Charlie Jane Anders

What makes a movie “so bad it’s good,” instead of just bad?

Midnight movies. Guilty pleasures. Cult classics. We have lots of terms for films that are so bad, they’re good. But why do we really love terrible films, sometimes more than good movies? And why aren’t all bad movies wonderfully bad? January is the “guilty pleasure” paradise. Just in the past few weeks we’ve seen the…

Don’t get too attached to Intelligence — its ratings are in freefall

Television shows often seem to experience huge ratings drop-offs after their first episodes. But even so, this is really something. Intelligence went from 16.6 million viewers in its first week to 6.1 million in its second. Some of this drop-off is due to CBS moving Intelligence from Tuesday night, right before Person of Interest, to…

We have liftoff. NASA’s Tracking and Data Relay Satellite launches from Cape Canaveral aboard an Atlas-V rocket on Thursday night. Photo by Ed Dosado/Flickr.

Here’s Judi Dench as Titania in a Trippy Midsummer Night’s Dream [NSFW]

You probably already worship Dame Judi Dench for her many amazing performances in everything from James Bond movies to British comedies like As Time Goes By. But have you seen her wild performance in the trippy 1968 Midsummer Night’s Dream? Warning: Possibly NSFW. Here she is as Titania, wearing what looks like green bodypaint (and/or…

Vampire Diaries shows that bad people should feel bad about themselves

Last night’s Vampire Diaries romp was the show’s 100th episode, and it felt sort of like a party, with everybody coming back for cameos. But also like a summation of what the show was about, and its three main ex-villains: Damon, Katherine and Klaus. They all want to stop hating themselves, but we know that’s…

Ursula Vernon’s “Jackalope Wives” will haunt you

In “Jackalope Wives,” there’s something so seductive about the dance of the skin-changers in the desert. Every young man wants to claim one for his bride — but only a few young men are stupid enough to actually try and seize one. This is the most beautiful story I’ve read in ages. Ursula Vernon’s prose…

People Who Said “I’ll Hold Them Off” — And Didn’t Die

Whenever someone speaks these four words, he or she is marked for death. No, not “I love you too” — but “I’ll hold them off.” Whoever volunteers to hold off the bad guys while everyone else gets away is doomed. Except not always. Here are people who held off the bad guys and lived. Note:…

Book changes temperature or vibrates, depending on the plot

Ever get caught up in a book, to the point where it felt like you had left your everyday world and gotten caught up in the protagonist’s experiences? A new type of book could vastly increase that immersion, using temperature and vibration to reflect what’s happening in the book as you read. This “Sensory Fiction”…

She’s trapped in a barbaric past, and she just wants to help people

I’ve written a lot about what it takes to create a new adventure hero from scratch — and now you can read a story where I tried to do just that. My story “The Cartography of Sudden Death” just appeared at Tor.com story “The Cartography of Sudden Death” just appeared at Tor.com, and it introduces…

On The Tomorrow People, it’s Cara’s life with the Thrill Kill Kult

For the second week in a row, Stephen didn’t quite feel like the main character of The Tomorrow People — which is a very good thing, since the more we see of the other stars doing their thing, the more fun this show seems to become. And this week, it was all about a gang…

The Most Beautiful Art Based on William Gibson’s Neuromancer

William Gibson’s Neuromancer has inspired generations of writers, with its visions of artificial intelligence and the rough edges of cyberspace. But it’s also inspired a ton of artists — especially in recent years. Here’s our absolute favorite art inspired by Gibson’s masterpiece. Top image: The Sprawl by IgnisFerroque on Deviant Art. Actually, even just a…

The Most Impressive Costumes from Star Trek: TNG’s First 3 Seasons

Star Trek: The Next Generation had a huge legacy to live up to. Not just the thought-provoking storytelling of the original series — but also the amazing insane costumes. But TNG rose to the challenge. Here’s our roundup of the most epic costumes in the Next Generation’s first few seasons. https://gizmodo.com/weirdest-and-sexiest-costumes-from-the-original-star-tr-5969957 Random Aliens Deanna Troi…

We, Frankenstein: The Deeper Meaning of the Frankenstein-vs-Demons Film

Kevin Grevioux has had a long career acting in science fiction TV shows and movies, and he also created the story that became Underworld. And now, he’s created I, Frankenstein, the story of Mary Shelley’s artificial human fighting in a war between gargoyles and demons. He explains to us where this story came from, and…

At last, The Originals adds real emotion to its random plot twists

Since The Originals started airing, it’s never been dull — the Vampire Diaries spinoff has followed in the footsteps of its parent show, throwing in plot twist after plot twist and betrayal on top of betrayal. But last night’s episode was the first time any of it felt emotionally powerful. Spoilers ahead… This show seems…

Crowley really does make everything on Supernatural 100 percent better

The meat of last night’s Supernatural was a “buddy-comedy” adventure in which Crowley, the King of Hell, replaces Sam as Dean’s partner in crime. The result is awesomeness, the likes of which this show hasn’t served up in ages. Spoilers ahead… What’s great about “First Born” is not just the whip-cracking repartee between Dean and…

Which good book would be great, if you just changed one thing?

Sometimes a science fiction or fantasy novel is like a pure rush of storytelling awesome — with just one fatal flaw, that drags the whole thing down. It’s so frustrating, and makes you want to be a backseat author. Which good book would become great, if you made just one change to it? Please include…

Why is it so hard to write a decent ending?

Endings define stories. A great ending can make everything that’s come before seem retroactively great. A weak ending can ruin everything. But why do they have to be so impossible to write? And is there any trick for crafting a strong ending that doesn’t involve endless misery? In a word, no. Not really. I’ve written…

We finally know who’s playing Captain Underpants on the big screen!

The Captain Underpants books are among the most banned reading material in the world. They’re brilliantly subversive and weird, and a refreshingly dotty spin on superhero lore. And now, they’re becoming an animated movie, with Ed Helms as Captain Underpants himself. https://gizmodo.com/the-most-frequently-banned-book-of-2012-captain-underp-1380399245 According to The Wrap, Kevin Hart (Ride Along) and Thomas Middleditch (The Wolf…

Are we ready for another Event Horizon, only with more impregnation?

Because it sounds like that’s what we’re going to be getting. Rufus Sewell is in talks to star in Animus, a movie that’s described as Event Horizon meets Alien, about an astronaut who gets an alien infection and then turns into the “ultimate alpha male” who “dominates and impregnates” all the women. [Update: Now with…

The Time Gateway is Open! Move to Neutropolis Before Prices Skyrocket!

It never fails: People from the early 21st century start opening time gateways and moving to the super-cities of 23,000 A.D. And before you know it, all of those time-jumping gentrifiers have driven real estate prices through the Oort Cloud. But it’s not too late to get a bargain. We’re selling Xondos, Laafts, and Full…