Stories from the Calindratem

I know I am a bit late to the party but it took me two weeks to make up my mind about "Star Wars - The Last Jedi". While there is a lot right with this movie in my option there is also a lot wrong. I will write this review spoilerfree, which will make it however a bit vague.   First of all the movie is good craftmanship. There pacing is perfect, the new characters are well developed and the effects and dialogues are excellent. Viewed as a stand-alone movie it would certainly get an 8 or 9 out of 10 points.  But this is where the problem lies. A Star Wars movie isn't a stand-alone movie, it is part of a saga and as such it must follow the established path. Although the original trilogy had far less sophisticated special effects and a much lower budget, even adjusted to inflation, it made us dream. It became the perfect amalgamation of Fantasy and Science Fiction. In comparision to this Rian Johnson's vision feels somewhat sterile and hearthless. Even comparing...

As a true nerd girl I was thrilled when in 2016 the first Comic Con took place in Stuttgart. Today the second Comic Con Germany has ended and I am still on cloud number 9, like so many others. The organizer has opted to increase the size of the fair by including the hall 3, where last year only the panels took place. While this was a good thing on one hand increasing the number of stands available for vendors and artists on the other hand they choose to diminish the area available to the panels in comparison to last year. This was especially sad for the fans considering that this year all panels were for free and often you had to either queue for hours or stand in the back. Luckily we were able to get a place in the back for the John Barrowman panel on sunday.  Despite having to stand in the back with many others it was absolutely worth it. John Barrowman was the headliner of the event (in the acting department!) and rightly so! He was witty and goofy as well as sexy an...

Like many Star Wars fans I was thrilled and worried likewise when it was announced that George Lucas had sold his company to Disney. Fearing the destruction of one of the most beloved movie franchises, like it has happened for instance with Highlander, when a brilliant movie's legacy was distroyed with mediocre and bad sequels.  But just like with the reboot of Star Trek, which despite my hate for reboots, I admit to loving, this new trilogy of Star Trek began with a J.J. Abrams movie, that revitalized the franchise. After two brilliant Star Trek movies J.J. Abrams moved on to Star Wars and the next Star Trek movie was helmed by Justin Lin, a director mainly known for the Fast & Furious franchise, which is merely action driven. The result was a movie lacking heart and having too much action for its own good.  Therefore when it was announced that with Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, two directors were to helm the new Han Solo movie starring Alden Ehrenreich, that...

The first superhero movie with a female lead since "Elektra" (2005) the long awaited "Wonder Woman" has finally hit cinemas worldwide and has done so leaving a mark. Maybe it was because with Patty Jenkins it was helmed by woman or maybe simply because the time was right for another female superhero.  The story is nothing new sticking to the well known formula of explaining the superhero's orgin. *MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD* She finds her calling and sets out to do the right thing. She then is faced with a challenge she can't seem to master and it close to defeat. After loosing someone she cares about, she then realises her true potential and finally overcomes the villain. *SPOILERS END* What makes "Wonder Woman" remarkable within the sea of superhero movies is its characters. First there is the lead character played by Gal Gadot. While she is superior in many ways she has a childlike quality in many other aspects, which leads to some hill...

These days science fiction movies are mainly about visual effects and action. The results are breathtaking for most of the time, especially if they are paired with a clever story and good actors, as recently seen in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2". While those blockbusters are absolutely enjoyable and great cinema, they often leave the audience a little exhausted, as if they had run a marathon along the lead characters. It is not unusual for people to leave the latest blockbuster having a slight headache. While this might be due to some people being sensitve to the 3D technology it might also be due to the visual overload, especially if there are no slower scenes to counterbalance the action. An interesting break from this form of science fiction was last year's "Arrival" starring Jeremy Renner and Amy Adams. While it visually stunning as well and had also some action scences it had a calmer pace without ever getting boring. It reminded the audien...

Fan fiction began to gain popularity during 1960ies when Star Trek fans began developing their own stories around the characters from the TV series. It also has coined its language with terms as "Mary Sue" for an overly perfect new character and "slash fiction" for homosexual pairings regardless of the characters actual sexuality on the source material. I started out writing fan fiction  and still do write it on ocasion. I  have always tried to be respectful of the source material. Mainly I leave the original stories intact and create alternative outcomes by using additional characters or simply expanding the original stories. Since I am about to publish my own novel, with characters I created and care dearly about I am starting to see fan fiction in a new light. I can't help but wonder how I will feel if someone ever wrote a fan fiction using my characters and my stories. Is fan fiction a respectful hommage or does it abuse other people's brainchild? ...

