Features
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol still does not have the hang of what made the TV show so good. Instead of an intelligent puzzle for the viewer, it offers mindless excitement in one action stunt from Tom Cruise after another. But given that it is a Tom Cruise vanity piece and a mindless action film, it is one of the best mindless action films of 2011. Considerably better than the previous entries of the "Mission Impossible" series formerly animation director Brad Bird gives us quite a ride in his first live-action film. The film is a mixed bag of elements, but some are very good. Writing stories is akin to dreaming while wide awake, except it’s depicted in words rather than dream images. It’s often said that everyone has at least one decent story in them. The problem a lot of the time is finding it. You should see my own ideas file as I’m still looking. Wanted: Megalomaniac. Must be prepared to sit in a chair and look menacing. Desire to rule the world a must. Being totally ruthless as asset. A speculation by: GF Willmetts.
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FEATURES ...
WORD FROM THE BRIDGE
Weekending at the SFX Weekender
As my more astute readers have already e-mailed in
to point out, yes, I will be one of the guests at the
SFX Weekender next weekend (2nd-5th Feb) – the UK’s
answer to ComicCon, except that instead of Sunny California,
you get to party residential-stylee in a holiday camp
in North Wales. Probably with lots less sun, but this
compensated by even more fun in the way of lots of famous
genre authors – Alastair Reynolds, Peter F Hamilton,
China Mieville, Stephen Baxter, Robert Rankin, Joe Abercrombie
– as well as TV and film stars from Dr Who, Being Human,
Torchwood, Merlin etc etc. For comic-book fans like
myself, there’s also the co-creators of Judge Dredd
and Strontium Dog, John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra.
Making trips to cons and personal appearances is something
I’ve been doing a lot less of these days, but if you’re
going to make an exception to your Hobbity nature and
increasingly creaky body, then this event is certainly
the one to leave the Shire for.
There’s a programme for the Friday/Saturday up over
at http://www.sfx.co.uk/2012/01/27/sfx-weekender-3-schedule-announced/
now. I’m currently on a steampunk panel next Friday,
with a book signing in the evening. Saturday sees me
doing the Sci-Fi Legends panel far too early, but at
least Brian Blessed is being dragged out at more or
less the same time. GORDON’S ALIVE? I wonder
how much I’ll have to bribe him in beer (or the folding
green stuff) to get him to say that for me without getting
smacked about?
If anyone has got any books they want signed, just
nab me during the course of events.
So what I look like? Very similar indeed to Anthony
Head (Merlin/Buffy etc), who will also be there. Do
try not to get us confused.
Stephen
www.StephenHunt.net
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REVIEWS
Reviews of genre books,
comics, magazines, DVDs and any other gear we've laid
our grubby hands on this month.
