James Bond as Fantasy Hero

One of the challenges when defining what 'counts' in a science fiction and fantasy convention like CONvergence is that there's stuff that you think should count, but it sometimes is a bit difficult to get there at first glance.

James Bond is one of those franchises. It's one of those things that I know that I want to include -- but it's not obviously Science Fiction or Fantasy in the conventional sense.

So it is interesting to read an article about how James Bond is a fantasy character -- which is different from the usual handwaving that I and other people would give about how all of James Bond's gadgets push him into a high tech science fiction.

Very interesting little article.

Revenge of the Jedi

Wil Wheaton's Star Wars Review focuses on one of the things that has been on my mind concerning how the first Star Wars Generation reacted to Episodes I to III. The original Star Wars films are, for the geekier among us -- more than just an enjoyable nostalgic movie from our childhood. They in a very real sense are our childhood -- they're every birthday and Christmas for a half a dozen years.

I'm not as anti-the prequels as many people I know are. They're not the original Star Wars -- and how could they be -- and I'm not sure I can separate my childhood nostalgia when I watch them. And that makes some things work, but also emphasizes every little flaw.

Of course, it is possible for that sort of nostalgic revisit to work in their own rights as well -- the new Doctor Who is still recognizably the series that I discovered as a kid, but is a complete modern upgrade as well. And while the nostalgic elements of Battlestar Galactica are less frequent, it's something that is very good for today, and stands on its one terms despite any distant nostalgic memories.

And tomorrow is another day where nostalgic franchises return, as we go to see the new James Bond movie Casino Royale. It is odd because it promises to be a back-to-basics Bond film, but there was a fair amount of controversy in the past about it.

I watched Live and Let Die from my new James Bond set last night with some friends. I hadn't seen the whole thing in a while, just bits and pieces of it. I have very strong memories of the movie as a child, as all of the voodoo elements really terrified me at the end. It's a bit of a dodgy film racially though -- no one expects (or wants) James Bond to be politically correct, but I wasn't sure about this one at all. It's sort of The Talons of Weng-Chiang of Bond films, for those of you familiar with your Doctor Who.

Today's been pretty much the sleep day as the Thanksgiving weekend comes to its conclusion. It was a bit unusual for me to stay in town for the weekend -- I went to Chicago over the Thanksgiving weekend for many years because there was a big Doctor Who convention there, and then a bunch of friends and I went there last year. This year, despite a smaller convention taking place in Chicago, I took a pass on it because the group of people I normally go to conventions with didn't go either.

Felicity linked to my new location here. Anyone else who links to me, please let me know by sending me e-mail....