Blog #4

Poster, Brother From Another Planet (John Sayles, 1984)

Please briefly answer these questions based on the readings. Remember to include your name and section number.

In “Embracing the Alien, Erasing Alienation”, Vivian Sobchack argues that beginning in the late 1970s, there is a shift in the representation of the alien “other” in both mainstream and marginal American SF films. Instead of an alien “other” that is radically non-human, the aliens in many postmodern SF films take on a friendlier aspect. According to Sobchack why does this shift occur? What distinction does Sobchack make between mainstream and marginal SF? For Sobchack, what is the difference between “resemblance” and “similitude” and how does she apply these concepts to SF films of the period?

For Mark Dery, what aspects of the African-American experience allow SF to serve as a vehicle for its expression? How does Dery define Afro-futurism? In which cultural practices does Dery locate Afro-futurism (provide two examples)?

"Military Killer Robots Must Learn Warrior Code" London Times Online Feb. 16, 2009

An article on a recent study of the use of robots in the military (and the ramifications of this use). In looking at the possible scenarios, comparison is made to Terminator, and of course, I, Robot.

Click here to read.

Thanks Michael

Blog #3

Roy Baty (Rutger Hauer), Blade Runner (Ridley Scott, 1982)

According to Ryan and Kellner, how does the division between nature and technology in conservative science-fiction/fantasy films of the 1960s to the 1980s support conservative ideals regarding freedom, individualism, family, equality, etc? How do radical (left) science-fiction/fantasy films challenge the technology/nature division as constructed in conservative films and offer alternative visions of human/non-human interactions? What is conservatism’s paradoxical relation to modernity and industrialization?

For Bukatman ("Replicants and Mental Life"), why is it significant that Deckard's status (human or replicant) remain undetermined? In what ways does Roy Baty character challenge the boundaries between human and replicant?

Of interest: NYT article: "In New Procedure, Artificial Arm Listens to Brain"

In anticipation of our discussion of the cyborg (machine/human mergings), a NYT article on a procedure called targeted muscle reinnervation. The procedure reassigns nerves in an amputated arm to another part of the body, such as the chest. Electrodes are then placed over the chest muscles and the amputee can control the arm by sending signals to the chest muscles that are then relayed to the prosthetic. A revealing quote by Dr. Gerald Loeb, a biomedical engineer at the University of California:

“This is a crucial part, but it’s only one part of many things that comprise normal arm function,” said Dr. Loeb, who wrote an editorial accompanying the article in The Journal of the American Medical Association. “Right now we’re somewhere between the arm in ‘Dr. Strangelove,’ ” which involuntarily jerked into a Nazi salute, “and the Luke Skywalker arm in ‘Star Wars’ where he turns it on and it’s fully naturally functional. I think it’s still going to be many years before all the pieces come together to make a normal functioning arm.”

Click here for full article.

Dr. Strangelove (Stanley Kubrick, 1964)












Star Wars: Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (Irvin Kershner, 1980)

Blog #2

Referring to the Cyndy Hendershot and Christine Cornea readings for this week, how do science fiction narratives of the post-World War II era concerning invaded bodies and replicant humans manifest anxieties concerning human reproduction and sexual difference? What is the function of the paranoiac worldview in these films?

Don't forget to write your name and section number in your post.