ks@astrovax.UUCP (Karl Stapelfeldt) (05/01/84)
I have just learned heard something absolutely terrible about the upcoming
film "2010: Odyssey 2", and I heard it directly from Arthur himself (appearing
at GWU SEDS April 30). Arthur says that the writer of the screenplay for his
film will be Peter Hyams. Who is he, you say? You're not going to like it.
Peter Hyams wrote and directed "Capricorn One", the biggest piece of anti-space
filth ever brought to deface the silver screen. And it wasn't a good adventure
story either, even if you don't mind the political intonations. Arthur says
that he's never met Hyams, but will meet him soon. Evidently MGM assigned him
to the project. My expectations for the film have dropped greatly.
We are also told that Tony Banks (??) will be writing an original score
for the film, i.e. not much old classical music will be used.dp@astrovax.UUCP (Debbie Padgett) (05/02/84)
I also recall that Hyams was responsible for OUTLAND, the Connery vehicle which concerned mining operations on Io (ha!). Not only was the film a blatant copy of HIGH NOON and ALIEN (at least in its set design), it was also one of the more scientifically ignorant science fiction films that I have seen. For example, no one could forget the amazing exploding miners who seemed to blow up the very instant they were exposed to vacuum and the ludicrous idea of an underground mining operation on Io, which has so much volcanic activity that it resurfaces itself on the order of every million years or so (for those who don't recall, Io is the innermost large moon of Jupiter). I find his selection as director for 2010 most amusing since he so thoroughly botched scientific details covered competently in 2001 (humans in a vacuum without spacesuits; see also Clarke's EARTHLIGHT) and vital to 2010 (screwing up descriptions of the Jovian moons). Good luck, Arthur; you're going to need it with this guy!
ks@astrovax.UUCP (Karl Stapelfeldt) (05/02/84)
Debbie, all we know for certain at this point is that Hyams is 2010's screenplay writer. I wouldn't be surprised if he was both (since he also directs), but Arthur C. mentioned only his screenplay employment.
dp@astrovax.UUCP (Debbie Padgett) (05/02/84)
Does anyone know who Tony Banks is and what he has written? For that matter, does anyone know who is writing the scores for the following films?: DUNE STAR TREK III GREMLINS FIRESTARTER Thanks in advance.
oscar@utcsrgv.UUCP (Oscar M. Nierstrasz) (05/02/84)
Peter Hyams, the screenwriter for 2010, also directed Outland(ish), a passable space-western with Sean Connery. I guess that's not much of a recommendation, but then you didn't expect anything that would match 2001 anyway, did you? Oscar Nierstrasz
cbspt005@abnjh.UUCP (Eric Carter) (05/02/84)
All I know is that Tony Banks is writing an electronic score for 2010.
"Dune"'s score is still up in the air, although I have heard that Sting may
write some music for it.
"Gremlins" score was done by the wonderful (and prodigious) Jerry Goldsmith.
"Star Trek III" was scored by James Horner ("ST II").
Incidentally, Peter Hyams is wearing three hats in 2010, producer, director and
writer.cbspt005@abnjh.UUCP (Eric Carter) (05/02/84)
I forgot one, "Firestarter" was scored by Tangerine Dream, the German electronic music group, whose latest work was "The Keep". -Eric Carter AT&T-IS Morristown, NJ allegra!abnjh!cbspt005
jonab@sdcrdcf.UUCP (05/02/84)
In article <324@astrovax.UUCP> dp@astrovax.UUCP writes: >I also recall that Hyams was responsible for OUTLAND, the Connery vehicle >which concerned mining operations on Io (ha!). >I find his selection as director for 2010 most amusing since he so thoroughly >botched scientific details covered competently in 2001 (humans in a vacuum >without spacesuits; see also Clarke's EARTHLIGHT) and vital to 2010 (screwing >up descriptions of the Jovian moons). Good luck, Arthur; you're going to >need it with this guy! There is one thing that should save this production: Clark has already written 2010 with good science in it. If Hyams can just follow the book, he won't have to show whether he has a limit knowledge of science or not; he can just get it right. Jon Biggar {allegra,burdvax,cbosgd,hplabs,ihnp4,sdccsu3}!sdcrdcf!jonab
julian@osu-dbs.UUCP (Julian Gomez) (05/03/84)
In mild defense of Hyams, he couldn't have known about the volcanic activity on Io, since "Outland" came out before the Voyager 1 discoveries in January 1979. Please don't take this as a real defense of him; I thought "Capri---- One" was one of the worst movies ever made, ranking right up there with "Damnation Alley". It's a crime that he has anything to do with "2010".
