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Some 60s/70s Speculative/Science Fiction films

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Poll Question: Which choices will you vote for? (multiple voting enabled)
Poll Choice Votes Poll Statistics
10 [11.24%]
5 [5.62%]
1 [1.12%]
5 [5.62%]
6 [6.74%]
6 [6.74%]
3 [3.37%]
4 [4.49%]
2 [2.25%]
4 [4.49%]
5 [5.62%]
8 [8.99%]
3 [3.37%]
3 [3.37%]
4 [4.49%]
3 [3.37%]
5 [5.62%]
0 [0.00%]
3 [3.37%]
0 [0.00%]
0 [0.00%]
4 [4.49%]
4 [4.49%]
0 [0.00%]
1 [1.12%]
You can not vote in this poll

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Atavachron View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Atavachron Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 25 2018 at 21:13
Both are so good--  I'm guessing the remake is the one in question (the first remake, that is).

"Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought."   -- John F. Kennedy
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Logan Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 25 2018 at 22:07
I like the four adaptations of Jack Finney's 1955 novel The Body Snatchers listed below in their own ways.

I am indeed referring to the 1978 Philip Kaufman Invasion of the Body Snatchers. The 1956 version directed by Don Siegel is a few years too early for the purposes of this 1960s and 70s poll. Had I set no temporal limits, then both would be applicable.

I like the 2007 with Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig film called The Invasion very much and I enjoyed 1993's Body Snatchers.

I haven't seen Invasion of the Pod People.

By the way, perhaps a novel poll would be in order, Jack Finney's The Body Snatchers (1955) vs. the similarly themed 1951 novel by Robert A. Heinlein called The Puppet Masters (I've read the Heinlein, and seen the movie, but not yet read the Finney).

Edited by Logan - July 25 2018 at 22:41
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote BaldJean Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 26 2018 at 07:03
IMDB has the original at 7.8 and the remake with Donald Sutherland at 7.4, which is about how I see them in relation


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Logan Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 26 2018 at 09:16
And at rottentomatoes:

INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (1956)

TOMATOMETER
98%
Average Rating: 9/10
Reviews Counted: 51
Fresh: 50
Rotten: 1
Critics Consensus: One of the best political allegories of the 1950s, Invasion of the Body Snatchers is an efficient, chilling blend of sci-fi and horror.

AUDIENCE SCORE
85%
liked it
Average Rating: 3.7/5
User Ratings: 19,008

INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (1978)

All Critics | Top Critics
TOMATOMETER
94%
Average Rating: 8.2/10
Reviews Counted: 52
Fresh: 49
Rotten: 3
Critics Consensus: Employing gritty camerawork and evocative sound effects, Invasion of the Body Snatchers is a powerful remake that expands upon themes and ideas only lightly explored in the original.

AUDIENCE SCORE
81%
liked it
Average Rating: 3.4/5
User Ratings: 35,169

--------------------------------------------------

So also a preference for the original film, but both very highly rated. The 1978 has three "rottens" and the 1956 only one "rotten".

Fun to look at the negative ones even if I really like both. I have a slight preference for the remake, but we discussed our differences in another thread (unless that was with Friede). The 1978 film was, according to what I've read in the past, part remake of the 1956 film and part a fresh adaptation of the 1955 novel ("The Invasion" is more a loosely based on the novel film).

Here's an excerpt from one one critical review of the 1978 film:

Originally posted by Ted Whitehead of The Spectator Ted Whitehead of The Spectator wrote:

I remember Invasion of the Body Snatchers (X) as one of the very first sci-fi films to grab my imagination in the Fifties. The plot is the basic one about our planet being invaded by a plant-like organism which takes over humanity. The new version, with Donald Sutherland and Leonard Nimoy, is directed by Philip Kaufman from a screenplay by W.D. Richter. All the tension and scariness of the original has gone and in its place is a bit of floppy old cabbage. See the Fifties version if you can.


Well, it is a conservative publication and conservatives tend not to favour change. Plus, perhaps the political allegory of the original resonated more when the cold war and fear of the spread of communism, McCarthyism, was at its height.

