Human Kind is DOOMED!
Yes I know how tedious I am, thank you very much. I just like making lists. SUE ME! I have a weakness for disaster movies of numerous varieties. Some of these movies I'm not proud of but I enjoy them. Here ya go...
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Fahrenheit 451
This is one of those movies that I don't have a huge reaction to but if it comes on, I'm there! We've all read the book in school and the movie is not a bad adaptation. This is another one that is being remade. WHY!?
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THX 1138
This was George Lucas' first film for which he later name his sound system, "THX". This is one of those turning everyone into identity-less drones future where everyone is controlled by computers, drugs, and big brother. It's a little rough around the edges but quite excellent. One drone (Robert Duval) decides to break out and he makes it when the price of his capture hits it's budget. How frickin' genius is that? It's hilarious as the cops are chasing him the money it's costing is scrolling like a count down, once it hit it's limit the cops break off pursuit. You got to love it. However try to see the original version. Lucas, years later, decided to "fix" things with CG and by all accounts screwed it up. There comes a point when the artist must not be allowed to screw with the piece of work otherwise they'll tinker until it's crap. Just look at what Spielberg did to E.T.! If you haven't seen it lately don't bother. He CGd out the guns the cops carry while pursuing ET & the gang and he CGd E.T.'s face with more "expression". Why should an alien's face show emotion similar to a human's? STUPID! He fucked it up royally. It's embarrassing to watch and turns a couple of moving scenes into lame sap.
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The Time Machine
Oh this one is just fun and I've liked it since I was a little kid (or maybe I just liked Rod Taylor). This is very loosely based on H.G. Well's short story of a time traveler from around 1900 traveling into the far far distant future. In the short story the traveler ended up in the same time as Rod Taylor in the movie where society had utterly collapsed and the human race had broken off into two different groups. One that resides underground while the other (more vapid) group lives on the surface. In typical 60s fashion however the collapse of society is attributed to nuclear weaponry and war, he even stops off in the 60s and hears air raid sirens going off and people going underground. Obviously Wells had not foreseen the atomic age so this is where the story and the movie veer off in different directions. In the story after fighting with the Morlocks, he goes even further in the future where there are no humans left, the movie ends on somewhat a more positive note. But heck, it's just a fun flick. Another great take on this story (and much more imaginative) was a little film called Time After Time. That's a great one too. Check it out!
The Depressive-Throw Up Your Arms and Just Quit- Future
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The Mod Future Movies or
the Not-Quite-So-Utopian Future
I don't know if "mod" is an accurate description, it just feels right. These movies are futuristic. But they aren't what we would now consider futuristic, they are what we used to think the future would look like (you know, silver suits, bubble cities and ray guns) and generally depict doom of some sort. Bliss!
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Logan's Run
If you can look past the fashions (some people can't) and gadgets you'll find a very good movie. This is one of my favorite movies. It is 2274 and a seemingly ideal society inside an enclosed (bubble) city run entirely by computers leaving humans a life of leisure. The catch is upon turning 30, you must die under the guise of "renewal" or their idea of reincarnation. Logon is a Sandman, an officer who enforces the 30 age limit by hunting "runners". Upon one of the runners, Logon finds an object which the main computer sends him on a mission to investigate which brings Logon to the realization of what their society actually is and what humans used to be. Terrific performances by Michael York, Richard Jordan, Jenny Agutter and Peter Ustinov. They are remaking the movie and I cannot think why. Rerelease it to the movie theatres! I'd go! But no, they're going to make it slick and CG, lowering the kill age to 21 so that they can have a younger lead and probably suck any meaning out of the new script. Sigh.
..
