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Mars Attacks (all star cast)- When Martian's finally make contact, their intentions are clear, but their motivation is not. If you are a fan of the 1950's 'B' movies, than this movie is for you. Most of the irony and humor is lost on anyone under thirty. The attention to detail in this movie is unbelievable: fatigues & steel-pots, M-14's, jeep's, M-48's. Even the special effects were very 'Harryhausen.' Hint: skip the opening titles and keep a list of how many people you can identify.
Blade Runner (Harrison Ford)- A group of artificially created humans search out their creator to ask for more life, while an assassin hunts them down one by one. This is a deep and dark expose on the meaning of life, the nature of good and evil, and the relationship between man and his God. Pretty heavy, huh? If you notice nothing else, notice that the bad guys wear 'white' and the good guys wear 'black'.
Alien (Sigorney Weaver, William Hurt)- The crew of a deep space freighter answers a distress call and is attacked by an alien lifeform. The technical detail of this story is impressive. The movie was written as it was filmed, so in a lot of scenes the actors didn't even know what to expect. One cameraman was so astonished by the alien's arrival (chest-bursting scene), he vomited.
First Men in the Moon- An English, Victorian era, scientist invents a paint that makes an object defy gravity. He applies it to a sphere, and with his assistant, head for the moon. I've only seen this movie once, but it was pretty cool. It's Based on the H.G. Wells novel by the same name. The important issue of this story is why the moon-bugs aren't there anymore.
Capricorn One (Eliott Gould, Sam Watterson, O.J. Simpson, Telly Savallas, Hal Holbrook)- Three astronauts, bound for Mars, are pulled from their capsule moments before launch, and asked to stage a fake landing. If you're a conspiracy buff, then this flicks for you. Very believable, good performances by good actors, well directed. The personification of the two Hughes 500 helo's is a great touch.
Terminator (Arnold Schwartzenneger, Linda Hamilton, Micheal Behein)- Defeated by it's human enemy, an evil computer sends a robotic assassin into the past to kill the man's mother. As if anyone in America hasn't seen this one; but then, the Internet is a worldwide kind'a thing. This is an interesting premise, though I first saw it on a short, half-hour drama: some show like Tales from the Darkside. Special effects are good. The last scene is the movie's magguffin.
2001: A Space Odyssey- Astronauts travel to Jupiter to find the source of a mysterious object found on the Moon. Fast forward over all the ape scenes: you'll never understand the symbolism of the bone unless you've read the book. Very impressive; high budget; I'm amazed Kubrick pulled it off. The accuracy owes itself to Clarke's skill. The confrontation between HAL and Dave is worth all the other crap. I've discovered a new secret about the HAL-IBM link: you'll have to e-mail me to learn it.
Colossus: The Forbid Project (that Nazi from Rat-Patrol, Susan Clarke, Patty Duke's TV dad)- America turns it's nuclear arsenal over to a self-repairing super-computer, until it stops repairing and begins improving itself. This flick really played on the fears of the young Baby Boomers. What makes it so good, is that it's so disturbing.
Day Of The Dolphin (George C. Scott)- A scientist teaches a pair of dolphins to speak, not realizing his trusted assistant wants to teach them to kill. This thriller will keep your attention. Dave's last line is a classic: one of only two times this same line was truly warranted in the context of a motion picture.
Escape from the Planet of the Apes (Roddy McDowell, Richardo Montabaun, that Rat-Patrol guy again)- When a recovery team picks up a splashed down capsule, they find it contains not the astonauts they expected, but intelligent apes. There were five Ape movies: this was the third and best. The banana scene makes the movie.
Day of the Triffads- After a comet blinds most of Earth's populous, carnivores plants capable of locomotion escape the research facility that held them. Made for BBC Television, this is a graphic and believable story of the fall of civilization in the face of survival: especially from the 'snooty' British. I've learned that there was a big screen version of this movie, but I've haven't seen it yet.
Omega Man (Charleston Heston, Anthony Zerbe)- An Army biological warfare expert thinks he is the only uninfected survivor of an accidental, man-made, worldwide plague. Made during the sixties, this flick goes out of its way to show that Blacks and Whites can join against a common enemy, but don't worry about that: it's worth watching anyway.
Endangered Species (Robert Urich, Jo Beth Williams)- A New York City cop on vacation in the American West is drawn into a sinister plan, carried out by mysterious forces. Another one for you conspiracy buffs, it links cattle mutilations, UFO's, Satanists, Black Helicopters. Don't expect a warm and fuzzy ending.
Twelve Monkeys (Bruce Willis)- A suspected madman begins to wonder about his sanity as he travels between the future, past, and present. The ads for this one were a bit deceiving: the plague mentioned in the story is secondary to the exploration of the effects and paradoxes of time travel. This one also raises some interesting questions about who really is crazy, and who is not.
When Worlds Collide- When scientists discover a planetoid on a collision course with Earth, they plan a desperate attempt to save the human race. A George Pal film, the special effects are incredible for the fifties. The launch sequence was conceived by Von Braun and considered by NASA.
They Live (Rowdy Piper)- A drifter finds glasses that let him see the world as it really is; not as the alien invaders have brainwashed mankind to believe it to be. Never thought of this one before. There is an impressive message about marketing, advertising, and the sumliminal influences in our lives hidden in this story. A bit superficial, but thought provocing. Don't rent this one if you suffer from paranoia.