ab3@stat-l (Rsk the Wombat) (05/03/84)
Tony Banks; isn't that fellow from Flash and Yes? Or has this
image-processing project warped my mind so much that I can't tell
Tony Kaye and Peter Banks apart?
Well, anyway, if that's him, he's quite a musician. Listen to
the 1st Yes album.
Confusedly,
--
Rsk the Wombat
UUCP: { allegra, decvax, ihnp4, harpo, teklabs, ucbvax } !pur-ee!rsk
{ cornell, eagle, hplabs, ittvax, lanl-a, ncrday } !purdue!rskspaf@gatech.UUCP (Gene Spafford) (05/04/84)
There is a Tony Banks who is the keyboard player for Genesis.
Could this be the person doing the soundtrack to 2010?
--
Off the Wall of Gene Spafford
The Clouds Project, School of ICS, Georgia Tech, Atlanta GA 30332
CSNet: Spaf @ GATech ARPA: Spaf.GATech @ CSNet-Relay
uucp: ...!{akgua,allegra,rlgvax,sb1,unmvax,ulysses,ut-sally}!gatech!spaf
"Give me a lever long enough, and a place to stand, and I'll break my lever."cbspt005@abnjh.UUCP (Eric Carter) (05/04/84)
I, for one, found Capricorn One to be a very entertaining film. The friends of mine who I saw it with also found it very diverting, and we're all EXTREMELY pro-space, etc. Eric Carter AT&T-IS S.Plainfield,NJ allegra!abnjh!cbspt005
barry@ames-lm.UUCP (05/04/84)
[] >I also recall that Hyams was responsible for OUTLAND, the Connery vehicle >which concerned mining operations on Io (ha!). Not only was the film a >blatant copy of HIGH NOON and ALIEN (at least in its set design), it was also >one of the more scientifically ignorant science fiction films that I have >seen. For example, no one could forget the amazing exploding miners who seemed >to blow up the very instant they were exposed to vacuum and the ludicrous >idea of an underground mining operation on Io, which has so much volcanic >activity that it resurfaces itself on the order of every million years or so >(for those who don't recall, Io is the innermost large moon of Jupiter). >I find his selection as director for 2010 most amusing since he so thoroughly >botched scientific details covered competently in 2001 (humans in a vacuum >without spacesuits; see also Clarke's EARTHLIGHT) and vital to 2010 (screwing >up descriptions of the Jovian moons). Good luck, Arthur; you're going to >need it with this guy! While I share your opinion of OUTLAND, I must, in fairness, correct some misimpressions you have. First, OUTLAND cannot be a "blatant copy" of ALIEN, since it was released *before* ALIEN. Second, the Voyager missions to Jupiter did not arrive there until after OUTLAND was made, and your information about Io, while correct, was known to no one at the time. Finally, a minor point. Even if 2001 was accurate in suggesting that an unprotected human can survive a vacuum for a minute or so (it sounds right to me, but I'm not an authority, nor is Clarke), it was still a work of fiction, and should not be considered the Gospel of space travel without supporting evidence. Science and science fiction are two different things. Which brings to mind an amusing anecdote that Isaac Asimov has told about 2001. Asimov's "Three Laws of Robotics" were accepted as standard in science fiction long before 2001 opened. He relates that, when he first saw the film, he became very upset when HAL did in the Discovery's crew, and left the theater muttering "they violated the Three Laws; they VIOLATED the THREE LAWS!". Whereupon a friend said to him, "Well, why don't you just strike them down with lightning, Isaac?" Regards, Kenn Barry NASA-Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Electric Avenue: {dual,hao,menlo70,hplabs}!ames-lm!barry
ks@astrovax.UUCP (Karl Stapelfeldt) (05/05/84)
I don't know how ANYONE, ANYWHERE can claim to have enjoyed "Capricorn
One" and also be pro-space. It is not possible. The movie portrays NASA
in the worst possible terms. I have *never* seen anything so derogatory
to the space program (and that includes William Proxmire) put in the public
domain. The film has a predictable plot; Elliot Gould is inept and miscast
as an investigative reporter; the astronauts have practically no characters;
the hardware needed to fly to Mars is supposedly Apollo Saturn V's, CM's, and
LEM's. This film makes me sick.
