(1) STAR WARS PREMIERE. Photographer Al Ortega has posted 105 photos taken at last night’s Hollywood premiere of Star Wars: The Force Awakens on Facebook.
And Craig Miller has an account of attending the premiere on Facebook too. Both are public.
(2) ON THE CARPET. CNN has Big Media’s coverage of celebrities’ responses to seeing the movie. I didn’t spot any spoilers, but caveat emptor.
Finally, the most hilarious comment comes from Han Solo himself, Harrison Ford. Talking about how much he possibly enjoys red carpet events, he remarked: “I can’t think of anything better to do! I do these in my backyard on Wednesdays.”
(3) WINDING UP THE REWATCH. Michael J. Martinez completed his Star Wars rewatch in the nick of time — “Star Wars wayback machine: Return of the Jedi”.
I think the Luke/Vader scenes work much better, especially when the Emperor is in the mix. Ian McDiarmid plays Palpatine with relish and Evil and it’s pretty awesome. Luke’s character goes through the wringer, and the performance is pretty damn good. And of course, we see Vader return to the Light. That wasn’t too horribly predictable going into the movie, and it worked. The one thing that the prequels did well (or didn’t mess up) was to show the beginning of Vader’s arc and how he ended up tossing the Emperor down a well and being the good guy he always wanted to be.
Martinez says, “I’ll be seeing the new one Thursday night, and will post a non-spoiler review on Friday. Thanks yet again for having me on File 770!”
(4) TAKE NO CHANCES. Nate Hoffelder at The Digital Reader claims “This Chrome Extension Will Protect You from Seeing Star Wars Spoilers”.
And that’s why I’m thrilled I found Force Block. This simple Chrome extension saves me from seeing any unwanted spoilers. After it’s installed, any webpage that reveals details about the new Star Wars movie will look like this screenshot from movies.com…
(5) HO HO HO. Reason thinks Star Wars I-VI needs a parody collection of trigger warnings.
(6) MAGNUM OPUS. Whereas The Slipper works for its audience share with a rundown on how the original movies were handled in comics — “Something about that Space Wars thing everyone’s talking about”.
The Slipper knows how to leave them wanting more, as it ends by reproducing a series of Bloom County strips about Star Wars from the late Nineties.
(7) REEPICHEEP’S TAILOR? A Calgary metal artist crafts suits of armor for mice and cats.
Tiny helmets, shields and weapons could (theoretically) protect rodents and felines in battle…
It takes anywhere from 10 to 40 hours for de Boer to complete one suit of mouse armour. Cat armour takes much longer — 50 to 500 hours per piece
The link leads to a photo gallery of his work.
(8) LIVING COLOR. At Harry Bell – Fine Artist you can see glorious work like his oil painting of the London Millennium Bridge.
Harry is a past Hugo nominee (1979), Rotsler Award winner (2004), and two-time FAAn Award winner (1977, 2014).
(9) ADDITIONAL NOTES. Deborah J. Ross tells more about “My Love Affair with the Music of The Lord of the Rings” in today’s installment at Book View Café.
Playing
When The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey was released, I bought the easy piano/voice version of “The Song of the Lonely Mountain,” from the closing credits of the movie. By this time, I was on my own, without my teacher, but the piece was comfortably within my skill level. I knew how to drill fiddly fingering passages and such like. The key as written was a little low for my voice, but manageable. I even figured out how to use paper clips to grab on to so I could turn the pages without breaking the flow of the song.
Of course, I wanted more. The song was so much fun, how I could I not want more? But I also wanted to challenge myself.
(10) MAKING SPACE. John Dodd’s talks about letting go (how un-collector-like!) in “The Great Collection in the Sky” for Amazing Stories.
But, after wiping away the tears, I moved on. Later, my massive collection of comics and graphic novels had to go – sold at rock bottom price to a comics shop. There had been mint first editions in there, I thought, how dare he insult me with that price? But in the end, I relented. The collection was holding me back from moving on (quite literally – the new place wasn’t big enough for all that paper and cardboard).
So, do I regret the letting go? Actually no, I don’t. I made space for some truly amazing new things in my life…less “things” and more “experiences”.
(11) RAIN OBITUARY. Author David Rain, who wrote sf as Tom Arden, died December 15 reports Locus Online.
Arden is best known for the five-book Orokon epic fantasy series, beginning with The Harlequin’s Dance (1997). He also wrote standalone novels Shadow Black (2002) and The Translation of Bastian Test (2005), as well as Doctor Who novella Nightdreamers (2002), and numerous stories, reviews, and critical articles. As David Rains he published The Heat of the Sun (2012)….
(12) 3…2…1…BOOM! On December 15, 1960 The Traveler at Galactic Journey witnessed the nadir of America’s space program, a fourth consecutive disaster — “Booby Prize (Pioneer Atlas Able #4)”.
Today, NASA made a record–just not one it wanted to.
For the first time, a space program has been a complete failure. Sure, we’ve had explosions and flopniks and rockets that veered too high or too low. We’ve had capsules that popped their tops and capsules that got lost in the snow. But never has there been a clean streak of bad missions.
(13) APPENDIX N. Jeffro Johnson closes out his series with “Appendix N Matters”, a summary of his views about fantasy and its readers.
The retiring of Lovecraft’s bust from the World Fantasy Awards is therefore not so much reminiscent of statues of Stalin being pulled down in post-Soviet Russia. It’s more a reflection of the Berlin wall… going up. It used to be that reading centuries old books was almost universally considered to be a very good thing, to the point of being the very definition of an education. Now, looking into works that are merely decades old are increasingly beyond the pale. People with this attitude will even go so far as to object to having to read Ovid at university– and college administrators– far from standing up to this– seem instead to be on the lookout to accommodate this sort of thing.
In the not too distant past, though, the “dangerous visions” of the day could be enjoyed side by side with classic fiction by Lord Dunsany and A. Merritt. Professionals with highly divergent views on politics and religion could coexist within the pages of the same magazines. And people that were keen on challenging every imaginable taboo could get on within the same market where more traditional approaches to science fiction and fantasy were still practiced. People were free then in a way that’s hard to even imagine now. Political correctness and its legions of freelance thought police were only just beginning to gain a foothold, and remnants old ways and attitudes could be taken for granted.
