Movies for hardcore sci-fi geeks

[karan4496]

I recently watched 'Pi' which is sort of a mathematics-fiction film. It has an interesting premise and the film itself is quite psychological and dare I say, hypnotic in some parts.

 

[ChiralWaltz]

I recently watched 'Pi' which is sort of a mathematics-fiction film. It has an interesting premise and the film itself is quite psychological and dare I say, hypnotic in some parts.

Darren Aronofsky is a great director.

I recently purchased Ghost in the Shell 2.0. The original director and writers from the 1st GITS redid the backgrounds and added some fun CGI. While some may complain about the upgrade, I thought it was rather refreshing. I think it is also available on Hulu, free to watch.

 

[Bandersnatch]

Another understated but absolutely charming, yet occasionally harsh film, The Bothersome Man - Norwegian, 2006

I've just seen this one - It was fantastic! And it had the most hilariously gruesome suicide scene I've ever seen.


So as to make a somewhat more constructive input: has anyone here seen Rollerball? The 70s version, not the horrendous 2000-ish remake.
Corporate totalitarian regime rules the whole world using the "bread and circuses" approach. Rollerball is a sport that fills the role of "circuses" here. The story follows one player, who begins to realize the extent to which the society have given up it's liberties.
Can't say it's less fitting a commentary on a society now, than it was back then.

For a flick with an invented, brutal sport at it's centre, it feels very subdued and subtle.

 

[Travis_King]

I'm sure someone has said Primer, right?

What an awesome movie...

Edit: Haha, the first post...

 

[godat55]

godat_99@hotmail.com

 

[Crake2]

godat_99@hotmail.com

Oh, thank god you posted your e-mail on a public forum... We're so glad to know it! And I bet you're so glad for all the spam you'll probably get. Really good idea mate.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I've just seen this one - It was fantastic! And it had the most hilariously gruesome suicide scene I've ever seen.


So as to make a somewhat more constructive input: has anyone here seen Rollerball? The 70s version, not the horrendous 2000-ish remake.
Corporate totalitarian regime rules the whole world using the "bread and circuses" approach. Rollerball is a sport that fills the role of "circuses" here. The story follows one player, who begins to realize the extent to which the society have given up it's liberties.
Can't say it's less fitting a commentary on a society now, than it was back then.

For a flick with an invented, brutal sport at it's centre, it feels very subdued and subtle.

Rollerball was iconic and had a cult following. It wasn't the quality of the movie but the message it carried to a generation that had grown up with the cold war and the notion of big brother. You left out the idea that the game replaced war. That sounded like a pretty good idea to a kid who had grown up with monthly air raid drills all while knowing that a real attack meant certain death.

 

[Darwin123]

a scanner darkly, IMHO blade runner was a much better book (do androids dream of electric sheep)

I liked "A Scanner Darkly" a great deal. However, I think it had one fantasy elements that disqualify it as a "hard" science fiction story.

The main fantasy device was that disguise they use which adiabatically changes the appearance of the person is wearing it. The appearance changes slowly and continuously. At no point is the change abrupt enough to be seen as a change. However, enough change accumulates so no one can remember the original appearance of the disguise. The total effect depersonalizes the person who wears it, so he is thought of as inconsequential.

The symbolism behind the device was both chilling and sad. However, I don't see any science that would allow such a device to be made. Furthermore, I was not convinced of the psychology behind the effect. The cartoon showed the amorphous device changing. However, it was very noticeable. One would see such a disguise in real life. Therefore, the science wasn't realistic.

Or maybe not. Are there any real world analogs to this slowly changing disguise?

 

[brenan]

Or maybe not. Are there any real world analogs to this slowly changing disguise?

