Sci-fi movie fest! #RRSciFiMonth
15 November 2016
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: #RRSciFiMonth, Broke and Bookish, Movie freebie, Top Ten Tuesday
Every Tuesday over at the The Broke and Bookish we all get to look at a particular topic for discussion and use various (or more to the point ten) examples to demonstrate that particular topic. The topic this week is :
Movie Freebie
Given that November is Sci Fi Month (organised by Rinn Reads and Over the Effing Rainbow this is a fun event that celebrates sci fi) I’m going with science fiction movies and here are ten that I always enjoy:
1. Alien – I love this film. It’s dark and downright scary. I recall years ago watching a documentary about the making of the film and one story stood out to me – which was about the shooting of the ‘chest burster’ scene where the alien breaks out of Kane’s chest. Apparently the other actors – although they knew that the alien would be, literally, bursting out, they weren’t aware of all the special effects in terms of the blood and viscera. The scene was a one take effort and the stunned surprise that you witness was real as opposed to actual acting! I think that’s a great story. I have no idea if it’s true but the scene is brilliant!
2. Star Wars – and I’m talking about the first film now (as I refuse to call it No4). No funny story as such but a whole bunch of quotes – guess the character:
“You don’t need to see his identification … These aren’t the droids you’re looking for … He can go about his business … Move along.”
“I find your lack of faith disturbing.”
“Boring conversation anyway. Luke, we’re gonna have company!”
“Into the garbage chute, flyboy!”
“What a piece of junk!”
3. Jurassic Park. I thought maybe a little bit of useless (or incredibly useful depending on your pov) info about the main star – the T-rex. One of the largest built animatronics. 20 feet tall and weighing 17,500 pounds (which, wow!) The roar was a combination of a baby elephant, tiger and alligator. The breath was a whale’s blow and the sounds of the T-rex tearing apart a Gallimimus were created by recording a dog attacking a rope toy!
4. Avatar. Production originally began in 1994 and yet the film didn’t premiere until 2009! This film may have cost A LOT to produce but it surely must be one of the most visually stunning pieces of work ever and here’s the original trailer if you want to have a gander:
5. Matrix – maybe not everyone’s cup of tea but I loved this and it certainly set the bar for action scenes with the invention of Bullet Time (not to mention a lot of spoofs)! I love all the references in the film, e.g. Morpheus (Greek God of dreams). But I particularly like the Alice in Wonderland reference. ‘follow the white rabbit’.
6. Terminator 2 – great film – and surely has some of the best quotes ever! Well, you might not really ever have need of them but I like them – here are a few:
‘I need your clothes, your boots and your motorcycle.’
‘Come with me if you want to live!’
‘Say… That’s a nice bike…’
‘Did you call *moi* a dipshit?’
7. 12 Monkeys – time travelling, post apocalyptic, neo noir – what’s not to love? In fairness though, I didn’t love this the first time I saw it! But then it just grew on me – like a mutated fungus!!!
8. The Fifth Element – funnily enough this is another Bruce Willis film (see above) and was also another film that took a little while to grow on me (yet more fungus – just call me a truffle!).
Leeloo: Leeloo Dallas mul-ti-pass. Korben Dallas: Yeah. Leeloo: Mul-ti-pass. Korben Dallas: Yeah, multipass, she knows it's a multipass. Leeloo Dallas. This is my wife. Leeloo: Mul-ti-pass. Korben Dallas: We're newlyweds. Just met. You know how it is. We bumped into each other, sparks happen... Leeloo: Mul-ti-pass. Korben Dallas: Yes, she knows it's a multipass. Anyway, we're in love.
And here: ‘Big Bada Boom!’
9. Interstellar – I think this film is fantastic. I definitely needed to watch it more than once though I will admit! Very clever and some mind bending scenes!
10. Finally, Rise of the Planet of the Apes. The movie trailer (plus bonus points for spotting the Potter character):
Read all about it…#RRSciFiMonth
14 November 2016
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: #RRSciFiMonth, A Closed and Common Orbit, Becky Chambers, Readalong announcement
A quick post to notify you of a readalong that starts at the beginning of December. I’m announcing this now whilst we’re still in Sci Fi Month (hosted by Rinn Reads and Over the Effing Rainbow) to give you all time to lay your hands on a copy and take part. I’m just thoughtful like that. Anyway, if you’ve read Becky Chamber’s Long Way to a Small Angry Planet and fancy getting on board for the next adventure this readalong could be just for you. Here are all the details plus the link to the Goodreads page (schedule pasted below for quick ref). If you fancy joining in then dive in with the comments or stop on over to the Goodreads page so we can all welcome you aboard.
