Milla vs The World

In the latest Resident Evil film, Afterlife, the franchise’s deadly heroine—known simply as Alice—appears as a small army of cloned warriors, each as gifted as the original. But during the opening action scene, they’re nearly all killed off. Bam! Okay, so it was a loopy idea to begin with, but come on, multiple kick-ass Alices—if you’re going to go there, at least follow through on that promise.

From there on it’s a standard sci-fi-zombie-action-horror, albeit with the welcome return of Claire, fellow zombie-killer from the previous installment, and the star of Prison Break, Wentworth Miller, who clearly hasn’t learned much from that gig (he’s captured and locked up twice in this film). These films are relentlessly silly, violent, cheesy, derivative, and downright fun. And most of the fun, for me at least, is in watching perhaps the only bona-fide working franchise action heroine strut her stuff.

Her name is Milla. Milla Jovovich. And she’s really something.

After making her name as an astoundingly successful fashion/glamour (super)model, Milla (pronounced Mee-la) blazed onto the big screen in 1997 as Leeloo, the sweet, vulnerable superbeing in Luc Besson’s eccentric SF tale, The Fifth Element. She had some nice action moments, and looked amazing in all manner of weird fashions in what was ultimately a curio of a film rather than the global SF blockbuster Hollywood wanted it to be. Her athleticism and striking looks, though, together with a solid performance gave us a memorable action heroine in a genre that sadly doesn’t have many.

After trying her hand at more serious, dramatic roles—Joan of Arc being her best—she was cast in her soon-to-be-signature lead role of Alice in Paul W.S. Anderson’s adaptation of the immensely popular SF horror video game, Resident Evil. A solid hit, it played to Milla’s strengths—fidgety vulnerability, athletic fight scenes, potent sexuality—and proved that an action heroine could indeed headline a genre movie and needn’t, as Hollywood wisdom saw it, drive audiences away. The Resident Evil brand recognition may have been what attracted moviegoers in the first place, but Milla has since ruled as queen of the franchise for a further three installments*, the latest, in 3D, grossing almost $300 million worldwide.

*A fifth movie, Retribution, is in production and is scheduled for release this September :grins:

She’s now a bona-fide action heroine. And apart from perhaps Kate Beckinsale (the Underworld series), she’s the only one consistently returning to this kind of role and being successful with it.

Resident Evil has to be one of the most unique franchises in Hollywood in that its heroines overshadow its heroes time and time again. In the first, Michelle Rodriguez (an excellent action star in her own right, who unfortunately never gets leading roles) made a big impression. In the sequel, Apocalypse, Sienna Guillory was a strong, ultra-sexy Jill Valentine. And in the next two, Extinction and Afterlife, Ali Larter kicked ass as Claire Redfield. Male pretenders come and go in the series, and these women keep saving the day.

I find it ridiculous in 2012 that this is the exception to the rule in action films. Angelina Jolie’s Salt is one of the few recent kick-ass genre movies to headline a female action star, and was, interestingly enough, slated to star Tom Cruise at one point. If her kind of clout can reshape projects to become heroine-centric, why aren’t other big-name actresses seeking out that kind of empowering role? They’ll have to be the ones to do it—hiring writing/directing talent worthy of them—because Hollywood still doesn’t think women are viable action stars. Trinity in The Matrix, Catwoman in Batman Returns, Black Widow in The Avengers: these are all popular and well-written roles, but they don’t headline their respective films. And is that any wonder when standalone stinkers like Halle Berry’s Catwoman and Jennifer Garner’s Elektra failed on every conceivable level?

Is James Cameron the only Hollywood power player who understands the potential of strong women in action roles?

Geena Davis tried in the past to make it happen, but while A Long Kiss Goodnight hit home, Cutthroat Island hit bottom. Even the mighty Angelina struggled to convert her two Lara Croft projects, seen as sure-fire bets before the fact. She was perfectly cast as Lara, but the movies never struck that archaeology-as-supernatural-mystery-adventure gold that people loved about Indiana Jones. They were bland, flashy, forgettable. I’d love to see an actress like Emily Blunt pick up that role, and a grade-A director to guide her. With such a massive brand as Tomb Raider, it’s got re-boot written all over it. Ease up on the character’s famous curves, make her an intelligent action heroine boys and girls, men and women can root for. Is it that hard?

Zoe Saldana (Avatar, Colombiana) and Gina Carano (Haywire) have recently tried, to moderate results, to break through as genuine action stars. I’m curious to see if they can take it to the next level. But my guess is we won’t see it happen until those with the clout stop looking down on action heroines as nothing more than a juvenile, male-fantasy-derived, sideshow attraction.

Because seriously, they kick ass for us all.

Just ask Milla.

