Science Fiction

Another one I can't believe I'm just posting. I loved this series so much I watched it in it's entirety at least twice. My nephew put the entire series on DVD for me I raved about it so much. I am watching the first episode again today and may continue from time to time. I loved Henry (Joe Morton), aJack of all trades genius and Sheriff Jack Carter (Colin Ferguson), a man of "normal" intelligence who comes to Eureka, a town full of geniuses and somehow always winds up being the hero.
DD and really enjoyed Eureka, too. We felt Carter was.crucial to the story because often precisely because his thought processes were not as complex most of the residents he was a kind of catylist. He had enough intelligence to ask simple direct question that cut thru over thinking by the geniuses.

Answering his questions often led them to solutions. The simplicity of his questions reminded them of the Occams razor principle: when there are multiple possible causes (or solutions) the simplest is often the best. "
 

Another one I can't believe I'm just posting. I loved this series so much I watched it in it's entirety at least twice. My nephew put the entire series on DVD for me I raved about it so much. I am watching the first episode again today and may continue from time to time. I loved Henry (Joe Morton), aJack of all trades genius and Sheriff Jack Carter (Colin Ferguson), a man of "normal" intelligence who comes to Eureka, a town full of geniuses and somehow always winds up being the hero.

Ditto that! Eureka was the first series I put on my favorite list. The pilot didn't seem to jive with the early episodes as far as the father-daughter/prisoner relationship to me. But, I got over it and really got sucked into the series. I really like shows that can smoothly incorporate humor, sci-fi, and drama. Also, I adore the physical humor of Colin Ferguson. His body antics are amazing! I just saw Joe Morton in Grace and Frankie (I was half-asleep and it took a moment to figure out how I "knew" him, haha.) There is something mesmerizing about him.
 
Ditto that! Eureka was the first series I put on my favorite list. The pilot didn't seem to jive with the early episodes as far as the father-daughter/prisoner relationship to me. But, I got over it and really got sucked into the series. I really like shows that can smoothly incorporate humor, sci-fi, and drama. Also, I adore the physical humor of Colin Ferguson. His body antics are amazing! I just saw Joe Morton in Grace and Frankie (I was half-asleep and it took a moment to figure out how I "knew" him, haha.) There is something mesmerizing about him.
Yes, loved Colin's physical humor too. My son and I first saw Joe Morton in a show called Watch Your Mouth about an inspiring teacher which started in 1978. I since saw him in movies and T.V. shows. None were as notable as his portrayal of Papa Pope in Scandal. He played a powerful adversary, even to his daughter. He deservedly won an Emmy, probably sealed by one particular scene in which he acted his a*s off. 🤩 I love his smile; yep mesmerizing is a good description. Here's Joe's Wiki page listing all of his acting creds: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Morton

@officerripley Level 16 escaped me. I'll have to check it out. Thank you.
 
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This is another show that absolutely captivated me. Absolutely delightful. I didn't even want to watch it but my son was over and said Ma..lets watch (the premiere episode of) Sleepy Hollow. Within the first 30 minutes, I was hooked! I don't entertain but I hosted an intimate 2nd season premiere party for my son, my grandson, two of his friends, my husband and I. That was so fun. The Abbie & Ichie (Ichabod) chemistry was undeniable from the first scene they played together. And it's funny...off camera, Tom Mison (Ichie) often gushed about working with Nicole Beharie (Abbie), so clearly they got along well in real life. There are many YouTube videos dedicated to their obvious but subdued on screen romance. The S1 trailer:

 
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I can't believe the last episode aired more than 3 years ago! I'm so ready for the new season which looks like it will be more explosive, to say the least. According to two promos I saw, looks like it will be airing on Hulu and Disney+ starting June 2nd.


 
I read a volume of books back in the 80's called "The Book Of The New Sun" It is a four volume, science fantasy novel written by Gene Wolfe. When I finished the books I was at a loss for words. It pulled me in and held me from start to finish. If you like speculative fiction it is a must read.

The four novels in the set in order are:
1. The Shadow of the Torturer
2. The Claw of the Conciliator
3. The Sword of the Lictor
4. The Citadel of the Autarch
 
I subscribe to a science fiction newsletter called tor.com; very interesting articles and a free short story in most issues. Through one of those short stories, I discovered a great horror author, Stephen Graham Jones.
 
