BMU # 429 is now online with the Halloween themed program

Well this is episode 429 of Beam Me Up and being that it is the last program of this October, I am going for our annual Halloween show.

The first item presented is a great piece of music from none other than the vocal group Manhattan Transfer doing Twilight Zone.  Nope, not that one by Golden Earring but one more closely attuned to the TV show of the same name.

Next a very unusual and wonderful short tale from Deborah Walker that combines a rural church in the English country side and quantum mechanics!


Colin Davies has graciously let me play Happy Halloween again.  This is a crystalWizard production and between the two of them, they turn out a great story.

Review: Gantz dvd series

Review: Gantz anime DVD series

Gantz is an anime series based on the Gantz Manga series written by Hiroya Oku.  

The story line orbits around  Kei Kurono and his friend Masaru Kato who die while saving a drunk who has fallen onto the tracks of the subway.  But instead of nothing, the pair wake in a room with a dark sphere and shortly there after a man dressed in what appears to be a dark latex body suit.  

They are informed that they are not really dead, but in between and as such have to complete tasks devised   by a mysterious Gantz.  As the series proceeds, more people join under the very same circumstances and even more are "killed" under increasingly more difficult tasks.  

The Animation of Gantz which appears in Japan as Manga, is directed by  Ichiro Itano and produced by Gonzo.  The series aired in Japan on Fuji Television and AT-X. The Gantz anime is divided into two seasons: The first season is known as "The First Stage", while the second season is known as "The Second Stage", which is a direct continuation of the first season. The First Stage aired in Japan with several scenes censored due to inappropriate content such as violence or nudity. However, the DVDs from the series contained the scenes uncensored. The Second Stage aired on Japanese network AT-X on August 26, 2004.There are a total of 12 Japanese DVDs, released from August 28, 2004 to June 29, 2005.  The US release contains ALL the scenes as the Japanese dvd release. 

On June 25, 2010, anime distributor Funimation Entertainment announced on their online FuniCon 4.0 panel, that they have acquired the rights to the series, along with 3 other former ADV titles after ADV's collapse in 2009.

That's the basic history of Gantz.  If you want a break from High School antics, Gundam power suits and move into something more sophisticated as say Ghost in the machine, with an even harder edge, you might just want to check Gantz out.  However FAIR WARNING The average character is unpleasant, the action is fast and violent to the point that if it can be cut off or sliced up, it is!  With great gusto.  Gouts of blood and flying body parts are the rule of the day along with...well if you caught the review about scene censoring you have to know where that was headed.  If you want introspection, you are not going to get it here! Graphic violence and nudity, and more, that would get this series canceled except on dvd anywhere you can imagine.  If this is your cup of tea, well you are not going to be able to rent it, so pony up and buy BOTH sets and you will not be disappointed   But if you want introspection for the ages, put the DVD down and run away.  

How would rate this? if looking for edge of your seat action you will get it in spades.  If I had to I would deduct a point for just to damn much! that would still give it an 8 or 9 with the graphics right up there with it.  Hey its' no DC or Marvel but then it ain't trying to be.  If weird weapons and whacked power suits (not gundam but form fitting latex with weird power globes at strategic locations) you will be watching one dvd and have two or three right at hand ready to go, and the world will go away for several hours....

Review: Speculative Fiction - The Ultimate Collection

Speculative Fiction The Ultimate Collection By David Scholes 23 highly entertaining short story collection.

Any long time listener to Beam Me Up is bound to recognize the name David Scholes. Beam Me Up has hosted his stories like Odenforce The Intervention and Trathh. Scholes is well schooled in the god of ancient Norway which he has at time molded into wars spanning all time.

Also David has fashioned an alternative history where England was a major technological mover and shaker during the early 20th century managing to outstrip even the USA. It is clear that Scholes is a master of history and can realize a milieu as robust and complete as any historian.

Along with his Asgardian and Greater Britain stories there are other equally robust and entertaining shorter pieces.

Hired Guns is a fast paced short alien mercenaries story. Easy Meat, who said waste management can be entertaining? Are you ready for the Grey Police or something called GrannyBoost? Yeah? Then take a short read with the enforcers in Surprise Attack!

