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BEST SCI-FI Films of ALL TIME List

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zero...@yahoo.com

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Oct 19, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/19/98
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All of these movies get an 8.8 to 9.6 out of 10

01. Empire Strikes Back
02. Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan
03. Aliens: Special Edition
04. Infiana Jones: Last Crusade
05. E.T.
06. Terminator 2: Judgment Day - Special Edition
07. Star Trek 6: Undiscovered Country
08. Close Enocunters of the Third Kind
09. Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark
10. The Abyss: Special Edition
11. Poltergeist
12. Star Trek: The Motion Picture
13. Robocop
14. Akira (it's a Japanimation)

Almost all of these movies have a strong inside/emotion story attached
to them, but also remembering to include an original outside/action
story. Another interesting thing, all of these movies (well, except
for Akira -- it had some nice ones but it repeated too often) have a
strong musical score. So either the composers loved these films while
composing their pieces making them inspired to write great work, or
incredible conincidence. Or maybe, if you have a catchy score, with
emotion moments in them you can make a film great...interesting.

Well can anyone see the patterns of movies i am listing and add some
of your favorites so i can go pick them up and check them out as well.


Michael Chen

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Oct 19, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/19/98
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zero...@yahoo.com wrote:

> All of these movies get an 8.8 to 9.6 out of 10
>
> 01. Empire Strikes Back
> 02. Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan
> 03. Aliens: Special Edition
> 04. Infiana Jones: Last Crusade
> 05. E.T.
> 06. Terminator 2: Judgment Day - Special Edition
> 07. Star Trek 6: Undiscovered Country
> 08. Close Enocunters of the Third Kind
> 09. Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark
> 10. The Abyss: Special Edition
> 11. Poltergeist
> 12. Star Trek: The Motion Picture
> 13. Robocop
> 14. Akira (it's a Japanimation)
>

> Well can anyone see the patterns of movies i am listing and add some
> of your favorites so i can go pick them up and check them out as well.

What about "Contact"? And I don't see how the Indiana Jones movies are
"Sci-Fi".


cmgn

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Oct 19, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/19/98
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Sci-Fi sucks !

Han

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Oct 19, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/19/98
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zero...@yahoo.com wrote in message <362a9ed7...@news.sprint.ca>...

>All of these movies get an 8.8 to 9.6 out of 10
>
>01. Empire Strikes Back
>07. Star Trek 6: Undiscovered Country
>10. The Abyss: Special Edition


I agree with Empire Strikes Back as #1, but Star Wars not on the list?
Star Trek 6: The Undiscovered Country? To me that was okay but forgettable.
I can't find The Abyss to be any better than Deep Rising, Leviathon, or
Sphere. Either way, it's all a matter of opinion, mine being as whack as
anyone else's.

--
...Han
say NO to DIVX
http://www.dvdresource.com/divx/index.shtml
==============================================


Michael Chen

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Oct 19, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/19/98
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Han wrote:

> >01. Empire Strikes Back
> >07. Star Trek 6: Undiscovered Country
> >10. The Abyss: Special Edition
>
> I agree with Empire Strikes Back as #1, but Star Wars not on the list?
> Star Trek 6: The Undiscovered Country? To me that was okay but forgettable.
> I can't find The Abyss to be any better than Deep Rising, Leviathon, or
> Sphere. Either way, it's all a matter of opinion, mine being as whack as
> anyone else's.
>

I couldn't find Leviathon in the IMDb (did you spell it right?). Sorry to spoil
your enthusiasm, but both Sphere and Deep Rising are rather unpopular films -
both getting about 4 or 5 out of 10 from the public and 1.5 stars from the
critics.


Matthew Filla

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Oct 19, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/19/98
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On Mon, 19 Oct 1998 02:09:26 GMT, zero...@yahoo.com wrote:

>All of these movies get an 8.8 to 9.6 out of 10
>
>01. Empire Strikes Back

>02. Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan
>03. Aliens: Special Edition
>04. Infiana Jones: Last Crusade
>05. E.T.
>06. Terminator 2: Judgment Day - Special Edition

>07. Star Trek 6: Undiscovered Country

>08. Close Enocunters of the Third Kind
>09. Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark

>10. The Abyss: Special Edition

>11. Poltergeist
>12. Star Trek: The Motion Picture
>13. Robocop
>14. Akira (it's a Japanimation)

Ummm...looking...looking...nope, no Blade Runner. You left off the
best one.

I practically fell asleep during the first Star Trek movie

And Indiana Jones isn't sci-fi.

Matt
--
Consulting Dragon -==(UDIC)==- |"Evangelists tend to think that
(aka Matthew Filla) | religion should be spread like
Madison, WI | a virus. I believe it should be
matthe...@teldta.com | picked like a fruit." -Lost Dragon

Han

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Oct 19, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/19/98
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Michael Chen wrote in message <362B3318...@oe.net.au>...

>I couldn't find Leviathon in the IMDb (did you spell it right?). Sorry to
spoil
>your enthusiasm, but both Sphere and Deep Rising are rather unpopular
films -
>both getting about 4 or 5 out of 10 from the public and 1.5 stars from the
>critics.
>

Whoops, I think it's spelled Leviathan with an 'a' before the 'n'.

I think if you look around the internet, most reviews of the Sphere:Special
Edition DVD said it was surprisingly decent for a movie that got slammed by
the professional critics. That's probably due in part to the high
expectations and big hype during the theatrical run. Since I didn't really
get caught up in that hype, I didn't care too much about it until I saw it
cheap on DVD, so I got it. Sphere is not bad in my opinion. I don't think
it or any of the other "stuff beneath the ocean" movies are much better than
one another.

It really doesn't matter what "the public" says, and I never agree with any
one critic all of the time. But Rex Reed comes close:)

What do you think? That opinion is more valid than what others think.
--
...Han
Say NO to DIVX
http://www.dvdresource.com/divx/index.shtml
==============================================


Rob Taylor

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Oct 19, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/19/98
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In article <362b4218....@news.teldta.com>, Matthew Filla
<matthe...@teldta.com> writes

>On Mon, 19 Oct 1998 02:09:26 GMT, zero...@yahoo.com wrote:
>
>>All of these movies get an 8.8 to 9.6 out of 10
>>
>>01. Empire Strikes Back
>>02. Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan
>>03. Aliens: Special Edition
>>04. Infiana Jones: Last Crusade
>>05. E.T.
>>06. Terminator 2: Judgment Day - Special Edition
>>07. Star Trek 6: Undiscovered Country
>>08. Close Enocunters of the Third Kind
>>09. Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark
>>10. The Abyss: Special Edition
>>11. Poltergeist
>>12. Star Trek: The Motion Picture
>>13. Robocop
>>14. Akira (it's a Japanimation)
>
>Ummm...looking...looking...nope, no Blade Runner. You left off the
>best one.
>
>I practically fell asleep during the first Star Trek movie
>
Hmmm, me too. I can't believe nobody has mentioned Dark Star yet.
Hideously cheaply done, but a classic worthy of anybody's list.

You just don't get scenes like the philosophical discourse between man
and bomb anymore...
--
Rob Taylor

Matthew Filla

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Oct 19, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/19/98
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On Mon, 19 Oct 1998 21:28:34 +0100, Rob Taylor
<r...@houdini.demon.co.uk> wrote:

>In article <362b4218....@news.teldta.com>, Matthew Filla
><matthe...@teldta.com> writes

>>I practically fell asleep during the first Star Trek movie
>>
>Hmmm, me too. I can't believe nobody has mentioned Dark Star yet.
>Hideously cheaply done, but a classic worthy of anybody's list.
>
>You just don't get scenes like the philosophical discourse between man
>and bomb anymore...

Heh. I'd forgotten about that one. I saw it in a small room in the
campus student union. Very entertaining.

j

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Oct 20, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/20/98
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Michael Chen <brew...@oe.net.au> wrote:

>What about "Contact"?

"Contact" was wooden, pretentious, boring and the film
worked WAY too hard on the religious angle. The individual
actors were good, but the sum of their efforts ... well ...

-j


Drbones7

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Oct 20, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/20/98
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Good list. A lot concur with my favs.

Some of these movies might not be considered pure Sci-Fi. But I'm including
them anyway. I'm probably forgetting some. I know I am, but can't think of
them.

Here is a list of some of my favs in no particular order:

Star Wars Trilogy
THX-1138
2001
Superman I & II
Escape from New York
The Thing ('82)
Starman
They Live
Back to the Future Trilogy
Incredible Shrinking Man
Day the Earth Stood Still
Forbidden Planet
Tron
Alien
Aliens
The Abyss
Terminator I & II
Blade Runner
ST2: TWOK
CEOT3K
ET
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Enemy Mine
Planet of the Apes
It! The Terror From Beyond Space (Okay...very cheesy film yet reminiscent of
Alien)
Deepstar Six
Leviathan

zero...@yahoo.com

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Oct 20, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/20/98
to
Michael Chen <brew...@oe.net.au> wrote:

>zero...@yahoo.com wrote:
>
>> All of these movies get an 8.8 to 9.6 out of 10
>>
>> 01. Empire Strikes Back
>> 02. Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan
>> 03. Aliens: Special Edition
>> 04. Infiana Jones: Last Crusade
>> 05. E.T.
>> 06. Terminator 2: Judgment Day - Special Edition
>> 07. Star Trek 6: Undiscovered Country
>> 08. Close Enocunters of the Third Kind
>> 09. Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark
>> 10. The Abyss: Special Edition
>> 11. Poltergeist
>> 12. Star Trek: The Motion Picture
>> 13. Robocop
>> 14. Akira (it's a Japanimation)
>>

>> Well can anyone see the patterns of movies i am listing and add some
>> of your favorites so i can go pick them up and check them out as well.
>
>What about "Contact"? And I don't see how the Indiana Jones movies are
>"Sci-Fi".
>

Yea, i wasn't sure about the Indiana Jones movies but i thought they
were pretty cool.
BTW i fogot to include SUPERMAN- Special Edition. This is an Oscar
nomination definitely. It was written by Mario Puzo the writer of
Godfather. Great job.
Superman would be my #2 film. Once again, Superman isn't a sci-fi
flick but it is one damn fine film.

