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Subversive Sci-Fi: Reflections on Futuristic Films That Broke the Rules
Science fiction movies are weird and well after more than a century, as they time-travel beyond all genre cliches. Sci-Fi movies aren’t afraid to be more thought-provoking, more experimental, more adventurous, more... subversive.
Subversive Sci-Fi : Reflections on Futuristic Films That Broke the Rules salutes movies and movie-makers who forever changed the way speculative flicks were made, viewed, marketed, released, and merchandised. Within its Atom Age pages, Subversive Sci-Fi presents an eclectic mix of today’s most talented scribes sharing their humor and insights about their favorite groundbreaking films. Readers will see the classics in all new ways, and find some new spaced-out thrills to buy, rent, or stream.
List of Authors and Their Topic Film:
Simon Bacon: Lifeforce (1985).
Alex Bledsoe: Eolomea (1972).
Bill Bodden: Brazil (1985).
Richard Dansky: Zardoz (1974).
Matthew Dawkins: Flash Gordon (1980).
Lynn Firestone: Ghost in the Shell (1995).
Kenneth Hite: Forbidden Planet (1956).
Kristen Hutchinson: Advantageous (2015).
Seth Johnson: Max Headroom: 20 Minutes into the Future (1985).
Spike Jones: Silent Running (1972).
Jaye Kovach: The Girl with All the Gifts (2016).
David Larkins: Metropolis (1927).
Murray Leeder: Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964).
James Lowder: Miracle Mile (1988).
Colm Lundberg: The Matrix (1999).
Steven Marsh: The Game (1997).
Chloe Maveal: Tank Girl (1995).
Prof. Christopher McGlothlin: Punishment Park (1971).
Cynthia Celeste Miller: The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975).
Justin Mohareb: Logan's Run (1976).
Lisa Morton: Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984).
Debaditya Mukhopadhyay: Cargo (2019).
Ethan Parker: RoboCop (1987).
John Polojac: Fantastic Planet (La Planète sauvage, 1973).
Ade Smith: The Fifth Element (1997).
Lucien Soulban: The Andromeda Strain (1971).
Alexander Thomas: Triangle (2009).
Robert J. Toth: Rollerball (1975).
Jason Walters: Blood Machines (2020).
Shannon Watkins: The Fly (1986).
Darren Watts: Liquid Sky (1982).
Eddy Webb: Blade Runner (1982).
Nicole Winchester: Deep Impact (1998).
Mike Weatherford: Conquest of Planet of the Apes (1972).
Melissa F Olson: Colossal (2016).
Subversive Sci-Fi : Reflections on Futuristic Films That Broke the Rules salutes movies and movie-makers who forever changed the way speculative flicks were made, viewed, marketed, released, and merchandised. Within its Atom Age pages, Subversive Sci-Fi presents an eclectic mix of today’s most talented scribes sharing their humor and insights about their favorite groundbreaking films. Readers will see the classics in all new ways, and find some new spaced-out thrills to buy, rent, or stream.
List of Authors and Their Topic Film:
Simon Bacon: Lifeforce (1985).
Alex Bledsoe: Eolomea (1972).
Bill Bodden: Brazil (1985).
Richard Dansky: Zardoz (1974).
Matthew Dawkins: Flash Gordon (1980).
Lynn Firestone: Ghost in the Shell (1995).
Kenneth Hite: Forbidden Planet (1956).
Kristen Hutchinson: Advantageous (2015).
Seth Johnson: Max Headroom: 20 Minutes into the Future (1985).
Spike Jones: Silent Running (1972).
Jaye Kovach: The Girl with All the Gifts (2016).
David Larkins: Metropolis (1927).
Murray Leeder: Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964).
James Lowder: Miracle Mile (1988).
Colm Lundberg: The Matrix (1999).
Steven Marsh: The Game (1997).
Chloe Maveal: Tank Girl (1995).
Prof. Christopher McGlothlin: Punishment Park (1971).
Cynthia Celeste Miller: The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975).
