Movies for hardcore sci-fi geeks

[TheStatutoryApe]

Not sure if it's been mentioned, but the Babylon 5 series still remains the best Sci-fi series/show I've ever seen on television, some 15 years after the fact. The overarching storyline made it fairly unique as far as series go, with nearly the entire story having been written prior to airing. None of this "writing by the seat of your pants" business that leads to poor quality in most series today.

Great series (especially Seasons 2-4)... anyone who hasn't seen it is missing out on some of the best writing ever seen in a TV series, Sci-fi or not.

I rewatched it recently and really it was not as good as I remember. The overall story is certainly rather good but the actual writing and dialog are for the most part rather hackneyed.

 

[stevebd1]

I recently found this link (related to IMDb's Hit List) which may be of interest-

'The Five Underrated Sci-Fi Movie Masterpieces'
http://techland.com/2010/01/09/underrated-sci-fi/

which also has suggestions in the comments section.

 

[TheStatutoryApe]

I recently found this link (related to IMDb's Hit List) which may be of interest-

'The Five Underrated Sci-Fi Movie Masterpieces'
http://techland.com/2010/01/09/underrated-sci-fi/

which also has suggestions in the comments section.

So no one has to go through five pages just for a list of five movies...

1. Primer
2. Dark City
3. Serenity
4. Gattaca
5. Silent Running


I loved Gattaca. I worked at a Blockbuster Video when it was released to video and I do not know how many people I heard tell others not to watch it because it was boring. I was pissed, of course many of those people probably would have found it boring unfortunately. :-/

I have not seen Silent Running. I will have to look that up.

 

[Andromache]

So no one has to go through five pages just for a list of five movies...

1. Primer
2. Dark City
3. Serenity
4. Gattaca
5. Silent Running


I loved Gattaca. I worked at a Blockbuster Video when it was released to video and I do not know how many people I heard tell others not to watch it because it was boring. I was pissed, of course many of those people probably would have found it boring unfortunately. :-/

I have not seen Silent Running. I will have to look that up.

I'm glad to see Serenity made it. I've met quite a few people who love Firefly/Serenity, despite neither being successful - it's unfortunate that both only became appreciated after their releases.

 

[Andromache]

Also Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind should rank higher.

Great film, although perhaps not hard-core sci-fi. I find lot of people don't seem to realize they're watching a science fiction film, it has a wide appeal.

 

[joelupchurch]

Great film, although perhaps not hard-core sci-fi. I find lot of people don't seem to realize they're watching a science fiction film, it has a wide appeal.

Roger Ebert sometimes reevaluates movies and just put up a new review of "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind":

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100102/REVIEWS08/100109999/1023"

His review of "Dark City" is what got me to watch it.

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051106/REVIEWS08/511060302/1023"

Tastes vary on Eternal Sunshine. I loved it, but I have friends that couldn't sit through the whole thing.

For Primer there is a whole forum that doesn't do anything but discuss this movie.

http://primermovie.com/phpBB2/index.php"

And a blog for it also:

http://theprimeruniverse.blogspot.com/"

What finally got me to watch primer was an Xkcd cartoon about it:

http://www.xkcd.com/657/"

Click on the cartoon to see it full size.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

...His review of "Dark City" is what got me to watch it.

Never seen it but have it at the top of the queue.

For Primer there is a whole forum that doesn't do anything but discuss this movie.

http://primermovie.com/phpBB2/index.php"

And a blog for it also:

http://theprimeruniverse.blogspot.com/"

What finally got me to watch primer was an Xkcd cartoon about it:

http://www.xkcd.com/657/"

Click on the cartoon to see it full size.

That is too funny! I esp liked the cartoon representation of Primer.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I have not seen Silent Running. I will have to look that up.

I'm surprised! That is a classic - vintage '70s.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oani3-RDvHw

 

[Ivan Seeking]

For Primer there is a whole forum that doesn't do anything but discuss this movie.

http://primermovie.com/phpBB2/index.php"

I was reviewing the site to see what goes on and noticed this post from yesterday.

Shane Carruth's next project, A Topiary, is in the early stages of pre-production...

http://primermovie.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1418&sid=574edead1f4942c7389ab41039ac3b37

For anyone who hasn't seen Primer, I thought this post conveyed the feel of the movie well.

