Great Movies and Series [Not Sci-Fi]

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SUMMARY

This discussion highlights several acclaimed movies and series, particularly focusing on female-led narratives. Key titles include "The Queen's Gambit," which follows Beth Harmon, a chess prodigy battling addiction, and "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," showcasing Miriam "Midge" Maisel's journey into stand-up comedy in the late 1950s. Other notable mentions are "Orange is the New Black," "City of God," and "The Kominsky Method." Participants express their preferences for entertainment that balances artistic merit with engaging storytelling, often favoring character-driven plots over traditional sci-fi narratives.

PREREQUISITES
  • Familiarity with Netflix original series and their cultural impact
  • Understanding of character development in film and television
  • Knowledge of the historical context of the 1950s and Cold War era
  • Awareness of genre distinctions, particularly between drama, comedy, and sci-fi
NEXT STEPS
  • Explore the themes and character arcs in "The Queen's Gambit"
  • Analyze the cultural significance of "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" in modern comedy
  • Research the impact of "Orange is the New Black" on discussions of gender and race in media
  • Investigate the storytelling techniques used in "City of God" and its portrayal of Brazilian society
USEFUL FOR

Film enthusiasts, television critics, and anyone interested in the evolution of female representation in media will benefit from this discussion.

  • #91
Alias? Once you get past the "horse-drawn" computer/CIA premise (plus "Davinci Code" prophecy)...okay, I'm watching it with my wife. Still...
 
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  • #92
The Russia House
 
  • #93
Jarvis323 said:
I've enjoyed a Russian series on Netflix called "To The Lake".

"Raised by Wolves" is another good series.

I also like "Resident Alien", which is an alien sci-fi comedy series.

An interesting indie sci-fi comedy film is "Save Yourselves!"

Edit: Since the OA was mentioned I though the No Sci-Fi rule as been relaxed.
The OA is fantasy, not Sci Fi.
 
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  • #94
Crashing [British]
Like Fleabag, a favorite of mine, it was created and written by, and stars Phoebe Waller-Bridge.

It is rude and crude like Fleabag but I found it amusing.
 
  • #95
Ivan Seeking said:
The OA is fantasy, not Sci Fi.
Is this a theory about what really happened in the show?
 
  • #96
Jarvis323 said:
Is this a theory about what really happened in the show?
No. What makes it fantasy is that things happen and the 'how' is irrelevant.

Regardless of how things might have "really" happened, the show doesn't know or care. Thus, fantasy.
 
  • #97
Jarvis323 said:
By that definition, none of the shows I mentioned are sci fi either I guess. Is that right?
I'm not sure. It doesn't have to have a lot of science to be sci fi, but the OA had none. There was literally no attempt at an explanation at all about how they were doing what they were doing. Like a magic potion or magic pill in plays of yore.
 
  • #98
DaveC426913 said:
I'm not sure. It doesn't have to have a lot of science to be sci do, but the OA had none. There was literally no explanation at all about how they were doing what they were doing. It was hand waving. Like a magic potion or magic pill in plays of yore.
What about the part where she was being held by a mad scientist who was doing human experiments on near death experiences?

My interpretation is that she was a lab rat for the experiments, but the acts of magic were open to interpretation, either delusion or real. There was never any demonstration of those magical powers outside the stories she told.
 
  • #99
It's not to say it doesn't have science in it. But the central premise - the conceit of the story - is a deliberate hand waving mystery.
 
  • #100
No science in the central premise - the conceit of the story.

What actual science is there in a mad scientist trying to drown people? That's really about character development than story premise.

How DID they keep coming back to life after being drowned? No science there. Just accept it and move on.
 
  • #101
DaveC426913 said:
No science in the central premise - the conceit of the story.

What actual science is there in a mad scientist trying to drown people? That's really about character development than story premise.
I don't know, it's labeled as sci fi by its distributors and elsewhere. Most of what is labeled as sci fi now days is not centrally premised on real science.
 
