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Archive for the ‘Entertainment’ Category

Edge of Tomorrow

Posted in Entertainment, Likes, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on June 8, 2014| 1 Comment »

So, remember when I had a hard time finding a movie theatre showing Edge of Tomorrow in 2D? I know, that was, like, hours ago, you may have forgotten. I bring it up now to say that I did find a theatre, and I did go see the film, and it was Totally Worth It, people! No spoilers, but the acting and directing and editing and… well, just about everything was top notch. Really, really enjoyed it.

Definitely recommended.

Now I’m off to find the book it’s based on, All You Need Is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka. Because speculative fiction well done is a delight.

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3-frickin-D

Posted in Entertainment, tagged , , , , , , , , , on June 6, 2014| 1 Comment »

Srsly, Ottawa movie theaters, why can’t I see Edge of Tomorrow in anything other than 3-frickin-D this weekend? Oh look, here’s an article about how the gross for this movie might be underwhelming. Could it have anything to do with the fact that some of us can’t see it without wearing glasses that make us want to lose our lunch?

Hang on a sec, after much searching I have found one theatre (hey there little guy!) that is showing this movie in 2D. One. Guess which theatre is getting my money? Because hey, I want to see Edge of Tomorrow. 🙂

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Women Destroy Science Fiction! Now on Sale

Posted in Entertainment, Likes, Writing, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on June 3, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Lightspeed’s special Women Destroy Science Fiction! issue is now out, and it is a humdinger. Original fiction, reprints, non-fiction, editorials, text, audio, the works. Interested in quality science fiction, women in the arts (and science fiction in particular) and/or great storytelling? Then this collection is for you (and me, since I backed the Kickstarter:)

Two of the stories are available right now, free online, and more stories will be made available throughout the month:

Each to Each by Seanan McGuire
A Word Shaped Like Bones by Kris Millering
Editorial, June 2014: Women Destroy Science Fiction!

If you can’t wait or want to support the excellent Lightspeed, you can find the full issue at these fine stores:

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Zombie Warfighting

Posted in Entertainment, Funny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on May 21, 2014| 1 Comment »

Today I’m reading up on ways to prepare for the zombie apocalypse, as one does. How, you ask (as one would)? Why, by studying the Pentagon’s own zombie preparedness manual, CONPLAN 8888, of course!

Yes, it’s tongue-in-cheek, but not entirely. The planners behind this gem of a training tool realized that zombies would be a great way to engage trainees in threat assessments and creative problem solving in the field, all without running afoul of an actual constituency. After all, pick a real country as the subject of your war plan and it’s a quick leak away from a serious misunderstanding (and no one wants to piss off Canada again, amIright? Canadian Bacon, people!). And what’s more fun than fighting zombies?

See for yourself, and watch out for those space zombies!

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Nebula Awards Announced

Posted in Entertainment, Writing, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on May 19, 2014| Leave a Comment »

In case you missed it over the weekend, the SFWA has announced the winners of this year’s Nebula Awards. (You may remember the winner for best novel from an earlier post here at this site.) Congratulations to all!

AncillaryJustice

 

Novel

Winner: Ancillary Justice, Ann Leckie (Orbit US; Orbit UK)
Nominees:
We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves, Karen Joy Fowler (Marian Wood)
The Ocean at the End of the Lane, Neil Gaiman (Morrow; Headline Review)
Fire with Fire, Charles E. Gannon (Baen)
Hild, Nicola Griffith (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
The Red: First Light, Linda Nagata (Mythic Island)
A Stranger in Olondria, Sofia Samatar (Small Beer)
The Golem and the Jinni, Helene Wecker (Harper)

Novella

Winner: ‘‘The Weight of the Sunrise,’’ Vylar Kaftan (Asimov’s 2/13)
Nominees:
‘‘Wakulla Springs,’’ Andy Duncan & Ellen Klages (Tor.com 10/2/13)
‘‘Annabel Lee,’’ Nancy Kress (New Under the Sun)
‘‘Burning Girls,’’ Veronica Schanoes (Tor.com 6/19/13)
‘‘Trial of the Century,’’ Lawrence M. Schoen (www.lawrencemschoen.com; World Jumping)
Six-Gun Snow White, Catherynne M. Valente (Subterranean)

Novelette

Winner: ‘‘The Waiting Stars,’’ Aliette de Bodard (The Other Half of the Sky)
Nominees:
‘‘Paranormal Romance,’’ Christopher Barzak (Lightspeed 6/13)
‘‘They Shall Salt the Earth with Seeds of Glass,’’ Alaya Dawn Johnson (Asimov’s 1/13)
‘‘Pearl Rehabilitative Colony for Ungrateful Daughters,’’ Henry Lien (Asimov’s 12/13)
‘‘The Litigation Master and the Monkey King,’’ Ken Liu (Lightspeed 8/13)
‘‘In Joy, Knowing the Abyss Behind,’’ Sarah Pinsker (Strange Horizons 7/1 – 7/8/13)

