Lit MACLUNKY -- The Lit Forum Maclunky Thread, v3

The cover for my upcoming second novel in the Bright Falls Mysteries: AN AMERICAN WEREDEER IN MICHIGAN starring Jane Doe.

 

Seanan McGuire (aka Mira Grant) co author of Canto Bight, just released her newest October Daye novel called The Brightest Fell.
Amazon US Link here:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0756413311/ref=sr_isbn_r?keywords=9780756413316

 

I saw the 40th anniversary Close Encounters of the Third Kind re-release in IMAX today, totally alone in the theater as well, which was the perfect way to see a movie, as far as I'm concerned. CE3K has always been an important movie today, I feel like the sense of wonder and... I guess a sort of secular spiritualism throughout it has always resonated with me. Plus the version showed was the proper one, the 1998 version that cuts out the mothership interior at the ending. I also never realized before that there's a Jaws reference in the movie (one of the Air Force officers is named Benchley). Plus kind of funny there is some prominent Star Trek visual references. Though watching it now, it did make me wonder how big a role the movie had in shaping modern conspiracy theories, not only with UFOs but any kind of government cover-up stuff.

It was preceded by a ten minute or so retrospective with not only Spielberg, but JJ Abrams and Denis Villeneuve. Listening to their opinions on the movie was pretty funny, because it was exactly what you would expect - Abrams talked about the nostalgia of it coming out again and how great it is because it shows a realistic family and kids, and Villeneuve talked about how Spielberg used the camera and did his direction in really innovative ways.

I actually thought that Abrams' comments were a bit weird because, as much as I love it, I always feel like CE3K uses Richard Dreyfuss's family in a really off-putting way. His wife is depicted as being more concerned with fitting in with her friends and neighbors than believing her husband and blames him for being crazy, and his kids (at least the sons) are depicted as kind of nuts. But then that's essentially all set up to justify Dreyfuss becoming the ultimate deadbeat dad and the tone switches from "nagging wife" to "Dad would rather play with his model Devil's Tower, hang out with the cute single mom, and go on an interstellar joyride than reconcile with his family." Especially for a Spielberg film and his obsessions with families, particularly ones from the kids' perspective where the dad has split, it's a strange tone.

Still a great movie, though. Especially the last 30 minutes or so.

 

In other, non movie director news, the guys of "A Star Wars Comic" are making a pass at IDW on Twitter. I doubt it'll work, but they'd deserve it. Their unofficial work has been nothing but good IMHO.

 

You're the Worst is back for season four tonight.

Sent from my SM-G386W using Tapatalk

 

Fingers crossed it works, they are amazing!

 

I got myself a Thrawn figure today.

Then I went to my local used bookstore and found some nice hardcovers for 2.95 a piece...

Spoiler

 

Okay I've been away from Photobucket for a while so didn't know about the whole no hosting thing...basically I got the individual hardcovers of Brain Daley's Han Solo novels for a cheap price! Yay!

Spoiler

 

A Game of Thrawn's

 

A few thoughts on You're the Worst. A You're the Worst burst, of sorts. Spoilers.

Spoiler

When we last saw Jimmy and Gretchen they had gotten engaged (yay!) and then Jimmy went to grab a sweater and just drove away (boo!).

Jimmy is living in a retirement trailer park having made friends with a cranky old man named Bert. They watch TV together and drink and smoke cigarettes. There's a car, karaoke, a nosy neighbour named Gail, s'mores, Jimmy's phone collects dust, some hijinks involving Bert's car keys and Jimmy gets punched in the face. It's funny but not memorable until Jimmy gets punched in the face. Bert accepts his age and Jimmy gets a copy of his new book, turns his phone back on and steals Bert's car and heads back to LA.

Gretchen has been staying at Lindsey's appartment (which used to be Dorothy's appartment. Remember Dorothy? You don't have to). Lindsey is thriving at her job, enjoying her independence. Gretchen is really into 90s music and smoking weed (yay!) and crack (boo!). Gretchen hasn't left the place for three months, and has fooled her clients into thinking she's in Europe. Lindsey is appalled and wants her to go outside. Gretchen crashes Lindsey's night work, does BNL's "One Week" far better than I can and I go way back with the Ladies, and breaks down over Jimmy.

Lindsey can't deal and goes to Edgar. Edgar is killing it at Doug Benson's show and Jimmy is really gone, Edgar redecorated. Lindsey and Edgar have the horrible realization they're the adults now, so they do the smart thing and get it on in Jimmy's bed. They totally think they can pull of being friends with benefits, everyone does.

Gretchen goes to bar, moves Jimmy to her exes contact list, hooks up with her Ex, (Abbi's hot neighbour from Broad City who liked unconventional things) only to get a text from Jimmy during the act.

They're back. A funny episode. The back half was stronger, but we had more of the gang to work with. As fun as Bert was, the established relationships are what's great about this show. Next week looks promising, with Jimmy back in the city.

Sent from my SM-G386W using Tapatalk

 

http://www.fudzilla.com/news/44468-bloke-who-married-his-computer-sues-alabama

Machinists are not people too.

 

Feature Stream for the Stellaris expansion launching next week.

 

So I was having a conversation with a friend of mine about what he should read prior to Darth Plagueis and this is what he made out of my comment on Cloak of Deception

 

Porgoth
http://nobodysuspectsthebutterfly.t...-you-yet-drawn-a-crossover-with-star-wars-and



http://io9.gizmodo.com/this-last-jedi-and-my-neighbor-totoro-mashup-will-melt-1802786354

 

Well I saw IT. It (no pun intended) was fun but I did wonder why they didn't call the cops when they found the missing girls shoe or when the bully attacked the fat kid with the knife ?
Did remind me a lot of Stranger Things, even more so with the same child actor involved

 

I stopped finding this sort of thing funny when I realized how much of it is fueled by overt homophobia.

 

I'm starting to really like these dang porgs

 

They look delicious!

 

It's an acquired taste.

 

I want some porg cereal to go with my thrawn cereal

 

*breaks into full-blown *

It even has the Silmarils!

(Oh, and the Totoro nod is nice, too.

 

That's frickin' hilarious. Porgs have a bit of a Pokemon thing going on. Has this been mentioned already?

I'm new to the whole Pokemon thing. My sons, 7, are fanatics, so all things Poke are just part of my world now.

Minimal interest in Star Wars. Fatherhood fail :_(

Sent from Moto X-Wing

 

I have been in the mountains this week. Here are some photos from it:

Spoiler

 

Nice, when I was like 12, my family and me went to the mountains in Sweden, somewhere west Åre I think. I remember seeing some reindeer not much else.