#maxine talks sci fi

[libertyreads]

March TBR--

My goal for the month of March is to read a few preplanned books while also making room for some mood reads. I'm also going to be on vacation with my husband for about 10 days so there were probably be a few days in there without any reading.

Mask of Shadows by Linsey Miller-- Sallot Leon is a thief who wants to audition to become a member of The Left Hand--the Queen's personal assassins--in order to infiltrate the court and get revenge on the people who destroyed their home. But the audition is a fight to the death filled with clever acrobats, lethal apothecaries, and vicious ex-soldiers. A childhood as a common criminal hardly prepared them for the trials. I love the idea of these trials and I'm just imagining scenes like the first Throne of Glass book or even the first Nevernight book. I really need to get to this one.

2. The Library of the Dead by T.L. Huchu-- In this one we follow Ropa who dropped out of school to become a ghostalker. She speaks with the dead and passes on messages to the living. But what she once thought of as harmless turns anything but as the dead whisper that someone's bewitching children--leaving them husks, empty of joy and life. Rosa feels honor-bound to investigate, but what she learns will change her world.

3. Inkheart by Cornelia Funke-- This is a well loved book at this point and I picked it up at a library sale over a year back (I think) where I got it for less than a dollar. It's a middle grade novel about Meggie whose father reads aloud from a book called Inkheart which somehow allows the villain to escape the boundaries of the book and land in their living room. Meggie is soon embroiled in her own adventure, the kind she's only read about in books. It seems fun and I want to see what all of the hype is about.

4. A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers-- Book #2 in the Monk & Robot duology. This is a quieter sci-fi/futuristic story about what happens when robots choose to leave humanity in order to do what's best for them. But one day a tea monk meets a robot with a question: What do humans need? I didn't love the first book the way I expected to given the way others talk about this book. But I realized that it was probably a me problem based on IRL issues at the time. So I'm giving the second one a shot.

5. Silver in the Bone by Alexandra Bracken(NetGalley)-- Another one that I absolutely cannot wait to get around to reading. This is the first book in a series inspired by Arthurian legend fueled by love, revenge, and adrenaline. We follow Tamsin Lark is a mortal with no magical talent who was never supposed to break into ancient crypts or compete with sorceresses for the treasures inside. But it's the only way to keep herself and her brother, Cabell, alive. There's more to the synopsis about a ring that could cure a curse and what Tamsin must do to get her hands on it, but I feel like this is more than enough to go on. I still want some surprises as I'm reading.

6. Teen Titans: Robin by Kami Garcia(New Release)-- Another entry in the Teen Titans series. We follow Raven, Garfield, Maxine, and Damian as they are on the run from Slade Wilson and H.I.V.E. But Dick Grayson just wants to know what happened to his brother. Does he need help? Why hasn't he been in contact? Why did his tracking device go silent? I love me some Wayne family so bring it on. When I started the Teen Titans series I was still pretty skeptical about graphic novels and comics so seeing myself so excited for the new installment makes me happy. We call that growth.

7. Blood Debts by Terry J. Benton-Walker (NetGalley)-- Thirty years ago, a young woman was murdered, a family was lynched, and New Orleans saw the greatest magical massacre in its history. In the days that followed, a throne was stolen from a queen. On the anniversary of these brutal events, Clement and Cristina Trudeau are mourning their father and caring for their sick mother. Until, by chance, they discover isn't sick--she's cursed. Another New Orleans set story with magic at its center? I will take it!

[violetren]

Aether Chapter 18

I laughed out loud and had to explain to my sister how funny it was that Varsha had head slapped Elisa at super speed. So that was a thing.

^^^ that is as far as I got before getting half a dozen different domestic tasks, then meals, then shopping, then party prep, then balloon fetching, and omfg, I am so tired.

Back to the important stuff.

Every time I had sat down to try and write just about anything I have been reminded that Maggie is the reason Maxine has powers because she's a fucking dork whose mental image of a healthy cat include all her memories of pretending her childhood cat could talk like Salem from Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and it delights me every time.

Oh so Focus and Scatter were on the moon. Three lesbian icons together. Post party I am just tired and tipsy enough that I started humming Fly Me to the Moon (So I Can Fight It) to myself. Got some odd looks from the surrounding family but made myself giggle. Anyways, I wonder what the fuck is going on up there. Invasion prep that is hopefully got thwarted.

It is very narratively clear why Maggie doesn't like or want to be a hero. But holy shit baby girl, the way you behaved during every step of that emergency from the time you and Varsha got the call WAS NOT just a by product of safety and first aid training over the course of an education in physics.

The Unitarium is a name that gives me sci fi dystopia vibes. I wonder if Garrett has gone and gotten himself involved with them. They definitely sound like the type of folks who would want their hands on the kind of weapon Garrett has become. Hell, they sound like the kind of group that would be funding the illegal research that started this whole mess in the first place. Right now I reckon they have some kind of ongoing connect with Praetorian.

Nomi is a lot gentler than Banks that is for sure, and she actually takes the time to offer benefits, and explanations about how Maggie might be able to find some balance and keep more of her old life trajectory than she had been expecting. She isn't a soft touch though. She straight up says Varsha's not being sensible with her reassurances that Maggie can just walk away from this life if she wants. Nomi is also the only one who forces Maggie to acknowledge that the choices she makes when people need help are not choices made by people who can and would pass on becoming a superhero.

Truly Nomi would be fully justified using her spot as team leader to toss Hannah and Ashley into couples therapy. Even individual therapy would probably help some at this point. Or locking Hannah and Eurion in a room until Hannah got it through her thick skull that Eurion has basically been trying to wingman for her and get Ashley to woman up and admit her feelings for almost the entire time they have known each other.

I am once again asking who the fuck is Tux and when the hell do we get to meet her? She sounds fun.

It's funny that Nomi's most compelling argument as to why Maggie should sign up is her shovel talk.

Holy fuck I got to the end. It only took what 2 days?

[battlestar-royco]

you ever notice how every time they try to make a humanoid alien “scary” they put them in dreadlocks?

[battlestar-royco]

yo if anyone interested in slower-paced sci fi, especially more focused on visuals and cinematography, may i suggest:

annihilation (though this one is more on the horror side so it’s not for everyone)

arrival

blade runner 2049

gattaca

snowpiercer

ex machina

humans (the amc show)

a few select episodes of black mirror (the fun ones): san junipero, hang the dj

i hope i didn’t derail this post too much and there’s a chance these are all things people have heard of but you would just be really hard-pressed to get me to shut up about sci fi.

can i just say the slow pace of the mandalorian is so refreshing.

we’re all used to sci-fi/superhero movies being fast paced and super action intensive with ten different things happening every second and the audience gripping their seats barely even able to keep up with what’s going on; huge clattering sounds and flashing lights of all the colours of the rainbow and blasters and car chases and shot shot shot shot shot. and that’s amazing in its own way.

but the mandalorian comes in, with slow and clear dialogue and calm widepan shots of just... walking, and it creates so much intensity and allows depth to be added to all the characters, including the supporting ones. even the fight scenes are so concentrated and simple. it really gives you time to breathe and reflect and it’s just so stunning.