The Orville, used to watch that, enjoyed it but for whatever reason lost track of the show. Another show in the genre- Star Trek Discovery. I watched first 2 seasons on CBS All Access. I would bing the episodes then cancel All Access until the next season. I got some catching up to do, it's been a couple years.
This season of The Orville: New Horizons (it's new name) contains much more dramatic, thought provoking content. Seth McFarlane really went all out with the special effects budget as well. I'm enjoying this season. I hope you get a chance to get back to it.
 
Last night I started binge watching Resident Alien which is a quirky comedy and a bit irreverent but it is heartwarming at t the same time. It's on Peacock+ and after tomorrow when my one month of Premium ends, I don't think I'll be able to continue watching but will try to at least finish season 1. I'm sure I'll wind up upgrading again when they add a movie that I really want to see but didn't go to the movies to see. I'll get back to Resident Alien then. It can be no worse than waiting a couple of years for shows to return. @officerripley @Nathan @feywon

 
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I'm a big fan of Star Trek: The Next Generation.
My favorite episodes are:
1. Who watches the watchers ?
2. Tin Man
3. First Contact
4. The Hunted.
5. Justice
I don't care as much for episodes that center around complicated technology.

Of the original Star Trek movie series, my favorite is "The Wrath of Kahn".
 
Last night saw this video. Thought other SciFi fans might like. I like Mr. Oswalt's critiquing style. He's very specific and even has some good things to say about his 'Bottom 5'. I've seen all of these but 'Deep Blue Sea' and pretty much agree with him. But my bottom 5 would likely have a lot of the old B ticket B & W movies i saw in my teen years.

 
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We've started watching The Man Who Fell to Earth series on the Showtime channel; never saw the orig. movie but are really liking this one so far.

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I got my free 30 day subscription to Showtime so I can finish watching the series. Trivia...I read he's also being considered for the role of James Bond along with Rege'-Jean Page and Idris Elba backed out.

My son wanted to see Prey so I watched that with him last weekend. I was sleepy so dozed off and on until it was about half over. It was decent. I recognized the lead actress from the series Roswell: New Mexico. Did you see it and did you like it?
 
It's hard to think about classic science fiction since Marvel Studios set a new standard and dominated the box office for the last 10 years, but Stan Lee is dead and Marvel sold out to Disney, so the recent attempts have been disappointing to me, although there is still an inertia that manages to keep the box office busy, even though the stories are more Disney than Marvel. Oddly both companies are/were top shelf at story telling, but what seems to me to be happening is that Disney can't do Marvel, and I doubt Marvel could do Disney very well. Maybe the Marvel Magic just naturally ran its course and ran out of creativity. But we seem to be back to the old normal with special effects more important than story telling, and catering to a smaller cross section of movie goers, maybe a much younger crowd.

But back on track. Remember the original Star Gate movie? Must have been 20 years ago now, and it did reach out to many sci fi fans. I thought it was just too unrealistic, and I was kind of bored with what happened when they got to where they were going. I was so uninterested that when the TV series came out and began it's remarkable 10 year run, that I didn't so much as surf by the show for just a second or two. It wasn't until after the series, actually, I think the third spin off was still current, when I discovered what a fantastic job the writers and staff did with the original premise.

The first couple years are not that important, and it takes time for the writers and staff to find their stride, but when they do, it just keeps getting better for the next 7 years, followed by the next spin off, Stargate Atlantis, which is maybe better than the original. The third spin off flopped in my opinion. I couldn't bother watching it after a couple of episodes, and hardly anyone even mentions it.
 
It's hard to think about classic science fiction since Marvel Studios set a new standard and dominated the box office for the last 10 years, but Stan Lee is dead and Marvel sold out to Disney, so the recent attempts have been disappointing to me, although there is still an inertia that manages to keep the box office busy, even though the stories are more Disney than Marvel. Oddly both companies are/were top shelf at story telling, but what seems to me to be happening is that Disney can't do Marvel, and I doubt Marvel could do Disney very well. Maybe the Marvel Magic just naturally ran its course and ran out of creativity. But we seem to be back to the old normal with special effects more important than story telling, and catering to a smaller cross section of movie goers, maybe a much younger crowd.

