rec.arts.sf.movies Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

rec.arts.sf.movies Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)


Subject: rec.arts.sf.movies Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.movies,rec.arts.movies.past-films,rec.arts.sf.misc

Last change:
12 Feb 2009

Changed:
20. Quatermass films

Contents:

Part 1: General Information
 1. Abbreviations
	a. General
	b. SF specific
 2. Anime
 3. Can the X beat the Y?
 4. Exposure to vacuum (and helmet lights)
 5. Frequent subjects
 6. Isaac Asimov movies	
 7. Websites for further SF movie info
 8. What movies are about X?
	a. Alien Invasion
	b. Alternate History
	c. Artificial Intelligence
	d. Cyberpunk
	e. Cyborgs
	f. Dinosaurs
	g. ESP/Telepathy
	h. First Contact
	i. Genetic Engineering
	j. Killer asteroids/comets
	k. Magical Realism
	l. Mars/Martians
	m. Post Apocalypse
	n. Robots / Androids
	o. Time Travel
	p. Urban Fantasy
	q. Virtual Reality


Part 2: Specific Movies
 1. ADVENTURES OF BUCKAROO BANZAI ACROSS THE 8TH DIMENSION
	a. Jamie Lee Curtis' role
	b. Sequel
	c. FAQ
 2. AKIRA
 3. ALIEN, ALIENS, etc.
	a. Alien v. Predator
	b. Names of ships
	c. FAQ
 4. BACK TO THE FUTURE
	a. Cute gimmicks
	b. FAQ
 5. BLADERUNNER
	a. Deckard a replicant?
	b. Possible sequel
	c. FAQ
 6. A CLOCKWORK ORANGE
	a. What does the title mean?
 7. CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE 3RD KIND
	a. Original
	b. Different versions
 8. THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL
	a. What is that famous phrase?
 9. DUNE
	a. David Lynch film - Rumored 7-hour Director's Cut
	b. Telefilm
10. FORBIDDEN PLANET
	a. Original
	b. Possible remake
11. HEAVY METAL
	a. Sequel?
12. THE LAST STARFIGHTER
	a. CGI forerunner
13. LATHE OF HEAVEN
14. LOGAN'S RUN
	a. Original
	b. Possible remake
15. LORD OF THE RINGS
	a. Animated versions
	b. Live action version
16. MAD MAX
	a. Why was it dubbed?
	b. Where can I get an undubbed version?
	c. Sequels
	d. FAQ
17. METROPOLIS
	a. Different versions
	b. Music of
	c. FAQs
18. PLANET OF THE APES
	a. Original
	b. Remake
	c. Was Leo on Earth the whole time?
	d. What's up with the ending?
	e. Sequel
	f. How did Boulle's book end?
19. PREDATOR
	a. What story is it based on?
20. Quatermass films
	a. Various films
21. ROLLERBALL
	a. Original
	b. Remake
22. STAR TREK
	a. Trek newsgroup
	b. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
	c. Next Trek film?
23. STAR WARS
	a. Original film
	b. New releases
24. STARSHIP TROOPERS
	a. Power armor
25. THE TERMINATOR
	a. Harlan Ellison's credit/lawsuit
	b. Sequels
	c. FAQ
26. TRON
	a. Original
	b. Possible sequel
27. 12 MONKEYS
	a. What film was it based on?
	b. What did the ending mean?
28. 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY
	a. Film v. novel
	b. HAL v. IBM
	c. Cinerama
	d. Sequel
29. WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT
	a. Who voiced Jessica Rabbit?
	b. Sequel?


---------------------------------------------------------------------
rec.arts.sf.movies is a newsgroup devoted to discussions of science
fiction, horror, and fantasy movies.  It is a high-volume newsgroup and
this article is intended to help reduce the number of unnecessary
postings, thereby making it more useful and enjoyable to everyone.

If you have not already done so, please read the articles in
news.announce.newusers.  They contain a great deal of useful 
information about network etiquette and convention.

Before we begin, two pieces of net.etiquette.  Both of these are
mentioned in news.announce.newusers, but since they are so frequently
violated, and at least one of them is particularly relevant to this
group, we mention them here:

SPOILER WARNINGS:  Many people feel that much of the enjoyment of a 
film is ruined if they know certain things about it, especially when 
those things are surprise endings or mysteries.  On the other hand, 
they also want to know whether or not a film is worth seeing, or they 
may be following a particular thread of conversation where such 
information may be revealed.  The solution to this is to put the words 
SPOILER in your header, or in the text of your posting.  You can also 
put a ctl-L character in the *first* column if you are using rn.  Some 
people think that spoiler warnings are not necessary.  We don't 
understand why, and do not want to discuss it.  Use your best judgment.

There is also a FAQ list posted to rec.arts.movies.misc which covers 
more general topics and includes the location of many useful 
databases.  And finally, there is a group, rec.arts.movies.reviews, 
that carries reviews of both SF and non-SF movies.

Please keep in mind two points:

1.  Always remember that there is a live human being at the
other end of the wires.  In other words, please write your
replies with the same courtesy you would use in talking to
someone face-to-face.

2.  Try to recognize humor and irony in postings.  Tone of
voice does not carry in ASCII print, and postings are often
snapped off quickly, so that humorous intent may not be
obvious.  More destructive and vicious arguments have been
caused by this one fact of net existence than any other.  It
will help if satiric/ironic/humorous comments are marked with
the "smiley face," :-)


Part 1:

