The 2nd Science Fiction Hall of Fame

2022 Mofo Fantasy Football Champ

06-21-19

Robinson Crusoe on Mars

I was admittedly hoping that while not as well known and regarded as Forbidden Planet that I would have a similar reaction to how I liked and reacted to that movie. But that did not happen.

I did like some scenes, mainly the ones with the monkey and I got a nice joy out of how cheesy the space saucers shooting scenes were. But then there were other scenes that just felt way too drawn out for me.

The biggest disappoint for me came with the two characters. Especially the main lead guy (forgot the actors name and too lazy to look it up). I just thought he wasn't as interesting as a character as he needed to be. And Friday seemed like a waste to me to.

I much preferred the storytelling in The Martian, which obviously drew from some of this. It was just a far more entertaining movie for me. This wasn't for me.

CosmicRunaway

Winner by Default

06-21-19

Originally Posted by rauldc14

I much preferred the storytelling in The Martian, which obviously drew from some of this. It was just a far more entertaining movie for me. This wasn't for me.

I quite liked The Martian. I actually went out and bought the book when I left the theatre, and unlike most books I buy, I actually read it haha.

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A Strange Variety of Film Reviews | The New Flesh: A David Cronenberg Club
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ScarletLion

Wales, Europe

06-21-19

A few more reviews incoming soon - as I have more time. Will be doing Minority Report and Forbidden Planet I think.

Siddon

Msg

Registered User

06-21-19

Coherence...well it's kinda like US only far less coherent. The film is clearly improved and as an acting exercise it's well fine though I do wonder if the film wouldn't have been greatly improved as a stage production (similar to Vanya and 42nd Street or Ana Karenina) or even a podcast but as a feature length film...I found it lacking.

My big problem with the film is you can't keep the characters straight, they aren't really defined as individuals so when all the doubles show up you don't really care or are given much of an impact. However I don't want to pile on too much because the film isn't bad just poorly executed and shot. I admire the ambition of the project and when I wasn't annoyed by the dialogue I enjoyed the action(when we rarely got some).

CosmicRunaway

Winner by Default

06-21-19

I'm just now going back to the Videodrome review I started Sunday evening. I say "started", but literally all I wrote was "Long live the New Flesh!", because why would I need any notes other than that.

Lately my pace has slowed down significantly, but I should be able finish up fairly quickly now, since after my Videodrome write-up, I just have two other rewatches left, and I have a completely free weekend.

CosmicRunaway

Winner by Default

06-21-19

Videodrome (1983)
Directed By: David Cronenberg
Starring: James Woods, Debbie Harry, Jack Creley

While the technology used in Videodrome is outdated, its themes are still very much relevant today. Modern media has so much power and influence that one could argue that the film is even more significant now than it was in 1983. It's also a film rife with perversion, where fantasies and unhealthy fixations distort perception until reality and hallucination blend together. It's my favourite of Cronenberg's wholly original works, and is still one of the best body horror films out there.

Much of the film features ambient noise instead of a score, but there is a foreboding musical track that plays during key points of the plot that is a brilliant mix of orchestral instruments and a strange, electronic tune. That music corrupts slightly over the course of the film, becoming more and more synthetic sounding, as though it is mimicking Max's deteriorating mental stability. James Woods gives a respectable performance, and something about his appearance just fits with his character. I'm not saying he normally looks sleazy, but he does a great job of casually portraying it in this film.

The prosthetics used are fantastic. The overtly sexual aesthetics and connotations of Max's stomach cavity fit the film perfectly, and I'm always impressed by the scene where he inserts the gun into it. The fleshy television screen is another great practical effect, which like much of the film's visuals, is as intriguing as it is disturbing. Videodrome's obsession with sex, violence, and the connections between them is certainly not for everyone, especially not in the grotesque manner that Cronenberg portrays them, but I find the film incredibly fascinating. I do think it drags a little in places, but it ends on a strong note that more than makes up for its shortcomings. Long live the new flesh!

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CosmicRunaway

Winner by Default

06-22-19

Attention all crew members of the
Second Science Fiction Hall of Fame!

