Top 5

Re:Top 5 Science Fiction

Smooth_J — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 13:45:33 GMT

JimBell:

Similarly, I"d really liked Close Encounters of the Third Kind, but when I rewatched it last year, it seemed thin rather than profound, ponderous rather than deft. But when I rewatched Blade Runner, the cinematography was just as gritty as I remembered. And when I rewatched 12 Monkeys, the ending got me just as much the second time. So, not getting quickly dated would be one criterion.

That's very true. I mean, looking back at the hundreds of sci-fi films made in the 40s and 50s, and you won't find many that stood the test of time. It's the great ones that do, that bring your mind to a higher level of thinking about the universe.

Close Encounters does seem a bit thin at times, but the actual alien contact and the idea of going insane over such a thing still stands out immensely to me. And I forgot to mention 12 Monkeys in mine, which is another amazing sci-fi film from Gilliam.

Indieabby88: "I'd say "Brazil" definitely counts as Sci-Fi. It's kind of in that weird genre that books like "1984" and "Brave New World" belong to (and obviously it's because those books were huge influences on Gilliam's movie). They're sort of Sci-Fi/Social Commentary/Satire type things. But the futuristicness of it (not to mention the dominance of air-duct companies) make it fit into the Sci-Fi collection pretty well."

You're definitely right about that...and I've been wondering, has "Brave New World" been adapted into a movie yet? Because that was an amazing book.

Re:Top 5 Science Fiction

JimBell — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 06:19:03 GMT

indieabby88:
I'd say "Brazil" definitely counts as Sci-Fi. It's kind of in that weird genre that books like "1984" and "Brave New World" belong to (and obviously it's because those books were huge influences on Gilliam's movie). They're sort of Sci-Fi/Social Commentary/Satire type things. But the futuristicness of it (not to mention the dominance of air-duct companies) make it fit into the Sci-Fi collection pretty well.

SO, which sci-fi movies are the TOP FIVE?

2001

Alien

Aliens

Star Wars Trilogy (or parts thereof)

Blade Runner

The Matrix

OR Contact, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Gattaca, Jurassic Park, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Metropolis, Solaris, Space Balls, Brazil, Gattaca, or Sunshine (these last ones all got two enthusiastic mentions in the foregoing discussion).

A distinct advantage of taking this question up and discussing it is not to arrive at some triumphant Top Five list but to see what qualities we look for in great sci fi movies.

For example, in sorting through sci-fi movies in my judging mind, I realized that great ones somehow don't get dated. Originally, I really liked Time After Time, a 1970s story of Jack the Ripper stealing H. G. Wells time machine and arriving in San Francisco in "the present day". But when I rewatched it, the final scenes of cat 'n mouse in the moonlit park were not nearly as scary as they were when I first saw the film. Similarly, I"d really liked Close Encounters of the Third Kind, but when I rewatched it last year, it seemed thin rather than profound, ponderous rather than deft. But when I rewatched Blade Runner, the cinematography was just as gritty as I remembered. And when I rewatched 12 Monkeys, the ending got me just as much the second time. So, not getting quickly dated would be one criterion.

JIMBELL

Re:Top 5 Science Fiction

indieabby88 — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 03:33:35 GMT

I'd say "Brazil" definitely counts as Sci-Fi. It's kind of in that weird genre that books like "1984" and "Brave New World" belong to (and obviously it's because those books were huge influences on Gilliam's movie). They're sort of Sci-Fi/Social Commentary/Satire type things. But the futuristicness of it (not to mention the dominance of air-duct companies) make it fit into the Sci-Fi collection pretty well.

Re:Top 5 Science Fiction

Smooth_J — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 00:35:05 GMT

There's so many now that I think about it...I'll tone it down.

1. 2001: A Space Odyssey That's a given.

2. Brazil I'd categorize this as science fiction...it's one of the only genres it readily fits criteria for.

3. Children of Men Provocative, amazing.

4. Blade Runner A classic, perfect example of great sci-fi.

5. Close Encounters I know it's not widely loved, but I thought it was a great film.

I'd also like to mention Sunshine, which was great, as was The Matrix. And I was looking at the AFI website the other day and saw that they categorized Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind as science fiction. It's a bit of a stretch, but I'll take any chance to mention how amazing that movie is.