1. Abbreviations

	a. General
		AFAIK -- "As Far As I Know"
		BTW   -- "By the way"
		CG -- "Computer Graphics"
		CGI   -- "Computer Generated Imagery"
		DVD   -- "Digital Video Disc" (replacement for laserdiscs)
		FAQ   -- "Frequently Asked Questions"
		FTL   -- "Faster than light"
		FWIW  -- "For What It's Worth"
		FX    -- "Effects" (see SFX / VFX)
		FYI   -- "For your information"
		IIRC  -- "If I remember/recall correctly"
		IMDB  -- "Internet Movie Database" (www.imdb.com)
		IMHO  -- "In my humble (honest) opinion"
		LBX   -- "Letterbox" (widescreen format)
		LD    -- "Laserdisc"
		P&S   -- "Pan & Scan" (inferior full frame TV format of 
			  widescreen films)
		ROFL  -- "Rolling on the floor, laughing"
		ROTF  -- "Rolling on the floor"
		ROT-13 -- "Rotate 13" (a method for scrambling 
			   messages)
		SE    -- "Special Edition"
		SFX   -- "Special Effects"
		TPTB  -- "The Powers That Be"
		VFX   -- "Visual Effects"
		YMMV  -- "your mileage may vary"
		wrt   -- "with respect to" or "with regard to"


	b. SF Specific
		ACC  -- "Arthur C. Clarke"
		AI   -- "Artificial Intelligence"
		B5   -- "Babylon Five"
		BR   -- "Blade Runner" (see DADOES)
		BTTF -- "Back to the Future"
		CE3K -- "Close Encounters of the Third Kind"
		D&D  -- "Dungeons & Dragons"
		DADOES -- "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" 
			  P. K. Dick novel, basis for Blade Runner
		EMP  -- "Electromagnetic Pulse"
		FTL  -- "Faster Than Light"
		ID4  -- "Independence Day"
		LiS  -- "Lost in Space"
		LOTR -- "Lord of the Rings"
		MST3K -- "Mystery Science Theatre 3000"
		ObSF -- "Obligatory Science Fiction reference"
		POTA -- "Planet of the Apes"
		RAH  -- "Robert Anson Heinlein"
		RASF -- "rec.arts.sf.written"
		RASFM -- "rec.arts.sf.movies"
		RPG  -- "Role Playing Game" (like Dungeons & Dragons)
		STL  -- "Slower Than Light"
		ST: TAS -- "Star Trek: The Animated Series"
		ST: TNG -- "Star Trek: The Next Generation"
		ST: TOS -- "Star Trek: The Original Series"
		T2   -- "Terminator 2: Judgment Day"
		TNG  -- "Star Trek: The Next Generation"
		TOS  -- "The Original Series" (referring to original TV 
			shows)

 2. Anime; what is it?

"Anime" is the name given to Japanese animated films.  Examples include 
AKIRA, MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO, GHOST IN THE SHELL, and hundreds more.

Since they are largely sf/fantasy films, anime is not strictly 
off-topic for rec.arts.sf.movies, but there are anime newsgroups 
devoted specifically to the art form.

 3. Can the X beat the Y?

--where X and Y are mighty ships or alien
    races from different space opera movies/series.

These kinds of discussions are fairly pointless. 
Please keep them off the net.

4. Exposure to vacuum (and helmet lights)

"In OUTLAND and TOTAL RECALL, people exposed to vacuum promptly 
explode.  In 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, a few seconds' exposure to vacuum 
doesn't bother one at all.  Which is right?"

This hasn't occurred in real life, but there have been experiments 
where animals, or parts of a person's body, were exposed to vacuum; 
these experiments happened before any of these films were made.  2001 
was right; OUTLAND and TOTAL RECALL ignored the known facts.  A full 
discussion of this can be found in the sci.space FAQL.  (Someone also 
mentioned that in OUTLAND Connery wears a spacesuit that leaves some 
parts of his arm uncovered.  Somone else mentioned that the lights on 
Connery's spacesuit are *inside* the glass faceplate, making it 
extremely unclear how he was able to see where he was going.  
J. Clarke added, "I recall [that] an ongoing problem with movies 
involving space suits is getting adequate lighting on the actor's 
face.  One solution to the problem is to put lights inside the helmet--
this method was also used on the original Battlestar Galactica TV  
series IIRC."  Jack Bohn responded, "The old BSG did have lights a
round the face of the helmet, but they had no glass faceplate to cause 
reflections.  (That's how one cheap old sf movie did it, with no glass 
in the helmets and hope the audience didn't notice.))

Many science-related SF questions are discussed in the 
rec.arts.sf.science newsgroup.  The FAQ can be found at:
	http://people.netscape.com/treitel/rass/qdfaq.html


 5. Frequent subjects

Some subjects have been discussed numerous times in this group.  Please
consider carefully before starting discussions on these topics.

	a. Casting your favorite book as a movie.

	b. The Ten Best SF Movies

	c. What SF books would make good movies and, conversely,
		why SF movies from books are usually not very good.
	
 6. Isaac Asimov movies

Several of Asimov's stories and novels have been turned into films and 
TV shows.	

	a. "Bicentennial Man"

	A faithful adaptation was released in 1999, starring Robin 
	Williams.	

	b. THE CAVES OF STEEL & THE NAKED SUN

	Along with a number of other Asimov stories and books, the Lije 
	Bailey and R. Daneel Olivaw books were filmed by the BBC as TV 
	movies in the late 1960s.

	c. FOUNDATION

	It is rumored that all of the Foundation novels are in 
	development as either films or miniseries.  Holding 
	one's breath is not recommended.

	d. "I, Robot"

	"I, Robot" itself was never filmed, although Harlan Ellison did 
	write a famous script, available in book form.  There are no 
	plans to film this script.  There was a film released in the 
	summer of 2004 with that title, but it was written independently 
	of Asimov's book, and then later a few Asimovian touches were 
	added to tie it in to the book.

	e. Light Years

	LIGHT YEARS is not strictly an Asimov film, but rather an 
	animated French film he helped adapt to English.

	f. "Nightfall"

	NIGHTFALL was made into a ponderous film in 1988 and an even 
	worse film in 2000 (also known as PITCH BLACK). 

	g. "The Ugly Little Boy"

	A made-for-TV short movie (for the Canadian series "Tales Dark 
	and Dangerous") was made in 1979 by Barry Morse (Prof. Bergman 
	of SPACE: 1999).