[talesfromthenorsesmouth]

Top 5 fashion inspirations? You seem to have an eye for style. :)

Hmmm this is a good question! I don't think I'm particularly good at style at least not personally, but I know what I would very much want to wear/look like if I wasn't me, so

1. Glam rock 70s fashion: obviously a big one, and a lot of it in terms of what Bowie was wearing at that time. I mean, this is a massive area anyway but if forced at knife point I have a special fondness for Freddie Burretti's contributions to the Ziggy look

2. Jamie McKelvie's costume designs- again, this is pretty broad, even if we're just focusing on something like WicDiv, and he's pulling a lot of inspiration from various places but i really like how it all comes together, sorry I'm shit at talking about visual things so:

3. Noir: Again, massive broad category here, which is less about the clothes and more about the lighting and atmosphere

4. Listen it's cheesy I know but Sci-fi costuming? Specifically Blake's 7 costuming? A+, top notch, I love that shit- what will the future look like? You don't know and neither do we here's some fancy ladies

5. Whatever the hell live action DC has going on, I've never watched Gotham and it seems likely i never will but i do like looking at pictures

(Also BoP which I have seen and also enjoy)

6. Bonus of literally whatever Maxine Peake does at any time and in any place

I just really like her ok I'm sorry

[echo-three-one]

Whatever It Takes

Sequel to A Forgotten Memory

Roach's stealth skills are put to the test as he sneaks past an alleged Augustus base to capture him and gather intel about the recent EMP based attacks. Will Roach be able to impress Captain Price?

Previous Chapter : Soap - Experiment 001

Chapter 9 to another story made by Ray (echo-three-one) Comments and Reviews appreciated! I hope you enjoy! Love you all ❤️

"A SurPRICE Visit"

Gary 'Roach' Sanderson

Task Force 141

400 meters outside Augustus' Mountain Base

Germany

The winds were picking up when they landed and Roach flew about a few more meters away from Price.

"This EMP blast is messing with my signals. Captain, can you find Roach?" Ghost spoke over comms, his voice crumbled over the static.

"He landed not too far from me. Come on boy, let's get a head on." Price replied to Ghost as he helped Gary get up and untangle himself from his mess. Gary nodded and followed his Captain into the edge of the mountain.

"There it is. Augustus' base." he mused as Gary scoped through his supressed silencer. Trucks were leaving the area filled with armed hostiles.

"Ghost, you see this? They're leaving the hive." Price informed the recon man.

"Aye, sir. Looks like they're headed to Alex's direction. If we time this right you'll have less people inside there." he replied. Gary wondered why they were leaving. It didn't make sense to back-up an already reclaimed base back at Alex's.

"Let's go Roach. I'll take the one on the left tower, you take the one on the right. I'm currently spotting four Tangos by the gate. Fire when ready." Price instructed. Roach took a deep breath to steady his sights, quickly pulling the trigger once the crosshairs aligned with their heads.

"Good kill. Your sniper skills are improving, Sargeant." Price mused as he signaled them to move forward. For a Captain who's left him a solid first impression as a strict angryman, Roach didn't expect the kind words from him. It almost felt overwhelming.

"You go ahead and take what's important inside that guardhouse. I'll cover you from this position." he commanded and Gary sprung safely into action, switching to his suppressed pistol and into the guardhouse.

It was simple, a few cameras, some photos of people who they let in and a few map layouts. Gary quickly snapped all of them for Ghost to see. Roach also grabbed the radio and placed it near his ear. Gary set his sights on an AK-47 lying on the ground.

"Roach, be careful when using unsuppressed weapons. It might reveal our existence." Price muttered to which he nodded. It just made sense.

"Jäeger, kopierst du?" the radio muttered. Roach's German wasn't on point and any non-reply from the other end would result in an investigation.

"Ja, alles klar." he replied, trying to replicate the accent. There was no more reply on the other side which meant Gary actually nailed his reply.

"Captain, behind that door is heavily guarded. I suggest a reroute to the back door just a few meters east of your position. This isn't Augustus' base, it's a remote research facility studying plant life by the border and he seemed to take it over." Ghost informed after gathering the photos, Gary waited on the edge of the wall covering his Captain's six. The duo proceeded as suggested and climbed over an unguarded fence.

"We're at a greenhouse. Labeled 6." Price whispered.

"Do you see any cameras?" Ghost asked.

"Yeah. Looking at the plants." he muttered.

"Circle around it and find cover behind the safehouse labeled 5. If my German is correct, the central area should have 2 scientists on their way in there." Ghost informed.

"Right on schedule." Price nodded to Roach as they both knocked them down quietly and non-lethally as they were civilians. Gary quickly slung his weapon and hid it behind the huge white lab coat the both of them now wore.

"Keep your weapons hidden, until I say so. Okay?" Price said as he pulled the bodies somewhere hidden. Gary nodded as they confidently waltzed inside the base, using their fake ids pinned on their coats for entry.

Gary watched a lot of sci-fi fics and most of them depicted labs as white walled, glass-divided rooms with hundreds of scientists working on some random machineries. Except here, it's plants. It seemed normal as if they infiltrated the wrong base. Price seemed to worry too, his steps were further apart and he seemed to be in a hurry. They were losing hope on a lead, until one armed guard, different from those outside started climbing up the stairs.

"Finally. Some good news." Price muttered as they made their way up the stairs.

"Authorized personnel only." an armed guard stood by the steps blocking the duos way. It was too crowded and too risky to engage him and press through and they both needed a new plan.

"Es tut mir leid." Gary replied as he pulled Price to the restrooms.

"It's no use. We can't go guns ablazing right here." he noted to his Captain.

"Bollocks." he cursed.

"We need a diversion." He added.

"Way ahead of you, Sir." Gary smirked and showed him his c4 trigger, pushed it and an explosion followed.

"Nice. By the guard house?" Price asked while they waited for reinforcements to assist the blast.

"Yeah."

"Quick thinking lad. I like that."

Several armed men came rushing down the stairs, yelling in a different language, all going to the exit. They stomped to the stairs and carefully breached the second floor of the building, shooting armed tangos using suppressed weapons. They had to act fast and stomp on their comms as soon as they're down so that the others outside will not fall back.

Ten guards were left behind to protect the second floor, and with the help of stealth, Gary and Price took them out smoothly. All that's left are the intel waiting to be harvested.

Gary snapped all possible evidence, every nook and cranny was investigated while Price tapped his heavy fingers on the keyboard.

"Looks like they're going large. They're planting something by the major cities cell towers. Here's one in Berlin." he muttered, printing a copy of the blueprints.

"Price! R-ch" Ghost's static crackled across their comms.

"Th- found- guards!

Get. Out. There. NOW." he added.

"Kill every civilian in there. That will let our little friends out of the shadows. I know they're after us…" a menacing voice said over Roach's stolen receiver.

"Shite. They're killing civvies." Gary said, worried.

"I'm sorry Roach. But we can't save them. It's a trap. Now protect that camera and let's get the fuck out of here." Price consoled as they continued pressing on toward the exit.

Screaming people followed by gunshots echoed across the white halls of the research facility, Gary didn't want to look back, Gary didn't want to hear any more screaming but it was all around him. Whoever commanded this act to be done must be eradicated from this world.

LOCAL MILITIA SETTLEMENT

Alex greeted the duo as soon as they stepped inside the village. It felt lively as everyone was celebrating their victory.

"Captain." Alex nodded and Price returned the gesture with a handshake.

"This is Blitz. Their leader." he added, introducing the man to Price.

