Impossible Dreams

by Tim Pratt

In this Hugo Award-winning story, movie buff Pete discovers a video store stocked with DVDs of films that were never made: a director's cut of The Magnificent Ambersons; Harlan Ellison's version of I, Robot; The Death of Superman directed by Tim Burton; and even more impossible visions. But there's something even more interesting than the remarkable movies: the woman working behind the counter.

Genres: Short Stories, Science Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy, Alternate History, Romance, Urban Fantasy

13 pages, Nook

First published July 1, 2006

About the author

Also writes as T.A. Pratt and T. Aaron Payton

Reviews

[Nataliya · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Some movies reassure us that life makes sense,” Ally said. “And some movies remind us that life doesn’t make any sense at all.” She exhaled roughly. “And some things don’t have anything to do with movies.”

Ahhh, I forgot how absolutely adorable this story is. It’s kinda perfect for Christmas season, even for cynics (who are apparently, ahem, not nearly as cynical as they would like to think). It’s light and sweet but yet not saccharine. A perfect read on a gloomy rainy winter day.

It’s a story about a chance encounter in the parallel universe movie rental store. (Kids, lemme explain — before streaming there were actual places where granny and grandpa would go to rent a physical movie on VHS or DVD; they’d take a horse-drawn carriage there and watch that movie by the light of an oil lamp, in zero technicolor).

“The shelves yielded miracle after miracle. Here was The Death of Superman, directed by Tim Burton, starring Nicolas Cage; in Pete’s universe, Burton and Cage had both dropped the project early on. Here was Total Recall, but directed and written by David Cronenberg, not Paul Verhoeven. Here was The Terminator, but starring O.J. Simpson rather than Arnold Schwarzenegger—though Schwarzenegger was still in the film, as Kyle Reese. Here was Raiders of the Lost Ark, but starring Tom Selleck instead of Harrison Ford—and there was no sign of any later Indiana Jones films, which was sad.”

And no, you absolutely don’t need to be a movie buff to enjoy it. You just need to understand loneliness and love and that amazing feeling of coming across someone with whom you can share the unforgettable moments of “Oh my god, you too? And I thought I was the only one!”

Pete laughed. “Ally, I think this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”

She cocked her head and raised her eyebrows. “You sound like you’re quoting something,” she said, “but I don’t know what.”

4 stars.

Read it here: https://web.archive.org/web/200704220... or here: https://www.wired.com/2012/07/impossi...

[karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

WELCOME TO DECEMBER PROJECT!

boilerplate mission statement intro:

for the past two years, i’ve set december’s project aside to do my own version of a short story advent calendar. it’s not a true advent calendar since i choose all the stories myself, but what it lacks in the ‘element of surprise’ department it more than makes up for in hassle, as i try to cram even MORE reading into a life already overcrammed with impossible personal goals (live up to your potential! find meaningful work! learn to knit!) merry merry wheee!

since i am already well behind in my *regular* reviewing, when it comes to these stories, whatever i poop out as far as reflections or impressions are going to be superficial and perfunctory at best. please do not weep for the great big hole my absented, much-vaunted critical insights are gonna leave in these daily review-spaces (and your hearts); i’ll try to drop shiny insights elsewhere in other reviews, and here, i will at least drop links to where you can read the stories yourselves for free, which - let’s be honest - is gonna serve you better anyway.

HAPPY READING, BOOKNERDS!

links to all stories read in previous years' calendars can be found at the end of these reviews, in case you are a person who likes to read stories for free:

2016: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
2017: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

scroll down for links to this year’s stories which i will update as we go, and if you have any suggestions, send 'em my way! the only rules are: it must be available free online (links greatly appreciated), and it must be here on gr as its own thing so i can review it. thank you in advance!

DECEMBER 10

The shelves yielded miracle after miracle. Here was The Death of Superman, directed by Tim Burton, starring Nicolas Cage; in Pete’s universe, Burton and Cage had both dropped the project early on. Here was Total Recall, but directed and written by David Cronenberg, not Paul Verhoeven. Here was The Terminator, but starring O.J. Simpson rather than Arnold Schwarzenegger—though Schwarzenegger was still in the film, as Kyle Reese. Here was Raiders of the Lost Ark, but starring Tom Selleck instead of Harrison Ford—and there was no sign of any later Indiana Jones films, which was sad. Pete’s hands were already full of DVDs, and he juggled them awkwardly while pulling more movies from the shelves. Here was Casablanca starring George Raft instead of Bogart, and maybe it had one of the alternate endings, too! Here a John Wayne World War II movie he’d never heard of, but the box copy said it was about the ground invasion of the Japanese islands, and called it a “riveting historical drama.” A quick scan of the shelves revealed no sign of Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove, and those two things together suggested that in this world, the atomic bomb was never dropped on Japan. The implications of that were potentially vast . . . but Pete dismissed broader speculations from his mind as another film caught his eye. In this world, Kubrick had lived long enough to complete Artificial Intelligence on his own, and Pete had to see that, without Steven Spielberg’s sentimental touch turning the movie into Pinocchio.

