Charlie Jane Anders, Author at Gizmodo

What Movie Did You Dislike, Until Someone Explained It To You?

Sometimes a movie just doesn’t work for you — until someone else explains all the cool stuff they got out of it, and all the extra layers of meaning they saw. Sometimes a really good explanation can retroactively make everything that much better. But which movie did you not like until someone gave you their…

Movies Charlie Jane Anders Aug 25 '14

How To Rescue Doctor Who‘s Most Shamefully Underused Companion

The history of Doctor Who is full of supporting characters who were never allowed to develop. Most of the time, the show only has one star. But I can’t think of a character who had more untapped potential than Nyssa, companion to the Fourth and Fifth Doctors. Here’s how her story could have been something…

Television Charlie Jane Anders Aug 25 '14

It’s Ridiculous To Say Science Fiction Books Aren’t Based On Real Life

One of the most annoying fallacies about science fiction and fantasy books is that they’re less connected to reality than “realistic” fiction. In fact, SF and fantasy authors draw on real experiences and facts all the time, as some of the top authors told Jeff VanderMeer. Writing in the L.A. Times, VanderMeer talks to Ann…

Books & Comics Charlie Jane Anders Aug 25 '14

Another Crazy Star Wars Rumor! Plus Did The Stand Movie Find Its Star?

Could Superman actually face the music for his actions in Man of Steel? The members of Amazing Spider-Man’s Secret Six may not be whom you’re expecting. A Doctor Who rumor gets an intriguing non-denial. See tons of clips and promos for Gotham, Doctor Who, Defiance and Star Wars: Rebels. Spoilers right now! Top image: Batman…

Television Charlie Jane Anders Aug 25 '14

Peter Capaldi Is Already Carrying Doctor Who On His Amazing Shoulders

This was a pretty humdrum season Doctor Who season opener for the most part. Except that Peter Capaldi, the new Doctor, is already bringing a marvelously strange energy to the role of the Doctor. Capaldi’s presence lent a huge spark to the storyline about Clara having trouble adjusting to the Doctor’s new face. Spoilers ahead……

Television Charlie Jane Anders Aug 23 '14

Catch Up On Batman v Superman, The Ring 3, Resident Evil 6 And Avatar 2

The Star Wars Expanded Universe may not be as dead as some people believed. The Harry Potter spin-off Fantastic Beasts gets a veteran Potter director. A major Marvel villain comes to Agents of SHIELD, and Syfy’s The Expanse gets two more stars. Plus a startling Doctor Who hint. Spoilers right now! Top image: The Flash…

Television Charlie Jane Anders Aug 22 '14

Geronimo! First Work-Safe Look At The New X-Rated Doctor Who Spoof

Doctor Who’s mysterious time traveler has been many things. The Oncoming Storm. The Last of the Time Lords. The protector of the innocent. But now, he’s becoming… a porn star? Behold an exclusive safe-for-work look at the new X-rated Doctor Who spoof, from the folks who brought you Game of Bones. From Lee Roy Myers,…

Television Charlie Jane Anders Aug 21 '14

The Latest Humble Book Bundle Includes Bujold, Gaiman And Harrison

It’s not every day that you get to buy ten books for just $10 and support the incredibly worthy cause of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund at the same time. But that’s what the latest Humble Book Bundle will let you do. Including Neil Gaiman’s American Gods, and tons more. There are five basic…

Books & Comics Charlie Jane Anders Aug 21 '14

First Look At Peter Bishop’s Untold Adventure, From Before Fringe

In the first episode of Fringe, we meet Peter Bishop, a shady operator who wants nothing to do with his institutionalized scientist father Walter. But what was Peter really up to before Olivia found him? A new Fringe novel reveals all, and we’ve got the exclusive first look. Here’s the official description of the new…

Television Charlie Jane Anders Aug 21 '14

Which Character Is A Hero To Us, But A War Criminal To The Other Side?

Sometimes, one culture’s hero is another culture’s villain — especially if they were on opposite sides of a conflict. Everybody always says that the winners write history, but often both sides have different versions. So which character is either a savior or a butcher, depending on whom you ask? Please include a link to a…

Movies Charlie Jane Anders Aug 20 '14

io9 Is Hiring: We’re Looking For A Few Good Researchers!

Are you just starting your career, and want to get your feet wet with a research job at io9? We’ve got three openings — two for contributing researchers who focus on culture and entertainment, and one for a half-time editorial fellow in the sciences who will do research, writing, and outreach in the science community.…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Aug 20 '14

This 1965 Soviet Documentary About Lunar Colonization Is Astounding

The Space Age gave birth to some absolutely beautiful visions of space exploration and life in space — including a ton of lovely artwork from Soviet creators. And one of the most striking Soviet works of space-age futurism came in 1965, in a documentary called Luna or Moon. The whole beautiful thing is online, with…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Aug 20 '14

Top 10 Most Ridiculously Overcomplicated Doctor Who Villain Schemes

The Doctor, that time-traveling alien mad scientist, is a clever man — but his foes often outsmart themselves. We may never know the Doctor’s real name, but the Master’s name is clearly Rube Goldberg. Here are the 10 most ludicrously byzantine plots that Doctor Who’s baddies have cooked up. In general, if your goal is…

