Science fiction movies
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Topic: Science fiction movies
Posted By: el böthy
Subject: Science fiction movies
Date Posted: January 08 2008 at 12:59
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Let´s talk about a genr ein movies which I think many of us Progheads like very much: Meg Ryan movies... oh no, excuse me, Science fiction movies. What´s your favorite movie? What do you generally think of this genre? Is it just an excuse for making adventurous movies in outer space or do you think there are actually intelligent movies made under this cathegory? Which type of science fiction movies do you prefer, Cyberpunk (Blade runner), Outerspace (Star Wars), philosophical (2001: A space odyssey), monster movies (Godzilla)...etc...? And what ever yoy would like to add! Personally, I think science fiction is quite like metal, for it has some of the best movies ever made (Solaris, A clockwork Orange) just as metal (Opeth, Tool, Metallica (old Metallica)) but in general the genre is full of special effects, non plot dirven sh*t (Battlefield earth, Godzilla meats your momma...etc) just as most metal (Glam metal, most of Power metal (sorry), Nü metal...etc). But, as I said mefore, some of the very best movies ever made fall under this genre. As for my favorite movie, I have said it many times, 2001: A space odyssey, it´not only my favorite movie in the genre, but in general. Other movies I like very much: The Fountain, A clockwork Orange, the first two X-men movies, the first Matrix (woooow how original!) and the three original Star Wars (specially The Empire strikes back) among others... Generally I like the more deep, philosophical films, although there are many, specially the ones that are set in the future, that could even be considered as Film Noir´s that are very effective also. ...now you ------------- "You want me to play what, Robert?" 
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Replies:
Posted By: bizarro laplace
Date Posted: January 08 2008 at 13:13
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Although I love to read science fiction books, I'm rarely so excited about the films. Gattaca was very good, though, and I suppose I do like the philosophical side of the medium. (Star Maker's my favourite science fiction book thus far.) ------------- http://www.neopets.com/refer.phtml?username=iamnhnia"> 
# for band in doom: # if indiekids(band): addband(band, "Post Metal") |
Posted By: Atavachron
Date Posted: January 08 2008 at 14:42
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I love all the greats.. Fantastic Voyage (so good they still haven't remade it), War of the Worlds (the original of course), Time Machine, Invasion of the Body Snatchers (the first one and the remake with Donald Sutherland is excellent), and the mother of modern sci-fi cinema Forbidden Planet.. also Jason and the Argonauts and the other Harryhausen ones, and all the Alien movies are great |
Posted By: sleeper
Date Posted: January 08 2008 at 14:53
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I do enjoy Sci-fi movies Blade Runner (final cut) Alien, Aliens, Serenity, X-Men 2, Pitch Black and 2001: A SPace Odyssey being stunning movies. However, I've seen too much trash in this genre, the worst probably being Starship Troopers 2 (as if the first wasnt bad enough).
------------- Spending more than I should on Prog since 2005 
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Posted By: Vibrationbaby
Date Posted: January 08 2008 at 15:01
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My favourite movie of all freakin`time is Eraserhead. Genius. My Godzilla collection drives everyone nuts as well. Creature From the Black Lagoon, Frankenstein, 1,000,Years BC all great ! I won`t watch anything with modern special effects although the first Terminator movie was great. Bores me to Tears. Ed Wood Rules ! Can`t stand remakes either. I also love the original StarTrek series. ------------- |
Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: January 08 2008 at 15:08
Please tell me you made that one up.  #1 did such a disservice to the Yes song. ------------- Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened... 
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sleeper wrote:Posted By: BaldFriede
Date Posted: January 08 2008 at 15:22
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"Welt am Draht" ("World on Wire") by Rainer Werner Fassbinder. Basically the same idea as "The Matrix", only about 30 years earlier, without all those FX, but a much better movie. Another good one: "Phase IV", a movie about ants that have become intelligent and two scientists who try to study them. After a while you start asking who is being studied though, the ants or the scientists? "Silent Running", a movie about the last forests, which sadly no longer exist on earth but in space. -------------  BaldJean and I; I am the one in blue. |
Posted By: Atavachron
Date Posted: January 08 2008 at 15:27
have you caught any of the new ones with the added footage and effects? they're really well-done, very tasteful and lovingly restored.. they're not available on disc yet as far as I know (usually shown on CW network) but well worth it |
Posted By: Jimbo
Date Posted: January 08 2008 at 15:27
I love reading good sci-fi/dystopian novels, but don't generally care
for the movies, to be honest. There's usually too much flash and not
enough substance to impress me. On the other hand, some of the best
movies ever made are directly or undirectly related to sci-fi, imo. I like your (el böthy) list, our tastes are rather similar, it seems!  Don't have much to add right now, except that every Philip K. Dick fan should see A Scanner Darkly.Thanks for the tips Baldfriede, haven't seen any of those!  ------------- 
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Posted By: BaldFriede
Date Posted: January 08 2008 at 15:37
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Here a few comments about "Welt am Draht" from IMDB. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070904/usercomments - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070904/usercomments The movie has an average rating of 8.4 of 10, which is pretty high. ------------- BaldJean and I; I am the one in blue. |
Posted By: sleeper
Date Posted: January 08 2008 at 16:40
No, I'm not, and the first did a diservice to Heinleins original (the songs not that good either). ------------- Spending more than I should on Prog since 2005
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Posted By: BaldFriede
Date Posted: January 08 2008 at 16:45
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"Der Schwarm" by Frank Schätzing, an interesting SF book which even Stanislaw Lem might have liked (he was very critical about most SF), is supposed to come out as a movie this year. Unfortunately the rights are with some Hollywood company. But the book is ideal for making an SF movie of it, and Hollywood won't even have to change the story a bit, in my opinion; it reads as if it is just waiting to be filmed. Lots of great scenes in it, even a lot of action too.