  • #102
Jarvis323 said:
I don't know, it's labeled as sci fi by its distributors and elsewhere. Most of what is labeled as sci fi now days is not centrally premised on real science.
It doesn't have to be real science to be sci fi. Star Trek is sci fi because advanced tech based on fictional science is critical to the premise.

No such science - real or fictional - is required for the premise of The OA. Magic or occultism or deism are perfectly plausible vehicles, and are defined by NOT being under the purview of scientific rationality. And that's OK - in fantasy.
 
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  • #103
DaveC426913 said:
It doesn't have to be real science to be sci fi. Star Trek is sci do because advanced tech based on fictional science is critical to the premise.

No such science - real or fictional - is required for the premise of The OA
I think it would be a pretty different show if half of it wasn't about a scientist with advanced tech that is able to monitor near death experiences trying to prove the afterlife.
 
  • #104
Jarvis323 said:
I think it would be a pretty different show if half of it wasn't about a scientist with advanced tech that is able to monitor near death experiences trying to prove the afterlife.
She was an angel - the Original Angel.

It doesn't get more mystical than that.

Your point is taken. It did have that sci-fi side to it. But ultimately the events were mystical and without explanation. And with her and her guide both being angels, it is hard to deny the mysticism.
 
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  • #105
Jarvis323 said:
I think it would be a pretty different show if half of it wasn't about a scientist with advanced tech that is able to monitor near death experiences trying to prove the afterlife.
Ivan Seeking said:
She was an angel - the Original Angel.

It doesn't get more mystical than that.

Your point is taken. It did have that sci-fi side to it. But ultimately the events were mystical and without explanation. And with her and her guide both being angels, it is hard to deny the mysticism.
One way to contrast the idea [sci vs fantasy] is to watch what I consider to be the best hard sci-fi movie ever made - Primer

If you watch Primer a number of times and think very hard about the plot, it can all be reverse engineered. But this is not true with The OA. The mystical events are unpredictable even retrospectively.
 
  • #106
Jarvis323 said:
I think it would be a pretty different show if half of it wasn't about a scientist with advanced tech that is able to monitor near death experiences trying to prove the afterlife.
I sort of have to agree with @Ivan Seeking insofar as the ambiguous nature of what was actually discovered in the OA.

Yes, it's true whatever was discovered was done so by a scientist with advanced tech, monitoring near death experiences, trying to prove the afterlife. But as the series progresses, the scientist's hypothesis is proven wrong. Whatever was discovered was not the afterlife -- at least not an afterlife of a traditionally believed nature. It was something else. Something different. What exactly it is isn't clear.

So yeah, there's science in the show. But the "science" part is debunked, at least a little, as part of the plot. So is that still science fiction? Maybe, but not necessarily certainly.

It would seem that what was actually discovered was some sort of proof of an Everttian interpretation of quantum mechanics (QM). But was it? The show could have done some hand-waving along those lines bringing it solidly back into the realm of science fiction. But they didn't actually do any invocation of QM. Well, not yet anyway.

So I guess we'll see, if there's another season.
 
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  • #107
I loved 95% of it! It is one of my favorite series by far. But they started losing me at the end. The robots were stupid. But I guess that is just because they violated my interpretation that it has to be a person for the mystical stuff to work. LOL!

My god machines will even replace us in the afterlife!
 
  • #108
Have we mentioned Young Sheldon? I like that show! :oldlaugh:
 
  • #109
Not to be forgotten...

SYNOPSIS: “Mindwalk,” like “My Dinner with Andre,” is a dialogue-driven film, which explores basic philosophical questions. In this case, the principal subject is holistic vs. atomistic ways of viewing the world. The film was directed by Austiran-born Bernt Capra, a Hollywood production designer. He also wrote the story behind the film, which he adapted from the popular book The Turning Point (1983) by his brother Fritjof Capra, noted physicist and environmentalist...
http://www.philfilms.utm.edu/1/mindwalk.htm
 

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