Haldeman on Syriana
Joe Haldeman on Syriana: “I saw it as a kind of modern interpretation of the James Bond film… I don’t think the viewer is supposed to totally understand it, either; you sort of absorb it.”
Ninjas vs. Pirates
It’s an idea whose time has come: Ninjas vs. Pirates! Sounds homebrew too: “Almost all scenes in NVP were shot in front of 9 sheets of 30-cent green posterboard in a 12’x13′ apartment living room, lit with $12 Wal-Mart halogen work lights.”
The Grouchy Snob
When people find out that I like science fiction (and write about it), they often try to find a familiar example to talk about. This is a better reaction than to say, “Oh, that crap?” or something along those lines. But recently, the example has inevitably been Star […]
The Trouble with Endings
I’ve noticed recently that otherwise good stories have been let down by their endings. It’s partly due to the expectations of the audience: you can imagine any kind of ending you want, but when the ending finally arrives, it’s been narrowed down to a single one of those […]
Underfoot No Longer
Marty McKee: Yeah, I know you’ve done a lot of different genres, but I’ve always wondered why that [giant animals] was so interesting to you. Bert I. Gordon: [Pause] I don’t know. [Laugh] Bert Gordon (AKA Mr. BIG, director of The Food of the Gods) doesn’t know why, […]
No Love For the Glove
The line between gimmick and innovation is sometimes hard to draw. Game purists look down on specialized peripherals, and while I like my shotguns and dance-pads in single-purpose arcade games, I rarely think they’re justified in a multi-purpose home system. Maybe I know too many people who bought […]
The Cultural Gutter 