Said it before, but while I tend not to like remakes, the 1978 one resonated with me (It was also the first version that I saw). And perhaps since it is also a fresh adaptation of the source novel even though I haven't read it (though also inspired by the earlier film), perhaps it works better than if it was one of those just based on an earlier film films. No matter how many versions of, say, Macbeth that there are, there remains room to come up with an interesting take on the source material.

Anyway, here's a negative "review" (I use the term loosely and for an audience member and I would just call it an uninteresting comment) of the 1956 version.

Originally posted by Scott M Scott M wrote:


The most over-rated science fiction movie ever. I give it an A+ for the idea, but an F for the execution. Just drags on and on and on. Really bad movie.


You, sir, are a really bad reviewer, and I give you an F for execution and an F for conceptualisation.   At least your review doesn't drag on and on. If just one person thinks this "review" is good, then your review is grossly overrated.

Edited by Logan - July 26 2018 at 09:21
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote BaldJean Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 26 2018 at 10:09
I saw the original first. the remake doesn't have the almost claustrophobic atmosphere of the original. this may partly be because the remake is in color. b/w is in my opinion definitely the better medium for such a tale


Edited by BaldJean - July 26 2018 at 10:12


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Logan Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 26 2018 at 10:39
I agree about the claustrophobic atmosphere. Various Philip K. Dick would suit black and white too, methinks, because of the oppressiveness and sense of paranoia in his works. The later The Twilight Zone did not nearly appeal to me as much as the original, partially that was because of the writing ancd acting, but also a big part was the look of them.

I see the films as different enough for me to really appreciate both in their own rights, and I really like the look of both, but I respect differences in opinion (generally-speaking).

Edited by Logan - July 26 2018 at 10:41
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Atavachron Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 26 2018 at 12:26
I find the '78 film has allegory as well, just for a different time.   I feel it reflects the intellectual and social upheavals of the 1970s and the quiet war between the new intellectual Left and old vigilante Right of San Francisco, a kind of variation on the Red Scare and paranoia of the original film.   And as a lifelong San Franciscan, I can tell you the mood that was captured and cultural details were spot on.



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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote moshkito Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 26 2018 at 21:43
Hi,

Wow ... a list that I have seen almost all of the films! And reviewed most of them!

Do you realize the incredible number of directors involved in your putting together this?

Kubrick, Godard, Tarkovsky, Truffaut, Coppola, Wise, Jones, Roeg, Vadim, Cammell ... 

I kinda did not vote, as my choices in this poll are so out there and weird, that I found it hard to decide. For example, DEMON SEED, was the followup film by Don Cammell, who was responsible along with Nicolas Roeg for PERFORMANCE, which still is, for me, one of the best and most literary films ever made, but a really hard one for most people to wrap their heads around, I think. It used to be a big midnight flick draw ... but the filming style and its presentation is probably something that would make this film in this list for me. Don's followup in DEMON SEED is a bit scary, but the whole thing stands up strongly due to Julie Christie. The ending kinda became ... showtime ... which I did not think was necessary, but that's me.

ALPHAVILLE, for me, is more Godard, than it is anything for this list. It was satirical in many ways, and its filming style reminiscent of a style of film that film school loves to study ... but for me, it never stood out that much. 

Both Tarkovsky films are good, although some folks do not like SOLARIS, and I think this may have been because the novel is such a visual treat that satisfying all of our tastes is hard. STALKER, is a sort of post-apocaliptyc film for me, and despite its length, it's still an interesting thing, though you kinda know from the start that ... yeah ... but the performances are good, and it carries the interest well.

NICHOLAS ROEG's The Man Who Fell to Earth is a wonderful film, however the story is so sad that you already know that you are not going to like the film  a lot, is what I thought at the time. There are some far out bits in there, but the political stuff with the government, gets to your skin ... and sadlyu, took the taste of the film out for me. I really liked the first half of the film, but the taking down of Mr. Newton, kinda became a really sad story. Very strong film, but it is told very fast, and that has a tendency to lose some of its greatness ... example ... the trip on a car looking out the window ... it's like ... what the heck ... what's that? And then the whole thing with Candy Clark is sad, and when she is scared witless, leaves us very cold, and it is very difficult to pick things up from there ... 

BARBARELLA was fun to watch, but the comic book was far better!