Logan's Run
If you can look past the fashions (some people can't) and gadgets you'll find a very good movie. This is one of my favorite movies. It is 2274 and a seemingly ideal society inside an enclosed (bubble) city run entirely by computers leaving humans a life of leisure. The catch is upon turning 30, you must die under the guise of "renewal" or their idea of reincarnation. Logon is a Sandman, an officer who enforces the 30 age limit by hunting "runners". Upon one of the runners, Logon finds an object which the main computer sends him on a mission to investigate which brings Logon to the realization of what their society actually is and what humans used to be. Terrific performances by Michael York, Richard Jordan, Jenny Agutter and Peter Ustinov. They are remaking the movie and I cannot think why. Rerelease it to the movie theatres! I'd go! But no, they're going to make it slick and CG, lowering the kill age to 21 so that they can have a younger lead and probably suck any meaning out of the new script. Sigh.
Fahrenheit 451
This is one of those movies that I don't have a huge reaction to but if it comes on, I'm there! We've all read the book in school and the movie is not a bad adaptation. This is another one that is being remade. WHY!?
.
THX 1138
This was George Lucas' first film for which he later name his sound system, "THX". This is one of those turning everyone into identity-less drones future where everyone is controlled by computers, drugs, and big brother. It's a little rough around the edges but quite excellent. One drone (Robert Duval) decides to break out and he makes it when the price of his capture hits it's budget. How frickin' genius is that? It's hilarious as the cops are chasing him the money it's costing is scrolling like a count down, once it hit it's limit the cops break off pursuit. You got to love it. However try to see the original version. Lucas, years later, decided to "fix" things with CG and by all accounts screwed it up. There comes a point when the artist must not be allowed to screw with the piece of work otherwise they'll tinker until it's crap. Just look at what Spielberg did to E.T.! If you haven't seen it lately don't bother. He CGd out the guns the cops carry while pursuing ET & the gang and he CGd E.T.'s face with more "expression". Why should an alien's face show emotion similar to a human's? STUPID! He fucked it up royally. It's embarrassing to watch and turns a couple of moving scenes into lame sap.
.
The Time Machine
Oh this one is just fun and I've liked it since I was a little kid (or maybe I just liked Rod Taylor). This is very loosely based on H.G. Well's short story of a time traveler from around 1900 traveling into the far far distant future. In the short story the traveler ended up in the same time as Rod Taylor in the movie where society had utterly collapsed and the human race had broken off into two different groups. One that resides underground while the other (more vapid) group lives on the surface. In typical 60s fashion however the collapse of society is attributed to nuclear weaponry and war, he even stops off in the 60s and hears air raid sirens going off and people going underground. Obviously Wells had not foreseen the atomic age so this is where the story and the movie veer off in different directions. In the story after fighting with the Morlocks, he goes even further in the future where there are no humans left, the movie ends on somewhat a more positive note. But heck, it's just a fun flick. Another great take on this story (and much more imaginative) was a little film called Time After Time. That's a great one too. Check it out!
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The Truly Bizzare (and Utterly Doomed) Future
The Truly Bizzare (and Utterly Doomed) Future
What freak thought this up!? I mean seriously! This is set in an undetermined post-apocalyptic future where most of humanity has either been killed or has gone feral and they go around beating eachother up or raping women. One of these brutes (and our central brute) is played by Sean Connery. He ends up traveling to a place where a seemingly idyllic society of humans exists, hitching a lift in a giant flying rock head I might add. Don't ask. Anyway things are far from idyllic, strange forces, immortality, boredom and suicidal tendencies abound. Weird as shit but damned interesting!
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The Quiet Earth
This was a really interesting concept. A man wakes up one morning to find that he is the only person on earth. No one. Everyone is gone; there aren't even bodies left behind. He later finds two other people still there and together they discover what happened to everyone. Very interesting, and an ending you'll never see coming.
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The Quiet Earth
This was a really interesting concept. A man wakes up one morning to find that he is the only person on earth. No one. Everyone is gone; there aren't even bodies left behind. He later finds two other people still there and together they discover what happened to everyone. Very interesting, and an ending you'll never see coming.
The Depressive-Throw Up Your Arms and Just Quit- Future
I cannot express how much I love this movie. It is set in Los Angeles in the year 2019. Buildings have taken over the landscape, everything is an advertisement and I think it's raining during the entire story due (no doubt) to man's rape of the environment. It's a sad story, set in a bleak world, asking moral questions without answering them and it's simply captivating. No one is completely bad or wrong, it's all in shades of grey. Heck I cry for the bad guy at the end. It also has one of the best film scores ever written. If you have not seen this do so! This is mandatory! I don't care whether it's the Director's Cut or not.
