Sci-Fi Discussion in TV and Movies

Yoldering, I think it had great promise....and I would have been happy to see the movie end a little earlier...I thought the final scene in the alien spacecraft was just too corney for me.

Viriato, sorry I didn't get back earlier....I just read your commentary. Not sure if you were serious or just being sarcastic. BTW, Freud said that during a time when America was in upheaval...the civil war was tearing our nation apart.

He is also quoted as saying, "America is the most grandiose experiment the world has seen, but, I am afraid, it is not going to be a success."

Guess he was wrong again, eh? But what do you expect from someone always so preoccupied with sex?

To Rich: Why don't you americans inform and cultivate yourselves, before saying such historical incorrections. First you didn't have a clue of the life period of Pablo Picasso, now you repeat the same mistake about Freud's visit to the US. He was invited in 1909 by Stanley Hall who was the president at Clark University where Freud and his colleague Jung produced some lectures presenting Psychoanalisys to that part of the globe. He was even honoured by that University. It was in his way back home he commented with Jung that america was a huge mistake. And he was reffering to the stupidity, to the greed and to the lack of polish and refinement of that mediocre scum. You may add lack of structure that underlies the borderline feature of the majority of US citizens which has it's influence in their lack of ethics.

This doesn't mean there aren't good intellectual works in US culture. My favourite works in Sci-Fi are Gattaca, The Matrix, Alien and Blade Runner to name a few. And of course the original Star Trek series. Top quality.
PS: Sorry for my rough English I am not a native speaker and less a writer.

Edited by Viriato 2011-05-04 8:59 PM

Thanks for educating me Viriato...I'm glad I have you here to correct and educate me. Still, did he not say "America is the most grandiose experiment the world has seen, but, I am afraid, it is not going to be a success?"

Seems to me he was wrong...way wrong! I guess when someone is that far off base you wonder just how credible there other statements were...

I give Freud his due...he was a pioneer in his field, a leader in the field of psychology. But his beliefs were solely based on his experience and on the morals of his era. They hold little merit in today's world.

I see America as the greatest modern civilization of all times...without question. That doesn't mean that I am blind to her faults...far from it. But I've yet to see any other nation of this size be so successful for so long. Although the way things are going, perhaps China will one day surpass the U.S....

Ok I don't know if Freud used those exact words, but It's possible. Another curiosity is what he said when arriving at the New York Harbour, "They don't realize that we are bringing them the plague."
I admit the US has grown economically, and that a minority is really inventive and developped in cultural and intellectual terms. And I also know many of you are too specialized in your field. But in general you may assume that there's a tendency to low cultural differentiation in US folks, maybe strategically, making people more controlable. Or perhaps your nation is just too young and imature to reach a more evolved civilizational stage.
Anyway Hewlet-Packard, for instance, is an example of decent US enterprise although these days, unfortunately conditioned by markets pressure and capitalist side effects.
The Matrix, one of my favorite films stands out as a metaphoric ilustration of todays world and of the human alienation, very present in many "developped" countries. We are living in the matrix and we don't even know it. It's the time to unplug...

Yeah Rich, really bad movie...it could have been so much better!

So you finished the flick eh? It kind of grew on me, and had so much potential. But if the movie would have ended when they were being sucked up into the air...that would have been fine with me...from that point on, too low-budget B ideology....

To me, the ending is what makes a movie good.

Also, why did they start the movie that way? I don't understand why they had the seen in it twice.

Don't waste your time on The Green Hornet! Even though it it not really scifi, it is not very good!!!

Edited by Yoldering 2011-05-06 2:19 AM

Did anyone else watch the finale of SGU? I've just caught up with it. Good way to end I thought. I really liked the show, it ticked a lot of boxes and I do hope that it comes back.

I just watched Donnie Darko again...been along time....love it just as much as the first time....and now only just discovered that there is a "directors cut" for the film...got to go rent it today. Guess it is a great movie on time-travel paradox...

They also made another one called S. Darko, A Donnie Darko Tale http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1231277/ I have not seen it, but it is on my list.

Completely awesome Dr. Who episode tonight, well worth checking out if you international types can follow what's going on.
I'll go as far as to say it tops my top 10 list.

Okay, I just realized that SG Universe was available on Netflix, both seasons...I guess I quit watching it around the 8th episode because of the time slot. I am watching the 9th episode now and I plan on finishing it. I remember really liking the show and I am glad I found it again.

I always liked it, so was rather disheartened to see it get axed. You'll have to let us know what you think once you've watched all 40 ep's.

Man... Why does Netflix Canada suck so much Ok I understand it just got started and it takes time to get enough subscribers to get better shows, but still it doesn't even have SG1, let alone Atlantis and Universe

I don't understand the lack of interest in SGU. Yes I said before that the premise is a bit "out of this world", but only relative to SG1 and SGA. I guess it simply doesn't have enough spaceships and explosions?

BTW I kinda watched Smallville finale while playing videogames. It's still lame.

I saw Thor in theatre. Can't really decide on this one. It's kinda fun, but then it doesn't have enough action. The story doesn't fail completely, nor does it succeed in any way. The effects and acting I guess are well done, but without a good story and more spectacular scenes, it feels they couldn't really unleash the potential. Ironically that's what the movie is about. If you really like Thor or must see all the Avengers' movies before the Avengers movie then it's mildly enjoyable. Otherwise as its own movie, it's better to watch it on home release.