GROWING UP WITH THE GREAT GALE GAMBIT - Klonoa: Door To Phantomile (Namco, 1998)

... the silver screen, and the current fad in literature happens to be Sweet Valley High with vampires. Games aren't excluded; we get our own reboots as well, and fall back easily on aging franchises riding on retro-chic. Even the 'cutting-edge' indie games movement tends towards platformers and chunky pixels. Pleas to our inner child are everywhere. And with Door To Phantomile's remade debut on the...

December 19, 2009: Meta discussion, fandom specific meta, legal issues, fansites news, fandom news

... on December 14, 2009 Let's talk about sex, baby by 51stcenturyfox on December 17, 2009 The Stories We Tell by sheafrotherdon on December 17, 2009 What’s Fueling Conventions for Canceled Franchises? by dreadpiraterose on December 18, 2009. Famdom is (or should be) about having fun. by rubyfruit on December 18, 2009 Featured Column: Fandom vs. Fans by David Steinberg on December 18,...

The future is now for James Cameron's 'Avatar' stars Zoe Saldana, Sam Worthington

... calling for Zoe Saldana and Sam Worthington. They had breakout hits last summer in established science-fiction franchises, she in "Star Trek," set in the bright human future of the 23rd century, he in "Terminator ...has ideas for two sequels. Saldana and Worthington are game for a return trip to Pandora. Like the franchises that grew out of "Star Wars" and "Star Trek," Saldana said, "I feel that '...

"Dan O'Bannon, the veteran screenwriter, director, special-effects technician and occasional actor whose works contributed to several major sci-fi/horror franchises, has died at 63. O'Bannon was of course best known for scripting Alien , the classic gothic sci-fi thriller that went on to spawn video games, comics, licensed novels and multiple sequels, ultimately including crossovers with that...

Fourth Day of Classic Comics Christmas 2009

... the short story form since Eisner's "Spirit". It ended far too soon, but (in another very unusual move) it ended definitively, with all loose ends tied off and no wiggle room for a sequel. Of course, corporate franchises being what they are, the character (or close facsimiles thereof) continue to crop up now and then, but none of those attempts are a patch on the original. Accept no substitutes!

Planetes and the reflection of cultures

... to that. The thing is that same cynical all but hopeless tone has also taken over american science fiction. We've gone from the relentless optimism of star trek to firefly & BSGv2. Even within franchises look at the change from the cheerfully revolutionary star wars trilogy of the 70s & 80s became the much darker clone wars. Hell even middlebrow stuff like Stargate went to the dark Stargate:...

..., Harry's Famous Fish Fry, Red Velvet Cake, Blushing Bella Punch and all served in a brooding and beautiful package... 8. The Twilight Bra I understand that Twilight is one of the few movie franchises that appeals to women, but this seems to go too far. I don't remember any adult underpants on store shelves with Boba Fett on them when Empire Strikes Back came to theaters, but maybe I ...

Weekly Rentals Round 3...

... a the contact with the fake passports and new identities. Final Destination 3 (2006) : Following on from Rob's recommen dation (he once outlined both the Saw and the Final Destination franchises in order of value), I checked out this third one that revolves around a rollercoaster accident. Basically the film is just a catalogue of creative kills (much like the Nightmare on Elm Street ...

The Top Ten 10 Horror Duds Of The Last Decade

...a night. Alien vs. Predator (20th Century Fox; August 13, 2004) Paul W.S. Anderson’s Alien vs. Predator has everything you’d expect in an action/horror film based on those two beloved franchises: Aliens, Predators, slo-mo shots of Sanaa Lathan running from explosions, actors, sets, costumes, props. The list goes on and on, really. Just don’t expect any frills. You know, things like a ...

Metroid Prime Corruption frustration

... you've got to do something else to attack the turret, which then becomes invulnerable . . . just again and again you have to do multiple things. I've noticed this about a lot of franchises. The subsequent games are just harder . Like they've expected my ability to have improved subsequently or something. Someone thought, “You know what was wrong about the first Metroid Prime? It was too easy....