pub: McFarland. 404 page indexed large hardback. Price: GBP39.95 (UK), $45.00 (US). ISBN: 978-0-7864-4658-2. pub: Night Shade Books. 491 page paperback. Price: $15.99 (US), GBP 9.12. (UK). ISBN: 978-1-59780-281-9. pub: Duckworth Overlook. 290 page small hardback. Price: GBP14.99 (US). ISBN: 978-0-7156-4290-0. pub: Audio Go/BBC. 10 CDs 612 minute story. Price: CD: GBP12.24 (UK), Download: GBP 9.84 (UK). ISBN: 978-144589-047-0). narrator: Shelia Mitchell. pub: Big Finish. 1 CD 60 minute story with extras. Price: CD: GBP 8.99 (UK), Download: GBP 7.99 (UK). ISBN: 978-1-84435-584-6). cast: Peter Purves and Tom Allen. pub: Big Finish. 2 CDs 120 minute story. Price: CD: GBP14.99 (UK), Download: GBP12.99 (UK). ISBN: 978-1-84435-580-8). cast: Sylvester McCoy, Timothy West, Amy Pemberton, Miranda Keeling, Ray Emmet Brown, Howard Gossington and Lizzy Watts. pub: Big Finish. 2 CDs 120 minute story. Price: CD: GBP14.99 (UK), Download: GBP12.99 (UK). ISBN: 978-1-84435-602-7). cast: Paul McGann, Julie Cox, Simon Rouse, Andrew Havill, Serena Evans, Lisa Kay, Alix Wilton Regan and Kevin Trainor. region 2 DVD: pub: BBC BBCDVD 1664. 2 DVDs 99 minutes 4 * 25 minute episodes with extras. Price: GBP 4.50 (UK) if you know where to look). cast: Tom Baker, Lalla Ward, Julian Glover, Catherine Schell, Tom Chadborn and David Graham. region 2 DVD: pub: BBC BBCDVD 2434. 1 DVD 99 minutes 4 * 25 minute episodes with extras. Price: about GBP 5.00 (UK) if you know where to look). cast: Tom Baker, Lalla Ward, Tim Barlow, Peter Straker, Suzanne Danielle, Tony Osoba and David Gooderson. pub: Audio Go/BBC. 4 CD minute story. Price: CD: GBP 11.40 (UK), Download: GBP 5.49 (UK). ISBN: 978-056347-700-6). narrator: Peter Purves. pub: Audio Go/BBC. 1 CD 70 minute story. Price: CD: GBP10.20 (UK), Download: GBP3.32 (UK). ISBN: 978-140846-888-3). cast: Tom Baker, Susan Jameson, Richard Frankin, Cornelius Garrett, David Troughton, Nerys Hughes and Joanna Tope. pub: Audio Go. 1 CD 33 minute 30 tracks. Price: GBP 6.10 (UK). ISBN: 978-1-4084-7055-8. region 2 DVD: pub: BBC BBCDVD 2849. 2 DVDs 96 minutes 4 * 25 minute episodes with extras. Price: GBP 4.50 (UK) if you know where to look). cast: Tom Baker, Lalla Ward, Myra Francis, Eileen Way, Geoffrey Bayldon and David Brierley. region 2 DVD: pub: BBC BBCDVD 1351. 1 DVD 86 minutes 4 * 25 minute episodes with extras. Price: about GBP 4.50 (UK) if you know where to look)
(UK) if you know where to look). cast: Tom Baker, Lalla Ward, Adrienne Corri, David Haig, John Collin and Nigel Lambert. pub: TOR/Forge. 416 page paperback. Price: $ 4.99 (US), $10.87 (CAN). ISBN: 978-0-76533-117-5. pub: Titan Books. 414 page paperback. Price: GBP 6.99 (UK). ISBN: 978-0-85768-647-3) . pub: Audio Go/BBC. 12 CDs 795 minute autobiography. Price: CD: GBP10.60 (UK), Download: GBP 9.84 (UK). ISBN: 978-1-4458-7826-3). read by: Caroline John and Sadie Miller.
pub: TOR/Forge. 299 page enlarged paperback. Price: $14.99 (US), $16.99 (CAN). ISBN: 978-0-7653-2948-6. pub: Tomahawk Press. 167 page illustrated large softcover. Price: GBP16.99 (UK). ISBN: 0-953-19260-1. region 2 DVD: pub: Warner Bros 5000129613. 109 minute film with a couple extras. Price: about GBP 5.00 (UK) if you know where to look). cast: Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard, Mark Strong, Angela Bassett and Tim Robbins. pub: O'Reilly. 295 page illustrated indexed softcover. Price: $39.99 (US), $41.99 (CAN), GBP30.99 or less (UK). ISBN: 978-1-449-31004-2. pub: Seven Seas. 200 page manga graphic novel. Price: GBP 7.99 (UK). ISBN: 978-0-76532-460-3. pub: O'Reilly. 98 page illustrated magazine. Price: $ 9.99 (US). ISSN: 1556-2336. pub: Macmillan. 260 page hardback. Price: GBP17.99 (UK). ISBN: 978-0-230-75030-2. magazine: Copper Pig Writers Society. Price: $ 6.95 (CAN). ISSN: 0843-476X. Distributed in Canada by CMPA and the UK by BAR. pub: Tachyon. 192 page small enlarged paperback. Price: $14.95 (US). ISBN: 978-1-61696-019-3. pub: Holiday House. 212 page small hardback. Price: $16.95 (US). ISBN: 978-0-8234-2093-3. pub: Aurum Press. 192 page illustrated indexed hardback. Price: GBP30.00 (UK) ISBN: 978-1-84513-557-7. pub: Prometheus Books. 