(12-13-2012 04:30 PM)Bucster Wrote:  

(12-13-2012 10:51 AM)Lush Wrote:  anybody seen moon?

I forgot about "Moon"! Fantastic film. It's an independent film that had a limited release. I saw it on Netflix and thought it was brilliant. Very underrated Sci-Fi film.

yeah, david bowie's kid directed it. also did source code, which i haven't seen. want to check out looper. heard it's crazy.

a scanner darkly anyone?

(12-14-2012 09:47 AM)Lush Wrote:  

(12-13-2012 04:30 PM)Bucster Wrote:  

(12-13-2012 10:51 AM)Lush Wrote:  anybody seen moon?

I forgot about "Moon"! Fantastic film. It's an independent film that had a limited release. I saw it on Netflix and thought it was brilliant. Very underrated Sci-Fi film.

yeah, david bowie's kid directed it. also did source code, which i haven't seen. want to check out looper. heard it's crazy.

a scanner darkly anyone?

Source Code is spectacular. It's a lot of fun, and it doesn't overstay its welcome.

Brazil

(12-12-2012 02:47 PM)ilovegymnast Wrote:  I think Avatar is an over rated movie. It's to much of a Pocahontas remake for me to take it seriously as a good sci-fi flick.

that movie has really grown on me-no pun intended

I haven't sat through the entire movie but the parts I've seen I've really grown to like

(12-13-2012 12:47 PM)Machiavelli Wrote:  GATTACA

If you haven't seen it. It's worth the watch.

Empire Strikes back was better than Star Wars but both solid.

Dune

and I also liked Stargate. A little campy but a neat story.

never liked Gattaca-it was okay but nothing special

which Dune are you talking about-the original movie or the SyFy Channel miniseries

the miniseries, IMHO, was superior to the original movie

Just realized I never made a real post in this thread. I did comment on a lot of movies.

*********************

Some of my faves:

Alien/Aliens
--Alien 3 and Resurrection were not up there with the quality of the first two.

Predator/Predators
--Predator 2 was ok but not of the quality of the two.

--Alien vs. Predator movies were ok but not tops IMO.

Star Wars
--Specifically II, IV, and VI were my favorite ones to watch over and over.

Superman I and II.
--III and IV sucked fat ones. Returns was decent but lacked action in a major way.

Total Recall / Arnie One
--Still not quite sure what was real in that and lots of stuff to argue either way IMO.

Tron
--Tron Legacy was a good update but the original IMO was better.

Terminator 2: Judgement Day
--While yeah the original was classic I preferred 2. 3 felt under budget. IV/Salvation was a solid action movie but not a top one IMO.

Matix and Animatrix
--2 and 3 were anticlimatic and underwhelming

Ghost in the Shell 1, 2, and 3 from the movies as well as the two seasons of the animated Stand Alone Complex tv series.

Minority Report

2001/2010 movies by Stanley Kubrick
--I did like 2010 a little more though.

Batman 1,2/Returns, 3/Forever, Begins, The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises, and The Animated Series were all solid IMO.
--Only Batman and Robin was EPIC FAIL.

XMen 2 and XMen First Class were very solid. The First one was a good start and XMen III was weak. Arguably the early 90s animated tv show was very solid.

I'm a big sci-fi buff. But IMO few sci-fi movies are very good. The vast majority sacrifice the story for special effects...

(12-19-2012 12:57 AM)PirateTreasureNC Wrote:  Superman I and II.
--III and IV sucked fat ones. Returns was decent but lacked action in a major way.

XMen 2 and XMen First Class were very solid. The First one was a good start and XMen III was weak. Arguably the early 90s animated tv show was very solid.

X3 was a major disappointment, but I wasn't surprised considering Brett Ratner directed it. I think Ratner is one of the bigger hacks out there.

Not sure how many people know this, but Ratner was set to direct Superman returns, but got fired in pre-production or early into filming. Bryan Singer, who directed the first two X-men movies was about to start work on the third one when the Superman Returns folks through a ton of money at him which he accepted, the X-men people weren't willing to wait on him, they tried to get Matthew Vaughn(who later wrote and directed First Class) but he had some sort of personal conflict and they weren't willing to wait for him either, so they ended up hiring Ratner who had just been fired by Superman Returns. The two movies essentially traded directors and X3 definitely got the short end of the stick.

