DTN.381-2837%SU-Shasta,@Bill.Lynch.UUCP (01/03/84)
I'd like to get some discussion going of people's favorite SF movies (use
your discretion in defining what an 'SF' movie is...). I would enjoy seeing
some reasons behind the selections.
To get things rolling, here are some of mine:
2001, A Space Odyssey -- Numero Uno, bar none. I think this is the ONLY true
Science Fiction movie ever made. Scientifically accurate and thought
provoking. Although the special effects seem dated now, they are still
fantastic! I think my favorite effect was the shot of the space station
(with the approaching Pan Am liner in synch) that closes on the station
until the camera seems to pass right through it. And the music! I could
go on...
Alien -- A good old haunted house story set in space. Good acting, excellent
effects (love that monster, small and large!), magnificent sets (loved
the lived-in look of the Nostromo) and enough chills and thrills for
ten other films. Great fun!
Frankenstein -- The one and only Boris Karloff version. Great campy acting!
Set the style for countless films of this type for decades to come, but
none approached the original.
The Star Wars Saga -- What can one say that hasn't already been said a thousand
times? Simply a magnificent achievement.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers -- Both versions. 50's version is a great subtle
commentary on the McCarthy Era. Remake is also quite good (although not
AS good...). Loved the appearance of Kevin McCarthy (star of the original)
in the remake (did YOU catch him??).
Altered States -- A much maligned film. Very good acting (William Hurt can do
no wrong in my opinion) and very chilling scenes (the halucinations (sp?)
in the cave and the isolation tank scenes stand out). Although it fails
somewhat in the final scenes, this is still an excellent film.
Close Encounters of the Third Kind -- I really liked this movie although
a lot of people seem to consider it a lesser-quality film by Spielburg.
I thought the acting was first-rate, the pace relentless and the
music outstanding. Favorite scenes: Opening in the desert, crowds in
India, final encounter. I did not particularly like the added scenes
in the 'special edition'; should have left well enough alone.
I could probably think of more, but I'll stop here and leave the door open
for others' opinions. Note: except for 2001, there is no significance to the
order of the above list.
-- Bill Lynch
Digital Equipment Corp.
Nashua, NHwbpesch@ihuxp.UUCP (Walt Pesch) (01/05/84)
You forgot what I consider to be the first MODERN science-fiction
movie: FORBIDDEN PLANET. This film is special in not only the
special effects, which are fantastic even for this time, but
also in the new way of looking at the Kroll not as evil monsters out
to destroy/enslave/eat humanity. They are given as peaceful,
super-intelligent beings that forgot that there own humble beginnings
began as all intelligent being's began, in the predator. And that the
predator still exists in the id. This film is landmark in its
effects, rational plot, and the deviation to reality from the current
plots of the other movies of the day. I think in originality, and in
its uniqueness we find we can find the most revolutionary
Science-Fiction Movie of all time.
Walt Pesch
AT&T Western Electric AT&T Technologies
ihnp4!ihuxp!wbpeschParkinson@YALE.ARPA (01/07/84)
From: Gregory Parkinson <Parkinson@YALE.ARPA> Two of my favorites were missing from the list - BLADE RUNNER - My friends who read the book first liked this much more than those who hadn't. I think the book is one of Phil Dick's best and the movie is a good illustration which succeeds in capturing much of the FEELING of the book. The cinematography managed to mix a scary but reasonable extrapolation of L.A. with hollywood detective movie archetypes which worked very well. Knowing the plot beforehand helped clear up a lot of the ambiguities. SOLARIS - I saw the uncut version in L.A. in 1975 and loved it. My friends saw a cut version a few years later and were bored and confused. I recall being overcome with the feeling of STRANGENESS the film got across in describing the planet's intelligence. Anyone else see the long version and feel the same? This is definitely one of my all time favorites. Greg Parkinson -------
rpw3@fortune.UUCP (01/09/84)
#R:sri-arpa:-1503700:fortune:9900019:000:284
fortune!rpw3 Jan 9 10:44:00 1984
I second the opinion. Even having seen the whole SW Saga,
Forbidden Planet is still one of my all time favorites.
