Public Address | Cafe | Muse: Monday Linky Love (With Added Geekery)

Steve Parks

Sun, 22 May 2011 16:27:30 +1200

Heh. Doctor Who credits, Buffy style.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMiMCMWp4bw&feature=player_embedded

Kumara Republic

Mon, 25 Apr 2011 00:07:59 +1200

Oh absolutely, he was a flawed individual and very much a product of his times- and his biography is a fascinating read because of that- but I do think reclaiming him as a proto-Cold Warrior would require either a massive leap of faith, or total ignorance of his works and…

Lucy Stewart

Sun, 24 Apr 2011 13:53:19 +1200

So's The Tudors when you get down to brass tacks. :) I'm wondering if the real problem (if it is a problem) with Game of Thrones is that HBO has made a ten hour movie, not heavily-serialised episodic television. Will be interested to see how many people will make that…

Matthew Littlewood

Sun, 24 Apr 2011 11:43:56 +1200

And I also find it rather amusing when Orwell gets a rather extreme makeover in the other direction – politely squinting past his rather cranky disdain for homosexuals, feminists and birth control. Eric Arthur Blair was a rather prickly mass of contradictions, blind spots, prejudices (both reasoned and not) and…

Craig Ranapia

Sun, 24 Apr 2011 08:57:13 +1200

Me, I just find it more hilarious when Liberterians and Randians invoke Orwell or try to "rehabilitate" him as some proto-cold warrior.

And I also find it rather amusing when Orwell gets a rather extreme makeover in the other direction — politely squinting past his rather cranky disdain for homosexuals,…

Kyle Matthews

Sat, 23 Apr 2011 23:16:58 +1200

And I can confirm, for the record, that Game of Thrones is awesome.

I thought it showed promise, but certainly wasn't great 1st episode. I'll keep on trucking with it to see how it goes. Haven't read the books.

Steve Parks

Sat, 23 Apr 2011 22:07:02 +1200

A standard literary device for centuries – often easier for an audience to hear about their culture if the tale is painted as being about somewhere else.

Yes, although I think that part of the point Craig was making here was that this allegorical or satirical aspect shouldn’t be used…

Craig Ranapia

Sat, 23 Apr 2011 18:12:58 +1200

Thought the second half was a fairly incoherent series of rutting scenes (our sons were a bit embarrassed by it). Oh well ...

So's The Tudors when you get down to brass tacks. :) I'm wondering if the real problem (if it is a problem) with Game of Thrones is…

Matthew Littlewood

Sat, 23 Apr 2011 17:23:05 +1200

I'm not sure you can call 1984 sci-fi, but I think it certainly relates to British speculative fiction's rich tradition of dystopia.

Yeah, that's true- Ballard and Burgess were of course, the two authors who took up the mantle most assiduously in his wake- although I dare say Orwell couldn't've…

Russell Brown

Sat, 23 Apr 2011 17:15:27 +1200

As for its sci-fi credentials, I'm with Anthony Burgess in that it makes a lot more sense if you view it through the prism of 1948 and the social upheaval and pervailing austerity of the era--although much great sci-fi probably is rooted in the present-day neuroses in some form.

I'm…

Matthew Littlewood

Sat, 23 Apr 2011 17:04:53 +1200

Perhaps more than you think, though. I'm not sure how long it lasted, but, along with Brave New World, 1984 was a common text in 6th form English study when I was at school.

It was for me too, and I think it still is. As for its sci-fi credentials,…

Matthew Littlewood

Sat, 23 Apr 2011 16:59:25 +1200

Roger Ebert hits the highway to Fogey Town in Does anyone want to be "well-read?"-- but, thankfully, takes the by-pass and ends up with a rather sweet reflection on reading by inclination

I think the last thing you could accuse Ebert of being is a "fogey"- while some have laid…

Sacha

Sat, 23 Apr 2011 16:34:51 +1200

it isn’t about the future at all – that’s just a way to distance his story from being ‘a bit too close to home’

A standard literary device for centuries – often easier for an audience to hear about their culture if the tale is painted as being about somewhere…

Russell Brown

Sat, 23 Apr 2011 16:29:26 +1200

And I can confirm, for the record, that Game of Thrones is awesome.