The next X-men movie will have Vaughn as the writer again and Singer back in the director's chair. Should be a good one.

(12-12-2012 09:22 AM)DrTorch Wrote:  Popular mechanics goes all in w/ Top 100.

Original War of the Worlds comes in at #90 though, that's pretty insulting.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/technolo...me#slide-1

Weird list, but interesting nonetheless. They have movies in their Top 100 that I'd have in my Bottom 100 of ANY genre (Escape from the Planet of the Apes?!). And several that I really enjoyed as a kid (Westworld, Logan's Run, Rollerball) that I think have not aged well. It's as if they ranked the treatment instead of the actual film.

Looks like I need to put Sunshine in the queue.

(12-19-2012 02:27 PM)MTPiKapp Wrote:  

(12-19-2012 12:57 AM)PirateTreasureNC Wrote:  Superman I and II.
--III and IV sucked fat ones. Returns was decent but lacked action in a major way.

XMen 2 and XMen First Class were very solid. The First one was a good start and XMen III was weak. Arguably the early 90s animated tv show was very solid.

X3 was a major disappointment, but I wasn't surprised considering Brett Ratner directed it. I think Ratner is one of the bigger hacks out there.

Not sure how many people know this, but Ratner was set to direct Superman returns, but got fired in pre-production or early into filming. Bryan Singer, who directed the first two X-men movies was about to start work on the third one when the Superman Returns folks through a ton of money at him which he accepted, the X-men people weren't willing to wait on him, they tried to get Matthew Vaughn(who later wrote and directed First Class) but he had some sort of personal conflict and they weren't willing to wait for him either, so they ended up hiring Ratner who had just been fired by Superman Returns. The two movies essentially traded directors and X3 definitely got the short end of the stick.

The next X-men movie will have Vaughn as the writer again and Singer back in the director's chair. Should be a good one.

Ratner has done some decent movies but with really only the Rush Hour franchise on his action movie resume to me that wouldn't scream doing Superman.

Where Superman I and II got it right was villain, action, and story. III squandered using Richard Pryor's talents in the movie http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086393/ and movie just felt cheap all the way around. IV with Nuclear Man could have been so much better had they tried hard http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094074/ it just gave off the vibe of cash in on Superman and the Cold War Nuclear Missles/ Star Wars Defense System of the time.

(06-07-2011 09:10 AM)Lord Stanley Wrote:  Big fan of:

Sunshine.
Event Horizon.

Finally rented that a couple years ago.

While I wouldn't put it near the top of my sci-fi list, it definitely stuck with me for a while after watching it. Definitely a few cringing gory scenes, but all in all pretty solid.

Speaking of films centered on crossing dimensions, I thought the movie adaptation of Mist was pretty good/creepy. Although not exactly a picker-upper ending.

(06-07-2011 09:10 AM)bitcruncher Wrote:  I'm a big sci-fi buff. But IMO few sci-fi movies are very good. The vast majority sacrifice the story for special effects...

I couldn't agree more, and this applies to not only sci-fi but just your typicaly action-adventures as well. Way overblown CGI and explosions. It's what made movies like Raiders of the Lost Ark so good. Great story, great atmosphere, special effects only where needed (granted, this was the age before they had all the computer technology, but modern Hollywood could learn from those days).

(12-13-2012 04:14 PM)Bucster Wrote:  "After Earth" also comes out in June. It looks like it has potential but it's M. Night Shyamalan, whose last few movies, in my opinion, really sucked.

Yep, I only saw four of his movies, but my impressions are...

Sixth Sense = great
Unbreakable = meh
Signs = very good
The Happening = awful

I always meant to see the Village, though. Even today it raises my curiosity, even though I know the 'twist' ending.

If anyone enjoys the time travel subject and wants a real mind-screw, check out Primer.

(12-19-2012 12:57 AM)PirateTreasureNC Wrote:  Alien/Aliens
--Alien 3 and Resurrection were not up there with the quality of the first two.

Major drop-off after Aliens, IMO.

I enjoy dark/brooding themes, but the Alien3 screenwriter killing off the lead dude and Newt before the movie started immediately didn't sit well with me. And then I just couldn't get into the rest of the movie, either. I don't remember much from when I saw it a long time ago, but I was underwhelmed. Didn't bother to see any more of the franchise after that one.

