dashPunk

Image via Wikipedia

After reading about Warner Bros. latest gimmick to get people to watch movies in the theater.  I started to wonder does 3D really enhance your movie experience?

Warner Bros. is Converting  Clash of the Titans and Harry Potter to 3D.  They will be released in 2D and 3D simultaneously.

“We are experienced and have been successful in the conversion of 2D to 3D going back to such hits as The Polar Express, select scenes in Superman Returns and the last two Harry Potter films.” (via /Film)

I get that the studios want us to believe that 3D is the next great thing because it pushes the importance of going to the theater to watch a movie.

My problem is that no matter how visually stimulating a movie is if the story and acting are terrible, abusive, or just empty then what is the point.  I can only hope that the studios are spending as much money, time and effort to fix those issues with movies as well.

Related posts

• P:SI # 42 – "The $4 million Book" (0)
• Why Read Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (0)
• Vlad’s Mass Effect (0)
• Theater or Renter: July 2009 (0)
• The really real reason why science fiction is dying (2)

Paul Jessup thinks he knows why Science Fiction is dying:

Heinlien. Asimov.  At the latest, Orson Scott Card (but mostly just for Ender’s Game). I don’t see anyone ever looking for something new…

This is why SF is spiraling downward in sales. It’s fans just aren’t buying it anymore. I’ve got mixed feelings about this. I love Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, etc. so I don’t mind that it’s popular and selling. But some part of me wonders- is SF meant to be kept in the past? Is that why Steampunk is so popular right now, because it’s an emulation of the past? I’m not sure. But this is a problem (Paul Jessup).

Is classicism the problem?  Well, it is part of it, but it is only one of many.

Lessons Lost

The biggest problem SF has is that the industry didn’t learn from the New Wave SF of the 60’s and 70’s.  These authors, most notably Harlan Ellison and Ray Bradbury, didn’t allow themselves to be constrained by the limits of industry enforced genre.  There stories were a little bit science, a little bit fantasy, a little bit horror.  The incorporated whatever they thought they needed into their stories to make them good.

Genre has become increasingly rigid.  Publishers forgot that Speculative Fiction is the literature of the imagination.  It once explored the question, “What if” without any limits save those of the author’s imagination.  As the genres stiffened, sales have continued to go down.

Lack of Imagination

This genre lock is not the only problem facing SF.  Have you seen any of the marketing for new fiction?  No?  You are not alone.

If a new classic is published and no one knows about it, will it make any sales?  Yes, among the author’s friends and family.  That is about it.

Publishers and authors need to find new ways to generate excitement about new titles, but that is not enough.  Fans need to find better venues to share and spread the word about their favorite new books.

Bless me, for I have sinned

I have to admit that I really haven’t read any new books in a long time.  With the exception of Night’s Knights, Brave Men Run, and Burning Skies.  These don’t count because I read them after meeting the authors.  I also don’t count the Harry Potter books or franchise fiction.  Personally, I find it too hard to find new books to read.

As a writer, I feel like I am confessing a mortal sin.  I want to read more, but I am not sure where to find new books.

I’ve thought about reviewing books myself, but I don’t feel like I have the time to wade through the weeds to find the books.

So, I ask you.  Where do you find out about new books?  How can we promote SF books better?

Related posts

• The Gift of Lit (0)
• Speculative Fiction Today #393 “I Hate Ampersand” (0)
• Project:Shadow 2007 December Newsletter (0)
• P:SI #218 "Harry Potter and the Phantom Of The Diary" (0)
• Fandom Today #436 “Hulu on the Edge Of Forever” (0)

Out this week we have one DVD to feature:  Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.  Do we Love It, Rent it, or Avoid Like Plague?

Owner

• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince:  A very well crafted movie and the best one of the series to date.  They fully use the movie medium to make it stand on it’s own, making the Half-Blood Prince the first in the series that does not require the audience to have read the books to get the full stoy.  I strongly recommend this move.  Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince an owner for me.
  • • Special Features: Additional Scenes, J.K. Rowling: A Year In The Life, Close Up With The Cast Of Harry Potter, Get A Sneak Peek At The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter, What’s On Your Mind?: Q&A, Cast Members Sum Up Their Characters In One-Minute Drills.
  • Buy it / Rent it
  • Review: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
  • Why Read Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
  • More Harry Potter on dashPunk

Related posts

• Why Read Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (0)
• Theater or Renter: July 2009 (0)
• Speculative Fiction Today #432 “PimpN’ The Dollhouse” (0)
• Speculative Fiction Today #416 “Hoth Cold Tauntaun Warm” (0)
• Speculative Fiction Today #414 “Don’t Fwoosh Me, Bro” (0)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Podcast (speculative-fiction-tody): Play in new window | Download

Sea Serpent | Harry Potter | Masters of the Universe | The Strange Adventures of H.P. Lovecraft | V | Dollhouse | Merlin | KISS | Sephiroth, Gay Pimp | Vampire Game | and Community Comments on Speculative Fiction Today.

