The trailer, littered with explosions and quasi-X-Files moments, shows exactly what I feared from this film. The original was a thoughtful, quiet film that successfully explored paranioa. The beautifully written and directed picture perfectly captured science fiction movies of the era. Then on second thought with explosions and overt paranoid elements, this new version may sadly capture the science fiction movies of the current era.

First Day The Earth Stood Still trailer was originally published on The Geek Curmudgeon

[  Mood: Sleepy ]
Joanna Brady is celebrating her tenth wedding anniversary, or will be once her husband Andy, a local sherrif’s deputy, comes home. Unfortunately for her, Andy is shot and left for dead.

As Joanne tries to deal with what is happening, rumours begin to swirl around town that Andy is involved in drug smuggling and tried to kill himself. Joanne sets out to clear his name and find out what really happened. This immerses her in a world of crooked cops, hired killers and mysterious amounts of money in her bank account.

Desert Heat is the first of J.A. Jance’s Joanna Brady mysteries. Gripping and hard hitting, it is a page turner. I really enjoyed re-reading it after all these years. I plan to bug the local library to buy a copy, even though it was published more than two years ago.

[  Mood: Happy ]
[ Currently: Waiting for My Son to Fall Asleep – Here’s Hoping ]
Lauren Weisberger burst on the scene with her first novel The Devil Wears Prada in 2004. You may have heard of it.

Her second novel, Everyone Worth Knowing, follows pretty much the same formula. A young woman, who also has talent with writing, lands a dream job only to have it all go wrong. In this case, the young woman is named Bette and the dream job is working for a PR firm that plans celebrity filled events. She is also expected to party and get positive notice in the papers for the firm.

As Bette tries to learn the ropes of her new job, she is thrust into a fake romance, as well as deal with a gossip columnist who seems to have access to all the wrong info.

A fun read. Not going to change your life, but fun.

Last year, I interviewed Lewis Shiner about his Fiction Liberation Front. Now, I’ve reviewed his latest novel, Black & White, for The Austin Chronicle.

Lewis Shiner’s Black and White was originally published on The Geek Curmudgeon

[  Mood: Sleepy ]
[ Currently: Breastfeeding my son ]
Sarah Dunant used to write trillers. Then she wanted to write a novel about Renaissance Florence. Birth of Venus was the result.

The book tells the story of Alessandra, the youngest daughter of a merchant family. Alessandra is smart, well educated and shar tongued. She is also an artist. The problem is that women are still only supposed to be mothers, wives or whores. Alessandra fights against these fetters, flaunting her knowledge and studying art.

Dunant has created a rich, textured world for her novel, with vivid characterizations. The novel starts slowly, but that is a good thing. Like unwrapping a present wrapped in exquisite wrapping paper, the story unfolds with care and love.

Worth the time and effort.

The Golden Age of Comics promises to be the “#1 site for downloading FREE copyright free golden age comics.” I certainly cannot confirm or deny that statement, but with over 4,500 scanned Golden Age comic books, it is the most impressive I’ve seen. Publishers include Ace Comics, American Comics Group/ACG. Better/Nedor/Standard Publications, Charlton, Comics House Publications/Lev Gleason Comics, Eastern Color Printing Company, Fawcett Comics, Fiction House, Fox Comics, Hillman Periodicals, MLJ Comics, Quality Comics and many more. Scanned titles include multiple issues of Captain Marvel Adventures (and his extended family), Simon & Kirby’s Fighting American, Crime Does Not Pay and literally thousands of others.

In order to access and download the comics, you must register. Downloading can be a bit tricky at first, so make sure and read the Golden Age Comics Help FAQ immediately after registering.

Whatever the hassle, this is the finest resource of Golden Age comics available on the web. To acquire a mere fraction of these stories would cost you in the tens of thousands of dollars. So go forth and experience a bit of comic book history.

The Golden Age of Comics was originally published on The Geek Curmudgeon

[  Mood: Happy ]
Geeklet will get to partake of his first celebrations later on today. We have bought him an outfit and everything.

(Not exactly as pictured)

Husband Unit is looking forward to the Great Canadian Chicken BBQ. I am looking forward to actually enjoying a Canada Day rather than having to do first aid.

Happy 141 Canada!

[  Mood: Cool ]
Toronto had its Gay Pride parade on the weekend, and in a first for Canada, the Canadian Military marched in the parade and set up a recruiting booth. The military wanted to make it clear that it was a place where your sexuality did not matter.

When I read this I burst into tears of joy. I have spent the last 20 years of my life working with young people. One of the number one causes of suicide in young people is the discovery that they are gay or lesbian. Often this comes after they reveal their sexuality to their loved ones and are condemned and rejected. They are afraid to live in a world that hates them so much.

When you add the fact that the firefighters were there, as were nurses, pilots, politicians, you name it. The Durham police even detailed a patrol car for the occasion, and you can see why I was crying with joy.

Today is a good day to be a Canadian.

As part of their “In Character” series about indelible American characters, this morning’s Weekend Edition offered this interesting overview on King Kong.

The piece begins with an interview of Kong creator Meriam C. Cooper recalling the difficulties of getting the film produced.

Course as we all know, King Kong and its amazing Willis O’Brien effects was a huge hit and actually saved RKO from bankruptcy.

The feature goes on to discuss the racism in the film.

Erb (which always reminds me of another ape contributor Edgar Rice Burroughs– one who was often criticized for his racism) further explains her viewpoint.

I do agree with her. It is a complicated issue.

The report, also, discusses the poor treatment of women as well as the sexual undercurrent throughout.

The entertaining and informative ten minute essay– interspersed with interview clips from Cooper and Fay Wray– concludes with a proclamation that I wholeheartedly agree with.

King Kong: The Eighth Wonder of the World was originally published on The Geek Curmudgeon

I was reading Blake Bell’s critical retrospective Strange and Stranger: The World of Steve Ditko when I ran across this unexpected mention of my grandfather on p.75.

So Irving Klaw was not only instrumental in the pin-up and fetish industries but served as a source for comic book artists. The latter was news to me.

An Unexpected Sighting was originally published on The Geek Curmudgeon