219 page indexed small enlarged paperback. Price: $20.00 (US), GBP18.99 (UK). ISBN: 978-1-61614-383-1. pub: Solaris/Rebellion Publishing/HarperCollins. 188 page small enlarged paperback. Price: GBP 7.99 (UK). ISBN: 978-1-907992-01-8. pub: Doubleday/Random House Children's Books. 504 page hardback. Price: GBP14.99 (UK). ISBN: 978-0-385-61130-5. pub: Imagine Comics 32 page digital comic $ 2.99 (US) Diamond Order Code: SEP110479. pub: Big Finish. 2 CDs 120 minute story. Price: CD: GBP14.99 (UK), Download: GBP12.99 (UK). ISBN: 978-1-84435-591-4). cast: Nicholas Briggs, Richard Earl, Alan Cox and John Banks. pub: Simon and Schuster. 438 page enlarged paperback. Price: GBP 6.99 (UK), $ 7.99 (US), $ 9.99 (CAN). ISBN: 978-1-4165-3739-7. pub: Haynes and Del Rey/Ballantine Books. 125 page illustrated large hardback. Price: $28.00 (US), $33.00 (CAN), GBP14.99 (UK). ISBN: 978-0-345-53304-3. Region 1 DVD: pub: Warner Bros 112623. 6 DVDs 903 minutes 22 * 45 minute episodes with extras. Price: GBP 9.99 (UK) if you know where to look). cast: Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles. studio: South Pacific Pictures. Ten part TV Series. Presented on: Science Fiction Channel: Thursday 02 February 2012). cast: Emmett Skilton, Timothy Balme, Jared Turner, Ben Barrington and Dean O'Gorman. pub: TOR/Forge. 383 page hardback. Price: $25.95 (US), $35.95 (CAN). ISBN: 978-0-76530-746-0. pub: Scholastic Fiction. 464 page paperback. ISBN: 978-1-40710-908-4. Price: GBP 8.99 (UK). 454 page Kindle ebook. Price: GBP 4.05 (UK). ISBN: 1-40719-084. pub: Subterranean Press. 287 page deluxe hardback. Price: $35.00 (US). ISBN: 978-1-59606-295-5. pub: Spilogale Inc. 260 page A5 magazine. Price: $ 7.50 (US). ISSN: 1095-8258) . pub: Gollancz. 361 page small enlarged paperback. Price: GBP12.99. ISBN: 978-0-575-08472-8. Couldn't afford a hardback then here comes the softer covered versions of books we've already reviewed.
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REVIEWS ...
Got a scifi book, video
or game review for us? Send your submissions to reviews@sfcrowsnest.com
DISCUSSION POINTS
I've commented a few times that our reality is looking
more like a Science Fiction
http://sfcrowsnest.net/index.php?topic=1352.0
Is it frustrating that films released on DVD come out
in various versions?
http://sfcrowsnest.net/index.php?topic=1358.0
Would you like to have an extended life?
http://sfcrowsnest.net/index.php?topic=1375.0
Which do you prefer books in?
http://sfcrowsnest.net/index.php?topic=1376.0
What is your favourite alien name?
http://sfcrowsnest.net/index.php?topic=1378.0
Daisy sentient sentences
http://sfcrowsnest.net/index.php?topic=1275.0
Things that a Science Fiction fan would never get wrong
http://sfcrowsnest.net/index.php?topic=966.0
Gideon's Collar (state torture device)
http://sfcrowsnest.net/index.php?topic=1377.0
NEWS
DC Comics has revealed its new brand identity, which
is, they say, "reflective of the company's mission to
fully realise the value of a rich portfolio of brands,
stories and characters, distinguished by incredible
breadth and depth across publishing, media and merchandise."
Well, if they say so.
There’s a TV series in the UK called ‘Grumpy Old Men’ in which various ‘more mature’ comics and celebs are given a topic and let rip into all that is wrong in the world today about it… politics, Christmas, lack of respect etc. Well, here comes a movie – God bless America – that could best be described as Grumpy Old Men go Postal, in which an oldie given weeks to live from a brain tumour goes on a rampage to wipe out all that he detests about modern life.
