Nine Years Ago Today.

Those of you who have been long time readers will have to forgive me for a "repeat" post, but today is a day that on an annual basis I don't feel like posting about popular culture. Today is the ninth anniversary of my mother's death, and I always feel a need to share on this day. I thought about writing something entirely original, but then I reread what I wrote in 2004 and it captures most of what I want to say. So instead of trying to reinvent the wheel, I will post last year's entry.

This is a picture of my mom in 1971, that blob on her lap is me.

A Day to Listen to the Velvet Underground

I am only 34 years old, but today marks the end of my first seven years without a mom. That is an awkward sentence, but it best captures my sentiments. I am not an orphan, I still have a father. In fact, he should be receiving his Halloween card shortly. Yet a part of me is still very much missing, a large part. October 7th, 1998...10,7,98...those numbers loom large and ominous in my heart and this is the first year I am not completely overwhelmed by them.

My wife and I have intimate conversations often, it is one of the joys of marriage, and she and I were discussing death the other day. Her grandmother had just died at the age of 92. My wife explained it this way, "When someone dies, the world feels a little less complete. Bird songs aren't as joyful, and sunrises are slightly less beautiful." Displaying, as she often does, the magnificence of unedited, awkward, and spontaneous verbal poetry. She was also correct. C.S. Lewis opens his book A Grief Observed with another observation about death:

No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear. I am not afraid, but the sensation is like being afraid. The same fluttering in the stomach, the same restlessness, the yawning. I keep on swallowing.

I still feel this way, not everyday...today.

There are two things that are still difficult for me to do seven years after my mom died when I was 27 (she was 46).

I have a hard time remembering truly happy moments with her...on command. Happy moments enter my consciousness at random moments and seldom on the anniversary of her death. Glimpses of her nymph-like smile...brief auditory illusions of her laughter enter my mind. But the majority of my memories are neither happy nor sad, they are the memories of everyday activities, evening dinners and the question which ever looms over the head of a teenager, "Have you finished your homework?" I remember watching videotapes with her on many occassions, though none as awkward as the time we watched The Hunger, just the two of us and an erotic vampire film. I remember feeling both uncomfortable being aroused by the film, in my mom's presence, while at the same time finding the situation hilarious. This moment just came to mind. There are many more like it, I just can't remember them on demand. In all honesty, I remember my mom as a happy person, a person who added joy to the world. Which is why I have my other difficulty.

I can't understand my mom's addiction, and eventual death due to how it ravaged her body, to heroin. I try, by reading/watching/listening to and about other addicts. I know the narrative of my mom's addictive cycle, I can see each step of her hopeless journey. That's not what I can't understand. I know the things that led to her addiction. What I can't understand is the overwhelming power of it, how addiction stole my mom from me...day by day. Oddly, some really shallow things help. They are a poor substitute for true knowledge, and seem trite when I think hard on them, but they help. These things include the music of the Velvet Underground (in particular, you guessed it, Heroin) and Iggy Pop, the films Permanent Midnight (which I saw just after her death) and Trainspotting, the book and film versions of Razor's Edge, and the writings of C.S. Lewis among other things.

I am the only member of my immediate family I know of who attends church. I was raised secularly. Strange as it sounds my mom found comfort, though she was baffled by it, in my belief. She once asked if I believed, expecting me (the first college student in my family) to laugh at the absurdity of the question. I told her I did and her response lingers with me to this day, "Really?" Her eyes looked at me...proud, confused, unbelieving, yet hopeful. I never was able to tell her that hope was what faith was all about ("Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen" Hebrews 11:1). It isn't about "knowledge," little of life is about actual knowledge. This is why Socrates asked us to know ourselves, that is a difficult enough task. Let alone the ability to acquire actual knowledge of something else.

I was notified of my mom's death by answering machine. I was in classes all day and didn't have a cell phone. A series of messages of an ever-worsening condition. Siezures...followed by emergency medical action, my wife and I later read the medical records to piece together a timeline, to see if there was an heroic effort to save my mom. There was. It is not the best way to be notified of death, answering machine, I think it is the worst. I also wish that my mom had been buried not cremated, I would have liked to have had the chance to speak, to say my own words. Instead, I will share the two poems I think best capture the way I feel. One is gender confused (for my situation not its own) and the other is written from an older generation to a younger one, but they will have to do. In addition I would like to add a part of Philip K. Dick's author's note from A Scanner Darkly.

The first poem is by W.H. Auden (and yes it's the poem from Four Weddings and a Funeral but that is such a lovely scene.

Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,
Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,
Silence the pianos and with muffled drum
Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.

Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead
Scribbling on the sky the message He Is Dead,
Put crepe bows round the white necks of the public doves,
Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves.

He was my North, my South, my East and West,
My working week and my Sunday rest,
My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;
I thought that love would last for ever: I was wrong.

The stars are not wanted now: put out every one;
Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun;
Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood.
For nothing now can ever come to any good.

The second poem is by Wordsworth:

SURPRISED by joy--impatient as the Wind
I turned to share the transport--Oh! with whom
But Thee, deep buried in the silent tomb,
That spot which no vicissitude can find?
Love, faithful love, recalled thee to my mind--
But how could I forget thee? Through what power,
Even for the least division of an hour,
Have I been so beguiled as to be blind
To my most grievous loss?--That thought's return
Was the worst pang that sorrow ever bore,
Save one, one only, when I stood forlorn,
Knowing my heart's best treasure was no more;
That neither present time, nor years unborn
Could to my sight that heavenly face restore.

Wordsworth wrote Suprised by Joy (C.S. Lewis titled one of his autobiographies after this poem), for his daughter Catherine who had died at the age of four. This poem masterfully captures the grief I feel over the loss of my mom. Everytime I have wonderful event in my life, I want to call her and share the news. That can never happen and it brings the event of her death immediately to mind and my sorrow and feeling of loss are renewed. Every time...without fail. My mom missed my graduation, my wife's master's, my acceptance to graduate school, my wife completing her MFA in film at USC. She will not be there to see her first grandchild, or any of the joy that her grandchildren will bring into the world.

As I stated before, I have continually looked to fiction and biographical narrative to understand my mom's addiction and that is why I am including the following by Philip K. Dick.

This has been a novel about some people who were punished entirely too much for what they did. They wanted to have a good time, but they were like children playing in the street; they could see one another of them being killed --run over, maimed, destroyed -- but they continued to play anyhow...

Drug misuse is not a disease, it is a decision, like the decision to step out in front of a moving care. You would call that not a disease but an error in judgement. When a bunch of people begin to do it, it is a social error, a life-style. In this particular life-style the motto is "Be happy now because tomorrow you are dying," but the dying begins almost at once, and the happiness is a memory..."Take the cash and let the credit go," as Villon said in 1460. But that is a mistake ifthe cash is a penny and the credit is a whole lifetime...

If there was any "sin" t was that these people wanted to keep on having a good time forever, and were punished for that, but, as I say, I feel that, if so, the punishment was far to great...

When my mom first told me of her addiction to heroin she expected me to be angry. A lot of my family was, I think the thought of my mother using heroin was too alien to them to even imagine. I think they viewed her use as somehow a failure on their part. I didn't, I only wanted to know if she was okay. By which I meant was she okay at the time she told me. My mom thought that heroin could make life more pleasant, for her it wasn't a selfish desire for more fun than anyone else was having, because she felt empty and sad on a regular basis. Heroin made her feel happy, like she could live life. But in making her think she could live life, heroin took life from her.

I don't "forgive" my mom for dying, I have never thought there was anything to forgive. I miss my mom and wish she were here. I love her and knowing that makes the missing part not so bad, because (as Lewis might say) the pain we feel now is a part of the love we have.

Biplanes Battle Brilliantly!