BTW i was considering Contact as well. The reason i didn't is because
there were elements of the book that they still should have added into
the movie and parts in the movie that should have been left out. It is
still a good movie, not a great movie though.

wkw...@nospam.airmail.net

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Oct 20, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/20/98
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I think if you're looking for the biggest impact I'd have to agree
that Blade Runner is way up there. Closely followed by Close
Encounters, Clockwork Orange (it's considered sci-fi), and 2001.

WKW

Paradox

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Oct 20, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/20/98
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Yep....no Blade Runner....I am also most disappointed! The best SF ever
made.


Michael Chen

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Oct 20, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/20/98
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Han wrote:

In constrast to you, I DO have critics that I trust. The two main ones being
James Berardinelli and Ebert. If BOTH of them gave a film less than 2 stars,
there is about a 1 in 1000 chance of me liking it. (It hasn't happened yet.)


Joe26

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Oct 20, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/20/98
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On Mon, 19 Oct 1998 02:09:26 GMT, zero...@yahoo.com wrote:

>All of these movies get an 8.8 to 9.6 out of 10
>
>01. Empire Strikes Back
>02. Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan
>03. Aliens: Special Edition
>04. Infiana Jones: Last Crusade
>05. E.T.
>06. Terminator 2: Judgment Day - Special Edition
>07. Star Trek 6: Undiscovered Country
>08. Close Enocunters of the Third Kind
>09. Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark
>10. The Abyss: Special Edition
>11. Poltergeist
>12. Star Trek: The Motion Picture
>13. Robocop
>14. Akira (it's a Japanimation)

Gotta agree with ESB at #1. It is too often overshadowed by the
original or they are usually all grouped together as The Holy Trilogy.
It's good to see someone else seperate it out from the other two.
Star Trek 1 was probably the weakest of the series. The Abyss was
average. You're missing some obvious classics like Planet of the Apes
and Blade Runner. I also thoroughly enjoyed Starship Troopers. A lot
of people didn't, but I thought it was one of the mmost entertaining 2
hours I've spent at the movies in a long time. It was so much better
than the usual weak summer blockbusters like ID4, MIB, Godzilla, etc.
I hope Verhoeven gives up on his soft-porn projects like Showgirls and
Basic Instinct and gets back to what he does best: RoboCop, Total
Recall and Starship Troopers.

Nicolai P. Zwar

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Oct 20, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/20/98
to
My own top ten list on this subject matter:

"Blade Runner" (Director's Cut): One of the very very few Hollywood
movies that actually deserves to be called "Science Fiction", not just
Sci-Fi (those who read as well know what I mean).

"2001-A Space Odyssey": Kubrik set the standard of what CAN be done.
Sadly, he had few imitators.

"Star Wars": George Lucas' homage to the old pulp SF and serials remains
by far the best of all the eye-popping space operas.

"Planet of the Apes": A great SF adventure flick. A bunch of astronauts
stranded on a far away (or not so far) planet have to find out what's
going on. Not all that new, no, but entertaining and occasionally even
thoughtful.

"Alien": The best of the monster SF.

"Dr. Strangelove or: How I learned to stop worrying and love the Bomb":
The funniest SF film ever made.

"Fahrenheit 451": Truffout's demonstration that you don't need a lot of
special effects or rubber masks to make a convincing and thoughtful SF
film.


"Silent Running": An "ecological warning" film, yet never preachy;
instead, it concentrates on the central character, who has to choose
between human fellowship and the remains of Earth's biotope. Neither
choice can satisfy.

"The Terminator": Drive-in action trash for sure, but wow! with what a
pace. Much superior to its overblown sequel.

"Invasion of the Body Snatchers": Of the three incarnations this story
has seen on the big screen, I favor Philip Kaufman's moody analogy about
the loss of humanity and how little it might even matter.

As usual, all choices are subject to change without further notice and
represent simply the top ten list that jumped to the author's mind while
writing this post.

--
Nicolai P. Zwar

Remove "NOT THESE FOUR WORDS" to reply.

It is a mistake to think you can solve any major problems just with
potatoes.
(From "Life, the Universe and Everything" by Douglas Adams)

Bill Pierre

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Oct 20, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/20/98
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>01. Empire Strikes Back
>02. Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan
>03. Aliens: Special Edition
>04. Infiana Jones: Last Crusade
>05. E.T.
>06. Terminator 2: Judgment Day - Special Edition
>07. Star Trek 6: Undiscovered Country
>08. Close Enocunters of the Third Kind
>09. Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark
>10. The Abyss: Special Edition
>11. Poltergeist
>12. Star Trek: The Motion Picture
>13. Robocop
>14. Akira (it's a Japanimation)
 
While most don't agree Ridley Scott's Alien is a far better story than Cameron's Aliens.  It seems to me that these "ten-best" list favor special effects over good story telling.  Maybe that's why Planet of the Apes isn't listed.

Any way for my contribution, I  suggest Forbidden Planet and Day the Earth Stood Still (Gort Klatu Barada Nicto!!)

Mr Toad

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Oct 21, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/21/98
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>
>Any way for my contribution, I suggest Forbidden Planet and Day the
>Earth Stood Still (Gort Klatu Barada Nicto!!)
>
>--
That's KLAATU..(& people say I don't have a life.....)

Toad

wkw...@nospam.airmail.net

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Oct 21, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/21/98
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>"Dr. Strangelove or: How I learned to stop worrying and love the Bomb":
>The funniest SF film ever made.

D'oh! Completely forgot about that one...

WKW

Doug Tricarico

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Oct 21, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/21/98
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In
<368730F3922D899B.3841C76B...@library-proxy.airne

Except that it isn't SF... other than that, great flick.

Doug


Scott and Doug Craig

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Oct 21, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/21/98
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> Basic Instinct and gets back to what he does best: RoboCop, Total
> Recall and Starship Troopers.
>

I'd rather see Verhoeven rot then make another movie. Although Robocop was
entertaining, Total Recall was pretty worthless, and Starship Troopers was
a disgrace (Heinlein's turning over in his grave!)

Doug

ShadowStarŠ

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Oct 21, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/21/98
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>I don't see how the Indiana Jones movies are
>"Sci-Fi".


Neither do I. Here's my list:

1. Star Wars: A New Hope
2. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
3. Forbidden Planet
4. The Day the Earth Stood Still
5. Close Encounters of the Third Kind
6. A Clockwork Orange
7. Fantastic Voyage (1966, Richard Fleischer, Dir.)
8. Planet of the Apes (1968, F.J. Schaffner, Dir.)
9. 2001: A Space Odyssey
10. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956, Don Siegel, Dir.)

Michael Chen

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Oct 21, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/21/98
to

Almost total agreement. I haven't seen Robocop, and judging by his latest
movies (if you would call them that), I don't think I want to.


Michael Chen

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Oct 21, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/21/98
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Keep in mind that my favourite genre isn't Sci-Fi, my list:
1. E.T: the Extra Terrestrial
2. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (I'm going to cop a lot for this!)
3. Contact
4. Close Encounters of the Third Kind
5. Alien
6. Aliens
7. The Empire Strikes Back
8. The Terminator

SDavis4629

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Oct 21, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/21/98
to
Okay I will bite....

I like all of the Abbott and Costello movies...where they "go to Mars, meet Dr.
Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,Frankenstien, the Invisible Man,the Mummy, and the Killer,
Boris Larloff.

I also liked:
"The Andromaeda Strain" - James Olsen & Kate Reid.

"Attack of the 50-foot Woman" The 1958 version with Allison Hayes..

"Journey to the Center of the Earth." 1959 - with Pat Boone and James Mason.

Recent movies include ---

Spaceballs
Close Encounters


Invasion of the Body Snatchers

The Abyss
Sphere
Cocoon
Space Odyssey


Sherrie :-) (to e-mail me remove heeheeha from the end of my address)
It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to
others.

Nicolai P. Zwar

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Oct 21, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/21/98
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Well, granted, it is certainly a borderline case. There's no real
"future" technology there even for 1964, except perhaps the "Doomsday
Machine". It's basically a satire. However, it is mentioned in pretty
much every science fiction lexicon there is, and for good reason: The
politics in the film are an exaggerated extrapolation of the "cold war"
politics (this is also a theme of science fiction, take "1984" by
Orwell, for instance, which's only claim to SF is its overblown
"Stalinistic" State and future wars), the white house war room has some
futuristic touches, implying that the story takes places in the (very
near) future, and the film ends with the beginning of World War III, or
the end of the world, so it CAN be considered SF (and that's why I
included it), depending on where you draw the line. "Twilight's Last
Gleaming" or "Seven Days in May" are even usually mentioned in SF
lexica, even though they are just polit thrillers with some SLIGHT
allusions to SF scenarios. I'd rather include "Strangelove" than leave
it out.