Brazil
This too is set in a bleak and hopeless future but happens to also be funny. This is a fantastic black comedy, which probably is not for everyone. I'm not sure what year it is supposed to be set in but man has let suspicion, ill-functioning technology, and horrific bureaucracy take over. In it is Sam Lowry who abstractly dreams of heroically breaking free of the system and escaping with the woman of his dreams. One day a bug falls into a machine, leading to a spelling error in an arrest warrant. This small event drives the entire action for the rest of the movie bringing Sam in contact with the woman of whom he's been dreaming, a rogue heating system repairman, and a major problem. I think it's one of Terry Gilliam's best films.
The Holy-Shit-Something-from-Outer-Space-is-Trying-to-Kill-Us! Movies
The Day the Earth Stood Still
A classic! If you don't know what this movie is about, shame on you!
Brazil
This too is set in a bleak and hopeless future but happens to also be funny. This is a fantastic black comedy, which probably is not for everyone. I'm not sure what year it is supposed to be set in but man has let suspicion, ill-functioning technology, and horrific bureaucracy take over. In it is Sam Lowry who abstractly dreams of heroically breaking free of the system and escaping with the woman of his dreams. One day a bug falls into a machine, leading to a spelling error in an arrest warrant. This small event drives the entire action for the rest of the movie bringing Sam in contact with the woman of whom he's been dreaming, a rogue heating system repairman, and a major problem. I think it's one of Terry Gilliam's best films.
The Holy-Shit-Something-from-Outer-Space-is-Trying-to-Kill-Us! Movies
The Day the Earth Stood Still
A classic! If you don't know what this movie is about, shame on you!
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Underrated I feel. The story is interesting and understandable. If you loved 2001, you'll probably hate 2010. I didn't hate 2001 but it drives me NUTS! And yet, about once every four or five years I get the urge to see it again and let it drive me NUTS. 2010 has a very specific and understandable plot, with no freak out draw your own conclusion moments. I don't like everything being handed to me but I enjoyed the plot of 2010. It's not demanding of it's audience, nor is it a perfect movie, but I still like it.
Yes! I admit it. I love this movie. It's is my guilty pleasure movie. Well this and...
Independence Day
Independence Day
Yes I admit it's not a great flick either but I enjoy the hell out of it. Oh, don't give me that, there are some really terrible movies that you enjoy too!
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The Fifth Element
Pure fun! Oh and Gary Oldman is hilarious!
Pure fun! Oh and Gary Oldman is hilarious!
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More fun fighting aliens (bugs this time) and Paul Verhoeven's special brand of humor. Don't fight the illogic of some of the military tactics (and believe me if I notice them, they are blatant) just have fun.
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Biohazard/Natural Disaster
Once again at the hands of man, we cause our own doom when a super-virus is leaked from a bioresearch facility killing most of humanity. Then things get a little wackadoo with religion and such. Some people like it because of the Good/Evil religious battle but if you examine what happens all it shows is that God's a big cheat. The ending is vomit-making and by the end you want to slap the shit out of Molly Ringwald's character. Still, it's enjoyable.
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Oh, how I enjoy this movie! Military conspiracies, science and disaster. I'm in nerd heaven! I think also, and oddly enough, that this is one of Dustin Hoffman's most endearing roles.
Once again science and disaster! Squeal!! Ok, so it's not the greatest movie ever made (far from it) still I'm in heaven!
posted by Abyss of Silence at
12:12 PM
5 Comments:
Now just what's wrong with the fashions in Logan's Run? Quiana REALLY came into its own in that movie, dammit! I absolutely adore that movie (for one thing, Richard Jordan is a honey), although I want to know if I'm the only one that had a brief moment of 'they're gonna push the old guy off the edge!' when the domes are destroyed and all the quiana clad youth surround him. great film score too.