I don't think the speed is an issue but when looking at "hard" science fiction the test I normally apply is
1. is it possible? Dragons could be bio-enginnered but actual "magic" wands cannot be made
2. is it feasible given the current state of knowledge - canals on Mars are no longer so but were once -science fiction turns to fantasy
3. Is it ruled out by current knowledge as lacking evidence but with blind acceptance by cranks - see dianetics - UFO(in sacuer guise) chasers and "druids"

We have disguises now in the form or realistic masks and make-up and materials that
"self heal" when damaged are recent creations so its not too hard to extrapolate that sort
of thing could be very functional say 500 years from now. It doesn't have to be electronics based (but it could be - BAE systems unveiled a neat method of hiding tanks about 18 months ago - extrapolate that tech 500 years...)

Is it possible as portrayed - yes I'd say so - but unlikely in my lifetime.

The book was typically Phil. Dick and I loved it.
The movie I thought was pathetic.

 

[DiracPool]

Not that anybody cares (as usual), but I will go ahead and tell you anyway (as usual), my number one favorite sci-fi film of all time is...incidentally my actually number one favorite movie of all time in general, and that movie is...You're not going to guess it, trust me, Ta Da...

2010: The year we make contact

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7el-E9Wk1bQ

That movie came out when I was in high school so it was kind of a coming of age science-life harbinger for me. I was just getting into computers, building my own 6502 based hack computers, selling cheesy naked photoetched homemade memory boards to my friends who had commodore computers, going to my local computer club weekly meetings, etc. Life was good.

I wanted to be Heywood Floyd back then and still do. My life took a turn but I'm turnin it back, Baby! I want to be the former NCS chairman who now is the chancellor of the university because it pays better. I want to have the hot oceanographer wife with the indoor dolphin pool, I want...

You watch, I'll do it, you can't stop me, Mwaaahahhhahahhahahhaha.

 

[solar71]

Top five for me:

1984 sort of scifi
Brazil of course
Moon because of its great atmosphere
Blade runner because it just rocked
Event horizon because it really scared the crap out of me

Wait wait I almost forgot.

#6 the fountain. Because Aranofsky kicks ***

 

[Travis_King]

My top list is, in no particular order:

GATTACA - I mean c'mon, what a great movie.
Primer - Time travel handled properly, anyone?
Moon - I thought this one was an interesting story, and I too liked the atmosphere (though it's a little funny to say that, since it takes place on the moon...)
Pandorum - Seed ship sails into deep space, scary stuff happens. One of my favorites in general.
Serenity (along with the Firefly series) - I like 'em.
District 9 - Thought this was pretty darn good. I also think it's relative success lead to some more widespread interest in cinema science fiction.
Twelve Monkeys - Bruce, you strange, strange man. Pretty good movie.
Children of Men - A well-shot and well-written movie.
THX 1138 - A Lucas movie, pre-Star Wars. Sort of a 1984 meets Brave New World, but it's neither of those.
eXistenZ - at times cheezy, and the strange game console thing is, well, strange. But a pretty good movie. Sort of inception-esque in the ending, too, before they did it. (Inception, admittedly, probably better).

I also enjoyed a movie called Logan's Run. It's older sci fi, but it's a pretty neat movie.

I didn't include Star Wars or Jurassic Park because it's pretty obvious that if you like sci-fi you should watch those.

*edit* Had to throw in Planet of the Apes and Blade Runner in those, "You should know these movies already" list.

 

[Bandersnatch]

Has anyone seen Europa Report yet?

Very low-key, low-budget, and modest in the goals that it sets out to achieve. But a very pleasant experience overall.

There's hardly any pathos or grandoise metaphysics in here, but instead lots of quiet giddiness of scientific exploration. Definitely closer to Moon than to Space Odyssey.
One of the hardest sf out there, I think. In fact, it does suffer from a bit of scientific uncanny valley. It gets so many things right that it's jarring when it gets something wrong.

Made in the mold of "found footage", it sometimes feels like a monster movie, but it's more due to the expectations that the genre evokes in the viewer than what it is really about. It manages to successfully subvert most of the tropes it throws at you.

With hardly any bells and whistles(even though it conjures enough "awe and wonder" from the few special effects it sports), and not everything executed perfectly, it may not exactly be lobster dinner at an expensive downtown restaurant. Feels more like something made with feeling and care that you'd love to eat more often.

