Official blog of writer James J. Caterino, author of "Fireflies", "Fantastic Stories", "Watch the Skies", "The Last Neanderthal", the "Caitlin Star" series, and much more.
Why
take the chance with your hard-earned cash and limited entertainment time when
you can take this officially sanctioned “Caitlin Star” compatibility test and
know with absolute certainty if “Caitlin Star” is for you.
0 out of 10 yes answers: Do not read a “Caitlin” book (or
anything by the author) under any circumstances.
1 out 10 yes answers: There is a possibility you may like
certain aspects of the books.
2 out of 10 yes answers: You will probably enjoy the
majority of all three books.
3 out of 10 yes answers: You will be transported to another
world and find the books an addictive read.
4 out of 10 yes answers: You will be on the edge of your
seat, emotionally involved with the characters, and read at least one of the
books twice.
5 out 10 yes answers: This will be your new favorite book
series.
6 or more yes answers: You will dream of Caitlin and her
world non-stop and re-read each book…twice.
You like Quentin Tarantino films.
You like the “Divergent” series books and movies.
You like the “Graceling” book series.
You like the strong female characters in the films of James
Cameron such as Ripley in “Aliens”, Lindsey in “The Abyss”, Sarah Conner and Neytiriin
“Avatar”.
You like sword and sorcery books.
You are a fan of the “Star Wars” franchise.
You like the women of D.C Comics; Batgirl/Oracle, Black
Canary, Huntress, Catwoman, Poison Ivy, and Harley Quinn.
You like the “Hunger Games” book and movie series.
You like “Star Trek” and/or “The Planet of the Apes”.
I have been touting Blake Lively for years and even have
championed her as the actress I would want playing‘Caitlin Star’. I always knew she had the talent to compete
with the top A-list Oscar contenders, and I have been proven right. Blake gives
an absolutely extraordinary and emotionally affecting performance in the
magical new film, ‘The Age of Adaline’, directed with superb understated
elegance by Lee Toland Krieger and written by J. Mills Goodloe and Salvador
Paskowitz.
Minor spoiler ahead (but is in the trailer).
The film also featured the fantastic veteran actress Ellen
Burstyn, who for the second time in less than six months (the other being “Interstellar”)
gives a tear-inducing turn by playing the generation older daughter of the main
character. The audience I saw the movie with was very emotionally engaged and
sat still in their seats through to the end of the credits—a real rarity amid
today’s hyper-stimulated bolt for the exits mentality.
I will give a full review/analysis of "The Age of Adaline" when time and creative energy allow me to give this beautiful film the justice it deserves.
Very excited about this book. I know every author thinks their latest work is their best, but for me as a reader, this is truly my most satisfying and thrilling creation. So come, join me, and experience the danger and excitement and wonder of "Caitlin Star and the Rise of the Barbarians".
An old-school action pulp adventure with a modernistic edge,
Caitlin Star and the Rise of the
Barbarians is an epic, spectacular, stand-alone sequel to the riveting Caitlin Star and the Guardian of Forever
and is book number three in the iconic character’s series.
Caitlin is a warrior trained by Gunner Star in the ways of
the Bull Mongoni, a mythic species of hominids that lived long ago. The Bull
Mongoni philosophy is to strengthen the mind and the flesh, to protect the earth
and its creatures, and to fight for those who have no voice.
Rise of the Barbarians
opens up five years after a devastating WW III apocalypse. Caitlin now lives a
life of peace and tranquility deep in the rain forests of the Congo among her
ape friends, free from the evil and destructive species known as Homo sapiens.
All is well until one day a massive cruise ship shows up on the shore carrying
hostile invaders commanded by an old arch enemy of Caitlin’s who will stop at
nothing to destroy her and the last remaining paradise on earth.
Filled with mythic heroes, sinister villains, political
intrigue, relentless action, humor, heart, and even time travel; Caitlin Star and the Rise of the Barbarians
is an addictive, jam-packed, page-turning thrill ride with an unforgettable
ending.
1977 was a watershed year in popular culture. “Saturday
Night Fever” took disco from the clubs, put it out into mainstream America, and
made Vinnie Barbarino into a superstar. Steven Spielberg was about to unleash a
top secret UFO project called “Close Encounters of the third Kind”. And oh
yeah, there was a little space opera called “Star Wars”.
One would think that the producers of “Logan’s Run” had
struck gold and September of 1977 would have been the ideal time in all of
history to launch a new science fiction show on television. But “Logan’s Run”
had the decked stacked against from the beginning with a less-than-adequate
budget and a hostile network (CBS) who failed to promote the show and jerked
around with the timeslot, eventually sticking it on Monday nights opposite ABC’s
“Monday Night Football”, a show with a similar demographic.
Still, even though it lasted only fourteen episodes (three
of which CBS never bothered to air), the show managed to make an impact to
those young viewers who watched it back in 1977.
The series featured two insanely attractive leads—the charismatic
Gregory Harrison as Logan 5, and the beautiful Heather Menzies as Jessica 6.
The most frustrating aspect of “Logan’s Run” the series is the lost opportunity
to explore the dynamic of these two characters. Both the book and the feature
film have a strong erotic quality and the physical chemistry between Michael
York and the sensuous Jenny Agutter is one of the great pleasures of the 1976 movie.
Of course, in the sanitized world of network television circa 1977 it is
understandable this had to be toned down somewhat. But the producers went way
too far in the other direction—to the point where the relationship between
Logan and Jessica comes off as some sort of neutered down, awkward brother
sister thing. If only these two characters were permitted to have an adult,
romantic/sexual relationship the show would have been so much better.
