General and Relatively Spoiler-Free Notes
* This film is an extended and deeply heartfelt love letter not only to the original Star Trek, but specifically to Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. STII is by far the best Star Trek film to date, and one of the best science fiction films of all time, and so I find this to be completely right and proper. I was deeply moved by the generous (and - dare I say it? - beautiful) nods to the previous film. I suspect some of the deeper resonances will be lost on viewers who aren't familiar with Star Trek II, but, let's be honest: I couldn't care less. [See Footnote 1. Yes, this post has footnotes.]
* What absolutely makes this film, immediately, right out of the gate, and then throughout, is the remarkable and textured chemistry between Bruce Greenwood as Christopher Pike and Chris Pine as James T. Kirk. Greenwood steals every scene in which he appears, but he also draws a terrific performance from Pine, one that sells the very heart and premise of the rest of the film.
* Benedict Cumberbatch is, unsurprisingly, brilliant. His performance is exceptionally physical, from the details of each action sequence to the very manner in which he enunciates his words; in this sense, it reminds me most of his performance as the Creature in Frankenstein.
* Simon Pegg, bless you.
( Now to the Spoilers!Collapse )
When I get back the summer term will be ready to begin, and things will get seriously dystopian.
I'll leave you with a vintage Boston terrier picture, because old photos are brilliant, and Boston terriers are super-duper brilliant.
Fundraisers for Worthwhile Charity Causes
- The wonderful historical fantasy author D.B. Jackson is spearheading a fundraiser and giveaway via FirstGiving for the Boston Foundation and the One Fund of Boston to help the city in the wake of the bombings. Learn more here.
- Fans of the brilliant Rupert Graves are celebrating his upcoming 50th birthday via JustGiving by raising funds for the charity of which he's patron, The Springboard Opportunity Group, which serves children across North Somerset who have disabilities and additional needs. Learn more here.
Kickstarter Projects with a Lovecraftian Focus (Thanks to
wellinghall!)- The H.P. Lovecraft Bronze Bust Project will erect a life size tribute to the iconic author in his hometown of Providence, Rhode Island. About time, right?
- Martin Wallace offers board a game based on Neil Gaiman's Lovecraftian-Holmes novella A Study in Emerald (which just so happens to be one of my very favorite stories!).
Two Keynote Talks Worth Watching on YouTube
- Neil Gaiman's Keynote Address from the 2013 London Book Fair’s Digital Minds Conference
- LeVar Burton's Keynote Address from the 2012 O’Reilly TOC Publishing/Technology Conference
Last but definitely not least...
You are invited to participate in an international, interactive science fiction convention... from the comfort of your own home! It will be action-packed, inexpensive, and most of all, FUN!
SofaCON: An Online International Science Fiction Convention
Join the crew of the Hugo Award winning StarShipSofa, their special guests, and friends from all over the world as a new tradition begins: SofaCON, An Online International Science Fiction Convention. This live, history-making event will focus on those who are creators, scholars, and fans of the best of speculative fiction. Over the years StarShipSofa has brought together a global community of science fiction lovers; it’s time for old and new Sofanauts alike to meet in a real-time, interactive virtual venue to celebrate the genre they love.
Meet stellar authors. Watch exclusive interviews and lectures. Ask questions and offer comments. Enjoy the SF convention experience from the comfort of your home. Don’t miss this inaugural event!
New information on guests, scheduling, and registration will be updated at the con's website regularly, and I'll also be posting more updates soon here! I hope you can join us.
Thatta girl!
angelinehawkes and idwoman, and happy early birthday to , pseudoanorexic, vyrdolak, lyria_theringer, bistokidsfan77, catw, dduane, lexie_marie, jalara, theladyrose, jan_u_wine, gondoriangirl, vivien529, and senket. May all of you enjoy many happy returns of the day!Happy Star Wars Day, everyone!
I'll leave you with Stephen Kuykendall's fan video of Moosebutter's fan song "Star Wars."
* The latest episode of StarShipSofa includes the second part of my three-part "Looking Back on Genre History" article on the uneasy history between Star Trek and Native America. The same episode also includes my narration of Mercurio D. Rivera's haunting science fiction story "Tethered." You can find the episode here. If you listen, I hope you enjoy!