Watched it last night, haven't read the books, not so impressed. Thought the second half was a fairly incoherent series of rutting scenes (our sons were a bit embarrassed by it). Oh well ...

Russell Brown

Sat, 23 Apr 2011 16:25:16 +1200

(although only a very small faction of people who use terms like ‘Big Brother’ would have actually read the book).

Perhaps more than you think, though. I'm not sure how long it lasted, but, along with Brave New World, 1984 was a common text in 6th form English study when…

Steve Parks

Sat, 23 Apr 2011 14:27:09 +1200

Islander, I wasn’t commenting on the popularity of Brazil (although it seems fairly well known and generally well regarded). Neither would I deny the cultural resonance that 1984 has achieved (although only a very small faction of people who use terms like ‘Big Brother’ would have actually read the book).…

linger

Sat, 23 Apr 2011 02:07:41 +1200

(even while fully acknowledging the bleakness of that reality)
… and also, simultaneously, acknowledging the insubstantiality and uncertainty of a “dream” victory, with the ambiguity of the final lines.
It’s not a tidy conclusion at all, but it’s one that’s niggled away at me more than 1984 ’s did.

linger

Sat, 23 Apr 2011 01:33:36 +1200

That’s a bit harsh.
I suspect Steve’s comment about “better story” may not have been entirely serious – but it really depends on what kind of “story” you’re expecting. If you want a conventional plot, sure, you’ll probably find Brazil disappointing.
Brazil relies on images rather than words, and it…

Islander

Fri, 22 Apr 2011 22:15:15 +1200

not that it’s a very good story anyway. Brazil is better.

Which is why everyone knows “Brazil’ eh?

Right?

Urm, not?
Good. It was fuckin' forgettable frass-

Steve Parks

Fri, 22 Apr 2011 15:28:40 +1200

Maybe. I agree that changes in the level of science or technology don’t have to be advances, necessarily. But in this case, the point of the argument that it isn’t SF seems to be that the future setting itself is just window-dressing. That is, it isn’t about the future at…

Lucy Stewart

Fri, 22 Apr 2011 01:01:21 +1200

As far as I know, it was always intended to be set in the future, after a nuclear war, and featuring technology that wouldn’t have been available at the time the book was written.

That's kind of the fascinating thing about SF, though; it can feature medieval-level technology and still…

Kumara Republic

Thu, 21 Apr 2011 22:44:24 +1200

As far as I know, it was always intended to be set in the future, after a nuclear war, and featuring technology that wouldn’t have been available at the time the book was written.

It's said that Orwell invented cyberpunk, and Gibson merely perfected it – mileage may vary. At…

Steve Parks

Thu, 21 Apr 2011 22:25:44 +1200

I understood it was thinly-disguised satire and that the title was originally 1948 but it was thought a bit too close to home.

Thinly disguised satire of Stalinism, yes. As for the name, that’s one suggestion, by Anthony Burgess apparently. As far as I know, it was always intended to…

Rich Lock

Thu, 21 Apr 2011 17:15:45 +1200

there are reports that Tim Hetherington, one of the directors of Restrepo, on at the World Cinema Showcase currently screening in NZ, has been killed in Libya.

I got a nasty little jolt when I read that this morning.

Sacha

Thu, 21 Apr 2011 15:59:09 +1200

if it can even be classified as fiction these days

I understood it was thinly-disguised satire and that the title was originally 1948 but it was thought a bit too close to home.

Kumara Republic

Thu, 21 Apr 2011 14:26:10 +1200

Yeah, a similar approach is used by some to try and “excuse” 1984 from being classed as science fiction.

That is, if it can even be classified as fiction these days.

Steve Parks

Thu, 21 Apr 2011 14:03:37 +1200

…they’re not “really” writing genre fiction but allegories for things worthy of the attention of grown-ups.

Yeah, a similar approach is used by some to try and “excuse” 1984 from being classed as science fiction.