------------- BaldJean and I; I am the one in blue. |
Posted By: VanderGraafKommandöh
Date Posted: January 08 2008 at 21:56
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The last great Sci-Fi film I saw was Children of Men, but I've not read the original book by P.D. James, which apparently is also very good. I thought the Tom Cruise War of the Worlds was abysmal, Hollywood seem to ruin things nowadays. Oh and the original Day of the Triffids was excellent too. I tend to also like dystopian and/or intelligent sci-fi. I don't like Space Operas that much to be honest. I am still waiting to see some of the film adaptations of some Kurt Vonnegut books, I believe there is some. -------------   
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Posted By: progadicto
Date Posted: January 09 2008 at 09:19
I think Blade Runner is one of the three movies that all sci fi fan has to be as al time favorite. I also agree with Alien (I like the four and even Alien vs Predator), the X-Men saga is good too and Pitch Black is really interesting. It's so sad what the mainstream did with The Chronicles of Riddick but... overall that's Hollywood and yo can't excpect any creativity... Kubrick's Clockwork Orange and 2001 are amazing... Concerning Starship Troopers (the first), the movie is based on an Robert Heinlein book with the same name. The book is wonderful but Verhoeven's movie is... really bad... The book is full of military and dictatorial references and shows the stupidity of a society that thinks the military way is the right way...
Concerning Blade Runner, is amazing how may movies were made based on Philip Dick stories: Besides Blade Runner, Hollywood made (sometimes with luck and sometimes with horrible results): Total Recall (another Schwarzzeneger hero stuff movie), Minority Report (good movie), Paycheck (just regular) and Impostor (the most underrated!)...
------------- ... E N E L B U N K E R... |
Posted By: BaldFriede
Date Posted: January 09 2008 at 09:43
Well, the first Star Trek movie was rather boring. Was it really necessary to do a camera trip of about half an hour through the new Enterprise? Yawn... ------------- BaldJean and I; I am the one in blue. |
Posted By: el böthy
Date Posted: January 09 2008 at 11:05
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A few days ago I saw Gattaca. I find it good, but I has really hoping for more. I wanted to see a masterpiece of cinema, as some have coined it (I even remember one forum member, don´t know who, hails it as his favorite movie ever) but it faild a little to my expectations. I think I liked what surrounded the story (the genetical manipulation, racism, the whole having to get rid of the extra skin was really cleaver). Maybe I misjudge the movie, as I was told it was more in a Cyberpunk kind of way, but to be honest, with the exception of genetic manipulation and space travelling, there is not much "future" in it. But, on second thought, it´s cool to see a kind of retro future. I guess I give the movie an 7.5 out of 10 You know, I can´t believe Im saying this, but the movie with Arnold "the Governator" the 6th day, apart from some action scenes that don´t do much to the story is quite a good movie. I´m a little ashamed of saying this, but I really do think that the story and argument is rather good! Also, another good Sci fi movie, not very deep, but very entertaining is the 5th element. don´t you agree? ------------- "You want me to play what, Robert?"
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Posted By: BaldFriede
Date Posted: January 09 2008 at 11:34
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Not bad for a box office hit, but when it comes to that I prefer "Twelve Monkeys". A movie in which you have to watch out for the details down to the very last scene if you want it to make sense.
------------- BaldJean and I; I am the one in blue. |
Posted By: The Doctor
Date Posted: January 09 2008 at 11:40
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Well, I'm a huge scifi fan, so here are my favorites. The aforementioned movies based on Philip K. Dick's writing, esp. Blade Runner, Total Recall and Minority Report.
The even-numbered Star Trek movies: I, V and IX all sucked. III and VII were ok but not as good as any of the even-numbered movies.