I just watched the Red Baron trailer below, and boy am I excited.

See what I mean?

I have been waiting for a WWI pilot film that combines exciting aerial combat with a decent narrative. I enjoyed The Blue Max when I was younger, but I have always wanted more. I watched Flyboys last year and had my desire for dog fights satisfied (the flight scenes were awesome!), but the story was so cliché as to be staid. But did I say that the flight scenes were awesome? 'Cause they were.

It had a Zeppelin for goodness sake!

Casanegra and "The Jungle"

Last night I began reading Casanegra by Blair Underwood (with Tananarive Due and Steven Barnes), in preparation for an event at the Glendora Library this weekend. I have been a fan of Blair Underwood as an actor, and Steven Barnes as a writer, for some time, which is why I have picked up a book that is outside my routine.

If my reading patterns were hiking trails, the genre hiking trail containing Casanegrafor would be fairly overgrown from lack of passage. I don't read a lot of "straight" mystery stories. When I do read a mystery it tends to fall into one of three categories. They are either extraordinarily noir like a James Ellroy novel, science fiction/fantasy related like Steven Brust's Jhereg books, or "literary" like The Moonstone. Thankfully this book falls into the first category (noir) and takes place in one of my favorite noir cities, Los Angeles.

Those of you who listen to my online radio show probably know that when I read or watch something that takes place in Los Angeles, I really want it feel like it takes place in the city where I live. I don't like things that make Los Angeles look too glitzy, or that overlook the dark sides of the city. I also don't like things that make the darker elements of the city look like a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Neither is true. Los Angeles is a wonderfully complex urban environment that has a lot to offer a storyteller and a reader/viewer. I have come to love this city and its neighbors, even though (or likely because) my first five years in Los Angeles were spent in the Baldwin Village section of the Crenshaw district. I often describe Los Angeles as a geode. It looks rough on the outside, but when you crack it open you find some pretty wonderful stuff.

I am only a third of the way through Casanegra, but I can already tell that it does in fact take place in the "city I live in." But I did encounter one little bump along the way, and it happened very early. The book describes one of the characters in the following way, [she] "had more brokers on her speed-dial than a girl from the Baldwin Hills "Jungle" had any right to fantasize about." I had to do a quick double take. From my understanding, "Baldwin Hills" is the more affluent area just West of La Brea, whereas Baldwin Village, "The Jungle," is the area East of La Brea is the thoroughly gang dominated neighborhood where I used to live.

If you click on the map below you will be directed to a larger image where you can see three arrows. The green arrow is the intersection of Hillcrest and Martin Luther King Jr. which, according to Wikipedia, marks the center of "the Jungle." You can also see La Brea, as a dividing line, on the far west of the map.
Baldwin Village was not very far from Culver City, where my wife and I went to mass, but the environments were night and day. I still believe that the inner city grocery stores are given lower quality produce and dairy products.

The purple arrow along Rodeo Road is the location of my old apartment, the track across the street is Dorsey High School.

The red arrow marks the location where the body of the Black Dahlia was discovered, it is about two blocks away from the Krispy Kreme on Crenshaw across the street from the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza Mall.



It was after checking the map and reading up on what "exactly" is considered The Jungle that I overcame my little speed bump. I think it would be fair to say that since the "Baldwin Hills" mall is in the Jungle that one might imagine someone referring to the area as Baldwin Hills instead of Baldwin Village. So I was able to jump back into the book and continue my walk along the path. I do have some stories regarding my experience living in the area, but most of those will have to wait for another time. Needless to say, watching Remember the Titans early on a Wednesday afternoon at the Magic Johnson theaters is not on the list of wise choices I have made, but it was a choice I was glad to have made.

Impoverished Ninjas Resort to Robbing Convenience Store

And here I thought with Kane Kosugi (son of legendary ninja Sho Kosugi, and star of the Ninja Warrior reality show) starring in War that ninjas were doing better than this financially.

Difference Between Science Fiction and Fantasy

Janice Harayda, over at One-Minute Book Reviews posted (and linked) some comments Michael Crichton made three decades ago with regard to the state of science-fiction and fantasy literature. To quote:

“As a category, the borders of science fiction have always been poorly defined, and they are getting worse. The old distinction between science fiction and fantasy – that science fiction went from the known to the probable, and fantasy dealt with the impossible – is now wholly ignored. The new writing is heavily and unabashedly fantastical.

“The breakdown is also seen in the authors themselves, who now cross the border, back and forth, with impunity. At one time this was dangerous and heretical; the only person who could consistently get away with it was Ray Bradbury. Science fiction addicts politely looked the other way when he did books such as Dandelion Wine and the screenplay for John Huston’s Moby Dick. It was assumed he needed the money.”

Michael Crichton “Slaughterhouse Five” in The Critic As Artist: Essays on Books 1920–1970 With Some Preliminary Ruminations by H.L. Mencken (Liveright, 1972), edited by Gilbert A. Harrison

It's interesting to me that Crichton, thirty-five years ago, is making a complaint that still is voiced in the speculative fiction community to this day. Before commenting about whether his assertion that there exists a distinction between fantasy and science fiction is prima facie true, I think it is important to examine the definition of each he offers.

According to Michael Crichton useful definitions for fantasy and science fiction are:

SCIENCE FICTION -- fictional narratives about what is known or probable according to our current understanding of physics, history, etc.

FANTASY -- fictional narratives dealing with the impossible.

It seems to me that these definitions are simultaneously too narrow and too broad. His definition of science fiction, as presented in the quote above and my (possibly ill-conceived) restructuring of it, might lead itself to include a great deal of literary fiction I might not consider to be science fiction. This is even true if I add the word "speculative" prior to the word fiction, which may make for a more robust definition. I can imagine a whole array of speculative fiction about the known that might not be science fiction, though I think to do so I have to ignore an underlying a priori "common sense" understanding of science fiction. Examples of such stories might include Ludlum spy novels or Kathy Reich's forensic anthropology murder mysteries.

Similarly, the definition is too narrow because it leaves no room for the truly speculative story, the story which gets us to question our current understanding of science and inspires younger readers to question and refine that understanding later in life. An Example of this would include the Foundation Series. Think about it. Have we developed faster than light travel, psionics, "Psychohistory," or "PSYCHOLOGY?" Those of you who are familiar with the stories will know that "PSYCHOLOGY" is very different from modern Psychology. All of those things are not only not possible, but most are likely to be improbable.

One could make similar complaints regarding the Crichton definition of fantasy, which includes an underlying assumption that you and he agree regarding what is impossible. Having read Travels, I wonder at how narrow "the possible" is in Crichton's mind.

All of this leads me to what I think is the problem with rigid distinctions, as opposed to "marketing" distinctions, when it comes to defining boundaries for literary genres which deal with the imagined or "speculated." I won't be so bold as to offer definitions that I think distinguish the two, but I will say that I believe that science fiction is a sub-genre of fantasy. This largely stems from my belief that both deal, at some level, with the imagined. Thus the "weird tale" and "horror" story, among others, also fall into sub-genre of fantasy. Needless to say, my understanding of fantasy is extraordinarily broad, possibly too broad. But I don't think so. I think that the fantastic is where the human mind creates some of the most interesting stories. I also think that the science in some science fiction is so far beyond our current ken that it is analogous to magic. Hmm...isn't that Clarke's third law?

My opinion in this regard is heavily shaped by what I read and enjoy. Looking at the origins of science fiction, one finds it's publishing history inexorably merged with the publishing history of fantasy. I have a great love of the pulps and this leaves me wondering where various characters/stories I enjoy would be placed. Is John Carter of Mars a science fiction or fantasy character? What about Carson Napier who has similar adventures, but with a more scientific origin? What about the world of the "Moon Maid" which was in origin an allegory discussing the world under Bolshevik rule? Where does Starship Troopers fall? (Giant Bugs? Wouldn't the exoskeleton's collape?) John Scalzi's Old Man's War? (Sadly not on the shelf of my local B&N, likely one reason why I shop at the Mystery and Imagination bookstore.) HP Lovecraft's stories of "alien terror?"

