Arthur C Clarke dies

[JackT]

I thought he was the only good thing about that movie.

People like to slam that film, and there were a lot of problems with it. But there were definitely many good things about it, first and foremost being the art direction, which I think they nailed 100%. The costumes too. The look and feel were dead on, IMO. (Compare this to the recent sci-fi channel remake that, while "true" to the novel, had terrible costuming and looked quite drab in comparison.)

The casting WAS a mixed bag. I thought Brad Dourif was great, as well as Kenneth McMillan as Baron Harkonnen. Like I said, Sting was an interesting and effective choice too.

[Scouser]

Dune - the law of diminishing returns. I loved the movie though, even Sting.

Not strictly sci fi but anyone read The Chronicles Of Thomas Covenant?

[JackT]

Dune - the law of diminishing returns. I loved the movie though, even Sting.

Not strictly sci fi but anyone read The Chronicles Of Thomas Covenant?

Yes. Those were book club selections way back in the day. That was White Gold Wielder and such, right?

I remember the first book being a huge downer, with a little payoff at the end, and then the second book starts in being a huge downer again. Maybe I was too young for it.

update: I think I mean first and second chronicles. Too long ago...

[JackT]

Dune - the law of diminishing returns.

Good title for the next book!

[JackT]

Dune - the law of diminishing returns. I loved the movie though, even Sting.

Not strictly sci fi but anyone read The Chronicles Of Thomas Covenant?

Or hows about those Michael Moorcock Elric books? Surprisingly no longer in print, BTW.

[Frank The Bunny]

Time to get my sorry ass all shot up.

I am shocked, honestly, at the fervor with which those on this forum discuss science fiction.

Where I grew up, the sci-fi kids were the anemic, sickly nerds who could recite PI to 126 digits and played games with 30-sided dice at lunch and after school. They avoided the crowds of the general population in order to spare themselves the indignity of a super-wedgie. If you asked any of them what music they were into, it was either Led Zeppelin... or they played clarinet in marching band.

The music kids - or at least the ones that listened to what I did - we spent our after school time going through used vinyl shops near the university, listening to our purchases, playing in garage bands, rifling the racks at thriftstores in search of old skinny ties from the 60's, overcoats and wicked suitjackets.

Fuck Sci-fi & Fantasy literature.
I'm sooo sick of spacemen, hobbits and trolls.

I have, and have always had absolutely ZERO interest in Dr. Who, Hitchhiker's Guide, Dune stuff... blah blah blah.

When I saw 2001 in the theater (some mid-70's rerelease) - I fell asleep a third of the way into it. I rented it in high school - fell asleep again. Maybe that's got more to do with Kubrick than Clarke.

Why do I like Battlestar Galactica or The Sarah Connor Chronicles?
It's the stories - and the sex and violence.

Mostly the sex and violence.

[JackT]

Ain't nothing wrong with a little Zeppelin, btw.

[black francis]

Robotech is my sci-fi obession. I go to the anime festivals and movie premieres, collect the comics, toys, video games, etc and have a shrine in my living room. When they took it off the air (I was in the fourth grade at the time) I went door to door gathering signatures for a petition to get it back on.

But no 30 sided dice.

[blinkilite]

i go to comic book conventions... though i don't "dress up" like some fans do. i just go to buy comics and meet/get books signed by my fave artists. i would like to go to an anime convention sometime, but i am not hardcore into it, so i feel like i wouldn't know 80% of the titles out there.

and there's nothing wrong with sci-fi-dorks who play D&D! my husband played back in junior high and btw, he just recently picked up a lot of the chronicles of thomas covenant books on ebay - to replace old paperbacks he lost.

i'm a trekkie. i'm a sci-fi nerd. i collect bunnymen stuff and cute japanese toys and comic books. i won't even get into the harry potter obsession.

i'm proud to be a nerd. what's wrong with that?

maybe this falls under the category of "americans are weird"

[tonywojo]

maybe this falls under the category of "americans are weird" [/quote]

No Americans are humorous. Sorry, No, Americans are humorous.

An example of what poor grammar can do for you.

Shit which one did I mean.

Star Trek / Dr Who is for losers who have given up on Shakespearian elements of the Bunnymen.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Shakespeare

Happy Birthday

[black francis]

Don't worry, it's just that jock Frank that seems to have a problem with sci-fi geeks. He's still upset he didn't take his high school football team to the state championship, get the scholarship, then turn pro.

[Mr. Brian]

Aside from the Lord of the Rings Trilogy books and movies I'm not much into fantasy sci-fi. I do like some of the Star Trek franchise, but I tend to go more for the hard sci-fi and the cyperpunk/near future type. I also never read comic books, played D&D or went to a convention. I did/do like Led Zeppelin and I have never received a wedgie or played in a marching band. I played in many garage bands and knew every used record shop and thrift store in my area.

I guess I don't follow the stereotype of your middle school Frank.

[JackT]

I was into Sci-Fi and D&D in High School, but not really Zep. I was a huge Doors fan, though.

I've only gotten really into Star Trek relatively recently, but I'm mostly into Enterprise, which is the least favored series by the Trekkers. (I watch it on HDNet, and after the episodes they show short snippets of commentary from genuine Trekkers, and you've never seen a bunch of greater dullards in your life. For sci-fi fans they seem full of fairly unoriginal observations.)

I was never much interested in comics, though.

[Frank The Bunny]

Don't worry, it's just that jock Frank that seems to have a problem with sci-fi geeks. He's still upset he didn't take his high school football team to the state championship, get the scholarship, then turn pro.

Actually, I was what was referred to as a "queer drama fag" in high school. I was an actor. And the worst sci-fi geeks of all were the stage crew

[JackT]

Actually, I was what was referred to as a "queer drama fag" in high school. I was an actor. And the worst sci-fi geeks of all were the stage crew

Heh, I guess those people hadn't caught on to the fact that drama is the best place to meet girls in the whole universe? Their loss, I guess.