The Appendix N list preserves therefore not just a list of books that are of especial interests to fans of classic Dungeons & Dragons. It’s also a snapshot of what fantasy fandom was into in the seventies. And don’t let anyone tell you different. While the list is not without its idiosyncrasies, it is nevertheless a representative sample of the authors that would have been translated into foreign languages when other countries finally got around to importing the fantasy and science fiction phenomenon for themselves.
(14) ABIGAIL ON ANCILLARY. Abigail Nussbaum’s review “Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie” does a lot of what used to be called “praising with faint damns.”
For example:
That Ancillary Justice is as much fun as it is feels all the more remarkable when you consider that it is, essentially, a book-long infodump.
Or:
…By this point, we’ve learned enough about the Radch and its stratified, class-conscious society to view the popularity of these kinds of stories with distrust–their narrative of virtue triumphing over social convention is intended to paper over the real issues of class prejudice that hinder most capable lower class citizens from climbing the social ladder (or the pitfalls that trip them up even once they’ve achieved a higher status, as in the case of Lieutenant Awn). It’s less clear whether we’re meant to notice that Ancillary Justice is also one of these stories–Breq isn’t just lower class, by the standards of the Radchaai she isn’t even human, and yet by the end of the novel her courage and devotion to Lieutenant Awn have not only gained her the respect of several high-ranking Radch officials, but she has been granted citizenship and the command of her own ship. All that’s missing is the love story with a high-born Radchaai (and I’m betting rather heavily on that for the sequels). Is it even possible to question the very idea of empire through what is essentially a Horatio Hornblower story?
(15) CORREIA. Don’t just ask any professional, “Ask Correia #18: Creating ‘Offensive’ Characters” at Monster Hunter Nation.
That whole Bechdel Test thing? Where they ask are there two females in a scene who talk about something other than a man? Okay, first off, you shouldn’t have to “test” your story for anything beyond is it readable and entertaining enough to sell it to somebody, but second WHO CARES? (well, a legion of Twitter feminists and gender studies professors obviously) Right off the bat most of the mega-selling romance genre fails the test, and most of those books are written by female authors for a female audience (and the romance genre makes serious bank compared to the rest of us).
There isn’t some arbitrary test that if you pass you’re good, and if you fail you’re sexist. Because you see what they call me, and I wrote Grimnoir, where the single most important, pivotal, critical, essential dialog scene in the entire trilogy was two young women talking about origami on top of a blimp. Test passed, and I’m the International Lord of Hate.
The real test for every scene should be asking yourself, is this scene good? Is this entertaining? Does this advance the story? Does this scene expand the characters or the universe? But that should be every scene, not just the one with two female characters in it.
(16) EMPATHY. I wonder if Larry knows the subject in the neverbeenmad comic ”2015 Voight Kampff Empathy Test”?
(17) Today In History
- December 15, 1974 – Young Frankenstein was released.
- December 15, 1978 — Superman with Christopher Reeve premiered.
(18) BRIN REMEMBERS CLARKE. Coinciding with the Syfy show’s premiere, David Brin has penned a tribute “Childhood’s End and Remembering Arthur C. Clarke”.
And yet, what most intrigues me about Arthur’s work is something else – his ongoing fascination with human destiny – a term seemingly at odds with the scientific worldview.
True, a great many of his stories have focused on problem-solving, in the face of some intractable riddle. His characters, confronted with something mysterious, aren’t daunted. They gather resources, pool knowledge, argue, experiment, and then – often – transform the enigmatic into something that’s wondrously known. This part of the human adventure has always shown us at our best. Peeling away layers. Penetrating darkness. Looking back at the wizard, standing behind the curtain.
(19) WHAT WILL BE IN TWO YEAR’S BEST COLLECTIONS . Through SF Signal I found
“Table of Contents: The Best Science Fiction of the Year Volume 1 Edited by Neil Clarke” (31 stories)
and
“Table of Contents: The Year’s Best Science Fiction and Fantasy 2016 Edited by Rich Horton” (30 stories).
Somebody with more time than I have just now should see if there is any overlap…
(20) WALK ON THE WILD SIDE. James Bacon took “A Superhero Stroll Around New York City” when he was in town, and wrote it up on Forbidden Planet. Lots of photos too!
Paul Lepelletier is our guide for this superhero walk around New York City, and at two pm he gathers us all outside. This is a friendly group, and soon we all know where everyone is from, four from England, four from Boston, two locals from Manhattan, two from Scotland, two from New Jersey, and four other New Yorkers, it is a decent crowd..
Paul has worked for DC comics; he drew comics at one stage of his varied career, worked in the licensing division, and indeed, is an award winning graphic designer and marketer, but his love of comics, and his appreciation for having been involved with them, is quite clear.
His knowledge is strong, and soon we are hearing about Fleicher’s Rotoscope technique and additions they made to the Superman ouevre, such as the famous Phone Booth as we stand outside their offices.
Soon we are on Park Avenue, looking at a building that housed Will Eisner’s studio, and hearing about the relationship between Will Eisner and Bob Kane, about how Batman was sold, and how Bob Kane’s own career developed and again looking at the building that housed his studio back in the day.
Paul’s knowledge of comic characters and their history, especially on TV and Radio, is new ground to me. As well as Batman, he talks about the rise of marvel in the 1960s, the old movie serials and the germination of TV series.
(21) HWA LA SIGNING. On January 16, 2016 members of the Horror Writers Association LA will sign Winter Horror Days edited by David Lucarelli at a Burbank bookstore.
Join us Sunday January 10th 2-4 pm as members of HWA LA sign Winter Horror Days at Dark Delicacies, 3512 W Magnolia Blvd, Burbank, CA 91505
[Thanks to Martin Morse Wooster, James Bacon, Hampus Eckerman, Will R., Brian Z., and John King Tarpinian for some of these stories. Title credit goes to File 770 contributing editor of the day Jonathan Edelstein.]
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I’m straight and right-handed, but I once dated a bi-poly-switch. Does that count?
re: carbonated drinks
I’ve always disliked the way it feels in my mouth, too. I drank sodas some when I was a kid, but by my 20s I had pretty much quit, or I opened them and let them go flat. I, too, enjoy sparkling water without much problem! I wonder if it’s just not as fizzy (less CO2). I love beer, too. It really is just the sodas, including club soda, that bother me.