Stories that blur the distinction between fantasy and science fiction are as old as the genre themselves, smartly Crichton notes this, so is it useful to have a distinction?

I think there is, but I don't know exactly where to place that distinction except to say that science fiction stories attempt a scientific (even if it is an imaginarily scientific) description of the fantastic things they describe. But where does that leave the Harold Shea stories? D'oh.

What are your thoughts on the subject?

Zombies. The real threat to American safety.

Hat tip to Chris Roberson.

While the Rest of the World "Talks Like a Pirate"

I'm going to SLAM EVIL like the Phantom!

Spawned from the inventive mind of Lee Falk in February 1936, (that's two years before Superman for those of you counting), the "Ghost Who Walks" and his dog Devil became the scourge of pirates everywhere.

I am officially renaming International Talk Like a Pirate Day to the more heroic International Act Like the Phantom Day. And the next time some one says to me, "show me yer booty ye swab," I'm going to whip out my twin .45s and gun em down in the street.

The Wheel of Time Turns: RIP Robert Jordan

As I was doing my daily internet routine yesterday, I came across some sad news at SF Signal. James Oliver Rigney, Jr., known by most as Fantasy author Robert Jordan, died yesterday of complications from primary amyloidosis with cardiomyopathy. For his fans, this news is devastating enough, but I think this also ranks as a major blow to Fantasy fiction.

In defending that statement let me say, that while I have read all of the published "Wheel of Time" books, I have never been a devoted fan of "Robert Jordan's" fantasy tales. I have been in many conversation with others who were critical of the series and usually agreed with their criticisms that the series was "derivative" and did little that is new in speculative fiction. I have also been frustrated by the long wait between novels and the apparent attempt by the author to leave no narrative strand resolved. Each book added new complications while rarely resolving the complications of prior books and each book was so convoluted that I often had to reread the entire series when a new book came out just to know what was going on in the most recent book.

Those words above don't seem to be those that would be written by someone who believes that the loss of Rigney, at a relatively young age I might add, is a tragic loss to the Fantasy genre. But that is exactly how I feel.

Though I primarily read the books so that I could discuss them with friends who were more devoted, and enthusiastic, fans than I, I read them and as I did so I noticed something magical about the works.

What's this? Magic in something I found flawed? Yes, magical.

These were books which were wonderful introductions, surveys if you will, to the entirety of speculative fiction. By using the most common trope, the young boy on a quest, as the foundation of the story and adding elements from across speculative fiction, Rigney created a series that was the perfect gateway series into the hobby. His series was the perfect "second series" to recommend to potential Fantasy fans who wanted to know what to read when they were done with Lord of the Rings. Yes, his "world" borrowed liberally from the tropes established in that canonical series, but he also introduced tropes from other sf/fantasy tales. Do you want a series that makes Dune less daunting to the new reader? Explain to them how the Bene Gesserit are similar to the Aes Sedai and that Paul Atreides is similar to Rand al'Thor, heck there are even devoted bedouin tribe awaiting the arrival of a messianic figure. "Wheel of Time" borrowed from Dune as well as The Lord of the Rings. The list doesn't stop there. It could include Milton's Paradise Lost, the whole King Arthur ouevre, Susan Cooper, Ursula LeGuin. Name an author of speculative fiction, and Rigney probably melded some of their concepts into his fiction.

This was intentional. The "Wheel of Time" was supposed to be a "collective myth" which mirrored all other possible myths. In writing this series Rigney created a sampler of the fantasy and science fiction genres. If you could read and enjoy "The Wheel of Time," you would most certainly enjoy the fiction of other, arguably more proficient, writers of speculative fiction.

"Robert Jordan" was a gift to the fantasy field. He was a regularly best selling author whose works pointed to other works by which one could expand their appreciation of speculative fiction. At least he was when I talked with my friends. I have never been one to criticize my friend's tastes in fantasy, only to find what they enjoy and to use those as springboards for new adventures. In conversations with my friends who are fans of "Jordan," I found near limitless opportunity to recommend further readings. Friends who read "Jordan" on a lark, because he was a best selling author, became long time fans of sf/f after discussing the novels with me.

That is a great gift to the genre and one which I am sad to see go. This leaves two authors who have left unfinished fantasy sagas in the past year. David Gemmell passed away before he could finish his exciting retelling of the Trojan War, and now it appears that "Robert Jordan" has passed away before finishing his epic saga.

You can discuss your thoughts regarding this and other topics with me on my radio show geekerati tonight at 7pm pacific.

My Childhood Dreams are Coming True. A Tron Sequel is in the Works.

Every now and then we here at Cinerati get an exclusive interview. After reading in the Hollywood Reporter that a sequel to Tron was in the works, I rushed to my Rolodex and pulled up the name of someone with an intimate connection with the project.

I'd like all of you to welcome our guest today. Our good friend Bit will be answering our questions regarding the new Tron film.

Hi Bit, are you excited about the new "Tron" sequel being produced by Sean Bailey and Steven Lisberger?


YES

Do you know who will be directing the movie?


YES

Can you tell us the name of the person who will be directing the movie?


NO

Do you really know who will direct the movie?


YES, YES, YES, YES!

But you still can't tell us his name?


NO

Why not?



Hmm...oh, that's right you can only answer yes or no questions, correct?


YES

That being the case, I don't want to try and wrangle too much information out of you. I guess those who want to know more ought to just read Borys Kit's article over at the Hollywood Reporter right?


YES, YES, YES, YES!

After you all read the article. If you want to talk about it, you can join us over at Geekerati on Monday night at 7pm Pacific.

Shoot 'Em Up: Can we decide if this is an action comedy or an ironic complaint please?

I watch a lot of movies, which means I watch some good movies and a lot of bad movies. The two worst movies I have seen this year are Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter (on the small screen) and Shoot 'Em Up (on the big screen). The fact that I watched Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter in the first place should be a hint that I am not exactly a snob when it comes to the movies I watch and love. Hawk the Slayer is one of my all time favorite films after all. But my love of cheesy films doesn't change the fact that not only is Shoot 'Em Up not a good movie, it isn't even a fun movie.

Let me give you a quick rundown of the plot.

BEGIN SYNOPSIS --The film opens with LONE WOLF, not the character's name but the character's type (Clive Owen), sitting at a bus bench waiting for public transit. Suddenly, a pregnant woman, quickly followed by a horde of thugs, runs by LONE WOLF. LONE WOLF follows, helps lady give birth to CUB (by shooting the umbilical cord with a gun no less), and enters into a 3-Day (90 minutes our time) gunfight while trying to protect CUB from the DAIMYO's assassin (Paul Giamatti) and his legion of underlings. While protecting CUB, LONE WOLF recruits LACTATING PROSTITUTE to feed CUB (CUB's mother dies early on in the continual gunfight) while the 90 minute gunfight ensues. The gunfight goes from one level of extreme action to another, raising the stakes as far as it can (sometimes to absurd levels), but finally reaching a plateau and arguably a decline after a parachuting gun battle where the thugs become a thunderstorm's worth of "corpse-drops." END SYNOPSIS

So far, the film sounds like it could be a great amount of mindless fun inspired by every action film we have ever seen. Everything from Hard Boiled to The Spy Who Loved Me are referenced in the action sequences (there's even a nod to Snakes on a Plane), which brings me to my criticism. This film cannot decide whether it is a rip roaring action comedy like Kung Fu Hustle, which plays with tropes, or if it is Hot Shots: Part Deux. The film stumbles between wonderful action and bizarre spoof.

