I've always intended on seeing it again, because IMO it's the best rendition of #Mary_Shelley's 1818 classic I've had the pleasure of seeing. The character development alone leaves all of the other adaptations in the dust, along with a large dose of empathy for those involved.
As a companion, I recommend the #Project_Gutenberg version of Shelley's gothic novel in prose; I personally prefer .epub but both the film and the original work by Shelley are more closely aligned than any of those old #Boris_Karloff horror genre flicks that, in turn, influenced the creation of the beloved television character, #Herman_Munster (an old film professor of mine would freak out in the lecture hall anytime someone raised their hand and referred to any motion picture as a flick, lolz).
In a major departure from Shelley's original, Mason's portrayal of the character Dr. Polidori isn't actually in the book - the real John Polidori was a friend of Shelley's who himself arguably launched the #vampire_genre with his 1819 short story, "The Vampyre", once erroneously attributed to Lord Byron. Discussions between Polidori and Mary's husband Percy Shelley are largely credited with the genesis of the Frankenstein story.
If you happen to watch, Frankenstein - The True Story, do please comment back to let me know what you thought :)
My favorite line from the movie, that I've often regularly recited over the years, is:
Beautiful Victor... Beautiful.
On rare occasion, I'm sometimes asked what I'm referencing when I say that, like, after a successful compile, or fresh OS installation :p
It rains a lot, up here; there are winter days when it doesn’t really get light at all, only a bright, indeterminate gray. But then there are days when it’s like they whip aside a curtain to flash you three minutes of sunlit, suspended mountain, the trademark at the start of God’s own movie. It was like that the day her...
I looked across the room, and there was Dr. Martin Luther King walking towards me with this big grin on his face. He reached out to me and said, 'Yes, Ms. Nichols, I am your greatest fan.' He said that Star Trek was the only show that he, and his wife Coretta, would allow their three little children to stay up and watch. [She...
The Brooklyn SciFi Film Festival returns for 2023 with 135 films selected for screening October 9 through the 15th. SciFi fans from around the world are welcomed to join this one-of-a-kind event as all films will be made available online for streaming and rating through Brooklyn SciFi's Netflix style festival platform....
At dawn he arose and stepped out onto the patio for his first look at Alexandria, the one city he had not yet seen. That year the five cities were Chang-an, Asgard, New Chicago, Timbuctoo, Alexandria: the usual mix of eras, cultures, realities. He and Gioia, making the long flight from Asgard in the distant north the night...
In spite of its ominous literary associations, 1984 proved to be a rather quiet year for SF. There were no major scandals like 1983’s infamous Great Timescape Fiasco, no SF lines driven into oblivion by corporate greed and shortsightedness, no major editorial shakeups … but if you looked closely enough, in the right places,...
Here's the cream of the crop: short stories, novelettes, novellas by science fiction writers already well known and awarded for their high-quality work in science fiction. These are writers like Poul Anderson, Joe Haldeman, Tanith Lee, George R. R. Martin, Robert Silverberg, James Tiptree, Jr, Vernor Vinge and Gene Wolfe....
It was a special pleasure to see things eaten, to see things blackened and changed. With the brass nozzle in his fists, with this great python spitting its venomous kerosene upon the world, the blood pounded in his head, and his hands were the hands of some amazing conductor playing all the symphonies of blazing and burning to...
HE AWOKE--and wanted Mars. The valleys, he thought. What would it be like to trudge among them? Great and greater yet: the dream grew as he became fully conscious, the dream and the yearning. He could almost feel the enveloping presence of the other world, which only Government agents and high officials had seen. A clerk like...
Why are you such a derelict? Such a piece of human junk? The answer's simple. You're a scanner, which you don't realize. And that has been the source of all your agony. But I will show you now that it can be a source of great power....
"The feeling is definitely there. It's a new morning in America... fresh, vital. The old cynicism is gone. We have faith in our leaders. We're optimistic as to what becomes of it all. It really boils down to our ability to accept. We don't need pessimism. There are no limits."...
