Scifi as a literary device is something displayed in plain sight in [I][URL="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0452694/"]The Time Traveler's Wife.[/URL][/I]
No advanced gear, no space, no explosions, no aliens, just one guy going back and forth through time. The occasional dissolve is the only SFX you'll see in the entire movie... and a bunch of clothes dropping to the floor. :D :cool:
- "I suppose I have to meet her parents."
- "Her dad is a Republican... and a hunter."
- "Oh dear."
:D
I'm usually not the romantic scifi type but it was a nice change of pace. If you are looking for some light entertainment that goes down like pink wine, look no further.
In the same vein, [URL="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0186151/"]Frequency[/URL] is another soft-scifi film that's a real joy. The rough concept is that some freak atmospheric conditions allow a man to talk to his father via CB Radio some thirty years prior. It's slightly soft and cutesy at times and it has holes, but the quality of the writing and acting covers up nearly all of them.
I'd also like to suggest that [URL="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0289879/"]The Butterfly Effect[/URL] [URL="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0289879/alternateversions"](The Director's Cut)[/URL] is a rather decent watch. Keep in mind that this [i]only[/i] refers to the [URL="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0289879/alternateversions"]director's cut[/URL], as the standard release has some seriously bad changes scattered all over the place. The cut manages to restore sense to the previously chaotic plot and swaps in a better ending.
And as far as time travelling stories go, [URL="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0035423/"]Kate and Leopold[/URL] is another one worth watching. It's fun, it's romantic, and it's a story that doesn't rely so much on technology or fancy time travel mechanisms as good writing and better acting. Aside from some really painful fridge logic in the conclusion, it's very enjoyable.
[QUOTE]Ronald D. Moore talks about Fridge Logic extensively on the commentary to Battlestar Galactica episode (2.02) "Valley of Darkness", likening it to the type of logic used to figure out whether the light in the fridge stays on when the door is closed.[/QUOTE]
That's what I said. :D
I can see a new Mythbusters episode coming up. How fast do you have to open the door to see the light switch on? :D
[QUOTE=Sanfam;187957]I think it's time to chime in and add Galaxy Quest as a worthy contributor. I just had a resurgence of nostalgia for this film from not too long ago. While most consider it a parody of Star Trek, I feel it's far more a loving satire of the genre and its fans. And even though I've seen it several dozen times I can always enjoy another go.[/QUOTE]
Yeah, well, it's cute. As cute as parodies come. :D I didn't even recognize Sam Rockwell as the "redshirt". Tim Allen is playing himself, as usual. I prefer Sigourney Weaver in stronger roles though. Coloring her blond and making here appear dim witted doesn't work as well after you've seen her kick some alien butt as Ripley.
Plan 9 from outer Space on the other hand... wow. I've heard of Ed Wood before but I haven't had the opportunity to see his work. :D
I just noticed something while watching Blade Runner for the nth time.
The actress who portrays Zhora (the exotic-dancer-replicant played by Joanna Cassidy) who is the first one to be dispatched by Rick Deckard is the only actress who plays her character like a regular human. All the other rogue replicants are creepy in some sort of way, only she isn't. I get the impression that she didn't really know or wasn't told who or what she was supposed to portray. So she played her character in a plain manner and thus comes across as just another exotic dancer, a perfect cover I might add. Even Pris (the pleasure model played by Daryl Hannah) is creepy in some way. :D
Another thing about Blade Runner, if you haven't make sure you watch it again in full HD. The depth that movie has in HD is amazing and most significant is Harrison Ford's face, it really ads a whole additional layer to the storytelling.
[QUOTE=Freejack;188297]The depth that movie has in HD is amazing and most significant is Harrison Ford's face, it really ads a whole additional layer to the storytelling.[/QUOTE]
If there is one movie on my must-own Blu-ray list, it's Blade Runner.
I don't know about Deckard's face though... what did it tell you that we didn't already know? I mean we know that he's a replicant.
Wow, just saw another scifi classic... [URL="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0259711/"]Vanilla Sky (2001).[/URL] Yes, it's another Tom Cruise movie. I don't know how he does it, but he has a nose for picking amazing scripts and stories.
Vanilla Sky starts off very modestly, but wow, you don't even notice you are watching a scifi movie until the very end. At some point you don't even know what really happened or if he made everything up. Time well spent.
Well, the first part is quite plain and you may actually loose interest along the way. Nobody really cares about the routine life of a socialite/daddy's boy whose nickname is "citizen dildo". Unlike "Sunshine" they kept the best part for last though. :D
My expectations weren't high, but it turned out to be interesting nevertheless.
[QUOTE=JackN;188444]RE:Blade Runner... I still don't see Deckard as a replicant, guess I'm getting old.[/QUOTE]
Well, to me it's clear that he is because of the way he is treated by the police. He is under constant surveillance by Gaff (played by EJO, BSG's "Adama" no less) because they don't trust him. Also consider the fight with Pris, she should have broken his neck, but she couldn't because he is tougher than a regular human. The unicorn is also a memory implanted into Deckard's mind and Gaff knows about that.
