OK, best moving image Scifi/fantasy - no repeats any number you want.

[Thalassamania]

And this is how the message ran

The Day the Earth Stood Still
Flash Gordon
The Invisible Man
King Kong
It Came From Outer Space
Dr. X
Forbidden Planet
Day of the Triffids
Night of the Demon
When Worlds Collide

[C Chris]

Unknown World
Fire Maidens from Outer Space
The Thing from another world
Earth versus the Flying Saucers
The Incredible Petrified World
Island of Terror
Cat-Women of the Moon :rofl3:

[TSandM]

Gattica was wonderful. So was Twelve Monkeys. And who could leave out The Terminator?

Dune was only good if you knew the book inside and out.

The third Star Trek movie (the whale one) was great for Trekkies.

[Wayward Son]

Star Trek IV was the whales.

Alien & Aliens - I liked the 2nd better.

Even numbered Star Trek movies generally don't suck. 5 was so bad that the working title for 6 was "The Apology".

[Vie]

Solaris (Tarkovsky).

Akira.

Brazil.

Clockwork Orange.

Plan 9 from Outer Space.

The Matrix.

I really loved Tron as a child.

[fairybasslet]

I love the Terminator movies.

For TV, I love Stargate SG1 and Atlantis.

[wardric]

LOTR trilogy

no one mentioned it yet :D

[suthnbelle]

I thought Naked Lunch was quite fascinating. Weird but fascinating.

Oh, and has anyone said Blade Runner. That's a great movie.

[wardric]

Conan the Barbarian is a favorite of mine

Can we add Moby Dick too?

I liked the first Predator too

others:

Hercules Goes Bananas
the running Man (book is better though)

[Teamcasa]

Dave: Open the pod bay doors HAL.

Dave
DDHF

[suthnbelle]

Dave: Open the pod bay doors HAL.

Dave
DDHF

Classic movie. I call my computer HAL. Except it hasn't gone psycho yet.

[Teamcasa]

Classic movie. I call my computer HAL. Except it hasn't gone psycho yet.

Are you sure? ;)


Dave

[D_B]

Dang .. can't add a thing to the lists already posted .. I sure love Forbidden Planet though

SuthnBelle ... My PC says this when started ... operatio.wav __ "I'm completely operational and all my circuits are functioning perfectly."

from here ... http://www.palantir.net/2001/sounds.html

[Rick Inman]

Twlight Zone (TV)

Firefly (TV)

Boy and His Dog (Movie written by Harlen Ellison. Anyone else ever seen this one?).

Origional Planet of the Apes.

Worst SF movie: Robinson Caruso on Mars.

[TSandM]

No, I didn't know Harlan's novelette was made into a movie. The story was macabre enough!

[Kim]

Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.
I, Robot
Minority Report
Eragorn

[lamont]

Jason X
Alien vs. Predator
Event Horizon

oh wait, best...

Empire Strikes Back... I guess ANH as well...

I liked Star Trek II, III, IV and VI... Khan is still best though...

The new BSG miniseries/series...

And selected bits of ST and ST:TNG TV series...

[Rick Inman]

No, I didn't know Harlan's novelette was made into a movie. The story was macabre enough!
And the movie is surprisingly true to the story. It stars (believe it or not) a young Don Johnson. Co-starts Jason Robarbs. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072730/

[Walter]

A Boy and His Dog was made in the mid 70s. I enjoyed it, but not nearly as much as the novelette.

I'm shocked no one has mentioned Creature From the Black Lagoon. While it was a terrible movie, I enjoyed it anyway.

[Rick Inman]

I'm shocked no one has mentioned Creature From the Black Lagoon. While it was a terrible movie, I enjoyed it anyway.
Oh, yeah! One of my favorites! It had everything an adolescent could want - beautiful swimsuit clad maidens in screaming peril, a hideous monster, and scuba diving heroes!

[Divin'Hoosier]

I'm shocked no one has mentioned Creature From the Black Lagoon. While it was a terrible movie, I enjoyed it anyway.

Bite your tongue! :D

[Walter]

I loved it when one of the guys is getting ready to make a dive, he reaches over and picks up a full bottle with reg attached by the reg as if it was made of balsa - oh, it was made of balsa.

[Green_Manelishi]

Twlight Zone (TV)

Firefly (TV)

Boy and His Dog (Movie written by Harlen Ellison. Anyone else ever seen this one?).

Origional Planet of the Apes.

Worst SF movie: Robinson Caruso on Mars.

Don Johnson. Yes.

