As for Philip K. Dick, I have, well, mixed feelings. Some of his stories are absolutely brilliant, and he was always incisive, but later on in his life/career, the cynical paranoia really crept into everything. I have heard that of the movie adaptations, A Scanner Darkly is likely the most accurate. That being said, I plenty enjoyed Blade Runner, Total Recall, and Minority Report, despite (because of?) the liberties they took with the adaptations.
I like the schlocky/pulpy stuff too. Blade Runner is my wife's favorite movie, and despite the flying cars, I even the sequel was pretty good. Total Recall was a favorite as a kid/teen -and it still holds up.
Of course PKD did get very paranoid -but what I like about his later novels is the mystic gnosticism and contemplation you get in VALIS (with its mysterious satellite), The Divine Invasion & The Transmigration of Timothy Archer. Ideas about reincarnation and different states of reality, really spoke to me.
While I might not agree with his views about the world as a "black iron prison" per se, as someone who was exploring reality or realities, I really felt like PKD was also in line with others around his time -Robert Anton Wilson for instance.
In any case... sorry to get off topic. Just enjoying some slack on the job, before I get back to work.
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Re: Slack Seeker
(Anonymous) 2023-09-26 07:15 pm (UTC)(link)Slacker is one of my favorite films... and Linklater a favorite director.
I really loved Waking Life... probably my favorite. It's like the dream/astral version of Slacker.
Of course, as a major Dickhead, A Scanner Darkly did the late writer's novel justice.
All the best,
Justin
Re: Slack Seeker
As for Philip K. Dick, I have, well, mixed feelings. Some of his stories are absolutely brilliant, and he was always incisive, but later on in his life/career, the cynical paranoia really crept into everything. I have heard that of the movie adaptations, A Scanner Darkly is likely the most accurate. That being said, I plenty enjoyed Blade Runner, Total Recall, and Minority Report, despite (because of?) the liberties they took with the adaptations.
Re: Slack Seeker
(Anonymous) 2023-09-27 12:50 pm (UTC)(link)Of course PKD did get very paranoid -but what I like about his later novels is the mystic gnosticism and contemplation you get in VALIS (with its mysterious satellite), The Divine Invasion & The Transmigration of Timothy Archer. Ideas about reincarnation and different states of reality, really spoke to me.
While I might not agree with his views about the world as a "black iron prison" per se, as someone who was exploring reality or realities, I really felt like PKD was also in line with others around his time -Robert Anton Wilson for instance.
In any case... sorry to get off topic. Just enjoying some slack on the job, before I get back to work.
Re: Slack Seeker
And no worries - I don't yet have enough commenters to be overly worried about staying on-topic.