Movies for hardcore sci-fi geeks

[Ivan Seeking]

Final Approach - 1991. Available for instant viewing at Netflix.

After crashing a black-project stealth aircraft, Col. Jason Halsey finds himself in a psychiatrist's office, with no memory of his past and no knowledge of his own identity.

If you liked The Man from Earth, you should like this one. It has a few clunker moments, but all in all the writing is excellent!

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Also noteworthy: Sleep Dealer - 2008. Tsu and I both thought it was quite good.

In a futuristic yet not unfamiliar world, the lives of three strangers connect in surprising ways amid a backdrop of militarization, closed borders and an all-encompassing global technological network. At the center of this potent sci-fi tale (nominated for a Best First Feature Independent Spirit Award) are Memo (Luis Fernando Peña), a peasant displaced after his village is attacked; Luz, a writer (Leonor Varela) who plugs her brain into the net; and Rudy (Jacob Vargas), an American security company worker.

http://www.netflix.com/Movie/Sleep_Dealer/70084155?trkid=226870

Spanish w/subtitles.

 

[Galteeth]

I think one of my favorite movies of all time would have to be The Fifth Element.

I am also a huge Firefly fan.

Boron?

 

[Pr0x1mo]

While I appreciate good special effects as much as the next guy, I have to agree. As I think Primer and The Man from Earth conclusively demonstrate, the best science fiction needs no special effects.

Primer is one of my favorite movies of all time. It shows what one man with barely any funds and a lot of passion/ingenuity can do.

 

[Pr0x1mo]

I came in here to recommend Primer when I saw the thread title.

Ha. Me too. I only show that movie to select few of people i know in my personal life. But when people get it, its truly an experience.

 

[TheStatutoryApe]

I just watched District 9 and enjoyed it. For all of its unconventional elements the plot was still fairly Hollywood predictable though.

 

[Galteeth]

What did people think of Southland Tales?

 

[magpies]

Did anyone say dark city?

 

[DaveC426913]

Did anyone say dark city?

The Truman Show, but run by the Borg.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Has anyone ever heard of Tales of Tomorrow? It is touted as the first [popular or successful?] science fiction television program. True or not, it is certainly one of the first. The show was broadcast live, on ABC, from 1951 through 1953. Due to its live broadcast [I assume], the original commercials are included in the show. It was quite striking to see commercials asking for Care packages for the victims of war-torn Europe! Also are some Kreisler watch band commercials that are classic in their own right - definitive early 50's to the point of being cliche and humorous. I read that Kreisler is still making watch bands - talk about getting a bang for your advertising buck!

The show itself is a series of short stories based largely on classic sci-fi literature, but it barely qualifies as a TV program in the sense that we think of it today. It is really just a filmed sci-fi stage play. One even catches glimpses of props that are more appropriate for a high school play rather than a profesionally made TV program.There are no special effects to speak of and the stories are entirely dialogue driven. I have only had time to view a few episodes, and it may grow thin pretty quickly, but so far it is entertaining for the historical content alone. The stories themselves are okay [so far] but not great. The acting has been marginal at best and overly dramatic. Plot development for secondary storylines is a mere afterthought. Nonetheless, for sci-fi lovers, I suggest taking a look. I had never even heard of it until I saw it at Hulu.

Hulu has 40 episodes available for free online viewing.
http://www.hulu.com/tales-of-tomorrow

 

[dreiter]

TV:
Star Trek
Heroes
Battlestar Galactica
Lost (it counts!)
X-Files
Stargate SG-1 (and now SG-U seems good as well)

Movies:
12 Monkeys
The Matrix
The Fifth Element
Cowboy Bebop
Back to the Future

 

[TheStatutoryApe]

Cowboy Bebop

I would suggest the tv series over the movie and then the movie for those that liked the tv series.

I am rather disappointed to hear that they are considering Keanu Reeves for the role of Spike Spiegal in the live action movie. I think they are going to mess it up bad.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Heh, hardcore [thread title] needs no hyphen but it is listed as optional. No wonder I could never decide!

 

[Jimmy]

Has Sunshine been mentioned?

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Has Sunshine been mentioned?

Not that I have seen. I have the Blu-ray disc up at the top of my queue at Netflix. It sounds good. Thanks.

Interestingly, Netflix specifically mentioned that it got high ratings from people who liked Primer.

