Why I started Sci-Fi Tonight
How a bad evening and a random Demolition Man (1993) screening started all of this.
Yesterday I talked to an old buddy of mine. We hadn’t seen each other in a long time, even though we live in the same city. But time almost never works out for us to meet.
I went out for a walk and called him, and we just talked for more than two hours. He asked what I’m up to these days. I asked back whether he likes sci-fi.
Why did I start this project? Good question. But what I feel most right now is that I’m worn out.
Worn out from the constant stream of bad news. Another war started, now it paused, now it started again, it started again, it paused again... you can guess what comes next.
I work as a software developer. But it’s been a really long time since I saw a project that meant anything. I’m sure they’re out there. But ones that also pay... well, those are few. And on top of that, you have to learn some new exotic technology for everything... or not even learn it, you were supposed to be born already knowing it. Just so some HTML, CSS, and JavaScript can be on the internet. I think we overcomplicate things. Not by a little.
And then AI came on top of that. I love technology. I really do. And I genuinely geek out over the things that are actually exciting and open new doors. That’s how I was with AI too. So many possibilities. Just imagine. I drop the trash in the chute, it goes on a conveyor belt, an AI model sorts it for reprocessing. But that’s not what we got. AI can generate code... and it’s going to replace everyone. Isn’t there enough fear in the world already? Do we really need one more thing to scare people with?
A person would simply want to escape all of it, but unfortunately they can’t. Tomorrow you still have to go to the store. The bills still come the same way. And you still have to go to work... to a workplace where you’re nothing but a human resource. I don’t think it’s any wonder the world of the Matrix sounds more and more appealing. Locked in a warm, comfortable cocoon. Plenty of food. And a movie experience that lasts a lifetime. If you haven’t seen the Matrix yet, experiencing the irony of it will be huge.
When I’m this low, I don’t want anything else but to turn on the TV and stare with an empty head. I’d love to be able to switch off the racing thoughts, but these days it’s harder and harder. The thing that puts me back together, emotionally and mentally, is sci-fi. I know some people swear by comedies, but Jim Carrey isn’t what he used to be either. And honestly, have you seen a comedy lately that isn’t a soggy, cliché-ridden repeat of something?
Maybe it’s because I grew up in a former Soviet republic, born not long before the regime change. Even as a kid I loved messing with technology. Barely able to walk, I was already poking at the cables behind the VHS. I had to figure out how to reroute things so I could watch Cartoon Network on the satellite. :D
But my dad noticed this, and he “mercilessly” put this passion of mine to use. Back then it was still cool to rent a VHS. But honestly, in a former Soviet republic? Better to make pirate copies, off of other pirate copies. And copying wasn’t a ctrl-c ctrl-v back then; you started a film on one player and recording on another... then 90 minutes later you checked whether everything came out right. If you don’t know what I’m talking about... let’s just say I saw a lot of single-audio-track action and sci-fi films as a kid, where even Schwarzenegger had a woman’s voice dubbing him. Awful :D
But I wandered off topic. I’ve been watching sci-fi since childhood, and it amazes me, the critique of society, the power of imagination. The fact that there are people who can picture an entire society in a fictional time and dig into questions an ordinary person never even notices. And somehow, for me, there’s hope in it. The hope that that future will come one day... I mean space travel... Or the hope that we’ll notice the warning signs in time and not end up in Orwell’s 1984.
A few months ago I turned on the TV, after a failed job interview. Felt pretty much crushed. IT job interviews are more and more ridiculous these days... and you should be glad if they even call you in. As you can guess, there was nothing worth watching on TV, so I switched to Netflix, hoping to find something new. I canceled my own subscription years ago, but my wife decided she still needed hers. Her money, she does what she wants with it. But of course I found nothing. On top of that, I was annoyed there’s no sci-fi category... only sci-fi and fantasy. I like fantasy too, by the way... but let’s not mix the two categories... I ask this of every streaming service. The one halfway watchable sci-fi... and even that I’m not sure about... was the usual Netflix mass-produced thing about nothing. You know the category. You watch it, and an hour later you can’t remember who was in it or what it was even about.
What do you do then? These days you go on YouTube and look for a top 10 video, and hope for some inspiration on what to watch. Maybe a series came out that we haven’t seen yet. That keeps us distracted for a few weeks. Or maybe there’s a film I haven’t seen. Or a film that’s good but I haven’t watched in a long time. Three hours of random video watching later, not only did I not find anything, it kept annoying me that I kept finding the same things. Meanwhile the sidebar... “AI is taking our jobs”, “They can’t reach a deal in the Iran war”, “Why hasn’t the economy collapsed yet”... you know, the usual nonsense that somebody pays for you to see.
I worked myself up and switched to Plex. Navigated to the Films category and started a random film. Didn’t care. Started the next one, then the next, and so on... until I saw Demolition Man (1993). I don’t even know when I last watched it. I can’t say I managed to concentrate much at the start, since I’d already seen it. But it simply pulled me in. The modern buildings. No crime. The innovations that are laughable to us now. Exactly what I love about sci-fi. A new world. By the time it ended, I wanted nothing but to scream at the world... Look... this is what a good sci-fi is.
I can’t edit video properly. But that’s not the point. I wanted to make something. But what should the topic be? Well, random sci-fi films. That worked for a while. But there’s a problem with that... at least for me. When I hit the random button... I tend to hit it again. You know... I’ve seen this... this was boring... why would I watch this film now... in an hour... why is there nothing worth watching?
Then after another random click... Independence Day (1996)... aliens, technology, drama, people coming together against a common enemy. And a picture of human grit and ingenuity. Perfect film for July 4. Like Star Wars for May 4. :D And what do we watch on New Year’s Eve? Judge Dredd? Because Stallone? :D
Now wait... that’s not a bad concept at all. What happened in the world today? Is there a sci-fi film to match it? Since sci-fi either inspires fans to create something imaginary, or something that already happened inspired someone to turn it into a sci-fi story, there must be some hidden gems.
And there were:
Apr 21, Rome founded, 753 BC, Aeon Flux (2005)
Apr 22, First Earth Day (1970), Silent Running (1972)
Apr 24, Hubble Space Telescope launches (1990), Contact (1997)
What’s special about these? Either I haven’t seen them yet... or I have a reason to watch them today.
But let’s be honest. I’m not going to go on a sci-fi fast either. I won’t watch every single match. But it’d be nice to have a list of what I could watch today.
That’s all Sci-Fi Tonight is. That’s all the sci-fi almanac is. Forget every bit of nonsense going on in the world today. Imagine: on this date, this happened... would you have guessed there’s a sci-fi film to go with it? Or at least one that connects to it on some level.
Don’t mind my nonsense. Go and watch a sci-fi tonight. Maybe it’ll put you in a better mood too.