The old school sci-fi recommendation thread

oblique strategies · Post by **oblique strategies** » Fri Aug 29, 2008 11:23 am

liveISlife wrote:i just watched The Day the Earth Stood Still. So great. I love the sounds. The ending was auwsum. I think I'm turning into one of these sci-fi enthusiasts.

Me too! What a great film. I love the scene when the saucer lands! Wow -the angle & scale of that shot is just perfect.

Sci-Fi is great! So is Horror, but don't get me started on that...

Regarding the impending remake: I was watching it thinking that it actually would be a good candidate for a remake -not that I usually approve of such things, remakes being what they are. But the idea of updating all the tension & protocol to the modern age would be cool. Keep the same plot, but give Klaatu & Gort new challenges with modern security techniques for example. I can think of a lot worse candidates to play Klaatu than Keanu Reeves. Why, their very names are similar!

BAD NEWS: the director for the remake does not have a strong background whatsoever... To bad. The director of the first version was a world class director; so they turn over the remake to a novice?! That's Hollywood.

And they've cast John Clease as Professor Barnhardt. That is very dicey, very dicey indeed.

oblique strategies · Post by **oblique strategies** » Fri Aug 29, 2008 11:27 am

knotkranky wrote:I saw "Silent Running" in.. I think 1974, it was double billed with "Billy Jack" which is not a sci fi but had a great titty scene for an 13 year old. They were huge and floppy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-evrxXEfAzo < silent running

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v325wdgoFH4 < billy jack. non titty scene.

Totally cool movie! This was the directorial debut of Douglas Trumbull -he was the special effects artist from '2001: A Space Odyssey'. Has some of the greatest spaceships ever put on film.

By the way, if you ever get the opportunity to see '2001: A Space Odyssey' on the big screen, run don't walk!

paradiddle · Post by **paradiddle** » Fri Aug 29, 2008 11:28 am

not really that old but 70-80s

altered states
west world (futureworld the sequel is not so good)
phase IV
From beyond (I don't think this would qualify has sci-fi but worth mentioning)
The thing (with apparently some music by Ennio Morricone but all you hear is a sparse bassline throughout the movie)
war of the worlds 1953

for some funny cheap sci-fi check out Starcrash with Caroline Munro, inframan (a must-see), galaxy of terror (roger corman), killer klowns from outerspace

One movie I'd like to see is quatermass and the pit.

oblique strategies · Post by **oblique strategies** » Fri Aug 29, 2008 11:57 am

paradiddle wrote:not really that old but 70-80s
altered states
west world (futureworld the sequel is not so good)

Two goodies. I particularly like Westworld. Fun stuff.

paradiddle wrote:phase IV

I was just going to recommend this one too! Great weirdness from director Saul Bass -he was a top title sequence designer for lots of classic Hollywood films like Hitchcock's 'Vertigo' & 'Psycho'. Bizarre film, & one of the all time best ant movies.

From beyond (I don't think this would qualify has sci-fi but worth mentioning)[/quote]
It is a sci-fi/horror crossover flick, very close to H.P. Lovecraft in some ways. A pretty cool movie too. The opening scenes are really creepy, & the production design for that house is excellent & very original.

paradiddle wrote:The thing (with apparently some music by Ennio Morricone but all you hear is a sparse bassline throughout the movie)

One hell of a film, & one of the few really great remakes. Wonderful music -really build dread & despair.

paradiddle wrote: war of the worlds 1953

All time fave classic flick. The remake wasn't bad either.

paradiddle wrote:for some funny cheap sci-fi check out Starcrash with Caroline Munro, inframan (a must-see), galaxy of terror (roger corman), killer klowns from outerspace

Inframan is a riot!

paradiddle wrote:One movie I'd like to see is quatermass and the pit.

Yes, by all means catch it. I think it is one of the best sci-fi movies ever made. Brilliant & epic. You might also find it as 'Five Million Years To Earth' -it's USA title. There are two versions: the original TV serial version (1958 & 59), & the film version which most of us are more familiar with (1967). Both are excellent. This also has the Lovecraft element.

paradiddle · Post by **paradiddle** » Fri Aug 29, 2008 12:33 pm

I know there are some other quatermass movies did you see them? Seems also that they made some new tv series or so. Too bad I don't get much BBC stuff over in quebec. Perhaps through satellite but I can't afford it.

I like the Inoshiro Honda stuff too (real name Ishiro). Some classic stuff to see there. Very funny too with the Godzilla stuff. The 1st one in black and white was really good. Sort of social statement on the Nuclear bombings.

Pat

oblique strategies · Post by **oblique strategies** » Fri Aug 29, 2008 1:05 pm

paradiddle wrote:I know there are some other quatermass movies did you see them? Seems also that they made some new tv series or so. Too bad I don't get much BBC stuff over in quebec. Perhaps through satellite but I can't afford it.

I have seen some of the other Quatermass films:
'The Quatermass Xperiment' aka 'The Creeping Unknown' (1955) The first of the films. Good spooky stuff. The plot of a mutating astronaut was copied by a number of subsequent films. Similar to 'Quatermas & The Pit', this started as a TV telecast, & was later made into a feature film.

The next film was titled 'Quatermass II' aka 'Enemy From Space' (1956). I recall finding this one intriguing. Looks like this one was remade in 2005.

Next the afore mentioned 'Quatermas & The Pit' aka 'Five Million Years To Earth'.