 7. Websites for further SF movie info
	a. http://www.magicdragon.com/UltimateSF/SF-Index.html
	b. http://scifimovies.about.com/movies/scifimovies/mbody.htm
	c. http://www.csie.ntu.edu.tw/~b2506017/
	d. http://www.sfworld.onlinehome.de/
	e. http://sflovers.rutgers.edu/SFRG/sfrgr.htm
	f. http://doctorsf.free.fr/
	g. http://www.filmsite.org/sci-fifilms.html 

 8. What movies are about X?

The following are not meant to be exhaustive lists, but rather 
starting points.  Many of these films and topics have been discussed 
on RASFM.

	a. Alien Invasion

	THE DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS, EARTH VS. THE FLYING SAUCERS, 
	FINAL FANTASY, INDEPENDENCE DAY, INVASION OF THE BODY 
	SNATCHERS, THE THING, WAR OF THE WORLDS

	b. Alternate History

	FATHERLAND, SLIDING DOORS, WHITE MAN'S BURDEN, WINGS OF 
	HONNEAMISE

	c. Artificial Intelligence

	AI, BICENTENNIAL MAN, COLOSSUS: THE FORBIN PROJECT, SHORT 
	CIRCUIT, TRON, 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, WARGAMES

	d. Cyberpunk

	AKIRA, BLADE RUNNER, EXISTENZ, GHOST IN THE SHELL, 
	JOHNNY MNEMONIC, THE MATRIX

	e. Cyborg

	CIRCUITRY MAN, CYBORG, ROBOCOP, TERMINATOR

	f. Dinosaurs

	BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS, GODZILLA, JURASSIC PARK, KING KONG, 
	THE LAND THAT TIME FORGOT, THE LOST WORLD, THE VALLEY OF GWANGI

	g. ESP/Telepathy

	SCANNERS, VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED, WHAT WOMEN WANT

	h. First Contact

	THE ABYSS, CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND, CONTACT, 
	ET: THE EXTRATERRESTRIAL, STARMAN, 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY

	i. Genetic Engineering

	EMBRYO, GATTACA, ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU, JURASSIC PARK, SOLDIER

	j. Killer asteroids/comets/planets

	ARMAGEDDON, DEEP IMPACT, METEOR, WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE

	k. Magical Realism

	BARTON FINK, BEING JOHN MALKOVICH, FIELD OF DREAMS, L.A. STORY, 
	LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE, O BROTHER WHERE ART THOU?, 
	A PRICE ABOVE RUBIES, PURPLE ROSE OF CAIRO

	l. Mars/Martians

	ANGRY RED PLANET, INVADERS FROM MARS, MARS ATTACKS, 
	MARTIANS GO HOME, MISSION TO MARS, RED PLANET, 
	ROBINSON CRUSOE ON MARS, WAR OF THE WORLDS

	m. Post Apocalypse

	A BOY AND HIS DOG, DAMNATION ALLEY, MAD MAX, NIGHT OF THE 
	COMET, THE OMEGA MAN, THE POSTMAN, 12 MONKEYS

	n. Robots / Androids

	BICENTENNIAL MAN, D.A.R.Y.L., IRON GIANT, RUNAWAY, 
	THE STEPFORD WIVES, WESTWORLD

	o. Time Travel 

	BACK TO THE FUTURE, FINAL COUNTDOWN, PLANET OF THE APES, 
	THE TIME MACHINE, TIME AFTER TIME, 12 MONKEYS

	p. Urban Fantasy

	BRAZIL, THE CITY OF LOST CHILDREN, THE HUDSUCKER PROXY, KAFKA, 
	REPO MAN

	q. Virtual Reality

	EXISTENZ, LAWNMOWER MAN, THE MATRIX, THE THIRTEENTH FLOOR, 
	TRON, VIRTUOSITY


Part 2: Specific Movies

 1. ADVENTURES OF BUCKAROO BANZAI ACROSS THE 8TH DIMENSION
	
	a. What role did Jamie Lee Curtis play?

	She played Buckaroo's mother in a flashback sequence.  The 
sequence was cut, and so does not appear in the final, release version.

	b. Sequel

	BUCKAROO BANZAI creator W.D. Richter has said he wants to make 
a sequel, but was tied up in legal proceedings, unable to do so.  As 
of  January 2001 a TV series is supposedly in the works, with Richter's involvement.

	c.  FAQ can be found at

		http://www.figmentfly.com/bb/bbindex.shtml

 2. AKIRA

Akira is an anime which has attained Blade Runner and 2001 cult 
status.  Based on part of the long-running manga (Japanese for "comic 
book") by Katsuhiro Otomo, it was originally released in 1988, the 
most expensive anime film until then.  A restored version was 
re-released in spring of 2001 to coincide with the special edition DVD 
release.

 3. ALIEN, ALIENS, etc.

	a. Alien v. Predator

	This movie was finally released in 2004.  (Note: 
	there was an alien skull in the Predator ship in PREDATOR 2.

	b. Names of ships

	Many of the ship names come from Joseph Conrad, author of 
HEART OF DARKNESS.  Nostromo comes from the book NOSTROMO.  It's the 
name of the title character.  Narcissus comes from the book NIGGER OF 
THE NARCISSUS.  Sulaco is a town in the book NOSTROMO.

	c. More info available at the exhaustive Alien FAQ:

		http://www.faqs.org/faqs/movies/alien-faq/part1/

 4. Back to the Future

	a. What are all the cute gimmicks?

	Apparently, the makers of these films (Stephen Spielberg and 
Robert Zemeckis) did all kinds of cute things, playing with the names 
of some of the characters and with issues of time travel.  Some of 
these are:

		1.) The mall where Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) meets 
		Dr. Brown (Christopher Lloyd) for their time travel 
		experiment is called the Twin Pines Mall.  Dr. Brown 
		comments that ol' farmer Peabody used to own all of 
		the land, and he grew pines there.  When Marty goes 
		back in time, he runs over and knocks down a pine 
		tree.  When he comes back to the mall at the end of 
		the film (BACK TO THE FUTURE) the sign at the mall 
		now identifies the mall as the Lone Pine Mall, 
		reflecting the fact that Marty had changed the 
		present (1985) by his trip to the past (1955).

