Friday, July 9, 2010

Fredd's Top Ten Sci Fi Flicks

Science fiction movies have come a long, long way since 'Godzilla' terrorized Tokyo way back in 1955. People walking around in big rubber suits knocking over cardboard buildings just don't cut it with the movie going crowd these days. With advances in cinematography and computer animation, Hollywood is able to bring snarling, hideous lethal aliens right into your living room....in 3 dimensional high definition terror.
Here are the best of the best Sci Fi flicks:
1. Robocop. By far the best all around entertaining version of what Detroit will look like in the early 21st century. In a future Detroit ruled by criminals, a metropolitan cop gets killed in action and his dead body is put to use in combination with a cyborg frame, and then armed to the teeth with automatic weapons. Cool, as my 9 year old daughter would exclaim. Cool, indeed.
2. A Clockwork Orange. Stanley Kubrick's demented version of the future has Alex and his droogs (buddies) looking for folks to pound in a post apocalyptic setting. Lots of senseless violence, and great camera work.
3. 2001: A Space Odyssey. HAL the computer runs amok and has to be put down in deep space. This dated yet awesome Stanley Kubrick flick has some outstanding special effects, considering it was filmed in 1968.
4. Alien. A seriously buffed Sigourney Weaver kicks some serious alien butt with the help of a futuristic fork lift. These aliens are virtually invincible, and when by sheer luck Weaver takes a piece out of them, they bleed sulfuric acid. Truly a bad to the bone monster in this one, and the sequels are pretty good, too.
5. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Ricardo Montalban plays a most thoroughly excellent bad guy, and the effects are great. Almost makes you want to root for Khan vs most of the original cast of the 60's TV series.
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6. Contact. Nerd scientists monitor the radio spectrum for decades, seeking proof of intelligent life somewhere out there. Then they find it. Jodie Foster and Tom Skerritt are excellent in this one, and it almost makes you want to believe...
7. The Terminator. A killer cyborg (Arnie Schwartzenegger) travels back through time to kill the future leader of the human resistance to a machine controlled future world. I've never been much of a time travel premise believing guy, but this one works out much like 'Back to The Future.' Best line, delivered in Arnie's thick German accent: 'I want your clothes, your boots and your motorcycle.'
8. Star Wars. Fantastic story of the future, governed by a malevolent galactic fiend who controls 'the Dark Side' of 'The Force.' The good guys, using 'The Force' for good (of course), eventually prevail by blowing up the bad guy's mothership, and the evil Empire falls apart. It's all good, and the hero gets the girl.
9. Predator. A squad of elite commandos effect a rescue mission in the Central American jungles only to get picked off one by one themselves by an extraterrestrial human hunter, known to the locals as 'The Devil Who Makes Trophies of Men.' Best line, delivered by future Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura: 'I don't have time to bleed.' Also starring another future California governor, Arnie Schwarzenegger, as the cigar chomping, super buffed 'Dutch.' Casting includes another super buffed Carl Weathers (who played Apollo Creed in 'Rocky').
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10. Jurassic Park. Highly entertaining Michael Crighton novel is brought to the big screen as rampaging Tyrannosaurus Rex's and velociraptors gobble down people left and right. Great, great special effects, and the premise is not all that unbelievable.

17 comments:

Christopher - Conservative Perspective said...

Fredd,
You know where I stand on Robo so I will bypass that.

I have another exception and that is 'Contact'. The premise was great but the plot was less than poor and the end just left the viewer realizing what wasting time actually means.

Fredd said...

Christoper:

I can see your point, but for the most part, as with beauty, plots and their worth are in the eye of the beholder. I liked it (obviously).

And yes, we will leave Robo out of this thread.

Christopher - Conservative Perspective said...

Fredd,

I take your point as well.

I can this though about the ending of 'Contact', it's begs for a sequel that I was sure would be produced by this time.

Lipton T. Bagg said...

