"Star Trek" has always loved a deep-cut starship name. In the original series, the U.S.S. Farragut borrowed a name from a Civil War-era Union Navy officer. In "Star Trek: Lower Decks," every California Class ship is named after a different city in the West Coast state, from Redding to Riverside. Figures ranging from Ursula K. Le Guin to Thomas Edison to Elmer Fudd have all gotten the starship name treatment, but one of the earliest named starships in the series had a much less admirable origin story.
The S.S. Botany Bay made its first appearance in the "Star Trek: The Original Series" episode "Space Seed," which introduced viewers to the infamous villain Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montalban). Viewers with a keen sense of geography may have realized they were due to meet a baddie before Khan ever appeared, though, because Botany Bay holds a uniquely horrifying place in history.
The S.S. Botany Bay made its first appearance in the "Star Trek: The Original Series" episode "Space Seed," which introduced viewers to the infamous villain Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montalban). Viewers with a keen sense of geography may have realized they were due to meet a baddie before Khan ever appeared, though, because Botany Bay holds a uniquely horrifying place in history.
- 2/2/2024
- by Valerie Ettenhofer
- Slash Film
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In May 1962, the "Twilight Zone" episode "I Sing the Body Electric" aired, with generally positive reception. The season 3 episode, which centers around a father who buys a robot grandmother for his three children, is rarely ranked at the top of fans' list of best-ever episodes, but it's never ranked at the bottom either. "It's a pleasant story," writes Marc Scott Zicree in the official companion book for the show, "But somehow one feels that it was meant to be more."
For fans of the episode's writer, Ray Bradbury, it's a little disappointing that this was the only "Twilight Zone" episode ever to be directly penned by him. The guy is one of the most popular sci-fi writers of all time, with the show itself clearly taking note. Classic episodes like "Walking Distance" and "A Stop at Willoughby" included shoutouts to him,...
In May 1962, the "Twilight Zone" episode "I Sing the Body Electric" aired, with generally positive reception. The season 3 episode, which centers around a father who buys a robot grandmother for his three children, is rarely ranked at the top of fans' list of best-ever episodes, but it's never ranked at the bottom either. "It's a pleasant story," writes Marc Scott Zicree in the official companion book for the show, "But somehow one feels that it was meant to be more."
For fans of the episode's writer, Ray Bradbury, it's a little disappointing that this was the only "Twilight Zone" episode ever to be directly penned by him. The guy is one of the most popular sci-fi writers of all time, with the show itself clearly taking note. Classic episodes like "Walking Distance" and "A Stop at Willoughby" included shoutouts to him,...
- 1/28/2024
- by Michael Boyle
- Slash Film
When Paul Thomas Anderson went against the industry grain and cast Adam Sandler as the lead in his fourth feature, "Punch Drunk Love," many people in Hollywood felt the brashly talented filmmaker's ego had inflated to Welles-ian proportions. After the dazzling excess of "Magnolia" (which was more divisive at the time than it is now), there was a sense that he was provoking for provocation's sake. Outside of Steven Seagal, it's possible there wasn't a more critically loathed star in America — and it wasn't just the movies they hated. They detested him. They considered him a charisma vacuum who needed someone as irresistibly lovable as Drew Barrymore to render his presence in a film tolerable.
Anderson shattered these misconceptions. Though Sandler didn't dive headlong into dramas after "Punch Drunk Love," he'd take on a non-comedic part every few years and remind us of his untapped potential — which he fully realized...
Anderson shattered these misconceptions. Though Sandler didn't dive headlong into dramas after "Punch Drunk Love," he'd take on a non-comedic part every few years and remind us of his untapped potential — which he fully realized...
- 12/21/2023
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 4's Weirdest Episode Title Is A Reference To A Legendary Sci-Fi Writer
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This post contains spoilers for "Star Trek: Lower Decks" season 4.
"Star Trek" has always taken inspiration from titans of the science fiction genre. Whether it's "Strange New Worlds" delivering a heartbreaking riff on an Ursula Le Guin short story or "The Next Generation" scientists building on the concepts of Isaac Asimov, "Star Trek" has always worn its love of geeky sci-fi on its sleeve. It's only fitting, then, that the long-running franchise's most entertainingly chaotic entry, "Star Trek: Lower Decks," references one of 20th-century sci-fi's wildest figures: Harlan Ellison.
The nod to one of Ellison's works comes via the title of season 4, episode 2, "I Have No Bones Yet I Must Flee." In the context of the episode, this phrase is hilarious, as it references the inexplicable, bone-drinking capabilities of a cute creature called Moopsy that the "Lower Decks" crew...
This post contains spoilers for "Star Trek: Lower Decks" season 4.
"Star Trek" has always taken inspiration from titans of the science fiction genre. Whether it's "Strange New Worlds" delivering a heartbreaking riff on an Ursula Le Guin short story or "The Next Generation" scientists building on the concepts of Isaac Asimov, "Star Trek" has always worn its love of geeky sci-fi on its sleeve. It's only fitting, then, that the long-running franchise's most entertainingly chaotic entry, "Star Trek: Lower Decks," references one of 20th-century sci-fi's wildest figures: Harlan Ellison.
The nod to one of Ellison's works comes via the title of season 4, episode 2, "I Have No Bones Yet I Must Flee." In the context of the episode, this phrase is hilarious, as it references the inexplicable, bone-drinking capabilities of a cute creature called Moopsy that the "Lower Decks" crew...
- 9/8/2023
- by Valerie Ettenhofer
- Slash Film
Lee Pace is one of Hollywood’s most underrated and talented performers. His extensive career in television and film began in the early 2000s, by which point he had already made a name for himself in stage productions.
Over the past several decades, Pace has consistently earned acclaim for his versatility and willingness to immerse himself completely into the roles he chooses. Most recently, Pace has been making waves in the series Foundation. In a recent chat with Interview magazine, Pace discussed the iconic nude fighting scene from the very first episode of the season, revealing why he believes “everyone” should try it at some point.
What is Lee Pace best known for? Lee Pace | Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images
Pace attended the prestigious Juilliard School in the late ’90s, learning the skills of character development and dramatization. He transitioned into television and film roles not long after graduation, with...
Over the past several decades, Pace has consistently earned acclaim for his versatility and willingness to immerse himself completely into the roles he chooses. Most recently, Pace has been making waves in the series Foundation. In a recent chat with Interview magazine, Pace discussed the iconic nude fighting scene from the very first episode of the season, revealing why he believes “everyone” should try it at some point.
What is Lee Pace best known for? Lee Pace | Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images
Pace attended the prestigious Juilliard School in the late ’90s, learning the skills of character development and dramatization. He transitioned into television and film roles not long after graduation, with...
- 8/28/2023
- by Suse Forrest
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
In some ways, "Strange New Worlds" has emerged as the true successor to "Star Trek: The Next Generation," despite the fact that the recently ended "Star Trek: Picard" actually featured the core cast of "The Next Generation" in its third and final season. For one thing, "Strange New Worlds" is lit better; no longer are we aboard the bridge of a shadowy starship. In both color and tone, the series embraces the bright optimism and humanism that was once central to the "Star Trek" ethos. It's also less of a legacy sequel — wedded to a warehouse of Easter eggs and recycled old plotlines — and more of a legacy prequel.
"Strange New Worlds" takes place before "Star Trek: The Original Series," and it's set aboard the same ship, the USS Enterprise (Ncc-1701), where new versions of familiar characters like Spock (Ethan Peck) and Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding) find themselves getting caught...
"Strange New Worlds" takes place before "Star Trek: The Original Series," and it's set aboard the same ship, the USS Enterprise (Ncc-1701), where new versions of familiar characters like Spock (Ethan Peck) and Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding) find themselves getting caught...
