Charlie Jane Anders

Wow, Game Of Thrones Season 5 Is Even Darker Than We Expected

We kind of assumed this year on Game of Thrones was going to be as bitter and dark as graveyard-shift coffee. After all, it’s based on the two ugliest books, A Feast for Crows and A Dance With Dragons. But we saw the season premiere last night, and it’s even nastier. Here are our spoiler-free…

Win A Free Pass To A Screening Of Harlock: Space Pirate!

Space Pirate Captain Harlock is a beloved manga and anime series about a space adventurer, from the creator of Space Battleship Yamato (aka Star Blazers). A couple years ago, they made a live-action* version, and now at last it’s coming to the U.S. And we’ve got free passes to a few screenings later this week.…

Did 12 Monkeys Just Explain How Changing The Past Works?

Last Friday’s episode of 12 Monkeys took a lot of audacious, dark risks. And it added to our sense that this show is piling on the mythos, in good ways and bad. There are now several extra layers of mystery and foreshadowing on top of what we already knew. But most importantly… did someone explain…

Avengers: Age Of Skynet! Or Age Of Johnny 5? The Best Trailer Mashups

Last week, we asked you to send us your favorite Avengers 2 trailer remixes and mash-ups. And the response was pretty awesome. Not suprisingly, there were a lot of Ultron/Terminator mash-ups, but also a beautiful Short Circuit/Age of Ultron combo. Here are our favorite Avengers: Age of Ultron trailer remixes! Avengers/Terminator Mashup by Micah Tony…

One less reason to be excited about upcoming movies: The Moon and the Sun, the movie version of Vonda McIntyre’s beloved historical fantasy novel, has had its release date pushed back from April 12, 2015, to “TBA.” Dammit. Contact the author at [email protected].

The Cutest Sock Puppets In The Universe, The Clangers, Are Back!

One of the weirdest things ever to air in British TV was The Clangers, a show about weird little creatures made of wool, who live on the Moon. (Doctor Who fans will remember it as the Master’s favorite TV show in “The Sea Devils.”) And now the Clangers are coming back after 40 years —…

Matthew Broderick Is Prince Charming In The Strangest Cinderella Of All

Kenneth Branagh’s Cinderella was pleasingly silly, and boasted a completely insane cast. But it just can’t compete with this 1985 version. See for yourself: That’s Matthew Broderick, pre-Ferris Bueller, as Prince Charming. Plus Flashdance’s Jennifer Beals as Cinderella, and All in the Family’s Jean Stapleton as the Fairy Godmother. This treasure for the ages was…

All I Want To Do With My Life Is Watch Stefan-Caroline YouTube Videos

I was going to recap last night’s episode of Vampire Diaries, but instead all I want to do (with my weekend, pretty much) is watch all of the Stefan-Caroline clips on Youtube. Of which there are a lot. Turns out Stefan and Caroline are even more fun when they’re both remorseless monsters. YAY! Actually, last…

Which TV Show Was Cancelled Just As It Was Getting Interesting?

Sometimes you watch the last ever episode of a TV show that’s already been killed, and you can’t help thinking, “Damn, they waited too long to get to the good part.” Which TV show dragged its feet for an entire season (or three), only to turn into something really interesting in its final hour? This…

Insurgent Is Like Two Hours Of Someone Else’s Terrible Therapy Session

There was always something ugly at the heart of the wish-fulfillment in the Divergent series — everybody except me is one dimensional, because I’m special! But where the first movie managed to turn this into a weirdly sweet adventure about trying fit in, the sequel just goes full-on narcissistic. And dreary. Spoilers ahead… Divergent and…

Reminder! We’re holding our first ever Video Remix Contest! Make your own mash-up, remix, spoof or Sweded version of the Avengers: Age of Ultron trailer, and post it here. We’ll post the best ones on Monday.

The Monkey Roars! NASA just released this beautiful mosaic image of part of the Monkey Head Nebula, showing a cloud made up of ultraviolet light hitting cooler hydrogen gas. This image is partly visible light and partly infrared, which shows interstellar dust particles heated by radiation from the stars in the middle.

On Supernatural, Sam And Dean’s Main Critic Becomes Their  #1 Fan

The character of Cole had a lot of potential on Supernatural: someone with a reason to hate Dean (who killed Cole’s father.) Someone who hadn’t drunk the hunter Kool-Aid. He could have provided an interesting critique of the Winchesters — but as of last night’s episode, Cole is totally on the Sam-and-Dean fan bandwagon. In…

The Worst Taboo In Urban Fantasy

Urban fantasy often seems more open-minded than other fantasy subgenres. You can have more sex, more swearing, loads of blasphemy, and tons of gonzo violence. So what can’t you have in urban fantasy books? Apparently, an older female protagonist, as author Harry Connolly found out. Writing in Black Gate, Connolly describes why he wanted to…

Pride And Prejudice And Dragons? Naomi Novik won’t ever have Jane Austen show up as a character in the Temeraire books — but she is working on a story about “the adventures of Captain Elizabeth Bennet and her dragon Wollstonecraft.” HECK YEAH. Contact the author at [email protected].

18 Perfect Short Stories That Pack More Of A Punch Than Most Novels

People sometimes mistake short stories for trifles, wee vignettes that are over before they start. But there’s a reason why many of the best movies are based on short fiction rather than novels: a short story is just the right length to blow your mind. Here are 18 science fiction and short stories that rock…

The Barely Lethal Trailer Looks Like The Next Best Thing To Kick-Ass 3

When a teenage girl (Hailee Steinfeld) gets tired of being trained non-stop as an assassin, she decides to hide out at a high school and pretend to be a normal kid. Hilarity, pretty much, ensues. Since we might never get a third movie about Hit-Girl’s adventures in adolescence, this could be a good replacement for…

Alex Garland Says That Dredd 2 Is Not Going To Happen

Dredd was a beloved comic-book adaptation that actually did justice to the iconic post-apocalyptic lawman. But don’t hold your breath for a sequel — even though fans have been pushing for Dredd 2 for a few years, writer Alex Garland tells us it’s not going to happen. Yesterday we were taking part in a small…

“SHIELD Hasn’t Changed”: The Most Depressing Agents of SHIELD Yet?

Since the very first episode involving Mike Peterson, the big question on Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD has been, “How do you handle people with potentially destructive powers?” And last night’s episode, “One Of Us,” suggests that SHIELD’s answer to that question was… not great. Spoilers ahead… In “One of Us,” Cal is trying to rescue…

It Sucks When Your Body’s Previous Occupant Was A Jerk, On The Originals

This is one of those situations they probably have a word for in German. What do you do when you meet your ex-wife, except that her body is now occupied by the sister of the person who was occupying your body until recently? That’s the kind of etiquette problem that only The Originals is brave…