Whether it is the name of the lactating prostitute, DQ -- you know for Dairy Queen, or the protagonists absurd addiction to carrots and Bugs Bunny quotation, the film continually inserts jokes which detract from the action narrative rather than add to it. The director can't even decide whether he is attempting to give us a visual argument why Clive Owen should have been James Bond or whether he is making fun of the Bond character (the opening gunfight has a Walther reference).

Even the action sequences, which are the best part of the film, finally reach a point of saturation. At some point the director ran out of ideas regarding how to out do the action in the previous scene. From my point of view, that would be about the time of the "corpsedrops" falling on my head scene. The parachuting gunfight is brilliant, but what follows seems dull in comparison. The film lacks a sense of pace and when the action stops, which doesn't include the sex scene during which the gunfight continues, it is to insert some really bizarre imagery. The highest example being when Paul Giamatti milks the breast of the dead pregnant woman. Another being the fact that the cause of the gunfight is due to the DAIMYO needing the baby for a marrow transplant and of his entire "baby factory" only one came out compatible.

If Shoot 'Em Up is an homage to John Woo, then it is an homage to the "Say You're Impotent" scene at the end of Hard Boiled which forgets that the best part of that film was the tension regarding the undercover cop and whether or not he will survive.

I like Clive Owen and Paul Giamatti and I think that Monica Bellucci is one of the most beautiful women in the history of the world. But even given those factors, I can't recommend Shoot 'Em Up unless you don't find being stabbed through the brain with a half eaten carrot to be to implausible. If that is the case, you might just enjoy it. As for saying, "I'll just catch it on DVD," let me just say the following. If you are going to see Shoot 'Em Up, make sure you see it on the big screen. It is a bad movie, that is only made worse by watching it on the small screen. Any scene that it has worth seeing, must be seen on the big screen.

Ah, Sweet Nostalgia.

I want my...I want my...I want my YouTv...

I remember the early days of Music Television. You remember right? Back when they still played music and videos. One of my favorite songs was the Buggles "Video Killed the Radio Star." Watch the above video and you might see why.

Thanks to Jackie Danicki for pointing this one out.

Are You Ready to Ruuuuuummmmbbbllllle (Sacriligiously?!)

Then it's time for a little Bible Fight action.

Hat Tip to Greg Costikyan's Play This Thing site.

The Latest Gamer Meme: How Many Do You Own?

Since the announcement, and release at Gen Con, of Hobby Games: The 100 Best there has been a running meme where gamers list which games within the 100 they own and/or play. Never one to give up an opportunity to brag regarding my gaming and gaming collection, I thought that I would join in the fun.

The format that has become common in this meme is to take the full list of 100 games and italicize those that one owns and italicize and bold those that you both own and have played. I won't be doing that. I want to add some brief thoughts as to what I think of those games I own, and/or have played, so I will be doing several posts instead of the one.

Today, I taking the first 15 games and later posts will cover the remainder of the list.

1. Bruce C. Shelley on Acquire: I picked up the most recent edition of this classic Sid Sackson boardgame when it was part of a liquidation sale at a local Wizards of the Coast store, back in the day. In the years that I have owned the game, I have yet to open it. From what I have read, and heard, about the game, I am doing myself a great disservice. I fully plan on playing this game, when and if I can convince my gaming group to take another weekend off from roleplaying.



2. Nicole Lindroos on Amber Diceless: As a "how to" guide for gamemastering a roleplaying game, this product is amazing. As an actual roleplaying game itself...yawn. It is a great setting, and the bidding war during character creation is genius, but the "whoever is better wins unless player/gm are super-creative" system of resolution is kind of a cop out. If you have a great GM of a particular breed, this is a great game. If you have a great GM of a different breed or an average GM, this game can be awful. All of which is a pure product of the rules. To be honest "better person wins unless it advances the story or meets GM/Player whim" isn't a game system, it's storytelling guidelines. Once Upon A Time is as much a roleplaying game as Amber. That said, let me re-emphasize that the gamemastering techniques section of the rulebook were, and are still, ground breaking.



3. Ian Livingstone on Amun-Re



4. Stewart Wieck on Ars Magica: This was the first real "story driven" rpg I ever played. The system was simple when it needed to be, technical when it needed to be, and arcane when dealing with magic. The games that are "legacies" of Ars Magica are legion, all the Storyteller books for example, yet most lack the simple fun of this game. This was another game with a great section on GM-ing.



5. Thomas M. Reid on Axis & Allies: This is the game, more than any other, that made me like wargaming. It isn't the most robust of wargames, but it is easy to play and understand and translates its subject well into rules format. Sure it takes hours to set up and possibly days to play, but I have some fond memories of this game. Memories which are only surpassed by my Broadsides and Boarding Parties memories.


Tracy Hickman on Battle Cry: Prior to playing this game, I imagined that all wargames needed to take a long time to play, but the Command and Colors system utilized in this game proved me wrong. The rules are simple and swift, the game almost takes longer to set up than play, and you can simulate numerous battles of the Civil War in an afternoon. This game is why I bought Battlelore.


6. Philip Reed on BattleTech: My parents would have been happier if I hadn't discovered this game my Junior year of high school. Between work, baseball, and BattleTech, I didn't spend a lot of time with family. I still have yet to play the game with miniatures instead of cardboard stand ups though.



7. Justin Achilli on Blood Bowl: The most recent edition, especially whatever digital rulebook is currently available, might be the most balanced and fastest playing version, but give me the crazy Second Edition with the Astrogranite gameboard and the crazy expansion books any day of the week. I want to roll numbers, not symbols. I just think the second edition did a better job of conveying the background and feel of the game, and that's why I keep coming back.



8. Mike Selinker on Bohnanza



9. Tom Dalgliesh on Britannia: I'm still waiting for a chance to play my beautiful Fantasy Flight Games edition.



10. Greg Stolze on Button Men: A game you can play anywhere, at anytime, like while wandering through the convention halls? I'm in. This is a simple game to play that is just great, cheap, silly, fun.



11. Monte Cook on Call of Cthulhu: Universally accepted as the "best" horror rpg. This is more due to the source material (and the excellent written adventures) than the rules, though those are serviceable. The one innovation that set this apart from games before it, and which has been poorly imitated later, is the addition of sanity rules by which player's characters can go mad, mad, mad I tell you. Not a great game for "campaign" play, but if it were would players ever actually be able to feel the "fear" that ought to be a part of a horror game?



12. Steven E. Schend on Carcassonne: I am still waiting to crack open my copy of this game. Though I hear it is one of the great "gateway" games.



13. Jeff Tidball on Car Wars: The summer after 8th grade had my friends, and me, blowing the living snot out of one another in our post-apocalyptic automobiles. I couldn't watch Mad Max without immediately wanting to play a follow up Car Wars game.



14. Bill Bridges on Champions: You wouldn't know it from the current edition, but this game was once much easier to learn than D&D. Champions was the first superhero rpg I ever played, and it has set the benchmark against which all others are governed. I believe that earlier editions were more free-form and left more room for on the fly creativity. The current rules set has become very "granular" and players often take a "What is on the character sheet is what you can do approach" that wasn't emphasized in older editions. That said, this is still a great game and the best "war game" simulation of super heroic combat ever crafted. As far as playing it as an rpg, I take mine Mutants and Masterminds (though it is becoming a little to granular) or DC Heroes (my favorite superhero rpg) now. But I have to say...those days of Rob saying, "Meanwhile...back at the ranch--Pachew, Bang, Pachew," those are priceless.

The Trojan Horse: Could it really have worked?

