Science Fiction: Films & TV

[David Plankton]

I might have to do just that.

The vampire-lore in Kronos is interesting because it differs from the standard blood-sucking larks. And regarding Cushing as Holmes, it was nice to see him act with a bit of 'edge' to his character.

 

[gordonrutter]

Never seen this.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1350442684452769792

Caroline Munro makes me melt.

She has the opposite effect on me.

 

[PeteByrdie]

Never seen this.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1350442684452769792

Caroline Munro makes me melt.

This movie was mentioned on the 'Worst Movies' thread I believe. I think I probably declared my love for Caroline there. I don't think I ever overcame my crush on the lady. As for Starcrash; an early example of a movie designed to cash in on the surprise success of Star Wars and the assumption that the public were suddenly ready for optimistic space operas after a decade of gritty, pessimistic, cinematic realism. The movie's terrible. Munroe is stunning. The movie's still terrible. I'd watch it again.

 

[blessmycottonsocks]

Sputnik: SF/Horror thriller. Echoes of Arrival as attempts are made to communicate with an Alien. This is a more vicious alien though who likes to chomp on humans, biting half their skulls off to obtain cortisol from their brains. The alien lives within a cosmonaut, emerging at night for brief periods. Set in Russia in 1983 the cosmonaut is confined at a special military base and a psychiatrist is recruited to assess the cosmonaut and to try to interface with the alien. Quite disturbing when the ET gets the munchies, some interesting plot twists. The symbiosis between alien and man is put across in a plausible manner and the creature itself is convincing. Directed by Egor Abramenko from a script by Oleg Malovichko and Andrei Zolotarev. On Netflix. 7/10.

Watched it last night. Felt very much like a Russian mash up of The Quatermass Xperiment and Alien, but the creature itself was well-realised and I must admit that I wasn't expecting the twist at the end (despite the clue, when Tatty Anny was having a shower). Soviet era paranoia was nicely recreated too. 7/10 is probably fair.

 

[blessmycottonsocks]

Just watched Volition (2019) on Sky.

A very clever twist on the old time travel theme, that keeps you guessing right to the end.
Hugely entertaining, but be warned that you'll have to invest a fair bit of effort to get your head around what's going on!

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6385952/

 

[hunck]

Can someone identify this film:

People wake up in a small town. It all looks a bit weird & fake somehow. Stuff happens. When they get up the next day they don't recognise where they are - things have moved, walls, buildings, streets. This moving happens every night when they're asleep. It's all a bit dark/gloomy/low light. They try to figure out what's going on.

Can't remember too much more about it but I think it ends up they're actually on a spacecraft of some kind, possibly being abducted.

 

[dejanmikic]

Can someone identify this film:

People wake up in a small town. It all looks a bit weird & fake somehow. Stuff happens. When they get up the next day they don't recognise where they are - things have moved, walls, buildings, streets. This moving happens every night when they're asleep. It's all a bit dark/gloomy/low light. They try to figure out what's going on.

Can't remember too much more about it but I think it ends up they're actually on a spacecraft of some kind, possibly being abducted.

that sounds familiar - could it be one of the early Twilight Zone ep?

 

[hunck]

that sounds familiar - could it be one of the early Twilight Zone ep?

Don't think so, although I could be wrong. In my memory bank it was a full length film. It may have Dark in the title. Or not.

 

[Naughty_Felid]

Can someone identify this film:

People wake up in a small town. It all looks a bit weird & fake somehow. Stuff happens. When they get up the next day they don't recognise where they are - things have moved, walls, buildings, streets. This moving happens every night when they're asleep. It's all a bit dark/gloomy/low light. They try to figure out what's going on.

Can't remember too much more about it but I think it ends up they're actually on a spacecraft of some kind, possibly being abducted.

What sort of era?

 

[hunck]

What sort of era?

I reckon mid 80s to late 90s - ish.

 

[Naughty_Felid]

I reckon mid 80s to late 90s - ish.

It's not the Martain Chronicles, is it?