I awoke from The Sickness at the age of forty-five, calm and sane, and in reasonably good health except for a weakened liver and the look of borrowed flesh common to all who survive. The Sickness... Most survivors do not remember the delirium in detail. I apparently took detailed notes on sickness and delirium. I have no precise...
The front door closed behind him and I locked it. I adjusted the thermostat and turned off all the lights. I felt lonely almost at once. Ken installed and activated me on Saturday and we spent the whole weekend together getting to know one another. And now for the first time I had to face being unoccupied. All alone for ten...
There is a fifth dimension, beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is...
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (Japanese: 風の谷のナウシカ, Hepburn: Kaze no Tani no Naushika) is a 1984 Japanese post-apocalyptic anime fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, based on his 1982 manga. It was animated by Topcraft for Tokuma Shoten and Hakuhodo, and distributed by Toei Company. Joe...
Karel Čapek’s last major novel, War with the Newts, is a satirical dystopian masterpiece, both prescient and timeless, uniquely Czech and yet universal in appeal. Published in 1936, it remains one of the most thought-provoking novels ever written....
Gandahar - 1987 - René Laloux (vimeo.com)
“In a thousand years, Gandahar will be destroyed. A thousand years ago, Gandahar will be saved and what can’t be avoided will be.”...
The Year's Best Science Fiction - Fourth Annual Collection - 1988 - featuring Robert Silverberg, Orson Scott Card, Bruce Sterling, and William Gibson (www.mediafire.com)
It rains a lot, up here; there are winter days when it doesn’t really get light at all, only a bright, indeterminate gray. But then there are days when it’s like they whip aside a curtain to flash you three minutes of sunlit, suspended mountain, the trademark at the start of God’s own movie. It was like that the day her...
Star Trek - The Original Series - 1966 Complete (archive.org)
I looked across the room, and there was Dr. Martin Luther King walking towards me with this big grin on his face. He reached out to me and said, 'Yes, Ms. Nichols, I am your greatest fan.' He said that Star Trek was the only show that he, and his wife Coretta, would allow their three little children to stay up and watch. [She...
Event - Robots, UFOs, and A.I. Converge at the 2023 Brooklyn SciFi Film Festival with 130 Films Online and In Theaters - 10/9/23 to 10/15/23 (brooklynscififilmfest.com)
The Brooklyn SciFi Film Festival returns for 2023 with 135 films selected for screening October 9 through the 15th. SciFi fans from around the world are welcomed to join this one-of-a-kind event as all films will be made available online for streaming and rating through Brooklyn SciFi's Netflix style festival platform....
The Year's Best Science Fiction - Third Annual Collection - 1986 - featuring Orson Scott Card, William Gibson, George RR Martin, Frederick Pohl, Bruce Sterling and Robert Silverberg (pdfhost.io)
At dawn he arose and stepped out onto the patio for his first look at Alexandria, the one city he had not yet seen. That year the five cities were Chang-an, Asgard, New Chicago, Timbuctoo, Alexandria: the usual mix of eras, cultures, realities. He and Gioia, making the long flight from Asgard in the distant north the night...
Real Genius - 1985 - Val Kilmer, Gabriel Jarret (movie-web.app)
I was thinking of the immortal words of Socrates, who said, "... I drank what?"...
Year's Best Science Fiction - Second Annual Collection - 1985 - Featuring the work of William Gibson, Octavia Butler, Robert Silverberg, Fredrick Pohl and Tanith Lee (pdfhost.io)
In spite of its ominous literary associations, 1984 proved to be a rather quiet year for SF. There were no major scandals like 1983’s infamous Great Timescape Fiasco, no SF lines driven into oblivion by corporate greed and shortsightedness, no major editorial shakeups … but if you looked closely enough, in the right places,...