@Tasha: (the increasingly-cumbersomely-named Radical Cult)
Looks from here like “Radical Gender, Sexual, and Romantic Minority Cult” is becoming more viable by the minute. Which reminds me that a certain indie author of my acquaintance who writes GSRM smut just had an interview go live. Members and allies of the Cult might find it to be of interest.
@Heather: “And for those keeping track, one of the minor characters is a trans man, although none of the protagonists are aware of this until book 3.”
I remember reading J.B.’s (the aforementioned author) reveal of a trans character and enjoying… not the awkwardness itself, per se, but the way it manifested and how the rest of the scene unfolded. Both characters were working from the best information they had, but one leapt to a conclusion because it fit the pattern of her fears rather than the rational evidence.
I really like how those two characters interact over the course of the full novel, which reminds me that I really should be finishing the final edit pass of the second half instead of joining online cults…
@Iphinome: “It occurs to me that I spent all of November writing a transsexual protagonist, getting all the way into her head. So while I can’t and wouldn’t speak for trans people (huge political differences,) I can speak for a fictional one. She’d just avoid a place that checks IDs.”
During my initial edit pass on this book, I didn’t really think about that – bad on me in my role as fact-checker and continuity guy. The first half has already been released, and it has a transformed protagonist (literally a woman given a man’s body without her consent) who puts “get my college ID and records adjusted” at the top of her to-do list. (She’s very cis-oriented, identifying her gender with her sex, and approaches her new situation as her New Normal – “I don’t have a clue how it happened or how to fix it, so I’d better assume it’s permanent and get used to being a guy.”) The frat parties she attends aren’t checking ID, and she’s only 20 anyway, so that’s not an issue. The more traditional trans character doesn’t go out much, and maybe the ID thing is why; I’ll have to ask. (Yes, there are at least two trans characters in the book, depending on how strictly one defines the term, and they handle it differently.)
As for the second half… hm. From memory, there’s some drinking in the Spring Break part, but I think that’s all off-camera. I recall seeing a bit where they come back to their hotel room after getting somewhat wasted, but I don’t think the ID question actually comes up in the text. My headcanon is that they did their SB drinking with other college folk, but I’ll have to keep an eye out. Thanks for reminding me to look for that! J.B. might be inclined to drop a mention in there somewhere, if there isn’t one.
@junego: (carbonation)
For a year or two, I had to have something carbonated at the beginning of a meal. If I didn’t, there was a chance that the first few bites wouldn’t go down properly and I’d have to make a hasty bathroom visit to, um, resolve the problem. I think it was a mucus problem of some kind, but it’s pretty much gone away since my tonsils came out last year.
I have some friends who prefer flat soda, but I have a SodaStream here at home. I like being able to have easy access to several flavors, and I can control how much carbonation I use for each one-liter batch. I’ve kind of gotten out of the habit of using it, though. It’s just so easy to buy Coke and Mello Yello in those 1.25-liter bottles for a buck each…
All the same, being able to whip up some lime soda or mix flavors when I feel like it is a definite plus. I just wish they made a good peach syrup. I do know that the directions are to carbonate the cola more than other flavors, though, and I recall from my restaurant days that Diet Coke is carbonated even more – 5.5:1 instead of 5:1.
@Rev. Bob uh I didn’t really get any of that other than you changing the cult name again. So I’m out of the cult again.
@junego:
I should be precise. It’s not 50% of my *entire* extended family that’s left-handed, it’d approx. 50% of one related cluster close to me, a few generations of them. Statistically it’s probably just one of those things that happens sometimes.
@Iphinome:
I think it’s Heather’s cult now, especially as she’s broadened the scope to include many more people. I’m just observing that the larger scope appears to come with a correspondingly longer name, in much the same way that “LGBT” has grown to “LGBTQI” and “QUILTBAG” and so forth. I’ve grown to like the alternate construction of “GSRM” – Gender, Sexual, and Romantic Minorities – as both shorter and even more inclusive, so I tossed that out there for consideration. The ultimate decision is certainly not up to me.
Bob no worries.
I’ll just do my own thing and we can all be happy.
Peace: I think there is a quite widespread perception, by no means confined to Puppies, that at one time the Hugos did represent everyone interested in science fiction, and if they no longer do something must have gone wrong. When you think about it, this can’t really be true; the 1953 WorldCon, the first to award Hugos, had 750 members, and I’m fairly sure more than 750 people were reading science fiction at the time; but it’s how people feel.
This fits into a larger narrative according to which science fiction used to be a secret, confined to fandom, but now has been discovered by the world at large. Again I don’t think this is accurate; I think Mike gave some figures a while ago which show that those involved in active fandom have always been a quite small proportion of those who read the stuff, though both are increasing. What has perhaps changed is that, owing to the internet, there is no longer such a clear line between the active fans and the simple readers/viewers/listeners/players, but more of a scale.
But I have always thought the idea that the Hugos should represent everyone rather odd; partly because the field is so diverse that one awards process can’t give full coverage to all of it, and partly because an award is a recommendation, and it isn’t going to work as such if there aren’t some people to whom things can be recommended.
Sorry Soon Lee I shouldn’t have said cult. It was just my awkward attempt at a segue. FAIL!
I also shouldn’t be defining who is in the Radical bi lesbian cult.
Lenora Rose wrote: “I’d be all for the Radical Bi-Lesbian-Trans cult thing (Being one of the invisible Bi* types), but I already know what will cause the first schism. Someone here will invite everyone to a Barbecue.”
This recipe for “Pulled Jackfruit” is a surprisingly good substitute for BBQ pulled pork. Similar in appearance, texture, and taste. A Vegan dish even carnivores (from the data set of our household) seem to like.
@ Tasha — No worries on my part. For all I know, people saying “I won’t join the cult” were simply joining in on the fun. But — like you — I’d rather check in and make sure that we’re all having some type of fun.
(Seriously: I love the idea of Alpennian parties with appropriate food and cosplay. I have vague plans to put out an Alpennian cookbook at some point, once I’ve invented more of their cuisine.)
