All Things:Science Fiction/Fantasy

Soylent Green: Real Product, Not Real People - Geekologie

soylent-green-irl.jpg
 
Benjamin Walker in Talks for PARADISE LOST

Benjamin Walker, the man who will be Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, is in negotiations with Legendary Pictures to star in Alex Proyas? adaptation of Paradise Lost. Walker is up for the role of Michael, the archangel engaged in an epic battle of good and evil with Lucifer (Bradley Cooper), who mounts an army after after he is cast out of heaven. Proyas is striving for a distinct and magnificent aesthetic with cutting-edge visual effects. Hunter was very impressed with what he saw at the Comic-Con panel, suggesting ?this movie could be one of the most visually breathtaking things ever projected on the silver screen.? To give us a taste, Legendary released this enigmatic piece of concept art.

Proyas told Deadline:




?It?s not just armies battling in an epic war. This is an adventure about the origins of good and evil after Lucifer?s rebellion gets him cast out of Heaven and leads to a struggle with his brother archangel over the soul of mankind, starting with Adam and Eve. That is the scope of the narrative here, and we?ve tried to say as faithful as possible to Milton?s text, particularly its focus on Lucifer?s evolution and the birth of evil. It?s a family saga, about a group of brothers, two in particular, who are on divergent paths, and Lucifer?s feelings of betrayal by his father and family that forge his descent into evil.?

Proyas has plans for three major battle set pieces: one in heaven, another in hell, and a third in Eden. Proyas believes Cooper and Walker are the perfect duo to ground the action:


?I?ve sometimes thought that only an insane person would want to make this movie, because it?s visually audacious and has to live up to a classic poem that is so beloved. I don?t think the visuals could have been done justice until now, which is the great fun of being a film director in this modern age of visual effects. Despite all those possibilities, the characters are what?s most important. [Walker's] deal isn?t closed yet, but I think there?s a wonderful duality about Ben?s persona, this combination of great strength and perfect innocence that works so well for Michael. And Bradley is the most charming guy you?ll ever meet, with this extraordinary charisma. Lucifer was the brightest and smartest of the archangels, and even as he descended into evil and evolved into Satan, he?s not just some black-and-white villain. Bradley brings extraordinary depth to that journey.?
Click to expand...

This could be so good. It won't be though.
 
JWR said:
NPR is having an online poll as to the best Sci-Fi/Fantasy books ever written.
Vote For Top-100 Science Fiction, Fantasy Titles : NPR
Click to expand...

man, picking only 10 from that list is going to be rather difficult. i did a "first cut" rather easily by eliminating the comic/graphic novels

you almost wish they wouldn't have merged genres as well... i mean stuff like the Lord of the Rings, A Song of Ice and Fire and The Deed of Paksennarion for instance, fat out some late goodies like The Sparrow and Hardboiled-Wonderland.

i may even end up either ditching the short stuff as well or just going with those i think every promising nerd need read.
 
Mans Marlind and Bjorn Stein UNDERWORLD: AWAKENING Interview slice

At this year?s Comic-Con, I had the chance to talk with Underworld: Awakening directors Mans Marlind and Bjorn Stein. Here?s a few of the highlights:
?The Comic-Con trailer will not be shown anywhere else. They were committed to not show any Lycans at Comic-Con. But there will be Lycans in the sequel, including several kinds that have never been seen before.
?Stein twice teases a ?very important new character that will turn everything upside-down.?
?They are halfway through the editing process, which includes 750-800 effects shots to render in 3D.
?There is a 7-minute car chase that took five days to shoot and two-and-a-half weeks to edit.
?Stein and Marlind have a unique working relationship. They switch roles every day: one person in charge, one person is the director?s ?best buddy.?
?3D changes how they film. Because of the camera size, it?s harder to throw the camera over your shoulder for an aggressive shot. But it has led Stein to pursue longer takes because the 3D looks better.
?The first trailer should be released soon.
Click to expand...
 
BD Horror News - TIFF '11: Hi-Res 'The Day' Still Introduce Motley Crew

It was announced yesterday that TIFF's Midnight Madness will play host to the world premiere of Doug Aarniokoski's The Day, a new indie action thriller described as an "apocalyptic siege warfare film."

Aarniokoski, a Robert Rodriguez protege, best know for his second unit director work on Takers, Resident Evil: Extinction and even Once Upon a Time in Mexico, is behind the camera for the flick featuring an all-star cast including Shawn Ashmore (X-Men, Frozen, Mother's Day, The Ruins), Ashley Bell (The Last Exorcism), Cory Hardrict (Gran Torino, Battle: Los Angeles), Dominic Monaghan (Lord of the Rings, "Lost") and Shannyn Sossamon (Catacombs, One Missed Call)!