The Thing- The crew of a military radar station discover a spacecraft frozen in the polar ice and must fight for their lives against its alien pilot. I recommend the fifties original, not the eighties 'remake.' The first time I saw this film, I was annoyed that the secondary characters would not shut-up so I could hear the primary characters. Afterward, I realized how seldom six people are together and only carry on one conversation. This is the most unique aspect of this film: I've never seen this style in another movie.
Dreamscape (Dennis Quaid, Eddie Albert)- When researchers develop a machine that allows a pshycic to become an active member of a sleeping subjects dream, they did not count on the pshycics learning to enter dreams without the machine, or that the President would be their next subject. An original premise and exciting story would have been enough for this film, but the special effects were pretty good, too.
Freejack (Emillio Estavez, Mick Jagger)- Scientists have learned to transfer the human soul from one body to another, but lawyers have illegalized the process on live humans. Tranfering a soul to a dead human is of no use, so the obvious solution was to snatch people from the past, moments before their death, and move the soul of recently deceased rich person into their bodies. Can't give this one points for originality because Steve Martin and Lily Tomlin did it first. I really enjoyed the way Estavez played the 'straight man' to Jagger's mercenary. I also have to give Estavez credit for writing the script himself.
Moontrap (Walter Koening, yes, you read that right)- When a space shuttle finds the remains of a 17,000 year old human ship in Earth orbit, NASA launchs of a mothballed Saturn V to investigate the possibility of an ancient moonbase. I woke up at 2:30am and stayed up until 4:30am, knowing that I had to be at work at 8:00am, to see this movie-- to my surprise: it was worth it. For the low budget, the special effects were great.
War of the Worlds- What was thought to be a meteorite, turns out to be a capsule carrying a Martian invasion force. Another George Pal masterpiece, this one is based on Orson Wells' radio show rather than H.G. Wells' novel of the same name. I would like to see a movie based on the Victorian orignal. Any of you Brits got one on VHS?
Marrooned (Gregory Peck, James Fransiscas, Gene Hackman, Richard Crennea)- A group of astronauts, returning from Skylab in an Apollo capsule, are stranded in orbit when their engine fails. Post actual Apollo 13-- pre movie Apollo 13. The special effects aren't that great, but there's plenty of tension. I still remenber my mother asking why they made the Russian spacecraft look so weird.
T2 (Arnold Schwartzenegger, Linda Hamilton)- After an attempt to kill the mother of John Connor, (it's mortal enemy) fails, a scencient computer sends a second assissin into the past to kill the adolescent Conner. The morphing got a little old, but, hey, you know how it is when you got a new toy. The confrontation in the asylum makes the movie.
2010 (Roy Schieder, John Lithgow?, and a bunch of Russian actors)- The Russians have built an interplanetary spacecraft that can reach the ship from 2001, and have invited a few Americans along to observe. Still confusing, I guess Clark is just too far beyond my understanding. You can tell this was a mass market film by the slick look and scenery as compared to Kubricks original.
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (Kirk Douglas, James Mason, Peter Lorri)- The post Civil War seas are terrorized by a monster that turns out to be an early submarine. I'm sorry to say, I liked the movie better than the book. Not very faithful to the Jules Verne tale, the movie has all the lavish trappings of a Disney epic, without the animation.
Silent Running (Bruce Dern)- Earth no longer has room for parks, so the last remaining forests are enclosed in domes and launched into space-- until people begin to question the cost of maintaining the fleet, and the forests are ordered destroyed. I saw this one when I was about thirteen, and have never watched it again. This is a tragic story. Correction: This is a TRAGIC story. If you think of yourself as a macho kinda guy, watch this alone-- with a box of tissues nearby.
Fail Safe (Henry Fonda, Larry Hagman)- A glitch in a defense system sends a squadron of American B-58 bombers the go code to bomb Russia. To avoid all-out nuclear war, the American President orders SAC to assist the Russians in destoying our own planes. At times hoaky, this was a very disturbing and thought provoking film at its time. Pay close attention to the file clerk analogy... you may need it someday.
Dr. Stragelove (Peter Sellers, George C. Scott, Slim Pickins, James Earl Jones, Keenan Wynne)- Made in the sixties, this film was a parody of Fail Safe. It has the same story line, but the outcome, and effect are quite different. Slim Pickins final scene is accepted by Hollywood as one of American cinema's most memorable moments.
Stargate (Kurt Russell, James Spader)- A linguist is recruited by the Air Force to decode the ciphers on an ancient Egytian artifact and ends up going on an expedition to another planet. The scenes and special effects give this movie the feel of a biblical epic. I was impressed that it was subtitled. Some consider subtitles annoying, but it makes more sense then to have the 'aliens' speaking English.
A Boy and His Dog (Don Johnson, Jason Robarts)- In a post-apocoliptic desert, a teenage boy and his telepathic dog, fight rival gangs for the right to bop the few remaining women. It's a silly movie, but the interaction of Johnson and the dog sets it apart from all the other low budget nuclear survival films.
Bill And Ted's Excellent Adventure (George Carlin, Keannue Reeves)- Knowing that two teens will become the most important figures in history, members of a future society send a time machine back to the present, to help the teens pass their history final exam. Whew, what a sentance. This movie was ignored when it was released, because it was thought to be a mindless, teen-hormone, movie. Turns out it is an interesting story.
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