This weekend is the annual BLOB Fest in Phoenixville, PA. Location is
at the acutal theater used in the original film THE BLOB. Which was
film right here in PA in Yellow Springs, Chester County [who hold
their own Blob Fest and you can see some the Studios builds, equipment
and stills from their films....you can see pics from last years event
at: http://www.scifislacker.com/blob_fest/blob_fest.shtml ]
Friday, July 15 at 9:30 will be the re-enactment of the running of the
Blob....the theater gets filled to the gills and everyone runs out as
if the Blob is after them! [I am heading to this just for the Photo
ops]. This event is FREE.
Saturday, July 16 there will be a street fair at noon, costume contest
[being judged by Kira Schon of Night of the Living Dead], big screen
showings of THE BLOB, Ghost In The Invisible Bikini and 9pm a Double
Feature of Robot Monster in AMAZING 2D and THE BLOB. Wes Shank and the
BLOB itself will be there to.
More details for Blob Fest 2005 at:
http://www.thecolonialtheatre.com/html/BlobFest.html
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
Sunday, July 10, 2005
REVIEW: Destroy All Humans
Destroy all Humans [review of PS2 game]
If you like B-Movies from the 50s/60s looks like Destroy All Humans
might just be the game for you. The game sets you down smack in the
middle of what feels just like a 50s sci-fi film. The story is a
simple one you are a part of a superior alien race who needs to
retrieve DNA placed in the brains of humans to survive. So your
mission is simple - Destroy All Humans!
Both the story and game play options are described to you during your
game play. So you don't really need to read the instructions and can
just dive right in. [However you may wish to familiarize yourself with
the controls a wee bit before starting --- we found ourselves hitting
all the wrong buttons at all the wrong times.]
Fun game for almost all ages [violence you know --- kinda figured that
one out with a name like Destroy All Humans].
Biggest downfall of the game is that when you die you start your
mission from the beginning. And that can be very frustrating when
nearly complete and you get your final zap. Game play is not saved
until you complete the mission and head back to the Mothership for
further instructions.
Good luck and good Zapping!
If you like B-Movies from the 50s/60s looks like Destroy All Humans
might just be the game for you. The game sets you down smack in the
middle of what feels just like a 50s sci-fi film. The story is a
simple one you are a part of a superior alien race who needs to
retrieve DNA placed in the brains of humans to survive. So your
mission is simple - Destroy All Humans!
Both the story and game play options are described to you during your
game play. So you don't really need to read the instructions and can
just dive right in. [However you may wish to familiarize yourself with
the controls a wee bit before starting --- we found ourselves hitting
all the wrong buttons at all the wrong times.]
Fun game for almost all ages [violence you know --- kinda figured that
one out with a name like Destroy All Humans].
Biggest downfall of the game is that when you die you start your
mission from the beginning. And that can be very frustrating when
nearly complete and you get your final zap. Game play is not saved
until you complete the mission and head back to the Mothership for
further instructions.
Good luck and good Zapping!
REVIEW: Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of the War of the Worlds
Get immersed into the world of HG Wells' novel War of the Worlds with
Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of the War of the Worlds. Originally
released in 1978, Jeff's music has had many fans and has grown to
become a classic. Now a whole new generation will be exposed to this
galactic experience. And they will be pleasantly surprised at how
quickly the music will pull them into the story a create a whole new
world from HG Wells words.
At times the music seems a little dated [at one point it is very
reminiscent of Logan's Run or the disco scenes from Buck Roger's in
the 25th Century], but that feeling quickly disappears as one becomes
so engulfed in the music and what it is telling us above and beyond
the words of the narration.
Fans of the both the book and films will find this to be a remarkable
addition to the entire War of the Worlds experience.
For more info and to enter to win the CDs go to:
http://www.scifislacker.com/music/war-of-worlds-cd.shtml
Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of the War of the Worlds. Originally
released in 1978, Jeff's music has had many fans and has grown to
become a classic. Now a whole new generation will be exposed to this
galactic experience. And they will be pleasantly surprised at how
quickly the music will pull them into the story a create a whole new
world from HG Wells words.
At times the music seems a little dated [at one point it is very
reminiscent of Logan's Run or the disco scenes from Buck Roger's in
the 25th Century], but that feeling quickly disappears as one becomes
so engulfed in the music and what it is telling us above and beyond
the words of the narration.
Fans of the both the book and films will find this to be a remarkable
addition to the entire War of the Worlds experience.
