Showing posts with label sci-fi movies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sci-fi movies. Show all posts
Friday, November 16, 2012
The Host Brings Together YA and Sci-Fi Romance
In light of the last movie release of the Twilight Saga (Breaking Dawn 2 in theaters now!), Stephanie Meyers' writing fans will get a different taste of something a little less vampy and sparkly.
THE HOST, according to the Amazon blurb, is about a girl named Melanie Stryder who refuses to fade away.
"The earth has been invaded by a
species that take over the minds of human hosts while leaving their
bodies intact. Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given
Melanie's body, didn't expect to find its former tenant refusing to
relinquish possession of her mind.
As Melanie fills Wanderer's thoughts with visions of Jared, a human who still lives in hiding, Wanderer begins to yearn for a man she's never met. Reluctant allies, Wanderer and Melanie set off to search for the man they both love.
Featuring one of the most unusual love triangles in literature, THE HOST is a riveting and unforgettable novel about the persistence of love and the essence of what it means to be human."
As Melanie fills Wanderer's thoughts with visions of Jared, a human who still lives in hiding, Wanderer begins to yearn for a man she's never met. Reluctant allies, Wanderer and Melanie set off to search for the man they both love.
Featuring one of the most unusual love triangles in literature, THE HOST is a riveting and unforgettable novel about the persistence of love and the essence of what it means to be human."
Sci-fi romance has usually lingered as a niche genre. I'm hoping what Stephanie Meyers did for the paranormal genre, she'll do for sci-fi romance--cracking it wide open and bringing it to millions of new readers. A movie will help with that, along with all the great sci-fi romance authors and books you'll find here and at every e-book vendor, just waiting to be discovered.
I say bring it!
Monday, August 20, 2012
The Three Worst Sci-fi/Fantasy Movies I've Ever Seen
I have to admit, we don't watch a ton of sci-fi movies. Generally it consists of Predator, Alien, Star Trek, and unfortunately, the Transformers series. On occasion we'll hit the theater or rent one that I'm pretty sure I hate, but if I watch it again or think about it really hard, I find I like it. Cowboys and Aliens, for example. At first I had a hard time putting my suspension of disbelief away on that one, but upon re-watching it, I liked it. Maybe there was a guy with stinky feet sitting behind me in the theater and it skewed my thought process--who knows? And I'm caught in limbo right now because I can't decide if I liked John Carter or not. At the end of it was going, what just happened?
Today I'm going to list the top three sci-fi/fantasy movies I hope I never have to watch again whether it's because of low budget or bad writing.
#1 - Alien 3000 - We picked this up at Movie Gallery (when there still was such a place) a few years ago thinking it was somehow related to the Alien vs. Predator franchise. We were wrong. Very, very wrong. I'm pretty sure it was just a ploy to get some soft core porn made into a movie. The first five minutes is a couple making out and the girl's boobs hanging out. This is my all-time Worst Movie Ever pick. When you pick up the box it says it starts Lorenzo Lamas. I didn't know who that was, but my husband did. During the cheesy special effects the trucks kept changing models, the computer graphics looked like they came from the original Nintendo, and no one in this movie could act their way out of a wet paper sack. Fortunately at Movie Gallery you could take a movie back, tell them you hated it, and they'd give you a free rental.
#2 - Transmorphers - This is the movie that made me realize my husband and I need to learn to read. We foolishly (again) assumed this had something to do with Transformers (because the first one wasn't that bad, you know?). This movie was so hokey with bad effects and acting, I couldn't even finish watching it. Honestly, I'm not even sure what to tell you about it aside from: stay away!
#3 - Journey to Promethea - Go look at the cover for this movie. Tell me it doesn't look that bad. It has Billy Zane in it. He . . . well, he used to be a good actor. The sound quality was terrible, but that doesn't cover half of it. They actors simply couldn't act, the camera jiggled, the writing was less than subpar. Let's put it this way: once in high school some friends and I filed Barbie dolls "acting" out The Scarlet Letter. This movie was right on par with that, only it had real people moving their mouths, but that's about it. To distract from the wretchedness of the movie, they put in girls with big boobs. I think that's what a lot of sci-fi/fantasy movie directors and producers think the audience wants.
Off to watch a quality science fiction movie--Serenity. What are some of the worst movies you've ever seen?
When I'm not shuddering in horror at bad movies, I'm blogging at Have Novel, Will Edit, hanging out on Facebook, Twitter and G+.
Today I'm going to list the top three sci-fi/fantasy movies I hope I never have to watch again whether it's because of low budget or bad writing.
#1 - Alien 3000 - We picked this up at Movie Gallery (when there still was such a place) a few years ago thinking it was somehow related to the Alien vs. Predator franchise. We were wrong. Very, very wrong. I'm pretty sure it was just a ploy to get some soft core porn made into a movie. The first five minutes is a couple making out and the girl's boobs hanging out. This is my all-time Worst Movie Ever pick. When you pick up the box it says it starts Lorenzo Lamas. I didn't know who that was, but my husband did. During the cheesy special effects the trucks kept changing models, the computer graphics looked like they came from the original Nintendo, and no one in this movie could act their way out of a wet paper sack. Fortunately at Movie Gallery you could take a movie back, tell them you hated it, and they'd give you a free rental.
