cross-posted from: https://kbin.social/m/13thFloor/t/520364

It rains a lot, up here; there are winter days when it doesn’t really get light at all, only a bright, indeterminate gray. But then there are days when it’s like they whip aside a curtain to flash you three minutes of sunlit, suspended mountain, the trademark at the start of God’s own movie. It was like that the day her agents phoned, from deep in the heart of their mirrored pyramid on Beverly Boulevard, to tell me she’d merged with the net, crossed over for good, that Kings of Sleep was going triple-platinum. I’d edited most of Kings, done the brain-map work and gone over it all with the fast-wipe module, so I was in line for a share of royalties.

No, I said, no. Then yes, yes, and hung up on them. Got my jacket and took the stairs three at a time, straight out to the nearest bar and an eight-hour blackout that ended on a concrete ledge two meters above midnight. False Creek water. City lights, that same gray bowl of sky smaller now, illuminated by neon and mercury-vapor arcs. And it was snowing, big flakes but not many, and when they touched black water, they were gone, no trace at all. I looked down at my feet and saw my toes clear of the edge of concrete, the water between them. I was wearing Japanese shoes, new and expensive, glove-leather Ginza monkey boots with rubber-capped toes. I stood there for a long time before I took that first step back.

Because she was dead, and I’d let her go. Because, now, she was immortal, and I’d helped her get that way. And because I knew she’d phone me, in the morning.

• William Gibson, The Winter Market

Alternative links and file formats available from Anna's pirate cantina

cross-posted from: https://kbin.social/m/13thFloor/t/350254

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension, often shortened to Buckaroo Banzai, is a 1984 American science fiction film produced and directed by W.D. Richter and written by Earl Mac Rauch. It stars Peter Weller in the title role, with Ellen Barkin, John Lithgow, Jeff Goldblum, and Christopher Lloyd. The supporting cast includes Lewis Smith, Rosalind Cash, Clancy Brown, Pepe Serna, Robert Ito, Vincent Schiavelli, Dan Hedaya, Jonathan Banks, John Ashton, Carl Lumbly and Ronald Lacey.

The film centers upon the efforts of the polymath Dr. Buckaroo Banzai, a physicist, neurosurgeon, test pilot, and rock star, to save the world by defeating a band of inter-dimensional aliens called Red Lectroids from Planet 10. The film is a cross between the action-adventure and science fiction film genres and also includes elements of comedy and romance.

After screenwriter W.D. Richter hired novelist Earl Mac Rauch to develop a screenplay of Mac Rauch's new character, Buckaroo Banzai, Richter teamed with producer Neil Canton to pitch the script to MGM/UA studio chief David Begelman, who took it to 20th Century Fox to make the film. Box office figures were low and less than half of the film's production costs were recovered. Some critics were put off by the complicated plot, although Pauline Kael enjoyed the film and Vincent Canby called it "pure, nutty fun." Buckaroo Banzai has been adapted for books, comics, and a video game and has attracted a loyal cult following.

Wikipedia

Just in case the link doesn't cross post

cross-posted from: https://kbin.social/m/13thFloor/t/513056

The Brooklyn SciFi Film Festival returns for 2023 with 135 films selected for screening October 9 through the 15th. SciFi fans from around the world are welcomed to join this one-of-a-kind event as all films will be made available online for streaming and rating through Brooklyn SciFi's Netflix style festival platform. This year we are proud to select the best films from independent filmmakers representing 26 countries, including first-time filmmakers and industry veterans alike. Classic SciFi themes of time travel, malevolent and friendly robots, clones, space travel, and aliens are well represented along with a renewed focus on A.I. appropriately including some of the festivals first A.I. generated content. U.F.O. fans are sure to enjoy several documentaries delving into extraterrestrial visitors including Accidental Truth - UFO Revelations narrated by actor Matthew Modine (Full Metal Jacket, Stranger Things).