Synopsis: Danny Boyle has excelled in nearly every genre he's touched from the family film (MILLIONS) to the zombie movie (28 DAYS LATER) to the drug-fuelled drama (TRAINSPOTTING). With SUNSHINE, he brings... Danny Boyle has excelled in nearly every genre he's touched from the family film (MILLIONS) to the zombie movie (28 DAYS LATER) to the drug-fuelled drama (TRAINSPOTTING). With SUNSHINE, he brings his style and verve to the futuristic world of science fiction to great success. In a mere five decades in the future, the sun is dying, and Earth is running out of time. After the failure of a previous mission, it's up to the crew of the Icarus II to reignite the star with a stellar bomb. But the crew faces more than just the blistering heat of the sun and the freezing cold of space as they grapple with the limits of the human mind and heart. As in Boyle's previous work, the visuals in SUNSHINE are stunning. It's a beautifully shot film filled with contrasts, juxtaposing light and dark, sound and silence, and life and death. SUNSHINE resides in the respected realm of smart science fiction films such as 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY and SOLARIS. Alex Garland's fine script never dwells on the specifics of the technology, but instead spends its time on the characters. For these roles, Boyle has assembled an excellent cast that includes Cillian Murphy, Chris Evans, Michelle Yeoh, and Cliff Curtis. Like the classic 2001, SUNSHINE's appeal extends beyond its genre. Though it's packed with special effects and heart-stopping action, it's an intelligent film that should be enjoyed by everyone who loves movies, not just those who like science fiction.

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sunshine/

 

[Jimmy]

Not that I have seen. I have the Blu-ray disc up at the top of my queue at Netflix. It sounds good. Thanks.

Interestingly, Netflix specifically mentioned that it got high ratings from people who liked Primer.


http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sunshine/

You're welcome. It was amazing on the big screen. I remember telling my friend on the way out of the theater that it was a 7 out of 10. Most of the reviews I've seen give a similar rating.

Thanks for posting the review. I apologize for not posting a more detailed description. I'm lazy that way sometimes.

I haven't seen Primer but it's next on my list along with The Man from Earth. Thanks for the recommendations everyone. Good Science Fiction is hard to come by.

 

[TheStatutoryApe]

I watched both Primer and The Man From Earth because they were mentioned here. Both are quite good.

 

[Cryptonic]

Has Sunshine been mentioned?

Sunshine was an atrocious movie!@#$! "Serious important sci-fi cinema a la 2001 and Solaris" - my a$$!

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Perhaps you could elaborate a bit?

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I guess I should have included TV sci-fi in the thread title.

There was a series that I remember liking as a kid and have revisited over the last few months. It was a British series called, amazingly, UFO. Again, I have only watched a few episodes so far... I guess about five in total, but now I understand why I liked it so much.

The pilot episode is downright scary. It is nothing but cheesy miniature action scenes that were apparently intended to wow the audience with cool technolgy. But very quickly the series settles into a rather unique niche in the sci-fi genre. It is a serious effort to explore the political world of the S.H.A.D.O. agency, which secretly defends the Earth from alien invaders. It essentially asks the question: What would a real MIB agency be like? While at times the plot is entirely political, the central theme is the continuous chess game between the agency's commander, Straker, and those sneaky aliens.

It is a late sixties version of the eighties, with lots of ladies in skin-tight body suits, purple hair, and plenty of that crazy electric organ music, man.

I wouldn't say it was great, but so far a couple of episodes have actually been pretty good.

 

[magpies]

Has anyone seen A Sound of Thunder? I thought it was extreamly funny for a sci-fi type of horror movie.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I haven't. Is that based on the short story by Bradbury?

Is it about some time-traveling dino hunters?

 

[magpies]

Yea time-travel and dinos is a perfect combination for a sci-fi movie don't you think?

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Last night, Tsu decided that she wanted to watch Primer. When it was over she said that she would have to watch it again. Yeah, I should hope so! I think this was my fourth viewing and I'm still picking up plot intricacies that I never caught before.

You really have to listen carefully. There was one sentence that I never heard before that made a big difference. I thought I had it all figured out the last time.

The sound quality is a bit of an issue given the importance of the narration.