Sholes is not above changing up his Asgardian/Brell should the need arise. In Unwelcome Visitor, we are not sure who is the most “unwelcome” but like unruly children, certain lessons must be taught no matter how the “unruly child” complains. Or the story “The Ship” asks, what would it be like if everything was just.....better? And if the bringer of such largess were damaged, could we benefit from the lessons given even if the teacher is gone?

If you enjoy stories with a strong military / warrior thread running through them, then like me you will enjoy not only great ships and god like powers, but also stories of the human condition and so much more.

Sholes Speculative Fiction collection is marvelously entertaining and thought provoking as well. If you have enjoyed some of David's shorter works on Beam Me Up then this book is a definite look-see.

Lulu is publishing the paperback and the e-book is available on Amazon

Sharon Lee and Steve Miller @ the Rockland Public Library

Knox County Science fiction and Fantasy aficionados  may want to take note of this event.  THURSDAY, APRIL 5, 6:30 PM at the Rockland Public Library

Maine-based Science Fiction & Fantasy writers Sharon Lee and Steve Miller first teamed up in the late 1980s to bring to the world the story of Kinzel, a inept wizard with a love of cats, a thirst for justice, and a staff of true power. Since then, the husband-and-wife team have written dozens of short stories, and nineteen novels, most set in their star-spanning Liaden Universe®. Lee and Miller will discuss the age-old question of Where Authors Get Their Ideas, with illustrative readings from several of their novels. Books will be available for purchase and signing.

Liad Clan Korval's home on the Web
Wiki page for Sharon Lee
Wiki page for Steve Miller

Review: The Last Airbender

The Last Airbender
Directed, Produced and Screenplay by M. Night Shyamalan
Starring Noah Ringer, Nicola Peltz, Jackson Rathbone, Dev Patel, Shaun Toub, Aasif Mandvi, Cliff Curtis

Running time 103 minutes

Based on Avatar: The Last Airbender by Michael Dante DiMartino Bryan Konietzko

The plotline follows that of the animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender that ran on Nickelodeon from 2005 to 2008. For those that might not have caught the series, Avatar: The Last Airbender drew heavily from elements of traditional Asian culture. The world of the Last Airbender was an Asian-influenced world of Chinese martial arts and elemental manipulation. Human civilization is divided into four nations: the Water Tribes, the Earth Kingdom, the Air Nomads, and the Fire Nation. Each nation has its own natural element, on which it bases its society. Furthermore, people known as Benders have the power and ability to control and manipulate the element of their nation using the physical motions of martial arts. At any given time, there is one person in the world who is can bend all four elements. This person is the Avatar, also the spiritual entity of the planet in human form, constantly reincarnated through-out the ages.

Of course we only find that out as the series / movie time line advances. Because the world clearly isn't anywhere near as idyllic. The world is steeped in violence and battered by a 100 year war brought about by the disappearance of the Avatar those 100 years ago. The main antagonist in the war is the Fire nation bent on total world control.

The Movie like the animated series starts at that 100 year anniversary. Two young people from a tribe at the south pole discover a glacier with a form inside. Breaking into the ice they discover a young boy with a six legged bison. The boy of course is Aang the last airbender and the long lost Avatar.
The rest of the movie revolves around Aang trying to find masters that will finish his training (so far he can only airbend) while trying to avoid the Firenation who want nothing more than to control the Avatar.

The movie comes to an end where the animated first season ended, so if you were hoping that the movie would tie up some loose ends, not happening.

My initial interest was to see how well Shyamalan would take the Nickelodeon animated series into the realm of the live action. My first reaction was that the live characters really didn't match those that had become familiar with the animated series. At every turn it's put a face with name. Shyamalan's choice to use non asian actors was not well received by critics and I can see why now. Otherwise though, the plot timeline follows that of the animated series reasonably well. Special effects from the "benders" are much like what you would expect. Appa the multi-limbed flying bison is a great piece of cga as are some of the other fauna.

