A Sci-Fi/Horror Potpourri (I): The Best Hollywood Has to Offer? (1 Viewer)

[Rex Bachmann]

So this is what Hollywood perceives as the "Sci-Fi/Horror" market?

SciFiWire: "Night Remake Due"http://scifi.com/scifiwire/art-main.html?2003-08/01/11.30.film

dateline: August 1, 2003 9:00 a.m. ET

Now, let's see how many "Dracula" movies do we have now? 10,000 and counting? Are they now down to ripping out (off?) chapters?

 

[Jefferson Morris]

I don't know about the original source, but this all sounds so familiar (Minority Report???)

I recently bought The Demolished Man but have yet to read it. I also was struck by the apparent similarity to the premise of Minority Report, after reading the back cover synopsis.

Bester's novel was published in 1953 (and won the first-ever Hugo award). Dick's original Minority Report short story was published in 1956. Not sure if anybody ripped off anybody else, but it certainly wasn't Bester.

--Jefferson Morris

 

[Jason Seaver]

Does Mr. Silverberg even do "supernatural"?

Well, he certainly doesn't do "science fiction" any more.

(Hits head repeatedly against wall to get those awful "editorials" and alternate-reality "Rome never fell" stories that take up space in Asimov's out of his head)

 

[John Spencer]

I, for one, am not going to pre-dispose myself to hate these films until I have seen them. They could turn out allright. I especially think Last Voyage of the Demeter could be pretty good, as long as it isn't candied up to have the stereotypical "Good will always triumph" ending, and left with a bleak one like the novel.

 

[TheLongshot]

Rather than "The Demolished Man", I'd rather see an adaption of "The Stars My Destination". That could kick ass.

Jason

 

[Rex Bachmann]

John Spencer wrote (post #4):

I am not predisposed to hate them either, and some of them might turn out to be decent films, but they all---especially the one you mention by title---have a "seen-it-before" air about them. Just how many movies about "Dracula" can one take?

One of the reasons I favor supernatural horror and science fiction over all other genres is that I like variety; I want to go to different places and experience alternate realities. But, if I go to movie after movie and see only standard vampire stories or standard "killer-zombie" stories, or the like, I don't feel I'll be doing that. And that's my problem with what's going on in Hollywood today, in filmmaking in general. And, of course, it's multiplicatively worse for me since the premises are so much stronger in my favored genres.

Well, maybe the first of these'll be halfway decent . . . .

 

[Quentin]

"Dead of Night" COULD be good. But, Rex is right...subtlety is key. I love that you TM'd it, Rex...

PK Dick admitted to getting a lot of inspiration from Bester's book. Of course, that doesn't mean we need to see a movie version after we've already seen "Minority Report". They're FAR too similar.

The rest of these sound pretty bad. Particularly "Red". It's disappointing to see what's happening...but, then again, we also get the Matrix, Underworld (hopefully good), Blade, From Hell, Hellboy, and others that have been or should be good.

Send me your email, Rex...I'll send you something you may enjoy...

 

[Rex Bachmann]

Oh, still more:

SciFi Wire: "Dimension Wakes The Dead"http://scifi.com/scifiwire/art-main.html?2003-08/08/10.00.film

dateline: August 8, 2003 9:00 a.m. ET

 

[Rex Bachmann]

See what I mean? ("Oh, yeah, baby. Gimme more of that. Right there, yeah! Oh, yeah! Same ol' thing. Yeah, baby, right there!")

SciFiWire: "Smith Commits to Danger"http://scifi.com/scifiwire/art-main.html?2003-08/13/11.15.film

dateline: August 13, 2003 12:00 p.m. ET

 

[Rex Bachmann]

More vampires [Ho-hum]:

SciFiWire: "Scott Bites Into Perfect"http://scifi.com/scifiwire/art-main.html?2003-08/22/10.00.film

dateline: August 22, 2003 9:00 a.m. ET

 

[Brent Hutto]

Agreed. I'd give eight bucks to see that even on the chance that it was decently made. When I read it, the book seemed perfect for movie adaptation since it's got tons of plot (if anything too much plot for one novel) plenty of violence and some sick, twisted more-or-less humor. Of course we'd probably get Vin Diesel as Gully Foyle so maybe we should be careful what we wish for...