A friend of mine and I often discuss whether the Greeks actually could have used a hollow wooden horse to trick the Trojans as depicted in the Iliad. My friend firmly believes that no one would be dumb enough to fall for this trick, but if the video below is any indication lots of people might be dumb enough to fall for it. Though it appears that the descendants of the original Trojans have learned their lesson and that the Australian military are wise to Greek tricks as well.

Hat tip to Got Medieval via Unlocked Wordhoard.

What You Should Watch/Read/Play

Tonight's episode of Geekerati, themed "What You Should Watch, Read, and Play," will feature an interview with James Lowder who edited Hobby Games: The 100 Best for Green Ronin Publishing. James will discuss the upcoming book, which will be released on September 15th, and give us some thoughts on what he thinks we should all be watching, reading, and playing, as will all of our regular panelists. Give a listen and see what we think, or give us a call at(646) 478-5041 during the show.

The show starts at 7pm Pacific and airs for an hour. You can listen to an archive of the episode approximately 20 minutes after the show airs, this is largely due to our "bonus footage" conversation which makes the recorded show last 20 minutes longer than the aired show.

More Print Periodical Woes and Some Good News Too.

Before I write about a couple of items that I think are great news for those who like games etc., I would like to point out that we have another casualty on the print periodical front. My last post was about the future of print newspapers. In it, I mentioned that Premiere magazine and Disney Adventures had been canceled and would likely only exist in digital format.

I didn't mention, though I should have, that both Dungeon and Dragon magazine ended publication this month in an event that caused great stir in the gaming community. I should have mentioned Dungeon and Dragon if only to point out that when magazines with circulations over half-a-million are going digital only, it should not have surprised gamers that Dungeon and Dragon (who have a much lower circulation) should move to that format.

That said...it appears that Inquest Magazine, the magazine for the collectible card game hobby, is also closing its shades with no word whether it will go digital or not. There are a lot of great things about this here digital revolution, but watching all these magazines fold up isn't one of them.

NOW FOR THE GOOD NEWS.

There are several games coming out in the near future which make me absolutely giddy.

First, there will be a new edition of the Tales of the Arabian Nights boardgame. Z-Man Games will be releasing the new edition some time next year. Tales is one of those crazy games which cause ridiculous bidding wars on ebay. The game can cost upwards of $200.00, on a good day. I remember playing this game with my friend Roger Frederick a couple of times and marveling at how much fun we had.

Second, Fantasy Flight Games will be doing new versions of Cosmic Encounter and Borderlands as well as a Twilight Imperium adaptation of the old Avalon Hill Dune boardgame.

If only I had unlimited time to play games.

Oh, and the Solomon Kane roleplaying game will be shipping this October. I really can't wait for this gem. I wish I was one of the lucky few who purchased it at Gen Con.

Newspapers and Magazines...Paper or Electron?

In a recent article for the National Journal, William Powers discusses his thoughts on the current state of the "newspaper crisis." Are they here to stay or are they going the way of the dinosaur and the Stanley Steamer automobile. In the article, Powers briefly addresses the concerns of the newspaper fan and the newspaper employee and points out that:

Up-to-date information is the coin of the realm, and it's rare to meet a successful person who doesn't follow the news. They may not get it from the hard-copy newspaper, but most online news originates in traditional newspapers and newspaper-related organs such as the Associated Press. In other words, the basic product the papers produce still helps the fittest to thrive.

It might seem that Powers is waxing Pollyanna on us, but I don't think so. News is a commodity in the "information age" and will be for time to come. Whether that news is about sports, business transactions, or Lindsay Lohan doesn't matter. People want information.

But does that mean that they want to read the news on "paper?"

Eyewitness television news didn't kill paper, what about the internets?

Powers doesn't answer this question in his piece, though I expect he'll be writing about the future of paper as a medium soon, but he does mention that Rupert Murdoch is fighting to purchase the Wall Street Journal (one of the nation's leading bird cage fillers).

Powers seems to be hinting that paper may not be dead as paper, but then what does Powers think about the following?

Premiere magazine, which had a circulation of over 500,000, is now purely digital and has featured our friend David Chute.

Disney will cease publication of its 1,000,000 circulation strong Disney Adventures.

And while the Journal is a leader in print, it also has one of the best web interfaces of any news publication.

Which direction is the news going?

Will Mark Cuban's comments regarding bandwidth capabilities have any effect? In other words, do we need paper because we will lack bandwidth?

Comic Book Tombs

Following the concerns of George Miller, we here at Cinerati wonder, "Are comic books more than their cover art?" The L.A. Times Calendar section has an interesting story about a certain strain of collecting which is more about investment and less about enjoyment.

I have a small comic book collection that is contained in four or five boxes. At the urging of my wife, I've been considering two option. The first, I save them for my children to enjoy, i.e., consume. Or, I could give the age appropriate titles to a local boys and girls club for those kids to consume. By destroy, I mean rip out the pages, add their own commentary, use the book as a tracing guide, etc... I figure that if the kids actually get the joy of actually using the book then the comic would have served its purpose more fully than if it was laid down in a safety deposit box encased in plastic. Collecting for its own sake, without an appreciation of the thing collected, is a sterile and pointless exercise.

Weren't the pages in the books in Gatsby's library uncut?

My Thoughts on the Upcoming 4th Edition of Dungeons and Dragons

Minutes after Wizards of the Coast made the announcement that there would be a 4th edition of the Dungeons and Dragons roleplaying game last week, I received two emails from concerned citizens of the roleplaying community.

The first email came from my friend Eric, who plays in my weekly Eberron game and started playing D&D with edition 3.5, who wrote, "Who else thinks that we are all doomed now? I just hope it is not like SAGA edition of Star Wars." Eric and I have had several conversations since this email, more on those later, but I think that Eric's concern might be typical of the new fan (Eric has only been playing for about a year) who is about to witness some major changes in a game he enjoys playing.

The second email I received came from the online game store "Stiggybaby's." In case you were wondering, I don't typically buy my rpg stuff online. I usually buy from a very nice independent bookstore located in Glendora, where I work, but sometimes I want to get a product I overlooked and don't want to wait four weeks until the next shipment can come. "The Ferret," over at Stiggybaby's, wrote:

I will admit I am not too excited about it. My hope is that the game system will be an improvement, or that other companies continue to support 3rd /3.5. I am an old-school gamer, been playing some kind of RPG since the 70's, and have seen some of my favorites come and go over the years, Traveler and Twilight 2000 from GDW are prime examples. I have watched my beloved D&D go from a RPG with combat, to a combat game with Role-Playing.

"The Ferret's" view seems to me to be a more moderate view of the typical resistance that previous editions of D&D have received from long time fans. "The Ferret" uses terms like "beloved," "hope," and "old-school gamer" as a way to show experience, expertise, and an overall love of the hobby. These are traits typical of the long time fan. "The Ferret's" statement lacks the overly aggressive list of reasons why his or her opinion matters more than the average consumer. It also lacks an attack at corporate greed, which is why I say that "the Ferret" is displaying a more moderate view of the typical resistance/reluctance postings one might find on any of the rpg boards out in the interwebs.



Personally, as you might have guessed, I don't agree with either of these positions. I am looking forward to the new edition of the Dungeons and Dragons game. I have several reasons for this, but before I begin let me open with a long list of my grognard credentials. Only after I have verified that I am a legitimate "old-school" gamer, will I begin my reasons for excitement/hope for the new edition. I will put these comments in blockquote, so that those of you who don't require a full background check before going on the offense will be able to skip the next part.

