Being the predictable geek that I am, I’m looking forward to the summer’s big science fiction movies such as the Star Trek reboot and the next Terminator sequel. But a couple promising trailers for smaller movies indicate that a market for original science fiction exists outside of franchise properties. District 9 is about humans and aliens struggling to co-exist on Earth, echoing earlier movies such as Alien Nation. It’s filmed in faux documentary style and set in South Africa, which could provide fertile territory for subtext. Or it could result in a movie with all the subtlety of a brick to the head. Color me intrigued.

Moon looks to be a near-future tale about a solitary lunar miner who is nearing the end of his three-year contract and may or may not be going insane. It stars Sam Rockwell, an actor who embodies a sad yet goofy sensibility I’ve always liked. Fun fact: director Duncan Jones is David Bowie’s son.

The Hunt for Gollum is a fan-produced sequel to The Lord of the Rings trilogy that premieres on the web this weekend. The film’s trailer looks polished, although it seems to rely too much on fly-over shots of generic landscapes. The BBC interview with the director reveals that he assembled a good-sized production crew on a paltry budget.

One of the good things that might come out of this recession is a bumper crop of amateur but high-quality video productions. Cameras are getting cheaper and video editing software is getting more powerful every year. And plenty of creative people now have extra time on their hands.

The Minnesota House and Senate have passed budget bills that slash health care spending. Nursing homes, hospitals, home care agencies, and other health care providers are all likely to see rate reductions. And it’s likely that the final version of the bill will be vetoed because both the House and Senate rely on tax increases to avoid deeper cuts that would result in tens of thousands losing all health coverage.

What we’re seeing in Minnesota is a precursor to the larger national debate coming this summer on the proper role of government in providing health care. Pawlenty and his allies argue that health care spending is taking a bigger bite out of the budget pie every year. Democrats argue that shrinking public health insurance rolls will only increase costs for everyone and push people deeper into poverty, particularly in small towns where nursing homes are one of the largest local employers. Unfortunately, there are no good solutions and both sides know it. Expect a lot of posturing and bluster as the Legislature and governor try to figure where to draw their lines in the sand.

You wouldn’t be alone if the news of outbreaks of a virulent flu strain evoked comparisons to a certain doorstopper of a postapocalyptic novel. A friend and I were chatting this morning about how we both thought of The Stand while scanning the headlines over the weekend. There are plenty of other pop culture treatments of your standard killer-virus-wipes-out-the-world scenario, but The Stand is the measure by which they are judged. It’s the book that best illustrates Stephen King’s affection for all things Americana and his recognition that civilizations are fragile things.

Incidentally, The Stand is now being adapted into a comic book series that I’m enjoying quite a bit.

Ever since the election, 2009 looked like the year health care reform would be achieved. But barring a complete breakdown in the political process, the odds of passing a health care bill have been elevated from pretty good to great. Congressional Democrats agreed yesterday to use reconciliation to protect health care legislation from a Republican filibuster. Reconciliation can be thought of as the big beefy guy who will be standing behind the Democrats during negotiations with the Republicans. If the bill can’t get 60 votes, reconciliation will allow it to pass with a simple majority.

Republicans argue that health care reform is too important to be passed by a simple majority and that such parliamentarian tactics will only provoke partisan bickering. But I would argue just the opposite. This issue is too important to let it be held hostage by a party that has shown so little interest in striking any sort of compromise with the president. A health care bill will be passed, with or without Republican support. Given that reality, perhaps Republicans will decide it’s in their best interest to be collaborators rather than taking their ball and going home.