“I hated the dialog. I hated the story. I hated the characters. It doesn’t work on any level.”
That's exactly how I react to Heinlein, too. Thankfully a few years later we got Starship Troopers from a director who realized the only way to adapt Heinlein is straight-up kitsch comedy.
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bruce munro (from livejournal.com)2014-04-12 11:08 pm (UTC)(link)
Since that wasn't a very good movie even on entirely non-Heinlein merits, perhaps we should just call Heinlein unfilmable and quit while we're ahead? :)
I don't know what you're talking about. Starship Troopers is the best comedy of the '90s. Neil Patrick Harris playing a Heinleinian superman as a Nazi dominatrix is funnier than everything Kevin Smith's ever done.
I think the only thing that detracts from the movie is that the satire is too subtle, far too many people watched it and thought it was lauding the society, an some of them even thought it was a good societal model. Which surprised me as I thought the attack was quite blatent. Ah well, YMMV.
I have mixed feelings about the book myself, but I think I'm willing to formulate as a general principle, "Movie adaptations of books ought not to be made by people who actively hate the book." If you're not willing to take the work on its own terms, then find something else to adapt.
...even though Hot Gossip was supposedly a professional dance troupe.
My god, was that really 36 years ago?
Sarah Brightman is now of course training for a mission to the International Space Station. I for one will be very disappointed if she doesn't follow in the footsteps* of Chris Hadfield and do an updated cover version from orbit.
The founder/choreographer of Hot Gossip was Arlene Phillips (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arlene_Phillips#Hot_Gossip), who up until 2009 was one of the judges on the UK's Strictly Come Dancing (which spawned several Dancing With The Stars international offshoots), until being dropped, possibly for being too old and a woman, though the BBC denied that.
However, maybe someone at the Beeb saw this video* and decided that she was indeed no professional-level choreographer and had not earned the right to judge other people.
*I vaguely remember it from times gone past but this youTube says it is Not Available In My Country (UK) so I haven't been able to refresh my memory.
Recently in Australia they've been doing ads for free-to-air TV, that span all the channels (Govt funded as well as commercial). I, for one, cannot take them seriously as they consist of a jazz ensemble performing "The moon belongs to everyone, the best things in life are free", which song gets used as a piece of advertising hype by Harriman in "The Man who Sold the Moon".
Wow, that was very disco,very 70's. Especially weird is how all those women seem oblivious to how the barechested men they are fawning over are all 150% gay.
Speaking of which, worthy of your attention, the
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Wow, that was very disco,very 70's. Especially weird is how all those women seem oblivious to how the barechested men they are fawning over are all 150% gay.
Speaking of which, worthy of your attention, the <a href＝http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1kTgofG1Q-Q>star trek lesbian subtext remix</a> of the same song.
Wow, that was very disco,very 70's. Especially weird is how all those women seem oblivious to how the barechested men they are fawning over are all 150% gay
This was picked up by “Not the Nine O’Clock News” with their parody: “Batant Pornography" starring "The Nancy Boys”: (http://youtu.be/Y9GzmbiSTT0).
Arlene Philips would go on to choreograph the Annie movie and also Monty Python’s meaning of Life.
Do you realize that video contains the hapless remains of over 300 years collected experience of young girls dreaming of becoming the next world-celebrated prima ballerina?
... ... I know better by now than to ask just WHAT sort of trail you were following through YouTube, or RSS feeds, or wherever, that had you end up _there_.
Thank you for this. I have now acquired a sufficiently low level of disturbance to stay awake for a bit.
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james_davis_nicoll) wrote2014-04-12 12:10 pm
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"I can fly a helicopter!"
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That's exactly how I react to Heinlein, too. Thankfully a few years later we got Starship Troopers from a director who realized the only way to adapt Heinlein is straight-up kitsch comedy.
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I didn't realize he played the part in drag.
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I have mixed feelings about the book myself, but I think I'm willing to formulate as a general principle, "Movie adaptations of books ought not to be made by people who actively hate the book." If you're not willing to take the work on its own terms, then find something else to adapt.
Also: get off my lawn, kids these days, etc.
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My god, was that really 36 years ago?
Sarah Brightman is now of course training for a mission to the International Space Station. I for one will be very disappointed if she doesn't follow in the footsteps* of Chris Hadfield and do an updated cover version from orbit.
* If you can do that in free fall.
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However, maybe someone at the Beeb saw this video* and decided that she was indeed no professional-level choreographer and had not earned the right to judge other people.
*I vaguely remember it from times gone past but this youTube says it is Not Available In My Country (UK) so I haven't been able to refresh my memory.
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Speaking of which, worthy of your attention, the
Speaking of which, worthy of your attention, the <a href＝http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1kTgofG1Q-Q>star trek lesbian subtext remix</a> of the same song.
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(Anonymous) 2014-04-13 05:36 pm (UTC)(link)This was picked up by “Not the Nine O’Clock News” with their parody: “Batant Pornography" starring "The Nancy Boys”: (http://youtu.be/Y9GzmbiSTT0).
Arlene Philips would go on to choreograph the Annie movie and also Monty Python’s meaning of Life.
- matthew davis
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Thank you for this. I have now acquired a sufficiently low level of disturbance to stay awake for a bit.
--Dave