dark 'til dawn, video catalog

Just in case you haven't seen it yet (I've been posting it everywhere)....
the dark 'til dawn video catalog





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2012

I just got back from watching 2012. It isn't the greatest movie I've ever seen — not even the best end-of-the-world story — but it was still pretty fun. Woody Harrelson was a riot, and, well, I always like John Cusack.

There were several touching moments in the movie, and a few spots that would make you think. I liked the weaving in of the Noah story, and how that old tale came back to life. There were a lot of completely unbelievable plot devices, but hey... it was still a fun night at the movies.

Overall, I would say the film doesn't offer a lot of depth, but it is entertaining. And the special effects are pretty cool too.


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Cyborg Chimera

Cyborg Chimera, my first poetry collection, is out now. I've written a little HubPage on it, for those who are interested. It is a work of speculative poetry.

If you'd like to order a copy, you can find it at The Genre Mall.


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Book Review Website Aimed at Christian Ficiton

I have started to build a new website with Christian fiction book reviews. The site has reviews of all sorts of titles, whether they be books marketed specifically as Christian fiction, or books that seem like things Christian readers might be interested in. I want to eventually have all kinds of books, old or new, and really aim to feature a breadth of titles, authors, and genres.

I am listing titles by author, title, and genre. I hope over time to feature a lot more science fiction and fantasy that is geared to the Christian market. I'll be posting reviews of my own, but I also hope to get some new reviewers to send thoughts over. I don't mind what your own beliefs are, and would actually like thoughts coming from all different perspectives. But the site is aimed at Christian readers, and reviews should be geared to that market.

At any rate, do feel free to send any reviews my way that you'd like to see posted at the site.

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The Story of Light

I've recently been reading Ben Bova's The Story of Light. It is not science fiction, but more of an ambling through science history, discussing the development of humans' interaction with light. It is a very interesting read, including a lot of science and research history, and also the importance of light in humankind's mythology, including the various mythologies of science fiction.

It's a good read, even though it has taken me some time to get through it due to a recent busy schedule. It is about 400 pages, and while some of it is concerned with technical things, it is not an overly technical read.



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Uh-oh....

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a promising start

I just visited a new blog and saw this post.

Oh..... this is going to be FUN!!! I thought it looked like the sort of thing that needed a plug here.


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Reliving it all again

I've recently sat down to watch all of the 6 Star Wars episodes again. I have to admit that this is, no matter how you look at it, a really amazing series. Sometimes I fall into the trap of thinking that my love for it is all about the sentimental attachment of someone who grew up on the series. I am wrong to think like that. My evaluation that it is a great series is because... it is really a great series.

Lucas is an amazing artist, with an incredible vision. I love how he views his world, how he put it together, unfolding it in the perfect sequence. He was so wise, not only in the construction of the films, but in the release of them in Episodes 4, 5, 6, only to be followed by 1, 2, 3 two decades later. What genius! He won over a whole new generation because of his patience.

I'm glad to have taken the time to watch the series again. I'm wrapping up a couple of essays on Star Wars, and hope that they will be accepted for publication eventually. But the emotional enjoyment I get from these films just has to overflow after having relived them over the past 10 days or so.

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Mary Reilly

Last weekend I popped the DVD of Mary Reilly in, on a friend's recommendation. I am not easily spooked, but I picked a bad night to start the movie — a cold, rainy night... and late.

I turned it off after about a half hour.

It isn't so much that the film is exactly scary. It is more... disturbing, rather than scary.

I finished watching the next morning, and really enjoyed the film. I've passed it on to another friend, and don't know if she got spooked out by it or not.

I thought John Malkovich was brilliant in the movie, in his roles as both Jekyll and Hyde. Julia Roberts got a lot of criticism about her accent, but I found it to be a minor distraction over all. She acts her part well, and I thought the film well executed.

It is worth picking up the DVD, if you haven't seen it.
....But don't watch it on a dark and stormy night.


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Unintended Break

I did not mean to take such a long break from reading the Chinese magazine, Science Fiction World, but it has just sort of worked out that way. I intend to get back at it over the next few days, though, and will have more updates then.



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Bill and Ted

I recently caught a showing of Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey on cable. This movie isn't nearly as good as the first Bill & Ted installment, but it was a lot of fun watching it again and laughing at the old, lame jokes. They are lame as ever, and still crack me up. (Does that make my sense of humor lame?)

One of the things I like about these movies is how they explore a very silly sort of sci-fi film. In the Bill & Ted movies, there is an appreciation of the genre that underlies the silliness, I think. It seems to me that someone who doesn't understand how sci-fi films work probably couldn't make or appreciate the humor of Bill & Ted, even for as much as sci-fi comes in for a bit of mockery in the movies.

One aspect that is easily missed in the films is how well-rounded their targets for mockery are. While there seems to be a base in rock music and pop culture, the films also take us back to important historical figures (or in the case of the second, mythological figures), and expect the audience to know something about each of them. Without a well-rounded knowledge, the films aren't funny, really.

