A List Double Feature

I am a sci-fi geek. Okay, that might be redundant. I am a geek, and as such am a big, big science fiction fan. I have long held that if sci-fi was more mainstream our society wouldn't be quite so stupid, but that is just a theory. So it is time for a list, but since I couldn't decide whether to go with books or movies, here - maybe in honor of the old school practice of showing two cheesy sci-fi movies on the same bill - is a double feature. My top ten sci-fi books and movies, in no particular order.

"Dune", Frank Herbert - Sweeping, epic and oh, so original it covers more themes with fresh ideas in one book than many others put together. The Bene Gesserit, The Guild, The Freman and so much more. Please note this is the book list and this does NOT refer to the awful 1984 David Lynch film of the same name.

"Ender's Game", Orson Scott Card - One of my favorite books of all time, see my reference to it in a previous blog here. Astonishing in it's vision, powerful and poignant. Should be required reading.

"Stranger in a Strange Land", Robert Heinlein - Arguably not science fiction despite a central character from Mars, it is one of the absolute seminal works in the genre anyway. It also is the introduction of Jubal Harshaw, one of Heinlein's most interesting and enduring characters.

"Ringworld", Larry Niven - Scale, scale, scale. This is a remarkable vision of science and engineering and a great story. I am fairly certain I haven't actually figured out what this book is really about.

"Hyperion", Dan Simmons - This book has been categorized as horror, and has also been described as a thinly veiled retelling of "The Canterbury Tales", which I think is pretty cool. It has great characters and is quite chilling.

"Neuromancer", William Gibson - My unchallenged master of cyber-fi, to call Gibson's work original is to say nothing. I am truly amazed as to how he comes up with his stuff, but no less so by his writing and language. I could have picked many of his books for this list and perpetually wait impatiently for his next book.

"The Mote in God's Eye", Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle - Maybe my favorite exploration of alien species and culture, this book goes a long way with the idea of examining ourselves by examining the other. 

"Rendezvous with Rama", Arthur C Clarke - A giant among sci-fi writers, Clarke manages to write a great exploration novel while staying on a spaceship in our solar system. This is also one of the better so-called "hard science" works out there.

"Foundation", Isaac Asimov - Can't make a list like this without Sir Isaac. I am cheating a little here because I would actually say this should be the entire trilogy. It is aptly named as it is the base on which so much subsequent sci-fi is based.

"Forever War", Joe Haldeman - This  book seems slightly out of place since it is, relatively speaking, pretty small. But it showcases Haldeman's sparse style and is one of the best uses of relativity and time dilation. Also another nice commentary on war lots of politicians should read.

On to the movies. I find it both odd and disappointing that not one of the titles above made it to the list below. "2001" is a great book, but not top ten for me, and while "Alien" is a fine book by the very underrated Alan Dean Foster, it isn't one of the greats. Is there something inherently impossible about re-creating the vision of these amazing books on film? Maybe now that CGI can basically produce anything on film - see Life of Pi - more directors and producers will tackle
some of these giants. Here's hoping, but get it right, all right? Until then, here are the best made so far.

Fifth Element - This movie is hysterical, exciting and just flat-out entertaining, but the thing I love most about it is how original and fresh a vision it is. Luc Besson's view is so thoroughly new and so detailed it is just beyond cool. And Chris Tucker as Ruby Rod is just a riot.

Alien - Dark, suspenseful and downright scary, it has one of my favorite production designs ever, and is one of a great director's - Ridley Scott - best movies. How often do you get a three-time best director nominee doing a hard core sci-fi flick? See below. It also has an amazing cast.

2001: A Space Odyssey - Arthur C. Clarke meets Stanley Kubrick - yikes. This movie is absolutely gorgeous and quietly terrifying. It's pacing isn't exactly brisk, but when it gets a hold of you, it doesn't let go.

Blade Runner - The only movie on this list that would definitely make my overall top ten movie list, it is just amazing. The vision, the script, the characters - I love all of it. Try to see the director's cut - Ridley Scott strikes again - as it is completely different without Decker's voiceover. 

Star Wars - Before you scoff, put this great flick in context. In 1977 nothing even remotely like this had ever been done, and George Lucas deserves mad props for making it happen. It spawned an empire  - can you say Skywalker Sound? - and changed the industry forever. And by golly it is just great fun and reached an unbelievably broad audience.

Rollerball - More sci-fi from a great director - Norman Jewison - this is also on my top ten sports movies list. Another beautiful film, it also has some great action and rich social commentary. It is also a must see for any James Caan fan.

Close Encounters of the Third Kind - Thank you Mr. Spielberg - I sense a theme here - for treating the subject of alien contact with appropriate gravity. One of the first movies to have the subject not be all about panic and hysteria, it put the science back in sci-fi.

Inception - Love it or hate it this is a neat movie. Some say it isn't sci-fi, but I say it is one of the best kinds, that explores theoretical concepts of the present instead of jumping into the far future or space opera genres. I also love that you can argue about how it actually works even if it doesn't exist.

The Terminator - The effects are cheesy, the acting (except Paul Winfield) is questionable and it is sometimes silly - but what a script. Not just the vision of the future and Skynet and all that, but a great chase theme and just a fantastic love story. *Spoiler alert* He falls in love with the picture of her where she is remembering their love? Nice. Also vintage Arnold and the birth of "I'll be back."

Silent Running - Definitely the sleeper of this list, this is a great little film that touches on many themes but is most notable for it's take on ecology long before it became popular. It also has some excellent deep space stuff and even some entertaining robots - before they were called droids.

There - go geek out.