(12-20-2012 09:10 AM)Motown Bronco Wrote:  If anyone enjoys the time travel subject and wants a real mind-screw, check out Primer.

I think that's still in my Netflix queue. I've been dying to check that movie out for a while now. Maybe I'll finally get my chance with this week off from work I'm about to have.

Hell, maybe I'll finally get to put a dent in that gigantic queue I have built up on there.

(12-20-2012 09:05 AM)Motown Bronco Wrote:  

(12-13-2012 04:14 PM)Bucster Wrote:  "After Earth" also comes out in June. It looks like it has potential but it's M. Night Shyamalan, whose last few movies, in my opinion, really sucked.

Yep, I only saw four of his movies, but my impressions are...

Sixth Sense = great
Unbreakable = meh
Signs = very good
The Happening = awful

I always meant to see the Village, though. Even today it raises my curiosity, even though I know the 'twist' ending.

I pretty much agree with you there.

I liked the Village but if you already know the twist ending then it might not be worth watching. Going into to it I didn't know so I was somewhat caught by surprise which was good.

Another one of his movies, "Lady in the Water", I never saw but I heard it was absolutely horrible.

(12-20-2012 08:59 AM)Motown Bronco Wrote:  

(06-07-2011 09:10 AM)bitcruncher Wrote:  I'm a big sci-fi buff. But IMO few sci-fi movies are very good. The vast majority sacrifice the story for special effects...

I couldn't agree more, and this applies to not only sci-fi but just your typicaly action-adventures as well. Way overblown CGI and explosions. It's what made movies like Raiders of the Lost Ark so good. Great story, great atmosphere, special effects only where needed (granted, this was the age before they had all the computer technology, but modern Hollywood could learn from those days).

Amen, brother...

(12-20-2012 09:49 AM)Bucster Wrote:  

(12-20-2012 09:05 AM)Motown Bronco Wrote:  

(12-13-2012 04:14 PM)Bucster Wrote:  "After Earth" also comes out in June. It looks like it has potential but it's M. Night Shyamalan, whose last few movies, in my opinion, really sucked.

Yep, I only saw four of his movies, but my impressions are...

Sixth Sense = great
Unbreakable = meh
Signs = very good
The Happening = awful

I always meant to see the Village, though. Even today it raises my curiosity, even though I know the 'twist' ending.

I pretty much agree with you there.

I liked the Village but if you already know the twist ending then it might not be worth watching. Going into to it I didn't know so I was somewhat caught by surprise which was good.

Another one of his movies, "Lady in the Water", I never saw but I heard it was absolutely horrible.

Sixth Sense and Signs were pretty good.

The Village... was solid all the way till the twist...then I was like WTF...you are pulling this now?

He butchered Avatar to try to fit the entire series into one movie.

(12-20-2012 09:14 AM)Motown Bronco Wrote:  

(12-19-2012 12:57 AM)PirateTreasureNC Wrote:  Alien/Aliens
--Alien 3 and Resurrection were not up there with the quality of the first two.

Major drop-off after Aliens, IMO.

I enjoy dark/brooding themes, but the Alien3 screenwriter killing off the lead dude and Newt before the movie started immediately didn't sit well with me. And then I just couldn't get into the rest of the movie, either. I don't remember much from when I saw it a long time ago, but I was underwhelmed. Didn't bother to see any more of the franchise after that one.

The whole male prison planet thing along with how Bishop shows up at the end just didn't sit well with me considering the first two.

Resurrection, as a action movie in and of itself, wasn't bad but the whole cloning thing to generate Aliens and Ripley in a backwards way seemed to contrived for a story line, kind of like Jurassic Park III. It was also way substandard to the quality of Alien and Aliens.

(12-20-2012 09:05 AM)Motown Bronco Wrote:  

(12-13-2012 04:14 PM)Bucster Wrote:  "After Earth" also comes out in June. It looks like it has potential but it's M. Night Shyamalan, whose last few movies, in my opinion, really sucked.

Yep, I only saw four of his movies, but my impressions are...

Sixth Sense = great
Unbreakable = meh
Signs = very good
The Happening = awful

I always meant to see the Village, though. Even today it raises my curiosity, even though I know the 'twist' ending.

I quit after signs, which I hated.

The guy is just terrible.