If counting the Star Wars movies as scifi (I consider them to be more fantasy related than scifi), I love episodes II, III and V (III being my favorite movie ever of any genre).
I also like some of the old cheesy scifi movies, like Forbidden Planet, When Worlds Collide, the original Time Machine, and all five (yes, I said all five!) of the Planet of the Apes movies. I even liked Godzilla vs. Your Momma.
Also, there are some great movies which use science fiction plot devices like Butterfly Effect (time travel) and Vanilla Sky (cryo-freeze).
Some others: Logan's Run, Deep Impact, The X-Men trilogy, The Spiderman trilogy, The Terminator trilogy and The Langoliers (ok, that one's a miniseries).
That's all I can think of off the top of my head. ------------- I can understand your anger at me, but what did the horse I rode in on ever do to you? |
Posted By: BaldJean
Date Posted: January 09 2008 at 11:47
well, first of all: I, V and IX are uneven numbers. and then you seem to contradict yourself; just look at the marked passages -------------  A shot of me as High Priestess of Gaia during our fall festival. Ceterum censeo principiis obsta |
Posted By: Jim Garten
Date Posted: January 09 2008 at 12:33
Good choice - one of my favorite movies: 
That rarest of sci fi movies; made on a budget & doesn't rely on special effects, just a good plot. ------------- 
Jon Lord 1941 - 2012 |
Posted By: TheProgtologist
Date Posted: January 09 2008 at 12:41
Add A Scanner Darkly to that list,which I think is an excellent movie. -------------  |
Posted By: The Doctor
Date Posted: January 09 2008 at 12:42
Yes, I liked the even-numbered Star Trek movies: II, IV, VI, VIII and X; the uneven- (or odd-) numbered movies I didn't like so much: I, V and IX sucked; and III and VII were ok.
As for Star Wars, I consider them space fantasy, not scifi, but...since a lot of people consider them scifi and since they are among my favorite movies, I chose to list them anyway.
I thought it was pretty clear.  ------------- I can understand your anger at me, but what did the horse I rode in on ever do to you? |
Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: January 09 2008 at 12:54
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Say anyone seen the Sci-Fi parody Dark Star?
------------- Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened...
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Posted By: BaldJean
Date Posted: January 09 2008 at 13:04
yes, I did. first movie of John Carpenter. excellent satire. I just love that alien ball monster. and the final picture with the eternally surfing astronaut is unforgettable ------------- A shot of me as High Priestess of Gaia during our fall festival. Ceterum censeo principiis obsta |
Posted By: progadicto
Date Posted: January 09 2008 at 14:03
I missed that one... Thanks... The title of that movie reminds one of my favorite directos, David Cronenberg with all his organic/gore/horror/sci fi movies such as Videodrome, Scanners, The Fly and Existenz... Really great movies ------------- ... E N E L B U N K E R... |
Posted By: sleeper
Date Posted: January 09 2008 at 14:34
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Thanks for remminding me Doc, The Butterfly Effect is a brilliant film.
------------- Spending more than I should on Prog since 2005
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Posted By: Vibrationbaby
Date Posted: January 09 2008 at 15:29
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Posted By: Tuzvihar
Date Posted: January 09 2008 at 16:00
Why nobody mentions Dune? And let me remind you of this forgotten gem: ------------- "Music is much like f**king, but some composers can't climax and others climax too often, leaving themselves and the listener jaded and spent." Charles Bukowski |
Posted By: TheProgtologist
Date Posted: January 09 2008 at 16:07
Nobody mentions Dune because if you are a hard-core Dune fan(like me),then you could recognize that movie for what it was.....an absolute travesty. ------------- |
Posted By: Tuzvihar
Date Posted: January 09 2008 at 16:12
And do you know this Polish classic: It's a sci-fi commedy. Plot summary: two men are chosen as guinea pigs for a time experiment: they are placed in hibernation and should be brought back to life after three years. In the meantime, however, the World War III breaks out and life have been wiped out of the surface of the Earth. When they wake up, it turns out that not only 50 years have passed but also that they are the only (or so it seems  ) living specimens of the male sex in a new, underground
society composed exclusively of women.------------- "Music is much like f**king, but some composers can't climax and others climax too often, leaving themselves and the listener jaded and spent." Charles Bukowski |
Posted By: el böthy
Date Posted: January 09 2008 at 16:14
...that´s not so bad to wake up  ------------- "You want me to play what, Robert?"