"Thank you for helping us." Price acknowledged.

"No. Thank you for helping us. You have good men fighting for a good cause." he remarked, nodding at Alex and Gary. Gary also got acquainted with the leader, exchanged a few words and got offered soup.

"Tough day, huh?" Alex nudged over Gary, who's still sad about the situation earlier.

"You and me, both." Gary muttered as Alex patted his shoulder.

"We'll get him soon enough, Roach. Justice will be served." Alex consoled as Gary took a deep sigh.

"They're planting EMP bombs on major cell towers. Maybe incorporating it with them to perform large scale blasts." Gary pondered, taking a sip off the delicious soup.

"Yeah. That's our go signal. It's now a terror activity. Imagine a day without communication. International trade would crumble." Alex explained to which Gary nodded in agreement.

"Global cripple. People's minds get hurt, Economy gets hurt and we aren't focused enough to defend ourselves."

"That's what he's up to." Gary finished.

"And we have to stop it. Whatever It Takes." Alex looked at Gary with determination, that kind of pep talk that makes him a little less sad.

"Yeah." Gary agreed.

~

Another briefing, but this time, it was going somewhere. Operation Burn, the task is to eliminate Nero and all his allies, if possible. Funny enough, the real Nero burned everyone else. Whoever thought of this name was smart enough to connect the dots.

There's another person added to the team, the redhead leather jacket agent, Alexandra Ryder. An interpol agent tasked to destroy all traces of said EMP machinery. She looks tough, acts tough and basically is tough. France seemed to be going along well with her. That's a bonus for alliances such as these.

"So, I heard Price noted your sniper improvement." Ghost nudged.

"Yeah. Thanks Simon. Your training sucks but it helped a lot." Gary complimented.

"Tried talking to France and the new girl today." Ghost reported. Gary turned to him, clearly interested about his story.

"It was actually good. They're both intimidated by the mask and that's why they can't initiate conversation with me. But the talk went pretty well so I guess you needed to update your scoreboard or something." He muttered.

Gary chuckled. "That's one step towards her."

"I'll let the Interpol handle Berlin. Since it involves just the weapon, as for other news. I think it's time to transfer our two hostages back to the USA." Gary quickly turned his head back to the screen. No. It can't be. He had to stop this decision.

"With all due respect sir. I do not agree with this!" Gary stood up and all eyes were on him. He's still concerned about the welfare of the two plus he didn't want Maxine to leave. Not yet.

"I've read the report on their case sir. And it's not that I don't trust the system there but what if there's still another one in there with ties to Nero. He was able to slip by under our noses once or more times than that but let's consider the possibilities here." Gary explained as he looked around. Alex seemed to agree with him.

Shepherd let out a soft sigh.

"We'll discuss this possibility Sgt. Sanderson. You can sit down now." he said and resumed briefing.

"Brave move you did there, soldier." Ghost remarked as Gary let out a sigh. He wasn't sure on he's really concerned, the IP Address being extracted from Samantha or Maxine's smile that he will be missing if she left.

Next Chapter : The Heart Knows what the Brain doesn't

Notification Squad, my beloved

@samatedeansbroccoli @smokeywhalee @whimsywispsblog @enderio @beemybee @ricinbach

[quilloftheclouds]

THE MIRROR’S RIFTS || A WIP by me~ ( @quilloftheclouds​ )

The new kid in the neighbourhood, Maxine didn’t expect to make friends so quickly–nor did she expect to get caught up in a world-endangering puzzle of parallel dimensions and time-defying monsters.

GENRE || MG/YA fantasy; mild horror and great adventure~ POV || Third person limited omniscient, past tense STATUS || Early stages of outlining FEATURES || LGBTQ+, diverse, and neurodivergent main cast; imaginary (and maybe not so imaginary...) adventure games!!; sapient buildings with a variety of charming personalities; a group of rambunctious kids; creepily touchy mimic-like creatures from another dimension; (kinda) time travel; magic keys; magic challenges to get said keys; and a race to solve a universe-transcending puzzle before this dimension collapses!

SYNOPSIS

Moving to a new city, moving to a new school, most kids might be the most concerned about leaving their old friends behind to get tossed into a world of awkward loneliness. Maxine relates, being a socially anxious wreck half the time, and “that weird nerd” the other.

Except... she makes her new friends the very first day--a misfit bunch of inventive creative kids just as weird as her! And the adventure games exploring the forest around their neighbourhood are wonderfully fun and wonderfully imaginative: until they aren’t.

Until they discover the perfectly pristine but definitely abandoned greenhouse in the deep woods behind Maxine’s house. Until that greenhouse speaks to them. Until they realize they have accidentally broken the time-frozen bubble around a dimensional rift, allowing a terrible power to begin infecting the forest they call home... and they’re the only ones who can stop it.

THE QUARTET OF CHAOS

MAXINE || Queer Girl || She/They || The new kid in the neighbourhood. Socially anxious wreck. Makes oddly specific puns and can’t ever take anything seriously. Never knows what to say, but stars blink if she isn’t always talking. Means well but doesn’t always understand when it’s time to be quiet. Has a terrible sweet tooth and always has candy on her. Somehow. (Her parents have tried catching her taking it, each time unsuccessful.)

SAM || Nonbinary || They/Them || Just wants to fight literally everything. Has a sword (stick) and shield (cardboard) which they use to wail on any branch or tree stump that looks evil. Enjoys climbing things they definitely shouldn’t, running in circles, and tackling friends. Can list off seventy facts about traditional weapons and traps but can’t ever sit still enough to do well at school. Probably (definitely) has undiagnosed ADHD. Has an older sister named Quincy who is really nice but much too nosy.

ISAAC || Cis Boy || He/Him || Nature nerd and the flower prince. Loves natural crafts like flower crowns and basket weaving and the like, and nothing can escape the flowers he puts on everything. Very quiet, selectively mute, and dislikes loud sounds. Has a history of abusive foster families, but he’s now a part of a loving family with two fathers just as nature nerdy as him.

“SUNNY” (GABRIELLE) || Trans Girl || She/Her || The tech expert who loves sci-fi and reading possibly a little too much. Very bubbly and giggles at the slightest thing. Honestly the main creative brain of the group; comes up with the most strategic and detailed plans for games and adventures. EVERYTHING she wears is yellow or orange, no exception (hence the nickname). Has very strong opinions about the randomest of things. Probably autistic.

Leave a comment or send me an ask if you want added to the taglist!

Forever Taglist; @livvywrites @dove-actually

This is... intended to be a novella/novella series. But WHO KNOWS WHAT WILL HAPPEN THERE. Certainly not me.

ANYWAYS this is what became of my woodland wip idea!

[whatsonmedia]

Talking Film with Lousie White!

