Movies

Harrison Ford was never a science fiction fan before making the first Star Wars movie. Here he is way back in 1977 talking about the movie which he asserts is not a science fiction film at all, but a science fantasy film, which is what many fans still insist is true today: 

It's interesting to hear from one of the movie's principals so close to its original release date and not decades after through the filters of nostalgia.

Fans of Star Wars are looking forward to an impending release of the saga on Blu-Ray. In anticipation of the release, George Lucas recently screened a never-before-seen scene from The Return of the Jedi which was cut from the movie that would have made it a very different film. There's no word whether this scene will included in the new release.

How long before there is a 3-D version of the series as everyone is predicting?

Every blogger and his brother has penned a top 10 list of their favourite science fiction movies, but when a film critic as respected as the New York Times A.O. Scott makes a list, you have to take notice. Here are his picks. It lists many of the usual suspects, but there are  few curveballs in there. Paired with his list is that of IO9's Annalee Newitz. There is some overlap, but not much.

One of the movies that both of them agree on is Fritz Lang's classic Metropolis. Fans of the movie will be able to enjoy the restored version of the film which is due out soon on DVD and Blu-Ray. Metropolis recently closed the Fantasia film festival in Montreal, but what was special about the screening is that it was accomponied by live musicians with a new score.

Back on the subject of movie lists for a moment, IMdb has an interesting list of the highest-rated science fiction movies as voted on by visitors to the site. A movie must have at least 1,000 votes to be listed, but wwhat happens is the newest, hot movies top the list and over time the movies with high ratings start to lose points as more people vote on it. I don't know what this statistical phenomenon is, but I've noticed it at a lot of sites that rely on public input.

Possibly more interesting that the top movies, is their lst of the lowest-rated science fiction films. They look like quite the bunch of stinkers. I wonder if they qualify as the "so-bad-they're good" variety or if the are simply bad.

There may be a paucity of genre movies in theatres these days, but don't despair, there is a new crop coming in the fall and winter. Here's an exhaustive list of what to expect in the months ahead. My hopes are high for Tron: Legacy and the next Narnia movie.

Another movie I would have great hope for if it wasn't just a rumour is the idea of a Quentin Tarantino directed version of the pulp hero The Shadow. I wonder if he dares take on a well-known character like that given the expectations that would surround it.

Another rumour floating around in regards to possible movies is that of a Quantum Leap film. The series certainly had a following during its run on television, but it seems dated today and has sort of dropped off the radar of most fans so I wonder if a movie makes sense.

Whatever we'll be watching next, I wonder how many of these films will be in 3D? Some think that the gimmick has already peaked and movie-goers have become more reluctant to shell out extra for the privilege of watching movies while wearing the special glasses needed to view the 3D effect.

I think I understand now why MGM is going bankrupt. Instead of forging ahead with The Hobbit movie, or even the next James Bond film, they are instead working on an Outer Limits movie.

Sure, it's a recognizable name, but what exactly do you conjure up in your mind when you think of an Outer Limits movie? I imagine it's different for everyone since the show, both the original and the later series, was an anthology show and each week's episode was completey unrelated. I am thinking it will do about as well as The Twilight Zone movie did in the 80s. I don't think I'm alone in my confusion over this decision.

Thankfully, more interesting science fiction films are on the way. Here's a good list of a bunch that are coming down the pike.

Further in the future are some intriguing projects from big-name directors. J.J. Abrams is working on an alternate history film based on the inspired book Boilerplate: History's Mechanical Marvel. If it succeeds will we see a rash of steampunk movies?

The Wachowski brothers are working on a science fiction film set during the Iraq war and into the near future. It's to be called CN9. It certainly sounds original. Maybe Boilerplate will make an appearance.

One film that we won't be seeing is a remake of Robocop. As much as I enjoyed those films, I'm happy to see the franchise put to rest.

Some science fiction films should just never be remade. I don't know if Robocop is among the list of untouchables, but I can't disagree with this list that suggests which sci-fi movies should be off-limits from future "reboots."

If you're wondering about the next Star Trek movie, the only thing you need to know is you're going to have to wait a while. They're still working on a script, but the writers say they are making significant progress. Word is they probably won't start filming until next year so it's going to be a while before you see Star Trek 2 (or is that Star Trek XII?) in theatres. At this point, the official release date is June 29, 2012, but I'm sure that could change.

