FunkyHiFi
01-26-2007, 05:31 AM
"Idiocracy" (http://imdb.com/title/tt0387808/) at the Internet Movie Data Base.
Plot Outline: Private Joe Bowers, the definition of "average American", is selected by the Pentagon to be the guinea pig for a top-secret hibernation program. Forgotten, he awakes 500 years in the future. He discovers a society so incredibly dumbed-down that he's easily the most intelligent person alive.
Trivia: The script title was originally "The United States of Uhh-merica"
On another board, members said the movie supposedly only played in SIX theaters for a week & made only $444,000. Here's a clue to the cause of this weirdness: the movie was made by 20th Century Fox and supposedly Fox News is made fun of in the movie. Hmm...........
I mentioned this here recently in another thread but in case you missed it: if there are any other sci-fi nerds out there, :) you might want to check out the classic short story "The Marching Morons" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Marching_Morons) that was written in the 50s that foretold a future much like the one in the above movie. I read it as a kid and still clearly remember it to this day (especially the part about the garishly styled cars that made a lot of noise but didn't actually go that fast). Please don't let the date it was wrriten keep you from checking it out because while clothing fashions & slang may change, basic human nature is pretty stable.
Plus..........when doing research on another semi-related story tonight, I discovered this book which I'm going to try to find/read & was co-authored by the same guy who wrote Morons:
The Space Merchants (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Space_Merchants)
The book is widely regarded as an SF classic. It is also ahead of its time in stressing the importance of limiting population growth and conserving natural resources.
In a vastly overpopulated world, the economy has replaced all political systems, and states exist merely to ensure the survival of huge trans-national corporations, which in fact hold all political power. Advertising has become hugely aggressive and by far the most well paid profession. Through advertising, the public is constantly deluded into thinking that the quality of life is improved by all the products placed on the market. However, the most basic elements are incredibly scarce, including water and fuel.Sound familiar? :(
Plot Outline: Private Joe Bowers, the definition of "average American", is selected by the Pentagon to be the guinea pig for a top-secret hibernation program. Forgotten, he awakes 500 years in the future. He discovers a society so incredibly dumbed-down that he's easily the most intelligent person alive.
Trivia: The script title was originally "The United States of Uhh-merica"
On another board, members said the movie supposedly only played in SIX theaters for a week & made only $444,000. Here's a clue to the cause of this weirdness: the movie was made by 20th Century Fox and supposedly Fox News is made fun of in the movie. Hmm...........
I mentioned this here recently in another thread but in case you missed it: if there are any other sci-fi nerds out there, :) you might want to check out the classic short story "The Marching Morons" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Marching_Morons) that was written in the 50s that foretold a future much like the one in the above movie. I read it as a kid and still clearly remember it to this day (especially the part about the garishly styled cars that made a lot of noise but didn't actually go that fast). Please don't let the date it was wrriten keep you from checking it out because while clothing fashions & slang may change, basic human nature is pretty stable.
Plus..........when doing research on another semi-related story tonight, I discovered this book which I'm going to try to find/read & was co-authored by the same guy who wrote Morons:
The Space Merchants (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Space_Merchants)
The book is widely regarded as an SF classic. It is also ahead of its time in stressing the importance of limiting population growth and conserving natural resources.
In a vastly overpopulated world, the economy has replaced all political systems, and states exist merely to ensure the survival of huge trans-national corporations, which in fact hold all political power. Advertising has become hugely aggressive and by far the most well paid profession. Through advertising, the public is constantly deluded into thinking that the quality of life is improved by all the products placed on the market. However, the most basic elements are incredibly scarce, including water and fuel.Sound familiar? :(