The Trouble with ......

[My mom and I are discussing Star Trek (the original series):


My Mom: What were those furry things called again?

Me: Tribbles.

My Mom: Yes that's right! Gerbils!

Children of Men

Several months ago, Dr. H. and I watched the movie Children of Men based on a suggestion on Wil Wheaton's Blog. I was intrigued by the premise: a world in which no human child had been born in decades - and the social collapse and despair surrounding the impending end of the species. The movie was very good and I would recommend it, though it was not what I expected. (From the premise - I was thinking Sci-Fi - but really it was an action/adventure movie.) It came out in 2006, but totally escaped our radar somehow.

I was intrigued enough by the premise and the movie to follow up and find that it was based on a novel by P. D. James. I quickly ascertained that the book and movie were quite a bit different, so I stopped reading things on-line until I had a chance to read the book. Immediately after acquiring the book, Dr. H and I both read it in just a few days. It is short and quite compelling. I picked it up right after it arrived - just to look at it for a few moments and I was several chapters in without realizing it. I highly recommend it.

I found the book to be more satisfying than the movie as it gives a lot more context for some of the interpersonal interactions. Many characters are different and the political issues are related, but different. The movie is said to be only "loosely" based on the novel, and I understand why some of the major changes were made. The movie does do an excellent job of presenting the feeling and overall mood of the book, despite these major differences. One funny change (this does not give anything away) is that in the book, the main character is a history professor - this is not so in the movie. I guess professors are considered to be too boring. Perhaps it has been too long since we have had a movie about the archeology professor with the fedora - but apparently that will all change this May.

 

Ignore this if you are not a Battlestar Galactica fan (the new series, of course).

Should I be worried that my daughter is drawing the Eye of Jupiter?