S2E8: Techno-Thrillers – A Reader's History of Science Fiction
Techno-thrillers are a surprisingly fuzzy category that sits at the border of sci-fi and suspense. In this episode, I give an overview of the subgenre and the different ways it can be classified. Book recommendation: Delta-v by Daniel Suarez Sam Boush on the categories of techno-thrillers. My review of Delta-v. Other books discussed: The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton The Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy Digital Fortress by Dan Brown
At the same time science fiction came into its own as a genre, cinema was doing the same. Here, we see an overview of the most notable sci-fi films of the silent and pre-Code eras, and how they influenced the culture.
Movie recommendation: Metropolis.
Other films mentioned:
Le Voyage Dans La Lune (YouTube link with 2011 restoration soundtrack.)
Frankenstein
King Kong
Science Meets Fiction 
Another movie from this era that influenced science fiction cinema was “Our Heavenly Bodies” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Heavenly_Bodies) which incorporated a lot of practical effects that sci-fi uses. The characters touring the solar system meet the inhabitants of the various planets. It was basically Carl Sagan’s “Cosmos” for 1925. The film was lost for many years but recently reconstructed and presented at the AFI Silver Spring theater a few years ago.
Interesting. I hadn’t heard of that one. I’ll have to check it out.