Re:Top 5 Science Fiction

asnakeofjuly — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 06:09:09 GMT

I love sci fi ("intelligent" sci fi; there's so many definitons but I think there's two distinct types of sci fi), so here's my list (in somewhat of an order):

1. 2001: A Space Odyssey

2. Solaris (1972)

3. The Day the Earth Stood Still

4. Metropolis (1927)

5. Sunshine

Re: Top 5 Science Fiction

Risselada — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 15:38:37 GMT

joem18b:
My theory is that skipping the first half of the movie made it watchable. The same thing happened to me when I was surfing at the local metroplex and caught the last half of Lake House.

Maybe because when you come in the middle you assume that everything that is confusing or rediculous was somehow explained or justified in the part you missed.

Re: Top 5 Science Fiction

joem18b — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 22:48:34 GMT

This is off-topic in the sense that it's not about a Top Five SF movie, but it is about an SF movie and I'm too lazy to search through the 300+ groups looking for other SF discussions.

I brought home The Lost Room (2006) last night because my spousal unit and I wanted to see what Peter Krause (Nate in Six Feet Under) has been up to. The movie is a 4-episode mini that ran on the SciFi channel. We watched an episode and decided it was ok enough to continue. (Btw, Nate was still Nate, so so far, we don't know if he can be anything else but Nate). So I got up and discovered that we had watched episode 3.

My theory is that skipping the first half of the movie made it watchable. The same thing happened to me when I was surfing at the local metroplex and caught the last half of Lake House.

Must do more research. If coming in in the middle of a bad movie makes it better, would that also be true for a good movie? I have one other data point: watched the second half of the original Forsyte Saga first, and it was terrific.

Re: Top 5 Science Fiction

JimBell — Sun, 15 Jul 2007 00:24:35 GMT

Thank you for the many responses to the sci fi thread. Here’s the rough results of the Top Five listings. The following movies got multiple mentions: Blade Runner x4 (that is, listed four times); 2001 x4; Alien x3; The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy. x2; The Matrix. x2; The Original Star Wars Trilogy x2.

The following movies were listed once: Planet Of The Apes (1968); The Day The Earth Stood Still; Earth Girls Are Easy; Gattaca; Back to the Future; Primer (2004); Time Cop; The Brother from Another Planet—Director John Sayles; Peggy Sue Got Married; Spaceballs; The Empire Strikes Back; Star Trek: First Contact; Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan; Aliens; The Fifth Element; Robocop; A Clockwork Orange; Metropolis; Charlie and the Chocolate Factory; A. I. ; Serenity; Donnie Darko; City of Lost Children; Ghost in the Shell; The Abyss; Brazil; Galaxy Quest; Dune: Assault on Arrakis.

I skimmed down the IMDb Top 100 films and found the following sci fi movies: #8 was Star Wars: Episonde V; The Empire Strikes Back; #12 was Star Wars (1977); #54 was Alien (1979); #70 was Aliens (1986); #79 was 2001: A Space Odessy; and just missing the top 100 was Blade Runner. Because IMDb has more than 100,000 people voting for these movies, the results are a fairly good indication of sci fi popularity among movie buffs.

Re: Top 5 Science Fiction

Movie_Cretin — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 20:30:37 GMT

Ummm so u know u missed a really good one Dune Aussault on Arrakis

this includes great philosophy very clever inventions and very realistic scenes wich includes worms that could eat a small house and guns powered by sound alone (also a profound fightscene at the end)

Re: Top 5 Science Fiction

indieabby88 — Sat, 07 Jul 2007 04:07:31 GMT

1. Brazil, for the obvious reason that it's one of the best movies ever.

2. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy--I like movies that make me think of the galaxy as one giant party I'm missing out on. I loved the books and love the movie. Sam Rockwell's performance is totally inspired.

3. Blade Runner--It's a total classic. It makes me think of William Gibson, and that's a good thing.

4. Galaxy Quest--Is it weird that Alan Rickman and Sam Rockwell are in two of the movies on this list? I don't think so.

5. The Star Wars movies--I only rank it fifth because of the horrible prequel trilogy. they bogged down the three original (great) movies and forever tarnished George Lucas' image for me. But anyway, the first three films are freakin' awesome, make no mistake.

Re: Top 5 Science Fiction

Windbreaker — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 02:54:28 GMT

I agree that Gattaca is grossly underrated. And it strikes a very powerful chord on the value of life. And how about this? 10 years later we're dealing with the very issues of genetic selection that were considered sci-fi in '97. Down syndrome? Abort. 9 fingers? Abort. Might vote for personal liberties? Abort.

