When Computers Were Mysterious.

John Badham’s 1983 film War Games shows how an intelligent, reclusive student uses his skills to rebel in a fun kind of way. He gets his thrills from doing something which only a select few can do. It was made and is set in a time when the iron curtain was still present (and posed a real threat), when computers were still mysterious and not to mention it is set in a pre-Windows era (who reading this thinks Windows has been around forever?).

It tells the story of David Lightman (Matthew Broderick) who has the means and the knowledge to allow him to hack into remote computers using an analogue modem and some hot kit (for 1983). He innocently changes his grades as they aren’t as good as his parents wished. It is my view that his low grades were not because he was crap at the subjects, but because he was sidetracked away from his subjects because of his interests. He simply concentrated on the things that interested him.

As well as changing his grades, he uses a sequential phone dialler to dial into remote systems to locate a games publisher. By accident he happens to dial into NORAD. That’s where the adventure (and the War Games) really starts.

One of the things that stand out is the following quote which you can’t help sniggering at:

Mr. Liggett: Alright, Lightman. Maybe you can tell us who first suggested the idea of reproduction without sex.
David Lightman: Um, your wife?

This was a landmark performance for Matthew Broderick and fired him into fame as a top notch actor. With Ally Sheedy by his side, it was hard to fail. They play off each other well, each complimenting the other. Both of them interested in the neat computer he has.

But it’s John Wood who plays Dr. Stephen Falken who caught my eye. He is such a formidable actor, you can see the passion on his face, the wonder in his voice when he talks about the dinosaurs. Even when he’s simply playing Tic Tac Toe with Joshua, the passion is evident like a tidal wave on the screen.

Overall, it’s a feel good SF movie which enthralled the movie watching public at the time. It was a very nieve time in terms of computers, and this movie showed part fact and part fiction; but it is still as relevent today as it was then.

By the way, I’ve noticed in some places War Games is classed as a thriller. To me it is SF through and through, simply for the reason that when it was originally released, we never really knew if what was portrayed in the movie was quite fact or fiction…

Overall:

A SF Periodical Full Of Suprises Sprung By New Authors.

I will start this review of Interzone with some blurb off the TTA Press website.

Founded in 1982, Interzone has maintained its position as one of the world’s leading professional Science Fiction and Fantasy magazines, nominated for a Hugo many years running and winning in 1995, a reputation that the new team will be making every effort to enhance and improve.

TTA Press took over from the previous publishers from issue 194 (September/October 2004).

Prior to that, it was published by David Pringle and his gang. It was a stylish, 68 page, (monthly/bi monthly depending on the schedule) containg around 6 or 7 short stories. It included both well known authors and up and coming authors. The kind of stories were what I would term proper SF. They made you think. They were impressive, and most of all they were enjoyable.

Because the lineup changed issue by issue, it was almost like a lottery as to what kind of story you would next read (but the reader always won). Interzone has published new stories by authors such as Brian Aldiss, Sarah Ash, J.G. Ballard, Iain M. Banks, Stephen Baxter, Michael Blumlein, Molly Brown, John Brunner, Christopher Burns, Richard Calder, Jonathan Carroll, Thomas M. Disch, Paul Di Filippo, Greg Egan, William Gibson, Nicola Griffith, John Courtenay Grimwood, M. John Harrison, Robert Holdstock, Gwyneth Jones, Graham Joyce, Garry Kilworth, Jonathan Lethem, Paul J. McAuley, Ian R. MacLeod, Michael Moorcock, Kim Newman, Rachel Pollack, Christopher Priest, Alastair Reynolds, Nicholas Royle, Geoff Ryman, Brian Stableford, Charles Stross, Ian Watson and a great many talented newer authors. The list contains some of my favourite SF writers, namely Christoper Priest and Jonathan Carroll. The point being is that the list is impressive.

As well as the fiction, there were articles of non-fiction which included book reviews, interviews and movie reviews. They were intelligently written and almost as interesting as the fiction.

So, in issue 193 they announced that there was a change of management, and that there was an ‘incoming publisher’. We held our collective breath…

I must admit, that when they announced a change of publisher I wondered exactly how Interzone itself would be affected. I have seen all too many times, an entity is taken over and all of a sudden it becomes unrecognisable for what it was. The new owners have big ideas, which can invariably have a negative impact on how it appears from then on.

It appeared to me as if it was the backbone of British SF and it seemed to be the general consensus from other critics.

Along came issue 194.

My first impressions were from the way the presentation had changed. I held in my hand a glossy Manga style magazine. The main obvious changes were to the logo and the fonts had changed to be more ‘trendy’. I could see immediately that they were trying to push the magazine from it’s ‘fanzine’ look, to a more commercially viable look.

