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_Screamers_, _Second Variety_, _Jon's World_, and _Screamers: The Hunting_
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Don Kuenz
Oct 6, 2012, 3:41:00 PM10/6/12
to
The cult classic _Screamers_ always seems like perfect entertainment
when the air turns crisp and a skiff of snow first appears in the
Nothern Rockies. The same weather occurs at the start of the movie,
which makes for a more immerse experience.
Near the end of the starting credits, the words 'Based upon a the Short
Story "Second Variety" by Philip K. Dick' roll by. A credit that
finally got my attention after all these years. It turns out that
_Second Variety_ is yet another old orphaned story that nobody cares
about. Project Gutenberg makes it available for free.
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/32032
_Second Variety_ takes place in a post nuclear holocaust world. It pits
Russians against the UN (ie Americans). The UN commands its forces from
a moonbase that arose after the Russians obliterated Washington DC.
Despite the inevitable UN retaliation, Russians effectively control
the world by virtue of their preemptive attack on DC. Russians move
about with virtual impunity. The only thing holding them in check is
a UN's death-robot technology known as "claws."
Claws self-replicate in underground factories. And now it appears that
claws are evolving to become more human-like with each passing day.
_Second Variety_ is firmly rooted in the Cold War era nuclear bomb
paranoia. A zeitgeist that mirrors today's global warming paranoia.
The existential mirror seems to reverse things a bit, with Bova et al
now worrying about global WARMing instead of a COLD war.
In the end, it turns out that a whole _Screamers_ micro-genre exists.
Dick released a sequel named _Jon's World_ in 1954. A straight-to-DVD
sequel of the movie named _Screamers: The Hunting_ got released in
2009.
And now it's time for me to go to Amazon and order the sequel. :)
--
Don Kuenz
when the air turns crisp and a skiff of snow first appears in the
Nothern Rockies. The same weather occurs at the start of the movie,
which makes for a more immerse experience.
Near the end of the starting credits, the words 'Based upon a the Short
Story "Second Variety" by Philip K. Dick' roll by. A credit that
finally got my attention after all these years. It turns out that
_Second Variety_ is yet another old orphaned story that nobody cares
about. Project Gutenberg makes it available for free.
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/32032
_Second Variety_ takes place in a post nuclear holocaust world. It pits
Russians against the UN (ie Americans). The UN commands its forces from
a moonbase that arose after the Russians obliterated Washington DC.
Despite the inevitable UN retaliation, Russians effectively control
the world by virtue of their preemptive attack on DC. Russians move
about with virtual impunity. The only thing holding them in check is
a UN's death-robot technology known as "claws."
Claws self-replicate in underground factories. And now it appears that
claws are evolving to become more human-like with each passing day.
_Second Variety_ is firmly rooted in the Cold War era nuclear bomb
paranoia. A zeitgeist that mirrors today's global warming paranoia.
The existential mirror seems to reverse things a bit, with Bova et al
now worrying about global WARMing instead of a COLD war.
In the end, it turns out that a whole _Screamers_ micro-genre exists.
Dick released a sequel named _Jon's World_ in 1954. A straight-to-DVD
sequel of the movie named _Screamers: The Hunting_ got released in
2009.
And now it's time for me to go to Amazon and order the sequel. :)
--
Don Kuenz
Arthur Lipscomb
Oct 7, 2012, 9:06:47 PM10/7/12
to
On 10/6/2012 12:41 PM, Don Kuenz wrote:
> The cult classic _Screamers_ always seems like perfect entertainment
> when the air turns crisp and a skiff of snow first appears in the
> Nothern Rockies. The same weather occurs at the start of the movie,
> which makes for a more immerse experience.
>
> Near the end of the starting credits, the words 'Based upon a the Short
> Story "Second Variety" by Philip K. Dick' roll by. A credit that
> finally got my attention after all these years. It turns out that
> _Second Variety_ is yet another old orphaned story that nobody cares
> about.
I read it many years ago (after I had already seen the movie). I don't
> The cult classic _Screamers_ always seems like perfect entertainment
> when the air turns crisp and a skiff of snow first appears in the
> Nothern Rockies. The same weather occurs at the start of the movie,
> which makes for a more immerse experience.
>
> Near the end of the starting credits, the words 'Based upon a the Short
> Story "Second Variety" by Philip K. Dick' roll by. A credit that
> finally got my attention after all these years. It turns out that
> _Second Variety_ is yet another old orphaned story that nobody cares
> about.
recall it being that good but I don't really remember the details any more.
Project Gutenberg makes it available for free.
