The 2nd Science Fiction Hall of Fame

Msg

Registered User

05-17-19

Timecrimes is a extremely low budget film that attempts to tell a massive time-traveling story. In certain ways it succeeds quite a bit as I was entertained with it. The film has a great mix of pulpy horror moments mixed in with high minded concepts. I don't think it's an accident that the only two characters named in the story is Hector and Clara and what those names can symbolize. You can actually look at this film as a classic Greek tragedy.

The problem with Timecrimes is that while the ideas are there it's not quite polished enough. It's somewhat predictable which really shouldn't be a part of a time traveling murder mystery. Also the performances from the actors leaves quite a bit to be desired. The film feels inspired by Pedro Almodovar's work, but Almodovar would take his time (pun) and make sure the story tracked.

Then again the horror set-pieces are extraordinary for a low budget woods film. If you put aside the science and just look at it as a horror film it works very well. This was definitely a good nomination and left me with some things to think about.

Citizen Rules

Trouble with a capitial 'T'

05-17-19

Liquid Sky (1982)

Great name for a movie, but I'm not so sure it is a great movie...more like very different, and that's OK, different can be good too.

The thing that struck me most about Liquid Sky, other than getting it's title confused with Vanilla Sky, was that: it was ground breaking in it's fashions. It was shot in 1982 and presented a world of working models, posers and hanger-ons all decked out in what later would be called New Wave fashion. It wouldn't be until 1983 that New Wave music and fashion would burst onto the scene, replacing the hard rock culture of the mid-late 1970s. So in that way the movie was interesting to me...As much as the movie's premise seemed intriguing, the go-nowhere script just didn't deliver. I got the feeling that most of the scenes were padded and stretches, so that the film makers could get a 2 hour film...when there was about 1 hours worth of script material there. I swear the big model photo shot went on and on and on!

Most of the acting was mediocre, except for the actress who's in that photo I used. I don't know her name or if she ever went on to have a bigger career, but she was good in the movie. Her character was nutso and so over the top that I didn't like her character, but the actress herself had a screen presences, she was lively with that sparkle in her eyes as she gleefully delivered her lines with gusto (which happens to rhyme with nutso, ha)

My favorite characters were the German scientist and the woman in the apartment. I gather that he was in America illegally? And yet we see he has a passport, so I'm not sure why the woman kept referring to him as if he was illegal. Anyway, him and the apartment woman were the most interesting characters. I got a kick out of her ordering Chinese food and every single dish she ordered had shrimp! Me and the wife laughed at her obsession with shrimp...Then later on she compares the diminutive size of the aliens to shrimp, ha! That was funny, but mostly I was bored by the movie.

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Citizen Rules

Trouble with a capitial 'T'

05-18-19

Did I mention I hated the sound score for Liquid Sky? I did! It was all beep-boop-boop-beep-beep electronic stuff and sounded like it was played by me (and I can't play!) Though I did like the beatnik style song My Rhythm Box which was performed in the Disco scene at the start of the movie. That was kind of cool.

SFMZone

What an excellent day for an exorcism

05-18-19

I probably would have hopped on board as a participant if I had seen this thread sooner considering my website is dedicated sci-fi film, but I'm just as good with following this thread as a spectator. I do find it intriguing some of the nominations are films you don't see on a regular basis in various top ten sci-fi films lists around the web.

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Citizen Rules

Trouble with a capitial 'T'

05-18-19

Originally Posted by SFMZone

I seen you posting lately, Welcome Back to MoFo

Everyone is welcomed to watch the movies and post their thoughts on them, it be cool if you did that. I seen you made a thread 6 years ago about the visuals of Blade Runner. I had considered nominating Blade Runner for this HoF, but it was going to be specifically one and only cut...the theatrical cut. Have you seen that first version?

SFMZone

What an excellent day for an exorcism

05-18-19

Originally Posted by Citizen Rules

I seen you posting lately, Welcome Back to MoFo

I'm embarrassed to report I've been a member for over six years and I still don't have the minimum 25 posts. Yes, I will definitely chime in as this thread progresses. Regarding Blade Runner, frankly that film is praised as number one or at least top five on a truckload of online top sci-fi lists, so it will be refreshing to see other films share the limelight in place of it.