"When the headlines are filled with stories of A.I., dystopian climate change, and UFOs, it's hard to deny we're living in a SciFi future. Let us be your guide."
— Michael Brown, Executive Director - Brooklyn SciFi Film Festival     

Categories include Live Action Short Films, Animation, Comedy SciFi, SciFi Documentary, Feature Films, Student Films and Young Filmmakers. The complete listing of selected films is available online at the BrooklynSciFiFilmFest.com website. The Brooklyn SciFi Film Festival is kicking off its fourth season this year on October 9th and will stream online through October 15th. There will be special events each night as well as watch parties, voting, panels, and the return of the 4th season of our curated film series The Sixth Borough featuring three outrages dystopian SciFi tales each episode. Think of it as the Black Mirror or Twilight Zone of independent SciFi.
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Online and In-Person Events

Events include a Best of Brooklyn screening of 12 Brooklyn-based SciFi short films at Stuart Cinema Cafe in Greenpoint, Brooklyn on October 11th. Animation Exploration night with a panel of 10 animators followed by an evening of films available online on October 12th, a 10th Anniversary online screening of the feature film Computer Chess by director Andrew Bujalski October 13th, and the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in-theater event and after party in Brooklyn on On Saturday October 14th, where we will feature a program of select short films and announce awards in each category. Tickets are available on Eventbrite or from the Brooklyn SciFi website at brooklynscififilmfest.com.

Filmmakers will be recognized in the following categories:

Best Feature Film - Awarded to the best feature length entry selected by our committee.

Best Live Action Short Film - Awarded to the best live action (non-animated) short film (30 minutes or less) selected by our committee.

Best Animated Short Film - Awarded to the best animated (non-live action) short film (30 minutes or less) selected by our committee.

Best Comedy SciFi Short Film – Awarded to the best SciFi comedy short film across all ages and groups.
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Best Student Short Film - Awarded to filmmakers between the ages of 18 and 26, and currently attending a film program at a recognized college, university, or certificate program.

Best Young Filmmakers Award - Awarded to filmmakers under the age of 18, with recognition according to age and/or grade level (depending on number of entries).

Best In Brooklyn - Awarded to the best entry shot in Brooklyn or directed by a Brooklyn-based filmmaker.

Peoples Choice Award - Recognition to the film that receives the most viewer upvotes. Attendees of the festival cast votes for their favorite film to determine the winner.

More About the Brooklyn Scifi Film Festival

Born from a DIY spirit, the BSFFF is committed to being a place of inclusiveness. From its inception, the team behind the BSFFF knew they wanted to create an event that was open to anyone with the passion and determination to get their film made. “Unlike established festivals, which have acceptance rates that resemble the Ivy League, the Brooklyn SciFi Film Festival is a non-elitist home for indie filmmakers everywhere,” said Michael Brown, the co-founder and executive director of BSFFF. “It is, in that sense, the film festival for the people.”

Hat tip to @inkican for his post on @scifi that gave me the heads up on the festival.

cross-posted from: https://kbin.social/m/13thFloor/t/509859

At dawn he arose and stepped out onto the patio for his first look at Alexandria, the one city he had not yet seen. That year the five cities were Chang-an, Asgard, New Chicago, Timbuctoo, Alexandria: the usual mix of eras, cultures, realities. He and Gioia, making the long flight from Asgard in the distant north the night before, had arrived late, well after sundown, and gone straight to bed. Now, by the gentle apricot-hued morning light, the fierce spires and battlements of Asgard seemed merely something he had dreamed.

The rumor was that Asgard’s moment was finished, anyway. In a little while, he had heard, they were going to tear it down and replace it, elsewhere, with Mohenjo-daro. Though there were never more than five cities, they changed constantly. He could remember a time when they had had Rome of the Caesars instead of Chang-an, and Rio de Janeiro rather than Alexandria. These people saw no point in keeping anything very long.