I have been playing Dungeons and Dragons since the first Basic Set. No...I never played with the white/brown box set with the three little books. Since Ken St. Andre was unable to figure out how to play that rules set (which is why he invented Tunnels and Trolls), I don't feel to bad that 10-year old Christian was unable to understand when to use Chainmail and when to use the new "alternative" combat rules. Besides, Chainmail was even more arcane to my inexperience 10-year old mind.

In my over 26 years of gaming, I have acquired a very large collection of roleplaying games. If you look at my gaming shelves, you will find almost everything from Aftermath to Zir'An with a vast selection of D&D/AD&D in between. I own the "Cthulhu" Deities and Demigods and almost every superhero rpg ever published. Yes, I own both Supergame and Superhero 2044. I have played games for almost 3/4 of my life and I love my hobby.

Okay, now that I am back from establishing my credibility, I can begin discussing why I am optimistic.

The primary reason I am optimistic is because Wizards is trying to bring new people into the hobby. I want to be able to play roleplaying games, with new groups, for the rest of my life. Specifically, I want to play Dungeons and Dragons with new people for the rest of my life. I have made some great friends at the gaming table, most while playing D&D. When a publisher releases a new edition, it usually does two things. First, it brings in large sums of money from existing fans who upgrade to the new edition which keeps the company in business. This is good for the hobby. Second, it usually creates "earned media" in the press and creates word of mouth. This brings in new gamers which is also good for the hobby.

Why 2008 and not later? I can think of two quick marketing reasons. First, it is the 25th anniversary of the Dragonlance setting and the 20th anniversary of the first appearance of one of the best selling characters in all of fantasy literature, Drizz't. Those are two HUGE marketing reasons to do a new edition of the game. Wizards will be able to have three major media events surrounding their game in one year, and they won't even require the 700 Club getting upset. Though that wouldn't hurt their sales either. All that press can lead to new gamers coming in. New gamers who would feel far more comfortable buying three books, one each month from May through July, than they would looking at the library shelf of 3.5 edition gamebooks. That catalogue of books that gamers use as an argument why Wizards should wait before they put out a new edition, are exactly why Wizards should put out a new edition. The timing couldn't be better.



My next reason for being excited about the new edition, is that I am sick of playing "Monte Cook's" Dungeons and Dragons. I like the current edition of the rules, but it kept too much of the old and added too much of the new. One of the designers of the next edition of D&D described the way characters will work in the new game as follows:

The next topic comes down to the types of abilities characters will have. Each class will have per-day abilities, per-encounter abilities, and at-will abilities, each tailored to that class, role, and power source. That means the wizard never needs to pull out a crossbow again, which I was surprised to hear someone in the crowd say (followed by a cheer). That's been one of own favorite examples of a crappy experience playing D&D: Running out of spells and having to resort to your stupid light crossbow. Blech. No more!

You mean a fighter might not be useless after 5th level? Huzzah! They are incorporating ideas tested in Tome of Battle: The Book of Nine Swords? Good for them. I'd really like to see how these changes work. One of my complaints about every other edition of D&D has been how little the game "emulates" the genre it is supposedly representing. The above descriptions makes it sound like mages will act like mages in fantasy novels and that fighters will act like fighters in fantasy novels. I couldn't be more excited.



Last, but not least, I am hopeful for the new edition because I have lived through so many editions of so many roleplaying games that new editions seem to me the norm rather than exception.

How many editions has Call of Cthulhu had? Officially six, but more like ten. The first edition lasted two years and the fifth edition lasted ten, but that's only if you don't count the 20th anniversary edition. Do CoC fans complain like D&D fans? Not that I have seen.

How many editions has Champions had? Five, but that's only if you don't count the "Revised Fifth Edition" as a new edition, then it's six. Do "Hero" fans complain? Nope, they are overjoyed because they know how tenuous the string their beloved game is hanging on is.

Tunnels and Trolls? Seven, but you can play with either rules set 5.5 or 7.0 and be current.

The list goes on and on with regard to games and new editions. Heck, I just bought a third edition of Bang! the other day. New editions are good for the hobby. They sometimes hurt the checkbook, but games are supposed to be paid with disposable income anyway.

Cinerati/Geekerati Update

Those of you who visit this page with any regularity may have noticed a significant downturn in the frequency of posting for the past couple of weeks. For that I must apologize profusely. I have been traveling quite a bit the past couple of weeks for work and, unlike many who surf the tubes, that often leaves me with minimal interwebs access. Alas, I have no laptop/powerbook/blackberry with which to enter information.

That said, my trips to Sacramento and Washington, DC have been completed and it is my intention to resume regular posting regarding all things pop culture. I know, I don't actually post about "everything" pop culture every day, I just post about what interests me in the hopes that it interests you as well. An perfect example of this is the post on the remake of Enter the Dragon below, and my upcoming post about the pending 4th edition of the Dungeons and Dragons game.

It should be noted, however, that while my blog has been being treated like a redheaded stepchild of late, my online radio show has been airing on schedule. This has even been true, thanks to my cohosts (Eric, Shawna, and Bill), while I have been on the road. Please have a listen to our last episode "Treasure or Trash" and let me know what you think. This upcoming Monday I will review Emma Bull's latest novel Territory, a fantasy version of the buildup to the showdown at the OK Corral.

I know you are out there, and I apologize for neglecting you of late. Oh, and I promise a review of the Battlelore boardgame in the next week, with my thoughts on how well it simulates the Hundred Years War as well.

Warner to remake Enter the Dragon

I know this is old news to most of you, but I was out in Washington, DC locked in a hotel basement for the past week. According to Variety, on August 9th, Warner Independent Pictures has selected "The Shield" executive producer Kurt Sutter to direct a re-envisioning of the Bruce Lee classic martial arts extravaganza.

This is pretty exciting, and pretty worrisome, news. While Five Fingers of Death was likely the first real experience Western audiences had with the martial arts film, and it certainly set the tropes for most American kung fu films, it was Enter the Dragon starring the legendary Bruce Lee that guaranteed that US audiences would be watching martial arts films for years. I am excited to see what Kurt and crew can do with the picture, but as I mentioned I am also worried.

As I read the Variety article, it became increasingly clear that the "hero" of the film (or at least the narrative focus) is likely to be as white as I am. The "noir" potential of the piece appeals to me, but the "lone FBI agent who pursues a rogue Shaolin monk into the bloody world of underground martial arts fight clubs"? Not so much.

A "lone FBI agent? A "rogue Shaolin monk"?

Does it take place in "a world gone mad"? Or even "beneath our noses"?

It's a little cliché. Maybe Kurt Sutter can incorporate some of the narrative of how the Triads and the Southern Shaolin Temple are related. Now that has noir potential.

Last Night the Geeks and I Discussed Alien Invasions

Hollywood loves alien invasion stories, and so do we. Whether they are special effects extravaganza's like War of the Worlds or powerful social commentary like Invasion of the Body Snatchers there is something about alien invasion stories that deeply resonates with the human condition.

What are your favorite alien invasion stories? The Moon Maid by Edgar Rice Burroughs? Invasion of the Body Snatchers? Independence Day?

We discussed all these and more last night on Geekerati.

New Iron Man Suit

Picture by Pat Ditton.

While at Comic Con, our intrepid reporter Patrick Ditton attended the Iron Man movie panel. Here are his thoughts:

It takes guts to screen a trailer made from raw footage (no special effects) for a film that will eventually be thick with special effects - but that's just what Jon Favreau did for 20,000 howling Comic Con fans.

Can we say "blockbuster" yet?

If the few minutes of IRON MAN screened for the San Diego crowd are any true indication of what audiences can expect from the film in 2008, then all of us are in for an incredible movie experience. Favreau clipped together a humorous, yet serious, Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark -- the billionaire inventor of military hardware -- and then blew the audience away with action sequences featuring a "nuts and bolts" Iron Man armor that definitely puts the IRON in Iron Man.

