[  Mood: Sleepy ]
[  Currently: Listening to CBC Radio ]
(A.K.A. Moon Called – A Quick Review)

Okay, so when I got this book, I looked at the cover and said, WTF? Is this Poison Album or an Urban Fantasy novel with a strong female protagonist?

Luckily for me (and you) it is the later.

Patricia Briggs has created in Mercedes Thompson, an interesting taking on the Werewolf ethos. Mercy, her nickname, is a skinwalker, a native shapeshifter who takes the form of a coyote. She was abandoned by her mother when very young and fostered by a werewolf pack.

A VW mechanic by profession, this first novel of the series, finds her being pulled into a fight when the local werewolf alpha is attacked and his daughter is kidnapped. She is forced to reach out to old friends and allies and negotiate with the local vampire group (kind of like the supernatural mafia) in order to save the day.

Good book, moves well and doesn’t get bogged down in sex like some other contemporary offerings. This is one case where you shouldn’t judge the book by its cover.

The fine folks over at Moorcock’s Miscellany have reprinted my 1998 article “Michael Moorcock and the Comics of the Mutliverse” from Michael Moorcock’s Multiverse #6.

(I really didn’t plan on two Moorcock entries in a row. It’s just the way it worked out.)

Michael Moorcock and the Comics of the Mutliverse was originally published on The Geek Curmudgeon

This is not one of the better James Cawthorn‘s covers. Elric looks like a Catholic priest. If it wasn’t for the black sword, I’d never have know it was Moorcock’s famed anti-hero. (Science Fantasy, vol. 19, no. 55, October 1962 Image courtesy of the Pulp of the Day)

Compare it to this far superior Cawthorn cover to the first edition of Stormbringer (Herbert Jenkins, 1965)

Even the inferior 1962 Cawthorn was a massive step up after Brian Lewis horrible cover to Elric’s first appearance (Science Fantasy, vol. 16, no. 47, June 1961)

Elric looks like some dandy from an Errol Flynn movie not the fierce stealer of souls, agent of chaos and destroy of worlds, that we all know and love.

Early Elric Covers was originally published on The Geek Curmudgeon

[  Mood: In Love ]
Some of you may wonder why I have been so quiet. Or since you are all smart peoples, you may have figured it out. And then there are those of you that all ready know.

I had the baby on Friday, April 18 at 9:23 am. Geeklet turned out to be a boy. We have yet to buy him a black shirt, but we are working on it.

They called me in on Tuesday to be induced a mere one and a half hours prior to the shower the teachers at my school had organized. Given how long the whole process took , I probably could have gone to the party – but then you know what they say about hindsight.

I will spare you all the details at this time, suffice to say that the beds in labour and delivery are not meant to be slept on and that epidural = my new best friend. I will tell you that the delivery room I had was about the size of my classroom and had a two-person jaccuzzi with a shower. The staff were insistent that this was the Princess Margerite (Dutch Princess born in Ottawa during WWII – long story, fascinating, another time) suite. Given my heritage and family’s involvement in WWII, I would have loved for it to have been, but that part of the building is just not old enough for it to be that suite.

The boy was 6lbs 14oz and 48 cm long. He has very long arms and legs and has already lost his umbilical cord. He has very striking blue eyes. HusbandUnit and his mother see HusbandUnit’s father in his face. And, no surprise to anyone of you, when he is not happy with a situation anyone within a hundred meters can hear about it. Wonder where he gets that from? I think he is adorable, but then I am biased.

No pictures yet, but HusbandUnit is working on a secure site, when he is not helping me clean the house so the public health nurse doesn’t faint when she sees the living room and kitchen. Being in the hospital for a week and having me on restricted duties the week before due to increasing blood pressure meant the house took a beating. A huge thank you to the friends and family who have come in for a few hours to clean.

So while I will not be very active for the next little bit, I am thinking of you and wanted to let you know that the blessed event has occured.

[ Mood: Amused ]
The summary of this article pretty much says it all:

Both fun AND good for you was originally published on The Geek Curmudgeon

When Jeff VanderMeer asked me to guest blog for him back in October, one of his requests was to continue his recently started series “Conversations with the Bookless,” discussions with short story writers who had yet to have their own books. My first interview was with Scott A. Cupp. Not only did Scott fulfill the criteria but he was one of the more unique and creative talents that most people had never heard of. I wrote this about Scott:

Nothing has really changed except now Scott has a webpage with a complete bibliography and links to online stories. If you’ve never experienced the artistic joy that is Scott A. Cupp, now is your chance.

Frequent RevSF contributor Scott A. Cupp now has a webpage was originally published on The Geek Curmudgeon

At last weekend’s New York Comic Con, Venture Bros. writers Christopher McCulloch (better known as his pseudonym Jackson Publick) and Doc Hammer revealed some Season 3 footage and answered some fan questions. I wasn’t there but thankfully Comic Book Resources reporter Jonathan Callan chronicled the event.

Dude, I can’t wait for Season 3!

UPDATE: Season 3 Preview posted at Geekanerd.

