Check back early next week for the full list of answers

It seems that everybody in sci-fi has a cool gadget to play with. The Doctor turned his all-powerful Sonic Screwdriver into the universe’s most essential accessory; Captain Kirk and his crew scanned every new planet with their tricorders; the men from UNCLE had special pens they could use to “open Channel D” and talk to their superiors with.

And there are more… lots more. Some of them have even become reality – iPads, for example, are simply groovier versions of Star Trek: The Next Generation’s PADDs. Gotta love it when science fiction becomes fact!

But just how familiar are you with these items? Even if you recognise them instantly, do you actually know their proper names? Here’s a techie-test to get you scratching your heads…

We need to know:

(A) What they’re called

(B) What they do

Time to brush up on your gadgetry general knowledge… good luck!

ANSWERS ON THE NEXT PAGE

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

ANSWERS ON THE NEXT PAGE

BLASTERMIND Halloween Witch Watch

Dave Golder — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 07:00:31 +0000

NOW WITH ANSWERS As we approach the spookiest night of the year, the SFX weekly quiz has a wiccan theme to get you in the mood

Boo! Did we scare you? That’s nothing compared to what you’ll have to put up with tonight. No, we’re not talking about ghosts and witches. We’re talking about the trick or treaters – the second scariest thing we’ve imported from America after Ruby Wax. Who the hell thought it was good idea to give kids a license to hold you to terrorise you if you don’t give them sweets?

Here at SFX we prefer the traditional, supernatural side to Halloween, including those pointy-hatted, cleaning utensil stradling, black cat stroking wiccans. We’re not alone. The entertainment industry loves them too. That’s how we’ve ended up with a bumper 25 images for you to identify this week. All we’re after are the names of the films, TV shows, comics or games this lot come from. If you know the actual names of the witches then bully for you, but you don’t get bonus points.

However, you do get bonus points if:

• You work out which two images feature the same actresses as different witches

• You work out which witches are the same character played by different actresses in different pictures (this occurs twice!)

No prizes, just bragging rights.

Answers on the next page…

BLASTERMIND Viral Threats

Dave Golder — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 06:49:32 +0000

NOW WITH ANSWERS Can you identify these virus films, shows and games?

This week saw the release of director Steven Soderbergh’s Contagion, the latest – and some critics are saying possibly the greatest – in a noble tradition of killer virus movies (you can read our Contagion review here).

Contagion follows the rapid progress of a lethal airborne virus that kills within days. As the fast-moving epidemic grows, the worldwide medical community races to find a cure and control the panic that spreads faster than the virus itself. At the same time, ordinary people struggle to survive in a society coming apart. The films stars Marion Cotillard (Inception), Matt Damon (Good Will Hunting), Laurence Fishburne (The Matrix), Jude Law (Sherlock Holmes, AI), Gwyneth Paltrow (Iron Man) and Kate Winslet (Titanic).

All of which got us in a virusy frame of mind for this week’s quiz. Yon know the drill. Ten pictures from killer virus films, TV shows and games below. All you have to do is identify them. No prizes. Just a fun challenge for the weekend an enormous feeling of well-being if you get a few (and the bragging rights of the century if you get them all).

Answers on the next page…

BLASTERMIND It Just Isn’t English

Dave Golder — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 09:15:02 +0000

NOW WITH ANSWERS – 12 foreign language science fiction films for you to identify

It’s more like Universe City Challenge than Blastermind this week, as we go all high brow with those peculiar overseas films in which you have to read subtitles (if you’re not conversant in the relevant language, that is). We want you to identify 12 foreign language sci-fi films. And just to to make it easier, they are all sci-fi (or sci-fantasy at the very most) because if we were covering horror as well, you’d be overwhelmed by the number of Korean supernatural revenge flicks from which to choose. English or original foreign titles will do.

There are some real classics here that everyone should know, and a couple of obscurities to separate les homme from les garcons.

Usual request: please don’t put answers in the comments section below (though feel free to use it to boast/bemoan how well/badly you’re doing) but the folks on this thread are quite happy for you to post and discuss answers if you follow the golden rule of only posting answers in invisible text (if you don’t know how ask somebody there – they’re very friendly).

Answers on the next page…

Answers on the next page…
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BLASTERMIND Them Bones, Them Bones

Dave Golder — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 07:14:48 +0000

NOW WITH ANSWERS How many sci-fi and fantasy skeletons can you identify?

The bare bones of the weekly SFX picture quiz this week is: we want you to identify some skeletons. Some of them are “living” skeletons (or animated, least… we’re not sure that “living” is quite the right word), some of them are very dead indeed, and a couple are simply well on their way to the great hereafter.

All you need to do is identify the films, TV shows or games that they come from. There are no prizes; the only reward is bragging rights. But we know how you love to brag.

Answers on the next page

Answers on the next page…

BLASTERMIND Armour

Dave Golder — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 09:00:36 +0000

NOW WITH ANSWERS – can you identify 10 bits of fantasy armour?

The pen may well be mightier than the sword, but we don’t think much of biro’s chances of making a dent in this lot.

The theme of the quiz this week is armour. And all you need to do is identify the films or TV shows which these metal overcoats came from.

Usual request: please don’t put answers in the comments section below (though feel free to use it to boast/bemoan how well/badly you’re doing) but the folks on this thread are quite happy for you to post and discuss answers if you follow the golden rule of only posting answers in invisible text (if you don’t know how ask somebody there – they’re very friendly).

Answers on the following page…

Armour 1

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Armour 2

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Armour 3

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Armour 4

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Armour 5

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Armour 6

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Armour 7

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Armour 8

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Armour 9

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Armour 10

Answers on the next page…

BLASTERMIND Looking Animated

Dave Golder — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 10:30:01 +0000

NOW WITH ANSWERS! Can you identify the voices behind 20 animated film characters?

Look animated people! We’ve got a new Blastermind Quiz for all the Pixar, Dreamworks and Disney fans out there.

We can all recognise our favourite actors and actresses from a mile off; but will you be able to recognise them when they don’t look quite like themselves? These days, the biggest stars in Hollywood see no shame in spending days in a sound booth, lending their voices to animated characters. Usually, all it takes is a few words from a donkey’s mouth to know that it’s Eddie Murphy you’re listening to. But can you recall who provided the voices for the characters below, without the advantage of actually beincan you recognise some of the big names in cinema?

Usual request: please don’t put answers in the comments section below (though feel free to use it to boast/bemoan how well/badly you’re doing) but the folks on this thread are quite happy for you to post and discuss answers if you follow the golden rule of only posting answers in invisible text (if you don’t know how ask somebody there – they’re very friendly).

Answers on the next page…

Answers on the next page…
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BLASTERMIND Presidents & Prime Ministers

Dave Golder — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 08:54:12 +0000

NOW WITH ANSWERS A rogues gallery of Heads of State to identify

When we call this lot heads of state, the state we’re usually referring to is a state of emergency. They’re all sci-fi or fantasy presidents and prime ministers. Your job is to identify which film, TV or book they’re from and for extra points can you actually name them? (The fictional name, that is – you don’t get any points for recognising Jack Nicholson!) That’s 25 points in total, ’cos one of the pics has a bit of political summit going on, with both a president and a prime minister

Usual request: please don’t put answers in the comments section below (though feel free to use it to boast/bemoan how well/badly you’re doing) but the folks on this thread are quite happy for you to post and discuss answers if you follow the golden rule of only posting answers in invisible text (if you don’t know how ask somebody there – they’re very friendly).