>
> http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/32032
>
> _Second Variety_ takes place in a post nuclear holocaust world. It pits
> Russians against the UN (ie Americans). The UN commands its forces from
> a moonbase that arose after the Russians obliterated Washington DC.
>
> Despite the inevitable UN retaliation, Russians effectively control
> the world by virtue of their preemptive attack on DC. Russians move
> about with virtual impunity. The only thing holding them in check is
> a UN's death-robot technology known as "claws."
>
> Claws self-replicate in underground factories. And now it appears that
> claws are evolving to become more human-like with each passing day.
>
> _Second Variety_ is firmly rooted in the Cold War era nuclear bomb
> paranoia. A zeitgeist that mirrors today's global warming paranoia.
> The existential mirror seems to reverse things a bit, with Bova et al
> now worrying about global WARMing instead of a COLD war.
>
> In the end, it turns out that a whole _Screamers_ micro-genre exists.
> Dick released a sequel named _Jon's World_ in 1954. A straight-to-DVD
> sequel of the movie named _Screamers: The Hunting_ got released in
> 2009.
>
> And now it's time for me to go to Amazon and order the sequel. :)
>
Don Kuenz
Oct 7, 2012, 11:22:39 PM10/7/12
to
needs to get dropped on the editing floor along with the rest of the
gore. :) OTOH the mountainous alien scenery looks great.
> Sure you don't want to rent it first?
--
Don Kuenz
Raymond Daley
Oct 10, 2012, 11:05:28 PM10/10/12
to
"Don Kuenz" <gar...@crcomp.net> wrote in message
news:2012...@crcomp.net...
>
> In the end, it turns out that a whole _Screamers_ micro-genre exists.
> Dick released a sequel named _Jon's World_ in 1954. A straight-to-DVD
> sequel of the movie named _Screamers: The Hunting_ got released in
> 2009.
>
> And now it's time for me to go to Amazon and order the sequel. :)
The second Screamers movie is extremely shit and is basically a bad rehash
> In the end, it turns out that a whole _Screamers_ micro-genre exists.
> Dick released a sequel named _Jon's World_ in 1954. A straight-to-DVD
> sequel of the movie named _Screamers: The Hunting_ got released in
> 2009.
>
> And now it's time for me to go to Amazon and order the sequel. :)
of the first movie without any of the twists or good bits.
My review summed it up like this :-
"The trouble with this movie is it has virtually no connections to the
original, the story is dull and extremely predictable with almost no
surprises at all. Half the time you have no clue who characters are (they
rarely refer to each other by their names) and there are too many scenes of
not much happening with hardly any interaction with the lower grade
Screamers. The films 1 big name is killed far too quickly and not utilised
very well at all while he is alive. Despite the fact it took 14 years for
them to make this most Screamers fans will probably wish they hadn't
bothered."
Juho Julkunen
Oct 11, 2012, 4:39:23 AM10/11/12
to
In article <nJqds.168461$hg4.1...@fx04.am4>,
raymon...@ntlworld.com says...
the same twits as in the short story. I was quite surprised by how
faithful (minus a few things) an adaptation it was. And even more
surprised by how not crap it was.
--
Juho Julkunen
raymon...@ntlworld.com says...
>
> "Don Kuenz" <gar...@crcomp.net> wrote in message
> news:2012...@crcomp.net...
> >
> > In the end, it turns out that a whole _Screamers_ micro-genre exists.
> > Dick released a sequel named _Jon's World_ in 1954. A straight-to-DVD
> > sequel of the movie named _Screamers: The Hunting_ got released in
> > 2009.
> >
> > And now it's time for me to go to Amazon and order the sequel. :)
>
> The second Screamers movie is extremely shit and is basically a bad rehash
> of the first movie without any of the twists or good bits.
The only problem with the twists in the first movie is that they are
> "Don Kuenz" <gar...@crcomp.net> wrote in message
> news:2012...@crcomp.net...
> >
> > In the end, it turns out that a whole _Screamers_ micro-genre exists.
> > Dick released a sequel named _Jon's World_ in 1954. A straight-to-DVD
> > sequel of the movie named _Screamers: The Hunting_ got released in
> > 2009.
> >
> > And now it's time for me to go to Amazon and order the sequel. :)
>
> The second Screamers movie is extremely shit and is basically a bad rehash
> of the first movie without any of the twists or good bits.
the same twits as in the short story. I was quite surprised by how
faithful (minus a few things) an adaptation it was. And even more
surprised by how not crap it was.
--
Juho Julkunen
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