[Warthaug]

Most of my favorites have been covered already. That said (hopefully no repeats):

1) SciFi's Dune & Children of Dune mini-series. I don't know how much sence they made to non-dune fans, but I enjoyed them greatly. Much better then the 1980's Dune (which was also good).

2) The one-season TV series "Space: Above & Beyond". Gritty vision on the future, had some pretty good stories.

3) Origonal Star Wars movies.

4) Space 2001

5) GATTACA. I'm a biologist by profession, and I must admit it was fun to see a vision of the future largely based on the advances in my field.

If I had to promote a couple for "worst sci-fi/fanatasy":

1) Space Truckers. Pure, unadulterated crap.

2) Lost in Space ("starring" Joey of friends fame). I'm too young to be familier with the old TV series, but I assume it was better then the movie. It would have to be - an hour of a blank screen would have been better then this POS.

3) The new star wars movies. A perfect lession on how to destroy a cultural phenomina.

[Walter]

2) Lost in Space ("starring" Joey of friends fame). I'm too young to be familier with the old TV series, but I assume it was better then the movie. It would have to be - an hour of a blank screen would have been better then this POS.

You shouldn't be assuming.

[Wayward Son]

The current Battlestar Gallactica is turning out to be quite good.

The Star Trek series varied a lot. I liked some of each version, some not so great. DS9 was really good during the Dominion Wars era.

Stargate SG1 was great for quite a while. Since the shakeup when Browder & Black came in, it hasn't been as good & is blessedly being killed off now. SG Atlantis may still have some life left in it.

Firefly was damn good but too short.

[wardric]

3) The new star wars movies. A perfect lession on how to destroy a cultural phenomina.

right on!

The new Star Wars also holds the record for worst character in a sci-fi movie. Can you tell which?

[CUunderH2O]

Dark City

(I liked Blade Runner too, the first Matrix movie, some of the Star Wars movies and LOTR)

[justleesa]

Dr. Who series

Bicentenial Man

I, Robot

[lamont]

How about:

The Thing
Escape from NY
Terminator 1 / Terminator 2
Predator
The Abyss

[Teamcasa]

How about:

The Abyss

Good one! I wonder If we can get one of those wrist communicators?

Dave

[Brandon]

Dune was only good if you knew the book inside and out.

The newish SciFi Channel Dune and Children of Dune miniseries directed by William Hurt fix thix problem. It's worth watching if you're a fan of the story. Characters and special effects are 10x better, and the story is much more focused and makes sense.

The 1984 version didn't do it for me - Sting as Fayd just kept cracking me up, and you're absoutley right that you really had to have read the books for it to make sense.

Dune is by far my favorite sci-fi series. I haven't gotten into Battlestar Galactica yet, but that might come close. We'll see.

-B.

[WarmWaterDiver]

All good posts thus far here

Rick, I really thought the A Boy & His Dog Don Johnson movie had it all over Creature from the Black Lagoon for stuff I wanted at the time . . . the dark humor was good too ("Farm him out!")

Some of my favorites of all time, particularly for moving images:

Top two

Heavy Metal (the 1981 release - fantastic soundtrack, great art, great writing, and voices like John Candy and Harold Ramis in the mix) Some stories better than others

The Road Warrior (beats Mad Max and Beyond Thunderdome hands down IMO)

Others in the general genre not yet mentioned

Darkman (for visuals, the scene with him beside the gargoyle was probably the best in the flick)

From Beyond (best Lovecraftian themed flick I've seen)

My favorite Midnight Movie was Eraserhead

Lost interest in the Sci-Fi channel when Lexx stopped, haven't had something else in a series in this genre catch my attention in a similar manner since (the episode with Rutger Hauer - hilarious!)

[Thalassamania]

R O C K Y
H O R R O R
P I C T U R E
S H O W

[Rick Inman]

R O C K Y
H O R R O R
P I C T U R E
S H O W
Oh, you one of those... (should have guessed). ;)

[Thalassamania]

Didn’t you catch the list at the opening of the thread?