1) Is Aaron #3, the one who made the recordings, the Aaron who was druged and stuffed in the attic?
-------------
Tim S wrote:
That was the main question that resulted in the book. When Aaron(2) interferes with Aaron(1) and puts him in the attic Tuesday morning, he can feasibly escape on Wendesday, find the fail-safe on Thursday and travel back to Tuesday morning. Thus after Aaron(2) arrives and heads to his home on Tuesday to drug Aaron(1), this new Aaron arrives 15 minutes later and follows Aaron(2) to his home.
I agree that in this respect, there truly is no Aaron(3) as I call him. Rather, he is more of an Aaron(2b). Aaron in the attic would be Aaron(1b) since he has been interfered with by Aaron(2).
This also helps us see that Aaron does not call Aaron as the narrator. But Aaron(2) calls Abe(1), now Abe(1b) due to that contact.
-------------

I think that sums up a major stumbling block for most fans.

http://primermovie.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1416&sid=574edead1f4942c7389ab41039ac3b37

 

[Ivan Seeking]

The Lost Missile - 1958

Here is an unusual old movie that is as much a review of old defense systems and procedures, as it is a sci-fi story. Given the context of the Cold War, it has the flavor of a covert public education film. With lots of [film] footage of what was then state-of-the-art military technology, it is a story told in ~ real time about a rogue, alien missile, of unknown origin and purpose, that threatens the planet, either intentionally, or inadvertently. The Lost Missile is not by any means a good movie, but, thankfully, it is short and tolerable enough. The footage of old weapons systems made it worth the watch for me. As for the story itself, eh, not so bad. It has some pretty cheesy moments, but in many ways it qualifies as good hard sci-fi - an extremely dry, technical movie.

Free at Hulu
http://www.hulu.com/watch/114692/the-lost-missile

 

[stevebd1]

http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0079944/" by Andrei Tarkovsky

http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0042393/" while not a great film in itself is possibly worth a look as it tries to be as scientifically accurate as possible even though it was made ~20 years before the actual moon landing (it even bothers to mention the small time delay between the Earth and the moon).

http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1319690/" for all its faults had its moments and the final episode was particularly good.

 

[JaWiB]

Has anyone mentioned The Prestige? I think that counts as Sci-Fi (it has Tesla as a character!) and it's one of my favorite films

 

[Ivan Seeking]

http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0042393/" while not a great film in itself is possibly worth a look as it tries to be as scientifically accurate as possible even though it was made ~20 years before the actual moon landing (it even bothers to mention the small time delay between the Earth and the moon).

Yes, I saw this for the first time about a year ago, or so. It was definitely intended as a serious film. I can imagine that just about every geek teenager [in the US, in 1950] was eating this up. Also, it seems that Robert Heinlein was heavily vested in this: He helped to write the screenplay.

The Humphrey Bogart lookalike was interesting.

No doubt it inspired at least a few kids who later helped to put us on the moon! It would have been interesting to know how many engineers and scientists at NASA, in 1969, had been enchanted with this movie as a kid or young adult.

Destination Moon is a 1950 American science fiction feature film produced by George Pál, who later produced When Worlds Collide, The War of the Worlds, and The Time Machine. Pál commissioned the script by James O'Hanlon and Rip Van Ronkel. The film was directed by Irving Pichel, was shot in Technicolor and was distributed in the USA by Eagle-Lion Classics.

It was the first major science-fiction film produced in the United States dealing seriously with the prospect, problems and technology of space travel. This movie was not the first such to hit the screens, however; Rocketship X-M stole its thunder.

The eminent science-fiction writer Robert A. Heinlein contributed significantly to the script and served as a technical adviser. Heinlein also published a novella of the same name based on the screenplay about the same time as the release of the film...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Destination_Moon_(film )

It won an Academy Award for [the younger people will get a kick out of this] the special effects!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsisGSBlQqo

 

[erok81]

http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1319690/" for all its faults had its moments and the final episode was particularly good.

It's a shame that show didn't do better than it did. I thought it was pretty good.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Any Phantasm [1979] fans here? Being a sci-fi/fantasy horror film, it is not the kind of movie I go for these days, but I have to mention this one as I knew two of the stars in the movie - Bill Thornbury and Reggie Bannister. Reggie was a postman by day, a rock star by night, as was Bill, and a two-time actor - Reggie also starred in Phantasm II. They were friends of a friend, so we hung out from time to time. [I think I first met them at a party given in their honor, when they got the movie deal... too long ago now] They were both best known in the Los Angeles area for their musical talents.