And now, for the science bit…
A Closed and Common Orbit (Wayfarers #2):
Lovelace was once merely a ship’s artificial intelligence. When she wakes up in an new body, following a total system shut-down and reboot, she has no memory of what came before. As Lovelace learns to negotiate the universe and discover who she is, she makes friends with Pepper, an excitable engineer, who’s determined to help her learn and grow.
Together, Pepper and Lovey will discover that no matter how vast space is, two people can fill it together.
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet introduced readers to the incredible world of Rosemary Harper, a young woman with a restless soul and secrets to keep. When she joined the crew of the Wayfarer, an intergalactic ship, she got more than she bargained for – and learned to live with, and love, her rag-tag collection of crewmates.
A Closed and Common Orbit is the stand-alone sequel to Becky Chambers’ beloved debut novel The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet and is perfect for fans of Firefly, Joss Whedon, Mass Effectand Star Wars.
Here’s the schedule:
Week 1: Friday 2nd December – Start of Part 1 up to Page 94 (“…yellow, silver, white…”), hosted by Over the Effing Rainbow
Week 2: Friday 9th December – Page 95 (Jane, Age 10 “Jane was still tired…”) to End of Part 1, hosted by imyril at There’s Always Room For One More
Week 3: Friday 16th December – all of Part 2, hosted by Lynn at Lynn’s Book Blog
Week 4: Friday 23rd December – Part 3 to End, hosted by Mogsy at The BiblioSanctum
Friday Firsts: Illuminae (The Illuminae Files #1) by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff #RRSciFiMonth
11 November 2016
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: #RRSciFiMonth, Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff, Friday Firsts, Illuminae, tenacious reader
Friday Firsts is a new meme that runs every Friday over on Tenacious Reader. The idea is to feature the first few sentences/paragraph of your current book and try and outline your first impressions as a result. This is a quick and easy way to share a snippet of information about your current read and to perhaps tempt others. Stop on by and link up with Tenacious Reader. As this month is Sci fi Month 2016 my book today is a science fiction novel that I’ve been wanting to read for some time. Illuminae by Amie Kaurman and Jay Kristoff
My First Impressions
Well, it appears that Illuminae is going to be told in the epistolary style – which I love – think Bram Stoker’s Dracula or The Three by Sarah Lotz as two fine examples. From reading the start of this email it appears that some sort of corporate secret/conspiracy is being uncovered *wiggles eyebrows*. As to who is doing the revealing or why remains to be seen – from the memo above I’m thinking we’re going to find out the answers to those two key questions and perhaps experience a little of the danger that they went through to uncover this ‘dirt’!
What are you reading right now? Did it start out strong? Feel free to join in.
Sci Fi Movies: 2017 #RRSciFiMonth
For the month of November Rinn Reads and Over the Effing Rainbow host a wonderful event called Sci Fi 2016 in which we celebrate all things sci fi. Check out the details here and come and join the fun.
Today I’m looking at : Films coming out in 2017. Hopefully the dates are correct but I guess they’re open to change. Anyhow, here are a few of the goodies we can look forward to in 2017:
Logan – Due out March 2017
Set in the future, Logan and Professor Charles Xavier must cope with the loss of the X-Men when a corporation led by Nathaniel Essex is destroying the world leaving it to destruction, with Logan’s healing abilities slowly fading away and Xavier’s Alzheimer’s forcing him to forget. Logan must defeat Nathaniel Essex with the help of a young girl named Laura Kinney, a female clone of Wolverine.
A little more Wolverine can’t hurt!
Ghost in the Shell – Due out March 2017
Starring Scarlett Johansson: A cyborg policewoman attempts to bring down a nefarious computer hacker.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol II – due out April 2017
Set to the backdrop of ‘Awesome Mixtape #2,’ Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 continues the team’s adventures as they traverse the outer reaches of the cosmos. The Guardians must fight to keep their newfound family together as they unravel the mysteries of Peter Quill’s true parentage. Old foes become new allies and fan-favorite characters from the classic comics will come to our heroes’ aid as the Marvel cinematic universe continues to expand.
