I’m a tech geek. I love my gadgets. But tech comes at a cost, and a recent Modern Geek Podcast on how geeks communicate got me thinking: how much does all this newfangled technology really cost us? For a household of six, my family’s monthly entertainment/communications costs are outrageous (cue the “Get off my lawn!” sound byte). I know — I’m getting older and I’m complaining about things like the cost of a gallon of gas or a carton of milk. But I wanted to find out if there was any truth to my increasing sense of expense fatigue, so I did a little research. In the end, I found I was right: all this new technology does indeed cost us more per month than it used to. However, the real question isn’t how much we’re paying for our devices — it’s whether the increased cost is worth it.
The Operator sent over an interesting article this morning from Slashfilm pointing out that we’ll get a Cowboys and Aliens screening at San Diego Comic Con this year (woot!) and noting that some studios are planning to “skip” the ‘con of ‘cons this year. Specifically, “Warner Bros., Disney, and DreamWorks aren’t bringing films to the show this year” and “Marvel is trying to decide whether to do a big panel in 2011.”
Of course, the headline is bait. Read on into the article and Slashfilm points out what I’m sure some of you are already thinking, specifically:
- Dark Knight didn’t get a lot of SDCC attention in the past, so the Warner Bros. participation level isn’t changing significantly.
- Tron Legacy was kind of an exception to the rule for Disney which probably drew their massive participation last year, but without said release this year you can’t expect the same.
- Marvel is “between release schedules” right now. They plugged Avengers and Thor last year, but Iron Man 3 is the only thing on the list behind that, and it’s still pretty early for a full-on IM3 SDCC blitz.
In short, last year was an uber-year for SDCC when it came to studio participation, but this had less to do with changes in the ‘con than with the fact that the stars aligned for an Emperial (think Vader) crapload of releases. This year, not so much.
One of the frequent gripes in the SciFi community is the lack of quality programming for our genre. The shows that do come along don’t seem to get the network and/or fan support they deserve and often end up cancelled before they hit their stride. We all whine, wail, and barbarically yelp about this subject all the time.
So imagine my pleasant surprise when I picked up the April 11-17 issue of TV Guide and saw their SciFi Review. Not only did they spotlight upcoming new shows like Falling Skies (TNT’s alien invasion drama) and FOX’s Terra Nova (now set to premiere in the fall), but they reminded viewers of existing standbys set to begin new episodes or seasons this spring, like Chuck, Torchwood, Sanctuary, and Dr. Who. This list didn’t even include other renewed favorites like Eureka, Warehouse 13, and SyFy’s very successful American version of Being Human.
With all these shows (including all the ones I didn’t name), paranormal fare like Vampire Diaries and Supernatural, as well as the Wonder Woman reboot, I’m left wondering, What exactly are we complaining about?
Part of what I love about our GWC community is that it is a place to share and learn about things you may have never heard of or would never have given a chance unless someone you knew recommended it. In that spirit I want to share with you something that I find outrageously awesome: Music Mashups.
The highest compliment I can give is to say it is clever. To be clever is to find and explore a nuance in such a way that one creates something new and unexpected. Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead is an incredibly clever telling of the story behind the story of Hamlet. Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman is clever for its effortless weaving together of history, myth and literature. Joss Whedon’s Doctor Horrible’s Sing-a-long Blog turns the concept of a musical on its head and creates a brand new genre.
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Image from SyFy Mobile Website
In the past two minutes I turned off the final episode of Caprica, hit save on the DVR and turned on my laptop. Almost three weeks after SyFy aired the final five Caprica episodes I was able to complete the January 4th, 2011 marathon. Somehow I had managed to stay Caprica spoiler-free until today and it payed off in spades. My feelings are somewhat like watching the last episode of Firefly: pleased with the show and totally enraged at its network cancellation. The final five Caprica episodes were phenomenal and the final five minutes were even more amazing to me. I will be looking to pick up the DVD of season 1.5 shortly. It was that good. And to those that have not seen the series or the final five episodes you are missing out, especially those of you that were Battlestar Galactica fans. Well Done, Caprica. Well Done!
