Posts by David Price5

I hope you'll be visiting us more often now! :-)

And here's a photo that's strictly off-limits! :-)

It might be worth checking out the European version too. Personally, I enjoyed both versions quite a bit. Also, one little detail regarding the vampire character. The vampire character is actually male if you go by the book.

It doesn't have to be. The story could easily take place in the present day. Of course, it all really comes down to how much of an alternative you want to include. Take Braveheart, for example; it's categorized as a historical epic even though it's packed with historical inaccuracies.

Well, if you see dragons and magic on screen, that’s usually a pretty clear giveaway that we're looking at Fantasy. Besides, most other stuff is presented as historically accurate when it really isn't quite.

I'm not exactly a mind reader... but anything visiting us from outer space falls squarely under the umbrella of Sci-Fi by default.

rowdyowl said:Is that San Francisco horror?
Or more like Spy movies?
.

Is The Grey the one with Liam Neeson? Are the wolves supernatural or tech-related, or is it just a standard thriller about animals attacking?

Spy movies—like the ones with Nicole Kidman?

Aside from those robots that show up much later, we barely see anything that doesn't look like the United States at the start of the 21st century.

The clothes, the looks, the architecture—you can't even tell them apart. If I made a movie where everything looked identical, but the Axis powers had won WWII, people would immediately call it Science Fiction.

rowdyowl said:Before 35 Lipa Street even starts, I could claim it takes place in a different galaxy in the year 3000. Would that make it Science Fiction then?

Yes. It would be bad Science Fiction sitcom material.

Don't forget that Caprica and BSG are dramatic Science Fiction. The emotions a film or series evokes also define its genre. If they are meant to terrify you like The Grey or Spy films, they are primarily Horror. If we have aliens like in Alien or Creature, then it's Science Fiction Horror.

Oops, I didn't quite polish that previous post correctly...

Exactly. It is quite rare—I doubt you'll find any at all—to come across a movie that is purely Sci-Fi. Everything ends up being a Sci-Fi drama, a Sci-Fi comedy, or Sci-Fi action. That is actually what makes those genres so successful.

-Space, provided it isn't just the Space Shuttle, space stations (if such a film even exists), or Apollo and older missions.

-Robots, unless they are just the industrial ones we see in real life today.

Actually, you can use modern technology if it gains some unique characteristics, such as an Asimov creation developing true AI.

-Aliens. Although things like costumes and makeup are often attributed to horror, similar to some of the creatures in the first Alien, though that one could easily pass as Sci-Fi too.

That is precisely why the Sci-Fi horror genre exists.

-The future, but not like in that damn Caprica. I mean something visually distinct, rather than something that looks just like today. For instance, Back to the Future Part II is perfect to me.

Caprica takes place on other planets, likely in a different galaxy, set in the future with androids and AI... it covers basically everything that falls under Sci-Fi.

-And now, post-apocalyptic films. I would say they aren't; for example, Mad Max 2 isn't Sci-Fi, and I don't see why it would be.

Alternative futures and pasts.

-Traveling to parallel worlds and other dimensions—mostly--uglavnon are definitely Sci-Fi.

They always are.

We label them this way specifically to set them apart from the rest of the genre and give them that extra bit of prestige...

I heard some Sci-Fi critics dismissively calling Star Wars a "space western," but those are the same people who think 2001: A Space Odyssey is the only decent Sci-Fi out there, so I don't pay them much mind.

It's more often classified as space opera, though I suppose that depends on which critic you ask. Personally, I've always felt Firefly and Serenity fit the space western mold perfectly..

Gary Vaughn57 said:Haha, listen, I have never once heard anyone call Star Wars "Sci-Fi." By that logic, Goodfellas is just a pure thriller, and honestly, one of the best out there. It's all about the genre order. ☕

When people talk about Sci-Fi, the first things that come to mind are usually Star Wars or Star Trek. It's actually a mystery to me how you haven't noticed that with Star Wars yet... or maybe you just weren't paying attention..

Gary Vaughn57 said:I'm not quite sure about that. Even on IMDb, it isn't categorized as Sci-Fi, and neither Wikipedia nor other sites list it as such. Most people don't view it as Sci-Fi either. It leans more toward fantasy.

Space opera is a subgenre of science fiction that emphasizes romantic, often melodramatic adventure, set mainly or entirely in outer space, generally involving conflict between opponents possessing advanced technologies and abilities. The term has no relation to music and it is analogous to "soap opera" (see below). Perhaps the most significant trait of space opera is that settings, characters, battles, powers, and themes tend to be very large-scale.

Sometimes the term space opera is used pejoratively to denote bad quality science fiction, but its meaning can differ, often describing a particular science fiction genre without any value judgement.

If you check IMDb for New Hope...

Genres:
Action | Adventure | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

Just browsing through Wikipedia for a bit.

Sci-fi comedy

Sci-fi comedy films, like most hybrid genre of comedy Use The elements of science fiction films to over The top extremes and exaggerated science fiction stereotypical Characters -> Sci-fi comedy. Popular examples of these types of films include Back to the Future, Spaceballs, Ghostbusters, Evolution, Innerspace, Galaxy Quest, Mars Attacks!, and Men in Black.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strange...282006_film%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eternal..._Spotless_Mind
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groundhog_Day_%28film%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Man_from_Earth
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gir...282006_film%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gremlins

She’ll have to like at least one of these.

The real question remains, though, is what she actually considers to be Sci-Fi...

Sci-Fi is such a broad term, which I find quite wonderful. It ensures there is always something to pick for every type of viewer... whether you're looking for a Sci-fi comedy like http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0910554/ or perhaps an intense action flick set in a place like Los Angeles.

Gary Vaughn57 said:I've actually never heard anyone classify Star Wars as Sci-Fi before. 🤷

😕.Spaceships, androids, laser weapons... if that isn't the textbook definition of Sci-Fi, I truly don't know what is.

I don't believe we should dismiss Sci-Fi as being less valuable. If Sci-Fi isn't considered high art, then where does that leave horror? Just look at how many horror films receive nominations every year...
Regarding the decision to change the channel name—since the pronunciation hasn't actually changed—it felt more like a foolish move by the board of directors. People were making fun of them for it. They can talk about their reasons all they want, but if their lineup of movies and series remains exactly the same, it's hard to see the point.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Another_Earth
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melancholia_(2011_film)%29

This type of Sci-Fi will always be present during awards season.

It is quite obvious that the entire Planet of the Apes series isn't held in the same high regard as the original film. The same logic applies to 2010: A Space Odyssey. They aren't discussed nearly as often.
As long as we are talking about Sci-Fi dramas or thrillers, there are plenty of classics. However, Sci-Fi action movies are a completely different story altogether.

It all really comes down to the specific subgenre of Sci-Fi... because I truly believe dramatic Sci-Fi is anything but underrated.