Good morning, gentle readers, and welcome to 'On This Day in Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror History' for April 1, 2024.
Oh, yeah ... and welcome to April!
How's your morning shaping up for you? I know, I know, I know. I've seen a few April Fool's articles online that have been a healthy bit of comical misdirection, so I'll likely be very, very, very slow to post any newsworthy updates on this day. Honestly, you never know what you're going to get with so many knuckleheads trying to capture some clickcounts today, so we're all probably safer ignoring 'breaking news' alerts until later this afternoon. No, no, and no: I'm not singling any platform out as that's really not what I do. I'm just alerting you to keep your eyes open for some fraudsters trying to create a sensation today more than usual. It's just sound advice, if you ask me.
Otherwise ... yes, it's Monday once again, and my heart goes out to all of you grinding away at what stones you have in front of you. While it's true that we live for the weekend, there's a necessary evil called "9 to 5" that makes all of that possible, so ... chin up, my friends. The weekend will be here soon enough once more.
As for yours truly? It was a reasonably quiet weekend, thank you very much, though some joy and merriment was had by all. I didn't have time to get any posts up -- apologies to the faithful -- but what's new, am I right? Saturdays and Sundays are hard sells for me -- I just can't always find the required energy and focus -- so you'll have to give me a bit of leeway in hopes that I can tickle your fancy just fine this morning.
So ... let's do this ...
Oh, yeah ... and welcome to April!
How's your morning shaping up for you? I know, I know, I know. I've seen a few April Fool's articles online that have been a healthy bit of comical misdirection, so I'll likely be very, very, very slow to post any newsworthy updates on this day. Honestly, you never know what you're going to get with so many knuckleheads trying to capture some clickcounts today, so we're all probably safer ignoring 'breaking news' alerts until later this afternoon. No, no, and no: I'm not singling any platform out as that's really not what I do. I'm just alerting you to keep your eyes open for some fraudsters trying to create a sensation today more than usual. It's just sound advice, if you ask me.
Otherwise ... yes, it's Monday once again, and my heart goes out to all of you grinding away at what stones you have in front of you. While it's true that we live for the weekend, there's a necessary evil called "9 to 5" that makes all of that possible, so ... chin up, my friends. The weekend will be here soon enough once more.
As for yours truly? It was a reasonably quiet weekend, thank you very much, though some joy and merriment was had by all. I didn't have time to get any posts up -- apologies to the faithful -- but what's new, am I right? Saturdays and Sundays are hard sells for me -- I just can't always find the required energy and focus -- so you'll have to give me a bit of leeway in hopes that I can tickle your fancy just fine this morning.
So ... let's do this ...
I've never understood that audience that liked to rag on Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
While I'll admit that not every episode or arc was to my liking, I actually embrace a good portion of The Clone Wars run on television as some of the best Star Wars stuff to come along in quite awhile. Don't misunderstand me or think that I'm implying in any way that the Prequel Trilogy is inferior: I might've had issues with each of those installments, but I just felt that Clone Wars had a feel somewhat more reminescent of the Original Trilogy. There was a clear villain once again, and so the stories could more easily get into the traditional 'good vs evil' mode (which I prefer). The episodes truly expanded the galaxy far, far away with new worlds and new characters; and it was delivered to the small screen with a fabulous measure of quality ... so much so that I remember debating with folks online about whether or not all Star Wars material should be CGI-driven going forward.
But, I digress ... the real point of this blurb is to wish actor Matt Lanter a Happy Birthday.
This talented player had the task of bringing Anakin Skywalker to life for The Clone Wars; and I think he did a particularly fabulous job imbuing the struggling Jedi with a subversive layer of menace in some great places. That isn't always easy to do, especially given the fact that he's essentially working from the written word alone, but Lanter made a believer out of me. He showed us Anakin at his highest along with a great deal of lows, and I can't imagine any other actor accomplishing what he did there.
Furthermore, kudos to the man for taking his skills to another small franchise on television: he joined the winning ensemble that was Timeless for its two season run on the Boob Tube. While I wasn't as smitten with the show as were so many, I still loved the cast, and I appreciate how they stayed focused throughout the constant threat of cancellation of delivering somewhat worth watching. That isn't easy to do, I would suspect, but Lanter and company deserve thanks for sticking with the program up until its bittersweet finale.
