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Science Fiction: Films & TV

ramonmercado

ramonmercado

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We don't seem to have a specific SF films thread so here is one for SF films unlikely to earn a thread of their own.

Starting with:

Beta Test: Yes, its Mind Games Forever. Perhaps mixing the traditions of Inception and eXistenZ, Beta Test nevertheless makes its own mark on the SF gamer trope. We have a veritable War of the Gods, a CEO of a Gaming company in dispute with Chief Designer. An armed gang burst into the home of the Designer, insert a control device in the back of his neck and kidnap his wife.

Meanwhile the beta tester receives his new game to try out. Little does he know that he will be controlling the (now) flesh puppet Designer in real life. The first task of the game is to interrupt a bank robbery, killing the robbers and making off with the loot ...

MMA fighting, neck breaking, stabbing, shooting, even Samurai sword fights. This film has them all. The storming of the Bond-Villain's HQ results in an over-extended fight but this is a good SF Thriller. 7/10.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4244162/
 
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Morgan, the film about AI with a trailer created by AI:

Not quite as impressive as it sounds, it didn't actually cut the trailer, it suggested the best bits. Also, as pointed out across the net, it failed to choose anything that indicates the film is about AI. Back to the old drawing board...
 
GNC said:
Morgan, the film about AI with a trailer created by AI:

Not quite as impressive as it sounds, it didn't actually cut the trailer, it suggested the best bits. Also, as pointed out across the net, it failed to choose anything that indicates the film is about AI. Back to the old drawing board...
Click to expand...

Looking forward to seeing it nevertheless. Probably next Tuesday.
 
The Purge: Election Year. I guess it counts as SF. Saw it tonight. Liked it. Some savage images, the guillotine, the bodies hanging from the trees, the girls in prom dresses armed with AKMs and machetes, the murder tourists being massacred. Yes, tourists are arriving specially to participate in the Purge, but some karma results.

Main plot: a reforming Senator threatens the rule of the New Founding Fathers of America. So her security detail is infiltrated on Purge Night. She escapes with her one loyal guard pursued by a White Power Militia... 7/10.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4094724/
 
Morgan: A heavy hitting cast in more ways than one. Toby Jones is once again a "mad scientist" who creates an artificial lifeform, Morgan, who at age 5 looks like an 18 year old (Anya Taylor-Joy from The Witch). After Morgan attacks a scientist, a corporate troubleshooter (Kate Mara) is called in along with a psychologist (Paul Giamatti). They have to decide whether or not to terminate the project, and Morgan Morgan escapes, biting Giamatti's throat out.

Quite a savage film with some brutal fight scenes. Beautifully filmed in a remote forest setting. There will be the inevitable comparisons with Ex Machina but this film possesses its own original ideas. The film doesn't completely hang together, but this is Luke Scott's first outing as director. 7/10.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4520364/
 
Anyone else think Aldiss' Helliconia Trilogy could outperform Game of Thrones in the fantasy TV series genre? It has an ancient chronology equally as deep yet with varied sentient species and an earth-human intervention from the stars to shake it up in the third series. This is the era of TV/Netflix gold for such as this book.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helliconia
 
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I have Helliconia Spring, and I think, Helliconia Summer. Haven't read the final part.

I certainly would make a good film

May I suggest, for pure Space Opera, Stephen Donaldson's 'Gap' series.

INT21

p.s. My favorite SF film is Solaris; The George Cloony version.
 
Helliconia would make a good series, yes.
I can't think of a film of any of Aldiss's books, sadly.
 
Mythopoeka,

All I can find is this ...

..

Culture


Brian Aldiss: 'I told Kubrick it was impossible he make a film of my story'
Article published on July 13, 2007
VO

From the magazine
92422967b5c352d2c324f9b650f26a0a.jpg

Aldiss in his office (Photos: Nicholas Newman)
The British science fiction author, 82, on working with Hollywood greats, being caned for 'telling stories' at school and Europe being a 'wonderful idea'
I catch Brian Aldiss is in the midst of having his portrait painted. Life’s not too bad for a man of 82, who is currently preparing for yet another science fiction convention, where adoring fans are waiting for him to sign his autograph on their t-shirts.