@ahwell @Citizen Rules @edarsenal @John-Connor @Okay @rauldc14 @ScarletLion @Siddon @TheUsualSuspect @Yam12

This is your Captain speaking. There are only 6 weeks left until we reach our destination, so it's time to ensure that everyone in on track to complete their missions before then. Everyone should have 5 of the 11 required films finished by now. Remember that the farther behind the goal you are, the harder you'll have to work to complete this HoF before the deadline.

While the tracker on the review page is set to different numbers depending on how many of the disqualified films each member previously watched, I've adjusted the numbers below to only count eligible films. I've also programmed the computer to list the films each member still needs to watch.

ahwell - 8/11
Attack the Block
Coherence
Turbo Kid

Citizen Rules - 9/11
Attack the Block
Videodrome

CosmicRunaway - 9/11
Forbidden Planet
Minority Report

edarsenal - 6/11
Attack the Block
Coherence
Robinson Crusoe on Mars
Timecrimes
Turbo Kid

John-Connor - 5/11
Attack the Block
Coherence
Forbidden Planet
Gattaca
Minority Report
Robinson Crusoe on Mars

Okay - 2/11 !
Attack the Block
Coherence (own nomination)
D�j� Vu
Forbidden Planet
Gattaca
Robinson Crusoe on Mars
Timecrimes
Turbo Kid
Videodrome

rauldc14 - 6/11
Aliens
Attack the Block
Gattaca
Minority Report
Timecrimes

ScarletLion - 3/11 !
Coherence
D�j� Vu
Forbidden Planet
Gattaca
Minority Report
Robinson Crusoe on Mars
Timecrimes (own nomination)
Turbo Kid

Siddon - 6/11
Aliens
Attack the Block
D�j� Vu
Minority Report
Turbo Kid

TheUsualSuspect - 3/11 !
Attack the Block (own nomination)
Forbidden Planet
Gattaca
Minority Report
Robinson Crusoe on Mars
Timecrimes
Turbo Kid
Videodrome

Yam12 - 0/11 !
Aliens
Attack the Block
Coherence
D�j� Vu
Forbidden Planet
Gattaca
Minority Report
Robinson Crusoe on Mars
Timecrimes
Turbo Kid
Videodrome (own nomination)

Green readouts mean you have met or exceeded the recommended pace. If your readout contains a red exclamation mark and you haven't recently checked in, please contact me immediately by private message, post comment, or by posting in the thread to let me know you haven't mysteriously disappeared like our friend Nathaniel. I don't want to have to fill out the paper work and explain to mission control why people keep vanishing off the ship.

Last edited by CosmicRunaway; 06-22-19 at 12:59 PM.

CosmicRunaway

Winner by Default

06-22-19

Minority Report (2002)
Directed By: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Tom Cruise, Colin Farrell, Samantha Morton

What I like about practical effects is that they tend to hold up much better than their computer-generated counterparts. So while I do remember it being moderately impressive when the film was new, the first thing I noticed about Minority Report this time was that those special effects really didn't age well at all. The future presented in the film does at least still seem plausible, with many of its innovations starting to come into fruition. Things like targeted ads are already part of our reality, thankfully not yet to the same extreme, and some of the technology is even a little behind what is available today.

The film's script altered so much from Philip K. Dick's short story that it's only barely connected to its source material. For me, that's not exactly a bad thing though. Dick was a highly imaginative author who had a huge impact on science fiction, but while his concepts were fantastic, they often desperately needed to be expanded, and I personally found his writing to be borderline atrocious and very difficult to read. There's a reason why many adaptations of his work ultimately change so much of it. So while I do generally approve of the film's departure from the original story, not every decision was for the better.

Some of the fight and chase sequences are far too long, with the jetpack scene in the alleyway feeling the most bloated. The film's runtime gets a bit tedious, so trimming down those unnecessarily prolonged action set pieces would certainly help that. I don't remember previously having any major grievances with the plot, but when I rewatched the film last night, I absolutely hated the ending. I read some theories this morning that the final scenes might just be a dream, but there's nothing in the film which suggests that strongly enough for me to see it as a possibility. I did still enjoy the film overall, but it definitely has some issues that become more pronounced the more I reflect on them.

