Monthly Archives: October 2014

Ex Machina

October 30th, 2014 | Posted in artificial intelligence, robotics, science fiction

As reported by ScreenCrush.com: ‘Ex Machina’ is the directorial debut of Alex Garland, the talented screenwriter of ’28 Days Later,’ ‘Sunshine,’ ‘Never Let Me Go’ and ‘Dredd.’ With a resume like that, we can’t think of anyone better suited to helming a small and (seemingly) smart science-fiction drama like this. Color us intrigued. Here’s the […]

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Titles of Interest – Body, Soul and Cyberspace in Contemporary Science Fiction Cinema

October 26th, 2014 | Posted in cyberspace, science fiction, Titles of Interest, virtual reality

I am on my way back home from a symposium at Baylor University in Waco, Texas on faith and film. I enjoyed many of the presentations and sessions, including one on science fiction. One of the presenters was Sylvie Magerstädt, Senior Lecturer in Media Cultures at the University of Hertfordshire, UK. She presented a paper […]

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Call for Presentations – Monstrous Geographies: Places and Spaces of Monstrosity

October 13th, 2014 | Posted in call for papers, monsters, monstrous

  Sunday 22nd March – Tuesday 24th March 2015, Lisbon, Portugal Call for Presentations This inter- and multidisciplinary conference focuses on the relationship between the monstrous and the geographic. We welcome proposals by academics, teachers, independent researchers, students, artists, NGOs and anyone interested in manifestations of monstrosity in space. Possible topics may include topics as […]

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Call for Papers – Daughters of Fangdom: A Conference on Women and the Television Vampire

October 13th, 2014 | Posted in call for papers, conference, vampire

Courtesy of Open Graves, Open Minds Daughter of Fangdom: A Conference on Women and the Television Vampire 18 April 2015 The University of Roehampton London Following the success of TV Fangdom: A Conference on Television Vampires in 2013, the organisers announce a follow-up one-day conference, Daughter of Fangdom: A Conference on Women and the Television […]

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Witches and Wicked Bodies at the British Museum

October 7th, 2014 | Posted in Body, Paganism, Wicca, Witchcraft

From the website of the British Museum: 25 September 2014 – 11 January 2015 This exhibition will examine the portrayal of witches and witchcraft in art from the Renaissance to the end of the 19th century. It will feature prints and drawings by artists including Dürer, Goya, Delacroix, Burne-Jones and Dante Gabriel Rossetti, alongside classical […]

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Titles of Interest – Devoted to Death: Santa Muerta, the Skeleton Saint

October 7th, 2014 | Posted in Day of the Dead, death, Dia de los Muertos, new religious movements, Santa Muerte, Titles of Interest

Devoted to Death: Santa Muerta, the Skelton Saint by R. Andrew Chesnut (Oxford University Press, 2012) R. Andrew Chesnut offers a fascinating portrayal of Santa Muerte, a skeleton saint whose cult has attracted millions of devotees over the past decade. Although condemned by mainstream churches, this folk saint’s supernatural powers appeal to millions of Latin […]

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Interview with Robert Geraci on the “Virtually Sacred”

October 4th, 2014 | Posted in sacred, Second Life, video games, World of Warcraft

Robert Geraci has been interviewed here previously regarding his work in artificial intelligence. With his return below we discuss his new volume Virtually Sacred: Myth and Meaning in World of Warcraft and Second Life (Oxford University Press, 2014). TheoFantastique: Thanks for your willingness to discuss your new book. How did you come to see video […]

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