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Science Fiction: Films & TV

ramonmercado said:
Spaceman: A moody SF film which gas some similarities to 2001: A Space Odyssey, more as a homage rather than a rip off though. Jacob (Adam Sandler) is a Czech Astronaut, he's travelling to Jupiter on a commercial mission to investigate an anomaly, the Chopra cloud, a mysterious cloud of dust. Six months into his voyage and he's almost there, he's lonely though, suffering from existential despair. Back on Earth his wife Lenka (Carey Mulligan) is going through her own traumas, pregnant, close to term she feels abandoned. Through flashbacks we observe the cracks develop within their relationship. she now wants to end their marriage but Ground Control are blocking this message, fearing the effect it might have on the already depressed Jacob. Although Jacob doesn't have a crazed AI to deal with he does encounter a giant alien spider hiding in the spaceship's hold. Is he imagining this? The ship's internal cameras are malfunctioning so he can't get Ground Control to confirm it's existence, so wisely he keeps quiet about it. The toilet is also not working smoothly much to Jacob's annoyance. things get worse when the chatty spider interrupts him even when he's in the head. They have philosophical discussions about Jacob's relationship and his past life we even learn a little about the spider. On Earth Lenka is going through more tense debates with a psychiatrist and others about not breaking up with Jacob just yet.

I like Spaceman but the pacing is off, it could have been reedited to avoid the long slow dialogues between Jacob and his alien buddy. The vein of humour which runs through the movie could have been better deployed to break up the lengthy one-on-ones.The spaceship appears roomy but perhaps it could only support one crew member due to the amount of instruments and machinery. There are other echoes if 2001 in the film but but it would be a spoiler to mention them here. Suffice to say that the zero gravity effects are well imagined with Jacob floating through the modules, strapped in for sleep and toiletry functions; he is a messy eater though, eating non-regulation food, letting crumbs and droplets spill. His favourite is a hazelnut chocolate spread, also found tasty by the spider. Spaceman also called to mind Memoirs of a Spacewoman, a novel by Naomi Mitchison which also involves one person in a spaceship with a giant alien spider. A vein of humour runs through this buddy movie but it might have been better deployed to break up the lengthy one-on-ones. An interesting film which is certainly worth watching but Director Johan Renck and Screenwriter Colby Day don't possess Kubrick and Clarke's talents to turn it into a masterpiece. It is based on the 2017 novel Spaceman of Bohemia by Jaroslav Kalfař. On Netflix. 7.5/10.
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I just watched this one, though I kind of had a bit of a nap, not due to movie :) . I agree, it could have been edited to a shorter play time. I did like the music score.

I too did notice his messiness in his space habitat, but thought yep, he's been there for 6 months alone doing the same thing over and over daily. I would probably be like that. The monotony and no real social connection would kill me. The only connections he does have, at this point are the people who want to spin a specific success story and who, you find, censor his only real contact.

Adam Sandler does well in non comedic roles. I hate all of his earlier "comedies", but do enjoy watching him in more dramatic roles. I was just wondering if he is doing less of the Waterboy type movies because he is known well enough that he is able to do more of what he wants. I enjoyed his You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah that was run on Netflix.
 

New and upcoming sci-fi & fantasy movies and series​

by IMDb-Editors | created - 6 days ago | updated - 2 days ago | Public
From popular franchises to brand new worlds of exploration, science fiction and fantasy stories are more popular than ever. Check out our list of the best and brightest new and upcoming SFF movies and series.

https://www.imdb.com/list/ls528776858/
 
Adam Sandler's Spaceman sounds like a solo version of Dark Star, but with added psycho-drama back on Earth. I like the idea of the wife's dilemma and official response to it - a really deep issue - along with Sandler (maybe) losing his mind thanks to loneliness ... though I'm certain Mission Control would've vetted him for his ability to cope.
 
PeteByrdie said:
This movie was mentioned on the 'Worst Movies' thread I believe. I think I probably declared my love for Caroline there. I don't think I ever overcame my crush on the lady. As for Starcrash; an early example of a movie designed to cash in on the surprise success of Star Wars and the assumption that the public were suddenly ready for optimistic space operas after a decade of gritty, pessimistic, cinematic realism. The movie's terrible. Munroe is stunning. The movie's still terrible. I'd watch it again.
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The 45th anniversary of Starcrash popped up on MSN pockets - bouffant Hoff, plummy Plummer, Caroline Munroe in a leather bikini on an Ice planet - how could I have possibly missed that one ? Yet I remember the bit at the end of the trailer when the torpedoes burst into the ship and the troopers jumped out of them. Must have been Barry Norman on Fillum 79, but I was distracted so didn't get the title and for 45 years thought it was an (unidentified) Australian parody (?). Another mystery solved, another step closer to completion and death.
 
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Bad Bungle said:
The 45th anniversary of Starcrash popped up on MSN pockets - bouffant Hoff, plummy Plummer, Caroline Munro in a leather bikini on an Ice planet
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I got her autograph last, year, she was ever so nice. Had a word with everyone. I told her I had read her autobiography and she looked confused - it was only when I got home I realised I'd got her mixed up with Ingrid Pitt.
 
3 Body Problem: The first novel in the trilogy by Cixin Liu has been adapted for television. Much of the action has been shifted to the UK with Liam Cunningham playing Wade the Intelligence Chief who is fighting the Aliens. Great to have an M with a Dublin accent! The china sequences set during the cultural Revolution are important to the development of the plot and even more so to one of the main character's attitudes towards the Aliens. The advanced VR games are neatly slotted into this series as is the a;iens ability to control some events from and be seen by some humans as lords. Conspiracies, assassinations, scientists committing suicide and a united UN Security Council (!) along with d centuries spanning plan allow the narrative to unfold. A dark series, lots of violence and gory deaths from the outset. Don't miss this masterful adaptation. Created by David Benioff, D. B. Weiss and Alexander Woo, based on the Hugo Award winning Chinese novel The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin. Eight episodes on Netflix. 9/10.
 
ramonmercado said:
3 Body Problem: The first novel in the trilogy by Cixin Liu has been adapted for television. Much of the action has been shifted to the UK with Liam Cunningham playing Wade the Intelligence Chief who is fighting the Aliens. Great to have an M with a Dublin accent! The china sequences set during the cultural Revolution are important to the development of the plot and even more so to one of the main character's attitudes towards the Aliens. The advanced VR games are neatly slotted into this series as is the a;iens ability to control some events from and be seen by some humans as lords. Conspiracies, assassinations, scientists committing suicide and a united UN Security Council (!) along with d centuries spanning plan allow the narrative to unfold. A dark series, lots of violence and gory deaths from the outset. Don't miss this masterful adaptation. Created by David Benioff, D. B. Weiss and Alexander Woo, based on the Hugo Award winning Chinese novel The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin. Eight episodes on Netflix. 9/10.
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The underlying scientific conundrum in 3 Body Problem.

n Netflix's 3 Body Problem – based on Liu Cixin's sci-fi novels – the drama is inspired by a real scientific conundrum in astronomy. Mathematician Kit Yates explains.

What links Sir Isaac Newton, alien solar systems, and a new multi-million dollar TV show on Netflix?

The answer is "the three-body problem": a conundrum in astronomy and mathematics that describes why it's often difficult to predict the long-term trajectory of planets, moons and stars.

So, what exactly is the problem? And how did it end up becoming the title of a Netflix TV series?

To understand, you first need to know a bit about the background to the TV show, and its premise. The story is based on Liu Cixin's epic sci-fi trilogy, the Remembrance of Earth's Past, of which The Three-body Problem is the first book. The original trilogy is characterised by the author's attention to scientific detail. The adaptation is less so, but still crammed with scientific ideas.

The TV series focuses on the ''Oxford Five'', who all studied under the same professor at the University of Oxford. Some have gone on to become scientists themselves (a post-doctoral physics researcher, a founder and chief scientific officer of a nano-tech company, and a theoretical physics academic), one has become a school physics teacher, while the fifth is now a snack-food entrepreneur. Scientific credentials abound. ...

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/...athematics-of-netflixs-3-body-problem-tv-show
 
SimonBurchell said:
I just watched Annihilation on Netflix, not expecting much. I really enjoyed it, quite surreal in places.
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I loved the books and found them very disturbing. It was months before I could shake off thinking about them all the time. I found them very Lovecraftian.

I believe that the film-maker deliberately only read the first book before making the film and changing the ending so it worked as a standalone story.
 
I've just finished Constellation on Apple TV+ this lunchtime. We really need Season 2 as soon as possible. I really enjoyed this, was right up my alley.

I finally convinced my wife to watch the OA with me, it's so much better on second viewing, I missed so much first time round. I don't know whether my wife is enjoying the OA, or if she is just intrigued and bemused.
 
Mr. Banooka said:
I've just finished Constellation on Apple TV+ this lunchtime. We really need Season 2 as soon as possible. I really enjoyed this, was right up my alley.

I finally convinced my wife to watch the OA with me, it's so much better on second viewing, I missed so much first time round. I don't know whether my wife is enjoying the OA, or if she is just intrigued and bemused.
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Haven't checked out Constellation, but I was massively unimpressed by OA.
It was trying to be three things at once and succeeded at none of them.

Constellation looks good, but I'm a bit wary, for some reason. Have watched the trailers numerous times.
 
Mr. Banooka said:
I've just finished Constellation on Apple TV+ this lunchtime. We really need Season 2 as soon as possible. I really enjoyed this, was right up my alley.

I finally convinced my wife to watch the OA with me, it's so much better on second viewing, I missed so much first time round. I don't know whether my wife is enjoying the OA, or if she is just intrigued and bemused.
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I was tricked into watching OA - I wasn't ready to start a new series, but it has "2 parts" on the blurb page and thought "That's OK, we can do that in one sitting." Trickery. Each "part" is a series of 8 episodes. By the time I found that out, I'd already been hooked in, as the scoundrels at Netflix no doubt intended. I'm about half way through the first series, quite interested but a bit silly in places.
 
ramonmercado said:
The underlying scientific conundrum in 3 Body Problem.

n Netflix's 3 Body Problem – based on Liu Cixin's sci-fi novels – the drama is inspired by a real scientific conundrum in astronomy. Mathematician Kit Yates explains.

What links Sir Isaac Newton, alien solar systems, and a new multi-million dollar TV show on Netflix?

The answer is "the three-body problem": a conundrum in astronomy and mathematics that describes why it's often difficult to predict the long-term trajectory of planets, moons and stars.

So, what exactly is the problem? And how did it end up becoming the title of a Netflix TV series?

To understand, you first need to know a bit about the background to the TV show, and its premise. The story is based on Liu Cixin's epic sci-fi trilogy, the Remembrance of Earth's Past, of which The Three-body Problem is the first book. The original trilogy is characterised by the author's attention to scientific detail. The adaptation is less so, but still crammed with scientific ideas.

The TV series focuses on the ''Oxford Five'', who all studied under the same professor at the University of Oxford. Some have gone on to become scientists themselves (a post-doctoral physics researcher, a founder and chief scientific officer of a nano-tech company, and a theoretical physics academic), one has become a school physics teacher, while the fifth is now a snack-food entrepreneur. Scientific credentials abound. ...

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/...athematics-of-netflixs-3-body-problem-tv-show
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Thanks for that info. I don't know astronomy. I was trying to figure out who the three bodies the title was referring to.:doh:This certainly makes it much clearer.
 
Amazon’s adaptation of Fallout. I’m a few episodes in and I love it.
Every detail from Pipboy to collected bobbleheads, stimpacks and the Rule Of Thumb are in there. It’s gloriously violent, funny and weird. It has the same music you explored the wasteland to and I’m loving it so far.
 
Analogue Boy said:
Amazon’s adaptation of Fallout. I’m a few episodes in and I love it.
Every detail from Pipboy to collected bobbleheads, stimpacks and the Rule Of Thumb are in there. It’s gloriously violent, funny and weird. It has the same music you explored the wasteland to and I’m loving it so far.
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I might start watching it, then.
 
Analogue Boy said:
Amazon’s adaptation of Fallout. I’m a few episodes in and I love it.
Every detail from Pipboy to collected bobbleheads, stimpacks and the Rule Of Thumb are in there. It’s gloriously violent, funny and weird. It has the same music you explored the wasteland to and I’m loving it so far.
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I've just started it. Very pleased to see the first episode is titled 'The End', a characteristic shared with Red Dwarf. I never played the game, but remember my nephew playing it. It made an impression as one of the most unique of his games stylistically, so I'm looking forward to watching the show.
 
I wonder if they'll show the 'Survival Tent Kit' that became a TARDIS for gear.
 
Stormkhan said:
I wonder if they'll show the 'Survival Tent Kit' that became a TARDIS for gear.
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In the game, you can carry around a huge amount of stuff. What that would look like in real life is ludicrous.
I wonder if they depicted this in the new video series?
 
brownmane said:
I'm in midst of 3 Body Problem. And then I started Parasyte: The Grey. I can't keep up with all of the Korean horror and scifi. I just finished the second season of Sweet Home. I like Uncanny Counter and still have to catch up on it.
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I'm in the middle of Parasyte. enjoying it. Also on Nerflix - Anthracite a conspiracy series involving a cult.
 
I finished binge watching Fallout last night. Excellent series, worth watching. Can't wait for the next series.

Edit: I should add, it's in 4K Ultra HD. Beautiful.
 
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Just finished Fallout tonight. I am a big fan of the games so, if recent TV experience is anything to go by, I should be at the epicentre of disappointment. But no - it’s great. Story, characterisation, class acting, effects and plot put this show streets ahead of anything else out there.

This is how you do adaptation.
 
Civil War: It's the near future, the USA is wracked by a Civil War. we're never given a full explanation of how it's come about, we get hints from throw away remarks, a president in his third term, FBI abolished, tryannical rule, who might this president be? As the film opens we see a president about to face the camera, he rehearses his boasts about how he has achieved the greatest military victory ever recorded in history and demands the immediate surrender of the rebel forces. In fact he is more like Hitler in Downfall, he controls a shrinking area around Washington DC as the Western Forces (California and Texas) and the Florida Alliance close in. This is a Civil War though and fighting continues in other parts of the country often between irregular units. The narrative unfolds around a group of journalists who travel from New York to Charlottesville where the Western Forces are assembling for their final push, and on to DC. Normally a distance of 226 miles, detours take it close to 1,000 miles. Veteran journalists Lee (Kirsten Dunst) and her colleague Joel intend to travel to Washington, D.C., their dream to interview and photograph the president before the city falls. An old reporter friend Sammy asks to come as far as Charlottesville, as does a young photographer, Jesse (Cailee Spaeny).

They traverse a devastated country, fighting still going on in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The neophyte Jesse gradually becoming a better war photographer, Lee is less protective of her, The savagery of the war is plain to see with a mass grave of victims slaughtered by the presidents partisans but even the rebel irregulars are prepared to shoot surrendering enemy combatants. The action is convincing, especially when the photographers are in the thick of the combat, stills appearing mid action provide even greater verisimilitude. The US dollar isn't worth much outside of cities, it takes Canadian dollars to buy gas, looters are tortured, a suicide bomber waving the stars and stripes blows up police and thirsty civilians as they gather around a water truck in New York, the UN run refugee camps; remember this is in the US. This film is reminiscent of Under Fire, which also featured journalists in the last days of a civil war. Great performances from Kirsten Dunst and Cailee Spaeny. A cautionary dystopian tale perhaps rather than a prediction. Directed and written by Alex Garland. 8.5/10.

In cinemas.
 
When I saw a review of said film, I did wonder why? Without getting too political - and a civil war is by nature political - why did they release the film this year? If they've not even hinted at it being a warning for the future, what purpose does the film serve? I'm not sure it is cautionary. Brutality of war has often been shown ... and yet a large section of the population seem happy to take sides in violent conflict.
Besides ... one objection: if the film's President is in the seige/bunker mentality à la Hitler, what are the chances of scoring a scoop and interviewing him when he's got a few more important things on his mind?
 
Stormkhan said:
When I saw a review of said film, I did wonder why? Without getting too political - and a civil war is by nature political - why did they release the film this year? If they've not even hinted at it being a warning for the future, what purpose does the film serve? I'm not sure it is cautionary. Brutality of war has often been shown ... and yet a large section of the population seem happy to take sides in violent conflict.
Besides ... one objection: if the film's President is in the seige/bunker mentality à la Hitler, what are the chances of scoring a scoop and interviewing him when he's got a few more important things on his mind?
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His last chance to get interviewed, the desire to interview him was part obsession, part reliving the glory of past scoops. Lee and Joel are in their 40's, Sammy is in his 60's (he just wants to get to the WF staging camp), Jesse is 23. Much of the road trip revolves around Lee and Jesse's interaction to the background of the lower level but lethal aspects of the Civil War. It's also very much about war journalism, it really reminded me of Under Fire.

“There is something in the film which is trying to be protective of [journalists],” says Garland. His father was a longtime newspaper cartoonist, and you can sense an admiration for that old guard of foreign correspondents he grew up around in London. “I think serious journalism needs protecting, because it’s under attack, so I wanted to make those people ‘heroes’ to put them front and centre.”

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2024/mar/30/alex-garland-civil-war-interview

Garland had been working on the project since 2018. They released it now because it was ready to release, made no sense to delay it until next year.

In a May 2022 interview with The Daily Telegraph, Garland described the film as a companion piece to his 2022 film Men, and said it is "set at an indeterminate point in the future—just far enough ahead for me to add a conceit—and serves as a sci-fi allegory for our currently polarized predicament".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_War_(film)

I'm looking forward to 28 Years Later, Garland is working on this project with Danny Boyle.
 
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