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Posted By: Tuzvihar
Date Posted: January 09 2008 at 16:24
I am a fan of Dune. And I don't think the movie is that bad. Do you know that originally it was Alexandro Jodorowsky who was to make the film? He wanted Salvador Dali to play the emperor Shaddam IV and Pink Floyd to compose music. That would've been something! See: http://www.hotweird.com/jodorowsky/dunestory.html - http://www.hotweird.com/jodorowsky/dunestory.html . ------------- "Music is much like f**king, but some composers can't climax and others climax too often, leaving themselves and the listener jaded and spent." Charles Bukowski |
Posted By: Tuzvihar
Date Posted: January 09 2008 at 16:30
Except the women wanted to turn the men into women too. ------------- "Music is much like f**king, but some composers can't climax and others climax too often, leaving themselves and the listener jaded and spent." Charles Bukowski |
Posted By: el böthy
Date Posted: January 09 2008 at 16:47
Ahhh I remember seing it when I was very little, or part of it. I remember the Alien had a child and I thought that was just too bizarre for my 8 or 9 years... So it´s a good movie, I must tell you I always thought it should be crap ------------- "You want me to play what, Robert?"
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Posted By: Nash
Date Posted: January 09 2008 at 18:07
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2001: A space odyssey and Matrix trilogy are my favourite movies from this genre and of course, from all genres ------------- http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/191/sydbarrettg.jpg/" rel="nofollow"> 
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Posted By: bizarro laplace
Date Posted: January 09 2008 at 18:17
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I've always thought that classifying stuff like Star Wars, Terminator, The Matrix and Equilibrium as science fiction is a mistake and a definite misnomer - they're action films set in different time periods. Same with Dark Star - that's a dark comedy in space. I think the science fiction connotation should be reserved for films with more thoughtful writing. Honestly, Blade Runner is only narrowly removed from action too, but the down-beat moments give it more "intelligent" credibility whereas the same can't be said for The Matrix' somewhat comical plot. thoughts? ------------- http://www.neopets.com/refer.phtml?username=iamnhnia">
# for band in doom: # if indiekids(band): addband(band, "Post Metal") |
Posted By: BaldFriede
Date Posted: January 09 2008 at 18:23
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Science Fiction does not necessarily have to be set in a different time period. Many SF films are set in the present. Some classics like "Invasion of the Body Snatchers", for example.
------------- BaldJean and I; I am the one in blue. |
Posted By: el böthy
Date Posted: January 09 2008 at 19:15
You mean you liked Matrix 2 and 3???... but the 2 is so bad, and the ending of the 3 is probably the worst ending in any film everrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr ------------- "You want me to play what, Robert?"
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Posted By: BaldFriede
Date Posted: January 09 2008 at 19:39
There is quite a good movie of Slaughterhouse 5, directed by George Roy Hill. ------------- BaldJean and I; I am the one in blue. |
Posted By: VanderGraafKommandöh
Date Posted: January 09 2008 at 19:51
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Thanks, Friede, I'll try and seek it out sometime. I believe there is also a film version of The Sirens of Titan as well.
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Posted By: TheProgtologist
Date Posted: January 09 2008 at 20:39
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Some of my favs:
Star Wars OT (fave:The Empire Strikes Back)
Star Wars PT (fave:Revenge of the Sith)
The Matrix Trilogy(fave:Matrix Reloaded)
Alien
Aliens
Forbidden Planet
Star Trek 2:The Wrath of Khan
Star Trek:First Contact
Planet of the Apes
The Hidden
War of the Worlds(original version)
Minority Report
Terminator
T2
Fantastic Voyage
Planet of the Apes
Return to the Planet of the Apes
The Omega Man
Soylent Green
Solaris
Event Horizon
The Fifth Element
The Day the Earth Stood Still
Blade Runner
Dark City
Stargate
Silent Running
Metropolis
Fahrenheit 451
Men in Black
Twelve Monkeys
THX 1138
The Incredible Shrinking Man
A Clockwork Orange
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
A Scanner Darkly
And a ton more that I forgot.....
I love movies based on comics,but I don't know why I don't count them as sc-fi.Some of my faves:
Spiderman trilogy(fave:Spiderman 2)
X-Men trilogy(fave:X-Men-The Last Stand)
Batman
Batman Returns
Blade trilogy(fave:Blade 2)
The Crow
Sin City
Daredevil(ONLY the Directors Cut,which is awesome)
Superman Returns
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Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: January 09 2008 at 20:40
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Speaking of John Carpenter, They Live was a lot of fun...
------------- Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened...
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Posted By: Mikerinos
Date Posted: January 09 2008 at 21:03
Wow, they considered Gong, Tangerine Dream, Oldfield, and Magma too. That would be amazing, even if the film sucked at least the soundtrack would be amazing. Certainly better than Toto. ------------- 
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Posted By: Cheesecakemouse
Date Posted: January 09 2008 at 21:22
I always thought the artwork on the Magma album Attahk resembled something out of Dune, either Harkonanns, the Space Guild or Tleixian face dancers or something |
Posted By: Mikerinos
Date Posted: January 09 2008 at 22:01
I've only read Dune once, so I could be wrong, but I'd imagine semuta music would be a cross between raga and krautrock.  -------------
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Posted By: VanderGraafKommandöh
Date Posted: January 09 2008 at 22:45
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Maybe Dun's Eros album as a soundtrack? You get the Dune reference and the Zeuhl at the same time.
