MetaFilter posts tagged with scifi and movies

Avatar is actually pretty good

philip-random — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 00:51:58 -0800

The most expensive movie ever made, is getting its first reviews ... and so far the thumbs are mostly up. Roger Ebert: "There is still at least one man in Hollywood who knows how to spend $250 million, or was it $300 million, wisely.". Previously.

Famous Monsters of Filmland

brundlefly — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 17:22:24 -0800

Famous Monsters of Filmland, the legendary genre magazine edited by the late Forrest J Ackerman (previously), will be resurrected by comic publisher IDW.

More than 50 years of the big red blobby thing

filthy light thief — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 09:46:20 -0800

What's 51 years old and made of silicone with red food dye? The Blob, best known for it's work in The Blob, an independent film released in 1958, with Steve McQueen's second movie role (following Never Love a Stranger, which was released earlier that same year). The movie has been considered the definitive '50s film about a town that won't listen to the kids until it's too late (as noted in a review for the Criterion laserdisc release), with a super-catchy theme song (extended single version and b-side Saturday Night in Tiajuana) that was Burt Bacharach's third US hit song. (See more: theatrical trailer, full film on Veoh, full film as YouTube playlist) Times change, and so do monsters, and things got a bit wacky in the 1970s, with Beware! The Blob (aka Son of Blob; wiki, trailer, full film). The sequel played more to the slapstick comedy than the sci-fi/horror spectrum of things. Thirty years after the original, The Blob was remade in 1988 (wiki, trailer, full film), and is supposedly being re-created by Rob Zombie, though his statement about reviving The Blob without "the big red blobby thing" has people asking, then why remake The Blob? (previous blobby goodness) The Blob was not intended to be about Communism, according to the film's producer, Jack Harris, when he was interviewed at BlobFest VIII in 2007. BlobFest started as a fundraiser in 1999 to restore The Colonial Theater, a prominent feature of the original film. Since the first fundraiser, the event has become an annual celebration of All Things The Blob, including a scream competition, run-out re-enactment, Shorty Film Contest, and more. For gobs more on (classic version of) The Blob, see TheBlobSite.

In praise of the sci-fi corridor

empath — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 17:01:28 -0800

In praise of the sci-fi corridor -- a geeky look at that staple of sci-fi movie sets - the corridor.

Cat food.

crossoverman — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 03:26:06 -0800

Welcome to District 9. Director Neill Blomkamp turns his sci-fi short "Alive in Joburg" into a full-length feature film - examining xenophobia in an allegory of Apartheid, set in a slum recalling District 6 of Cape Town in South Africa.

First, select your species to access the correct section of our website

scalefree — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 01:08:36 -0800

28 years ago they came to Earth. Explore the world of District 9. Consider a career with Multi-National United. Find out about enhancing your math skills with DNA from outer space. Play the game. And learn the truth behind the lies.

Put that in your pipe and smoke it

Artw — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 16:27:49 -0800

Keep watching the skies - The New York Times looks back at 50s Sci Fi films in anticipation of Alien Trespass, the new film from X-Files veteran R.K. Goodwin. One or two of those classics haven't even been remade yet!

The Short Films of Nacho Vigalondo

Staggering Jack — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 15:46:30 -0800

The Best Youtube Videos of Spanish Filmmaker Nacho Vigalondo (previously). A few additional Nacho links: -his blog (in Spanish). -Io9 interview on his upcoming movie Timecrimes. -2005 Salon article about 7:35 in the Morning.

We never saw him walking on the sky.

swift — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 11:49:40 -0800

5 reasons Luke Skywalker is a complete idiot
Luke Skywalker the whiny farmboy
Luke "Jesus" Skywalker
Worst Luke Skywalker moments

Too bad the guy was only thirty eight - just two years older, he'd have been worth three times the points...

Artw — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 13:43:52 -0800

Did you grow up anticipating sports where death would be likely, if not certain? Almost certainly played by convicts, possibly with robot limbs? And which would be even more likely to have chainsaws and flamethrowers not usually found in the sports of today? Those We Left Behind’s look at Future-sports of the past, in videogames, movies and comics is for you!

A long time ago, in a galaxy far away...

infini — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 01:05:37 -0800

Since Georges Melies' 1902 'Trip to the Moon' cinema has been in love with science fiction. The romance has been rocky though, with many potential classics lost to spiralling budgets or studio whim. David Hughes the author of a new book, The Greatest Sci-Fi Movies Never Made, shares his favourites with us - The Top 10 Greatest Sci Fi movies never made Via The Times online

“You got gun in my blade!” “You got blade in my gun!”

cmgonzalez — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 18:17:18 -0800

Imagine a world without lightsabers—where, instead, every big Star Wars finale consists of a 10-minute slap fight. Thank the maker we’ll never have to witness such a spectacle, because magical and impossibly high-tech weapons are staples of nearly all of our favorite entertainments! ToyFare Magazine presents the 50 Greatest Fictional Weapons of All Time.

