I just learned of the sequel to Alien vs. Predator coming out on Christmas day (interesting choice.)

The original Alien vs. Predator, while highly disappointing, really sucked, but dammit, I’m still excited.

I think it’s the 5-year-old in me who wasn’t allowed to see the original when it came out who’s most excited.

If I may be permitted to geek out for a moment, I have become a huge fan of George R.R. Martin’s series A Song of Ice and Fire. I’m about 2/3 through the second book, A Clash of Kings, which is followed by two more books and will eventually comprise a seven-part series. Time Magazine proclaimed him the “American Tolkien,” but I really only give Tolkien credit for creating the genre and archetypes that other authors have put to better use. If you actually try reading The Lord of the Rings, it’s not the easiest thing in the world–Tolkien was always more of an academian than an author. In my opinion, it took Peter Jackson to really breathe life into those characters.

A Song of Ice and Fire has its own extensive backstory, along with multiple languages, religions, and ideologies, that, much like Tolkien’s work, make you believe there is really a huge body of research behind the novels. The books are much more readable, though, especially considering Martin’s background as a screenwriter.

One thing the books really touch on that I like is the “ordinary” people–it’s not all about lords and kings and all that. And even when it is, the characters are shown in full, with all their flaws, fears, and bodily functions. I remember reading Frank Herbert’s Dune series and wondering, above all else, when his characters ever had time to eat and go to the bathroom. Then again, Martin’s books don’t have anything as cool as sandworms.

There is now talk of an HBO series based on the books. If cast correctly and given enough time (i.e. several seasons), that could seriously kick ass.

Here are some other scifi/fantasy/historical fiction sagas that I recommend, if you happen to have a lot of time for reading:

• Hyperion, by Dan Simmons
• The Camulod Chronicles, by Jack Whyte
• Harry Turtledove‘s alternate history series, where the South wins the Civil War, continuing through to the end of World War II (one plot spoiler: the equivalent of the Battle of Stalingrad is fought in Pittsburgh)
• Kim Stanley Robinson‘s Mars Trilogy (he finds a practical use for buckyballs!!!)

It’s been a week since I saw the Transformers movie, so I’ve had a chance to process my thoughts on the matter. In short, I have concluded that I have no coherent thoughts other than the following (SPOILER ALERT, sort of):

1. Glenn Morshower remains one of the most criminally-underrated actors out there–although I still haven’t seen season 6 of 24, he portrays one of the only non-Jack-Bauer characters to survive five straight seasons.
2. Megan Fox almost supplants Charlize Theron for my title of too-beautiful-to-be-human. Almost.
3. Questions regarding the consistency, coherence, or even plausibility of the central plot and various plot points are pointless. There is an item sought by everyone in the movie that has the power to turn ordinary electronic items into evil robots. For no stated reason, it cannot create good robots. Whether this is a meditation on the ubiquity of evil in the universe and the ease by which the ordinary can become the malevolent, or whether this is a complete failure of imagination on the part of the screenwriters, is of no interest to me.
4. Bumblebee is supposed to be a VW Bug, dammit! OK, I’m over it.
5. Character development. It’s important to a movie. Who the fuck are all these Decepticons that show up in the last twenty minutes? It’s as though the writers suddenly remembered, in the final moments of the movie, that they needed some sort of resolution with the bad guys they had been ignoring. Plus, I didn’t even notice that Megatron was voiced by Agent Smith.
6. Good call not making Megatron a large robot who turns into a small gun. It’s nice to see at least one shout-out to the laws of physics. Plus, he’s scarier this way.
7. It’s good to see that the guy who voices Optimus Prime can keep it on his resume for this film.
8. Summer movies and deep thought do not go together.
9. Despite several hours of inundation with the message, I still don’t want to buy a Camaro.

Exciting news: the best show currently on TV, possibly the best show of the decade, if not of the past several, has been renewed for a fourth season, despite declining ratings.

From the L.A. Times:

“Battlestar Galactica” stands as one of the most critically acclaimed series on television. It also won the prestigious Peabody Award and was counted among the American Film Institute’s top 10 outstanding TV programs two years in a row. Critics often describe the show in lofty terms, referring to it as a multilayered allegory for a post-9/11 world that raises questions about the ethics and politics of war.The Sci Fi Channel cites the series’ strong buzz and critical praise — a halo effect that can’t be quantified in ratings points or ad dollars — as the reason for its renewal.” ‘Battlestar’ is a cachet show. It gives us a lot of credibility with the creative community,” said Mark Stern, head of programming for the cable network. “It’s the kind of series we want to continue producing in the future.”

Now then, please please please watch this show!