Totally worth it! Especially 2001 looks spectacularly awesome. Not only awesome for it’s age, but on par with modern productions - even surpassing them thanks to practical effects, models, and high quality filming equipment and media.
“The Man from Earth” - this was a really good film that has a small cast and almost entirely filmed within a single room. It was written by Drexel Bixby who was also a writer for Star Trek. He wrote “Mirror, Mirror”. This was the story he wrote from his death bed and got turned into a movie in 2007. Has a few star trek actors in its small cast too. Trying to be vague for the story of the movie because I felt going into it blind was such a good way to experience it.
“Fantastic Planet” - this animated film was an experience to say the least. I loved watching it as a kid and bought the Criterion collection edition a few years ago. It’s on HBO Max and worth a watch for how weird it is.
I’ve heard The Man From Earth is really good, I gotta try that. Will add Fantastic Planet too since I’ve seen good reviews of it. I’ve seen bits and pieces way back in the day on premium cable and I remember liking it.
The name also reminded me of MGM’s incredibly influential mid 1950s groundbreaking high-end feature Forbidden Planet.
Any fan of Star Trek, Star Wars or other 60s and 70s science fiction who hasn’t seen Forbidden Planet should make the effort to hunt down a copy just to know where a lot of the tropes and design came from.
Under the Skin - with Scarlett Johansson. There’s almost no dialogue. No exposition about anything, or names - just the short lifespan of an alien. Disguised as a woman, they’re part of what seems to be a hidden alien colony living amongst humans.
The soundtrack is haunting, hypnotizing and beautiful.
It’s on Max! I watched it for the first time there a month ago. Try and watch it where you can hear the audio. The music is so well done in that film and adds to experience if it’s heard well.
The Thing (1982) is another favorite film of mine. It’s a lot more faithful to John W. Campbell’s novella, “Who Goes There?” than the 1951 film, but I enjoy both takes.
Watching the original Alien in a theatre with a group of friends, almost none of whom had any idea what was coming, is one of those indelible experiences of my youth.
So is lining up to see the original Star Wars (The Last Hope) after having been impressed by the trailer that was shown before ‘Robin and Marion’ the previous November. I never would have imagined after seeing it that the franchise would eventually evolve to be dystopian.
One great 70s science fiction movie that I only got to see later on television was Silent Running. It deserves more attention.
This is my pick. I wish the rest of the movies had the same feel. The set design was the best and told it's own story. Aliens was a disappointment for me. I wanted them to explore the lore more.
All of my favorites have been mentioned already (Yay!) but I want to mention The Signal - it surprised us with how much we enjoyed it, and it’s one we revisit from time to time. I don’t know if there’s much lore developed around it by now, but it’s a nice imagination prompt!
Ooh, and Pandorum. Another comfort spooky
Personal favorite is David Lynch’s Dune. All the good, all the bad, all the ridiculous production problems. I won’t go on, though, I’ll be here proselytizing all day on Herbert, Lynch, Dune, and making sure you always get final cut for filmmaking, or nothing (ya know, everyday problems).
I’ve heard of Solaris, never seen it. Yeah I ignored the Hollywood remake, and have heard the original Soviet version is basically Russia’s answer to 2001.
Oh that’s definitely a hard question. My answer might vary a lot depending on whether I’m in a spooky atmospheric mood, an adventurous mood, or a deep thoughtful mood. Right now, I think my answer is going to be Arrival (2016). It touches on the fun topic of intelligent life landing on earth and trying to communicate with us.
Add comment