Paul Chambers

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Oct 21, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/21/98
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May I submit "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" and "The Fifth Element"
I think that the first is an obvious choice but include the second simply
because I enjoyed the hell out of it.
I can't really say why except that I think that it had a style that I've never
seen in a sci-fi film before. It was intriguing.
Please let me know if anyone agrees.


Drbones7 wrote:

> Good list. A lot concur with my favs.
>
> Some of these movies might not be considered pure Sci-Fi. But I'm including
> them anyway. I'm probably forgetting some. I know I am, but can't think of
> them.
>
> Here is a list of some of my favs in no particular order:
>
> Star Wars Trilogy
> THX-1138
> 2001
> Superman I & II
> Escape from New York
> The Thing ('82)
> Starman
> They Live
> Back to the Future Trilogy
> Incredible Shrinking Man

> Day the Earth Stood Still

Tom James

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Oct 21, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/21/98
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Paul Chambers wrote in message <362E9964...@sympatico.ca>...

>May I submit "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" and "The Fifth Element"
>I think that the first is an obvious choice but include the second simply
>because I enjoyed the hell out of it.
>I can't really say why except that I think that it had a style that I've
never
>seen in a sci-fi film before. It was intriguing.
>Please let me know if anyone agrees.
>


Yeah, I enjoyed it. Its visuals reminded me of "Heavy Metal" magazine.
Sorta Moebius-like. I wonder if that's just a French thing.


Lon Ponschock

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Oct 21, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/21/98
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"Paradox" <pkc...@ozemail.com.au> writes:

>Yep....no Blade Runner....I am also most disappointed! The best SF ever
>made.

Yep, no FORBIDEN PLANET either. Best SF for it's day or
any other.


Many of the more 'quiet films' made are not listed
either lile THE HANDMAIDS TALE or my new
favorite for the all-timer's list: DARK CITY.


lon


Lon Ponschock

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Oct 21, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/21/98
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"Scott and Doug Craig" <csc...@erols.com> writes:


>> Basic Instinct and gets back to what he does best: RoboCop, Total
>> Recall and Starship Troopers.
>>

>I'd rather see Verhoeven rot then make another movie. Although Robocop was
>entertaining, Total Recall was pretty worthless, and Starship Troopers was
>a disgrace (Heinlein's turning over in his grave!)

>Doug

I'd put Gus Van Sant on the rotter list as well, from my
personal waste of time at his features... all of them.


lon


However I think TOTAL RECALL like DARK CITY takes
multiple viewings to appreciate.

DeppityBob

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Oct 22, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/22/98
to

LOL!!! I think they reminded you of HM because Moebius was the designer for 5E.
(Jean-Paul Giraud, IIRC). I saw some of the original drawings somewhere (??
don't ask, I forgot where), and they were splendid--transferred over well. I
thought it was a stupid movie, totally whacked-out, but as someone said once,
"It is a *merry* movie," and that it is. Honestly, I rolled my eyes through
Oldman's Evil Colonel Sanders routine and Chris Tucker's Ruby Rhod,as well as a
lot of the script, but at the end I felt pretty happy--like I had just seen a
fun movie that didn't take itself very seriously, which was true. I liked it,
despite itself--I think its spirit was infectious.

Dep

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"MY SCREENNAME IS LEGION!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Nixtr

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Oct 22, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/22/98
to
QUOTING:
> All of these movies get an 8.8 to 9.6 out of 10
>
> 01. Empire Strikes Back
> 02. Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan
> 03. Aliens: Special Edition
> 04. Infiana Jones: Last Crusade
> 05. E.T.
> 06. Terminator 2: Judgment Day - Special Edition
> 07. Star Trek 6: Undiscovered Country
> 08. Close Enocunters of the Third Kind
> 09. Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark
> 10. The Abyss: Special Edition
> 11. Poltergeist
> 12. Star Trek: The Motion Picture
> 13. Robocop
> 14. Akira (it's a Japanimation)

RESPONSE: where the heck is 2001: A Space Odyssey on this list?
Maybe you can scratch ALIENS or ROBOCOP off the list for it.

The Nixtr

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Oct 22, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/22/98
to
QUOTING:
While most don't agree Ridley Scott's Alien is a far better story than
Cameron's Aliens. It seems to me that these "ten-best"
list favor special effects over good story telling. Maybe that's why
Planet of the Apes isn't listed.

RESPONSE: Yeah, that's why we have stuff like Robocop and Akira and
Aliens and such on his list. May as well add STARSHIP TROOPERS. I
thoroughly enjoyed the movie, but I definitely know it's NOT for the
story.

arthur_sc...@my-dejanews.com

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Oct 22, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/22/98
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In article <362bfc16...@news.sprint.ca>,

zero...@yahoo.com wrote:
> Michael Chen <brew...@oe.net.au> wrote:
>
> >zero...@yahoo.com wrote:
> >
> >> All of these movies get an 8.8 to 9.6 out of 10
> >>
> >> 01. Empire Strikes Back
> >> 02. Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan
> >> 03. Aliens: Special Edition
> >> 04. Infiana Jones: Last Crusade
> >> 05. E.T.
> >> 06. Terminator 2: Judgment Day - Special Edition
> >> 07. Star Trek 6: Undiscovered Country
> >> 08. Close Enocunters of the Third Kind
> >> 09. Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark
> >> 10. The Abyss: Special Edition
> >> 11. Poltergeist
> >> 12. Star Trek: The Motion Picture
> >> 13. Robocop
> >> 14. Akira (it's a Japanimation)
> >>
> >> Well can anyone see the patterns of movies i am listing and add some
> >> of your favorites so i can go pick them up and check them out as well.
> >
> >What about "Contact"? And I don't see how the Indiana Jones movies are
> >"Sci-Fi".
> >

Any Sci-Fi list without 2001 is woefully incomplete.

-----------== Posted via Deja News, The Discussion Network ==----------
http://www.dejanews.com/ Search, Read, Discuss, or Start Your Own

Nevermind

unread,
Oct 22, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/22/98
to
Starship Troopers
Judge Dredd
Waterworld

All Franchise material films that were handled poorly by those behind the
camera.

Luke

unread,
Oct 22, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/22/98
to
Is this only for oldies?
What did you think of Contact?

Just wandering. I thought it was the best ever!!!

Cheers
Luke

rco...@servicesoft.com

unread,
Oct 22, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/22/98
to

Bingo, right out of the ballpark. I think most of the other lists are
faux SCI-FI.

The only one omitted for me is "Forbidden Planet". Dated true, but the first
really great sci-fi film I can remember. Monsters from the ID? Good stuff.


Bob Cohen


In article <362ce...@news.piro.net>,


nicola...@pironet.de wrote:
> My own top ten list on this subject matter:
>
> "Blade Runner" (Director's Cut): One of the very very few Hollywood
> movies that actually deserves to be called "Science Fiction", not just
> Sci-Fi (those who read as well know what I mean).
>
> "2001-A Space Odyssey": Kubrik set the standard of what CAN be done.
> Sadly, he had few imitators.
>
> "Star Wars": George Lucas' homage to the old pulp SF and serials remains
> by far the best of all the eye-popping space operas.
>
> "Planet of the Apes": A great SF adventure flick. A bunch of astronauts
> stranded on a far away (or not so far) planet have to find out what's
> going on. Not all that new, no, but entertaining and occasionally even
> thoughtful.
>
> "Alien": The best of the monster SF.
>

> "Dr. Strangelove or: How I learned to stop worrying and love the Bomb":
> The funniest SF film ever made.
>

> "Fahrenheit 451": Truffout's demonstration that you don't need a lot of
> special effects or rubber masks to make a convincing and thoughtful SF
> film.
>
> "Silent Running": An "ecological warning" film, yet never preachy;
> instead, it concentrates on the central character, who has to choose
> between human fellowship and the remains of Earth's biotope. Neither
> choice can satisfy.
>
> "The Terminator": Drive-in action trash for sure, but wow! with what a
> pace. Much superior to its overblown sequel.
>
> "Invasion of the Body Snatchers": Of the three incarnations this story
> has seen on the big screen, I favor Philip Kaufman's moody analogy about
> the loss of humanity and how little it might even matter.
>
> As usual, all choices are subject to change without further notice and
> represent simply the top ten list that jumped to the author's mind while
> writing this post.
>

> --
> Nicolai P. Zwar
>
> Remove "NOT THESE FOUR WORDS" to reply.
>
> It is a mistake to think you can solve any major problems just with
> potatoes.
> (From "Life, the Universe and Everything" by Douglas Adams)
>
>

-----------== Posted via Deja News, The Discussion Network ==----------

roadrnnr

unread,
Oct 22, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/22/98
to
Luke <s962...@student.spamkiller.up.ac.za> wrote:

><HTML>
</HTML>
please don't post html-crap here....
So, to your questions
1)no, it isn't
2)doesn't know, I haven't seen contact
roadrnnr

Email: road...@cyberjunkie.com
----------------------------------------------------------------
I'd rather stick needles in my eyes than talk to one of
these techno-wannabees who think a bus is some form of
public transportation.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Laserdiscs:74 Vhs:180 Dvd's:0

Doug Tricarico

unread,
Oct 22, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/22/98
to
In <362e4...@news.piro.net> "Nicolai P. Zwar" <"nicolai.zwar"@NOT

THESE FOUR WORDSpironet.de> writes:
>
>Doug Tricarico wrote:
>>
>> In
>>
<368730F3922D899B.3841C76B...@library-proxy.airne
>> s.net> wkw...@NOSPAM.airmail.net writes:
>> >
>> >
>> >>"Dr. Strangelove or: How I learned to stop worrying and love the
>> Bomb":
>> >>The funniest SF film ever made.
>> >
>> >D'oh! Completely forgot about that one...
>> >
>> >WKW
>>
>> Except that it isn't SF... other than that, great flick.
>
>
>Well, granted, it is certainly a borderline case. There's no real
>"future" technology there even for 1964, except perhaps the "Doomsday
>Machine". It's basically a satire. However, it is mentioned in pretty
>much every science fiction lexicon there is, and for good reason: The
>politics in the film are an exaggerated extrapolation of the "cold
war"
>politics (this is also a theme of science fiction, take "1984" by
>Orwell, for instance, which's only claim to SF is its overblown
>"Stalinistic" State and future wars), the white house war room has
some
>futuristic touches, implying that the story takes places in the (very
>near) future, and the film ends with the beginning of World War III,
or
>the end of the world, so it CAN be considered SF (and that's why I
>included it), depending on where you draw the line. "Twilight's Last
>Gleaming" or "Seven Days in May" are even usually mentioned in SF
>lexica, even though they are just polit thrillers with some SLIGHT
>allusions to SF scenarios. I'd rather include "Strangelove" than leave
>it out.
>
>--
>Nicolai P. Zwar

Very good points. I am swayed enough to let it into the Sf genre.