Michael Rennie was ill
The Day the Earth Stood Still
But he told us where we stand
And Flash Gordon was there
In silver underwear
Claude Rains was The Invisible Man
Then something went wrong
For Fay Wray and King Kong
They got caught in a celluloid jam
Then at a deadly pace
It Came From Outer Space
And this is how the message ran...
Science fiction (ooh ooh ooh) double feature
Doctor X (ooh ooh ooh) will build a creature
See androids fighting (ooh ooh ooh) Brad and Janet
Anne Francis stars in (ooh ooh ooh) Forbidden Planet
Wo oh oh oh oh oh
At the late night, double feature, picture show
I knew Leo G. Carroll
Was over a barrel
When Tarantula took to the hills
And I really got hot
When I saw Janette Scott
Fight a Triffid that spits poison and kills
Dana Andrews said prunes
Gave him the runes
And passing them used lots of skills
But When Worlds Collide
Said George Pal to his bride
I'm gonna give you some terrible thrills
Like a...
Science fiction (ooh ooh ooh) double feature
Doctor X (ooh ooh ooh) will build a creature
See androids fighting (ooh ooh ooh) Brad and Janet
Anne Francis stars in (ooh ooh ooh) Forbidden Planet
Wo oh oh oh oh oh
At the late night, double feature, picture show
I wanna go - Oh oh oh oh
To the late night, double feature, picture show
By R.K.O. - Wo oh oh oh
To the late night, double feature, picture show
In the back row - Oh oh oh oh
To the late night, double feature, picture show

[WarmWaterDiver]

The second time I saw Rocky Horror, I was stone sober, and that ruined it for me going forward.

How could I have forgotten Wizards? Should have put that in my prior post. Necron 99 was my user ID on the mainframe back in the day (Green Manilishi can probably relate)

Johnny Mnemonic - the only William Gibson story made into a movie that I'm aware of.

Starship Troopers - the movie was OK to me as a blend of the original book and Joe Haldeman's The Forever War - kind of like fusion cuisine

Personal Choice among the Worst - I can't remember the name of it, but there were these subaquatic **** zombies who wore goggles

[lamont]

The Road Warrior (beats Mad Max and Beyond Thunderdome hands down IMO)


good call.

anyone else play car wars in high school?

[Thalassamania]

good call.

anyone else play car wars in high school?Steve Jackson Games?

[Divin'Hoosier]

R O C K Y

H O R R O R
P I C T U R E

S H O W

Oh yea! There was a theater in Indianapolis near my high school that ran RHPS frequently on Fri nights at Midnight. I (fondly!) recall trips to the midnight movies with toast, newspaper, spray bottles ... what else ... I can't remember. Cooked spaghetti maybe? It was 25 years ago! :11: We knew all of the audience participation elements. What a time!

There were so many movies that I saw for the first time at Midnight on Fridays. A Clockwork Orange, Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, Attack of the Killer Tomatos, Fritz the Cat .....

Wow ... what a rush!

[Thalassamania]

Toast, squirtgun, lighter, sliced lunch meat, umbrella, rice, newspaper, party hat, noisemaker, rubber gloves, toilet paper, toast, hot dogs, playing cards.

[Divin'Hoosier]

Toast, squirtgun, lighter, sliced lunch meat, umbrella, rice, newspaper, party hat, noisemaker, rubber gloves, toilet paper, toast, hot dogs, playing cards.

Outstanding! Thank you for filling in my memory. Not sure where I got the pasta from. Must have mixed it up with the rice.

[Thalassamania]

I'm just glad I did not have to clean up after the show.:D

[Warthaug]

How about:

The Abyss

Shoot, forgot about that one - one of my all-time faves. Have you seen the "directors cut"? Very, very interesting - puts a whole new twist on the goals and motivations of the UTI's. One of those cases where the "executive produces" weakened a movie due to time constraints.

The "making of" is also bloody amazing. Normally I don't watch those features, but the crap they went through to make that movie was sureal! Plus lots of diving - always a plus.

Bryan

[lamont]

Shoot, forgot about that one - one of my all-time faves. Have you seen the "directors cut"? Very, very interesting - puts a whole new twist on the goals and motivations of the UTI's. One of those cases where the "executive produces" weakened a movie due to time constraints.


yup, i actually saw the director's cut first. i saw the cut-down version later and it really does make it a lesser movie...

[WarmWaterDiver]

Steve Jackson Games?

I was fortunate enough to visit with Steve Jackson on multiple occasions in Austin & San Marcos in the late 80's and throughout the 90's. Car Wars came out in my early post-high school years, definitely a hit, but Ogre & GEV had been around a while. When Chessex opened a warehouse in Austin, I was part owner of a game & hobby business (knew better than to quit my day job), and we'd meet there when Chessex had dealer-only events to see the new stuff before public release. He had a whole market segment practically to himself with pocket / micro games.

Outside Ogre / GEV, Illuminati was more my cup of tea. New World Order came out and it's never been the same since though.