Anyway, in other news, there are reports that Tim Hetherington, one of the directors of…

Craig Ranapia

Thu, 21 Apr 2011 11:19:08 +1200

I find it marginally more engaging that an Austrian with terrifying steroid-nourished man-boobs, but YMMV. :)

James Butler

Thu, 21 Apr 2011 10:53:27 +1200

JEWS WITH SWORDS!:)

A genre of one is still a genre, right?

Craig Ranapia

Thu, 21 Apr 2011 10:45:06 +1200

And props to Michael Chabon who is adamant that he does write Genre Fiction.

JEWS WITH SWORDS! :)

Kumara Republic

Thu, 21 Apr 2011 10:34:24 +1200

Hell, yes. That's falling into the genre snob trap of "Well, X. (which I happen to like) isn't really genre fiction because..."

Something to the effect of, "X perverted the whole genre for us."

James Butler

Thu, 21 Apr 2011 10:29:52 +1200

And props to Michael Chabon who is adamant that he does write Genre Fiction.

Craig Ranapia

Thu, 21 Apr 2011 09:44:26 +1200

@James Butler:

Hell, yes. That's falling into the genre snob trap of "Well, X. (which I happen to like) isn't really genre fiction because..."

Well, Margaret Atwood/Michael Chabron/Philip Roth/Cormac McCarthy are "real" writers, and they're not "really" writing genre fiction but allegories for things worthy of the attention of grown-ups.

James Butler

Thu, 21 Apr 2011 09:09:57 +1200

And that's my big fucking bug bear about genre snobbery.

It also doesn't help the whole "no true Scotsman" shenanigans people get into about defining SF – something like "All SF is drivel" – "No it isn't, authors like x, y and z write well respected literature which is SF"…

Craig Ranapia

Thu, 21 Apr 2011 08:32:33 +1200

Constantly denying that she writes science fiction? She doesn't deserve to live it down.

And that's my big fucking bug bear about genre snobbery. You know something, Mags, if Nobel Prize-winner Doris Lessing (or our own Elizabeth Knox and Margaret Mahy) don't consider "writes genre fiction" an insult akin to…

Lucy Stewart

Thu, 21 Apr 2011 05:10:26 +1200

From the BBC news article responding to Hunt’s claims. I guess she’ll never live it down…

Constantly denying that she writes science fiction? She doesn't deserve to live it down. (But, because of that, also doesn't count as an example of the BBC featuring actual SF authors.)

Steve Parks

Wed, 20 Apr 2011 15:06:16 +1200

Yes sad to hear about Elisabeth Sladen too.

Plus one to what Jacqui said about adaptations, and Sacha said about LA Confidential.

85 Authors Protest At The BBC’s Treatment Of Genre Fiction. The Fundy Post’s Paul Litterick is not impressed.

The bit where he called Lord of the Rings a…

Sacha

Wed, 20 Apr 2011 10:57:16 +1200

One of the best page-to-screen adaptations I've ever seen is LA Confidential
Brilliant movie for anyone looking to enjoy a couple of hours of cinematic magic over the long weekend.

Craig Ranapia

Wed, 20 Apr 2011 10:19:37 +1200

I will be spending the rest of the day sobbing at the news that Elisabeth Sladen – my Sarah Jane – has died at the age of 63 after a long (and very private) struggle with cancer.

Lovely tribute from IO9’s Charlie Jane Anders here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNrF9Lae2RY

Jacqui Dunn

Wed, 20 Apr 2011 09:59:55 +1200

Let's face it, making something visual out of something literary means basically taking the bare bones and making something brand new.

Craig Ranapia

Wed, 20 Apr 2011 08:38:38 +1200

but on TV, that won’t wash

Bingo! I’ve seen some thoughtful qualified reviews that have said precisely that: In a perverse way, the show is too respectful of the book. The narrative mode Martin has chosen to tell his story (limited third-person through the eyes of a number of point…

Lucy Stewart

Wed, 20 Apr 2011 05:46:46 +1200

Think you’ve hit on a fair point: In the book (IIRC) she’s the POV narrator for everything that happens in the East, so can have a twenty page treatise on the customs of the Dothraki and her state of mind. Not so sure how you could ever translate that into…

Craig Ranapia

Tue, 19 Apr 2011 13:32:32 +1200

First, apologies for the gratuitously (and unintentional man-splain-y tone. Just been having too many waaaay creepy “book Dany and Guy-liner Man were so much more romantic” conversation. No. Really. Just stop. Now..