- 6/3/2023
- by Joshua Meyer
- Slash Film
For anyone keeping tabs on Bas Devos’ career, it’s notable that the drama of his latest film Here is set in motion by something as benign as a pot of soup. A charming portrait with a flânuerial spirit, the film follows a Brussels-based Romanian construction worker who, having decided to move home, cooks what’s left in his fridge, packages it up, then gifts it to family, friends and––much later––a Belgian-Chinese woman doing a PhD in moss. She is played by Liyo Gang and he is played by Stefan Gota. It’s 81 minutes long, has relatively little dialogue, and tugs the heartstrings in all the best ways. It might be the most benevolent film of this year.
It hasn’t always been like this for Devos, a 39-year-old filmmaker from Belgium. While 2019’s Hellhole––a eulogy for a city in mourning––had style to burn, its pessimism felt strained.
It hasn’t always been like this for Devos, a 39-year-old filmmaker from Belgium. While 2019’s Hellhole––a eulogy for a city in mourning––had style to burn, its pessimism felt strained.
- 3/2/2023
- by Rory O'Connor
- The Film Stage
Science fiction movies have shared a close relationship with their literary counterparts for as long as they've existed. The first sci-fi film ever made, Georges Méliès' 1902 short "A Trip to the Moon," was inspired by two Jules Verne novels, "From the Earth to the Moon" and "Around the Moon," as well as H.G. Wells' serialized novel "The First Men in the Moon." From there, countless movies — including some of the greatest of all time — have been based on sci-fi novels, novellas, and short stories.
Let's put it this way: Without the vast cosmos of sci-fi literature to draw from, we would never have experienced "Metropolis," "Frankenstein," "Invasion of the Body Snatchers," "2001: A Space Odyssey," "A Clockwork Orange," "Solaris," "Planet of the Apes," "Blade Runner," "Total Recall," "Starship Troopers," "The Thing," "Jurassic Park," "Minority Report," "Children of Men," "Arrival," "Annihilation," "Edge of Tomorrow," and a hell of a lot more.
Let's put it this way: Without the vast cosmos of sci-fi literature to draw from, we would never have experienced "Metropolis," "Frankenstein," "Invasion of the Body Snatchers," "2001: A Space Odyssey," "A Clockwork Orange," "Solaris," "Planet of the Apes," "Blade Runner," "Total Recall," "Starship Troopers," "The Thing," "Jurassic Park," "Minority Report," "Children of Men," "Arrival," "Annihilation," "Edge of Tomorrow," and a hell of a lot more.
- 2/7/2023
- by Chris Heasman
- Slash Film
The new “Game of Thrones” prequel “House of the Dragon” has run fast through the events of its “Fire & Blood” source material, with the first season covering a span of 20 years in eight episodes. In a Monday post on his blog “Random Musings,” original series author George R.R. Martin revealed that he hopes the series will continue on this pace to cover the entire Targaryen civil war (or the Dance of Dragons) over four seasons.
“There are only so many minutes in an episode (more on HBO than on the network shows I once wrote for), and only so many episodes in a season … If ‘House of the Dragon’ had 13 episodes per season, maybe we could have shown all the things we had to ‘time jump’ over… though that would have risked having some viewers complain that the show was too ‘slow,’ that ‘nothing happened.’ As it is, I am...
“There are only so many minutes in an episode (more on HBO than on the network shows I once wrote for), and only so many episodes in a season … If ‘House of the Dragon’ had 13 episodes per season, maybe we could have shown all the things we had to ‘time jump’ over… though that would have risked having some viewers complain that the show was too ‘slow,’ that ‘nothing happened.’ As it is, I am...
- 10/12/2022
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
Showing Up (2022).Sometimes, nothing happens: nothing happens but waiting, saving and making do in the meantime. How do we make stories from these passages of time? Kelly Reichardt not only directs such stories but has also lived them—because sometimes, as a woman filmmaker, as many as twelve years pass by between making a first feature and making a second one. Between River of Grass (1994) and Old Joy (2006), Reichardt tried to make experimental films and turned to teaching. Since Old Joy, she has managed to make six features, most of which are shot in the Pacific Northwest and most of which focus, fittingly, on the day-to-day efforts of ordinary people—to fix their car, to find their dog or to find water, to make a living.Perhaps passages of time like that between River of Grass and Old Joy make a gatherer of the woman filmmaker. Speaking to critics and...
- 10/4/2022
- MUBI
Click here to read the full article.
A memory piece in four extraordinary voices, Sébastien Lifshitz’s sharp and tender documentary reveals the secret history of an underground network created by cross-dressing men and transgender women in the 1950s and ’60s. Casa Susanna takes its title from the secluded Catskills resort that became a refuge for pathfinders from around the world at a time when many countries’ laws and social norms were aligned against them. Two of these pioneering trans woman, octogenarians at the time of filming, are interviewed for the doc, recalling the rustic retreat’s crucial role in their journey to self-realization. The other two subjects, now entering their 70s, were children during the Casa’s heyday, with family ties to the uncommon New York bungalow colony.
The French filmmaker, who has explored the transgender experience in a number of films, among them the narrative drama Wild Side...
A memory piece in four extraordinary voices, Sébastien Lifshitz’s sharp and tender documentary reveals the secret history of an underground network created by cross-dressing men and transgender women in the 1950s and ’60s. Casa Susanna takes its title from the secluded Catskills resort that became a refuge for pathfinders from around the world at a time when many countries’ laws and social norms were aligned against them. Two of these pioneering trans woman, octogenarians at the time of filming, are interviewed for the doc, recalling the rustic retreat’s crucial role in their journey to self-realization. The other two subjects, now entering their 70s, were children during the Casa’s heyday, with family ties to the uncommon New York bungalow colony.
The French filmmaker, who has explored the transgender experience in a number of films, among them the narrative drama Wild Side...
- 9/17/2022
- by Sheri Linden
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Jeopardy! host Ken Jennings shocked fans as he allowed one contestant to correct their answer on the game show, but not another.
The former champion took over presenting duties in 2021 following the death of long-time host Alex Trebek in 2020.
Wednesday’s episode (14 September) of Jeopardy! saw three contestants competing, with one category featuring answers under the “cons” theme.
After being shown a painting of a 19th-century landscape, Jennings asked which British painter was behind the artwork.
Luigi de Guzman buzzed in and answered: “Who is Constant?”, with Jennings asking him to “say it again”.
De Guzman then corrected his answer, saying: “Sorry, who is Constable?”, which was accepted as correct.
However, later in the show, Jennings did not let contestant Harriet Wagner change her answer from Angela LeGuin to Ursula LeGuin after accidentally saying the author’s name wrong.
“Yes, Harriet, you remembered that her name was Ursula, but I...
The former champion took over presenting duties in 2021 following the death of long-time host Alex Trebek in 2020.
Wednesday’s episode (14 September) of Jeopardy! saw three contestants competing, with one category featuring answers under the “cons” theme.
After being shown a painting of a 19th-century landscape, Jennings asked which British painter was behind the artwork.
Luigi de Guzman buzzed in and answered: “Who is Constant?”, with Jennings asking him to “say it again”.
De Guzman then corrected his answer, saying: “Sorry, who is Constable?”, which was accepted as correct.
However, later in the show, Jennings did not let contestant Harriet Wagner change her answer from Angela LeGuin to Ursula LeGuin after accidentally saying the author’s name wrong.
“Yes, Harriet, you remembered that her name was Ursula, but I...
