Just saw the new trailer for the final Twilight movie, Breaking Dawn, Pt. 1, and I have to admit that I loved it; the movie looks like it's going to be a lot of fun. It seems to be pretty true to the book, which is a long one, therefore the two parts to the movie.
Now I'm well aware that Twilight, both the books and the movies, are controversial and won't appeal to everyone---does anything? But there's something about the underlying theme that grabs me. I guess you'd categorize me as a hopeless romantic. My hubby, however, HATES that the saga makes heroes of the vampires, which are some of his all-time favorite villains. I can sympathize with that. If someone were to come along and turn my favorite hero into a bad guy, I'd probably be P.O.ed. It's sort of like Star Trek making good guys out of some of the Borg!
But in the Twilight Saga, not all vampires are good guys, and not all werewolves are bad guys. And I find the heroine authentic, vulnerable, and touchingly human. I can identify with her, her feelings of being an outcast, awkward, clumsy, and somehow out of her element. I can understand why Bella would want to become a vampire like her beloved Edward and his family, who now totally accept her.
But I realize that there are several issues that some readers/viewers despise, such as vampires who can walk around in broad daylight ( as long as the sun isn't out! ), who sparkle in the sunlight ( okay, even I have to admit that's a little on the hokey side! ), and who are "vegetarians" and therefore only drink animal blood---BIG YUCK there!
To sum up, do I consider the Twilight books in the same category as J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter? No, I don't, but I can still appreciate Stephenie Myer's books for what they are. And I certainly don't expect everyone to agree with my humble opinions. To each his own, eh?
Twihards rule!
MRTighe
Showing posts with label Star Trek. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Star Trek. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
More Pi-con
For such a small con ( usual attendance is around 300 ), Pi-con had an excellent variety of events and program items. I was impressed.
Friday evening hubby and I attended a reading by award-winning author and guest of honor Jo Walton. She was very entertaining and not a writer we were previously familiar with. From now on we will definitely keep an eye out for her work.
Early Sat. morning we both attended a live demonstration of medieval sword fighting techniques. This wasn't your usual "stage" fighting; this was the real thing! Swordsmaster Steven Hirsch has studied texts of the time describing, even picturing, the actual techniques used---and they were pretty brutal.
We also attended some lively panels: NASA's 100-year plan for sending out starships, Star Trek's "attitude" toward the disabled, and several others. We sampled some of the rooms in "dealers' row". But one of the highlights of the con for us was the "rapid-fire reading" given by several members of Broad Universe---a group that I belong to, which is dedicated to promoting the work of women writers. Not only were the readings interesting, but we were able to get acquainted with some of my fellow writers.
Quite a few con-goers decided to leave Sat. pm due to Hurricane Irene; others, like us, decided to wait out the storm at the hotel and stay over one more night, which the Holiday Inn was very gracious about. Sunday turned out to be a really fun day. I attended a panel discussing e-books and self-publishing and publishing in general. Hubby went to one across the hall on 1960's SF movies ( his forte, not mine! )
A wrap-up/gripe session commenced at 3 pm and ran for about an hour and a half. We'd never attended one before as we usually had to head for home before then. Comments were overwhelmingly positive. And there were several first-time Pi-con-goers besides ourselves.
Instead of closing shop at that point and leaving the over-nighters to their own devices, the con committee scrambled to come up with additional panels. And very thoughtfully, the con suite, where free food and drink were available, stayed open to accomodate the remaining fans. We attended a very entertaining spur-of-the-moment panel discussing "Babylon 5", one of our all-time favorite TV series, the one credited with inventing the arc storyline. That panel was one of the best at this con.
We really didn't want to leave Pi-con, but perhaps the best thing of all was discovering a "new" convention, dedicated to geeks like us, that was close enough to get to by car, and that was small, friendly, and welcoming. We made some new friends and really look forward to seeing them at next year's Pi-con!
That's a wrap!
MRTighe
Friday evening hubby and I attended a reading by award-winning author and guest of honor Jo Walton. She was very entertaining and not a writer we were previously familiar with. From now on we will definitely keep an eye out for her work.
Early Sat. morning we both attended a live demonstration of medieval sword fighting techniques. This wasn't your usual "stage" fighting; this was the real thing! Swordsmaster Steven Hirsch has studied texts of the time describing, even picturing, the actual techniques used---and they were pretty brutal.
We also attended some lively panels: NASA's 100-year plan for sending out starships, Star Trek's "attitude" toward the disabled, and several others. We sampled some of the rooms in "dealers' row". But one of the highlights of the con for us was the "rapid-fire reading" given by several members of Broad Universe---a group that I belong to, which is dedicated to promoting the work of women writers. Not only were the readings interesting, but we were able to get acquainted with some of my fellow writers.
Quite a few con-goers decided to leave Sat. pm due to Hurricane Irene; others, like us, decided to wait out the storm at the hotel and stay over one more night, which the Holiday Inn was very gracious about. Sunday turned out to be a really fun day. I attended a panel discussing e-books and self-publishing and publishing in general. Hubby went to one across the hall on 1960's SF movies ( his forte, not mine! )
A wrap-up/gripe session commenced at 3 pm and ran for about an hour and a half. We'd never attended one before as we usually had to head for home before then. Comments were overwhelmingly positive. And there were several first-time Pi-con-goers besides ourselves.