Think you’ve hit on a fair point: In the book (IIRC) she’s the POV narrator for everything that…

Lucy Stewart

Tue, 19 Apr 2011 11:18:02 +1200

I'm sorry to tell you this, but Westeros and Environs is full of "rape-y type people" – and I think it's to Martin's credit that he neither romantic or evasive about how ugly a working patriarchy can be for the women who are traded like sides of beef. No matter…

NBH

Tue, 19 Apr 2011 09:09:39 +1200

Given how expensive AGoT must be to make, this news was pretty heartening/ amazing: http://hbowatch.com/game-of-thrones-is-hbos-best-selling-series-abroad-ever/

Greg Dawson

Tue, 19 Apr 2011 08:15:19 +1200

I was surprised that while they were ok to leave the rape in, they weren't ok with Viserys being physically abusive towards his sister.
Instead they settled for his just being creepy and insane (which are both still accurate portrayals of his attributes in the books).

Craig Ranapia

Tue, 19 Apr 2011 08:04:54 +1200

the first episode reduction of the Dothraki from "complex culture" to "Semi-Naked Savage Brown Rape-y Type People" was, erm, problematic

I'm sorry to tell you this, but Westeros and Environs is full of "rape-y type people" – and I think it's to Martin's credit that he neither romantic or evasive…

Tamsin6

Tue, 19 Apr 2011 08:03:09 +1200

It started here 2 minutes ago, but my husband has the remote. Grrrrrrr.............

Lucy Stewart

Tue, 19 Apr 2011 05:15:17 +1200

85 Authors Protest At The BBC’s Treatment Of Genre Fiction. The Fundy Post's Paul Litterick is not impressed.

The bit where he called Lord of the Rings a "steaming pile of cliches" was....ironic, right? Right?

And I can confirm, for the record, that Game of Thrones is awesome. Not without…

Tamsin6

Tue, 19 Apr 2011 00:26:41 +1200

Gaiman has been writing for Dr Who, which is for the BBC, so possibly not able to comment?

Greg Dawson

Mon, 18 Apr 2011 15:49:59 +1200

Possibly Sir Terry Pratchett is a bit busy losing his mind :(

NBH

Mon, 18 Apr 2011 10:21:32 +1200

There are a few interesting omissions amongst the signatories to the genre fiction petition – particularly Gaiman, Mieville, and Pratchett. I can imagine Mieville being approached and choosing not to take part, but I would've thought that *Sir* Terry Pratchett would have both added a fair bit of weight and…

Andre Alessi

Mon, 18 Apr 2011 10:19:04 +1200

Any reader who has a problem with an author failing to “properly” resolve a story ought to be sentenced to read only Samuel R. Delaney novels for the rest of their lives.

No, they should be forced to watch LOST every day until they die from ennui.

EDIT: In case…

James Butler

Mon, 18 Apr 2011 10:00:33 +1200

Any reader who has a problem with an author failing to "properly" resolve a story ought to be sentenced to read only Samuel R. Delaney novels for the rest of their lives.

Craig Ranapia

Mon, 18 Apr 2011 09:35:30 +1200

I've only seen The Hunter — but it's a really lovely piece of work. The art is crisp and captures the tone of the book neatly, and the adaptation is faithful without being ritualistically inert.

Also, how fraking cool is it that all the Parker books are being brought back…

Jonathan King

Mon, 18 Apr 2011 09:24:12 +1200

Parker! Source, of course, for the amazing Point Blank! As well as two glorious new graphic novel adaptations (in a projected series of four) by Darwyn Cooke. The first two are THE HUNTER and THE OUTFIT.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiYJI6cMFfc

Public Address

Mon, 18 Apr 2011 09:24:12 +1200

Discussion from blog post.