I continue to think that anyone who thinks there should be some sort of SF/F genre (however you define it) award that represents the views of everyone who reads/views/listens to SF/F genre works (however you define that) should go out and create it instead of trying to take over awards created and owned by someone else. Nobody is stopping them from creating new awards run the way they want them to be run. They can’t call them “Hugo Awards” and they can’t use designs confusingly similar to the Hugo Award trophy because those are registered trademarks, but otherwise, they can create whatever awards they want.
Imagine that you’re a member of a non-profit society that owns a community center chartered for a certain legal purpose, and suddenly a bunch of other people who don’t really want to join your organization and who don’t actually support any of your chartered goals say, “You should turn out all of the people who have been using your building and do things that I tell you do to, although of course I’m not going to do any of the work or contribute any of the resources to make it happen. Just do it, because I say so.” Sound reasonable?
The people who demand that the Hugo Awards change to suit them (without joining WSFS, without participating in the society’s political process, without convincing a significant number of other WSFS members that the change is necessary) are acting just like that. The members of Worldcon have spent sixty years building up the goodwill of the Hugo Awards. The Hugo Awards do not belong to the entire world, or even to every person who has ever looked at a work of SF or fantasy; they belong to the members of the World Science Fiction Society, and the members of WSFS have the right to decide how to manage them.
I suggest that anyone who thinks that WSFS should give them control of the Hugo Awards (while requiring WSFS to do all of that messy detail work) should offer to move out of their house, let me move in rent-free and redecorate (at their expense) to suit myself, while they continue to pay all maintenance, utilities, and property taxes, because I said so.
@Kevin: This is me over here going “right on!”.
@Kevin Standlee
Sometimes I wish there was a ‘like’ button*. Spot on comment. 🙂
*Except it would probably make us all lazy.
@Meredith, @ Kevin Standlee: re “like button” and “laziness.”
Yes, and yes.
Although…..I sometimes feel silly posting just “wow, really liked what you said” and not contributing anything more!
@Robin
I consider it a bit like complimenting someone’s outfit in the street. It isn’t necessary, they wouldn’t notice if you didn’t do it, but it also (hopefully) makes them feel good, so it isn’t silly at all. 🙂
I made a similar comparison some months ago to the Puppy campaign and the ‘entryism’ a tactic used by the Trotskyist Militant Tendency with the British Labour Party back in the late 70s/80s.
@ Peace
re: left handed
OK, not quite as unusual, but still odd, I think. My first husband was a southpaw. No one in his immediate family was/is and none of his children are.
I don’t know how common it is to have as strong of a genetic link as your family appears to have. It’s really interesting how this nature/nurture dynamic works with different traits. That article I linked to said that left-handedness appears to be genetic (like having a predisposition) but with a large environmental component that means you may (or likely?) still end up right-handed.
Sorry to natter on, but I find these types of subjects fascinating. :^>
@ Rev Bob
re: carbonation
Glad your problem resolved. Tonsils can be nasty things.
You can keep your carbo machine 😉 , but peach drinks sound interesting. One of my favorite flavors.
@ Camestros
re: drug side-effects
I hope your rash resolves soonest. I occasionally have to take a drug that leaves me extremely fuzz-headed and barely awake, I sympathize.
@ Meredith
re: women in men’s clothing
Great links! I think we’ll have gone a ways toward defanging sexism/genderism (is that a word?) when men in general are able to and desire to wear ‘women’s’ clothing in public without repercussions.
@ all
re: Hugos and changes
Kevin Standlee – Ramen, brother! (for the Pasterfarians out there) :^9
Well said, sir. (for the rest)
I think it’s healthy for people to discuss what may need to be changed wrt the Hugos or the WSFS, because adjusting to changing times will keep the organization and the award healthy and relevant. OBS point that the Pup campaigns have nothing to do with healthy criticism or change.
One thing I’ve learned by participating in my first Hugo vote and preparing for nominating is that 1) there is a lot of SFF out there and no one can review all of it; 2) tastes differ – always have, always will, so there’s no one right pick; 3) the Hugos have been successful because the voting pool is *not* anyone or everyone who read one fantasy novel or saw one SF movie this year, but is a large enough pool of people who have experienced a lot of SFF because they’re really interested in it and are willing to jump some hurdles to participate.
re: the “I agree” or “Yeah, cool!” posts
I waver back and forth about doing this. It can feel really awkward. If i’m late to the conversation and a lot of others have done it, I tend not to bother. If it’s something I feel really strongly about, I may do it no matter how late I am. I know that sometimes I have said something and no one responds and I wonder if it was even noticed. OTOH I know if people disagree, I’ll read about it! :-]
After several posts in the last month or two where people have wondered if anyone wanted them to keep posting about certain subjects or activities, I’ve been trying to do more “I liked that” or “Thank you” posts. No solutions or tremendous insight, just brain nattering. 🙂
@robinareid:
It is evidence of a shared human experience appreciated, and thus makes the world a slightly better place, in my opinion.
re lefthanded
I read once (fortyish years ago so this info may have been superseded) that the genetic component in handedness appeared to be not right-handed vs. left-handed but right-handed vs. don’t care.
My Mom was left-handed and harassed about by the nuns when she was in school, so she made sure we followed our natural tendencies. My youngest brother is so right-handed he says his left hand is just an observer. My other brother is pretty strongly left handed.
I am left-handed for some things and right-handed for others. I didn’t settle on left-handed for writing until first grade or thereabouts, and can still write right-handed at about a first grade level. And for some reason even though I grew up in a house full of left-handed scissors, I am a right-handed scissors user.
I’m a lefty that was fairly agressively trained right, so that I do most things (including writing and eating) right-handed… but not well. I call myself “ambiclumsy”. I am a left-handed dart thrower, however.
Peace Is My Middle Name: It is evidence of a shared human experience appreciated, and thus makes the world a slightly better place, in my opinion.
Indeed. If a particular post has received a lot of appreciation, I might or might not chime in; but if I think it’s an excellent post, I will usually say so — though I usually try to say why it resonates with me, rather just saying “So much THIS.” (which is a perfectly fine thing to say).