Answers on the next page…

Answers on the next page…
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BLASTERMIND Mockumentaries

Dave Golder — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 07:45:47 +0000

It’s the weekly quiz. How many other SF and fantasy “found footage” and mockumentary films you can recognise? NOW WITH ANSWERS

With Apollo 18 being released today and Troll Hunter being unleashed in the UK next week, the “found footage”/mockumentary film genre is clearly not on the wane in the sci-fantasy sphere. You know the score – shaky cam, newsreel, CCTV footage, faux-realistic acting (more “um”s and “ah”s than any other genre!) and protagonists who keep on filming even when in real life they’d be legging it out of there like their asses were on fire… All in an attempt to make us believe that what we’re watching is real! Though the giant monsters obviously give the game away in some.

Which, with the predictability of an incoherent interview following a football match, led to this week’s quiz: can you identify the 10 mockumentaries below? One clue: they’re all films except one.

Usual request: please don’t put answers in the comments section below (though feel free to use it to boast/bemoan how well/badly you’re doing) but the folks on this thread are quite happy for you to post and discuss answers if you follow the golden rule of only posting answers in invisible text (if you don’t know how ask somebody there – they’re very friendly).

Answers on the next page…

Answers on the next page…

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BLASTERMIND Let’s Spot Hitler

Dave Golder — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 18:00:58 +0000

NOW WITH ANSWERS How many Hitler clones can you recognise?

We think you may find this week’s Blastermind quiz a bit Nazi. Ho ho. But seriously, we reckon this is one of the tougher ones. We certainly had a tough enough time doing the picture research.

It all seemed so obvious. Doctor Who’s back this weekend with a blistering yarn called “Let’s Kill Hitler”. Clearly, that’s a cheeky reference to that old SF cliché about, “If you could travel back in time, would you kill Hitler?” So Hitler must be everywhere in sci-fi, right?

Surprisingly, no. Well, he is in SF literature and comics loads (comics especially), but when it comes to films and TV, he’s a bit more shy, it seems. After we’d gone through all the obvious ones, we had to start using a few more obscure appearances. Hell, even we might have forgotten what they are by Monday!

Anyway, all we want are the names of the TV shows or films the images below are from.

Usual request: please don’t put answers in the comments section below (though feel free to use it to boast/bemoan how well/badly you’re doing) but the folks on this thread are quite happy for you to post and discuss answers if you follow the golden rule of only posting answers in invisible text (if you don’t know how ask somebody there – they’re very friendly).

So, what are you waiting for? Schnell! Schnell!

Antworten am Montag…

Answers on the next page…

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BLASTERMIND Sci-Fi Cities Quiz

Dave Golder — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 15:00:12 +0000

16 futuristic urban sprawls. Can you name them?

We take it you’ve heard the big news of the day – Ridley Scott is set to direct a new Blade Runner movie. If it happens (because many things could derail it, like any movie) you have to wonder – can Scott change the look of sci-fi again, the way he did with the original?

One of the 1982’s film’s most memorable elements was the stunning way it depicted the future Los Angeles. The influence of those majestic images can still be felt today.

Which gave us the idea for this week’s Blastermind quiz – sci fi cityscapes.

There are 16 below for you to identify. Just the name of the film, TV show or game they came is good enough for us, but award yourselves extra bragging points if you can name the city as well. No prizes, we’re afraid. It’s all just for fun. And the pleasure of looking at some great sci-fi images.

Usual request: please don’t put answers in the comments section below (though feel free to use it to boast/bemoan how well/badly you’re doing) but the folks on this thread are quite happy for you to post and discuss answers if you follow the golden rule of only posting answers in invisible text (if you don’t know how ask somebody there – they’re very friendly).

Answers on the next page…

City 1

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City 2

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City 3

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City 4

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City 5

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City 6

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City 7

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City 8

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City 9

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City 10

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City 11

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City 12

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City 13

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City 14

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City 15

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City 16

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Blastermind: Old Before Their Years Quiz

Dave Golder — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 11:30:14 +0000

Can you identify 12 characters who have been rapidly aged?

Rapid ageing is a common affliction in science fiction and fantasy. Whether caused by magical means, time travel gone wrong, alien viruses or sitting through the original version of Solaris, a sudden affliction of grey hairs, wrinkles and weak bladders is a sci-fantasy staple. Sometimes the make-up artists work wonders; other times, the poor actors end up looking like orang-utan testicles.

Below are 12 SF and fantasy characters who’ve succumbed to the rapid ageing syndrome. Simple question – can you name them and the shows or films they’re from?

Usual request: please don’t put answers in the comments section below (though feel free to use it to boast/bemoan how well/badly you’re doing) but this thread is quite happy for you to post and discuss answers if you follow the golden rule of only posting answers in invisible text (if you don’t know how ask somebody there – they’re very friendly).

Answers on the next page… (apologies for the Doctor Who-created delay)

Wrinkly 1 ^

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Wrinkly 2 ^

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Wrinkly 3 ^

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Wrinkly 4 ^

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Wrinkly 5 ^

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Wrinkly 6 ^

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Wrinkly 7 ^

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Wrinkly 8 ^

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Wrinkly 9 ^

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Wrinkly 10 ^

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Wrinkly 11 ^

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Wrinkly 12 ^

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Answers on the next page…

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BLASTERMIND Before They Were Replaced Quiz

Dave Golder — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 14:30:02 +0000

NOW WITH ANSWERS Can you identify 12 characters played by somebody other than who made them more famous?

You probably know all the characters below, but you may not immediately recognise them. That’s because they were all played by somebody else before they were made more famous (or played for longer, at least) by another actor entirely. They are all, of course, from SF, fantasy or horror shows or films. Pretty obvious considering the website, but it’s best to get these things clear.

You can see where this is going can’t you?

Yep, because there are oodles of (made-up-imaginary) points to be won this week as week as we ask you to:

a) Identify the character
b) Identify the show/film
c) Name the actor pictured
d) Name the actor who took over

So that’s a potential 48 points. Wowser. Shame there’s no prize, but we know you enjoy doing these quizzes purely for the mental workout. We do it for your own good, you know.

Usual request: please don’t put answers in the comments section below (though feel free to use it to boast/bemoan how well/badly you’re doing) but this thread is quite happy for you to post and discuss answers if you follow the golden rule of only posting answers in invisible text (if you don’t know how ask somebody there – they’re very friendly).

Answers on Monday. Unless it’s swapped for another day…

Character 1 ^

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Character 2 ^

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Character 3 ^

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Character 4 ^

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Character 5 ^

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Character 6 ^

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Character 7 ^

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Character 8 ^

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Character 9 ^

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Character 10 ^

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Character 11 ^

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Character 12 ^

Answers on the next page…

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BLASTERMIND Do The Logo-Motion 2

Dave Golder — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 08:00:32 +0000

Can you identify where 18 fictional logos have come from? NOW WITH ANSWERS

Every company needs a good logo, even fictional ones. An instantly recognisable, concise visual emblem that simple’s, but subconsciously says something about the quality and business of company in question. And the case of fictional companies, a logo that looks really cool on a T-shirt. Not that we’re suggesting that if you Google “Last Exit To Nowhere” you’ll probably get the half the answers to this week’s quiz, because that’d be cheating.

Because, yes, this week it’s name the film, TV show or game from the logo. Most of them are companies; a couple are more broadly organisations of some sort. But they’re all from SF or fantasy. We blanked out any dead give-away words from the logos but left in a few on the trickier ones.