Venture Bros Season 3 Panel was originally published on The Geek Curmudgeon

Yesterday at the Ritz, the fancy new downtown home of the Alamo Drafthouse, I attended my first big screen showing of the original 1968 Planet of the Apes. Using a new 35mm print from the original negatives, the movie screening was flawless with bright colors and fantastic sound. The action and overblown dialog literally screamed delightfully off the the giant screen. Charlton Heston has never looked so dynamic or sounded so forceful. The 40+ year old makeup effects remain effective and vibrant. The viewing further reinforced my love for this very influential film.

Plant of the Apes spawned four sequels, a television series, an animated series, action figures, books, comic books, a subpar 2001 remake, and many Simpsons parodies. A dystopian reflection of American society in the 1960s, real strength is the brilliant Michael Wilson and Rod Serling script, which was loosely based on Pierre Boulle’s Swiftian satire La Planete des Signes (Monkey Planet). The most original shock-ending of all time cements this movie’s place in film history.

The actual making of the Planet of the Apes is a fascinating story unto itself with several books and even a documentary on the subject. When producer Arthur P. Jacobs acquired the book rights, no one would take him seriously until Warner Brothers decided to take a chance with Blake Edwards (of Pink Panther fame) directing. Edwards first task was contacting the legendary Twilight Zone creator Rod Serling about writing the screenplay. For the next two years, Serling toiled with the screenplay while Jacobs secured funding for the feature. Michael Wilson was brought in to work on the screenplay as well. Although the two men never met, they crafted one of the finest film adaptations of all time.

While Serling and Wilson polished the script, Jacobs searched for a lead actor. He interviewed Marlon Brando, Burt Lancaster, Paul Newman, Jack Lemmon, and Rock Hudson. They all turned him down. Charlton Heston, who was already famous for playing larger than life characters, did not. When Warner Brothers learned the proposed budget of the movie could top $7 million, they opted out of the film, taking Edwards with them. Richard Zanuck of Twentieth Century Fox stepped in but not without reservations. He was concerned about the believability of the intelligent apes. After viewing a five-minute test film of Edgar G. Robinson as Dr. Zaius, Zanuck decided to go ahead with the project. Ironically, it was during the test that Robinson determined he was reluctant to endure the long, rigorous transformations that the role required. He was replaced by Maurice Evans.

Planet of the Apes premiered in 1968 to rave reviews and was a huge box office success. John Chambers, Ben Nye, and Dan Striepeke won a special Oscar for the makeup. By the mid-seventies there were five Ape movies, a television show, an animated series, and a plethora of other merchandise available.

Planet of the Apes with its line of action figures, books, and comics was the template used to even greater success by George Lucas upon the release of Star Wars. That model has been used by nearly every major science fiction movie ever since.

The Origin of the Planet of the Apes was originally published on The Geek Curmudgeon

[  Mood: Evil ]
[  Currently: Eating kooks like Willie Scott for breakfast! ]
In response to:

Sci-Fi: WTF Couples
1. Indiana Jones and Willie Scott, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Poor Willie. She will always been seen as the also ran romance of the Indy series. Marion was Indy’s one true love as evidenced by Raiders and the forthcoming Crystal Skull. Willie was just a pit stop.
And it wasn’t hard for Indy to tell. She wasn’t good in the outdoors. She screamed every time anything happened. Clearly this woman should have been a booty call for Indy, but we were urged to think this would last forever. Probably had something to do with producer Spielberg making the actress who played Willie his one and only seven years after this movie came out.

I HATE Willie.

HATE.

Willie Scott and the wretched movie from which she spawned are proof positive that in 1984, for whatever reason, Spielberg and Lucas were wandering the desert of imagination in search of a creative idea.

There were plenty of other movies to see in 1984, and I saw at least twenty on that linked list. Man, 1984 was a good year for movies.

Indy sucked more than every one I saw that year, except The Woman In Red.

Gene Wilder, you let me down, man.

The horrible, erroneous gun/sword joke reference in the prequel is proof that Lucas and Co. had started filking with their own material in dangerous ways, long before the E.T. walkie-talkie fiasco. Indy meets with two swordsmen, instead of the one in Raiders, which is supposed to happen several years after Temple, yet he grabs for his pistol, and finding the holster empty, gives a knowing, almost 4th-wall-breaking, smile!

I blame Willie Scott.

Geekdom! I submit to you: we weren’t taking notes! We should have seen Episodes I, II, and III coming at that moment, and we should have initiated prepartions to prevent it!

The lonely dvd sitting in the Indiana Jones Trilogy box, behind Raiders, Crusade, and the extras dvd? I don’t look at it more than your average commuter looks at a traffic accident on the highway. It’s unfortunate that it happened, and it’s taking up space in my life, but I really wish I could just get the hell past it and not have to worry about it bogging down part of my day.

I blame Willie Scott.

I hear some of you, just a few of you, out there in the aisles with itchy feet and fading smiles, saying “But what about Short Round? You can‘t not like Short Round.”

