Science Fiction/Fantasy Update

SciFi Channel is planning Caprica, a spin-off of Battlestar Galactica.

Lubbock, Texas: Saturday, June 3, 2-4 PM. I’ll sign copies of The Return of Innocence: A Fantasy Adventure, at Barnes & Noble (6707 Slide Road). I’ll also sign my West Texas fiction collection The Acorn Stories.

Science fiction/fantasy update…

Can the creator of Lost save Star Trek?

Star Trek's Mr. Sulu Backs Gay Activists.

Da Vinci Code Sequel Delayed.

New Doctor Who Episodes.

Read about StarGate SG1’s Historic 10th Season.

Read about the TV version of The Dresden Files.

New Fantasy Release.

Readers can order The Return of Innocence: A Fantasy Adventure at bn.com, Amazon.com, Amazon.Ca, Amazon.co.UK, and many other online bookstores, or the Customer Services desk of their nearest Barnes & Noble Booksellers! Libraries and retailers can order it from Ingram Books or Baker & Taylor.

Gay SciFi/Fantasy

For gay-inclusive science fiction and fantasy novels, I suggest The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood), Cinátis (Ronald L. Donaghe), Ethan of Athos (Lois McMaster Bujold), The Left Hand of Darkness (Ursula K. Le Guin), Bond-Shattering (William Maltese), China Mountain Zhang (Maureen F. McHugh), Stealing Some Time (Mark Kendrick), Sacrament (Clive Barker), and Wraeththu (Storm Constantine), as well as two of my books—The Return of Innocence: A Fantasy Adventure and Degranon: A Science Fiction Adventure.

These two are on my bookshelves, and I hope to read them soon: Dhalgren (Samuel R. Delany) and Echelon’s End: PlanetFall (E. Robert Dunn).

The upcoming novel The Return of Innocence: A Fantasy Adventure includes positive images of gay and lesbian people.

Brokeback Mountain is currently the #1 DVD at bn.com!

Brokeback Mountain is currently the #1 DVD at Amazon.Com!

The Education of Shelby Knox

Review by Duane Simolke, author of the West Texas fiction collection The Acorn Stories, for This Week In Texas.

This documentary, screened at film festivals, PFLAG meetings, colleges, and many other venues around the US, involves a teen who dares to stand up for comprehensive sex education in her home town of Lubbock, Texas. I live in Lubbock and write Rainbow: Lubbock, the online newsletter for Lubbock gays, so this documentary interests me, especially since it eventually involves the attempts of gay teens to start a gay/straight alliance at their high school.

In the film, instead of worrying about the fact that Lubbock suffers unusually high rates of teen pregnancy and teen STDs, the school board keeps trying to silence Shelby and the other teens who want the right to fully discuss sexual issues. Of course, Shelby eventually grows up and goes away to college, and nothing really changes with the schools. Still, her story—captured so well by filmmakers Rose Rosenblatt and Marion Lipschutz—forms a powerful narrative that not only shows the importance of standing up for one’s beliefs but also provokes the very discussions that Lubbock’s school board tries to squelch.

The Education of Shelby Knox should interest viewers everywhere, even if they aren’t from Texas or don’t agree with the stands that Shelby takes. Emotions run high throughout, as Shelby experiences the pain of learning that she keeps disagreeing with the views of her loving and supportive parents. Fortunately, they stay by her side.

This film, also shown on PBS as part of their Point of View series, captures some telling moments in Lubbock’s recent history, such as struggles between teens and the school board, a visit to Lubbock from members of Fred Phelps’ Westboro Baptist Church congregation (the “God Hates Fags” people), and a surprise twist in the life of a moral crusader. Visit www.incite-pictures.com to learn more about the movie and its upcoming screenings.

FAQS

Review by Duane Simolke, author of Degranon: A Science Fiction Adventure, for This Week In Texas.

I should admit that, during the early scenes of FAQS, I kept thinking I would not like the rest of the movie. The cover and the promotional material make it look interesting, but early on, the plot seemed doomed to trap itself in B-movie territory. The movie turned out nothing like what I expected, and I definitely enjoyed it.

Writer/director Everett Lewis puts his anger out for all to see, but then keeps surprising viewers with the compassion, creativity, and humanity of the characters who embody his anger. At times, the characters seem overly simplified, with all gays as purely good and all nongays as purely evil. However, Lewis seems to use that dichotomy as a way of forging characters that basically become gay superheroes. Within the context of a comic book environment, the characters then seem real, and the violence never becomes central to the film. In fact, most of the gay characters learn to see violence as weakness and “for the straights.”

Homeless runaway India (Joe Lia) almost becomes the victim of a gay bashing, before the drag queen Destiny (Allan Louis) rescues him and then makes him a part of her gay family. Though Destiny often looks silly in her costumes, she always deserves the name “queen,” and makes an imposing entrance the first time we see her. India quickly evolves from scared runaway to a heroic and sensitive renegade who finds creative ways to stand against hatred. The closing conversation between India and his boyfriend, filmed close-up, captures the movie’s message of rebellious, fearless, transforming love.

Visit This Week In Texas for my review of the new theatrical release Adam & Steve.