"In a post-apocalyptic future, an open war against humanity rages. Five survivors wander along rural back-roads, lost, starving and on the run. With dwindling food stocks and ammunition, an attempt at seeking shelter turns into a battleground where they must fight or die."
Click to expand...
 
It is hard to only pick 10

I went with ones that even though it's been years since I read them I can still remember the stories quite vividly.

The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, The Unbeliever, By Stephen R. Donaldson
The Conan the Barbarian series, By Robert E. Howard
Deathbird Stories, By Harlan Ellison
The Elric Saga, By Michael Moorcock
Fahrenheit 451, By Ray Bradbury
The Lord of Rings, By J. R. R. Tolkien
Neuromancer, By William Gibson
Neverwhere, By Neil Gaiman
The Stainless Steel Rat series, By Harry Harrison
2001 A Space Odyssey, By Arthur C. Clarke
 
bob8880 said:
Interesting list. I think the original dragonlance trilogy should have been on there.
Click to expand...

that's what i'm saying'. tho i would consider Dragonlance to be geared a bit more towards younger readers (at least initially), its scope is far more involved from D&D modules on - rendering an entire universe, than some of the more hip rags like Sandman and such? and if one, then why not the other, you know?



JWR said:
It is hard to only pick 10

I went with ones that even though it's been years since I read them I can still remember the stories quite vividly.

The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, The Unbeliever, By Stephen R. Donaldson
The Conan the Barbarian series, By Robert E. Howard
Deathbird Stories, By Harlan Ellison
The Elric Saga, By Michael Moorcock
Fahrenheit 451, By Ray Bradbury
The Lord of Rings, By J. R. R. Tolkien
Neuromancer, By William Gibson
Neverwhere, By Neil Gaiman
The Stainless Steel Rat series, By Harry Harrison
2001 A Space Odyssey, By Arthur C. Clarke
Click to expand...


hard indeed.

off the bat, i'd have to say that; Dune, The Martian Chronicles and The Foundation Series are no-brainer immediate entries. then with the addition of Fantasy, The Lord of the Rings becomes another automatic.

that's 4? already.

then you have to start considering; Vonnegut, Pynchon and Bradbury, whose novels (respectively); Cat's Cradle, Gravity's Rainbow and Fahrenheit 451 venture outside the parameters of straight Science Fiction/Fantasy and into post-modern literature? for all intents and purposes. i mean Cat's Cradle, for instance, is what earned Vonnegut his Masters in Anthropology for Pete's sake.

and with that, seven, you're down to three. not much room left for some of what i would consider as the finer gems of the genre(s) like an Ender's Game or Demolished Man or Snow Crash or Stranger in a Strange Land or Dan Simmons' Hyperion books.

you also almost have to consider (if nothing else at least) Valis, and as much as i consider Dick to be somewhat of a hack (a VERY skilled and entertaining hack at that, mind you), you'd be silly to not include him in any 'best of all time' type of list.

and i haven't even touched William Gibson or Haruki Murakami yet. speaking of Gibson, i'm shocked that the only nod to Bruce Sterling was their collaboration. THAT, i think is a crime considering "Chairman Bruce" was the real brain behind the whole Cyberpunk movement.
 
gescom said:
that's what i'm saying'. tho i would consider Dragonlance to be geared a bit more towards younger readers (at least initially), its scope is far more involved from D&D modules on - rendering an entire universe, than some of the more hip rags like Sandman and such? and if one, then why not the other, you know?
...
Click to expand...

Exactly Dragonlance was what got me started in sci fi/fantasy reading. Without it I might not have gone on to read some of the other books on that list.
 
For J.J. Abrams, ‘Star Trek’ Characters Come Before A Release Date | Geeks of Doom

The director recently spoke to Collider, and revealed that nothing will be happening until he gets the characters and script all set into place.



Here?s what the director had to say:

Yeah. There have been a lot of things that we?ve been working on, a lot of important elements that we just know we need to really nail down and solve. Once you say, ?We?re ready to go, but we don?t have a finished script yet,? or ?I?m directing the thing and here?s the release date, but we don?t have a finished script,? what starts to happen ? and I?ve seen this happen with a lot of friends of mine ? is that you?re suddenly in production on a movie that they?re thinking, ?Oh my god, we weren?t really ready. We thought we?d get it done in time, but we didn?t.? So, while we have a moment to say, ?Let?s get the important things figured out,? then all the pre-production stuff will come. But, I just want to make sure that we?re putting the story and the characters, the cast and the crew, and most importantly the audience, first before we start talking about exactly which locations we?re going to be shooting at and what the wardrobe and visual effects budgets are. It just seems important that we get the important stuff right first.
Click to expand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Now Chirping

Share this page

Back
Top