Did get to drive 230 kph on the autobahn last month - new personal record for me. Will definitely have to return some time and rent a once-in-a-lifetime (maybe more than once - who knows) supercar for a week or so as a leisure trip spliced to a business trip, when the wife can accompany me.

Back to the flicks -

Jason Robards was also in "A Boy and his Dog". Image came to mind when I thought more on who said "Farm him out!".

Another crappy one but had some visual appeal - "The Perils of Gwendoline". Tres French. The topless draft women yoked to pull wheeled carts about:rofl3: Us single males were living bobbleheads in the theatre during those scenes.

Googled up the name of the subaquatic **** zombie flick - "Shock Waves" John Carradine & Peter Cushing - it all pays - work is work!

"Ator" - what a Eurowaste.

Good one - "Dark Star" - "It's your turn to feed the alien!"

[WarmWaterDiver]

No, it was the third time I saw Rocky Horror I was sober. The second time is a dim blur . . . Meat Loaf - no one else quite like him.

Another good one - Monty Python's "The Life of Brian" (there was a UFO scene - "You jammy *******!"):D

Add "Circuitry Man" to the more interesting ones.

John Carpenter's "Prince of Darkness"

"The Lathe of Heaven" - I thought the entire concept of 'subjective dreaming' was fascinating, especially for someone with sleep issues. Book was better though.

[shakeybrainsurgeon]

2001, of course

No one has mentioned George Lucas's first film THX 1138 (I think, I may have the number wrong). It was a student project I believe, but it starred Robert Duvall and Donald Pleasance in a very weird, disturbing view of the future. Good science fiction flick, though....

Klatu Borata Nickto
Live Long and Prosper
Take a stress pill, Dave
Phone Home
I'll be Back
If it bleeds, we can kill it
May the Force be with you
Submit for your approval
we have taken control of your television set
danger, will robinson...oh the pain

I am also partial to the Jules Verne flicks of the 60s (Journey to the Center of the Earth, First Men on the Moon, etc) call me old fashioned

[lamont]

"The Lathe of Heaven" - I thought the entire concept of 'subjective dreaming' was fascinating, especially for someone with sleep issues. Book was better though.

I really liked the book, I forgot it got made into a movie, I'm going to have to netflix that one...

[WarmWaterDiver]

I really liked the book, I forgot it got made into a movie, I'm going to have to netflix that one...

I'd read the book several years before I saw the movie. First saw it on PBS IIRC. Last remember watching it from tape from a friend's collection in 1986.

Evidently there's a 2002 version from A&E as well as the 1980 version - I've never seen the 2002 version - I may need to netflix that one myself. The SFX in the 1980 version will seem pale by today's standards - fair warning.

(Bruce Davison (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001117/), who played George Orr in the 1980 teleplay, acted as executive producer on the 2002 remake.)

Dr. Haber (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0176723/): You know what they say, neurotics build castles in the sky, psychotics live in them.
Heather (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001923/): Psychiatrists collect the rent.

[under water]

Great list so far.. not sure if these are mentioned.

Soylent Green.. Can't forget the 'dying' scenes.
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
The Blob.
Invaders from Mars.
THX 1130
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Island of Dr Moreau (one version filmed in St Croix at the current site of the Carambola Resort (http://images.google.com/images?um=1&tab=wi&hl=en&q=carambola+resort))

[Wayward Son]

Soylent Green is PEOPLE!!!

[WarmWaterDiver]

Good catch on Soylent Green. Great avatar BTW (the great fin debate)!

"Village of the Damned" - both the black & white original and the John Carpenter color remake with Christopher Reeve - written by John Wyndham (I saw Day of the Triffids mentioned earlier in the thread)

"The Andromeda Strain"

"The Omega Man" - Spending days sharpening dowel rods to use as stakes, nights drowning out atom age vampires with classical music and fully automatic weapons

[Thalassamania]

If we have to drag Charlton Heston into it, Omega Man.

[WarmWaterDiver]

He'd already been drug into the thread when someone mentioned a movie about some damn dirty apes earlier.

Book was better - as usual, read before I saw the movie, a castoff paperback from my older brother. Richard Matheson cranks out good stuff.


Edit - rerranged to make more sense - also, check this out

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0480249/

[WarmWaterDiver]

Just plain "What were you thinking?" category

Maximum Overdrive

[WarmWaterDiver]

No one's listed "War of the Worlds" yet. I liked both the original and the recent remake.

"On the Beach" - original 1959 and 2000 remake - for when you need a dose of extreme nihilism! I thought the remake emphasized this even more than the original, personally.

