Here's a piece that should interest one of the two people who read Army of Dorkness.
The "Spider-Man" director is teaming with Disney-ABC Domestic Television and ABC Studios on a new first-run, live-action weekly series targeted for a fall launch. The series, titled "Wizard's First Rule," is based on Terry Goodkind's best-selling epic fantasy series "The Sword of Truth."
I've generally enjoyed the Sword of Truth series. There are times when I have some significant ideological differences with the author--his polemic against peace as a form of active resistance come to mind--but, in general, the series is entertaining fantasy fare. The fact that Sam Raimi is involved gives the series at least a chance of being decent.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Friday, January 25, 2008
Dorknotes
Star Trek Teaser Trailer. So far, so good. I like the whole "Under Construction" theme as it works on many different levels.
Running With the Demon. Having read almost everything published by Terry Brooks--most of his Shannara books tell the same story over, and over, and over . . . and I still love find them hugely entertaining--I decided to give his non-Shannara trilogy a try. And I found the first book absolutely amazing! The mythology is unique, the characters complex (although they could be fleshed out even more--next book, perhaps?), and the storyline engaging.
Tusken Raiders on Mars!
Running With the Demon. Having read almost everything published by Terry Brooks--most of his Shannara books tell the same story over, and over, and over . . . and I still love find them hugely entertaining--I decided to give his non-Shannara trilogy a try. And I found the first book absolutely amazing! The mythology is unique, the characters complex (although they could be fleshed out even more--next book, perhaps?), and the storyline engaging.
Tusken Raiders on Mars!
Monday, January 21, 2008
Relevant Science Fiction?
Relevant Science Fiction.
Debating Fantasy Literature.
Even More Relevant Science Fiction.
Thoughts? Is science fiction/fantasy supposed to be thought provoking, entertaining, or both? Is it supposed to encourage us to think about the human condition or provide an escape?
Debating Fantasy Literature.
Even More Relevant Science Fiction.
Thoughts? Is science fiction/fantasy supposed to be thought provoking, entertaining, or both? Is it supposed to encourage us to think about the human condition or provide an escape?
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Dorknotes
So, I've obviously been a bad blogger when it comes to making posts. As I surf a number science fiction and fantasy websites every single day, I thought I'd try putting together a handful of my favorite stories each week.
Thank goodness all the Cloverfield discussion is about to come to an end. Is anyone else sick of Cloverfield, Cloverfield, and more Cloverfield on all the science fiction sites? Check out the reviews of Cloverfield. Sounds like a lot of people dig this movie. I suspect it's much ado about nothing and will wait for it to come out on DVD.
The Many Looks of the Imperial Stormtrooper. Nice piece that reviews the evolution and many variants of the Empire's front line soldiers.
New animated web series featuring Iron Man. This is one of the best portrayals of shellhead to date. Seriously. Start with the first video: Iron Man's Adventure. A trailer for the upcoming WB Spider-man Animated is also on the same page.
Has the first picture of the new USS Enterprise from the under production Star Trek movie surfaced? Please don't let this movie suck. I'm not thrilled about JJ Abrams going back to the well--I'd prefer something new--but I do like much of his stuff (Alias, Lost, Mission Impossible 3)
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. I caught the first couple episodes of this new show and I have to say that it's not bad. It's not brilliant, but I'd rate it as above average. It's certainly better than The Bionic Woman (a show that could have been great, but wasn't). I'm a little worried that the Terminator of the Week formula will get old quick, but I'm going to give the writers the benefit of the doubt and assume they have something else in their bag of tricks.
Thank goodness all the Cloverfield discussion is about to come to an end. Is anyone else sick of Cloverfield, Cloverfield, and more Cloverfield on all the science fiction sites? Check out the reviews of Cloverfield. Sounds like a lot of people dig this movie. I suspect it's much ado about nothing and will wait for it to come out on DVD.
The Many Looks of the Imperial Stormtrooper. Nice piece that reviews the evolution and many variants of the Empire's front line soldiers.
New animated web series featuring Iron Man. This is one of the best portrayals of shellhead to date. Seriously. Start with the first video: Iron Man's Adventure. A trailer for the upcoming WB Spider-man Animated is also on the same page.
Has the first picture of the new USS Enterprise from the under production Star Trek movie surfaced? Please don't let this movie suck. I'm not thrilled about JJ Abrams going back to the well--I'd prefer something new--but I do like much of his stuff (Alias, Lost, Mission Impossible 3)
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. I caught the first couple episodes of this new show and I have to say that it's not bad. It's not brilliant, but I'd rate it as above average. It's certainly better than The Bionic Woman (a show that could have been great, but wasn't). I'm a little worried that the Terminator of the Week formula will get old quick, but I'm going to give the writers the benefit of the doubt and assume they have something else in their bag of tricks.
