Enders Game - THE MOVIE coming this year! (oh, and a whole bunch of other sic-fi flicks)

http://io9.com/5972738/77-science-fiction-and-fantasy-movies-to-watch-out-for-in-2013?utm_source=deadspin.com&utm_medium=recirculation&utm_campaign=recirculation

A bunch of promising movies listed but this is the one that got my attention....

Ender's Game (Nov. 1)

"Ender" Wiggin is a child prodigy who gets recruited to a very special program — but it's even more special than he realized, in the adaptation of Orson Scott Card's acclaimed novel.

Outlook: Everyone involved with this film seems to be obsessed with doing justice to the book, and the level of attention to detail is pretty astounding. Plus Harrison Ford is playing Col. Graff.

I can only hope the movie does it justice...but I suspect it will be hollywooded up.

Personally, I'm looking forward to Horns.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1528071/

The book was a fun read.

Found more info now that I know to look...

http://insidemovies.ew.com/2012/12/05/enders-game-exclusive-first-look/

Bringing to life those “complicated” emotions was made easier by the fact that the recruits in the film are a bit older than the Launchies in the novel, who arrive at the Battle School when they are just six and grow into young adults. “I discussed this at length with Orson,” says Hood. “The decision was made very early on to compress the time period into about a year, so that we could have the same actor from beginning to end… We were trying to hit that sweet spot right around 12, which Asa fits in very nicely.”

I'm a little concerned by this because so much of the impact of the story in the book comes from such a young child making such brutal choices as intentionally beating down a bully so bad that he will never want to fight Ender again (read the book for the full story). I'm also concerned that they don't get preachy. The book raises questions about the brutality of war but never tries to supply answers. But if they are dedicated to the original and Card is on board, so am I.

Just found more info on Horns. Looks pretty damned good.

http://insidemovies.ew.com/2012/10/02/daniel-radcliffe-horns-exclusive/

One of my favorite books as a kid. They better not **** this up.

http://entertainment.slashdot.org/story/13/05/07/2053224/enders-game-trailer-released?utm_source=slashdot&utm_medium=twitter

Ender's Game Trailer Released

The first trailer has been released for the movie adaptation of Orson Scott Card's sci-fi classic Ender's Game. It gives us a good look at Harrison Ford as Colonel Graff, Ben Kingsley as Mazer Rackham, and Hugo's Asa Butterfield as Ender. It also demonstrates just how much money they put into the special effects for this movie.

Never read the book and I have no knowledge of the backstory, but that looks like a real interesting movie.

http://entertainment.slashdot.org/story/13/05/07/2053224/enders-game-trailer-released?utm_source=slashdot&utm_medium=twitter

Mixed feelings here. I see some scenes and hear some quotes that were not in the book which always makes me scared after the way Dune was horribly mangled by the movie. And I hate that they show the targeting of the planet in the trailer. The battle room looks cool though and I'm counting on some good acting to pull it together because sci-fi or not, it's still a human story.

Oh yeah, also strange that they took the first battle with the buggers out of space (where it happened in the book) and brought it into earth's atmosphere. I guess it was easier to create a dramatic scene that brings home how close the humans came to losing.

I don't think there's any way they can possibly get all of the concepts of the novel, into one movie.

Which doesn't mean it won't be a good movie, though.

Just saw some commercials for the movie, which is coming out on the 1st.

Thought it was worth a bump.

Looking at trailers and clips on IMDB, I think they've blown the biggest surprise of the film, and by far the most dramatic moment. But then, I know what the surprise is, so maybe I'm seeing it, but other people won't.

I'll stick to what I said, months ago. To me, there's WAY more concepts in the book, than can possibly fit into a movie. But, I've gone to the IMDB page. I look at the cast, and I see that they've cast people to play, for example, Stillson and Bernard (who, I think, are very significant to the character).  And to play Bonzo and Alai, who I think were really minor characters in the books.  (Although fleshed out a lot in later ones.) 

I usually feel nervous, when I see a book I really like made into a movie.  Because it's almost always worse. 

But it really looks like they're seriously going to at least try to do this one right. 

I've read that they did make one major change from the book.  In the books, Ender was sent to Battle School at like age 8 or so, and spent years being trained.  The producers decided that that would be too hard to film.  They'd need actors to play all of the kids at age 8, and then at age 10, and then different actors for age 13 or so.  So they decided to compress things, and make all the kids young teens. 

That's a change, but I'm willing to forgive them that one. 

Not holding out a whole lot of hope for this one. Loved the book. Actually, loved all of Ender's Series. This looks too lense flare, Starship Troopers to really capture the book. Plus, Ender is too old.

Oh, I thought the effects looked spectacular, to me.

I think they've altered some of the technology. The timing. The implications of Relativistic time distortion, the Ansible. I think, in the books, it was like 200 years after Mazr Rackman's victory. One of the trailers now says it's like 80 years.