- 9/16/2022
- by Isobel Lewis
- The Independent - TV
Ken Jennings is feeling the wrath of “Jeopardy!” viewers after the champion-turned-host appeared to play favourites with his rulings during his first week of the show’s 39th season.
According to People, controversy was sparked when contestant Luigi de Guzman answered a question in which a painting was shown on the screen, with the clue reading, “Here’s a typical 19th-century landscape by this British painter.”
“Who is Constant?” de Guzman said.
Read More: ‘Jeopardy!’ Confirms Mayim Bialik & Ken Jennings Will Return As Hosts
“Say it again,” Jennings replied.
“Sorry, who is Constable?” de Guzman replied, with Jennings accepting his answer as correct.
Later in that same episode, contestant Harriet Wagner experienced a similar misstep when answering a question about the name of a science fiction author by responding, “Who is Angela LeGuin — sorry, Ursula LeGuin.”
This time, however, Jennings interrupted and told her she was incorrect.
“Yes, Harriet, you...
According to People, controversy was sparked when contestant Luigi de Guzman answered a question in which a painting was shown on the screen, with the clue reading, “Here’s a typical 19th-century landscape by this British painter.”
“Who is Constant?” de Guzman said.
Read More: ‘Jeopardy!’ Confirms Mayim Bialik & Ken Jennings Will Return As Hosts
“Say it again,” Jennings replied.
“Sorry, who is Constable?” de Guzman replied, with Jennings accepting his answer as correct.
Later in that same episode, contestant Harriet Wagner experienced a similar misstep when answering a question about the name of a science fiction author by responding, “Who is Angela LeGuin — sorry, Ursula LeGuin.”
This time, however, Jennings interrupted and told her she was incorrect.
“Yes, Harriet, you...
- 9/16/2022
- by Brent Furdyk
- ET Canada
This Star Trek article contains spoilers.
In Act 4, Scene 1 of The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare, the heroine Portia, posing as a male lawyer, begs Shylock the moneylender to spare her love’s friend the “pound of flesh” that he is owed. Her speech goes:
“The quality of mercy is not strained.
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest:
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.
‘Tis mightiest in the mightiest; it becomes
The thronèd monarch better than his crown.”
It is the quote referenced by the title of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ finale, “A Quality of Mercy,” demonstrating, aside from anything else, that sometimes what you learn in your degree can be relevant to your job. The use of the quote tells us about Pike’s character, what sort of commander he is, and what fuels...
In Act 4, Scene 1 of The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare, the heroine Portia, posing as a male lawyer, begs Shylock the moneylender to spare her love’s friend the “pound of flesh” that he is owed. Her speech goes:
“The quality of mercy is not strained.
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest:
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.
‘Tis mightiest in the mightiest; it becomes
The thronèd monarch better than his crown.”
It is the quote referenced by the title of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ finale, “A Quality of Mercy,” demonstrating, aside from anything else, that sometimes what you learn in your degree can be relevant to your job. The use of the quote tells us about Pike’s character, what sort of commander he is, and what fuels...
- 7/25/2022
- by John Saavedra
- Den of Geek
Ivana Miloš, A New Fern Is a Fern Is a Fern (2022), monotype and nature print on paper.The Rule Of Names She was closeAnd she held me very tightly'Til I asked awfully politely“Please, can I call you her name?”(…)She said, “I'm really not supposed to, but yesYou can call me anything you want”—“Cornerstone,” Arctic MonkeysIt’s a fitting coincedence that Nicolaus Ingemarsson, who lived and worked as a pastor and amateur botanist around 1700 in Småland, a province in southern Sweden, adopted a nickname, Nils, and a new Latin surname, Linnaeus. This ambivalent relationship to names continued with his son, the famous botanist Carolus, who himself was referred to as Carl von Linné. Linnaeus the younger became the so-called father of taxonomy, famous for classifying plants. He created the naming system that uses two names to describe a particular species: genus and species. A cinnamon fern, for example,...
- 6/27/2022
- MUBI
The most devastating horrors are often masked in beauty. In literature, the examples are numerous. Dorian Gray. The folksy country town of Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery." The Eloi's banal lives of ease in H.G. Wells's The Time Machine.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 1 Episode 6 is even more insidious in painting the charm of Majalis. Not only is their representative a charming, attractive emissary with a romantic history with Pike, but their entire culture also ascribes to the philosophy of "Science. Service. Sacrifice."
They really should add "Secrets" to that credo.
In the tradition of Star Trek outings like Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 5 Episode 17, "The Outcast," in the end, the crew is forced to leave Majalis to its own culture and traditions.
As wrong as Majalis's First Servant system feels, it could be seen as the extreme end of the Vulcan adage that "the needs...
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 1 Episode 6 is even more insidious in painting the charm of Majalis. Not only is their representative a charming, attractive emissary with a romantic history with Pike, but their entire culture also ascribes to the philosophy of "Science. Service. Sacrifice."
They really should add "Secrets" to that credo.
In the tradition of Star Trek outings like Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 5 Episode 17, "The Outcast," in the end, the crew is forced to leave Majalis to its own culture and traditions.
As wrong as Majalis's First Servant system feels, it could be seen as the extreme end of the Vulcan adage that "the needs...
- 6/9/2022
- by Diana Keng
- TVfanatic
Spider-Man: No Way Home star Andrew Garfield is content that the film didn’t receive a best picture nomination at the Oscars because of the tremendous success with fans, critics, and the box office.
“Andrew Garfield has taken a break from discussing how much effort he put into keeping his Spider-Man: No Way Home role a secret, and has now touched on another big topic of conversation surrounding the movie: the fact that it wasn’t nominated for an Oscar.”
Read more at The A.V. Club
Christopher Lloyd, most famous for playing the legendary Doc Brown in the Back to the Future franchise, is headed to a galaxy far, far away, but who could he be playing in The Mandalorian?
“Great Scott! After a long and varied career, Christopher Lloyd is headed to a galaxy far, far away. The veteran actor was announced as part of The Mandalorian Season 3 cast late Friday night,...
“Andrew Garfield has taken a break from discussing how much effort he put into keeping his Spider-Man: No Way Home role a secret, and has now touched on another big topic of conversation surrounding the movie: the fact that it wasn’t nominated for an Oscar.”
Read more at The A.V. Club
Christopher Lloyd, most famous for playing the legendary Doc Brown in the Back to the Future franchise, is headed to a galaxy far, far away, but who could he be playing in The Mandalorian?
“Great Scott! After a long and varied career, Christopher Lloyd is headed to a galaxy far, far away. The veteran actor was announced as part of The Mandalorian Season 3 cast late Friday night,...
- 3/22/2022
- by Lee Parham
- Den of Geek
In her 2009 review of Italo Calvino’s The Complete Cosmicomics, Ursula K. Le Guin wrote, “The summer reading I like best is either a lovely, long, fat novel to lie down with and get lost in, or a collection of stories, like a basket of summer fruit, to savour one or two at a time.” Manywhere, Morgan Thomas’ thorny…...
- 1/26/2022
- by Grace Byron
- avclub.com
Five Inspirations is a series in which we ask directors to share five things that shaped and informed their film. Dash Shaw's Cryptozoo is playing exclusively on Mubi starting October 22, 2021 in many countries in the series The New Auteurs.I decided to highlight five books that inspired Cryptozoo:Inspiration #1Leonora Carrington: Surrealism, Alchemy and Art by Susan Aberth
I got the Carrington Nyrb prose books too, but this art book stayed on a close shelf in my studio during the years of making Cryptozoo. Each picture is its own world, orchestrating a network of relationships. Their incomplete areas activate the imagination. To say something is "dream-like" is overused, but it applies here.Inspiration #2Walt Disney Imagineering by the ImagineersI got this when it first came out. If you're a kid growing up loving comics and cartoons, everyone really shoves Disney down your throat. My childhood dream job was to be an Imagineer.