Re: Top 5 Science Fiction

JimBell — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 20:18:08 GMT

OK, so science fiction movies have to have an integral science component to separate them from the more general category of fantasy. I fine with that. The important thing is . . . Is the movie good and why?

Gattaca--This movie may not be big budget and full of Hollywood stars garnering it a lot of press, but it is a superb sci fi movie. The science element is genetic engineering. What if, through careful genetic selection, humanity was able to produce people who were extremely smart and talented, and what would happen to those people who were conceived--God forbid!--through normal sex, and what if one of those traditionally-conceived people wanted to pass as one of the elite? Part of the power of this movie comes from our awareness that such a future has a reasonable chance of coming to pass. Furthermore, as people who were probably traditionally conceived we side with the excluded, second-rate humans who are relegated to garbage pick-up because they were not genetically engineered. Once we have identified with the the guy, the suspense is ever-present because anything that can be genetically tested--like a fingernail left at a computer station--can give away his secret that as a so-called reject, he is smart enough and crafty enough to pass for an elite. But can he keep up the ruse long enough to realize his dream of being shot into space and away from his hostile planet?

A Top 5 for sure!

Re: Top 5 Science Fiction

trosman5 — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 00:41:18 GMT

I'm glad to see you put Alien in the Sci-Fi list..... I went to the video store tonight and they had it in horror I was like.... what???

Re: Top 5 Science Fiction

pippin06 — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 20:38:07 GMT

pippin06:

joem18b:
Is Heroes scifi?
Definitely! There was that whole section near the beginning of the show about DNA and stuff, and Mohinder, I think, is the character that is supposed to ground you in the "reality" that everyone's abilities have a scientific explanation. It's fantasy too, though, because it's all about people with fantastic abilities.

This was my answer ^^^.

Re: Top 5 Science Fiction

joem18b — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 18:41:56 GMT

so anyway, is Heros scifi?

Re: Top 5 Science Fiction

joem18b — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 19:52:02 GMT

just checking out your youtube clips. very cool.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5ft0oqaUZ4

Re: Top 5 Science Fiction

Risselada — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 17:16:26 GMT

strangeframe:
And of course: strange frame

What's that?

Re: Top 5 Science Fiction

pippin06 — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 12:03:57 GMT

joem18b:
Is Heroes scifi?

Definitely! There was that whole section near the beginning of the show about DNA and stuff, and Mohinder, I think, is the character that is supposed to ground you in the "reality" that everyone's abilities have a scientific explanation. It's fantasy too, though, because it's all about people with fantastic abilities.

Re: Top 5 Science Fiction

pippin06 — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 12:01:38 GMT

joem18b:
Is Heroes scifi?

Re: Top 5 Science Fiction

joem18b — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 21:21:38 GMT

Is Heroes scifi?

Re: Top 5 Science Fiction

pippin06 — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 19:23:22 GMT

See, that's why I think science fiction has to necessarily have science in it. A What If question can be anything, anything at all. If we have to "imagine" the answer to the What If, I think that's when it becomes fantasy. If the answer we imagine is scientific in nature, or "sounds" scientifc, then it can be scifi. I don't think any What If is science fiction by default. That seems too broad, and I think there is a definite distinction between what is fantasy and what is scifi.

Take The Da Vinci Code. I saw that as arguably fantasy because the What If centers on (no spoiler) the quest and the goal of the quest. Is it scifi? The What If is philosophical, religious, and possibly sociological in nature. Some people probably think it's not even fantasy, but I do.

Or take The Butterfly Effect. "What if you had the power to go back and change something? What would you change? What would happen?" That can't be a scifi picture because it never attempts to explain how it is that the main character can make the leaps (unless I missed the explanation, but it probably falls short of any scientific explanation or something that souns scientific).

The important thing to note is I don't think the two categories are mutually exclusive, but I think scifi is narrower than saying it's about "What If?" But maybe it's all in the eye of the beholder...