		2.) Farmer Peabody's son is named Sherman. Sherman 
		was the name of the little boy time traveler in one 
		segment of Jay Ward's cartoon show, "The Rocky & 
		Bullwinkle Show."  The dog who owned his time machine 
		was named (surprise) Mr. Peabody.

		3.) On Marty's return to 1985 at the end of Part III, 
		we see that the ravine where the railway dead-ended in 
		1885 was the Eastwood Ravine -- obviously named for 
		"Clint Eastwood", the name Marty had been using in 
		1885.

	b. FAQ found at:

		http://www.bttf.com/film_faq.htm

 5. BLADERUNNER

	a. Deckard a replicant?

	Ridley Scott has confirmed that Deckard was a replicant.  
	(Someone points out Harrison Ford says he isn't.  IMHO, 
	Scott's opinion outweighs Ford's.)

	b. Possible sequel

	Rumors of a sequel have persisted for years, but no film has 
	entered production.  Scott wants to do one, Harrison Ford 
	refuses.  There have been two novels written as sequels by 
	K. W. Jeter.

	c. Further information/discussion available at the BLADERUNNER 
	FAQ:

		http://www.faqs.org/faqs/movies/bladerunner-faq/

	posted monthly to rec.arts.movies.misc, alt.cult-movies, 
	alt.cyberpunk, and rec.arts.sf.movies by muzzle@cs.uq.oz.au

6. A CLOCKWORK ORANGE

	a. What does the title mean?

	From the book by Anthony Burgess:

	"'It's a book,' I said. 'It's a book what you are writing.' I 
	made the old goloss very coarse. 'I have always had the 
	strongest admiration for them as can write books.' Then I 
	looked at its top sheet, and there was the name - A CLOCKWORK 
	ORANGE - and I said: 'That's a fair gloopy title. Who ever 
	heard of a clockwork orange?' Then I read a malenky bit out 
	loud in a sort of very high preaching goloss: '- The attempt 
	to impose upon man, a creature of growth and capable of 
	sweetness, to ooze juicily at the last round the bearded lips 
	of God, to attempt to impose, I say, laws and conditions 
	appropriate to a mechanical creation, against this I raise 
	my sword-pen - '"

	The derivation of the phrase is obsolete Cockney slang, and is 
	also a play on the Malaysian word for man, 'Orang'.

[Contributed by Matthew Ryder (mryder@iafrica.com)]

 7. CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE 3RD KIND

	a. Original

	Released in November 13, 1977, CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE 3RD KIND 
	continued the trend for big-budget special effects science 
	fiction films started by STAR WARS earlier in the year.  
	Although dwarfed by the STAR WARS juggernaut, CLOSE ENCOUNTERS 
	OF THE 3RD KIND became one of the highest-grossing films of 
	all time.

	b. Different versions

	Due to the enormous success of the film, Stephen Spielberg 
	convinced the studio to allow him to shoot scenes he didn't 
	have time to film before.  The re-edited film Spielberg 
	called the "definitive version" was released in 1980 as 
	"CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE 3RD KIND: THE SPECIAL EDITION."  
	(The first time the SE appellation was used for any film.)  

	Many fans felt that CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE 3RD KIND: THE 
	SPECIAL EDITION was inferior to the original, and had to wait 
	years until the LD release when either version could be seen.

 8. THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL

	a. What is that famous phrase?

	What Helen (Patricia Neal) says to Gort is, "Gort, Klaatu 
	barada nikto."

 9. DUNE

	a. David Lynch film -- Rumored 7-hour Director's Cut

	As Jerry Boyajian explains (hopefully for the last time [but of 
	course it wasn't]):

		There is *no* "director's cut" of DUNE of *any* 
		length.  The existence of one is a complete myth.  
		Perhaps when Lynch was cutting the film originally, 
		there existed such a cut, but if it isn't long gone 
		by now, it's most likely an untimed work print and 
		not in any sort of releasable form.

		*IF* David Lynch were inclined, and *IF* Dino 
		DeLaurentiis were inclined (and *IF* his 
		organization wasn't bankrupt), and *IF* the scrap 
		footage is sitting in a vault somewhere, Lynch could 
		probably reconstruct his original cut, but all three 
		(or four) of those are mighty big "ifs".

		No such cut exists on video, no such cut exists in any 
		final film print.  [There is also no truth to the 
		rumor that there was a European version that was four 
		hours long.  "in Germany, a small company has 
		published the 180-minute version of the original motion 
		picture."  This is probably the TV version.]

		There exists only one version of the film that's 
		longer than the original theatrical release, and that 
		was the expanded version made for television 
		syndication, and it's maybe fifty minutes longer than 
		the original.  But it certainly can't be claimed to be 
		a "director's cut" because not only did Lynch not get 
		involved in cutting it, he disapproved of it so 
		thoroughly that he had his name removed as both 
		writer and director.  

		I have a large number of film reference books, both 
		genre-specific and general.  I follow a number of film 
		and video magazines, and so forth.  I've heard and 
		read detailed descriptions of different cuts of 
		various films including BLADE RUNNER, BRAZIL, LEGEND, 
		HIGHLANDER, et alia.  I've read and heard first-hand 
		descriptions by people I know of such longer versions, 
		or I've seen listings for them as import laserdiscs.  
		But I've never heard nor read of any definite, 
		substantiated, unquestionable existence of a version 
		of DUNE, either in commercial release or floating 
		around in collectors' hands, that is longer than the 
		190-minute TV version.  

		As a matter of fact, the *only* place I've even heard 
		*rumors* of such a cut of DUNE has been here 
		on Usenet.  [One says his rumor is of a 4-hour cut.]  
		I've heard other rumors (via people asking about it, 
		as did the person who started this thread) of 5-hour 
		versions, 7-hour versions, 9-hour versions, and in one 
		case, someone reported hearing about a 15-hour 
		version!  [Herbert did apparently mention in an 
		interview that the first draft of the screenplay ran 
		about 14 hours, so that may be the source of this 
		mis-information.]

