First, let me show you this ridiculous and hilarious animated gif of Mario going completely berserk ala "the Night Santa Went Crazy" by Weird Al. I got this from BrandonDeSanta in the Retro Video Games google+ group, though I don't know if he's the one who made it. You can just watch that and laugh for a while if you like. This is just one of the gems I encountered over the past month.
I consumed a lot of Sci Fi this month. The best of which was a movie called 'Predestination', based on a Robert Heinlein short story called 'All You Zombies.' I don't want to spoil it for anyone, but I definitely recommend the movie. I was pleasantly surprised and impressed. I will be reading the short story... shortly. Beyond that, I watched two Keanu Reeves movies: Constantine and Johnny Mnemonic. Constantine is great, a very stylish and well-shot movie. I'm kind of a sucker for God vs Devil possession movies and action adventures. Johnny Mnemonic was kind of hokey and dated, but still lots of fun. Additionally, I read Neuromancer by William Gibson, which is sort of a sequel to Johnny Mnemonic. The common link is the character of Molly, who is awesome (and called 'Jane' in the film version for some indiscernable reason). I've got the book version of Johnny Mnemonic coming soon. Fun fact: Johnny sold his childhood for a measely 80 gigs of memory.
I read a couple other Sci Fi novels: Kindred, by Octavia Butler, a time travel story about Slavery. It was a harsh read, but well written. Also, Wind up Bird Chronicle, which wasn't straightforward sci fi, just very strange like most Murakami. But I really like Murakami for his strangeness.
In Gaming news, I beat Starseed Pilgrim. FINALLY. It was pretty cool. I was tempted to start over again from the beginning, but resisted. I really, really like that game. Next, I revisited Six Days a Sacrifice, of the Chzo Mythos by Yahtzee Creshaw, and managed to beat it quickly. I enjoyed that series, and the final game ties together a lot of thematic points and characters. It's not perfect, but I appreciate the effort. Playing that game has got me in the mind to play more point and click adventure games. We'll see what the future holds!
In other news, I'm looking forward to a move in February. The plan is to get my own apartment at a more convenient location. Should be fun!
-D
P.S. Another Funny animated gif, gotten from Google+ user Miss Electro Head
The Mote in God's Eye was written in 1974 by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle. There are 560 pages in the paperback edition I checked out from the library. I chose this book based on some echo of a memory that it was a significant sci fi book that maybe I'd like to read. The cover has praise from Robert Heinlein (Stranger in a Strange Land, Starship Troopers) and is described as 'the acknowledged masterpiece' of the team, a story of Mankind's first contact with an Alien Species.
This is an interesting book, different from what I usually read. It's really detail oriented, and military oriented, which sometimes makes it hard to read. It can be little bit of a slog. But when I am able to hang in there, there's some really cool sci fi. It reminds me a lot of Star Trek, there's even a Scottish chief engineer (...and a Scottish midshipman and Scottish Ensign, and an entire planet of New Scotland).
As in any good science fiction, there is fictional technology involved. The important technology to the human race is hinged around what is essentially warp drive, and a force field which helps to cool down the ship upon return from warp drive. These are the defining technologies of the human race, and enabled interstellar travel and colonization. Beyond that, there are lots of primitive mechanical technologies that seem pretty simplistic next to a different interstellar sci-fi world, like Star Trek. No transporters, inertial dampeners or tractor beams to be found.
In addition, the social development in the book is highly limited. As opposed to a world like Star Trek, the Navy is made up entirely of Men. The same can be said for the science teams. As of this point in the book, there is only one Human female in the story and at least a dozen named Male characters. At times it seems as though this book has more in common with a classic seafaring novel of the 18th or 19th century, (never my favorite genre) as opposed to a progressive science fiction series like Star Trek.
Some of the character's assumptions about the aliens are pretty boneheaded as well, they keep assuming they are mutations or somehow crippled. But it is fun to hear them be so far off the mark, and sit, smug in my assurance that the writers will reveal the truth to be much more interesting.
I am about a hundred and fifty pages in, however, and things have gotten really interesting. The high level of detail is an asset when talking about a new species of Intelligent Life. They deeply consider the alien's physiology, technology and social order. The writers release information slowly, leaving me hungry to learn more. The detailed treatment of the scientific exploration of a new intelligent species along with their careful unfolding of such information helps me to get through their, otherwise unappealing and rather primitive sci fi world.
This book isn't quite what I'm used to. I am eager to read more, but they are dragging it out a bit.