Re: Top 5 Science Fiction

Risselada — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 17:12:57 GMT

JimBell:
I don't have a definition of "science fiction," but I can say two things that might help. First, it does not have to have anything to do with science. Originally it did, and there was an emphasis on gadgets and scientific concepts. But now many writers simply use a scientific premise to catapault themselves into a different time etc. and see what develops in their story. Which leads to the second thing: Often science fiction writers use a phrase something like "allow me one WHAT IF," meaning that there is one thing you'll suspend your disbelief on, but then things had better make some sense. One of my fav sci fi novels exhibits both of these characteristics: What if humans had not killed off "Neaderthals" but rather the "Neaderthals" had gone into a parallel universe. In an underground research station a human is accidentally transported to this parallel universe. There is not much science involved because the point is to look at how an almost human civilization might have developed differently than ours. There is also a bit of adventure regarding how the guy gets back. The author calls himself a sci fi writer, and the book is catalogued as sci fi, but more importantly, It changed forever my perspective on human history.

I suppose it depends on what your definition of Science is.

You have described to me what you think Sci-Fi is. It's a "What If" type situation. If the definition is that broad, how is it any different than Fantasy?

Re: Top 5 Science Fiction

GradysGhost — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 00:10:17 GMT

Pippin - I believe Kubrick's original ending involved Haley Joel Osmont's character getting very, very close and dying.

Joem - Ripley did not survive. Hope I'm not ruining anything here. She had the alien baby inside her chest, so at the end, after they freeze, then melt the alien, Ripley dives into the lava. In one of the coolest shots of the movie, the alien bursts forth from her chest and then falls with her to both of their deaths. In the next sequel, they bring back Ripley by "cloning" her from DNA, hence the title Alien: Ressurrection.

Re: Top 5 Science Fiction

joem18b — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 18:13:19 GMT

Show me that you can handle Chloe Sevigny, Ginnifer Goodwin, Jeanne Tripplehorn, and Harry Dean Stanton all at once and then you can talk to me about Bill Paxton. Otherwise, we are not worthy.

I went out and bought a cheap Korean VCR just about when Aliens 3 came out. The machine got me almost to the end of the tape and then didn't have the strength to turn the reels for the climax. I assume Ripley survived.

My son and daughter-in-law named their first child Inara, in honor of Firefly.

Re: Top 5 Science Fiction

pippin06 — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 17:45:28 GMT

Sheesh, Grady. Tell us how you really feel. Personally, I liked the point-and-shoot of Aliens. I loved the first movie too, but Aliens was SOO intense, Bill Paxton was not the most important element of the movie (read: forgettable anyway), and the writing was better than 3 and 4, at least in terms of the overall story arc. I mean, come on! And I shouldn't be laughing at an Alien movie. That seems so wrong. Sorry, I just had to chime in. I've also never heard Aliens described as the worst of the Alien sequels. So, I'm a little flummoxed.

Though I've been desperately wanting to catch Firefly, Serenity, and Donnie Darko (in no particular order). All intrigue me, but I haven't had the chance to see them.

And AI - what was the original ending? I've always wondered and never bothered with the DVD. Saw it at the movies and was disgusted by it because of the ending. And I love Spielberg, but really. It was just so out of sync with everything else.

Re: Top 5 Science Fiction

GradysGhost — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 13:26:58 GMT

Alright, everybody. Grab some tar and feathers. It's time to lynch tmoney! Hated Brazil?!! Kidding, of course. My wife hated it, but she hates abrupt endings.

Anyway... My top 5 (in no particular order):

1.) Blade Runner

2.) Alien (Regarding the sequels... Aliens by James Cameron is by far the worst of all four. This is due to the horrible script; the fact that Bill Paxton gives the worst performance not just of his career, but of anybody's career; the fact that it was taken away from the over-capable hands of Ridley Scott and put into the lousy, point-and-shoot hands of James Cameron... The list goes on and on. Let's not forget that Alien 3 was David Fincher's first effort - you've gotta expect a little unsurety - but overall, it's a pretty good movie. And at least you can laugh at Alien: Ressurection.)

3.) 2001: A Space Odyssey (No Top 5 Sci-Fi Movies list should be without this one, IMHO.)

4.) Serenity - I will give an honorable mention to the Firefly TV series.

5.) Donnie Darko.

I would give a vote to Primer, because I have seen it, and I did enjoy it greatly. The problem is that while it had a great storyline that is just confounding enough to make you think and rewatch the film to catch it all, it was lackluster in all else - cinematography, acting, etc.

I would also give a vote to AI: Artificial Intelligence if it had ended as Kubrick had originally intended.

Re: Top 5 Science Fiction

pippin06 — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 04:24:20 GMT

The fantasy group is called The Imagination of Fantasy. I am biased toward that group a little :-)

I'm not sure which came first as a classification, scifi or fantasy. But fantasy is a classification now, and I think it's fair to say that scifi is a subset of fantasy, even if scifi is a category appeared first. Think Star Trek (people I'm sure dream of transporters and phasers and such). I think the lines blur more often than not.