• from Sailing to Byzantium by Robert Silverberg, on page 178

Alternative file formats

Wikipedia on the anthologies

cross-posted from: https://kbin.social/m/13thFloor/t/403415

The Third Man is a 1949 British film noir directed by Carol Reed, written by Graham Greene and starring Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, Orson Welles, and Trevor Howard. Set in postwar Vienna, the film centres on American Holly Martins (Cotten), who arrives in the city to accept a job with his friend Harry Lime (Welles), only to learn that Lime has died. Viewing his death as suspicious, Martins elects to stay in Vienna and investigate the matter.

The atmospheric use of black-and-white expressionist cinematography by Robert Krasker, with harsh lighting and largely subtle "Dutch angle" camera technique, is a major feature of The Third Man. Combined with the iconic theme music by zither player Anton Karas, seedy locations and acclaimed performances from the cast, the style evokes the atmosphere of an exhausted, cynical post-war Vienna at the start of the Cold War.

Greene wrote the novella of the same name as preparation for the screenplay. Karas's title composition "The Third Man Theme" topped the international music charts in 1950, bringing the previously unknown performer international fame; the theme would also inspire Nino Rota's principal melody in La Dolce Vita (1960).[citation needed] The Third Man is considered one of the greatest films of all time, celebrated for its acting, musical score and atmospheric cinematography.[5]

In 1999, the British Film Institute voted The Third Man the greatest British film of all time. In 2011, a poll of 150 actors, directors, writers, producers and critics for Time Out ranked it the second best British film ever.

Wikipedia

cross-posted from: https://kbin.social/m/13thFloor/t/497764

In spite of its ominous literary associations, 1984 proved to be a rather quiet year for SF. There were no major scandals like 1983’s infamous Great Timescape Fiasco, no SF lines driven into oblivion by corporate greed and shortsightedness, no major editorial shakeups … but if you looked closely enough, in the right places, you could see the foundations of the genre’s future for the next decade or so being quietly laid down.

• from the introduction by Dozios

Alternative formats available here

cross-posted from: https://kbin.social/m/13thFloor/t/491274

Here's the cream of the crop: short stories, novelettes, novellas by science fiction writers already well known and awarded for their high-quality work in science fiction. These are writers like Poul Anderson, Joe Haldeman, Tanith Lee, George R. R. Martin, Robert Silverberg, James Tiptree, Jr, Vernor Vinge and Gene Wolfe.

Here also are writers who are newer to the field, but just as excellent, including high-powered talents such as Greg Bear, Jack Dann, Jack McDevitt, Pat Murphy, John Kessel, Rand B. Lee, Pat Cadigan, Kim Stanley Robinson, Bruce Sterling, and Dan Simmons. Altogether there are 250,000 words of great science fiction; twenty-five stories by twenty- four authors. These are the stories that will be nominated for the Hugo and Nebula Awards this year, the stories that years from now people will still be talking about.

The Year's Best Science Fiction was a series of science fiction anthologies edited by American Gardner Dozois until his death in 2018. The series, which is unrelated to the similarly titled and themed Year's Best SF, was published by St. Martin's Griffin. The collections were produced annually for 35 years starting in 1984.

Wikipedia

cross-posted from: https://kbin.social/m/13thFloor/t/423678

CW: They killed Fritz! Nazi mutants watching lots of Nazi propaganda. Elves with PTSD. Nuclear Armageddon. Pajama wearing assassins. Fairies of the night wearing near nothing. Evil Nazi wizard who skipped arm day.

Wizards is a 1977 American animated post-apocalyptic science fantasy film written, directed and produced by Ralph Bakshi and distributed by 20th Century-Fox. The film follows a battle between two wizards of opposing powers, one representing the forces of magic and the other representing the forces of technology.

The film is notable for being the first fantasy film by Bakshi, a filmmaker who was previously known only for "urban films" such as Fritz the Cat, Heavy Traffic and Coonskin. The film grossed US$9 million theatrically with a $2 million budget.