Justin Mohareb: Logan's Run (1976).
Lisa Morton: Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984).
Debaditya Mukhopadhyay: Cargo (2019).
Ethan Parker: RoboCop (1987).
John Polojac: Fantastic Planet (La Planète sauvage, 1973).
Ade Smith: The Fifth Element (1997).
Lucien Soulban: The Andromeda Strain (1971).
Alexander Thomas: Triangle (2009).
Robert J. Toth: Rollerball (1975).
Jason Walters: Blood Machines (2020).
Shannon Watkins: The Fly (1986).
Darren Watts: Liquid Sky (1982).
Eddy Webb: Blade Runner (1982).
Nicole Winchester: Deep Impact (1998).
Mike Weatherford: Conquest of Planet of the Apes (1972).
Melissa F Olson: Colossal (2016).
263 pages, Paperback
First published October 25, 2023
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
April 27, 2023
Disclaimer: I contributed to the Kickstarter for this book.
In over a century of movies that can be considered “science fiction” of one sort or another, there have been a number that challenged the status quo in one way or another. This book is a collection of essays by various authors on forty-one of those films.
After an editorial introduction, the essays are mostly in chronological order by when the movie was released, from Metropolis (1927) to Crimes of the Future (2022). Each movie is discussed for what it did that was new (innovative effects!) or different (taboo subjects!) or otherwise “broke the rules” (going behind the distributor’s back!) A note here–all these essays spoil things about the movies they’re discussing, sometimes in great detail.
It’s an interesting assortment of movies, some acknowledged classics, some flops–a couple are even pretty bad. There’s a Disney film, a couple of anime features, representatives from Soviet and Bollywood movies…even a movie or two you may not have known was science fiction.
Given the variety of authors, the quality of essays also varies. I was especially fascinated by the essay on Ghost in the Shell (1995) which talks about the perspective of a woman who has chronic pain on the central character, a full-body cyborg. The least interesting essay for my taste was on Blood Machines (2020) which read more like a complaint about other movies than an examination of the one under discussion.
While these are scholarly essays, bright teenagers should have little difficulty following them. (Given that some of the movies are about taboo subjects, parents might want to check the book out before giving it to younger readers.) The book is currently available either as a downloadable PDF or print-on-demand. I especially liked the hardcover version of the physical book as the cover does not take fingerprints too easily, unlike some other POD books I’ve read recently.
Highly recommended to science fiction movie fans–this one would make a good gift for the one in your life who also likes books.
In over a century of movies that can be considered “science fiction” of one sort or another, there have been a number that challenged the status quo in one way or another. This book is a collection of essays by various authors on forty-one of those films.
After an editorial introduction, the essays are mostly in chronological order by when the movie was released, from Metropolis (1927) to Crimes of the Future (2022). Each movie is discussed for what it did that was new (innovative effects!) or different (taboo subjects!) or otherwise “broke the rules” (going behind the distributor’s back!) A note here–all these essays spoil things about the movies they’re discussing, sometimes in great detail.
It’s an interesting assortment of movies, some acknowledged classics, some flops–a couple are even pretty bad. There’s a Disney film, a couple of anime features, representatives from Soviet and Bollywood movies…even a movie or two you may not have known was science fiction.
Given the variety of authors, the quality of essays also varies. I was especially fascinated by the essay on Ghost in the Shell (1995) which talks about the perspective of a woman who has chronic pain on the central character, a full-body cyborg. The least interesting essay for my taste was on Blood Machines (2020) which read more like a complaint about other movies than an examination of the one under discussion.
While these are scholarly essays, bright teenagers should have little difficulty following them. (Given that some of the movies are about taboo subjects, parents might want to check the book out before giving it to younger readers.) The book is currently available either as a downloadable PDF or print-on-demand. I especially liked the hardcover version of the physical book as the cover does not take fingerprints too easily, unlike some other POD books I’ve read recently.
Highly recommended to science fiction movie fans–this one would make a good gift for the one in your life who also likes books.
Displaying 1 of 1 review