I got the Carrington Nyrb prose books too, but this art book stayed on a close shelf in my studio during the years of making Cryptozoo. Each picture is its own world, orchestrating a network of relationships. Their incomplete areas activate the imagination. To say something is "dream-like" is overused, but it applies here.Inspiration #2Walt Disney Imagineering by the ImagineersI got this when it first came out. If you're a kid growing up loving comics and cartoons, everyone really shoves Disney down your throat. My childhood dream job was to be an Imagineer.
- 10/21/2021
- MUBI
1212 Entertainment and Anonymous Content are teaming to adapt the Ursula K. Le Guin novel “The Dispossessed” into a limited series, Variety has learned exclusively.
The book was originally published in 1974 and won both the Hugo and Nebula Awards upon its debut. It tells the story of the twin planets of Anarres and Urras, which remain divided by centuries of fear and distrust. The utopian colony on Anarres has long been isolated from its mother planet Urras, a civilization of warring nations, great poverty, and immense wealth. On Anarres, a brilliant physicist has developed a theory that overcomes the limitations of time and distance, altering the understanding of space itself. This theory has the potential to radically change these two worlds and their place in the wider universe, but in order to prove it, he must travel to Urras and attempt to tear down the walls that have kept the two civilizations apart for generations.
The book was originally published in 1974 and won both the Hugo and Nebula Awards upon its debut. It tells the story of the twin planets of Anarres and Urras, which remain divided by centuries of fear and distrust. The utopian colony on Anarres has long been isolated from its mother planet Urras, a civilization of warring nations, great poverty, and immense wealth. On Anarres, a brilliant physicist has developed a theory that overcomes the limitations of time and distance, altering the understanding of space itself. This theory has the potential to radically change these two worlds and their place in the wider universe, but in order to prove it, he must travel to Urras and attempt to tear down the walls that have kept the two civilizations apart for generations.
- 10/5/2021
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety Film + TV
The story of 2021’s Dune begins with a kid falling in love with a book. Before he was the world-famous film director of Arrival and Blade Runner 2049, Denis Villeneuve was a teenager who devoured sci-fi novels. When he was “between 13 and 14,” he remembered seeing “these eyes.” The iridescent blue eyes were on the face of a man staring at the young Villeneuve, painted by Wojciech Siudmak, for the 1970 French paperback translation of Dune. Villeneuve was utterly mesmerized by the cover. “When you’re a kid, the covers can really make an impact,” he says. “The artists that were drawing them were so talented that even though I had never heard of Dune, I was drawn to that title and the simplicity. I was always attracted to the desert.”
Like many serious readers of science fiction, Villeneuve’s obsession with Dune began free of artistic pretension. “I instantly fell in...
Like many serious readers of science fiction, Villeneuve’s obsession with Dune began free of artistic pretension. “I instantly fell in...
- 9/14/2021
- by Mike Cecchini
- Den of Geek
The world may be upside down, but the Hugo Awards are forever! The Hugos are the longest-running fan-voted awards in the genres of science fiction and fantasy, first bring presented in 1953. The awards are generally given out during the World Science Fiction Convention, which is in a different host city every year. Sadly, the 78th Worldcon, aka CoNZealand, set to take place in (you guessed it) New Zealand, will have to be virtual this year. The Hugo ceremony will therefore also take place online.
Today, CoNZealand announced the finalists for this year’s Hugos, voted on by 1,584 people, who submitted 27,033 nominations. Those who were members of last year’s Worldcon, An Irish Worldcon, and members of this year’s Worldcon, CoNZealand, were eligible to vote, however, only CoNZealand members will be able to vote on the final ballot and choose the winners. You can still purchase a Supporting Membership on...
Today, CoNZealand announced the finalists for this year’s Hugos, voted on by 1,584 people, who submitted 27,033 nominations. Those who were members of last year’s Worldcon, An Irish Worldcon, and members of this year’s Worldcon, CoNZealand, were eligible to vote, however, only CoNZealand members will be able to vote on the final ballot and choose the winners. You can still purchase a Supporting Membership on...
- 4/7/2020
- by Kayti Burt
- Den of Geek
Exclusive: Critical Content’s head of scripted Ray Ricord has joined Gemstone Studios, Sony Pictures TV’s boutique production unit, as Svp Development. Ricord fills the role recently vacated by Kathryn Busby who was named Evp and head of another Sony TV division, TriStar Television. Based at Spt’s headquarters in Culver City, he reports to Marie Jacobson, Evp of Gemstone Studios, effective immediately.
This marks Ricord’s return to Spt where he signed a pod deal in 2011.
In his new role, he will work with emerging and established writers and producers and manage development and production of new series for the Sony TV label focused on non-traditional production models. He also will be identifying platform partners who are open to pursuing the Gemstone style of indie programming. The first project to market is Chris Kelly’s Salvation Road which Ricord co-developed with the Gemstone team at his prior home,...
This marks Ricord’s return to Spt where he signed a pod deal in 2011.
In his new role, he will work with emerging and established writers and producers and manage development and production of new series for the Sony TV label focused on non-traditional production models. He also will be identifying platform partners who are open to pursuing the Gemstone style of indie programming. The first project to market is Chris Kelly’s Salvation Road which Ricord co-developed with the Gemstone team at his prior home,...
- 1/23/2020
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
As more fantasy classics are finding their way to screens of various sizes, another iconic series just landed in solid hands.
A24 has lined up as a financier for the series, leading the effort to adapt Ursula K. Le Guin’s expansive “Earthsea” series into a TV show as the project looks to find a network home. Jennifer Fox, producer on “The Bourne Legacy” and all three of Dan Gilroy’s films to date, will also produce the new series. Deadline first reported the news.
The Earthsea Cycle, one of Le Guin’s most famous literary creations, spans a series of novels and stories, beginning with 1968’s “The Wizard of Earthsea.” Le Guin eventually wrote different five novels within that world, the last one published in 2001. Fox first acquired the rights to the series last spring.
This will be Fox’s first major TV producing effort after serving in the...
A24 has lined up as a financier for the series, leading the effort to adapt Ursula K. Le Guin’s expansive “Earthsea” series into a TV show as the project looks to find a network home. Jennifer Fox, producer on “The Bourne Legacy” and all three of Dan Gilroy’s films to date, will also produce the new series. Deadline first reported the news.
The Earthsea Cycle, one of Le Guin’s most famous literary creations, spans a series of novels and stories, beginning with 1968’s “The Wizard of Earthsea.” Le Guin eventually wrote different five novels within that world, the last one published in 2001. Fox first acquired the rights to the series last spring.
This will be Fox’s first major TV producing effort after serving in the...
- 9/4/2019
- by Steve Greene
- Indiewire
Standing alongside J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings series as one of the fundamental pieces of high fantasy storytelling is Ursula K. Le Guin‘s Earthsea series, a collection of novels set in a fantasy archipelago of hundreds of islands where magic lays in a delicate balance. Or, at least it should be. Forgotten in classrooms and ignored […]
The post An ‘Earthsea’ TV Series Based on Ursula K. Le Guin’s Novels is Being Conjured by A24 appeared first on /Film.
The post An ‘Earthsea’ TV Series Based on Ursula K. Le Guin’s Novels is Being Conjured by A24 appeared first on /Film.