Usual request: please don’t put answers in the comments section below (though feel free to use it to boast/bemoan how well/badly you’re doing) but this thread is quite happy for you to post and discuss answers if you follow the golden rule of only posting answers in invisible text (if you don’t know how ask somebody there – they’re very friendly).

Answers on Monday. This has been an SFXCorp Infotainment Announcement.

Logo 1 ^

Logo 2 ^

Logo 3 ^

Logo 4 ^

Logo 5 ^

Logo 6 ^

Logo 7 ^

Logo 8 ^

Logo 9 ^

Logo 10 ^

Logo 11 ^

Logo 12 ^

Logo 13 ^

Logo 14 ^

Logo 15 ^

Logo 16 ^

Logo 17 ^

Logo 18 ^

Answers on the next page…

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BLASTERMIND Into The Vortex

Dave Golder — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 11:09:31 +0000

NOW WITH ANSWERS. Some strange spatial anomalies for you to identify

We wanted to challenge you with something truly sci-fi to celebrate the relaunch of the site this week, and what could be more sci-fi than a swirling, interdimensional vortex? Jumpgates, stargates, portals, black holes, wormholes – they’re a mainstay of visual science fiction. And it’s quite a feat to take a word like wormhole and transform it in popular imagination from something dank, brown and slimy to something glittery and awesome. Wonder if the genre could do the same trick with “toenail clippings”?

We also reckon this one is rather tricky – because you probably know them all, but can you actually tell them apart? All you have to do is work out what film, TV show or game they come from.

As usual, please don’t put answers in the comments section below (though feel free to use it to boast/bemoan how well/badly you’re doing) but this thread is quite happy for you to post and discuss answers if you follow the golden rule of only posting answers in invisible text (if you don’t know how ask somebody there – they’re very friendly).

Answers on Monday. Or Tuesday if they fall through a temporal anomaly.

Answers on the next page…

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BLASTERMIND Feline Lucky?

Dave Golder — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 08:00:11 +0000

The Friday Quiz – 15 sci-fi and fantasy cats to identify

A couple of weeks ago we had a canine-based Blastermind. And so with the kind of awesome predictability of Fox axing an sci-fi show, here as a follow-up/sequel/remake/reimagining/whatever it is Tim Burton does is the inevitable feline-based version.

The rules are slighlty different this time, as we’re asking for different bits of information with each cat. For some we want the name of the kitty; for some we want the show or film they’re from; for some we want their owners. We’ll let you know each time.

As usual, please don’t put answers in the comments section below (though feel free to use it to boast/bemoan how well/badly you’re doing) but this thread is quite happy for you to post answers in “white-out” text, and discuss which ones are stumping you.

Answers on Monday. Try not to claw the curtains.

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1 Name of owner…

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2 Name of show or film

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3 Name of owner

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4 Name of cat

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5 Name of show or film

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6 Name of cat

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7 Name of cat

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8 Name of cat

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9 Name of show or film

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10 Name of show or film

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11 Name of cat

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12 Name of show or film

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13 Name of show or film

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14 Name of cat

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15 Name of show or film

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BLASTERMIND SFX Reviews Special – now with answers

Jordan Farley — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 13:31:56 +0000

Guess the film from SFX’s pun-tastic sub-headings in the Friday quiz

Regular SFX readers will know them all too well, the pithy one or two line subheadings that come immediately after the title of the film or TV show about to get a thorough reviewing. They’re an art in themselves. You wouldn’t believe how long we pore over some of them, firing puns back and forth across the office that even red tops would be ashamed to use. But out of that chaos we (almost) always find a diamond in the rough.

So to celebrate humanity’s continued survival (don’t forget, the world ends in 2012) we’ve picked 25 of the best sub-headings from the year so far in SFX’s Film and DVD review sections (between issues 205 and 211) – your job is to identify the film or TV show that goes with them. To make things extra challenging for those that know SFX back to front, we’ve snuk in a strap from our next issue, SFX 212, on sale 27 July. Bonus points and +5 bragging rights for anyone who can correctly identify it.

As always Blastermind has no prizes to give away. This challenge is purely for the sheer thrill of it all, so no cheating! Please don’t post answers in the comments section below but feel free to mull things over with like-minded quizzers in this thread – though please note, they use white-out text for posting answers so please follow that rule.

Answers can now be highlighted after each sub-heading by clicking and dragging your mouse.

x

1. Go On, Give Us A Clu - Tron Legacy

2. Cowboys And Aliens - Doctor Who: Earthstory

3. Let’s Talk About Seth, Baby - The Green Hornet

4. Jake’s On A Train - Source Code

5. Holy Unsatisfying - Priest

6. The Episodes Go In Two By Two - Doctor Who “The Ark”

7. My, What Big Sighs You Have - Red Riding Hood

8. Dead Man Floating - Enter The Void

9. An In-Tents Experience - Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part One

10. Grabbed By The Ghoulies - Insidious

11. What The Dickens? - Doctor Who “A Christmas Carol”

12. Kneel Before Rod - The Twilight Zone Season One

13. The Grey Liberation Movement - Paul

14. The Mane Event - Tangled

15. Could Do With A Polish - The Door

16. Just Say Yes - Limitless

17. Come Dino With Me - Primeval Series Four

18. Organ Grinding - Never Let Me Go

29. Furry Tale Of New York - Beauty And The Beast Season One

20. Cylon-ced Forever - Caprica Part One

21. The Squids Are Alright - Monsters

22. No Happy Ever Arthur - Camelot (from issue 212)

23. All Cretins Great And Small - Gulliver’s Travels

24. Young, Dumb And Full Of Fun - Misfits Series Two

25. Luc Who’s Back! - The Extraordinary Adventures Of Adele Blanc Sec

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Good luck!

BLASTERMIND A Childish Quiz -Now With Answers

Dave Golder — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 08:30:13 +0000

12 younger versions of famous characters for you to identify

You know all the lads and lasses below, even if at first glance their identities may not be immediately obvious. That’s because their all younger versions of famous, iconic SF and fantasy characters. Maybe their in flashback, maybe they’ve been magically de-aged, or maybe they’re just in the early parts of the film/show we know them from best. Question is, how many can you name?

Please don’t put answers in the comments section below (though feel free to use it to boast/bemoan how you’re doing) but this thread is quite happy for you to post answers in “white-out” text, and discuss which ones are stumping you.

Answers on the next page.

Answers on the next page….

BLASTERMIND A Dog’s Tale

sfx — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 15:30:16 +0000

It’s this week’s dog-themed quiz! Can you name the screens greatest canines from these pictures?

We have a quiz for fans of all things canine this week (don’t worry, cat-lovers, we’ll probably do a feline version at some point in the future to even the balance: we wouldn’t want to be accused of bias). Whether you like the little furry tail-waggers or not, you can’t deny they pop up in sci-fi all over the place, from the Doctor’s robotic companion K-9 – way too easy a mark to appear in this quiz! – to the pooch who miraculously leaps out of the path of a fireball in Independence Day (admit it, when you saw that bit in the cinema you cheered, didn’t you?).

Below are ten canine sci-fi stars. You may know the films or shows that they’re from, but can you actually name these pedigree chums? Fetch!

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Answers on the next page
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BLASTERMIND Obscure Vampires WITH ANSWERS

Richard Edwards — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 15:37:30 +0000

And now the answers to last week’s quiz…

Every SF and fantasy fan knows their Angel from their Dracula, their Edward Cullen from their Bill Compton and their Nosferatu from their John Mitchell. But what of the vampires that popular memory forgot? For every Twilight or True Blood, there’s a couple of dozen vampire turkeys that history has now wisely forgotten. But if you think you know your vampire genre, with the bad as well as the good included, then maybe you think you stand a chance with this week’s Blastermind. Good luck!

