Critical Hits & Misses #300

• Vanity Fair has a listing of the 11 most unbelievably beautiful science fiction movies, in celebration of the visual beauty of Bladerunner 2049. 


• You might not believe it considering how little press they get and how certain fans out there seem to think that comics are for boys, but women have been involved in comics for over 100 years. The Comics Beat blog discusses the NYCC panel that took place celebrating 100 years of women in comics. 

For today's musical hit, we have SZA and "Love Galore"

Today's critical rolls: Happy Friday! What's on the agenda for the weekend?

Critical Writ has a super-duper strict comment policy that specifies a single rule above all others: we reserve the right to ban you for being a terribad citizen of the internet.

Critical Hits & Misses #225

• Over at The Guardian, feminist Laurie Penny has an article that discusses how in science fiction, the future is feminist. She discusses The Handmaid's Tale, various wonderful female sci-fi writers, and Wonder Woman. 


• The Washington Post reviews Netflix's new series 'Glow,' a 10-episode show about televised female wrestling in the 1980s. The Post discusses today's feminist TV and how Glow fits (or doesn't) into that struggle. 

For today's musical hit, let's go back to the 1980s, with Debbie Gibson's "Only In My Dreams"

Today's critical rolls: I was an 80s kid myself, so I grew up watching things like womens wrestling on tv, and American Gladiators, and I was fascinated by these powerful women. What kinds of media do you remember from your childhood that was a breakthrough for women? (TV, movies, music, etc are all valid here)

Critical Writ has a super-duper strict comment policy that specifies a single rule above all others: we reserve the right to ban you for being a terribad citizen of the internet.

Critical Hits & Misses #166

• The Guardian has a pretty neat article that examines how dystopian science fiction written by feminists, from as far back as Mary Shelley and maybe even earlier, have predicted the future beyond their moment in time. A really fascinating look at feminist sci-fi!


• Maria Ranger at The Valley Vanguard discusses how we really need to stop turning every female character in a comic book into a sex object. We agree. 

For today's musical hit, we have Lorde and "Liability"

Today's critical rolls: Discuss some of your favorite feminist fiction, whether it's sci-fi or not!


Critical Writ has a super-duper strict comment policy that specifies a single rule above all others: we reserve the right to ban you for being a terribad citizen of the internet.

Critical Hits & Misses #163

• As good as the first season of HBO’s Westworld was, it lacked exploration of the effect the existence of human-like androids would have on the wider world. Thankfully, as Alex Cranz points out over at io9, we have Humans, the Channel 4/AMC remake of Swedish sci-fi show Äkta människor (Real Humans) to cover this theme


• The Entertainment Monthly blog has a pretty good post about why gatekeeping is killing the comics industry. 

For today's musical hit, we have The Weekend and "I Feel It Coming"

Today's critical roll: Gatekeeping sucks. And it's not just in the comic book fandoms. Tell us about gatekeeping you've seen or experienced in your fan or hobby groups.


Critical Writ has a super-duper strict comment policy that specifies a single rule above all others: we reserve the right to ban you for being a terribad citizen of the internet.

Critical Hits & Misses #148

• Ghost in the Shell PSA is a powerful video by Chewy May and Jes Tom that shows the consequences of whitewashing. In an interview with io9 the pair of creators elaborate on the message. 


• Shawn Taylor over at Nerds of Color discusses how, more than ever in today's political climate, we need science fiction in order to imagine what the world could be like (both the good and bad futures). He lists his preferred sci-fi books and discusses why. Check out this awesome list!

For today's musical hit, we have Lorde and "Green Light"

Today's critical rolls: what are some of your favorite science fiction stories that could help navigate our current crappy political climate, and why? I need some good reading material, so let us know in the comments!


Critical Writ has a super-duper strict comment policy that specifies a single rule above all others: we reserve the right to ban you for being a terribad citizen of the internet.

Critical Hits & Misses #110

• Bustle's Casey Cipriani discusses the exciting upcoming sci-fi movies of 2017, and how this once sneered-at genre appears to now be dominating at the box office... and earning awards.


• Disney has released photos of the doll representing Emma Watson's live-action take of Belle in Beauty and the Beast, and the internet has opinions on it. Many of them not good. 

For today's musical hit, check out David Bowie's "No Plan."

Today's critical rolls:

Do you like dolls? Or do you think they are creepy? Especially the ones that are supposed to represent real people? What do you think?

— Critical Writ has a super-duper strict comment policy that specifies a single rule above all others: don't be the internet alien bursting out of the chest of good people. 

Top Five Reasons To Read Dan Wells's Bluescreen

I’m just going to say it. Bluescreen is the best science fiction book that I’ve read since Ready Player One.

But don't just take my word for it. Here are the top five reasons why you should check it out. 

5. Diversity! It has a diverse cast and delves deeply into Mexican culture. Marisa Carneseca, the main character, often gives out information about what her life is like. The details range from the humorous, such as Marisa cursing in Spanish when she gets really angry, to the intelligent, where we see Marisa brushing off stereotypes. Bluescreen takes place in a futuristic version of Los Angeles; the reader get to see an in-depth look at what life might be like for people of color in the future.

4. Awesome female characters! Continuing with the diversity, almost all of the characters in Bluescreen are kick-butt female characters! They’re smart, interesting, and have a range of interests. It’s important to have well-rounded characters in young adult literature and Dan Wells does an effective job. Plus, you like Legend Of Korra? Remember Ikki? Marisa’s sister is pretty similar to her. The two characters are both talkative, positive, and goofy.

3. Creative technology! The ‘djinni’ is something that you can plug into your head. Through it, you can surf the web for twenty-four hours a day if you want to. I think that it’s really unique, especially the way that Los Angeles changes in order to adapt to it. Almost every chapter features a bounty of inventions.

2. Video games and virtual reality! For those of you who enjoy video games, the main characters are all part of an extensive virtual-reality game. Truth be told, I don’t really know a lot about video games, but I think it’s a first-person-shooter game. You can customize your avatar to pretty much anything you want. This is actually what reminded me of Ready Player One in the first place.

1. No love triangle! Technically, Bluescreen is a dystopian novel (hey, it’s in Los Angeles), but it avoids most of the pitfalls that they fall into. There is no love triangle to be found, no revolution, no small band of rebels trying to stop a vague authority with a capitalized name, and absolutely no irritating ‘best friend is secretly in love with the main character’ plot.

Bluescreen is the first book in the Mirador series by Dan Wells. You can find it at the library or your local bookstore.

Zachary Krishef is an evil genius. Do not question his knowledge of Saturday Night Live trivia or the Harry Potter books.