#2 - Transmorphers - This is the movie that made me realize my husband and I need to learn to read. We foolishly (again) assumed this had something to do with Transformers (because the first one wasn't that bad, you know?). This movie was so hokey with bad effects and acting, I couldn't even finish watching it. Honestly, I'm not even sure what to tell you about it aside from: stay away!
#3 - Journey to Promethea - Go look at the cover for this movie. Tell me it doesn't look that bad. It has Billy Zane in it. He . . . well, he used to be a good actor. The sound quality was terrible, but that doesn't cover half of it. They actors simply couldn't act, the camera jiggled, the writing was less than subpar. Let's put it this way: once in high school some friends and I filed Barbie dolls "acting" out The Scarlet Letter. This movie was right on par with that, only it had real people moving their mouths, but that's about it. To distract from the wretchedness of the movie, they put in girls with big boobs. I think that's what a lot of sci-fi/fantasy movie directors and producers think the audience wants.
Off to watch a quality science fiction movie--Serenity. What are some of the worst movies you've ever seen?
When I'm not shuddering in horror at bad movies, I'm blogging at Have Novel, Will Edit, hanging out on Facebook, Twitter and G+.
Friday, August 3, 2012
Sci-Fi Films--Are There Original Stories Left?
 |
| Total Recall |
Science-fiction used to be where boundaries were pushed and new horizons explored. Yet Hollywood seems to be in the business of regurgitation. The majority of summer films this year were/will be sequels or reboots. If a movie is really good, I don't care all that much whether it's been done before. But a redo seems to be a contrary theme when sci-fi is all about new ideas.
It's been fun watching gadgets and technologies plied on board the Enterprise (original and NextGen) come to be something we use on a daily basis--communicators (cell phones) video glasses, phasers (the military uses them)...I'm still waiting for the food replicator to be invented (and I won't be ordering tea, Earl Gray, hot).
 |
| Dredd |
So with all this forward thinking and invention sci-fi offers, why are ideas being recycled?
Spiderman, Total Recall, Batman, The Hobbit, Dredd, GI Joe...may all be great movies, but why the dearth of original ideas?? With the advents of indie publishing, Hollywood should be awash in fresh ideas in sci-fi and sci-fi romance. Maybe in this tight economy, no one--including film studios--wants to take the risk. A retread or sequel already has built-in marketing, built-in recognition. A brand-spankin' new idea must start from scratch.
But if sci-fi is not about risk, what is?
 |
| Apocalypse Babes--time-travel, frenemies, pink velour. |
I encourage sci-fi fans to give indie authors a chance--especially those listed on this blog. Wild ideas, far-fetched scenarios, mind-bendy world-building, and heart-melting romance await those who are willing to take a risk.
Because pushing the boundaries with fresh ideas is what sci-fi is all about.
Monday, July 16, 2012
SCI-FI ROMANCE ON THE BIG SCREEN - by Vijaya Schartz
SCI-FI ROMANCE ON THE BIG SCREEN - by Vijaya Schartz
I'm delighted. Linnea Sinclair's sci-fi romance, THE DOWN HOME ZOMBIE BLUES, is coming to the big screen this summer, under a slightly different title: THE DOWN HOME ALIEN BLUES.
I discovered Linnea Sinclair as an author at the RT Convention of 2007. I won a free copy of the mass market paperback version and loved it. Since then I went on to buy and devour all her sci-fi romance novels in all formats. Nowadays, I favor kindle. I still re-read one of her books every now and then, when I feel the need for a shot of good sci-fi romance, and I can't wait for her to publish more books.
Linnea writes strong female and sexy male characters, in action-packed stories full of internal conflicts... very much like mine. When I read her books I know we both came from the same possible future. We even favor the same short blond pixie haircut. It all makes sense to me.
So when I learned last year at the Romantic Times Convention that this very novel was coming to the big screen, I was thrilled. Thrilled for the genre, hoping that many more sci-fi romances will flourish in Hollywood. After all, sci-fi romance has the best of everything: enough action for a blockbuster, a kick-butt heroine, and a sexy hero with a heart, to thrill the ladies.
As for this particular story, unlike most others from Linnea, it doesn't take place in a spaceship (except for a scene or two) but in Florida. Which probably appealed to the film makers, as it allowed them to use contemporary and natural outdoor settings. The heroine is an alien soldier, and according to the trailer I watched, she has a very particular accent. The hero is a down on his luck Miami detective. I hope they kept for the movie the little things that made the book endearing to me. For instance, the heroine is trying human food and goes nuts for "delicious peanut butter."
I can't wait to see this movie. I think every sci-fi romance reader and author should go see it. Who knows? If this film is a success, our books could be next to catch the eye of Hollywood filmmakers.
In the meantime, you can enjoy Linnea's novels like I do. Find her on AMAZON HERE, visit the film website HERE.
And when you are finished with her books, read mine.... No, really. You can find me, Vijaya Schartz, on Amazon HERE, and on my website HERE. Although I write in many genres, I have a wide selection of sci-fi romance novels full of action, kick-butt heroines and sexy heroes.
HAPPY READING.
Vijaya Schartz
Blasters, Swords, Romance with a Kick
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