Charlie Jane Anders, Author at Gizmodo

“How Did This Turn Into A Flirty Thing?” Amy Acker Talks Root And Shaw

The new season of Person of Interest plunged us into a dystopian A.I.-monitored world. And all of a sudden, Root is the linchpin of everything, as she helps the undercover Machine Gang. We talked to Amy Acker about Root’s new role, her flirtation with Shaw, and whether Root will be meeting Samaritan’s right-hand woman Rousseau.…

Television Charlie Jane Anders Sep 29 '14

Why Nobody Ever Asks If Irony Has Ruined Science Fiction

Every few years, there’s another essay insisting that irony is ruining culture. Hipsters and postmodernism have created an insincere world where nothing means anything. But you never hear anybody insisting that irony has ruined science fiction. That’s because irony is part of the creative life-force of the genre. Top image: Cover of Thomas Pynchon’s Crying…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Sep 29 '14

Which Story Went Terribly Wrong, But Then Managed A Beautiful Ending?

The world is full of stories that stoked up your excitement, only to deliver a weak ending. But sometimes, the opposite happens — sometimes you get a disastrous middle, and then a story randomly pulls out a beautiful ending. What’s the most wonderful ending to a weak story you’ve ever seen? Please include a picture,…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Sep 29 '14

In The Movie Of Heinlein’s “All You Zombies,” Ethan Hawke Is A TimeCop

The most famous story of time travel and predestination is getting a movie adaptation, starring Ethan Hawke. Robert A. Heinlein’s “All You Zombies” features a guy whose very existence is a time paradox — but the movie looks like more of a gritty, noir-influenced thriller. Above is the brand new international trailer for Predestination, from…

Trailers Charlie Jane Anders Sep 29 '14

With This Episode, Doctor Who Season 8 Starts To Pay Off, Big Time

“The Caretaker” is my favorite episode of the Peter Capaldi era of Doctor Who thus far. And it’s also probably going to turn out to be the episode where this season really “clicks” for me. Really great stuff, that puts the Doctor on the spot in a way we’ve never seen before. Spoilers ahead… Parts…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Sep 27 '14

This Tweet By Katy Manning Will Make Your Weekend

And now I absolutely want to see a Twelfth Doctor/Jo adventure…

Tech News Charlie Jane Anders Sep 27 '14

Creepy Idea For A TV Show: Doctor Battles “Demonic Contagion”

We’re pretty sick of supernatural medical dramas, but the new show that NBC just gave a green light sounds pretty different. In Maidenhead, a scientist goes to a Connecticut suburb to examine a teen girl, only to find that demonic influence is an epidemic spreading like wildfire. https://gizmodo.com/10-weird-tv-show-ideas-that-the-networks-keep-trying-ov-1634038465 It doesn’t hurt that the pilot of…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Sep 26 '14

First Babadook Trailer Makes This Horror Movie Look Almost Too Intense

Seriously, most horror movies just look amusing or kind of thrilling… but The Babadook, the movie everybody’s been buzzing about since Sundance, actually looks like it might freak me out a little too much. Something about really powerful scares, and a really intense personal story. We showed you a teaser trailer and a brief clip…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Sep 26 '14

Which Movie Or TV Show Had Such Bad VFX, It Threw You Out Of The Story?

It’s amazing what technical wizardry (and millions of dollars) can bring to life on screen these days. CG and practical effects can show stuff that would have been impossible even a few years ago. But when it fails… it fails hard. Which movie or TV show distracted you fatally with its lackluster effects? Please include…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Sep 26 '14

What Big Finish Doctor Who Audios Should Absolutely Everyone Listen To?

During the long era when Doctor Who was off the air, the show was kept alive partly by books — and partly by audio adventures, most of them released by Big Finish. At this point, though, there are hundreds of them out there. So which ones are absolutely essential? I’ll be honest — I’ve listened…

Television Charlie Jane Anders Sep 26 '14

Boxtrolls Is A Movie For Uncivilized People Of All Kinds

All of the best comedies are subversive. And by that token, the new animated movie The Boxtrolls is a tremendous success — it takes the fabric of society and gleefully shreds it, showing how silly and easily manipulated most “decent” people are. Along the way, though, the film gets kind of heavy-handed, and a little…

Movies Charlie Jane Anders Sep 26 '14

A 5-Year-Old Worries Voyager Will Get Lonely, Receives Best Answer Ever

This is, hands down, the sweetest thing you’ll hear today. A five-year-old named Timor from British Columbia has been having trouble sleeping because he worries about the Voyager space probe. Won’t it get lonely? What if it crashes? So the CBC arranged for him to get some reassurance. You can hear the whole thing, in…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Sep 25 '14

Which TV Show Did You Fill Your DVR With, But Never Actually Watch?

Life is short. And television is endless. Nobody has time to watch all the great shows that are on TV. The road to your DVR is paved with good intentions. But which show did you really, really mean to watch… but instead, it just filled your DVR with unseen episodes? Please include a picture or…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Sep 25 '14

Some Of The Brilliant Art You Could Own From Ray Bradbury’s Collection

This is an amazing opportunity to have some absolutely wonderful art in your home, which used to belong to one of the all-time great SF authors. As we mentioned last night, Ray Bradbury’s art collection is being auctioned off. And here’s just some of the incredible artwork you could own. Top image: one of 10…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Sep 25 '14

Vintage Zine Art Is Like Staring Into The Dreams Of A Lost Subculture

Lenny Kaye, the long-time guitarist for the Patti Smith Group, amassed a collection of 1500 mimeographed science fiction zines from the 1940s to the 1970s, and they’re on display this weekend at the New York Art Book Fair. These zine covers are wild and in some cases kind of alarming. Writing in Thought Catalog, Mark…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Sep 25 '14