When we put a bit of ourselves out there for public scrutiny in our posts, it’s nice to receive acknowledgment from others that they’ve appreciated the sharing, whether or not they agree. It’s lovely to find out that others feel the way you do, to get that reinforcement. But even thoughtful disagreement is a form of showing respect in the sense that the person disagreeing shows that they’ve read the post and have actually thought about its contents.
This has nothing to do with SFF but Camestros mentioned (several pages ago) the Hagia Sophia, which gives me an excuse to inform you all about Gli, the cross-eyed cat who lives at the Hagia Sophia.
@Lexica: The Hagia Sophia is quite nifty. That cat is hilarious. 🙂 Thanks for the link.
SCIENCE FICTION MOVIE BRACKET – ROUND TWO – FIRST HEAT
1. MAN’S REACH EXCEEDS HIS IMAGINATION
Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
The Prestige (2006)
2. MR. SANDMAN, BRING ME A DREAM
Brazil (1985)
Logan’s Run (1976)
3. MONSTERS VS ALIENS
Cocoon (1985)
King Kong (1933)
4. DESTRUCTION OF EARTH
The War of The Worlds (1953)
Dr. Strangelove (1964)
5. FILMING THE CLASSICS
Dune (1984)
A Scanner Darkly (2006)
6. TO GO ON, CONQUEST BEYOND CONQUEST
Things to Come (1936)
Star Trek: First Contact (1996)
7. FIRST CONTACT
Close Encounter of the Third Kind (1977)
The Iron Giant (1999)
8. CREATURES RUNNING AROUND
Twelve Monkeys (1995)
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (1984)
9. NEVER GIVE UP. NEVER SURRENDER
Galaxy Quest (1999)
Captain America: Winter Soldier (2014)
10. KNOWING THE FUTURE
Minority Report (2002)
Back To The Future (1985)
11. I CAN MAKE YOU A MAN
Star Wars (1977)
Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
12. CITY PEOPLE
WALL-E (2008)
Dark City (1998)
13. MEAT POPSICLES
The Fifth Element (1997)
The Thing (1982)
14. HOW CAN ANYONE EXPECT ME TO CARRY ON UNDER THESE CONDITIONS?
The Truman Show (1998)
Gravity (2013)
15. MONSTER MOVIES
Young Frankenstein (1974)
Godzilla (1954)
16. SNAPPY DIALOGUE
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984)
Serenity (2005)
And the Haga Sophia Cat is so cute! ^^
That cat has voted in to many brackets. 🙂
SCIENCE FICTION MOVIE BRACKET – ROUND TWO – FIRST HEAT
1. MAN’S REACH EXCEEDS HIS IMAGINATION
The Prestige (2006)
2. MR. SANDMAN, BRING ME A DREAM
Brazil (1985)
3. MONSTERS VS ALIENS
King Kong (1933)
4. DESTRUCTION OF EARTH
Dr. Strangelove (1964)
5. FILMING THE CLASSICS
A Scanner Darkly (2006)
6. TO GO ON, CONQUEST BEYOND CONQUEST
Things to Come (1936)
7. FIRST CONTACT
Close Encounter of the Third Kind (1977)
8. CREATURES RUNNING AROUND
Twelve Monkeys (1995)
Ouch
9. NEVER GIVE UP. NEVER SURRENDER
Galaxy Quest (1999)
Ooofff
10. KNOWING THE FUTURE
Back To The Future (1985)
11. I CAN MAKE YOU A MAN
Star Wars (1977)
12. CITY PEOPLE
WALL-E (2008)
13. MEAT POPSICLES
The Thing (1982)
14. HOW CAN ANYONE EXPECT ME TO CARRY ON UNDER THESE CONDITIONS?
Gravity (2013)
15. MONSTER MOVIES
Young Frankenstein (1974)
16. SNAPPY DIALOGUE
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984)
Uh-oh, round two!
SCIENCE FICTION MOVIE BRACKET – ROUND TWO – FIRST HEAT
5. FILMING THE CLASSICS
A Scanner Darkly (2006)
It’s gotta be better than Dune!
8. CREATURES RUNNING AROUND
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (1984)
Nausicaä! (I think.)
9. NEVER GIVE UP. NEVER SURRENDER
Galaxy Quest (1999)
Ooh, a bit tough, but really, “Galaxy Quest” was just about perfect.
10. KNOWING THE FUTURE
Back To The Future (1985)
Did you pair these up on purpose?! Anyway, too many problems with “Minority Report,” though overall I did like it. But come on . . . MCFLY!!!
11. I CAN MAKE YOU A MAN
Star Wars (1977)
Hahahahaha . . . great title, but darnitall. Okay, “Star Wars” it is.
12. CITY PEOPLE
Dark City (1998)
I admit I’ve only seen a few minutes of “WALL-E.”
14. HOW CAN ANYONE EXPECT ME TO CARRY ON UNDER THESE CONDITIONS?
The Faculty
Protect vote because “The Truman Show” isn’t SF and I haven’t seen “Gravity” (but it didn’t interest me, despite liking both stars).
15. MONSTER MOVIES
Young Frankenstein (1974)
He will have an enormous shvonshtuker (schwanzstucker?).
16. SNAPPY DIALOGUE
Serenity (2005)
Wow, Serenity was very flawed, but IMHO way better than Banzai.
Forehead cloth time!
2. Brazil (1985)
3. King Kong (1933)
5. Dune (1984)
7. Close Encounter of the Third Kind (1977)
8. Twelve Monkeys (1995)
9. Galaxy Quest (1999)
10. Minority Report (2002)
11. Star Wars (1977)
13. The Thing (1982)
14. Gravity (2013)
16. Serenity (2005)
1. MAN’S REACH EXCEEDS HIS IMAGINATION
God Stalk
2. MR. SANDMAN, BRING ME A DREAM
Logan’s Run (1976)
3. MONSTERS VS ALIENS
God Stalk
4. DESTRUCTION OF EARTH
The War of The Worlds (1953)
5. FILMING THE CLASSICS
A Scanner Darkly (2006)
6. TO GO ON, CONQUEST BEYOND CONQUEST
Star Trek: First Contact (1996)
7. FIRST CONTACT
Close Encounter of the Third Kind (1977)
8. CREATURES RUNNING AROUND
abstain
9. NEVER GIVE UP. NEVER SURRENDER
Galaxy Quest (1999)
10. KNOWING THE FUTURE
Back To The Future (1985)
11. I CAN MAKE YOU A MAN
Star Wars (1977)
12. CITY PEOPLE
WALL-E (2008)
Dark City (1998)
Uh… Forehead cloth please?