Please don’t put answers in the comments section below, but you can post answers in “white-out” text on this thread – the SFX Blastermind study group.

Vampire 1

Vampire 2

Vampire 3

Vampire 4

Vampire 5

Vampire 6

Vampire 7

Vampire 8

Vampire 9

Vampire 10

Vampire 11

Vampire 12

Vampire 13

Vampire 14

Vampire 15

Vampire 16

Turn the page for the answers…

BLASTERMIND One Season Wonders NOW WITH ANSWERS

Dave Golder — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 08:00:29 +0000

Can you identify the short-lived SF and fantasy TV shows (and no Firefly isn’t in there – that’s too easy)

Here’s a truly tricky Blastermind quiz for you, because by its very nature, the subject matter has to be, well, a little obscure. Because this week we’re asking you identify sci-fi and fantasy failures: TV shows that only lasted one season. On the other hand, all of them received major coverage in SFX in their time, so you should have heard of them all, even if you haven’t seen them. And in most cases we’ve given you cast publicity shots, so if you recognise any of the actors, that’s a big clue. On the other hand, there’s one we know a lot of you love and miss very much (it’s not Firefly, though) so we’ve made that pic a little trickier to identify. We know how to make you hate us.

So, short-lived sci-fi and fantasy shows. How many can you name?

Please don’t put answers in the comments section below (though feel free to use it to boast/bemoan how you’re doing) but this thread is quite happy for you to post answers in “white-out” text.

Answers on the page.

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BLASTERMIND Zombies – NOW WITH ANSWERS

Ian Berriman — Mon, 16 May 2011 11:15:13 +0000

There’s a zombie apocalypse going on in this week’s SFX quiz

The first series of The Walking Dead is out on DVD in the UK on Monday, so to celebrate we thought we’d give this week’s quiz an undead theme, one which requires very little BRAAAAAAINS. Simply look at each of these 15 pictures and tell us which zombie film or TV series they are from. Easy peasy!

Please don’t put answers in the comments section below (though feel free to use it to boast/bemoan how you’re doing) but this thread is quite happy for you to post answers in “white-out” text.

Answers now on the next page!

The Walking Dead season one is released on DVD and Blu-ray today, by E1 Entertainment. You can catch season two later this year on FX in the UK.

Zombie 1

Zombie 2

Zombie 3

Zombie 4

Zombie 5

Zombie 6

Zombie 7

Zombie 8

Zombie 9

Zombie 10

Zombie 11

Zombie 12

Zombie 13

Zombie 14

Zombie 15

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BLASTERMIND Name That Showrunner – NOW WITH ANSWERS

Dave Golder — Wed, 11 May 2011 11:00:19 +0000

The quiz of the week honours the great makers. You know their names; can you recognise their faces?

The people below should all be very well known to you… by name at least. They are the showrunners and producers who have been behind some of the biggest small screen sci-fi and fantasy shows of the past 50 years. But how many of them do you actually recognise? We’re after their names, not the shows they worked on. As usual, there are no prizes – this is all just for fun and a sense of smugness from getting a bunch of them right.

Please don’t put answers in the comments section below (though feel free to use it to boast/bemoan how you’re doing) but this thread is quite happy for you to post answers in “white-out” text.

ANSWERS ON THE NEXT PAGE (we don’t give ’em away on the first page so that Johnny-come-latelys can still play)

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BLASTERMIND Castles & Palaces – Now With Answers

Dave Golder — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 09:13:00 +0000

15 examples of ostentatious sci-fi and fantasy architecture to identify in the weekly SFX quiz

This weekend’s set of teasers features a gallery of over-the-top citadels, fortifications and fortresses, unbound by the rules of architecture thanks to the wonderful world of science fiction and fantasy. We were inspired by the rather precarious-looking castle (scroll down a little if you click over there) in the new Camelot, and got rather nostalgic for some of the other over-the-top castles from the genre.

The rules are simple. Below are 15 images of castles and palaces from science fiction and fantasy. All you have to do is identify the film or TV show they come from. Please don’t put answers in the comments section below (though feel free to use it to boast/bemoan how you’re doing) but this thread is quite happy for you to post answers in “white-out” text.

ANSWERS NOW AVAILABLE ON THE NEXT PAGE (sorry for the delay – haven’t been in the office much this week).

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Image one:

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Image Two:

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Image Three:

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Image Four:

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Image Five:

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Image Six:

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Image Seven:

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Image Eight:

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Image Nine:

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Image Ten:

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Image Eleven:

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Image Twelve:

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Image Thirteen:

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Image Fourteen:

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Image Fifteen:

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BLASTERMIND QUIZ Bark Life: Now With Answers

Dave Golder — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 23:01:12 +0000

How many iconic trees from sci-fi and fantasy can you identify?

“I think that I shall never see, a poem lovely as a tree,” wrote poet Joyce Kilmer. We don’t think she would have been quite so gushing if she’d seen some of the trees in this latest Blastermind challenge.

Some are pretty, sure, but others are downright evil. Some can move, some can even have carnal relations. Some might smell of blossom, other probably reek of decay. And some of them have some serious anger issues.

The rules are simple. Below are 16 images featuring some iconic (and some maybe not so iconic, but certainly eye-catching) trees from science fiction and fantasy. All you have to do is identify the movie, TV show or game they come from and then tell us how old they are by counting their rings. Okay, maybe not the second part. We’ll warn you, though, one is very obscure and one is slightly a trick question (which if you’ve played Blastermind before you’ll know is code for it might be from something that hasn’t been released yet, but you should be aware of). We’re not going to tell you which ones, though.

So, prove to us all that we should bough down at your knowledge.

Answers on the next page…

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BLASTERMIND Dinosaur Challenge – Now With Answers

Dave Golder — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 12:01:50 +0000

It’s back after far too long! The SFX Friday quiz returns with oversized lizards to identify

It’s been away too long, but now it’s back, and it’s brought some giant lizards with it. Yes, Blastermind has been time travelling to the distant past in the name of research (and not just for a holiday, honest), and has returned with a worryingly butterfly-shaped stain on the treaded soles of its Caterpillar boots (there’s something almost poetic about that). But don’t worry if your mum has suddenly turned into a five foot chameleon and Simon Cowell is presenting Antiques Roadshow – we’ll have the time line back in order in a jiffy. And while you’re waiting you can have a go at Blastermind’s latest challenge.

The rules are simple. Below are 16 images featuring some famous (and some not quite as famous) prehistoric screen stars. All you need to do is tell us what TV shows, films or games they come from.

Some things never change no matter how much you bugger up the timeline, so Blastermind still has no prizes to give away. This challenge is purely for the sheer thrill of it all. Please don’t post answers in the comments section below but feel free to mull things over with like-minded quizzers in this thread (though please note, they use white-out text for posting answers so please follow that rule… otherwise a normally friendly bunch can get quite testy… and you wouldn’t like them when they’re testy).

Go to page two for the answers…

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Weekender Blastermind Quiz NOW WITH ANSWERS

Dave Golder — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 17:00:08 +0000

Here it is. The quiz that got a pub full of sci-fi fans scratching their heads last weekend. How would you have fared?

The prize! The prize!

Friday night at the SFX Weekender was quiz night, and what a quiz it was. 26 teams competed against each other (we had to put a limit on numbers after 66 teams entered last year and made the thing damned near unmanageable) for top prizes which included a complete Character Options Doctor Who Pandorica set (normally you need to buy all six to construct the Pandorica) complete with audio CDs of classic Doctor Who stories. The top score was 74.5 points (you can see how all the teams did here). Can you do any better without the lure of alcohol fugging up your grey matter?

