Movie Review, Stardate Christmas, and Indie Lit Awards

Yes, another weekend, another movie review. (As many as I watch, I could do this daily. God Bless NetFlix!) First, just a quick piece of exciting news – CassaStar made the long list for the Indie Lit. Awards!!! Yes, my book is among those nominated from small and independent presses. Now, it’s the long list, so not holding my breath that I’ll make the short list. But it’s still really damn cool!! Okay, on to my movie review! (Because I do have a science fiction image to uphold now.)

TRON: LEGACY It appears critics are suffering from a bad case of Scrooge. I don’t know what movie they saw, but the one I saw was an incredibly fun film! This movie utilizes 3D technology to the max, creating a mesmerizing experience. The action is well done and the light cycle scene is the stand out action piece. There’s a few moments of slow pacing that could’ve been chopped, but the movie is such a marvel to behold, you’ll hardly notice. The music by Daft Punk is a perfect fit. It reminds me of older John Carpenter scores – repeating rhythms that are very synth heavy. Before we entered the theater, my wife asked if we’d hear a Journey song, just like in the original Tron. Much to my surprise, the answer is yes! Jeff Bridges plays Jeff Bridges to a T. The effects used to reduce his age were a little odd, but fit within the context of the computer world. I thought Garrett Hedlund was good as his son, Sam. Olivia Wilde wasn’t given a lot to do, although her character is a key player. The young lady who played Gem was absolutely gorgeous while Michael Sheen’s Castor was excellent and so over the top fun. Is it a perfect movie? No! But I go to the movies to be entertained. Tron: Legacy delivers that on all levels and will amaze you with the 3D computer world. Best movie of December so far! Okay critics, now go drink some spiked eggnog and chill out!!

 

Finally, here’s the Stardate Christmas Tweets from this past week: Stardate Christmas 11.9 Disassembled Borg make excellent Christmas ornaments! Stardate Christmas 13.9 After firing all of our torpedoes at the Romulans, we finally defeated them with a devastating volley of fruitcake! Stardate Christmas 14.9 Worf discovered mhyrr and gagh (a Klingon delicacy) mixed together is an excellent remedy for bunions! Who knew? Stardate Christmas 15.9 Everybody sing! 5 beaming up, 4 Klingons belching, 3 Ferengis stealing, 2 tribbles mating, and a Vulcan in Pon Farr! Stardate Christmas 16.9 The Andorian Ambassador, Boughs F Hollie, became enraged during our rendition of Deck the Halls. Damn! Stardate Christmas 17.7 Next time we'll confirm the unknown ship's identity before firing photon torpedoes. Sorry kids, no Santa this year!

Movies, Tech, and Stuff

The Apple iPad is available for pre-order this Monday.

Now, the more I hear about it, the more tempting it becomes. However, there's still that pesky Flash issue. I've got to wait until they fix that!

My friend John wrote a song about this issue - about the 'blue Lego.' It's hilarious - go check out the lyrics at Sci-Fi Songs

Sony announced the Move, a motion-sensitive controller designed to compete with the Wii's controller. Available this fall for $100, it will work with games that involve guns, swords, bows and arrows, and more. It's supposed to work with current games as well as new releases designed specifically to use the device. We shall see...

The new poster for Tron: Legacy is out, courtesy of Slashfilm:
Hoping the movie is as cool as the posters and trailers!

Also saw that Charles B. Pierce died this past weekend at the age of 71. He did The Legend of Boggy Creek and The Town That Dreaded Sundown.

Still bummed about the Oscars. However, as you can see from the running total in my sidebar, James Cameron is laughing all the way to the bank...

And two people passed along awards to me this week.

Michele at Southern City Mysteries gave me the Writers Know Award for my completed manuscript.


Yay! Thanks a bunch, Michele!


And Helen at Straight From Hel thinks I am a Sugar Doll.

Don't think she knows me very well...

Thanks, Helen!