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I am hoping for proper science fiction films in particular portrayals of the David Wingrove series "Chung Kuo" and of William Goldman's "Forever War" hopefully by directors of the likes of Ridley Scott or Paul Verhoeven certainly not the likes of George Lucas. - Cheerio
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There's hardly been a decent Sci-Fi film since the movies of the 50's and 60's (War of the Worlds, The Time Machine, This Island Earth, When World's Collide, Forbidden Planet, etc). All the recent ones are more concerned with people's feeling and emotional interaction with each other than having a good, solid story. Even the more science-fictiony movies, with space aliens taking over the planet or whatever are all about people's reactions to it rather than anything else. I'm not sure what I am trying to say here except I have read a lot of Sci-Fi books and most of them haven't been made into decent films - or even TV series.
- I would love to change the world, but they won’t give me the source code.
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I dunno - I think you can have a good SF story and deal with the emotions of it - Arrival I think hit both of these. (and The Day the Earth Stood Still to add to your oldie list)
I'm blanking right now on stuff I enjoyed lately - The Martian, and of course The Expanse. But beyond that, I can't think of anything.
And here we are in a new golden age of SF books...
TTFN - Kent
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The Expanse has been a delight. It's a relief, too, that they've mostly stuck to the story lines in the books.
Waiting anxiously for the next installments to show up
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SciFi is such a broad category, really.
If one is going to discuss SciFi films, etc. they really need to break it down to smaller components.
Aliens, exploration, horror, thriller, etc.
Currently I am digging Prometheus, not Alien: Covenant. Really wish R. Scott would do some movies on the Enigneers, etc. That would be great.
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What do you think of "Blade Runner"? (by the way Google AI automatically added "Runner" for me) It is one of my favorite films. The music is excellent. The mood is perfect. Sean Young is perfectly cast. The director's cut though was a disappointment. The original is superior. How can you possibly not have mentioned "2001: A Space Odyssey"? Thank you for mentioning "Forbidden Planet" I also am quite fond of it and am hoping for a modern telling of it. The unseen being still frightens me. Maybe its the accompanying music. What about "Robocop" another fine film IMHO. The first installment of "Star Ship Troopers" wasn't too bad. Older films I find to be a bit too slow moving for my tastes. There are always boring scenes that do not hold my attention. "Contact" wasn't too bad either. A good ending. "Close Encounters" The modern list goes on. You are begging the question "What makes a good science fiction story?" Entertaining but that is a matter of personal preference. Good solid science of course w/ reasonable extrapolations. Which is why I could not tolerate "Interstellar". No logical inconsistencies. "Gravity" was a thrill to watch most of the time. How she knew to operate a Chinse vessel I am not too happy about. I also do not care how the characters "feel". When I watch Star Trek episodes I am interested in how they solve their problems hopefully in the most logical manner. Kind Regards - Cheerio
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I dunno: The Abyss, 2001, 12 Monkeys, Blade Runner, The Martian, Ex Machina, Aliens / Alien, The Matrix, ...
All good films, all SF.
Yes, there is a lot of trash out there, yes generally sequels are gawd awful cash-ins. But there are some real gems.
And some stinkers that should have been good but were ruined: Enders Game springs to mind ...
"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
"Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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Yeah, I agree with all those - except 12 Monkeys was a bit too much of a Bruce Willis vehicle, but still OK.
Then there are Comedy Sci-Fi like Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, Galaxy Quest, 5th Element and a few others.
- I would love to change the world, but they won’t give me the source code.
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H2G2 edges very close to Enders Game territory ... for the same reasons: to fit all the detail which makes the original work just isn't practical for a movie (which is basically a short story with special effects).
"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
"Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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Yes, I must admit the original BBC TV series was the second best interpretation of H2G2, the BBC radio series being the best of course (amazing special effects - in my head anyway).
- I would love to change the world, but they won’t give me the source code.
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brad pitt in 12 monkeys was very good.
CI/CD = Continuous Impediment/Continuous Despair
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Dark City - One of the best. Don't know if it is like "Chung Kuo" or "Forever War" - I'll have to check them out.
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There seriously was a lot of trash in the fifties and sixties as well.
We just don't remember those.