Disney's 2010 Tron Legacy Film (Picture courtesy of Disney's Tron Legacy Website)
Sean posted a great blog post about the ten things he learned from Tron 1982. I know I’m late to the party, but after just seeing Tron tonight, here are ten things I learned from seeing Tron Legacy
“Are you reading that for the first time?” a stranger asked me on the New York City Subway.
“Yes” I responded somewhat cautiously looking up from my book. As a New Yorker, I am not used to unsolicited literary commentary in public or any kind of interaction with strangers, ever.
“I envy you” he replied simply and in a moment was gone.
At first I was tempted to brush off this exchange. I closed the book for the first time in two days and considered what had just happened: A person was so moved by a book he felt obligated to engage a stranger in the subway to share the importance of the novel. I glanced at the cover which really didn’t give anything away of the plot, just standard sci-fi ships flying in space. The story was becoming with each passing word my absolute favorite science fiction novel of all time. In the coming years when asked what my favorite book was I would name this one and every book I read after this would be compared to it.
That novel? Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card.
It’s true that Sean is GWC’s resident dragon expert and fantasy fiend — but as we begin our three-week Dragon Arc for the ‘cast, I’ve been remembering my childhood introduction to dragons and my own take on this diverse mythical species. I’ve included a few of my favorites here to illustrate why dragons have always been, in my view, friendly and enchanting rather than the terrible, destructive kind often portrayed in film.
1. Falkor, The Neverending Story (1984)
Other than Pete’s Dragon (1977), which my mom took me to see when it played in a local second-run theater in the early eighties, Falkor was the first dragon that I decided was badass on my own. The Neverending Story captured my imagination with its fascinating, and kind of scary, story, and perhaps the best ending possible in any fantasy movie. The main character basically gets infinite magic wishes from a beautiful princess, and then rides on Falkor’s back to show up the school bullies who used to throw him in the dumpster.
John Hughes was the voice of a generation. The director-writer-producer captured how it felt to grow up in the 1980s – for the Generation X demographic, at least. He’s best known for teen comedies like Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off – a hot streak endlessly hailed as his “Holy Trinity” since his sudden death from a heart attack August 7, 2009. But lost in the much-deserved eulogizing is the fact that Hughes’ creative career began and ended with stories about adults. The teen movies were just one corner of his world.
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Not that there is anything wrong with that.
My man crush for Chris Hardwick started about a year ago. Like every geek the first thing I did when after signing up for Twitter was to follow Wil Wheaton…because really, the dude was Wesley. One of Mr. Wheaton’s first tweets was that he was having lunch with his good friend @Nerdist. “Nerdist?” I thought to myself, “that is a sweet name.” Being strong in web-fu I located Mr. Nerdist’s blog and was greeted with this:
The Best/Worst Tattoo I’ve Ever Seen
After I picked myself up off the floor from laughing I made a mental note: Seek out more of this Chris Hardwick fellow.
I’ve been meaning to write and recommend Sunshine for ages now, and the Big Three’s discussion on the podcast about Chris Evan’s casting as Captain America has prompted me to action.
Danny Boyle (director of Trainspotting and Slumdog Millionaire), doesn’t like to claim himself as a sci-fi director, but with 28 Days Later and Sunshine under his belt, it’s obvious he’s pretty good at it. In Sunshine, 50 years in our future, an eight-person crew flies a vessel called the Icarus II toward the Sun, pushing a nuclear bomb the size of Manhattan in hopes of reigniting the dying star. When they discover the remains of the Icarus I, the first doomed ship to attempt the mission, things go from bad to worse, and it becomes less and less likely that they’ll survive long enough to save humanity.
As I reflect on the past three days it is immediately apparent that the GWC community is still a source of constant amazement for me. Once again our tribe gathered to reflect on the past year and revel in each others company and once again everyone rose to the occasion.
It’s a strange thing – it was as if no time and decades had past between the annual meetup spawn points. The kindred spirits of the friends we had met were as warm as ever and new faces popped up to take the places of others that could be with only with their digital presence. Yet again a simple joy found its way to our mugs.
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