		They are mythical. And until their existence is 
		documented, and not just a rumor that's floating 
		around the net, I will stand by that statement.  [-jmb]

	b. Telefilm

		In 2000, the SciFi Channel broadcast a miniseries 
		based on Herbert's book.  Fans and critics are again 
		divided as to whether the miniseries is a failure or 
		success, just as the original film polarized viewers.

10. FORBIDDEN PLANET

	a. Original

	Long considered one of the best science fiction films of all 
	time, MGM's 1956 FORBIDDEN PLANET is loosely based on 
	Shakespeare's THE TEMPEST.  It sported the first appearance of 
	Robby the Robot, and featured an innovative and influential 
	electronic soundtrack by Louis and Bebe Barron.  (The music is 
	described in the credits as "electronic tonalities"; apparently 
	the Barrons had a major set-to with traditional Hollywood 
	composers, and found themselves unable to call the soundtrack 
	"music" *plus* they were ruled not eligible for Oscar 
	consideration.)  There is a novelization written (supposedly 
	simultaneously with the film by "W. J. Stuart" (supposedly a 
	pseudonym of Philip MacDonald).

	b. Possible remake

	Although a remake has been talked about, it has apparently been 
	shelved due to high production costs.

11. Heavy Metal
	
	a. "Wasn't there supposed to be a sequel?"

		A sequel to the 1981 animated film was released direct 
		to video in 2000.

12. The Last Starfighter

	a. CGI forerunner

	THE LAST STARFIGHTER was released in 1984, with effects by 
	Digital Productions.

	Digital Productions was started by two guys working on TRON, 
	Gary Demos and John Whitney, Jr.  They were disappointed that 
	TRON wasn't going to use as much CGI as originally planned.  
	They later did the effects for 2010, but were taken over by the 
	now bankrupt company Omnibus.

13. LATHE OF HEAVEN

LATHE OF HEAVEN is a PBS production based on the Ursula K. LeGuin 
story of the same name.  It was televised in 1980, then unavailable 
for two decades due to legal wranglings.  It was finally rebroadcast 
and released on DVD and VHS in 2000.  A remake was broadcast on A&E 
September 2002.

14. LOGAN'S RUN

	a. Original

	Based on William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson's 1966 
	novel of the same name, LOGAN'S RUN details a society where 
	youth culture has taken over the world.  In the 1976 film the 
	population is killed once they reach the age of 30; in the book 
	that age is 21.

	The film was popular enough to spawn short-lived TV and comic 
	book series.

	Nolan wrote two sequels to the original, titled LOGAN'S WORLD 
	and LOGAN'S SEARCH, both of which have been optioned for films.

	b. Possible remake

	Author Nolan had said that a remake is in the works for a 2002 
	release, with Skip Woods writing and directing.  Nolan had 
	said that the remake would remain more faithful to his novel 
	than the original film.  [Of course, they said that about the 
	new PLANET OF THE APES as well.  And as of July 2003, this 
	appears to be dead.  -ecl]

15. LORD OF THE RINGS

	a. Animated versions

	The animated LORD OF THE RINGS by Ralph Bakshi covers only the 
	first half of the trilogy.  Bakshi did not make the second 
	half.  There was a completely independently produced animation 
	of THE RETURN OF THE KING by Rankin/Bass who also did an 
	animation of THE HOBBIT.

	(Someone notes that Tolkien deplored the fact that the "Lord 
	of the Rings" is considered a trilogy.  That's as may be, but 
	I'm afraid we're stuck with the terminology.)

	b. Live action version

	Peter Jackson, a writer-director who made the cult favorite 
	DEAD ALIVE as well as other genre films including THE 
	FRIGHTENERS, has filmed this as THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING, 
	THE TWO TOWERS, and THE RETURN OF THE KING.

	The official website for the Jackson films is 
	http://www.lordoftherings.net/

16. MAD MAX

	a. "Why was the American version dubbed?"

	It was felt at the time (1979), that American audiences 
	wouldn't accept Australian accents.  According to one story, 
	Mel Gibson dubbed himself using an American accent.  US 
	distributor Sam Arkoff's biography states that Mel didn't 
	participate.  

	b. "Where can I get an undubbed version?"

	A special edition DVD was released in late 2001, which had 
	the original soundtrack on it.
	
	c. Sequels

	Two sequels have been made, MAD MAX II (titled "THE ROAD 
	WARRIOR" in the US) and MAD MAX BEYOND THUNDERDOME.  A fourth 
	film is rumored to be in the works, but Mel Gibson has 
	publicly stated that he has no interest in reprising his role 
	as Max.

	d. FAQ

		http://www.madmaxmovies.com/

17. METROPOLIS

	a. Different versions

	The original 210-minute release version of METROPOLIS no longer 
	exists.  All existing versions are different, with wildly 
	different runtimes.

	The three major versions are the 1984 Georgio Moroder tinted 
	version, the 1995 one by Filmmuseum Munich, and the 2001 
	theatrical release.  .

	In 2001, an anime movie was made based on the manga of 
	Osamu TEZUKA (author of ASTRO BOY et al.).  This is best 
	described as an updating of the story.

	b. Music of

	METROPOLIS was originally a silent film, released in 1927.  A 
	score written by Gottried Huppertz was to be played along with 
	it by an in-theatre orchestra.

	Musician Georgio Moroder commissioned a pop and techno 
	soundtrack for his version.

	c. Further info can be found at

		http://www.geocities.com/Area51/5555/
		http://www.uow.edu.au/~morgan/Metroa.html

18. PLANET OF THE APES

	a. Original

	The original film was loosely based on Pierre Boulle's novel of 
	the same name (which was also known as MONKEY PLANET) and 
	released in February 1968.  It was so popular that it spawned 
	four sequels and two television series (one animated and one 
	live-action).

	b. Remake

	After years of false starts, one with Arnold Schwarzenegger 
	attached, Tim Burton made a remake of the original PLANET OF 
	THE APES, released 27 July 27 2001.  Although it was termed a 
	"reimagining" rather than a remake, that was mostly a marketing 
	gimmick.

	c. "Was Leo on Earth the whole time?"

