Vivid Tomorrows: On Science Fiction and Hollywood

Can science fiction--especially sci-fi cinema--save the world? It already has, many times. Retired officers testify that films like Doctor Strangelove, Fail-Safe, On the Beach and War Games provoked changes and helped prevent accidental war. Soylent Green and Silent Running recruited millions of environmental activists. The China Syndrome and countless movies about plagues helped bring attention to those failure modes. And the grand-daddy of "self-preventing prophecy"--Nineteen Eighty-Four--girded countless citizens to stay wary of Big Brother.

It's not been all dire warnings. While optimism is much harder to dramatize than apocalypse, both large and small screens have also encouraged millions to lift their gaze, contemplating how we might get better, incrementally, or else raise grandchildren worthy of the stars.

Come along on a quirky quest for unusual insights into the power of forward-looking media. How the romantic allure of feudalism tugs at men and women who benefited vastly from modernity. Or explore why almost every Hollywood film preaches Suspicion of Authority, along with tolerance, diversity and personal eccentricity, and how those messages helped keep us free. No one is spared scrutiny! Not Spielberg or Tolkien or Cameron or Costner... nor Dune or demigods or zombie flicks. Certainly not George Lucas or Ayn Rand! Though some critiques are offered from a lifetime of respect and love... and gratitude.

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Vivid Tomorrows: On Science Fiction and Hollywood

Can science fiction--especially sci-fi cinema--save the world? It already has, many times. Retired officers testify that films like Doctor Strangelove, Fail-Safe, On the Beach and War Games provoked changes and helped prevent accidental war. Soylent Green and Silent Running recruited millions of environmental activists. The China Syndrome and countless movies about plagues helped bring attention to those failure modes. And the grand-daddy of "self-preventing prophecy"--Nineteen Eighty-Four--girded countless citizens to stay wary of Big Brother.

It's not been all dire warnings. While optimism is much harder to dramatize than apocalypse, both large and small screens have also encouraged millions to lift their gaze, contemplating how we might get better, incrementally, or else raise grandchildren worthy of the stars.

Come along on a quirky quest for unusual insights into the power of forward-looking media. How the romantic allure of feudalism tugs at men and women who benefited vastly from modernity. Or explore why almost every Hollywood film preaches Suspicion of Authority, along with tolerance, diversity and personal eccentricity, and how those messages helped keep us free. No one is spared scrutiny! Not Spielberg or Tolkien or Cameron or Costner... nor Dune or demigods or zombie flicks. Certainly not George Lucas or Ayn Rand! Though some critiques are offered from a lifetime of respect and love... and gratitude.

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Vivid Tomorrows: On Science Fiction and Hollywood

Vivid Tomorrows: On Science Fiction and Hollywood

by David Brin
Vivid Tomorrows: On Science Fiction and Hollywood

Vivid Tomorrows: On Science Fiction and Hollywood

by David Brin

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$29.95 
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Overview

Can science fiction--especially sci-fi cinema--save the world? It already has, many times. Retired officers testify that films like Doctor Strangelove, Fail-Safe, On the Beach and War Games provoked changes and helped prevent accidental war. Soylent Green and Silent Running recruited millions of environmental activists. The China Syndrome and countless movies about plagues helped bring attention to those failure modes. And the grand-daddy of "self-preventing prophecy"--Nineteen Eighty-Four--girded countless citizens to stay wary of Big Brother.

It's not been all dire warnings. While optimism is much harder to dramatize than apocalypse, both large and small screens have also encouraged millions to lift their gaze, contemplating how we might get better, incrementally, or else raise grandchildren worthy of the stars.

Come along on a quirky quest for unusual insights into the power of forward-looking media. How the romantic allure of feudalism tugs at men and women who benefited vastly from modernity. Or explore why almost every Hollywood film preaches Suspicion of Authority, along with tolerance, diversity and personal eccentricity, and how those messages helped keep us free. No one is spared scrutiny! Not Spielberg or Tolkien or Cameron or Costner... nor Dune or demigods or zombie flicks. Certainly not George Lucas or Ayn Rand! Though some critiques are offered from a lifetime of respect and love... and gratitude.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781476683386
Publisher: McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers
Publication date: 03/19/2021
Pages: 241
Product dimensions: 6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.49(d)
Age Range: 18 Years

About the Author

About The Author
David Brin is a California astrophysicist who serves on NASA’s Innovative and Advanced Concepts program (NIAC) advisory board and speaks or consults on a wide range of topics including AI, SETI, privacy and national security. His best-selling novels have won Hugo, Nebula and other awards and appeared in more than 20 languages.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments vi

Prologue: Science Fiction and Cinema: Saving the Future by Believing There Will Be One 1

Part 1 A Flickering Light on the World

1 The S elf-Preventing Prophecy: How a Dose of Nightmare Might Tame Tomorrow's Perils 9

2 Society and Citizens Are Fools! The Favorite Cliché of Cinema and Fiction 15

3 2001: A Space Odyssey: Shining Light on How Far We've Come 27

4 Living in a Science Fictional World: Biology and Destiny and Life 'n' Such 32

5 A Quirky Must-See Guide to Science Fiction Movies 44

Part 2 Admirable (But Flawed) Blockbusters

6 J'accuse George Lucas … or Zola Meets Yoda 51

7 Avatar. Just Avatar. 75

8 The Lord of the Rings: J.R.R. Tolkien vs. the Modern Age 89

Part 3 Grinding Axes

9 Roll Over, Frank Miller: Street Kids Are Better Than Those 300 Spartans! 101

10 Atlas Shrugged: The Hidden Context of the Book and Film 107

11 Demigods and "Chosen Ones" … Would It Hurt If Humanity Got to Play, Too? 117

12 Getting Science Fictional About a Better World: Marxists and Feminists and Feudalists and Libertarians, Oh My! 122

Part 4 Heroes and Villains

13 Name That Villain: Bad Guys and Aliens in Sci-Fi Movies 135

14 King Kong Is Back! The Ape in the Mirror 141

15 The Matrix: Tomorrow May Be Different 148

16 A Mini-Rant: Why All Those Zombies Mean You'd Better Vote! 159

17 Buffy the Old-Fashioned Hero 162

Part 5 Dark Visions and Hope

18 Dune: What This Classic Teaches About "Point of View" 165

19 The Postman: The Book vs. the Movie 172

20 Man Against Machine: Surrogates, Clones and Dittos 177

21 Gravity: Unbearable Lightness … but Solid Storytelling 198

22 Great Opening Lines from Science Fiction Tales 202

23 From Metaphor to Movie Magic-or Why We're Such Good Liars 205

Chapter Notes 221

Index 225

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