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Good Science Fiction movies/series

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Vince
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02 Aug 2012, 3:36 pm

TalksToCats wrote:
Talking of older (very) low budget sci-fi, John Carpenter's Dark Star is one of the funniest things I've seen. its' by-line - 'what do you do with a talking bomb' almost tells you all you need to know, it's also interesting for how boring spending a long time in space might get...and what you might get up to as a result.

I watched Dark Star a few years ago. I found some parts of it very funny, but a lot of it didn't really do much for me. I might just have been in the wrong mood to watch it at the time, so I should probably see it again at some point, preferably not alone.

Speaking of not alone, another good sci-fi movie that everyone ought to see is Brazil. It's set in a dystopian future (and not in Brazil, as the title suggests - it's named after the song), and it's amazing. Terry Gilliam directed it. However, I wouldn't recommend watching it alone at night while your Internet connection isn't working, as I did. It is quite funny, but not what one might call an uplifting film. It's very dark and strange and potentially depressing, so it's definitely a "watch with friends and then discuss" movie.


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02 Aug 2012, 3:51 pm

Vince wrote:
I watched Dark Star a few years ago. I found some parts of it very funny, but a lot of it didn't really do much for me. I might just have been in the wrong mood to watch it at the time, so I should probably see it again at some point, preferably not alone.


I'd agree that a lot of the humour is very dark, I watched it with someone else, I think you're probably right that you should not watch it alone (this is the same director responsible for Halloween...though I don't remember there being much horror in Dark Star.)

Brazil is brilliant but very freaky, 12 Monkeys (previously mentioned) is much more accessible. I had weird dreams for a week or so after watching Brazil.



Last edited by TalksToCats on 02 Aug 2012, 3:52 pm, edited 1 time in total.

shrox
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02 Aug 2012, 3:52 pm

Zardoz



TalksToCats
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02 Aug 2012, 3:59 pm

And of course, in case you haven't seen it already - 2001 a Space Odyssey - I often forget how long ago Kubrik made this film



Vince
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02 Aug 2012, 4:16 pm

TalksToCats wrote:
And of course, in case you haven't seen it already - 2001 a Space Odyssey - I often forget how long ago Kubrik made this film

I have a hard time calling that a movie. It's very well made, and it's absolutely gorgeous, but the pacing is a crime against storytelling if you try to watch it as you would a movie. 2001 is an experience that was very clearly not designed with home viewings, or even regular-shaped movie theaters, in mind. It could likely be edited down to a 30 minute short film and work better for home viewing than the full version does. But I'm sure it was quite a journey when it first came out.


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02 Aug 2012, 5:23 pm

Vince wrote:
... It could likely be edited down to a 30 minute short film and work better for home viewing than the full version does...


Blasphemy!



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02 Aug 2012, 5:41 pm

Tiranasta wrote:
While I highly enjoyed Star Trek: The Next Generation, I tried the original series and, while it had its moments, I just couldn't get into it. It's just so... well, the word 'camp' comes to mind.

Oh, and while I enjoy it, I really don't think that Star Wars should be called science fiction. Science fantasy, perhaps.


You're entitled to you opinion, but the "campy" feel is probably because you're comparing 1980s-present day special effects to that which was possible in the 1960s.

Indeed, much of what is considered campy often relies on elaborate costumes and makeup, but back then that's really all they had for a TV show. You gave it a try, but I don't think you tried nearly hard enough.



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02 Aug 2012, 5:44 pm

Vince wrote:
TalksToCats wrote:
Talking of older (very) low budget sci-fi, John Carpenter's Dark Star is one of the funniest things I've seen. its' by-line - 'what do you do with a talking bomb' almost tells you all you need to know, it's also interesting for how boring spending a long time in space might get...and what you might get up to as a result.

I watched Dark Star a few years ago. I found some parts of it very funny, but a lot of it didn't really do much for me. I might just have been in the wrong mood to watch it at the time, so I should probably see it again at some point, preferably not alone.


The loss of all their toilet paper in an explosion?
The one guy getting upset in his video diary that no one remembered his birthday?
The "dead" captain who was frozen, talking like some geriatric when revived?
The sentient bomb, mind of it's own, that desperately wanted to detonate itself, and finally did, after one guy failed to reason with it?
Country music in space?