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Posted By: 1800iareyay
Date Posted: January 09 2008 at 23:03
Your list was nearly flawless (except you left off Brazil, you naughty person), but I'm having such a hard time taking you seriously after this.
No love for Hellboy? I think it's right behind Sin City and Spidey 2 in terms of best comic films (even though Guillermo takes some big liberties with the graphic novels). |
Posted By: 1800iareyay
Date Posted: January 09 2008 at 23:07
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Jody's list is pretty much mine, though I would add Brazil. My top ten: 1. Empire Strikes Back 2. Blade Runner- The Final Cut (watch all the versions; this is clearly king. It finally made me realize what a masterpiece this movie is) 3. 2001: A Space Odyssey 4. A New Hope 5. Brazil 6. A Clockwork Orange 7. Alien/Aliens (they're both so good, and Cameron made a smart move not trying to make another horror film since Sir Ridley got it so perfect the first time) 8. The Matrix 9.Terminator 2: Judgment Day 10. Metropolis |
Posted By: VanderGraafKommandöh
Date Posted: January 09 2008 at 23:11
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Oh yes, I forgot Brazil too, that's a wonderful movie. I fell asleep through Twelve Monkeys though (not purposefully) and I missed Sin City the other day because my girlfriend apparently said she'd seen it and didn't like it... which isn't true, 'cause it was the British Television Premier... oh well, I'll have to wait 'til next time. I think we watched Krull on video instead. -------------
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Posted By: progaeopteryx
Date Posted: January 09 2008 at 23:12
| For some reason, I really enjoy sci-fi movies, even the bad ones like Battlefield Earth (with John Travolta). Remember that one? Sometimes those crappy, cheaply-made ones on the Sci-Fi Channel catch my attention too. I must be a nut. |
Posted By: Jim Garten
Date Posted: January 10 2008 at 03:28
Hellboy's a curious movie; I bought it just to complete my Guillermo Del Toro collection. Ron Perlman is excellent in it, but I suppose not knowing the comic background, I've never been able to get 'into' this movie. Don't dislike it as such, just... not sure. Incidentally, Del Toro's being mooted as likely to direct the final Harry Potter movie (now that I'd sign a petition for )
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Posted By: Neil
Date Posted: January 10 2008 at 03:37
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I always remember two of the older SF movies: The day the Earth Stood Still and Forbidden Planet. The first film of War of the Worlds has always stuck in my mind too, although it's probably not a great film. It was more my age at the time and the situation when I saw it. Logan's run always seemed to me to be interesting social comment but it was definitely of an age. ------------- When people get lost in thought it's often because it's unfamiliar territory. |
Posted By: Jim Garten
Date Posted: January 10 2008 at 07:36
I know, good film, but it looks terribly dated these days - just as well the society depicted never came to pass - the Grey Room'd be empty! -------------
Jon Lord 1941 - 2012 |
Posted By: TheProgtologist
Date Posted: January 10 2008 at 08:35
Brian Singer,who directed X-Men and Superman Returns,is remaking Logan's Run.I wasn't a big fan of the movie,because the book is so much better.
One of the big differences is that in the book Lastday is on your 21st birthday,not your 30th like in the movie.Also,the endings in the book and moive are VERY different.There is also a very good sequel(in book form),called Logan's World. ------------- |
Posted By: 1800iareyay
Date Posted: January 10 2008 at 10:14
I'm not a comic guy either, but Del Toro did a phenomenal job with it. He reminds me of Ridley Scott in that he makes worlds that you want to live in even though they are horrible places. Ridley's 2019 Los Angeles was a pollution-filled, overpopulated clusterf**k, yet it was so beautifully created that it was alluring. Del Toro did the same with Hellboy and Pan's Labyrinth. Ditto on the Deathly Hallows. Once his name was mentioned I could think of no one else to direct it. |
Posted By: el böthy
Date Posted: January 10 2008 at 10:32
Singer seems like a good choice for a remake of this movie, his work in the first two X-men is great, you can really see he was missing in the third one! I see Metropolis is getting quite a lot of love, that�s good. I don�t like it that much, but on the other hand I�m not a big German-Expresionism fan either... Brazil is great, 1984 done with humor, excellent! As for Twelve monkeys, I�ve never seen it from start to finish... will have to rent it one day And Im very interested in the new final cut of Blade Runner, seems to be very good ------------- "You want me to play what, Robert?"