The story is based on the single supposition that NASA would fabricate a
Mars mission in order to get it to fly on time (instead of slipping the launch
due to hardware problems.) Anyone who is at all familiar with NASA's philosophy
on mission scheduling would know that (1) Launches can be scrubbed at any time,
even with tens of millions of people watching; (2) Programs will be delayed
for any necessary length of time in order to assure the proper functioning
of the spacecraft. Apollo delayed a year after the 1967 fire, despite the
risk that the U.S.S.R. might get to the moon first and that we might not
get there "by the end of the decade". Hyams' story is completely out of
character for NASA; he seems to have never heard of NASA's policy requiring that
civilian space activities be conducted in the open. I could never believe
a bit of the story; I am simply astonished that something so slanderous could
have been pushed on the public as "entertainment". Worse yet, it was kicking
NASA when it was down (in the mid-1970's), underfunded, and ignored.
"Outland" certainly does not add to Hyams' resume. Except for the
the ridiculousness of his exploding people, Hyams' work here is completely
forgettable.
Mr. Hyams now has in his hands the power to destroy one of the best
opportunities for a space film that will come in this decade. My only hope
is that an aging Arthur Clarke has found the energy to supervise the
screenplay. If not, this film will probably look more like a successor to
"Lost in Space" than to "2001".swr@utastro.UUCP (05/06/84)
Outland was released in 1981, two years after the release of Alien. Thus, it seems quite plausible that at least some of Outland, especially, its look, was inspired by Alien. As for the choice of Io as a location for the film, the first Voyager spacecraft flew by Saturn in November of 1980, which may or may not have been in time to affect Outland. As for Hyams, there is no doubt he has been a miserable failure in the past in dealing with science themes, but I am willing to give him the benefit of the doubt on 2010. We'll just have to wait and see. Personally, I think the only currently active director who could possibly do justice to a 2001 sequel is Ridley Scott.
dp@astrovax.UUCP (Deborah L. Padgett) (05/06/84)
I believe that if you check the release dates that you will find that ALIEN was released the summer of 1979 (which enabled it to steal the visual effects Oscar from the more deserving ST-TMP). OUTLAND was not released until 1981 (I think), well after both ALIEN and the Voyager 1 flyby. Although the screenplay was probably written before this event, I have always suspected that OUTLAND wished to capitalize on NASA's publicity (not that this was wrong in any sense). I apologize for giving you the impression that I consider Arthur C. an absolute authority on human beings in a vacuum; I could look up several reports by NASA and the Air Force on this subject if you wish (after I finish my senior thesis). However, I was simply attempting to avoid a discussion on this flaw in OUTLAND which had already occurred several hundred messages ago (or was that in net.space?). As an astrophysics major headed for Caltech next year, I assure you that any science fiction that I accept as gospel must have significant scientific credentials behind its writing (or be printed in Astrophysical Journal). I have found that Clarke usually does his homework, but checking up on him is a favorite pastime of mine. If you're interested, I refer you to a paper on the habitability of Europa published in last Nov. issue of ICARUS which cited Clarke as a reference; it was written by Reynolds, Squyres, Colburn, and McKay at (guess where?) Ames Research Center.