Tie
13. MEAT POPSICLES
The Fifth Element (1997)
14. HOW CAN ANYONE EXPECT ME TO CARRY ON UNDER THESE CONDITIONS?
God Stalk
15. MONSTER MOVIES
Godzilla (1954)
16. SNAPPY DIALOGUE
Serenity (2005)
1. The Prestige
2. Logan’s Run
3. Cocoon
4. Dr. Strangelove
5. Dune
6. Star Trek: First Contact
7. Close Encounters of the Third Kind
8. Twelve Monkeys
9. Galaxy Quest
10. Back To The Future
11. Star Wars
12. Dark City
13. The Fifth Element
14. Gravity
15. Young Frankenstein
16. Serenity
1. MAN’S REACH EXCEEDS HIS IMAGINATION
Pass
2. MR. SANDMAN, BRING ME A DREAM
Brazil (1985)
Easy one. An actual eternal classic vs. a good-for-its-time.
3. MONSTERS VS ALIENS
King Kong (1933)
I guess.
4. DESTRUCTION OF EARTH
Dr. Strangelove (1964)
I do not avoid The War of the Worlds. But I do deny it my essence.
5. FILMING THE CLASSICS
A Scanner Darkly (2006)
I liked A Scanner Darkly. That’s a lot more than I can say for that kind of boring movie version of Dune which seemed to lose everything that was interesting about the book.
6. TO GO ON, CONQUEST BEYOND CONQUEST
Pass
7. FIRST CONTACT
The Iron Giant (1999)
Suuuuuuuuperman.
8. CREATURES RUNNING AROUND
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (1984)
This was closer than Brazil vs. Logan’s Run, but it’s still a timeless classic against a movie that was just very, very good.
9. NEVER GIVE UP. NEVER SURRENDER
Tie
I predict Galaxy Quest will win it, though.
10. KNOWING THE FUTURE
Minority Report (2002)
I think I’m backing a loser here, but dang, this film was seriously excellent. Back To The Future was tons of fun, though, so it was close for me.
11. I CAN MAKE YOU A MAN
Star Wars (1977)
Was Rocky Horror the only musical on the list?
12. CITY PEOPLE
WALL-E (2008)
Dark City was very pretty.
13. MEAT POPSICLES
The Thing (1982)
Probably backing a loser here again, but I do not understand the appeal of The Fifth Element.
14. HOW CAN ANYONE EXPECT ME TO CARRY ON UNDER THESE CONDITIONS?
Gravity (2013)
I guess.
15. MONSTER MOVIES
Young Frankenstein (1974)
Sweet mystery of life at last I’ve found you.
16. SNAPPY DIALOGUE
Serenity (2005)
It was the better movie.
SCIENCE FICTION MOVIE BRACKET – ROUND TWO – FIRST HEAT
2. MR. SANDMAN, BRING ME A DREAM
Brazil (1985)
3. MONSTERS VS ALIENS
King Kong (1933)
4. DESTRUCTION OF EARTH
Dr. Strangelove (1964)
5. FILMING THE CLASSICS
A Scanner Darkly (2006)
6. TO GO ON, CONQUEST BEYOND CONQUEST
Star Trek: First Contact (1996)
7. FIRST CONTACT
Close Encounter of the Third Kind (1977)
8. CREATURES RUNNING AROUND
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (1984)
9. NEVER GIVE UP. NEVER SURRENDER
Captain America: Winter Soldier (2014)
10. KNOWING THE FUTURE
Back To The Future (1985)
11. I CAN MAKE YOU A MAN
Star Wars (1977)
12. CITY PEOPLE
Dark City (1998)
13. MEAT POPSICLES
The Thing (1982)
15. MONSTER MOVIES
Godzilla (1954)
16. SNAPPY DIALOGUE
Serenity (2005)
1. MAN’S REACH EXCEEDS HIS IMAGINATION
The Prestige (2006)
2. MR. SANDMAN, BRING ME A DREAM
Brazil (1985)
3. MONSTERS VS ALIENS
King Kong (1933)
4. DESTRUCTION OF EARTH
Dr. Strangelove (1964)
5. FILMING THE CLASSICS
Dune (1984)
6. TO GO ON, CONQUEST BEYOND CONQUEST
Things to Come (1936)
7. FIRST CONTACT
Close Encounter of the Third Kind (1977)
8. CREATURES RUNNING AROUND
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (1984)
9. NEVER GIVE UP. NEVER SURRENDER
Galaxy Quest (1999)
10. KNOWING THE FUTURE
Back To The Future (1985)
11. I CAN MAKE YOU A MAN
Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
12. CITY PEOPLE
Dark City (1998)
13. MEAT POPSICLES
The Thing (1982)
14. HOW CAN ANYONE EXPECT ME TO CARRY ON UNDER THESE CONDITIONS?
Gravity (2013)
15. MONSTER MOVIES
Godzilla (1954)
16. SNAPPY DIALOGUE
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984)