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Posted By: TheProgtologist
Date Posted: January 10 2008 at 10:55
If asked to name my favorite Matrix movie a year or two ago I would have named the first one,but I have watched it A LOT and my enthusiasm has cooled a bit.Quite a bit is revealed in Reloaded,and it contains two scenes that I absolutely love:the Burly Brawl and the freeway chase scene.
I didn't care much for Hellboy,I'm not a big fan of the comic.Ron Perlman was excellent in the role,though. ------------- |
Posted By: progadicto
Date Posted: January 10 2008 at 11:00
Maybe not brilliant but at least far better than The Sound of Thunder (based on a Ray Bradbury short story)... The story is really amazing but the movie is really bad... ------------- ... E N E L B U N K E R... |
Posted By: progadicto
Date Posted: January 10 2008 at 11:01
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And how about Mad Max trilogy (eben when the last one is at least regular) and Waterworld??? I have to recognize that Waterworld still amaze me and is a very decent sci fi apocaliptic movie... at least much better than The Postman ------------- ... E N E L B U N K E R... |
Posted By: Shakespeare
Date Posted: January 10 2008 at 11:03
I just finished reading that, excellent book, though the sci-fi element is definitely not major. |
Posted By: Shakespeare
Date Posted: January 10 2008 at 11:05
Which? The original(s) or Tim Burton's comedy version? |
Posted By: Vibrationbaby
Date Posted: January 10 2008 at 11:07
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The Progtologist has one of my faves on his list THX-1138 Here`s mysynopsis from my web-site : It`s the world of the future and the computers have taken over. Humans are forebidden tohave emotionsand are force fed sedatives and assigned numbers. THX-1138 played by Robert Duvall falls in love and together with his mate takes on the computers. Very Orwellian. An examole of great sci-fi without all the unnecassary special effects. ------------- |
Posted By: Vibrationbaby
Date Posted: January 10 2008 at 11:14
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Posted By: BaldFriede
Date Posted: January 10 2008 at 11:15
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The whole "Matrix" series is only for people who want to see an effect-laden movie. If that is your kind of SF, the Matrix- movies are excellent for you (although the main gimmick of "The Matrix" should get a bit repetitive after a while, even for the most die-hard FX-fan). What could really have been done with the basic idea of "The Matrix" was shown by Rainer Werner Fassbinder in 1974 with his "Welt am Draht" movie. A lot less action (though there is some, but the movie never is an action feast), but a much more intelligent movie. If an SF-movie does not tickle them old brain cells a bit it is not for me. That's why "2001" is a much better movie than "Star Wars", in my opinion. The whole "Star Wars" series is indeed nothing but a Western placed into deep space, with spaceships instead of horses. Lots of idiocy in them "Star Wars" movies too; I always have to laugh at the noise the missiles make in the almost perfect vacuum of space, for example. ------------- BaldJean and I; I am the one in blue. |
Posted By: el böthy
Date Posted: January 10 2008 at 11:39
It´s quite the obscure movie, right? In the sense that it´s not well known, right? Wikipedia for example has very little information on it. ah, and do not critizes the noise of the blasters baldie!!!  ------------- "You want me to play what, Robert?"
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Posted By: Vibrationbaby
Date Posted: January 10 2008 at 11:53
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And fiery explosions where there`s no air. I think that the flash you saw on the old Star Trek TV series was great ! Especially when the crew on the bridge of the Enterprise shields their eyes from one of these events.
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Posted By: BaldFriede
Date Posted: January 10 2008 at 12:26
Try the IMDB database. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070904/ - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070904/ The problem with the Fassbinder movie is that it was only shown on German TV and not in cinemas. It is available in a 2-DVD edition from WDR, the German tv channel that broadcasted it. Each DVD is 50.50 Euro. A bit expensive, but worth it. ------------- BaldJean and I; I am the one in blue. |
Posted By: Jim Garten
Date Posted: January 10 2008 at 12:36
I know - so different to LA in 2008 isn't it?