I'm still not sure about the guy found lying in the driveway.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I've mentioned this before, but if you like sci-fi, one of the best imo is kin-dza-dza

I finally spotted this in two parts, in the Google Videos section.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2251461878127683608#

The film is a parody of human society, being a grotesque сaricature of both monopolistic, egalitarian socialism and hideous pseudo-technological capitalism, as seen through the eyes of common Soviet people during the mid-80's when the social changes there were just beginning to take place. It is a cult film, especially in Post-Soviet countries, and its humorous dialogue is frequently quoted.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kin-dza-dza!

It looks like a stretch to me but that's what it takes for the best stuff. I may not have time this week but will be sure to watch it soon.

 

[waht]

Stargate SG-1 (and now SG-U seems good as well)

SG1 and SGA were awesome. The new Stargate Universe is pretty good as well, nice effects, graphics and story line.

 

[Borek]

http://xkcd.com/657/

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I had a chance to watch Sunshine last night. It was good!

I tend to agree with the 7 out of 10 rating for 90% of the movie, but I didn’t like the weird photography and effects associated with the villain. Maybe I missed something, but the high strangeness seemed out of place and artificial. All in all I would say it was good, [mostly] hard sci-fi.

Spoiler

The writing was good to very good, but not fantastic. Also, some of the science that went unexplained was a bit far-fetched. For example, I have to wonder about the stellar bomb. I doubt that even with a bomb the size of Manhattan Island would amount to more than a solar flea. The decision to divert the mission was also pretty weak. I don’t think any play on the odds would lead any real physicist to the decision on which the plot relies. That being said, Sunshine certainly kept my interest and was worth the watch. Most of all I loved the play on dark and light, fire and ice, life and death. The photography and effects to this end are worthy of an award, imo.

For me, the sense of living on a razor's edge - between light and dark, fire and ice - was very effective. I especially like the scene where the now dead and fast-frozen crew member drifts beyond the shield - poof, all gone. That was especially effective.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Tsu and I have been watching "Heroes", on Netflix. We are just now into season 2.

Not sci-fi, but a fun fantasy series. I esp get a kick out of Hiro and his life philosophy.

 

[TheStatutoryApe]

Tsu and I have been watching "Heroes", on Netflix. We are just now into season 2.

Not sci-fi, but a fun fantasy series. I esp get a kick out of Hiro and his life philosophy.

Its a pretty neat series. Unfortunately it starts to go down hill.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Its a pretty neat series. Unfortunately it starts to go down hill.

I guessed that was coming. After season 1 ended and season 2 began, the discontinuity was pretty noticable. I am also catching what seem to be some pretty serious logical inconsistencies.

It is a bit like a personification of The Lost Room - the objects from the lost room.

 

[DaveC426913]

Its a pretty neat series. Unfortunately it starts to go down hill.

That's why they sacked and replaced all the writers. It gets better.

 

[TheStatutoryApe]

That's why they sacked and replaced all the writers. It gets better.

Ah, well that's good to hear. I have not seen any of this seasons episodes yet.



I've been rewatching Alien Nation. It was a pretty good show.

 

[lincs-b]

I had a chance to watch Sunshine last night. It was good!

I tend to agree with the 7 out of 10 rating for 90% of the movie, but I didn’t like the weird photography and effects associated with the villain. Maybe I missed something, but the high strangeness seemed out of place and artificial. All in all I would say it was good, [mostly] hard sci-fi.

Spoiler

The writing was good to very good, but not fantastic. Also, some of the science that went unexplained was a bit far-fetched. For example, I have to wonder about the stellar bomb. I doubt that even with a bomb the size of Manhattan Island would amount to more than a solar flea. The decision to divert the mission was also pretty weak. I don’t think any play on the odds would lead any real physicist to the decision on which the plot relies. That being said, Sunshine certainly kept my interest and was worth the watch. Most of all I loved the play on dark and light, fire and ice, life and death. The photography and effects to this end are worthy of an award, imo.

For me, the sense of living on a razor's edge - between light and dark, fire and ice - was very effective. I especially like the scene where the now dead and fast-frozen crew member drifts beyond the shield - poof, all gone. That was especially effective.

Are you in the UK?

I thought that sunshine was quite good. I got my boyfriend to buy it for me on DVD a while ago. I do have to be in a certain mood to watch films or I just get really annoyed and pick at faults with the plot.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Are you in the UK?

