The Shiny All-New 10 Best SF Movies Of All Time Thread! by chrisisall

Quote:
Originally posted by chrisisall:

Star Trek : The Motion Picture

Odd-numbered Trek!? Now, that's a brave decision... I'd have gone for The Voyage Home (somehow the most Trek-y of the films even though it was a format-breaker).

I guess The Motion Picture deserves credit for trying to do a harder SF film - but for me it comes over as a misguided attempt to make a Star Trek film in the style of 2001.

Also, while I wouldn't dare say a word against Serenity here I still see it as a desperately-needed series finale to Firefly rather than a SF movie for the ages.

Moon, I regret watching on a plane - I'd like to wipe my memory of the plot and see it again in a decent environment.

So my list would be:

1. 2001: A Space Odyssey
2. Blade Runner
3. Alien (singular - yes Aliens was good too)
4. The Matrix
5. Star Wars (original trilogy: not a huge Star Wars fan but its got to be there)
6. Forbidden Planet
7. The Day The Earth Stood Still (original, of course)
8. Twelve Monkeys
9. Total Recall
10. (tie) Silent Running or Close Encounters

Contact and 2010 narrowly miss out, because I liked the books better (whereas 1,2,7 and 9 found a way of offering a different experience to the books). Lord of the Rings trilogy omitted for not being SF.

Best films never made:

Altered Carbon (Seriously, guys, you bought the rights, make the bloody film! )

His Dark Materials done as animé by someone like Studio Ghibli (I'm not even a rabid animé fan, but I think the style would fit perfectly...)

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Saturday, January 14, 2012 3:49 AM

JONGSSTRAW

1. Forbidden Planet
2. The Time Machine
3. Star Wars
4. The Day The Earth Stood Still
5. War Of The Worlds
6. This Island Earth
7. When Worlds Collide
8. Planet Of The Apes
9. Logan's Run
10. Time After Time

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Saturday, January 14, 2012 4:23 AM

ECGORDON

There's no place I can be since I found Serenity.

2001: A Space Odyssey
Blade Runner
Serenity
Brazil
12 Monkeys
Metropolis
Things To Come
Forbidden Planet
Alien
Dark City

Others that could easily be on the list depending on my mood:

The Day the Earth Stood Still
The Day the Earth Caught Fire
War of the Worlds
Fantastic Planet
The Time Machine
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Moon
The Man From Earth

And I'm sure I'll think of a few others later.

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Saturday, January 14, 2012 5:31 AM

MUTT999

1) Serenity.
2) Alien.
3) Aliens.
4) Blade Runner.
5) 2001.
6) Star Wars.
7) Children of Men.
8) Planet of the Apes.
9) The Omega Man.
10)Pitch Black.

With honorable mention to Silent Running.

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Saturday, January 14, 2012 7:22 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by ecgordon:

The Man From Earth

...I almost included that. Highly recommended, but be warned: it makes Moon and Gattaca look like action-packed popcorn movies!

If we're looking at brain fodder rather than explosions, I'd throw in "A Scanner Darkly", too.

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Saturday, January 14, 2012 7:29 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by ImNotHere:

Odd-numbered Trek!? Now, that's a brave decision... I'd have gone for The Voyage Home (somehow the most Trek-y of the films even though it was a format-breaker).

The Voyage Home is my favourite Trek film, I just think TMP is better SF.

The laughing Chrisisall

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Saturday, January 14, 2012 7:33 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by zzetta13:

Superman 2

Wow, original theatrical, the Donner Cut, or a fan edit?
I really love that movie, but there's just too much good stuff left out of the theatrical release, and the Donner Cut leaves too much good stuff from the theatrical release out IMO.
But I watch them BOTH!

The laughing Chrisisall

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Saturday, January 14, 2012 7:35 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Jongsstraw:

10. Time After Time

What a great movie.

The laughing Chrisisall

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Saturday, January 14, 2012 8:16 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by chrisisall:
The Voyage Home is my favourite Trek film, I just think TMP is better SF.

Yeah, I mean the idea of a space probe returning to seek out its maker is more SF than the idea of a space probe returning to... er... hang on...