 

[Timble2]

Can someone identify this film:

People wake up in a small town. It all looks a bit weird & fake somehow. Stuff happens. When they get up the next day they don't recognise where they are - things have moved, walls, buildings, streets. This moving happens every night when they're asleep. It's all a bit dark/gloomy/low light. They try to figure out what's going on.

Can't remember too much more about it but I think it ends up they're actually on a spacecraft of some kind, possibly being abducted.

It sounds a lot like "Dark City" (1998) though it's not really a small town, more urban.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_City_(1998_film)

 

[Mythopoeika]

It sounds a lot like "Dark City" (1998) though it's not really a small town, more urban.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_City_(1998_film)

Yes, I was thinking of that one too!

 

[hunck]

It sounds a lot like "Dark City" (1998) though it's not really a small town, more urban.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_City_(1998_film)

I think that's it. I've misremembered somewhat & don't remember the murders aspect at all. It gets great reviews on imdb. Makes me want to see again now..

 

[Mythopoeika]

I think that's it. I've misremembered somewhat & don't remember the murders aspect at all. It gets great reviews on imdb. Makes me want to see again now..

It's a pretty good film. Certainly original.

 

[GNC]

This is pure cheese (deliberately), but good fun:

Also weirdly violent.

 

[Naughty_Felid]

Watched it last night. Felt very much like a Russian mash up of The Quatermass Xperiment and Alien, but the creature itself was well-realised and I must admit that I wasn't expecting the twist at the end (despite the clue, when Tatty Anny was having a shower). Soviet era paranoia was nicely recreated too. 7/10 is probably fair.

Dull as hell which was a shame as I was looking forward to it. 5 out of 10.

 

[hunck]

Prospect: Old fashioned SF which is retro in the best sense of the word. A girl, Cee (Sophie Thatcher), and her father, Damon, descend from a satellite to a habitable moon/planet prospect for gems. Protective suits are necessary due to toxic spores in the atmosphere of this world which seems to mainly consist of temperate rain forest. They find a gemstone within a fleshy pod, Cee tries to persuade Damon that this is enough but he has links to dodgy diggers which promise a big prize. Everything in this film seems old and well used from the suits to the spacecraft and even the weapons. Clashes with claim jumpers, intrigue with mercenaries, odd human villagers who resemble a hillbilly family, gunfights. An interesting SF/Coming of age adventure with a convincing performance by Thatcher. Written/Directed by Chris Caldwell and Zeek Earl in their feature debut. 7/10.

I watched this earlier & found it had some of the most indistinct/muffled/unintelligible dialogue ever committed to film. Admittedly my hearing isn't as good as it once was but I don't think I could make out with any certainty more than about 25% of the dialogue. I could glean the gist of much of it despite this but a lot of the detail passed me by. It really pisses me off about a lot of current films & especially sci-fi films. I just don't get the point of mixing the dialogue so badly. Usually it's the sound fx mixed so loud it obscures the dialogue but not the case in this film. It was just muddy.

Other than that it wasn't bad..

 

[ChasFink]

It sounds a lot like "Dark City" (1998) though it's not really a small town, more urban.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_City_(1998_film)

I think that's it. I've misremembered somewhat & don't remember the murders aspect at all. It gets great reviews on imdb. Makes me want to see again now..

There is a director's cut available - I find it somewhat better than the original, but either version is good.

 

[GNC]

Because it's been rereleased in China, Avatar is once again the most successful movie ever released:
News story

Hard luck Marvel fans, it's mediocre, blue-hued sci-fi that's the box office king over Avengers: Endgame! I suppose someone's excited about all the Avatar sequels (apart from James Cameron), and they're most likely Chinese.

 

[Bad Bungle]

There is a director's cut available - I find it somewhat better than the original, but either version is good.

Dark City - loved that film, maybe time to move from VHS to the Director's Cut

 

[ChasFink]

Dark City - loved that film, maybe time to move from VHS to the Director's Cut

I think you'll like it better. No spoilers up front like the original version.