The blu-ray offering is a 50 50 mix. The video is excellent quality. So renting just for the movie is certainly an option. The extras are a bit slim but unlike many movies there is some extra entertainment value. Deleted scenes are a treat as are some making of shorts that certainly entertain. There isn't any director comments or anything of that ilk, but I am not sure another 103 minutes of M. Night explaining his thought process would be a great disk extra anyway.

So overall? Well It's no Batman or Superman, but The Last Airbender's progenitor is a whole magnitudes less intense. I think the best thing that the director could have done was to stick as closely to the original material as possible, and this was accomplished.

Overall, movie rates a 7.5 and the extras a 7 so overall 7.25 I think is fair.

Sintel - animation short

Here is Sintel. Before you watch, I have to explain. This short was created as a "proof of concept" project was, as explained in the IO9 article I first saw this short on, initiated by the Blender Foundation as a means to further improve and validate the free/open source 3D creation suite Blender.

For something that for all intents is a "Demo" it is surely to be received as a stunning success. The fantasy tale tell of a lone woman in search of her lost dragon. It is both cute and tragic in the few short minutes it plays, I am certain that the effort will capture your imagination if not your heart.

Review: INK

INK Review

Directed, Produced and Written by Jamin Winans music score and editing was also done by Jamin Winans
Executive Producer Kiowa K. Winans
Staring Starring Chris Kelly, Quinn Hunchar, Jessica Duffy Jeremy Make

Ink starts with the premise that there is in fact many worlds running side by side with only a different "beat" separating them. The worlds of INK, beside our "waking world" are the world or the warrior/story tellers who bring good dreams at night. Then there is the world of the Incubi, "borg-like" spirits who veil their faces with screens who bring horrible nightmares and traveling through these worlds is a horribly scarred and malformed loner called INK.

The movie starts with the story tellers and Incubi bringing their own versions of people's dream, when INK suddenly appears "abducting" a young girl. The story tellers try to rescue the girl but Ink escapes through a portal which the warriors can not follow him through.

The movie, proper, opens with a very successful stock broker who through a series of life reversals, is watching his whole world collapse. This collapse is shown to us in flash backs as he grows into adult hood but the success has cost him greatly. The flashbacks shows us what it took for him to get where he is and the cost. At the same time the worlds of the story Tellers and Incubi are showing the struggle that is building and through out it all travels INK with his "captive" bent on completing a task while the story tellers try to stop him and inexplicably aide broker while the Incubi fight to stop them.

All the action in all three worlds comes to a head in the final moments of the film.

And I have tried valiantly to explain a very complex movie plot-line without giving too much away. And at the same time try not to emphasize what for the most part comes across as absolute chaos. Are the flashbacks truly "flashbacks"? Which way is time running?! And I could go on. That really may put some of you off. There are two or three realities at play and time may play different.

I loved the concurrent time sequences neither aware of each other and some were aware of both. Yes it can truly play with your head. But in the end the motivations are the most fundamental but it may blow you away as to who finally learns this lesson and you will be just as amazed.

Ink is certainly an interesting independent movie. Technology has come so far that even with a limited budget, the end product still looks and feels professional. Don't be put off by the labels, quite frankly they don't tell you anything.

I have to say that the extras were middle of the road. The format allows for so much more, but then we are still treated to excellent behind the scenes comments and clips. I really think the movie is well made and keeps your interest throughout. You certainly won't feel ripped off by renting or buying the disk. If your interests are sci fi or sci fi / fantasy, this movie will deliver. Good solid 8 for the film. The special effects are a bit chintzy but then, damn clever for what they had to work with. Extras could be an overall 8 so that gives a 16 total or an 8 overall. Your opinion will certainly fall either side of that. Recommendation? Its worth the rent or the buy.

Short Film: Nuit Blanche

Director Arev Manoukian's first film Nuit Blanche is a 4 minute 41 second slow motion tour-de-force encapsulating a fantasy encounter between two strangers. Though they are calling it fantasy, many of the effects bring to mind new and old science fiction films, including the absolutely stunning and I might say crushingly familiar and effective final effect. Wonderfully visual as well as aurally mesmerizing.

