I'd wish this thread to become kind of a reference for members whenever they are looking for good movies or books scientifically related to see/read. I got the idea from the anime thread because always I'm looking for a new anime/manga I go there and "flip" some pages

You don't have to post a book and a movie, nor one book or one movie only. You can post as many books/movies recommendations as you want, just make sure to make clear if you are talking about movies or books.

Also, post a small description of the story so that we all know what it is about. Here are mine recommendations (more to come later)


MOVIE

Gattaca
It's an old movie (1997) but still very impressive. The film presents a vision of a society driven by liberal eugenics where potential children are selected through preimplantation genetic diagnosis to ensure they possess the best hereditary traits of their parents.Those created so are called "valids" while those conceived by traditional means are derisively known as "in-valids". It results in Valids qualifying for professional employment while In-Valids (who are considered to be more susceptible to physical, intellectual and psychological dysfunction and under-performance) are relegated to menial jobs. The movie follows the story of an "In-valid" struggle to get a "Valid" only job.
The title is based on the initial letters of the four DNA nitrogenous bases (adenine, cytosine, guanine, and thymine)


BOOK
Brave New Word, by Aldous Huxley
On a future Earth where human beings are artificially mass-produced and conditioned for lives in a rigid caste system. There are no feelings and the word "mother" is a taboo word. Huxley opens the book leading us on a tour of the Fertilizing Room of the Central London Hatchery and Conditioning Centre, where the high-tech reproduction takes place. Into this seemingly advanced civilization is introduced John, a "savage" from a reservation where old human culture still survives.



I was about to post some Lovecraft books but I think Jmc would prefer doing so

jmc1097 : mind doing the honours?

Alright, sure.

BOOKS:

First, there's The Call of Cthulhu, it's basically a manuscript based story about everyone's favorite octopus/bat/dragon monster Cthulhu! People learn about the cult surrounding Cthulhu and many other things regarding the odd creature.

Then there's At The Mountains of Madness by H.P. Lovecraft like the other story I listed. It's about a geologist named William Dyer and him encountering remains of ancient life forms. He then learns about the Elder Things and their history.

War of the Worlds by George Orwell, StarWars Darth Bane Trilogy, and Global Warming. Those are the only science-related books I have.

BOOK

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adam
Don't panic! Here are words of praise for The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy!

I would like to introduce you the 1st "trilogy" of 4 books (that actually consists in 6 books). Amazing, highly ironic and funny, it's a book you have to read. A praise for well developed brains

The book begins with contractors arriving at Arthur Dent's house, in order to demolish it to make way for a bypass. His friend, Ford Prefect, arrives while Arthur is lying in front of the bulldozers, to keep them from demolishing it. He tries to explain to Arthur that he is actually from a planet somewhere in the vicinity of Betelgeuse and that the Earth is about to be demolished. The Vogons, an alien race, intend to destroy Earth to make way for a hyperspace bypass. And the story goes on.

If you don't like science fiction, it doesn't matter; read this book just for the laughs. This may well be the funniest novel ever written.

The deliberately misnamed Hitchhikers' Guide To The Galaxy Trilogy consists of five books: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (1979), The Restaurant at the End of the Universe (1980), Life, the Universe and Everything (1982), So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish (1984) and Mostly Harmless (1992). On 16 September 2008 it was announced that Irish author Eoin Colfer was to pen a sixth book. The book, entitled And Another Thing..., was published in October 2009, on the 30th anniversary of the publication of the original novel