Opening issue 194 showed that they had re arranged the content presentation as well as the content. The look was definately crisper, easier to read, and somehow just looked better. The artwork seemed to revolve around the content of the page it was on. For example there were drawings which fitted in with the page of the story it was on.

Upon comparing the non-fiction areas, I could see that there were still the main areas as there were before, gossip, movie and novel reviews. But in addition there was a new computer game page. Hmm I thought. This instinctively struck me as a bad move. If I wanted to read about computer games, I’d buy a computer game magazine. But after reading the column, and subsequent columns, it shows that in fact, it fits in well. The column is written with SF in mind. Even though I wouldn’t personally buy a game from the sole writings in the column, it makes interesting reading.

The fiction itself was pretty much the same as before, which I breathed a sigh of relief to. But being wary, I wanted to read each subsequent issue to see if there would be a gradual change.

The format lasted from 194 to 198. I think during this time, the publisher were ‘testing the water’, trying various tweeks to the format (as it is in fact only the format and presentation which has changed), and getting feedback from readers.

And along came 199. And it blew me away.

Again, the changes were primarily presentation, but it makes it so much more of a proper magazine. The artwork is still just as excellent. The fiction and non fiction sections are just as good. But now the changes to the look and feel of the magazine seems to have thrust it into a format which could be displayed in a high street newsagents.

The feedback from their readers seems to have payed off. It has a masthead and more of an identifiable front cover. It has been toned down slightly, the logo is no longer in such a ‘futuristic’ font.

I noticed also they’ve put a few choice keywords on the front - Aliens! Murder! Celebrities! Dragons! Sex! Food! I’m not sure what the mentality is behind this choice of words, but I have a feeling that the publisher are aiming for a larger market, something that will sit on a newsagents shelf and be catching to the eye. The picture of the cyberamazon girl with big tits and a laser kind of implies that too.

Looking back, Interzones pre 194 were pretty stagnant. I would envisage this is because it was a case of ‘why fix what isn’t broken’. The format worked. But now, post 193, Interzone is going through many changes to simply bring it upto date.

And it is certainly working. I will continue to subscribe. You can subscribe to Interzone here too. You won’t be disappointed.

So, it’s been revamped and revamped again, and the publishers are improving it all the time. It is very much the better for it. It should be available at WH Smiths (at Waterloo for tired commuters wanting to escape the reality of being stuck on a packed, sweaty train).

A last thought: A few Interzone Anthologies have been released over the years containing key stories through the lifetime of the magazine. It was, infact, how I first got to hear about the publication. I would hate to think that these compilations won’t be carried on. Let’s hope the new publisher have the time/energy/money to bring out the first 21st Century Interzone Compilation.

Issue 200 is reviewed here and it’s funkier than ever.

SciFi Movie Posters & SciFi Movie TShirts Are All Part Of The Scene.

You can’t be a SF Junkie without wearing the apparel to show it off. So if you fancy something different, there are links in some of the posts which point to relevent SciFi Posters or T-Shirts available.

Also, on the left you’ll see a generic link which allows you to search for exactly poster or t-shirt you want. The tshirt link below takes you to the SF Junkie Shopperama Boutique, full of customised products for the SF Junkie (or want to be SF Junkie). Including cute Teddys Bears, sexy underwear for that special person in your life (!), bibs for your baby, postcards, mousemats and much more.

Below you can find immediate shop access to posters and t-shirts. (If you’re not into Star Wars, then you can click next to go through the pages).

So, if you’re into SciFi bigtime, as well as reading and watching it, why not wear it, hang it, send it or give it away as a present.

SF Junkie Shopperama Boutique

Isaac Asimov’s 21st Century Remake Of His Classic Book.

The CGI isn’t too bad, making the robots come alive. I particularly liked the ‘emotions’ the robots showed simply through their face movements.

Will Smith performs well, even if it’s not his typical role. He brings his trademark humour to the part which would otherwise be dull.

Well worth watching, but in the interest of SF and Isaac Asimov, I’d recommend reading the books first. It gives you a good insight into the original story from which you can glean more information on the actual movie. Having said that, the film does meander away from the book.

Overall:

I Must Stop Impulse Buying DVDs,

because this pretencious, effects where they shouldn’t be, black hole of a contrived and unimaginative story is total and utter shite. Apologies for the forefrontness, but this movie makes me mad, so very mad (and green).