But back on track. Remember the original Star Gate movie? Must have been 20 years ago now, and it did reach out to many sci fi fans. I thought it was just too unrealistic, and I was kind of bored with what happened when they got to where they were going. I was so uninterested that when the TV series came out and began it's remarkable 10 year run, that I didn't so much as surf by the show for just a second or two. It wasn't until after the series, actually, I think the third spin off was still current, when I discovered what a fantastic job the writers and staff did with the original premise.

The first couple years are not that important, and it takes time for the writers and staff to find their stride, but when they do, it just keeps getting better for the next 7 years, followed by the next spin off, Stargate Atlantis, which is maybe better than the original. The third spin off flopped in my opinion. I couldn't bother watching it after a couple of episodes, and hardly anyone even mentions it.
I remember seeing part of a Stargate episode when my husband and I were on vacation decades ago and thinking it was terrible. Fast forward to the pandemic and I started watching Stargate Atlantis which I really liked. At first I watched mainly to see Jason Mamoa but he wasn't in the first season, which by then I was hooked. After finishing Atlantis I watched Stargate Universe, which I also liked. But maybe others also viewed it as not good enough, thus it had only two seasons. Then I started watching Stargate SG-1. After a few episodes, I stopped. One reason is I hated those wormy things that were often featured (in Teal'c and sometimes outside of him). I also realized that for some unknown reason, I don't like Richard Dean Anderson. And thirdly, it just didn't hold my interest (character or story wise) like the other two series did. At some point, I might even watch Stargate Atlantis again.
 
I started watching Stargate SG-1. After a few episodes, I stopped. One reason is I hated those wormy things that were often featured (in Teal'c and sometimes outside of him). I also realized that for some unknown reason, I don't like Richard Dean Anderson. And thirdly, it just didn't hold my interest (character or story wise) like the other two series did. At some point, I might even watch Stargate Atlantis again.
I own the series, and as I said it takes a couple of seasons to hit its stride. When I rewatch it, I usually skip the first season, and then part of season two. The stories seem like cheap writing following long exhausted formulas. Even after they are fully up and running, there are a couple of episodes I refuse to watch, because they are cheap ripoffs of stolen themes from other sources. By season five, its on its way to being a 10 season phenomenon, and Anderson is replaced in the last two seasons. The Goauld are gone, and the next battle for the universe faces an entirely different threat, which in my opinion could have been what the whole series was about. Maybe not 10 seasons, though. I never thought Anderson was particularly strong in the role, and I've heard other people that totally agree with you about him, although he never bothered me to a great extent. I don't want to be pushy here, but I would encourage you to skip it all and start watching seasons 9 and 10. Then you may want to go back to the early seasons just to critically watch the show evolve... or not.
 
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I never considered Rocky Horror to be science fiction. Fantasy, maybe, but mostly it's a comedy. I was never in a big city when it emerged as one of the most important cult classics of it's time, where there would be one movie theater showing it at midnight once each week, and all the movie goers would show up in costumes and required accessories to shout scripted responses to some of the cheap scenes. I would have liked to have done that. It sounded like a joyful "happening", but society seems too jaded today to allow for large crowds to gather together in such silly harmony.
 
I never considered Rocky Horror to be science fiction
Hey, I think it remains the only science fiction horror show about transvestites from outer space ever made. LOL, it is more a parody of science fiction than actual science fiction I guess.
I was never in a big city when it emerged
I was in Logan, Utah, not a big city at all. Only went to a couple of the late night showings, and never participated but it was fun to watch the audience.
 
I'm not into modern science fiction with all of the computer graphics. I still like the corny science fiction of the 50's and 60's. They were fun to watch. I am so bored of all of those Star Wars movies. I am an original Trekker. Saw the first episode on September 8, 1966. The films of the 50's and 60's I liked were: The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms, The Fly (1958 version), The Blob (Steve McQueen), Village of the Damned (original version), The Time Machine (1960), The Day of the Triffids (original version), Voyage To the Bottom of the Sea (movie not the TV series), Journey To the Center of the Earth (James Mason & Pat Boone movie).
 


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