For more info and to enter to win the CDs go to:
http://www.scifislacker.com/music/war-of-worlds-cd.shtml
Thursday, June 09, 2005
Losers in Long Lines at Star Wars Episode III
[being the slacker I am I know this is a month late but....]
I know the title is a bit dregrading but hey I was the second loser in line!
We arrived around 4 PM to stand in line for the mid-night showing of
the latest episode of the latest Star Wars trilogy. There was one
other person in front of us. She too was holding spaces for a group of
friends --- my group would eventually total ten [I had the task of
buying the tix and holding our spot in line].
Heck we had done this as a group since our days of working together at
800-Trekker [a once great sci-fi mail order company] so why should we
stop now.
As the night continued the rest of my group started appearing. We took
turns leaving for potty breaks and to get food [theater was none to
happy with us for outside food but we weren't technically in the
theater yet]. We played games. Mostly sat / stood around and talked
about all things but mostly sci-fi. One of the guys in front of us was
a trekkie too so we talk star trek in a star wars line [I thought for
sure something was going to open up and swallow us whole].
Then the local news came around and interviewed some of us. I was one
of those interviewed [as they say hind sight is 20/20], I did not plug
the site nor mention my online sci-fi group www.pagodascifi.com, most
of who were in line with me --- DOH! Also did not bother calling
anyone as I hoped my portion would be edited out. It was not, as I
later found out.
Folks came in costume. Some pretty lame others were most excellent.
[Will post pics somewhere --- most likely my yahoo group Pagoda Scifi
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pagoda_scifi/
The TV camera guy caught a full costume Vader dancing on the arcade
game, Dance Dance Revolution...priceless.
Loads of folks had the Master Replicas Light up Lightsabres. [Way cool
at around $100 bucks]
As the night progressed so did the line. I took a walk down through
and got to stop and talk with other friends/fans as I did.
The whole night was a great experience and it was topped off by a
pretty good film. Yes, the acting was a bit shallow and the dialog
wasn't great, but it was packed with action, lead right into Episode
IV [A New Hope] and both R2 and Yoda had the best parts [but isn't it
supposed to be that way]. Even though you missed the fun of the
midnight show go see this film on the big screen.
I know the title is a bit dregrading but hey I was the second loser in line!
We arrived around 4 PM to stand in line for the mid-night showing of
the latest episode of the latest Star Wars trilogy. There was one
other person in front of us. She too was holding spaces for a group of
friends --- my group would eventually total ten [I had the task of
buying the tix and holding our spot in line].
Heck we had done this as a group since our days of working together at
800-Trekker [a once great sci-fi mail order company] so why should we
stop now.
As the night continued the rest of my group started appearing. We took
turns leaving for potty breaks and to get food [theater was none to
happy with us for outside food but we weren't technically in the
theater yet]. We played games. Mostly sat / stood around and talked
about all things but mostly sci-fi. One of the guys in front of us was
a trekkie too so we talk star trek in a star wars line [I thought for
sure something was going to open up and swallow us whole].
Then the local news came around and interviewed some of us. I was one
of those interviewed [as they say hind sight is 20/20], I did not plug
the site nor mention my online sci-fi group www.pagodascifi.com, most
of who were in line with me --- DOH! Also did not bother calling
anyone as I hoped my portion would be edited out. It was not, as I
later found out.
Folks came in costume. Some pretty lame others were most excellent.
[Will post pics somewhere --- most likely my yahoo group Pagoda Scifi
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pagoda_scifi/
The TV camera guy caught a full costume Vader dancing on the arcade
game, Dance Dance Revolution...priceless.
Loads of folks had the Master Replicas Light up Lightsabres. [Way cool
at around $100 bucks]
As the night progressed so did the line. I took a walk down through
and got to stop and talk with other friends/fans as I did.
The whole night was a great experience and it was topped off by a
pretty good film. Yes, the acting was a bit shallow and the dialog
wasn't great, but it was packed with action, lead right into Episode
IV [A New Hope] and both R2 and Yoda had the best parts [but isn't it
supposed to be that way]. Even though you missed the fun of the
midnight show go see this film on the big screen.
Sunday, January 02, 2005
S C I E N C E: Space probe begins descent to Saturn moon Titan
A European-designed space probe broke away from its NASA mothership on a plunge toward the mysterious Saturn moon Titan, starting a journey researchers hope will end with answers about one of the most puzzling bodies in the solar system.
