January Book Club
December 9, 2008For January’s book club meeting, we’ve decided to read a book and then watch a movie based on the book. Any suggestions of science fiction book-to-movie adaptions?
Erie Science Fiction Book Club
For those who love talking about Science Fiction
Philip K. Dick has a slew of short stories that have been adapted to movies. I’m not necessarily nominating them, but here’s a list of the possibilities: http://www.philipkdick.com/films_intro.html
My DVD shelf has:
Arthur C. Clarke: 2001: A Space Odyssey; 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Arthur C. Clarke: 2010: Odyssey Two; 2010 (1984)
Philip K. Dick: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (short story); Blade Runner (1982)
Philip K. Dick: Paycheck (short story); Paycheck (2003)
William Gibson: Johnny Mnemonic (short story); Johnny Mnemonic (1995)
Frank Herbert: Dune; Dune (2000) (miniseries)
Carl Sagan: Contact; Contact (1997)
For a movie that’s almost entirely unlike the book, everyone’s favorite is Robert A. Heinlein’s Starship Troopers, which was loosely adapted into Paul Verhoeven’s widely-panned 1997 movie Starship Troopers.
For an adaptation that is remarkably faithful to the dialog in the book (to the point of keeping internal monologue where it should have been cut), Frank Herbert’s Dune was also made into the bizarre 1984 Dune,directed by David Lynch.
We also mentioned Walter Tevis’ The Man Who Fell to Earth, which was adapted into the 1976 movie The Man Who Fell to Earth.
George Orwell’s classic dystopic novel 1984 — which may not be science fiction but was hugely influential for the nascent genre in the middle of the last century — was adapted into the movie 1984 in 1984. (In fact, key scenes identified by date in the book were filmed on the actual date they were set.)
Ray Bradbury’s classic Fahrenheit 451 was adapted into a 1966 movie Fahrenheit 451.
If you are interested in joining a class meeting in February-April, Lifelong Learning in Boulder is offering Secrets of Science Fiction (winter book club). There will be required and optional reading and movie viewing for class. We offered this class in April and the students enjoyed the class and gave our instructor, Bill Hermanson, great reviews. Below are the details.
Secrets of Science Fiction
This controversial class will examine science fiction from the 1800’s to the present day, through a discussion of the secrets and controversies surrounding the most influential works of the genre. After we define ’science fiction’, we will discuss both literature and movies of successive decades. The lesson topics will include: How can we define Science Fiction?; What is the secret of the sphinx in H.G. Wells’ “The Time Machine”?; How is Shakespeare indirectly responsible for Star Trek?; Why does Dave break that glass at the end of 2001 and what does it mean?; Is “Star Wars” really science fiction?; Is Deckard a Replicant or is he not?; and What is Reality? Whether you have been reading science fiction all your life, or are a newcomer to the field, this class will be a lively, fun, and interesting place for you to indulge your passion for science fiction. An extensive reading and viewing list will be provided for each lesson. Students are encouraged to develop and bring to class their own ideas for each topic, as this class has the format of a guided discussion group (instead of a pedantic lecture).
Wednesday, 6:30 PM – 9:00 PM; 6 sessions starting February 4, 2009, ending April 15, 2009
Cost $145
Instructor: Bill Hermanson
Location: Boulder – New Vista High School
Register online at http://www.bvsd.org/LLL.