 

[Fermifaq]

Im Sure you've all seen Star wars, Alien, Terminator & predator and you must be dead if you've not seen Bladeruuner ? so I've not included these in the lists. What i have done is split the list in three sections with the 'quality stuff ' at the top. Be assured Everything in the top list has outstanding merit on one or more fronts & effectively defines the genre.


Must watch Oldies but goodies

Youv'e not seen these? OMG , welcome to planet Earth my green pointy eared slavery lipped friend

Dark Star (1974)

Forbidden planet (1956)

Silent Running (1972)

Colossus The Forbin Project (1970)

Planet of the apes (1968)

Omega Man (1971)

'1984' (Orwell)

Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959)

The Time Machine (1960)

Survivors (1975 TV series)

The Day of the Triffids (1981 TV series)

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)

The Thing (1972)

Dr Who Genesis of the Daleks (1975)

Dawn of the Dead (1978)

Day of the Dead (1985)

The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

The Abyss (1989)

Andromeda Strain (1971)

The Birds (1963)

The War Game (1965)

The Midwich cuckoos (1960 film) aka Village of the Damned J.Wyndam

When the Wind Blows (1986) Animation, and perhaps for the best considering the coffin nail like delivery that slowly smothers you in its embrace.


War Of The Worlds (Audio 1978) Jeff Wayne version, as good as any film! and why its here


The Last Question by Isaac Asimov (Audio) perhaps the greatest story never made into a proper film


Threads (1984) * hard core, gouge your soul out stuff !, the sort of film that makes you wish you where dead before it ends. If Withnail and I = British film heaven then this = British film hell.

Threads was first commissioned by BBC Director General Alasdair Milne, after he watched the then banned 1965 documentary The War Game.[1] Mick Jackson was hired to direct the film, as he had previously worked in the nuclear apocalypse genre in 1982, producing the BBC Q.E.D. documentary A Guide to Armageddon. This was considered a breakthrough at the time, considering the previous banning of The War Game, which BBC staff believed would have resulted in mass suicides if aired.

Jackson later recalled that unlike most BBC productions, which once finished airing would immediately result in phone calls of congratulations from friends or colleagues, no such calls came after the first screening of Threads. Jackson later "realised... that people had just sat there thinking about it, in many cases not sleeping or being able to talk."

Also worth watching a little slow/old/odd in places so add beer/popcorn or watch in the wee hours. What you have here is a list of thoroughly enjoyable, deep or just 'classic' movies. I've also included some modern era movies due to their high production values and/ or clarity of purpose. I've left out a few modern movies which you are bound to have seen but included a few gems you may have skipped ( prolly due to the sequels/remakes being diabolical cheese fests )

Gattaca (1997)

THX 1138 (1971)

The Day of the Triffids (1963)

Resident Evil (2002)

The Fifth Element (1997)

Pitch Black (2000)

Soylent Green (1973)

Fahrenheit 451 (1966)

When Worlds Collide (1951)

The War of the Worlds (1953)

Fantastic Voyage (1966)

Logan's Run (1976)

The Day of the Triffids (1963)

Dune (1984)

Jurassic Park (1993)

Brave New World (Huxley) needs a remake for sure but you won't remain silent throughout regardless

Things to Come - 1936 - H.G.Wells









Misc don't cancel yer appointment at the DIY store but these are worth watching 'once' when you can

Space 1999 - Final Message From Moonbase Alpha < Space 1999 for fans >


An Unearthly Child < for Dr Who fans >
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xv7u66_s1xe01-an-unearthly-child_shortfilms

Jason and the Argonauts (1963) < for CHONPS lifeforms >

2010ad (1984)

Independence Day (1996)

Enemy Mine (1985)

Contact (1997)

I, Robot (2004)

A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)

Bicentennial Man (1999)

Dark City (1998)

Starship Troopers (1997)

Twelve Monkeys (1995)

Waterworld (1995)

Total Recall (1990)

The Running Man (1987)

The Fly (1986)

Cocoon (1985)

Brazil (1985)

Saturn 3 (1980)

The Black Hole (1979)