Could be a goodie, couldn't it? -------------
Jon Lord 1941 - 2012 |
Posted By: 1800iareyay
Date Posted: January 10 2008 at 12:50
It was written by the guy who wrote Alien. Dark Star bombed, so he changed the original draft (called Star Beast), into a horror film. I totally forgot to mention Serenity and its TV origin Firefly. I need to edit my top ten to add it. Even though Firefly got canceled almost out of the gate, it's the best space fantasy/Western since Star Wars IMO. Funny lines, interesting characters, and (in the case of the movie) some awesome action. |
Posted By: 1800iareyay
Date Posted: January 10 2008 at 12:51
I think that's what makes Blade Runner so amazing. With each passing year the world comes to look more and more like the projected vision. I think it's the most prescient sci-fi film ever made, and the most thought-provoking since 2001. |
Posted By: TheProgtologist
Date Posted: January 10 2008 at 14:48
The original of course,I have never seen Burton's film. ------------- |
Posted By: stonebeard
Date Posted: January 10 2008 at 19:28
I think so too. I stopped it halfway through. Made me sad. The sci-fi channel miniseries (which is only like 2 1/2 hours long) is SOOO much better. Still, the book needs a good budget and a tasteful production. ------------- http://soundcloud.com/drewagler" rel="nofollow - My soundcloud. Please give feedback if you want! |
Posted By: stonebeard
Date Posted: January 10 2008 at 19:33
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I'm a total sci-fi fanatic. O' course, being young and all, I'm not that versed in the 70s stuff like Silent Running. But I do love 90s+ sci-fi a lot. The 80s were a shoddy decade for sci-fi. Good stuff like Aliens and Blade Runner were often out shined by movies that only yell "80s!!!!!" like Dune, for example.
------------- http://soundcloud.com/drewagler" rel="nofollow - My soundcloud. Please give feedback if you want! |
Posted By: progadicto
Date Posted: January 10 2008 at 19:53
Good for you... You don't miss anything... The worst Burton movie, a horrible script, nonsense performances, an unnnevesary ending secuence... It was very sad to see Helena Bonham-Carter and Tim Roth wasting their time and talent in that fiasco... ------------- ... E N E L B U N K E R... |
Posted By: el böthy
Date Posted: January 10 2008 at 20:05
Don´t waste your time doing so either! ------------- "You want me to play what, Robert?"
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Posted By: BaldFriede
Date Posted: January 10 2008 at 20:18
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An interesting movie no-one mentioned so far and the only Science Fiction movie my Dad likes is "Soylent Green", starring Charlton Heston and Edward G. Robinson.
------------- BaldJean and I; I am the one in blue. |
Posted By: stonebeard
Date Posted: January 10 2008 at 20:24
It's sad everyone knows the ending already. I thought it was a bit boring.  Not too bad, though.
------------- http://soundcloud.com/drewagler" rel="nofollow - My soundcloud. Please give feedback if you want! |
Posted By: VanderGraafKommandöh
Date Posted: January 11 2008 at 06:40
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I've not seen Soylent Green, but I believe Jody mentioned in his long list on page 2, Friede.
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Posted By: Jim Garten
Date Posted: January 11 2008 at 07:07
Admit it though - you did still find Helena Bonham Carter sexy, even in the monkey suit... ; I know I did - the dreams I had...-------------
Jon Lord 1941 - 2012 |
Posted By: VanderGraafKommandöh
Date Posted: January 11 2008 at 07:10
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Ewww, I don't like her in (or out of) any type of suit, I just don't find her that attractive... They need to cast Anna Friel in more movies though! -------------
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Posted By: Jim Garten
Date Posted: January 11 2008 at 07:11
It's a real shame about Dune - I remember liking it when it was released (except Sting's character, which they decided to portray as a homo-erotic cyberpunk), but it doesn't bear re-watching in my opinion, as it's dated so badly. I'd recommend a re-make, but the problem you have with Dune, which is such a complex book/mythology, is what to leave in & what to excise from the original... -------------
Jon Lord 1941 - 2012 |
Posted By: VanderGraafKommandöh
Date Posted: January 11 2008 at 07:32
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Well I liked Krull, even if it was a bit... '80s. No mindblowing storyline, but it was enjoyable and it features the great Bernard Bresslaw as the Cyclops.
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Posted By: TheProgtologist
Date Posted: January 11 2008 at 07:58
I mentioned it in my list...great movie. ------------- |
Posted By: BaldFriede
Date Posted: January 11 2008 at 08:05
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There are some SF-books I wold like to see a movie made of, especially by Stanislaw Lem. One is his "Memoirs found in a Bathtub". According to what Lem said in an interview of his, a German TV-team made a movie of it, but I have never seen it; it is not listed in the International Movie Database either. Lem didn't like the movie; he said it was a lot of crap. Another book of Lem which I can imagine as a movie is "Eden". ------------- BaldJean and I; I am the one in blue. |
Posted By: el böthy
Date Posted: January 11 2008 at 17:50
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As far as genre goes, nobody has expressed much love/hate for the subgerens of sci fi... What do you think of... Cyberpunk? There... that should bring back some discussion ------------- "You want me to play what, Robert?"