Doug


pet...@ms.com

unread,
Oct 22, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/22/98
to
In article <70nffo$ti8$1...@nnrp1.dejanews.com>,

rco...@servicesoft.com wrote:
>
>
> Bingo, right out of the ballpark. I think most of the other lists are
> faux SCI-FI.
>
> The only one omitted for me is "Forbidden Planet". Dated true, but the first
> really great sci-fi film I can remember. Monsters from the ID? Good stuff.
>
> Bob Cohen
>

Might swell throw in A Journey to the Center of the Earth,
This Island Earth, and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.

Pjk

Brian Koukol

unread,
Oct 22, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/22/98
to Luke
Contact was a very awesome flick. I was impressed that Carl Sagan's
message wasn't lost somewhere in the transition to film. There's a
bunch of naysayers who can't find any film good and were giving contact
bad reviews, but I even found a bad review for saving private ryan.

Luke wrote:

> Is this only for oldies?
> What did you think of Contact?
>
> Just wandering. I thought it was the best ever!!!
>
> Cheers
> Luke

--
*************************************************
Brian Koukol - Designer, Info Gatherer, And Everything Else For:
Movie Salvage
Movie News, Reviews, Trailers, And More
http://www.moviesalvage.com
*************************************************

Helen & Bob

unread,
Oct 22, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/22/98
to

Joe26 wrote:

> On Mon, 19 Oct 1998 02:09:26 GMT, zero...@yahoo.com wrote:
>
> >All of these movies get an 8.8 to 9.6 out of 10
> >
> >01. Empire Strikes Back
> >02. Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan
> >03. Aliens: Special Edition
> >04. Infiana Jones: Last Crusade
> >05. E.T.
> >06. Terminator 2: Judgment Day - Special Edition
> >07. Star Trek 6: Undiscovered Country
> >08. Close Enocunters of the Third Kind
> >09. Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark
> >10. The Abyss: Special Edition
> >11. Poltergeist
> >12. Star Trek: The Motion Picture
> >13. Robocop
> >14. Akira (it's a Japanimation)
>

Your list is very shallow. Have you ever seen "the Day the Earth Stood
Still" or any other of the classics made before computers?? You left out
the most influential filf for your entire list, the one that if IT had not
been made, most lilely none of your list would exist, namely 2001 a
space Oddessy. And if you have only seen it on video, you have really
missed the sweep and grandeur of the film. Study film for another 10 or
20 years before you try another "best of all time" list. You did not
consider all of the time that movies have been made.
Bob


Helen & Bob

unread,
Oct 22, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/22/98
to nicola...@pironet.de

Nicolai P. Zwar wrote:

> My own top ten list on this subject matter:
>
> "Blade Runner" (Director's Cut): One of the very very few Hollywood
>

> "2001-A Space Odyssey": Kubrik set the standard of what CAN be done.
>

> "Star Wars": George Lucas' homage to the old pulp SF and serials
>

> "Planet of the Apes": A great SF adventure flick. A bunch of astronauts

> ""Dr. Strangelove or: How I learned to stop worrying and love the
>
>

> "Fahrenheit 451": Truffout's demonstration that you don't need a lot of

> "Silent Running": An "ecological warning" film, yet never preachy;
>
>

> "The Terminator": Drive-in action trash for sure, but wow! with what a

> "Invasion of the Body Snatchers": Of the three incarnations this story
>
>

> As usual, all choices are subject to change without further notice and
> represent simply the top ten list that jumped to the author's mind while
> writing this post.
> -

> Nicolai P. Zwar
>
> Out of all the responses, the first adult one. Good List. Might have, no
> Would have put in 'The day the Earth Stood Still" for a thinking persons
> film. No Color, almost no special effects, just damn fine Science
> Fiction.And it deserved the full spelling, not just SF. The trouble is, I
> think, that most on the people contributing to this list have never seen
> the film.

Bob

>
>


Helen & Bob

unread,
Oct 22, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/22/98
to

Joe26 wrote:

> On Mon, 19 Oct 1998 02:09:26 GMT, zero...@yahoo.com wrote:
>
> >All of these movies get an 8.8 to 9.6 out of 10
> >
> >01. Empire Strikes Back
> >02. Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan
> >03. Aliens: Special Edition
> >04. Infiana Jones: Last Crusade
> >05. E.T.
> >06. Terminator 2: Judgment Day - Special Edition
> >07. Star Trek 6: Undiscovered Country
> >08. Close Enocunters of the Third Kind
> >09. Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark
> >10. The Abyss: Special Edition
> >11. Poltergeist
> >12. Star Trek: The Motion Picture
> >13. Robocop
> >14. Akira (it's a Japanimation)
>

> Gotta agree with ESB at #1. It is too often overshadowed by the
> original or they are usually all grouped together as The Holy Trilogy.
> It's good to see someone else seperate it out from the other two.
> Star Trek 1 was probably the weakest of the series. The Abyss was
> average. You're missing some obvious classics like Planet of the Apes
> and Blade Runner. I also thoroughly enjoyed Starship Troopers. A lot
> of people didn't, but I thought it was one of the mmost entertaining 2
> hours I've spent at the movies in a long time. It was so much better
> than the usual weak summer blockbusters like ID4, MIB, Godzilla, etc.
> I hope Verhoeven gives up on his soft-porn projects like Showgirls and

roadrnnr

unread,
Oct 22, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/22/98
to
Helen & Bob <chil...@ix.netcom.com> wrote:


>
>Bob
>
>>
>>
>
nice, only 3 letters have you written..
Thats bob , wow

Nicolai P. Zwar

unread,
Oct 22, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/22/98
to
rco...@servicesoft.com wrote:
>
> Bingo, right out of the ballpark. I think most of the other lists are
> faux SCI-FI.
>
> The only one omitted for me is "Forbidden Planet". Dated true, but the first
> really great sci-fi film I can remember. Monsters from the ID? Good stuff.


"Forbidden Planet" - of course! Shakespeare and robots. I love that
film. "Monsters from the ID"..."Monsters from the ID"... Can't place the
title right now (though I heard it, and I'm almost sure I even saw it).
The thing is, I try to keep my top ten lists down to ten (so there are
always omissions), make 'em diverse, and change them anytime I want.
They are a lot of fun, and don't have much meaning. "Forbidden Planet"
always has a chance of popping up. ;-)

greg...@xmission.com

unread,
Oct 22, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/22/98
to

> > On Mon, 19 Oct 1998 02:09:26 GMT, zero...@yahoo.com wrote:
> >
> > >All of these movies get an 8.8 to 9.6 out of 10
> > >
> > >01. Empire Strikes Back
> > >02. Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan
> > >03. Aliens: Special Edition
> > >04. Infiana Jones: Last Crusade
> > >05. E.T.
> > >06. Terminator 2: Judgment Day - Special Edition
> > >07. Star Trek 6: Undiscovered Country
> > >08. Close Enocunters of the Third Kind
> > >09. Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark
> > >10. The Abyss: Special Edition
> > >11. Poltergeist
> > >12. Star Trek: The Motion Picture
> > >13. Robocop
> > >14. Akira (it's a Japanimation)

Are we to believe that the Indiana Jones films are somehow sci-fi?

Greg

Wenchi Liao

unread,
Oct 22, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/22/98
to
In article <362F8859...@ix.netcom.com>,

Helen & Bob <chil...@ix.netcom.com> wrote:
>
>

Heh...it's Silent Bob!

Helen & Bob

unread,
Oct 22, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/22/98
to

Wenchi Liao wrote:

> Heh...it's Silent Bob!

Interesting. Two comments regarding that I have not written in this group
before, but none on the content of the messages. Are you of the opinion that
quantity equals quality?? If you disagree with content, then we can discuss
content. If you want to discuss how often I contribute, that may be because I am
new to this ng, or there has been nothing prior that I wanted to comment upon.
Your choice. My comments were made based on what was being chosen as "all time
best", but seem to ignore the greats of a few decades ago. IF you are serious
about film, then you should review the pioneer films if only to reject them, but
at least have a basis of comparison.
Some of the films shown as best are sheer junk, some are excellent choices. The
problem, as I see it, is that in lists of "best", there should be no junk.
Bob


Howard Brazee

unread,
Oct 22, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/22/98
to
I remember being impressed with THE LOST WORLD and with JOURNEY TO THE
CENTER OF THE EARTH.

Although they both have been filmed more than once.