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CosmicRunaway

Winner by Default

06-22-19

@ahwell @Citizen Rules @edarsenal @John-Connor @Okay @rauldc14 @ScarletLion @Siddon @TheUsualSuspect @Yam12

This is your Captain again with an important update. It appears that my earlier transmissions cut off Yam's portion of the review tracker. The computer didn't find any data submitted by him on file, so he was inadvertently omitted from the list it generated. I've manually updated the most recent log to correct this.

Yam has been spotted onboard the ship; I passed by him myself earlier today. Unless he is a ghost haunting us, there is no need to be concerned about whether or not the mysterious circumstances surrounding Nathaniel's disappearance have claimed another crew member - at least not at this time.

Okay

movies can be okay...

06-22-19

Forbidden Planet (1956) by Fred M. Wilcox

Forbidden Planet is now the earliest science fiction film I've ever seen, and it's quite incredible to see how much it was able to accomplish for its time. While there wasn't anything noteworthy plot-wise, or performances wise, as those aspects were just fine and acceptable, the movie was still able to make up for such slack through its impeccable production design. I was genuinely in awe by the meticulous beauty of the sets, the varying costumes, and the colourful cinematography, as they've all coordinated together in order to make the film not only visually pleasing and interesting, but also easier to get through.

I don't have much else to say, as this was simply one of those simple and enjoyable fun watches. It's a product of its time, so it has the common 50's flaws, yet on the other hand, it's also ahead of its time with its inspiring and ground-breaking revelations about what the sci-fi genre can be all about.

__________________
"A film has to be a dialogue, not a monologue � a dialogue to provoke in the viewer his own thoughts, his own feelings. And if a film is a dialogue, then it�s a good film; if it�s not a dialogue, it�s a bad film."

- Michael "Gloomy Old Fart" Haneke

Citizen Rules

Noir Time

06-22-19

Originally Posted by Okay

Forbidden Planet (1956) by Fred M. Wilcox
...While there wasn't anything noteworthy plot-wise, or performances wise, as those aspects were just fine and acceptable, the movie was still able to make up for such slack through its impeccable production design...

I have to disagree big time that there wasn't anything noteworthy plot wise. The entire premise is miles ahead of most sci fi, be it from the 50s or from today. The premise is what makes Forbidden Planet so special, every thing else is in support of that unique and dark plot.

Okay

movies can be okay...

06-22-19

Originally Posted by Citizen Rules

For its time, the story is definitely noteworthy. But, watching it now with my 2019 goggles, which with I've experienced a multitude of great sci-fi and non sci-fi films that have not only delved into the same philosophical subjects that FP put forward, but also done them better, this renders FP's story less shocking and interesting, and that's of course no fault of the film itself.

Furthermore, I guess my exact frustrations with the story lay in how the characters were written. None of the crewmen were a tad bit interesting, some being even excruciatingly annoying. My favorite character was Robby the robot, and he wasn't even in the film as much as the poster might suggest.

CosmicRunaway

Winner by Default

06-22-19

Forbidden Planet (1956)
Directed By: Fred M. Wilcox
Starring: Leslie Nielsen, Anne Francis, Walter Pidgeon

Forbidden Planet is a film that tackles the dangers of technology and scientific knowledge that mankind is not yet ready for. It argues that, despite good intentions, it's difficult to truly rid oneself of deeply embedded and subconscious desires, and that we may not be as sophisticated as we believe. Its unwitting antagonist is portrayed sympathetically, as a victim of hubris who only wants to defend his great discovery. The true enemy here is mankind's own nature.

It only recently occurred to me that the Leslie Nielsen in Forbidden Planet was the same Leslie Nielsen of Airplane! and Naked Gun fame. I'm not actually a fan of his comedy, so this more serious role is a welcome change for me. He's almost unrecognisable, which I think is a compliment, though fans of his later work may find it difficult to view him in a different light. The performances were quite good overall, though the actors clearly had problems imagining how their prop weapons function. While these futuristic guns might be able to stabilize themselves well and not produce any sort of recoil, I'd still expect them to be brandished with more intent than how I'd hold an empty coffee cup.