Rob Warnock
UUCP: {sri-unix,amd70,hpda,harpo,ihnp4,allegra}!fortune!rpw3
DDD: (415)595-8444
USPS: Fortune Systems Corp, 101 Twin Dolphins Drive, Redwood City, CA 94065jones@fortune.UUCP (01/10/84)
#R:sri-arpa:-1503700:fortune:9900020:000:303 fortune!jones Jan 9 20:08:00 1984 For pure fun, I have to go with Dr. Frank'n'Furter and his Time Warp ensamble. Seriously though, one of my favorites SF films is Baron Von Munchausen which, I believe is Czech. Ahhh, the atmosphere, the good humor, the gentle observations, and the dashing adventure... Dan Jones Fortune Systems Corp
chuqui@cae780.UUCP (Chuq Von Rospach) (01/10/84)
Its interesting that here in the year of Orwell (his birthday is June 25th, BTW, and I am starting plans for a big brother party... Invitations pending!) nobody has talked about Metropolis, the 1926(29?) silent film. Standing on its own, its a very good and powerful movie, but if you look at the statement it makes back then and look at Orwell, you can see a number of similarities. Another seemingly forgotten but very good SF/Orwellian film is Modern Times, with Charlie Chaplin. Besides recommending ALL C.C. films, this one is exceptionally good (I rate it as one of the top three chaplins)... -- From the dungeons of the warlock: Chuqui the Plaid Note the new address: fortune!nsc!chuqui
burton@fortune.UUCP (01/12/84)
#R:sri-arpa:-1503700:fortune:9900021:000:1202
fortune!burton Jan 11 18:49:00 1984
***** fortune:net.sf-lovers / ihuxp!wbpesch / 10:09 am Jan 5, 1984
You forgot what I consider to be the first MODERN science-fiction
movie: FORBIDDEN PLANET. This film is special in not only the
special effects, which are fantastic even for this time, but
also in the new way of looking at the Kroll not as evil monsters out
to destroy/enslave/eat humanity. They are given as peaceful,
super-intelligent beings that forgot that there own humble beginnings
began as all intelligent being's began, in the predator. And that the
predator still exists in the id. This film is landmark in its
effects, rational plot, and the deviation to reality from the current
plots of the other movies of the day. I think in originality, and in
its uniqueness we find we can find the most revolutionary
Science-Fiction Movie of all time.
Walt Pesch
AT&T Western Electric AT&T Technologies
ihnp4!ihuxp!wbpesch
----------burton@fortune.UUCP (01/12/84)
#R:sri-arpa:-1503700:fortune:9900022:000:1275
fortune!burton Jan 11 18:49:00 1984
***** fortune:net.sf-lovers / burton / 6:49 pm Jan 11, 1984
***** fortune:net.sf-lovers / ihuxp!wbpesch / 10:09 am Jan 5, 1984
You forgot what I consider to be the first MODERN science-fiction
movie: FORBIDDEN PLANET. This film is special in not only the
special effects, which are fantastic even for this time, but
also in the new way of looking at the Kroll not as evil monsters out
to destroy/enslave/eat humanity. They are given as peaceful,
super-intelligent beings that forgot that there own humble beginnings
began as all intelligent being's began, in the predator. And that the
predator still exists in the id. This film is landmark in its
effects, rational plot, and the deviation to reality from the current
plots of the other movies of the day. I think in originality, and in
its uniqueness we find we can find the most revolutionary
Science-Fiction Movie of all time.
Walt Pesch
AT&T Western Electric AT&T Technologies
ihnp4!ihuxp!wbpesch
----------
----------burton@fortune.UUCP (01/12/84)
#R:sri-arpa:-1503700:fortune:9900023:000:1459
fortune!burton Jan 11 22:45:00 1984
***** fortune:net.sf-lovers / ihuxp!wbpesch / 10:09 am Jan 5, 1984
You forgot what I consider to be the first MODERN science-fiction
movie: FORBIDDEN PLANET. This film is special in not only the
special effects, which are fantastic even for this time, but
also in the new way of looking at the Kroll not as evil monsters out
to destroy/enslave/eat humanity. They are given as peaceful,
super-intelligent beings that forgot that there own humble beginnings
began as all intelligent being's began, in the predator. And that the
predator still exists in the id. This film is landmark in its
effects, rational plot, and the deviation to reality from the current
plots of the other movies of the day. I think in originality, and in
its uniqueness we find we can find the most revolutionary
Science-Fiction Movie of all time.
Walt Pesch
AT&T Western Electric
ihnp4!ihuxp!wbpesch
----------
I saw Forbidden Planet when I was, oh 8 years old, and it had *quite* an
impact.
Why shouldn't this movie be a cut above most other movies, let alone
s-f movies. It's actually an adaptation of a play by ...