Aurelian

unread,
Oct 22, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/22/98
to
Bill Pierre wrote in message <362D1C28...@voicenet.com>...
>01. Empire Strikes Back
>02. Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan
>03. Aliens: Special Edition
>04. Infiana Jones: Last Crusade
>05. E.T.
>06. Terminator 2: Judgment Day - Special Edition
>07. Star Trek 6: Undiscovered Country
>08. Close Enocunters of the Third Kind
>09. Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark
>10. The Abyss: Special Edition
>11. Poltergeist
>12. Star Trek: The Motion Picture
>13. Robocop
>14. Akira (it's a Japanimation)
While most don't agree Ridley Scott's Alien is a far better story than Cameron's Aliens.  It seems to me that these "ten-best" list favor special effects over good story telling.  Maybe that's why Planet of the Apes isn't listed.
Alien is hardly an original story. It is basically the standard "slasher in a dark house stalks and kills a group of innocent victims one by one" plot transposed to a spaceship with a nifty monster as the antagonist. Yes, there is some nice set design and camerawork. The monster also has some interesting sexually suggestive aspects about it as well. However, Cameron utilizes all of these elements at least as effectively in Aliens and provides a far more emotionally wrenching experience. That's my $0.02.
A

j

unread,
Oct 23, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/23/98
to
It's kind of sad that no one mentions films
like "Metropolis" or "The Shape of Things
to Come" ... originality counts for something.

-j


danger...@my-dejanews.com

unread,
Oct 23, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/23/98
to


My list of faves (in no particular order)

*Blade Runner - my all time favorite, mind you I prefer the original to the
director's cut, I LIKED the voice overs.

*Alien - loved the suspense and claustrophobia of this movie

*Aliens - non-stop heart pounding action, although it's really just an action
movie with some sci-fi thrown in

*Planet of the Apes - classic pic, great story, great sets, great makeup,
great acting, and who could forget the lovely Nova?

*2001 - probably the most unassailable on this list

*A Boy and his Dog - Don Johnson I know, but great stuff

*Star Wars - a fairy tale in space, liked it much better than the more
heralded ESB which I always thought was a tweener movie that couldn't stand
on its own

*Close Encounters - a bit dated now, it's got a real 70's feel, but still good
stuff

*War of the Worlds - dated also, but it's campy sci-fi at its best

*The Blob - see WotWs, another movie where the feel of the decade it was made
in seeps deep into the movie

*Star Trek II: WoK -by far the best ST film, moves quickly, great death scene!

*Terminator - a great story backed by decent effects and direction

*The Thing - original it's a great example of gung-ho rah rah 50's sci fi

*The Thing - JC's remake, great effects, good story, Kurt Russell gets a
thumbs up and the more cynical and untidy ending was a pleasant surprise when
compared to the original.

*Akira - I watched this on the Sci-Fi channel late one night and I was blown
away, didn't understand half of it's mumbo-jumbo mysticism at the end, but the
animation was too cool

*The Time Machine - I gained a whole new respect for Rod Taylor after watching
this flick.

*Barbarella - I gained a whole new respect for Jane Fonda after watching this
flick (hoohoo!).

*Silent Running - Bruce Dern's performance is perfect, an underrated movie,
again I can't escape the feel of its time of making, this time the early 70's
flower children feel.

*Heavy Metal - great camp and it brought the comic book to life well.

*Fifth Element - see Heavy Metal, except this time it was live actors. I
really loved the use of color in this movie, a visual delight on the big
screen.

*Terminator II - see Aliens II, a nice sci-fi action romp.

*Gattaca - it's one of those movies I feel is so close to being great, just a
bit more tidying up on that script and some better direction/performances.
Worth a watch however.

Well that's enough rambling...
Mark

Elvis Wseem

unread,
Oct 23, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/23/98
to

I think Mad Max & The Roadwarrior deserve some atention regarding this sci
fi list. After all, the premise for both was to take place after the cold
war. Apart from that, both films were entertaining, espcially the
Roadwarrior.

Regards

Jeff C

unread,
Oct 23, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/23/98
to
I was kind of surprised no one mentioned Fantastic Voyage. I thought
that was one of the greatest SF movies ever. And, of course I forgot to
list it when I posted my 10 fav SF movies. : )

Michael Lehmeier t771202

unread,
Oct 23, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/23/98
to
Luke (s962...@student.spamkiller.up.ac.za) wrote:

: Is this only for oldies?
: What did you think of Contact?

: Just wandering. I thought it was the best ever!!!

If Contact was a B-movie like Dark Star, I would put it in the top ten.
However, it was a movie that was supposed to be taken serious and as
such it was one of the most offending and IMHO horrible Sci-Fi movies of
all time.

--
The Nightshade Dragon -==(UDIC)==-
http://rphc1.physik.uni-regensburg.de/~lem11441/
Lehmeier Michael (Michael....@stud.uni-regensburg.de)

Nicolai P. Zwar

unread,
Oct 23, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/23/98
to
roadrnnr wrote:

> Helen & Bob <chil...@ix.netcom.com> wrote:
>
> >

> >Bob
> >
> >>
> >>
> >
> nice, only 3 letters have you written..
> Thats bob , wow

While this is a bit funny, it's not entirely correct. In fact, Bob
wrote:


> Out of all the responses, the first adult one. Good List. Might have, no
> Would have put in 'The day the Earth Stood Still" for a thinking persons
> film. No Color, almost no special effects, just damn fine Science
> Fiction.And it deserved the full spelling, not just SF. The trouble is, I
> think, that most on the people contributing to this list have never seen
> the film.

It was just that he quoted me before, and for some reason the quote
marks stayed before his own paragraph as well.

Nicolai P. Zwar

unread,
Oct 23, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/23/98
to Helen & Bob

This may be a simple misunderstanding. I don't think they are refering
to you being new here, but to the fact that you attributed your own
comment to me (as a quote), so people did not recognize your own content
as such. That's all. On my newsreader it looked at first as if all you
wrote was "Bob", too.

P.S.: "The Day the Earth Stood Still" was also a great one. The opening
sequence was terrific, even to this day, Bernard Herrmann's closing
notes stay with me, and there was a quiet menace all the time emanating
from that silver robot. A classic. It's been quite a while since I've
seen it though. Another old SF film with a lot of atmosphere was Byron
Haskin's "The War of the Worlds".

Doug Tricarico

unread,
Oct 23, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/23/98
to
In <362FBF79...@ix.netcom.com> Helen & Bob

<chil...@ix.netcom.com> writes:
>
>
>
>Wenchi Liao wrote:
>
>> Heh...it's Silent Bob!
>
>Interesting. Two comments regarding that I have not written in
>this group before, but none on the content of the messages. Are
>you of the opinion that quantity equals quality?? If you disagree
>with content, then we can discuss content. If you want to discuss
>how often I contribute, that may be because I am new to this ng,
>or there has been nothing prior that I wanted to comment upon.

I believe the comments (there were a couple of others which were
similar to Wenchi Liao's above) stem from the fact that it appears you
simply reposted someone else's comments while merely appending your
name.

I haven't followed this thread very closely, but that was my first
impression, as well. If you did make comments, perhaps they were lost
or the ">>" attributions lead us to assume you'd added nothing.

It seems a simple error rather than a flame.

Doug


Doug Tricarico

unread,
Oct 23, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/23/98
to

A movie reviewer I used to work with had absolutely no knowledge of any
films made before the mid-1970s, and if someone who does that as his
job doesn't bother with anything older than himself, there's no reason
to be surprised the average filmgoer (including those at national
magazines) doesn't recall anything before, say, JAWS.

Doug


rco...@servicesoft.com

unread,
Oct 23, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/23/98
to

Good point, I loved the Shape of Things to Come when I was
a kid. But it really didn't age well. (It was dated even then)
Wasn't the end of the "Great War" in that movie in 1966 or something?


In article <362fca3c...@news.iu.net>,


jma...@iu.net (j) wrote:
> It's kind of sad that no one mentions films
> like "Metropolis" or "The Shape of Things
> to Come" ... originality counts for something.
>

> -j

rco...@servicesoft.com

unread,
Oct 23, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/23/98
to
Ha, got you. the monsters from the Id were from the same "Forbidden Planet",
that's how the Krell?? destroyed themselves in one night, with monsters from
their subconscious. So Freud, Shakespeare and robots on one movie.

Others have mentioned The Day the Earth Stood Still. Yes another classic.


In article <362f9...@news.piro.net>,


nicola...@pironet.de wrote:
> rco...@servicesoft.com wrote:
> >
> > Bingo, right out of the ballpark. I think most of the other lists are
> > faux SCI-FI.
> >
> > The only one omitted for me is "Forbidden Planet". Dated true, but the
first
> > really great sci-fi film I can remember. Monsters from the ID? Good stuff.
>
> "Forbidden Planet" - of course! Shakespeare and robots. I love that
> film. "Monsters from the ID"..."Monsters from the ID"... Can't place the
> title right now (though I heard it, and I'm almost sure I even saw it).
> The thing is, I try to keep my top ten lists down to ten (so there are
> always omissions), make 'em diverse, and change them anytime I want.
> They are a lot of fun, and don't have much meaning. "Forbidden Planet"
> always has a chance of popping up. ;-)
>

> --
> Nicolai P. Zwar
>
> Remove "NOT THESE FOUR WORDS" to reply.
>
> It is a mistake to think you can solve any major problems just with
> potatoes.
> (From "Life, the Universe and Everything" by Douglas Adams)
>
>

-----------== Posted via Deja News, The Discussion Network ==----------

danger...@my-dejanews.com

unread,
Oct 23, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/23/98
to
In article <70ploi$c...@rrzs3.uni-regensburg.de>,

Michael....@stud.uni-regensburg.de wrote:
> Luke (s962...@student.spamkiller.up.ac.za) wrote:
>
> : Is this only for oldies?
> : What did you think of Contact?
>
> : Just wandering. I thought it was the best ever!!!
>
> If Contact was a B-movie like Dark Star, I would put it in the top ten.
> However, it was a movie that was supposed to be taken serious and as
> such it was one of the most offending and IMHO horrible Sci-Fi movies of
> all time.
>

I agree, Contact stunk, I believe someone else has already used the right
words to describe it, pretentious, boring, overlong...