Westworld (1973)

WarGames (1983)

king kong (1933)

Metropolis (1927)











Unsorted

Charly (1968)


A Scanner Darkly (2006)

Kin-dza-dza! (1986)

Brainstorm (1983)

The Man from Earth (2007)

Primer (2004)

A Boy and His Dog

light of the Navigator

The Last Star Fighter

Cherry 2000 (1987)

The Quiet Earth

Slaughterhouse Five

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

Close Encounters of the Third Kind

Tron

Journey to the Far Side of the Sun

Sphere

stepford wives

Capricorn One

District 9

The Matrix

Back to the Future
















Do not watch

Modern Planet of the apes remakes /sequels.

Prometheus Aliens 3,4,44,400 or anything that spat off from that bledator blalian schmaylian schlop

I am legend

War of the worlds remake

Thing remake / prequel/p-take

 

[Wormtongue]

Omega Man

Omega Man ftw. :thumbs:

 

[DHF]

"Source Code" is one of my favorite time travel
movies. Right along side Deja vu.

 

[stevebd1]

Here's the latest trailer for 'Interstellar' which is supposedly based on the work of Kip Thorne -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSWdZVtXT7E

 

[rolerbe]

Has anyone seen Europa Report yet?

Saw it. Liked it.

 

[DHF]

Has anyone seen Europa Report yet?

I haven't seen it yet. waiting for it to show up Free on Amazon Prime :)

 

[shukujo]

Nor Sci Fi

I assure you both that all of miyazaki's movies are considered anime, and very good anime at that. However, they are definitely not sci fi.

If you want good scifi anime movies, here you go:

Appleseed (2004)
Appleseed Ex-Machina (2007)
Appleseed Alpha (2014)
Captain Harlock (2013)
Cencoroll (2009)
Evangelion: 1.11 You Are [Not] Alone (2007)
Evangelion: 2.22 You Can [Not] Advance (2009)
Evangelion: 3.33 You Can [Not] Redo
UPCOMING: Evangelion 4.0 (TBA, most likely 2014)
Ghost in the Shell (I recommend the remastered 2.0 version) (orig movie: 1995, 2.0: 2008)
Ghost in the Shell: Innocence (2004)
Ghost in the Shell: Solid State Society (2006)
Ghost in the Shell ARISE Border 1: Ghost Pain (Jun 2013)
Ghost in the Shell ARISE Border 2: Ghost Whispers (Nov 2013)
Ghost in the Shell ARISE Border 3: Ghost Tears (Jun 2014)
UPCOMING: Ghost in the Shell ARISE Border 4: Ghost Stands Alone (Sep 2014)
King of Thorn (Ibara no Ou) (2009)
Metropolis (2001)
UPCOMING: Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin (2015)
Paprika (2006)
Patema Inverted (Sakasama no Patema) (2013)
Space Battleship Yamato (Uchuu Senkan Yamato) (1977)
SUMMER WARS (2009)
Vexille: 2077 Isolation of Japan (2007)
Wonderful Days (2003)

These are all the good scifi anime movies I have seen or am looking forward to that I can think of - the reason Summer Wars is given such special treatment is because of my opinion that, even amongst such heady company as the movies listed here, it is still stands out as an exceptional work, a cut above most movies I've seen, thoroughly enjoyable. Aside from Summer Wars, which is targeted at the teen demographic, all of these movies are intended for a slightly more adult demographic, and many are downright not intended for young children at all, at least not without supervision, because the action/violence is quite intense in some of them.

The list of good scifi anime series is three or four times the size of this one.

 

[Luka Datas]

The birds by Alfred Hitchcock because I think of it as sci fi even if it wasn't marketed that way.

Superman the movie with Christopher Reeves again not marketed as sci fi.

Alien by Ridley Scott, obviously sci fi.

The Thing and Dark Star by John Carpenter.

Southland Tales and In Time both with Justin Timberlake in them.

Deep Impact, District 9, Scanners and Unidentified Flying Oddball.

 

[DHF]

Armageddon got more box office splash but I liked Deep Impact because it felt a little more honest to me.

