Laser Rangers 2019 April Meeting

Ape Thrill April

Date: April 13, 2019
Time: 4:15pm
Location: 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 upgraded seating for about 15 people without crowding.
Captain Laser: David S.
Food: Bananas
Costume: Scientist



Short features will be shown before each feature. Don't miss them!

Planet of the Apes

(1968, 112 minutes) Directed by: Franklin J. Schaffner

Starring: Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowall, Maurice Evans, Kim Hunter, James Whitmore, James Daly, Linda Harrison

An astronaut crew crash-lands on a planet in the distant future where intelligent talking apes are the dominant species, and humans are the oppressed and enslaved.-IMDB

Watch the trailer here!




~~~~~
After the first feature, please join us for a potluck dinner. Bring something to share. It can follow the theme, or be something you prefer.
~~~~~

Feature Presentation!
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

(2014, 130 minutes) Directed by: Matt Reeves

Starring: Andy Serkis, Jason Clarke, Gary Oldman, Keri Russell, Toby Kebbell, Judy Greer, Kodi Smit-McPhee

A growing nation of genetically evolved apes led by Caesar is threatened by a band of human survivors of the devastating virus unleashed a decade earlier.-IMDB

Watch the trailer here!







The home of the Laser Rangers is located about four 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.

IMAGE CREDITS: The information for all of these shows come from the invaluable IMDB. The movie posters come from Wikipedia or the movie's respected distributors. 

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

KaCSFFS meets THIS SATURDAY July 14, 2018

Save that CHANGED date!
When: This coming Saturday, July 14, 2018
Time: 6:00 p.m. Set-up; 7:00 p.m. Program
Where: The Writers Place, 3607 Pennsylvania Ave., Kansas City, MO 64111
Food Theme: Movie munchies
Program: Filmmaker Kevin Willmott discusses and screens one of his movies.

Kevin Willmott

KaCSFFS Welcomes Kevin Willmott
We're incredibly honored to host American filmmaker and KU Professor of Film and Media Studies, Kevin Willmott.

His reputation has been growing for several decades. He's been involved in many aspects of writing and filmmaking for both movies and television. An early project which he wrote, produced, and co-directed was Ninth Street, an independent film based on his boyhood in Junction City, KS, that starred Martin Sheen and Isaac Hayes.

He's also worked with well-known director Oliver Stone, and on a project that Whoopi Goldberg executive-produced. His 2004 film, CSA - The Confederate States of America, is an award-winning comedy/drama alternate history, which he wrote and directed.



His comic foray into science fiction was 2013's Destination: Planet Negro (instead of landing on Mars in 1939, they time-travel to . . . Kansas City in 2013).



Most recently he's received even more acclaim. His 2018 project with Spike Lee, BlaKkKlansman, a comedy/drama set in the 1970s, recently earned him a 10-minute standing ovation and the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival.



Prepare to have your consciousness raised, particularly if you're not a person of color. This should be a fascinating, provocative, and entertaining evening. Don't miss it!

IMAGE AND VIDEOS: Many thanks to KU's faculty page for the photo of Kevin Wilmott, and to their respective IMDB pages for the Destination: Planet Negro, and CSA - Confederate States of America film trailers and to YouTube for the official BlacKkKlansman trailer. 

Laser Rangers 2017 October Meeting

Invaders from Space!

Date: October 14, 2017
Time: 4:15pm
Location: 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 upgraded seating for about 15 people without crowding.
Captain Laser: Jessica G.
Food: Alien
Costume: Halloween Costume

To learn more, please visit our Facebook Event Page.

Short features will be shown before each feature. Don't miss them!

It Came from Outer Space

(1953, 81 minutes) Directed by: Jack Arnold

Starring: Richard Carlson, Barbara Rush, Charles Drake, Joe Sawyer, Russell Johnson

It Came from Outer Space tells the story of an astronomer and his fiancee who are stargazing in the desert when a large fiery object crashes to Earth. At the crash site, he discovers a round alien spaceship just before it is completely buried by an overhead landslide. When he tells this story to the local sheriff and newspaper, he is branded a crackpot. Before long, strange things begin to happen, and the tide of disbelief turns hostile.-Wikipedia

Watch the trailer here!


~~~~~
After the first feature, please join us for a potluck dinner. Bring something to share. It can follow the theme, or be something you prefer.
~~~~~

Feature Presentation!
The Andromeda Strain

(1971, 130 minutes) Directed by: Robert Wise

Starring: Arthur Hill, James Olson, Kate Reid, David Wayne, Paula Kelly, George Mitchell,

A group of scientists investigate a deadly new alien virus before it can spread-IMDB

Watch the trailer here!












The home of the Laser Rangers is located about four 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.

IMAGE CREDITS: The information for all of these shows come from the invaluable IMDB. The movie posters come from Wikipedia or the movie's respected distributors. 

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

Happy Birthday, Star Trek!

A life-changing show for many of us, Star Trek turns 50 today.

May it live long and prosper.

IMAGE: Many thanks to David Fitzsimmons of the Arizona Daily Star, and to Danny Tyree's "Cagle," for sharing it (read Tyree's post, while you're at it--well worth it!).

Are we there yet? Preparing for MidAmericon II

The 74th World Science Fiction Convention is in Kansas City this year. They were setting up today. Here's a preview:

IMAGES: Jan Gephardt took these in Bartle Hall in downtown Kansas City on 8/16/2016. 
Please note that this is reblogged from "Jan S. Gephardt's Artdog Adventures," with the blogger's permission.

