We’ve reviewed recent and classic novels, noted graphic stories and Hugo-nominated prose fiction. For our final Summer Review, we look at Derwin Mak’s 2011 novel, which holds particular appeal for fans of anime and manga.
Author Archives: JD DeLuzio
Summer Movie Double Feature: “Jaws”
“You’re gonna need a bigger boat.”
–Martin Brody (Roy Schneider)“It’s about being bloody frightened of being eaten by a bloody great shark.”
–Kinglsey Amis, on the various metaphoric and sociological interpretations of Jaws
Ya had to know what it was like.
Back in the day, films got to your town when they got to your town. Film prints cost money. The studio released copies, typically to the larger centers and, when those places were done with them, the films toured. If a film proved particularly successful and was getting “held over,” the studio printed more copies. If you lived in Smallville, Kansas or Revelstoke, BC, it might be awhile before the latest film got to you.
All that started to change in the summer of 1975, when Steven Spielberg’s Jaws left previous hit movies in its wake and birthed the Summer Blockbuster. Thanks to this suspenseful ride (and a certain Lucas film, a couple years later), it wouldn’t be long before summer meant the heavy promotion of high concept, and hit films increasingly turned up everywhere at once.
Summer’s almost over, and so are 2012’s Summer Reviews. So, as Chrissie says, “come on into the water!” A bloody great shark awaits.
Summer Movie Double Feature: “Swamp Shark”
….The twenty-first century received a Jaws echo, in the form of Discovery Channel’s annual Shark Week and SyFy’s original monster movies, most of which take Jaws as their template. The monster is usually aquatic, so the film can feature lots of beach footage and bathing suits. As in Jaws, the protagonists usually must face both the monster and corrupt officials. To that SyFy adds terrible CGI and has-been actors. While Sharktopus may be the most well-known (with an opening that directly references the start of Jaws), the best of a bad lot is probably 2011’s Swamp Shark. It stars the original Buffy, who has switched from vampires to another toothy foe.
Newspace
Like to track sharks? There’s an app for that!
Looking for life in outer space? Consider the Daily Galaxy’s take on alternate biochemistries.
Thinking of moving off-planet? An entire family slips over to Martian time. Meanwhile, back at the red planet, a Curious arm extends.
Feeling sick? A digital pill has been approved by the FDA.
Playing fetch? A dog digs up a 300 million year old fossil—
–Except in these texts, approved for use in publicly-funded Christian schools, which insist the world is only a few thousand years old, dinosaurs coexisted with humans, the Great Depression is largely a liberal myth, environmentalism is evil, and modern math is ungodly.
Want some views? With the new season of Doctor Who premiering the week of September 8, we’re posting some fan films from awhile back that feature multiple Doctors. We’ve also got some Avengers bloopers and out-takes and more:
Summer Reading: “Leviathan Wakes”
The first book of the forthcoming Expanse series blends old-school Space Opera, current SF trends, and Summer Blockbuster characters and plotting. In short, it may be best thought of as SF Summer Reading.
Continuum Review: “Endtimes”
Continuum‘s first season comes to a series-changing finale. Some questions are answered, while many more remain.
Curiousity Mars Landing
If nothing mars its progress, the most advanced Mars mission to date will land August 6. We have several relevant links below.
UPDATE: Success! A couple weeks of checks will precede anything really interesting.
Chewie: The Movie
A film about Chewbacca? Will it reconcile how he can be a top-rated general in the prequels with what we saw in the original movies?
No– because this film, in its early stages, will tell the tale of hospital-worker-turned-actor Peter Mayhew and his experiences becoming the world’s most famous Wookie back in 1977.
We hope this comes about. Meanwhile, what other smaller Star Wars films would you like to see?
Newspace
Boldly going to Mars: Curiousity’s Grand Entrance, narrated by William Shatner.
The planet does have a lot of beach property: New evidence for ancient Martian Oceans.
No human explorers for awhile, but China advances their plans for a lunar landing.
But the local gas station felt they were exploiting the free air pump: Space Ground Amalgam, a company making inflatable satellite parts, took the $100,000 Space Business prize.
Maybe we can download a car. It appears you can download a gun.
Hammertime: Thor II will feature former Doctor Who Christopher Eccleston as a villain and Game of Thrones/Mad Men/Sopranos director Alan Taylor at the helm.
Kansas City here we come: Google tests better, stronger faster internet.
Video below: How plausible is Spider-man? And more non-canonical Potter!
Summer Reading: 2312
Kim Stanley Robinson has won nearly every coveted SF writing award, and remains best-known for his extraordinary Mars Trilogy. He claims his most recent book takes place in its own universe, but that universe looks a great deal like the Mars Trilogy’s, one hundred years after Blue Mars, three hundred after our time.