Here’s your chance to find out.

We’ve already posted the Picture Quiz here, so remember to include that in your final score.

It’s a shame those who weren’t there won’t get to hear Ian Berriman’s stirring rendition of Round Two, Question Eight, but on the other hand you won’t have to suffer Dave G’s attempts at a female, New York accentm later in the same round. Oh, and Dave G read out Round Two, Question Nine incorrectly (he was still in stunned awe from Question Eight) so that was considered null and void – meaning there were only 14 points available for Round Two. So bear that in mind, when totting up your score.

ANSWERS ON PAGE SIX

Enough faffing – on with the quiz! (And don’t Google. It’s cheating and you’ll only be left with a sense of self loathing.)

ROUND ONE: General knowledge

1 Who wrote the music for Alien?

2 Spell the name of the Superman villain whose name phonetically is Mister “mix e zpit lick” (yeah, we’ve had to adapt that one for the internet).

3 Which space ship was commanded by Dylan Hunt?

4 What time does the clock strike at the beginning of 1984?

5 What was the name of the golden retriever in Pushing Daisies?

6 What place name appears in War And Peace, 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea and Star Trek: The Undiscovered Country?

7 Which Doctor Who was the first to use the sonic screwdriver?

8 Where would you find Frigia, Coralia, The Land of the Lion Men, The Magnetic Mountain, Tropica and The Fire Lands?

9 Who wrote the Rigante series of fantasy novels?

10 Which band’s greatest hits include Lapti Nek and Jedi Rocks?

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BLASTERMIND Weekender Monsters Special – Now With Answers

Dave Golder — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 11:19:00 +0000

Here’s the picture quiz round that we handed out at the live Blastermind at the SFX Weekender. How would you have done?

The rules are simple. Identify the film or TV shows from which this lot come. You have a slight advantage over the guys who played at the Weekender – the pictures are bigger and not printed out from a dodgy colour printer where the cyan ink was only just holding it together.

Go to page for the answers…

Go to the next page for the answers…

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BLASTERMIND Forgotten Heroes – now with answers

Dave Golder — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 10:30:34 +0000

There’s a slight twist with the weekly quiz this week. It might be more fun to get the questions wrong…

There’s two ways of playing Blastermind this week (which is going up a day early because we’ve got a really busy day here at SFX tomorrow). You can either play it traditionally, and try to identify all the obscure – but completely geniune – superheroes below, or you can just make up the answers.

Yes, whereas we’re always warning people off posting answers in the comments section at the bottom of the page, this week use it to your heart’s content to suggest what you think the superheroes may be called – funny, bizarre or downright weird. Please keep attempts at genuine answers in this thread on the SFX forum. Be warned: they’re very particular about their whited out text over there, but follow that rule, and they’re a friendly bunch.

Go to page two to discover the answers…

Answers on the next page…

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BLASTERMIND Hauntingly Familiar NOW WITH ANSWERS

Dave Golder — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 08:30:20 +0000

Another weekend quiz for you, this time on the subject of ghosts

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Blastermind goes all spooky-woo this month, with a special ghost-themed round of picture-identifying shenanigans, to mark the return of Being Human to BBC Three this Sunday. We could have done a werewolf round instead, but then you’d just get the same set of pictures we’ve used for this feature. Or we could have given you a vampire round, but we know you lot are all vampire mad anyway, so that might have been a bit easy. So instead this week we’ve got a bunch of phantoms to menace your minds.

All you have to do is identify the following films, TV shows or comic strips from the images below. And then, for an extra bonus point, see if you can identify which picture isn’t actually of a ghost, but something else supernatural.

Usual request: please don’t post answers in the comments section below (though you can use it to boast about how many you’ve got or moan about the ones you can’t get) but you may find this thread on the SFX forum useful. Be warned: they’re very particular about their whited out text over there, but follow that rule, and they’re a friendly bunch.

Answers are on the next page…

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Blastermind: Parting Shots – NOW WITH ANSWERS

Dave Golder — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 13:20:49 +0000

How many final shots from SF and fantasy movies can you recognise?

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Blastermind is back. Yep, it’s been a while, but your weekly sci-fi and fantasy brainteasing workout returns, and as usual, we’re making it a picture-based quiz so that you can’t get all the answers with the help of a shifty Google search.

This time round the theme is Final Shots. Yep, you just have to name the following 16 films by recognising their last images before the credits rolled (post-credit extra scenes and bits shown during the end credits don’t count). Award yourselves one point for each, except for those marked with an asterix which are worth two points (because we reckon they’re extra difficult).

Usual request: please don’t post answers in the comments section below (though you can use it to boast about how many you’ve got or moan about the ones you can’t get) but you may find this thread on the SFX forum useful.

To discover the answers go to page two – that way latecomers who want to play along can do so without having the answers spoilt (we’ve adopted this new approach for the answers because mobile users were complaining that their devices couldn’t use the old “white-out” method – hope you’re all okay with it).

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Final shot 1

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Final shot 2

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Final shot 3

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Final shot 4

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Final shot 5

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Final shot 6

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Final shot 7*

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Final shot 8

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Final shot 9

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Final shot 10

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Final shot 11

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Final shot 12*

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Final shot 13

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Final shot 14

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Final shot 15

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Final shot 16*

Answers on the next page…

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BLASTERMIND Let’s Go Nuclear – NOW WITH ANSWERS

Dave Golder — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 09:24:14 +0000

This week’s SFX quiz is explosive. Can you identify the mushroom clouds?

Blastermind’s a day early this week, ’cos we’re off the London MCM Expo tomorrow, so you get an extra day to puzzle over the pics before the answers go up on Monday. And with Bonfire Night coming up next week, we thought we’d give you some real fireworks to celebrate… though perhaps nuclear Armageddon isn’t the best excuse for a knees up and sparklers.

Below are 10 nuclear explosions from science fiction films and TV shows. All you have to do is identify the movie or programme to earn your SFX virtual rewards (ie, there are no prizes – Blastermind is all about the glory). There’s been a bit of judicious Photoshopping on a couple to remove too obvious clues, but we reckon that a couple of them will really have you scratching your head.

We’ll give you this tip for nothing: a lot of films that you’d think should be in this list probably aren’t, because they used stock footage which would have made identifying them near impossible. Oh, and one of them, strictly speaking, is more of a pretend nuclear explosion than an actual one, but that it looks good enough for us.

Usual request: please don’t post answers in the comments section below (though you can use it to boast or moan about the ones you can’t get) but you may find this thread on on the SFX forum useful.

Answers are now in hightlightable invisible text beneath each image

Explosion one:

Akira

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Explosion two:

Godzilla (Emmerich version)

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Explosion three:

Doctor Who “Turn Left”

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Explosion four:

Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines

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Explosion five:

Atlantis The Lost Empire

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Explosion six:

The Hulk

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Explosion seven:

Indiana Jones And The Kingdon Of The Crystal Skull

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Explosion eight:

The Iron Giant

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Explosion nine:

Jericho.