One of the film's greatest strengths is definitely its aesthetic. My love for matte paintings has probably become a well established fact by now, but it would be remiss of me not to point them out here. It features one of my favourite alien landscapes, which I've chosen as my header image. Morbius' home is incredibly beautiful as well, with an interesting architecture and vibrant garden. The design of the Krell laboratory is also fascinating, and I appreciated the tour and explanation of its technology. Robbie is one of the most iconic robots in science fiction, and I was familiar with his figure long before seeing the film. Forbidden Planet had a huge impact on the genre, so I certainly appreciated the excuse to watch it again.

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Citizen Rules

Noir Time

06-22-19

Originally Posted by Okay

Do you think your nom, Coherence has a noteworthy plot? It's basic story line was done in 1960 on The Twilight Zone: The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street

Okay

movies can be okay...

06-22-19

Originally Posted by Citizen Rules

Do you think your nom, Coherence has a noteworthy plot? It's basic story line was done in 1960 on The Twilight Zone: The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street

If you strip down and simplify Coherence's plot, of course it starts out from a derived place. Every story does. Its beauty however comes from the execution and the manner of which the events escalate.

edarsenal

Women will be your undoing, P�p�

06-22-19

Finished Robinson Crusoe on Mars; a little slow at times, but enjoyed it all the same. Will get a write up in the next few days and I'm starting on Turbo Kid right now.
The rest I still need to see are ones that are from folks that have 3 or less reviews at this time, so I may go a bit slower on seeing them to see how the nominators fair. While at the same time not holding off TOO long.

__________________
What I actually said to win MovieGal's heart:
- I might not be a real King of Kinkiness, but I make good pancakes

~Mr Minio

Okay

movies can be okay...

06-23-19

Timecrimes (2007) by Nacho Vigalondo

I actually attempted to nominate this film at first, before finding out it was already in competition, so that should be a clear indication to where my exact feelings lay about Timecrimes. I watched it once back when I was just a kid, and it made a lasting impact on me. Now though, of course I went into it expecting it to not be the greatest thing ever, and I think I got exactly what I expected and wanted from this re-watch.

It's yet another fun movie out of this HoF, and you know what, for an independent first feature as well, it delivers in aspects that you wouldn't expect. Not to say that there was anything exceptionally done, because there wasn't. But, everything still served its intended purpose, and was presented with precision and calculated coordination. Things you wouldn't normally see in a first feature film. Furthermore, the aesthetics and settings were humble and fitting. And the music was rock solid too.

My favorite part was the development of the plot. I don't really care if it has some insignificant holes in its logic, or if its characters behave idiotically from time to time, especially when all of the latter is negligible and doesn't even come close to reaching an offensive level. At the end of the day, the manner of which the story slowly unravelled and put its pieces together was satisfying and fulfilling to me as a viewer. Even when it was clearly noticeable that certain actions in the movie were only made to advance the plot to a specific point, I still didn't care because I liked where everything was going.

So yeah, overall this was some good ol' fun Fun fUn fuN FUN!

Siddon

Msg

Registered User

06-23-19

Originally Posted by Citizen Rules

Do you think your nom, Coherence has a noteworthy plot? It's basic story line was done in 1960 on The Twilight Zone: The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street

Also Mirror Image

Forbidden Planet is definitely not an original story, I think it lifts quite a bit from Shakespeare's The Tempest and Homer's the Illiad also Westerns from it's era. The point of Forbidden Planet is not to tell something original but to tell a classic story in a palatable way for other viewers who might not want to read "The Tempest".

Citizen Rules

Noir Time

06-23-19

I'd say the three noms that have the most original concept ideas are:

Videodrome
Minority Report
Forbidden Planet
Gattaca

and probably in that order. I mean Videodrome is way out there in being something completely different. That doesn't mean the other movies aren't good or fun watches. I loved Aliens but wouldn't say it was a story that I hadn't seen before, but it was very well done.

Siddon