The Disquieting Guest — Manuscript Found in VHS Player
So I watched V/H/S 2 tonight. I had passed on the original, but heard that the follow-up was a distinct improvement. It was something of a mixed bag, though “Save Haven,” the segment directed by Gareth (The Raid- Redemption) Evans, was pretty effective. The film is yet another found-footage exercise, and while it finds some pretty ingenious ways of using the format (I particularly liked the dog-mounted camera), I did find myself wondering if this was really the most effective way of telling these stories. And so I present a few ramblings on found-footage horror, hoping for at least semi-coherence.
#14 — Heavenly Creatures (1994) — A Shoot the WISB Discussion
http://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/ShootTheWISB14HeavenlyCreaturesTheWorldSFTour/Shoot%20the%20WISB%20%2314%20–%20Heavenly%20Creatures%20–%20The%20World%20SF%20Tour.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSMadness, clay people, and murder, oh my! Shaun, Paul, Stina, and David join forces to tackle Peter Jackson’s 1994 film, Heavenly Creatures, for the World SF Tour! Spoiler Alert: the following podcast contains spoilers for the film being reviewed; if you wish to see the film without having it ruined for you, download this podcast and save it for later. Download the episode here. Show notes (info about our contributors can be found on the about page): Heavenly Creatures (1994)(IMDB) Note: We’re shifting over the Shoot the WISB segments from my personal blog to The Skiffy and Fanty Show. Why? It just makes more sense, I suppose. If you’ve never listened to the Shoot the WISB casts, you’ll likely see them pop up in your iTunes or RSS feeds over the next few weeks.
Netflix Showdown: Vampire Dog Vs. A Talking Cat!?!
Netflix Showdown checks out the relative merits and flaws of two ostensibly comparable things seen on Netflix streaming. First up, two talking animal family films, Vampire Dog and A Talking Cat!?!
Book Review: CROWN JEWELS by Walter Jon Williams
Drake Majistral is a minor aristocrat, traveling the area of human space that once was conquered by the alien Khosali but now is independent. He is not particularly well off, even given his rank of nobility, and so he makes his living as a professional “Allowed Burglar.” The rules are relatively simple for Allowed Burglars. Keep what you steal for 24 hours without getting caught; there’s no crime, and you can sell the item free and clear.
Introductions: So, There Is A Place Called SEA (Southeast Asia and SF/F)
If you want to be politically aware or saavy, the member states of ASEAN (Associaton of Southeast Asian Nations) are Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, the Phillippines, Brunei, Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. ASEAN spreads over a region with diverse, complex and vivid cultures and ethnicities. It is also a region where migrations and intermingling of cultures and identities play an important role. Phew, now that just sounded like one of my lessons in school. But there you have it: Southeast Asia, explained in gist.
The World SF Tour: Fantastic February Dates!
Here’s what’s on the tour docket for February: Holdovers from January (already dropped): Torture Cinema review of Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen and an interview w/ Myke Cole (published 2/1 and 2/2, respectively). 2/7 (already dropped): discussion w/ Tansy Rayner Roberts and Marienne de Pierres on Australian Speculative Fiction 2/11: discussion w/ Helen Lowe, Norman Cates, & Stephen Minchin on New Zealander Speculative Fiction 2/14: WISB discussion of Heavenly Creatures (Peter Jackson) 2/17: an interview w/ Adam Christopher about Hangwire, out from Angry Robot Books 2/21: WISB discussion of Babylon 5 (season one; disc three) 3/2 or 3/3 (technically not a Feb. date, though it’s supposed to be): Torture Cinema review of Sons of Steel So, there you go 🙂
