I know I'm alone on the Sci-Fi channel, but I thought you might enjoy some nice prose about Sci Fi and some ranting at Lucas, who we all love and hate...
(By the way, Dan Simmon's mentioned in the article is a Boulder writer... and Hyperion is masterful, but I couldn't figure out what it all meant!)
http://movies.msn.com/movies/sci-fi?GT1=7701
Enjoy... Comment!!
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3 comments:
Oooohhooo, I am so disappointed to hear that The Last Mimzy has been parable-ized into a family morality tale.
Whenever an author seems particularly cranky about a topic, I find myself automatically taking the opposing view. So bear with me for a moment ...
First off - let's stop haranguing Lucas for actually succeeding with the Star Wars movies. He certainly cannot be blamed for Hollywood's blockbuster insanity. Secondly, why bemoan the commercial success of some movies, while crying that other "more deserving" weren't commercial successes? Shouldn't we be glad that films like "Blade Runner" and "Children of Men" were indeed made and released rather than crying in our soup that movies like "I, Robot" and "The Last Mimzy" deviate from their originals? SciFi is a great genre. I personally enjoy a good SciFi movie, aw heck - I'll admit to enjoying many not-so-great SciFi movies. But the action-heavy, blow-em-up blockbuster virus isn't unique to SciFi movies. Every movie genre has gotten more action-heavy.
I like the way he ends the article, though. Speaking of an upcoming release of "Sunshine," the author writes: "Could it turn out to be a Christmas gift for sci-fi fans craving the same sense of awe they get from thier favorite authors?" Wouldn't you agree that in the case of SciFi - the books are ALWAYS better than the film? And that might not be the fault of Hollywood, but the beauty of the genre itself. SciFi exists because of the ability of the mind to capture and expand upon our human condition. Maybe we shouldn't fault movies (yet?) for not being able to do the same as our brilliant minds ...
So, - my mom is taking K (and her two boy cousins, W & C) to see The Last Mimzy today. I anticipate that they will all like it, but also that it would disappoint SciFi afficionados in some way.
On a related note to Francine's post, I re-watched The Island again this weekend. Now, I have never read the story on which the movie is based - don't even know who wrote it or the title, etc. BUT I've watched it before and I think it's extraordinarily good, even WITH the speed scenes and the shoot-em up scenes. Francine I'm wondering if you've seen The Island and what you thought of it? I know you're more into the genre than I am. Overall though, I think this movie was deserving of a bigger box office and think the cinemotography was stunning. The visions in this movie are what keep me wanting to see it again and again ...
Dan Simmons is one of my all-time favorite authors, and I haven't a clue how they could turn such a complicated novel as Hyperion into a film. He combines poetry, literature, religious doctrine, science fiction, morality tales, and more into his novels.
I'm reading Ilium right now, which draws inspiration from the Iliad and combines that with science fiction thousands of years on the futures, Shakespeare, and common human stories. It seems a bit much to try and do that kind of thing in one film!
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