Crossroads: The Western Hero in Speculative Fiction
Someone once said that every story starts with someone either coming to town, or leaving town. And there is no genre for which this adage holds more true than the western. It probably takes us […]
The British Are Coming…Again
I’ve always thought that US TV shows have the ground covered when it comes to science fiction TV shows (although the UK has the longest running show Doctor Who to brag about). But occasionally the […]
Sequential Wednesdays #4 – The Off Week
Sorry folks, looks like this week got the better of me! I was travelling for work during the I would normally put together a post, so this Wednesday is just a pretty picture and my […]
We’ve Gone to See the Wizard and Tra La Tra La Tra La: A review of Oz The Great and Powerful
About five minutes after leaving the theater I ended the title take of the Wizard of Oz’s signature song with “…and we’re not happy at all.” (‘We’ve gone to see the Wizard and we’re not […]
Deconstructing Horror: Moving Pictures, Silent Films – Haunted Houses on the Screen
Moving Pictures, Silent Films; Haunted Houses on the Screen Seeing as how Western society is predominantly visual, it stands to reason that we begin with the presence of Haunted Houses in movies and on television. […]
The story so far: From the New World
International stream: Crunchyroll (North & South America, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden; subtitles in English, Spanish, or Portuguese) The only thing some of you will need to know about […]
Karmic Demons and the Power of Compassion: Buddhist Philosophy in Modern Myth
I would put forward that the next thing is going to be a story, because right now, people really don’t have a big story, a big software. . . . They don’t have a big […]
A Blog Horde Interview with C.E. Martin
Welcome to the Amazing Stories BLOG HORDE INTERVIEWS! The ASM Blog Horde is a diverse and wonderful species. I have the privilege of talking with all of them, and I get to share those chats with […]
Oz Don’t Look Like That!
With the release of the new movie OZ: The Great and Powerful this weekend, the world created by L. Frank Baum back in 1900 is getting a fresh look. Revisiting a classic is always a good […]
How to Host a Big Bang Theory Party
When the tv show the Big Bang Theory first appeared, I wasn’t sure I liked it. I mean, weren’t people laughing at the nerdy scientists as often (or more often) than they laughed with them? […]
Ora Pro Nobis. The Zombies Are Coming
Pope Benedict XVI stunned the world on February 11th by announcing his abdication. In related news on your Amazing Stories channel, the zombie apocalypse is coming. Even Snooki agrees! “One day, I know that the world is going to end with zombies.”
Does Your Family Know What Time It Is? (It’s Regular Adventure Show Time)
With a 7 year old daughter, a 13 year old daughter, a 40-something year old wife and myself in the house, it is often difficult to find something we can all watch on TV together- […]
The Fuzzy Line Between Science Fiction and Fantasy
Pull the blinds and turn off the phone, it’s time to head to the Game Room and lock in on some hardcore meta-gaming action. In the Game Room we will explore the world of gaming […]
Are Modern Twists on Classics the Future?
As with every hit TV show there becomes a trend of similar shows appearing on our screens. And fairy tales set in the modern world seem the latest trend. Last year we welcomed Grimm and […]
We Accept You, One of Us: The Cultographies Series
Thanks to the mainstreaming of genre it’s no longer disreputable in many parts of academia to declare an interest in and love of genre. While too much interest in genre might once have marked a […]
Mars Babylon: A Review of John Carter and the Gods of Hollywood by Michael D. Sellers
Reading Michael D. Sellers’ fascinating book, John Carter and the Gods of Hollywood, we learn all the reasons why John Carter, Disney’s film version of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ A Princess of Mars, failed at the box office. […]
The story so far: Space Brothers
Hello there! I’m going to be doing weekly discussions of current sf anime episodes and previews of upcoming shows in this slot. Since we’re going to be dropping right into the middle of a few […]
The Monster Makers
The spotlight last month fell on the special effects wizards who make SF monsters come to life. The crowning glory was the award of the Best Picture Oscar for Argo. This spy drama focuses on […]
Why Sorcerers Have Long Grizzled Beards
Ever notice that fictional sorcerers always seem to have long, grizzled beards? Ever wondered why? Well, probably you haven’t, but you’re about to find out. The sorcerer “look” originally comes from a real-life sorcerer named […]
Metadrama and Science Fiction in Affleck’s Argo
I had given some thought to doing an Oscars recap this week, tallying the various gains and losses of the science fiction and fantasy fields within that most prestigious of movie awards ceremonies. But given […]
Dynamo – Unsuccessful Wooing, Decrees from Rashmon & A Silent, Bearded Man
If there’s a recently popularized term that leaves a bitter taste in my mouth, it’s “webisodes.” This demeaning and fun-sized determination of quality stems from the misconception of tacked-on extra content pumped out in the […]
The Impossibility of Escaping the Palm of Buddha’s Hand
“Mortal, you have angered Shaka-sama and now Pigsy will eat your face.” This is one of the improbable lines that is never spoken in the foundational saga of Buddhist fiction. Many other improbable lines are. Further out on the improbability spectrum: Shingo Katori costumes up as a monkey.
KIDS N ZOMBIES
When I was a little kid, three things terrified me. Bugs, Gargoyles, and Zombies. My fear of Gargoyles came from an early 70s movie of the same name. A scene where the people are driving […]
JJ Abrams is coming back to the small screen
The man behind hit TV shows and films such as Lost, Cloverfield and Armageddon (yes he was involved in the script writing for the latter) is bringing a new show to our screens – Revolution. […]
The Lost Vamps: Bloodthirsty Flicks that Actually Don’t Suck
Vampire flicks have been all the rage since Twilight flooded the box office with sticky, coppery crimson in ’08, and have proven a solid moneymaking strategy ever since, with each of the saga’s four sequels […]
Ten Totally Illogical Science Fiction Premises
Over on my own blog I wrote about eight science fiction tropes of convenience, mainly about unlikely or impossible technology or assumptions that are made not because they make sense, but because they’re convenient for […]
A DOCTOR FOR THE ENTERPRISE: New Art, New Pages
Troy Boyle reports that he’s been sending completed pages to the inkers, letterers,colorers and who knows who else at a breakneck pace! We’re closing in on sending this book to the printers and may even […]
The Chocolate Teapots of the 21st Century
Looking back at the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear disaster of 3/11/2011, I ask more questions about Japanese robotics. Baudrillard and M. John Harrison are roped in to help. Also, we bought a Roomba.
Cloud Atlas Shrugged – or let the Skyfall
On Monday Skyfall was released on Blu-ray and DVD in the UK. Tomorrow Cloud Atlas will open in UK cinemas. Two films, poles apart. Skyfall, the 23th entry in probably the world’s longest running and […]
Will Wonder Woman Finally Make Her TV Comeback?
Wonder Woman is one of the shows I can’t wait to see on TV. The original TV show was pre-me (I’m a child of the 80s) but I do recall it being on TV. I […]
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