	No.  There were two planets in the film.  The first one (which 
	is the one most people are referring to when they say "The 
	Planet of the Apes") had three moons and different 
	continents.  At the end, Leo approaches Earth and his 
	computer displays North and South America.

	d. "What's up with that ending?"

	No one knows, apparently not even the filmmakers.  Burton 
	claims that the ending is logical, but one of the film's 
	producers says it isn't supposed to make sense.  The most 
	reasonable explanation given so far is that Leo traveled 
	not only through space and time, but also to a parallel 
	universe.

	e. "Will there be a sequel to the remake?"

	Tim Burton says he won't do one, but that doesn't mean there 
	won't be.

	f. "How did Boulle's book end?"

	Hero Ulysse Merou pilots his spaceship back to Earth from Soron 
	(the Planet of the Apes) and lands at Orly airport.  A truck 
	approaches and it is revealed that the driver is a gorilla.  
	Thus, what happened on Soron (the ape servants overthrew their 
	human masters) has happened on Earth.

	The story is found adrift in a bottle in space and read by a 
	vacationing couple, Jinn and Phyllis, who are revealed at the 
	end to be chimpanzees.  Jinn scoffs at the notion that a 
	human could be intelligent, let alone write a story.

19. PREDATOR

	a. What story is it based on?

	PREDATOR is a science fictional retelling of the classic 
	Richard Connell short story "The Most Dangerous Game."  
	Connell's archetypal 1924 story is about a big game hunter 
	who has grown tired of hunting animals and decides to hunt 
	"the most dangerous game" -- man.  It is one of the most 
	filmed stories ever written.  

	[Some dispute this, because the hunter isn't human.  I tend to 
	be on the side that says it's basically the same story.]  

20. Quatermass films

	a. "What are the various Quatermass films and the names they 
	go under?"

	Nigel Kneale wrote three television Quatermass plays for the 
	BBC in the 50's.  Each one was more popular than the previous 
	one.  The last one was so popular that churches had to change 
	their hours because people were staying home to watch the 
	play.  Each of the three involved the adventures of British 
	rocket scientist Bernard Quatermass foiling an unusual sort of 
	invasion from outer space.  Each was in six 40-minute episodes 
	shown one a week. Hammer Films took the three stories and 
	adapted each into a film.  Each was renamed in the U.S.

	BBC Play	Film Title     		U.S. Retitling of film

	THE QUATERMASS EXPERIMENT
			THE QUATERMASS XPERIMENT
    						THE CREEPING UNKNOWN

	QUATERMASS II
			QUATERMASS II
    						ENEMY FROM SPACE

	QUATERMASS AND THE PIT
			QUATERMASS AND THE PIT
    						FIVE MILLION YEARS TO 
						EARTH

	The last, as far as I can tell, invented the concept of uplift 
	that David Brin has been using to great advantage.  The last 
	film, in my opinion, is the best science fiction film ever 
	made, richer in ideas than most science fiction novels I have 
	read.  Incidentally, the "Xperiment" was an invented word to 
	emphasize that the film had gotten the X-certificate.

	[Doug Tricarico's (trike@cinci.rr.com) note: ISLAND OF LOST 
	SOULS (1933) based on H. G. Wells' ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU is a 
	contender for first film using the idea now called "uplift."]

	In the late 70's Nigel Kneale was convinced to do one final 
	Quatermass TV play and did THE QUATERMASS CONCLUSION.  This 
	time it was not adapted into a film but the play was edited 
	into a feature-length story of the same name.  It went 
	directly to video and is available in this country.

	Each of the plays was published in paperback and in their 
	original editions are quite valuable.  They were reissued 
	about the time of the last TV play in the late 70's along 
	with a novelization of "Quatermass Conclusion."  There was 
	also an episode of "The Goon Show" (great British radio comedy 
	series starring Harry Secomb, Spike Milligan, and Peter 
	Sellers) entitled "The Scarlet Capsule" which lampooned the 
	play "Quatermass and the Pit."

	Of the stories there is no common agreement as to whether 
	QUATERMASS II or QUATERMASS AND THE PIT is better, but I 
	generally rank QUATERMASS AND THE PIT (a.k.a. FIVE MILLION 
	YEARS TO EARTH) as being one of the best science fiction 
	films ever made.  Recently the original TV-play has become 
	narrowly available in this country.  I would claim that the 
	play is even a little better than the film made from it.  It 
	is a little slower at three hours, but in the film the 
	explanation at the end is a little terse and hard to follow.  
	Things are better explained in the play.

	Actors who have played Quatermass:

	QUATERMASS EXPERIMENT (1953): Reginald Tate
	QUATERMASS II (1955): John Robinson
	QUATERMASS AND THE PIT (1958): Andre Morell

	QUATERMASS XPERIMENT (1955, us: THE CREEPING UNKNOWN): 
		Brian Donlevy
	QUATERMASS II (1957, us: ENEMY FROM SPACE): Brian Donlevy
	QUATERMASS AND THE PIT (1968, us: FIVE MILLION YEARS TO EARTH): 
		Andrew Kier

	THE QUATERMASS CONCLUSION (1980): John Mills

	QUATERMASS EXPERIMENT (2005): Jason Flemyng

	Also

	THE GOON SHOW: THE SCARLET CAPSULE (1959): Harry Secombe as 
	Prof. Ned Quatermess.  (Loosely based on QUATERMASS AND THE 
	PIT, but for the Goons it is amazingly faithful to the story.  
	Kneale loved it.)

[This part contributed by Mark R. Leeper (mleeper@optonline.net).]


21. ROLLERBALL

	a. Original

	The original 1975 film is based on a short story by William 
	Harrison called "The Rollerball Murders."  Harrison wrote the 
	screenplay himself, and the film was directed by Norman 
	Jewison.