Then 'The Quatermas Conclusion' (1979), which I have not seen.

Catch 'em if you can.

paradiddle wrote:I like the Inoshiro Honda stuff too (real name Ishiro). Some classic stuff to see there. Very funny too with the Godzilla stuff. The 1st one in black and white was really good. Sort of social statement on the Nuclear bombings.

Pat

I was really surprised when I saw the Japanese version of the first 'Godzilla' film -it was scary! The evolution of the Godzilla character is sort of classic in that it parallels the arc of what is frightening to a society as it changes through time. Godzilla starts out scary, becomes less so, until he is made into a figure of humour. Have you seen the Godzilla movie where he has a baby Godzilla son? Whoa, that's some goofy stuff!

This is the classic cycle we see repeated in history. For example, in the 1930's Universal Studios unleashed Frankenstein upon an unsuspecting world & it hit like a bomb. It was a sensation, just like 'The Exorcist' was in 1973. Then over the course of the next two decades it lost its power until it was reduced it to a source of humour with 'Abbot & Costello Meet Frankenstein' (1948). This film was also released by Universal, & included their other biggest monsters: Dracula & The Wolfman. So, what was once a source of fear became a source of amusement.

The next wave of genuine fear was to be found in the very films that began this thread: the 1950's sci-fi & monster movies.

paradiddle · Post by **paradiddle** » Fri Aug 29, 2008 1:17 pm

Yup very true about some franchises that turn to become jokes. I've seen the the one with Godzilla's son where he gets bullied by another monster and Godzilla trying to teach him to fight. Hahaha, I think this one was An ishiro one also. Even good directors do crap from time to time.

An old classic too, the time machine (from the 50s). Georges Pal did some nice things compared to what was going on at the time.

oblique strategies · Post by **oblique strategies** » Fri Aug 29, 2008 1:24 pm

paradiddle wrote:Yup very true about some franchises that turn to become jokes. I've seen the the one with Godzilla's son where he gets bullied by another monster and Godzilla trying to teach him to fight. Hahaha, I think this one was An ishiro one also. Even good directors do crap from time to time.

An old classic too, the time machine (from the 50s). Georges Pal did some nice things compared to what was going on at the time.

Yep, that's a cool one with the morlocks!

The original 'Journey To The Center Of The Earth' (1959) is good & has James Mason in it. The original 'Mysterious Island' (1961) is really cool! It has stop motion effects by the great Ray Harryhausen, plus another killer score by Bernard Herrmann.

paradiddle · Post by **paradiddle** » Fri Aug 29, 2008 1:30 pm

Ray Harryhausen!

I saw a few movies with animation made by him. Jason & the argonauts, the Sinbad stuff and more. Pretty amazing stop motion and the way they integrated that with live actors was pretty amazing for that time.

oblique strategies · Post by **oblique strategies** » Fri Aug 29, 2008 1:47 pm

paradiddle wrote:Ray Harryhausen!

I saw a few movies with animation made by him. Jason & the argonauts, the Sinbad stuff and more. Pretty amazing stop motion and the way they integrated that with live actors was pretty amazing for that time.

Totally! He's one of the great artists of stop motion animation. All his movies are good. Jason & The Argonauts & the Sinbad movies are really fun.

Befoer he did those movies, he worked on some of the 1950's sci-fi stuff:

The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms (1954), based on a Ray Bradbury story.
It Came From Beneath The Sea (1955), because of budgetary restraints the giant octopus had only six arms.
Earth vs. The Flying Saucers (1956), super-duper flick.
20 Million Miles To Earth (1957), has one of his best loved creatures: the Ymir from Venus. A real treat, & absolute fave from when I was a kid.

ethios4 · Post by **ethios4** » Fri Aug 29, 2008 8:59 pm

An article on sci-fi as 'predicitive programming' for the New World Order

Moody · Post by **Moody** » Fri Aug 29, 2008 9:13 pm

Terry Gilliam's Brasil

Pitch Black · Post by **Pitch Black** » Fri Aug 29, 2008 11:05 pm

knotkranky wrote:I saw "Silent Running" in.. I think 1974, it was double billed with "Billy Jack" which is not a sci fi but had a great titty scene for an 13 year old. They were huge and floppy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-evrxXEfAzo < silent running

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v325wdgoFH4 < billy jack. non titty scene.

Bruce Dern is my favourite character actor. No-one does "unhinged" like him.

oblique strategies · Post by **oblique strategies** » Sat Aug 30, 2008 4:25 am

Pitch Black wrote:
knotkranky wrote:I saw "Silent Running" in.. I think 1974, it was double billed with "Billy Jack" which is not a sci fi but had a great titty scene for an 13 year old. They were huge and floppy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-evrxXEfAzo < silent running

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v325wdgoFH4 < billy jack. non titty scene.

Bruce Dern is my favourite character actor. No-one does "unhinged" like him.

Did you ever catch him an episode of the original 'Outer Limits' TV show titled 'The Zanti Misfits'?

knotkranky · Post by **knotkranky** » Sat Aug 30, 2008 5:43 am

^ Dern was in "Coming Home" I believe. I mostly remember him for that for some reason. Mr. Black called it, Dern puts the "unhinged" thing on real nice.

But man, I totally forgot about that Outer Limits episode. I was crazy for the Outer Limits when I was a kid, It was syndicated like a mo fo through the 70's too. "To Serve Man" was a good one. Love my Sci Fi