Mark

Helen & Bob

unread,
Oct 23, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/23/98
to nicola...@pironet.de

Nicolai P. Zwar wrote:

>
> This may be a simple misunderstanding. I don't think they are refering
> to you being new here, but to the fact that you attributed your own
> comment to me (as a quote), so people did not recognize your own content
> as such. That's all. On my newsreader it looked at first as if all you
> wrote was "Bob", too.
>
> P.S.: "The Day the Earth Stood Still" was also a great one. The opening
> sequence was terrific, even to this day, Bernard Herrmann's closing
> notes stay with me, and there was a quiet menace all the time emanating
> from that silver robot. A classic. It's been quite a while since I've
> seen it though. Another old SF film with a lot of atmosphere was Byron
> Haskin's "The War of the Worlds".
>
> --
> Nicolai P. Zwar
>

> Thank you, sir. Courtesy is always apprecieated. And you are correct about "War of
> the Worlds" I think I was motivated to write because only "new" films appeared to be
> included in some of the lists, and quite frankly, some of the films on some peoples
> list only deserved to be burned. Not as censorship of ideas, (God forbid that), but
> rather as poor filmmaking, for whatever reason (primarily writing). And no, I could
> not write better films myself, I am terrible and know it. Its just that some of
> these people have not done their homework, if they want to make serious comments on
> Science Fiction Films.

In "The Day the Earth Stood Still", the scene that always gets to me is where Klaatu
corrects the professors (supposed to be Einstein) math, and the later scene where the
Professor has the conversation with Klaatu, starting with "Please sit down. There are
several thousand questions I like to ask you" Those scenes get to me, no matter how
many times I have seen them.

Bob

Helen & Bob

unread,
Oct 23, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/23/98
to

Doug Tricarico wrote:

> I haven't followed this thread very closely, but that was my first
> impression, as well. If you did make comments, perhaps they were lost
> or the ">>" attributions lead us to assume you'd added nothing.
>
> It seems a simple error rather than a flame.
>
> Doug

OK, Mea Culpea
Bob


Nicolai P. Zwar

unread,
Oct 23, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/23/98
to
rco...@servicesoft.com wrote:
>
> Ha, got you. the monsters from the Id were from the same "Forbidden Planet",
> that's how the Krell?? destroyed themselves in one night, with monsters from
> their subconscious. So Freud, Shakespeare and robots on one movie.


Yup, got me! So that's why! That's what they were called? When I heard
"Monsters from the ID", I was pretty darn sure that I've heard that
before, but I tried and tried to recall a movie by that title and could
simply not recall such a thing. Now I know why it sounded familiar. It's
been a while since I've seen "Forbidden Planet", as you can tell.

Jeff Bond

unread,
Oct 23, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/23/98
to
Nicolai P. Zwar wrote:
>
> rco...@servicesoft.com wrote:
> >
> > Ha, got you. the monsters from the Id were from the same "Forbidden Planet",
> > that's how the Krell?? destroyed themselves in one night, with monsters from
> > their subconscious. So Freud, Shakespeare and robots on one movie.
>
> Yup, got me! So that's why! That's what they were called? When I heard
> "Monsters from the ID", I was pretty darn sure that I've heard that
> before, but I tried and tried to recall a movie by that title and could
> simply not recall such a thing. Now I know why it sounded familiar. It's
> been a while since I've seen "Forbidden Planet", as you can tell.
>

Ah, Forbidden Planet. That is one great movie.

zero...@yahoo.com

unread,
Oct 24, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/24/98
to
THanks for reminding me people about 2001. I have now considered it
to be in the proposed list.

BTW the reason i didn;t include Metropolis, and other such OLD films
is because i wasn't born in that era and if i were to see it i may
judge it by that and thus will likely not get on my list. I have been
brainwashed up to my current age to have a certain perspective on what
a film SHOUD have and these older films do not. It is definitely a
bias. Sorry.

David J. Baltazar

unread,
Oct 24, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/24/98
to

The Phantom Menace, of course.


--
--------------
David Baltazar balt...@cs.tufts.edu

But research is an art, not a science, because anyone who knows what
they're doing can find the crumbs, the wheres, whats, and whos. The art
is in the whys: the ability to read between the crumbs, not to mix
metaphors. -Daryl Zero
What doesn't kill you defines you. - Gloria Sullivan
--------------

Helen & Bob

unread,
Oct 24, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/24/98
to
 

Bill Pierre wrote:

 
Any way for my contribution, I  suggest Forbidden Planet and Day the Earth Stood Still (Gort Klatu Barada Nicto!!)
Its spelled Klaatu in both the original script and the original short story, which (IIRC) is "death of the master"???
Bob
 

Helen & Bob

unread,
Oct 24, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/24/98
to

Doug Tricarico wrote:

> In
> <368730F3922D899B.3841C76B...@library-proxy.airne


> s.net> wkw...@NOSPAM.airmail.net writes:
> >
> >
> >>"Dr. Strangelove or: How I learned to stop worrying and love the

> Bomb":
> >>The funniest SF film ever made.
> >
> >D'oh! Completely forgot about that one...
> >
> >WKW
>
> Except that it isn't SF... other than that, great flick.
>
> Doug

Why not?? Alternative universe???
Bob


Helen & Bob

unread,
Oct 24, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/24/98
to

Giovanni 8 wrote:

>
> > ...You left out the most influential filf for your entire list,
> > the one that if IT had not been made, most lilely none of your
> > list would exist, namely 2001 a space Oddessy...
>
> Once again, I was unimpressed. The film failed to convey the
> essential concepts of the book. Nice pretty images, but,
> without meaning, all to no purpose.

You don't get it. The book was written from the film. Read Clarkes
"Lost Worlds of 2001. The original storyline was from an old Clarke
Short called "The Sentinel" If you read that you will find the germ of
"2001" The pity is that you now cannot see it as it was designed to be
seen, in Cinerama. I saw it in Cinerama 3 times, at what was then an
OUTRAGEOUS price of $3.75 (Regular movie, $1.25. Drive-in, $1.00 a
car.) . It was magnificent. Compared to ANY other film made up to that
time, it was an increase in quality on orders of magnitude. If you
compare it to anything else in release then, you will see the
difference. Without it, I think most Science Fiction films would still
be a man in a rubber suit stomping on miniatures. Insofar as purpose,
it shows man on the step to the next level of advancement, and implies
there is someone or some group out there who could be monitoring us.
And for all we know, that could be true.

> Someone else mentioned "Forbidden Planet" & it was a decent
> film. They certainly got plenty of mileage out of the robot.
>
> Again, a film where many of the fx were first time ever. And, and
> adult storyline, something of great rarity in H'wood, even today.
> When I see some of the films on peoples list, so many of them are
> childish. And great destructiveness is a childish thing to watch and
> enjoy, especieally if that's all the film offers. Ane for those who
> commented on the "Great Action" in Starship Troopers", even as a PFC i
> could have formulated better infantry tactics than in that film. The
> Director was a complete ass, the "writer/writers" do not deserve the
> name, and the producer was so money-hungry that he allowed a GREAT
> novel to be butchered into a statement of someones personal politics
> -- and that usually produces a garbage film.

Bob

Susan Umpleby

unread,
Oct 25, 1998, 2:00:00 AM10/25/98
to
Howard Brazee wrote in message <362FCFB8...@home.com>...


----------Which version of "Journey to the Center of the Earth"? The
one with Pat Boone always makes me laugh--he's like a three year-old,
always sticking unknown substances into his mouth :-). I remember
the first time I saw it (at a revival theatre); I was with friends &
we begain making bets on what would go into his mouth next. Remember
when they get to the buried city? And find the petrified bread? I
said "bet he tastes it"
& sure enough, he did.

Susan Umpleby

unread,
Oct 25, 1998, 2:00:00 AM10/25/98
to
Helen & Bob wrote in message <363289DD...@ix.netcom.com>...

Bill Pierre wrote:

---------The short story is "Farewell to the Master". Great
story, substantially different from the film, which goes to show that
stories can still change & evolve the way they did before the printing
press locked us into "the one" or "right" versions of stories.

Nicolai P. Zwar

unread,
Oct 25, 1998, 2:00:00 AM10/25/98
to
David J. Baltazar wrote:
>
> The Phantom Menace, of course.


Fortune-teller, uh?

bla...@earthlink.net

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Oct 26, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/26/98
to
On 23 Oct 1998 20:52:10 GMT, gio+van+no+ni+8@tal+star+spam.com
(Giovanni 8) wrote:

>> ...You left out the most influential filf for your entire list,
>> the one that if IT had not been made, most lilely none of your
>> list would exist, namely 2001 a space Oddessy...
>
>Once again, I was unimpressed. The film failed to convey the
>essential concepts of the book. Nice pretty images, but,
>without meaning, all to no purpose.
>

uh...the book is a separate piece of entertainment. what is your
feeling of the movie, without comparing it to the book which was
written while the movie was being made, ?

men...@my-dejanews.com

unread,
Oct 26, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/26/98
to

> 01. Empire Strikes Back

Empire Strikes back as your number 1? Personeel taste i guess but i think
that Return of the Jedi SE is the best of the SW trilogy?