Ground controllers received a signal indicating that Huygens had separated from NASA’s Saturn probe Cassini, as small explosives sheared away locking bolts and a set of springs gently pushed the probe off on a collision course with Titan. “The only thing we have to do now is assess how it left,” said Earl Maize, deputy programme manager for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory here, referring to the probe’s trajectory and how it spins as it heads to Titan.
Huygens will “sleep” for the next three weeks, coasting in a suspended state toward Titan and waking just four hours before its arrival on January 14.
The European Space Agency-managed Huygens aims to shed light on the only moon in the solar system with an atmosphere, a place where the surface may not be solid and the truth, scientists say, is almost certainly stranger than fiction. “There are several books on the subject and I’m sure that they’re all wrong,” said Jean-Pierre Lebreton, the Huygens project manager with the ESA.
Long a favourite home for science-fiction tales, Titan is larger than the planets Mercury and Pluto. Its atmosphere is mostly nitrogen, like Earth, but its surface temperatures of about minus-180 degrees Celsius make it inhospitable. “In some sense it’s a trip to early Earth,” said David Southwood, director of the scientific program for the ESA.
One of the biggest questions, Southwood and colleagues said, is whether there is any liquid on Titan’s surface – like lakes filled with methane rain. Huygens will hopefully answer that question, having already traveled 2.2 billion miles to Saturn over seven years on the hip of the NASA craft Cassini.
About 2.5 yards wide and shaped something like a flying saucer, it was due to make a leisurely descent of about two-and-a-half hours through Titan’s atmosphere, using three parachutes to reduce its speed and give the on-board instruments time to take detailed readings.
Once it reaches the surface of Titan, presuming there is a solid surface for it to impact, Huygens is expected to remain operational for only a brief time, possibly as little as 30 minutes, before its batteries die. “It’s fair to say we have very little idea what the surface is,” Southwood said. “We don’t know if we’re going to splash down or crash down.”
Ground controllers received a signal indicating that Huygens had separated from NASA’s Saturn probe Cassini, as small explosives sheared away locking bolts and a set of springs gently pushed the probe off on a collision course with Titan. “The only thing we have to do now is assess how it left,” said Earl Maize, deputy programme manager for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory here, referring to the probe’s trajectory and how it spins as it heads to Titan.
Huygens will “sleep” for the next three weeks, coasting in a suspended state toward Titan and waking just four hours before its arrival on January 14.
The European Space Agency-managed Huygens aims to shed light on the only moon in the solar system with an atmosphere, a place where the surface may not be solid and the truth, scientists say, is almost certainly stranger than fiction. “There are several books on the subject and I’m sure that they’re all wrong,” said Jean-Pierre Lebreton, the Huygens project manager with the ESA.
Long a favourite home for science-fiction tales, Titan is larger than the planets Mercury and Pluto. Its atmosphere is mostly nitrogen, like Earth, but its surface temperatures of about minus-180 degrees Celsius make it inhospitable. “In some sense it’s a trip to early Earth,” said David Southwood, director of the scientific program for the ESA.
One of the biggest questions, Southwood and colleagues said, is whether there is any liquid on Titan’s surface – like lakes filled with methane rain. Huygens will hopefully answer that question, having already traveled 2.2 billion miles to Saturn over seven years on the hip of the NASA craft Cassini.
About 2.5 yards wide and shaped something like a flying saucer, it was due to make a leisurely descent of about two-and-a-half hours through Titan’s atmosphere, using three parachutes to reduce its speed and give the on-board instruments time to take detailed readings.
Once it reaches the surface of Titan, presuming there is a solid surface for it to impact, Huygens is expected to remain operational for only a brief time, possibly as little as 30 minutes, before its batteries die. “It’s fair to say we have very little idea what the surface is,” Southwood said. “We don’t know if we’re going to splash down or crash down.”
Saturday, December 18, 2004
Scourge of Worlds DVD Review
Scourge of Worlds is a Dungeons & Dragons Adventure DVD where you get to pick the outcome of the animated film. It appears to be a joint venture of Rhino, Hasbro and Wizard of the Coast.
Supposedly there are 990 stories on the one disk, but ultimately only 4 different outcomes. It takes about an hour and a half to get through this adventure since you are constantly being asked where you want to go or what you want to do.
The animation is similar to early computer games, in otherwords not the lastest and greatest cgi.
True D&D fans should enjoy it, especially the fact that everytime you watch it you will experience a different fantasy and be confronted by angels, wraiths, druids, orcs and demonic beholders.