Culture

• Bahai “Sea Serpent” Discovered (dashPunk)

Movie

• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince On DVD and Blue-ray (dashPunk)
• Columbia Pictures To Become The Masters of the Universe? (/Film)
• Ron Howard Speaks About His Adaptation of The Strange Adventures of H.P. Lovecraft Comic (via /Film)

TV / Series

• V has it’s Hulu page up (dashPunk)
• New Faces In The Dollhouse (dashPunk)
  • Looking Ahead At Season 2 Dollhouse (dashPunk)
  • Dollhouse Season 2 Trailer (dashPunk)
• Merlin ‘The Once And Future Queen’ Trailer: stoaked merlin is back though trailer is weak (via SciFiPulse)

Music

• KISS For the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame! (dashPunk)
• Underworld 7 Days To The Wolves Fan Video (dashPunk)
• NSFW: Sephiroth, The Gay Pimp (dashPunk)

Book

• Manga Review: Vampire Game by Judal (dashPunk)

Subscribe

Subscribe to Speculative fiction Today Subscribe in a reader

Get your shopping at: Amazon.com, iTunes Music Store, iTunes TV Showsand iTunes Audiobooks

Netflix lets you rent, watch and return DVDs from home - Try free for 2 weeks

Don't wait. Guarantee your seat before you go and avoid a sold out show. Skip the box office lines and buy movie tickets at Fandango.com.

GameFly delivers the best video games to your door! Start for only $8.95 or Try for free

Related posts

• Speculative Fiction Today #427 “Entertainment Your Way” (0)
• Speculative Fiction Today #409 “Vampire Hunter V” (0)
• Speculative Fiction Today #407 “Blessed Odin The All Father” (0)
• Speculative Fiction Today #400 “A Remote Control Doris Roberts” (0)
• Speculative Fiction Today #393 “I Hate Ampersand” (0)

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince will be out on Blue-ray and DVD December 8th!  The Blue-ray combo pack will feature commentary hosted by Daniel Radcliffe, emma Watson and Rupert Grint.  Copies will be available to order from Amazon any day now.

Get your copy from Amazon here

Warner Brothers will also release Harry Potter Ultimate Editions for year one and two.  Years 3-7 will be released latter.

Harry Potter Ultimate Editions will contain

• One hour feature from Creating the World of Harry Potter (8 hours in total spread out throughout the 7 years)
• Theatrical and extended versions of the Films.
• Over 2 hours of special features.
• Magical Collectibles.

I love the Magical Collectibles feature.  It’s a mystery, hopefully not like eating Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans.  I’m not too keen on getting a boogie flavored magical collectible.

For More

• Why Read Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
• Review: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
• Theater or Renter: July 2009

Related posts

• Why Read Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (0)
• Theater or Renter: July 2009 (0)
• Speculative Fiction Today #432 “PimpN’ The Dollhouse” (0)
• Speculative Fiction Today #416 “Hoth Cold Tauntaun Warm” (0)
• Speculative Fiction Today #414 “Don’t Fwoosh Me, Bro” (0)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Podcast (speculative-fiction-tody): Play in new window | Download

Octorock | Google Voice App | Mutant Chronicles, Race to Witch Mountain, Delgo, Daffy Duck’s Quackbusters | Last Avatar and Race | Jeffster | Chuck | V | Doctor Who | Marvel | Futurama | She-Ra | Sims | Free Book | and Community Comments on Speculative Fiction Today.