William Shatner may still be sore that he wasn't in the last film, but he's moved on to another project since and that's a TV series based on the Twitter feed Shit My Dad Says. If you've ever read any of those Tweets, you know that Shatner's the perfect choice for the role. As for a Twitter feed called Shit Shat says, forget about it, he says he's got problems with electronics.

If you can't wait until the new Trek movie and are tired of watching old episodes on DVD, try seeing some Star Trek in person. They've got a Trek gimmick at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex down in Florida, but this review argued that it's not so good.

To wrap things up, here's a link to 14 things you didn't know about Star Trek. Unless you're a true Star Trek fan, then I'm guessing you already know a lot of them already.

When I spotted a link to the science fiction movie Primer from IO9, I was going to urge you stop what you are doing and head over to Google Video to watch it where it had made it freely available for anyone to watch online. The only thing is the video isn't there so maybe it wasn't legit. I'm sure you can find it from other online sources if you do a bit of searching.

It really is worth seeking out. I'm not surprised to find it on this recent list of the 16 most intelligent science fiction movies. I was also pleased to see Gattaca on the top of the list, which I was just mentioning the other day because it appeared on a list of underappreciated sci-fi movies.

If you want to watch other science fiction movies online, you may not be aware that YouTube has a movies channel where you can watch full-length films. The usual categories are represented, including science fiction, although the pickings are slim and you won't find any of the titles on the aforementioned best-of lists.

For even more schlocky online movie watching, here's a long list of 100 science fiction films, arranged by decade. It would take a long time, and a strong constitution, to wade through all of them.

It looks like a critical backlash against the science fiction movies Inception has begun. This article points out how the number of positive reviews for the film seems to be sliding from the early days. It theorizes that the earliest reviews were from those no-good, uncritical "bloggers" who don't know anything about movies when compared to those exalted, mainstream newspaper reviewers.

I'd argue that the latter group will tend to give the film lower marks because they have difficulty grasping original science fiction movies that aren't all about special effects and laser battles. It's a fairly common occurance to see mainstream critics give low marks to genre films that are beloved by fans who can be very demanding when it comes to what qualifies as a good science fiction film.

As this writer points out, a similar situation arouse when Eterntal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind was released. Many loved it, but a goodly percentage didn't understand it and hated it as a result. Inception director Christopher Nolan has already distinguishes himself in the eyes of genre fans with his movie the Dark Knight, but also for his underappreciated The Prestige.

On the subject of underappreciated science fiction movies, here's a top 10 list which is topped by my favourite, Gattaca. When someone revises the list in a decade or so, perhaps Inception will be there.

At least it's helping salvage a mediocre summer movie season.

I am excited by the news that Daniel Radcliffe, the eponymous star of the Harry Potter movies, is set to play in a new horror movie adapted from the novel The Woman in Black. It's not the news that Radcliffe is making a movie that's got me excited, but that it will be the first film from a revived Hammer Films.

While known mostly as a horror studio of schlocky vampire movies during the 50s, 60s and 70s, they also made some science fiction titles, most notably The Quatermass Xperiment.

I am curious to see what sort of success the studio has, although it seems unlikely that they can recreate the spirit of the original studio. It's sort of like those revivals of the science fiction magazine Amazing Stories. Each time they tried, the magazine seemed a little less amazing than the original.

Leonard DiCaprio's first starring-role in a science fiction movie looks like it is a success, despite his self-admited lack of interest in the genre.

It is a dark, sci-fi mystery called Inception that is set to open tomorrow, but is already wowing the critics.

Some are calling the movie a masterpiece and there is even talk that DiCaprio's performance in the movie is Oscar worthy.

In honour of the movie's arrival, Rotten Tomatoes has compiled a list of equally impressive sci-fi film noir that are worth seeing if you haven't already.

If you are interested in marketing a hand-held laser, don't make it look too much like a Star Wars light saber or George Lucas will be after you. That's what's happened to one company which unveiled such a device. Don't even think of creating a faster-than-light spaceship, or he's going to get his lawyers on you as well.

Keeping on the subject of Star Wars for a moment, you are probably familiar with the famous movie poster for it. What you might not know is that it was created by the famous Hildebrandt brothers. They tell the story behind the iconic image in this interesting, but brief, article.

One last Star Wars link to dump on you before I go. This one is a highly amusing video of ewok karaoke. It sounds like a fun activity to do at your next party, but be sure that everyone is liquoured up first. Hilarity is guaranteed.