Over at the Orbit Books Blog, I’ve written a little post about 5 near-future SF movies I think are great. Check it out!
“You know, when the Telegraph called my Avery Cates novels “an action movie in print,” my immediate reaction was, of course, anger and suspicion. What kind of action movie did they mean? Jean-Claude Van Damme? Dolph Lundgren? Surely not . . . Steven Seagal?!?!? Bastards. I would have my revenge, I thought.”
Interesting article, tho sadly i haven’t seen any of the five movies you mentioned. I need to fix that probably.
Whomever Hollywood chooses to direct and star in the Avery Cates series (Katsuhiro Otomo? Ridley Scott? Rob Reiner?), I can only hope that Rutger Hauer and Steve Buscemi will be included in the cast somewhere.
I know they’re technically too old for Cates’ world, but I don’t care — Buschemi was born playing young people aged before their time, and Rutger Hauer . . . is Rutger Hauer.
(I’d offer to time-share Clive Owen, but the travel rates alone would be out of my reach. Perhaps I’ll move next door to Clancy Brown instead . . .)
Except for Sleeper(which I haven’t seen due to my indifference to Woody Allen), you picked some of my favorite movies ever. Very nice list. Perhaps I should give Sleeper a shot, but I think that if we’re talking about ridiculous and horrifying near-futures, Brazil should get a nod.
By the way, it annoys me to no end that James Cameron is always referred to as the “Titanic and Avatar guy”, while Strange Days is ignored. Hell, even without the SF bits it’s worth it to see Juliette Lewis sing old PJ Harvey songs.
I love Strange Days. I’m surprised to see it listed, because so few people seem to even know it exists.
Nemesis0: Definitely. Those are some kick-ass movies.
Sarah: I could get into a Hauer/Buscemi teamup. Hauer as Cates, Buscemi as Gatz. Perfect.
Henrik: Sleeper isn’t for anyone, and it hasn’t aged all that well, unless jokes involving Howard Cosell are your thing. But there’s a madcap cynicsm to the movie I really enjoy. Brazil = Excellent movie, but I thought too obvious.
Carla: I know! And yet, it’s one of two times I’ve enjoyed/respected Ralph Fiennes in a movie.