Sci-Fi recommendations?

Hey y'all.

first post here. Im a pretty big fan of sci-fi films, but being only 17, i've had trouble finding good ones lately. Yes, i've pretty much seen all the blockbusters in the past 6 or 7 years, and i've seen some lower-key ones such as serenity and event horizon.

I was wondering if anyone had any good suggestions for sci fi movies, preferably in the 90s or 80s? thanks.

1979's The Black Hole. The acting is a little wooden and the script leaves something to be desired, but it's ambitious, it looks fantastic and has a glorious score by John Barry. I think it was just added to TCM's roster of movies. Stars Anthony Perkins, Maximilian Shell, voice of Roddy McDowell and others.

The Day the Earth Stood Still. Original Ray Wise version, NOT the upcoming remake with Keanu Reeves. A great tale of paranoia from 1951. It's a message movie about understanding and communication. One of the best sci fi films ever made.

Alien. Technically, it could also be labeled a horror film, but it takes place in the future, in space and with advanced technology. Makes it sci fi to me. Anyway, worlds better than anything in the franchise which followed it because of the small cast, claustrophobic feel and the way tension mounts with each passing scene.

Contact. Jodie Foster and Matthew McConaughy is what is a terribly underrated sci fi film. It's not splashy or full of special effects it's full of ideas. And it's Jodie Foster.

The Abyss. AI: Artificial Intelligence. Minority Report. The Fountain. Deep Impact. I could keep going and going.

Jason

Dark City has been a recent cult classic. Roger Ebert voted it the best film of 1998. Be sure to see Equilibrium if you haven't already. Another cult classic is 1985's The Quiet Earth from New Zealand. My favorite films are post-apocalyptic-last-person-on-earth flicks and The Quiet Earth certainly fits that bill, being more psychological than big budget. It was recently released on DVD here in the states. I couldn't help thinking about that movie and 28 Days Later when I saw the trailers for I am Legend. Also, a movie that surprised me in being much better than I thought it would be was 1971's The Andromeda Strain. A riveting film.

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[Post edited by Steamwalker on Nov 8, 2007]

2001
Alien
Aliens
Star Wars (original trilogy)
Star Trek II
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Contact
Blade Runner
E.T.
A Clockwork Orange
The Matrix
The Terminator
Terminator 2
Independence Day
Starship Troopers
The Thing (1982)
Tron
12 Monkeys
The Abyss
The Fly (1986)
Total Recall
Among others

John

John,

You got so many on there I completely blanked on. I guess that's what I get for trying to get all artsy-ish and obscure.

Jason

Saturn 3

And Logan's Run, another Farrah Fawcett classic.

Tron
Stargate -the MOVIE, not TV!
Babylon 5 TV series
Bladerunner



AVOID the ice pirates 1 of only 2 movies that I walked out of+
AVOID an inconvenient truth (pure SF)

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[Post edited by mra on Nov 8, 2007]

Just from 80s/90s:


Brazil
12 Monkeys
Escape from New York
They Live
Videodrome
The Last Battle (Besson)
The Adventures of Buckaroo Bonzai across the 8th Dimension
The Fly (Cronenberg)
Naked Lunch
Bad Taste (Peter Jackson)
Mars Attacks!
The Abyss
The Brother from Another Planet
Altered States

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[Post edited by csjlong on Nov 9, 2007]

"AVOID an inconvenient truth (pure SF)" --MRA

Now, that's cute!

But even Mr. Bush has now conceded that global warming is a fact and that humans are causing it. He's just not willing to do anything about it.

Chris, good choices. I was trying to keep mine more in the traditional sci-fi line and not get too far into fantasy or horror. Otherwise, I'd say "The Bride of Frankenstein" is one of my favorites.

John

Out of curiousity, have any of you folks seen The Quiet Earth? I remember watching it on television years ago and some of those scenes have stuck in my head long after I forgot the name of the movie or any details about it. I noticed it wasn't listed in the database.

It's probably not in our database because so few people have heard about it. According to IMDb, the movie grossed about $157,000 at the box office. That's how much Michael Bay spends on lunch. If you put the title on our request form, somebody will get to it in a while and add it to the database.

John

My concern wasn't getting it added to the database, but simply if people had actually seen it.

whoa, a lot of responses, didnt expect that. i love this site! thanks.

I've been a big sci fi fan for years and I have a fairly extensive collection. I'll post a list of my favorites later on today when I get a chance.

You might want to pick up a copy of "Things To Come", a 1936 adaptation of an H.G Wells novel. The story spans a 100 year period after WW2 and accuratly predicts a lot of the technology which we have today, including wide screen tvs. It's old but it's very intersesting. You can pick up the new colorized version at Amazon and there is a European Region 2 (I think) digitized version available at Xploited Cinema.

Steve

Adding to the list:

Predator
Fifth Element

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[Post edited by Tim Raynor on Nov 9, 2007]

John Puccio: It's probably not in our database because so few people have heard about it.

Speaking of which, I'd really love to see reviews of older or obscure films. How unrealistic is that request?

I would love to see a review of "Mute Witness" to start with, or at least just because...

Ahhhh, Tim just had an picture orgey!!!!
Here is a few:

The Butterfly Effect - the version with the full alternate edit
The Blob - the 1980's version
Contact
Dark City
Enemy Mine
Flash Gordon - the new remastered 1980s version
Ghosts of Mars
Forbidden Planet - 1957, this blew me away when I was a kid
Lost In Space
Minority Report
Prince of Darkness
Red Planet
The Postman
Signs
They Live
When Worlds Collide - 1957 - 'ya gotta see the technology in this one
Things to Come - 1936, same above
Timeline
The Sound of Thunder
Waterworld
This Island Earth
Immortal

Boxed sets:

any Babylon 5 product
The Lost Room
Threshold
Taken
Jeremiah
Back to the Future series


Image from This Island Earth


Steamwalker,
I have not yet seen The Quit Earth but it is on my buy list. I have heard that it is outstanding.
EDit: I just ordered it on Amazon. $14.49. I didn't realize it came out in 1985. It ran in an art house in Boston a couple of years ago for a few days. I thought it was a new film.

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[Post edited by StevePro on Nov 9, 2007]

"I'd really love to see reviews of older or obscure films. How unrealistic is that request?" --JSWELL

I'd love to see that, too. Unfortunately, we review largely what the studios send us, and studios don't send out that much older material. Plus, there is a limit on the number of films the staff can review. For example, I just finished the Barbara Stanwyck Collecion and the Burt Lancaster Collection from Warner Bros., and I'll report on several things from those 1940s and 50s sets soon. But newer movies arrive all the time that take priority (because of reader demand).

John

**Speaking of which, I'd really love to see reviews of older or obscure films. How unrealistic is that request?**


What, you don't read my reviews? You only have yourself to blame!

Add:

Dr. Who (the new BBC series) Box Sets 1, 2 and 3


Exterminateeee!!!