Wooley & Torgo's September Excite-o-rama!

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Yep, I picked Rejoice in the Sun for the competition. Sadly though, I'm pretty sure it came in last place for that particular round.
Ouch. I guess some other people deserve to blown up in space.
...Too extreme?



Ouch. I guess some other people deserve to blown up in space.
...Too extreme?
Actually, I just checked the thread and it came in second last place for that round. So, yeah, maybe blowing them up in space is a bit too extreme. How about only blowing half of their bodies up in space? That way, they can go on living.
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Actually, I just checked the thread and it came in second last place for that round. So, yeah, maybe blowing them up in space is a bit too extreme. How about only blowing half of their bodies up in space? That way, they can go on living.
Hmm, sounds fair. Joan would be proud of us.



Victim of The Night
My next entry is not about Italian gladiators, unfortunately. It's about the much more exciting subject of space gardening.



Have you ever had a group assignment in which nobody seemed interested in doing a good job except yourself? On the other hand, have you ever been in a group with one person who was a goody-two-shoes control freak? Either way, this movie proves that it's worth listening to such people every once in a while. In a future in which the only remaining plant life is housed on orbiting spaceships, the small crew of the Valley Forge complies with an unexplained order to jettison and nuke this life. One crewman, however, is unwilling to do so: ecologist Freeman Lowell (Bruce Dern), who I would describe as someone who would be the first in line to volunteer for the Biosphere project from the early '90s. His battle soon becomes a solitary one, although he programs his station's droids to assist him and to provide company.

Douglas Trumbull, who is most probably famous for designing the visual effects for Blade Runner, directed this movie and also contributed to its look. Qualities that make that movie great sci-fi can also be found here, such as how nearly everyone except for one or a select few - in this case Lowell - has, to quote The Buggles, bought the fake and sold what's real. Besides the rest of the crew's eagerness to finish their work and go home, there's Lowell's impassioned speeches as to why they should do the opposite. The theme of machine company being more attractive than human company is also done well here with the scenes of Lowell bonding with the droids he affectionately dubs Huey and Dewey. They're especially rewarding considering that despite having legs, the bots have no anthropomorphic features. Speaking of, since this is mostly a one-person show, it would fall apart if the actor were not game, but Bruce Dern very much is. In addition to his speechifying, he again proves that few actors are better at saying so much with a single (eagle-eyed) glare. The aesthetic is also worth calling out for being reminiscent of the art of Chesley Bonestell, and with its smattering of corporate logos proves that Trumbull's fascination with corporate control also didn't start with Blade Runner.

While there's nothing terribly wrong with the movie, even at 90 minutes, it still seems a bit lean. Also, I didn't need everything to be explained, but it would have been nice to know why Earth sent the order to destroy the plant life. With that said, it's a fine example of eco-sci fi that not only inspires for how far Lowell is willing to go to preserve his work, but also for how it makes you ask what cause you would also fight tooth and nail for. Again, I also love the scenes showing Lowell and the droids' companionship. It's no wonder that the movie inspired Joel Hodgson while developing Mystery Science Theater 3000. Oh, and if the story doesn't leave you teary-eyed, Joan Baez's songs definitely will.
I liked but didn't love this one.
It contains so much of what I love about Sci-Fi and would seem to be tailored for me... and yet...
There's just not enough there. I was not sorry I watched it and I will probably watch it again, but it could have delivered a lot more for me.
I will tell you that your review sent me down a Chesley Bonestell/Sci-Fi Art rabbit-hole for about an hour and half.



I will tell you that your review sent me down a Chesley Bonestell/Sci-Fi Art rabbit-hole for about an hour and half.
Haha, I'm glad (as long as you didn't get in trouble with your employer, of course)! One of the best artist discoveries I've made in the last few years.
There's a documentary about him I haven't seen yet called Chesley Bonestell: A Brush with the Future. I think it's available to rent on Prime and YouTube.



Victim of The Night
Haha, I'm glad (as long as you didn't get in trouble with your employer, of course)! One of the best artist discoveries I've made in the last few years.
There's a documentary about him I haven't seen yet called Chesley Bonestell: A Brush with the Future. I think it's available to rent on Prime and YouTube.
No, I have a weird job where I sometimes end up in my office for significant stretches with not much to do.
I've been a huge fan of Fantasy/Sci-Fi Art since the first time I ever saw movie posters and book covers as a child. I actually, just today, purchased a new copy of this book I used to keep from my school library for months at a time until they harassed me enough.


And this one I had since I was like maybe 8 years old.




This was a childhood favorite---



And this is a recent purchase that I recommend---



Also, I've seen the Bonestell doc and it's a bit amateurish I guess but there's some cool stuff in there. Worth checking out.
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I need those books! I only follow the Instagram accounts scifi_art and seventiesscifiart.
There's also the website Good Show Sir, which shares bad or weird sci-fi and fantasy book covers:




This is one of my favorite bits from the Frank Paul book. I'm terribly disappointed that our military has not pursued the Giant Buzz Saw concept. I've run the numbers and have determined that the physics all check out.






Victim of The Night
Something I always include in my Horrorthon Thread (which I may or may not do this year) is a lot of posters for Horror movies I'm not watching but are pretty awesome, and I meant to include some of those here as well (for Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Thriller/Slasher/Etc.).
So, since we're on the subject of bad/weird Sci-Fi/Fantasy Art, let me drop the poster for Evils Of The Night, which is actually almost the entire and only reason I watched the movie.



And I'll leave a few more fun ones in here as we go, too.



Victim of The Night


With Fred "The Hammer" Williamson!!!

(Not to mention Megaforce's Persis Khambatta. Rowr.)






All aboard the Badass Express!
Love that the one cat person is standing but the other is on all fours. You think that's a touchy subject for their people?