Love anyone who enjoys Sci-Fi and film Noir you will certainly enjoy this film, Dagon Troll Chronicles. Due out on release next year the film takes place on an alien planet named Goth, the film is a cartoon feature. British acting legend, Tim Curry , also features in this film. Now what makes this film makes a groundbreaker where production, directing and storytelling is concerned is that it is an all female production. Who tell us a bit more is one of the film stars, Walks Around Britain presenter, Louise White. In the film she plays an alien character, also called Louise and has a Northern accent. Here's what she had to say and and what we can look forward toSo you're involved with a new film called Dagon Troll Chronicles, how did you get into it?  it’s a strange one really, it’s all so exciting It came about from a fabulous actor called Julian Seager who people may know from the Vikings series on Netflix he spotted me presenting the TV series Walks Around Britain and recommended me to Diana at Scoffer Studios who then got in contact to introduce the character and the film,  I would personally like to thank Julian Seager, for giving me this opportunity I’m honoured, privileged and can’t wait to be working with him on this amazing animation. So was it more that the producers/writers and directors approached you or did you go to them an pitch your interest? I’ve never done this sort of profession before so approaching a Hollywood production company or Director would never of crossed my mind, and when Diana approached me the first words I said was, I’ve never done acting or anything like this before so this is definitely going to be a new challenge for me, but hopefully after this experience there will be more options available to me as I’m not managed or anything like that, but I’m the first Hull lass to hit Hollywood and that’s an achievement in itself!  On the whole how did you find it being in front of the camera doing a different profession? With Dagon Troll Chronicles i will be doing the voice over to the character in the studio which will make me feel more comfortable, and Diana would like me to keep my Mother Tongue which will make it a bit more easier for me as a Hull lass. The Character is also called Louise who’s a sassy lass so it’s just like playing myself Lol well sort of, but I’m also in another film called Blood Brothers which will require acting in front of the cameras. As a presenter on the TV series Walks Around Britain we only use a few cameras so it’s not as daunting, however with a big Hollywood film like this I’m expecting more than just a few camera to get the angles and shots so I will be a bit nervous at first, but with a fab Director Brit Sellers I’m sure I will be on top preform.  And would you be tempted to continue down this new career path to see where it led you? I always say never close an open door and keep a blank page open if an opportunity comes along grab it and see where it takes you. 100% I would love to give this new career path ago, most people I meet say you’d be ace on TV you should have your own talk show and you would win Big Brother, I just laugh, but after hearing this all the time I decided to take Diana up on her offer, you never know I could be the next Oscar and BAFTA winner lol  Now, you play a character called Louise, tell us more about her and is she integral to the main plot of the film or does she serve another purpose in the story?  Yes she is integral to the main plot in that she illustrates the tension between the characters of Fluff and Kundilla, Louise is trapped in a love triangle with these two characters.  As a film fan, tell us more about Dagon Troll Chronicle, what's the main story about and where does it take place  Dagon is a story about relationships, the relationships of three friends, Dagon, Jaqualin, and Maxine, they are like a tiny family, that are trying to survive in a savage brutal world called Goth. Main story plot: Dagon is a burned out hitman, on the troll world of Goth who is commissioned by the evil kingpin Kundilla to steal away a human child. When Dagon finds out the buyer actually wants to kill and eat her, he decides to go rogue and return her to her parents.  In regards to film narrative is one where it goes back-and-forth or is it in a linear narrative? It is a linear narrative Something to definitely praise about is that the film is produced by an all-female production company. How did that go? Scoffer Studios is an all woman owned and run studio, Brit Sellers is owner and Director and creator of nearly all the projects, while Diana Sellers is Co-Owner, Co-Creator, and creator and producer of all projects. It is an all female artist team as well. Scoffer Studios genre is mostly horror, they have created the animated horror film Dagon Troll World Chronicles, their upcoming new live action film Blood Brothers Life Harvest is a zombie horror film, and their upcoming audio book Over the Hills and Far Away is about to be finished. All of their projects have huge Hollywood stars in them, some of the stars they work with and have in their projects are Tim Curry, Doug Bradley, Bryce Papenbrook, Emily O’Brien, Kurtis Stacey, Julian Seager, Jack O’Halloran, Sean Cronin, Kirk Thatcher, and Mark Silverman from Disney.  In regards to film cast who else is in the film that we might know, name wise? Tim Curry from Home Alone and Rocky Horror Picture Show, Doug Bradley from Hellraisers, Bryce Papenbrook from Attack on Titan and Demon Slayer, Emily O’Brien from The Young and the Restless, Kurtis Stacey from Emmerdale Farms, Julian Seager from Vikings Valhalla, Jack O’Halloran from Superman 2, Sean Cronin from Mission Impossible, Kirk Thatcher from Muppets Treasure Island and Star Trek, and Mark Silverman from Disney.  Now when it comes to doing voice work were you in a room with the rest of the cast or did you do your part separately, baring in mind it's not that uncommon for the latter  I’m going to be flying out to the USA in October to record a few of my lines in the studio alongside the cast, which will be so much fun I’m sure there will be some laughs along the way, when I got told I’d be working with Tim Curry I was my god it’s the guy from Home Alone what a legend I mean WOW I’m quite a talker, but I think when I walk into the studio and see him I’ll probably freeze lol but yes I will be doing some from the studio and over here in the UK.  Is this film a one-off standalone or is it part of a film series? A trilogy of films  In regards to cast, crew, recordings and storytelling what else can we expect from this film? This is a cult film, we expect an enormous cult following because of our all star cast, the dark, mysterious art of the film, the slow and careful crafting of the project, and the magnificent talent of Tim Curry himself, in the fulfillment of his character Necrofer the Death Bringer. Tim Curry, Bryce Papenbrook, and Doug Bradley as well as all our other stars, have enormous star power and popularity worldwide. Scoffer Studios is also in the process of adding more amazing voice talents and sound tracks to the film, including the exciting and indiginous female owned tribal artist Snow Raven from Olox who is doing the main sound track for Dagon Troll World Chronicles. Finally, when can we expect the release and on which format?  Hopeful release date is 2023, on global distribution and streaming media platforms. We have several distribution offers on the table, which we are not able to discuss at this time.  Lousie Whiteman Read the full article

[tachyonpub]

If you like your hard and gritty science fiction well-written, Kameron Hurley’s APOCALYPSE NYX is the book for you

Maria Haskins for B&N SCI-FI & FANTASY BLOG includes Kameron Hurley’s APOCALYPSE NYX among Short Stories for Long Days: 13 Recent Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Collections.

Hurley first chronicled Nyx’s adventures in the Bel Dame trilogy (first book God’s War was a Nebula nominee); now, the ex-government assassin turned bounty hunter is back in a collection of gritty, hard-edged, and most excellent stories—and no, time hasn’t really smoothed away her rough edges. She’s still partial to drinking, swearing, using violence to solve problems, and generally being her best worst self while trying to keep her squad of apocalyptic misfits together. If you like your science fiction hard and gritty, with a generous helping of pain and violence, this collection is definitely for you. Self-destructive, selfish, foul-mouthed, and lethal, Nyx is back, and she’s a blast.

At ELITIST BOOK REVIEWS, Allan Bishop praises the book.

As always, Hurley’s worldbuilding is bonkers fun. The display of futuristic Islamic off-shoots, forever wars, giant bug cars, and titan-sized space cats brings a welcome dose of bizarre and intriguing to the Bel Dame universe. Most of the magic, which is really psionics or some form of advanced nanotech, focuses on the manipulation of bugs, big and small, with all sorts of wings and shapes. My favorite is the insect flesh-eating shotgun. Essentially a buckshot bee gun, it could have been silly in another series, but Hurley’s vicious description of it and the pain the character experiences shows its deadliness.

Altogether, APOCALYPSE NYX is a fun novel. Gritty, dirty, but packed with action sequences and character asides, it’ll make for a great read with its brisk prose and strange world. Give it go, you won’t regret it.