Take tmoney's example of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I would really see that as more fantasy, I mean Roald Dahl is without exception classified as a fantasy writer, but I supposed the argument could be made that all of Willy Wonka's super candy-making apparati could be "scientific." Who knew it would be such a heavy question ;-)

Re: Top 5 Science Fiction

tmoney — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 03:58:19 GMT

Okay I don't watch much science fiction so my list is very uninformed.

1. Robocop - The Spout community has made me a believer in this fine film from Paul Verhoven (probably the only one ever.)

2. A Clockwork Orange - Is this sci fi? I think it is. maybe a futuristic psychological thriller. i don't know. I think it's sci fi.

3. Metropolis - My favorite from mr. lang. I just fell in love with this movie in all its silent glory.

4. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - The original. I would call this children's science fiction/fantasy. But its very debatable whether or not this is sci fi.

5. A.I. - I haven't seen this since high school but remember being deeply affected by it. It really depressed me for a long long time. probably like about an hour, really. But can you imagine if kubric had finished it?

And i am going to blaspheme right here so forgive me...I HATED Brazil.

Re: Top 5 Science Fiction

joem18b — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 17:38:26 GMT

With 300+ groups, it's hard to keep track of them all. What's the Fantasy group named?

Historically speaking, can it be that the fantasy category appeared later than the sci fi category? Split off from it? I'm just thinking of when The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction appeared. Before then, works like Lord of the Rings were classed as... what? Can't remember if they had a class of their own yet at all. Any way, although it doesn't really make sense, I've always thought of fantasy as a subset of sci fi, just because that's how I was introduced to the groups chronilogically.

In fact, now that I think of it, the divide in the 50s was between "hard" sci fi, with authors like Poul Anderson, and whatever the other branch was called, with authors like Ted Sturgeon.

Re: Top 5 Science Fiction

pippin06 — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 17:02:19 GMT

Risselada:

joem18b:
So fantasy is a different category?
OF COURSE!
Sci-Fi tries to present a world where fantastical things happen but can be explained somewhat by the laws of science we currently know or suspect to be true.
Fantasy presents a fantastical world with magic and strange beasts and phenomena that makes absolutely no attempt to explain it by any kind of science that we are familiar with.
That was my impression at least.

Actually, and I'm really not shamelessly plugging here, but we had this exact same convo in the Fantasy group. Science fiction is actually a subset of fantasy, a very specific subset - it's defined that way in dictionaries. It's fantasy based on a scientific premise, even if the premise requires that one "what if" as JimBell wrote. I actually argued that Star Wars was more fantasy, and that any film that answers What If? type questions, with or without scientific basis, is fantasy too. Yet, Star Wars could be science fiction, because technology is an active element, even if technology is not as omnipresent here as it is in, say, Star Trek. SW has deflector arrays and power generators and hyperdrive motivators along with the mystical Force. Sure, it's all fictional, but they try to sound scientific at least. Certainly, if Spaceballs and Hitchhiker's can be scifi so too can Star Wars. And I suppose on that argument, Spaceballs and HGTG have things that sound scientific, so they should be scifi after all. :-)

Fantasy is still separate and more overarching, though. Personally, I like it all.

Re: Top 5 Science Fiction

JimBell — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 02:47:08 GMT

I don't have a definition of "science fiction," but I can say two things that might help. First, it does not have to have anything to do with science. Originally it did, and there was an emphasis on gadgets and scientific concepts. But now many writers simply use a scientific premise to catapault themselves into a different time etc. and see what develops in their story. Which leads to the second thing: Often science fiction writers use a phrase something like "allow me one WHAT IF," meaning that there is one thing you'll suspend your disbelief on, but then things had better make some sense. One of my fav sci fi novels exhibits both of these characteristics: What if humans had not killed off "Neaderthals" but rather the "Neaderthals" had gone into a parallel universe. In an underground research station a human is accidentally transported to this parallel universe. There is not much science involved because the point is to look at how an almost human civilization might have developed differently than ours. There is also a bit of adventure regarding how the guy gets back. The author calls himself a sci fi writer, and the book is catalogued as sci fi, but more importantly, It changed forever my perspective on human history.

Re: Top 5 Science Fiction

Risselada — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 16:39:26 GMT

joem18b:
So fantasy is a different category?