Originally Posted by Citizen Rules

Have you seen that first version?

Yes, I actually saw it at the theater on its first run, showing my age.

I just realized this is my 25th post. I can post links and images now. Yay!

pahaK

Registered User

05-18-19

Originally Posted by Citizen Rules

Most of the acting was mediocre, except for the actress who's in that photo I used. I don't know her name or if she ever went on to have a bigger career, but she was good in the movie. Her character was nutso and so over the top that I didn't like her character, but the actress herself had a screen presences, she was lively with that sparkle in her eyes as she gleefully delivered her lines with gusto (which happens to rhyme with nutso, ha)

Unfortunately she only has one other role (titular character in Alice, Sweet Alice). She got married, had child(ren?) and just stayed home, I think.

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Citizen Rules

Trouble with a capitial 'T'

05-18-19

Originally Posted by SFMZone

... Regarding Blade Runner, frankly that film is praised as number one or at least top five on a truckload of online top sci-fi lists, so it will be refreshing to see other films share the limelight in place of it.

Yes, I actually saw it at the theater on its first run, showing my age.

I just realized this is my 25th post. I can post links and images now. Yay!

Most members of HoFs try to nominate a lesser known film. I'd say most film in this HoF are sci-fi connoisseur films. Have you seen many of the before.

We have something in common, I also watched Blade Runner back in 1982 at the theater first run. I seen it like 5 or 6 times as it was only a buck to see it. Ah, the good ole days

SFMZone

What an excellent day for an exorcism

05-18-19

Originally Posted by Citizen Rules

Have you seen many of the before.

I haven't seen Coherence or Liquid Sky. I saw Seconds way too many years ago, so I couldn't recite a single scene to save my life. Turbo Kid, I don't think so. The rest of them I've seen.

Originally Posted by Citizen Rules

We have something in common, I also watched Blade Runner back in 1982 at the theater first run. I seen it like 5 or 6 times as it was only a buck to see it. Ah, the good ole days

The theatrical cut is still my favorite of all the versions.

Citizen Rules

Trouble with a capitial 'T'

05-18-19

Originally Posted by SFMZone

...The theatrical cut is still my favorite of all the versions.

Yes

Me too of course

CosmicRunaway

Winner by Default

05-18-19

Originally Posted by SFMZone

Since we're already two weeks in (and three since I opened the thread), I won't be accepting any new films, but if you plan to actively participate I can certainly add any reviews you post to the members' list on the first page. This goes for anyone else following along as well.

If you do stick around the thread and want to try and review all of the films before the deadline, I will accept a voting ballot. So you wouldn't have a nomination of your own, but you could still have a say in the results if you complete the HoF in the remaining time. Of course if you just want to spectate or comment here and there, that is always welcome as well.

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SFMZone

What an excellent day for an exorcism

05-19-19

Originally Posted by CosmicRunaway

If you do stick around the thread and want to try and review all of the films before the deadline, I will accept a voting ballot. So you wouldn't have a nomination of your own, but you could still have a say in the results if you complete the HoF in the remaining time. Of course if you just want to spectate or comment here and there, that is always welcome as well.

I haven't seen all the films and other than posting thoughts on a film in forum posts I'm not an avid reviewer. In fact I have close to 900 pages on my sci-fi movie site and not one single page is a review.

When it comes to the arena of "hardcore" fan, everyone takes their own avenue in what they specialize in regarding a movie or genre's universe. Clearly many here are really into producing reviews.

My hardcore "avenue" is exploring scripts. In fact that is the central feature of my site. I design enhanced script and story presentations. To get an idea exactly what that means, you can explore here......

So for now I will chime in on this thread when I have something of value to add. Perhaps the next countdown, if I do some more practice reviews in forum posts I could contribute.

Siddon

Msg

Registered User

05-19-19

<sigh> Videodrome, perhaps I'm just burnt out on body horror but I really don't care for this film. I'm also not sure I would even say the film is a science fiction film as I would say it's likely the fourth genre you could list it as (Noir, Satire, Horror...and then maybe Sci-Fi). The story centers around a sleezy cable TV producer who runs a cheap porn station, when he uncovers an S&M production company he decides to investigate. But quibbling over the hodgepodge of genre isn't really my problem with this film.