Explosion ten:

Okay, this is the one we cheated on: 2012

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Explosion eleven:

The Dead Zone (TV series)

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Explosion twelve:

Watchmen

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BLASTERMIND Dragons – Now With Answers

Dave Golder — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 18:29:15 +0000

15 fire-breathing lizards for you to identify. Life dragon you down? The perk yourself up with this week’s Blastermind quiz, which is all about those famous firebrething lizards. Well, most of them are lizards, anyway. There’s a furry one in here and we’re not entirely sure what genus he is. You task is simple. Identify the films, TV shows or (in one case) comic franchise these dragon come from, and award yourself extra brownie points if you can actually name any of them (some of them don’t have names, but a lot of them do – we’ve indicated them with an asterix). In a couple of cases we’ve stretched the definition of dragon a little, we’ll admit, but they’re all definitely of a dragony persuasion. Usual request: please don’t post answers in the comments section, though you can use invisible text to boast in this thread on the SFX forum.

Answers are now available by highlighting the invisible text beneath each picture. .

Dragon 1*

Pete’s Dragon (Elliot)

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Dragon 2*

Eragon (Saphira)

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Dragon 3*

Dragonslayer (Vermithrax Pejorative – BEST NAME EVER!)

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Dragon 4*

Dragonheart (Draco, or at least that’s the name he lets the hero call him because his real name is impossible for the human tongue to pronounce)

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Dragon 5*

X-Men, and associated spin-off comics (Lockheed)

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Dragon 6*

The Neverending Story (Falkor)

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Dragon 7*

Sleeping Beauty (Maleficent)

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Dragon 8*

Q, The Winged Serpent (Quetzalcoatl – yeah, I copied and pasted that one!)

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Dragon 9

Reign Of Fire

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Dragon 10*

Spyro The Dragon (oh, um, er… oh yeah, Spyro)

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Dragon 11

Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire (a breed, not a name – Hungarian Horntail)

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Dragon 12

Spirited Away (Haku)

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Dragon 13

The Seventh Voyage Of Sinbad

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Dragon 14*

Willow (Eborsisk, though it’s never actually named in the film – it was a gag reference to the film critics Ebert and Siskel)

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Dragon 15

The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader (possibly Octesian, though it’s never made certain in the book)

BLASTERMIND Weapons

Dave Golder — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 14:12:32 +0000

It truly is a BLASTERmind quiz this week, as we get you to identify some sci-fi and fantasy weapons

Science fiction and big guns go together like Batman and Robin, so it was only ever a matter of time before we got around to doing a Blastermind quiz about science fiction and fantasy weapons (in fact, there were so many to choose from, expect a sequel some time soon). Admittedly they’re not all guns, but one of the one’s that not is so beloved by certain members of the SFX team I’d have been lynched if I hadn’t included it. And some of them are replicas, toy versions or concept drawings because it’s hard to find piocs of them in use that don’t give the game away.

Anyway, usual rules. Simply identify the film, TV show, game, comic or whatever that the weapons below are from (or in the one highlighted case, its owner). No prizes, this is just for fun. Prizes would make it feel all professional and take away the innocent joy of taking part. Well, that’s our excuse, anyway. Please don’t use the comments section to post answers, though you may find this thread useful for discussing the tricky ones.

AND NOW, WE HAVE ANSWERS! They’re in invisible text below each picture, so highlight that area to reveal all

Weapon 1

Blake’s Seven

Weapon 2

Doctor Who (award yourself extra Brownie points if you correctly identified it as from the two-parter “Human Nature”/“The Family Of Blood”)

Weapon 3

Blade Runner

Weapon 4

Star Wars (Han Solo’s blaster)

Weapon 5

The Glave from Krull

Weapon 6

Aliens

Weapon 7

Stargate SG-1

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Weapon 8

The Fifth Element

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Weapon 9

Gears Of War

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Weapon 10

Men In Black

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Weapon 11

We want to know the owner of this one (well the real one, not the really cool toy one… that we definitely don’t own… no honestly…)

General Grievous

BLASTERMIND Clowns Are Scary – NOW WITH ANSWERS

Dave Golder — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 13:00:51 +0000

How many painted-faced freaks can you identify?

We’ve got a topical Blastermind quiz for you this week. Nope, it’s not overuse of the word “fairness” in SF or fantasy apprentices (though we do have a “You’ve Been Fired” article coming up soon). Nope, the topic is clowns. What do you mean, you didn’t know clowns were in the news? Well, they are, because clowns are protesting at Alton Towers, because the theme park has a new attraction for Halloween, the Carnival Of Scares, which features scary clowns. The painted-faced, oversized-shoe wearing loons claim the attraction is defamatory, but that’s bobbins. We all know clowns are evil, and there are plenty of examples in SF and fantasy to prove it.

Which gave us the inspiration for this week’s quiz. How many of the evil clowns below can you identify? Don’t worry about naming them (though you can feel extra special smug if you do know) we’re just after the film or TV show they featured in.

Answers are now available in invisible text beneath each picture – highlight beneath the images to see them.

Try not to be too scared as you browse through. You have been warned. And remember, we all float down here… BEEP BEEP!

Scary Clown #1

SPAWN – THE MOVIE

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Scary Clown #2

THE SARAH JANE ADVENTURES “THE DAY OF THE CLOWN”

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Scary Clown #3

AKIRA

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Scary Clown #4

DOCTOR WHO “THE GREATEST SHOW IN THE GALAXY”

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Scary Clown #5

HOUSE OF 1,000 CORPSES

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Scary Clown #6

KILLER KLOWNS FROM OUTER SPACE

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Scary Clown #7

ARE YOU AFRAID OF THE DARK “THE TALE OF LAUGHING IN THE DARK”

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Scary Clown #8

STEPHEN KING’S IT

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Scary Clown #9

POLTERGEIST

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Scary Clown #10

ZOMBIELAND

The SFX Sci-Fi Quiz App

sfx — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 14:29:23 +0000

AVAILABLE NOW! Test your sci-fi trivia knowledge with SFX‘s exclusive sci-fi app!

Is your sci-fi knowledge out of this world? Think you know your Buffy from your Bilbo and your Men In Black from your Woman In Black? Now you can play the SFX quiz app and prove it! Visit the Apple App Store to download the SFX Sci-Fi Quiz to your iPhone or iPad now! Get the SFX Sci-Fi Quiz app if you’re in the UK with this link. Get the Quiz if you’re in the USA with this link. All other places, either of those links is fine.

It comes with over 1,000 questions in five different categories and it’s now live on the Apple App Store. It’s sponsored by our chums at Spokenworld Audio.

The SFX Sci-Fi Quiz is available now for just 69p/99c. By the way, if you have an iPhone or iPad and would like to get SFX digitally, remember that with or without the new Newsstand app you can get all our mag content to read on screen now.

BLASTERMIND Sci-Fi Trainers – NOW WITH ANSWERS

Dave Golder — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 07:00:25 +0000

Or “sneakers” if you’re American. This week’s SFX quiz is about footwear, not personal gym instructors

After far too long (owing to laziness, basically) the SFX online quiz is back! And this time around there’s the online equivalent of a DVD extra feature – we had so much fun researching the images, we’ve given you a gallery of some of pictures that didn’t make the cut for the quiz.

Today we get to the real soul of science fiction and fantasy with sports-related footwear based on some of the biggest SF&F franchises. On the the following pages you simply have to identify the films, TV shows or characters (we’ll indicate which) that have spurred the imagination of the trainer designers. All are either officially licensed products, or (in some cases) commercially-available shoes “inspired by” their source material. Some TV shows or films may be the answer to more than one question. In certain cases we’ve done some hamfisted photoshopping to disguise more obvious clues.

On the other hand, some of the trainers were unPhotoshoppable, but we thought it would be a shame not to feature them (because their either great or wonderfully hideous), hence the bonus gallery below.

As usual, please don’t use the comments section to post actual answers, but feel free to boast how well you’ve done, or highlight ones that are giving you particular headaches (or even admit you own a pair).