Oh yes! I can’t wait for this one.
Chris Pratt, Michael Rooker, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, and Karen Gillan.
Look closely at the picture below and you’ll find a teeny-tiny Groot:
Life – Due Out May 2017
Six astronauts aboard the space station study a sample collected from Mars that could provide evidence for extraterrestrial life on the Red Planet. The crew determines that the sample contains a large, single-celled organism – the first example of life beyond Earth.
Starring Rebecca Ferguson, Jake Gyllenhaal, Ryan Reynolds
First impression: Looks as though this might bear a few similarities to Alien but we’ll see.
The Dark Tower – due out July 2017
Gunslinger Roland Deschain roams an Old West-like landscape in search of the dark tower, in the hopes that reaching it will preserve his dying world.
Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Idris Elba, Katheryn Winnick.
Looks like I better catch up with reading the books then – quickly!
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets – Due out July 2017
Time-traveling agent Valerian is sent to investigate a galactic empire, along with his partner Laureline.
Starring: Cara Delevingne, Ethan Hawke, John Goodman
War for the Planet of the Apes – Due out July 2017
In War for the Planet of the Apes, the third chapter of the critically acclaimed blockbuster franchise, Caesar and his apes are forced into a deadly conflict with an army of humans led by a ruthless Colonel. After the apes suffer unimaginable losses, Caesar wrestles with his darker instincts and begins his own mythic quest to avenge his kind. As the journey finally brings them face to face, Caesar and the Colonel are pitted against each other in an epic battle that will determine the fate of both their species and the future of the planet.
Starring; Woody Harrelson, Judy Greer, Andy Serkis
Alien: Covenant – Due out August 2017
The crew of the colony ship Covenant discover what they think is an uncharted paradise, but it is actually a dark, dangerous world, whose sole inhabitant is the synthetic David, survivor of the doomed Prometheus expedition.
Starring: Michael Fassbender, Noomi Rapace, Katherine Waterston
I’m not going to lie – I wasn’t a fan of Prometheus but I’m still on board to watch this.
Blade Runner 2049 – Due out October 2017
I couldn’t find out too much about this one:
Starring: Mackenzie Davis, Ana de Armas, Jared Leto, Ryan Gosling. Possibly with Harrison Ford reprising his role as Rick Deckard.
Star Wars: Episode VIII – Due out December 2017
Having taken her first steps into a larger world in Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), Rey continues her epic journey with Finn, Poe and Luke Skywalker in the next chapter of the saga. I’m very much anticipating this one.
Starring: Daisy Ridley, Domhnall Gleeson, Oscar Isaac and Mark Hamill
Inversion – Due out 2017
The Earth gradually loses her gravity. A Chinese scientist and an american street-man trying to stop the chaos.
Starring: Travis Fimmel, Samuel L. Jackson, Yifei Liu
(Information found at IMDB and correct at time of article)
Waiting on Wednesday: New York 2140 by Kim Stanley Robinson #RRSciFiMonth
9 November 2016
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: #RRSciFiMonth, Breaking the Spine, Kim Stanley Robinson, New York 2140, Waiting on Wednesday
“Waiting On Wednesday” is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine. Every Wednesday we get to highlight a book that we’re really looking forward to. My book this week is : New York 2140 by Kim Stanley Robinson
A new vision of the future of New York City in the 22nd century, a flooded, but vibrant metropolis, from Kim Stanley Robinson, the New York Times bestselling author of science fiction masterworks such as the Mars trilogy, 2312, and Aurora.
The waters rose, submerging New York City.
But the residents adapted and it remained the bustling, vibrant metropolis it had always been. Though changed forever.
Every street became a canal. Every skyscraper an island.
Through the eyes of the varied inhabitants of one building, Kim Stanley Robinson shows us how one of our great cities will change with the rising tides.
And how we too will change.
Expected publication: March 21st 2017 by Orbit
Sci Fi Month organised by Rinn Reads and Over the Effing Rainbow is a fun event that celebrates all things sci fi and runs for the whole of November. Check it out and come and join the fun and discussion.
Books and travelling with Lynn 