An Interesting Concept For A Movie, I Think

[Seil]

A while back, I started talking about philosophy in movies - Stranger Than Fiction (http://nuklearforums.com/showthread.php?t=38324) in particular. The movie Another Earth (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8hEwMMDtFY) has an entirely different premise, but is also applicable to philosophical discussion.

Whatever means by which another Earth comes to be look like they'll be glossed over in order to tell the story of the girl. Rightly so. The premise is interesting, but if someone's got a story, if they tell it well, I'll go be entertained. I'm simple like that. But they also ask in the trailer - there's another Earth, another you, quite literaly - does the other you make your mistakes, lose your chances and squander their wealth? Travel looks possible, too, the ability to hop aboard a shuttle and get over to Earth-2. (which funnily enough, is probably what Earth-2 calls Earth-1)

So would you want to meet this other you? What psychological studies could come of this new world? And what would happen if it actually happened? Would there be people like the girl in the trailer, wanting to run away? Undoubtedly we'd send someone in as a scientist, and they would probably do the same. We'd have more resources to obtain, exactly what we need/we're used to, but around six billion more people - how would that work out?

[PCD]

They were playing trailers for this at the theater I work at, and my coworkers and I couldn't help but make fun of it and guess that everything is exactly the same, and if you try to get on a shuttle to visit there, you end up crashing into the shuttle from the other Earth that was coming towards our Earth.

I guess I can't really suspend my disbelief in regards to the idea that, if indeed the "you" on the other planet leads another life, then the fact that there is "another you" for everyone is only true for one generation. If they go off and do their own things, it will change who is born in the next generation, and things will rapidly become less and less similar to our Earth. It's an interesting idea, sure, but not a long-term one.

[Premmy]

There's the idea that each decision/possibility spawns another dimension so there'd be infinite dimensions for every possible decision everyone could make/thing that could happen so conceivably there'd be plenty of dimensions where the only thing that changed was something small and insignificant, with everything remaining the same.

Of course there'd be just as many dimensions where infinitely important things happened and made things infinitely different...

[Magus]

Just to clarify a bit, this movie has the same basic story of a million other movies (the lead character gets drunk and accidentally kills a man's family, secretly goes to work for him, struggles with thoughts of what life could have been like had they not killed his family, they fall in love, secret is revealed and there is angst, etc.) They just personified the character's personal quandary into an actual alternate Earth with all the same people on it.

The science fiction aspect is hardly used except as a metaphor, even though it is the only thing separating this from dozens of other movies. It's just Oscar bait for the most part.

As for the hard science of an alternate Earth, ignoring the physical problems of another planet in close proximity and just focusing on the alternate people, most sci-fi creators who have developed ideas like this of alternate dimensions and so on and yet have people who look the same completely forgot that gene expression in each person is a random event. The possibility of finding twins for every person on the planet is astronomically low, one in a zillion, not mentioning the numerous Earths which never formed at all, never managed to form life, were hit by a bunch of meteors, etc.

Could you find the one the where there was just one small insignificant change and everybody managed to look the same? Quite possible, just highly, highly improbable, since there would be a zillion alternate dimensions for you to sort through.

[BitVyper]

the lead character gets drunk and accidentally kills a man's family, secretly goes to work for him, struggles with thoughts of what life could have been like had they not killed his family

Wait, what million other movies have this story?

[Aerozord]

I once had an idea for a story of a guy that, somehow ends up in the place of himself in a parallel world. Act 1 is simply him dealing with the existential horror and creeping sense he is either in an alien reality or completely insane. Lucky for him that universe is more open minded about alternate realities and this possibility so those close to him notice the minor changes to tell its not the same person. Course those not close to him would think he is just crazy.

Rather then focus on "getting home", since he has no idea what happened, its about him constantly fighting to live someone elses life. This isn't my school, this isn't my family, ect. Never worked out ending, but figured I wouldn't cop-out and leave him stuck there
(which funnily enough, is probably what Earth-2 calls Earth-1)

"or the mongooses, thats a good name"

[Seil]

The science fiction aspect is hardly used except as a metaphor, even though it is the only thing separating this from dozens of other movies. It's just Oscar bait for the most part.