Upcoming Release – Alien ‘n’ Outlaw

Whoo! I finally have cover art and a blurb for the sequel to Spice ‘n’ Solace!  It’s coming from Carina Press in early July, and I can’t wait.  Also, this makes this blog post a no-brainer, which is excellent, since I’m pretty sure I’ve misplaced my brain sometime this week. I also think Croco Designs outdid themselves – this is probably the hottest cover yet, and it does a great job of creating a connection between Spice ‘n’ Solace.  I’m posting that cover, below, so you can see.

Alien ‘n’ Outlaw

R’kos, son of the Ankylos Emperor, is expected to settle down. But he’s much more attracted to human males than to his own species. Eager to explore his forbidden longings, he steals a ship and heads to Elora Ki to see if he can find the right human guy.

Darien robs the corrupt to give to those in need, but now he needs a ride off Elora Ki, stat. Pursued by drug lords, he accepts help from the amorous stranger who calls himself Ricky. As they fly together along Darien’s route, their friendship quickly turns into passion.

But when Ricky is injured, Darien must contact the embassy to get his alien lover the medical care he needs. As Darien finds himself accused of kidnapping, and Ricky fears his family’s disappointment, can the two protect their growing relationship? Or are their differences just too great?

Real-life river-dwelling tribe faces genocide

I think one of the important features of science fiction has always been its ability to draw attention to injustice, to suggest better possible futures (or warn us away from the paths we’re on) and to inspire new ideas — both social and technological.

My novel Stellarnet Rebel, features an alien race called the Glin whose environment is devastated by Tikati invaders. Sure, it’s one of the common tropes in fiction. “Advanced technological power exploits/invades/destroys less advanced race.” You know it from Avatar, Star Trek, Babylon 5, Star Wars and many, many more.

You also know it from history. One person’s “invasion” is another person’s “victory,” so I will try to avoid ruffling any feathers. Let’s just cite the Roman Empire and the founding of the United States as examples, and move on.

Unfortunately, there’s another real-world example happening right now, not in the distant past or imaginary future. And, as my heroine Genny did for Duin and his people, there’s an Internet campaign underway to raise awareness of this situation and pressure world powers to intervene. So, I thought I would share it with you.

Experts warn Brazil’s Awá tribe will face extinction unless more is done to protect their land rights, which are being abused by illegal loggers and cattle ranchers. Awá land within Brazil has been legally demarcated, but its boundaries are not respected. The Awá people have nowhere left to retreat. There are several accounts of them being killed. (Source: Survival International)

Read more or watch the video here.

The hunt for the SF toilet. So where *do* you go…?

My house is a disaster zone. The nuclear bunker that was my bathroom–and yay for the builders in the 30s for deciding to waterproof the room with concrete–is a shell of itself. I have a bath in the bath position. Not plumbed in, but it’s obvious the room with only one right angle  in it (yes, it’s a seriously weird shape) has some purpose now. <–The house is Edwardian. Bathroom space was still a sort of…afterthought.

So, how does this fit in with SF? Well, I’m glad you asked, because for a time there, I was feeling kind of Star Trek.

I mean, where to they go? The most I’ve seen, especially in TNG is a sink. And that’s not a pleasant image.
(Kirk does find a toilet in Star Trek V – not to be used in space dock though…)

Babylon 5 tackled the toilet problem head on. The memory of Sheridan and Garibaldi having a discussion at a urinal, whilst they squicked out at the toileting habits of the Pak’ma’ra, stuck in my head. Stargate SG-1 had characters disappearing into toilets, maybe once or twice over ten years, but yay for admitting for bodily function! SGA, I can’t remember any incidences. Did the Ancients evolve past the need…? SG Universe I couldn’t watch long enough to care…

I wonder why it bothers us so much in SF? Other genres don’t have the toilet front and centre–and isn’t that a lovely image . You don’t worry in contemporaries, or police dramas, or historicals. Maybe it’s the obvious. We already know the routine for the past and the present. The future of bathrooms is still being mapped out.

Maybe we’re the same as John Spartan in Demolition Man. We have yet to find out what those three bloody sea shells are for.

Can you remember any SF toilets? The hunt continues…

————-

Kim Knox brews sex, magic, darkness and technology in a little corner of North West England. She writes erotic science fiction and fantasy romance for Carina Press, Ellora’s Cave, Samhain Publishing, Cleis Press and others.

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SYNTHETIC DREAMS and BITTER HARVEST are available now from Carina Press.

A Little Off Topic

Okay, I know this is a sci-fi log, but I am so happy with a short paranormal erotic novella I intend to self publish on June 1^st that I can’t help but put a little something on there to tell you all about it.

First, don’t you love this cover?  Like I said last time, a cover is like a present to me and I just loved this one. What a great way to keep my spirits ups while I am out of work—a visual reinforcement of the joy I get from writing.