You could also include a few notable Hollywood film producers amongst Aldiss' fans; Roger Corman, Stanley Kubrick and Steven Spielberg have all come rapping on his door in the past to ask his permission to adapt both his general and science fiction stories to the big screen. Three notable successes include: Frankenstein Unbound (Roger Corman, 1990), A.I. ('Artificial Intelligence') (2001) and Brothers of the Head (Keith Fulton and Louis Pepe, 2006). Even Britain’s Queen awarded him with an OBE in 2002 for his services to literature.
 
That's a few years back. He's 91 now.
But yeah, that does explain why there hasn't been much of his work done.
 
I can't think of many Science Films fiction I've really liked...but then I'm not all that sure what Science Fiction is I guess. Star Wars and the like aren't really sci-fi are they? More adventure-romance movies that happen to be set in space.


Ok, here's one- no idea if it's sci-fi or not...but it's about science, and it's fiction. And it's staggeringly brilliant and chilling -

"Primer" by Shane Caruth.

primer.jpg
 
They'd probably work better as miniseries, but I'd like to see a shot at Peter F Hamilton's, near future Greg Mandel trilogy, they're SF/Detective crossovers, (and Larry Niven's Gil Hamilton SF/Detective stories).

Some of Stephen Baxter's stories would work, I'd Like to see someone have a go at the Flood/Ark pair...
 
Timble2 said:
They'd probably work better as miniseries, but I'd like to see a shot at Peter F Hamilton's, near future Greg Mandel trilogy, they're SF/Detective crossovers, (and Larry Niven's Gil Hamilton SF/Detective stories).

Some of Stephen Baxter's stories would work, I'd Like to see someone have a go at the Flood/Ark pair...
Click to expand...

Agree with the above suggestions.

Love to see Greg & Gil on the screen.

Lots of CGI needed for Flood/Ark. Loved them both. I was expecting a third book.
 
INT21 said:
Even Britain’s Queen awarded him with an OBE in 2002 for his services to literature.
Click to expand...

Wow... the Queen can award Out of Body Experiences for services rendered?? o_O
Is that award specific to services to literature, or does the butler get to astral travel on his day off, too?

:D
 
Yes, Primer was a very enjoyable movie. It's on YouTube in its entirety (although not in the highest resolution).
I also spotted the following rather clever independent time travel movie, which I just finished watching and enjoyed enormously:

 
Gizmo mama,

..
INT21 said: ↑

Even Britain’s Queen awarded him with an OBE in 2002 for his services to literature.

That's an extract quote from the item I posted.

Not down to me.:p

INT21
 
Coastaljames said:
I can't think of many Science Films fiction I've really liked...but then I'm not all that sure what Science Fiction is I guess. Star Wars and the like aren't really sci-fi are they? More adventure-romance movies that happen to be set in space.


Ok, here's one- no idea if it's sci-fi or not...but it's about science, and it's fiction. And it's staggeringly brilliant and chilling -

"Primer" by Shane Caruth.

primer.jpg
Click to expand...

I enjoyed watching that film, even if it's pretty much impossible to understand first (or second!) time around. It has its own thread here somewhere. Our own Mighty Emperor even invited me to do a proper review of the DVD for this site many years back, but I never got around to deciding what to write.

Edited to add link to Primer's thread:
http://forum.forteantimes.com/index.php?threads/primer.24076/#post-584623
 
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Peripart said:
I enjoyed watching that film, even if it's pretty much impossible to understand first (or second!) time around.
Click to expand...

I'm in the same boat mate. I even read up on it last night when I posted the above...explanations...even diagrams.

Nope- still don't get it.
 
INT21 said:
Gizmo mama,

..
INT21 said: ↑

Even Britain’s Queen awarded him with an OBE in 2002 for his services to literature.

That's an extract quote from the item I posted.

Not down to me.:p

INT21
Click to expand...


Don't worry about it, it's not even wrong....

Mine says "Order Of The British Empire" on the box.
 
skinny said:
Anyone else think Aldiss' Helliconia Trilogy could outperform Game of Thrones in the fantasy TV series genre? It has an ancient chronology equally as deep yet with varied sentient species and an earth-human intervention from the stars to shake it up in the third series. This is the era of TV/Netflix gold for such as this book.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helliconia
Click to expand...


