I really, really want this to be great.
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Showing posts with label PKD. Show all posts
Showing posts with label PKD. Show all posts
Friday, August 26, 2011
Monday, August 15, 2011
Ubik (Use As Directed)
Awesome can of Ubik created by an unknown fan of PKD's classic sci-fi novel.
**
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Where The Magic Began
This is Philip K. Dick's typewriter and coffee mug. Hard to believe he wrote all those great short stories and over 30 novels on this thing.
Epic.
**
Friday, August 12, 2011
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Found Treasure
On Saturday I picked up a handful of old SF pulp magazines featuring PKD short stories for about $2 each(!) and one of them was the December 1956 edition of Satellite Science Ficton magazine with a cover story by PKD entitled "A Glass Of Darkness".
The story is the first published version the entire novel "The Cosmic Puppets" (about 95 pages).
Anyway, I went online to see if it was worth anything and couldn't find anything (no, not even on Ebay). But I did come across a listing on Amazon.com where someone was selling a used copy for $159. I couldn't believe it.
Turns out that it's probably more realistically priced around $75, but hey, that's still a good bargain.
This Saturday I'll head back to the same seller to pick up a couple more of these pulp SF magazines also featuring PKD short stories.
Woo-hoo!
Friday, July 16, 2010
10 SCI-FI FILMS THAT MAKE YOU GO “WHAT THE FRAK?"
*INCEPTION
*DARK CITY – (Inspired by the same exact twist in the anime classic “Megazone 23” anime.)
*DONNIE DARKO – (Don’t understand it completely. Love it anyway.)
*ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND – (One of my all-time favorite films. Epic and moving.)
*FIGHT CLUB – (“I know this because Tyler knows this…” My wife Wendy had it figured out before me. Actually, I never figured it out at all. It blew my mind.)
*12 MONKEYS – (Love the moment when Bruce Willis’ character actually believes he’s insane and the doctor has to convince him he’s really from the future.)
*GHOST IN THE SHELL – (A friend I saw this with said, as we walked out of the theater, “That wasn’t ‘Anime’, that was ‘Brainime’”. He’s right.)
*BRAZIL – (I’ve seen this one over 10 times. Love it to death. The ending is a work of art.)
*PLANET OF THE APES – (What can compare to that Statue of Liberty scene? Nothing.)
*Pi – (Does the solution for PI actually contain the hidden name for God ,or the secret of unlimited wealth? What if the answer would kill you?)
BONUS
*A BEAUTIFUL MIND (not sci-fi but quite PhilDickian.)
*THE SIXTH SENSE (I had the twist figured out very early on, but it’s a crime not to mention it.)
Did I miss anything? Let me know in the comments.
*DARK CITY – (Inspired by the same exact twist in the anime classic “Megazone 23” anime.)
*DONNIE DARKO – (Don’t understand it completely. Love it anyway.)
*ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND – (One of my all-time favorite films. Epic and moving.)
*FIGHT CLUB – (“I know this because Tyler knows this…” My wife Wendy had it figured out before me. Actually, I never figured it out at all. It blew my mind.)
*12 MONKEYS – (Love the moment when Bruce Willis’ character actually believes he’s insane and the doctor has to convince him he’s really from the future.)
*GHOST IN THE SHELL – (A friend I saw this with said, as we walked out of the theater, “That wasn’t ‘Anime’, that was ‘Brainime’”. He’s right.)
*BRAZIL – (I’ve seen this one over 10 times. Love it to death. The ending is a work of art.)
*PLANET OF THE APES – (What can compare to that Statue of Liberty scene? Nothing.)
*Pi – (Does the solution for PI actually contain the hidden name for God ,or the secret of unlimited wealth? What if the answer would kill you?)
BONUS
*A BEAUTIFUL MIND (not sci-fi but quite PhilDickian.)
*THE SIXTH SENSE (I had the twist figured out very early on, but it’s a crime not to mention it.)
