Remake - MXHDR BookWyrm

No cover — Connie Willis: Remake (EBook, 2009, Random House Publishing Group)

E-book

English language

Published July 26, 2009 by Random House Publishing Group.

ISBN:: 978-0-307-57388-9

(1 review)

Winner of more Hugo and Nebula Awards than any other science fiction author, Connie Willis is one of the most powerfully imaginative writers of our time. In Remake, she explores the timeless themes of emotion and technology, reality and illusion, and the bittersweet place where they intersect to make art.RemakeIt's the Hollywood of the future, where moviemaking's been computerized and live-action films are a thing of the past. It's a Hollywood where Humphrey Bogart and Marilyn Monroe are starring together in A Star Is Born, and if you don't like the ending, you can change it with the stroke of a key.A Hollywood of warmbodies and sim-sex, of drugs and special effects, where anything is possible. Except for what one starry-eyed young woman wants to do: dance in the movies. It's an impossible dream, but Alis is not willing to give up. With a little magic and a lot of …

Winner of more Hugo and Nebula Awards than any other science fiction author, Connie Willis is one of the most powerfully imaginative writers of our time. In Remake, she explores the timeless themes of emotion and technology, reality and illusion, and the bittersweet place where they intersect to make art.RemakeIt's the Hollywood of the future, where moviemaking's been computerized and live-action films are a thing of the past. It's a Hollywood where Humphrey Bogart and Marilyn Monroe are starring together in A Star Is Born, and if you don't like the ending, you can change it with the stroke of a key.A Hollywood of warmbodies and sim-sex, of drugs and special effects, where anything is possible. Except for what one starry-eyed young woman wants to do: dance in the movies. It's an impossible dream, but Alis is not willing to give up. With a little magic and a lot of luck, she just might get her happy ending after all.From the Paperback edition.

5 editions

bookafnd reviewed Remake by Connie Willis

the power of the Computer

3 stars

this book never really explains the world it's set in too well. it's stated that live actors have been replaced with CG models of classic actors; and yet, there are dozens of hopeful Marilyn Monroe lookalikes everywhere. (side note: which moviegoers in 1995, much less a few decades later when the book is set, care that much about Marilyn Monroe, or James Dean, or Judy Garland?)

the plot relies on an extremely dubious understanding of encryption but that's kinda par for the course for science fiction about the Computer

the behavior of the main character is really pretty distasteful

all this said, the premise of "hollywood only makes CG remakes now" is probably one of the most realistic cyberpunk dystopias i've ever seen