Meanwhile, about The Martian: Though I have not seen the film, I have read the book. And the book, unfortunately, in my opinion, is only so-so. For one thing, Martian dust storms are not that violent and cannot be due to the planet's atmosphere (a fact to which the author -- whose name I forget...
As usual, Walter, you've posted another good 'un. I have not seen Interstellar, but as soon as my arrangements in life are settled, I certainly look forward to it. Ex Machina also is on that list. (So, I take it that my post still fits in this thread. But I am still reading the rest of it.)
Oh, and Bob: Are you aware of HTF's role in getting Zardoz onto DVD in first place? An interesting story that I (proudly) took part in, along with another HTF member now deceased. I do not have links for you, but look into the forum's past for the full story (you might look at a thread that was...
I have only read the first couple of pages of this thread (so far), but I would like to add to it based on my long experience with science fiction -- literary SF, that is. I have attended three Worldcons and numbers of regional SF cons and have met many of the genre's most celebrated authors...