Did I miss anything? Let me know in the comments.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Friday, April 2, 2010
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
PKD'S ELECTRIC ANT: THE COMIC
MAY, 2010 --
PHILIP K. DICK’S ELECTRIC ANT #2 (of 5)
Written by DAVID MACK
Penciled by PASCAL ALIXE
Cover by PAUL POPE
FROM THE MIND OF SCIENCE-FICTION LEGEND PHILIP K. DICK -
David Mack and Pascal Alixe continue their charged and visually stunning adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s Electric Ant. When most people have crises of identity, a therapist might advise them to look inside themselves for answers. But after Garson Poole, CEO of Tri-Plan Industries, wakes up in a hospital and is told he is not human, but, in fact, a robot known as an Electric Ant, he goes looking for answers by opening up his chest panel and literally looks inside himself. But what lies in there is more profound and terrifying than anyone is prepared for…
32 PGS./Parental Advisory $3.99
Friday, January 29, 2010
RADIO FREE ALBEMUTH - SCREENING IN LA
Over at www.io9.com there's an interview with director John Alan Simon about RADIO FREE ALBEMUTH which is now screening in select theaters in LA. (I might need to make a road trip).
[from the article]
A new film based on Philip K. Dick's posthumous, roughly autobiographical novel, Radio Free Albemuth, has begun some informal screenings around Los Angeles. We saw the film, and spoke to writer/director John Alan Simon about representing the author's ambivalent life.
[READ MORE AT LINK BELOW]
HERE
Monday, January 25, 2010
A PREQUEL TO "DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP?"
Yep. Not only that, it's an officially licensed and Dick-Family-approved prequel.
Really.
Of course, it's a comic book mini-series from the publishers of the current "Do Androids Dream..?" serialized graphic novel in stores now.
Here's the scoop:
DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP?: DUST TO DUST #1
Written by Chris Roberson, art by Robert Adler.
A science-fiction publishing event! Who hunted androids before Rick Deckard? Taking place immediately after World War Terminus ends, the problems with artificial life -- androids -- become apparent. The government decides they must become targets, hunted down, but who will do the dirty work? Two men are assigned: Malcolm Reed, a "special" human with the power to feel others' emotions, and Charlie Victor, who's the perfect man for the job -- or is he? Meanwhile Samantha Wu, a Stanford biologist, fights to save the last of the world's animals. John W. Campbell Memorial Award-nominee Chris Roberson writes the prequel to John W. Campbell Memorial Award-winner Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, one of the greatest science fiction novels ever published!
32 pages, $3.99. Releasing: April, 2010
Really.
Of course, it's a comic book mini-series from the publishers of the current "Do Androids Dream..?" serialized graphic novel in stores now.
Here's the scoop:
DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP?: DUST TO DUST #1
Written by Chris Roberson, art by Robert Adler.
A science-fiction publishing event! Who hunted androids before Rick Deckard? Taking place immediately after World War Terminus ends, the problems with artificial life -- androids -- become apparent. The government decides they must become targets, hunted down, but who will do the dirty work? Two men are assigned: Malcolm Reed, a "special" human with the power to feel others' emotions, and Charlie Victor, who's the perfect man for the job -- or is he? Meanwhile Samantha Wu, a Stanford biologist, fights to save the last of the world's animals. John W. Campbell Memorial Award-nominee Chris Roberson writes the prequel to John W. Campbell Memorial Award-winner Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, one of the greatest science fiction novels ever published!
32 pages, $3.99. Releasing: April, 2010
Thursday, January 21, 2010
FIRST LOOK: PKD'S "ELECTRIC ANT" Graphic Novel
First issue of this 3 part mini-series releases in April from Marvel Comics.
Written by David Mack (after the PKD short story)
Covers: Paul Pope
Interior Art:Pascal Alixe
READ MORE
HERE
Friday, January 15, 2010
THE WORD THIS WEEK: PHILIP K. DICK Featured
Part 1 of a television show featuring PKD on the 25th anniversary of his death.
Excellent stuff!
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
HOLLYWOOD LOVES PHILIP K. DICK
Do you love the scene in “The Matrix” where Neo wakes up in an embryonic chamber, connected to wires and floating in a nutrient bath? Do you love films like “Stranger Than Fiction” or “The Truman Show” where the main character discovers that reality isn’t to be taken at face value? Do you enjoy stories like “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” where the process of erasing someone from your memory triggers a realization that true love is really all about accepting someone – warts and all?