MAXINE’S OBSESSIONS enjoys her first encounter with Hurley.

Kameron Hurley is definitely one of those authors, so when I stumbled across APOCALYPSE NYX on NetGalley, even though I have a backlog of review books to get through, my eyes lit up, I got in touch with my inner Gollum and I requested. I didn’t even read what it was about, I wanted my precious, I has to have it.

Fast forward 24 hrs and I has got my precious.

Let me tell you. This book is high-octane, action packed, blood soaked goodness. I couldn’t get enough. 

<snip>

These stories have betrayal, magic, romance, violence, weird creepy bugs, whisky and a whole heap of sass. If you are unsure if Kameron Hurley is for you, try this collection. There are five stories of varying length and detail, all of them are well written, bringing this war ravaged land to life.

As part of Mary Robinette Kowal’s My Favorite Bit, Hurley talks about APOCALYPSE NYX.

All literature is escapism. It takes us away from wherever we are and deposits us neatly into another place, another time, among people whose problems we don’t have to negotiate, manage, or solve in our daily life.

Literature is glorious.

I grew up watching a lot of apocalyptic science fiction movies when I was a kid, probably for the same reason so many enjoy watching The Walking Dead. We all want to believe that when society breaks down and we run out of vaccines and hot water and canned food, that we’ll be one of the tough, lucky few to who can use our wits and our physical prowess to survive.

In reality, the odds are against us. Try talking to any amateur who’s planted a garden, and you’ll discover that growing enough food to feed yourself for a year is no small feat. Every time I battle the bugs eating up all my crops, I lament to my spouse: “How did people ever survive growing food like this?” to which he responds, “There were a lot fewer people.”

Indeed.

For more info on APOCALYPSE NYX, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover by Wadim Kashin

Design by Elizabeth Story

[arlenschumer]

THE GREATEST EPISODE OF THE TWILIGHT ZONE is on ME-TV tonight at 12:30am EST: “Eye of the Beholder” (written by Rod Serling, directed by Douglas Heyes, aired November 11, 1960): In “The Eye of The Beholder,” Rod Serling takes the age-old adage about beauty and gives it such a thorough Twilight Zone treatment that it remains the series’ quintessential episode. The script is a hallmark of Serling’s style: strong on theme, poetic dialogue, morality, and suspense, capped by a truly unforgettable ending. When it was originally telecast in 1960, chances are the bandaged Janet Tyler (another strong Serling female lead), considered hideously ugly and threatened with segregation with those of “her own kind” if her (eleventh!) plastic surgery failed, was seen as Serling’s poster child for the burgeoning Civil Rights Movement; but since then, the generic hospital setting and talk of quarantining those “similarly afflicted” reeks of AIDS-era ignorance, while the rant by the “Leader” about conforming to society’s norms not only parallels Serling’s own struggles with the TV censors, but foretells the culture wars waged ever since: “It is essential in society that we not only have a norm, but that we conform to that norm!” The deft direction by Douglas Heyes and stunning camerawork by George T. Clemens, meant to obscure the doctors’ and nurses’ pig-like faces (the masterworks of makeup man William Tuttle, rejiggered from his masks for the Morlock race in the classic sci-fi film from the same year as “Eye,” The Time Machine) until the end, are nothing if not artistically audacious. And Maxine Stuart, playing the bandaged Tyler (the revealed Tyler was Donna Douglas, soon to be Elly May Clampett on TV’s The Beverly Hillbillies), had to act with her hand gestures and voice only—and created a performance for the ages. “The Eye of the Beholder,” Serling’s message of tolerance and compassion, finally reveals that we are all Janet Tylers beneath our bandages, faceless and invisible to a society that would prefer nothing more than to render our individuality—to paraphrase another definitive Twilight Zone episode by Serling—“obsolete.” https://arlenschumer.com/twilight-zone/ https://www.instagram.com/p/CRMpbQHsOue/?utm_medium=tumblr

[rickfuckingdalton]

Freaks and Geeks and Stranger Things similarities

OK,so as fans of both, like me, have noticed there are LOTS of parallels between the two shows, they are two VERY different shows, one’s a dramedy, one’s a sci-fi/horror show mixed with drama and comedy

Ok, let’s get the obvious parallels out of the way

Both are set in a small town in the 80s,and are about specific groups of characters, difference is, on Freaks and Geeks, you have the geek storyline, and the freak storyline of each episode, though sometimes they all mix. Stranger Things they all mix, no “freaks” ( really it should just be called Potheads and Geeks), geeks though, oh for sure, but they’re more nerdy than geeky, same with F&G,but a bit of both

A family with a W last name, with a brother and sister ( Weirs/Wheelers, Mike and Nancy/Sam and Lindsay the parents are totally different though)

Mike and Sam have very similar personalities (I’ve even noticed some between Finn Wolfhard and John Francis Daley)

The older sister character (Nancy/LIndsay) has an nerdy old best friend who doesn’t like that she’s hanging out with these new people who are different and “bad boy” types (Barb/Millie), that similarity ends after the first ep of Stranger Things as we all know

Nancy starts hanging out with/dating these new people (Lindsay with Daniel and Nick on Freaks and Geeks, Nancy with Steve and Johnathan)

Both shows have rock oriented soundtracks

Character seen as a bully/bad guy type to the younger kids, starts hanging out with the younger kids who are friends of the younger brother character (Daniel when he joins the AV Club and plays D&D with the geeks,Steve when he helps the boys with the shadow monsters)

Actually next season Steve should be in that high school AV Club and play D&D with Mike,Will,Lucas and Dustin

Character who lives with a single mom (Dustin on ST/Bill on F&G)

A new girl comes in who the boys like, and they start subtly telling her to hang out with them, cause they like her and so she won’t become like everyone else (Maureen on F&G/Maxine on ST, Sam,Neal,Bill on F&G/Dustin and Lucas on ST)

This might be a bit of a stretch,but character who finds something that he keeps to hopefully impress people with (Dustin with Dart/Neal with the dummy, both VERY different situations though)

Both have younger kids with a Bill Murray obsession of some sort (The geeks on F&G constantly referencing Caddyshack,talking about his SNL days/Mike,Lucas Dustin and Will as Ghostbusters, Mike and Lucas as Venkman,who Murray played)

Both have Halloween episodes that become a big part of the plot (you know if he wasn’t a Ghostbuster, Dustin would've been the one to go as the Bionic Woman or something like that)

A big party scene/episode

I know there’s more, if you can think of more feel free to add them!