> 02. Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan

Good ST movie, prolly the best of the old ones IMHO but i don't think it
deserves a 2 overall.

> 03. Aliens: Special Edition

YEP, kick arse movie this one. Definetly worthy of being in the TOP 5.

> 04. Infiana Jones: Last Crusade

Indiana Jones is SCI FI? I think it comes under ACTION/ADVENTURE or something
doesn't it. None the less it's still a good movie.

> 05. E.T.

I think ET is for the kiddies. It doesn't have the same affect on me now as
it did when i first saw it, unlike other sci fi movies like Aliens, etc.

> 06. Terminator 2: Judgment Day - Special Edition

Yeah good movie, but i haven't seen the SE, What happens in it?

> 07. Star Trek 6: Undiscovered Country

Completly disagree with this one. ST:6 is regarded by many trekkers (this is
what i've heard being said in the NG's anyway) as one of the weakest of the ST
movies. Not a bad movie but i think it could only really be appreciated by ST
or SCi-FI fans.

> 08. Close Enocunters of the Third Kind

Boring. I really didn't like this movie. I see it getting 4/5 stars in the
TV mags but i just couldn't seem to get into it. DUM DUM DUM DUM
DUMMMMMMMMM.

> 09. Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark

The original indiana was pretty cool, but i liked Temple of Doom the best.

> 10. The Abyss: Special Edition
> 11. Poltergeist

I don't think that poltergeist is SCI FI. Im pretty sure it comes under
HORROR.

> 12. Star Trek: The Motion Picture

Nop, didn't like this one at all.

> 13. Robocop
> 14. Akira (it's a Japanimation)

Couldn't get into Akira. I know heaps of people rave about it but it was a
little too confusing for me. Manga doesn't really do anything for me.

My Top 10 would look likes this :

1 Return of the Jedi, SE
2 Star Wars, SE
3 Empire Strikes Back, SE
4 Aliens, SE
5 Predator. ??????? - Can this be considered sort of SCI FI?
6 Terminator 2
7 First Contact
8 Abyss, SE
9 ST : Wrath of Kahn
10. SpaceBalls.

----------
| Mennis |
----------

Nick N.

unread,
Oct 26, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/26/98
to

>My Top 10 would look likes this :
>
>1 Return of the Jedi, SE
>2 Star Wars, SE
>3 Empire Strikes Back, SE
>4 Aliens, SE
>5 Predator. ??????? - Can this be considered sort of SCI FI?
>6 Terminator 2
>7 First Contact
>8 Abyss, SE
>9 ST : Wrath of Kahn
>10. SpaceBalls.

What's so good about the Star Wars Trilogy? They're movies with below
average actors running around in hockey equipment, shooting lasers at
morons. The plot is so ridiculous that anyone seeing these movies from
an OBJECTIVE angle would laugh. Just because you grew up with Star
Wars and it has some nostalgic value for you doesn't mean its a good
movie.

And Space Balls is not sci-fi. Its a comedy.


Nick N.

élan

unread,
Oct 26, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/26/98
to
A completely subjective list of my favs.

01.Alien
-I saw this at the age of fifteen the week it was released in 1979.
There is something about seeing a great film in the theatre at the time
of it's release that can never be reproduced on video years later. It's
a blessing to be too young to give a bleep about what critics say about
a movie!! :)

02. Empire Strikes Back-
03. BladeRunner-
04. The Terminator-
05. Forbidden Planet-
06. Logan's Run- (you turn thirty...you die!)
07. Planet of the Apes
08. A Clockwork Orange
09. 2001...
10. Tron (yes...Tron) lol!


Dogface

unread,
Oct 27, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/27/98
to
shit what about Johnny Sokko and his flying robot?


On Mon, 26 Oct 1998 19:44:15 GMT, koli...@altavista.net (Nick N.)
wrote:

zero...@yahoo.com

unread,
Oct 27, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/27/98
to
Helen & Bob <chil...@ix.netcom.com> wrote:

>
>
>Joe26 wrote:
>
>> On Mon, 19 Oct 1998 02:09:26 GMT, zero...@yahoo.com wrote:
>>
>> >All of these movies get an 8.8 to 9.6 out of 10
>> >
>> >01. Empire Strikes Back


>> >02. Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan

>> >03. Aliens: Special Edition


>> >04. Infiana Jones: Last Crusade

>> >05. E.T.


>> >06. Terminator 2: Judgment Day - Special Edition

>> >07. Star Trek 6: Undiscovered Country

>> >08. Close Enocunters of the Third Kind

>> >09. Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark

>> >10. The Abyss: Special Edition
>> >11. Poltergeist

>> >12. Star Trek: The Motion Picture

>> >13. Robocop
>> >14. Akira (it's a Japanimation)
>>
>

>Your list is very shallow. Have you ever seen "the Day the Earth Stood
>Still" or any other of the classics made before computers?? You left out


>the most influential filf for your entire list, the one that if IT had not
>been made, most lilely none of your list would exist, namely 2001 a

>space Oddessy. And if you have only seen it on video, you have really
>missed the sweep and grandeur of the film. Study film for another 10 or
>20 years before you try another "best of all time" list. You did not
>consider all of the time that movies have been made.
>Bob
>

I agree with you 100% about my original list posting! I am a young
guy born in the mid 70's and like one of the threads said, people
usually don't make the effort to look at possible "classic" before
this time. If i were to see things like "The Day the earth stood
still" or "Forbidden Planet" i am absolutely certain i will find them
weak. Primarily because they are a different time and i can't lower
the standards of what movies ought to be, as was laid out when i began
watching movies when i was young. Kinda sucks, but there it is.
Oh, and i did see 2001 and i did find it entertaining, after
rewatching it several times to decipher it, but i still can't put it
on my list because it simply "OK".

I guess i should have attached to the beginning of my list when i
posted it that my list are based on quality of writing, popularity in
the mainstream ($$ at the box office). Since 2001 is essentially an
art film it is likely that majority of audiences won't get it and thus
look by it. Same goes with Blade Runner. I found this film to be an
"experience" when watching it but it is playing at a level which
people don't give a "toot" about.

The trick to successful mainstream sf films is that the premise idea
has to be simple enough that people get it (among other necessary
elements). That is why Star Wars is the most popular sci fi of all
time.

qba...@yahoo.com

unread,
Oct 27, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/27/98
to
"Elvis Wseem" <the...@bu.edu> wrote:

>
>I think Mad Max & The Roadwarrior deserve some atention regarding this sci
>fi list. After all, the premise for both was to take place after the cold
>war. Apart from that, both films were entertaining, espcially the
>Roadwarrior.
>
>Regards
>
>
I read that Mad Max (the original Film) is the most profitable film of
all-time in the world...according to Guiness Book of Records

Doug Tricarico

unread,
Oct 27, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/27/98
to

I don't think it's in the top 50. It was, for a time, the
highest-grossing Australian film, but it's been topped many times over
the years. I believe it has one of the highest return ratios for any
movie ever made, though.

Doug

--
Who was that dog?

http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/1910/


men...@my-dejanews.com

unread,
Oct 27, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/27/98
to

> What's so good about the Star Wars Trilogy?

Personnel Taste. If i chose to eat dogshit cause i think it tastes good then
so be it. It's my parogitive. (NOT sayin i like dogshit or anything)

> morons. The plot is so ridiculous that anyone seeing these movies from
> an OBJECTIVE angle would laugh.

How the hell can anyone analysing a movie not be subjective? Everyone has
there likes and dislikes.

AS for the acting being shit, well, i don't think it's that bad and there WERE
SOME GOOD PERFORMANCES.

* JAmes Earl Jones as DArth Vader was very good. * Alec Guiness as OBI WAN
was good. * Yoda's voice/character was done well. * Emperer palpatine
certainly looked the part and was played well by whoever did him.

> And Space Balls is not sci-fi. Its a comedy.
>

Really.... Well thanx for telling me something i didn't know.

Adrian Cengia

unread,
Oct 27, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/27/98
to

I'm surprised that Strange Days, the movie with Ralph Fiennes didn't
get a mention yet (that I've seen). An excellent movie - the crowd bits
at the end really had me on the edge of my seat.


rco...@servicesoft.com

unread,
Oct 27, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/27/98
to

Perhaps, but I wasn't born when Citizen Kane was filmed, but I liked it
when I did see. That's an obvious case. but there are plenty of others.

So is your list really?:

A list of Sci-Fi (sort of) films I like?

or

A list of good Sci-Fi (sort of) films of the last ten years

or

A list of good Sci-Fi (sort of) films that gave me an adreneline rush.

;^) ;^)

You really think Robo-Cop is better than Blade Runner? (He said in disbelief)

In article <3635184d...@news.sprint.ca>,

-----------== Posted via Deja News, The Discussion Network ==----------

Denis Kondakov

unread,
Oct 27, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/27/98
to
Here is simple analogy: Your being fed exclusively at mcdonalds
does not make bigmac into the "best food of all time". You just
don't know any better...

gdo...@yahoo.com

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Oct 27, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/27/98
to

> > this time. If i were to see things like "The Day the earth stood
> > still" or "Forbidden Planet" i am absolutely certain i will find them
> > weak.

You will with that attitude but to each his own.