Returning SF & F shows for the fall season

Mark Wilson from About's SF/F blog lists the returning science fiction and fantasy program for this season.
Dollhouse Returns Sep. 25 More Info
Fringe Returns Sep. 17 More Info
Ghost Whisperer Returns Sep. 25 More Info
Heroes Returns Sep. 21 More Info
Legend of the Seeker Returns Nov. 7 More Info
Medium Returns Sep. 25 More Info
Sanctuary Returns Oct. 9 More Info
Smallville Returns Sep. 25 More Info
Supernatural Returns Sep. 10 More Info

Book 12 of The Wheel of Time will be a trilogy

According to SFScope:

• Tor Books has announced that the final volume of Robert Jordan's massive Wheel of Time A Memory of Light will appear as a trilogy. Volume one of the three books making up the final volume will be titled The Gathering Storm, and will be published on 3 November 2009. The second and third volumes will appear over a two-year period.
• Harriet McDougal, Jordan's widow and editor, expanded on the announcement, saying "The scope and size of the novel was such that it could not be contained in a single volume.

Robert Jordan, was the pen name of James Oliver Rigney, Jr. died September 16, 2007, leaving The Wheel of Time fantasy series unfinished. Book 12 was to be the final volume but Jordan died before he could complete much more than a rough.

What has Sci-Fi got in mind after BattleStar Galactica?

So just what is it that the Sci Fi ummm SyFy channel have in mind since Galactica took the big dive into Sol? Well according to James Hibbert's The Live Feed blog, some pretty interesting stuff.

From the blog:

• ...SyFy has greenlighted a trio of miniseries fantasy projects, including two that will serve as potential series pilots, and two of which are based on well-known classic titles.
• a retelling of "Alice in Wonderland"
• a fresh take on the comic-book hero "The Phantom"
• and "Riverworld," from a series of fantasy books by Philip Jose Farmer

Well that grouping sounds "interesting" if not a bit uneasy.

Alice is from the same person who did Sci Fi's highly rated "Wizard of Oz" revamp "Tin Man - Nick Willing, who will be writting and directing the four hour epic.

Phantom will be aimed at fans who apreciate a super hero without super powers - more in the grounded vein of Iron Man and Batman. "It's not a guy in purple tights," says Sci Fi Channel's executive vp of original programming, Mark Stern.

The one that worries me the most though is one of my all time favorite series - Riverworld by Philip Jose Farmer. For those of you not familiar with the series - Riverworld is bisected by a huge river. Bounding that river is unscaleable mountains. On the banks are all whoever lived on Earth. Everyone has been resurrected on Riverworld, seemingly never die as they are resurrected after death again somewhere else on the river. Everyone is fed by mysterious mushroom shaped edifices along the river which dispenses food daily and there is no hint as to why or how everyone came to be in this world, or what is expected of them.

How SyFy plans to bring Riverworld to light in just 4 hours is beyond me, let along develop a plot. Though some of Farmer's sub plots like Sam Clemens riverboat is an amazing plotline all to itself. Maybe that is where they will start much as Farmer did.

All of these have the potential of being a series....the only one with scale enough would be Riverworld, maybe Phantom, Alice would be my guess for 4 and out. I mean, we know pretty much how that plays out, much as we did with Tin Man... Should be interesting.

Read James Hibbert's article by clicking on the article title.

'Witchblade' Movie In The Works

First off I guess we should determine if Witchblade is in fact science fiction or fantasy. For those of you not in the know Witchblade is a Top Cow comic book series and later a TNT series. First consider...the hero has a weapon (in this case a magic sword) that when used by a person with abilities can turn into a gaunlet of armor with all sorts of features....Hey, could be Iron Man or Batman for that matter. But it would seem Witchblade is powered by magic and the holder fights demons...ok, fantasy. I have to admit to that I watched the original series and thought it had some real potential. The original show staring Yancy Butler is the story of a New York detective named Sara "Pez" Pezzini and her personal search for justice using the Witchblade -- an ancient, intelligent, living gauntlet so powerful it can battle Earth's darkest evil forces. She may fight crime during the day, but the legend of the Witchblade proves to powerful and soon she finds herself fighting evil on a whole new level. Though fans of the Yancy Butler version shouldn't get too excited, even though the movie will follow the same basic plotline, it won't have much in common with the TNT 2001 series. Several production companies have joined forces for the project which will take place in Australia. No casting has yet been announced.
click title for complete Syfy Portal article

2 new books from EDGE Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing

Justyn from EDGE Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing sent us a note that next month they will have two new releases: JEMMA7729 by Phoebe Wray and Sword Masters by Selina Rosen. Here is some of the information on the books.

