Reading Science Fiction Films

For those so inclined and in the Los Angeles area, I'll be participating in a reading tonight dedicated to the sensational new book The Science Fiction Film Reader, edited by Gregg Rickman.

I'll be reading from my contribution to the book, "Destination Moon: Real Science Fiction and the Real World." Rickman (previously author of a great Philip Dick bio) will also be there, as well as some other contributors. Bring yourself and any friendly robots, aliens, or spacemen. It's at 7:30 p.m. tonight (Saturday) at Skylight Books, 1818 N. Vermont Avenue (south of Franklin, north of Hollywood Blvd.).

Comments

[Rick Barton]

Damn; that sounds fun. If I was in LA, I would have gone for sure. Oh well, I'll order the book. Isn't Skylight Books on Vermont there, just down the hill from the Griffith Park Greek amphitheater and the observatory? I think I?ve been to that book store.

[clarityiniowa]

I hope there is some serious critique of "I, Robot," the motion picture. Fun film, but turned Asimov's basic premise completely on its head.

Asimov's robot stories were not Frankenstein ripoffs where man's creation turns on him viciously. They were an original, optimistic vision of mankind giving birth to a basically benign species whose problems stemmed mainly from the neuroses and contradictions of its creators. The "Three Laws of Robotics" were a statement of ethics, which robots were better equipped to follow than their creators.

We need films along those lines more than we need another Will Smith chase-'em-and-shoot 'em.