Tuesday 22 October 2013

Akira, sci-fi anime is here!

Hello Cam-fictionists!

Today, I would like to talk to you about science-fiction anime... especially the film Akira.

Anime: probably the best thing you've ever heard of. This Japanese film genre is usually based on fantasy, however there are a handful of works which are science-fiction masterpieces. The most remarkable of them is probably Akira. This amazing project was started by the illustrator Katsuhiro Ōtomo in 1982.
After of 10 years of drawings and 14 manga volumes, 2 520 pages and 125 minutes of anime film your sci-fi thirst will be fulfilled!



Akira portrays Tokyo after a world catastrophe and the breakthrough of the Third World War. In 2019, now called Neo-Tokyo, the city hosts an unstable and traumatised civilisation. It is dominated by biker gangs and haunted by prophesies of a great ruler: Akira. Through military oppression, fear and drugs we will see a group of delinquent young Japanese fight for their freedom. When one of their members: Tetsuo Shima mysteriously disappears the group will seek out the truth at their own risk.
Katsuhiro Ōtomo's great vision of Tokyo's future gives us shivers down the spine. He not only provides us with a riveting plot but also brings it to life in drawing.
Adapted to anime in 1988, the film Akira will transport you to a whole new world. I highly recommend you see it!




If the world of manga is known to you, you can draw a parallel between Akira and shonen nekketsu manga, aimed at young men. This type of manga portrays a lot of violence and a light touch of romance. If you feel confused, works of that same genre are the famous: Dragon Ball, Naruto and Bleach.



As a finishing note, I would add to sci-fi anime the work of Hayao Miyazaki: Future Boy Conan (1978). This series is a breathtaking and funny adaptation of The Incredible Tide (1970) by Alexander Key. Like most of Hayao's work: this series is just as enjoyable for children as for adults, and there is a highly addictive soundtrack.
Careful: his series is not to confuse with the detective manga fiction: Case Closed or Detective Conan, by Gosho Aoyama. That said, I would also suggest you read the latter if you are new to manga.

Fandom guaranteed!


Enjoy!




Cam

Tuesday 8 October 2013

Think Global: The Celestial Plot

Hello Cam-fictionists,

There has been something on my mind for a while. I have noticed that our vision of science-fiction is mostly associated to English or US authors or productions. It is true that there are a lot of sci-fi works which come from the two countries, but the genre is by no means limited to them.
So this post is about relating our favourite genre to other areas in the world. I happen to specialize in Hispanic Literature, and today, I would like to present you an excellent work of science-fiction by a Latin American author: Adolfo Bioy Casares.

But, before we start, let's talk a bit about the author. Casares is an Argentine writer who wrote science-fiction and more. He also wrote fantastic and crime novels, which owed him the Premio Miguel de Cervantes in 1990. Maybe you have heard of him already, does the work The Invention of Morel sound familiar to you? It is his most famous work, and is also science-fiction, for which he won a prize in 1941. It is a true masterpiece which inspired episodes in series such as Lost.
However, I want to present you another work of Casares: The Celestial Plot - or Trama Celeste (1948). Being shorter, it makes it easier for you to try out Casares' style and if you like it, launch directly into the reading of The Invention of Morel (1940). But if some of you are feeling lazy, there are also two movie adaptations, one French and one Italian, of The Invention.



The Celestial Plot is a wonderfully complex narration. It plays with various parallel universes, building an Inception-like atmosphere. The main character is Capitan Ireneo Morris, a pilot in the army. During a piloting exercise finds himself trapped into a parallel universe where he was never born. He never worked for the army, and none of his friends recognise him. Judged to be a spy, he finds himself in great danger. Will he figure out how to move from one universe to the other? Will he ever find his way back home? I will say no more, so as to avoid spoilers.
Do not hesitate to read it!  As soon as you start its triple narrator, disturbing historical facts and fancy touch of romance will keep you hooked until the end. It is all an exceptional literary riddle. Like a good science-fiction work, it asks you to question reality, especially your conception of time and space, and to see the impossible become possible.



Have a good read,


Cam

Wednesday 2 October 2013

Lightsabers, false alarm!

This week, as you enter the colourful webpage of The Guardian, your sci-fi instinct will immediately draw your attention to the article titling: "Star Wars lightsabers finally invented" by Ben Child. Your curiosity is awakened. Typical catch-phrase, you might say, but you can't help clicking on the link...
Harvard and MIT scientists have found a "molecule which behaves almost exactly like George Lucas's deadly devices". Is this finally the end of the age of pretending: with your plastic, telescopic and overpriced lightsaber? Is this too good to be true?

It is.

First, it hasn't been made just yet, and second, is far away from being commercialized. Also, were it to exist, you still won't be able to play Fruit Ninja with it. The subtlety lies in the "behaves almost exactly like", which tells you it may look pretty, but it doesn't exactly fulfil its role. The new lightsaber will just be made of photons, or light, which corresponds to its title, but as far as I know will only be able to give your adversary a few minor burns. Even though pretending will just be a little easier, it is just another toy. So there is no need to get carried away, dear Ben Child. Call it a weapon you must not.



This brings us to the famous debate: is Star Wars sci-fi?

Considering that sci-fi logically includes both science and fiction, we can note the obvious lack of science in the Star Wars saga. Elements such as 'the Force' belong to outright fantasy, while the scientific challenge of the Death Star, for example, is not in the least explained. This has earned Star Wars the qualification of 'space opera', instead of our beloved 'science-fiction'. However, now that Harvard and MIT physicists are focusing all their neuron-power on the mysteries of the famous films, shouldn't it deserve an upgrade? Methinks it does. George Lucas may not have included a significant amount of science in his creation, but he definitely made us think about it and provoked a scientific research around his inventions. So, let us be fair, and welcome Star Wars as a rightful and wonderful example of sci-fi!


