24 Frames into the Future: Scalzi on Science Fiction Films

by John Scalzi, Daniel Dos Santos (Illustrator), Daniel M. Kimmel (Introduction)

24 Frames into the Scalzi on Science Fiction Film is the 2012 Boskone Book by Guest of Honor John Scalzi. John Scalzi's first job was not actually writing a science fiction novel; rather, he was a film critic for the Fresno Bee. Only years later did he write Old Man's War, his critically acclaimed first novel. In this book, collecting many of his essays on Science Fiction films, you can read Scalzi's thoughts on movies, how they're produced, and how storytelling differs between movie and print. You'll get to read his prognostications about the Oscars and Hugos, and what he felt about how the awards actually turned out not to mention why "show business" is not "show art". Scalzi also has a lot to say about that rarified universe outside SF, and he also puts into perspective the way it has both taken from SF's culture and fashioned it.

Genres: Science Fiction

410 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2012

About the author

John Scalzi, having declared his absolute boredom with biographies, disappeared in a puff of glitter and lilac scent.

(If you want to contact John, using the mail function here is a really bad way to do it. Go to his site and use the contact information you find there.)

Reviews

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of those perfect books for the five minute hole in your day that needs to be filled with cleverly written, insightful and sometimes laugh out loud stuff.

[Cale · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is nothing that gets dated so quickly as a web blog. Except perhaps movie criticism. If you like Scalzi's blog writing, this is worth reading - there are a couple of vignettes that are worth the price of admission on their own. But overall, it feels very limited in scope, as the criticism all covers science fiction movies from 2008-2011, with a fair amount of time spent covering the classics of the genre. A good thing to do is to look at the Index of Movies at the back; it will give you a very good idea of what the articles focus on, so if the ones with references in the double digits don't interest you, you're probably better off not reading it.
The other hint I would give is this - read them chronologically - there's a guidance to the next/last article at the end of each post, and it makes a lot more sense to read them that way than going straight through like I did - you end up with whiplash as category changes send you three years backward each shift, and the overarching categories aren't distinct enough to really merit separation.
There is some very good writing here, and there is a lot of decent criticism. And there's also a fair amount of stuff that is already dated, and will only get more so. Which means that if you are interested in reading this, you should read it sooner rather than later, before it gets even more out of date.

[Angela Penrose · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy movies, but I wouldn't call myself a movie buff. I don't memorize who wrote or directed a movie, and if I enjoy a movie I don't go looking for other movies by the same writer or director. That said, I do enjoy SF movies, and it was fun to read what Scalzi had to say about them (and their writers and directors) and the business.

This is a collection of blog posts, so they're short and generally punchy, and there are the expected list-posts. The more serious discussions made me want to look up some of those movies, and the funny ones usually got a grin out of me, and often made me laugh. Favorite funny posts:

An Experiment in Accurate but Misleading Movie Descriptions
An Experiment in Accurate but Misleading Movie Descriptions -- Fantasy Version
Saying Thanksgiving Grace, the Science-fictional Way

which are conveniently all in a clump. I read the first one out loud to my husband, and he laughed too. :)

Example: Cloverfield: A group of hipster Manhattanites find their plans for the night completely overturned thanks to an unexpected visit from an out of towner.

Fun book, definitely worth a read if you have any interest at all in SF film.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent collection of short takes on SF films. I particularly liked his take on The Matrix. All your personal needs taken care of and you get to play virtual reality game 24/7. Over half the population will say, "Where do I sign up?"