[mysticmjolnir]

further unnecessary black mirror thoughts

thoughts by episode below sorry i needed to vent 

uss callister

almost perfect. savage. acknowledges race issues (kind of). themes: cookies as slaves, violation of bodily autonomy of both virtual and bio people

arkangel

i was unsure from the moment the mother was talking about feeling like a failure for not being able to push her baby out, and no-one pointed out that pushing babies out has historically been the highest cause of death for women and failure is not a word that belongs in a birthing room. just kind of meh overall? i wish the girl had actually killed her mother, it would have felt tighter. the moment that woman put arkangel in her daughter’s head she violated her, and it’s fucking weird that it wasn’t portrayed that way from the start. there was potential here for how sarah grew up without being able to see past ‘parental controls’ and how that shaped her as a person and the episode tossed that away for a weaker narrative. mad controlling parents aren’t a new thing. themes: violation of bodily autonomy and privacy, violation of trust

crocodile

barely a sci-fi story tbh. satisfyingly dark in a way most eps of this series are not. ‘lo-fi’ tech was nice to see i guess. i guess they might have junked the prologue and revealed what happened through dialogue and flashbacks? why the fuck didn’t shania tell that guy he was a creep for photographing someone without their consent, or at least tell him not to do it again. this series had a problem with not calling out disgusting behaviour hard enough. i cannot suspend my disbelief enough to believe a guinea pig can visual human faces. themes: creeping legalisation of obliging people to allow access to their brains. 

hang the dj

needs more gay. themes: cookies as slaves? but not? they seemed at peace with their brief existence by the end? which sort of undercuts the whole damn points? i don’t really get it

metalhead

maxine peake is amazing. why was this shot in black and white? it didn’t really add much? also i want to know why scotland is overrun with adorable murderbots. also the teddy bear was a stupid reason to get yourselves killed make another soft toy or smth like WTF you were going for the EXACT SAME BEAR NO THE WORLD HAS ENDED MAKE THE BOY A DOLL OUT OF RAGS AND COTTON AND MOVE ON i spent the whole episode thinking the kid needed painkillers or medicine or some equipment but no it was a stupid teddy fuck you all you brought this on yourselves. also the limping murderbot was adorable and reminded me how there are no disabled people in this series except for this one murderbot. i still think the murderbots should have been called bitches as well as dogs. this series was written by a straight able-bodied white cis dude and i can no longer overlook the limitations that brings. themes: mad maxine 

black museum

what a fucking mess. what. a. fucking. mess. why does nish have her mother in her head? WE ESTABLISHED IN ARKANGEL AND CARRIE’S STORY THAT THIS IS WEIRD AND WRONG AND NOT A GOOD THING MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS ARE NOT BETTER AT LIVING ON TOP OF EACH OTHER THAN ANYONE ELSE. RACE WAS EXTREMELY PRESENT AND EXTREMELY NOT DEALT WITH. HOW MANY COOKIES WERE THERE LEFT IN THAT BUILDING. HOW MANY SCREAMING FACES ARE THERE OUT IN THE WORLD. HOW DO THE AWFUL SOUVENIRS EVEN WORK IF 15 SECONDS KILLS THE PROGRAM. it hurts that she took one with her. it’s not okay. if cookies are slaves then anyone hurting any cookie anywhere is too much, and she.....it hurt that she took it with her okay. she has her mum in her head and a torture victim hanging from her mirror and she burned down the building without knowing what other horrors might be trapped there. themes: where is jordan peele’s twilight zone already?

[battlestar-royco]

here is part 2 of my sci fi recs masterlist! again, i could’ve gone on with even more recs but i decided to draw the line here. this set for the most part errs on the darker side, thematically, visually, conceptually etc. i personally find it super thought-provoking and intriguing but that’s just me. i highly recommend reading the tw under the cut if you’re thinking of watching, especially the matrix and space gothic slides. please view at your discretion <3

part 1/2

If you like WLW (um idk why I only made this slide based on identity; it just kinda happened lmao but I think it works):

Siren: (tw: parent loss, grief, thalassophobia) a mermaid surfaces in a cove town looking for her lost sister. Polyamorous relationship between a man, a black/indigenous woman, and the mermaid!!!! Environmentalism! As a person who has thalassophobia, I didn’t find this too hard to watch. There aren’t that many underwater scenes, thankfully.

Black Mirror: San Junipero: (tw: grief, but otherwise none that I recall; it’s pretty lighthearted) two women meet in a beach resort in the 80s and fall in love. Interracial wlw!

Orphan Black: (tw: suicide, infertility, rape implication, VB, language, drug use) a woman realizes she is one of several clones and uncovers an elaborate corporate conspiracy. This is one of my personal favorites with great rep of complex women of all ages and bodily autonomy. Several central queer characters and a black male secondary character!

Starfish: (tw: grief, a few jump scares and brief monstrous imagery, blood) after the death of her best friend, a young woman breaks into the deceased’s apartment and discovers a chain of music tapes that could save the world. Weird, subtle, and experimental. Not to sound like a surfer but you kinda have to allow yourself to be in the vibe. The main character and her friend were definitely a thing imo.

Annihilation: (tw: body horror, VB, disturbing imagery) a team of women scientists explore an anomaly that rapidly mutates genes. There are canonical and coded wlw and multiple (light-skinned) POC in this but the rep is short-lived. I put it on because although it should’ve been more ambitious with the casting, I think it breaks *some* ground for Hollywood sci fi with the all-woman team and more than one WOC. Wack ending though.

Mad Max: Fury Road: (tw: rape implication, violence) I think everyone knows about this one but: in the apocalypse, a woman breaks 4 younger women out of a harem. A badass car chase across the desert ensues. A bit light on plot/worldbuilding, but sooooo cool-looking and very thematic!!!!

If you liked STRANGER THINGS:

It: (tw: VB) don’t actually watch this lmao I’m serious. It’s really stupid, and not in a funny way. But I do think Stranger Things was inspired by this story overall. The modern It films are better but they’re also really kjslsklskls stupid? Stephen King in general is obsolete imo.

The Thing: (tw: VB) an alien that can take the form of others wreaks havoc on a scientific facility in Antarctica. It’s dark and vibey, but I feel like it’s just Alien in Antarctica with truly terrible special effects tbh?? Others feel differently. It’s also classified as sci fi/horror, so stay away if you’re easily scared! Not too good on representation.

Super 8: (tw: some language) a group of preteens witnesses an alien-caused train crash as they’re filming a home movie. Not diverse but I definitely think it inspired a lot of sci fi for the 2010s, ESPECIALLY Stranger Things. Not too scary either!

ET: (tw: it’s been a really long time since I watched so I don’t remember but it’s rated PG) I think everyone knows what this is about!

Alien: (tw: VB) truckers in space discover a deadly evolving alien. One of my favorite movies of all time! I love the aesthetic and the mood and worldbuilding so much. Ellen Ripley is one of the first Final Girls in the horror genre. I personally found this more of a sci fi than a horror movie but I’d say stay away if you’re nervous!!

Terminator: (tw: VB) a deadly android is sent to kill a woman who’s destined to birth the man who saves the world. Terminator 2 is way better imo because it centers on Sarah rather than the dudes saving her and trying to kill her. But it’s still worth a watch, you know, for the culture.

If you liked CONTAGION:

War of the Worlds: (tw: blood) pretty straightforward aliens come to Earth to take over. Sorry to rec another T*m Cruise movie but I really like the alien design and the apocalypsey feel of this one. Baby Dakota Fanning is in it too!

Falling Skies: (tw: VB, body horror, rape) alien invasion yada yada but the alien lore gets more interesting as it goes on. It’s kind of cheesy and yeah maybe I did discover it by looking up the iCarly boyfriend (and what about it??) but it’s nice to have on in the downtime. An Asian woman co-stars.

Knowing: (tw: blood) school students unearth a time capsule that contains a sheet from a girl who predicted all the tragic world events between 1959-2009. This is NOT a good movie but it’s SO hilarious to me because of the acting and contrivances. Fun to group-watch!!!!

10 Cloverfield Lane: (tw: VB, emotional abuse) a woman wakes up in a bunker to a captor who tells her that the world has fallen to alien apocalypse. I think this movie elevates the original Cloverfield in pretty much every way. Again, super tense and moody. The conflict revolves around whether or not the captor is being truthful.

