I recently led an entire class discussion on my contradictory opinions of Heinlein. Generally, I absolutely adore his work, and think it is about the best that generation of science fiction has to offer most of the time. But I also completely understand how a slightly differently wired mind (read: Allyson, for example) could be completely unable to get past his ridiculously inaccurate portrayals of what women are and what women should be.
That said, I would not in any way describe Wyoh as "an empty-headed hole," I don't think. She wasn't stupid, by any means, none of his idealized (which she no doubt is) women ever are. She is very similar to the characters of Jubal's secretaries in
Stranger in a Strange Land,
or the female character (forgetting name here) in
Job: A Comedy of Justice
or even what little we get to see of Carmenita in
Starship Troopers
- extremely capable and brilliant (at least one of the secretaries in
Stranger
was a lawyer, another was a doctor I believe, Carmenita had the apparently extremely difficult job of starship pilot and astrogator), but at the same time utterly gorgeous and willing to subvert herself to the man in a situation pretty much entirely, at least socially. It's a contrast that bugs, because it feels like he's trying to write an independent, modern female and simply fails at it, giving instead a perfect fifties housewife with a brain she's wasting.
That said: he does a damn sight better than most of the early Sci Fi greats, who didn't even try to write women (think Arthur C. Clarke) or simply made them exact portrayals of the society of their time (the women of Asimov's work, barring the remarkably masculine Susan Calvin, of course, are almost always shrewish or shy housewives) and so, even though I find it silly, I personally have no problem getting past it.
I consider the man pretty much crazy, but his ideas and ideals are both fascinating, if impossible, and lend his work great appeal. To me. Personally.
Needless to say? Ready for the movie.
ETA: Oops. Didn't mean to write an essay. Sorry.
Wow, it's been a while since I read TMiaHM. I'll have to reread it again after I've finished the Raven books.
Tim'd like them. Lots of lead characters to kill.
eta: Since I'm slacker than dog testicles and thus too lazy to actually search; is there a stated reason why Tim is doing TMiaHM? Seems an odd choice. Is there any chance he'll do
Revolt in 2100
next?
Seriously? A Wonderfalls movie?
Or is that one of those very faint hopes?
AICN is having a Wonderfalls dvd contest.
Or is that one of those very faint hopes?
I believe Bryan has been working on a script for one. But I'm not convinced it's a feasible project for the big screen.
I love the show to pieces, but I don't really see how it could be adapted to a film either. Would it be a continuation of the storyline, or more like (Wax Lion + Caged Bird) - time for character development?
"Wax Lion" made thefutoncritic's Best Fifty Episodes of 2004.
27. "wonderfalls: wax lion"
(originally aired march 12, 2004)
The short-lived gem opened with a delightful installment that introduced us to the (pardon the choice of adjectives here) wonderful Caroline Dhavernas and her first exposure to talking inanimate figurines. The DVD (featuring nine - yes nine, folks - unaired episodes) can't get here soon enough.
And since I'm here, it also made Herc's Top Ten Scripted Hourlongs of 2004.
3. Wonderfalls (Fox)
Souvenirs begin telling a cranky, Ivy League-educated slacker retail clerk named Jaye Tyler to do odd things to further mysterious agendas. She reasonably suspects she’s gone insane, but it seems she might be an unwilling tool of higher powers. Jaye is likeably misanthropic, has cynically likeable friends and hails from a family that has produced far more successful individuals than she. It was last season’s best new show, a deep-thinking enterprise that routinely elicited an improbable number of laughs. Fox pulled the plug on the thing, created by comedy genius Bryan Fuller (“Dead Like Me”) and overseen by comedy genius Tim Minear (“Angel,” “Firefly”), in early April after airing only four episodes. Most won’t understand the full impact of the loss until all 13 produced episodes are finally released on DVD Feb. 1.
I would think they'd do "Inanimate objects talk to girl, girl goes a little crazy, girl starts listening, things get better, people start thinking girl is crazy, just when she starts to feel better, then Quentin Travers comes and explains the whole thing to her."
I love the show to pieces, but I don't really see how it could be adapted to a film either. Would it be a continuation of the storyline, or more like (Wax Lion + Caged Bird) - time for character development?
Bryan said it'd most likely be from Aaron's perspective, which could work. I don't think it would do that well on the big screen, but I could see it on TV or DVD. He's so busy with other projects now that I don't know if it's even a possibility anymore. I guess we have to see how DVD sales go (and on that front, I'm pleased that the show was in the top 40 in Amazon.com DVD sales yesterday!).