rh@mit-eddie.UUCP (05/07/84)
astrovax!ks mentioning "Lost in Space" just gave me a horrifying vision (don't let Hollywood here us say this...), "Lost in Space: The Motion Picture." GAK!!!! If they got away with that, they'd make a feature-length flick out of "Gilligan's Island." Double GAK!!!! -- Randwulf (Randy Haskins); Path= genrad!mit-eddie!rh
barry@ames-lm.UUCP (05/07/84)
[]
Oops - apologies for disinformation. I am informed that "Alien" came
out prior to "Outland". Guess I was fooled by "Alien" being fresh in my mind,
while "Outland" seemed stale immediately after seeing it.
As for the Voyager photos, it's ambiguous; hard to say if the Io
photos came out in time to affect the movie.
After this, I'll check references before writing. You folks are
quick!
Kenn Barry
NASA-Ames Research Center
Moffett Field, CA
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Electric Avenue: {dual,hao,menlo70,hplabs}!ames-lm!barryjackh@zehntel.UUCP (05/07/84)
> Asimov's "Three Laws of Robotics" were accepted as > standard in science fiction long before 2001 opened. He relates that, > when he first saw the film, he became very upset when HAL did in the > Discovery's crew, and left the theater muttering "they violated the > Three Laws; they VIOLATED the THREE LAWS!". Actually, HAL didn't violate *all* three laws, just one and two (one: a robot may not harm a human or throught inaction allow him/her to come to harm; two: a robot must obey all orders given to it except where it conflicts the first law). He also violated the hierarchy by placing law three (a robot must protect it's own existance except when it conflicts the first two laws) ahead of the first two. -- Jack Hagerty EIC Robotics Zehntel Inc. inhp4!zehntel!jackh
crd55611@ihuxk.UUCP (Chuck Dobrovolny) (05/08/84)
***
Well, if this Tony Banks is the same Tony Banks that I'm thinking of, he
plays keyboards for Genesis.
C.R.Dobrovolny
ihuxk!crd55611reza@ihuxb.UUCP (H. Reza Taheri) (05/10/84)
> astrovax!ks mentioning "Lost in Space" just gave me a horrifying > vision (don't let Hollywood here us say this...), "Lost in Space: > The Motion Picture." GAK!!!! If they got away with that, they'd > make a feature-length flick out of "Gilligan's Island." Double > GAK!!!! > -- > Randwulf (Randy Haskins); Path= genrad!mit-eddie!rh Well Randy, I got news for you! There was a feature-length flick made out of "Gilligan's Island". Mind you, a TV movie, but still a movie. Our heros are saved, but upon return to civilization they face a number of deep social (-:)) problems in adjusting to their new (old) world. After a while they have a reunion and go for a cruise, when the sky suddenly turns black and there is thunder and high waves and guess where our heros end up again?!! Great plot, hah? They just don't make movies-based-on-old-TV-shows like the old days. H. Reza Taheri ...!ihnp4!ihuxb!reza (312)-979-1040
jdb@qubix.UUCP (Jeff Bulf) (05/10/84)
> From: barry@ames-lm.UUCP > As for the Voyager photos, it's ambiguous; hard to say if the Io > photos came out in time to affect the movie. I don't think so, Barry. I remember the Voyager pictures of Io being in my mind going into Outland. In fact the evidence is right there in the movie: the "cheese pizza" appearance of Io was unknown before Voyager 1. The best images of Io before that, (from Pioneers 10 & 11) showed only a fuzzy, colorless blob. -- Dr Memory ...{decvax,ucbvax,ihnp4}!decwrl!qubix!jdb