Fredd:

I have to go with (in no specific order):

Blade Runner
Star Wars
The Fifth Element
2001
A Clockworth Orange
The Wrath of Khan
Robocop
Alien
Planet of the Apes (original)
The Terminator

Thoughts?

-LTB

Kid said...

I've never actually seen Robocop all the way through.

Clockwork- fantastic movie from many angles.

Space Odyssey- Something about the sterile environment of space vehicles turns me away. Must be something from my childhood.

Alien- One scary ass badguy. The only one I didn't like was the one at the English accent prison, hated that one actually.

Wrath of Kahn- Fantastic.
Contact. Yawn.

Terminator 1,2,3 Fantastic.

Star Wars- I liked the first one. Epic special effects and a good message.

Predator- Good movie...

Jurrasic Park- Agree. The only negative was the people being saved at the end by the dino's attacking each other to let them get a way. It's a very old tired solution. Great movie though.

Fredd said...

Lipton:

1. I saw Blade Runner as a youngster, and it never impressed me as a teenager. I would have to watch it again, however it never seems to be on TV anywhere.

2. The original Star Wars was pretty good. I was still a Star Trek guy back then, and thought it pimped quite a few ideas from Gene Roddenberry.

3. Did not see the Fifth Element. I must live under a rock.

You also agree with my ratings in the Top 10 for the remainder, with the exception of Planet of the Apes. I wrestled with this movie, whether to include it or not, because I really, really enjoyed it as a kid. But, as they say, you gotta draw the line somewhere. Let's put Planet as #11.

Fredd said...

Kid:

Be glad I didn't put Waterworld on the list, I really liked that one, too. Me and maybe three others somewhere out there, and that's about it, apparently.

Robocop; didn't see it all? No sweat: like Christopher suggested in a thread sometime ago, perhaps if we pinned your eyes open and strapped you in front of a Robocop video, much like Alex in a Clockwork Orange, you'd get to enjoy it in its entirety. We'd be doing you a favor.

Christopher - Conservative Perspective said...

Umm Fredd,

I thought you might remember such a line from myself but I must clarify to Kid the meaning of my suggestion;

Kid, I said that as to suggest that is the only way I would watch Robo.

Back to you Fredd,

I know I said I would bypass this subject as did you I might add, but you inadvertently or not gave me an opening and I did have to clarify after all.

As to you adding the "we" part in the favor line, I am sure you were not referring to myself.

(p.s.; I hope all is well with you and yours,Peace)

Electronic Sally said...

Star Wars: Who could get enough of star wars--- LOVE IT!!

Fredd said...

Christoper:

Yeah, I guess after reading that thread over it appears I seem to have inadvertently lumped you into the Robo loving crowd. That would explain why I never see you at the Robocop Fan club meetings or picnics, three bean salad in hand.

Still, strapping Kid into the chair and pinning his eyelids back sounds fun, just ask any droog.

Fredd said...

Sally:

Star Wars: What's not to love?

Kid said...

Freed, the nest time I need my eyelids propped open while some ugly dude in a lab coat continuously puts drops in my eyes, I will get in touch.

Christopher, No worries mate.

Mark said...

My favorite is "A Clockwork Orange", and if you haven't yet read the book, you should. It's real horrorshow.

I also like Predator and Star Trek II.

Joe said...

Of those, my favorite was 2001 Space Odyssey.

Fredd said...

Joe:

2001 A Space Odyssey was way, WAY ahead of its time, filmed in 1967 and 1968. The special effects of the day were not even close to those available in the industry currently, and yet they pulled it off. Stanley Kubrick was a genius.

Amusing Bunni said...

This is a great list, Fredd.
I liked Blade Runner the Best, and also Robocop.
Have a great weekend.

Fredd said...

Bunni:

Ah, finally another soul out there who appreciates the nuances of Robocop.

There's not that many of us, you know, Bunni.