Really? "Oscar Bait?" I think that's a bullshit term - it's overused to the point where I can call the new Pooh movie "Oscar Bait." It's a term that people apply to things with, what, stories? A-List actors? High production values? And why is it that people don't make an interesting movie with a solid story because they want to? It insults film makers who aren't making a movie to win a flipping award. Yes, I'm sure there are some film makers that do do that, but why don't people go "That's just Pulitzer bait." "That's just Eisner bait." Far be it from me to suggest that some people think something's interesting and adapting it, no, the industry is full of money grubbing hacks who just want a statue to sell their movie.

"or the mongooses, thats a good name"

How about Bob?

[stefan]

As for the hard science of an alternate Earth

http://knowyourmeme.com/system/icons/4403/original/Girls.png

[Professor Smarmiarty]

Really? "Oscar Bait?" I think that's a bullshit term - it's overused to the point where I can call the new Pooh movie "Oscar Bait." It's a term that people apply to things with, what, stories? A-List actors? High production values? And why is it that people don't make an interesting movie with a solid story because they want to? It insults film makers who aren't making a movie to win a flipping award. Yes, I'm sure there are some film makers that do do that, but why don't people go "That's just Pulitzer bait." "That's just Eisner bait." Far be it from me to suggest that some people think something's interesting and adapting it, no, the industry is full of money grubbing hacks who just want a statue to sell their movie.


Oscar Bait are films heavy on drama but uncontroversial, mainstream portrayals of it, generally dealing with the emotions, suffering and trials of a relatable middle class white person.
The reason it's such a negative isw that there are a million films like this and they specifically are designed not to push the envelope or make artisitic strides- such things are not great for winning oscars.

[Seil]

Not push the envelope? Not made for any artistic reasons? White people working through their issues? Boy, Die Hard is total Oscar Bait. Oh wait, Alan Rickman plays a European white dude, sorry, my bad.

[Magus]

http://knowyourmeme.com/system/icons/4403/original/Girls.png

http://s3.amazonaws.com/kym-assets/photos/images/newsfeed/000/135/825/1308277174001.gif?1308280926

We gonna discuss science fiction in this science fiction movie topic, dawg.

Not push the envelope? Not made for any artistic reasons? White people working through their issues? Boy, Die Hard is total Oscar Bait. Oh wait, Alan Rickman plays a European white dude, sorry, my bad.

John McClane doesn't work through his issues, he destroys them.

[Professor Smarmiarty]

Seil: You missed the drama bit. You need lots of drama to be oscar bait.

[Aerozord]

While all that stuff is true, oscar bait is pretty much always a realistic setting, and normally atleast set 50 years ago.

[Magus]

While all that stuff is true, oscar bait is pretty much always a realistic setting, and normally set during the Holocaust.

FTFY

What I said was it is Oscar Bait for the most part. The science fiction aspect made it unique, I just wish they had done more with it. Instead it's mostly in the background the whole movie.

Wait, what million other movies have this story?

I exaggerated, but one good example of a book with this exact same plot (minus the science fiction) was Robert Cormier's We All Fall Down (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_All_Fall_Down_%28Robert_Cormier_novel%29), where the lead male character participated in the attack that puts the lead female character's sister in a coma, he is overcome with remorse, he dates her while trying to keep this a secret, when it is revealed there is angst, etc. It's a common enough trope.

[Seil]

What I said was it is Oscar Bait for the most part. The science fiction aspect made it unique, I just wish they had done more with it. Instead it's mostly in the background the whole movie.


You mean the movie that hasn't come out yet?

[Magus]

Yeah, the movie which has been reviewed all to hell and spoiled by everybody on the internets.

Wait a second...you watch movies before discussing them? What's up with this topic then?