Train to Busan: (tw: extreme VB and disturbing imagery) a man and his daughter are on a train when a zombie hops on at the last minute. It’s Korean with an all-Asian cast; Choi Woo-shik co-stars. I definitely wouldn’t watch if you’re scared of blood and gore. It’s very gross and violent.

12 Monkeys: (tw: ableism, violence) a man from the 2030s is sent back to the 1990s to prevent the plague that will end the world. I think the aesthetics of this are really cool but otherwise it’s not a favorite. But I think it appeals to people who like apocalypse and time travel stuff!

If you liked THE MATRIX:

Strange Days: (tw: rape, sex, nudity, VB, racism, police brutality) memories can be saved to hard-drives and sold on the black market for exorbitant prices. Very problematic and triggering presentation of rape, but young Angela Basset stars and there’s a condemnation of police brutality that’s still relevant 20+ years after its release.

Upgrade: (tw: ableism, VB, fridging) a disabled man installs an AI in his spine to help him move and investigate the murder of his wife. The premise is glaringly ableist and I feel weird even recommending it tbh but it’s got great visuals and a few good twists.

Altered Carbon: (tw: VB, weird interracial body switching, uhhh I haven’t finished this one IDK) in a society where human bodies are interchangeable, a man wakes up in a new body after 300 years of his mind being dormant. A Latina woman co-stars, two Asian characters in a subplot, a few other POC here and there as well. I think season 2 stars a black man.

eXistenZ: (tw: VB, anti-Asian racism, general weirdness? IDK it’s hard to describe. There are guns made out of bones and weirdly sexual visuals.) after someone tries to assassinate her, a video game designer and her bodyguard must play through her virtual reality game in order to save the only copy of the game.

Minority Report: (tw: VB, eye removal/insertion) all crimes are predicted and criminals reported before they are committed. The main character is preemptively accused of murder. This one is really white but it was one of the first movies that got me into sci fi. Early 2000s Colin Farrell <3.

If you liked WESTWORLD:

Humans: (tw: uncanny valley, objectification) androids are household helpers and public assistants throughout Britain until one day they start developing consciences. It hits a lot of the themes of Westworld without all the unnecessary pretentiousness, “edginess,” and “grittiness,” and it stars Gemma Chan and Colin Morgan!!

Blade Runner 2049: (^) an android is ordered to find and kill a human/android hybrid. It’s not without its issues but it’s one of my favorite movies of all time, right up there with Alien. So beautiful, so thematic, so thought-provoking (to me, anyway. I know a lot of people thought it was way too slow).

Ex Machina: (^) a man is invited to a private estate to help test the intelligence of an android. It’s kind of predictable imo but you know Oscar Isaac and Sonoya Mizuno are in it so we have to stan, and so is Domhnall Gleeson, for the SW fans! I like how isolated and quiet it feels.

I Am Mother: (tw: blood, gaslighting) after an extinction event, a young woman is raised by a lone android in a human repopulation facility until one day a woman knocks. It starts off slow and a bit generic, but I’m obsessed with the 2nd and 3rd acts of this movie---good acting, dialogue, and fantastic visuals. It has that same isolated feel as Ex Machina with only three characters, all of which are women/woman-coded!!!

If you liked ALIEN (space gothic):

Battlestar Galactica (2004-2008 reboot): (tw: genocide, war, colonization, VB, uncanny valley, rape, infidelity) space opera that follows humanity as it fights the ever-evolving and powerful enemy of their own creation: androids named Cylons. Um? I  L O V E  THIS SHOW SO MUCH and I truly do think it’s everything sci fi should be. There is a really unfortunate Miss Saigon-esque romance plot in season 1 and a lazily-written love triangle involving a black woman in season 3, but otherwise it’s one of my all-time favorites and I highly recommend. It’ll spin your mind and tug your heartstrings for years.

Black Mirror: Men Against Fire: (tw: genocide, war, nudity) soldiers in the near future protect citizens from mutant zombies, but one soldier starts experiencing strange hallucinations in the field. This is such an underrated Black Mirror episode starring a black man. There’s brief objectification of a black woman but it’s very anti-military and it has an interesting sterile aesthetic that reminds me of Alien.

High Life: (tw: rape, black holes/space anxiety, very disturbing) prisoners are given the option to join a space expedition and serve as experimental subjects en route to a black hole. Please please stay away if you are triggered by sexual violence of any kind. There’s almost no physical violence in this movie but it’s psychologically haunting imo.

The Faculty: (tw; VB, drug use) high schoolers discover their teachers are being possessed by an invading alien race. I LOVE THIS MOVIE LMFAOOOO. The cast is SO wild---Elijah Wood, John Oliver, Usher, Salma Hayek, Josh Hartnett??? And I’m probably forgetting more. The combination of the cast, the terrible dialogue, and shitty special effects is PEAK comedy imo. But bear in mind it’s bloody!!

Prometheus: (tw: body horror, VB, uncanny valley) a crew of scientists heads on a deep space mission to find the aliens who created the human race. A prequel to Alien, but I kind of view it as its own thing. Despite the plot holes, I love this movie too! It was one of my sci fi gateways and the visuals are stunning. It’s pretty gory though so if that’s not your thing stay away.

Life: (tw: extreme VB) a lesser Alien, but it provides all the space gothic tropes (jokey crew, shots of space, really pretty spaceship, everyone dies, creepy alien) with a well-known cast---Gyllenhaal, Reynolds, etc.

The X Files: (tw: a few episodes contain 90s racism, sexism, queerphobia etc but you can skip them) a lot of people have watched this so I barely have to explain, but it’s one of my favorites. Two FBI agents investigate multiple aliens and get involved in government conspiracies along the way. A good gateway!

A Quiet Place: (tw: child loss, VB, tension) I think most people know what this is about too. Alien apocalypse with aliens that hunt by sound. The daughter in the family is deaf, and so is the actress who portrays her. The representation of deafness was critically acclaimed.

[loneberry]

Upcoming Events: Colorado Springs, Cambridge, and Glasgow!

Ayeeeee being busy is weird! Had to institute an automatic “no” policy to event invitations this semester until I’m finished with this gigantic pile of work. But I’ll be back at it after Jan, 2018. Let me know if you’d be interested in having me speak or read from my book Carceral Capitalism in the spring! For now, these are the things I’ve got coming up:

October 20, LACK II: Psychoanalysis and Politics Now at Colorado College (Colorado Springs)

Will be presenting my oceanic feeling essay on a panel about AFFECT organized by the critical theorist Mari Ruti! Can’t wait to troll Zizek and talk mysticism!

Nov 8, Cambridge MA, Houghton Library at Harvard, 6pm, POETRY IN THE AGE OF MASS INCARCERATION

Joshua Bennett, Reginald Dwayne Betts, Jill McDonough, Christopher Soto & Jackie Wang Five writers whose work is dedicated to addressing the carceral situation in our country through poetry, scholarship, activism and education will unite to share their creative works and their innovative approaches to criminal justice reform and/or prison abolition. A PROVOCATION: A powerhouse reading/discussion, curated by Christopher Soto (author of Sad Girl Poems/Sibling Rivalry Press & co-founder of the Undocupoets Campaign to support undocumented writers) and moderated by poet, Harvard scholar and prison abolitionist Jackie Wang (author of Against Innocence/Semiotexte Press). Readers and panelists will include Reginald Dwayne Betts (author of the memoir A Question of Freedom: A Memoir of Learning, Survival and Coming of Age in Prison and the poetry collection Bastards of the Reagan Era) and Joshua Bennett (author of The Sobbing School/Penguin).