	James Caan once mentioned in an interview that the stuntmen 
	enjoyed playing Rollerball so much they didn't want the track 
	disassembled when shooting was finished.

	b. Remake

	The remake was filmed in Canada by director John McTiernan 
	(PREDATOR).  It was released early in 2002.

22. STAR TREK

	a. Trek newsgroup

	There is a hierarchy for STAR TREK, rec.arts.startrek.  If you 
	have access to netnews, use it for discussions about any STAR 
	TREK subject (old series, new series, movies, novels, etc.).  
	If you are absolutely sure you cannot access the startrek 
	newsgroups, and you *must* post to rec.arts.sf.movies, include 
	the phrase "Star Trek" in the subject line.

	Do not post flames about people violating this guideline.  Use 
	e-mail to request they follow it.  It's likely that this person 
	is reading rec.arts.sf.movies via a gateway and has no access 
	to netnews or rec.arts.startrek.

	b. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

	"What are the two minutes of new footage on the STAR TREK VI: 
	THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY videocassette?"

	According to Jerry Boyajian:

		There are a couple of very minor bits, but the two 
		significant (and related) additions are:

		--The details of the proposed operation to rescue Kirk 
		and McCoy from the Klingons, presented by Col. West 
		(played by Rene Auberjenois) in the President's 
		office.  In the theatrical release, this is completely 
		missing, though the easel with the plan diagrams on it 
		seems to mysteriously appear out of nowhere.

		The second is a spoiler, so it is rot-13'ed:

		--Gur eriryngvba gung gur Xyvatba nffnffva ng Xuvgbzre 
		jnf npghnyyl Jrfg va qvfthvfr.

		Susan K. O'Fearna also suggests that in the arrest 
		scene, they show Kirk being cuffed, then show him 
		being cuffed again be a part of the extra two minutes.

	c. When's the next STAR TREK film?

		STAR TREK X: NEMESIS was released fall 2002.  
		There are no plans for another film at this time.  

23. STAR WARS

	a. Original film

	The original STAR WARS film was released on May 25, 1977.  At 
	that time it was known only as "STAR WARS."  The new title, 
	"STAR WARS IV: A NEW HOPE" was added during the film's 
	re-release in 1981.  The original film played continuously for 
	more than a year, becoming the highest-grossing film of all 
	time.

	The sequels have always had numbers.  Only STAR WARS was 
	retitled.

	b. New STAR WARS films

	"When is George Lucas going to make more STAR WARS films?"
	"What will they be about?"

	There are groups under the rec.arts.sf.starwars hierarchy that 
	exist to discuss this, and a FAQ for new STAR WARS films 
	posted there.  However, briefly:

	The first installment of a prequel-trilogy, STAR WARS EPISODE 
	I: THE PHANTOM MENACE,was released in the US on 19 May 1999.

	STAR WARS EPISODE II: ATTACK OF THE CLONES was released in the 
	US on 16 May 2002, and Episode III is scheduled for a 
	similar release date in 2005.

	A digitally remastered SPECIAL EDITION of EPISODES IV-VI 
	containing additional footage was released in 1997 to mark the 
	20th anniversary of the first STAR WARS film.

	THE PHANTOM MENACE was released on DVD in 16 October 2001.  
	ATTACK OF THE CLONES will be released on DVD in 2003.

	Lots of books, comics and other stories that have been released 
	are supposedly *not* directly related to the new films.  These 
	were additional merchandising items and George Lucas has said 
	that he will not take into account the continuity created by 
	these tie-in products.

c. Official website:

	http://www.starwars.com/

24. STARSHIP TROOPERS

More than almost any other film, STARSHIP TROOPERS has engendered the 
most invective and the most vigorous arguments.  Be prepared for a 
possible flame war when discussing this film.  

Most fans of Robert Heinlein's book deplore the changes made by 
screenwriter Edward Neumeier and director Paul Verhoeven.  Despite how 
one feels about the changes made to the story, the book's message and 
themes were changed substantially and the characters were sanitized and 
dumbed-down to cartoon-like aspects, reduced mostly to eye candy

	a. Why didn't the film have the Power Armor the book had?

	The official explanation is that showing the combat suits as 
	Heinlein envisioned them would be too expensive.  This reason 
	is generally not accepted, since it would have been no more 
	expensive to CGI the power armor than it was to create the 
	bugs themselves.  It is more likely that the changes in the 
	story dictated that the power armor no longer be used.

A 2004 sequel, STARSHIP TROOPERS 2: HERO OF THE FEDERATION was 
released direct to video.

25. THE TERMINATOR

	a. Harlan Ellison's credit/lawsuit

	"Why is there an acknowledgment to Harlan Ellison in the 
	credits of THE TERMINATOR?"  or  "Doesn't THE TERMINATOR have 
	the same plot as a TWILIGHT ZONE episode?"

	(The following answer is taken from a posting by Jerry 
	Boyajian.)

	Ellison filed suit against the studio claiming that THE 
	TERMINATOR was plagiarized from his two teleplays for THE OUTER 
	LIMITS.  One was "Soldier" (based on a short story he written 
	years before), in which a soldier is zapped from a future war 
	zone into the present and causes all sorts of problems.  In 
	addition to basic plot similarities, the scenes of the future 
	in THE TERMINATOR are very similar in look and feel to those in 
	"Soldier".  

	The other teleplay was "Demon With a Glass Hand", in which a 
	lone man with a glass-and-computer-chips hand and a woman he 
	meets up with are on the run from some unknown enemy.  He has 
	amnesia and doesn't know a thing about who he is, or why he's 
	in his current situation.  Eventually, he finds out that he's 
	from the future and was sent to the present on a mission to 
	save the human race.  

