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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: fantasy

fantasy stories: 12 news summaries
movie REVIEW

 Surrogates: 
 Silly But Suspenseful  

Bruce Willis, in weird wig, tops 'smart' sci-fi flick

Sep 25, 09 10:30 AM CDT
(Newser) - Critics are lukewarm about Surrogates, the new sci-fi flick starring a surprisingly hirsute Bruce Willis, in which humans command tricked-out robots who do their work and play for them.
  • It's a "preposterous movie that luxuriates in its own silliness," says Stephanie Zacharek of Salon. There's a "
... More »

MORE ABOUT:
movie review • fantasy • robots • robot • science fiction • Bruce Willis • Surrogates • Jonathan Mostow

 Best 
 Sci-Fi 
 Languages 

Wired declares Klingon the king of sci-fi slang

Aug 26, 09 5:25 PM CDT
(Newser) - Creators of true geek art follow JRR Tolkien’s example and craft fictional languages to populate their worlds. Wired lists the best examples:
  1. Klingon. The Star Trek creation is the king of all sci-fi languages, with fully realized grammar and vocabulary.
  2. City Speak. Blade Runner’s vision of
... More »

MORE ABOUT:
film • list • fantasy • Star Wars • book • science fiction • J. R. R. Tolkien • movies

(Newser) - Murderous children have haunted movies since the 1950s—but why, Jonah Weiner wonders on Slate. “The biggest reason for this is the most obvious,” Weiner notes. “What’s creepier than a 4-foot-tall killer in Spongebob pajamas?” But the personification of evil in a child reveals deeper-seated anxieties.... More »

MORE ABOUT:
parenting • film • children • fantasy • morality • horror movies • offspring • scary

OPINION

 Reality Bites Starbucks Fantasy 


Feb 6, 09 3:41 PM CST
(Newser) - Many Americans fantasized of tuning in, dropping out, and working at Starbucks, Mary Schmich writes in the Chicago Tribune, but that dream died with the economic slowdown. “Starbucks was the great American backup plan,” Schmich writes. “The emergency exit. The parachute,” fueled by the “... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Starbucks • coffee • recession • fantasy • barista • financial crisis • backup

MOVIE REVIEW

 Inkheart Better on the Page 

Kids' movie about bringing books to life struggles to bring book to life

Jan 23, 09 10:33 AM CST
(Newser) - When it comes to the kids-lit adaptation Inkheart, fans are probably better off sticking to the book, say critics. Brendan Fraser stars as a father with the power to bring characters off the page to life, but the special-effects-driven movie fails to capture the "dark whimsy" of the... More »

MORE ABOUT:
movie review • fantasy • children's books • movies • Brendan Fraser • Helen Mirren

OPINION


 Lesbian Fiction's 
 Hot New Stars: 
 Secret Service 
 Agents 

Security more desirable than love: Thomas

Jan 22, 09 2:32 PM CST
(Newser) - Secret Service agents have become popular protagonists in lesbian romance mysteries because they embody traits readers covet, June Thomas writes for Slate. "They are the ultimate strong, silent type—they fade into the background without hiding, they keep their mouths shut, and they have your back," she... More »

MORE ABOUT:
gay rights • gay marriage • Secret Service • fiction • fantasy • mystery • romance • Lesbian

movie review

 Narnia Still Casts a Spell 

Return to fantasy kingdom is darker, crisper

May 16, 08 8:59 AM CDT
(Newser) - The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian returns to the fantasyland 1,300 years after The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and all is not well in the kingdom. The "darker, more conventional, and more crisply made" follow-up features "more clashing swords than all the Robin Hood movies... More »

MORE ABOUT:
movie review • fantasy • Tilda Swinton • movies

Dungeons & Dragons Co-Creator Dead at 69

Gary Gygax rocked
the gaming world

Mar 5, 08 3:29 AM CST
(Newser) - Widely revered Dungeons & Dragons co-creator Gary Gygax, regarded as the father of role-playing games, has died at his home in Wisconsin after years of health problems, AP reports. He was 69. Together with Dave Arneson, Gygax created the massively popular medieval fantasy Dungeons & Dragons in 1974 that struck... More »

MORE ABOUT:
games • obituary • gaming • fantasy • author • roleplaying games • Dungeons & Dragons

NEW RELEASE

Spiderwick Delivers Thrills

It's a kids' fantasy that 'doesn't wimp out,' says Ebert

Feb 15, 08 2:57 PM CST
(Newser) - Critics by and large are enchanted with The Spiderwick Chronicles. It's "a well-crafted family thriller that is truly scary and doesn't wimp out," writes Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times. The fantasy, based on the best-selling books, follows twins (played by Freddie Highmore) and their sister (In America's... More »

MORE ABOUT:
movie review • fantasy • Freddie Highmore • Mark Waters • Sarah Bolger • movies

NEW RELEASE

Jumper Lands With a Thud

Dull plotting, acting undermine high-concept thriller

Feb 15, 08 8:47 AM CST
(Newser) - The concept for Jumper seems promising: An awkward teenage boy who discovers he has the power to instantly teleport himself to anywhere on the globe is targeted for elimination by religious fanatics. And in some respects the film delivers on that promise. "The jumping effect is faultlessly executed,"... More »

MORE ABOUT:
movie review • fantasy • thriller • Samuel L. Jackson • science fiction • Hayden Christensen • Rachel Bilson • movies

Fantasy War Game Models  Global Pandemic

Virtual outbreak gave scientists chance to study spread

Aug 21, 07 5:35 AM CDT
(Newser) - A programming error in an online fantasy game gave researchers a profound insight into how a deadly epidemic spreads and how to combat the crisis. The London Times reports a glitch occurred in World of Warcraft, which has millions of online players. A disease aimed at a handful of characters... More »

MORE ABOUT:
epidemic • fantasy • Tufts University • Rutgers University • game • World of Warcraft • Hakkar • MMORPG • outbreak

DC Madam
Says She'll
Name Names

Needs clients to
testify that the sex
was only fantasy

May 1, 07 9:15 AM CDT
(Newser) - A White House economist, the head of a conservative think tank, lobbyists, military brass and a prominent CEO—they’re among pay-to-play clients DC Madam Deborah Jeane Palfrey says she'll finger, ABC and the Post report. Palfrey said at a press conference yesterday she’s “genuinely sorry" if her... More »

MORE ABOUT:
politics • Randall Tobias • DC Madam • Deborah Jeane Palfrey • sex • fantasy

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