The story is loose, always building up to something, but never quite getting there. The effects are OK, but c’mon people, CGI is just getting so boring. It’s everywhere, and it’s so in your face obvious it becomes insulting. The Hulk looks like putty. With facial movements that look artificial, robotic, with really no emotion whatsoever. Point and click acting just doesn’t work (the technology isn’t quite here yet). His rage face is almost comical, and his hair is just wrong.

After all is said and done, rewinding in my mind back through the movie, I can only think of one redeeming feature that stopped me turning it off; and that was… no, I lied. Nothing comes to mind.

Only watch it if you are a fan of the comic books (and can manage to steal the disc off a friend).

I also need to point out that it is really the story and effects I don’t like. There is nothing wrong with the acting, but I feel it’s overshadowed by the poorness of the film. Eric Bana (Bruce Banner) plays a good leading role. As does Jennifer Connelly as Bruce’s ex-girlfriend. They do, infact make a good pair on screen, though it is a shame that it happened to be this CGI flop.

Overall:

Decent SF From England On The Way To Sheffield?

I had the Scifi UK Channel turned on in the background as I was doing something else, and caught the third and fourth episode of The Last Train. I’d noticed the trailer the prior week, but sadly missed the first and second episodes. I’ll need to check out an episode guide.

Anyway, what intrigued me as I watched it, is that it’s set in Britain, and actually originates in a train going to Sheffield (where some of the first episode is set). I used to live in Sheffield, so this kind of thing is ‘close to home’ so to speak. It’s not science fiction based on some fictional place (either in this time, or a future time; another continent or another planet), but science fiction set somewhere which is accessible and realistic.
It’s a bleak story of a band of survivors who have woken up after a third world war (or something - I am not 100% sure, maybe it’s chemical leaks or something). But basically, they were on a train to Sheffield when it all went bad. They froze for about forty years or so and woke up, and everyone (or so it seems) have gone. And (at the moment) they are still orientating themselves, and really ‘getting used to each other’, working each other out.

The episodes I saw were a good example of (if anything) a pictorial view of the British landscape. I understand that in either episode one or two a railway station is shown as Sheffield, but in reality it appears to have been filmed at King’s Cross St. Pancras. This is what makes it fun, spotting the places you recognise. So, as the band of survivors travel across the British countryside, they travel through a good brochure for Britain.
The thing that sticks in my mind after seeing the two episodes is that it looks like today, even though it is set at 40 years in the future. This obviously makes filming easier, but it also shows that we ourselves are indeed living in the future. They wear the same ‘commuter clothes’ that they wore when they left for work that fateful day. Ties, suites. Even though we haven’t gone through armageddon or an apocalypse (though some would probably beg to differ), we are living in what conceivably is someones future.

It reminds me distinctly of another film which was based and filmed in Sheffield called Threads. It is basically the story of a build up to Nuclear War, and thus because Sheffield at the time was a big industrial area producing mainly steel, it was one of the main targets of the agressor. Sheffield was nuked, in which the film makers showed the inihilation in loving detail. Showing areas which I lived in at the time, places I shopped at, places I knew, just simply getting blown away.

(Trivia: one of my friends from Sheffield has said that either I was auditioned for it, or a class in my school was. He thinks it was for the main detonation scene, where there’s a crowd of shoppers running down The Moor, and a nuke is exploded. You see the everyday shoppers glued to their spot, looking up. You even see one person pee themself at the sight of the mushroom cloud (before getting crisped in a white light). Which I guess shows one aspect of reality. But I have no memory of any possible audition, although he swears that it happened - I was only about 10 or 11 at the time. I also remember a scene where someone complains or just mentions the price of a can of beans. I would love to get Threads on DVD and just see how much those can of beans were in that future.. Addendum: Threads is apparently out of production, and is £99.99 used!)..

It was an eye opening and a particular heart wrencher to see places you knew to be real, blown away on the television; for entertainment.

This, to some extent was how I felt when I was watching The Last Train. I will definitely be tuning in to follow their story. I found it gripping, and worth a watch, but hey, maybe I’m a bit biased.

Is Your Brain And Perception As Solid As You Image?

With a strange name as The I Inside, this movie is without doubt a very strange film. A very strange and psychologically weird movie. But it all becomes clear at the end.. sort of.

Seriously though, it’s a cracker of a film. It relies on storytelling than CGI. The premise is it starts with a guy waking up in bed, not knowing where he is or how he got there. Gradually as the movie progresses, he finds certain anomolies with his memories. For example, it is many years later than he remembers and he has a wife which he doesn’t recall. It’s all very confusing for him. He sees certain things happening and remembers certain things happening, but can’t make the two come to together. The previous two years have been wiped from his mind, so he has no memory of his wife and of a car crash that nearly took his life, and his brother’s death.