We’ve now put up the answers – as usual they will be in invisible text (so you can still play along if you haven’t been trying to guess already), so highlight the are under the image to reveal the answers.

The original Adidas Tron trainers (out PR guy owns a pair… he won’t say if he’s ever worn them)

These look like they should be ancient, but Adidas only issues them last years, and we think they’re hideous in so many ways.

Hellboy 2 trainers, released by Adidas in 2008, which came with “a collection of three extra footbeds, plus lace jewels, a mini-comic and unique tongue branding.” Impressed?

Two pairs of Kick-Ass trainers. We wouldn’t be seen dead in the Nike ones, by the Vans pair prove you can do things a bit more tastefully (though when you’re talking green and yellow, taste is a relative concept).

The Star-Wars X Adidas Originals Samba X-Wing 2. That’s a mouthful for a trainer that actually ain’t at all bad.

A typically subtle offering from the Japanese. These are Batman trainers by Ubiq.

Anyway, that’s enough limbering up. Now it’s time for you to do some work and get on with the quiz…

BLASTERMIND Movie Opening Narration Quiz

Dave Golder — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 15:16:25 +0000

It’s not as simple as identifying the film… you have been warned!

This week we boldly go where no Blastermind has gone before, with a quiz based around movie opening narrations, crawls and captions. You know, those infodumps at the start of a film that mean the writers don’t have to tell you the plot in a more interesting way (although we admit that some films – like the Star Wars franchise – do use them for a specific effect, so we’ll let them off).

But we’re not making it as easy as “name the film that the following come from” (but if will help if you can). Instead, what we’ve done is change one word in each example. You get one point for identifying the alien word, and another for working out what the correct one should be. Fiendish, eh?

Usual request: please don’t post the answers in the comments section below (they will be removed) but feel free to use this thread to boast about your score or discuss theories. Answers will be posted on Monday. See if you can do it without Googling…

1 After a bloody mutiny by a Nexus 6 combat team in an Off-world settlement, Replicants were declared illegal on Earth – under penalty of death.

2 During the battle, rebel spies managed to steal secret blueprints to the Empire’s ultimate weapon, the Death Star, an armoured space station with enough power to destroy an entire planet.

3 First there was darkness. Then came the Strangers. They were a race as old as time itself. They had mastered the ultimate technology. The ability to alter physical reality by thought alone. They called this ability tuning.

4 The beginning is a very delicate time. Know then that it is the year 10,191. The known universe is ruled by the Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV, my father. In this time the most valuable substance in the universe is spice melange.

5 Another world, another time, in the age of wonder. A thousand years ago this land was green and peaceful, until the crystal cracked.

6 Between the time when the oceans destroyed Atlantis and the rise of the sons of Arias, there was an age undreamed of.

7 1988. The crime rate in the United States rises five hundred per cent. The once great city of New York becomes the one maximum security prison for the entire country. A 50-foot containment wall is erected along the New Jersey shore line.

8 The machines rose from the ashes of the nuclear fire. The war to exterminate mankind had raged for decades, but the final battle would not be fought in the future. It would be fought here, in our present. Today…

9 The film which you are about to see is an account of the tragedy which befell a group of five teenagers, in particular Sally Hardesty and her invalid brother, Franklin.

10 Once, in a time before time, God breathed fire into the universe. And the light gave birth to angels, and the Earth gave birth to man. And the fire gave birth to the Djinn, creatures condemned to roam in the void between worlds.

11 The war had all but ground to a halt in the blink of an eye. Lucien, the most feared and ruthless leader ever to rule the Lycan clan, had finally been slain. The Lycan hordes scattered to the wind in a single evening of flame and retribution.

12 Once long ago, before there was such a thing as time, the world was shrouded in darkness. Then came the splendor of light, bringing life and love into the universe, and the Lord Of Darkness retreated deep into the bowels of the Earth.

Photos from London MCM Expo

David Bradley — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 12:10:39 +0000

This time last week we were wrapping up at the Docklands convention. Were you amongst those who joined us there?

Since it’s rapidly evolving into the hotspot for London’s young cosplayers to congregate, London Expo, which takes place at the ExCeL Centre, is about the only place where the following sights are commonplace: a Lego man and woman struggling to get wristbands over their yellow claws, an Alien and a Predator in a wrestling ring, a giant Deathnote book with “free hugs!” scrawled in it, and a toilet block strewn with discarded bits of fabric.

There was a record-breaking number of people through the door at this May's London MCM Expo.

Writer Paul Cornell, there to promote his TV pilot Pulse as well as his comics work, blogged, “There’s so much cosplay… It’s liberating: the opposite of geek shame. Those kids are starting to make anyone passing by who’s not got a huge cardboard sword feel a wee bit under-dressed. [It's] a social, not closeted, experience.”

Having won the Blastermind quiz Jane, Zoe, Karen and Ian of the Victorian Steampunk Alliance have their photo taken with Dave Golder and Robert Rankin.

The SFX team didn’t dress up, disgracefully, although top author Robert Rankin joined us on our stand and was typically dapper. As well as selling some of his handmade steampunk jewellery, Robert was there to host the now-traditional SFX sci-fi quiz Blastermind, which took place on stage at 4pm on Saturday afternoon. About 20 teams entered, with the number one slot after five rounds – including an impressive sci-fi charades category – going to a team called the Victorian Steampunk Society. These elegant guys and gals were at the event to promote their own gathering, the Asylum steampunk festival in Lincoln but also found time to whip everybody at sci-fi trivia. The fact that Robert Rankin is an honorary fellow of their society had nothing to do with it – all answer sheets were checked by our very own Dave Golder.

Ronald D Moore and Esai Morales talk Caprica on the main stage.

Elsewhere at the ExCeL centre, gamers smashed the Guinness World Record for the “largest handheld game console party”, with more than 580 people gathered with their Nintendo DS handheld consoles. If that sounds like a lot of people, bear in mind that the event overall saw in excess of 41,000 people passing through the doors, making May’s Expo the most successful ever.

Angel Coulby, Katie McGrath and Colin Morgan talk Merlin on the main stage.

They’d come to see main stage appearances like TV writing legend Ronald D Moore, Caprica’s Esai Morales, the cast and crew of Merlin (who told us that it’s the Merlin-Morgana relationship which changes most in season three…), the team from Pulse, Stargate Universe’s Alaina Huffman and Jamil Walker Smith, plus Fringe’s John Noble (who spoke about the different physical methods of playing both Walter and the Walternate). We were also treated to the trailer of upcoming feature-length animation Ultramarines, the first ever Warhammer 40,000 film. The short teaser was also shown on the Ultramarines stand, where screenwriter Dan Abnett and director Martyn Pick signed autographs following a packed Q&A panel in the main hall.

The character of Severus from the CG Ultramarines movie trailer.

At that brings us back to cosplay. The main auditorium also copped an eyeful of the inaugural UK Euro Cosplay Qualifiers, while ex-SFXer Leah Holmes was part of a Tekken-themed team that picked up the Best Performance award in the Expo Cosplay Masquerade. Good work!

Cosplay on the main stage on Sunday. This is from the Tekken team - look carefully, that's SFX's Leah Holmes in the background!

The next London MCM Expo takes place on 30-31 October and to find out more about it head to the official site. You can also read reports from other conventions, and get news about upcoming events, every month in the Event Horizon pages in SFX magazine.