	Separately, I feel that THE TERMINATOR is a legitimate 
	variation on the ideas presented in Ellison's stories.  
	However, taken together, it would seem as if James Cameron got 
	the idea from Ellison's stories, in which case, Ellison is 
	owed something.  At any rate, as the story goes, the studio 
	was going to fight the suit, but in preparing their defense, 
	they found out from someone in the production crew that 
	Cameron had quipped on the set about how he'd "ripped off a 
	couple of OUTER LIMITS episodes".  At that point, they 
	decided to settle out of court, giving Ellison some 
	undisclosed amount of money and inserting the credit. 

	(Thomas Pluck (pluck@andromeda.rutgers.edu) adds the 
	following:) 

	You left out one important thing with the Ellison/Cameron suit; 
	the concept of Skynet, the military supercomputer that sees all 
	humanity as the enemy, was taken from Ellison's short story "I 
	Have No Mouth and I Must Scream," collected in the book of the 
	same name and various other SF anthologies.  Ellison's computer 
	called itself AM, and it kept five people alive to torture for 
	all eternity because it hated its creators so much.  The two 
	OUTER LIMITS scripts plus that short story are half or more of 
	the TERMINATOR plot.  

	[Many think the above should not be included.  I have no 
	opinion.  -ecl] 

	b. Sequels

	A movie sequel, called TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY (popularly 
	know as "T2") was released in 1991.

	A 3-D amusement park ride with filmed portions starring Arnold 
	Schwarzenegger and Edward Furlong was also made by James 
	Cameron for Universal Studios.

	TERMINATOR 3 was released June 2003 release, with 
	Schwarzenegger reprising his roles, but without Furlong's 
	or Cameron's involvement.

	c. FAQ

		http://www.faqs.org/faqs/movies/terminator-faq/

26. TRON

	a. Original

	TRON was originally released in 1982, to lackluster box office.  
	It was the first big-budget film to combine live action and 
	computer animation, but very little of the film is actually 
	CGI.  (See THE LAST STARFIGHTER.)

	b. Possible sequel

	A sequel has been talked about for years, possibly called 
	"TRON 2.0."  Currently the script is under revision.  Jeff 
	Bridges is reportedly interested in reprising his role as 
	Flynn.

27. 12 MONKEYS

	a. What film was it based on?

	Although Terry Gilliam claims to have never seen it, 
	screenwriters David & Janet Peoples based 12 MONKEYS on an 
	unusual French film called "La Jetee."

	"La Jetee" is a 29-minute film by Chris Marker.  It is unusual 
	in that it mostly uses a series of still photographs to tell 
	its story.  (Well, all movies do, but in this case, each still 
	is on the screen more than 1/24 second.)

	b. What did the ending mean?

	This is subject to plenty of debate, but the enigmatic phrase 
	"I'm in insurance" could mean that the woman is also from the 
	future (she certainly looks like her future self) or it could 
	be a coincidence that she's immune to the virus.  The first 
	theory is the more likely, given her resemblance to her future 
	self.

28. 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY

	a. "Which came first, the film or the novel?"

	Director Stanley Kubrick and author Arthur C. Clarke worked on 
	the film and novel concurrently.  The project was based on 
	Clarke's short story "The Sentinel."

	b. "What about the relationship between HAL (the computer) and 
	IBM?"  (If you add 1 to each letter in HAL you get IBM.)

	According to Clarke, this relationship is entirely accidental.  
	In fact, he claims that if he had been aware of it, he would 
	have chosen a different name for his computer.  (HAL stands for 
	Heuristic ALgorithmic.)

	c. "Wasn't 2001 filmed in Cinerama?"

	Although 2001 was advertised as being filmed in Cinerama, it 
	wasn't.  Only seven films were made using the three-camera 
	Cinerama process, the most famous being HOW THE WEST WAS WON.  
	By the time 2001 was made, the Cinerama brand name had been 
	bought and sold a number of times and meant nothing.  It was 
	shown on some Cinerama screens, hence the confusion, but the 
	brand existed solely as a marquee draw because of the name 
	recognition.  2001 was filmed in Super Panavision 70.

	d. Sequel

	2010: THE YEAR WE MAKE CONTACT, based on Clarke's novel 2010: 
	ODYSSEY TWO, was released in 1984.  See TRON and THE LAST 
	STARFIGHTER for more information.

	Although Clarke has written other novels as sequels to the 
	original, there are currently no plans to film any of them.

29. WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT

	a. Who gave voice to the seductive Jessica Rabbit?

	This is sort of a trick question, because there are *two* 
	voices.  Kathleen Turner provided the speaking voice, and Amy 
	Irving did the singing.

	b. Sequel?

	Gary K. Wolf wrote a sequel to his original novel WHO CENSORED 
	ROGER RABBIT?, called WHO P-P-PLUGGED ROGER RABBIT, but no 
	movie sequel is currently in the works.

	c. Other films

	Roger Rabbit and Co. have appeared in three other (short) 
	cartoons: "Tummy Trouble," "Roller-Coaster Rabbit," and 
	"Trail Mix-Up."


====================================================================

(Contributions for addition to this FAQL gratefully appreciated.
Suggestions for things *I* should write to add to this FAQL are not so
gratefully appreciated.)

====================================================================

Copyright Notice

This FAQ is not to be reproduced for commercial use unless the party
reproducing the FAQ agrees to the following:
    
 1) They will contact the FAQ maintainer to obtain the latest version 
    for their collection.
 2) They will provide the FAQ maintainer with information on what 
    collection the copy of the FAQ is in, and how that collection may be 
    obtained.
 3) They will agree, in writing, that the FAQ will be included in the
    collection without modification, and that acknowledgements of
    contributors (if any) to the FAQ remain in the FAQ.
 4) They will agree, in writing, that the collection including the FAQ 
    will be distributed on either a non-profit basis, or have some 
    percentage of profit donated to a non-profit literacy program.  
    Project Gutenberg counts.

Information contained in the FAQ is compiled from many sources.  No
guarantees are made as to its accuracy.

To support this, this FAQ is Compilation Copyright 2009 by 
Evelyn C. Leeper (the FAQ maintainer).

====================================================================


Evelyn C. Leeper (eleeper@optonline.net)

Go to Evelyn Leeper's home page.