To cap it all off, the one shot Favreau gave the crowd that had finished special effects was that of the "updated" Iron Man 2.0 (red and gold) armor flying maneuvers alongside two F-18s only to suddenly kick in the jet-boot after burners and streak off beyond the horizon, leaving the F-18s as if they were sitting still - fade to black and to the roar of cheers from 20,000 thrilled fans.

This could be Marvel's best comic-to-film production yet.

Sounds exciting to me, and looking at the armor it appears that Favreau is once again using models and costumes supplemented with computer graphics rather than "mere" computer rendering on the effects. Both Zathura and Elf used model work in their effects adding wonderful verisimilitude to the fictional worlds that Favreau was presenting to audiences.

Photos from Comic Con

Pre-Comic Con Geekerati Radio Show

Your friendly panelists at Geekerati will be attending the San Diego Comic Con this week. Listen as we discuss the conference events we plan to attend and who we hope to recruit as future guests on the show.

While the name Comic Con immediately brings to mind DC, Marvel, and various independent comic book companies, the convention has become a broad popular culture experience in recent years. Yes, the comic powerhouses are all present, but so are the SciFi Channel and numerous film and television companies who use the con as a place to promote their movies and shows. This year that list includes the BBC's Torchwood series, Zack Snyder's upcoming Watchmen movie, a screening of the new TV show Chuck and a lot more.

Listen in tonight at 7pm to hear what panels we plan on attending and call in to let us know if you will be attending. Is there an interview you would like us to attempt to attain? A particular "exclusive" you would like us to acquire as a give-away on a future episode of Geekerati Radio? Let us know.

William Shatner is Getting His Own Interview Show on Biography

For those fans who where told by William Shatner to "get a life," it might not surprise them that Bill has a "Raw Nerve" or two. But I bet they never would have guessed that "Shatner's Raw Nerve" would be the title of a celebrity interview show on the Biography channel.

As everyone who reads this knows, I am a big William Shatner fan. One of the reasons I am such a big fan is that Shatner is willing to try anything once to entertain his fans. He has "written" books, "sung" on cds, starred in movies and tv shows, done streaming online videos for his myspace "friends." He'll even make fun of himself like he did in Free Enterprise.

It looks like Bill has found a new way to entertain his fans, an interview show. According to Variety (hat tip to Kate at Fishbowl LA), the show will be 30 minutes long and "producers will make an effort to book guests separately from their movie and other junkets." When was the last time that happened? I would love to see conversations with actors and politicians during a time when they aren't promoting a product or running for office. If anyone can pull that one off, it will be the Shatner.

Subscribe to my Geekerati Radio Show

Do you use iTunes? Are you interested in hearing conversation about "geeky" topics? Do you wonder what my, and my friends, opinions are about DVD special features, or Comic Books, or Harry Potter? Do you want to hear interviews with SF authors and game designers?

If you have answered yes to any of those questions, click on the link below and subscribe to the podcast version of my radio show. You can, naturally, still listen live every Monday at 7pm Pacific.

Why not do both?

My Thoughts on 1982: Geek Monthly's Greatest Geek Movie Year Ever

In the most recent issue of Geek Monthly the editors and staff present 1982 as the "Greatest Geek Movie Year Ever." Whether or not that is true the crew that brought you Free Enterprise, possibly the "Greatest Geek Movie Ever," have certainly shown that 1982 was a year filled with many geek movies. I have seen most of them, and thought that now would be an ideal time to give my thoughts on their list.

1. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan --
   

   I went to see this film, as was true of many SF films I saw as a lad, with my father. My dad enjoyed it, but this film solidified my place as a William Shatner fan. As I will say to anyone who will tolerate me long enough to listen, "I am not a Star Trek fan, I am a Shatner fan!" I have read all of his novels, own both his cds, and will wax poetic on the virtues of TJ Hooker. I know that there are many actors out there who are "better" at their craft than Shatner, but no one has entertained me so consistently.
   
   
   
   If you don't like this movie...you are not a geek. KHAN!




2. Blade Runner --
   

   When my father took me to see this movie, I was expecting Han Solo in action. I was bored to tears. The weird soundtrack, the slow pace, the moodiness. Yawn. What can I say? I was eleven years old! It wasn't until I watched this film again when they first released it on video that I came to see the folly of my youthful analysis of the film. I have come to think of this film as one of the best SF films made to date.
   As I mentioned during the most recent episode of my online radio show (the DVD extras episode), I am particularly fond of the theatrical release. I understand that it is "interesting" to think about the ramifications of Deckard as replicant, but I find leaving Deckard human to be more compelling. If Deckard is a replicant, then his "sacrifice" at the end of the movie is meaningless (though the allowed escape retains meaning). A replicant fleeing oppression to save another replicant, that's realistic but not heroic because there is no real sacrifice or overcoming of cultural biases. If Deckard is human, on the other hand, the sacrifice of a human abandoning his own society for the love of the "other" has a great deal of resonance with me. That is a moral message worth sharing.
   Just my two cents. All versions of this film are great, I just prefer the theatrical.



3. Poltergeist --
   

   This is really two movies for me. The first half, the creepy Tobe Hooperesque half, is amazing. As an 11-year-old, the scene where the guy is pulling off his face was really disturbing. I liked the classic ghost tale parts of this film. When the film suddenly became a special effects extravaganza, I was lost. "What happened? Why does this look so much like Close Encounters of the Third Kind all of a sudden?"
   I still like the overall effect of telling a ghost story in suburbia rather than in a Lovecraftian Gothic mansion. Those parts of the film really work. I am still afraid of clown dolls.



4. Tron --
   
   
   
   

   Remember when I wrote that Free Enterprise was the "greatest geek film ever?" No? Look at the top of the page. I was wrong. Tron is without a doubt the greatest geek film ever. I adore this story of a game designer who gets sucked into the world of computer programs. This film is so before its time, it is ridiculous. William Gibson may have invented the term "cyberpunk," but whenever I visualized the virtual reality within his books I was visualizing Tron. Where else could you see accounting programs being forced into deadly gladiatorial games? The representation of the interconnectedness of all computers was really groundbreaking. The special effects still rock. Light Cycles, anyone?
   
   After writing this, I am going home to watch this movie. I might even put a bid on a coin op on ebay if there are any available.




5. Cat People --
   

   Believe it or not, I have never seen this. Minus 15 geek points for me. I am now adding it to my Netflix cue as I type. It stars Malcolm McDowell, which makes it all the more unforgivable that I haven't seen this film.




6. The Dark Crystal --
   
   

   This was the first film I have ever seen where the "innocents" freaked me out more than the villains. I still have nightmares of the milky eyed Gelfling who horrified me as at the age of eleven. This film freaked me out even more than the homicidal clown doll from Poltergeist.




7. E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial --
   
   

   This film made me cry every time I watched it, until 1989. Then I watched it, on VHS, with my girlfriend at the time Rachel. She laughed hysterically at some of the most emotionally powerful moments. She found them utterly ridiculous. That experience has forever tainted my viewing of this film. That and the fact that Spielberg changed the film to take place in a world where police don't have guns in the recent re-release. At least it still has a D&D reference at the beginning of the film, which truly qualifies it as a geek film. Forget that it is about an alien. Forget that it is SF, or that it has a bicycle chase scene. What makes this film a truly geek film, is the inclusion of D&D in the opening scene.




8. Conan the Barbarian --
   
   

   I have never been able to buy Schwarzenegger as the brooding Cimmerian, but other than that this film is a pretty good adaptation of the stories. For those who complain that Thulsa Doom isn't a Conan villain, I would remind you that he is a Kull villain. Since Conan's first story, "The Phoenix in the Sword," was a rewrite of the first Kull story "By This Axe I Rule!" one should allow some creative license in the adaptation. The film is well written, well directed, and has the ultimate score for D&D gaming sessions.
   