William Shakespeare
Philip Burton, Fortune Systems, 101 Twin Dolphin Drive,
Redwood City, CA 94065 (415) 595-8444 x 526
- - -
{allegra,ucbvax!amd70,cbosgd,harpo,hpda,ihnp4,sri-unix}!fortune!burtongds@mit-eddie.UUCP (Greg Skinner) (01/14/84)
Some of my fave SF is kind of older, but here goes:
The whole Planet of the Apes series, especially {Beneath the, Escape
from the} Planet of the Apes. (Roddy McDowall played the major role as
Cornelius in Planet and Escape, and as Caesar in Conquest and Battle.)
The Omega Man, starring Charlton Heston.
Soylent Green, starring the same. I especially enjoyed the scenes where
he investigated the Soylent plant.
Logan's Run (forgot who starred in it).
And, let's not forget, the entire Star Wars series, especially TESB.
--
--greg
...decvax!genrad!mit-eddie!gds (uucp)
Gds@XX (arpa)FAUST%MIT-OZ@MIT-MC.ARPA (01/24/84)
From: Gregory Faust <FAUST%MIT-OZ@MIT-MC.ARPA>
I agree with almost all of the nominations for great SF films
that have appeared so far, including such unlikely ones as Robinson
Crusoe on Mars (which I enjoyed a lot when I saw it as a kid), except
for ANY of the planet of the apes movies. Come on now! even Roddy
McDowal couldn't save those bombs! I would also like to specifically
agree with the person who mentioned "a boy abnd his dog". I saw it
for the first time within the last year, and really liked it.
Now for the addition of some new titles which are, in my opinion,
excellent movies which might not be considered mainline SF.
First, I can't rave enough about "The Illustrated Man" starring
Rod Steiger. It was based on the book of the same name by Ray
Bradbury. Besides the fact that Rod Steiger is one of the all time
great actors around, and that he puts in one of his best performances
in this one, the pacing and mood that the movie projects are truly
excellent. A must see for anyone.
Secondly, I must at least mention "Slaughterhouse Five". This
movie rides the same very delicate balance between humor and
seriousness that is found in the original work by Kurt Vonnegut. The
mood etc., is also in very good agreement with the book. One caveat
though, this is one of those movies that is really hard to follow if
you haven't read the book. For example, when I saw it, the guy beside
me kept mummbling under his breath "Now how the hell did he get THERE?
What is going on in this movie?" I tried to explain to him, as the
movie had breifly mentioned, that the protagonist was "unstuck in
time" and that was why the movie seemed to jump around a lot, but I
don't think this explaination satisfied him much. Anyway, the fact
that you have to have read the book first isn't that damning. After
all how many of you will claim to have understood 2001 without having
read the book. And I for one certainly wouldn't ewant to hold
ANYTHING against 2001.
Happy viewing,
Gregmonroe@sequent.UUCP (01/25/84)
True, Rocky Horror was fun, but not the movie. The crowd has better
lines and better acting. For mind boggling fun, I would take 'Dark Star'.
Doug Monroe
{ogcvax,cdi}!sequent!monroechuqui@nsc.UUCP (Chuq Von Rospach) (01/26/84)
I have to disagree with the disagreement on the Planet of the Apes movies.
Of the five (or so?) movies, the first one was quite good, the next one was
average, and the others were there. The series (remember that?) made Lost
in Space look like Emmy material (in fact, it made Star Trek look like Emmy
material).
Also, I have to admit that I understood 2001:A Space Odyssey before I read
the book. In fact, I saw the movie a half dozen times before reading the
book, and I understood it each time! Unfortunately, I got a different
understanding each time I saw it... :->
--
From the house at Pooh Corner: Chuq (a Silly Old Bear)
{fortune,menlo70}!nsc!chuqui
have you hugged your Pooh today?