 

[Bandersnatch]

Armageddon only fits in the thread if we add "to pick apart" to the thread title.

 

[dragoneyes001]

predestination if you like time paradoxes

district 9 was probably the most refreshing si-fi because they show just how inept humanity faced with extra terrestrials would actually be.

 

[enorbet]

Well I've just read every post in this thread and find that I can't add anything new but I'd sure like to comment and add my votes. I am mildly surprised that Quiet Earth isn't mentioned more, but then I like quirky, cerebral stuff like Primer, Pi, and Gattaca, and I wonder how much better Brainstorm might have been if Natalie Wood hadn't died before it was completed. I also wonder why Arthur C. Clarke's Childhood's End has not been made into a movie, but maybe Hollywood has yet to figure out how to insert some hot scene with some nubile actress, surely a deciding component in many of the favorites listed here :P

 

[Abhishek anand]

Timecrimes

 

[Kechel8]

Interstellar!

 

[Bandersnatch]

I've just finished watching 'Under the skin'. A rare specimen of the alien-psychology exploration genre. The only other one I can think of being 'The man who fell to Earth' with 1976's David Bowie.

It was fantastic. Dark as hell. Does the 'show, not tell' shtick masterfully, almost to a fault.

A treat for those who like their films brainy, cryptic, evocative and disquieting.

 

[dragoneyes001]

probably the latest addition to the list would be "the imitation game"

about the development of the enigma beating device which led to the computer...
not exactly heavy on the science and more about the drama of his life but still an interesting movie.

but if we stick to only psy fi then the movie i see missing would be a Clockwork Orange at the time of its release the brain washing was definitely a form of psy-fi

 

[Firedog89]

I remember the movie... they are on a base located on Mars and their seems to be something fishy going. I can't remember if he was alone but I think he wasn't and I think they are mining for minerals and people keep dying. I ending is pretty intense but I can't remember the name of the movie.

 

[Bandersnatch]

I've just finished watching 'Predestination' with Ethan Hawke and Sarah Snook.

I went in expecting a rip-off of Looper, which I only liked so-so itself, and was thus pleasantly surprised. It's a very fun and well-done time-travel mind-bender (they pay me by the hyphen) with a somewhat unusual plot.
The time-travel shenanigans (and some biology) doesn't exactly hold together in places when subjected to closer scrutiny, and the 'big reveal' is pretty much apparent 2/3rds in, but it's forgivable considering the overall clever construction. Makes you spend a few minutes analysing all the pieces and how they do or don't fit each other, which is what I need from a time-travel film.
The treatment of temporal paradoxes and its mood reminded me somewhat of '12 monkeys', but with a more personal approach.
Turns out it's based on Heinlein's 'All you zombies', which I haven't read but heard good things about.

Worth seeing, if not exactly on par with champions in the genre (Primer, Triangle, 12 monkeys).In other news, apparently there exists such a thing as a four-part adaptation of Philip K. Dick's 'Man in the High Castle' that's apparently very good - I haven't seen it yet, but am already salivating. The pilot episode available for free from Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00RSI6NKS/?tag=pfamazon01-20

 

[Pete Cortez]

Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo.

 

[Uollises]

About Solaris - book is much better than both movies. Love Farscape a very good sci-fi movie.

 

[Marco89]

Just want to add some words about Solaris - I haven't read book and watched only Tarkovsky's movie, but it really made a significant impression on me. I watched it at an quite early age, but it forced me to rethink many things in my life.

 

[Bandersnatch]

Just want to add some words about Solaris - I haven't read book and watched only Tarkovsky's movie, but it really made a significant impression on me. I watched it at an quite early age, but it forced me to rethink many things in my life.

I agree that it lingers. I disliked it when I saw it a few years back - felt it was too pretentious and archaic in form (what was it, a five minute scene of riding in a car silently?), and diverging too much from the source material. But some shots were just too well done to forget (e.g. the revival scene, the final shot), so it lodged itself in my mind and I've been thinking about it ever since, with my opinion on it gradually improving.