Now Screening - What Are You Watching Right Now?

[struth]

I've always thought 'Fade Out' by Patrick Tilley, would have made a fantastic sci-fi movie! The story and ideas are great.

(how many of you remember that book, let alone have read it? )

Yes I have it now on kindle. Great book, and have read it many times; due for another actually

[Spectral Morn]

The Great Wall of China - Channel 4

Fascinating in depth look at the walls history. In fact there were 16 walls, the oldest section being 2000 years old (made from mud) with the last sections being 400. Taking the whole walls length stretched out it would reach from the Arctic to the Antarctic

After that

The Last Ship

and after that Zoo


Regards Neil

[Spectral Morn]

I've always thought 'Fade Out' by Patrick Tilley, would have made a fantastic sci-fi movie! The plot and ideas are great. One of the most impressive sci-fi stories I've come across.

(how many of you remember that book, let alone have read it? )

Yes read it and still have it kicking around somewhere. I also have The Amtrak wars by him too. Yes I agree would make a great film or TV series.



Regards Neil

[Spectral Morn]

Yes I have it now on kindle.

Regards Neil

[Macca]

The Libertines - live at Reading Festival.

[struth]

Been having a "Carry On" night and next up is "Jack"... a navel farce if ever there was one The lovely Juliet Mills comes close to revealing all

[Barry]

I tried reading the book and gave up, horrible writing style and weird structure.

Regards Neil

Agreed, the book is a difficult read and with, inter alia, the ersatz religion sub-theme, would have been near impossible to film. The paring down of the book for the screenplay turned a difficult book into a superb film.

And it is about androids: replicants built to be an affordable replacement as pets, as genuine real animals are scarce in Phillip K. Dick's post-holocaust world. Some of the replicants are human androids, so as the title of the book asks: "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?", since even their memories have to be invented for them when they are built. Which leads to the question: is Dekkard a specialised android? The director's cut version of the film suggest he is, however there is no such suggestion in the book.

In my opinion Phillip K. Dick was one of the 20th century's finest sci-fi writers. His writing style is difficult to read, but his ideas were novel, albeit strange, before their time and in many cases remarkably prescient. He wrote in the '50s at the height of the Cold War, so many of his ideas concern themselves with, and reflect, the paranoia of the times.

Some of his books have been made into successful films, such as 'Blade Runner'and 'Minority Report'. Some have been less successful in my opinion: 'Total Recall' and 'Paycheck'.

[Macca]

The only PKD I have read is that one where the subject is a secret agent assigned to spy on himself but he doesn't know it is himself he is spying on. That was also a film but the title escapes me.

[struth]

Agreed, the book is a difficult read and with, inter alia, the ersatz religion sub-theme, would have been near impossible to film. The paring down of the book for the screenplay turned a difficult book into a superb film.

And it is about androids: replicants built to be an affordable replacement as pets, as genuine real animals are scarce in Phillip K. Dick's post-holocaust world. Some of the replicants are human androids, so as the title of the book asks: "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?", since even their memories have to be invented for them when they are built. Which leads to the question: is Dekkard a specialised android? The director's cut version of the film suggest he is, however there is no such suggestion in the book.

In my opinion Phillip K. Dick was one of the 20th century's finest sci-fi writers. His writing style is difficult to read, but his ideas were novel, albeit strange, before their time and in many cases remarkably prescient. He wrote in the '50s at the height of the Cold War, so many of his ideas concern themselves with, and reflect, the paranoia of the times.

Some of his books have been made into successful films, such as 'Blade Runner'and 'Minority Report'. Some have been less successful in my opinion: 'Total Recall' and 'Paycheck'.

I liked total recall. Fab film with plenty humour and novel ideas. It made the studios over 200 mil dollars profit too

[Joe]

If you only read one PKD novel, make sure it's 'The Man In The High Castle'.