In the spirit of the season, with a young Pia Zadora......
Posted on 12/12/2008 3:10:10 AM PST by mattstat
Since we had so much fun with the Military List. Plus, it’s Friday.
1. Star Wars The original 1977 theatrical, error-filled release only. Han did shoot first. The storm troopers did want the blast doors to be closed only to then want them re-opened. Darth did do the wagging finger gesture for no apparent reason after his speech in the war room to Tarkin was over. When I saw the movie when it came out I wanted a light saber so bad it hurt. I was 13. I could still find a use for one.
2. The Thing from Another World Original; the remake is excellent, too, but probably better classified as Horror; see below. If you have never seen this, you are in for a treat. I have seen this movie dozens of times, and each viewing I hear a new line I somehow missed before. This is one of those Rosalind Russell fast talking comedy dramas. It’s hard to keep up. Dr Carrington’s motivations are natural, believable, and consistent throughout. The only, very minor, jarring point is when Scotty faints at the end, when he had been on Okinawa during the end of World War II. Anybody who made it through that would not pass out when seeing a vegetable cook. This movie does not follow the now usual conventions and will surprise you. You also have to keep in mind that this came out at the height of the Great Saucer Scare.
3. The Day the Earth Stood Still. The original!...
(Excerpt) Read more at wmbriggs.com ...
What about “Gattaca”, “Minority Report”, “Twelve Monkeys”?
ping
The dangers of dihydrogen monoxide!!!
Pass it along to everyone you know!!!
</mock alarmist rant>
In the spirit of the season, with a young Pia Zadora......
Star Wars...isn't science fiction, really, it's a space adventure/pulp fantasy. But it goes on the list because of the huge impact it made on the public and, regretably, on SF films.
The Thing from Another World Original...is a terrific example of how to use dialog and pacing to get over a fantastic premise. The remake is gawdawful, I don't care how many people love it. I don't think the blogger knows much about film--it's not a "Roaslind Russell" style fast-talk film, but a Howard Hawks-style fast talking film.
The Day the Earth Stood Still...is another "classic" I've never been crazy about. Well-made, but the central message is crap.
Terminator...Original in every way. A ridiculous comment seeing how Harlan Ellison successfully sued to have his name slapped on the credits for Cameron's admitted filching of ideas from Outer Limits episodes.
Alien So it’s hard to watch now. What a ridiculous comment.
Planet of the Apes ...is good.
Blade Runner Theatrical version, please. Yes, with the P.I. voice over, dammit. “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep” was all right, but not wonderful. You’re not supposed to say that about Dick nowadays. Good Lordy, this guy's beyond hope.
Close Encounters of the Third Kind...was OK but it never got to me the way it gets to some.
Highlander...ridiculous garbage.
Soylent Green...good, but one of the very best? Above 2001, PRIMER, THE ROAD WARRIOR, SECONDS, NO BLADE OF GRASS, THINGS TO COME, Pal's THE TIME MACHINE, etc...?
When Worlds Collide ... Makes me wonder if the writer has seen it since he was a kid. It's not that great.
Escape from New York...eh. OK, nothing much here. I can't understand how John Carpenter got so many chances to direct. I'd put his DARK STAR here instead, terrific flick.
“As for your other points—I can’t enter a locked farmhouse (can you?), and I am vulnerable to bats and knives.”
The other big flaw in the movie was that no one in Bucks County, Pa., had a damn gun.
I consider these two movies sci-fi horror but they are my favorite
The Thing 1982
Alien (The first one of course)
Oh, I almost forgot.
The original Planet of the Apes (would that be sci-fi?)
LOL! Yeah, where were the damned GUNS in that movie???? Even I was wondering that, and I kinda liked it.
Have you seen it on the recent DVD? It's a terrific movie. Flawed, sure, but what I like is how little dialogue there is, and it really caught that "sense of wonder" you look for when you're a kid.
Agreed. Even the score makes it FEEL science fiction-y.
Oh wow!
My father took my sister and I to see this at the drive in movie theater.
It was a few years after it came out so the drive-in was charging $1 a carload. (my dad was a little frugal)
I never saw movies that little girls usually saw. Cinderella or Snow White.
Oh no. My dad took me to see Santa Claus Conquers the Martians, Alien, Amityville Horror etc. etc.
I LOVE him for it. I always loved spending time with my dad and watching UFO stuff, horror movies, and my favorite TV show....Night Gallery.
Good times.
“Close Encounters of the Third Kind” is one of the stupidest movies I’ve ever seen.
In the trash can where it belongs?
I hated that movie! Different tastes I guess.
Our atmosphere contains massive amounts of water vapor. And, yes, I could open a farmhouse door with an ax or even a big rock. And if I was going to invade and conquer a planet, I might wear some kevlar and pack a pistol at least. Why didnt they wear rain coats?
No mention of one of the all time greats: The Time Machine, 1960 version with Rod Taylor and Yvette Mimeaux! It won an Oscar for special effects. Of course at that time they were for time lapse photography, not CGI. Well done and well acted and visually stunning with good music. Asks serious questions too. Only negative was when the atomic war takes place in 1966, the special effects are clearly model cars and buildings blowing up or melting.
Seriously, When Worlds Collide should be in the top five if in the top three.
It was prefect in it’s day, of course these days we have become a bit jaded and cynical but Had Pal followed the book more closely it would have been a gritter movie.
I’d love to see it remade by the team that did ID4 (which should be on the list as well) It would scare the bejeebus out of all the global warming putzes until they couldn’t look up at the stars at night without seeing planetoids entering the earth atmosphere.
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