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Soylent Green was a great film certainly worth a look. I agree about the monoliths in 2001, I suspect a plot line trick to link the two scenes and move the story along.  The interesting thing is that the lander depicted in the film, from the book, looked very much like NASA's LEM.  Contact, written by Carl Sagan, was quite good.  Sunshine where Brian Cox gave technical advice.

On the Human Universe this is once again an example of the way science programmes are now filmed and which is putting off so many people.  Obviously the draw for the programme is Cox himself.  He has said that this is the way that he wanted Wonders of the Universe made.  In my opinion as he is the focal point of the programme he could have more say as to the final out put so he is just as responsible for the out put as the production team.

The Horizon Guide to Mars tonight. BBC4, 8pm. A repeat, but better than Emmerdale!

Saturday night watching Pointless Celebrities and the woman (Yvette someone) who was the youngest-ever Blue Peter presenter told a story about the time she interviewed Patrick Moore on the programme, and how he gave her a lesson in how to conduct a TV interview.

An autocue was set up for her, but Patrick Moore walked in, hit it with his stick and said something like, "We won't have any of that around here! Learn it properly!"

Apparently it was the best interview she ever did.

first episode of Carl Sagan's COsmos just started on BBC4...

Carl Sagan

Just google/wiki'd him. He'd have been 80 today.

Horizon tonight on BBC4 on Solar storms

Thanks Brian! Got a shovelful of coal into the VCR...

Just call me the Radio Times.

Double bill of two excellent sci fi movies on tonight on BBC2. First is Moon (again) at 11:30pm. Low budget indie scifi but an excellent premise, aery atmosphere and mysterious plot with a thought provoking payoff. Directed by Duncan Jones who also went on to direct another excellent but bigger budget scifi called Source Code (and as Andy had said, he is also the son of The Man Who Fell to Earth, David Bowie).

Its then followed by one of the better Scifi B movies from the 1950s. The Quatermass Xperiment. I think its a good couple of decades since I have last seen this so will give it a revisit when its on tonight. I do recall it being a really creepy and very tense alien invasion horror film (its a british Hameer studio film and no one else did creepy horror better than they did). But it also had a fascinating scientific grounding (at least in my perception at the time of watching it). I always thought it a classic, I wonder if I will still hold that view watching it again tonight.

Tomorrow's World: The Unearthly History of Science Fiction
Episode 1: SPace

Just watched the first episode of this interesting new series that explores the various themes of Science Fiction through history, discussing the social impact, influences, reflections on the changing political and ideology landscapes. This first episode covered all things Space including a visit to the Royal Greenwich observatory and RMG 🙂

I am always careful about watching this sort of program because they dont hold back on giving spoilers or endings to classic movies. Fortunately, I have seen every film and tv series featured apart from an old 1930s Flash Gordon serial. While a lot is revealed, the endings are at least left alone apart from Star Wars which surely you've seen? A significant amount is also revealed on 2001:Space Odyssey which btw returns to the big screen at the IMAX Waterloo from 28th November. This is a remastered print so I will be seeing it as I had only seen an old rerelease print at the Prince Charles cinema.

Other minor spoilers: Hitchhikers Guide to the galaxy and Battlestar Galactica (remake). Other films and tv series are covered of course but nothing spoilerific.

Otherwise, enjoy it as I found it interesting and well structured.

Tomorrow's World: The Unearthly History of Science Fiction
Episode 1: SPace

Tej I agree a good programme and of course there should have been a spoiler alert! but I found the presenters approach to be a little academic and patronising as if he had the insight into scifi and was imparting that knowledge to us lesser mortals.

Tej I agree a good programme and of course there should have been a spoiler alert! but I found the presenters approach to be a little academic and patronising as if he had the insight into scifi and was imparting that knowledge to us lesser mortals.

Actually, I quite agree with you, Brian, it comes across as a film degree thesis but in the presenter's defence I think he does say "I believe" or "I think" a few times which is not as patronising as if he didnt use those words. It just comes across as submitting media coursework! Still I would give it a good grade, he makes some really good connections between the fiction and reality albeit stretching it a bit in some cases. Otherwise, much of his interpretations, I find very valid.

However, the fact he includes Star Wars for a huge chunk of the time loses a heck of a lot of marks because in my view Star Wars isnt even science fiction, its pure fantasy, although some could argue its science fantasy but not me, there is nothing in that saga that has any plausible science to it, its basically Lord of the RIngs in outer space. And I am saying that as an embarrassingly huge SW fan.

Hey, are you seeing 2001 on its run at the IMAX? Or have you had your fill of it? I only saw it twice. Once on TV and a re-release at the Prince Charles many years ago. WB loaned BFI a master digital 70mm print for its short run. Its not a film I am compelled to watch again and again and I dont think I have quite the passion for it as you have but it is a film that I dont want to miss its impact on a big screen as when I saw it at Prince Charles, it was quite a run down student haven cinema at the time!

Unfortunately with the holiday coming up I have to be a bit careful with money so no I will not be going to the Imax show.  Years ago I worked in the film industry and met some of the technicians who worked on 2001.  Amazing but eccentric people.  I remember the Prince Charles as a cool place for music films.

Unfortunately with the holiday coming up I have to be a bit careful with money so no I will not be going to the Imax show. Years ago I worked in the film industry and met some of the technicians who worked on 2001. Amazing but eccentric people. I remember the Prince Charles as a cool place for music films.

Ha, yes, Friday evening singalongs. I wasnt into that but I loved the Prince Charles, so cheap and cheerful, (£1.50 a film!) a brilliant hangout for students and film lovers. Every Saturday, they also used to do a Hong Kong martial arts double bill from midnight to 4am ish, though not the classic SHaw Bros stuff, mostly the 90's stuff like Iron Monkey and Drunken Master. I know you were a martial artist yourself but not sure if you were into the movies...sorry this is getting way off track!

New Horizon, "Secrets of the Solar System" on today, there will be repeats and is on Iplayer:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05527mp