Monday, January 07, 2008
Sci-Fi's Top 25
Entertainment Weekly just released its list of The Top 25 Sci-Fi Moments of the Past 25 Years. The link leads to #25; you can click from there and see the other 24 entries in sequence. Here's the list in full:
25. V: The Miniseries (1983)
24. Galaxy Quest (1999)
23. Doctor Who (1963-Present)
22. Quantum Leap (1989-1993)
21. Futurama (1999-2003)
20. Star Wars: Clone Wars (2003-2005)
19. Starship Troopers (1997)
18. Heroes (2006-Present)
17. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
16. Total Recall (1990)
15. Firefly / Serenity (2002/2005)
14. Children of Men (2006)
13. The Terminator / Terminator 2 (1984/1991)
12. Back to the Future (1985)
11. Lost (2004-Present)
10. The Thing (1982)
9. Aliens (1986)
8. Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994)
7. E.T. (1982)
6. Brazil (1985)
5. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
4. The X-Files (1993-2002)
3. Blade Runner (1982)
2. Battlestar Galactica (2003-Present)
1. The Matrix (1999)
Naturally, I have comments. First, I'm ashamed to admit that there are six on this list that I haven't seen. (I won't go into detail on which six they are.) As for the other nineteen, well, I have varying opinions on them.
First, he ones on which I disagree. My dislike for Starship Troopers is well-known; I won't rant further on this one. Futurama was okay, but not one of the top 25 sci-fi things of the last 25 years, IMHO. And while Star Trek: The Next Generation was certainly the most influential of the Trek series, most fans will agree that Deep Space Nine was a better series overall.
(Of course, I think Babylon 5 was a better series than any of the Trek. And if you click on the link on The Matrix's page, you can get a list of the most glaring omissions to the list according to EW readers. B5 is second on that list, squeezed neatly between Farscape and Stargate SG-1.)
Now, on to the good stuff. I'm glad that Doctor Who made the list (though I still think Tom Baker was the best Doctor; I'm old school that way). I'm a little surprised that Firefly made it—surprised, but not disappointed. I never really got into X-Files, though I can see why it was so high on the list. And Galaxy Quest should have been ranked higher. It was nothing short of brilliant.
Comments, fellow sci-fi buffs?
25. V: The Miniseries (1983)
24. Galaxy Quest (1999)
23. Doctor Who (1963-Present)
22. Quantum Leap (1989-1993)
21. Futurama (1999-2003)
20. Star Wars: Clone Wars (2003-2005)
19. Starship Troopers (1997)
18. Heroes (2006-Present)
17. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
16. Total Recall (1990)
15. Firefly / Serenity (2002/2005)
14. Children of Men (2006)
13. The Terminator / Terminator 2 (1984/1991)
12. Back to the Future (1985)
11. Lost (2004-Present)
10. The Thing (1982)
9. Aliens (1986)
8. Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994)
7. E.T. (1982)
6. Brazil (1985)
5. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
4. The X-Files (1993-2002)
3. Blade Runner (1982)
2. Battlestar Galactica (2003-Present)
1. The Matrix (1999)
Naturally, I have comments. First, I'm ashamed to admit that there are six on this list that I haven't seen. (I won't go into detail on which six they are.) As for the other nineteen, well, I have varying opinions on them.
First, he ones on which I disagree. My dislike for Starship Troopers is well-known; I won't rant further on this one. Futurama was okay, but not one of the top 25 sci-fi things of the last 25 years, IMHO. And while Star Trek: The Next Generation was certainly the most influential of the Trek series, most fans will agree that Deep Space Nine was a better series overall.
(Of course, I think Babylon 5 was a better series than any of the Trek. And if you click on the link on The Matrix's page, you can get a list of the most glaring omissions to the list according to EW readers. B5 is second on that list, squeezed neatly between Farscape and Stargate SG-1.)
Now, on to the good stuff. I'm glad that Doctor Who made the list (though I still think Tom Baker was the best Doctor; I'm old school that way). I'm a little surprised that Firefly made it—surprised, but not disappointed. I never really got into X-Files, though I can see why it was so high on the list. And Galaxy Quest should have been ranked higher. It was nothing short of brilliant.
Comments, fellow sci-fi buffs?
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