First and foremost, James Woods is just not a good actor to me, their is something that always rings fake to me about his delivery of his lines. But my big issue is Cronenberg is too focused on imagery and metaphor that he misses telling a cohesive story. The symbolism is just completely over the top, less would have been more. The strongest parts about the film are the practical effects but because we're told that they are hallucinations early in the second act you lose the most important aspect of the film. It would be like if we were told Jacob's Ladder in a linear format you lose the most important thing going for you. I found myself feeling like the director was speaking directly to me and that took away from the other important aspect of the film (the noir mystery part). So when I finished the film I just felt drained and disappointed.

CosmicRunaway

Winner by Default

05-19-19

Robinson Crusoe on Mars (1964)
Directed By: Byron Haskin
Starring: Paul Mantee, Barney the Woolly Monkey, Victor Lundin

Robinson Crusoe on Mars begins as a story about overcoming obstacles and struggling to survive in a foreign climate, but throughout the film it slowly manages to evolve into a fun, pulp adventure serial. Since I enjoy both types of science fiction, I found that the two halves worked well together, though it may not appeal to viewers who are only interested in one or the other. The landscapes, made more fantastical with intermittent matte paintings and other special effects, looked great.

Treating the air on Mars similar to the summit of Mt Everest would be a clever idea, if we didn't already know that the atmosphere there is mostly carbon dioxide. If this had been an unknown planet in a nearby galaxy, the science would be far more plausible. However, despite the film poster's claim to authenticity, these kinds of mistakes are easily overlooked since they were a common trope in science fiction at the time, and they rarely impact the enjoyment of the overall story. Speculation is often an integral aspect of the genre after all, and I appreciate any film which embraces that in an imaginative manner.

The film relies heavily on Paul Mantee's performance, as he is the only human character present for a large portion of the runtime. He does a great job carrying that weight on his own, accompanied by a well trained monkey who surprisingly adds quite a bit of character to their role. The repeated animations can get a bit tedious, but are otherwise not too distracting. It was an enjoyable film that I'm glad was nominated, since it embodies a lot of what I love about science fiction films of its era.

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CosmicRunaway

Winner by Default

05-19-19

Sorry to hear you didn't really like Videodrome, Siddon. I usually only skim reviews at most until I've watched/rewatched the films myself, but I've seen Videodrome and Aliens enough times that I'm reading those as they come up.

Originally Posted by Siddon

But my big issue is Cronenberg is too focused on imagery and metaphor that he misses telling a cohesive story. The symbolism is just completely over the top, less would have been more.

Do you find that that's an issue with Cronenberg's older films in general, or is it just Videodrome that feels that way?

Siddon

Msg

Registered User

05-19-19

Originally Posted by CosmicRunaway

Do you find that that's an issue with Cronenberg's older films in general, or is it just Videodrome that feels that way?

I don't think it's an age thing because I see it in Crash and Maps to the Stars where he starts making one movie and then decides to make a different one. For me I think Cronenberg films only really works when he gets a good concept and develops it (A History of Violence, The Fly, The Dead Zone, Shivers). You also need a great actor to hold down the plot, this is one of those movies where you need a Nicholsen to give you that breakdown journey and Woods is just sorta the same throughout the film.

ahwell

Registered User

05-19-19

I think I'll need a link for Liquid Sky. I had one, but it doesn't work now. Unfortunately, my library system doesn't have it either.

Citizen Rules

Trouble with a capitial 'T'

05-19-19

Originally Posted by ahwell

I think I'll need a link for Liquid Sky. I had one, but it doesn't work now. Unfortunately, my library system doesn't have it either.

I got one, I'll PM you.

Citizen Rules

Trouble with a capitial 'T'

05-19-19

@SFMZone Nice! sci-fi web site you got there. It's huge! I took a gander at the 50s sci fis, I love those and you have a lot of info on them so I bookmarked it, hopefully I can find some 50s sci fi gems I haven't seen.

SFMZone