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.

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:

Comedy/Drama Faces by Clipart Guide: http://www.clipartguide.com/_pages/1386-0904-3008-0919.html

Parchment by KSU:

http://ocw.ksu.edu.tw/file.php/40/openclipart/index_56.html

Radio Presenter US CA NY Radio Clip art:

http://modise.ns02.biz/2805/home/radio-clipart

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

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!

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.

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 2^nd floor of the Barnes & Nobles Booksellers at Oak Park Mall in Overland Park.

View Larger Map 


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

Game of Thrones Maraton Part 1

Alternate Laser Rangers Meeting: Game of Thrones  

(Season 2: Episodes 1-4)

Date: July 7, 2012

Time: Around 4:45 p.m.

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: Medieval (Westeros)

Captain Laser: Ken Keller

The Program: "Winter in our Summer"

On Display: Longclaw, the officially licensed Valyrian Steel hand-and-half broadsword of Jon Snow

Check the Laser Rangers website for more information.

May it be known across the land of Kansas City and surrounding regions: the Laser Rangers will hold a special presentation of Game of Thrones Season 2. They will show the first 4 episodes of the second season in high definition in their first ever streamed session thanks to Tracy M.
 

There will be a pot-luck dinner break between the first and the last two episodes. Please bring your favorite Westeros dish and feel free to come in costume. Let a good time be had by all! (See authentic recipes here)

Shorts (In order to be shown before Season 2):

1. Games of Thrones - Season 1 - 'The Story So Far" Featurette
2. Game of Thrones: New Characters in Season 2
3. Game of Thrones: Destinations of Season 2

"The First 4 Episodes of Season 2:

1. E01: The North Remembers
2. E02: The Night Lands
3. E03: What Is Dead May Never Die
4. E04: Garden of Bones

"Immediately following each episode will be a very short HBO min-doc (3 or 4 minutes long) clarifying story elements and important plot developments shown in the episode.

"Captain Laser: Ken Keller, who will provide Season 2 film notes for the first 4 episodes."*

Season 2 Trailer (warning, may contain mild spoilers)

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 movie screen frame image used for the Laser Rangers contact information is courtesy of Psychology Today Online. Many thanks to these websites! 
Game of Thrones Season 2 Logo is © HBO
*Update written by Ken Keller 

No Refunds Allowed

Laser Rangers: Takin' Your Money! Date: June 30, 2012

Time: Around 4:15 p.m., “fan time”

Place:David Sooby's House

Food Theme: Seafood

Captain Laser: Bill Ostrander

The Program: "No Refunds Allowed"

Check the Laser Rangers website for more information.

These alternate Laser Rangers features are held in various locations at odd times of the month usually to showcase something fun and unique. 

The Pre-Dinner Show

Kick off the evening is Attack of the Crab Monsters
(2011)

IMDB Synopsis: "People are trapped on a shrinking island by intelligent, brain-eating giant crabs. Roger Corman directs."

Watch a trailer for Attack of the Crab Monsters, from YouTube:

Dinner Break: TBA

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: 

"It Conquered the World" trailer 

"Invasion of the saucer Men" trailer     

"Voodoo Woman" trailer

30 Second Bunnies shorts Bunnies: War of the Worlds 

"Invasion of the saucermen the return"     

Captain Midnight Olvataline 1957 & 1951

Kix cereal commercial 50s 

Second Feature: 

Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus

(2009, 90 minutes, on Blu-ray in 1080P)
IMDB Synopsis: "The California coast is terrorized by two enormous prehistoric sea creatures as they battle each other for supremacy of the sea."

Watch a trailer for Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus, from IMDB:

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 website. The movie screen frame image used for the Laser Rangers contact information is courtesy of Psychology Today Online. Many thanks to these websites!

Want to be a Wizard?

SF&F Literati Explore Wizarding Careers June 25!

Wizardry as a career choice?

Where: Second floor of the Barnes & Noble Booksellers at the Oak Park Mall.
When: June 25, 2012 at 7:00 p.m.
What: This month's book selection is So You Want to be a Wizard, by Diane Duane.

Join KaCSFFS' book group as they discuss a book by a contemporary science fiction and fantasy master, then choose four new book selections to read for the next four months.

The Barnes & Noble website offers this overview of So You Want to be a Wizard:
“Something stopped Nita's hand as it ran along the bookshelf. She looked and found that one of the books had a loose thread at the top of its spine. It was one of those So You Want to Be a . . . books,  a series on careers. So You Want to Be a Pilot, and a Scientist . . . a Writer. But his one said, So You Want to Be a Wizard.


“I don't believe this, Nina thought. She shut the book and stood there holding it in her hand, confused, amazed, suspicious—and delighted. If it was a joke, it was a great one. If it wasn't . . . ?
“Diane Duane is the author of more then twenty science fiction and fantasy novels, including four other books in the Young Wizards series. Four of her Star Trek novels have been New York Times bestsellers. Ms. Duane lives in rural Ireland.

“Thirteen-year-old Nita, tormented by a gang of bullies because she won't fight back, finds the help she needs in a library book on wizardry which guides her into another dimension.”


PHOTO CREDIT: The Barnes & Noble Booksellers website provided the cover image.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter Film Cadets

Film Cadets: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

Date: June 24, 2012

Time: Last showing before 6pm (2D only!)

Place:Cinemark Palace on the Plaza

Restaurant: Noodle & Co. or (Bo Ling's, if Open)

Organizer: Ken Keller

While the name may seem hilarious, do not be fooled. This movie looks to be a strong summer action blockbuster worthy of a large tub of popcorn. Presented by Tim Burton; directed by Timur Bekmambetov (9 and Wanted); Staring: Benjamin Walker, Dominic Cooper, Anthony Mackie. Come one and all to watch one of our greatest presidents defend our country against it's most greatest  foe, Vampires (that don't sparkle, thank you very much!).

Based on the novel by Seth Grahame-Smith author of such stories as Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. 


See the trailer below.




Location of Cinemark Palace on the Plaza:


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Image and Media Credits: Poster and trailer © 20th Century Fox; Map © Google, Inc.