Television Charlie Jane Anders Aug 20 '14

Guardians Concept Art Shows Rocket Could Have Looked Way More Grizzled

Rocket Raccoon struck a pretty amazing balance between cuteness and badassery in Guardians of the Galaxy — but check out some concept art which shows a much more grizzled, war-torn version. Concept artist Justin Sweet just posted this Guardians art, along with very different versions of Groot, Gamora, Drax and Star-Lord. Sweet posted this artwork…

Movies Charlie Jane Anders Aug 20 '14

This Is Some Of The Most Wonderful Ghost-Story Writing I’ve Ever Seen

“Something Amazing” by Elizabeth McCracken may or may not actually be a ghost story — she seems to be dwelling in ambiguous territory, and veers away from the supernatural by the end — but it has some of the best ghostly imagery I’ve ever seen on the page. Top image: V.H. Hammer. In “Something Amazing,”…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Aug 19 '14

The “Satanic Law Firm” Movie Devil’s Advocate Is Becoming A TV Show

Remember when Keanu Reeves played a lawyer who went to work at a hot law firm — only to find that his new company actually was as hot as Hell? The movie Devil’s Advocate (originally based on a novel by Andrew Neiderman) is getting a TV adaptation. But who can replace Al Pacino? According to…

Movies Charlie Jane Anders Aug 19 '14

Why I’m Excited For DC Comics’ Massive New Movie Plans

A couple weeks ago, Warner Bros. announced it was claiming release dates for nine unspecified DC Comics films, between now and 2020. This signaled that Warners is serious about building on the success of Man of Steel, and challenging Marvel’s comic-book movie ascendancy. And here’s why that’s a good thing. There’s been a lot of…

Movies Charlie Jane Anders Aug 19 '14

Who’s The Greatest Fictional Scientist Of All Time?

Everybody admires the explorers and action heroes, who go where nobody’s gone before and set off explosions along the way. But what about the scientists, who invent the cool gear and form the theories that inform everything? Who’s the absolute greatest scientist in all of science fiction? Please include a video clip of your chosen…

Movies Charlie Jane Anders Aug 18 '14

Science Fiction And Fantasy Books That Will Change Your Life This Fall

Science fiction and fantasy books are seriously going to blow your mind this fall. William Gibson returns to the future. Plus there are new books by David Mitchell, Anne Rice, Michael Moorcock, Margaret Atwood and Patrick Rothfuss. Here are the 30 books you absolutely cannot afford to miss this fall. Top image: Willful Child by…

Books & Comics Charlie Jane Anders Aug 18 '14

Can Authors Be Wrong About The Adaptations Of Their Own Books?

We tend to trust an author’s judgment when it comes to the quality of an adaptation of his or her books. But sometimes, maybe authors don’t always know best, as an essay in AwardsCircuit points out. Lois Lowry extravagantly praised the new movie of The Giver, despite the huge liberties it takes with her book…

Movies Charlie Jane Anders Aug 18 '14

Charlie Jane Anders

What Movie Did You Dislike, Until Someone Explained It To You?

How To Rescue Doctor Who‘s Most Shamefully Underused Companion

It’s Ridiculous To Say Science Fiction Books Aren’t Based On Real Life

Another Crazy Star Wars Rumor! Plus Did The Stand Movie Find Its Star?

Peter Capaldi Is Already Carrying Doctor Who On His Amazing Shoulders

Catch Up On Batman v Superman, The Ring 3, Resident Evil 6 And Avatar 2

Geronimo! First Work-Safe Look At The New X-Rated Doctor Who Spoof

The Latest Humble Book Bundle Includes Bujold, Gaiman And Harrison

First Look At Peter Bishop’s Untold Adventure, From Before Fringe

Which Character Is A Hero To Us, But A War Criminal To The Other Side?

io9 Is Hiring: We’re Looking For A Few Good Researchers!

This 1965 Soviet Documentary About Lunar Colonization Is Astounding

Top 10 Most Ridiculously Overcomplicated Doctor Who Villain Schemes

Guardians Concept Art Shows Rocket Could Have Looked Way More Grizzled

This Is Some Of The Most Wonderful Ghost-Story Writing I’ve Ever Seen

The “Satanic Law Firm” Movie Devil’s Advocate Is Becoming A TV Show

Why I’m Excited For DC Comics’ Massive New Movie Plans

Who’s The Greatest Fictional Scientist Of All Time?

Science Fiction And Fantasy Books That Will Change Your Life This Fall

Can Authors Be Wrong About The Adaptations Of Their Own Books?

Meta Plans to Turn Its Employees’ Clicks and Keystrokes into AI Training Data

Physicists Now Understand Why a Weird Quantum Gas Refuses to Heat Up

Watch the Lego ‘Project Hail Mary’ Set (Almost) Go to Space

Shark Glam Ceramic Multi-Styler Is Nearly Half the Price of Dyson Airwrap at an All-Time Low on Amazon

OpenAI Unveils New Image Generator to Usher in an AI Slop ‘Renaissance’

Xbox Game Pass Now Costs Less, but That Doesn’t Mean It’s a Good Deal

The Trailer for ‘Affection’ Teases a Medical Mystery From Hell

So How Did Artemis 2’s Heat Shield Hold Up? The First Results Are In

Watch a Guy Fabricate Functioning Micron-Scale RAM Cells in His Garden Shed

Scientists Probed the Rings Around Uranus to Find Out How They Got There

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