Crummy / cheezy - "Damnation Alley" - original story was OK

Good thread Thalassamania!

[wcl]

Y'all have hit most of my favorites already (someone snatched Dark Star from me!).

Here's an obscure little fun one:

"Overdrawn at the Memory Bank" http://imdb.com/title/tt0089759/ ... TV movie with Raul Julia.

-- Walter

[WarmWaterDiver]

I'd forgotten that one was based on a story written by John Varley! I worked at a petrochem lab with one of his cousins for a short stint in the 80's, he was the one who first mentioned the movie to me.

[Thalassamania]

I'd forgotten that one was based on a story written by John Varley! I worked at a petrochem lab with one of his cousins for a short stint in the 80's, he was the one who first mentioned the movie to me.Millennium?

[shakeybrainsurgeon]

Y'all have hit most of my favorites already (someone snatched Dark Star from me!).

Here's an obscure little fun one:

"Overdrawn at the Memory Bank" http://imdb.com/title/tt0089759/ ... TV movie with Raul Julia.

-- Walter

THe Raul Julia flick is better known as one that was lampooned by MysteryScience Theater 3000... Any other "mysties" out there???

[Walter]

I recently watched Soylent Green with my 20 year old daughter. Her comment was, "This is too sixties for me."

[under water]

I recently watched Soylent Green with my 20 year old daughter. Her comment was, "This is too sixties for me."
Walter, I can definitely see her point.
Pretty much anything with Charlton Heston is too sixties! ..
even though it was 1973 :)
I think 1973 officially falls into the 'sixties'.. I can't remember either.

[fairybasslet]

Walter, I can definitely see her point.
Pretty much anything with Charlton Heston is too sixties! ..
even though it was 1973 :)
I think 1973 officially falls into the 'sixties'.. I can't remember either.
I think anything before the end of the draft and Vietnam counts as the 60's. :rofl3:

[Walter]

1973 does not count as part of the 60s, but Soylent Green does have a sixties look and feel to it.

[fairybasslet]

60's is a state of mind. Not a date.

[Walter]

It's a time period, 1/1/60 - 12/31/69.

[under water]

:hippy: It's a time period, 1/1/60 - 12/31/69.
Yes and No.
Wikipedia says ..
"The 1960s decade (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_decades) refers to the years from January 1 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_1), 1960 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1960) to December 31 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/December_31), 1969 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1969), inclusive. The Sixties has also come to refer to the complex of inter-related cultural and political events which occurred in approximately that period, in Western countries, ... The term is used both nostalgically by those who participated in those events, and pejoratively by those who regard the time as a period whose harmful effects are still being felt today. "
This is basically how I would define it too. When your daughter said sixties, she may have meant the latter.

When I think of Charlton Heston (and I try not to), I think 60's.

[fairybasslet]

It's a time period, 1/1/60 - 12/31/69.
Walter, you are soooo anal. :rofl3:

[Walter]

Oral, Darlin', oral.

[Thalassamania]

I’d say that the Sixties started on 25 July 1965, when Dylan went electric at the Newport Folk Festival. I'm not sure when it ended, I say one of these three:

Richard Nixon's resignation on 8 August 1974,
the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975, or
the release of Van McCoy's "The Hustle" on 26 June 1975.

[fairybasslet]

Oral, Darlin', oral.
Oooohhh. Can't wait until 7/13!!

[CUunderH2O]

Here's a cheesy sci-fi film from 1976: Logan’s Run.

[under water]

I’d say that the Sixties started on 25 July 1965, when Dylan went electric at the Newport Folk Festival. I'm not sure when it ended, I say one of these three:

Richard Nixon's resignation on 8 August 1974,
the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975, or
the release of Van McCoy's "The Hustle" on 26 June 1975.
Agree on the ending, Disco definitely ended the 'sixties', but the Beatles sure were the sixties too, and that was 1962. Way before Dylan decided to go electric. But the Peter Max, flower children 60's didn't really start until '65 and really hit big in '67.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/6/67/Pepper%27s.jpg/200px-Pepper%27s.jpg


I miss the sixties.. Heck, I missed them then too :)
:hippy:

[Wayward Son]

Here's a cheesy sci-fi film from 1976: Logan’s Run.

That was, like so many, a good story that didn't do so well as a movie. Might be done much better now & I've heard that there may be a remake using current technologies to try & make it a good movie.

[CUunderH2O]

That was, like so many, a good story that didn't do so well as a movie. Might be done much better now & I've heard that there may be a remake using current technologies to try & make it a good movie.