While I'll admit that not every episode or arc was to my liking, I actually embrace a good portion of The Clone Wars run on television as some of the best Star Wars stuff to come along in quite awhile. Don't misunderstand me or think that I'm implying in any way that the Prequel Trilogy is inferior: I might've had issues with each of those installments, but I just felt that Clone Wars had a feel somewhat more reminescent of the Original Trilogy. There was a clear villain once again, and so the stories could more easily get into the traditional 'good vs evil' mode (which I prefer). The episodes truly expanded the galaxy far, far away with new worlds and new characters; and it was delivered to the small screen with a fabulous measure of quality ... so much so that I remember debating with folks online about whether or not all Star Wars material should be CGI-driven going forward.
But, I digress ... the real point of this blurb is to wish actor Matt Lanter a Happy Birthday.
This talented player had the task of bringing Anakin Skywalker to life for The Clone Wars; and I think he did a particularly fabulous job imbuing the struggling Jedi with a subversive layer of menace in some great places. That isn't always easy to do, especially given the fact that he's essentially working from the written word alone, but Lanter made a believer out of me. He showed us Anakin at his highest along with a great deal of lows, and I can't imagine any other actor accomplishing what he did there.
Furthermore, kudos to the man for taking his skills to another small franchise on television: he joined the winning ensemble that was Timeless for its two season run on the Boob Tube. While I wasn't as smitten with the show as were so many, I still loved the cast, and I appreciate how they stayed focused throughout the constant threat of cancellation of delivering somewhat worth watching. That isn't easy to do, I would suspect, but Lanter and company deserve thanks for sticking with the program up until its bittersweet finale.
Regular readers of SciFiHistory.Net know full well that I'm not inclined to follow in the footsteps of what the majority wants, even when it comes to fandom.
For example, I'm always deep, deep, deep in the minority when it comes to the debate over the films of John Carpenter. A huge number of fans insist that the Horror Master's best effort has been and will always be The Thing (1982); and ... well ... I appreciate their opinion. It's a solid flick. It has some incredible effects work. And it has a fabulous cast. But ... argh ... I just find it so, so, so, so, so boring. I know, I know, I know ... but at the end of the day it is what it is. Some productions just don't resonate with me the way they do with you, readers, and that's the breaks.
For my money, I've always bet it all on 1981's Escape From New York, a film that enjoyed its theatrical release on this day back in 1981. It had everything that one could want in a picture -- a winning antihero, a solid premise, some relatable performances, and a fabulous final reel. Always clever and inventive, the 'race against the clock' feature boasts a mesmerizing central performance from a somewhat grizzled Kurt Russell ... who at this time was still trying to shake off a squeaky-clean image from starring in some Walt Disney fare of the era. Well, that squeaky-clean image went away after he inhabited the likes of Snake Plissken fully; and the actor even went on to fill out the shoes of some other genre heroes for a few years later.
But Escape was pure escapist fun at the box office. It wooed audiences with a dark look at tomorrow -- one that made perfect sense given the shape of the world as designed by Carpenter and screenwriter Nick Castle. Yes, it's vastly superior to anything else the Horror Master has done in my mind; and it reminds a personal favorite of mine to this day. I'm still saving my pennies to pick up the latest and great 4k Ultra HD release of the flick as well.
For example, I'm always deep, deep, deep in the minority when it comes to the debate over the films of John Carpenter. A huge number of fans insist that the Horror Master's best effort has been and will always be The Thing (1982); and ... well ... I appreciate their opinion. It's a solid flick. It has some incredible effects work. And it has a fabulous cast. But ... argh ... I just find it so, so, so, so, so boring. I know, I know, I know ... but at the end of the day it is what it is. Some productions just don't resonate with me the way they do with you, readers, and that's the breaks.
For my money, I've always bet it all on 1981's Escape From New York, a film that enjoyed its theatrical release on this day back in 1981. It had everything that one could want in a picture -- a winning antihero, a solid premise, some relatable performances, and a fabulous final reel. Always clever and inventive, the 'race against the clock' feature boasts a mesmerizing central performance from a somewhat grizzled Kurt Russell ... who at this time was still trying to shake off a squeaky-clean image from starring in some Walt Disney fare of the era. Well, that squeaky-clean image went away after he inhabited the likes of Snake Plissken fully; and the actor even went on to fill out the shoes of some other genre heroes for a few years later.
But Escape was pure escapist fun at the box office. It wooed audiences with a dark look at tomorrow -- one that made perfect sense given the shape of the world as designed by Carpenter and screenwriter Nick Castle. Yes, it's vastly superior to anything else the Horror Master has done in my mind; and it reminds a personal favorite of mine to this day. I'm still saving my pennies to pick up the latest and great 4k Ultra HD release of the flick as well.
There's a small group of very vocal regular readers who've always wished I'd spend more time promoting the creative minds who write quality genre fare. I hear from them reasonably often (privately, not in posts, thank God); and the truth is that they're probably right. I just have to find more time in the day to do the research and bring those smilers to the forefront ... and, yet, every now and then one falls perfectly into my lap.