This story has twists and turns galore, and you never really know what is happening, rethinking it as it is playing out.

Ryan Phillipe as John Cable could not have been a better choice. He fits into the part very well, as you can see from the DVD extra interview with him.

I like the way the ‘in the brain’ story also (somehow) manages to incorporate time travel. A very cool film, which will warrant watching more than once.

Overall:

Psychotic, Paranoid, Mesmerizing, Genius, Semi Scary Philosopher.

In the world of science fiction, the stories and writings of Philip K Dick are unparalleled. From his novel Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep? to the short story We Can Remember It For You Wholesale to Minority Report, he managed to inject something unique and almost infectious into his narratives. A lot (if not most) of his published material is still around. From novels and short stories, to essays, private writings and philosophical thoughts.

Dick had an amazing knack for putting forward ideas in a wholly realistic alternate future or present. Most, if not all of his original and unique ideas as current today as they were when they were written.

Since Dick’s death in 1982, four Hollywood movies have been released starring such actors as Harrison Ford (Blade Runner), Tom Cruise (Minority Report), Arnold Schwarzenegger (Total Recall) and Paycheck (Ben Affleck). At the time of writing a quick calculation shows he has been dead for 23 years. This shows that Dick’s writings have been made into a movie every 5.75 years. What other writer can boast that?

In the pipeline is A Scanner Darkly (Keanu Reeves). This one I am really looking forward to; and you’ll see from the link that the visuals are very interesting.

I honestly think that Phil was born too early. If he had started writing just a few years ago, he would have been embraced more. The wordly view on SF has changed in the past few years (I say this loosley, as it encompasses Fantasy too). Every few weeks a new SF movie is released. SF is creeping up in the popular media, and I bet that a lot of people haven’t really noticed either. SF has always been quite popular, although really in an almost underground way. Now it’s in the mainstream. Phil would have loved it; he would have found it easier to ‘fit in’. There would have been more of an outlet for his work. Also, it would have probably meant he would have had more respect as a ‘proper’ writer, rather than one of those.

Conversley, maybe he would have found the genre too diluted through no fault of his own. If he hadn’t had the friction and environment of his life, he wouldn’t have produced his somewhat genius narratives.

These are the works of Philip K Dick which became famous, through popular media and through cult followings. Many essays have been done on his popular work, instead I want to concentrate on his lesser known works, with my personal insight into the meanings of the writings, the intracacies and what Dick himself was going through at the time he wrote them.

Any story mentioned here is worth reading, some (because they’re short stories) are available in collections of stories. So you can easily go from one story to another.
(more…)

Finally got the engine sorted out for this, so I can start updating real soon. Got SO MUCH to put up, it’s like decades of my personal scifi history!

Need to spruce up the presentation too.

Laters.

Whether you like ‘zines or full colour ‘large’ magazines, you’ve come to the right place. You can subscribe to many publications with the links on the left. DVD, Film reviews and news.

From Empire to SFX, from Interzone to Fiction Magazine.

Take your pick from the links on the left. Happy reading!

Subscribe To Scifi Magazines

Whether you like ‘zines or full colour ‘large’ magazines, you’ve come to the right place. You can subscribe to many publications with the links on the left, which include DVD, Film reviews and news.

From Empire to SFX, from Interzone to Fiction Magazine.

Take your pick from the links on the left. Happy reading!

Subscribe To SFX Scifi Magazine

SFX is one of the strongest magazines going. Especially true in terms of Science Fiction. It’s not comparable to Fiction magazines simply because it doesn’t touch on those areas. It’s packed with information each month, many interesting articles (for which we’d love to get even 1% access to the ‘big boy companies’ which SFX has access to).

Click on the links on the left to subscribe. It’s well worth it!

I’ve added some film promotion companies to the main links on the left.

These comapnies are both the smaller promotion houses and the larger promotion companies.

Many of them support the smaller film makers in the UK and are worth looking at. Either way, if a company is included in the list, it means they’re involved with a movie or promotion mentioned on here. So searching for the company name will show you what they’re involved in.

Who needs Hollywood?

If you would like your company mentioned, then please let us know.

Finally got the engine sorted out for this, so I can start updating real soon. Got SO MUCH to put up, it’s like decades of my personal scifi history!

Need to spruce up the presentation too.

Laters.

I’ve added links to the left hand side for easy direct access to scifi links (internal links and external links).

If you’d like your site adding, please use the contact form and give us some good salesman talk on why it should be added!