- 9/4/2019
- by Hoai-Tran Bui
- Slash Film
Fans of Ursula K. Le Guin's "Earthsea" fantasy series will be pleased to know that A24, the distribution/production company behind Ex MacHina, Room, The Witch, Hereditary, Midsommar, and more, will be developing a TV series based on the novels along with Oscar-nominated producer Jennifer Fox (Nightcrawler). [Seemore] Per Deadline, Ursula K. Le Guin gave Jennifer Fox her blessing…...
- 9/3/2019
- by Kevin Fraser
- JoBlo.com
Kayti Burt Apr 2, 2019
Nominees include Black Panther, Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse, The Expanse, Doctor Who, and more.
The Hugo Awards are amongst speculative fiction storytelling's most prestigious honors. Given out annually since 1953, the Hugos are voted on by members of the World Science Fiction Convention (aka WorldCon), and are presented at the annual event. This year's WorldCon, WorldCon 77, will be held in Dublin on August 15-19.
Earlier today, the Hugo Awards finalists for 2019 were announced—alongside the Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book, the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, and the 1944 Retrospective Hugo Awards nominations.
read more: Den of Geek's Best Fiction Books of 2018
If you're a fan of inclusive science fiction, the nominations are pretty exciting—which hasn't always been the case in recent years.
Finalists included some of the books, TV shows, and movies that Den of Geek has written about over the past year,...
Nominees include Black Panther, Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse, The Expanse, Doctor Who, and more.
The Hugo Awards are amongst speculative fiction storytelling's most prestigious honors. Given out annually since 1953, the Hugos are voted on by members of the World Science Fiction Convention (aka WorldCon), and are presented at the annual event. This year's WorldCon, WorldCon 77, will be held in Dublin on August 15-19.
Earlier today, the Hugo Awards finalists for 2019 were announced—alongside the Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book, the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, and the 1944 Retrospective Hugo Awards nominations.
read more: Den of Geek's Best Fiction Books of 2018
If you're a fan of inclusive science fiction, the nominations are pretty exciting—which hasn't always been the case in recent years.
Finalists included some of the books, TV shows, and movies that Den of Geek has written about over the past year,...
- 4/2/2019
- Den of Geek
Worlds of Ursula K. Le Guin is a feature documentary exploring the remarkable life and legacy of the late sci-fi author Ursula K. Le Guin.
Best known for groundbreaking science fiction and fantasy works such as A Wizard of Earthsea, The Left Hand of Darkness, and The Dispossessed, Le Guin defiantly held her ground on the margin of “respectable” literature until the sheer excellence of her work, at long last, forced the mainstream to embrace fantastic literature. Her fascinating story has never before been captured on film.
Produced with Le Guin’s p...
Best known for groundbreaking science fiction and fantasy works such as A Wizard of Earthsea, The Left Hand of Darkness, and The Dispossessed, Le Guin defiantly held her ground on the margin of “respectable” literature until the sheer excellence of her work, at long last, forced the mainstream to embrace fantastic literature. Her fascinating story has never before been captured on film.
Produced with Le Guin’s p...
- 1/15/2019
- QuietEarth.us
Halfway through the year, we’ve already lost a number of stars across Hollywood. Here’s a list of some of the notable celebrities and industry professionals in film, TV, music and sports who have passed away so far in 2018.
Jon Paul Steuer
Jon Paul Steuer, a former child actor who starred in “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” and most recently under the stage name Jonny Jewels for the rock band P.R.O.B.L.E.M.S., died on January 1. He was 33.
Mark Tenser
Mark Tenser, president and CEO of B-Movie studio Crown International Pictures, died on January 1. At his request, his age was not disclosed.
Frank Buxton
Frank Buxton, a writer and director best known for his work on “The Odd Couple” and “Happy Days,” died on January 2. He was 87.
Donnelly Rhodes
Donnelly Rhodes, a Canadian actor who played chief medical officer Dr. Sherman Cottle on the “Battlestar Galactica” reboot,...
Jon Paul Steuer
Jon Paul Steuer, a former child actor who starred in “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” and most recently under the stage name Jonny Jewels for the rock band P.R.O.B.L.E.M.S., died on January 1. He was 33.
Mark Tenser
Mark Tenser, president and CEO of B-Movie studio Crown International Pictures, died on January 1. At his request, his age was not disclosed.
Frank Buxton
Frank Buxton, a writer and director best known for his work on “The Odd Couple” and “Happy Days,” died on January 2. He was 87.
Donnelly Rhodes
Donnelly Rhodes, a Canadian actor who played chief medical officer Dr. Sherman Cottle on the “Battlestar Galactica” reboot,...
- 1/1/2019
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Exclusive: Elementary and Trainspotting star Jonny Lee Miller and Oscar and Grammy-winner Common (The Hate U Give) have been set to star in Nine Lives, the movie adaptation of Ursula K. Le Guin’s sci-fi novelette of the same name.
Set on a moon-base for off-world drilling, the darkly comedic story follows two jaded workers whose excitement at the prospect of incoming human company is dashed when they are instead sent ten clones. Shoot is being lined up for next summer.
Screenplay comes from debut writer-director Siri Rodnes and Tom Basden, who was BAFTA nominated for Fresh Meat. Rodnes will also direct. Producers are Gavin Humphries of Quark Films, who was recently Bifa-nominated for Pin Cushion; and former Sony International producer Josephine Rose (Slaughterhouse Rulez) of Bandit Country, whose upcoming slate also includes fantasy-horror A Spriggan with John Boyega as executive producer. Nine Lives has been selected as part of...
Set on a moon-base for off-world drilling, the darkly comedic story follows two jaded workers whose excitement at the prospect of incoming human company is dashed when they are instead sent ten clones. Shoot is being lined up for next summer.
Screenplay comes from debut writer-director Siri Rodnes and Tom Basden, who was BAFTA nominated for Fresh Meat. Rodnes will also direct. Producers are Gavin Humphries of Quark Films, who was recently Bifa-nominated for Pin Cushion; and former Sony International producer Josephine Rose (Slaughterhouse Rulez) of Bandit Country, whose upcoming slate also includes fantasy-horror A Spriggan with John Boyega as executive producer. Nine Lives has been selected as part of...
- 11/14/2018
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Joseph Baxter Nov 14, 2018
Nine Lives, a novelette from the late sci-fi great, Ursula K. Le Guin, is being developed as a movie.
The legacy of the influential sci-fi author, Ursula K. Le Guin, appears to be highly coveted in the immediate aftermath of her death this past January, with live-action adaptation projects continuing to join the queue. While prospects are glistening for a movie adaptation of The Telling, as well as a properly-reverent movie adaptation of Le Guin’s sprawling magnum opus, the Earthsea novels, the latest project is a bit more of an esoteric choice from her works, a 1969 novelette, called Nine Lives.
Nine Lives is expected to commence production in the summer of 2019 with U.K. producers Gavin Humphries (Pin Cushion) of Quark Films and former Sony Pictures International producer Josephine Rose, reports Deadline. Tom Basden will co-write the script with Siri Rodnes, an actress and burgeoning filmmaker,...
Nine Lives, a novelette from the late sci-fi great, Ursula K. Le Guin, is being developed as a movie.
The legacy of the influential sci-fi author, Ursula K. Le Guin, appears to be highly coveted in the immediate aftermath of her death this past January, with live-action adaptation projects continuing to join the queue. While prospects are glistening for a movie adaptation of The Telling, as well as a properly-reverent movie adaptation of Le Guin’s sprawling magnum opus, the Earthsea novels, the latest project is a bit more of an esoteric choice from her works, a 1969 novelette, called Nine Lives.