Here’s the blurb:

Anna Scott lives along on the coast ofNew England, enjoying the solitude that comes with Five Island Cove. Except she isn’t always alone. Every year, as the weather warms, the seals return and so does her lover, a man who makes her as wild as an ocean storm, a man with magic in his soul.

Cael is a selkie, an ocean-born shapeshifter. Unlike his brothers he has never forgotten his lover when he returned to the swells of the deep ocean. Every summer two lovers reunite, fighting the odds that the ocean will take away Cael’s memory of being with Anna, and disobeying the unwritten law of his people to never reveal the truth of their lives under the waves.

This summer, as they near the time to part again, Cael and Anna face a new threat, a tangible one as hunters arrive in Five Island Cove. Can their love last through even more secrets and danger?

Sound good? J I just love to jump genres now and then.  Not that paranormal and fantasy are all that different from sc-fi, they all require careful world building and lots of imagination, and since my stories are also erotic romance, they have a commonality that links the genres – love. Of course I like to read a lot of different kinds of books. As readers, has your favorite series author every tried a new genre?  What did you think?  Were you intrigued or disappointed?

Lilly

Alien Revealed – Book One of The Confederacy Treaty – June 2010

The Naked Truth – Book Two of The Confederacy Treaty – June 2011

Undercover Alliance – Book Three of The Confederacy Treaty – June 25, 2012

For more information about Lilly Cain, and for excerpts of her stories please visit www.lillycain.com. You can also follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/LillyCain or on Facebook at www.facebook.ca/Lilly_Cain

When old is new again

One of the things I enjoyed most about writing a post-apocalyptic romance (Desert Blade) was world-building. Or, in this case, tearing down a world and deciding what’s left. Desert Blade‘s setting was a large part of that world-building, and I talk more about that in a post on landscapes on the Carina Press blog. When the story took shape, this apocalyptic world ended up being a return of the dust bowl in the Midwest, only much worse. The Unites States was a desert.

Sail Wagon

But wait! Desert? The story would be in a desert! What would that look like? What technology remained? Did they have cars and trucks?

If technology had been halted and some lost, then it makes sense that some tech of old would work in post-civilization setting.

I had this idea that took hold and wouldn’t let go. The idea that one could sail over a desert. Sure enough, as so many human ideas go, this thought was in no way unique. People have had land yachts or sail wagons for quite some time. The ancient Egyptians built them. Above is a picture of one created in Brooklyn in the early 1900s. Today, land yachts are used in racing in a unique sport that seems crazy exciting, fast, and dangerous.

In the post-apocalyptic world of Desert Blade, I decided these were the vehicle of choice, skimming over the sand and going way off-road since the roads had been long lost. Can you see it?

Somehow, trying to imagine what it’d be like to ride in a land yacht, I pictured the time when I was a girl when we had a go-cart. That was an exhilarating ride and seemed so fast! Dangerous! The ground is right there. Nothing between you and it. And no helmets! That experience informed the concept of sailing over the sand and voila! Dr. Lidia Sullivan has her new shiny land yacht.

So there it is, several old things, brought into a futuristic world imagined to be more basic. A time when the future circles back and uses tools and ideas from long ago. Like there are no new ideas, only recycled ones.

Now I just need to find a way to ride in a land yacht.

Who’s with me?

***

Ella Drake is a dark paranormal and science fiction romance author. You can find her on Twitter, Facebook, & Goodreads.

Her Science Fiction Romance, Desert Blade is a near-future post-apocalyptic romance from Carina Press. Currently available SFR: Silver Bound, Jaq’s Harp, Braided Silk & Firestorm on E’Terra. MetalMark, coming soon from Lyrical Press.

Tips for Building Your Next Space Prison

Hubby and I saw Lockout on the weekend.  I was skeptical, because the premise was – to my mind – ludicrous.

Prison revolt… in space!!!  Actually, that bit was fine.  It was the fact that all the prisoners were in stasis for the entirety of their incarceration.

Depending on your point of view, the purpose of prison is either for punishment or rehabilitation, but a stasis prison accomplishes neither, since the prisoners don’t grow older and essentially sleep through their sentence.

They actually ended up providing a reason I could accept for the whole stasis thing, and there were some great explosions and action scenes (although there was a *terrible* chase scene at the beginning), but there were other issues.

I’ll try not to get too spoiler-y, but I learned some great “tips” to keep in mind for when you’re creating your next sci-fi prison break story.

