Let's Talk About Science Fiction

[Serutan]

I've always wanted to know how much and what combination of money and drugs they gave
Frank H to get him to say he liked that steaming pile of a movie.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

What makes you think he unreservedly liked it? Of course he would need to be diplomatic and professional about it while it was still in the theatres, otherwise that would be financially detrimental (and Dino deLaurentiis wouldn't be terribly pleased, either).

He did like some aspects of the movie, but later went on record stating what he didn't like about it. The biggest offender, as I recall, was the ending where Paul makes it rain.

 

[Serutan]

I remember an interview with him when it came out. Yeah, I can see your point -
and I agree that the end was the biggest offender, although the scene in the
Emperor's ship during the last battle scene is a close second.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

Which part was that - Rabban's death? Alia? The Baron's death? There were so many ludicrous things about that scene...

 

[Serutan]

It was the the control room where the Emperor and some others were in (IIRC) game arcade style
swivel seats staring at monotors and moving levers and swiveling around.

 

[timtofly]

Does any one know the reasoning why it could not have been made into a trilogy that could have even expanded to 3 trilogies?

 

[Serutan]

No one in a position to decide thought it would make enough money, I assume. Also, this was
before the days when at least 2 sequels were pretty much automatic for any movie that did
halfway decent at the box office.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

It was the the control room where the Emperor and some others were in (IIRC) game arcade style
swivel seats staring at monotors and moving levers and swiveling around.

Yeah, that was a dumb bit of stuff.

Does any one know the reasoning why it could not have been made into a trilogy that could have even expanded to 3 trilogies?

I've seen posts where people have suggested splitting Dune into a trilogy. I honestly can't see it working, either financially or storywise. The Lynch movie is what I term the "Reader's Digest Condensed Version" - since so much had to be cut. There was a lot more filmed than has ever made it into any one cut of that movie. Mind you, one scene is best left forgotten, since it's an assault on the ears (Gurney playing the baliset).

No one in a position to decide thought it would make enough money, I assume. Also, this was before the days when at least 2 sequels were pretty much automatic for any movie that did halfway decent at the box office.

The latest attempt was a few years ago, when KJA/BH and their lawyers were cracking down on all kinds of fan adaptations they could find online. The Dune community on Second Life had to completely change all its names and everything else that made it recognizably Dune, and a group of Spanish film students and their friends were making a Spanish adaptation of the book - a labor of love, from which they didn't expect to make a penny. Some of them used to post on the old Arrakeen forum I ran, and it was heartbreaking when they were forced to take down the trailer they'd posted to YouTube and cease all further production. They were a really friendly, creative group of people.

As for the "official" movie, most of us were relieved that it never got made, since we were concerned that it would be contaminated with too much nuDune crap.

The miniseries mostly did a good job with the first three novels. There were some glaring problems with them, but nothing as bad as the mistakes Lynch made with his movie.

 

[Serutan]

Over the holiday weekend, I read Neuromancer. One criticism I've seen of it is that it's hard to read and/or Gibson has no clue as to how to write in English. There are sections that are hard to read, but I think it's because Gibson developed a lingo for the subculture in which the characters lived, and had them speak in it rather than lack of writing skill. It's also interesting to see what stuff is in the book that has happened even if it's not exactly as described in the book,
and the stuff that didn't really go as forecast. All in all, I give this a thumbs up.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

Gibson was interviewed a long time back on the Prisoners of Gravity show (a Canadian program hosted by Rick Green - who Red Green fans might recall). Gibson showed no difficulty whatsoever with English.

 

[Kyriakos]

I have no mouth and i must scream:

 

[Glassfan]

Over the holiday weekend, I read Neuromancer. One criticism I've seen of it is that it's hard to read and/or Gibson has no clue as to how to write in English. There are sections that are hard to read, but I think it's because Gibson developed a lingo for the subculture in which the characters lived, and had them speak in it rather than lack of writing skill. It's also interesting to see what stuff is in the book that has happened even if it's not exactly as described in the book,
and the stuff that didn't really go as forecast. All in all, I give this a thumbs up.

Gibson was interviewed a long time back on the Prisoners of Gravity show (a Canadian program hosted by Rick Green - who Red Green fans might recall). Gibson showed no difficulty whatsoever with English.

James Joyce comes to mind...

 

[Valka D'Ur]

Explain the connection, please, for those of us who have not read James Joyce?

 

[Serutan]

Explain the connection, please, for those of us who have not read James Joyce?

I haven't read Joyce, but I suspect it's similar to William Faulkner. I had to read one
of his books (Absolom, Absolom) for a uni class, and his writing style was, to put
it mildly, nonstandard.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

I haven't read Faulkner, either.

 

[illram]

Just finished The Mote in God's Eye by Jerry Pournelle and Larry Niven, which was one of the better first contact books I have ever read, and then quickly read the sequel The Gripping Hand, which was sort of disappointing.

Good (great) characters, great aliens, but The Gripping Hand just sort of rides the first one's coat tails.

Thank you for the recommendations for "big" ideas books... will have to put those in my queue.

 

[Glassfan]

Explain the connection, please, for those of us who have not read James Joyce?

A brilliant and erudite individual, Joyce's writing style (including "stream-of-conscious" - Ulysses) had led some early readers to incorrectly assume he was a madman (or perhaps just Irish).

 

[Valka D'Ur]

Thanks - I'll have to look it up sometime.

 

[sanabas]

Thanks - I'll have to look it up sometime.

Find yourself a copy of Finnegans Wake

 

[Tarquelne]

Just finished The Mote in God's Eye by Jerry Pournelle and Larry Niven

You'd likely like more by Niven. Of the two I consider him the "big ideas" guy. His "Known Space" short stories are especially worthy of attention. Well above average for short stories IMO.

I don't consider his later stuff nearly as good as what he wrote in his prime, btw. (IIRC Mote would be toward the tail-end of that prime. The Gripping Hand would be, according to me, one of the better efforts of the "later stuff.")

Lots of great technological/logical/science puzzles embedded in the stories. Much like how the MiGE contained the puzzle, with clues, about what the Moties were hiding.

Where's the control center ... it has to be big! What kind of solider carries a weapon with so many functions ... and given the answer to that, what will the last function be?)

I especially like how his characters tend to be pro-active thinkers. Always probing, always making connections. If nothing else both traits add a lot of novelty value when compared to the average fictional character.

James Joyce

There's nothing difficult about reading Joyce that being a multi-lingual drunk won't fix.