1. Bride. I mean I liked the Prestige, but come on.
2. Brazil.
3. King Kong
4. Dr Strangelove
5. Pass
6. Things to Come. Saw it again earlier today, it’s way better than I remembered.
7. Iron Giant, by a whisker.
8. Twelve Monkeys.
9. Galaxy Quest
10. Back to the Future
11. Rocky Horror. It’s astounding, damn it.
12. Wall-E
13. The Thing
14. Gravity. Tough choice.
15. Godzila. And I was hoping for an all Frankenstein final.
16. Serenity. I’d like to enjoy Buckeroo Banzai a lot more than I do. I just can’t seem to make it happen.
1. MAN’S REACH EXCEEDS HIS IMAGINATION
Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
2. MR. SANDMAN, BRING ME A DREAM
Logan’s Run (1976)
3. MONSTERS VS ALIENS
King Kong (1933)
4. DESTRUCTION OF EARTH
Dr. Strangelove (1964)
5. FILMING THE CLASSICS
A Scanner Darkly (2006)
6. TO GO ON, CONQUEST BEYOND CONQUEST
Things to Come (1936)
7. FIRST CONTACT
The Iron Giant (1999)
8. CREATURES RUNNING AROUND
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (1984)
9. NEVER GIVE UP. NEVER SURRENDER
Galaxy Quest (1999)
10. KNOWING THE FUTURE
Back To The Future (1985)
11. I CAN MAKE YOU A MAN
Star Wars (1977)
12. CITY PEOPLE
Dark City (1998)
13. MEAT POPSICLES
The Thing (1982)
14. HOW CAN ANYONE EXPECT ME TO CARRY ON UNDER THESE CONDITIONS?
Gravity (2013)
15. MONSTER MOVIES
Young Frankenstein (1974)
16. SNAPPY DIALOGUE
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984)
SCIENCE FICTION MOVIE BRACKET – ROUND TWO – FIRST HEAT
1. MAN’S REACH EXCEEDS HIS IMAGINATION
pass
2. MR. SANDMAN, BRING ME A DREAM
pass
3. MONSTERS VS ALIENS
pass
4. DESTRUCTION OF EARTH
Dr. Strangelove (1964)
5. FILMING THE CLASSICS
Dune (1984)
6. TO GO ON, CONQUEST BEYOND CONQUEST
pass
7. FIRST CONTACT
Close Encounter of the Third Kind (1977)
8. CREATURES RUNNING AROUND
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (1984)
9. NEVER GIVE UP. NEVER SURRENDER
Galaxy Quest (1999)
10. KNOWING THE FUTURE
Back To The Future (1985)
11. I CAN MAKE YOU A MAN
Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
12. CITY PEOPLE
Dark City (1998)
13. MEAT POPSICLES
pass
14. HOW CAN ANYONE EXPECT ME TO CARRY ON UNDER THESE CONDITIONS?
The Truman Show (1998)
15. MONSTER MOVIES
pass
16. SNAPPY DIALOGUE
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984)
1. MAN’S REACH EXCEEDS HIS IMAGINATION
Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
The Prestige (2006)
Abstain.
2. MR. SANDMAN, BRING ME A DREAM
Brazil (1985)
Logan’s Run (1976)
Dystopia vs. dystopia. In the battle of dystopias, I’ll take the dystopiest. Brazil.
3. MONSTERS VS ALIENS
Cocoon (1985)
King Kong (1933)
Cocoon was surprisingly well thought out.
4. DESTRUCTION OF EARTH
The War of The Worlds (1953)
Dr. Strangelove (1964)
Um. It’s all about the precious bodily fluids…
5. FILMING THE CLASSICS
Dune (1984)
A Scanner Darkly (2006)
Abstain; didn’t see Scanner Darkly
6. TO GO ON, CONQUEST BEYOND CONQUEST
Things to Come (1936)
Star Trek: First Contact (1996)
Wide-eyed optimism vs. wide-eyed-optimism? I’ll take wide-eyed optimism…
7. FIRST CONTACT
Close Encounter of the Third Kind (1977)
The Iron Giant (1999)
Never saw Iron Giant. Probably should.
8. CREATURES RUNNING AROUND
Twelve Monkeys (1995)
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (1984)
Abstain.
9. NEVER GIVE UP. NEVER SURRENDER
Galaxy Quest (1999)
Captain America: Winter Soldier (2014)
Oh, now, that’s just not fair. Galaxy Quest was FUN! But Winter Soldier was probably a better movie. On your left. Damnit.
10. KNOWING THE FUTURE
Minority Report (2002)
Back To The Future (1985)
You’re having us compare apples and grenades, here. Um. I guess I’ll vote for the first movie to handle time travel right.
11. I CAN MAKE YOU A MAN
Star Wars (1977)
Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
Hampus, I hate your dice.
12. CITY PEOPLE
WALL-E (2008)
Dark City (1998)
Abstain; not seen Dark City
13. MEAT POPSICLES
The Fifth Element (1997)
The Thing (1982)
I’m off to Fhloston Paradise to recover.
14. HOW CAN ANYONE EXPECT ME TO CARRY ON UNDER THESE CONDITIONS?
The Truman Show (1998)
Gravity (2013)
Gravity irritated the hell out of me. Every ten minutes there’d be another what-the-fuck moment. Physics is not optional in a “realistic” hard-SF movie.
15. MONSTER MOVIES
Young Frankenstein (1974)
Godzilla (1954)
Put. The Candle. Back.
16. SNAPPY DIALOGUE
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984)
Serenity (2005)
Um. Hard choice. I’ll go with the one I’ve watched more. You can’t take the sky from me.
1. MAN’S REACH EXCEEDS HIS IMAGINATION
The Prestige (2006)
2. MR. SANDMAN, BRING ME A DREAM
Brazil (1985)
3. MONSTERS VS ALIENS
King Kong (1933)
4. DESTRUCTION OF EARTH
Dr. Strangelove (1964)
5. FILMING THE CLASSICS
A Scanner Darkly (2006)
Gah. Dune is a seminal book for me, but this is a better adaptation.
6. TO GO ON, CONQUEST BEYOND CONQUEST
Star Trek: First Contact (1996)
7. FIRST CONTACT
The Iron Giant (1999)
8. CREATURES RUNNING AROUND
Twelve Monkeys (1995)
9. NEVER GIVE UP. NEVER SURRENDER
Galaxy Quest (1999)
10. KNOWING THE FUTURE
Back To The Future (1985)
Breaking my heart here, man.
11. I CAN MAKE YOU A MAN
Star Wars (1977)
12. CITY PEOPLE
Dark City (1998)
13. MEAT POPSICLES
The Fifth Element (1997)
May it Multipass its way to the next round.
14. HOW CAN ANYONE EXPECT ME TO CARRY ON UNDER THESE CONDITIONS?
The Truman Show (1998)
The Truman Show takes place in an AH, therefore SF
15. MONSTER MOVIES
Godzilla (1954)
16. SNAPPY DIALOGUE
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984)
Forehead Cloths! Getcher cool, soothing, refreshing Official Forehead Cloths! Multi-purpose! Scented and non-scented! Comforting! (Dampen thoroughly before use. For external use only.)
