World in the Satin Bag

Barnes and Noble’s Nook: A New Wave in eReaders?

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B&N isn’t the only one announcing new eReaders. Apple is rumored to have one coming up and Amazon has released the international version of the Kindle 2. But I think this is the first time I have found myself excited about the prospect of an eReader. B&N’s Nook is a sleek looking device with a heck of a lot of functionality, including the self-declared ability to read multiple formats adequately. While the Nook uses AT&T’s 3G network, which is not covered in all areas, it does allow you to use your USB port on your computer, which makes folks like me, who download loads of essays in PDF form quite frequently, happy because it allows for the possibility of making those reading experiences more enjoyable. So, my initial impression is that of excitement. I admit that I am not a big B&N fan (I prefer Borders only because their club card thing is free), but this might make me a regular B&N user over Amazon. But enough about what I think, what about you? Do you think it looks good? Are you reserving judgment? Or do you hate it? Let me know and tell me why!

World in the Satin Bag

Sci-fi Film Festival (Saturday, Oct. 24th)!

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It figures that the year I move away from California all the cool things I had always wanted to happen there began to occur: all my favorite writers paid a visit and now a sci-fi film festival! But, if you’re in California, and particularly the L.A. area, you should check this festival out: Who: Trade&Row – a Los Angeles based 501c3 nonprofit organization established to develop and support community-oriented programs that engage current issues through the visual, performing and literary arts. For more information about Trade&Row, please visit: www.tradeandrow.org What: Trade&Row, a nonprofit community organization, is happy to present its second annual Saturday Fantasy Film Festival Fundraiser. Independent short films from around the world and discussions will address the role of science fiction, fantasy and horror in examining social issues. Amazing donated items such as a one night stay at the Standard Hotel (Downtown) as well as items from feature films will be raffled off throughout the day. All proceeds will be used to develop and support local community-oriented programs that engage current issues through the visual, performing and literary arts. Film screenings will be hosted by producers/writers Grant Rosenberg & Garner Simmons. The festival will also feature presentations, including a discussion moderated by Dr. Joan Wines, Professor of Literature at California Lutheran University and member of the Aldous Huxley Society, with panelists:* Sheila Finch, science fiction author* Joshua Dysart, comic book author/graphic novelist* Joshua Hale Fialkov, comic book author/graphic novelist* Marc Zicree, science fiction television and film producer* Dan Goods, Visual Strategist for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology, will also give a presentation on the link between science and art. When: Saturday, October 24, 2009 from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Where:Rec Center Studio1161 Logan StLos Angeles, CA 90026 Tickets: Tickets are available online at www.saturdayfantasy.com as well as at the door. Admission is $10. For more information about the festival please visit: http://www.saturdayfantasy.com ——————————————- If you go to the festival, please pop buy and let me know how it went!

World in the Satin Bag

Out of Body Experiences…With Characters?

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I had the most bizarre experience the other day. While doing homework I found myself suddenly speaking as one of the characters in a new project I’ve been working on. I started walking around the house, talking as though I was telling the story, albeit rather quietly. Then, it stopped. There must have been five minutes of this, and when I tried to write it all down, I found that I couldn’t, as if that part of me had simply been shut off. I’ve never had that happen to me. I don’t know if I’m insane or simply so fascinated by this character than talking as though I am that character is simply the way of the game. So, to determine whether my sanity has been compromised, I’d like to ask all of you whether you’ve ever had this kind of experience. Let me know in the comments! You can also tell me I’m nuts and should seek medical attention, if you so desire.