I thought that sunshine was quite good. I got my boyfriend to buy it for me on DVD a while ago. I do have to be in a certain mood to watch films or I just get really annoyed and pick at faults with the plot.

USA.

I'm always picky when it comes to sci-fi. For me there seems to be a finite number of assumptions and gimmees, or diversions from logic, before it starts to annoy me. In fact, I have noticed lately that I can sometimes enjoy a movie or show that has even an absurd premise [as opposed to somthing like Star Trek which is completely grounded in reality. ], as long as the plot is logically consistent.

 

[lincs-b]

USA.

I'm always picky when it comes to sci-fi. For me there seems to be a finite number of assumptions and gimmees, or diversions from logic, before it starts to annoy me. In fact, I have noticed lately that I can sometimes enjoy a movie or show that has even an absurd premise [as opposed to somthing like Star Trek which is completely grounded in reality. ], as long as the plot is logically consistent.

Sorry, that probably seemed a strange question. Sunshine was on channel 4 here in the UK around when you watched it.

 

[waht]

Robots atacan Montevideo!

A recently uploaded youtube sci-fi demo was awarded a nice contract:

A producer from Uruguay who uploaded a short film to YouTube in November 2009 has been offered a $30m (£18.6m) contract to make a Hollywood film.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8417789.stm

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Tsu had never seen the latest Star Trek movie - the reboot - so we watched it last night. Tsu isn't a big Trek fan but she liked it.

I couldn't help but notice the warning that the movie contains brief sexual content. Now that is a cheap shot!

 

[TheStatutoryApe]

Tsu had never seen the latest Star Trek movie - the reboot - so we watched it last night. Tsu isn't a big Trek fan but she liked it.

I couldn't help but notice the warning that the movie contains brief sexual content. Now that is a cheap shot!

It was funny that scene with the green woman. She wasn't half bad either.

The most Sci Fi thing I have watched lately is the show Fringe. Its definitely cheesy and anyone who likes their science fiction hard boiled will cringe but I though it was pretty cute.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Jericho, anyone? THAT was a great show. I give it three thumbs up! Tsu and I were both immediately hooked - after watching the first episode, we didn't watch much of anything else until we had seen them all, which was last night. Unfortunately it only ran for one season, with seven additional episodes made later by viewer demand. The essential story, or at least one major subplot of the story, is completed in the last episode, which makes it play more as a mini-series than a canceled show. It can be viewed online at Netflix.

As the series begins, the citizens of Jericho, Kansas, see a mushroom cloud to the West - clearly a nuclear explosion. As the plot unfolds, what has happened, and the extent of the damage, is slowly revealed. The true villains behind the attack [are intended to] remain a mystery throughout much of the series. What is particularly unique about this series is that it explores life in the aftermath of a limited nuclear attack, in a place void of any great cataclysm or even serious nuclear fallout. Rather than exploring the horror scenarios of nuclear annihilation, Jericho addresses life in a small town, in a world that is severely disrupted, but recognizable.

... a small town that has a very big secret!

 

[Borek]

Definitely watch District 9. I have just seen it and I can only recommend.

 

[cronxeh]

I'm surprised nobody mentioned "The Big Bang Theory" TV series. Some of the great sci-fi movies: Dark City, Thirteenth Floor, City of Ember, Twelve Monkeys.

I don't know how the first 3 didn't make it to top 40 scifi flicks on IMDB, clearly better than the crap they have there. Star Wars episode V? Pfft, saw it yesterday, "it sucks" is putting things mildly

 

[DaveC426913]

Star Wars episode V? Pfft, saw it yesterday, "it sucks" is putting things mildly

Wah ACk asergh1! Ep V is far and away the best of all 6 you prepubescent whippersnapper!

 

[cronxeh]

Wah ACk asergh1! Ep V is far and away the best of all 6 you prepubescent whippersnapper!

Now you look here, pops. I am not a big fan of Star Wars. First off what kind of a laser has a limited length of 1-2 feet with uniform power density? A lightsaber. Totally impossible.

Second, why can't Yoda speak proper English? Did he have a stroke or some kind of cerebral malaria?

Third, the jedi are men. The villains are men. The storm troopers are, men. Its a total sausagefest. There are no interesting characters.

And finally, why does the fate of entire universe depend on some moisture farmer. Its always the hero in disguise that is somehow thrust into a super hero status. As if boys look at this movie and think to themselves "i can become anything or anyone I want to!"