Grammatically questionable as that last statement is, those very words have come out of at least one person’s mouth when I dug in my heels about IJATTOD sucking. It’s not a fond memory, as now, whenever the subject is broached, that’s the way I hear the question when anyone mentions Short Round.

Short Round doesn’t do anything for me, but I don’t have time to dig into that can of worms for the proper bait right now. Jonathan Ke Quan was, is, and will always for me be Data from The Goonies.
There is no Short Round.

Willie Scott is the reason there are only three Indiana Jones movies in my mind, my world, and just two in my dvd library.

Those movies are as follows.

Raiders, which showed me that cool swipe from the Paramount logo in the beginning, then got better from there. Only Coming To America made better use of the Paramount logo, and only Boogie Nights made better use of Alfred Molina.

Raiders also proved that John Williams’ best work was not The Imperial March. I know, it’s the Star Wars theme to lots and lots of geeks out there, but it pales in comparison to the Indy theme.

The Last Crusade, while touted as THE last Indy movie so many years ago (hey, who knew Harrison just needed the right script to get the hat back on?), was also the best of the three so far, for three reasons.

1. River Pheonix as young Indy. I weep every time I watch the opening to the movie, and every time I hear this song by Natalie Merchant, that she wrote for him posthumously.

2. Sean Connery! In the words of Stan The Man Lee, ‘Nuff Said.

3. Humor! Sure, one might argue a short asian kid who uses telephone books and KISS boots to drive a car, a woman who is scared of the wild and thinks elephants stink, and the poor attempts at slapstick all make for rollicking good fun at the movies. But where Raiders tempered its drama and action with comedy, and Temple added unnecessary song numbers and bad jokes to pad the feather-light story, Last Crusade found a very nice balance between humor and pathos.

And damn it, the movie makes me cry, OK?! It’s a good estranged father-son fantasy story, wrapped in an action yarn, starring Harrison Ford and Sean Connery!

“Let it go, Indiana.”

Last Crusade just seemed so effortless when weighed against the albatross that is Temple of Doom.

I blame Willie Scott.

Hell, if Wikipedia is to be believed, check out this quote: “After the release of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Steven Spielberg decided to complete the trilogy in order to fulfill his promise to George Lucas, and ‘to apologize for the second one’.”

Maybe Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is Spielberg’s way of saying, “Let’s make a real trilogy, and in a year or two we’ll mint more money after releasing the NEW dvd box set, sans Temple of Doom! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! HA! Eh…ha?”

Still, let’s hope Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is at least as good as Raiders,.

Which is to say, pretty filking awesome.

I want it to be the summer’s blockbuster movie, taking a righteous swing at the biggest moneymakers the past summers have seen and knocking them sideways.

The movie already has some good things going for it, long, Fiona-Apple-esque title aside. OK, it’s more U2esque.

Mr. Shamamalan LaBootay, who, even if he blows it in a bunch of art house films while living off his last four paychecks, will still appear in the next Michael Bay FIOS commercial, guaranteed.
His LaBoothness plays Mutt, who is potentially Indy’s son by Marion. Or actually is. Whatever, I’m not digging into the spoilers to find out. I’ll learn it all on day one in the theater.

And it’ll have some pudgy pasty white guy instead of Salah, it appears from the trailer. That’s its first strike in my book. I can just imagine Salah saying, “So, Indy, you have A SON!”

Not unlike Brian Blessed’s Hawkman exclaiming something exclamatory in Flash Gordon.

Kingdom touts Nazi-ish villains led by Cate Blanchett! No Indy film is complete without the good ol’ stormtrooperish villainy!

Indy is being portrayed as Indy, twenty years on. Not Harrison Ford’s likeness pasted digitally onto a young stunt man’s frame, with Harrison providing voice talent to lip-sync the dialogue.

Come to think of it, that’s probably what Frank Darabont’s script suggested…after all, the man wrote, directed, and allowed to be released this piece of crap.

I don’t blame Willie Scott for The Mist.

Yes, Frank, I am bitter. I’ll need about three more Shawshank Redemptions to put you back on the “trust me” list.

But Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull wasn’t written by Darabont, Thank Shatner, so it won’t have Short Round, but it will have the wonderful, beautiful, still-hot Karen Allen! Marion returns!

I’ve missed Marion. I’m glad she’s back.

And I’m so very very glad Willie Scott will not be in the new movie. For that reason alone it has a better-than-good chance of success.

Unless it blows like Willie screaming. In which case…

I blame Willie Scott.

I sincerely hope it won’t.

[  Mood: Hypnotized ]
[  Currently: Eating Breakfast ]
Virginia is an overweight sixteen year-old in a skinny, perfect family. Her best friend has moved to Walla Walla and she is having trouble fitting in. She has written the Fat Girls’ Code of Conduct and it reads like a bad low self-esteem playbook. Stuff I see all the time in my job.

Carolyn Mackler has created a very believable young adult novel, where Virginia struggles with her weight, fitting in and coping with a family that thinks she should just lose a few pounds.

I can see why the ALA made it a Michael L. Printz Honour book. Good stuff.