this is a sweet, if predictable, story about a maaaagical parallel-world video store full of films that were never made and missing films that were - in 'our' world, anyway. it's also a film-geek romance. it's cute, it's light, it's schmaltzy enough to give you cavities - just a little fantasy puff piece, whose unchallenging content is absolutely appreciated (by me) after a long tiring day, but it's not going to stay with me long. super film geeks may appreciate this more than me, for the references and the 'what-if' daydreams it is likely to inspire. me, i'd rather have byron's burned-up memoir over A Streetcar Named Desire starring jessica tandy. (replacing vivien leigh, not marlon brando. i'd totally watch it if it was jessica tandy AND vivien leigh, no matter which of those ladies stepped into the stanley kowalski role.)

AND THAT WAS DAY TEN!

read it for yourself here:

http://web.archive.org/web/2007042207...

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come to my blog!

[Shoa Khan · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Sure, movies can be a way to hide from life, but shit, sometimes you NEED to hide from life, to see a better life on the screen, to know life can be better than it is, or to see a worse life and realize how good you have it. Movies taught me not to settle for less.”

This Hugo-winner is the story of a cinephile Pete, who stumbles upon a dubious-looking, out-of-this-world video rental place by chance, and discovers that there is more to it than meets the eye.

This was a FANTASTIC short read filled with wonder. In fact, it would practically be a dream-come-true for any movie buff or even a fantasy lover.
I don't want to give any of the plot away, so go read it for yourself!

I absolutely LOVED this story, so much so that it was such a bummer to come back to real life after finishing it! :/

It was also reminiscent of one of my favourite movies, Midnight in Paris. :)

[Dennis · Rating 5 out of 5]

The 2007 Hugo Award winner for best short story.

This is such a wonderful story, that appeals to me on so many levels.

4.5 stars

You can read it here.

[Alex ☣ Deranged KittyCat ☣ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pete felt a fist of panic clench in his chest. “This isn’t a movie,” he said.
“No,” Ally said. “It’s better than that. It’s my life.”

Now here's a story for all the movie-lovers out there.

Imagine a parallel universe were to interact with ours in the form of a little video store filled with movies that were never made in our world. A parallel universe where history developed differently and Clark Gable never played in Gone with the Wind.

And now go read this short story!

*Read this for our May Short Story Month Marathon, a personal challenge during which Sandra and I will be going through our short story collection.

[Cynnamon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice, romantic alternative world story for movie aficionados.

[Peter Tillman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fine parallel-worlds science-fantasy story. Two movie buffs meet cute in a mysterious DVD shop that appears one night in the male lead's home town. It's, well, an Impossible Dream. Recommended, and online at https://www.wired.com/2012/07/impossi... Won a short-story Hugo Award in 2007.

[Jokoloyo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I admit I am more biased than usual when rate this story. My pa is a movie-lover, and I watched some classics that mentioned in this story, so I can imagine the protagonist's feeling at the beginning when visited the shop at the first time. This story quickly grasps my sympathy.

[Hirondelle (not getting notifications) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute, short story, a twilight zone hommage , universes touching and all those movies not quite made available elsewhere. Cute - but kind of flimsy, what you get is just this concept, which is not new (even acknowledged within text).

I read it online, from here https://www.wired.com/2012/07/impossi...

[Mayank Agarwal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute short story, highly recommended for a movie buff, being one myself i really enjoyed reading it.

[Irene · Rating 5 out of 5]

A movie rental store from another universe??? The possibilities! This was really sweet and so much fun. I need to read Pratt's backlist after I finish Prison of Sleep.

[Jeraviz · Rating 5 out of 5]

¡Buenísimo! Me ha encantado. Ojalá encontrara un videoclub así. Un gran homenaje a los que amamos el cine.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very Tim Pratt sort of story --I loved it. The curiosity shop that wasn't there before, except it's a movie rental place, and some of the titles are decidedly strange. You can read it online here.

[Spad53 · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very cute little story, which I enjoyed, despite not being a big movie fan. I'll happily admit to not knowing much about all the films mentioned , and not caring. Only a four because of that.