I liked the story, but yeah, it would be great to see a GOOD remake. IMDB lists the remake as having been shelved by WB.

[WarmWaterDiver]

Millennium?

No, SGS Control Services. Last I knew, he was working for Trifinery (now Trigeant) back about 1988.

[Wayward Son]

There are things I'd like to see made into a movie, except that I'm afraid it'd be impossible to do it well. Rendezvous With Rama, for example. Not bc of the effects, I think current technology could handle that credibly. But bc I don't know how you could properly tell the story in a 2 hr movie.

Dune comes to mind. Great story. Putting it on the big screen didn't work so well. Effects can be handled but how do you deliver a complex story in a time frame that doesn't numb your azz into oblivion & bore you?

[WarmWaterDiver]

Agree on Logan's Run. Loved the way they hyped Farrah Fawcett as one of the *stars* in the Farrahmania of the period; what did she have, maybe 2, or 3 max minutes in the footage?

Judge Dredd - not bad, but toned too much for mass market appeal from the comics.

Strange Brew - good flick (Fleshy headed mutant! The Statue of Liberty! Mind control hockey!) Hosehead should have been adopted at Charles Xavier's school - then could face off with Lockjaw if The Inhumans ever came calling.

Crummy - "Metalstorm - the Destruction of Jared-Syn (in 3D!)"

Also crummy but notable - "Spacehunter - Adventures in the Forbidden Zone (in 3D!)" Notable as first flick I remember seeing Molly Ringwald in, as well as screen time for Michael Ironside after "V" (the series) and "Scanners".

"Night of the Comet" - best upbeat post-apocalyptic movie I've seen!

"Chopping Mall" - one of the worst, had a common cast member with "Night of the Comet"

[WarmWaterDiver]

Wish lists for genre movies are a whole 'nother list. One of the top ones of mine on such a list is "The Watchmen" - with today's SFX prior obstacles for portraying charachters like Dr. Manhattan are gone. Sadly, so is the cold-war-era-folks mass market audience (we're now a niche market audience), I doubt it could be a profitable movie to make today.

Another cheezy one that could use a good remake - "Doc Savage" (originally with Ron Ely)

[shakeybrainsurgeon]

There are things I'd like to see made into a movie, except that I'm afraid it'd be impossible to do it well. Rendezvous With Rama, for example. Not bc of the effects, I think current technology could handle that credibly. But bc I don't know how you could properly tell the story in a 2 hr movie.

Dune comes to mind. Great story. Putting it on the big screen didn't work so well. Effects can be handled but how do you deliver a complex story in a time frame that doesn't numb your azz into oblivion & bore you?


They managed it with Lord of the Rings, which I thought would be impossible --- it takes more than 2 hours, perhaps more than one movie

[WarmWaterDiver]

Another good one from the animated set - "Fire and Ice"

[Walter]

Wikipedia says

If you start with that, I don't need to know any more. Wikipedia is not a legitimate source for anything. What they say may or may not be correct. The only way to know is to compare what they say to a legitimate resource.

[shakeybrainsurgeon]

If you start with that, I don't need to know any more. Wikipedia is not a legitimate source for anything. What they say may or may not be correct. The only way to know is to compare what they say to a legitimate resource.

I believe there was a legitimate source recently (either Science or Nature magazine) that published an analysis showing that Wikipedia contained fewer errors than Encyclopedia Britannica Online. One can say that there is no ONE legitimate source for anything, it seems...

[Wayward Son]

The problem with Wik is that anyone can make entries. That being the case I have a hard time trusting anything that comes from it, since I have no idea who put it there nor how accurate it is.

[shakeybrainsurgeon]

I double checked --- it was Nature, and the analysis showed that Britannica had slightly fewer errors, but not significantly so, i.e., Wikipedia and Britannica were, within statistical error, the same in terms of accuracy. Apparently, authors chose a large swath of random articles and assigned them to a panel of experts for tabulation of errors. Both Wikipedia and Britannica did well, with relatively few errors. However, neither was 100% accurate, again making the point that no single source can be trusted completely. Nor discounted entirely.

[shakeybrainsurgeon]

The problem with Wik is that anyone can make entries. That being the case I have a hard time trusting anything that comes from it, since I have no idea who put it there nor how accurate it is.

When we read a magazine article, or an encyclopedia entry, do we know who wrote it, or what their credentials are? We "trust" that the editors of those organizations only use qualified experts, but do we know for sure who they are?