The 12 Weirdest Reasons For Banning Science Fiction and Fantasy Books

It’s Banned Books Week! But people are trying to keep great books out of libraries and schools every hour of every day, year round. And often, people’s reasons for challenging these titles are really, really… outlandish. Here are 12 SF and fantasy books that people have given incomprehensible reasons for banning. Top image: Neverwhere, art…

io9 Diana Biller and Charlie Jane Anders Sep 25 '14

Chilling Sneak Peek Of Saturday’s Intruders: Mira Sorvino’s Dark Secret

What’s happened to Amy, the character played by Mira Sorvino on The Intruders? She seems to be hatching some big plans, judging from this exclusive clip from Saturday’s episode. No wonder James Frain looks terrified. Spoilers ahead… In last week’s episode of Intruders, there was a surprising revelation: Amy Whelan, the wife of John Simm’s…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Sep 25 '14

Which Character Was Better When They Were The Only One Of Their Kind?

Sometimes you have a character who’s really cool and unique… and then someone comes along and decides that if one of those characters is good, then a whole bunch of them would be even better. Who’s the best example of a character who was way better when he or she was the only one around?…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Sep 24 '14

The Question Nobody Dares To Ask: How Do The Turtles Get Their Pizza?

Seriously, this is one of those questions that requires a lot of worldbuilding and thought to answer — the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles can’t exactly show their faces in public, plus they’re ninjas. So how on Earth do they obtain the pizza on which they mostly subsist? Over at Stack Exchange, someone has asked this…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Sep 24 '14

The Agents Of SHIELD Are A Sad Shadow Of Their Former Selves

The season opener of Agents of SHIELD wasn’t super plot-heavy. Rather, it focused on the characters, showing just how messed-up our team still is, months later. And we glimpsed just how much of an uphill journey it’s going to be for these guys to help themselves, much less anybody else. Spoilers ahead… So the big…

Movies Charlie Jane Anders Sep 24 '14

Charlie Jane Anders

“How Did This Turn Into A Flirty Thing?” Amy Acker Talks Root And Shaw

Why Nobody Ever Asks If Irony Has Ruined Science Fiction

Which Story Went Terribly Wrong, But Then Managed A Beautiful Ending?

In The Movie Of Heinlein’s “All You Zombies,” Ethan Hawke Is A TimeCop

With This Episode, Doctor Who Season 8 Starts To Pay Off, Big Time

This Tweet By Katy Manning Will Make Your Weekend

Creepy Idea For A TV Show: Doctor Battles “Demonic Contagion”

First Babadook Trailer Makes This Horror Movie Look Almost Too Intense

Which Movie Or TV Show Had Such Bad VFX, It Threw You Out Of The Story?

What Big Finish Doctor Who Audios Should Absolutely Everyone Listen To?

Boxtrolls Is A Movie For Uncivilized People Of All Kinds

A 5-Year-Old Worries Voyager Will Get Lonely, Receives Best Answer Ever

Which TV Show Did You Fill Your DVR With, But Never Actually Watch?

Some Of The Brilliant Art You Could Own From Ray Bradbury’s Collection

Vintage Zine Art Is Like Staring Into The Dreams Of A Lost Subculture

The 12 Weirdest Reasons For Banning Science Fiction and Fantasy Books

Chilling Sneak Peek Of Saturday’s Intruders: Mira Sorvino’s Dark Secret

Which Character Was Better When They Were The Only One Of Their Kind?

The Question Nobody Dares To Ask: How Do The Turtles Get Their Pizza?

The Agents Of SHIELD Are A Sad Shadow Of Their Former Selves

Florida’s Attorney General Opens Criminal Investigation Into OpenAI’s Role in Mass Shooting

James Wan Didn’t Storm Out of a ‘Mummy’ Test Screening, He Just Needed to Pee

Trump Brags That Tim Cook Would ‘Kiss My Ass’ as the Apple CEO Steps Aside

‘The Omen’ Remains a Searing Reminder That No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

The Lyrids Peak Tonight. Here’s How to Catch Spring’s First Meteor Shower

Alex Karp’s ‘Supervillain’ Manifesto Is Putting Palantir’s Contracts at Risk

Roku Streambar SE Hits Its Lowest Price, Soundbar and Streaming in One for Under $80

NASA Breaks Silence on Deaths and Disappearances of Scientists With Ties to Space Tech

Japanese Man Sentenced For Posting ‘Godzilla’ Spoilers Online

Trump Is Warming Up to Anthropic Again, Says the Company Could ‘Be of Great Use’

I’ve Tested a Lot of Bad Smart Glasses and These Are the Worst Yet

Roborock’s Qrevo Curv 2 Flow Is the Ultimate Robot Mop—If You Don’t Have Corners or Walls

Alienware’s $350 QD-OLED Gaming Monitor Nixes Everything for a Pretty Screen

Sony Inzone H6 Air Review: A Perfect Case for Open-Back Gaming Headsets

Anker’s EufyMake E1 Finally Brings Printers Out of the Dark Ages

The Soundboks Mix Is Going to Make You the Most Popular Guy at the Park

Asus Zenbook A16 Review: Start Considering Snapdragon on PC, for Real

Aqara Thermostat Hub W200 Review: Almost Better than My Ecobee

HP Omen Max 45L Review: 4K60 Gaming Has Never Been So Easy

Ecovacs Winbot W3 Omni Review: Window Cleaning Robots Have a Long Way to Go