The difficult we gave up on yesterday, the impossible we are giving up on now.wombat@uicsl.UUCP (01/28/84)
#R:sri-arpa:-1590800:uicsl:10700078:000:395 uicsl!wombat Jan 27 10:41:00 1984 Another weird Vonnegut movie is *Between Time and Timbuktu*. It's a random hodgepodge of pieces from *Welcome to the Monkey House*, *The Sirens of Titan*, *Cat's Cradle*, and just about everything else he'd written at the time the movie was done. The "Harrison Bergeron" section was pretty good. Commentary by Bob and Ray. I'd sit through it again. Wombat ihnp4!uiucdcs!uicsl!wombat
foster@nsc.UUCP (Jerry Foster) (02/25/84)
Along with other obscure sf movies, I would like to include "The MONOLITH MONSTERS" as a personal favorite. Made as one of a plethora of low budget black and white sci-fi films in the middle fifties, this one had no intelli- gence at all in it (that's alien intelligence, not human intelligence, although I sometimes wonder about Hollywood movie producers). The movies of the period all had some kind of monster, be it humanoid, beastial, insectial(?), amoebic, demonic, robotic, or whatever, beating the stuffing out of the local homo sapiens. The typical Hollywood title notwithstanding, the MONOLITH MONSTERS were not monsters at all, they were ROCKS! Yes folks, twenty years before people learned to love and cher- ish pet rocks, Hollywood was showing the world how fearsome a rock could be! Actually, they were crystals which came to earth in a meteorite and did what crystals are supposed to do in a suitable environment, they grew.....and grew.....and grew. They grew from baseball size to thick cylinders 60 feet tall in a matter of minutes and then succumbed to a perfectly normal phenomenon .... gravity. When they got to be a cer- tain size, they couldn't maintain their shape anymore and they crashed to the ground, (beating the stuffing out of the local homo sapiens) and breaking up into thousands of base- ball sized pieces which immediately started to grow again. The catalytic element which caused them to grow was water (not too difficult for people to understand and easy on the budget). The element which stopped them from growing and covering the earth (there had to be one you know) was salt (same comment as for water). The plot wasn't as intricate as 2001/2010 and the special effects were far short of a Lucasfilm, but it was different enough at the time to catch my attention.
amigo2@ihuxq.UUCP (John Hobson) (03/01/84)
One thing more should be said about THE MONOLITH MONSTERS. In the unforgettable role of the fighter pilot, they had Clint Eastwood. You say you didn't recognize Clint Eastwood? Perhaps it was because he only appears with an oxygen mask covering most of his face. John Hobson AT&T Bell Labs--Naperville, IL ihnp4!ihuxq!amigo2
barry@statvax.UUCP (Kenn Barry) (03/07/84)
Ah, yes, guilty pleasures! Has anyone but myself seen (much less liked) "The Day The Earth Froze"? It must have come out some time in the sixties, and, title notwithstanding, is not your standard catastrophe movie. It is a film adaptation of the Finnish Kalevala (Finns feel free to correct a Norwegian's spelling). The Kalevala is an epic myth, like the Greek myths or the Nordic Eddas, a national epic. It had an American distributor's name on the credits, and some English narration overlayed, but appeared to be actually Finnish- made, or maybe Russian-made. It is obviously low-budget, and has very unrealistic special effects and poor English dubbing, but shining through the rough surface is a quaint charm that may hold your interest if you're in the right mood. I would be interested in hearing about anyone else's "guilty pleasures" (things you know you oughtn't like, but do) among sf/fantasy films. What other hidden treasures are out there? Kenn Barry NASA-Ames Research Center Moffett, CA
cej@ll1.UUCP (Chuck Jones MMOCS) (03/08/84)
[] You forgot to mention the biggest problem with the crystals in the MONOLITH MONSTERS! If a person came in contact with the crystals he would contract some kind of disease that would slowly turn him to stone. In fact the way to stop the crystals from taking over the world was discovered as a result of research on the disease. It seemed a new wonder drug would cure the people, but no one knew why. They finally found that the salt in the saline solution killed it. Its usually one of those saturday afternoon UHF movies. Chuck Jones AT&T Communications ...we13!ll1!cej
dan@ut-ngp.UUCP (03/09/84)
I'm a little surprised that nobody's mentioned "Blade Runner" as a favorite! This film is an excellent example of using sci-fi as the mechanism for telling us the author's views on the roles of God and man, as well as being an interesting story. Dan Reynolds <dan@ut-ngp.ARPA>
urban@trwspp.UUCP (03/09/84)
Re: "Day the Earth Froze" (what an obnoxious title). Clearly a foreign film, and looks like it was made quite a while ago. Could it be a silent film, originally? I seem to have seen it shown that way at a convention once, and it isn't nearly as bad without the dubbed English soundtrack! By the way, the Kalevala is a peculiar sort of national Epic, since it was the work of one man (Elias Lonnrot (sp?)) who assembled it from diligently collected oral folk legends, songs, and poems. By the time he collected the stuff (in the 19th century, I think; don't quote me), figures like Kullervo who probably had once had high mythic stature had diminished into semi-comical folk figures. Interestingly, Tolkien and Sibelius (THERE's an odd pair!) both raised Kullervo back to heroic status (in the tale of Turin and in the Kullervo Symphony, respectively). Ramble, ramble... Mike