July 28, 2012

IRON SKY: We Come in Peace

ALERT TO ALL: Nazis from the Dark side of the moon are invading Independence, MO on August 23rd, 2012!  

Join the resistance for freedom and the American way, y'all.



Where: Independence Commons 20 (MAP HERE!
When: Thursday, August 23, 7:30pm - 9:18pm
What: Nazis!!! That's what! In an alternate future, Nazis from the darkside of the moon come to create the Fourth Reich. Also, Palin is president. Lol.
For more details check out the Wikipedia page (Potential spoilers): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_Sky

You MUST reserve your tickets ASAP!--> http://www.tugg.com/events/1115
(Deadline for tickets reservation is August 16! WE NEED TO FILL 40 SEATS!!!! 10 Seats left! Full refund if quota is not met and event is not confirmed.)

Possible pre-show dinner: TBD (Options: Fazoli's, Smokehouse BBQ, and Chili's, Applebee's, Texas Roadhouse, Chik-Fillet, and 54th Street Grill. Located in (or near) the very same (large) out-front parking area near the AMC Independence Common theatre. Suggestions by Ken K.)

OFFICIAL MOVIE TRAILER:



If you would like more information please check out these helpful sites:
IRON SKY movie page: http://www.ironsky.net/
The Events page: http://www.tugg.com/titles/iron-sky?region=global&state=upcoming#.UBGeilTYNSo

Photo and media credits are © their owners. All rights reserved.

July 23, 2012

LAST CALL for Logos and Call to Pod-Play - 1 Act Plays due by October!

Logo Contest Closes Aug. 1! 

Submit entries now! 

Please refer back to our July post for details. <Insert Link>
    Pod-Play 1 Acts

    Guidelines

    • Must be Family Friendly
    • Fall within a genre we cover as a club
    • Include more than two people
    • Can be comedic, dramatic, or any tone you’d like
    • Not more than an hour long
    • Is ready by October 20, 2012 (meeting date). 
     


    This is an open topic project with endless possibilities. Some prompts are provided below to get you thinking. Have fun and enjoy this. We are also looking for voice talents. Please contact us if you are interested.


     

    Format Guidelines

    Please refer back to our July post. <Insert Link>

    Thank you for your interest and participation. We look forward to seeing what you bring and the performances that result. Good luck and start writing!


    Prompts

    • A group of people discovers a strange object
    • An out of this world party
    • A UFO lands
    • Guidelines for Alien encounters with dramatic enactments
    • Science fiction serial series take off
    • Family of psycho killers recounting “just another day.”
    • Epic Fantasy quest in 1 act
    • Time Safari
    • Colonist’s first day on a new world
    • Broken down on the galactic highway
    • Adapt a 1-act play into a science fiction, horror, or fantasy genre. 
    • Our Neighbors are Aliens
    • Our Neighbors are LARPers
    • Fantasy quest that is really just a well-played D&D game
    • Lost Time Traveler

    Photo Credits:
    Parchment by KSU:
    Radio Presenter US CA NY Radio Clip art:

    July 22, 2012

    Did you Chase it?

    Then it's time to talk about it! 
    SF&F Literati meet Monday July 23!
    Prepare for a rollicking review session! 
    Where: The Oak Park Barnes & Noble Booksellers (see embedded map below!)
    When: 7:00 p.m. Monday July 23, second floor
    What: A. Lee Martinez's Chasing the Moon
    B&N Overview:

    Unspeakable horrors threaten the earth in this fantastic new comic fantasy from the author of Divine Misfortune.
    “Diana's life was in a rut - she hated her job, she was perpetually single, and she needed a place to live. But then the perfect apartment came along. It seemed too good to be true - because it was.
    “The apartment was already inhabited - by monsters. Vom the Hungering was the first to greet Diana and to warn her that his sole purpose in life was to eat everything in his path. This poses a problem for Diana since she's in his path...and is forbidden from ever leaving the apartment.
    “It turns out though that there are older and more ancient monstrous entities afoot - ones who want to devour the moon and destroy the world as we know it. Can Diana, Vom, and the other horrors stop this from happening? Maybe if they can get Vom to stop eating everything...and everyone.”

    Publishers Weekly Review:
    A talking closet and a landlord who's "a bit of a nut" herald the beginning of the end of human civilization in Martinez's lighthearted tale. When Diana moves into apartment 5, she accidentally becomes the caretaker of monstrous, ancient Vom the Hungering. It doesn't seem all bad at first: the fridge is never empty, and she meets interesting neighbors. But she also acquires the startling ability to straddle "multiple floors of reality" and see that the world is suddenly full of bizarre creatures and their squabbling cliques: "It's like high school, except instead of jocks versus nerds, it's the things who eat civilizations versus things who eat galaxies." When Diana learns that Calvin, one of her monstrous new buddies, is planning to destroy the world, she must persuade her other bizarre friends to help head him off. Martinez (Divine Misfortune) excels at off-the-wall storytelling that perfectly suits this cheerful apocalyptic fantasy. (June)

    Now's the time to buy next month's book!
    In August: old story, new "take."
    Same time
    Same place
    New book: Cinder, by Marissa Meyer

    B&N Overview:
    Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . .
    “Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.”