Seriously - I do see your point. I'm just not sure that ST:TMP had enough impact on SF cinema to put it up with 2001, Blade Runner or Star Wars.

Personally, I think Trek is at its best when it sticks to morality plays and steers clear of hard SF.

But hey, its your list :-)

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Saturday, January 14, 2012 8:37 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by ImNotHere:
Yeah, I mean the idea of a space probe returning to seek out its maker is more SF than the idea of a space probe returning to... er... hang on...

ROTFLMAO! Yeah... point taken. I just love the feel of TMP for the SF take- but it's not "Trek" at its best.

Quote:

Personally, I think Trek is at its best when it sticks to morality plays and steers clear of hard SF.

I absolutely agree.

The laughing Chrisisall

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Saturday, January 14, 2012 9:44 AM

LWAVES

Some interesting choices and quite a few 'old school' sci-fi.

My choices for Best (not favourite) SF Movies are - in no order*:

Close Encounters Of The Third Kind
Alien/Aliens
Batman + Returns + Begins + Dark Knight + (hopefully) Dark Knight Rises
Star Wars (Original Trilogy of course)
Superman: The Movie
Blade Runner
The Thing (Carpenter version)
Moon
Back To The Future
Terminator 1+2

Almost included:

Serenity
Inception
Twelve Monkeys
Star Trek: TMP, II, IV or VI
Watchmen
Galaxy Quest
2001: A Space Odyssey
The Abyss
Mad Max 2

*Subject to change when one of the posters below me reminds me of that movie I'm forgetting at this moment.

"The greatest invention ever is not the wheel. It's the second wheel." - Rich Hall

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Saturday, January 14, 2012 9:48 AM

WHOZIT

Serenity

The Day the Earth Stood Still, the great 1951 one, not the stupid P.C. remake that should have never been made....cause it was stupid!

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Saturday, January 14, 2012 10:36 AM

OPPYH

10) Serenity

9) Silent Running

8) Close Encounters Of The Third Kind

7) Aliens

6) Superman

5) Star Wars(original trilogy with original SFX)

4) Blade Runner

3) The Terminator

2) Star Trek IV The Voyage Home

1) Planet Of The Apes(1968)

----------------------------------------------------------------

70's TV FOREVER

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Saturday, January 14, 2012 10:44 AM

No surprise that I own 4/5 of your list.

The laughing Chrisisall

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Saturday, January 14, 2012 10:58 AM

OPPYH

Regarding the odd number Trek films, I think they are great. I don't dislike any of them.
One of my favorites is The search for Spock, but The motion picture still to this very day continues to grow on me. I watched it on Blu-Ray around Christmas time, and I was really immersed in the whole thing. It's a very good movie. People that complained about it at the time got their wish a couple years later with Wrath Of Khan.

----------------------------------------------------------------

70's TV FOREVER

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Saturday, January 14, 2012 11:23 AM

I dislike only Generations.

The laughing Chrisisall

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Sunday, January 15, 2012 7:41 AM

LWAVES

Quote:
Originally posted by squarepeg1:
There're some titles I'm surprised haven't been mentioned yet like Roller Ball (the original with James Caan) or Soylent Green. Maybe I'm just showing my age.

That's the thing with Top Ten lists - you aren't just picking great or classic films, you are picking just ten of them. There will always be excellent films that don't quite make the cut.
It's also why folks 'adapt' the list and add a selection that might have gone in under other circumstances.

"The greatest invention ever is not the wheel. It's the second wheel." - Rich Hall

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Sunday, January 15, 2012 9:20 PM

RIONAEIRE

Beir bua agus beannacht

FAvorites, not necessarily in order).

All of the Back to the Futures, how could no one mention these? They're my favorite trilogy of all time!
Terminator 1 and 2.
12 Monkeys

Alien

Planet of the Apes with Heston

I Am Legend (and Omega Man too)

Pitch Black, scary.