Yes, those Nazi refugees from the dark side of the moon are coming back and Earth had better watch out, as this new trailer for the film clearly demonstrates. And is that a Sarah Palin-alike I see occupying the hot seat in the White House?
A 3D poster for a 3D movie. Assemble, my readers, for a taste of the coming Marvel Movie ensemble that is the… Avengers.
Riddick Returns… oh yes he does, as this picture from the set of the new science fiction movie clearly shows. No photos of Katee Sackhoff in her role in the film yet.
Some steampunks like music. Some steampunks like Abney Park. If you are one of them, then here’s their clip from ‘The Wrong Side – Off The Grid’.
There’s a new trailer up for the next Resident Evil movie. This one contains some obvious flashbacks to the past, as well as some very populated city scenes which kind of contradict the Mad Max level of existence after the plague has struck shown in the last films.
My children tell me – frequently – that there is a movie version of the first Hunger Games novel coming our way soon. As if to prove the point, here’s the new poster from the film.
Here’s a new photo from the upcoming Prometheus movie where Noomi Rapace is bravely – some might say suicidally – exploring the crashed alien ship. Continutiy buffs from the original Alien(s) movie will no doubt spot the Weyland Yutani badge on her uniform.
… and he lived in a hole. And he had a big, sharp sword called Sting. Yes, just like the lead singer from the Police (who is also a Tolkien fan-boy).
One of my favourite game sites, Joystiq, has pictures from the Batman by Gaslight game (based on the DC comicbook, of course) that never actually made it off the launchpad.
Here’s the latest trailer for the John Carter movie, along with a photo they were kind enough to release. Am I going to see this one? I thought about giving it a miss, but hey, they had me at ‘Carter’ (even though they should have had me at ‘of Mars’!).
Here’s the theme tune to the next James Bond movie. Warning, don’t play this in the office or in front of your mom. Yes, your mom, ^%^&*, as it’s rather rude.
Scalextric is bumping up its car racing credentials by expanding into the Star Wars universe next Christmas, including speeder bike racing and Death Star trench racing with x-wings versus tie fighters (glow in the dark, no less).
Here’s a picture of the vehicles from the shortly to be filmed Mad Max Fury Road movie. Hopefully these are the smokers driven by the bad guys and Max is in his Jensen Interceptor again! Brutal.
New Zealand-based designer Richard Clarkson has come up with a steampunk mobile phone to give the iPhone a run for its money – well, at least in the 19th century. Looks interesting.
Here’s the Steampunk playing cards set made by Design House Theory 11 – from a custom bronze paper that is made to look like metal.
Sony called in steampunk artist John Dunn of Baroquestone.com to give Sony’s VAIO F Series Laptop a complete steampunk makeover. Dunn created a custom design he calls the eCog Mercury.
Noted actor and institution unto himself – Sir Christopher Lee – gives his end of year state of the union speech in which he discusses The Hobbit movie and reprising his role as Saruman.
This one should delight the retropunk impulses of even the most jaded among you… the Art Deco computer, as hand-made by Jeff Stephenson over at the Slippery Skip.
Here’s the new poster for the Avengers movie – coming your way May this year with an ensemble cast including Robert Downey, Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner and Samuel L. Jackson.
Now, time for an announcement, one made with mixed feelings. The release of From the Deep of the Dark early in Feb 2012 will be the last of my novels set in the Jackelian world for a while, as I’m currently working on the first in a major new fantasy(ish) trilogy.
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NEWS...
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OTHER BUSINESS
Write for us
Do you like curling up and reading a book?
Do you have a preference for fantasy, SF or
horror? Do you find it the greatest pastime you have next to being on
your computer?Are you very vocal about what you like and don't like in
what you read? Would you like to share your thoughts with others about
books? Would you like an endless supply of books to do this with? Do
you live in the UK?
If you've been nodding your head up to this
point then link in below and see if you have what it takes to be a
reviewer at SFCrowsnest. If you have that special knack to read and
write or want to develop said skill then the only way you're going to
find out is to take the plunge yourself rather than wait for others to
do it first. It's got to be better than waiting for the sun to come
out. Check out our recruitment procedures through the following link
and let me decide if you have what it takes ... gfwillmetts@hotmail.com
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