Culture

• Crafty Octorock! (via dashPunk)
• AT&T and Apple Ban Google Voice App: Is It Illegal? (via Mashable)

Movie

• Staff Picks on DVD: August 4 2009 (via dashPunk)
• Racebending in The Last Avatar: Removing the Excuses (via dashPunk)
• Emz Potter Comment

TV / Series

• Chuck: Jeffster, LIVE! Comic Con 09 (via dashPunk)
• Chuck Me Out! a Chuck site from the writers (via Chuck Me Out)
• Tweaking V (via dashPunk)
• BBC America to air Who uncut, and quicker (via SCI FI Wire)
• Marvel ‘Super Hero Squad’ Series To Feature A-list Fantasy & Sci-Fi Stars (via Splash Page)
• Futurama: Planet Express “Voice Cast” is Back (via dashPunk)
• She-Ra: Princess of Power (via Hulu)

Game

• Sims 3 packs its bags for globetrotting expansion pack (via Fidgit)

Book

• Free Terry Brooks eBook Magic Kingdom For Sale-Sold (via Suvudu)

Webcomic

• Girl Genius (via Friday, July 31, 2009)
  • (via Monday, August 03, 2009)
• Looking For Group (via Page 274)
  • Page 275

Subscribe

Subscribe to Speculative fiction Today Subscribe in a reader

Don’t wait. Guarantee your seat before you go and  avoid a sold out show. Skip the box office lines and buy movie tickets at Fandango.com.

GameFly delivers the best video games to your door! Start for only $8.95 or Try for free

Related posts

• Staff Picks on DVD: August 4 2009 (0)
• Speculative Fiction Today #400 “A Remote Control Doris Roberts” (0)
• P:SI #360 “Real Wizards Don’t Sparkle” (0)
• P:SI #350 “Repulsion Is Our Business and Business Is Good” (0)
• P:SI #172 "Your questions answered, hopefully?" (0)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Podcast (speculative-fiction-tody): Play in new window | Download

Tauntaun Sleeping Bag | Wielding a Lightsaber | Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince | Watchmen (Director’s Cut), An Empress and the Warriors, Stargate SG-1: Children of the Gods, Coraline, G.I. Joe A Real American Hero: Season 1.1 | Destination Truth | and Community Comments on Speculative Fiction Today.

Culture

• Tauntaun Sleeping Bag a Reality? (via dashPunk)
• Imagine Han Solo Wielding a Lightsaber (via dashPunk)

Movie

• Review: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (via dashPunk)
• Why Read Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (via dashPunk)
• Bill Nighy is Rufus Scrimgeour in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (via dashPunk)
• DVD Releases: July 21, 2009 (via dashPunk)

TV / Series

• Destination Truth’s Season 3 Return Date Set (via dashPunk)

Webcomic

• Looking For Group
  • (via Page 266)
  • (via Page 267)
  • (via Page 268)
  • (via Page 269)
  • (via Page 270)
  • (via Page 271)
• KUKUBURI (via one hundred nineteen)
• Girl Genius
  • (via Wednesday, July 01, 2009)
  • (via Friday, July 03, 2009)
  • (via Monday, July 06, 2009)
  • (via Wednesday, July 08, 2009)
  • (via Friday, July 10, 2009)
  • (via Monday, July 13, 2009)
  • (via Wednesday, July 15, 2009)

Subscribe

Subscribe to Speculative fiction Today Subscribe in a reader

Don’t wait. Guarantee your seat before you go and  avoid a sold out show. Skip the box office lines and buy movie tickets at Fandango.com.

GameFly delivers the best video games to your door! Start for only $8.95 or Try for free

Related posts

• DVD Releases: July 21, 2009 (0)
• Speculative Fiction Today #414 “Don’t Fwoosh Me, Bro” (0)
• Speculative Fiction Today #373 “Spielberg Loves Revenge of the Fallen?” (0)
• P:SI #326 “Farpoint In The Trenches” (0)
• P:SI #320 “Ancient’s Ship Out, Mining Ship In” (0)

The latest Harry Potter move the Half-Blood Prince is very well done and the best of the films yet.  Here is the Top 10 reasons why you would want to read the book in addition to watching the movie.

****contains some spoilers for the Movie Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince*****

1. Discover the true importance of the half-blood prince.
2. Answers to how the Wizarding world handles the Muggle officials and maintains their secrecy mandate.
3. An amazing battle in the Hogwarts Castle.
4. Learn far more about Voldemort, his past, his motivations and get to see him as a more realistic villain.
5. The Romantic story line:
   1. Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour:  The book has a wonderful, entertaining, and inspiring story line here that was not in the movie at all.
   2. Harry and Ginny’s relationship:  In the book we get to see them together for a while and we get more detail and more depth.
   3. Ron and Hermione’s relationship: get more detail and more depth.
6. The shop scene was much better in the book and it includes the defense charms which help to show the changing times.
7. Ron the Quidditch star:  A lot more on Ron’s struggles and triumphs.  Plus the song “Weasley is our King”
8. The true terrifying in depth look at Fenrir Greyback
9. A more sympathetic, detailed view of Draco Malfoy and a better understanding of his character.
10. A far more touching and inspiring ending.