If you answered “yes” to any of the above questions, you are already a fan of Philip K. Dick stories. You just don’t know it yet.
In many of the hundreds of short stories and novels by prolific author, Philip K. Dick, the concepts of flawed perception, fluctuating reality, and evolving humanity are central themes. While Dick did not directly write any of the stories found in the films mentioned above, his influence on every single one of those films is unmistakable.
In fact, there are key moments in all of these films which could easily be traced back to the short stories and novels Dick published decades earlier. Which is probably why Hollywood is so in love with Philip K. Dick these days.
At the moment, several of Dick’s novels have been optioned for film production, including “Ubik”, and “Flow My Tears the Policeman Said”. Production on the film adaptation of his novel “Radio Free Albemuth” wrapped recently and is slated to release later in 2010. His short story “The Adjustment Team” has just been optioned by Matt Damon’s production company under the title “The Adjustment Bureau”.
There are also two biopics based loosely on his life story. One, “Your Name Here” starring Bill Pullman bears the dubious distinction of being a fictionalized take on his life, (read, “the unauthorized version”) and the other, “The Owl in Daylight” stars Paul Giamatti and is being produced under the watchful eye of the Dickian Estate.
Of course, the saddest thing is that Dick never lived to see any of this. He died a few months before his book, “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” released to theaters as “Blade Runner”. Thankfully, this meant that he also died before having to endure “Paycheck” with Ben Affleck or “Next” starring Nicholas Cage. Not all of this ideas have survived the Hollywood treatment. Only “A Scanner Darkly” and “Total Recall” (based on his short story, “We Can Remember it For You Wholesale”) can stand alongside “Blade Runner” as faithful, and nearly intact, adaptations of his work.
While “Minority Report” may have earned a lot at the box office, thanks mainly to the star power of Tom Cruise and the presence of Steven Spielberg, the film itself bore little to no resemblance to Dick’s original story.
Still, the spirit of Philip K. Dick lives on in films where reality is questioned, perception is altered, and memory is untrustworthy. Perhaps this is why, as a long-time PKD fan, I love movies like “Memento”, “Adaptation”, “Time Crimes”, “Brazil”, “Fight Club”, and “12 Monkeys”. When we question reality and test our perceptions, we are exploring our own souls and mining for truth. I’m just thankful that people like Philip K. Dick had the courage to get this process in motion.
If you answered “yes” to any of the above questions, you are already a fan of Philip K. Dick stories. You just don’t know it yet.
In many of the hundreds of short stories and novels by prolific author, Philip K. Dick, the concepts of flawed perception, fluctuating reality, and evolving humanity are central themes. While Dick did not directly write any of the stories found in the films mentioned above, his influence on every single one of those films is unmistakable.
In fact, there are key moments in all of these films which could easily be traced back to the short stories and novels Dick published decades earlier. Which is probably why Hollywood is so in love with Philip K. Dick these days.
At the moment, several of Dick’s novels have been optioned for film production, including “Ubik”, and “Flow My Tears the Policeman Said”. Production on the film adaptation of his novel “Radio Free Albemuth” wrapped recently and is slated to release later in 2010. His short story “The Adjustment Team” has just been optioned by Matt Damon’s production company under the title “The Adjustment Bureau”.
There are also two biopics based loosely on his life story. One, “Your Name Here” starring Bill Pullman bears the dubious distinction of being a fictionalized take on his life, (read, “the unauthorized version”) and the other, “The Owl in Daylight” stars Paul Giamatti and is being produced under the watchful eye of the Dickian Estate.
Of course, the saddest thing is that Dick never lived to see any of this. He died a few months before his book, “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” released to theaters as “Blade Runner”. Thankfully, this meant that he also died before having to endure “Paycheck” with Ben Affleck or “Next” starring Nicholas Cage. Not all of this ideas have survived the Hollywood treatment. Only “A Scanner Darkly” and “Total Recall” (based on his short story, “We Can Remember it For You Wholesale”) can stand alongside “Blade Runner” as faithful, and nearly intact, adaptations of his work.