OF COURSE!

Sci-Fi tries to present a world where fantastical things happen but can be explained somewhat by the laws of science we currently know or suspect to be true.

Fantasy presents a fantastical world with magic and strange beasts and phenomena that makes absolutely no attempt to explain it by any kind of science that we are familiar with.

That was my impression at least.

Re: Top 5 Science Fiction

joem18b — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 03:53:21 GMT

So fantasy is a different category?

Re: Top 5 Science Fiction

Risselada — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 03:09:31 GMT

pippin06:
I just don't know if one can count Spaceballs or Hitchhiker's as true scifi. I love both movies, but there is no concentration on science in either film. Spaceballs is a Star Wars send up, and its most scientific element is the vaccuum cleaner/maid thing that sucks the air from Vespa's home planet.

Yeah when you think about it a lot of stuff really isn't "sci-fi" I mean I was questioning some of those other movies for not having any real science in it. Well Spaceballs certainly doesn't but we recognize it as Sci-Fi because it's obviously a parody of movies that are Sci-Fi like Star Wars. And then you think about it. When is any science that we are familiar with ever used to explain any of the technology in Star Wars? If they make up totally new kinds of physical properties for things that have no relevence to our world is it still Sci-Fi? I guess so, but in that case Star Wars certainly seems more fantasy where Star Trek is a bit closer to sci-fi.

Re: Top 5 Science Fiction

pippin06 — Sun, 24 Jun 2007 20:19:12 GMT

joem18b:
pippin06:

5. Alien and Aliens: But unlike someone else's thoughts, I do NOT count Alien 3, thank you very much. Aliens is probably my favorite, but I pair the first two together.
Several times I've seen references to Aliens 1, 2, and 3. How come folks don't mention 4? Is it any good?
I'm glad that Fox made both Alien and Predator, because humans are just too puny to deal with the aliens. It takes a predator to do that, which is why I like Alien vs Predator. I hope they do a sequel.

I find that I really don't like either Alien 3 or Alien Resurrection. Alien 3 is an entry in the series that had real potential but was just kind of boring. And Alien Resurrection is just wrong on so many levels, from the plot, to the "reincarnated" Ripley clone, to the presence of Winona Ryder. I don't recommend it.

Contact is also very good as is the original Jurassic Park.

I just don't know if one can count Spaceballs or Hitchhiker's as true scifi. I love both movies, but there is no concentration on science in either film. Spaceballs is a Star Wars send up, and its most scientific element is the vaccuum cleaner/maid thing that sucks the air from Vespa's home planet. Hitchhiker's...well, that has some science I guess with Magrathea, the planet making society, and the Improability drive, and Marvin the manically depressed robot, but aren't both of these movies (and the book HGTG is based on) really just comedies that sort of mock science fiction? Just a thought. That goes with Earth Girls Are Easy too. I don't know, just a thought.

Re: Top 5 Science Fiction

joem18b — Sun, 24 Jun 2007 19:36:34 GMT

Just typed in a few words about 2001. Seemed too long for here, so I made it a review in movies. First para:

"I notice that 2001 is #22 on the AFI list. Various Spout posters have it on their top-five sci fi lists. Just a quick post here to ask why."

I count 12 monkeys and Cube and Multiplicity.

Re: Top 5 Science Fiction

Risselada — Sat, 23 Jun 2007 19:09:06 GMT

Alright here's my simple list:

1. 2001: A Spacy Odyssey

2. The original Star Wars Trilogy

3. The Fifth Element

4. Gattaca

5. Spaceballs Yes it's very funny, and if you like Star Trek check out the hilarious British TV series Red Dwarf

Does 12 Monkeys count? It's more Gilliam style fantasy than any real science. What about Cube?

Some other good ones: the original Solaris, Alien, Akira, Jurassic Park, Contact, The Matrix

The rather funny movie Multiplicity is listed on IMDB as Sci-Fi

Re: Top 5 Science Fiction

joem18b — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 17:41:17 GMT

pippin06:
5. Alien and Aliens: But unlike someone else's thoughts, I do NOT count Alien 3, thank you very much. Aliens is probably my favorite, but I pair the first two together.

Several times I've seen references to Aliens 1, 2, and 3. How come folks don't mention 4? Is it any good?

I'm glad that Fox made both Alien and Predator, because humans are just too puny to deal with the aliens. It takes a predator to do that, which is why I like Alien vs Predator. I hope they do a sequel.