Dark Star was beyond brilliant! Give it another viewing.



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02 Aug 2012, 6:10 pm

How has nobody mentioned Fringe yet? Unless I skimmed past it...if not...

FRINGE!

Also, Firefly.

As far as movies go, Inception is one of my favorites.


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02 Aug 2012, 6:24 pm

shrox wrote:
Vince wrote:
... It could likely be edited down to a 30 minute short film and work better for home viewing than the full version does...


Blasphemy!

Blasphemy is a ridiculous concept. It presupposes infallibility, which is also a ridiculous concept.
Kubrick is not infallible. He's a fantastic visual director and great at creating moods and striking imagery, but well-paced storytelling isn't his strong point, and 2001, as mentioned, wasn't even meant to be watched as a regular movie (and certainly not on a TV or computer screen), so the idea that it could be better adapted for home viewing if cut down to a much shorter run time shouldn't be very radical (do you know how many minutes of that movie are spent just watching objects move slowly, or lights flash at the screen?). 2001 isn't a story, it's a journey, and it's not a journey to be taken at home. But it could be re-cut into a short film that would work fine as such, while still keeping the most essential establishing shots and beautiful images, just not lingering on them quite as much.
I know the slowness is supposed to illustrate the frustration of slowly traveling through space, but compressed time has been an essential part of film making since well before 1968, and the slow passage of time with nothing happening can be illustrated without showing it in real time, and the immersiveness of the realtime traveling shots just doesn't work in home viewings, so it might as well be taken out of the film.


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03 Aug 2012, 7:48 am

By the way, has any of you watched Farscape? Is it any good?



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03 Aug 2012, 10:48 am

Sanctus wrote:
By the way, has any of you watched Farscape? Is it any good?

I've seen a couple of episodes or so. It's goofy fun, from what I recall. Pretty sure I'll end up properly watching it at some point.


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03 Aug 2012, 11:44 am

Even though I doubt that I am going to be able to get anyone to watch it, there was a really good anime I watched recently that was called Bodacious Space Pirates, apart from having a name that makes it sound totally ridiculous it could actually make a ship to ship fight over hacking exciting. I became pretty addicted to it, and surprised at how well they were able to blend in the pirate theme, while still making it a scifi.

Video with kick ass song (LINK)


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03 Aug 2012, 12:19 pm

Andri Tarkovsky's "Solaris" and "Stalker" and possibly "The Sacrifice" are very good science fiction films that deal with interesting philosophical issues. There isn't the kind of suspense or tension that a film like "Alien" has, but they are very good. (Although, be forewarned that they are slowly paced. If 2001 is too slow for your tastes, you will be very frustrated with any Tarkovsky film. Of course you could go watch a Bela Tarr film and then anything comes across as quickly paced after that.)


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03 Aug 2012, 1:18 pm

I love V. The original is much better than the remake but the remake special effects are better.



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03 Aug 2012, 3:29 pm

Vince wrote:
shrox wrote:
Vince wrote:
... It could likely be edited down to a 30 minute short film and work better for home viewing than the full version does...


Blasphemy!

Blasphemy is a ridiculous concept. It presupposes infallibility, which is also a ridiculous concept.
Kubrick is not infallible. He's a fantastic visual director and great at creating moods and striking imagery, but well-paced storytelling isn't his strong point, and 2001, as mentioned, wasn't even meant to be watched as a regular movie (and certainly not on a TV or computer screen), so the idea that it could be better adapted for home viewing if cut down to a much shorter run time shouldn't be very radical (do you know how many minutes of that movie are spent just watching objects move slowly, or lights flash at the screen?). 2001 isn't a story, it's a journey, and it's not a journey to be taken at home. But it could be re-cut into a short film that would work fine as such, while still keeping the most essential establishing shots and beautiful images, just not lingering on them quite as much.
I know the slowness is supposed to illustrate the frustration of slowly traveling through space, but compressed time has been an essential part of film making since well before 1968, and the slow passage of time with nothing happening can be illustrated without showing it in real time, and the immersiveness of the realtime traveling shots just doesn't work in home viewings, so it might as well be taken out of the film.


Humor is a concept too.