I’m interviewed at Enter the Octopus

Posted on July 8, 2008 by

Matt Staggs interviewed me for his blog Enter the Octopus. We talked about geekdom, my grandfather, my new SF Site column, and other related topics.

Quote:

Matt: Is there a history of “geeks” of different sorts in your family?

Rick: Sort of… my uncle is a huge film geek. Matter of fact, about once a month or so, we’ll have a conversation about various monster movies. He goes to serial conventions.

My sister treats “geek” like it’s a dirty word or there is something wrong with it. I’ve taken great pride in making my nephew (her oldest son) into a geek. By the time he was five, he knew all the Godzilla monsters and the related mythos. He called me the other day and was discussing the philosopher’s stone and homonculi with me. He’s 11.

This may be the first interview I’ve ever done with no mention of gorillas or apes!

I’m interviewed at Enter the Octopus was originally published on The Geek Curmudgeon

I’m interviewed at Enter the Octopus

Posted on July 8, 2008 by The Geek Curmudgeon

Matt Staggs interviewed me for his blog Enter the Octopus. We talked about geekdom, my grandfather, my new SF Site column, and other related topics.

Quote:

Matt: Is there a history of “geeks” of different sorts in your family?

Rick: Sort of… my uncle is a huge film geek. Matter of fact, about once a month or so, we’ll have a conversation about various monster movies. He goes to serial conventions.

This may be the first interview I’ve ever done with no mention of gorillas or apes!

First Day The Earth Stood Still trailer

Posted on July 6, 2008 by

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

First Day The Earth Stood Still trailer

Posted on July 6, 2008 by The Geek Curmudgeon

Lewis Shiner’s Black and White

Posted on July 3, 2008 by

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

Quote:

On the surface, Black & White demonstrates the struggles of historical and contemporary racism, but at its core, the story revolves around a son coming to terms with the sins of his father. The always-talented Shiner has produced some of his finest work to date here. Beyond a brief, discursive foray into Ruth’s story, he has created a near-perfect novel – steeped in important political and societal issues, neatly wrapped in the trimmings of a mystery story. With Black & White, Lewis Shiner ascends to a literary realm previously reserved for the likes of Michael Chabon and Jonathan Lethem.

More…

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

Lewis Shiner’s Black and White

Posted on July 3, 2008 by The Geek Curmudgeon

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

Quote:

More…

The Golden Age of Comics

Posted on July 2, 2008 by

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

The Golden Age of Comics

Posted on July 2, 2008 by The Geek Curmudgeon

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.

King Kong: The Eighth Wonder of the World

Posted on June 30, 2008 by

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.

Quote:

But when Cooper first proposed the film in 1931, not everyone thought it was a good idea. In fact, no one was interested except David O. Selznick at RKO.

“David played one vital part. He was the only human being that backed me up 100 percent,” Cooper said. “He didn’t know what the hell I was doing. Everyone thought it was nuts. And everybody wanted me to put a man in a gorilla suit. And it would have been just horrible.”

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.

Quote:

Cynthia Erb is the director of film studies at Wayne State University in Detroit and the author of Tracking King Kong: A Hollywood Icon in World Culture. Erb says that “most people who know the film would say to one degree or another it is a racist film. At that time in the late 20s early 30s, the jungle genre like Tarzan was very popular in film. So there were a lot of movies set in exotic locations. And the depiction of natives was often patronizing, stereotypical, racist. I think it does happen with the Skull Islanders.”

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

Quote:

“In my opinion, it always has this other dimension that focuses on King Kong as a victim and on the Carl Denham character as a real intruder, as a certain type who really intrudes and is very clueless about the space he is conquering. So for me that always kind of complicates the argument. There are certainly different ways of reading the film.”

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.

Quote:

The remakes and a raft of other minor Kong movies over the decades only serve to highlight the power of the 1933 original. For film fans everywhere, Merian Cooper’s Kong will always remain the king, the Eighth Wonder of the World.

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

King Kong: The Eighth Wonder of the World

Posted on June 30, 2008 by The Geek Curmudgeon

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.

Quote:

But when Cooper first proposed the film in 1931, not everyone thought it was a good idea. In fact, no one was interested except David O. Selznick at RKO.

"David played one vital part. He was the only human being that backed me up 100 percent," Cooper said. "He didn’t know what the hell I was doing. Everyone thought it was nuts. And everybody wanted me to put a man in a gorilla suit. And it would have been just horrible."

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.

Quote:

Cynthia Erb is the director of film studies at Wayne State University in Detroit and the author of Tracking King Kong: A Hollywood Icon in World Culture. Erb says that "most people who know the film would say to one degree or another it is a racist film. At that time in the late 20s early 30s, the jungle genre like Tarzan was very popular in film. So there were a lot of movies set in exotic locations. And the depiction of natives was often patronizing, stereotypical, racist. I think it does happen with the Skull Islanders."

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

Quote:

"In my opinion, it always has this other dimension that focuses on King Kong as a victim and on the Carl Denham character as a real intruder, as a certain type who really intrudes and is very clueless about the space he is conquering. So for me that always kind of complicates the argument. There are certainly different ways of reading the film."

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.

Quote: