Sometimes I require inactive thoughtless decompression at the end of a tough week. We use to call it watchin' tv; but nowadays it is so, so much more...
Anyway, my whole life I have been a sci-fi fan. I've got boxes of old rag paperbacks in the attic from some of the 20th. century's finest science fiction authors. The raw material to develop great screen-scripts is endless. There's even a cable channel dedicated to Sci-Fi.
And every freakin' time I surf past the sci-fi channel what do I see? Some breedin' age SYT (sweet young thang) waking from a nap, alone in some strange place...with a shading of foreboding cello and viola music.
Lemme guess...a boogie man is fixing to show up at her rain soaked window. I'm sure a well placed flash of lightning will reveal all the horrible features that the fx dude could glue onto his mask. It is way too predictable.
...guess I'll catch the Thunder & Spurs duke it out in game 6. Jump-ball in ten minutes. Screw that "science fiction"....
that's the extent of my gripe tonight. 10-42
The term "Science Fiction" has become so diluted as to have little meaning. They throw everything under that name if it has space, fantasy, supernatural, what have you. Most of it isn't a good story with or without the SF elements.
GOOD science fiction takes a "what if" about the nature of things that we don't absolutely know is wrong (even though it may seem unlikely), and then shows the effect that would have on people via a LOGICAL plot.
Faster than light travel? That's not just a way to beat the bad guy to Betelgeuse, it would result make resources and real estate cheap. It would also allow slavery by kidnapping people and leaving no trace. Therein lies a story.
Encountering alien intelligence? It is very unlikely that the aliens would travel umpteen light years to feed on us. But what would the knowledge do to our long-held beliefs (e.g., science or religions?
I don't read a lot, but do like stories with some thought in them.
Have you read James P. Hogan's earlier work? I liked him because every story was totally different in concept from the last. Inherit the Stars is perhaps my favorite. Muliplex Man is great; not outer space, but rather inner space - psychological. Then later, he started writing diatribes pushing his attitudes and the stories got lost in them.
well it's better than the reality crap 5 clips repeated over and over and over and over and over and over, prior to and just after every break to pitch the next reality show.... and some of these goof balls..... "mountain men" and such..... most of them seem like such firicken duffusses they'd winter kill, it's a cinch the critter aren't gonna eat them, though...
bear 1: whattya think about that one, Bill?
bear 2: heck no!!!! look at 'em he's crazy or sick or retarded or something....
bet you can't tell I've done a few winter nights in the motel room surrounded by beautiful yellow boxes hoping my gear dries out in time for morning....:-P
Just watch Alien. In my opinion it is the definitive science fiction movie. A female protagonist that fights for her life without screaming like a little girl.
Suspense, guts, creatures, androids, space ships.... classic.
> Just watch Alien. In my opinion it is the definitive science fiction movie. A female protagonist that fights for her life without screaming like a little girl.
>
> Suspense, guts, creatures, androids, space ships.... classic.
Don't forget the gratuitous skimpy underwear scene getting into the stasis chamber.
😀
Totally agree. I have been reading SciFi since my teenage years but there is almost nothing on film or TV that works for me. Few exceptions: Alien, Bladerunner, some of the Star Wars films, Dr.Who, and... nothing else jumps out at me. I like Peter F. Hamilton's extrapolations of the future. Gipson's Cyberpunk from a long time ago is dated now but was pretty good back in the day.