Blastermind: Vanilla Version – Now With Answers

Dave Golder — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 10:00:06 +0000

Ready for some Friday fun? It’s the SFX weekly quiz

It’s Friday, so it’s Blastermind time. Classic Blastermind, in fact! Okay, okay, you’ve seen through my cunning ruse. I’m off to Expo later today, and with a million other things to get done before I skidaddle, I haven’t got time to create a totally new, themed Blastermind this week. Sorry folks! So you get Classic Blastermind – in other words the picture round from one of the live Blasterminds we’ve done. Well, I thought it was better than nothing.

So it’s a simple task this week: identify the film or TV series from the following images.

Highlight underneath the images for the answers

Number One

Space: 1999

Number Two

Buck Rogers In The 25th Century

Number Three

Blood Ties

Number Four

Clash Of The Titans

Number Five

Outland

Number Six

Dark City

Number Seven

Jumper

Number Eight

Krull

Number Nine

Minority Report

Number Ten

Silent Running

Number Eleven

Tru Calling

Number Twelve

Zardoz

UPDATE Robert Rankin To Host Blastermind

Dave Golder — Thu, 20 May 2010 09:33:34 +0000

The SFX live quiz is back, with Robert Rankin hosting, at the London Expo on Saturday 29 May

After his massive success as host of the SFX Awards Ceremony (don’t just take out word for it, check out this poll), the legendary Robert Rankin will be lending his presence to yet another live SFX experience when he hosts Blastermind, the SFX pub quiz (without the pub) at London Expo on Saturday 29 May at 4pm. And there are a ton of Doctor Who DVDs for the winners who prove their sci-fi trivia mettle.

The king of far-fetched fiction will also be on the SFX stand for both days of the event, for signings and general chit chat, and maybe even a ukulele masterclass (though possibly not… don’t you need a licence for that kind of thing?). We hope to be able to announce another couple of authors who’ll be signing at the SFX stand soon as well. It’s all part of the Summer Of SFX Reading, after all!

London Expo takes place on 29-30 May at London’s Excel Centre in Docklands.

The SFX Summer Of SF Reading is in association with Waterstone’s, where you can buy all the books you’ll be reading about.

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Robert Rankin To Host Blastermind

Dave Golder — Fri, 14 May 2010 07:49:33 +0000

The king of far-fetched fiction, and host of the 2010 SFX Awards, now turns quizmaster for London Expo

After his massive success as host of the SFX Awards Ceremony (don’t just take out word for it, check out this poll), the legendary Robert Rankin will be lending his presence to yet another live SFX experience when he hosts Blastermind, the SFX pub quiz (without the pub) at London Expo later this month.

The king of far-fetched fiction will also be on the SFX stand for both days of the event, for signings and general chit chat, and maybe even a ukulele masterclass (though possibly not… don’t you need a licence for that kind of thing?). We hope to be able to announce another couple of authors who’ll be signing at the SFX stand soon as well. It’s all part of the Summer Of SFX Reading, after all!

London Expo takes place on 29-30 May at London’s Excel Centre in Docklands. At the moment, we’re still waiting confirmation from the organisers about which day Blastermind will take place (though probably Saturday) so keep your eyes on this sire for updates. We might even tell you what the prize for the Blastermind winner will be!

The SFX Summer Of SF Reading is in association with Waterstone’s, where you can buy all the books you’ll be reading about.

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Blastermind: Book Quiz – Now With Answers

Dave Golder — Wed, 12 May 2010 15:33:58 +0000

Can you name the classic book from a snippet of its cover art? Now with highlightable answers

There’s a literary theme to this week’s Blastermind, to celebrate the launch of the SFX Summer Of SF Reading. Because, you know, it looks like we’ve planned these things if we theme everything…

It’s a simple task this week. Below are 16 snippets of cover art from 16 classic SF and fantasy books. Bet you can guess what you have to do next? No, not spot the ball (though you can if you want). You have to identify the books. Some are old, some are new, some are borrowed, but there’s no Robert Heinlein so you’re safe on the blue front.

And finally, we have some answers for you. Sorry they’re late – the Summer Of SF Reading launch party on Monday night had an impact (or rather the alcohol consumed there did). As usual, you can still play along, but now you can highlight the answers which are hidden in the spaces under the book covers.

Book 1

Prince Caspian by CS Lewis

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Book 2

Neuromancer by William Gibson

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Book 3

Tiger! Tiger! (aka The Stars My Destination) by Alfred Bester

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Book 4

The Stand by Stephen King

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Book 5

Consider Phlebas by Iain M Banks

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Book 6

The Chrysalids by John Wyndham

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Book 7

Redemption Ark by Alastair Reynolds

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Book 8

Doctor Who And The Enemy Of The World by Ian Marter

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Book 9

Twilight: Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer

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Book 10

Dune by Frank Herbert

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Book 11

Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett

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Book 12

Childhood’s End by Arthur C Clarke

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Book 13

The Man In The High Castle by Philip K Dick

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Book 14

The Neutronium Alchemist by Peter F Hamilton

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Book 15

The Toyminator by Robert Rankin

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Book 16

The Reality Dysfunction by Peter F Hamilton

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The SFX Summer Of SF Reading is in association with Waterstone’s, where you can buy all the books you’ll be reading about.

BLASTERMIND: Headline Special

Dave Golder — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 09:00:23 +0000

The Friday quiz is back! Can you work out the SFX article from the headline? Now with optional answers…

Hurrah! Blastermind is back after a break, so we hope all your brains are in gear (we know – Friday afternoon isn’t the greatest time to ask that question).

This week it’s a headline quiz special. The rules are simple. Below we’ve printed 20 genuine SFX feature headlines from over the years. All you have to do is guess what the article it was the headline for was about. To help, we’ve given a few clues about what you’re looking for, but we’ll also let you know straight away that none of the subjects is massively obscure. Well, apart from one. And another one’s a double bluff, because it’s piss easy (but we love the headline so much we wanted to include it). We’ve also tried to pick headlines that contain specific clues within them, so think laterally. Just because there‘s a “five” in the title doesn’t necessarily mean it’s Babylon 5!

And because this is a tricky one, it’s open season in the comments section. Feel free to discuss suggestions and see if together you can come up with a list of answers you’re happy with.

Or you could just go back and read nearly 200 issues of SFX….

To see the answers, highlight beneath the headlines.

1 Killing Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft (2001 film)
Jason X
2 Slaymate Of The Year (TV show)
Buffy The Vampire Slayer
3 Sonic Youth (TV show, particular event)
Matt Smith taking over as Doctor Who
4 The Foresight Saga (TV show)
The Dead Zone
5 Horn Again (film)
Hellboy 2
6 All This And 1982 (TV show)
Ashes To Ashes
7 The Culture Show (person)
Ian M Banks
8 Companion Piece (TV show)
The Sarah Jane Adventures
9 The Sun Of All Fears (film)
Sunshine
10 Ratman Forever (person)
James Herbert
11 Write The Future (TV person)
Chris Carter
12 The End Is Nine (TV show)
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
13 The Uncanny Suspects (film)
X-Men
14 Damned Dirty Ari (film)
Planet Of The Apes
15 Apocalypse NW1 (film)
28 Days Later
16 Five And Kicking (TV show)
Odyssey 5
17 Hi, Hi Miss American Spy (TV show)
Alias
18 Resurrection Dan (TV person, extra points if you can work out the plot line inspiring the headline)
Daniel Jackson (Michael Shanks) coming back to Stargate SG-1
19 Getting Wiggy With It (TV person)
Jolene Blalock
20 Fighting Tooth and Claw (film – think carefully about each word)
Underworld

Good luck. Answers, as usual, on Monday…