But I'm not really sure that that change really affects the story much. Just like putting the first battle in Earth's atmosphere, and having Mazr flying a jet. It's a change, but it might not affect the story much.

Just like, in Starship Troopers. The most famous thing in the book, was powered combat armor. They completely left it out of the movie, and I agree with the decision. They left the tech out of the movie, and showed more of the character, instead.

I expected to LOATHE Starship Troopers. Instead, I felt they did a much better job than I thought was possible.

I can only hope the movie does it justice...but I suspect it will be hollywooded up.

Personally, I'm looking forward to Horns.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1528071/

The book was a fun read.

i just plucked this from the library.

Starts off interestingly enough.

I'm looking forward to the miniseries of "The Terror".. the book was great, Ridley Scott involved, I think.

~Bang

I expected to LOATHE Starship Troopers. Instead, I felt they did a much better job than I thought was possible.

Wat

I'm no longer looking forward to the movie.

Having read the book about a dozen times, it looks to me like they screwed it up. But I have bigger issues....

Orson Scott Card Outdoes Himself With Insane, Racist Rant

 

 

Last time around, Card was criticized for saying that "there are no laws left standing that discriminate against gay couples" and suggesting that being gay is a choice. He also expressed his opposition to same-sex marriage, saying "I will act to destroy that government and bring it down, so it can be replaced with a government that will respect and support marriage, and help me raise my children in a society where they will expect to marry in their turn.”

More of his insanity....

 

 

Obama will claim we need a national police force in order to fight terrorism and crime. The Boston bombing is a useful start, especially when combined with random shootings by crazy people.

Where will he get his "national police"? The NaPo will be recruited from "young out-of-work urban men" and it will be hailed as a cure for the economic malaise of the inner cities.

In other words, Obama will put a thin veneer of training and military structure on urban gangs, and send them out to channel their violence against Obama's enemies.

I used to respect card so much. Now I just want to burn every book of his that I own. I can never look at anything he has written with the same respect again. Everything he has written is bull ****.  And if you have read any of his follow up books to enders game, you understand what I'm saying. 

Believe it or not, when I rate a book, I don't research the author's political views. 

Well, unless they're in the story, like pretty much every book Heinlein ever wrote.  And heck, I like them. 

(And I've read every single one of the follow up books.  I don't think they're great.  Not sure I'd put the "great" label on Ender's Game.  But I think it might be a contender.) 

Believe it or not, when I rate a book, I don't research the author's political views. 

 

Well, unless they're in the story, like pretty much every book Heinlein ever wrote.  And heck, I like them. 

 

(And I've read every single one of the follow up books.  I don't think they're great.  Not sure I'd put the "great" label on Ender's Game.  But I think it might be a contender.) 

With Heinlan they weren't really his political views but those of the female he was sleeping with at the time

So I am bumping this.....never saw the movie and being stationed overseas, I forgot about it. Something reminded me the other day about it and now I'm looking for reviews. Thanks in advance.

I was amazed at how much of the book they managed to squeeze into the movie. I figured they would have to leave 3/4 of it out, to make it fit.

Having said that? It really didn't do much for me. Not really sure why.

Maybe there are simply elements of the book that can't be done quickly. Things like Ender's isolation.

I was a big fan of the enders series and was looking forward to this movie.  The book seemed like it would be tough to translate into movie script, and supposedly was attempted several times before with OSC rejecting them all. 

After seeing the move I was pretty happy with the result, a decent movie, and as well done as could be hoped.  I guess. 

As for OSC's political views.... who cares. 

I already knew, going in, that they had made some changes. The big one was that in the book, Ender was like 8 when he was taken to battle school, and in his teens at the end.

Obviously, the movie people weren't going to hire 20, eight year old actors, and another 20 13 year olds, who all look like the first bunch.

I was amazed at how much of the book they managed to squeeze into the movie. I figured they would have to leave 3/4 of it out, to make it fit.

Having said that? It really didn't do much for me. Not really sure why.

Maybe there are simply elements of the book that can't be done quickly. Things like Ender's isolation.

It was an ok movie but I think the let down has some to do with them botching how the twist at/very near the end was done. 

Never read the book.

Only saw the movie, as such I have no reference point.

That said, the movie seemed action/event driven rather than character driven. They tried to do some character stuff but there just didn't seem like much time for it before they jumped to the next event.

Saw the ending coming though so that didn't surprise me.

6 out of 10 stars.

Maybe if I read the book (or knew there was a book) previous to viewing the movie I might have developed more of an affinity for the characters. As it is they all seemed pretty stale and one dimensional. The only one that grows is Ender, even then it seems a very linear growth pattern, that seemed too simple.

Well, the fact that they put the surprise ending in the trailers might have reduced the surprise.

Yeah, there was a whole lot more character in the book. (I'd still recommend reading it, even though you know the surprise.)