At least I believe he is, get a replicant to catch replicants. In the [URL="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083658/faq"]FAQ section on IMDb[/URL] you can read all about it. He's apparently a Nexus 7 with an unknown life-span.
Biggles<font color=#AAFFAA>The Man Without a Face</font>
The director has stated that he intended for Deckard to be a replicant. It's still very ambiguous in the movie, though - there are clues, but nothing particularly strong. That just shows how well made the movie is. :)
[QUOTE=JackN;188444]I think Contact got a bum wrap...[/QUOTE]
The only story elements I remember from Contact are those contained in the [URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRoj3jK37Vc"]movie trailer.[/URL] I have some vague recollection that Jodie Foster's character has some daddy issues... she gets to travel somewhere using the alien device to meet a life-form which looks and sounds like her late father on a beach and... that's your story.
Some technical parts of the movie and [URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aikr-a5lGRc"]the "zoom-out" into the known universe[/URL] are all that I remember. BTW, here you see a crude rendition of our Milky Way galaxy.
IMHO the story itself is pretty much forgettable. Bureaucratic jibber-jabber and some drama. Been there, done that to death.
Biggles<font color=#AAFFAA>The Man Without a Face</font>
I broke down and watched [URL="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0138304/"]The Astronaut's Wife[/URL] with Charlize Theron (because she's a babe) and as I feared the movie wasn't anything even close to what I expected. It's heavy on the thriller/horror genre and a lot lighter on the scifi overall. It left me with mixed feelings about it. Either way, I can't really recommend it.
I need to make a list of all the various time travel stories, casual or serious, over the last twenty years in film. There's a whole slew of them that slip under the radar (though we've covered a bunch of them here).
Did we ever mention The Thirteenth Floor? It managed to be The Matrix before The Matrix, and had a bit of a special bit of character to it that makes it hold up better over the years.
Another mention: Men in Black. How did this not get into here? It's terribly underrated and generally forgotten among the masses. The shitty sequel really didn't help matters, but the first remains on my "must watch" list.
And a third, though more of a steampunkish guilty pleasure than the rest: Wild Wild West. I actually [i]enjoy[/i] this movie in all of its goofyness.
True, Men In Black and its lesser sequel belong into this list as well. I guess it's wrong to assume that everyone here has seen them as often as we have. I can't wait for the hopefully better third one.
Yeah, the Thirteenth Floor is ok, or at least somewhat better than [URL="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088024/"]Runaway[/URL], the 1984 scifi thriller with none other than Tom "Magnum" Selleck in the title role. Wow, even the 'stache can't quite save this one. The villain is so bad... and I don't mean that in a good way... and I won't mention the robots... after all it's not like we've seen them done better in Star Wars which was made in 1977.
I like Tom Selleck, he's a sympathetic actor and you know what to expect from his performance. Unfortunately he's still mainly a TV actor and he doesn't quite seem to get the chance he deserves to jump over his own shadow. His current Jesse Stone TV movies are as good as it gets and his Magnum P.I. series still holds a special place in my entertainment collection. I still have a few season box sets to buy... which reminds me, I need to check if there is a complete box set out yet.
Do also consider that The Thirteenth Floor managed to create a virtual reality story with characters in the virtual realm who we were genuinely sympathetic to, something that tends to not happen in in films of that subject matter.
I also believe that MiB2 [b]does not[/b] belong on this list in any form. It took what was essentially the original premise for MiB (before some significant late-production changes) and realized it on film. The result was lots of talking between terribly boring, uninteresting characters and needless repetition of the same jokes and throw-away characters from the first. In a universe where it seems like almost anything can be an alien, we get Jeebes, the dog, and the worm guys re-hashing their previous gags for a terribly short 90 minutes. And then there's some crazy plant-lingerie model thing that's supposed to be evil, but just fails to pass the menace check.
Comments
"Yeah, it's necessary!"
"Where's your gun?"
No advanced gear, no space, no explosions, no aliens, just one guy going back and forth through time. The occasional dissolve is the only SFX you'll see in the entire movie... and a bunch of clothes dropping to the floor. :D :cool:
- "I suppose I have to meet her parents."
- "Her dad is a Republican... and a hunter."
- "Oh dear."
:D
I'm usually not the romantic scifi type but it was a nice change of pace. If you are looking for some light entertainment that goes down like pink wine, look no further.
I'd also like to suggest that [URL="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0289879/"]The Butterfly Effect[/URL] [URL="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0289879/alternateversions"](The Director's Cut)[/URL] is a rather decent watch. Keep in mind that this [i]only[/i] refers to the [URL="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0289879/alternateversions"]director's cut[/URL], as the standard release has some seriously bad changes scattered all over the place. The cut manages to restore sense to the previously chaotic plot and swaps in a better ending.