Re: Top 5 Science Fiction

pippin06 — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 14:59:48 GMT

Oh hooray! I love scifi.

1. The Empire Strikes Back - Well, I had decided that this was my favorite movie of all time, not just my favorite Star Wars. So, it should be my favorite scifi. But you can go ahead and add the other two. Yes, even the teddy bears. But not the prequels. noooo.

2. The Matrix - Only the first one.

3. Star Trek: First Contact and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan - Yes, I watch Star Trek. No, I'm not really a trekker, but I have seen all of the series except Enterprise and all of the movies. These are the two best movies of the entire series, plus I'm playing neutral between original cast and next generation.

4. 2001: A Space Odyssey and 2010 - Kubrick was visionary, let's be certain, but I also really liked the follow up. 2010 is under lauded. No, it's not a masterpiece. It's not what Kubrick would have directed. But it's still a very good movie and spooky too.

5. Alien and Aliens: But unlike someone else's thoughts, I do NOT count Alien 3, thank you very much. Aliens is probably my favorite, but I pair the first two together.

Honorable mention to the X-Files, which only works if you're a fan of the series like me. There are probably others too, but those I what I can think of.

Re: Top 5 Science Fiction

JimBell — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 07:16:22 GMT

Your question is trying to force me into defining "science fiction." I'd rather let the examples roughly set the parameters--and then find out what YOU think are the best!

Re: Top 5 Science Fiction

joem18b — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 21:08:27 GMT

Reacting to Wonga's list:

   1. The Day The Earth Stood Still - Gort! Klaatu barada nikto!
   2. The Matrix - I also liked Dark City a lot. "When was the last time you remember doing something during the day?"
   3. Planet Of The Apes (1968) - I liked the recent version. The gorillas at the state banquet were hilarious.
   4. The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy - The BBC radio version was also good.
   5. Earth Girls Are Easy - For some reason, this pleasant goofy movie reminds me of another goofy movie, Mars Attacks! (1996). Liked them both.

Re: Top 5 Science Fiction

Risselada — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 19:44:05 GMT

JimBell:
Mad Max (1979); also Mad Max II (1981)

I'm not necessarily disagreeing with you, but I'm also not too sure. How are these two movies Sci-Fi? There are some weird gadgets, but all of it is already built out of currently known technology after an apocalyptic event.

Re: Top 5 Science Fiction

wonga — Sun, 17 Jun 2007 16:28:15 GMT

my favorite five (but maybe not necessarily the best)!

Re: Top 5 Science Fiction

joem18b — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 20:38:51 GMT

Five I liked:

1. Primer (2004) - I hope the audience for this indie time-travel movie continues to grow, if only so more can try and figure it out.

2. Timecop (1994) - VanDamme.

3. The Brother from Another Planet - Early John Sayles. Watched it again and it holds up.

4. Peggy Sue Got Married (1986) - As much as I like Back to the Future, I like this one even better.

5. Spaceballs (1987) - SciFi can be funny.

Top 5 Science Fiction

JimBell — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 15:56:27 GMT

What are the top 5 sci fi movies? Rather than try to offer a definition, I'll give examples, a list of some classic sci fi movies to suggest the range and to stimulate your movie brain:

Mad Max (1979); also Mad Max II (1981)

Frankenstein (1931)

2001 (1968)

Solaris

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)

Brazil (1985)

Alien (1979) and Aliens (1986)

Star Wars (1977) and The Empire Strikes BAck (1980)

Children of Men

Minority Report

Metropolis (1926)

E.T.

Forbidden Planet (1956)--Shakespeare's The Tempest in the future

Galaxy Quest

Men in Black

Ghostbusters

MY FAVs (on first thought, before I read all your lists):

1. Galactica--I love the idea (it seems quite likely to happen) and the excellent acting keeps you in the future world of genetic engineering, and you feel the guy's pain.

2. Back to the Future--So much fun, I liked it as much the second or third time I saw it.

3. Blade Runner--great atmosphere; the market scenes are so powerful you can almost smell them.

4. Alien (1979), Aliens (1986), and even the third Alien film--watched all three in one long weekend and I was hooked

5. 2001: Space Odyssey--a classic; the opening sequence with the bone going up in the air; Hal's calm yet authoritiative voice; and like most great sci fi, thought-provoking.

Let's see if we can narrow down the plethora of sci fi flicks to a top few!