Or do you remember "The Robot vs. the Aztec Mummy", "The killer Shrews" or "Attack of the Giant Leeches"?
The fact that everyone knows about "Plan 9 from outer space" is just because it's been dubbed it the "worst film ever made"
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My hope is that someday, someone like Ridley Scott or the like would take up the Gateway series by Fredrick Pohl[^].
"When you are dead, you won't even know that you are dead. It's a pain only felt by others; same thing when you are stupid."
Ignorant - An individual without knowledge, but is willing to learn.
Stupid - An individual without knowledge and is incapable of learning.
Idiot - An individual without knowledge and allows social media to do the thinking for them.
modified 19-Nov-21 21:01pm.
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I think Gateway might work better as a TV series rather than a movie - just like The Expanse there's too much detail to make a movie I think.
Good books though!
"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
"Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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Yeah, you're probably right. You can't skip on the detail in Gateway or you lose the big reveal at the end of the 4th novel. I don't count the 5th, because it has nothing to do with the main story line; however, it would make great filler episodes between the main story line.
Come to think of it, Gateway would lend itself to more seasons beyond the main story line.
"When you are dead, you won't even know that you are dead. It's a pain only felt by others; same thing when you are stupid."
Ignorant - An individual without knowledge, but is willing to learn.
Stupid - An individual without knowledge and is incapable of learning.
Idiot - An individual without knowledge and allows social media to do the thinking for them.
modified 19-Nov-21 21:01pm.
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Science fiction movies don't sell.
Fantasy/adventure movies sell.
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In my experience as a science-fiction reader and moviegoer, it is very hard to adapt (hard) science fiction books to a movie format.
Everyone hates them, or the actor portraying the books characters.
(disclaimer I don't know those 2 authors or book series)
CI/CD = Continuous Impediment/Continuous Despair
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Read a book?
I am reading "Enter the Dawniverse"!
This inspired by true events. It's an account of survival and daring do, that follows a bronze age tribe, as it takes on a galactic apex predator!
Both moving and informative! 
modified 4-May-21 20:45pm.
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"Proper" is in the eye of the beholder, I think. I don't know why anyone has never made a movie of any of the Isaac Asimov books. "I Robot" was an abomination. The only thing it had in common with the book was the title.
I like some humor in my SF movies too. "Repo Man", "Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension", "Earth Girls Are Easy", the whole "Men in Black" series, just to name a few.
I too, think that "Blade Runner", and "RoboCop" were terrific. "Jurassic Park" was worth seeing just for the visual effects.
I believe the problem with movies made from SF books is twofold.
First, it is extremely difficult to condense a book, any book, down to Movie length. Truly exceptional screen writers are necessary, and there are not many of them out there.
Second the unexceptional screen writers think they can write better than the author of the book. "I Robot" is a perfect example.
For that reason, movies made from original scripts are far superior to adaptations of books.
Isaac Asimov's Foundation series would make a great TV series. Almost any of William Gibson's books, particularly "Agency" and or "The Peripheral" would too. Any of Robert Heinlein's books "Stranger in a Strange Land" or "Friday" too. Terry Pratchett and his co-author's "Long Earth" series of books, likewise.
Finally, a 50's movie not mentioned, is "Creature from the Black Lagoon" which I saw when I was 8 years old and gave me nightmares for months after.
BTW: I really hated the movie "I Robot".
Science Fiction Rules!
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I found one aspect of the film "I Robot" rather interesting and enjoyable. Namely the logical reason the robots attempted to overcome humanity.
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Quote: Isaac Asimov's Foundation series would make a great TV series.
It will be available soon on Apple TV+
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that's enough to make me get Apple TV!
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The difference may be slight but one of the conundrums I find myself in is using a ternary operator to handle a default vs non-default assignment.
Simplified:
function whatEver(inVal=NULL) {
if(inVal==NULL)
inVal = internalDefault;
inVal = (inVal==NULL)?internalDefault:inVal;
}
The first should be a touch more efficient as it only does an assignment when necessary, but generally an insignificant difference.
So - what would you do, and, do you ever pause and consider it before choosing?
| Ravings en masse^ |
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| "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein | | "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010 |
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