I didn’t think so, but I am beginning to wonder if I am finally too old for this stuff. The movies they are coming out with do not interest me. Thor? Really? And Tron? A remake of a movie that was godawful to begin with? And what’s with the “reboots” of movies that came out only a few years ago?
Wait, maybe they should reboot “The Black Hole”. That movie was brilliant. They had this ship with a big glass/plastic dome, see. And they decide to go through an asteroid field with it. Guess what happens? A big rock smashes the dome.Who would have imagined that could happen? Then the air rushes out and get gets cold in there, see. And the robot, which is metal, starts to freeze, so the people, who are apparently not cold yet, help move with robot with their bare arms on the metal. While this is happening, plants and stuff are rushing out the Big Hole in the dome but the people magically stay rooted to the deck with the poor robot.
This would be ab fab with better cgi and 3D. It can’t miss! Green light this puppy ASAP!
The last SF-ish movie I wanted to see was…maybe Fellowship of the Ring?
ok back to lurking now that my little rant is over, I feel better now.
Pike, you drew me out of hiding for the second time today. I did see Moon and I liked it very much. But I didn’t see it in a theater, in fact, I don’t think it even played here. I think that’s my point – stuff like Thor, Star Trek Multiverse reboot #5, and “X-men Pt. 47: Wolverine and Peggy Sue Get Married” is pushing out the good stuff.
Crap I just gave away all my cool movie ideas.
2001 (yes I am old enough to remember it playing first run) would NOT have been in theaters at all if we had the McTheater system we do today. Instead, the McTheaters would have all been showing the latest SciFi extravaganza with James Bond, Goldfinger (or as my Dad always called it “Goldpinky”).
Clicker
…heading to my computer to work on the “Thor: reboot” script. It’s high time we tackle this amazing saga again. With younger and better looking actors. And 4D.
Well, yeah. There’s definitely that. But the good stuff is out there, even if briefly (I think Moon played here for a week.) It’s up to us to support it when it does show up.
Sci-Fi is just one of the genres that’s hobbled by its unimaginative reliance on pants. Granted, sci fi and fantasy have more skimpy outfits than the rest. But on the whole, art is never gonna move forward until we get more pantsless stories.
Sci-Fi is such a broad genre, just becuase you are not into the Sci-Fi movies that are out now does not mean you are done with it. These things go in phases. Serious sci-fi will be back.
Sci-Fi is just one of the genres that’s hobbled by its unimaginative reliance on pants. Granted, sci fi and fantasy have more skimpy outfits than the rest. But on the whole, art is never gonna move forward until we get more pantsless stories.
t’s an interesting question, I’m sure there is line for all of us, see about r months ago I kind of gave up actively look for fantasy, I had watched a bunch of stuff most bad, or mediocre at best, and figured hey its just not worth my time. So you stop looking. Than after a little while usually someone here recomends something like say game of thrones comes along and you pay attention to the genre more and find more quality. Bassically I just look at the book club here
I was just talking about my relationship with epic fantasy with S and a friend of hers over the weekend. I go through binges of epic fantasy after which I can’t stand the stuff for at least 6 months. A lot of the time when I really get a craving for another good epic, I settle for something mediocre, which then ultimately turns me off. But I repeat the cycle over and over because every now and again I read something amazing, like a Song of Ice and Fire (which I’m mid-way through right now).
Back to the original question: Do you still find good/enjoyable science fiction television or books? There’s some great stuff out there, though it can be hard to find sometimes.
For TV and movies, Netflix is good at making suggestions once you’ve rated a few hundred things. That’s how I found Moon. I completely missed it when it came to the local artsy theater. If you liked Moon, you may also like Sunshine.
For books, have you read Octavia Butler? I recommend her to everyone. Who are your favorite writers? I bet based on that the GWC community can make some great recs.
I don’t believe you can get too old for science fiction. Sometimes tastes change, and if you’ve genuinely fallen out of love with the genre, that’s sad, but I understand it. Unless you’re having trouble with the basic premise of the genre, though, I encourage you to take a little break and then renew your search for the good stuff.
Are you sure your problem’s w/scifi and not w/the economics of film (and more specifically film distribution) in general?
Maybe you have been more interested in scifi films so you’re noticing it there more, but this re-doing and bigification is happening across ALL genres. Simply put, the home theater is killing the brick 'n mortar cinemas. Regretfully, fewer people will pay the price and make the effort to go out when their big screen surround-sound system is sitting right there, so the dollars of those that do go are that much more precious. (When consumer 3D becomes superfluous, I imagine cinemas will go the way of opera houses - a few polished gems kept alive by die-hards with a true love film and not a mass audience just looking for a popular diversion) With current budgets so high, it doesn’t take much to endanger a whole studio (see MGM’s troubles and how it has effected The Hobbit and Bond). Studios, now more than ever, need to justify their budgets to the moneymen, and one of the easiest ways is by selling a property with “a ready-made audience”*. This reasoning has given us:
Arthur
Alfie
SWAT
Charlie’s Angels
Psycho
Lolita
Walking Tall
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Poseiden
Wild Wild West
The Flintstones
Bewitched
Bedazzled
The Beverly Hillbillies
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Jason vs Freddy
101 Dalmations
The Grinch
The Cat in the Hat
Flubber
Godzilla
The Karate Kid
City of Angels
…as well as those you mentioned and the likes of The Stepford Wives, The Island of Dr Moreau, War of the Worlds, Lost in Space, Planet of the Apes, Aliens vs Predators… The list goes on.
So I suggest that your problem isn’t with scifi films, but with big film studios. I say seek out small, creative flicks (of any genre) through any of the new distribution methods. The trick is finding them. Even though I barely get a chance to watch movies these days, I’m on Ain’t It Cool News almost every day to see what’s coming out basically to inform my mental list. That’s how I found out about Pi, A Scanner Darkly, Moon, Children of Men, Donnie Darko, Solaris, Cloverfield, Stardust
And because I keep an eye out, my to-watch list still includes Never Let Me Go, Micmacs, The Host, District 9, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Code 46, Sunshine, Source Code, Monsters, The Adjustment Bureau, Rare Exports, Dead Snow, Kick-Ass, Scott Pilgrim, The Illusionist (French, animated)…
I find myself let down by most blockbuster films as well. (You don’t feed a starving man cotton candy) But I find searching for the good stuff to be extremely worthwhile. Because, after informing myself so, when I finally get a chance to watch something, I’ve upped my chances of watching something literally fantastic.
*with so many remakes that flop, you’d think they’d learn how wrong-minded that assumption is
Respectfully, no. People go out to the theater to GO OUT to the theater. If theaters are dying it’s because they’ve given up on providing an attractive environment.
Hey, leave the werewolves alone… I like Patricia Brigg’s stuff! Besides, it is all about balance. Your real life and your fantasy life must always be in balance, that way you never need to give up one or the other.
And in the end we all know what is most important. It is our loved ones, they always come first. But that does not mean we must completely abandon who we are, we just find it (our geek loves) a proper place. If we love and accept our significant others as they are, then they must also learn to loves us as we are.
Oh, I might make fun and call it the Sexy Werewolves Series but I totally read them when she’s done with them! Mercy Thompson is a really compelling heroine. They’re not my usual choice for light and fluffy (that would be the Gay Boys do Magic! subgenre of epic fantasy) but I like them alright.
Besides, it is all about balance. Your real life and your fantasy life must always be in balance, that way you never need to give up one or the other.