Dorian Blues

Review by Duane Simolke, author of Degranon: A Science Fiction Adventure, for This Week In Texas.

Dorian Blues demands that viewers love it. This movie deals openly with hatred and self-hatred, yet keeps coming up with silly situations and lovable characters. It all happens with a frantic momentum, taking the audience through young Dorian’s journey of self-acceptance as well as his struggle to find both a lasting romantic relationship and a better family relationship. His futile attempts at de-gaying himself provide laughs, but will also touch on some painful memories for many gay viewers.

Michael McMillian (TV’s What I Like About You) charms relentlessly as Dorian Lagatos, a self-titled “stereotypical gay” who lives in an anti-gay home, with a cartoon-like reactionary father, an annoyingly passive mother, and an all-American jock brother. His high school proves even more hostile toward gays, so Dorian rejoices when he finally escapes to New York City.

Inspired by his first openly gay friend, writer/director/producer Tennyson Bardwell made a likeable coming out story. And while the genre seems done to death, he gives it new life. He also chose good actors for all the parts, except that Nicky Lagatos (Lea Coco) looks much older than his older brother Dorian.

While the humor and the colorful cast propel the movie, some of the best scenes involve Dorian quietly talking to just one of the other characters. Still, it comes back to the comedy, and I hope Michael McMillian will find more good roles for his comedic talent.

Science fiction and fantasy update.

The miniseries Dark Kingdom: The Dragon King premieres on the SciFi Channel tomorrow night. It’s based on a myth that inspired The Lord of the Rings, and it looks exciting!

I’ve recently posted the following:

The Return of Innocence: A Fantasy Adventure: Prologue and Chapter 1

Degranon: A Science Fiction Adventure: Prologue and Chapter 1

Upcoming book release: The Return of Innocence: A Fantasy Adventure. See that page for an excerpt, related keywords, and more!

Ice Men.

Review by Duane Simolke, author of Degranon: A Science Fiction Adventure, for This Week In Texas.


Exploring some of the same themes of masculinity, repression, and violence found in Brokeback Mountain and the unfairly obscure Wolfe Video release Rites of Passage, Ice Men involves five men in a cabin during a cold winter weekend.

Jon (Greg Spottiswood) may or may not be the only gay character, but something happens between him and Steve (James Thomas). Vaughn (Martin Cummins) and his brother Trevor (Ian Tracey) seethe with resentment toward each other, a resentment that seems tied to regrets, an abusive father, and the cabin itself. David Hewlett, known to science fiction fans for his annoying yet lovable role on TV’s StarGate Atlantis, provides comic relief as Bryan, but also proves tragic and disillusioned. Vaughn’s ex-wife Renee (Brandy Ledford) appears long enough to turn the men further against each other.

If this movie sounds incredibly sad, it certainly leans that way at times. But the acting and the photography make it well worth seeing. Director Thom Best, a director and cinematographer for Queer As Folk, captures the taut emotions and the ways friendship can survive, even when friends don’t always seem to like each other.


Attack of the Bride Monster.
Review by Duane Simolke, author of Degranon: A Science Fiction Adventure, for This Week In Texas.

Currently screening at various gay film festivals, the 17-minute comedy Attack of the Bride Monster winks at 1950s-style romance movies and monster movies. It also takes a high camp look at gay marriage controversies and news stories.

As with those 1950s monster movies, the paranoid fears affect different people in different ways. Two lesbians discuss the direction of their 25-year relationship while watching TV coverage of gay marriages taking place around the country. They have been happy and committed, but the Bride Monster takes hold of one of them, demanding a commitment to an institution that the other woman finds questionable. While they hear the Christian right voicing fear of gay marriage, some of the gays in this short film express fears of conformity. Sound familiar?

Austin residents Leslie Belt (writer/producer), Vicky Boone (director/producer), and PJ Raval (cinematographer) created this silly but charming film. It received Best of the Best in the Houston Gay Lesbian Film Festival in September 2005 and the McMullen-Sullivan Founders Award in the Out Takes Dallas Film Festival in November 2005. Visit http://www.bridemonster.com/ for a list of upcoming screenings.


Regarding Billy.

Review by Duane Simolke, author of Degranon: A Science Fiction Adventure, for This Week In Texas.

Writer/director/producer Jeff London (And Then Came Summer) presents another character-driven story. Regarding Billy only features three actors. Ronnie Kerr plays Billy, who must care for his mentally challenged brother, Johnny (Jack Sway), after their parents die. Returning from the Gulf War, Billy’s friend Dean (Jason Van Eman) moves in with Billy and Johnny.

Besides the small cast, the setting also remains small. Despite images of the surrounding town and its boats, interspersed with images of Iraq, all of the dialogue takes place within Billy and Johnny’s home. Far from limiting the movie, however, the house’s small rooms push the characters together, where Billy must face the simultaneous challenges of watching over his brother and of admitting to his romantic feelings for his best friend.

The tender relationships in this movie will make it too syrupy for some viewers, but I loved it. Rather than relying on a big budget or on shouting matches between the characters, London lets their story quietly unfold. Of course, it wouldn’t work at all without a good cast, and all three actors carry the movie well.