‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ broke me

Early on in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, our hero Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and his daughter Cassie (Kathryn Newton) are warped into a quantum-level universe. It’s filled with alien biology and vistas that wouldn't be out of place on distant planets. But while that sounds like the perfect setup for a fun sci-fi romp, I never bought it. And, unfortunately, the actors didn't appear to buy it either. The backgrounds looked like psychedelic screensavers, and, similar to the Star Wars prequels, there was an uncanny disconnect between the live humans and their mostly digital surroundings.I found the aesthetic so viscerally ugly, it made me fear for the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and for anything else made with ILM's StageCraft technology (AKA “the volume”). That realization surprised me, since I've mostly enjoyed how that tech helped make The Mandalorian's unique worlds come alive. The volume is a series of enormous LED walls that can display real time footage. Together with interactive lighting, it makes actors seem like they’re actually walking around artificial environments. Another plus? It also helps the lighting look far more realistic, something that was particularly noticeable on Mando's polished armor.So what the hell happened to Quantumania? Its artificiality seems partially intentional, as it's trying to evoke pulp fantasy and even a bit of Star Wars. But somewhere along the line, director Peyton Reed forgot to ground its fantastical visuals with... Continue reading at 'Engadget'

[ Engadget | 2023-02-23 13:00:36 UTC ]
News tagged with: #confidentiality agreements #science fiction

Other Publishing stories related to: '‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ broke me'


In ‘Memorial Drive,’ Natasha Trethewey reclaims her mother’s life from the man who took it

Trethewey’s memoir is a tribute to a life snuffed out by a brutal man, a fractured judicial system and a patriarchy as old as Methuselah. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2020-07-31 12:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #memorial drive #memoir


‘The True History of the First Mrs. Meredith’ toppled the standardized Great Man tradition of biography

Mary Ellen Peacock Meredith may not have been famous, but Diane Johnson’s 1972 biography of the tragic figure is well worth your time. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2020-07-22 16:38:39 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #diane johnson #tragic figure


Paid to Seduce Another Man’s Wife, He Fell Violently in Love With Her

“What’s Left of Me Is Yours,” a debut novel by Stephanie Scott, is inspired by the events surrounding an unlikely murder that occurred in Japan. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2020-06-23 09:00:07 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #debut novel


A Summary and Analysis of Edgar Allan Poe’s ‘The Man of the Crowd’

‘The Man of the Crowd’ is one of the shorter short stories written by Edgar Allan Poe (who pioneered the short story form when it was still an emerging force in nineteenth-century magazines and periodicals). Written in 1840, the story is deliciously enigmatic and, in some ways, prefigures later... Continue reading at Interesting Literature

[ Interesting Literature | 2020-06-02 14:00:22 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #interesting literature #short stories


What to Make of Isaac Asimov, Sci-Fi Giant and Dirty Old Man?

The Sensuous Dirty Old Man (1971) is credited to “Dr. A”… but “the secret is out,” admits a paperback edition, naming the author as Isaac Asimov, “undoubtedly the best writer in America” per the Mensa Bulletin. A response to a then-popular book called The Sensuous Woman, Asimov’s book instructs... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-05-14 08:48:40 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #isaac asimov #paperback edition


The man who made Indian classical music mainstream

Portrait of Ravi Shankar is a human life story, defined by familial failures, seething rivalries, physical frailty and relentless ambition. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2020-05-14 07:17:52 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Ant & Dec mark 30th anniversary with book for Sphere following 12-way auction

Ant & Dec, aka Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly, are publishing a book with Sphere this September—Once Upon a Tyne: Celebrating 30 Years Together on Telly–following a 12-way auction in January. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-01 12:30:50 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #declan donnelly


Sam Pink’s ‘Ice Cream Man’ explores life on the fringes

The story collection follows dishwashers, sandwich makers and machine operators going about their days. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2020-03-19 14:59:56 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #story collection


A Gay Man Remembers His Awakening, as AIDS Shook His World

Paul Lisicky, author of “Later: My Life at the Edge of the World,” talks about Provincetown, the challenges of memoir and learning not to suppress anger. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2020-03-15 09:00:05 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #paul lisicky #memoir


‘The Professor and the Parson’ tries to make sense of a narcissistic con man who fooled nearly everyone

Adam Sisman‘s sprightly new book follows a 20th-century fantasist who styled himself, variously, as a professor, doctor and reverend. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2020-02-26 15:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #make sense #20th-century fantasist


‘The Professor and the Parson’ tries to make sense of a narcissistic con man who fooled nearly everyone

Adam Sisman‘s sprightly new book follows a 20th-century fantasist who styled himself, variously, as a professor, doctor and reverend. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2020-02-26 15:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #make sense #20th-century fantasist


Audible strikes deal with Ant Middleton

Audible is debuting two new audio projects from former British Special Forces soldier, documentarian and bestselling author Ant Middleton. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-02-25 03:12:55 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ant middleton #bestselling author


Ant Middleton to publish debut thriller with Sphere

Sphere is publishing a debut thriller by Ant Middleton, TV star of "SAS: Who Dares Wins" and bestselling non-fiction author behind First Man In and The Fear Bubble. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-02-17 10:01:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ant middleton #debut thriller #tv star #dares wins


Leslie Jamison: ‘I Was So Glad I Was Crying Over Something That Wasn’t a Man’

This week on The Maris Review, Leslie Jamison joins Maris Kreizman to discuss her latest collection, Make It Scream, Make It Burn, now available in paperback from Little, Brown. On how it’s okay to be obsessed with yourself: Leslie Jamison: I love how serious and passionate that my students are... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-01-09 09:48:36 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #leslie jamison #maris review #latest collection


Searching for the man behind the legend of Charlemagne

Medieval scholar Janet L. Nelson illuminates the warrior-king who profoundly shaped Europe. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2019-11-15 13:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


This man is disrupting the cult of the billionaire

Author Anand Giridharadas is rebuking the idea that philanthropic billionaires are society’s heroes. Even some plutocrats are starting to agree with him. A black suburban dispatched by MSNBC’s Morning Joe is idling outside best-selling author Anand Giridharadas’s Brooklyn apartment when I arrive... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2019-10-21 07:00:57 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #morning joe #philanthropic billionaires #brooklyn apartment #pin-striped blazer #bucket seat #empty streets #rockefeller center #best-selling author


This man is disrupting the cult of the billionaire

Author Anand Giridharadas is rebuking the idea that philanthropic billionaires are society’s heroes. Even some plutocrats are starting to agree with him. A black suburban dispatched by MSNBC’s Morning Joe is idling outside best-selling author Anand Giridharadas’s Brooklyn apartment when I arrive... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2019-10-21 07:00:57 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #morning joe #philanthropic billionaires #brooklyn apartment #pin-striped blazer #bucket seat #empty streets #rockefeller center #best-selling author


In ‘The Man Who Saw Everything,’ Deborah Levy questions our notions of reality

The novel, longlisted for the Booker Prize, is a brilliantly constructed jigsaw puzzle of meaning. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2019-10-15 20:26:04 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #booker prize


Life lessons from a mole — and the man who made a living catching them

‘How to Catch a Mole’ is a wondrous work that will show you a new way to look at nature — and life. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2019-10-14 13:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #life lessons