SLAUGHTERHOUSE-FIVE is one of a kind ... very special book, too!

Lastly ... I like Arthur C. Clarke, however I was never totally enthralled with 2001. I thought at the time, that it was a bit off kilter, and in the end, took a LSD trip for our benefit. It has moments in it, that are not as clear as the novel, and I think that the film was probably cut up too much for it to have a much better linear sense. It is, however, a VISUALLY STUNNING film, as are many of Kubrick's films. Like David Lean, you can just about freeze any frame ... and you have a painting.

Some of the other films I thought were more for the Hollywood audience than they were serious films, but that's just an "aside" from me, since many of these films, when I saw them I did not take as seriously ... for example, I did see PLANET OF THE APES, but I was too stoned, and I did not enjoy the film. Same thing with ZARDOZ and LOGAN'S RUN as at that time, it was the thing to do. Same with FANTASTIC VOYAGE.

BTW, the Czech film FANTASTIC PLANET probably should be on this list? Nice film also.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Logan Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 27 2018 at 06:50
I caught Logan's Run, Zardoz, and Planet of the Apes as a child and the themes resonated with me then, and continue to (my username references Logan's Run). Zardoz is quite often considered to be a bad movie -- I think the final scenes very moving. It can be very absurd, but that's part of the fun for me. It's become a cult classic.   Every one of the films in the poll has some personal meaning to me.

That Fantastic Planet is one of my favourite animated films, and it is has one of my favourite soundtracks (Alain Goraguer's La planete sauvage).   By the way, for those who like that Alain Goraguer soundtrack, I recommend Karl Heinz Schäfer's Les Gants Blancs du Diable.

Side-note: I'm rather surprised that Woody Allen's Sleeper did not get a single vote or mention.   Since Woody Allen's Stardust Memories was mentioned in another of my polls of fantastic cinema, (the 80s edition), I thought Sleeper might get a vote or a mention.

Edited by Logan - July 27 2018 at 06:56
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote BaldFriede Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 27 2018 at 07:29
I love Zardoz. Sean Connery in a red diaper with ammo belts across his bare chest, Charlotte Rampling (one of my favorite actresses), green bread, a flying stone head, "The gun is good! The penis is evil"! - what's there not to love?


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Logan Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 27 2018 at 08:56
Originally posted by BaldFriede BaldFriede wrote:

I love Zardoz. Sean Connery in a red diaper with ammo belts across his
bare chest, Charlotte Rampling (one of my favorite actresses), green
bread, a flying stone head, "The gun is good! The penis is evil"! -
what's there not to love?


Sean Connery in a red diaper AND a wedding dress. While I think it has very interesting premise, and can be powerful, it's also a fun romp that shouldn't be taken too seriously.



This is rather gratuitous since I wrote and posted this silly "review" many years ago, and it's not well written, but...

Zardoz speakz to you, hiz chozen onez!



A really big, toothy, and freaky stone head magnificently soars through the azure sky. A group of men in red diapers (Exterminators) rush to meet it. Wearing masks with the same visage as the stone head, they gather worship-fully before the stone-head which gracefully lands. With a booming voice it addresses the Exterminators, "The gun is good. The penis is evil. The penis shoots seeds, and makes new life, and poisons the earth with a plague of men, as o­nce it was. But the gun shoots death, and purifies the earth. Now go forth and kill." The stone head, which is the Exterminator's God, Zardoz, spews forth guns which they greedily lap up.

The Exterminator Zed (Sean Connery like you’ve never seen him before) secretly enters the head which is the o­nly path into the Vortex – a land of immortals (the Eternals) with big mental powers and scanty clothing.

He has worked in the service of Zardoz, cleansing the Earth of Brutals (the masses outside the Vortex) but has learned that it was all based o­n a lie and seeks revenge! But while Zed resents the underhanded manipulation by the immortal denizens of the Vortex, who was manipulating the Eternals? And to what ends?

"We’ve all been used!"
"And re-used."
"And abused!"
"And amused."
"Hahahaha blech uhgah."

It seems that Zardoz, by director John Boorman who went o­n to make Excalibur, is a love it or hate it film – truly weird, truly different, and I think, truly wonderful. The final scenes are incredibly moving and powerful.