"A completely coherant River means writers don't deliver" KatTaya

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Thursday, January 19, 2012 11:16 AM

CLJOHNSTON108

• 2001: A Space Odyssey
• Blade Runner
• A L I E N / Aliens
• Star Wars
• Star Trek: The Motion Picture
• Close Encounters of the Third Kind
• Contact
• Inception
• The Matrix
• The Abyss (Special Edition)
• Avatar

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Thursday, January 19, 2012 12:21 PM

Jongsstraw wrote:

Quote:
1. Forbidden Planet
2. The Time Machine
3. Star Wars
4. The Day The Earth Stood Still
5. War Of The Worlds
6. This Island Earth
7. When Worlds Collide
8. Planet Of The Apes
9. Logan's Run
10. Time After Time

Now tha IS a list!!!!

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Thursday, January 19, 2012 12:38 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by cljohnston108:
• 2001: A Space Odyssey
• Blade Runner
• A L I E N / Aliens
• Star Wars
• Star Trek: The Motion Picture
• Close Encounters of the Third Kind
• Contact
• Inception
• The Matrix
• The Abyss (Special Edition)
• Avatar

And THAT is a list TOO!!!
However, Avatar is a movie I'd not expect to see on your list. But I won't disagree with the choice!

The laughing Chrisisall

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Thursday, January 19, 2012 12:46 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by RionaEire:
Am Legend (and Omega Man too)

RionaEire. Have you ever seen Last man on Earth? With Vincent Price?

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Thursday, January 19, 2012 12:49 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by ImNotHere:
Quote:
Originally posted by ecgordon:

The Man From Earth

...I almost included that. Highly recommended, but be warned: it makes Moon and Gattaca look like action-packed popcorn movies!

I watched this just a week ago with some friends and it totally divided the room. Me I loved it, but my friends... They weren't that taken by it. I was enthralled by it's premise. I hadn't seen that before.

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Thursday, January 19, 2012 12:54 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by TheSomnambulist:

I watched this just a week ago with some friends and it totally divided the room.

I liked it except for the 'coincidence' at the end. Otherwise, quite good IMO.

The laughing Chrisisall

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Thursday, January 19, 2012 1:01 PM

Yes I can see that Chris. I kind of felt it was heading that way though so it didn't bother me.

Was just a different paced film to usual so I warmed to it....

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Thursday, January 19, 2012 1:11 PM

The dialogue was so shiny. It was really well written. Too slow a movie for the Transformer-types, though.

The laughing Chrisisall

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Thursday, January 19, 2012 1:54 PM

RIONAEIRE

Beir bua agus beannacht

I haven't seen that yet, I'll have to be on the lookout for it, Vincent Price is creepy in a good scary movie way.

"A completely coherant River means writers don't deliver" KatTaya

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Thursday, January 19, 2012 2:15 PM

CLJOHNSTON108

Quote:
Originally posted by chrisisall:
However, Avatar is a movie I'd not expect to see on your list.

Why's that? The movie had AWESOME production values.
People whine about the story, but if you break 'em down, a lot of the so-called "classics" had pretty basic storylines.
Avatar simply had the most finely-detailed visuals I've ever seen on film.

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Thursday, January 19, 2012 2:22 PM

Agreed.

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Thursday, January 19, 2012 10:29 PM

RionaEire wrote:

Quote:
I haven't seen that yet, I'll have to be on the lookout for it, Vincent Price is creepy in a good scary movie way.

It's a worthy addition to the whole last man on earth subject, and for my money the best of the lot , but I will confess to being a Vincent Price fan so my bias may be showing.

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Thursday, January 19, 2012 10:32 PM

Hey C

Looks like my list disappeared... Oh well I was going to amend it anyway. I negated to include TRON (1981)

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Sunday, January 22, 2012 3:52 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by chrisisall:
I liked it except for the 'coincidence' at the end. Otherwise, quite good IMO.

Well, most drama feeds off far greater coincidences...

Select to view spoiler:

Plus, John appeared to have been working the US university circuit - that's a relatively small, and highly mobile, world. So crossing paths with his past like that isn't stretching things too far. Dramatic license applies from there.

I guess the writer felt they needed a "punchline" to end the story. Me, I could have coped if the movie hadn't presented closure like that. Part of the fun is the notion that John could never prove his story, and was skeptical himself when he met another of his kind.

I thought his "Buddhist meditation" method of surviving one thorny situation was the weakest link...

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Sunday, January 22, 2012 9:03 AM