 

1. Ensure that the procedure for releasing ALL prisoners at the same time consists of pressing a simple three button sequence that any low-level technician knows and can perform.  Perhaps make it part of their orientation training.
2. The procedure for releasing sleeping gas into the prison must be MORE complicated.  You wouldn’t want anyone to accidentally get hurt.  In fact, restrict access only to one or two of your security personnel.
3. Only one escape pod, please.  And don’t add it to the schematics.  Drama, people, we need DRAMA.
4. Anti-gravity tubes should be placed at random throughout the facility, otherwise there’s no possibility for an anti-gravity fight.  Pay no attention to Sigourney Weaver’s scene in Galaxy Quest when she says “What is this thing? I mean, it serves no useful purpose for there to be a bunch of chompy, crushy things in the middle of a hallway. No, I mean we shouldn’t have to do this, it makes no logical sense, why is it here?”
5. Do not have security cameras or any kind of sensors in the corridors of your super-high security facility.  If there should be a prisoner uprising, you’ve got to give them an edge. Finding your way blind through the facility is how they’d do it in Duke Nuke ‘em, so that’s clearly the best way.
6. Make sure the police force ostensibly in charge of the facility is not stationed ON the facility, and ensure they don’t have any sort of override for the external defenses.
7. If you’re going to send a young, attractive woman to interview one of the prisoners, make sure he’s a violent rapist with control issues.

There were more… but I don’t want to give away all the secrets I learned.  What if I want to make my own space prison break movie?

KC Burn

The future is now… again

Last year, I mentioned how challenging it is to be a science fiction writer in the 21st century, because every time you think you’ve invented something cool and futuristic, it already exists.

Here are a few more things that don’t exist yet — but they are coming soon. Sooner than 2060, probably, the decade in which my Stellarnet Series takes place.

Wearing Your Computer On Your Sleeve

In Stellarnet Rebel, the main characters wear “bracers,” which are micro-thin, flexible, waterproof devices that wrap around their forearms. The bracer includes apps, camera, microphone, and icon-based “touch and drag” interaction like a smartphone. People pretty much wear their bracers all the time, even when sleeping or in the shower. They can also be used to play Kinect-style physically-interactive MMORPGs.

How would that work? Maybe something like these “tattoo” electronics? Note at 1:40 when the narrator says, “Other demonstrations have shown the wearers controlling video games.”

And those Net bracers, programmable clothing, and other wearable electronics might be powered by flexible solar cells thin as spider silk. Power is a non-issue when you have a high-efficiency version of something like this.

When I started writing Stellarnet Prince last year, I invented goggles for my alien characters to wear when visiting Earth. The purpose was not only to protect their eyes, which were adapted to much lower lighting conditions on their home world, but also to give them augmented reality.

Google to Sell Heads-Up Display Glasses by Year’s End

Google has revealed details of its research into augmented reality glasses

When Stellarnet Prince is released in November, no one will believe I didn’t rip off this Google video. And if you haven’t read the first book, Stellarnet Rebel, yet, you can enter the giveaway to win one digital copy (pdf or epub, your choice). Click here for more info.

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An Apology and a Prezzie!

Hello to my friends and fellow authors and to all who enjoy reading this blog! I am so sorry I haven’t been on here for a while. I had a very bad case of pneumonia. Then, just as I seemed over it, I got it again. Then when I finally returned to my day job, I got laid off. And the truth is, all of that made me want to avoid writing, avoid everything to do with a computer at all. But that said, it doesn’t make up for my absence, so I have a present for you!I always love getting a new cover, it is so fun to see the concept of a book come to life. SO I thought I would share with you my newest cover from Carina Press. To apologize for not being around. Now that I am feeling better, although I am still not employed, I’ve realized how much I missed writing, and chatting with my online friends.

For my release to come out on June 25^th (also in audio format!) here is the cover of book three of The Confederacy Treaty series – Undercover Alliance. Something about this book was so James Bond for me. I just love it. I hope you like it too!

What do you think?  Is a cover like a present?  I know it is to authors. For readers I am wondering if it is more like a promise?  Of what they will find inside the story?

Lilly Cain

www.lillycain.com

www.twitter.com/LillyCain

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Prometheus

I have to admit, things are still unsettled on the family front, so I haven’t had a lot of time for being online or prepping blogs.  I’ve somehow managed to write 8K words in the past three weeks, which is a terrible pace for me, especially when I’m not doing anything else like editing or storyboarding or whatever.  However, that being said… OMFG – I saw the trailer for Prometheus on the weekend.

I was stunned.  Stunned.  It’s visually breathtaking and looks to be a horrifying, exhilarating ride.  It called to mind echoes of Alien without being obvious.  And since, according to this (Prometheus: 10 things you must know), Ridley Scott decided he was going to link them only superficially, well, I was impressed.

I want to be Ripley when I grow up. *grin* She’s a kick-ass hero, and Alien is, arguably, one of the best sci fi movies of all time.  However, I think Prometheus might give it a run for the money.  So… in the interest of me being lazy about blogging… who’s going to see Prometheus?  What’s your favourite sci fi movie and/or hero?

KC Burn