It's funny, when I look back, how even these sorts of cheesy, pseudo-sci-fi movies can capture so much. It reminds me why I like the genre so much.

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Science Fiction World

I am continuing in my read of Science Fiction World, the Chinese language science fiction magazine. So far, I am really enjoying the stories there. I am very pleased to find that I am able to follow the language. It is written in a way that is engaging enough that, even when I struggle a little, I don't switch off.

I've asked a friend to pick up the January issue for me, so that I will have it when I get back to Shanghai. I'll look forward to continuing to be a reader of this magazine.


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More on Chinese Science Fiction

I'm getting a little more settled into the routines of life again, and that means I'll be on a more regular reading schedule than I have been for the past 6 weeks or so.

I've been wrapping up some things that needed attention, and now am going to get onto something that has been sitting on my shelf for a few weeks — the Chinese magazine Science Fiction World. I am really excited about it, as I think it will be the best way for me to get a better view of science fiction in China.

I plan to start on the magazine tonight or tomorrow. Watch here for an update on how it goes as I progress.

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This is the Kind of Thing You've Just Got to Love About Science

The new finding of really loud radio signals is an exciting discovery for NASA. No one knows yet what is causing the radio signals, what they mean or where they come from. But there they are, waiting to be understood, once we've investigated further.

The signals weren't something we were looking for — we didn't even know to look for them, in fact. What the whole experiment was about, the one that eventually discovered these radio signals, was actually measuring radio waves from really old stars. And how convenient... we found something instead that might lead us to some really interesting knowledge about the universe out there. (Of course, it is also somewhat inconvenient, in that we won't get what we were after in the first place, will we?)

This is what is so fun about science — when you approach your task doing the best you know how, you might stumble upon something unexpected, showing you that all your know-how doesn't really amount to much after all. And that is just so cool.

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New Blog Just for Prayers

My blogging friend has started a new blog called Prayer Corner. You can go there and request prayers, "no strings attached."

Stop in if you are needed a prayer offered on your behalf.

Also... watch this spot, as I plan to begin posting more regularly soon! (Sorry for the long break!)


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The Anansi Boys

I received Neil Gaiman's Anansi Boys for Christmas and finished reading it. (Not this past Christmas, though. HEE HEE. It's actually been a few years.) I posted a review and a bit of the book's background over at HubPages.


As with all of Gaiman's work, The Anansi Boys is a really fun read. I hope you enjoy the review, and the novel too.

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The Day the Earth Stood Still

It's been a crazy month of travel for me (again), but I did manage to squeeze in seeing The Day the Earth Stood Still (and so did my sister and her family). I enjoyed the show, even if it isn't exactly like the book or the older movie.

Keanu Reeves is often accused of being wooden (understandably), but wooden is just right for this role. I thought he did a good job, and the movie all round was a lot of fun.

My niece worried that the movie was about to get scary, but it turned out to not bother her as much as she thought it might. It isn't a scary movie, nor really disturbing in any way. My sister's family all enjoyed it, even though my niece is often a little sensitive. I was glad to hear that they liked the movie as much as I did.


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Tai Shan

I've been invited by Sloth Jockey to begin a new blog there. I am excited about this, and have agreed to set up a new blog called Tai Shan.

At this new blog, I'll be writing about my experience in and with China, and about all things Chinese. I think it should be lots of fun, and I hope you will come along and enjoy the experience with me!

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Update on Chinese Science Fiction

I've been working on that collection of 2002's Best Science Fiction (China) for a while now, but have been a bit slow about the reading (busy days of late!). I finished one rather long story by He Xi (何夕) called 《六道众生》. It was not a bad read, even though it took me a while to get into it (my problem, not the story's). I found the reading to be doable for me, something I was rather proud of, from a language-learning perspective. It wasn't exactly easy (thus the slow reading), but manageable.

The story is something I little different than what I would actually class as science fiction. To me, it seems to fit more into the category of speculative fiction (the broader genre that definitely encompasses this piece), and I might just label it fantasy. Not a lot of real science in it, actually. But still, it is the type of literature I am wanting to read more of in Chinese, and I am glad to have gotten started with this story.

Right now I am working on another called 《午后》by Yang Ping (杨平). I'll have more to say on it when I finish.



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Waterhorse

I finally got around to watching the movie Waterhorse on DVD this past weekend. It was a fun movie, one that made me smile several times. I picked that one to watch because I didn't feel l like anything heavy, just wanting something nice and relaxing... and even cute, Waterhorse was a perfect fit.

The Scottish landscapes in the film are quite beautiful, and the little Loch Ness Monster is quite cute. The boy who acts in the film does a nice job, and it all comes together well enough.

If you are looking for a DVD to enjoy on a quiet night at home — one of those that is just nice for "switching off" — pick up Waterhorse. It's just perfect for that kind of viewing.

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