The Brain That Wouldn't Die movie review

Chinese Jet Pilot — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 10:23:42 -0800

The Brain That Wouldn't Die is the best public domain movie I've seen all week. Abe Baker's spooky original jazz score is a staple in sci-fi B movies. The monster is played by Eddie Carmel, subject of Diane Arbus' A Jewish giant at home with his parents in the Bronx, N.Y. 1970, in his first screen appearance. And I can't overlook the feminist take on this postwar gorefest. See for yourself.

La Planète sauvage

smoothvirus — Mon, 11 Dec 2006 11:31:43 -0800

La Planète sauvage - based on the novel Oms en Série by Stefan Wul, and known to the English speaking world as Fantastic Planet, is a wonderfully psychadelic animated Sci-Fi film from 1973. An international production between France and Czechoslovakia, the movie has a cult following, mostly from viewers who saw it on USA's Night Flight in the 1980's. Although it has languished in obscurity for some time, Hollywood has decided it's time for a live action remake. For those who haven't seen it, or for people who haven't seen it in twenty years, some kind soul has uploaded the entire film to Youtube. You'll never look at your pets the same way again.

Han shoots first.

Robot Johnny — Thu, 04 May 2006 13:37:10 -0800

~~Hoth~~ Hell Freezes Over. The madness of King George subsides.

The 10 Best Sci-Fi Films That Never Existed

Tlogmer — Mon, 13 Feb 2006 22:40:59 -0800

The 10 Best Sci-Fi Films That Never Existed

Xishi de Fanji

vhsiv — Thu, 09 Jun 2005 08:14:48 -0800

As others see us: A Chinese review of 'Revenge of the Sith'.

For those of you who don't know, George Lucas' latest oeuvre has bombed in mainland China's box-offices - $38.5M there, vs. the $312 it has earned domestically. A cultural difference, an error in Jos. Campbell's theory, or just something else, altogether? In any case, the film and it's apparent failure over there have made for some interesting reviews (last one via).

Where are the movie aliens?

quirked — Tue, 30 Dec 2003 17:36:32 -0800

Every year we seem to get a few horror or sci-fi movies featuring aliens. What happened this year? I may be missing some, but the only 2003 major release movies that had some aliens in them were Dreamcatcher, Good Boy! and Scary Movie 3. One horror movie and two comedies. Just a coincidence or are aliens no longer cool?

It creeps and leaps?

wendell — Tue, 15 Jul 2003 01:28:04 -0800

I Can't Believe I Missed BlobFest 2003!
The annual celebration of the cheesy sci-fi movie that made Steve McQueen a movie star and the town of Phoenixville, PA proud was last weekend... But even if you weren't there you can still...
» Meet The Man Who Owns The Blob and giggle when you learn just what it's made of.
» Read the liner notes from the Criterion laserdisc (yes, there was one).
» Listen to that awful theme song (written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David).
» Be shocked that the basement window that our heroes used to escape in the movie is now blocked by a wheelchair ramp!
» Or buy a ticket to the newly-restored historic Colonial Theatre, just so you can run out of it, screaming. They won't mind.

kliuless — Tue, 04 Jun 2002 19:00:21 -0800

In light of the highly anticipated Tron 2.0 - Tron Killer App next year, (has its own google directory :) here're some v.cool production illustrations from the original visionary Tron! Includes sketches of Yori's apartment from the infamous deleted love scene :) [also see mo eb iu s!]

tranquileye — Tue, 23 Apr 2002 15:30:06 -0800

"All democracies turn into dictatorships -- but not by coup. The people give their democracy to a dictator, whether it's Julius Caesar or Napoleon or Adolf Hitler. Ultimately, the general population goes along with the idea... It isn't that the Empire conquered the Republic, it's that the Empire is the Republic." George Lucas talks about the politics of his new Star Wars films.

ZachsMind — Mon, 26 Nov 2001 00:10:45 -0800

R2-D2 Beneath the Dome is cute, funny, silly and the most despicable ploy to hype a movie ever in the history of cinema. Most importantly, it diminishes the stature of a great man, by failing to mention Kenny Baker's contribution to the successful phenomenon. It's like talking about Indiana Jones "behind the scenes" without mentioning Harrison Ford.

MegoSteve — Mon, 05 Nov 2001 08:43:06 -0800

Let the disappointment begin! Lucasfilm posted the teaser trailer to the highly anticipated Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones today.

swift — Mon, 29 Oct 2001 07:46:35 -0800

Halloween is almost here; time to start work on that Tron costume.

ed — Fri, 27 Jul 2001 13:51:51 -0800

Tron returns with a vengeance. With a theatrical sequel, a 20th anniversary DVD and a first-person PC shooter, you have to wonder why Disney is rollling out the red carpet all of a sudden.