Speaking of classic film scors, The Time Machine...the original. Yup, Rod Taylor. Ah me, one of my favorite movies of childhood, up there with Journey to the Center of the Earth ("Madam, are you wearing stays?") Isn't it kind of depressing, though, that the only two forms of humanity left are furry cannibals with fangs or vapid blonds? Not sure which I'd choose...oh heck, you KNOW I'd be a Morlock!
Time After Time, David Warner as Jack the Ripper...Malcolm McDowell as H.G. Wells...another classic! YOu have good taste!
Well...
We won't discuss Armageddon because I respect you anyway.
I have to see Zardoz. I really do.
And The Stand...well...directed by someone other than Mick Garris, with someone other than Laura San Giacamo as Nadine...could have been better, but I thought it was a decent adaptation. Garris just doesn't do tension or scary very well, though. Some of the creepiest scenes in the book (Stu escaping from the Center for Disease) were just milky tame. Pedestrian director. And the ending, with the hand of God? Oy vey...
By
Dana Fredsti, at 8:53 AM
What a great selection! There still a few on your list I have yet to see, but I'm a big ole post-holocaust/dystopia fan, too!
Ever watch Thundarr the Barbarian on Sat. mornings? Great stuff!
Yes, Zardoz is about as freaky/ goofy a movie as I've ever laid eyes on (see also The Wicker Man)I'm totally with you on all these expect Armageddon & Ind. Day -Blech! I liked the other big-space-rock-squashes-earth movie from that same year (Deep Impact? I dunno; something with Tea Leoni) and Mars Attacks! much better.
What about 12 Monkeys?
The 5th Element is one of my all-time faves - I was thinking about it just this a.m.!
-D
By
David Fitzgerald, at 3:24 PM
Zhadi
It’s true Richard Jordan is a honey in Logan’s Run! But sans the beauteous and fragrant Mr. Jordan, it’s a great flick. However, I think that, yes, you are the only one who had a brief moment of 'they're gonna push the old guy off the edge!’. Freak.
Oh, yes I too love “Journey to the Center of the Earth” it just didn’t really fit into this category. And it IS depressing that the only two forms of humanity left are furry cannibals with fangs or vapid blonds. We’d be dining on Eloi together, my friend. Anyone that stupid deserves to be lunch.
Zardoz- You may want to discuss this with Dave first. It’s a dangerous and uncertain step to take in life.
The Stand: I think King was just starting his psycho-born again phase. It still has it’s redeeming features. I just love Gary Sinise and the dude who played the devil was excellent.
By
Abyss of Silence, at 4:07 PM
Davie-boy!
Thundarr the Barbarian: I’m afraid I missed that one. Never even heard of it.
Zardoz: I know, right! It’s crazy and yet you can’t look away. When it’s over you’re kind of disturbed and then later you think, hey that was good. At least it’s not run-of-the-mill. Not by a looong shot!
Armageddon & Ind. Day: Hey, I’m being honest here! Lay off my guilty pleasures!
Deep Impact: I had problems with this. I know Armageddon was ridiculously improbable too but shit! In Deep Impact it’s a comet (a large chunk of ICE) us shooting off our entire nuclear arsenal at it had no effect? Also, this whole catastrophe only seemed to have an affect on the United States, WTF! I think the rest of the world is mentioned in one line at the end. The only really good thing is Morgan Freeman as President. Finally a movie-President I’d vote for!
Mars Attacks: See we all have our guilty pleasures. I know what he was trying for, however it fell FLAT on its face. In concept it’s hilarious, the final product was humiliatingly unfunny.
What about 12 Monkeys?
We are so in synch! As I was driving home after posting this I though “SHIT! I forgot 12 Monkeys!!!” I LOVE that movie!
By
Abyss of Silence, at 4:16 PM
Those are good movies. I'm going to get "The Quiet Earth" from netflix because of you.
One thing, Brazil....yeah, awful on a level completely it's own. Like being underwated, nothing making sense. Had real nightmares from that awful cold filthy fly-swatter of a movie.
By
Imez, at 7:33 PM
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