    Publishers Weekly Review
    First in the Lunar Chronicles series, this futuristic twist on Cinderella retains just enough of the original that readers will enjoy spotting the subtle similarities. But debut author Meyer’s brilliance is in sending the story into an entirely new, utterly thrilling dimension. Cinder is a talented teenage mechanic and cyborg—part human, part robot—who has been living in New Beijing with a demanding adoptive mother and two stepsisters, ever since her late stepfather took Cinder in after a hovercraft accident. Several events abruptly turn Cinder’s world upside down: a chance meeting with the handsome Prince Kai has her heart racing; a plague pandemic threatens her beloved sister Peony; Cinder learns she is immune to the plague; and the evil Lunar Queen Levana arrives on Earth, scheming to marry Kai. Though foreshadowing early on makes it fairly clear where the story is headed, it unfolds with the magic of a fairy tale and the breakneck excitement of dystopian fiction. Meyer’s far-future Earth is richly imagined, full of prejudice and intrigue, characters easy to get invested in, and hints of what might await in future books. Ages 12–up. (Jan.)


    Join SF&F Literati each month!


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    PHOTO CREDITS: All book covers are courtesy of Barnes & Noble Booksellers: Martinez-Chasing the Moon; Meyer-Cinder

    July 14, 2012

    Dos por del Toro

    Laser Rangers + Guillermo del Toro = ONE NIGHT OF FANTASY BASED HORROR! -- DOS POR del TORO!!!!

    ALERT!!::: THIS MEETING WILL TAKE PLACE ON THE *THIRD* SATURDAY OF JULY!!!!!:::  ALERT!!!

    Date: July 21, 2012
    Time: Around 4:15 p.m., “fan time”
    Place: David Sooby’s home theater with 51-inch Samsung HDTV, a 5.1 Surround Sound Dolby Digital sound system, a full set of audiophile-grade speakers, and brand new seating for about 15 people without crowding.
    Food Theme:
    Captain Laser: Marylin
    The Program: "Dos por del Toro" (Two for del Toro)

    Check the Laser Rangers website for more information.

    The Pre-Dinner Show

    We're kicking off this evening with Cronos
    (1993, 94 minutes)
    IMDB Synopsis: "A mysterious device designed to provide its owner with eternal life resurfaces after four hundred years, leaving a trail of destruction in its path. "
    Watch a trailer for Cronos, from IMDB:

    Cast:
    Federico Luppi
    Ron Perlman 
    Claudio Brook 


    Crew: 
    Director: Guillermo del Toro 
    Screenwriter: Guillermo del Toro
    Producers: Arthur Gorson, Bertha Navarro 

    Dinner Break:

    The Laser Rangers take a dinner break between the two features of the evening, to share a potluck dinner and discuss the movie they have just seen, or get caught up on other events.


    Shorts: 

    TBA

    Second Feature: 

    Pan's Labyrinth (El Labertino del Fauno)
    (2006, 119 minutes, on Blu-ray in 1080P)
    IMDB Synopsis: "In the fascist Spain of 1944, the bookish young stepdaughter of a sadistic army officer escapes into an eerie but captivating fantasy world."

    Watch a trailer for Pan's Labyrinth, from IMDB:


    Cast:
    Ivana Baquero 
    Sergi López 
    Maribel Verdú

    Crew: 
    Director: Guillermo del Toro 
    Written by: Guillermo del  
    Producers: Belén Atienza, Elmundo Gil



    The home of the Laser Rangers is located about two miles north of the Kansas Speedway, NW of the intersection of I-70 and I-435 on the Kansas side of the Greater Kansas City area. For the exact address and directions, e-mail David Sooby at the email address given here.




    IMAGE CREDITS: The information and movie poster images for all of these shows come from the invaluable IMDB or the movie's  respected distrubutors. The movie screen frame image used for the Laser Rangers contact information is courtesy of Psychology Today Online. Many thanks to these websites!

    July 11, 2012

    An Indoor Garage Sale for All Things F&SF!

    KaCSFFS Meeting Date Changed! 
    Coming THIS SATURDAY!
       Due to a maintenance-related issue, our Writers Place location is not available on our usual third Saturday, so we have "traded weekends" with the Laser Rangers
       This means the meeting happens THIS SATURDAY, July 14.
       As usual, the General Meeting starts at 6:30 p.m
       There also is an open Board Meeting beginning at 5:30 p.m., at which the budget--and, we hope, bids for next year's ConQuesT hotel--will be discussed.