While “Minority Report” may have earned a lot at the box office, thanks mainly to the star power of Tom Cruise and the presence of Steven Spielberg, the film itself bore little to no resemblance to Dick’s original story.
Still, the spirit of Philip K. Dick lives on in films where reality is questioned, perception is altered, and memory is untrustworthy. Perhaps this is why, as a long-time PKD fan, I love movies like “Memento”, “Adaptation”, “Time Crimes”, “Brazil”, “Fight Club”, and “12 Monkeys”. When we question reality and test our perceptions, we are exploring our own souls and mining for truth. I’m just thankful that people like Philip K. Dick had the courage to get this process in motion.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
PKD's "Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said" Film in Development
I read this press release (below) and had to jump for joy. One of my favorite all-time PKD books is now being made into a feature film. Yes!
PRESS RELEASE
Halcyon Co. co-founders and co-chief executives Victor Kubicek and Derek Anderson, who picked up first-look rights to SF author Philip K. Dick's estate in 2007, have selected his 1974 novel Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said as the first of his works they will adapt for the screen, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Set in a futuristic, dystopian world, Tears is the tale of a celebrity who wakes up after an assassination attempt to find no one has ever heard of him.
Isa Dick Hackett and Laura Leslie, co-founders of Electric Shepherd Productions, the production arm of the Dick estate, will develop the work alongside Kubicek and Anderson. Dale Rosenbloom and John Alan Simon also will produce.
Dick's works have served as the basis for such movies as Blade Runner, Total Recall, Minority Report and A Scanner Darkly, which together have grossed more than $1 billion worldwide.
PRESS RELEASE
Halcyon Co. co-founders and co-chief executives Victor Kubicek and Derek Anderson, who picked up first-look rights to SF author Philip K. Dick's estate in 2007, have selected his 1974 novel Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said as the first of his works they will adapt for the screen, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Set in a futuristic, dystopian world, Tears is the tale of a celebrity who wakes up after an assassination attempt to find no one has ever heard of him.
Isa Dick Hackett and Laura Leslie, co-founders of Electric Shepherd Productions, the production arm of the Dick estate, will develop the work alongside Kubicek and Anderson. Dale Rosenbloom and John Alan Simon also will produce.
Dick's works have served as the basis for such movies as Blade Runner, Total Recall, Minority Report and A Scanner Darkly, which together have grossed more than $1 billion worldwide.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
WELCOME CBR READERS
Apparently I won the cover challenge at PERMANENT DAMAGE and my blog was linked from there.
So, if you're joining me from CBR, welcome.
I actually used to write for CBR about seven or eight years ago doing mostly interviews with guys like Jim Steranko, Stan Lee, Brian Bendis, David Mack, and Paul Pope (among others).
These days I only dabble in comic and sci-fi stuff and if there's anything worth sharing along those lines it will end up here.
I also blog over at www.KeithGiles.com and that's mainly my focus these days along with my 3rd book project.
On the sci-fi front I'm currently just cracking open Cory Doctorow's "Little Brother" and so far it's great stuff. I'll post a full review here when I'm done.
I'm also reading ARKHAM ASYLUM for the first time and I've just finished PKD's book of philosophical writings which was fascinating.
More to come, I promise...
So, if you're joining me from CBR, welcome.
I actually used to write for CBR about seven or eight years ago doing mostly interviews with guys like Jim Steranko, Stan Lee, Brian Bendis, David Mack, and Paul Pope (among others).
These days I only dabble in comic and sci-fi stuff and if there's anything worth sharing along those lines it will end up here.
I also blog over at www.KeithGiles.com and that's mainly my focus these days along with my 3rd book project.
On the sci-fi front I'm currently just cracking open Cory Doctorow's "Little Brother" and so far it's great stuff. I'll post a full review here when I'm done.
I'm also reading ARKHAM ASYLUM for the first time and I've just finished PKD's book of philosophical writings which was fascinating.
More to come, I promise...
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