Nine Lives is expected to commence production in the summer of 2019 with U.K. producers Gavin Humphries (Pin Cushion) of Quark Films and former Sony Pictures International producer Josephine Rose, reports Deadline. Tom Basden will co-write the script with Siri Rodnes, an actress and burgeoning filmmaker,...
- 8/15/2018
- Den of Geek
Exclusive: Sci-fi giant Ursula K. Le Guin’s acclaimed novelette Nine Lives is being reworked as a feature by UK producers Gavin Humphries (Pin Cushion) of Quark Films and former Sony Pictures International producer Josephine Rose.
Tom Basden, BAFTA-nominated for Netflix series Fresh Meat and a regular actor and writer on ITV2 comedy Plebs (recently picked up for remake by Seth Rogen), is co-scripting the adaptation with Nfts alum Siri Rodnes, who will also direct. The team is in discussions with cast.
Set on a moon-base for off-world drilling, the darkly comedic Nine Lives follows two jaded workers whose excitement at the prospect of incoming human company is dashed when they are instead sent ten clones. The story’s themes of cloning, individualism and the importance of social connection hit home when the story was published by Playboy in 1968 and still resonate today.
Rodnes, whose 2016 short Take Your Partner was BAFTA-nominated and played in Berlin,...
Tom Basden, BAFTA-nominated for Netflix series Fresh Meat and a regular actor and writer on ITV2 comedy Plebs (recently picked up for remake by Seth Rogen), is co-scripting the adaptation with Nfts alum Siri Rodnes, who will also direct. The team is in discussions with cast.
Set on a moon-base for off-world drilling, the darkly comedic Nine Lives follows two jaded workers whose excitement at the prospect of incoming human company is dashed when they are instead sent ten clones. The story’s themes of cloning, individualism and the importance of social connection hit home when the story was published by Playboy in 1968 and still resonate today.
Rodnes, whose 2016 short Take Your Partner was BAFTA-nominated and played in Berlin,...
- 8/15/2018
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Jennifer Fox, the producer behind the Oscar-nominated legal thriller, Michael Clayton, has optioned the film rights to fantasy book series, Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin, who agreed to allow Fox to translate her work into a series of films before she passed away in January.
The series, which was first introduced in the 1960s, is comprised of five novels and eight short stories set in a fantasy archipelago of hundreds of islands, imperiled by those who use magic to gain power and upset its delicate balance. Most of its characters are people of color and the emphasis is on understanding nature and human nature, not possessing power over them.
Le Guin has published twenty-one novels and received many honors including the Hugo, Nebula, National Book Award, The Library of Congress’s Living Legend Award and the National Book Foundation Medal.
Theo Downes-Le Guin, son of the author, will executive produce the project.
The series, which was first introduced in the 1960s, is comprised of five novels and eight short stories set in a fantasy archipelago of hundreds of islands, imperiled by those who use magic to gain power and upset its delicate balance. Most of its characters are people of color and the emphasis is on understanding nature and human nature, not possessing power over them.
Le Guin has published twenty-one novels and received many honors including the Hugo, Nebula, National Book Award, The Library of Congress’s Living Legend Award and the National Book Foundation Medal.
Theo Downes-Le Guin, son of the author, will executive produce the project.
- 5/24/2018
- by Amanda N'Duka
- Deadline Film + TV
The Telling, the acclaimed sci-fi novel from influential American author Ursula K. Le Guin — who died in January — is being adapted for the big screen.
Bayview Films, a division of Bayview Labs, announced the project Wednesday, with Rekha Sharma (Battlestar Galactica, Star Trek: Discovery) set to star. The film will be written and directed by Leena Pendharkar (20 Weeks, Raspberry Magic).
The Telling follows Sutty Dass (Sharma), who travels from war-torn earth to the planet Aka, which has suppressed its rich culture in the march to technological advancement. While traveling, Sutty discovers the remnants of a banned religion...
Bayview Films, a division of Bayview Labs, announced the project Wednesday, with Rekha Sharma (Battlestar Galactica, Star Trek: Discovery) set to star. The film will be written and directed by Leena Pendharkar (20 Weeks, Raspberry Magic).
The Telling follows Sutty Dass (Sharma), who travels from war-torn earth to the planet Aka, which has suppressed its rich culture in the march to technological advancement. While traveling, Sutty discovers the remnants of a banned religion...
- 2/28/2018
- by Alex Ritman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Ursula Le Guin was a legend when it came to speculative fiction. For example, she was the one who wrote the Earthsea series, which is set on a collection of hundreds and hundreds of islands surrounded by uncharted waters. Furthermore, she was the one who wrote The Left Hand of Darkness, which won not just the Hugo for Best Novel but also the Nebula for Best Novel. Summed up, Le Guin was a much beloved novelist, which is why her recent passing at the age of 88 came as such unfortunate news to a lot of fans of speculative fiction
Ursula K. Le Guin Books that Should be Movies...
Ursula K. Le Guin Books that Should be Movies...
- 1/30/2018
- by Nat Berman
- TVovermind.com
Louisa Mellor Jan 24, 2018
The influential imaginative novelist and poet Ursula K. Le Guin has passed away at the age of 88…
Ursula K. Le Guin was not only an author beloved by sci-fi and fantasy readers, but also one of our heroes. In the pages of her books and the lines of her poetry, she wrote wild ideas with fine precision, and in her public life, defended sci-fi and fantasy literature from snobbery with a warrior’s instinct.
See related Hard Sun episode 3 review Hard Sun episode 2 review Hard Sun episode 1 review
In fiction, letters and speeches, Le Guin used her sharp mind and words to set people straight on all manner of ignorance and dogmatism. She wrote about gender and race with an anthropologist’s eye, challenging preconceptions about both. She wrote non-white heroes in her novels, and was frustrated by whitewashing artwork and screen adaptations that betrayed her intentions.
The influential imaginative novelist and poet Ursula K. Le Guin has passed away at the age of 88…
Ursula K. Le Guin was not only an author beloved by sci-fi and fantasy readers, but also one of our heroes. In the pages of her books and the lines of her poetry, she wrote wild ideas with fine precision, and in her public life, defended sci-fi and fantasy literature from snobbery with a warrior’s instinct.
See related Hard Sun episode 3 review Hard Sun episode 2 review Hard Sun episode 1 review
In fiction, letters and speeches, Le Guin used her sharp mind and words to set people straight on all manner of ignorance and dogmatism. She wrote about gender and race with an anthropologist’s eye, challenging preconceptions about both. She wrote non-white heroes in her novels, and was frustrated by whitewashing artwork and screen adaptations that betrayed her intentions.
- 1/24/2018
- Den of Geek
Acclaimed science fiction and fantasy writer Ursula K. Le Guin has died, her agent told TheWrap Tuesday. She was 88.
Le Guin died at her home in Portland, Oregon, on Monday. Her son told The New York Times she had been in poor health for months. Her agent had no further statement at this time.
Le Guin has sold millions of copies of her books, which have been translated into 40 languages, many of which have been in print for the better half of a century. Le Guin...
Le Guin died at her home in Portland, Oregon, on Monday. Her son told The New York Times she had been in poor health for months. Her agent had no further statement at this time.
Le Guin has sold millions of copies of her books, which have been translated into 40 languages, many of which have been in print for the better half of a century. Le Guin...
- 1/23/2018
- by Ashley Boucher
- The Wrap
Exclusive: Los Angeles Media Fund has acquired rights to Ursula K. Le Guin's iconic 1966 sci-fi novella Planet Of Exile which will be adapted by Daniel Stiepleman. Lamf’s Jeffrey Soros and Simon Horsman will produce alongside producer Mark Johnson (Rain Man, Downsizing) from Gran Via Productions. Stiepleman wrote the 2014 Black List script On The Basis Of Sex about Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s early years; that one goes into production this summer. This…...