JEMMA7729 by Phoebe Wray The civil unrest is over. Citizens live in domed megacities, the only safe and healthy places. Or so Jemma7729 has been told and believes. But when her father takes her into the Countryside, and she sees the stars in a free night sky, she begins to doubt everything she's learned. And to challenge it. The State responds quickly: incarceration. Jemma escapes, becomes a notorious saboteur, leader of a revolutionary shadow government. Many applaud her as a heroine, but the State wants her for rebellion, female aggression, failure to make choices, and inappropriate behavior. If Jemma7729 is caught, she faces immediate, permanent and uncontestable deletion. JEMMA7729 by Phoebe Wray $15.95 US 256 pages

Sword Masters by Selina Rosen The Sword Masters have strict rules about who can and who can not be one of them, but Tarius is determined to avenge the death of her father and she doesn't care about the Jethrik's archaic rules or about breaking them. Especially the one that says women can't wield steel. Her parents were both great warriors and upon her father's death at the hands of their ancestral enemy the Amalites, his cause becomes hers. Like her father before her, she joins the Sword Masters academy. But while he only kept one secret from them, she is keeping two. When the headmaster's beautiful, willful daughter Jena falls in love with her thinking she's a man, she knows that this, and not an enemies sword or spear, will be her undoing. Tarius leads the Armies of the King in battle after battle, securing a victory for him against the Amalites. She though she saves the King's life not once but twice, she knows that even this won't stop his wrath when he learns all that she truly is.

Sword Masters by Selina Rosen $19.95 US 354 pages

(www.edgewebsite.com)

(I will see what I can do to get some review material in the near future, Thanks Justynpac)

The Difference Between SciFi and Fantasy

From Unabashed via SFSignals, Matt Mitchell takes on a subject that has fueled many an argument. What exactly is the difference between Fantasy and Science Fiction? Matt posits that science fiction differentiates itself from fantasy by being believable. He writes:

We believe it because we want to believe fantastic things are possible, and this is especially the case with readers of SciFi. One advantage SciFi has over fantasy, however, is that SciFi generally resounds with possibility. Even though its ideas may be impossible now, one who has the foresight to dream of tomorrow can see the inherent potential in virtually any work of SciFic.

There are two basic ways to write fantasy, and neither of them have to be believable in the least:

1. Real world, whether it be historical or modern-day.
2. Other world, in which another universe is created specifically for the story.

The rest of his short article is equally interesting and thought provoking. click here to read more

A Look at Some Upcoming SF/F Films

John over at SF Signal, who I think is drinking way too much espresso, has put together a very funny impression of the upcoming science fiction and fantasy films. Here is a sample:

Aliens vs. Predator - A sequel to the singular Alien vs. Predator.
PROS: Aliens was good. Predator was good.
CONS: The original Alien vs. Predator...not so much.
BOTTOM LINE: I'll pass.

Bubba Nosferatu: Curse of the She Vampires - Bruce Campbell reprises his role as an elderly Elvis Presley in this sequel to Bubba Ho-Tep.
PROS: I liked Bubba Ho-Tep.
CONS: Nothing as far as I can tell.
BOTTOM LINE: They had me at "Bruce Campbell". At "She Vampires" I was already packing a suitcase and moving into the multiplex.

The Dark Knight - The sequel to Batman Begins.
PROS: It's Batman!
CONS: I really, really must see the first film.
BOTTOM LINE: Sure to be a huge hit. Everyone will rave about it and then I'll wanna go see it. Damn you, fanboys!

Jurassic Park IV - The script is still being written, but you can be sure dinosaurs are involved.
PROS: The return of the CGI dinosaur!
CONS: The return of the CGI dinosaur.
BOTTOM LINE: Meh. Been there, done that.

click the title to go to the comple blog listing or here