Your goal is to save the world. The stories revolve around three heroes -- Regdar a human warrior, Lidda a rogue halfling, and Mialee an elf wizard who set out on their quest to recover a stolen map and its thief. This map leads toan ultimate weapon created by an ancient race of mages who made it to destroy their enemies and end all wars. This weapon, the Aryx Orthian or Scourge of Worlds must not fall into the wrong hands and there are those out to stop them at all costs.
My first attempt at watching [or is that playing] this DVD everyone ended up dead and the Scourge of Worlds was recovered by an evil enemy. Upon rewatching it I did indeed have a completely different experience as I made different choices for the characters.
The website has more information on the film and characters, plus some nice screen shots to take a look at.
http://www.scourgeofworlds.com/
Supposedly there are 990 stories on the one disk, but ultimately only 4 different outcomes. It takes about an hour and a half to get through this adventure since you are constantly being asked where you want to go or what you want to do.
The animation is similar to early computer games, in otherwords not the lastest and greatest cgi.
True D&D fans should enjoy it, especially the fact that everytime you watch it you will experience a different fantasy and be confronted by angels, wraiths, druids, orcs and demonic beholders.
Your goal is to save the world. The stories revolve around three heroes -- Regdar a human warrior, Lidda a rogue halfling, and Mialee an elf wizard who set out on their quest to recover a stolen map and its thief. This map leads toan ultimate weapon created by an ancient race of mages who made it to destroy their enemies and end all wars. This weapon, the Aryx Orthian or Scourge of Worlds must not fall into the wrong hands and there are those out to stop them at all costs.
My first attempt at watching [or is that playing] this DVD everyone ended up dead and the Scourge of Worlds was recovered by an evil enemy. Upon rewatching it I did indeed have a completely different experience as I made different choices for the characters.
The website has more information on the film and characters, plus some nice screen shots to take a look at.
http://www.scourgeofworlds.com/
Thursday, December 16, 2004
Review of A Tale of Two Sisters
The style of this film is on the same scale as The Ring, The Grudge and The Eye and it appears that Asian filmmakers are giving us something American filmmakers can't [or at least need to remake for wide release in the US] and that is a creepy factor that is off the scale.
While this film may not keep you up at night [as The Ring did that first we viewed it] there is something here that sticks with you long after you have returned to your normal life.
The first few minutes minutes of the movie seem to be leading you somewhere yet it is hard to keep your focus with the slow pace and artful transitions between scenes. The painfully slow beginning is worth the sitting through to get to the rest of this film. Especially, if you have not read the synopsis [above]. There is a point in the film where you feel the shock of the plot twist nearly as much as the character it is happening to.
The effects are hauntingly similar to other Asian horror films to hit these shores but they are sure to please the avid horror fans among us. While many horror films have relied on chilling music to help produce those feeling of dread and fright [Halloween would not be Halloween without the music would it?], this film relies heavily on other auditory devices to thrill and fill your imagination and get your adrenaline pumping. Heck you could just listen to this film and get scared.
However, the film never truly fills in all the gaps that some of the imagery produces and leaves us wondering if we have gone equally as mad as the main character Su-Mi.
I give this 3.5 out of 5 stars. [In other words it is worth seeing.]
http://www.scifislacker.com/films/tale_two_sisters.shtml#review
While this film may not keep you up at night [as The Ring did that first we viewed it] there is something here that sticks with you long after you have returned to your normal life.
The first few minutes minutes of the movie seem to be leading you somewhere yet it is hard to keep your focus with the slow pace and artful transitions between scenes. The painfully slow beginning is worth the sitting through to get to the rest of this film. Especially, if you have not read the synopsis [above]. There is a point in the film where you feel the shock of the plot twist nearly as much as the character it is happening to.
The effects are hauntingly similar to other Asian horror films to hit these shores but they are sure to please the avid horror fans among us. While many horror films have relied on chilling music to help produce those feeling of dread and fright [Halloween would not be Halloween without the music would it?], this film relies heavily on other auditory devices to thrill and fill your imagination and get your adrenaline pumping. Heck you could just listen to this film and get scared.
However, the film never truly fills in all the gaps that some of the imagery produces and leaves us wondering if we have gone equally as mad as the main character Su-Mi.
I give this 3.5 out of 5 stars. [In other words it is worth seeing.]
http://www.scifislacker.com/films/tale_two_sisters.shtml#review
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