    Summer Swap 'N' Shop
    Robin Bailey sold books
    at an April 2011 meeting.
       Now is the time to root through your library and collectibles: what can you part with, to make room for new things? Consider bringing SF & F-themed:

    • Books
    • Magazines
    • Games
    • Art for resale
    • Music
    • Collectibles
    • Mugs, bowls, etc.
    • Clothing
    • Miscellany

    Paula Murray and Corey Barber, at
    the April 2011 Swap 'N' Shop
    Once you've found some treasures that need new homes, remember to ALSO bring:

    • Table/Display equipment (we can't count on using many of the Writers Place tables)
    • Your own cash box (or whatever) and change (all transactions are between individuals)
    • Bags for your customers' purchases (do you have extra plastic grocery bags to bring?)
    Salad Days!
    Unfortunately, no recipe came with this "T-Rex Fruit Salad"
    photo, but we'd love to see you try something similar!
       The food theme for this meeting is SALADS. 
       No, don't make a face (well, maybe you could make one)! Get creative! Play with our food, and explore the wonderful range of possibilities that lie in fruit, vegetable, pasta, potato, and many other types of salads.
       We found a wide range of wonderful salad recipes at the Smitten Kitchen and Delicious Cooks websites, so you have no excuses not to bring something inspired!
       As ever, we will get competitive. We will vote on, and give recognition certificates for:
    • Best-tasting salad
    • Most creative (edible) salad
       One warning, though: KAXFEN DON'T EAT BROCCOLI. We know this from years of sad broccoli leftovers. So don't even try, okay??

    PHOTO CREDITS: The Writers Place photo is from the Writers Place website. The two photos from the April 2011 Swap 'N' Shop were taken by Jan S. Gephardt. The T-Rex Fruit Salad photo is from the Buzz Feed website.

    July 07, 2012

    Humor, Apocalypse, Cyborgs and Japanese SF

    SF&F Literati Announce New Books
    At their June 25 meeting the SF&F Literati chose three new titles to round out their summer reading selections and take them into the fall. 
    We've listed the entire lineup here, so you can place your orders and start reading!

    Did you think you had monsters in the
    closet, as a child? If so, you had
    nothing on Diana's problems!

    July 23
    Chasing the Moon, by A. Lee Martinez (who is becoming sort of a summertime reading “regular” author).

    B&N Overview:
    Unspeakable horrors threaten the earth in this fantastic new comic fantasy from the author of Divine Misfortune
    “Diana's life was in a rut--she hated her job, she was perpetually single, and she needed a place to live. But then the perfect apartment came along. It seemed too good to be true--because it was. 
    “The apartment was already inhabited--by monsters. Vom the Hungering was the first to greet Diana and to warn her that his sole purpose in life was to eat everything in his path. This poses a problem for Diana since she's in his path . . . and is forbidden from ever leaving the apartment. 
    “It turns out though that there are older and more ancient monstrous entities afoot - ones who want to devour the moon and destroy the world as we know it. Can Diana, Vom, and the other horrors stop this from happening? Maybe if they can get Vom to stop eating everything . . . and everyone.”

    Based (very) loosely on the fairy tale, this
    sf novel opens the Lunar Chronicles series.

    August 27
    Cinder, by Marissa Meyer

    B&N Overview:
    Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . . 
    “Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. 
    "But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.”

    The Literati explore new worlds in a
    popular Japanese sf novel, soon to
    be a Warner Bros. film starring Tom
     Cruise.

    September 24
    All You Need is Kill, by Hiroshi Sakurazaka, and illustrated by anime and manga graphic artist Yoshitoshi ABe (no, that's not a typo).

    B&N Overview:
    “L to R (Western Style). There’s one thing worse than dying. It’s coming back to do it again and again… When the alien Gitai invade, Keiji Kiriya is just one of many raw recruits shoved into a suit of battle armor and sent out to kill. 
    "Keiji dies on the battlefield, only to find himself reborn each morning to fight and die again and again. On the 158th iteration though, he sees something different, something out of place: the female soldier known as the Bitch of War. Is the Bitch the key to Keiji’s escape, or to his final death?”

    Note: This novel is identified as Sakurazaka’s “breakout” science fiction novel. It has been optioned by Warner Brothers for production, with the working title of We Mortals Are.  According to IMDB, the film is in pre-production and scheduled for release as All You Need is Kill in 2013.  Doug Liman will direct; Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt star.

    The SF&F Literati meet every fourth Monday of the month (with a couple of exceptions) on the 2nd floor of the Barnes & Nobles Booksellers at Oak Park Mall in Overland Park.



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    IMAGE CREDITS: All cover art is courtesy of Barnes & Noble Booksellers.