Yours faithfully,


Cam

Tuesday 24 September 2013

Blade Runner or the Existential Crisis of Fake Humans

Hello dear Cam-fictionists,

First, let me introduce you to the topic of the week, the iconic film: Blade Runner (1982), which some of you may know as The Final Cut (2007). Chase away any feelings of confusion, because it is the same movie! The fact that there were seven different versions of it made doesn't simplify things, but the cast and director remain the same. Hold on tight, because this film holds many more surprises...

Blade Runner, as we will call it, is an adaptation of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (1968) by Philip K. Dick. The written and film versions are not very similar. However, an outrageous budget and outstanding visual effects - especially considering the release date - make the film extremely convincing. Let me tell you how convincing: 28 million dollars. This explains, for those of you who have seen the movie, the amount of product placements. Several times each, the shiny logos of Atari, RCA and even Coca-Cola appear on the screen. Unlike what the marketers might have expected, all the companies who contracted to appear in Blade Runner suffered from set-backs in sales or saw their company dismantled within the following years. This is what spectators will come to call the 'Blade Runner Curse'. You think this movie is cool, now? You have seen nothing of it yet.

Let me announce the local colour: Harrison Ford and Sean Young. The ideal central couple. If it were not for the testimonies of their constant backstage fights, we would be ready to believe it! In spite of their unstable relationship in real life, the two actors are brilliant when taking on the roles of Rick Deckard and Rachael. Him as a retired and re-hired Blade Runner, or special police in charge of killing human androids; her as a stunning new-generation android who believes herself to be human. Touching.

Now romance aside, the plot put in a few lines: Human androids, or Replicants, have been made illegal on Earth, due to their sudden rebellious behaviour. Blade Runners are a special force in charge of terminating them. In Los Angeles, year 2019, ex-Blade Runner Deckard is put in charge of killing four escaped androids. These four are in search for their maker, the owner of the powerful Tyrell Corporation. They wish to elongate their four-year lifespan, and don't hesitate to kill to get their way. This explains my title for you: we are talking about androids on an existential search.

Now, what is there anything wrong with this movie?

As a science-fiction fan, let me get this straight: this movie only lacks a bit of explaining. My first impression of it was that it was an awfully cryptic movie. From science-fiction, I have learned to expect some kind of answers to my questions. Here, for instance: how are the Replicants superior to humans? How are they manufactured? Instead of our rightful touch of futuristic science speculation, we are served with the view of the bombastic Tyrell private mansion and the pitiful sight of the engineers behind the project. Other than this, three scenes indicate that the Replicants are indeed superior to humans, but we still have no idea how. Pris happily sticks her hand in a pot of boiling water. Roy Batty does the same with a freezing tank, and later destroys walls with his bare hands, or head, without suffering from any obvious injury.

Yet the Replicants have one major flaw, which happens to be the very motto of the company which created them: they are 'more human than human'. How is that? They are emotional. They feel joy, love and fear and want to be free. Roy mentions in his last scene: "Quite an experience to live in fear, isn't it?" Or even the tell-tale kiss between Roy and Pris shows us how vulnerable the Replicants really are. You would wonder: how their genetic engineers could ignore such a huge mistake? This is without mentioning that these engineers were able to infuse them with a genetic illness making them both born in the stage of adulthood and live only for four years. Moreover, they made the androids unable to feel empathy, which allows them to kill at will even though they were only ever meant for slave labour. You might agree that there is a slight contradiction here, even though it turns out to be the central focus of the work. The fact is, the engineers repeated this same mistake in their new generation of robots: Nexus-6, represented by Rachael. She does flee, in tears, from Deckard's flat after being told that she is not human. So why do they want to make androids so similar to humans? Still no answer.

This flaw is the only true objection one can make to this story. That is, apart from the obvious lack of sheep... Indeed, there is no explicit reference to the book which the film stems from! Along with the title change to a shorter, more appealing one, the screenplay participates in distancing the works even more. This has made some doubt that there was a link between the two works at all. Also, there is a fourteen years gap between the two publications, which would only confirm that theory, if it were true.

Then, what makes this movie so absolutely marvellous?

You may want to watch it several times, because Blade Runner has more sides to its story than you would imagine. It is a deeply complex work, shot in a complex manner. So here are just a few reasons why you should watch this movie again and again:

- Figure out some more about the enigmatic use of animals (aka. the dove and unicorn).
- Spy on Sean Young's flawless face to understand the film's nomination for Best Makeup Artist at the BAFTA Film Awards in 1983.
- Learn a few timeless quotes, such as: "Replicants are like any other machine. They're either a benefit or a hazard. If they're a benefit, it's not my problem."
- Answer the agonizing question: is Deckard a Replicant?
- Draw a parallel between Blade Runner and The Island (2005).
- And, of course, get existential with Gaff: "It's too bad she won't live, but then again, who does?"

Enjoy the film.
Yours faithfully,


Cam

Friday 6 September 2013

Call for Cam-fiction

Science-fiction lovers: expert or novice, welcome!

Whether you have come here on purpose or by mistake, curious, critical, interested or distracted: it is a pleasure to have you here. This blog is about that amazing genre which allows this tiny escape window in our lives to explore new worlds and realities.

This blog is really easy to use. Start with the basics: if you are new to science fiction, or unsure if you know something about it, see on the left side-bar a few examples of my personal favourites. Do you know some of them? If not, it will give you an idea of where to start.

If you are an enthusiast or expert on the matter, do tell me what you think: give me some comments. Do you share my appreciation of these masterpieces? Are you more of a sci-fi books or films fan? Do you think you can challenge my number 1s?

Whatever you do, keep your imaginary active.
Yours faithfully,


Cam