Get your copy of the Harry Potter books and movies from Amazon here.

Related posts

• Theater or Renter: July 2009 (0)
• Speculative Fiction Today #432 “PimpN’ The Dollhouse” (0)
• Speculative Fiction Today #416 “Hoth Cold Tauntaun Warm” (0)
• Speculative Fiction Today #414 “Don’t Fwoosh Me, Bro” (0)
• Speculative Fiction Today #409 “Vampire Hunter V” (0)

Overall Rating:  10

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is a very well crafted movie and the best one of the series to date.  The task of transforming a book into a movie is a difficult task even more so with the depth, length and multitude of fascinating subplots that the potter series contains, my hats off to Steve Kloves and David Yates for an outstanding job.  In the Half-Blood Prince they fully used the movie medium to make this movie stand on it’s own, it’s the first of the movies that does not require the audience to have read the books to get the full story.

This was a great tale well told with only a few changes I would have liked to see.  Though they did an amazing job balancing out the emotions and tension of the movie the end was very sullen.  The theater was silent it’s ending was like attending a memorial to a long dear friend who lived a long and enriching life.  In it’s self not a bad thing and part of what is the desired result but the book coupled that with a stronger message of hope.  I wished they would have left the battle in from the book and shown the white tomb.

I strongly recommend this move.  Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is great in the theater and will be an owner for me.

The Plot / Story: As Harry Potter begins his 6th year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, he discovers an old book marked mysteriously “This book is the property of the Half-Blood Prince” and begins to learn more about Lord Voldemort’s dark past.

Likes

1. well balance of tension and mood containing both highs and lows
2. The effects looks great: though the Sectumsempra curse was far more graphic and terrifying in my head I’m glad they did not do that for this film so as not to scar the children in the audience.
3. How they fully used the movie medium to incorporate a more full story including in the clues needed like the use of the wanted poster to convey the dangerous nature of Fenrir Greyback
4. This is the first of the Potter movies to tell it’s respective complete story without needing the audience to be familiar with the books to get the deeper messages
5. How they handled the clues surrounding Snape
6. The inferi were awesome:  I’ll confess even expecting them I still jumped when they appeared.
7. Daniel Radcliffe & Rupert Grint did a great job acting:  they really shined in their respective moments when under the influence of potions and in an altered state of mind, they made the part believable

Dislikes / Concerns

1. The end was extremely somber bringing up a concern with it’s rewatchability and in turn it’s box office draw.  It saddens me to admit or even have to say this because sometimes great films don’t have the financial draw like a popular and fun film.  I only hope that the populace remembers that box office earnings are not a measure of a great film.
2. I wished the ending had included the battle from the book at the end of the movie and the White Tomb to help lift the ending.

• For more on Harry Potter read here
• Get your copy of the Harry Potter books and movies from Amazon here.

Don’t wait. Guarantee your seat before you go and  avoid a sold out show. Skip the box office lines and buy movie tickets at Fandango.com.

Related posts

• Why Read Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (0)
• Theater or Renter: July 2009 (0)
• Speculative Fiction Today #432 “PimpN’ The Dollhouse” (0)
• Speculative Fiction Today #416 “Hoth Cold Tauntaun Warm” (0)
• Speculative Fiction Today #414 “Don’t Fwoosh Me, Bro” (0)

It wasn’t long ago that Bill Nighy was first rumored to be in the last two Harry Potter films as new Minister of Magic Rufus Scrimgeour. Then he confirmed the role and now, as Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince opens (/Film).

I love Bill Nighy and this is a brilliant casting.  Oddly enough, he is the face that popped up in my mind while I was reading the book!

Rufus Scrimgeour reminded me of Victor from the Underworld Saga, and Nighy did a brilliant job in those films.  I cannot wait to see him in Deathly Hallows.

Related posts

• Speculative Fiction Today #393 “I Hate Ampersand” (0)
• Why Read Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (0)
• What Would Underworld Four Be About? (0)
• Theater or Renter: July 2009 (0)
• The really real reason why science fiction is dying (2)