1. MAN’S REACH EXCEEDS HIS IMAGINATION
abstain
2. MR. SANDMAN, BRING ME A DREAM
abstain
3. MONSTERS VS ALIENS
King Kong (1933)
4. DESTRUCTION OF EARTH
Dr. Strangelove (1964)
5. FILMING THE CLASSICS
abstain
6. TO GO ON, CONQUEST BEYOND CONQUEST
Things to Come (1936)
7. FIRST CONTACT
Close Encounter of the Third Kind (1977)
The Iron Giant (1999)
8. CREATURES RUNNING AROUND
abstain
9. NEVER GIVE UP. NEVER SURRENDER
abstain
10. KNOWING THE FUTURE
abstain
11. I CAN MAKE YOU A MAN
Star Wars (1977)
12. CITY PEOPLE
abstain
13. MEAT POPSICLES
abstain
14. HOW CAN ANYONE EXPECT ME TO CARRY ON UNDER THESE CONDITIONS?
abstain
15. MONSTER MOVIES
Young Frankenstein (1974)
16. SNAPPY DIALOGUE
abstain
SCIENCE FICTION MOVIE BRACKET – ROUND TWO – FIRST HEAT
1. MAN’S REACH EXCEEDS HIS IMAGINATION
Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
2. MR. SANDMAN, BRING ME A DREAM
Brazil (1985)
3. MONSTERS VS ALIENS
King Kong (1933)
4. DESTRUCTION OF EARTH
Dr. Strangelove (1964)
5. FILMING THE CLASSICS
Dune (1984)
6. TO GO ON, CONQUEST BEYOND CONQUEST
Star Trek: First Contact (1996)
7. FIRST CONTACT
The Iron Giant (1999)
8. CREATURES RUNNING AROUND
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (1984)
9. NEVER GIVE UP. NEVER SURRENDER
Galaxy Quest (1999)
10. KNOWING THE FUTURE
Back To The Future (1985)
11. I CAN MAKE YOU A MAN
Star Wars (1977)
12. CITY PEOPLE
Dark City (1998)
13. MEAT POPSICLES
The Fifth Element (1997)
14. HOW CAN ANYONE EXPECT ME TO CARRY ON UNDER THESE CONDITIONS?
The Truman Show (1998)
15. MONSTER MOVIES
Young Frankenstein (1974)
16. SNAPPY DIALOGUE
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984)
2. MR. SANDMAN, BRING ME A DREAM
Brazil (1985)
3. MONSTERS VS ALIENS
Cocoon (1985)
5. FILMING THE CLASSICS
Dune (1984)
7. FIRST CONTACT
Close Encounter of the Third Kind (1977)
10. KNOWING THE FUTURE
Back To The Future (1985)
11. I CAN MAKE YOU A MAN
Star Wars (1977)
Gah!
13. MEAT POPSICLES
The Fifth Element (1997)
14. HOW CAN ANYONE EXPECT ME TO CARRY ON UNDER THESE CONDITIONS?
The Truman Show (1998)
15. MONSTER MOVIES
Young Frankenstein (1974)
16. SNAPPY DIALOGUE
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984)
Gah!
SCIENCE FICTION MOVIE BRACKET – ROUND TWO – FIRST HEAT
1.The Prestige (2006)
2. Brazil (1985)
4. Dr. Strangelove (1964)
5. FILMING THE CLASSICS
Dune (1984)
A Scanner Darkly (2006)
I have already applied a forehead cloth as a preventative palliative for bracket upsets, so am fearful of the possible side-effects of applying a second for decision-related stress. If I sprout a downy coat on my forehead, I am likely to be mistaken for a wookie child and be hunted by Mandalorians.
A Scanner Darkly is great and funny and strange and, from what I recall, very faithful to the book. Dune gets tons of flak, but I love it and think it is faithful to the spirit of the book.
I’d wish for them both to move forward, but “If wishes were fishes, we’d all cast nets,” so I vote for Dune.
8.Twelve Monkeys (1995)
9. Galaxy Quest (1999)
10. Back To The Future (1985)
11. Star Wars (1977)
12. Dark City (1998)
15. Young Frankenstein (1974)
16. The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984)
SCIENCE FICTION MOVIE BRACKET – ROUND TWO – FIRST HEAT
1. MAN’S REACH EXCEEDS HIS IMAGINATION
Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
2. MR. SANDMAN, BRING ME A DREAM
Logan’s Run (1976)
3. MONSTERS VS ALIENS
King Kong (1933)
4. DESTRUCTION OF EARTH
Dr. Strangelove (1964)
5. FILMING THE CLASSICS
Dune (1984)
6. TO GO ON, CONQUEST BEYOND CONQUEST
Star Trek: First Contact (1996)
7. FIRST CONTACT
The Iron Giant (1999)
8. CREATURES RUNNING AROUND
Twelve Monkeys (1995)
9. NEVER GIVE UP. NEVER SURRENDER
Captain America: Winter Soldier (2014)
10. KNOWING THE FUTURE
Back To The Future (1985)
11. I CAN MAKE YOU A MAN
Star Wars (1977)
12. CITY PEOPLE
WALL-E (2008)
13. MEAT POPSICLES
The Fifth Element (1997)
14. HOW CAN ANYONE EXPECT ME TO CARRY ON UNDER THESE CONDITIONS?
Gravity (2013)
15. MONSTER MOVIES
Godzilla (1954)
16. SNAPPY DIALOGUE
Serenity (2005)
1. MAN’S REACH EXCEEDS HIS IMAGINATION
Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
The Prestige (2006)
3. MONSTERS VS ALIENS
Cocoon (1985)
King Kong (1933)
7. FIRST CONTACT
Close Encounter of the Third Kind (1977)
The Iron Giant (1999)
9. NEVER GIVE UP. NEVER SURRENDER
Galaxy Quest (1999)
Captain America: Winter Soldier (2014)
10. KNOWING THE FUTURE
Minority Report (2002)
Back To The Future (1985)
11. I CAN MAKE YOU A MAN
Star Wars (1977)
Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
15. MONSTER MOVIES
Young Frankenstein (1974)
Godzilla (1954)