Do you have a favorite sci-fi movie or TV series? 👽

Off-topic
61

Lost, despite all of its flaws.

Or if anime counts then also Death Note, Code Geass and especially Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood (the best).

I realise the above suggestions stretch the idea of science fiction, but I find the term to be very loose and widely encompassing anyway.

As for films, I’m struggling to recall many that I especially liked.

…
Thinking
…

…

Inception. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless mind.

Want to say Mulholland Drive but it’s not sci-fi, but you should watch it (neo-noir mystery, apparently).

Basically, I don’t especially like much science fiction.

62

I do like the Star Trek and Star Wars films and a bunch of others such as The Matrix The Terminator, but I don’t exactly adore them nor see them as must watch material.

I do want to get around to reading The Book of the New Sun (Gene Wolfe) series soon.

63

Film-wise, these are the ones that come to mind, but I’m sure I’ve missed some:

Moon - eerie and unsettling
Innerspace - classic 80s comedy sci-fi
Mars Attacks! - crazy B-movie homage
District 9 - gritty, moving and brilliant
Donnie Darko - surreal and great cinematography leading up to the ending
The Butterfly Effect (Director’s Cut, not the public-pacifying underwhelming ending of the cinema release version!) - slightly cheesy, but hard-hitting

I guess I’m not a huge fan of the older, classic sci-fi films. Though I watched 2001 for the first time recently and quite enjoyed that. I also love the short stories of Ray Bradbury. So maybe I just need to explore more of the genre.

64

Did you like “The Martian Chronicles”? I’m starting to believe to be the only reader who loved the single short stories but hated the fact that the author tried to connect them all, resulting in what in my opinion is an awful incoherent mess.

65

If you like Mars Attacks you should see Earth Vs. The Flying Saucers as well as Attack Of The Killer Tomatoes.

If you like something more serious The Day The Earth Stood Still and Invasion Of The Body Snatchers are well made movies that aren´t very cheesy.

Keep in mind 2001 was born out of the idea of “let´s make a Sci Fi picture that´s not a B Movie for a change!”.

But as an X-Files fan you´ll be pleasently surprised how much of the old classics they´ve homaged over the years on that show, and digging through the old classics you´re bound to have several “oh that´s where that´s from!” moments.

66

I read The Illustrated Man first and loved it and was very disappointed in The Martian Chronicles not being remotly of the same style. They weren´t bad, but I just enjoyed the Illustrated Man so much more.

67

I would also suggest the so-bad-it’s-good movie “Santa Claus Conquers the Martians”.

I’ve not read these stories. Did Bradbury make the same mistake of linking them all or is the book simply an anthology?

68

Yeah, it was a little while ago but I remember enjoying them. I think I enjoyed them more as stories in their own right, too. His links tend to be a bit loose - same with The Illustrated Man which tried to do the same thing. I also like to dip in and out of short story books and don’t necessarily read them in order, so any linkage is a bit lost on me!

69

Noted, thanks!

I totally forgot that one! Worth it for the chilling bit at the end, shudder…

70

:neutral_face:

71

Oh, that’s unfortunate. I hoped for unlinked short stories, but maybe I can find their original version.

:neutral_face:

72

The Illustrated Man has a framing device in it´s titular character. Otherwise each story stands completly on it´s own. One story, I think is called Marionettes Inc. or something, is specially chilling.

73

But did Bradbury modify the original short stories in order to link them all in the anthology?

74

I don´t think so. It´s not even like the Locnar in Heavy Metal.

75

Actually, yeah, as @milanfahrnholz says they’re not as tightly linked, I think I was getting mixed up. I clearly need to go back to these books as I’ve forgotten them!

I Sing the Body Electric is a good collection too - they were the first ones I read (I liked ‘Tomorrow’s Child’).

76

I like Donnie Darko and The Butterfly Effect but not to WOWZERS levels. I do like that kind of quirky film though and if you liked those then you’ll also probably like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind… and maybe Vanilla Sky.

Off-topic, but my favourite films are probably Memento and Magnolia. I watched a lot of films around the later '90s and earlier 2000s so it seems like a lot of my fave films come from that period.

77

Movie posters tend to emphasize actors close-ups because actors are expensive and usually a big selling point to viewers. Movies featuring relatively unknown actors do not need to do that.

78

Yeah I liked those too (but not as much).

Also just remembered A Scanner Darkly, though I think I enjoyed the book more.

79

About TV series, I like watching them, but I have no time to do it.
But there is an exception: X-Files.
In the 90’s, I watched every episode of each season, maybe because I was mentally linked to alien stories, having just finished Zak McKracken And The Alien Mindbenders.

I also have appreciated the 6 episodes broadcasted on the first months of this year (Season 11), they were as beautiful as the old ones. And this time, I was thrilled also because TWP was nearly to be released “the 15th of soon” … :smiley:

Mostly (unfortunately) I don’t have too much time to dedicate to TV series.
Reading this thread, I am now aware of what I have lost.
Maybe in 20 years, I will rewatch all of these TV series, when I will be in retirement :older_adult:

80

It’s nice that it coincided both times for you :grinning:

I was disappointed by the reboot (even given the nostalgia factor!) I liked ‘Mulder & Scully Meet the Were-Monster’ but mostly for comedic value. They’re good at comedy but it’s not what I remember them for.

They’re making the next series as we speak, so that will be interesting.