 

[ramonmercado]

Possessor: ScFi but ventures very much into Horror territory. An assassin can take control of other peoples bodies through implants in the unwilling hosts brains. This film is spectacularly violent from the beginning as we see the assassin (Andrea Riseborough) in action, the victim is slashed to death but the killer hesitates about committing suicide and dies in a shootout with police. In fact the assassin has suffered identity problems lately. We see her practicing the host's accent and mannerisms before she takes control but once she is back in her own body after the mission she has to do exercises to get her own voice and identity in place before meeting her family. Unwisely she agrees to another mission too soon. Her target is a billionaire, using his daughter's boyfriend as a mule. Things do not run smoothly. Possessor explores the dangers of two personalities in the same body, what happens when the original fights back. The loss of control of identity may also be inflicted on he Possessor. A thriller with many twists and savage deaths and assaults inflicted with guns, knives and cleavers. The blood runs freely unlike the streams of consciousness which get blocked. Impressive scenes of how the brain visualises the rebuilding of identities through facial reconstruction and the donning of masks. Like the selfhoods Possessor operates on several levels (it's even set in an alternative 2008) but it's a fine SF/Horror Thriller. Written and Directed by Brandon Cronenberg. Available pay to watch on Youtube. 8/10.

 

[michael59]

Because it's been rereleased in China, Avatar is once again the most successful movie ever released:
News story

Hard luck Marvel fans, it's mediocre, blue-hued sci-fi that's the box office king over Avengers: Endgame! I suppose someone's excited about all the Avatar sequels (apart from James Cameron), and they're most likely Chinese.

So, I thought I was the only one that thought Avatar was shite. Glad to know someone else saw through the BS Cameron was pushing.

 

[Mr. Banooka]

So, I thought I was the only one that thought Avatar was shite. Glad to know someone else saw through the BS Cameron was pushing.

I found it entertaining but ultimately forgettable. As a technical showcase I thought it was great, but other than that...Meh. I'll likely watch the sequels when they are available on streaming, but I can't see myself going to the cinema as I did for the first movie.

 

[blessmycottonsocks]

Watched the Mexican/Spanish movie El Ascensor (the lift) on Prime last night.
In a Madrid apartment block, an arguing couple find themselves stuck in a time loop.
Initially individually, each partner attempts to manipulate the time loop to their own advantage.
Ultimately forced to co-operate, they discover the mind-blowing truth behind the weirdness.
At only 77 minutes and punctuated by a few moments of black humour (and one gory bit) the movie flew past.
The ending was perhaps a tad too enigmatic, but overall I enjoyed it enormously.
Watch out for very clever use of the camera and the most irritating lift music ever!
8/10.

 

[Nosmo King]

Director Neill Blomkamp confirms that the long-mooted sequel to District 9 is currently being written, and that the project is alive.

It’s been over five years since we last had a Neill Blomkamp-directed feature film on the big screen. In that time, he’s tried to get a belated sequel to Aliens off the ground, and was for a while attached to RoboCop Returns. This year, we’ll get to see his latest feature, Conviction, which is now in post-production, and that’ll mark his first film since the underrated Chappie.

 

[brownmane]

Director Neill Blomkamp confirms that the long-mooted sequel to District 9 is currently being written, and that the project is alive.

It’s been over five years since we last had a Neill Blomkamp-directed feature film on the big screen. In that time, he’s tried to get a belated sequel to Aliens off the ground, and was for a while attached to RoboCop Returns. This year, we’ll get to see his latest feature, Conviction, which is now in post-production, and that’ll mark his first film since the underrated Chappie.

I loved District 9

 

[GNC]

So, I thought I was the only one that thought Avatar was shite. Glad to know someone else saw through the BS Cameron was pushing.

Yay! Without looking him up, just try and picture the star playing the lead role - tricky, isn't it?

 

[PeteByrdie]

So, I thought I was the only one that thought Avatar was shite. Glad to know someone else saw through the BS Cameron was pushing.

I don't know whether it was BS. But the messages were delivered with no subtlety and I just wasn't engaged by it. I watched it once when it was first released, found it a pretty looking chore. I tried it again after a couple of years. To be fair, some of my favourite movies are ones I didn't like the first time around. It was still a chore. I'm not looking forward to the sequels, I don't know what people saw in the first movie.