Scifi Movies Finally Catching Up to Novels and Going Steampunk

There's usually a 10-year lag between what's popular in science fiction writing and what's popular in films, and the steampunk craze is no exception. Authors and artists have been steaming things up for decades, creating breathtaking clockwork worlds, industrial-era alien planets, alternate nineteenth centuries, and retro-analog mechanisms. Now Hollywood's finally caught in the gears of steampunk too: A whole slate of new projects coming out over the next several years are trying to get all steamy in the look-and-feel department. But will they succeed? Below, we rate seven upcoming flicks for steaminess using our special brass mechanism that's covered in cool knobs and cranks. More »

Seven Signs of the Rise of Fan Glam

We used to have geek chic, which made emo kids hip and Web 2.0 dweebs rich. But fashions have moved on and now fans are the newly-discovered authentic underdogs in pop culture. Their obscure desires are being converted into ironic commodities, their tastes transformed into sellable goo, and their dark, secret haunts opened up to the light of media frenzy. Here are the seven signs that fans have become glam, and that the world of fandom will never be the same safe place to hide with your action figures again. More »