A Science Fiction Novel For the Ages
It is unfair to call it a novel, when it is really a trilogy, but Ursula K. Le Guin’s Earthsea trilogy is one that must not be ignored. You might have gotten your first glimpse of the Earthsea trilogy when it was done as a movie for SciFi (now Syfy). The three books are The Wizard of Earthsea, The Tombs of Atuan, and The Farthest Shore. The movie explored the pieces of the book in a not so fair light. It is perhaps the most overlooked scif series, taking a back seat to the ever-popular Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings Trilogy or the Narnia series. While not as acclaimed as the aforementioned book series, Earthsea holds its own in the science fiction realm. This book is more than wizards and magic. The story does have a wizard school (Harry Potter anyone) where one trains to hone their skills. Of course the book does go into much detail, but, as my MO suggests, I will not reveal anything about the plot, merely simple generalities that will hopefully coax you into reading it. The Earthsea trilogy does follow a cocky magician who is destined to be the savior of Earthsea. Along the way, the ultimate battle between good and evil emerges, but you are left to wonder who is good and what is bad. Basically, the plot does have MANY similarities to Harry Potter (Earthsea was done first). You will see that, after careful analysis, many books rip ideas and concepts from Earthsea. This explanation, vague? Yes, but with reason. If I were to illustrate the concepts it would do Earthsea an injustice. Check out the book and explore the world of Earthsea. You might it’s better than any environment better than Middle Earth or Hogwarts.
New Movie Posters Revealed For Saw 6, Avatar, Jonah Hex
Some amazing posters were revealed with Saw 6, Avatar and Jonah Hex leading the way. Below are images of the posters with a brief description of the movie.
Hoffman returns as Jigsaw and because the movie repeats its cycle of blood and killing. There’s not much more to say about this movie.
There is no telling if this movie will follow the lines of the comic book, but assuming it does, Hex is a bounty hunter (formerly a Confederate officer) who rids the world of evil. A cliche synopsis, but the synopsises on IMDB or other fan sites can be misleading.
Humans will battle people on a distant planet. The humans are lead by Sully, played by tbe badass half-human, half-machine Sam Worthington. Should be a good one. Sigourney Weaver and James Cameron reunite. Stay tuned for more updates from San Diego Comic Con.
The Collector: Movie is Chilling, Haunting
If you’re one that liked Saw, you’ll like The Collector. It’s basically a Saw movie with a believable story. I was fortunate enough to watch a special screening in Austin and this movie is haunting. It’s not sadistic killing like Saw was. The killings in this movie had a rhyme and reason (whether it was justified is up to you). In case you don’t know what this movie is, you can see the trailer here. There is the normal fare of blood shed and spillage, but that comes with the territory from this kind of movie. Unlike other movies of this kind, the writers make you feel for the antagonist or protagonist (depending on you interpret things). There has not been a movie I’ve seen that I’ve felt uncomfortable seeing until now. It hasn’t gotten much press because of the bloody nature of the film. Trust me when I say, it’s far worse than Saw. On a scale of 1-10, this movie gets an eight.
San Diego Comic-Con Cometh
The highly anticipated Comic Con returns to San Diego. I will be there to blog about the events at the close upon closing of the convention. I will keep you up to date on all the newest and greatest news from the scifi/horror genre. The convention will take place from July 23rd-26th. This one promises to have the biggest crowd yet. Tim Burton, Gerard Butler and James Cameron, amongst a few will be there. Speaking of Gerard Butler, he promote his upcoming movie Gamer, where players control real people in a real life action game. Tickets are still on sale for the convention, but they do sell out fast. Prices double if they are available on the week of the convention. Approximately 130,000 people will be there. You can get anything and everything scifi/horror at the convention and get a glimpse of next season’s shows. You don’t want to miss out. Trust me. It’s a treat and you’ll be glad you went. Every year there is at least one “special” guest. Assuming there is still a special guest, I’ll let you know who it is and why they were there.
I’ll keep you as up to date as possible and let you know of the happenings shortly after they appear.
Warehouse 13’s Much Anticipated Review
If Warehouse 13 was the supposed savior of SyFy Channel, then it might look as if the SyFy Channel’s not going to stick around that much longer. After watching the pilot last night, I was reminded why the SyFy Channel has been struggling (with the exception of Eureeka and Stargate). I, and thousands of other people, had high hopes for the show, but all I got was an agonzing two hours of mental mush. The concept of the movie is great and could have gone a long way: the idea that there is a secret warehouse of alien gizmos and gadgets. Not to ruin anything for those who haven’t seen it, but could the chemistry of the two protagonists be anymore off? They didn’t belong on the screen together and what’s worse, the writing didn’t mesh with their characters. The action was slow and undeveloped (even for the pilot of a series). Warehouse 13 has been slated for one whole season, but I don’t anticipate it being renewed. A friend told me it’s too early to tell on a show and that I should wait until at least the third episode to make a judgement call. That’s what I’m going to do so bear that in mind.
Transformers: Why the Serious Analysis
Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen has recently been slammed in many ways from the lack of character development to the inaccuracies of geography. I respond with this (in homage to Heath Ledger), “why so serious?” Critics have lambasted the movie stating such nonsense as “the movie lacks a transformative will of characters to overcome their on-screen egos” (whatever that means) and my personal favorite, “the lack of believability insulted my intelligence.” Give me a break. When was the last time you encountered automobiles and planes transform into robots? Here’s my personal review of it in non-pretentious terms: “Enjoyable. Action-packed and a good use of two-and-a-half hours.” My question to the reviewers and others who put such a philosophical slant to their reviews is did you know the movie is based off a toy? Sure, I can see a philosophical or sociological interpretation to, say, the Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe or the Golden Compass where both books are based on books that have a dominant religious or anti-religious interpretation. But when you try to do the same for Transformers, doesn’t it cheapen what Transformers is, a gkid’s toy. Sure, there are plotholes. What movie doesn’t? Cut it some slack and take it for it is: a movie that is designed to have action and lots of it. It’s robots from outer space, people. As a cigar is sometimes just a cigar, so too is a scifi movie just a scifi movie.
Change of Name Means Change of Programming
SciFi will be changing to SyFy, essentially getting an upgrade. How is this important? According to SciFi Channel representatives, it means a lot. The new catch phrase is to “Imagine Greater”. What it boils down to is they’re shedding what preconceptions the SciFi channel had before: reputation for putting out bad movies and showing the retreads of shows that couldn’t quite hack it today. Will this change the fact that SciFi, or Syfy, will be any better than before? Well, I don’t know, but the marketing gimmick is pretty darn clever. Sure it’s changing a few letters, but when you put it in perspective, it’s really changing the way business is run. Here’s what you can expect. You can expect to see more genres touched upon on the SyFy Channel with edgier shows, movies, series, etc. It will broaden the scope instead of just sticking with Science Fiction. Now more people can watch the channel and that means ratings. You can also expect daytime SyFy channel to not run marathons on one show. Now, here’s the biggest question: Will they keep their hit-or-miss Saturday movie. Unfortunately yes. However, more caution has been made in being selective on what movie gets played. We’ll find out soon enough.