I have to admit that it was one scary movie. Bravo listed it as #25 in the top 100 scariest movies of all time. While never a box office sensation, and rightfully so, it did become an instant cult classic.

People would laugh at this now, but there was a scene in the movie that was considered to be so provocative that the film was nearly given an X rating.

Part I
http://video.yahoo.com/watch/5322498/14032705

[I happened to notice that Phantasm II was playing on TV]

 

[DarrenM]

What version of Dark City are folks recommending? I saw the original version years and years ago, but recently I felt the urge to check it out again. Now I'm finding the original and a director's cut... and the impression I'm getting is that they are quite different.

 

[DaveC426913]

Has anyone mentioned The Prestige? I think that counts as Sci-Fi (it has Tesla as a character!) and it's one of my favorite films

Yes, that was an interesting film.

I have a fascination with

Spoiler

teleportation

and the essence of identity.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Tesla as a character = Sci-Fi?

 

[DaveC426913]

Tesla as a character = Sci-Fi?

One of his more fanciful inventions played a pivotal role in the story.

And I mean literally pivotal; there would have been no story without it. And that is the definition of science fiction.

 

[JaWiB]

Well, can you name any movies that are clearly not sci-fi that also have Tesla as a character?

 

[Dembadon]

Tesla as a character = Sci-Fi?

As long as the plot was fictional.

 

[DaveC426913]

Well, can you name any movies that are clearly not sci-fi that also have Tesla as a character?

This is a job for Venn Diagram Man!

 

[JaWiB]

As long as the plot was fictional.

Indeed, I should probably exclude historical film :D

 

[Ivan Seeking]

One of his more fanciful inventions played a pivotal role in the story.

And I mean literally pivotal; there would have been no story without it. And that is the definition of science fiction.

Okay, but only if you say so.

I get the feeling that I'm being worked by salesmen here. Of course, it is rare for a salesman to break out a Venn Diagram. That almost never happens.

 

[DaveC426913]

Okay, but only if you say so.

I get the feeling that I'm being worked by salesmen here. Of course, it is rare for a salesman to break out a Venn Diagram. That almost never happens.

Well, I'm not trying to sell the film. It was good, but not spectacular.

I just thought it was notable due to its rarity that a piece of technology was more than merely a MacGuffin or plot vehicle in a movie.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Well, I'm not trying to sell the film. It was good, but not spectacular.

I just thought it was notable due to its rarity that a piece of technology was more than merely a MacGuffin or plot vehicle in a movie.

I have a sense that the definition of sci-fi is a stretch, but really I was just flicking you **** because I had an opportunity to do so.

 

[joelupchurch]

What version of Dark City are folks recommending? I saw the original version years and years ago, but recently I felt the urge to check it out again. Now I'm finding the original and a director's cut... and the impression I'm getting is that they are quite different.

They added 11 minutes of footage for the director's cut. I'd also suggest watching it again with Roger Ebert's commentary turned on. He once spent 4 days going through this file shot by shot. There was a lot of stuff about the composition of the movie I wouldn't have picked up on without his comments.

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051106/REVIEWS08/511060302/1023"

 

[TheStatutoryApe]

One of his more fanciful inventions played a pivotal role in the story.

And I mean literally pivotal; there would have been no story without it. And that is the definition of science fiction.

At its heart it was definitely sci fi but for the most part you wouldn't really know until the twist of the plot is revealed.

A similar movie that I really enjoyed was The Illusionist. Not very sci fi though.

I would really enjoy a good, serious, Steam Punk flick. You know, something better than Wild Wild West.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I have Prestige and the director's cut of Dark City due to ship next, but the Blu-Ray version of Dark City was showing a short wait. Is there any reason in particular why this should be viewed in Blu-Ray, or is a standard DVD acceptable? For example, is there any dramatic or breathtaking cinematography?

 

[TheStatutoryApe]

I have Prestige and the director's cut of Dark City due to ship next, but the Blu-Ray version of Dark City was showing a short wait. Is there any reason in particular why this should be viewed in Blu-Ray, or is a standard DVD acceptable? For example, is there any dramatic or breathtaking cinematography?

I would say that the cinematography is rather attractive from what I remember of it. Rather surreal. Have you watched any trailers for it? I often avoid them myself so I would understand if you prefer not to. Its nice to watch a movie with a fresh eye.