Naren Shankar is a name that's been on my radar all the way back to the days of the SciFi Channel's incredible run with Farscape. As an occasional screenwriter of episodes as well as producing a great number of installments, the genre genius definitely helped craft that intellectual property into the phenomenon that it became; and, thankfully, he's stayed on the scene -- both as a writer and producer -- in bringing countless hours of entertainment to the masses. Need I name a few? As a scriptwriter, he's been involved with Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, SeaQuest 2032, Night Visions, The Chronicle, The Outer Limits, Grimm, Almost Human, For All Mankind, and The Expanse.
Need I say more?
Well, Shankar shares an incredible two Hugo Awards wins -- in the category of 'Best Dramatic Presentation - Short Form' -- along with his fellow scribes for their work on The Expanse ... and that's no small feat, indeed.
Happy Birthday, good sir!
Naren Shankar is a name that's been on my radar all the way back to the days of the SciFi Channel's incredible run with Farscape. As an occasional screenwriter of episodes as well as producing a great number of installments, the genre genius definitely helped craft that intellectual property into the phenomenon that it became; and, thankfully, he's stayed on the scene -- both as a writer and producer -- in bringing countless hours of entertainment to the masses. Need I name a few? As a scriptwriter, he's been involved with Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, SeaQuest 2032, Night Visions, The Chronicle, The Outer Limits, Grimm, Almost Human, For All Mankind, and The Expanse.
Need I say more?
Well, Shankar shares an incredible two Hugo Awards wins -- in the category of 'Best Dramatic Presentation - Short Form' -- along with his fellow scribes for their work on The Expanse ... and that's no small feat, indeed.
Happy Birthday, good sir!
Last but not least ... it isn't every day of the genre year that we -- as fans -- get to celebrate an authentic 'first,' but today -- April 1 -- does have a very significant one that gets overlooked in those lesser blogs.
It was on this day all the way back in 1916 in the great nation of Denmark that audiences were first introduced to the Apocalypse movie, a unique sub-genre of Science Fiction that continues to resonate with viewers everywhere. It was called Verdens Undergang (aka The End Of The World), and the story explored the physical and psychological aftermath unleashed on mankind when a comet passes very, very, very near to our world. Such devastation played out to the delight and horror of audiences of the day; at coming in at an impressive 77 minute running time it remains the very first entry tapping that fragile fear I suspect all of us have imagined at one time or another. While I've yet to see this one (not a big fan of silent films, in general, but this one remains a curiosity), I have read that European audiences were kinda/sorta smitten with the project as -- at the time of its release -- World War I was kicking into gear; and the association of 'End Times' was not only very real but front-and-center in the public consciousness. Because of such obvious analogies, it was a bit of a box office sensation over there.
A quick search of the Information Superhighway shows that the film is available for viewing for free up on Wikipedia.org for those who might be interested in exploring it further. Here's the helpful link. And don't bother hitting that sound button over and over and over, my friends ... it's SILENT.
So ... not only Happy Birthday ... but Happy Apocalypse Day, readers!
It was on this day all the way back in 1916 in the great nation of Denmark that audiences were first introduced to the Apocalypse movie, a unique sub-genre of Science Fiction that continues to resonate with viewers everywhere. It was called Verdens Undergang (aka The End Of The World), and the story explored the physical and psychological aftermath unleashed on mankind when a comet passes very, very, very near to our world. Such devastation played out to the delight and horror of audiences of the day; at coming in at an impressive 77 minute running time it remains the very first entry tapping that fragile fear I suspect all of us have imagined at one time or another. While I've yet to see this one (not a big fan of silent films, in general, but this one remains a curiosity), I have read that European audiences were kinda/sorta smitten with the project as -- at the time of its release -- World War I was kicking into gear; and the association of 'End Times' was not only very real but front-and-center in the public consciousness. Because of such obvious analogies, it was a bit of a box office sensation over there.
A quick search of the Information Superhighway shows that the film is available for viewing for free up on Wikipedia.org for those who might be interested in exploring it further. Here's the helpful link. And don't bother hitting that sound button over and over and over, my friends ... it's SILENT.
So ... not only Happy Birthday ... but Happy Apocalypse Day, readers!
But ... is there more?
Well ... isn't there always?
You've reached that fateful part of today's post wherein I tell you that there's plenty more -- a vast array of 75 different genre trivia citations awaits -- and you really, really, really should head on over there to check it out. You never know what you'll find.
As always, thank you for reading ... thank you for sharing ... thank you for being a fan ... and live long and prosper!
-- EZ
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