June Monthly Meeting Set for 6/20/2015

Puzzle it Out at the June KaCSFFS Meeting 

What: Monthly KaCSFFS Meeting

Where: The WritersPlace

3607 Pennsylvania Ave., Kansas City, MO 64111

When: Saturday, June 20, 2015

5:30 Board of Directors—open meeting

6:00 Doors open for setup and pre-meeting socializing.

7:00 Meeting and Program begin

Barry (R) with wife Beth Welsh

Master puzzle-maker and KAXFAN Barry Haldiman will be the evening's highlight, as he teaches us how to construct a crossword puzzle, then guides us through the creation of a science-fiction-themed puzzle. 

"My Favorite Food" is this month's theme. Bring a personal or family favorite to share with the group, as we enjoy Barry's presentation.

Although in recent past years the June meeting has been our Annual Indoor Picnic, we decided this year to move the picnic to September, when we hope the weather will accommodate an Outdoor-Indoor Picnic. Stay tuned for details. 

IMAGES: Many thanks to The Pre-Shortzian Puzzle Project, for both of the images in this post!

SF&F Literati get "Wool"-ly in June

Come out of the Silo . . .

Selection: Wool, by Hugh Howey

When: June 24, 2013, 7:00 p.m.

Where: Oak Park Barnes & Noble Bookseller, 11323 W 95th Street

Overland Park, KS 66214, on the 2nd floor.

Order this book from Barnes & Noble, or other fine booksellers, such as our local shop, Rainy Day Books.

Overview from Barnes & Noble:
In a ruined and toxic landscape, a community exists in a giant silo underground, hundreds of stories deep. There, men and women live in a society full of regulations they believe are meant to protect them. Sheriff Holston, who has unwaveringly upheld the silo’s rules for years, unexpectedly breaks the greatest taboo of all: He asks to go outside. 

His fateful decision unleashes a drastic series of events. An unlikely candidate is appointed to replace him: Juliette, a mechanic with no training in law, whose special knack is fixing machines. Now Juliette is about to be entrusted with fixing her silo, and she will soon learn just how badly her world is broken. The silo is about to confront what its history has only hinted about and its inhabitants have never dared to whisper. Uprising.

Note: Hugh Howey gave a live presentation about his novel on March 13, 2013 in the Kansas City area, as part of the Rainy Day Books events series.  Howey also was featured in the Kansas City Star.   

It's not too early to think about July's selection!

The selection for July 22 is Etiquette and Espionage, by Gail Carriger.  

It is a fast-moving, humorous YA series-opening novel based on an unusual juxtaposition of ideas: finishing school as a Victorian young ladies' equivalent of the CIA's "The Farm" at Camp Peary.

As the Barnes & Noble overview puts it: 

"It's one thing to learn to curtsy properly. It's quite another to learn to curtsy and throw a knife at the same time. Welcome to Finishing School.  New York Times bestselling author Gail Carriger makes her young adult debut with Ettiquette & Espionage, the first book in the Finishing School series.

Order Etiquette and Espionage from Barnes & Noble or other fine book sellers. And if you have ideas for the next round of selections, be sure to attend the July meeting!

IMAGE CREDITS: Many thanks to Barnes & Noble for the cover of Wool, and another page from Barnes & Noble for the cover of Etiquette & Espionage.

Coming Up! SF&F Literati on the THIRD Monday of May:

SF&F Literati go Into the Storm, in May!

Selection: Into the Storm, by Taylor Anderson

When: May 20 (third Monday!) 2013, 7:00 p.m.

Where: Oak Park Barnes & Noble Bookseller, 11323 W 95th Street

Overland Park, KS 66214, on the 2nd floor.

Order this book from Barnes & Noble, or other fine booksellers.

Overview from Barnes & Noble:

Pressed into service when World War II breaks out in the Pacific, the USS Walker, a Great War-era destroyer, finds itself retreating from pursuing Japanese battleships. 

Its captain, Lieutenant Commander Matthew Patrick Reddy, desperately leads the Walker into a squall, hoping it will give them cover, only to emerge into an alternate world. A world where two species have evolved: the cat-like Lemurians and the reptilian Griks, and they are at war.

With its power and weaponry, the Walker’s very existence could alter the balance of power. And for Reddy and his crew, who have the means to turn a primitive war into a genocidal Armageddon, one thing becomes clear. They must determine whose side they're on. Because whichever species they choose is the winner.

Note: there are four books in the “Destroyermen” series; this is Book 1.

Get ready now for next month!

Hugh Howey's book Wool is the selection for the June 24, 2013 meeting.  It will be here sooner than you think!

Overview from Barnes & Noble:In a ruined and toxic landscape, a community exists in a giant silo underground, hundreds of stories deep. There, men and women live in a society full of regulations they believe are meant to protect them. Sheriff Holston, who has unwaveringly upheld the silo’s rules for years, unexpectedly breaks the greatest taboo of all: He asks to go outside. 

His fateful decision unleashes a drastic series of events. An unlikely candidate is appointed to replace him: Juliette, a mechanic with no training in law, whose special knack is fixing machines. Now Juliette is about to be entrusted with fixing her silo, and she will soon learn just how badly her world is broken. The silo is about to confront what its history has only hinted about and its inhabitants have never dared to whisper. Uprising.

Note: Hugh Howey gave a live presentation about his novel on March 13, 2013 in the Kansas City area, as part of the Rainy Day Books events series.  Howey also was featured in the Kansas City Star.   

IMAGE CREDITS: Many thanks to Taylor Anderson's website for the Into the Storm cover art, and to Barnes & Noble for the cover of Wool.