- 2/1/2017
- Deadline
In 2014, Studio Ghibli temporarily halted film production following co-founder Hayao Miyazaki’s retirement, but that hasn’t stopped the studio from staying active in other ways, such as earlier this year when they co-produced Michaël Dudok de Wit’s “The Red Turtle.” Now, Variety reports that Amazon Studios has just picked up the American rights for another Studio Ghibli production: “Ronia the Robber’s Daughter,” a kids TV series directed by Gorō Miyazaki. The American dub of the series will benarrated by actress Gillian Anderson, best known for her role as Agent Dana Scully on “The X-Files.”
Read More: Studio Ghibli: The Techniques & Unimaginable Work That Goes Into Each Animation Revealed
Based on Astrid Lindgren’s children’s fantasy book by the same name, the 26-episode series follows the adventures of a young girl who grows up in an enchanted woodland as the child of a band of thieves.
Read More: Studio Ghibli: The Techniques & Unimaginable Work That Goes Into Each Animation Revealed
Based on Astrid Lindgren’s children’s fantasy book by the same name, the 26-episode series follows the adventures of a young girl who grows up in an enchanted woodland as the child of a band of thieves.
- 10/14/2016
- by Vikram Murthi
- Indiewire
Looking for a good book recommendation? Our writers have a few unsung sci-fi, fantasy and horror gems up their sleeves...
Other people. What’s the point of them? They’re noisy and everywhere.
There is one thing they’re especially good at, however, and that’s recommending new stuff. In the spirit of that, we asked our writers to recommend great books that, for whatever reason, haven’t been surrounded by as much fuss and recognition as they deserve.
Nominations came in for personal favourites in fiction, non-fiction, children’s books and graphic novels, so we’ve divided them up into a series of features, the first of which is below, on great unsung sci-fi, fantasy, horror and thriller adult fiction.
Our hope is that you’ll demonstrate your worth as other people by carrying on the recommendations in the comments section below. Thanks in advance.
The Ladies Of Grace...
Other people. What’s the point of them? They’re noisy and everywhere.
There is one thing they’re especially good at, however, and that’s recommending new stuff. In the spirit of that, we asked our writers to recommend great books that, for whatever reason, haven’t been surrounded by as much fuss and recognition as they deserve.
Nominations came in for personal favourites in fiction, non-fiction, children’s books and graphic novels, so we’ve divided them up into a series of features, the first of which is below, on great unsung sci-fi, fantasy, horror and thriller adult fiction.
Our hope is that you’ll demonstrate your worth as other people by carrying on the recommendations in the comments section below. Thanks in advance.
The Ladies Of Grace...
- 7/2/2015
- by louisamellor
- Den of Geek
The BBC’s Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell isn't a silly, childish, Harry Potter rip-off. So why do people keep saying it is?
As described in a 1974 essay by author Ursula K. Le Guin, Americans are afraid of it, the French haven’t had it for centuries, Germans have a good deal of it, and the English “have it, and love it, and do it better than anyone else”.
That thing? A literary tradition of adult fantasy. Our national bookshelf (with thanks to Ireland, Scotland and Wales for the lend of Swift, Stoker, Lewis, Stevenson and more) is packed with the stuff, from epics to folklore, the Gothic and the satirists to the Romantics, Victorian moralists and Edwardian golden agers, to Tolkien and the twentieth-century conjurers, all the way up to today’s imaginative tale-spinners.
Such an august library should speak for itself. With all that precedence, you’d think the...
As described in a 1974 essay by author Ursula K. Le Guin, Americans are afraid of it, the French haven’t had it for centuries, Germans have a good deal of it, and the English “have it, and love it, and do it better than anyone else”.
That thing? A literary tradition of adult fantasy. Our national bookshelf (with thanks to Ireland, Scotland and Wales for the lend of Swift, Stoker, Lewis, Stevenson and more) is packed with the stuff, from epics to folklore, the Gothic and the satirists to the Romantics, Victorian moralists and Edwardian golden agers, to Tolkien and the twentieth-century conjurers, all the way up to today’s imaginative tale-spinners.
Such an august library should speak for itself. With all that precedence, you’d think the...
- 5/27/2015
- by louisamellor
- Den of Geek
The success of plays like Nick Payne’s “Constellations” and Jennifer Haley’s “The Nether”—both West End transfers—proves there’s a hunger for intellectual and science-based theater. Playwrights based in the U.K. are taking the charge, but Los Angeles is spearheading a movement on this side of the pond with the start of Sci-Fest La: the Los Angeles Science Fiction One-Act Play Festival. Founded by actor David Dean Bottrell (“Boston Legal”) and seasoned theater producers Michael Blaha and Lee Costello, the festival debuted in May of last year to rave reviews from the likes of La Weekly and the Huffington Post. The festival’s lineup of 15-minute sci-fi theater productions included work from Ursula K. Le Guin and Ray Bradbury, with plays featuring actors from franchises such as “Star Trek,” “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” and “Supernatural.” “Both the critical response and the support we received last year from the L.
- 5/6/2015
- backstage.com
From the start of A Wizard of Earthsea, we know that Ged, also called Druny and Sparrowhawk, will become one of the greatest wizards of all time, dragonlord and Archmage, a figure of song and legend. So when he carelessly unleashes a shadow on the world and has to go on the run, we know that he is going to defeat it in the end. It is a testament to Ursula K. Le Guin’s writing ability that tension and anxiety still runs through Ged’s travels, scrapes, and near-misses.
Ged was born on Gont in the Earthsea Archipelago and learns some magic from his aunt, a witch, although female magic is held in low esteem on Gont. When he uses magic to save his village from Viking-like invaders, he attracts the attention of Ogion, a powerful wizard on the island. But Ged is ambitious and cocky and hungry for knowledge and power.
Ged was born on Gont in the Earthsea Archipelago and learns some magic from his aunt, a witch, although female magic is held in low esteem on Gont. When he uses magic to save his village from Viking-like invaders, he attracts the attention of Ogion, a powerful wizard on the island. But Ged is ambitious and cocky and hungry for knowledge and power.
- 6/2/2014
- by Mily Dunbar
- GeekTyrant
Marc Buxton May 24, 2019
Game of Thrones might be our favorite fantasy show ever, but here are the 10 best fantasy series that could possibly be even better...
Now that the Game of Thrones has come to an end on screen, it's time to start speculating on which fantasy book series might pick up the TV adaptation mantle once Game of Thrones is gone.
Game of Thrones is one of the greatest fantasy epics ever written and it makes for the perfect episodic television experience, but it's far from the only fantasy book series that deserves to be on TV. There are plenty of other epic fantasies that would make killer television shows, and they would grip fans just as much as Martin's tale of dragons, White Walkers, knights, magic, and betrayal has.
Hollywood is already taking notice, with everything from The Kingkiller Chronicle to The Dark Tower getting movie and TV adaptations.
Game of Thrones might be our favorite fantasy show ever, but here are the 10 best fantasy series that could possibly be even better...
Now that the Game of Thrones has come to an end on screen, it's time to start speculating on which fantasy book series might pick up the TV adaptation mantle once Game of Thrones is gone.
Game of Thrones is one of the greatest fantasy epics ever written and it makes for the perfect episodic television experience, but it's far from the only fantasy book series that deserves to be on TV. There are plenty of other epic fantasies that would make killer television shows, and they would grip fans just as much as Martin's tale of dragons, White Walkers, knights, magic, and betrayal has.
