Dark Horizons

Continuum- A continuous extent, series, or whole. 
Critical Dystopia- Pessimism of general dystopia with a militant or utopian stance that not only breaks through the hegemonic enclosure of the text's alternative world but also self-reflexively refuses the anti-utopian temptation that lingers in every dystopian account.


Antinomies- A contradiction between two beliefs or conclusions that are in themselves reasonable 

Hegemomic Ideology- Society being dominated by one person, one group, or one power.


Cyberpunch- Science fiction featuring extensive human interaction withsupercomputers and a punk ambiance.

Nihilism- The rejection of all religious and moral principles, often in the belief that life is meaningless
Critical Dystopia- A dystopia written in response to a social event or social change, often exaggerating actual events in a dystopic scenario.

Anti-Utopia- Works that counteract utopias.


Cyberpunk-  A genre of science fiction set in a lawless subculture of an oppressive society dominated by computer technology

Dystopia- An imagined place or state in which everything is unpleasant or bad, typically a totalitarian or environmentally degraded one

Utopia- An imagined place or state of things in which everything is perfect

Chapter 1: Utopia's in Dark Times
Talks about the origins of a Utopia. How it shows up when there are times of sadness and acts to criticize society of the day. Consists of multiple letters back and forth between Ruth Levitas and Lucy Sargisson. Debate the very idea of utopian ideology and use recent real world events to depict our dystopian life.


Chapter 2: Genre Blending and Critical Dystopia
This chapter explains of the important events in our world, and the major impacts they had on Sci-Fi as a genre. Books such as: The Day of the Drones, All my Darling Daughters, and Dhalgren talk of dystopian realities. 

Analyzing Literature-To-Film Adaptations

Analyzing Literature-To-Film Adaptations:

Mise-en-Scene: All that appears on stage. In film, all that is shown during each frame. Extremely important within  film. Refers to all components placed in front of the camera: sets, lighting, costuming, makeup, props, placement of objects and people, and actors' gestures and movements.

Cinematography: The single image that is seen on the screen before the film cuts to the next image. A single continuous scene that documents uninterrupted action. Shots involved
(LS): Shows full human figure(s). Often dwarfed by a backdrop.
(ELS): The human figure is barely distinguishable.
(MS): Human figure from the waist up.
(MLS): Human figure from the knees up.
(MCU): Human figure from the chest up.
(CU): Focuses on a single part of the human, often the face.
(ECU): Focuses on a single portion of the face.

Editing: The linking together of one shot to the next, showing a logically connection the the two. The act of choosing the best shots taken, and compiling them together to form scenes, and eventually the entire film. Types:
Cut: Two shots are spliced together
Dissolve: Joins two shots together by blending them.
Fade-in: The begining of the shot gradually goes from dark to light. Converse is fade-out
Wipe: Line moves across the image to gradually clear one shot and introduce another.
Jump Cut: A continues shot that is suddenly broken in that one shot is abruptly replaced by another that is mismatched.

Sound: There are four types of sound in film. The rhythm of sound  might be parallel to the rhythm of the editing.
Speech: Dialogue. Spoken by the actors onscreen
Music: Refers to the score that establishes patterns throughout the scene, a sequence, or the entire film. Evokes emotional response.
Sound Effects: Noises made by the people and objects in each scene shown.
Silence: The absence of sounds in a scene is called a dead track and often surprises the audience.

Top 10 Science Fiction

1. Evangelion: The central works of the franchise feature an apocalyptic mecha action story which revolves around the efforts by the paramilitary organization Nerv to fight hostile beings called Angels. Nerv's primary weapon against the Angels are giant mecha called Evangelions which are piloted by select teenagers, one of whom, Shinji Ikari, is the primary protagonist. It won several major animation awards. Deals with a post apocalyptic world. Not only my top Sci-Fi of all time, but my top series of all time.  

2. Ghost in the Shell: Again, Japanese Animation. But a absolute fantastic movie. The movie was applauded as one of the first anime films to seamlessly blend computer and cell animation. It was one of the first anime features to cross over to non-anime fans in North America. Ghost in the Shell made an impression on a number of filmmakers. Larry and Andy Wachowski, the creators of The Matrix and its sequels, showed it to producer Joel Silver, saying "we wanna do that for real." Director James Cameron has called it "the first truly adult animation film to reach a level of literary and visual excellence."

3. District 9: It may be new, but it is one of my favorite movies. District 9 is a 2009 science fiction thriller film directed by Neill Blomkamp. It was written by Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell, and produced by Peter Jackson and Carolynne Cunningham. It was nominated for four Academy Awards in 2010, including Best Picture,Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Visual Effects, and Best Editing.
4. Alien:  One of the most well known Science Fiction movies of all time, Alien is a 1979 science fiction horror film directed by Ridley Scott. The success of Alien spawned a media franchise of novels, comic books, video games, and toys, as well as three sequel and two prequel films.


5. Invasion of the Body Snatchers: A timeless movie. My father is a film fanatic, and introduced me. Invasion of the Body Snatchers is a 1956 science fiction film based on the novel The Body Snatchers by Jack Finney. The film also placed number 47 on AFI's 100 Years... 100 Thrills, a list of America's most heart-pounding films.

6. Back to the Future: A timeless classic. Back to the Future is a 1985 American science-fiction comedy film. When released, Back to the Future became the most successful film of the year, grossing more than $380 million worldwide and receiving critical acclaim. It won the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation and the Saturn Award for Best Science Fiction Film, as well as Academy Awards, and Golden Globe nominations among others.


7. Inception: This is one of those movies that you get lost during, and you don't even mind. It was just too good. Inception is a 2010 science fiction action heist film, written, co-produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan. Development began roughly nine years before Inception was released, and then became a box office success. The film grossed over $21 million on its opening day, with an opening weekend gross of $62.7 million. Overall, Inception has grossed over $800 million worldwide and is currently one of the highest-grossing films of all time.

8. Serenity: I was so disheartened when Firefly was canceled. When they were allowed to make a movie, I was ecstatic. I adored the series, and the movie gave me something to close the Firefly chapter. Serenity is a 2005 space western film written and directed by Joss Whedon. It is a continuation of the short-lived 2002 Fox science fiction television series Firefly, taking place after the events of the final episode. 


9. The Terminator: Great, great, movie. The Terminator is a 1984 science fiction action film directed by James Cameron. Though not expected to be either a commercial or critical success, The Terminator topped the American box office for two weeks and helped launch the film careers of James Cameron and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

10. The Matrix: Also one of the most widely known Science fiction movies. I struggled to even put it on this list, since I found the other two movies to be much, much, worse than the first. The Matrix is a 1999 science fiction-action film written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski. The film depicts a future in which reality as perceived by most humans is actually a simulated reality created by sentient machines to pacify and subdue the human population, while their bodies' heat and electrical activity are used as an energy source.The film contains many references to the cyberpunk and hacker subcultures;