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Top 10 Women of Sci Fi

February 8, 2012 — Standard — 1 Comment

Science Fiction has always been a haven for diverse and complex women. This is a first in a series of my picks for the Top 10 Kick-Ass Women of Sci-Fi.

First up:

Zoe

(Firefly, Serenity)

The Woman Warrior is a iconic image in literature.  A fierce warrior who has long been portrayed as a celibate hunter who devotes her life and energy to fighting. Classically personified as Arcadian Artemis, goddess of Hunting and Chastity. Typically, Women warriors live and fight with other females and myths based in numerous cultures around the world.  The Amazons are a famous example.

In Firefly and later Serenity, we see Zoe turn this notion on its head.  We first meet Zoe on the battle field alongside Caption Mal Reynolds fighting for the Brown Coats against the Alliance.  After the war, she continues to serve alongside Mal onboard Serenity as his second in command. Instead of the archetypal women warrior, a female warrior who lives and fights among other warriors. Zoe is happily married to Wash, pilot of Serenity. Not only content in being married but excited to plan for a future with kids:

Wash: All I am sayin’ is that we are living pretty deep in the rough and tumble and I don’t seeing that changing  any time soon

Zoe: Nor do I

Wash: Well, I’m not sure now is the best time to bring a tiny little helpless person into our lives

Zoe: That excuse is getting little worn, honey

Wash: It’s not an excuse dear. It’s objective assessment. Can’t help that it stays relevant

Zoe: I don’t give a good …  about relevant, Wash, or objective. I ain’t so afraid of losing something that I ain’t gonna try and have it. You and I would make one beautiful baby and I want to meet that child one day. Period.

Hearts of Gold

Had Firefly lasted longer than 14 episodes, it would fascinating to explore other sides of Zoe as a wife and eventual mother.

Check out the fabulous Gina Torres on Geeks On, discussing her career and the state of women’s roles in Sci Fi.

Geekson.com

The title says it all

January 17, 2012 — 3 Comments

 

 

Why Hasn’t Octavia Butler’s Work Been Adapted

In a town that loves adaptations, it’s a shame that no one has embraced the fascinating stories told by one of our nation’s unique writers: Octavia Butler.  As a fan of both Octavia Butler and Sci Fi, I would love to see the disturbing tale of Fledgling brought to the big screen.  An original vampire tale regarding Shori, a 53 years old vampire who looks 10.  With the success of the Twilight series, Vampire Diaries, True Blood, it’s surprising that no one in Hollywood willing to take a change an bring this character to life.

I would love to see a character who looks just like me moving through time and space.  There is still some trepidation in Hollywood to feature a sci-fi movie featuring a person of color, who is not Will Smith? Can’t you imagine Tarji P. Henson or Thandie Newton starting in Kindred – the time traveling tale dealing with slavery and familial connections.

Tyler Perry has the means and resources, namely his own studio, to take a chance a tackle one of Ms. Butler’s complex.  There is an audience for this material.  Racialicous has started a book club devoted to her works Octavia Butler Book Club. To quote Field of Dreams “Build it and they will come.”

Tim Burton at LACMA

October 9, 2011 — Standard — Leave a comment

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For over 30 years, Burton has had a creative career with highs and lows.  For the past two years, an exhibit has been touring the world giving his fans a brief insight into his creative mind. 

The entrance hinted at the freakiness that await you inside.

Unfortunately, the museum staff kept a vigilant watch and banned all photograph from the exhibit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A timeline on the first wall outline Burton’s history was one of the first items to greet the visitor, along with a museum attendant barking that no pictures were allowed.  This was to be an annoying recurring theme all night.

I was surprised by the amount of written detail included in the exhibition.  Mementos from Burton’s childhood including sketches and award winning signs produced for local businesses.  One fascinating item a book mock up sent to Disney along with the rejection letter.

Burton studied at CalArts and there were a significant number of drawing and sketches from this period. Rick Heinrichs, a fellow graduate of  CalArts, created three dimension images of Burton’s work.  Together they produced an absolute highlight of the show: Vincent.

Vincent, short stop motion film about a young boy who dreamed of being Vincent Price.  Although only seven, Vincent had ghoulish dreams straight out of the mind of Edgar Allan Poe.  Burton wrote and directed while Rick Heinrichs created the figures for the stop motion film. 

Another highlight were the demented sketches create while Tim worked as a concept artist at Disney.  Standouts included a man’s eyes undressing a woman and what not to do with a constipated dog, which made me laugh out loud.

Of course, there were dozens of props from feature and short films including the carousel hat and extending arms from Beetlejuice; Catwoman’s outfit from Batman returns, costume from Edward Scissorshands, etc.  In addition, there a lot of conceptual drawings, which was great so you can see where the project started and ended.

Interestingly there were a lot of conceptual photography.

I appreciate seeing how Burton’s style evolved through the years. The basic tenants of his work could be seen in his earliest works.  I also forgot a lot of the great work that Burton has down over the years like James and the Giant peach, which was sorely underrepresented. 

 Tim Burton at LACMA until midnight on October 31, 2011. 

 For those of you who can’t make it – checkout the following websites for images:

Tim Burton Exhibit at LACMA

Tim Burton’s filmography

Cowboys and Aliens

August 11, 2011 — Leave a comment

One of the highly anticipated movies of the summer arrived a couple of weeks ago. Instead of a bang it landed with a meh.

Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford leads an all-star cast that includes Keith Carradine, Olivia Wilde, Sam Rockwell and Clancy Brown. Daniel Craig is perfectly cast as the amnesic Jake Lonergan who wakes up in the desert with a mysterious band on his wrist. He has no memory of who he is or why he’s there. He learns that he is a wanted criminal. As he tries to solve the mystery of who he is, a group of town folk are kidnap by some mysterious entities. The town bands together to fight the unknown band guys. Along the way the group encounters the typical western folk: Indians and bandits.

Cowboys and Aliens has a cool steampunk look to it. The western style has a very modern feel to it from skinny pants to stylish prairie dresses. The alien technology gets the short shift and we never get a feel for what their tech can do. The aliens look great and are wholly original. Unfortunately, the aliens are not given a personality or an opportunity to communicate their nefarious motivates.

With an impressive list of writers and producers, the plot is surprisingly paper thin. The special effects are great but not enough to hold your attention.

Catch it as a rental

May 9, 2011 — Leave a comment

Does cancellation spur creativity?

As Stargate Universe wraps its two year run tonight, I wonder if the reality of cancellation has provided a spark creative output from its showrunners.  After a dismal first season with unlikeable characters and boring plots, the show started its second season on a bubble, but found its creative footing.  With the announcement of its cancellation, the creative team started rehabilitated its characters and finally drew me in with its storylines.  Looking forward to see if the strong writing lasts until the end.