Reality Check: Time travelling Hobbits and other Cryptic paradoxes

Alex Fitch, director Chris Bouchard plus some of The Hunt for Gollum cast and crew

In a pair of Q and As recorded in front of a live cinema audience at this year’s Sci-Fi London Film Festival, Alex Fitch talks to the directors of two new low budget films: The Hunt for Gollum and Cryptic. Joining Alex and director Chris Bouchard on stage, members of the cast and crew of The Hunt for Gollum talk about making an extended short film that stands up to the quality of the official Lord of the Rings movies, in an adaptation of material by J.R.R. Tolkein that was a labour of love for all involved, even when recreating Middle Earth in Epping Forest on limited resources. Alex also talks to producer / co-director Danny Kuchuck about his film Cryptic which mixes teen therapy with tropes of murder mysteries, revenge thrillers and time paradoxes to create an intriguing Sci-Fi drama .

For more info, please visit the home of this podcast at Sci-Fi London

Links: IMDb pages on The Hunt for Gollum and Cryptic
Official websites for The Hunt for Gollum and Cryptic

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Reality Check: Predicting the present with Cory Doctorow

In the latest episode of Reality Check, Sci-Fi London’s fortnightly podcast, Alex Fitch talks to writer Cory Doctorow about his work, focussing on his novel Little Brother and short story collection Over Clocked.
Alex and Cory also talk about the latter’s interest in technology and disseminating information plus the kinds of science fiction that interested him as a developing writer from George Orwell to William Gibson.
The podcast includes Jessica Fostekew‘s reading of his short story Printcrime….

For more info, please visit the home of this podcast at Sci-Fi London

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Links: More info about Cory’s work can be found at his website www.craphound.com
Also read his essays and technology links at www.boingboing.net
Read PrintCrime online at www.craphound.com/overclocked
Check out Jess’ CV online at www.comedycv.co.uk/jessicafostekew
Visit Joi Ito’s website who photographed Cory Doctorow (shared under a Creative Commons CC-BY licence)

Listen to Cory’s previous 5 part podcast interview for Resonance FM – part: one, two, three, four, five

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Reality Check: Circling the Stargate

Rachel Luttrell and James Swallow

As one era of the cult SF show Stargate comes to a close on TV with the broadcast of the final episode of Stargate: Atlantis and before the next begins with the advent of Stargate: Universe featuring Robert Carlisle, we’re looking at the past of the franchise on DVD and CD. Guest interviewer Liz George talks to actress Rachel Luttrell about her experiences on Stargate: Atlantis and Alex Fitch talks to author James Swallow about his Stargate: SG1 and Atlantis talking books. (The final box set of Stargate: Atlantis – season 5 – is available to buy from August 10th 2009 in all good DVD shops…)

For more info, please visit the home of this podcast at Sci-Fi London
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Reality Check: Torchwood Novelists

Classified government information about Torchwood according to Children of Earth (c) BBC 2009

In a panel discussion recorded live at a meeting of the British Fantasy Society, late 1980s Doctor Who script editor Andrew Cartmel talks to a quartet of Torchwood novelists – Mark Morris, Sarah Pinborough, Guy Adams and Joe Lidster – about bringing the show to the printed page and expanding the adventures of Jack, Ianto and Gwen to the length of a hardback novel.
(Recorded and edited by Alex Fitch)

For more info, please visit the home of this podcast at Sci-Fi London

Links: Official BBC Torchwood website
Wikipedia pages on Torchwood novels, Andrew Cartmel, Guy Adams’ novel ‘The House that Jack built’ , Joe Lidster, Mark Morris and Sarah Pinborough
The British Fantasy Society website
Alex Fitch’s interview with Joe Lidster about his writing career so far

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Reality Check: Female action heroes

Gianna Jun as Blood the last vampire and Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor in Terminator 2

With new versions of the Terminator and Blood: The Last Vampire franchises currently in UK cinemas, Alex Fitch talks to experts on the previous instalments.
In an extract from a press conference at the ‘MCM Expo’, Alex talks to Linda Hamilton about playing Sarah Connor in The Terminator / Terminator 2: Judgment Day and becoming a feminist icon. Alex also talks to anime and manga expert Helen McCarthy about Blood+ and the various other incarnations of Blood: TLV, that lead to the current live action film.

For more info, please visit the home of this podcast at Sci-Fi London

Links: More info about the London MCM Expo
Blood: The Last Vampire (2009), official movie site
Wikipedia pages on Blood: The Last Vampire and ‘Sarah Connor’ in the Terminator saga

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Reality Check: Phoenix Gamers

Descent board game laid out for a session at The Phoenix Games Club

Alex Fitch talks to Hugh and Matt, members of The Phoenix Games Club, a group who meet at least once every week at the Black Lion pub in Plaistow to play board games, strategy games and RPGs together. The Phoenix Club is one of many up and down the country who also play games together at regional meets and national ones, so Alex asks the guys about the type of games they play, the demographic of their membership and the social and intellectual aspects of gaming.

For more info, please visit the home of this podcast at Sci-Fi London
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