World in the Satin Bag

Science Fiction’s Not Dead, Fantasy is in the Golden Age

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People are talking about the death of science fiction again. It’s not actually dead, far from it, but as soon as someone says “it’s dead” someone else goes crazy (either because they believe SF has long been dead or because they’re tired of hearing the argument). Apparently the genre has a few dozen lives and manages to die and be resurrected ten or so times a year. The End of the Universe said science fiction has nine lives, but I think that’s too conservative of an estimate. It’s died at least that many times in this year alone… The problem with science fiction isn’t that it’s dead. To be fair to the genre, it’s never actually died, but it has been overshadowed to varying degrees in history. Even in its supposed “Golden Age” science fiction was not exactly as popular people seem to remember. Yes, it was popular, but science fiction never had the popularity of mainstream pop-fiction. That’s not to say it was irrelevant or that no science fiction books sold well enough to make it to the bestseller’s list; quite a few actually did, but in comparison to traditionally larger genres (romance and quasi-mysteries), it really didn’t make the crossover into market dominance at any point in its multi-century lifespan. Fantasy, on the other hand, has, and not because the genre is necessarily better (and neither is it worse). Fantasy is doing well because it got lucky. Now, to be fair to fantasy, it has always done rather well ever since Tolkien became a persistent model for other fantasy writers. As a genre, fantasy had a lot of uphill battles to fight to get to a point where it had a secure market, but once it got there it never let it go. Now, however, fantasy has exploded. Some have said that fantasy is experiencing a “Golden Age” of its own–and I would have to agree. Why? Well, as unpredictable as the market often is in regards to what will be the hot item of the year, I would say that fantasy simply got lucky. The publishers had no way of knowing that urban fantasy would plow through the roof like it did, or that other forms of fantasy (more traditional forms, if you will, and even the exceedingly non-traditional–literary, ultra-weird, etc.) would grow moderately over the last couple decades. It just happened. Now, if I were to argue for a reason, I would say that the last eight years have had a lot to do with the rise of fantasy. Publisher Weekly almost acknowledged as much in the last year when the recession hit and sales of escapist titles (science fiction and fantasy) actually rose (it was temporary in the sense that, while people were going to SF/F for a presumed escape from the present, the downturn of the economy eventually led to an almost universal drop in sales in almost all markets, some of which have yet to fully recover). The reality seems to be that when the proverbial crap hits the fan, readers flock to literature that is less likely to make matters worse. They want heroes and adventures, of a sort. I don’t know if this is true for everyone, but sales seem to reflect that. I am unsure how urban fantasy fits into this assessment–UF tends to be somewhat dark in nature. Either we have to accept that people are somewhat darker at heart than we ever anticipated, or urban fantasy offers a bit of harmless, well, fantasy. I don’t know how long fantasy’s “Golden Age” will last. As with all booms in literature, there are limits, and I suspect that urban fantasy, which seems to be the genre largely pulling fantasy up out of the pool, will eventually wear out its welcome–fantasy, as a whole, will not. For now, we can sleep soundly knowing that science fiction isn’t dead and fantasy is doing quite well. That’s good news.

World in the Satin Bag

Comment Policy Change

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I have made some changes to how comments will work on this site. All comments will now be sent for approval by me. Why? Because I have been getting an inordinate amount of spam posts and I’m tired of deleting them. To those that might be concerned that I’ll prevent your comment from showing up because you disagree with me or some such, you have nothing to worry about. I’m only stopping comments that are clearly peddling something or leaving pointless words in order to post a link to some scam site. I’m just tired of it… Thanks for understanding.

