Date: Mon, 27 Aug 2007 19:02:37 -0400
From: "Michael Walsh" <MJW at press.jhu.edu>
To: <WSFAlist at KeithLynch.net>
Subject: [WSFA] Re: "Science Fiction Double Feature"
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at KeithLynch.net>

> ecfield at comcast.net 08/27/07 6:54 PM >>>
>> >The record is mixed on written SF making it into film. ENEMY MINE:
>> >Hugo-winning story, ENEMY MINE, the forgettable film.John Varley's
>
>Actually, I rather enjoyed 'Enemy Mine'.=20

It was ... ok.

>> >AIR RAID became MILLENNIUM, a so-so film. And lest we forget:
>> >STARSHIP TROOPERS.
>>
>> The RAH fans start foaming at the mouth over that.
>
>Well, what did you expect when they hired a director that was
convinced=20
>Heinlein was a facist?

It's more of the reaction that's enjoyable: "You have polluted the
precious bodily fluids of one the classics of  20th century literature.
Prepare to die!"

Then there are the sequels.  Oh joy!

>> You must have blinked (lucky you) when NIGHTFALL came - and went.
>
>Nightfall was a waste of DVD space. But then again, we might compare
it=20
>to "Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone" or either one of
the GOR=
>=20
>films that were so bad John Norman has sworn he will never sign
another dea=
>l=20
>with a movie company. Even hard-core GOR fans barfed at them.
>
>> Good film from book? =C2=A0BLADERUNNER was very good film (YMMV),
vaguely
>> based on PKDs "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep".
>
>How about 'Serenity'? I thought that was well done. And the SciFi
Channel=20
>version of "Riverworld", "Dune" and "Children of Dune" were not all
that ba=
>d=20
>either. Too bad that for every one like those, they produce
several=20
>dozen 'Mutant Alligator in the North Woods' slasher flicks. I've
reached th=
>e=20
>point where the SciFi Channel is proof positive that "...90% of
everything =
>is=20
>crap!"
>
>On the other hand, there are a LOT of good novels

Generally speaking, novels are too long to film complete.  Novellas &
novelettes would probably be the best route to dream about.

NIGHTFALL was the right length to produce as a film.

mjw