A Wrinkle in the Skin
7.0
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Book
Catastrophic SF novel. Seismic activity on an unprecedented scale leads up to a...
Awix (3310 KP) rated The Hopkins Manuscript in Books
Mar 21, 2019
Initially it reads like a very black, absurdist comedy, but as the book progresses it becomes genuinely poignant and moving - almost a eulogy for an idea of England soon to be wiped away forever. I have no idea how much the author was motivated by fears of the coming Second World War, but its presence hangs inescapably over the book. The actual science in the book is rather risible, and (like much other mid-20th century British SF) the film also contains race-related elements that some modern readers could find problematic, but the core of the book remains as significant and thought-provoking as ever.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Dark Star (1974) in Movies
May 31, 2018
But never mind that, just enjoy the way it deconstructs the likes of 2001 and their philosophical concerns - 'never mind all that intelligent life crap, just give me something I can blow up,' snaps the commander early on. Classical music is eschewed for a jaunty country tune, and so on.
Most significant is way the pristine interiors of other films' spacecraft are replaced by the squalid, utilitarian quarters of the Dark Star's crew - this is space bereft of novelty and glamour, it's just a boring and dangerous place to work. You can see the 'used universe' aesthetic of the late 70s SF boom and beyond being invented here. Plus this is the movie that directly led to Alien. Not the biggest or best SF movie of the 70s, but still one of the most significant in the history of the genre.
Woken Furies
10.0
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Book
This is high action, ideas driven noir SF of the highest order. Morgan has already established...
Black Man
Book
One hundred years from now, and against all the odds, Earth has found a new stability; the political...
Awix (3310 KP) rated Life (2017) in Movies
Feb 15, 2018
Goes to show that you don't always need originality to make an entertaining movie - yes, it's openly derivative of many other movies, but blends its sources together inventively. Production and actors are both very capable, too. Attempt at a twist ending is somewhat clumsy, but forgivable.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) in Movies
Feb 15, 2018 (Updated Feb 15, 2018)
Motley crew of space ruffians meet in prison, find common cause (sort of), must stop would-be despot from causing untold devastation with plot device of ultimate power. Banging 70s and 80s soundtrack, obviously; looks fabulous too. Also strikes a welcome blow for inclusivity and representation of minorities (finally a film includes characters that raccoons and trees can identify with).
The Boys from Brazil (1978)
7.4
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Movie
Thriller with SF elements, based on Ira Levin's novel. Scientist and war criminal Josef Mengele...
Burning Chrome
8.0
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Book
Best-known for his seminal sf novel NEUROMANCER, William Gibson is also a master of short fiction....
Awix (3310 KP) rated The World's End (2013) in Movies
May 22, 2018
The director claims this is SF in the British tradition of John Wyndham; to me it looks much more like an update (not quite a spoof) of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, set somewhere in the Home Counties. Terrific cast, some very good jokes; also some rather impressive action sequences. Not quite in the same vein as Shaun of the Dead, as this movie has some quite dark emotional threads running through it, with themes of regret and guilt and coming to terms with getting older.
I have to say that while I loved this film, I am of the same generation as the main characters and can fully sympathise with their various situations; younger people of my acquaintance couldn't quite see the point of the film. Almost certainly an age thing - whether your response to the track listing of the soundtrack is 'Wow, non-stop classics!' or 'Eww, dad rock' (or even 'Never heard of any of this') will probably be a good indicator as to whether you'll like the actual movie or not.