Cyel
Junior Strategist
Posts: 685
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Post by Cyel on Mar 30, 2018 14:05:22 GMT
Hi,
I'm looking for some solid s-f (or fantasy or similar) movie to watch but most of them nowadays seem to fall into one of two categories :
1) overly intelectual with looong takes of characters staring into the distance or having meaningless conversations with little action or actual plot. TV series seem particularly gulty of this (2h of a regular movie's plot made into a 10-episode series seems like a standard nowadays;))
2) infantile CGI-centered flicks which are borderline insulting to viewer's intelligence like 99% of the superhero sub-genre or new Star Wars (not to mention those even dumber, unwatchable "turn-it-off-or-just-shoot-me-now" disasters such as various Transformers or other Independence Days)
I am looking for something frimly inbetween, with both thrilling action and solid, compelling plot/background/characters/atmosphere. Classic examples of what I mean : Aliens, Terminator, Matrix. Newer ones : Inception, Fury Road.
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Post by deathbymelancholy on Mar 30, 2018 17:54:30 GMT
So.... not Ice Pirates then?
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Cyel
Junior Strategist
Posts: 685
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Post by Cyel on Mar 31, 2018 11:29:41 GMT
Yeah, I guess not this time
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Post by Soul Samurai on Mar 31, 2018 16:44:29 GMT
Well, I'm not good at tailoring film recommendations to requirements, so I'm just going to list a few films that I've enjoyed and you might not have seen:
DARK CITY: you HAVE to watch the Director's Cut, the theatrical version starts with a monologue that actually gives away some of the twists. I strongly recommend going in blind: do not read any reviews or watch any trailers. It might not have as much impact now as when when it first came out as a number of movies have done similar things in terms of story and visual effects since then, but when it came out it was pretty impressive and I still love it.
PANDORUM: a good space horror(ish)/mystery/action flick. Very atmospheric and suspensful and has a decent plot, I quite liked the ending.
CABIN IN THE WOODS: not exactly a sci-fi, but it has some sci-fi elements. Directed by Joss Whedon and including Thor in the cast, it actually came out just before Avengers.
TUCKER AND DALE VS EVIL: not a sci-fi, I just can't mention Cabin in the Woods without bringing up this one. You MUST go in blind: the trailer gives away WAY too much. It's a great little horror/comedy.
THE BIG BANG: a strange little detective story, it's not a sci-fi but it does have a fascination with science.
MOON: a must-watch sci-fi that relies on a solid plot and good acting rather than action or VFX. Might be a bit quiet for you I guess?
FLASH GORDON: just kidding. A super-cheesy old space adventure if you haven't seen it.
CITY OF A THOUSAND PLANETS: not a great movie, but creative and visually impressive. The thing I like the most about it is that it has an upbeat and optimistic message that I think is very relevant these days. Poorly cast and with a terrible, terrible attempt at a love story though.
SPACE BALLS: a great old spoof. See also: Thumb Wars.
AIRPLANE 2: I mean, also Airplane 1 obviously, but that one wasn't a sci-fi. Two of the funniest movies of all time.
THE LIFE OF BRIAN: it has a space ship in it for like 2 minutes, that counts right?
BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED: a cute little old film about some visitors to our planet.
SHORT CIRCUIT 1&2: basically the 80's version of Wall-E. Oh, and if you haven't seen it: Wall-E.
GALAXY QUEST is pretty funny.
DISTRICT 9 is pretty good I thought.
Obviously the original STAR WARS trilogy, the TERMINATOR and ALIEN movies (first two of each), BACK TO THE FUTURE, TOTAL RECALL etc.
Ugh, trying to compile this list made me feel like I don't watch enough sci-fi. Thing is I love good sci-fi, but lately I don't see too many good sci-fi films that aren't just action movies; "cowboys with laser guns" is how I once heard it put. I wanted to like IN TIME because the setup had a lot of potential, but it didn't really do very much with it. UPSIDE DOWN looked interesting, but I didn't get a chance to see it and I fear it won't amount to much more than an opportunity for some cool VFX.