From first hand knowledge, I can tell you that many articles and book chapters in scholarly works bearing prominent 'experts' as authors were, in fact, ghost written by medical students or trainees with little oversight. The expert gets the request and foists it on a flunky to do (and I'm talking chapters in famous textbooks). Of course, the expert stll gets the credit on his or her CV!

To be accurate, or trustworthy, facts must be corroborated by multiple sources. No single source can be trusted.

[Wayward Son]

No, I don't completely trust any of them. I don't really trust most people, period. But with Wik, it's even more so. There is no effort at screening that I'm aware of. Anyone, anywhere in the world, can put what ever they want in it. All it takes is access to the net.

[under water]

No, I don't completely trust any of them. I don't really trust most people, period. But with Wik, it's even more so. There is no effort at screening that I'm aware of. Anyone, anywhere in the world, can put what ever they want in it. All it takes is access to the net.
That is exactly the point .. Everyone can correct it. usually, only people with knowledge however, bother to correct it., Colbert aside. The wiki model is still in it's infancy, but it looks to be a model that will accerate a lot of processes towards starndardization and knowledge sharing.
I agree that some thing demand rigo(u)r that wikis do not have, however, who really is the authority on how the term 'sixties' is interpreted other than all of us. Wikipedia would be as good a reflection of that as any, because it distills opinion in a way that doesn't get into the silly arguments we have here. (OK it does sometimes.)
If Walter would ask his daughter what she meant we can at least answer that question and from someone who wasn't there.
Did she mean "something done between 01/01/60 and 12/31/69" or "something that was from that general era".

Did anyone mention "The Time Machine" yet. That really affected me when I saw it 'back in the sixties' :)

[Walter]

That is exactly the point .. Everyone can correct it.
Anyone can also screw it up.

[evad]

And this is how the message ran

The Day the Earth Stood Still
Flash Gordon
The Invisible Man
King Kong
It Came From Outer Space
Dr. X
Forbidden Planet
Day of the Triffids
Night of the Demon
When Worlds Collide

















Mulberry Street.

[D_B]

I havn't seen anyone mention the Mole People ...
1956
Directed by Virgil W. Vogel
Starring:
John Agar
Cynthia Patrick
Hugh Beaumont

Ok .. maybe with good reason ;) It's pretty cheesy , but It gave me some pretty good nightmares :)

[WarmWaterDiver]

HAH! Good one! I had a friend who slept with a flashlight ready at hand after seeing "The Mole People" since he knew if they tunnelled up in his room, he could shine it in their faces! We weren't even 10 years old then!

If we're brining in "The Mole People", how about "The Green Slime"? That affected me more at a young age. Then in my high school & college years had a friend whose dad was one of the cast! His big line was "Here are the papers, sir." - they used guys in our armed forces as extras while filming there in Japan, and his family was stationed there at the time!

[D_B]

Wish I wasn't too young to have thought of the flashlight thing ... would have saved me a lot of anguish .. I still find myself a little bit afraid of the dark to this very day, lol

[WarmWaterDiver]

OK, how about "Big Trouble in Little China"? One of the tops in the fantasy genre in my book. (It's all in the reflexes)

Weird Bruce Dern movies - "World Gone Wild"

Weird Rutger Hauer movies - "Juggers"

Good for its time - "The Last Starfighter"

Pathetic - "Nightflyers"

I know, I'm kinda off on a Catherine Mary Stewart tangent after remembering "Night of the Comet". I'd forgotten she was in "The Apple" - in fact, I'd pretty much forgotten "The Apple". My friends who were really into theatre arts were really buzzed about that when it came out.

[WarmWaterDiver]

Oh, now here's a horrific one - "Alien from L.A." - I took a date to the theatre for that one - never got a second date - gee - wonder why?

How about "Starship Invasions" - junk, the cast couldn't save it.

Oh no, what about "Killer Clowns from Outer Space" - better than "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes", but only marginally

[WarmWaterDiver]

Really good one - "The Puppet Masters"

[Wayward Son]

Really good one - "The Puppet Masters"

They made some rather strong changes from the book though.

[Wayward Son]

Speaking of Heinlein, there was the old movie George Pal did. The screenplay was roughly adapted from Rocketship Galileo.

Destination Moon.

[WarmWaterDiver]

I didn't think the changes from the book detracted from the movie for Puppet Masters - much like Starship Troopers, it was well done IMO.

Another good one - "Videodrome" 'My name is Brian Oblivion, and I only appear on video'.

[Thalassamania]

"Max Headroom" anyone?

[WarmWaterDiver]

Now there's a good one! Used to see the reruns sometimes, but it's been a long time now since I last saw any episodes broadcast.

