Show #25: Pre-show Discussion

Show #25 will be about the Robert J. Sawyer novel, “Far-Seer”.

Joe chose this one, an allegorical tale about Galileo, set in a world of intelligent and advanced dinosaurs.

You can read the opening chapters over at Rob’s website: Far-Seer

Huh. Looks like it’s Book 1 of the Quintaglio Trilogy. I didn’t know that.

Show #24: Pre-show Discussion

Show #24 will be about the film “The Day The Earth Stood Still”.

This 1951 scifi classic often gets lumped in with “all those formulaic B-movies”, but this is the movie that inspired the tropes that were beaten to death later in all those B-movies. From special effects techniques to otherworldly sounding music, this is considered to be the movie that started the trend.

Definitely watch the 90min long documentary on the flip side of the special edition DVD. It’s not labeled clearly, but it features director Robert Wise, producer Julian Blaustein, and the biographer for composer Bernard Herrmann. I think it’s worth watching, moreso than listening to the audio commentary of the film.

Show #23: Pre-show Discussion

Show #23 will be about “Gateway”, by Frederick Pohl.

It’s a now-classic that won the Nebula Award in 1977, and the Hugo and John W. Campbell Awards in 1978. But it’s also the first in Pohl’s Heechee Saga, and you know how we can get about first books in a series.

Hope you’ve read up on it!

Show #22: Pre-show Discussion

Show #22 will be about The Omega Man, the 1971 movie adaptation of Richard Matheson’s classic I Am Legend, starring Charlton Heston, Rosalind Cash and Anthony Zerbe.

There’s a relatively new DVD release out there of this movie… go enjoy it, then come back to listen to the Ninjas discuss.

We don’t delve into the original book, and we may well save that for a future discussion, maybe even in time for the supposedly “more faithful” adaptation, currently in production starring Will Smith.

Upcoming KAMN Shows

Here’s what’s on tap for the Ninjas to talk about next:

KAMN #22: The Omega Man (1971)
KAMN #23: Gateway by Frederick Pohl
KAMN #24: The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
KAMN #25: Far-Seer by Robert J. Sawyer
KAMN #26: Buckaroo Banzai (1984)
KAMN #27: A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge

So go hit your favorite book nooks and DVD rental facilitators!

Show #21: Pre-show Discussion

Yes, I know… I neglected to post a pre-show discussion for Show #19 and Show #20, and I think that’s reflected in the lack of recent feedback.

So let’s get back on track, here!

Show #21 will be about Steven Gould’s novel, “Jumper”, and should be ready sometime around November 15, after I return from World Fantasy 2006 and have a chance to finish up some other audio projects.

Upcoming KAMN Shows Reminder

Just a reminder since it’s been so long, here’s the lineup for the next handful of shows:

KAMN #18: Clash of the Titans
KAMN #19: Ill Met in Lankhmar by Fritz Leiber
KAMN #20: V (the original miniseries) and V: The Final Battle
KAMN #21: Jumper by Steven Gould
KAMN #22: The Omega Man (1971)

Show #18 Update

Yeah, I know. Just hush.

The audio for my track of Show #18 is awful… peppered with static, and I have no idea why. I have abandoned any attempt at cleaning it up and will get the show out by Friday.

And to make up for it, you’ll get Show #19 the following week.

Show #18: Pre-show Discussion

Show #18 will focus on the 1981 cult classic fantasy film, Clash of the Titans.

Loosely based on the Greek myth of Perseus, the movie follows the adventures of Perseus, a favored son of Zeus, as he attempts to rescue Andromeda. Although the movie features Harry Hamlin, Ursula Andress, Burgess Meredith and Sir Laurence Olivier, it’s probably most famous for the stop-motion special effects created by Ray Harryhausen.

Plan on being able to listen to this show on or around September 12th.

Wikipedia: Clash of the Titans

Show #17: Pre-show Discussion

Show #17 will cover Alfred Bester’s SF classic, The Demolished Man, a novel that was also the first winner of the Hugo Award for Best SF Novel in 1953.

Plan on being able to listen to that show the week of August 7th.

Link: Hugo Awards (Worldcon)

Upcoming KAMN Shows: Update

Due to difficulties in locating “Ill Met in Lankhmar” for some Ninjas, we’re flip-flopping books.

So the updated schedule of the next few new shows will be:

KAMN #16: Space: Above and Beyond (DVD)
KAMN #17: The Demolished Man by Alfred Bester (first Hugo winner)
KAMN #18: Clash of the Titans (DVD)
KAMN #19: Ill Met in Lankhmar by Fritz Leiber
KAMN #20: V the miniseries (DVD)

Upcoming KAMN Shows

Sometimes, it’s better to plan ahead, so that’s what I’m doing now

The FarPoint Media crew is going to be very busy in July and August, traveling to cons and making appearances, so we Ninjas are going to plan show topics for the rest of the summer, and adjust accordingly if need be.

KAMN #16: Space: Above and Beyond (DVD)
KAMN #17: Ill Met in Lankhmar by Fritz Leiber
KAMN #18: Clash of the Titans (DVD)
KAMN #19: The Demolished Man by Alfred Bester (first Hugo winner)
KAMN #20: V the miniseries (DVD)

Don’t worry, the lost Show 15 will be coming your way soon. Now go read some classics!

Show #16: Pre-show Discussion

Continuing with the early posting of show topic discussion threads, it is my pleasure to announce that Show #16, scheduled to record the week of July 2nd, will focus on the short-lived Fox TV series Space: Above and Beyond.

Is using “short-lived” and “Fox” in the same sentence to describe a TV show a bit redundant, or is it just me?

Anyway, if you or someone you know doesn’t own it, you might have to buy it to check it out. For some unknown reason, this box set is not listed at Netflix, which to me is odd. Then again, a friend of mine said that they didn’t carry Firefly for the first month or two after it was released, so maybe they’ll eventually get it in their library.

Show #15: Pre-show Discussion

Some of you guys have asked that we post show topic books and DVDs as early as possible, to give you enough time to read them or see them before the show. We try to oblige.

The book topic for Show #15 will go back a little farther. We’ll be reading More than Human by Theodore Sturgeon, an International Fantasy Award winner in 1953.

Show #14: Pre-show Discussion

The topic for Show #14 will be the 1980 film Flash Gordon, starring Sam J. Jones, Melody Anderson, and Max von Sydow.

What I’ve discovered about the DVD for this film is that it’s out of print, and therefore a highly priced collectible at Amazon. How does this movie go out of print?

Also, if you can find it, check out Flash Gordon: Space Soldiers, the 1936 Buster Crabbe serial that started the Hollywood fascination with Flash.