Story of Your Life by Ted Chiang
Story of Your Life by Ted Chiang
Maybe my favourite short story ever. Def top 5. The story on which the incredible Dennis Vellenuve movie Arrival is based. Which is also my favorite movie. Basically I couldnt recommend this story enough!
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My wife's favorite movie as well, at least in her top 3.
It's my favorite alien first contact movie since independence Day. First time I read the story I was amazed at how much the movie nailed it, it definitely helps that it's such a short story (I highly suggest everybody read it), the few parts that were dropped were highly conceptual and the movie was already bleeding edge conceptual. It's far and away the most realistically written human reactions to first contact.
It has set the bar for what I want to feel from the "project hail Mary" movie. Another book that should be read by fans of quasi realistic science fiction.
I did have one issue with the movies ending, it completely flipped the philosophy of the story imo. What was meant to be an acceptance of fate and a deterministic view instead offered free will. Its still my favorite movie lol but that change makes it different.
I have somehow not yet seen indepemdence day! Will get to that too. Would love to hear you top 3, movies and short stories.
Oh I forgot, Ryan Gosling is gonna be in the project hail mary movie isn't he. I wouldn't expect much from it.
One should never expect much from movies based on books, but let's not write off a movie because of it's lead, Jim Carrey did eternal Sunshine of the spotless mind, and did it pretty well despite that definitely not being his style going into it.
Independence Day is a different take on the alien invasion, it's nowhere near as philosophical or nuanced as arrival, but imo it's another valid take about how it would be going down. There's a "throwaway" line that got cut that really hurts the plot, but I'm not sure how to convey it without risking spoilers (something I'm highly adverse to)
Top 3 movies of mine would have to be: 'the usual suspects', 'love actually' and .... Hmmm, 'my cousin Vinny' a very 90s set of movies, but I'm a child of that era.
Short stories are going to be 'the last question' 'the story of your life', and 'i don't know Timmy, being God is a big responsibility' (although the boy who predicted earthquakes hotly contends spot 3). All 3 are easily consumed in a short break, and provoke substantial thought.
Oh no I seemed to have misphrased my original statememt. I font think the lead changes much barring the potential to get funded and marketing. And I do like Gosling. The reason I dont ecpect much is bc it appears to be a cash grab more than a project on it's own.
Tho I will say I also loved External Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Truman Show and never liked any Jim Carrey movie.
I do like your choice of short stories, though I haven't read 'I don't know timmy ...'. Really think you would lobe Borges. You ought to search borges in this community and you'll find some of his stories I've posted.
That's funny, I was just talking about how the Usual Suspects has aged yesterday with a friend. That really is a very era specific taste!