Wikipedia

cross-posted from: https://kbin.social/m/13thFloor/t/478961

It was a special pleasure to see things eaten, to see things blackened and changed. With the brass nozzle in his fists, with this great python spitting its venomous kerosene upon the world, the blood pounded in his head, and his hands were the hands of some amazing conductor playing all the symphonies of blazing and burning to bring down the tatters and charcoal ruins of history. With his symbolic helmet numbered 451 on his stolid head, and his eyes all orange flame with the thought of what came next, he flicked the igniter and the house jumped up in a gorging fire that burned the evening sky red and yellow and black. He strode in a swarm of fireflies. He wanted above all, like the old joke, to shove a marshmallow on a stick in the furnace, while the flapping pigeon-winged books died on the porch and lawn of the house. While the books went up in sparkling whirls and blew away on a wind turned dark with burning.

Wikipedia

cross-posted from: https://kbin.social/m/13thFloor/t/429137

Shadow libraries, sometimes called pirate libraries, consist of texts aggregated outside the legal framework of copyright.

Today's pirate libraries have their roots in the work of Russian academics to digitize texts in the 1990s. Scholars in that part of the world had long had a thriving practice of passing literature and scientific information underground, in opposition to government censorship—part of the samizdat culture, in which banned documents were copied and passed hand to hand through illicit channels. Those first digital collections were passed freely around, but when their creators started running into problems with copyright, their collections “retreated from the public view," writes Balázs Bodó, a piracy researcher based at the University of Amsterdam. "The text collections were far too valuable to simply delete," he writes, and instead migrated to "closed, membership-only FTP servers."

More recently, though, those collections have moved online, where they are available to anyone who knows where to look.

The purpose of this site, then, is to have all these libraries at our fingertips when in need of a certain text or book.

As Aaron Swartz put it:

"Information is power. But like all power, there are those who want to keep it for themselves."

We need to take information, wherever it is stored, make our copies and share them with the world. We need to take stuff that's out of copyright and add it to the archive. We need to buy secret databases and put them on the Web. We need to download scientific journals and upload them to file sharing networks. We need to fight for Guerilla Open Access.

With enough of us, around the world, we'll not just send a strong message opposing the privatization of knowledge — we'll make it a thing of the past. Will you join us?

Read the full text of the Guerilla Open Access Manifesto

cross-posted from: https://kbin.social/m/13thFloor/t/476755

Don't panic, and bring a towel.

For seasoned galactic travelers, if you're looking for the Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which includes:

• Hitchhiker's Guide
• The Restaurant at the End of the Universe
• Life, the Universe, and Everything
• So Long and Thanks for All the Fish
• Young Zaphod Plays It Safe
• Mostly Harmless

... this wormhole should get you there.

Also, upon conferring with both Space and Ice Pirates, I've been persuaded to also provide their contribution here in honor of the late, great Douglas Adams.

Now could you guys please untie my cats and get them off the plank?

cross-posted from: https://kbin.social/m/13thFloor/t/473436

Long ago, so the Storyteller claimed, the evil God Torak sought dominion and drove men and Gods to war. But Belgarath the Sorcerer led men to reclaim the Orb that protected men of the West. So long as it lay at Riva, the prophecy went, men would be safe...

Wikipedia

• Pawn of Prophecy
• Queen of Sorcery
• Magician's Gambit
• Castle of Wizardry
• Enchanter's End Game
• Alternative formats

This series remains some of the best fantasy I've ever read, and it's often very hard to find, as it's been out of print for a while now in most places.

Content Warning: David Eddings has a checkered past regarding the abuse of his adopted son, which he served a year in jail for in 1970. There are likewise dark themes in these novels that some readers may find disturbing. That being said, I believe the work stands on its own as a masterpiece of world-crafting. Please note I present it on those grounds, not as any endorsement of Eddings himself.