Scifi Movie version of the Book thread or something

[Fuddlemiff]

I've been watching a lot of scifi movies lately, so I thought I'd share and see if anyone else has any recommendations.

Yesterday I watched The Quiet Earth.

The Quiet Earth (1985) - IMDb

It's a film from mid-1980s New Zealand about a man who wakes up to find that he's the only person left in the world. For some reason the very first thing you see is an overhead shot of the guy lying in bed naked. This wouldn't be remarkable, except it's also how 28 Days Later introduces its main character, who wakes up to find he's apparently alone in the world, so I guess this film influenced Danny Boyle.

It's kind of quirky and has fun with the concept, while maintaining a fairly naturalistic tone. There are some quite impressive visuals (including a plane that's crashed into a factory and an explosion in a science lab that looked genuinely dangerous), which I wasn't expecting from some presumably little film from NZ, and as a result, it's a pretty convincing depiction of a world without people. The ending is a bit of a mindfuck, too, so that's always fun.

I'd give it 7.5 FUDDLEPOINTS out of 10.

Anyone else have lesser known scifi recommendations?

 

[whisky]

"A boy and his dog" is worth a look in cant get to more details at the moment, but will fill in the gaps later.

 

[Fuddlemiff]

Ooh, I downloaded that the other day but haven't had time to watch it yet. Sounded like it had some comedy elements?

The other film I watched last night was The Road, which was a grueling, but rewarding two hours. Again, a pretty realistic depiction of a world that's on its last legs, although I'm not sure I buy it that humans are virtually the only species left alive. It makes sense that large herbivores would die off when the vegetation does and so would the large predators that feed on them, but the only smaller animals we saw were a domestic dog and a beetle. I'd imagine there'd still be small mammals and more birds and insects.

Anyway, a good movie over all, if a bit emotionally draining. Every time you think things might finally be looking up for the father and son, something awful happens, so you're constantly on edge, in fear of what will happen next, just as they are. I was impressed that it made me feel so tense, considering I tend to be fairly passive during movies.

Something I didn't notice until after watching it was that none of the characters have names.

Another 7.5 FUDDLEPOINTS out of 10.

 

[whisky]

Its been a long time since I saw it, I think there are some comedy moments, certainly the last line in the film gives a good laugh.

The trouble with a lot of the old 70s classics is the endings have become common knowledge even if you haven't seen the films.

But you can always go for the classic Heston trilogy of the original Planet of the apes, Solylent Green, and the omega man.

Silent running is always worth a watch.

The man who fell to earth can be hard going, but its probably the only place film you'll see a girl in her 20s kissing Rip Torn's cock.

There was another good one I remembered when I started typing this but forgot while I was doing it, if I remember it again I'll be back.

 

[whisky]

Actually subliminally that reminded me, it was Westworld, which was practically a dry run for jurassic park and had elements of the terminator too.

Also, not a film, but try and download "the flipside of Dominic Hyde" if you can get a torrent, it was a BBC play of the day, and a damn fine one too.

 

[Fuddlemiff]

I watched Soylent Green the other day and enjoyed it, but knowing the ending certainly did spoil the experience. There are some clues along the way, with characters silently mouthing the words "it's people" and so on, which must've really upped the tension and mystery for people seeing it in the cinema. But the whole way through I just kept wondering when THAT SCENE was coming up. And then it did come, but it was the end of the movie! And an open ending at that. Presumably, Sisko's dad put a stop to things and got everyone eating a good creole dish instead.

 

[whisky]

Maybe that was people too.

 

[whisky]

A few more honourable mentions.

Colossus: The Forbin Project, essentially skynet but in the 70s, hell put this film and westworld together and you pretty much have terminator right there.

Phase IV, cult film about ants taking over the world, if you dont like ants, this probably isnt the film for you.

Zardoz, if you can get over the fact that its Sean Connery in a red nappy for most of the film, then it has some other concepts and images that will stay with you for a long time, plus a fair amount of sex.

Capricorn One, you probably will have seen this, when a rocket to mars is unable to launch they fake the trip. This movie is almost single handedly responsible for the moon landings are a hoax theory.

Time After Time, if the idea of H G Wells fighting Jack the ripper in the present (well 1979 anyway) isnt enough to make you want to watch,then the fact that they are played by David Warner, and Malcolm McDowell might help, plus Mary Steenburgen as the love interest. She really does have a thing for time travellers it seems.

 

[whisky]

A few more from the 80s then I am leaving this for a while, dont want to monopolise the thread.

Most of these are pretty well known, but if it gets one more person to be a fan, then its worth it.

Battle Beyond the Stars, Roger Corman at his cheesiest, Hannibal Smith, Napoleon Solo and John Boy do the magnificent seven, in space, with added surprise sex.

The Final Countdown, the nuclear aircraft carrier the Nimitz, and all its planes finds itself near pearl harbour just before the Japanese attack, do they save lives and change history, or stand by while 1000s die?

Brainstorm, a headband that lets you record what other people experience and play it back to another headband or record it, more surprise sex, and Natalie Woods last film before she was murdered by her costar, allegedly.

The Philadelphia Experiment, no cheese, kind of like the final countdown in reverse, as a ship from the 40s ends up in the 80s, possibly the finest film to feature a man melted half way into a solid deck.

Lifeforce, naked alien vampires, london on fire, Patrick Stewert, and some girl on girl action.

They Live, a secret takeover of the world by aliens, and the longest ever fight over putting on a pair of sunglasses you will ever see.

 

[CaptainWacky]

Is They Live the one with the epic Roddy Piper fight scene that South Park parodied with cripples? I've only seen the fight scene but it's good!

 

[whisky]

It is indeed.

 

[Fuddlemiff]

Tonight I watched Outland, from 1981, starring Sean Connery. Pretty much the only other actor in it I'd heard of was John Ratzenberger, although it turns out that the woman in this who tries to kill him also played his mother in Cheers. Anyway, it's basically a western in space, about a sheriff who's new in town and tries to clear up the joint, which doesn't go down too well with the local crime lord. There aren't really any scifi elements, aside from its setting (a mining colony on the Jovian moon of Io), but it's interesting that the production design is heavily inspired by Alien and it even has the same music composer, Jerry Goldsmith. Infact, the producers suggested that it actually takes place in the same universe. On paper it doesn't sound very entertaining, but it runs for almost 2 hours and I was never bored, so it must've been doing something right.

7 FUDDLEPOINTS out of 10.

 

[Tisiphone]

Is The Road the one with Viggo?