> > I guess i should have attached to the beginning of my list when i
> > posted it that my list are based on quality of writing, popularity in
> > the mainstream ($$ at the box office).

"quality of writing"? - Star Trek 6
"$$ at the box office" - yet three of the movies you listed were special
editions that were only available on video. The only movies that come to mind
that had special editions that were shown theatricaly are Blade Runner and the
Star Wars Trilogy.

> > The trick to successful mainstream sf films is that the premise idea
> > has to be simple enough that people get it (among other necessary
> > elements). That is why Star Wars is the most popular sci fi of all
> > time.

Yet you didn't list it but that's ok, I will in my top ten list which I think
I'll rename to : The sf movies I'd pick if I could only have ten.

1,2, and 3. The Star Wars Trilogy -just like potatoe chips...you just can't
have one.
4. Forbidden Planet -one of the best sf movies ever, especially if you take
into concideration the time it was made.
5. Aliens -best of that bunch. Aliens 3 was a good movie but a lousy sequeal.
6. Blade Runner -Harrison Ford and Rutger Hauer and a cool sound track.
7. Abyss -this didn't follow your usual 'everyone gets killed but the hero'
theme, had a strong plot, and good realism.
8. Star Trek 2 -best action Star Trek movie.
9. Star Trek 4 -reminded me of some of the best funny episodes from the
original series.
10. Dark Star -what can I say, for what started as a student film, it had good
effects and a warped plot:)

Honorable mentions: 2001 -I didn't list it becuase it's a movie that I can
watch once every 5 years and be fine but the others I like to see every year.
Metropolis -it's good enough for an honorable mention but just doesn't quit
make it in the top ten. Total Recall -a good plot but could have diffenately
been done better but I like Dan O'Bannon's stuff anyway. BTW, Total Recall 2
is in production being directed by Jonathan Frakes and produced by Arnold
Schwarzenegger. It should be good. Babylon 5:In the Beginning -I'm an avid
B5 fan but I limited my list to theatrical releases only.

Just MHO Geoff D

rangrrik

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Oct 27, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/27/98
to

I disliked this movie because of the massive cop out at the end---the
revelation that it was just a couple bad cops that comitted the murder
on the spur of the moment, rather than a police death squad. More
realistic, perhaps but hardly dramatically satisfying.

rangrrik

unread,
Oct 27, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/27/98
to

realistic, perhaps but hardly dramatically satisfying. Plus, Fienne's
character, for supposedly a hotshot ex-cop, was an incredible wimp.

Nicolai P. Zwar

unread,
Oct 27, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/27/98
to
Adrian Cengia wrote:
>
> I'm surprised that Strange Days, the movie with Ralph Fiennes didn't
> get a mention yet (that I've seen). An excellent movie - the crowd bits
> at the end really had me on the edge of my seat.


Well, in my case that's simply because I have not seen it. I read a lot
about it though, and one of these days I'll catch up.

Nicolai P. Zwar

unread,
Oct 27, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/27/98
to
men...@my-dejanews.com wrote:

>
> * JAmes Earl Jones as DArth Vader was very good. *

Uh-uh... don't let David Prowse hear that

coj...@110.net

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Oct 27, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/27/98
to

gdo...@yahoo.com wrote:

> > > this time. If i were to see things like "The Day the earth stood
> > > still" or "Forbidden Planet" i am absolutely certain i will find them
> > > weak.
>
> You will with that attitude but to each his own.

Forbidden Planet is not without flaws to be sure. The hokey postwar camraderie
amongst crew and accompanying sight gags most obvious. However, it is a fantastic
film on so many levels. The premise of the story (a self consuming society
evidently trying to better itself through advanced technology), the use of special
effects to provide the greatest shock (The Id monsters first appearance while only
"good" now, had to have been truly horrifying in 1954), the scale (a complex 20 x
20 miles!), and a complete lack of insight into why the Krell did what they did or
who they were as people. It left you hanging and ends filled with unanswered
questions. The Krell were completely alien. They did what they did. From a
technical standpoint it also used multitrack recording to provide a surround sound
environment at its initial theatrical release. It still amazes me when I watch it,
the number of "firsts" it lays down for future SF films.

This is a film I would hate to see remade and love to see remade correctly. There
are elements of this film that could be gone deeper into without Hollywoodizing
the film or trying to tie it all up neat in a bow for sub 90 IQ moviegoers.


Richard L Hamer

unread,
Oct 27, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/27/98
to
Old to new not necessary 1 to 15

Frankenstein 1931 with Boris Karloff
Thing from another world 1951 with Kenneth Tobey
The day the Earth Stood Still 1951 Michael Rennie
Five 1951
This Island Earth 1954
Invasion of the Body Snathcers 1956
Forbidden Planet 1956 Walter Pidgeon
The World the Flesh and the Devil 1959 Harry Delafonte
Last Man On Earth 1964 Vincent Price
2001 A Space Odyssey 1968
Planet of the Apes 1968 Charlton Heston
Silent Running 1971 Bruce Dern
Mad Max 2 Road Warrior 1981 Mel Gibson
Terminator 1984 Arnold Schwarenegger
Aliens 1986 Sigourney Weaver

Based not on whether they made lots of money or were great mainstream
hits but on whether they covered new terriory or were the best of their
type and had a message that made you think.

Helen & Bob

unread,
Oct 27, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/27/98
to

men...@my-dejanews.com wrote:

> .


>
> My Top 10 would look likes this :
>
> 1 Return of the Jedi, SE
> 2 Star Wars, SE
> 3 Empire Strikes Back, SE
> 4 Aliens, SE
> 5 Predator. ??????? - Can this be considered sort of SCI FI?
> 6 Terminator 2
> 7 First Contact
> 8 Abyss, SE
> 9 ST : Wrath of Kahn
> 10. SpaceBalls.
>

> ----------
> | Mennis |
> ----------

Sir, do you know what science fiction is, especially in comparason to fantasy????
Predator is hard science fiction. Star Wars is closer to fantasy as is Star
Trek. The Alien series is again "hard" science fiction asa is first contact.
Space Balls is satire of a science fantasy. That you enjoyed the films is great,
but based on your selection, I percieve that you have not yet seen some of the
greats. Try looking into some of the Science Fictions film that overwhelm you
with story concept, not just computer generated fx.
Bob


Helen & Bob

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Oct 27, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/27/98
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zero...@yahoo.com wrote:

> snip my comments in the interest of band width

>
> I agree with you 100% about my original list posting! I am a young
> guy born in the mid 70's and like one of the threads said, people
> usually don't make the effort to look at possible "classic" before

> this time. If i were to see things like "The Day the earth stood
> still" or "Forbidden Planet" i am absolutely certain i will find them
> weak.

You might find them with much stonger story lines, and in the case of TDTESS,
much better acting.


> Primarily because they are a different time and i can't lower
> the standards of what movies ought to be,

Lower you standards for what?? Writing, acting, or computer generated fx? IF
FX are you standard for judgement, you are correct, the new fims have better
effects, and story lines for children.

> as was laid out when i began
> watching movies when i was young. Kinda sucks, but there it is.
> Oh, and i did see 2001 and i did find it entertaining, after
> rewatching it several times to decipher it, but i still can't put it
> on my list because it simply "OK".
>

> I guess i should have attached to the beginning of my list when i
> posted it that my list are based on quality of writing, popularity in
> the mainstream ($$ at the box office).

And do you adjust your dollars for inflation?? if you do, you should find that
GWTW is still the alltime grossing film. IF not, then I think Titanic.

> Since 2001 is essentially an
> art film it is likely that majority of audiences won't get it and thus
> look by it.

So you lower your standards to the lowest common denominator??

> Same goes with Blade Runner. I found this film to be an
> "experience" when watching it but it is playing at a level which
> people don't give a "toot" about.
>

> The trick to successful mainstream sf films is that the premise idea
> has to be simple enough that people get it (among other necessary
> elements). That is why Star Wars is the most popular sci fi of all
> time.

And does "popular" equal "best"?? if so, the most popular science fiction
character in history is "Marvin the Martian" (ref Bugs Bunny Cartoons)

Bob

Helen & Bob

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Oct 27, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/27/98
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Richard L Hamer wrote:

Finally, someone with some knowledge drops in.
Excellent list.
Would have included (somewhere) Predator. Covered a new idea, handled it
well. Truley science fiction if anyone accepts that in about one minute a
person could run far enough to excape the effects of a nuclear explosion.
Bob


Helen & Bob

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Oct 27, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/27/98
to
> Isn't this list supposed to be the best sci-fi (hate that term) of ALL
> TIME?? If so, why are so many of you only listing films of the last 15
> years or so (IE, since you were old enough to go to movies. ) Do you
> think there were no greats made previous to Star Wars?? Do some
> research, people. You are missing a ton of great stuff. And I do not
> mean the crp with pwople running around in a rubber suit stepping on
> miniatures.

Bob

Robert John Guttke

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Oct 27, 1998, 3:00:00 AM10/27/98
to
NEVER remake FP. It remains a classic of its age. A beautiful and
well thought out film. As a youngster in the early 60's this one had
me GLUED to the TV set- and I was watching it in Black and White! It
was years later before I could really see the ID montsre in color.

A unique film.

I am always sorry that the youth of today put so much into flashy
effects and colors. Guess that explains their passion for the tripe
which passes as SCI-FI today. The OLD Star Trek was driven by
concepts. The OLD Outer Limits was driven by concepts. The effects
were nothing, but the stories, oh those stories.......


Robert John Guttke Photography
http://rjguttke.hypermart.net/

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