Charlie Jane Anders, Author at Gizmodo

The Most Amazing Bollywood Space Opera You’ll Ever See

This is apparently India’s first science fiction film: Trip to Moon, in which a crew of super-tough spacemen in wide belts fight robots, cyclops and supervillains. The excitement really starts around two hours, 15 minutes in, when the awesome fight scene begins. And then they blast off from Earth and nuke the surface on their…

Movies Charlie Jane Anders

Orson Scott Card’s Hamlet: Not as Good as Shakespeare’s Version

You have to hand it to Ender’s Game author Orson Scott Card. He already reworked Iron Man’s origin so that Tony Stark’s entire body is made out of brain matter that lets him regenerate severed extremities. And now Card has rebooted Shakespeare’s Hamlet. What could possibly go wrong? Top image: Detail from cover of Ender…

Books & Comics Charlie Jane Anders

Where would superheroes be without 9/11?

There’s a meme going around lately, saying that the September 11 attacks gave rise to our current boom in superhero movies. And there’s definitely some truth to it — superheroes gave us a nice escapist fantasy in the wake of a terrible tragedy, and allowed us to talk about some stuff we couldn’t have addressed…

Movies Charlie Jane Anders

Must Watch: John Kessel on Future Stories as a Mirror of the Present

Acclaimed science fiction author and literature professor John Kessel recently gave a fantastic talk about science fiction, and you can watch the whole thing online. Here’s the blurb: Science fiction is popularly understood to be about showing us the world of the future: space travel, robots, immortality, encounters with aliens, mechanized cities, human evolution. But…

Books & Comics Charlie Jane Anders

A Post-Apocalyptic Porn Movie in the Style of Aliens/BSG (and Not Played for Laughs!)

You sort of expect Horizon, the science fiction porn movie written and directed by Sam Hain, to be a spoof or a tongue-in-cheek parody. But the (totally work-safe) trailer shows, they’re playing this absolutely straight. (Although some people may giggle a bit at the bargain basement CG and a bit of the acting in the…

Trailers Charlie Jane Anders

Ray Bradbury’s Scientific Obsessions

There’s a fantastic article over at New Scientist about the science that shaped Ray Bradbury’s development as a person and as a writer, including his early fascination with theories about life on Mars, and his obsession with psychology. Written by Bradbury’s biographer (and co-founder of the Center for Ray Bradbury Studies) Jonathan R. Eller, the…

Books & Comics Charlie Jane Anders

All the Coolest Costumes and Props We Saw at Dragon*Con!

Every year, the amazing spectacle of Dragon*Con knocks our socks off. It’s like a whole city of fandom comes together for a long weekend and maxes out the amount of awesome that downtown Atlanta can contain. And the cosplay and props are always a key part of the wonder and fascination of Dragon*Con. Here are…

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Warner Bros. Making Beetlejuice 2 with the Pride and Prejudice and Zombies author?

Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice is one of the world’s most perfect movies, but does it really need an additional installment? Pride and Prejudice and Zombies author Seth Grahame-Smith apparently thinks so, and he’s developing a new version with his producing partner David Katzenberg (son of Jeff). The new Beetlejuice film, which Deadline describes as Beetlejuice 2,…

Movies Charlie Jane Anders

Is George R.R. Martin helping to save print book sales?

Sales of physical books in August dropped 9 percent from the same month in 2010 in the United Kingdom, according to Nielsen BookScan. And spending on novels, in particular was down 15 percent year on year. There was only one category that didn’t face a steep decline: science fiction and fantasy, which actually grew “thanks…

Books & Comics Charlie Jane Anders

How Nerd Rage Helps Make the World Better

Nerd rage gets a bum rap. People think that angry nerds are just freaking out about minor continuity mistakes, or taking stuff too seriously. But sometimes, geeks get mad for good reason, and when people assume nerd rage is trivial, it’s part of an overall process of belittling geeks. And when enough geeks get pissed…

Movies Charlie Jane Anders

10 Reasons We Love Fictional Engineers and Techies

No hero, or team of heroes, is complete without the techie. Every starship has an engineer. Every secret agent has his (or her) gadget-maker. Every superhero team has the person who can fix stuff. Usually, this person is pushed to the background — but they end up being our favorite character anyway. Here are 10…

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Is there any way that Torchwood and Doctor Who can still be in the same universe?

Torchwood started life as a spin-off from Doctor Who, and the two shows have always maintained a fairly tight continuity. But now that Torchwood is a Starz/BBC co-production, that seems to have gone out the window, somewhat. At the very least, events on both shows have people wondering if there’s any way they can still…

Television Charlie Jane Anders

Did Close Encounters of the Third Kind launch post-modernism?

That’s what the Guardian claims in a new article today. Steven Spielberg’s seminal 1977 film eschewed the rationality that had been science fiction’s hallmark, in favor of an unexplained brush with the transcendent, which mostly takes place in suburbia. Instead of figuring stuff out, Richard Dreyfuss’ character starts creating weird modern art, out of materials…

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No, science fiction novelists are not really predicting the future

There’s a curiously wide-eyed article from the New York Times, about some recent science fiction novels that have uncannily come true, which is making the rounds online. Are science fiction novelists really predicting the future after all? Er, no. What it boils down to, in the end, is that some people wrote books about economic…

Books & Comics Charlie Jane Anders

This Week’s TV: Torchwood, Futurama and True Blood end. Plus Neil Patrick Harris times two!