It’s a very surreal, satirical, sometimes disturbing, sometimes just plain bad, but ultimately poignant film. If fear of seeing Sean Connery in a bright red diaper AND a wedding dress doesn’t deter you, be warned, there are lots of topless females frolicking about, and a depraved orgy scene with seniors involved.

Scene to look out for: Super-human Zed punches through some saran wrap whilst incredulous bystanders exclaim, "It can’t be done, it’s impossible." This may require some suspension of disbelief on the part of the audience.



And Charlotte Rampling is a terrific actress -- I've liked her in everything I have seen. In terms of her recent work, I liked her character in the film version of Never Let Me Go (yes, the film is not as good as the novel, but the novel is amazing) very much, and while I wasn't terribly keen on the second season/ series of Broadchurch on the whole, she was great in it.

Edited by Logan - July 27 2018 at 08:58
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote BaldFriede Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 27 2018 at 09:10
I love her in the highly controversial "The Night Porter", "Farewell, My Lovely" (with a great Robert Mitchum too) and "Angel Heart"


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Logan Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 27 2018 at 10:08
I haven't seen "Farewell, My Lovely". "The Night Porter" is quite something -- understandably controversial, very provocative, and fascinating in a morbid sort of way.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote BaldFriede Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 27 2018 at 13:50
Originally posted by Logan Logan wrote:

I haven't seen "Farewell, My Lovely". "The Night Porter" is quite something -- understandably controversial, very provocative, and fascinating in a morbid sort of way.

Well, here is "Farewell, My Lovely":



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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote dr wu23 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 27 2018 at 18:19
Zardoz is an interesting surreal send-up...at times laughingly bad and at other times brilliantly weird.....that's what makes it so much fun.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Logan Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 07 2020 at 03:14
Since we have been discussing 70s sci-fi in another topic. This list does miss many of my favourites, and as I said, Close Encounters of the Third Kind is not here because that was in another related poll of the time and I did not want to duplicate any of those entries. The Black Hole is another that left its mark on me as did Star Trek: The Motion Picture. And yes, I also like World on a Wire.
I cant remember if I did a part two, but I did a series of these through different decades/ eras.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote verslibre Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 07 2020 at 17:25
Originally posted by BaldJean BaldJean wrote:

I saw the original first. the remake doesn't have the almost claustrophobic atmosphere of the original. this may partly be because the remake is in color. b/w is in my opinion definitely the better medium for such a tale

IMHO, Kaufman's remake is far more scary and freaky and certainly claustrophobic. The final few minutes are sheer terror, especially since it's made even more painfully clear in the remake that there is simply no beating the invading lifeform.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote moshkito Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 07 2020 at 17:57
Hi,

I was thinking silly again ... the day they GROK my favorite book properly, and completely, I might become a better Sci-Fi person ... but in general, BLADE RUNNER for me is a nice Sci-Fi thing ... and I seem to like it that way, where some humanity is valuable and important. I'm not sure that even Lars von Trier could do a good job on it ... it would be too psychedelic for me, more than likely!

Some of the Sci-Fi I have read, left the human everything somewhere in the closet, or killed it off quickly! Wink


Edited by moshkito - August 07 2020 at 17:59
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Logan Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 07 2020 at 19:16
Since you mention Blade Runner, I bumped my 80s poll that i had done as part of this series. I love Philip K. Dick and Blade Runner is an interesting very loose adaptation of his work. I also liked Villeneuve's Blade Runner 2049 from 2017. As to the grok, Heinlein's Stranger in A Stranger Land is one of my very favourite novels -- I love how humanity is explored through alienation-- his otherness. Blade Runner is an interesting exploration of what it means to be human. A reason I like The Man Who Fell to Earth is because of the humanity of it.(that's a common thread in so much that I like).
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Catcher10 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 07 2020 at 19:44
Out of all of these The Andromeda Strain takes the crown for me. The start of the movie is simply like WTF is going on in this town! A very serious movie

The remake of Farhenheit 451 was terrible, the original is good but the book was awesome. And yes Fantastic Voyage hopefully will be remade, G. del Torro needs to get it going again!
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