-D
Alright, down to brass tacks. tax? Anyway. Time to tell you about one of the best things in Austin. Something that sets a precedent for all. I'm talking about the Alamo Drafthouse.
What is the Alamo Drafthouse? Well, put simply, it's a movie theater where you can order beer and food. Yep, the legends are true! And they are alive in Austin. As a matter of fact, I just watched Serenity last week at the Alamo drafthouse -whaaaat?! You read me right. They also play retro and cult classics. I'm hoping to catch a showing of Ridley Scott's Alien, for Sci Fi/Horror October!
My first experience at the Alamo Drafthouse was in, maybe 2005, when I visited Austin for the first time. A friend and I watched Black Snake Moan, a forgettable movie starring Sam Jackson and Christina Ricci and Justin Timberlake. It was about a girl who had a compulsive sex addiction, and a reclusive former blues musician who helps her break it by putting a big chain around her waist. And also her sort of unstable fiancee home from the war. I'll let you guess who played what roles. It was okay, I guess. But what made the biggest impression on me was what they showed leading up to the movie.
We were seated your standard 15 minutes early; as soon as they let us in. And as we waited for the movie to start, they played different old clips of blues musicians performing. Some in color others in black and white. I distinctly remember John Lee Hooker, who had passed away a few years earlier and was a favorite of my Dads. So cool! No shit-tastic movie-tunes that rule the horrible candy-box theaters of today, but a customized set of clips designed to set the stage for the movie.
Similarly, when I saw Serenity last week, there were clips from sci fi movies and from westerns. Also occasional Joss Whedon clips. There was Brisco County Jr. There was Star Trek, there was Barbarella, Dr. Horrible (freeze ray), and this hilarious clip of Nathan Fillion and Neil Patrick Harris in a doctor's office. And then there was an actual preview, but it was for the Sci Fi retro-specials that month at the draft house.
Another custom feature of the Alamo Drafthouse is to include is Public Service Announcements to keep your phones silent and not to talk in the movie. They have all sorts of great PSAs to warn you. One from Michael Madsen. One form Homestarr Runner. Joss Whedon, etc, etc, etc. I'm telling you, this is quality stuff. They have a one-warning system. You get your warning and if you keep jabbering, you get thrown out. Ruthless. Perfect.
I have always hated that about movies, people talking. My most distinct memory of this frustration is when Jaconian and I went to see the Blair Witch Project. Now, granted, that movie has become a bit of a joke now, but at the time, we were both really excited. It was a new and creative horror movie! Kind of out of nowhere, and I think we were the right people to appreciate what they had to offer. Unfortunately, I will never know if that movie is any good, because these fucking people, RIGHT BEHIND US, talked through the whole. damn. thing. This completely ruined the immersion and any sense of suspense, which I felt was a necessary part of the film. I tried to watch and enjoy it anyway, and or the record: I still liked it. But I just know that this movie could have been so much more in silence. ugh. Well. The good news is: that will never happen at the Drafthouse.
Oh --- one more thing - if you actually *like* talking in movies, they've also got the opposite: Quote-along movies! Usually comedies, they'll show Monty Python, or Mel Brooks or some Will Ferrel movie, and the idea is to quote all the time. It's sort of a Rocky Horror style production, with noises and all that sort of bullshit. I haven't been to one, but I think it sounds almost as awesome as their normal programming.
Wow, I haven't even talked about the food yet. Because, really, it's not that big a deal. But they have a good system. In front of every row of chairs is a bar, maybe a foot wide, with a lip. You write down your order, clip it to the front, and a wait staff will come by intermittently and snatch it up, then bring you your food back. The first Drafthouse I went to had perfected this system. They used stadium seating, so the wait staff was a full food and a half to two feet lower than the viewer. I usually didn't notice them.
Unfortunately, this is not the case for every Drafthouse. The place I saw Serenity, I was in the front row, and it was not stadium seating. The wait staff had to hunch and run by quickly. It's unfortunate, and I hope they try to avoid this whenever possible. Oh well. It is nice to drink a beer at a movie, I'll tell you that much.
In conclusion, if you love movies: so do the people at the Alamo Drafthouse. If you really love movies, then I think it is worth making Austin a destination in your travels.
-D
P.S. I almost forgot: I'm going to make an appeal to the friends of the State Theater to use an Alamo Drafthouse style business model. It's worth a shot! They just need a way to get the college kids out there.