* The latest episode of MuggleNet Academia is the podcast's first-year anniversary extravaganza, and I'm one of the special guests. (My work on the intersection of J.K. Rowling's and J.R.R. Tolkien's writing was the focus of a past episode.) This is an action-packed celebratory show, and you can find it here. If you listen, I hope you enjoy!
It's Wednesday. Here, have a virtual Captain Picard Facepalm! cookie:
- Current Music:"First of May," Jonathan Coulton
News the first: It appears the Man from U.N.C.L.E. film is going to happen helmed by Guy Ritchie, with Tom Cruise as Napoleon Solo and Armie Hammer (who soon will appear as the Lone Ranger to Johnny Depp's Tonto in the new The Lone Ranger film) as Illya Kuryakin. This story was first reported by Ain't It Cool News, but I'm afraid in this case that, no, this news ain't cool.* (See corroboration here, here, and here.) (Thanks to
st_crispins.) I should point out that this casting means - among many other and arguably more important things - that Solo is (now) 50 years old and 5'7" while Kuryakin is (now) 26 years old and 6'5", significant changes from the characters' previous near-equality on both counts. It's not that I'm opposed to reboots - see my enthusiasm for J.J. Abrams' new take on Star Trek (which is my first and best fandom love) - but they are delicate things that must be done right. This news fails to inspire optimism.
News the second: In far happier, more hopeful news, last Saturday the great Cherokee actor Wes Studi was inducted into the "Hall of Great Western Performers" at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. Well deserved indeed. He's been one of my favorite actors ever since I was thirteen, when my parents took me to see the American Indian Theatre Company’s production of Black Elk Speaks (which also starred David Carradine and Will Sampson). I've followed his career with interest and appreciation over the years and even taught several of his films in my courses. Interestingly enough, he is only the second Native American to be inducted into the "Hall of Great Western Performers." The first was Jay Silverheels, who pioneered the role of Tonto in television opposite Clayton Moore's Lone Ranger.
* Perhaps I should make some joke here about how Armie Hammer's apparently taken up the job of raping my childhood that George Lucas just vacated, but hey, it's too soon to make jokes, people.
This is more for my benefit than anything else, so I'll put my notes under a cut.
( Some Random Musings on Lestrade, Holmes, ACD Canon, and the BBC's SherlockCollapse )
A few notes for today:
* My latest "Looking Back on Genre History" segment (which is the first in a multi-part exploration of Star Trek's long-term and uneasy relationship with Native America) is now up on StarShipSofa here. If you listen, I hope you enjoy!
* It looks like my family in Oklahoma is set (see No. 1) and so are we (see No. 5): Best Parks in the United States for Hiding During the Zombie Apocalypse.
* On Saturday we saw a stunning performance of Carl Orff's Carmina Burana (the piano-percussion version) by the Lenoir-Rhyne University A Capella Choir and College Singers. In case it's not on your "Most Frequently Played" list in iTunes, Carmina Burana is a musical setting of texts by students and clerics from a 13th century manuscript discovered in a Benedictine monastery in Bavaria. The libretto includes songs of love, of spring, of the tavern, and of fortune, some of which are quite irreverent, satirical, and risqué! I'm not a fan of spring or summer - in fact, I'm planning soon to disappear indoors and not come out again until sometime around late September - but the saucy and stirring performance put a dent even in my hum-buggery for the night. "O Fortuna" rocked!
* I love the new trailer for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.
Registration is now open for my Summer 2013 course on The Dystopian Tradition with Mythgard Institute and my Fall 2013 course ("American Exceptionalism and the Frontier") at Lenoir-Rhyne University.
( Here's a description of the American Exceptionalism course.Collapse )
Happy birthday to
lalam and happy early birthday to silveraspen, prettybirdy979, sakuraember, muuranker, izhilzha, and justicemuffins. May all of you enjoy many happy returns of the day!If you're a fan of Cabin Pressure, don't miss this video:
I'll leave you with Virginia's commentary about today:
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