In 1984, David Lynch opened his feature-film adaptation of Dune with a voiceover spoken by Virginia Madsen (as the Princess Irulan): A beginning is a very delicate time . . .
Today — Friday, October 4 — I launch myself into cyberspace aboard a website called ReelingBack, a vehicle designed to carry visitors back to the future of cinema as I saw it unfold during nearly 50 years as a film critic. To paraphrase Dune's Princess: Know, then, that it is the year 2013. The known mediaverse is ruled by an unruly oligopoly of corporations desperately trying to maintain control over the most precious substance of all, the spice Copyright. The spice extends profits. The spice expands consciousness . . .
Or, to put it simply, we are living in interesting times. This weekend, I'll be attending VCON 38, Vancouver's annual science-fiction and fantasy convention, where the future of copyright will be one of the many ideas and issues being discussed. For my own part, I'll be moderating a panel called Much Ado about Whedon, the gathering's "celebration of all things Joss Whedon."
Naturally, I'll also be talking up reelingback.com, the attempt of an old print journalist to lurch into the 21st century. Because there is so much to explore in its debut edition (and because I know I'll be in serious need of sleep come Monday), I'm not planning any major new postings before Saturday, October 12. On that date, I plan to mark the beginning of Canada's Thanksgiving long weekend with another package of vintage reviews, all connected by a subject that I'll tell you about in a blog entry on Wednesday (Oct. 9).
Thereafter, look for the pace of new postings to pick up as I become more comfortable with this new medium. To find out what's "New Today" on any given visit, check the notice block in the upper left-hand corner of my current blog. If you like what you see here today, feel free to drop by again.
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