The Year's Best Science Fiction - 1st annual collection - 1984 - featuring the work of George R.R. Martin, Robert Silverberg, Poul Andersen, Greg Bear, and Bruce Sterling (pdfhost.io)
Here's the cream of the crop: short stories, novelettes, novellas by science fiction writers already well known and awarded for their high-quality work in science fiction. These are writers like Poul Anderson, Joe Haldeman, Tanith Lee, George R. R. Martin, Robert Silverberg, James Tiptree, Jr, Vernor Vinge and Gene Wolfe....
Farscape (movie-web.app)
Boy, was Spielberg ever wrong. Close Encounters my ass....
Strange things are afoot at the Circle K, circa 1989... (movie-web.app)
All we are is dust in the wind, dude....
Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury - 1953 (pdfhost.io)
It was a special pleasure to see things eaten, to see things blackened and changed. With the brass nozzle in his fists, with this great python spitting its venomous kerosene upon the world, the blood pounded in his head, and his hands were the hands of some amazing conductor playing all the symphonies of blazing and burning to...
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams - 1979 (pdfhost.io)
Don't panic, and bring a towel....
We Can Remember It for You Wholesale - Philip K. Dick, the inspiration for Total Recall (philosophy.as.uky.edu)
HE AWOKE--and wanted Mars. The valleys, he thought. What would it be like to trudge among them? Great and greater yet: the dream grew as he became fully conscious, the dream and the yearning. He could almost feel the enveloping presence of the other world, which only Government agents and high officials had seen. A clerk like...
Scanners - 1981 - written and directed by David Cronenberg, starring Stephen Lack, Jennifer O'Neill, Michael Ironside, and Patrick McGoohan. (movie-web.app)
Why are you such a derelict? Such a piece of human junk? The answer's simple. You're a scanner, which you don't realize. And that has been the source of all your agony. But I will show you now that it can be a source of great power....
They Live - 1988 - Starring Roddy Piper, Keith David and Meg Foster. Written and directed by John Carpenter. (movie-web.app)
"The feeling is definitely there. It's a new morning in America... fresh, vital. The old cynicism is gone. We have faith in our leaders. We're optimistic as to what becomes of it all. It really boils down to our ability to accept. We don't need pessimism. There are no limits."...
Naked Lunch - 1991 - Starring Peter Weller, directed by David Cronenberg, based on the 1959 novel by William S. Burroughs (movie-web.app)
I awoke from The Sickness at the age of forty-five, calm and sane, and in reasonably good health except for a weakened liver and the look of borrowed flesh common to all who survive. The Sickness... Most survivors do not remember the delirium in detail. I apparently took detailed notes on sickness and delirium. I have no precise...
The Curious Case of Abortion in Science Fiction - Suzanne F. Boswell (strangehorizons.com)
CW: references to abortion, eugenics, pregnancy, forced birth, violations of personal autonomy, dystopia, and horror....
OC Houseproud — Laurence Raphael Brothers - 2022 (www.laurencebrothers.com)
The front door closed behind him and I locked it. I adjusted the thermostat and turned off all the lights. I felt lonely almost at once. Ken installed and activated me on Saturday and we spent the whole weekend together getting to know one another. And now for the first time I had to face being unoccupied. All alone for ten...
The Twilight Zones of Rod Serling - all of them (movie-web.app)
There is a fifth dimension, beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is...
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind - Hayao Miyazaki (Topcraft Era) - 1984 (movie-web.app)
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (Japanese: 風の谷のナウシカ, Hepburn: Kaze no Tani no Naushika) is a 1984 Japanese post-apocalyptic anime fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, based on his 1982 manga. It was animated by Topcraft for Tokuma Shoten and Hakuhodo, and distributed by Toei Company. Joe...
Karel Čapek - War with the Newts - 1936 (www.youtube.com)
Karel Čapek’s last major novel, War with the Newts, is a satirical dystopian masterpiece, both prescient and timeless, uniquely Czech and yet universal in appeal. Published in 1936, it remains one of the most thought-provoking novels ever written....