[Sandeep · Rating 5 out of 5]

This little gem gives all the good reasons to be a movie freak. Great comparisons are made by author between movies and one's life.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant! A light and enjoyable alternate universe short story.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

"You couldn't ask more of a miracle than it was willing to give."

A short story that greatly benefits from a tightly focused premise: a film fanatic (Pete) stumbles upon a video store with a very strange inventory. Pete's reaction to this and interaction with the clerk provide a deceptively simple framework for a well developed tale with two characters who feel genuine despite the absurdity of the situation. More than once Pete's actions had me thinking "that's what I would do."

There are passages of extreme detail about the oddities Pete discovers which seem like they should be a bit overwhelming, but aren't. The details themselves are imaginative and interesting and it's all written so wonderfully the excitement Pete (and obviously the author) has for movies becomes contagious.

[Tamahome · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ha ah, loved this on Escape Pod. http://escapepod.org/2007/05/10/ep105...

[Bharath · Rating 5 out of 5]

I might be a lesser movie buff than Pete in the story is, but I still do watch a hell of a lot of movies. And this is one short sweet story for Cinephiles.

[Mira Yunus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can I give this a 6 stars? It swept me off my feet, well-written, fast and I don't expect it to end so impossibly cute. Easily one of my favorite sci-fi short stories of all time.

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This 2007 Hugo award winner for best short story is a fun, amusing The Twilight Zone inspired tale of a young film buff who discovers a movie rental shop from a parallel universe.

[PAR · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Stars! Loved this short story so much! Also a Hugo winner! Enjoy!
Read: 12/15/22

Quotes:
- “Pete believed in movies like other people believed in God.”
- “You could judge a video store by the quality of its classics shelf the same way you could judge a civilization by the state of its prisons.”
- “He’d just have to enjoy it while it lasted. You couldn’t ask more of a miracle than it was willing to give.”
- “Some people say the best movie isn’t as good as the best book, and I say they’re not watching the right movies, or else they’re not watching them the right way.”
- “… movies can be a way to hide from life, but shit, sometimes you need to hide from life, to see a better life in the screen, to know life can be better than it is, or to see a worse life and realize how good you have it. Movies taught me not to settle for less…”
- “Some movies reassure us that life makes sense. And some movies remind us that life doesn’t make sense at all. And some things don’t have anything to do with movies.”
- “The lights weren’t going to come up, the curtain wasn’t coming down; this wasn’t the end of a movie. For once, Pete liked his life better than the vivid continuous dream of the screen.”

[lxz · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite episode of The Twilight Zone is "A Penny for Your Thoughts." Not necessarily the best written episode, nor an episode with any cutting leftist critiques of society, but in the episode a man has a weird scifi thing happen to him, and then everyone's life is a little different and a little better at the end, and the scifi thing goes away. The warm feeling watching that episode gives me is how I felt reading this sweet short story. Certainly their are alternate history stories with more cutting critiques of the capitalism and imperialism that infect our society, but this one was a fun exploration of roads not taken cinema-wise, and just a sweet little story.

[Fatimah · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Sure, movies can be a way to hide from life, but shit, sometimes you need to hide from life, to see a better life on the screen, to know life can be better than it is, or to see a worse life and realize how good you have it. Movies taught me not to settle for less."

A DVD-rental store from the parallel world. Such a great concept with outstanding story-telling. I've been wishing for a partner that shares the same passion about movies (and books), Pete and Ally sure made me envy. The ending made me squeal so hard, didn't expect it to end in such a cute way.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Submitted for your approval: Pete, a movie buff, stumbles upon a mysterious video store. He knows it should not exist since he knows all the rental stores in the county. There, he encounters a strange clerk and movies with variations to the ones he knows. Actors, directors, scenes, endings, and histories changed. It is not just the movies that are changed, but even currency. Little does he know, he has crossed over into The Twilight Zone.

[Aleksandar Stojanovski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Извонреден краток расказ. Добитник на Hugo награда за најдобар краток расказ во 2007 година. Содржински потсетува на епизода од некогаш популарната серија "The Twilight Zone". Препорака, особено за вљубениците на филмската уметност.

[Cmoore · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Hugo award winning short story is from the fertile mind of Tim Pratt... With the creative juice of Shir Comay, it's also an award winning fan video...
You can find this online free video here: https://youtu.be/s13J2pPe0U8

[Poiboy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful story with a refreshed theme (that has been used over and over in scifi and fantasy). It was the perfect length.. even if I wanted more.

[Danyel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story, especially because I am a bit of a film buff myself. It was heart warming and entertaining.

[Denise McLachlan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet so-fi

I loved this story, it was sweet and fantastic and a great fantasy. The characters were likeable and I want to know more, what happened next...