Faring much better with the writers was the character of
Rem, an android that befriends Logan and Jessica in the 90 minute pilot episode
and joins them in their civilization-of-the-week adventure as they travel
across the parched post-apocalyptic earth of 2319 in a super cool hovercraft
SUV (actually, a really cool functional prop). Rem is an outstanding character
skillfully portrayed by the great character actor Donald Moffat. Rem is the
precursor to Data from “Star Trek: The Next Generation”. And like Data was on
STTNG, Rem is the heart and soul of “Logan’s Run”.
Even though “Logan’s Run” the series was based on a popular
novel and hit movie adaption (a semi-hit anyway) and had two network-placed
executive producers (Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts), the true creative force being “Logan’s
Run” was the legendary “Star Trek” story editor Dorothy Fontana and
producer/show runner Leonard Katzman. The two of them were hot off “The
Fantastic Journey”, which had received a similar bastard-stepchild treatment by
NBC and was criminally axed after only ten episodes.
They bought to “Logan’s
Run” the same sense of wonder and imagination that made “The Fantastic Journey”
such a pleasure to watch. Most importantly, Dorothy Fontana brought her writer
connections with her as well. So the list of writer contributors were some of
the best science fiction television scribes of the era (or any era) including
Harlan Ellison, Kathryn Powers, John Meredyth Lucas, and David Gerrold, who
wrote the show’s best episode, the outstanding “The Man Out of Time”.
Like “The Fantastic Journey”, “Logan’s Run” featured an
array of memorable guest stars including Angela Cartwright, Linden Chiles,
Leslie Parrish, Christopher Stone, Ellen Weston, Mel Ferrer, Kim Cattrall, Mariette
Hartley, and Paul Schenar.
Besides fantastic guest stars, story editor Dorothy Fontana,
and imaginative stories from top science fiction writers, there is another
thing that “Logan’s Run” shares with “Star Trek” and “The Fantastic Journey”—great
music.
The staple of composers who scored episodes of “Logan’s Run”
include Jeff Alexander, Jerrold Immel, and one of my all-time favorites, the ultra-talented
Bruce Broughton, who would go on to get an Oscar nomination for “Silverado” and
compose the scores for “Young Sherlock Holmes” and “Harry and the Hendersons”
among many others. But the bulk of the music, including the gorgeous
pop-infused main theme (complete with a wailing disco siren) was composed by
movie and television veteran Leonard Rosenthal.
Rosenthal is best known for the soaring title music from “Fantasy
Island” and he infused “Logan’s Run” soundtrack with the same wonderful sense
of melody. His best score is also for the above-mentioned best episode, “The
Man Out of Time”, where he creates some very moving George Dunning-esque
dramatic cues. The action and suspense
of the series is underscored with exciting atonal cues, similar to the approach
Lalo Schifrin took with another short-lived civilization-of-the-week 70s show, the
“Planet of the Apes” television series.
Bottom line: Although marred by a neutered relationship
between its two main leads, “Logan’s Run” is an imaginative, well-written piece
of 70’s sci-fi kitsch with a wonderful sense of adventure, great guest stars, and an engaging performance by Donald Moffat as Rem.
“Logan’s Run” episodes are available on DVD and streaming at
Amazon.com. A limited edition soundtrack was produced by Film Score Monthly and
is still widely available.
Charli XCX exists in a unique niche of the musical universe.
She is a pop star with a captivating appeal that lures in those who do not go
for the mainstream pop divas. She writes music, not only her own but for other
artists. And as anyone who witnessed the recent European Music Awards or the
MTV movie awards or even her December 2014 SNL appearance can attest to, the
girl can rock it like no other. When she takes to the stage, the electrifying presence
lighting up those music videos becomes an incendiary force of epic musical
artistry with enough kinetic energy to command anyone with a pulse bearing
witness to get up and move.
At casual first glance to the uninitiated, Charli might
appear to be a mainstream pop star, albeit one with a memorable look and
infectious energy. But this is a once in generation talent who cannot be so
easily categorized as to neatly fit into one genre. The British born rocker’s distinct visual and
audio stylings have given her an enthusiastic cult following, much the same way
as another one of kind transformative talent, Lana Del Rey.
Although the two artists are coming from completely different
approaches (Lana is a storyteller, a poet really. Charli is a rocker chick in
the historic sense of the world, whose been packing clubs and underground raves
since she was fourteen years-old), both of them are retro artists reborn from
the pop culture past. Charli channels a
sultry early 80’s punk/new wave vibe merged with 90’s pop culture in the same
fashion that Lana Del Rey represents a musical and stylistic recreation of the
Nancy Sinatra and 60s/70’s and ‘Mad Men’ era Americana. Like Lana, Charli is an
astutely aware of her antecedents and has a keen sense pop culture sensibility,
both past and present.
After seeing one of my drawings at a comicon, someone unaware
of who Charli XCX was asked me to describe her. Obviously this person was not
exactly up to snuff on the current music/pop culture scene, but I knew he was a
film buff and did know 80s music, so this was my Charli XCX elevator “pitch’ I
gave to him.
“Imagine taking the Mia Kirshner character from the 1994
film “Exotica”, but instead of being a dancer at high end arty strip club, you
make her a singer. But not just any singer, a rousing alternative pop rocker girl
with a touch of punk, an addictive style, and a voice like Martha Davis of ‘The Motels’.”
I had a table at 2015 Emerald City comicon to promote the soon-to-be released "Caitlin Star and the Rise of the Barbarians".No form of social media can ever compare to the impact of in-the-flesh, real-life, face to face interaction. Here are a few visual highlights from a spectacular weekend of celebrities, pop culture, geekdom, and four color crack overload.
Me with the luminous actress Julie Benz from the SyFy Channel's "Defiance". She was super nice, even more beautiful in person, and so very Caitlin-esque.
Thursday night.
Manning the station.
Yeah, I have a thing for Supergirl. Love the New 52 look! Spot on!
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