And as far as time travelling stories go, [URL="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0035423/"]Kate and Leopold[/URL] is another one worth watching. It's fun, it's romantic, and it's a story that doesn't rely so much on technology or fancy time travel mechanisms as good writing and better acting. Aside from some really painful fridge logic in the conclusion, it's very enjoyable.
Is that about the light still being on when you close the door? I'm fairly sure it's off. :D
[URL="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FridgeLogic"]Fridge Logic[/URL] ([URL="http://74.125.93.132/search?q=cache:cF9feVrUXE4J:tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FridgeLogic+fridge+logic&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us"]cached[/URL])
That's what I said. :D
I can see a new Mythbusters episode coming up. How fast do you have to open the door to see the light switch on? :D
Yeah, well, it's cute. As cute as parodies come. :D I didn't even recognize Sam Rockwell as the "redshirt". Tim Allen is playing himself, as usual. I prefer Sigourney Weaver in stronger roles though. Coloring her blond and making here appear dim witted doesn't work as well after you've seen her kick some alien butt as Ripley.
Plan 9 from outer Space on the other hand... wow. I've heard of Ed Wood before but I haven't had the opportunity to see his work. :D
The actress who portrays Zhora (the exotic-dancer-replicant played by Joanna Cassidy) who is the first one to be dispatched by Rick Deckard is the only actress who plays her character like a regular human. All the other rogue replicants are creepy in some sort of way, only she isn't. I get the impression that she didn't really know or wasn't told who or what she was supposed to portray. So she played her character in a plain manner and thus comes across as just another exotic dancer, a perfect cover I might add. Even Pris (the pleasure model played by Daryl Hannah) is creepy in some way. :D
Jake
If there is one movie on my must-own Blu-ray list, it's Blade Runner.
I don't know about Deckard's face though... what did it tell you that we didn't already know? I mean we know that he's a replicant.
Jake
You should probably watch it several times... as you will probably not soak in the underlying messages on your first viewing.
Vanilla Sky starts off very modestly, but wow, you don't even notice you are watching a scifi movie until the very end. At some point you don't even know what really happened or if he made everything up. Time well spent.
My expectations weren't high, but it turned out to be interesting nevertheless.
RE:Blade Runner... I still don't see Deckard as a replicant, guess I'm getting old.
I was always impressed with that interior of Deckard's home and the lighting used in filming it.
Well, to me it's clear that he is because of the way he is treated by the police. He is under constant surveillance by Gaff (played by EJO, BSG's "Adama" no less) because they don't trust him. Also consider the fight with Pris, she should have broken his neck, but she couldn't because he is tougher than a regular human. The unicorn is also a memory implanted into Deckard's mind and Gaff knows about that.
At least I believe he is, get a replicant to catch replicants. In the [URL="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083658/faq"]FAQ section on IMDb[/URL] you can read all about it. He's apparently a Nexus 7 with an unknown life-span.
[QUOTE=JackN;188444]I think Contact got a bum wrap...[/QUOTE]
I love Contact.
Some technical parts of the movie and [URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aikr-a5lGRc"]the "zoom-out" into the known universe[/URL] are all that I remember. BTW, here you see a crude rendition of our Milky Way galaxy.
IMHO the story itself is pretty much forgettable. Bureaucratic jibber-jabber and some drama. Been there, done that to death.
Did we ever mention The Thirteenth Floor? It managed to be The Matrix before The Matrix, and had a bit of a special bit of character to it that makes it hold up better over the years.
Another mention: Men in Black. How did this not get into here? It's terribly underrated and generally forgotten among the masses. The shitty sequel really didn't help matters, but the first remains on my "must watch" list.
And a third, though more of a steampunkish guilty pleasure than the rest: Wild Wild West. I actually [i]enjoy[/i] this movie in all of its goofyness.
Yeah, the Thirteenth Floor is ok, or at least somewhat better than [URL="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088024/"]Runaway[/URL], the 1984 scifi thriller with none other than Tom "Magnum" Selleck in the title role. Wow, even the 'stache can't quite save this one. The villain is so bad... and I don't mean that in a good way... and I won't mention the robots... after all it's not like we've seen them done better in Star Wars which was made in 1977.
I like Tom Selleck, he's a sympathetic actor and you know what to expect from his performance. Unfortunately he's still mainly a TV actor and he doesn't quite seem to get the chance he deserves to jump over his own shadow. His current Jesse Stone TV movies are as good as it gets and his Magnum P.I. series still holds a special place in my entertainment collection. I still have a few season box sets to buy... which reminds me, I need to check if there is a complete box set out yet.
I also believe that MiB2 [b]does not[/b] belong on this list in any form. It took what was essentially the original premise for MiB (before some significant late-production changes) and realized it on film. The result was lots of talking between terribly boring, uninteresting characters and needless repetition of the same jokes and throw-away characters from the first. In a universe where it seems like almost anything can be an alien, we get Jeebes, the dog, and the worm guys re-hashing their previous gags for a terribly short 90 minutes. And then there's some crazy plant-lingerie model thing that's supposed to be evil, but just fails to pass the menace check.