Word: sci-fi
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...OCTAVIA BUTLER, 58, novelist who was the first black woman to achieve major success in the white-male-dominated genre of science fiction; of head injuries from a fall; in Seattle, Wash. A loner and self-described "oil-and-water" mix of "ambition, laziness, insecurity [and] certainty," Butler subverted sci-fi stereotypes to tackle issues like racism and poverty in books like Kindred, the tale of a black woman who time-travels back to the antebellum South. In 1995, she became the only sci-fi writer ever to receive a MacArthur Foundation "genius" grant...
Following a strange path, The Fountain began as an epic Brad Pitt vehicle written and directed by Aronofsky, whose indie movie ? combined sci-fi, mysticism and math to much critical acclaim. Reportedly budgeted at $75 million in 2002, The Fountain was well into pre-production when Pitt dropped out, closing the project. Continuing an emerging trend of turning failed film projects into comix (see Birth of a Nation), The Fountain represents a visualization of that lost picture. However, simultaneously with working on the book, Aronofsky developed a scaled-down movie version, starring Hugh Jackman, which is now in post-production...
...them. One part of Soderbergh's brain makes can't-miss caper films and weepie dramas (Ocean's Eleven, Erin Brockovich) with the town's priciest talent. Another part is indelibly indie: he will shoot an ad-lib HBO series about lobbyists (K Street), or remake a mystical Russian sci-fi art film (Solaris). Not everything works, but it's more than cool that he tries...
...Most of you probably think this entry has got to be a joke. The rest of you have actually watched the show. Adapted from a cheesy '70s Star Wars clone of the same name, Galactica (returning in January) is a ripping sci-fi allegory of the war on terror, complete with religious fundamentalists (here, genocidal robots called Cylons), sleeper cells, civil-liberties crackdowns and even a prisoner-torture scandal. The basic-cable budget sometimes shows in the production, but the writing and performances are first-class, especially Edward James Olmos as the noble but authoritarian commander in charge of saving...
...Karyn Kusama, described by Theron as “very much a visionary,” is also a newcomer to the fantasy genre, having only directed the critically acclaimed drama “GirlFight.” Theron believes that her and Kusama’s status as sci-fi novices contributed significantly to “Flux”’s production...