The sequel to the Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1 (2014) is everything it promised and more. While many sequels fall flat "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" is in my opinion even better than the first. The main characters, especially Star Lord, Rocket Racoon and Gamora, are explored even more in depth and thus endeared even further to the audience. Even some supporting characters get their moment of soul searching and exploration. This sets this movie apart from most blockbusters which only focus on effects and action.  A particular scene stealer is Baby Groot, who received cheers in the cinema, whenever her was on screen. In the words of one of the characters: "...he is just to adorable..." Chris Pratt's Starlord is this generation's Han Solo. Although Starlord is definetely also a loveable Scoundrel Pratt's protrayal is so good and different enough to make Starlord unique. The movie explores his background story in a fairly organ...

The beauty of Science Fiction is that everything is possible and that your own fantasy is the limit to it. This is one of the reasons why the genre is so popular and why some movies, even today are game changers.  There are many fantastic Science Fiction movies but these 13 movies, revolutionized the genre in its own way. Each of them did something unique to it.  Here are the 13 groundbreaking movies in chronological order:  Le voyage dans la lune (1902) by Georges Méliès Although most people haven't seen this movie, they are familiar with the iconic image of the moon having been hit by a rocket in the eye. The movie was inspired by the novels of Jules Verne and probably H.G. Wells. The story is simple: Men travel to the moon, are captured by the inhabitants, manage to escape and return home. Being an illionist Méliès was predestined to become a special effects innovator, as he did with this movie, which would be his most ambitious. One ...

Since Games of Thrones, based on the book series "A Song of Fire and Ice" by G.R.R. Martin hit the silver screen in 2011 it has been the centre of numerous discussions, while fans all over the world eagerly await new episodes.  One of the main attractions of the show are the complex and well written characters. One of the most layered characters of the show is Jamie Lannister, who is played by the Danish actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau.  Jamie Lannister is the eldest son of Tywin Lannister Warden of the West and twin brother of the queen. His decision to join the Kingsguard and therefore renouncing his position caused a major rift with his father, who never fails to point out that Jamie is nothing but a glorified bodyguard. He is nicknamed "The Kingslayer" because he murdered the Mad King during the sacking of King’s Landing. A fact he dislikes. When we first meet him, he is a smug and arrogant douchebag who constantly looks down on other people and hu...

Many people still think of women as the weaker sex. Science Fiction and Fantasy however have already given us some memorable badass women. The fight with strength, intelligence and charm. But it is not only their skills that make them badass but their will never to give up.  These are my top 10 most badass female characters in Science Fiction and Fantasy: 10. Zoe Washburn from "Firefly"       If a tv series, a movie or a book features a female badass character it is usually the lead and she is often passionate and a natural born leader. Joss Wedon's Zoe Washburn is very different. She is the second in command and the embodyment of a level headed, cool soldier. You wouldn't want to mess with her. At the same time she manages to be a dignified woman, who is deeply in love with her husband, although he is not a fighter.  9. Katniss Everdeen from "The Hunger Games" Jennifer Lawrence brought her to life in a brilliant way. What made Katniss ...

With the first teaser trailer for "Star Wars - The last Jedi" having been published only a few days ago all of us nerds are going into analyzing mode. Every nuance and imagine is being scrubbed to extract every bit of information.  If we include "Star Wars - Rouge One" this will be the ninth Star Wars movie and not only the latest installment coming out, but also the last one so far in the established chronology. In The Phantom Menace (Episode I) we learnt about the prophecy of "The chosen one, who will bring balance to the force". Much of the first trilogy evolved around, whether Anakin Skywalker was the chosen one or not. While he certainly shifts the balance at the end of the trilogy, diminishing the power of the Light Side, we can hardly call this balance with the rise of the Dark Side in the form of the emperor and Darth Vader.   During the second trilogy although never explicitly mentioned we get the impression that Luke Skywalker, Anaki...

While writing my old blog http://lorcagonzalez.blogspot.com I came to realize that more than a blog about my writing it had become a tool for me to voice my thoughts on the more serious problems of life. No matter if they were social, political or enviromental. As I still consider myself primarily a Fantasy writer but wanted to maintain the old form of the blog, the solution became clear:  Start a new Science Fiction and Fantasy blog!  Some of you may be intrigued by the title "Stories from the Calindratem". I have to admit that I decided to use this blog also to promote my own work.  The Calindratem is a mysterious book in my upcoming novel "In the Shadows of History - The One", which contains all the laws of the Guardians and Impugnators. I will let you know more about this as the publication date approaches! I will discuss in this blog everything related to Scifi and Fantasy, from the upcoming Star Wars movie, to the role of women in Lord of the ...