The indispensable Neil Patrick Harris appears on two different cartoons this week, as a handsome prince and a deadly supervillain — and he sings power ballads both times! Plus there are season finales of Torchwood, True Blood and Futurama. But that’s not all! Doctor Who also gives us new insights into the amazing Amy Pond.…

Television Charlie Jane Anders

First New Photos of Fringe Season 4: What’s wrong with Walter?

Looks like Walter Bishop is in really bad shape in the season premiere of Fringe, judging from this grievous new photo from the fourth season opener of Fringe, “Neither Here Nor There.” The new official photos also show Astrid in action, and a familiar ally back on the team. The studio also released some gorgeous…

Television Charlie Jane Anders

Doctor Who explains why your kids need a good scare

For a good chunk of tonight’s Doctor Who episode, I was wondering if it was a bit of a retort to the people who claim the BBC’s time-traveling horror-comedy is too scary for little kids. After all, the episode seemed to be saying, over-protecting children from what scares them can perversely have the opposite effect,…

Television Charlie Jane Anders

Torchwood: Miracle Day reveals the ultimate evolution of humanity

Last night’s Torchwood had two things we love: Dystopian insanity, and a deep, ancient, pulsating horror. Check out this totally excellent clip, where Jilly Kitzinger travels deep into the heart of the mystery of the Blessing. After a while in which Torchwood Miracle Day seemed to be in a holding pattern, last night’s penultimate episode…

Television Charlie Jane Anders

Why We Need More Space Adventures

Two depressing facts became apparent the other day: 1) NASA is so desperate to get people excited about space travel, they were willing to consider collaborating on the horror mockumentary Apollo 18. 2) The fall 2011 season is the first time there’s been no TV show, on any network, featuring people on spaceships, since probably…

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How to crochet your favorite science fiction and fantasy icons

Need a good crafts project for the long weekend? Want to make something cool and awesome for your kids? How about crocheting your own Spock from Star Trek, or Darth Vader? Or this totally amazing Wall-E and Eve from Wall-E? Craftster has an amazing collection of crocheted characters, as well as instructions on how to…

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Charlie Jane Anders

The Most Amazing Bollywood Space Opera You’ll Ever See

Orson Scott Card’s Hamlet: Not as Good as Shakespeare’s Version

Where would superheroes be without 9/11?

Must Watch: John Kessel on Future Stories as a Mirror of the Present

A Post-Apocalyptic Porn Movie in the Style of Aliens/BSG (and Not Played for Laughs!)

Ray Bradbury’s Scientific Obsessions

All the Coolest Costumes and Props We Saw at Dragon*Con!

Warner Bros. Making Beetlejuice 2 with the Pride and Prejudice and Zombies author?

Is George R.R. Martin helping to save print book sales?

How Nerd Rage Helps Make the World Better

10 Reasons We Love Fictional Engineers and Techies

Is there any way that Torchwood and Doctor Who can still be in the same universe?

Did Close Encounters of the Third Kind launch post-modernism?

No, science fiction novelists are not really predicting the future

This Week’s TV: Torchwood, Futurama and True Blood end. Plus Neil Patrick Harris times two!

First New Photos of Fringe Season 4: What’s wrong with Walter?

Doctor Who explains why your kids need a good scare

Torchwood: Miracle Day reveals the ultimate evolution of humanity

Why We Need More Space Adventures

How to crochet your favorite science fiction and fantasy icons

Forget Ray-Ban Meta, XREAL 1S AR/XR Virtual Screen Smart Glasses Drop to Record Low on Amazon

Pixel Buds Pro 2 Hit Record Low as Google Continues Its Clearance-Like Price Cuts Following Smartphone Deals

DJI Now Has a Cheaper 360 Drone Than Insta360, but the U.S. Won’t Get It

Amazon Clears Out Apple Watch Series 9 With Silver Stainless Steel Case at 48% Off During Spring Sale

What Do You Mean Fox McCloud Is in the ‘Super Mario Galaxy’ Movie

Apple iPad With A16 Chip Is Now as Cheap as It Gets, With Stock Moving Quickly in Amazon’s Tablet Deals

Amazon Echo Spot Is Running at Its All-Time Low, Likely the Last Chance Before Prime Day Arrives in a Few Months

Diablo Cody Has Big Plans for the ‘Jennifer’s Body’ Sequel

Sonos Play Review: Call It a Comeback

Sonos Era 100 SL Review: The Cheapest Way Into Wired Sonos Sound

Asus ROG’s Massive Swift OLED Gaming Monitor Epitomizes Excess in the Best Way

The Ikea Varmblixt Smart Lamp Fills a Donut Hole in My Life

Nothing Headphone A vs. Headphone 1: Which Pair of ANC Wireless Headphones Wins?

Asus ROG’s Cetra Open Wireless Gaming Earbuds Might Be Better Than Wearing a Headset

Nintendo’s Talking Flower Is Annoying as Hell. I Love It

Level Lock Pro Review: As Good as a Secret Smart Lock Gets

Apple Studio Display XDR Review: It Looks So Good, I Wish It Were an iMac

RayNeo Air 4 Pro Review: My Eyes Love These Video Glasses, but My Nose Disagrees

M5 MacBook Air Review: A Laptop With Real Middle Child Energy

MacBook Neo Review: No Other Budget Laptop Can Compete