Story of Your Life by Ted Chiang (fyp.uoregon.edu)
from Lacanoodle@literature.cafe to shortstories@literature.cafe on 26 Mar 2024 17:16
https://literature.cafe/post/8334962

Maybe my favourite short story ever. Def top 5. The story on which the incredible Dennis Vellenuve movie Arrival is based. Which is also my favorite movie. Basically I couldnt recommend this story enough!

#shortstories

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Donjuanme@lemmy.world on 26 Mar 2024 18:25 next collapse

My wife’s favorite movie as well, at least in her top 3.

It’s my favorite alien first contact movie since independence Day. First time I read the story I was amazed at how much the movie nailed it, it definitely helps that it’s such a short story (I highly suggest everybody read it), the few parts that were dropped were highly conceptual and the movie was already bleeding edge conceptual. It’s far and away the most realistically written human reactions to first contact.

It has set the bar for what I want to feel from the “project hail Mary” movie. Another book that should be read by fans of quasi realistic science fiction.

Lacanoodle@literature.cafe on 27 Mar 2024 02:06 collapse

I did have one issue with the movies ending, it completely flipped the philosophy of the story imo. What was meant to be an acceptance of fate and a deterministic view instead offered free will. Its still my favorite movie lol but that change makes it different.

I have somehow not yet seen indepemdence day! Will get to that too. Would love to hear you top 3, movies and short stories.

Oh I forgot, Ryan Gosling is gonna be in the project hail mary movie isn’t he. I wouldn’t expect much from it.

Donjuanme@lemmy.world on 27 Mar 2024 18:45 collapse

One should never expect much from movies based on books, but let’s not write off a movie because of it’s lead, Jim Carrey did eternal Sunshine of the spotless mind, and did it pretty well despite that definitely not being his style going into it.

Independence Day is a different take on the alien invasion, it’s nowhere near as philosophical or nuanced as arrival, but imo it’s another valid take about how it would be going down. There’s a “throwaway” line that got cut that really hurts the plot, but I’m not sure how to convey it without risking spoilers (something I’m highly adverse to)

Top 3 movies of mine would have to be: ‘the usual suspects’, ‘love actually’ and … Hmmm, ‘my cousin Vinny’ a very 90s set of movies, but I’m a child of that era.

Short stories are going to be ‘the last question’ ‘the story of your life’, and ‘i don’t know Timmy, being God is a big responsibility’ (although the boy who predicted earthquakes hotly contends spot 3). All 3 are easily consumed in a short break, and provoke substantial thought.

Lacanoodle@literature.cafe on 28 Mar 2024 05:53 collapse

Oh no I seemed to have misphrased my original statememt. I font think the lead changes much barring the potential to get funded and marketing. And I do like Gosling. The reason I dont ecpect much is bc it appears to be a cash grab more than a project on it’s own.

Tho I will say I also loved External Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Truman Show and never liked any Jim Carrey movie.

I do like your choice of short stories, though I haven’t read ‘I don’t know timmy …’. Really think you would lobe Borges. You ought to search borges in this community and you’ll find some of his stories I’ve posted.

That’s funny, I was just talking about how the Usual Suspects has aged yesterday with a friend. That really is a very era specific taste!

Donjuanme@lemmy.world on 26 Mar 2024 18:26 collapse

Curious to your favorite short stories, as you appear to have excellent taste and I would love to read more of what you enjoy. Personally my favorite is “the last question” users.ece.cmu.edu/~gamvrosi/thelastq.html if you haven’t read it please take a peek, it’s a ten minute read, that blows anything before or since out of the water imo

NataliePortland@lemmy.ca on 26 Mar 2024 20:57 next collapse

That was good! thanks fro sharing

Donjuanme@lemmy.world on 26 Mar 2024 21:42 collapse

I wish he could’ve lived to see where we’ve gotten to with Moore’s law. It was well on its way when he passed, but he wrote that before there were humans in space.

Lacanoodle@literature.cafe on 27 Mar 2024 01:53 collapse

Thanks, I’ve posted a few of my favorites on here, works of Chiang and Borges are probably my favorite. Just generally love conceptual stuff.

Love Asimov, will read that today. Thanks for sharing!