{"product_id":"vivid-tomorrows-9781476683386","title":"Vivid Tomorrows","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e   Can science fiction--especially sci-fi cinema--save the world? It already has, many times. Retired officers testify that films like \u003ci\u003eDoctor Strangelove, Fail-Safe, On the Beach\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eWar Games\u003c\/i\u003e provoked changes and helped prevent accidental war. \u003ci\u003eSoylent Green\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eSilent Running\u003c\/i\u003e recruited millions of environmental activists. \u003ci\u003eThe China Syndrome\u003c\/i\u003e and countless movies about plagues helped bring attention to those failure modes. And the grand-daddy of self-preventing prophecy--\u003ci\u003eNineteen Eighty-Four\u003c\/i\u003e--girded countless citizens to stay wary of Big Brother. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e   It''s not been all dire warnings. While optimism is much harder to dramatize than apocalypse, both large and small screens have also encouraged millions to lift their gaze, contemplating how we might get better, incrementally, or else raise grandchildren worthy of the stars. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e   Come along on a quirky quest for unusual insights into the power of forward-looking media. How the romantic\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAcknowledgments\tvi\u003cbr\u003ePrologue: Science Fiction and Cinema: Saving the Future \u003cbr\u003eby Believing There Will Be One\t1\u003cbr\u003ePart One: A Flickering Light on the World\u003cbr\u003e 1. The ­Self-Preventing Prophecy: How a Dose of Nightmare Might Tame Tomorrow's Perils\t9\u003cbr\u003e 2. Society and Citizens Are Fools! The Favorite Cliché of Cinema and Fiction\t15\u003cbr\u003e 3. 2001: A Space Odyssey: Shining Light on How Far We've Come\t27\u003cbr\u003e 4. Living in a Science Fictional World: Biology and Destiny and Life 'n' Such\t32\u003cbr\u003e 5. A Quirky ­Must-See Guide to Science Fiction Movies\t44\u003cbr\u003ePart Two: Admirable (But Flawed) Blockbusters\u003cbr\u003e 6. J'accuse George Lucas … or Zola Meets Yoda\t51\u003cbr\u003e 7. Avatar. Just Avatar.\t75\u003cbr\u003e 8. The Lord of the Rings: J.R.R. Tolkien vs. the Modern Age\t89\u003cbr\u003ePart Three: Grinding Axes\u003cbr\u003e 9. Roll Over, Frank Miller: Street Kids Are Better Than Those 300 Spartans!\t101\u003cbr\u003e10. Atlas Shrugged: The Hidden Context of the Book and Film\t107\u003cbr\u003e11. Demigods and \"Chosen Ones\" … Would It Hurt If Humanity Got to Play, Too?\t117\u003cbr\u003e12. Getting Science Fictional About a Better World: Marxists and Feminists and Feudalists and Libertarians, Oh My!\t122\u003cbr\u003ePart Four: Heroes and Villains\u003cbr\u003e13. Name That Villain: Bad Guys and Aliens in ­Sci-Fi Movies\t135\u003cbr\u003e14. King Kong Is Back! The Ape in the Mirror\t141\u003cbr\u003e15. The Matrix: Tomorrow May Be Different\t148\u003cbr\u003e16. A ­Mini-Rant: Why All Those Zombies Mean You'd Better Vote!\t159\u003cbr\u003e17. Buffy the ­Old-Fashioned Hero\t162\u003cbr\u003ePart Five: Dark Visions and Hope\u003cbr\u003e18. Dune: What This Classic Teaches About \"Point of View\"\t165\u003cbr\u003e19. The Postman: The Book vs. the Movie\t172\u003cbr\u003e20. Man Against Machine: Surrogates, Clones and Dittos\t177\u003cbr\u003e21. Gravity: Unbearable Lightness … but Solid Storytelling\t198\u003cbr\u003e22. Great Opening Lines from Science Fiction Tales\t202\u003cbr\u003e23. From Metaphor to Movie Magic—or Why We're Such Good Liars\t205\u003cbr\u003eChapter Notes\t221\u003cbr\u003eIndex\t225\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"McFarland \u0026 Co Inc","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51040484852055,"sku":"9781476683386","price":20.89,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781476683386.jpg?v=1750946900","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/vivid-tomorrows-9781476683386","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}