Yeah, I reckon Aldiss is a better writer but what makes GofTs work is that Martin basically ripped off everything good in fantasy over the last 100 years and stuck it in his work. Not sure Aldiss can compete.
 
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INT21 said:
Gizmo mama,

..
INT21 said: ↑

Even Britain’s Queen awarded him with an OBE in 2002 for his services to literature.

That's an extract quote from the item I posted.

Not down to me.:p

INT21
Click to expand...

INT21

Sorry, I didn't mean to imply you said it!
It just struck me as a funny, but not very informative, thing for the writer of the article to include.

CarlosThe DJ

Thanks for the info! I'm not British, so had no clue what they were referring to! (well I did have an idea it was some kind of recognition type thing)

And congratulations! May I ask what for?
 
Would love to get a copy of The Forbidden Planet, or The Sinking Of Japan, but they are Not Available In Stores, only online (I refuse to internet shop, as I don't like giving banking details online!) - but I have bought several Hammer Horror movies ($10 each!), so that shall keep me happy!
 
I'm not sure I'd call Frankenstein Unbound a success, although it's certainly an enjoyable piece of schlock. Aldiss goes into the A.I saga in depth in the foreword to his collected short stories. He and Kubrick did come up with a completed script, but then Kubrick put it on the back burner. Aldiss used some of his ideas from the script to create two short story sequels to Supertoys Last all Summer Long. It's been a while since I read them, but IIRC elements of these did eventually make it into Speilberg's film, such as the android junkyard.
 
graylien said:
I'm not sure I'd call Frankenstein Unbound a success, although it's certainly an enjoyable piece of schlock. Aldiss goes into the A.I saga in depth in the foreword to his collected short stories. He and Kubrick did come up with a completed script, but then Kubrick put it on the back burner. Aldiss used some of his ideas from the script to create two short story sequels to Supertoys Last all Summer Long. It's been a while since I read them, but IIRC elements of these did eventually make it into Speilberg's film, such as the android junkyard.
Click to expand...

The junkyard scene was eerie, especially Brendan Gleeson hunting the androids: Any Old Iron?
 
Peripart said:
Certificate of Bovine Excrement?

I think that trumps Carlos' Order of the Big 'Ed.
Click to expand...
That version of OBE came from Football manager Brian Clough, who was awarded the OBE, and thereafter referred to himself as Old Big 'Ed. Obituary from Septembe 2004:

Brian Clough, the 'best manager England never had', dies aged 69
By David Stringer and Phil Hazlewood, PA News, Sunday 19 September 2004

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/...er-england-never-had-dies-aged-69-547023.html

"In one famous comment that provided an insight into his character, he said of meetings with his players: "We talk about it for 20 minutes and then we decide I was right." :p
 
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Amy Adams takes control in Arrival movie
By Emma Jones Entertainment reporter

While Hollywood has made many science fiction stories about encounters between humans and aliens, the film Arrival by Denis Villeneuve is one of the few where a lone female protagonist makes first contact with extra terrestrials.
Amy Adams plays Dr Louise Banks, a linguistics professor chosen by the US Government to communicate with Heptapods, the species that suddenly appears on Earth in disc-shaped spaceships. She says she welcomed the chance for her character to lead the way.

"That was something Denis was constantly in touch with, that this film be all from a woman's perspective," she explains. "He was always saying 'at the end of the day, it's this woman's story, it's her journey, that's all we need to worry about. Nothing else matters as much'."

...

While some critics have drawn comparison between her character's journey and that of Sandra Bullock's astronaut in 2013's Oscar winner Gravity, Adams dismisses the idea that Arrival is a "space film".
"This is so much more about language, and ideas about time, rather than just action and adventure. We present time in the film the way the aliens, the Heptapods, think of it - as circular and non-linear.

"It will make you think of time as very precious - that it's all too fleeting and too quickly become memory. That's the nature of being human - we are doomed to miss so much."

Arrival was screened as part of the Venice Film Festival and is also part of the Toronto Film Festival, which runs until 18 September.

The film is released in the UK on 10 November.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-37295727
 
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