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Posted By: 1800iareyay
Date Posted: January 11 2008 at 18:22
Cyberpunk is my personal favorite. The Matrix, Blade Runner, Minority Report, and Robocop are some of my favorite films. I find that it's generally the most thought-provoking of sci-fi subgenres. Films like 2001 are the exception, but for the most part philosophy is found here. |
Posted By: ebag7125
Date Posted: January 11 2008 at 19:11
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2001: a space odyssey is my favorite movie. ITS AWESOME!! ------------- 
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Posted By: VanderGraafKommandöh
Date Posted: January 11 2008 at 19:42
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I've not seen it in ages, but Demolition Man wasn't that bad, even if it did have Sly Stallone in it.
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Posted By: stonebeard
Date Posted: January 11 2008 at 20:38
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^ Not to mention Rob Schnieder.
------------- http://soundcloud.com/drewagler" rel="nofollow - My soundcloud. Please give feedback if you want! |
Posted By: VanderGraafKommandöh
Date Posted: January 11 2008 at 20:42
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Or Sandra Bullock... Hmm, with different actors in it, it could have been a whole different kettle of Zeuhl. -------------
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Posted By: TheProgtologist
Date Posted: January 11 2008 at 22:08
I thought he was in Judge Dredd with Stallone.
Now there is a movie that they absolutely RUINED.I LOVE Judge Dredd comics and couldn't wait for that movie and it was horrendous. ------------- |
Posted By: VanderGraafKommandöh
Date Posted: January 11 2008 at 22:09
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He was, Jody, but he also appeared in Demolition Man uncredited, apparently.
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Posted By: BaldJean
Date Posted: January 12 2008 at 06:31
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I don't quite know what is meant by "Cyberpunk". from the mentioning of movies by 1800iareyay it looks as if all movies in which androids appear fall under "Cyberpunk". I can certainly see the "Cyber" element there, but where please is the "punk" in those movies?
------------- A shot of me as High Priestess of Gaia during our fall festival. Ceterum censeo principiis obsta |
Posted By: el böthy
Date Posted: January 12 2008 at 11:25
Cyberpunk are the types of movies that are baes in a grim, sometimes near or post apocaliptic future where technology si constatly in your face and has changed the way human interact. Emotions become more and more strange as humans become more and more robotics. Usually the world is dominated by big corporations and the heroe is the outcast (usually a hacker). A good example in movies is Blade Runner and in literature the Neuromander by William Gibson, which is rumored its being finally made to a movie, directed by Chris Cunningham ------------- "You want me to play what, Robert?"
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Posted By: BaldJean
Date Posted: January 12 2008 at 12:10
that description would make "Metropolis" by Fritz Lang the first cyberpunk movie  ------------- A shot of me as High Priestess of Gaia during our fall festival. Ceterum censeo principiis obsta |
Posted By: bizarro laplace
Date Posted: January 12 2008 at 12:17
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i'm suspicious of the term too it makes action movies like Johnny Mnemonic cyberpunk too ;P ------------- http://www.neopets.com/refer.phtml?username=iamnhnia">
# for band in doom: # if indiekids(band): addband(band, "Post Metal") |
Posted By: TheProgtologist
Date Posted: January 12 2008 at 12:53
Johnny Mnemonic was based on a William Gibson story,and Gibson is the father of Cyberpunk.
For people that want to know more about this extremely interesting genre:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyberpunk - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyberpunk ------------- |
Posted By: BaldJean
Date Posted: January 12 2008 at 13:20
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I just read the Wikipedia article about Cyberpunk and found the following sentence: The police station of Blade Runner is the perfect copy (angle of sight included) of one of the gothic skyscrapers of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritz_Lang - Fritz Lang 's http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolis_%28film%29 - Metropolis , the earliest cyberpunk reference. So my assessment of Metropolis seems to be correct. ------------- A shot of me as High Priestess of Gaia during our fall festival. Ceterum censeo principiis obsta |
Posted By: BaldFriede
Date Posted: January 12 2008 at 14:19
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This "Cyberpunk" label seems to me pretty much like "Alter Wein in neuen Schläuchen" ("old wine in new skins"), meaning it is nothing but a marketing label. These kind of dystopian scenarios have been around a long time before Gibson and his Neuromancer (which is very overrated as a book, by the way; I read it and did not find it remarkable at all). Stanislaw Lem preceded him by a decade at least. Philip K. Dick was ahead of him too. ------------- BaldJean and I; I am the one in blue. |
Posted By: VanderGraafKommandöh
Date Posted: January 12 2008 at 16:08
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You also have Yvgeny Zamyatin's We, lots of H.G. Wells stories, as well as Huxley's Brave New World which took ideas (or shares similarities to) from: Wells's Men Like Gods (1921) and The Sleeper Awakes (1910 - a rewrite of When the Sleeper Wakes (1899)) Zamyatin's We (1921) (which apparently Huxley hadn't read when he wrote Brave New World) D.H. Lawrence Plus it apparently bears a similarity to philosopher Bertrand Russell's The Scientific Outlook (1931). -------------
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