   Contemplate this upon the tree of woe!




9. The Road Warrior --
   
   

   When George Miller took his Mad Max character and overlayed Joseph Campbell's "Heroic Journey" over the universe design, he created a post-apocalyptic masterpiece. It is true that close scrutiny of this film makes it seem absurd, but how can you apply close scrutiny to a film with a villain named "Humungous?" You can't. You have to be crazy to try. Save your scrutiny for Patrick Swayze's Steel Dawn, that deserves your disdain. The Road Warrior is a work of high art.




10. The Thing --
    
    

    Unlike Quentin Tarantino, where I grew up there weren't any Grindhouses. There were, however, discount after market movie theaters who didn't enforce ratings. Where Grindhouses were filled with crowds who reacted to the latest actioner or exploitation film, the discount theater showed films that had been out for a couple of months for a mere $1.50 and they let 11-year-olds walk into rated R films regardless of any adults. The floors were sticky and the theater was empty on an August afternoon when I watched a horribly scratched print of this film. It was the singularly most terrifying film I had ever seen. I became an instant John Carpenter fan and have forgiven many lesser films because of the brilliance of this one.




11. Creepshow --
    
    

    What's not to love about a filmic homage to EC Comics? Nothing. This movie roxxors. When I saw this film, I had read old EC Comics and some of the DC and Marvel horror comics. I had yet to see Tales from the Darkside so my only reference was the comics. I loved this film, especially the Stephen King story that reminded me of my favorite (at the time) Steve McQueen film, The Blob




12. The Sword and the Sorcerer --
    
    

    When I was a preteen, I used to get irritated when my friend Sean wouldn't plop this film into the VCR every time I went over to his house after school, or to spend the night. I thought that this movie, with a shooting sword, was the greatest fantasy film ever made. It had a shooting sword for goodness sake! A SHOOTING SWORD! It also starred Lee Horsley. What's not to like. I waited for years for the sequel hinted at in the closing credits.
    After rewatching this recently with my wife, I now understand why Sean didn't really want to watch it everyday. The film just isn't that well made. In fact, it's kind of dull. The shooting sword still rules, but isn't quite as cool as the Glaive from Krull.
    When I hear how Eragon was lame, it reminds me how desperate I was as a kid for good fantasy. Who am I kidding, I'm still waiting for the sequel.
    Did I point out that the sword has THREE BLADES and they shoot! Time to add a magic item to my D&D campaign.

The article covers a couple of the "lesser" geek films of the year as well, but I'll cover those in another entry.

If you haven't seen any of the above films, immediately add them to your Netflix queue. Or buy them. Yes, buy them.

Listen to the Geeks talk DVDs

Have you ever wondered, "what's so special about DVD special editions?" Well the geeks at Geekerati Radio will be discussing that very question tonight at 7pm Pacific. Joining the Geeks will be film critic David Chute who will be discussing his commentary tracks on KING BOXER and ONE ARMED SWORDSMAN. Chute was joined by Quentin Tarantino in his commentary on KING BOXER.

Come and join in on the conversation, you might even walk away with a free copy of a movie.

Reuters Bizarrely Associates "28 Days Later" with "torture porn"

For decades people have been decrying the end of civilization and the jading effects of entertainment. Horror films have always loomed large in the eyes of these social critics.

Roger Ebert lamented that the original The Hitcher was a film that preached nihilism and wrote an elegant review criticizing the film as completely devoid of any moral value. He gave the film zero stars, a rating he once reserved for films he thought were morally repugnant.

Joe Bob Briggs has written a wonderful book which discusses the effect that Texas Chainsaw Massacre, the true "Saw," has had on popular culture and its filmic legacy. Briggs analysis is less fear-monger, and more fan, but he highlights many of the criticisms laid out against "shock value" horror.

In 2006, David Edelstein referred to Eli Roth's Hostel as "torture porn," a label that has been retroactively applied to other splatter-based horror films.

But like when Pauline Kael used the word fascist to describe Sam Peckinpah's The Straw Dogs, a use that trivialized the horror of the consequences of actual fascism by broadening the word beyond usefulness, it appears that critics are now expanding the use of the term "torture porn" to the point of making it meaningless.

I will be the first to agree with a critic who says that a film representing the torture of women for the supposed enjoyment of an audiences is misogynistic and likely debases the audience viewing it. But when one applies the pejorative term "torture porn," with all its baggage (as Reuters did today}, to a film like Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later the term has lost all useful critical meaning.

Calling the bi frication of Jennifer Jason Leigh's character in The Hitcher excessive and immoral is one thing, though it should be noted that the bi frication by Semi takes place off screen. Calling 28 Days Later, a film which stresses the centrality of FAMILY and compassion to the continuation of society, "torture porn" is quite another thing.

The first, I consider worth discussing. Is there any "moral" value to a film like The Hitcher or Hostel? Does Wolf Creek teach us anything other than we need to kill any random stranger who stops by our campfire at Ayer's Rock? Those things I am willing to discuss, and even concede a lot to critics. But to criticize Danny Boyle's film in the same way is so stupid as to be beneath consideration.

Let's have some specificity in our criticism please, otherwise it is useless to those to whom it is supposed to be useful.

Two "So Cool They're Surreal" Trackbacks

This week I got two unbelievable trackbacks for my little internet hobbies. First, Geekerati was mentioned in Variety's house blog "Thompson on Hollywood" for the work my internet friends (Bill Cunningham and Shawna Benson) and real world friends (Wes Kobernick, Eric Lytle, and Steven Merrill) do every Monday night at 7pm Pacific.

Then on Wednesday, this blog gets a shoutout from Fishbowl LA.

Too cool.

Courtney Solomon is the Most Hated Man in Hollywood and on This Blog

Courtney Solomon has recently been named the "most hated man in Hollywood" due to the advertisements for the film Wristcutters: A Love Story. Many anti-suicide groups have taken issue with the ads, and Solomon has been sharp in his response to critics. Given his newfound notoriety, Solomon will be attending tonight's premiere party (you can watch the advertisement video here) for Captivity, another film which had ads that shocked the sensitive hearts in tinseltown.

All of which seems to be standard "culture wars" fare, with "soft-hearted liberals" and "slouching toward Gomorrah conservatives" both proclaiming that the world is going to H-E-double-hockeysticks in a handbasket.

Normally, I would mock both groups and go to watch Captivity and Wristcutters, judging them each by their merits (or probable lack thereof). But I hate Courtney Solomon as much as Hollywood. I don't care why they hate him, I'm just glad that he makes their blood boil as much as he does mine. You see...back in 2000 Solomon he made a movie which made a lot of people contemplate suicide when he directed the Dungeons and Dragons movie. Dungeons and Dragons may well be one of the singular worst fantasy films ever made and the taint of this horrible film still lingers making my already unpopular hobby even more unpopular.

"If D&D were any good wouldn't it warrant a better movie?"
"Do all Fighter/Magic-users where 'sexy' blue lipstick?"
"Are the Dragons in D&D really that stupid?"
"Was Tom Baker really so desperate for employment that he needed to play an elf in this film?"

I have been asked these questions and more. Not to mention the razzing I get whenever I try to get someone whose only D&D experience is the film to give the game a try with my gaming group.

How bad is the D&D movie? Solomon made Hawk the Slayer look like Citizen Kane.

New Button in the Sidebar

You may have noticed a new button in the right hand sidebar, just underneath the "Blogtalkradio" button. It's a media player which will play the most recent episode of my radio show when you ask it to. I could have had it play automatically, but that would be annoying.

Since I have chosen to not be annoying, would you please choose to listen?