Short Story

Winner: ‘‘If You Were a Dinosaur, My Love,’’ Rachel Swirsky (Apex 3/13)
Nominees:
‘‘The Sounds of Old Earth,’’ Matthew Kressel (Lightspeed 1/13)
‘‘Selkie Stories Are for Losers,’’ Sofia Samatar (Strange Horizons 1/7/13)
‘‘Selected Program Notes from the Retrospective Exhibition of Theresa Rosenberg Latimer,’’ Kenneth Schneyer (Clockwork Phoenix 4)
‘‘Alive, Alive Oh,’’ Sylvia Spruck Wrigley (Lightspeed 6/13)

Ray Bradbury Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation

Winner: Gravity
Nominees:
Doctor Who: ‘‘The Day of the Doctor’’
Europa Report
Her
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Pacific Rim

Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy Book

Winner: Sister Mine, Nalo Hopkinson (Grand Central)
Nominees:
The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, Holly Black (Little, Brown; Indigo)
When We Wake, Karen Healey (Allen & Unwin; Little, Brown)
The Summer Prince, Alaya Dawn Johnson (Levine)
Hero, Alethea Kontis (Harcourt)
September Girls, Bennett Madison (Harper Teen)
A Corner of White, Jaclyn Moriarty (Levine)

Kevin O’Donnell Jr. Service to SFWA Award: Michael Armstrong

2013 Damon Knight Grand Master Award: Samuel R. Delany  

2013 Special Honoree: Frank M. Robinson

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‘Almost Human’ Canceled

Posted in Entertainment, tagged , , , , , , , , , on May 15, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Because of course! Almost Human was a smart show, well-written and acted, had a great cast with complex relationships, an interesting and mysterious vision of the future, and healthy doses of both pathos and humor. Of course it’s been canceled!

I loved the dynamic between the show’s two main characters (played with subtlety by Eomer Karl Urban and Michael Ealy), and who doesn’t want to push an android out of a moving vehicle once in a while? I think we can all relate to that.

Thank goodness we still have 10^∞ reality shows to watch.
/facepalm
/yesthatwassarcasm

So, sad news for viewers of quality TV, speculative or otherwise. Thank goodness we still have books!

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Today in Awesome

Posted in Entertainment, Likes, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 29, 2014| Leave a Comment »

‘Star Wars 7’ Cast Now Official: Oscar Isaac, Adam Driver, Andy Serkis, Max Von Sydow, Harrison Ford & More

Yes, a lot of these names come up in previous discussion around the film, but there’s nothing like an official announcement to make things, erm, official. The core cast from the original trilogy is returning, which is terrific. And I’m particularly pleased to see John Boyega after his impressive turn in Attack the Block, and of course “stone cold veteran badass Max Von Sydow” (oh Ming the Merciless, you slay me!). And they start shooting in a couple of weeks. Better and better!

/fingers crossed

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GRRM: Rolling Stone

Posted in Entertainment, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 24, 2014| 1 Comment »

What’s that? You’d like to read an interview with George R.R. Martin with lunch? Well, I happen to have just the thing for you, via the good people at Longreads:

George R.R. Martin: The Rolling Stone Interview

 

In which GRRM discusses his history as a writer, the evolution of his epic (and as yet incomplete!) The Song of Ice and Fire cycle and how, despite the great swaths of death that characterize those books, his “worldview is anything but nihilistic.”

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Harold Ramis Dies…

Posted in Entertainment, tagged , , , , , , , on February 24, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Oh, this is sad news:

Harold Ramis, ‘Ghostbuster’ Actor And ‘Groundhog Day’ Director, Dies : The Two-Way : NPR

 

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Explosions!

Posted in Entertainment, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on December 13, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Ok, not really, but between the two bits of news I have it’s a relatively apt title for this piece.

First, we had a gas leak this morning here at Chez J and now, three tech crews later, we are  no longer at risk of blowing up. Yay.

Second, Knights of Badassdom will be released in February! Apparently it’s not the director’s cut and apparently it won’t get a full theatrical release and that seems ungood, but it will be out. Yay! Knights! Demons! Badassery! And I am certain that there will be explosions!

Also, that just about meets my recommended allowance of exclamation marks for the day. So, all good. Happy weekend, everyone!*

* RDA? check;)

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