World in the Satin Bag

Rewatching My Shelf: Volume One

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I’m starting a new feature called Rewatching My Shelf. I own quite a few DVDs and have started rewatching some of them. In doing so, I’ve found myself either disliking films I previously loved, or enjoying, yet again, those classics that made me clamber to buy them on DVD in the first place. So here is the first batch: The Mothman Prophecies (Richard Gere)A Washington D.C. journalist mysteriously ends up in a small town where people have reported seeing a bizarre mothman creature…the same creature his wife drew before dying of a brain tumor…Pros: I’ve always loved this movie. It’s not a horror movie; it’s just damn creepy. The acting is decent, the story is good enough, and overall I just find this one enjoyable. I think it’s the creepy-factor that gets me; every time I see it I am overcome by creepiness.Cons: It’s not a perfect movie. You never find out what the heck the mothman really is, and a lot of strange stuff happens, but only a few people seem to take notice of what lies underneath. Still, it’s a good one, I think.Rating: 3.5/5Value: $7.50 The 13th Warrior (Antonio Banderas)Antonio Banderas plays an emissary on a mission to open communication with the barbarian peoples of the north. But strange things are happening in the far north and an unexpected roll of fate calls thirteen warriors (one of them the emissary) into action to battle an ancient foe. Based on Eaters of the Dead by Michael Crichton.Pros: Probably my favorite Banderas film next to Assassins. A lot of fantastic action, a decent enough story, and a lot of clever dialogue.Cons: The ending is incomplete and I am not entirely sure how accurate the film in regards to its Viking-like northmen.Rating: 4/5Value: $8.50 Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Kiera Knightly, and Geoffrey Rush)Honestly, I have no idea how to describe this movie in a short an succinct way. The best I can do is use the blurb on my DVD case: The roguish, yet charming, Captain Jack Sparrow’s idyllic pirate life capsizes after his nemesis, the wily Captain Barbossa, steals his ship, the Black Pearl, and later attacks the town of Port Royal, kidnapping the governor’s beautiful daughter Elizabeth. In a gallant attempt to rescue her and recapture the Black Pearl, Elizabeth’s childhood friend, Will Turner, joins forces with Jack. What will doesn’t know is that a cursed treasure has doomed Barbossa and his crew to live forever as the undead.Pros: Everything about this film is brilliant. Wonderful effects, wonderful characters (I mean, come on, we all know Captain Jack Sparrow by now, right?), and a downright awesome story. This is a classic. Period. End of story. If you haven’t seen it, or disliked it, then I disown you forever!Cons: If you hate pirates or fantasy, then don’t see this movie. That’s the only con…Rating: 4.75/5Value: $11.00 (or whatever IMAX charges now) Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (Harrison Ford)Archaeologist Indiana Jones sets out to find the legendary Ark of the Covenant when a duo of government operatives question him about a series of strange Nazi messages that indicate that Hitler has been searching for all kinds of ancient relics. Filled with Nazis, a Frenchman, Marian (Indy’s female accomplice), and the forces of good and evil, this Lucas/Spielberg classic is not one to be missed or forgotten.Pros: I’m actually surprised how well this one has aged. Unlike a lot of films, this one still stands up to the tests of time. The action is wonderful, the dialogue is witty and fun, and Harrison Ford is simply delightful. Toss in a fun story, beautiful scenery and special effects, and you’ve got one hell of an action adventure film!Cons: The only problem I have with this film is that it suffers from being too stereotypical about its enemies. Then again, they’re Nazis and I think any director or writer would have a hard time turning them into gray characters.Rating: 4/5Value: $9.50 Star Wars, Episode I: The Phantom Menace (Ewan McGregor, Liam Neeson, Natalie Portman, and Samuel L. Jackson)When the Trade Federation sets up a blockade around the small planet of Naboo, two Jedi set out to negotiate the cessation of hostilities. But the Trade Federation is not acting alone: the Sith, long thought extinct, have re-emerged in an attempt to reclaim power. When negotiations fail the two jedi (Qui-gon Jin and Obi-won Kenobi) set out to save the Queen, and in the process discover a small boy on the familiar planet Tattooine…a boy who may very well be the Chosen One to bring balance to the Force. (Does that sum it up well?)Pros: Beautiful graphics, a decent enough story, and freaking amazing lightsaber battles. Probably the best of the prequels, to be honest.Cons: Some questionable acting from the younger cast and too much reliance on CGI. It’s not a perfect movie, but it’s enjoyable. I agree with everyone else that Darth Maul should not have died in this particular movie.Rating: 3.5/5Value: $10.00 (Star Wars is totally worth seeing on the big screen.) And there you have it!

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