Instead of closing shop at that point and leaving the over-nighters to their own devices, the con committee scrambled to come up with additional panels. And very thoughtfully, the con suite, where free food and drink were available, stayed open to accomodate the remaining fans. We attended a very entertaining spur-of-the-moment panel discussing "Babylon 5", one of our all-time favorite TV series, the one credited with inventing the arc storyline. That panel was one of the best at this con.
We really didn't want to leave Pi-con, but perhaps the best thing of all was discovering a "new" convention, dedicated to geeks like us, that was close enough to get to by car, and that was small, friendly, and welcoming. We made some new friends and really look forward to seeing them at next year's Pi-con!
That's a wrap!
MRTighe
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Looking Ahead
I'm looking forward to attending Pi-con 6 in Enfield CT this weekend. We've never attended this con before, but it looks like fun. For many years my hubby and I attended United Fan Con in Springfield MA until that convention became defunct. What a shame! We really miss it. UFC was one of our all-time favorite cons: small, friendly, with a large, loyal following, and a lot of fun guests. Oh, well.
Now I've learned about another con, one we never heard of before: Anthocon, to be held in Portsmouth NH in Nov. It appears to be aimed primarily at writing/publishing professionals: writers, editors, artists. publishers, etc.---even more specific than Readercon. Most cons are aimed at a broader spectrum: book lovers, fans of TV shows, comic and anime fans, and so forth. Some are aimed at specific fandoms or genres: Star Trek, Star Wars, Twilight, etc.
While hubby and I used to attend cons simply for the fun of it, to meet and talk with other fans and media guests, get the latest news on our favorite shows, books, and movies, now we have to look at attending cons as more business-oriented. Our aim is to familiarize fans of SF&F with my name and my books. Not an easy task as there are thousands upon thousands of related books/authors. Besides achieving name regognition, it's always good, no matter what profession you're in, to make connections!
Will write again after Pi-con and give you a review.
MRTighe
Now I've learned about another con, one we never heard of before: Anthocon, to be held in Portsmouth NH in Nov. It appears to be aimed primarily at writing/publishing professionals: writers, editors, artists. publishers, etc.---even more specific than Readercon. Most cons are aimed at a broader spectrum: book lovers, fans of TV shows, comic and anime fans, and so forth. Some are aimed at specific fandoms or genres: Star Trek, Star Wars, Twilight, etc.
While hubby and I used to attend cons simply for the fun of it, to meet and talk with other fans and media guests, get the latest news on our favorite shows, books, and movies, now we have to look at attending cons as more business-oriented. Our aim is to familiarize fans of SF&F with my name and my books. Not an easy task as there are thousands upon thousands of related books/authors. Besides achieving name regognition, it's always good, no matter what profession you're in, to make connections!
Will write again after Pi-con and give you a review.
MRTighe
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
The Black Lagoon as Social Commentary?
As hubby was watching "Creature From the Black Lagoon" with commentary ( he loves that stuff! ), I happened to overhear a comment that struck me as pretty close to my own way of looking at the arts. Many forms of art, such as SF and F, can be employed to make social commentary palatable to the general public, even to those who watch, read, or listen purely for entertainment purposes.
Star Trek did it; Babylon 5 did it---and did it very well. Countless books and songs and even artwork have done the same, raising issues such as slavery, prejudice, sexism, and racism. So it certainly isn't without precedence that my trilogy also explores some social issues, while serving primarily as entertainment. ( I don't believe in being preachy! Turns people off---turns me off! )
But in my trilogy I bring up issues such as the nearly perpetual war between the two Erisian Empires: the Lamidians and the Thrasians---and their mutual disdain and hatred for the poor Maradinians, who are pacifists and refuse to be drawn into their on-going war. Then there's the issue of the almost universal dislike, even hatred, of Tartarians because they are "different": the color of their skin is "too pale", they look strange, they refuse to display much emotion, and they are strict in their obedience to laws and regulations---which makes them no fun at all, at least as far as the inhabitants of the rest of the known-Galaxy is concerned!
Social commentary is fine and dandy---as long as you're not being beaten over the head with it!
MRTighe
Star Trek did it; Babylon 5 did it---and did it very well. Countless books and songs and even artwork have done the same, raising issues such as slavery, prejudice, sexism, and racism. So it certainly isn't without precedence that my trilogy also explores some social issues, while serving primarily as entertainment. ( I don't believe in being preachy! Turns people off---turns me off! )
But in my trilogy I bring up issues such as the nearly perpetual war between the two Erisian Empires: the Lamidians and the Thrasians---and their mutual disdain and hatred for the poor Maradinians, who are pacifists and refuse to be drawn into their on-going war. Then there's the issue of the almost universal dislike, even hatred, of Tartarians because they are "different": the color of their skin is "too pale", they look strange, they refuse to display much emotion, and they are strict in their obedience to laws and regulations---which makes them no fun at all, at least as far as the inhabitants of the rest of the known-Galaxy is concerned!
Social commentary is fine and dandy---as long as you're not being beaten over the head with it!
MRTighe
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