Nov 16-19 Episode 9: Other Worlds Already Exist, Tramway, Glasgow, Scotland

I will be screening films, performing and doing a ton of events at Episode 9 (with all my favorite people)! 4 days of performances, readings, discussions, workshops, screenings (and a party) with sex revolutionaries, prison abolitionist poets, mutant dancers, haunted noise, fan-fiction fantasists—transfeminist dreaming, sci-fi, Latinx tunes, sex worker resistance, bodily storytelling, fantasy, crip erotics, porn, militant fiction…

with: Samuel R. Delany | Huw Lemmey | Storyboard P | Moor Mother | Hal Duncan | KUCHENGA | Nat Raha | Jackie Wang | DJ@Christelle | DJ D-harsh | Nena Etza | LAPS | Wu Tsang | boychild | Robert Softley Gale | Maxine Meighan | SWARM (Sex Workers’ Advocacy and Resistance movement) | Sgàire Wood

Visit www.arika.org.uk for the full schedule and detailed programme information. Let us know if there is anything we can do to make it easier for you to attend - info@arika.org.uk

[kelnius]

A Viewer’s Review of...

I've been watching a lot of horror movies lately, some have been awesome, but others, not so much. But today, I am looking at a weird mix. See, today's film is an anthology - several short films all put together. What impressed me the most about Holidays is that it has eight segments. Most anthologies have three or four, so I appreciated how many different stories this one provided.

Also, something I figured out half-way through is that the segments are ordered chronologically for one year. So, Valentine's day is first, since that's Feb 14, and it ends with New Year's Eve. It's pretty clever… unfortunately, some of the shorts aren't that great, whereas I enjoyed others. So, with that in mind, I figured I'd review this movie first in part, then in whole. I won't state much beyond the premise, so I don't spoil anything, but since there's are so short, that alone might spoil this for some viewers - consider yourself warned.

Valentine's Day

This one started off strong, with a bullied girl who had a crush on her coach - it's as sweet as it is unsettling. Unfortunately, the ending was kind of obvious, and it seemed to go off the rails in the middle just as an excuse for gore. Madeleine Coghlan was perfect as Maxine, the main character, and her co-star Savannah Kennick was convincingly hateable as the bully character. I thought the lighting and direction was done amazingly well, but the story didn't take advantage of the premise in the end, and that's what ultimately lets this short down.

A story without enough heart - 5.5 ⁄₁₀

St Patrick's Day

I get that the holiday itself has a weird premise, but this story was a total mess. It starts with a teacher who has a creepy student in her class, then there's this side-plot about the teacher getting pregnant. Perhaps with a bigger budget this could work, but the story felt rushed, and the ending felt like it was trying to be funny, although I found the special effects more laughable since I think I could buy a better prop online for 100 bucks.

Hisses like a deflating balloon - 3.5 ⁄₁₀

Easter

Once again, this one feels like it didn't take advantage of the premise. Basically, this story starts with a young girl confused about whether Easter is about a magical bunny, or a man who came back from the dead, and builds on that idea. Unlike the prior short, this one has amazing editing, lighting and special effects. Only one effect was subpar, but I feel like it was a design choice. Ultimately, the premise was too weird to make sense, but they did well with what they had. Making a memorable, if strange, story.

Only a Chocolate Jesus can satisfy my Soul - 4.5 ⁄₁₀

Mother's Day

This begins with a woman after getting an abortion, and a woman telling her doctor that she gets pregnant every time she has sex, despite medication and prophylactics. I don't find that interesting, but it's a fun start, and I can see how that can be terrifying for a lot of people, so it doesn’t lose marks for that. Unfortunately, my favourite part of this story is the ending so I can't talk about it, but like so many of these, the middle seems to get completely lost in an attempt to be creepy. But, the ending was cool, and at least they didn’t use this as an excuse to thrown in an egyptian mummy… actually, that would be kind of awesome, but either way, there’s not much to this until the very end.

Mum's the word - 4.0 ⁄₁₀

Father's Day

Of all the holiday shorts, Father’s Day is my favourite. It begins with a woman getting a package on father's day, even though she was told her father died many years ago - that’s a great premise. Jocelin Donahue plays Carol, a woman trying to find her long lost father, and I think she does an amazing job keeping us captivated. The ending, like so many of these, had some strange and unexplained elements which I won’t spoil, but I feel like this story still did a great job with amazing editing across the board, and a great premise.

In the name of the father - 7.0 ⁄₁₀

Halloween

This one stars the big, bearded guy from Epic Meal Time. I mention that because I found it incredibly distracting, and if you’ve seen that show I think you’ll find it distracting too. However, this one is an odd inversion of the trends of the previous shorts. This one has a terrible premise, but the execution pays off somewhat. It starts with a seedy camgirl pimp, harassing (verbally, and then sexually) his “employees” for not getting clients on Halloween. It has a gross and somewhat satisfying middle act, but unfortunately the performances were pretty poor across the board. That being said, I don't regret watching it.

Next time, we eat Halloween - 4.5 ⁄₁₀

Christmas

This begins with a father looking for a VR headset for his kid. Whilst a fun story, it feels like an idea that was retrofitted into a Christmas story (St. Patrick's & Halloween did as well, but this one throws in sci-fi elements, so it feels the most out of place). The premise is that the father is so desperate to find this gift, that he does something truly wrong just to get his hands on one. That would be a good premise, but the over reliance on the VR headset for storytelling is just awkward overall. It’s a shame that Seth Green does such a good job as the father, playing a sad, desperate, little family man. But, this spent so much time being sci-fi, it forgot to be Christmas.

Not as good as last year’s version - 4.0 ⁄₁₀

New Year’s Eve

The premise of this one is simple, some creepy, pervy serial killer guy is looking for the right woman to spend time with on New Year’s (and presumably kill, although it’s not totally clear). This, like the Christmas one, seems to be really stretching the premise, but I guess since New Year’s doesn’t have that many global traditions, you can just do a random serial killer story, that’s fine. What isn’t fine is that the story was dull and complacent, and I saw the “twist” coming from a mile away. At least the props looked good, and some of the sets were cool, but considering this is what we see before the credits, It’s a sad end to this mess.

My Resolution: Watch better Horror movies - 4.0 ⁄₁₀

So, that’s the movie. If I was just saying this whole was the sum of its parts, then I would add up these scores and divide them to find out that overall this movie was scored a 4.625 ⁄₁₀ - but, I don’t think that’s true, since I think this one is slightly better than that. Partially this is because I liked the intertitles, and the way this was organized, but I also need to give credit to the producers for an engaging premise, and I think that after watching all of these together, whilst it wasn’t the best movie I’ve ever seen, I think it’s worth more than that...

Just 0.375 more to be exact. Because whilst I had enough fun to justify watching this, I am not cruel enough to suggest that this is a “good” movie. I pay credit where it’s due, but I think most people won’t enjoy this one.

Like most Holidays, it’s better with a Drink - 5.0 ⁄₁₀