[Walter]

I didn't think the changes from the book detracted from the movie for Puppet Masters - much like Starship Troopers, it was well done IMO.

Please tell me you don't really think Starship Troopers was well done. It was a fabulous book, but only a poor to so-so movie. If not for the nude scenes, it wouldn't have any redeeming qualities.

[Wayward Son]

I just have a hard time when someone tries to "improve" on Heinlein.

[lamont]

I read Starship Troopers 30+ times between the ages of 10 and 20.

As I got older I came to understand the limits of Mr. Heinlein's philosophies. I loved the movie because so much of it was an over-the-top tongue-in-cheek sendup of everything the book stood for.

[D_B]

Anyone remember the cartoon based on that? ... I liked it

Roughnecks: Starship Trooper Chronicles ... http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/syltguides/fullview/2KQVN5ZD3J7TB/ref=cm_aya_av.sylt_sylt/102-1360687-7943310

[Walter]

As I got older I came to understand the limits of Mr. Heinlein's philosophies.

Perhaps it was the limit of your understanding.

[Wayward Son]

All philosophies have limitations. RAH changed over the course of his life, as do we all.

[lamont]

Perhaps it was the limit of your understanding.

you seem to take heinlein way too seriously...

[Warthaug]

Anyone can also screw it up.
So I'm jumping into this wiki thing a little late, but how its been described isn't exactly how it works. When changes are proposed to a wiki article it is (usually) debated by multiple people who have an interest in that article. It is somewhat rare for grossly inaccurate information to make it into public view due to this - and in the rare event it does make it into public view, this system rapidly weeds a lot out.

If a subject is controversial (i.e. there is a lot of "weeding" and arguing going on) the article gets flagged as such, making it easy to determine where/what types of conflicts there are. compare that to an encyclopedia - where at best you'll get a mention of "both sides".

From the point of a working scientist, one thing really impresses me about wikipedia - one trait which IMO makes wiki better then most encyclopedias out there - wikipedias use of citations. Most encyclopedias don't tell you where they got their info from, so for all you know the author of that article made an error - or even made things up. With citations you have direct links (or other references) to the materials used to build the article. Makes it a lot easier to follow up on the article, as well as makes it easy for you to check up on dubious facts.

A while ago I was considering adding to wikiepedia in my areas of expertise - immunology, HIV/AIDS, inflammation, chemotaxis and evolution of the immune system. After reading wiki's articles on those subjects I decided not to bother - the quality of the articles, as they already existed, was at or above anything I could have added.

Bryan

[WarmWaterDiver]

you seem to take heinlein way too seriously...

Been traveling again, back home now.

Agreed - this is science fiction, and there is no one-size-pleases-all. So, differences of opinion exist. I think that's what the thread started out for, so folks could post their tastes (what they like), rather than disparage others for their tastes. Fusion cuisine is not for everyone, some purists may even denounce it.

My wife commented on some of the recent US Army advertisements on TV promoting the citizen soldier aspect, and made her think of the movie under discussion, and she's more of a patient date for SF movies than a SF fan, so it appears it reached its broader audience. However, having Sly Stallone as Judge Dredd IMO was a bigger sacrifice for mass market economics that the Starship Troopers movie being what it is. So, maybe the whole exercise of turining a profit worked for Starship Troopers.

The movie wish list I have would include "Number of the Beast", if we can restart the thread on its tracks. No SFX hurdles there with today's tech I see. And, it would have numerous nude scenes as I recall the book . . . so maybe everyone could be happy!

[Wayward Son]

I agree, but think Number of the Beast would be better handled as a mini series. It's a fairly long story to tell in a movie length time frame.

[WarmWaterDiver]

You could edit out the fluff between the nude scenes for purists I suppose.

The mini-series would probably suffer on including the nude scenes, unless done for one of the pay-extra-for-channels.

[Walter]

Number of the Beast was by far his worst work.

[WarmWaterDiver]

In terms of sales revenue? What was his best by that metric? Any idea?

[Walter]

In terms of quality. I don't know which book sold the most, but probably Stranger.

[WarmWaterDiver]

Henry Rollins could probably do a good job as Judge Dredd.

I enjoyed Zardoz, for its time period (FX) it was good IMO.

Cast a deadly Spell - most humorous Lovecraft themed movie I've seen.

[WarmWaterDiver]

In terms of quality. I don't know which book sold the most, but probably Stranger.

Revenue could be the objective metric for quality. I think that was how the author made his living.