 

[DaveC426913]

Now you look here, pops. I am not a big fan of Star Wars.

That's not your fault. Your introduction to epic romance came from Lord Ooh I Had A Bad Dream About My Mommy and the Princess Let's Play In A Field Of Daisies.

There was no romance before Leia and the Nerf Herder.

You poor younglings wouldn't know good writing no matter how many Bothans died bringing it to you.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Now you look here, pops. I am not a big fan of Star Wars. First off what kind of a laser has a limited length of 1-2 feet with uniform power density? A lightsaber. Totally impossible.

Second, why can't Yoda speak proper English? Did he have a stroke or some kind of cerebral malaria?

Third, the jedi are men. The villains are men. The storm troopers are, men. Its a total sausagefest. There are no interesting characters.

And finally, why does the fate of entire universe depend on some moisture farmer. Its always the hero in disguise that is somehow thrust into a super hero status. As if boys look at this movie and think to themselves "i can become anything or anyone I want to!"

It is a fairy tale, not sci-fi.

 

[JaWiB]

Plan 9 from Outer Space (anyone? )
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)

I thought the original Star Wars movies were pretty great, and I'm not an old fart.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I'm surprised nobody mentioned "The Big Bang Theory" TV series.

That isn't even close to being sci-fi.

Come on folks. Everyone knows about Star Wars and the typical pop stuff. We are looking for the rare gems.

 

[TheStatutoryApe]

I recently started watching the series 4400. Its pretty good though not hard sci fi at all.

I'll try not to give much away in describing it for those who have not heard of it.
The basic idea of the show is that over the last 60+ years people have been mysteriously disappearing. Generally the people were considered to have run off or been killed somehow. But one day (in 2006 I think) all of these people suddenly show back up together in Washington state, 4400 of them. None have aged a day or have any memory of what happened between when they disappeared and when they reappeared.

The people are placed under the supervision of the Department of Homeland Security who are supposed to process them, investigate the phenomenon, and eventually integrate them back into society. Due to protests from civil rights advocates they are released early and the Department tries to set up a program to keep the "returnees" monitored, protected, and taken care of. Two agents in particular are main characters and wind up the primary investigators into what happened to these people. Each of them has or develops relationships with some of the returnees (later called "the forty-four hundred").

Strange events start occurring involving the 4400 and these two agents investigate. As I noted earlier there isn't much science. They occasionally bring up scientific ideas as part of their investigative methodology but really nothing in the show is ever scientifically explained nor do they really try (at least not so far in the episodes I have watched). The show is more about the people and the issues they encounter attempting to go back to life as normal. There are people who dislike and distrust the 4400 and eventually there are a couple of conspiracies going on in the overarching metaplot.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Twilight Zone fans will remember the episode titled "It's a good life"

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/87/It%27s_A_Good_Life.JPG

with the evil Billy Mumy, which is considered by many to be one of the best Zone episodes made. I don't think I ever mentioned that the author of that episode was Jerome Bixby, who also wrote The Man from Earth.

Bixby also wrote three Star Trek [TOS] episodes: 1967's "Mirror, Mirror", which introduced the series' concept of the "Mirror Universe"; 1969's "Requiem for Methuselah", about "Flint", a 6,000-year-old man; 1968's "Day of the Dove", about an entity that feeds on hate and traps the crew in a cycle of endless warfare.

The screenplay for [The Man from Earth] was conceived by Jerome Bixby in the early 1960s and was completed on his death bed in April 1998, making it his final piece of work. [I have read that his son finally had to help finish the screenplay]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Man_from_Earth

Another bit of trivia that surprised me was that a number of Twlight Zone episodes were written by the real John-Boy Walton - Earl Hamner. Several of the episodes were about mountain folk. : Jess-Belle; The hunt; The Bewitchin' Pool. All of the episodes written by Hamner are excellent, imo... eh, less "Black Leather Jackets", which was okay for its time but not great.

"The Hunt" (1962)
"A Piano in the House" (1962)
"Jess-Belle" (1963)
"Ring-a-Ding Girl" (1963)
"You Drive" (1964)
"Black Leather Jackets" (1964)
"Stopover in a Quiet Town" (1964)
"The Bewitchin' Pool" (1964)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earl_Hamner,_Jr .