Hollywood is already taking notice, with everything from The Kingkiller Chronicle to The Dark Tower getting movie and TV adaptations.
- 4/10/2014
- Den of Geek
Hawaii set to move on marriage equality, Pope Francis speaks against Christians of ideology, could Martian Manhunter to become a Glbt super hero?
Jamie Dornan has been cast as Christian Grey, replacing Charlie Hunnam, who dropped out of the role. As a relatively unknown actor, this could break big for him. In 2006, when a model for Calvin Klein, he was called “The Golden Torso” which means he can pull off the nudity with ease.
New Mexico’s Supreme Court heard arguments in the marriage equality case yesterday. The lawyer for the Republican legislators opposing equality mostly argued a procreation defense, but at least one justice wasn’t having it. “Marriage is much more than a vehicle for natural procreation.” He then noted that the state doesn’t have a litmus test for heterosexual couples’ desire for children before they get married.
The director of Blue Is the Warmest Color has...
Jamie Dornan has been cast as Christian Grey, replacing Charlie Hunnam, who dropped out of the role. As a relatively unknown actor, this could break big for him. In 2006, when a model for Calvin Klein, he was called “The Golden Torso” which means he can pull off the nudity with ease.
New Mexico’s Supreme Court heard arguments in the marriage equality case yesterday. The lawyer for the Republican legislators opposing equality mostly argued a procreation defense, but at least one justice wasn’t having it. “Marriage is much more than a vehicle for natural procreation.” He then noted that the state doesn’t have a litmus test for heterosexual couples’ desire for children before they get married.
The director of Blue Is the Warmest Color has...
- 10/24/2013
- by Ed Kennedy
- The Backlot
Disney is officially cutting the ribbon on Tomorrowland.
The Brad Bird-directed sci-fi film began shooting a little over two weeks ago, and secrecy has remained tight on the project, which stars George Clooney and Hugh Laurie, and takes its title from the futuristic section of Disneyland. Today the studio sent out its start-of-production announcement, which confirmed a few plot points — but left a lot still unclear.
The studio’s official description of the movie makes it sound a little like something Walt Disney’s friend Ray Bradbury might have enjoyed:
“Bound by a shared destiny, a bright, optimistic teen...
The Brad Bird-directed sci-fi film began shooting a little over two weeks ago, and secrecy has remained tight on the project, which stars George Clooney and Hugh Laurie, and takes its title from the futuristic section of Disneyland. Today the studio sent out its start-of-production announcement, which confirmed a few plot points — but left a lot still unclear.
The studio’s official description of the movie makes it sound a little like something Walt Disney’s friend Ray Bradbury might have enjoyed:
“Bound by a shared destiny, a bright, optimistic teen...
- 8/26/2013
- by Anthony Breznican
- EW - Inside Movies
What makes a story sci-fi? Where do some of the elements of this genre originate? And why exactly do we all want to fly?
In her newest book, Margaret Atwood explores her lifelong relationship with the sci-fi genre. She was inspired to do so after the response to Ursula K. Le Guin’s review of her novel The Year of the Flood. Le Guin referenced Atwood often distancing herself from the genre label, which led to Atwood’s fans to repeatedly ask her why she chose to do so. After giving a talk with Le Guin, Atwood found out what Le Guin defines as sci-fi (things that haven’t happened but could possibly) and fantasy (things that can’t happen) and thus began her exploration as what qualifies as scifi.
From the first chapter of the book, it is apparent that it’s the history of sci-fi that intrigues Atwood...
In her newest book, Margaret Atwood explores her lifelong relationship with the sci-fi genre. She was inspired to do so after the response to Ursula K. Le Guin’s review of her novel The Year of the Flood. Le Guin referenced Atwood often distancing herself from the genre label, which led to Atwood’s fans to repeatedly ask her why she chose to do so. After giving a talk with Le Guin, Atwood found out what Le Guin defines as sci-fi (things that haven’t happened but could possibly) and fantasy (things that can’t happen) and thus began her exploration as what qualifies as scifi.
From the first chapter of the book, it is apparent that it’s the history of sci-fi that intrigues Atwood...
- 11/3/2012
- by Lauren Jankowski
- Planet Fury
Reuters Author J.K. Rowling in London in November of 2011.
Can J.K. Rowling work her magic with adults?
Rowling, the children’s book author behind the bestselling Harry Potter series, has announced that she has an agreement with Little, Brown to publish her first novel for grownups in the United States and Britain. The Harry Potter books were published by Scholastic in the U.S. and Bloomsbury in Britain.
Details about the new novel, including the title, subject and the release date,...
Can J.K. Rowling work her magic with adults?
Rowling, the children’s book author behind the bestselling Harry Potter series, has announced that she has an agreement with Little, Brown to publish her first novel for grownups in the United States and Britain. The Harry Potter books were published by Scholastic in the U.S. and Bloomsbury in Britain.
Details about the new novel, including the title, subject and the release date,...
- 2/23/2012
- by Christopher John Farley
- Speakeasy/Wall Street Journal
Kaoru Mori’s A Bride’s Story… Stripp’d
If you wander around a second hand book shop and start leafing through old history textbooks you will rapidly notice that history used to be nothing but stories about men with beards and top hats. Looking back on this state of affairs, we can now see that one of the reasons for this is that people naturally tend to gravitate towards stories that interest them on a personal level. Because of this, bearded men wound up writing books about other bearded men to the point where history became nothing but a collection of stories about bearded men (with or without top hats). This pattern did not change until the demographics of university education began to change and an influx of non-white, non-male students created a generation of non-white, non-male historians who reached professional maturity in the 1960s.
Given that human nature...
If you wander around a second hand book shop and start leafing through old history textbooks you will rapidly notice that history used to be nothing but stories about men with beards and top hats. Looking back on this state of affairs, we can now see that one of the reasons for this is that people naturally tend to gravitate towards stories that interest them on a personal level. Because of this, bearded men wound up writing books about other bearded men to the point where history became nothing but a collection of stories about bearded men (with or without top hats). This pattern did not change until the demographics of university education began to change and an influx of non-white, non-male students created a generation of non-white, non-male historians who reached professional maturity in the 1960s.
Given that human nature...
- 12/20/2011
- by Jonathan McCalmont
- Boomtron
Sandman Meditations – Worlds’ End: “Worlds’ End”
Worlds’ end and words’ ends; end as conclusion and end as purpose. We’ve reached the finishing line of this story arc, and the stories within stories reveal by the last page what seems to be their outer shell.
This conclusion does what the best conclusions do: it ties up some loose ends while heightening the overall sense of mystery. We might say we like stories that have clear, unambiguous endings, but do we? Depends on the we, I suppose. No-one who likes such endings is likely to last through many Sandman volumes.
If I may indulge in utter presumptuousness for a moment, I would bet that most people who like stories (and are there people who do not like stories?) don’t actually like neat and tidy stories, stories without a hint of remaining mystery. Such stories are fine when we just want...
Worlds’ end and words’ ends; end as conclusion and end as purpose. We’ve reached the finishing line of this story arc, and the stories within stories reveal by the last page what seems to be their outer shell.
This conclusion does what the best conclusions do: it ties up some loose ends while heightening the overall sense of mystery. We might say we like stories that have clear, unambiguous endings, but do we? Depends on the we, I suppose. No-one who likes such endings is likely to last through many Sandman volumes.
If I may indulge in utter presumptuousness for a moment, I would bet that most people who like stories (and are there people who do not like stories?) don’t actually like neat and tidy stories, stories without a hint of remaining mystery. Such stories are fine when we just want...
- 11/16/2011
- by Matthew Cheney
- Boomtron
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