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Post by Charistoph on Mar 31, 2018 22:56:40 GMT
I'm not the ultimate expert or anything, but here's a list I can find on Netflix real quick.
Stardust - A fantasy movie about a boy demonstrating his love to a woman. Great humor (imo). Men in Black V for Vendetta Star Wars Rogue One - well done and fitting beside the original series. Next - If you can stand Nicholas Cage, it actually runs a very interesting premise about precognition via the ability to loop time. Tremors - Not on Netflix, but a monster movie that doesn't take itself too seriously.
On Hulu, I have: Arrival - An interesting take on the perspective of language and how it can affect us. It can be a little slow, but that can also be a good palate cleanser. Unbreakable - Second Shamylan movie with Bruce Willis, has Samuel L Jackson, too. An interesting take on how to view super heroes.
That's besides what's on Soul's list.
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Post by Soul Samurai on Apr 1, 2018 6:46:45 GMT
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Cyel
Junior Strategist
Posts: 685
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Post by Cyel on Apr 1, 2018 13:41:19 GMT
Thanks for the recommendations and comprehensive lists, guys I now see what my problem may be - I've seen most of them, especially the clasics. No wonder I have problem finding new ones Only from time to time I run into something that exceeds (mostly low) expectations or is just a mildly positive surprise Really amazing s-f movies seem to happen very rarely, especially in this perfect middle ground between artsy and dumb.
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Post by Soul Samurai on Apr 1, 2018 14:50:17 GMT
I've seen most of them, especially the clasics. Which ones from our suggestions haven't you seen? We could perhaps give you a bit more feedback on what's worth watching. By the way, check out Good Bad Flicks. It's a youtube show that talks about movies that are under-appreciated or just plain bad, but perhaps have something good about them. I find it quite interesting, because it helped me realise that even some pretty bad movies that I know I'll never watch can actually have a lot of effort and dedication put into the making of. Plus it might just help you find some hidden gems. What's your experience been with TV shows? I haven't been watching much recently because I mainly just watch 20-minute comedies these days (if I can find any good ones, which I usually can't), but I used to enjoy Farscape and Andromeda (at least the first few seasons). The 100 had potential but I found the characters kind of annoying. I started watching Altered Carbon with a friend, the first couple of episodes were interesting but we haven't had a chance to meet up and watch any more. If you're interested in anime there might be a bit more range; anime tends to be more far-out, which can suit sci-fi quite well.
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Post by Charistoph on Apr 1, 2018 16:24:01 GMT
Thanks for the recommendations and comprehensive lists, guys I now see what my problem may be - I've seen most of them, especially the clasics. No wonder I have problem finding new ones Only from time to time I run into something that exceeds (mostly low) expectations or is just a mildly positive surprise Really amazing s-f movies seem to happen very rarely, especially in this perfect middle ground between artsy and dumb. Yeah, it's hard to find something that isn't a CGI-fest these days. Only a few movies carry any practical effects for anything outside of character interaction. I haven't seen half of what is out there partly because of MPAA ratings. I have seen too many movies have stuff added to it just to give it an R/NC-17/TV-MA rating which has little to do with the plot of the movie. So, I vote with my pocket. It may not be much, but that's all I can do. That's why I couldn't give many recommendations off of other movies I saw on the Netflix and Hulu genre lists, because I haven't seen them and won't. My wife also hates having to pick a movie at the theaters now. She wants a good rom-com like While You Were Sleeping, but everything just is a variant of American Pie. So, I totally feel your pain.
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Post by Soul Samurai on Apr 1, 2018 18:57:51 GMT
Yeah, very few good comedies lately; the funniest movies I've seen in the last year were probably Thor 3 and Game Night.
The only two rom-coms I actually like are "The 50 First Dates" and "Shallow Hal".
I just remembered another sci-fi that I'm very fond of: "Titan AE". Seen that one? Bit of a throwback at this point as it actually has 2D animation in it, though mixed with 3D. Kinda like "Treasure Planet" (which I liked, though not as much; well worth watching if you miss old Disney quality 2D animation though).
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Cyel
Junior Strategist
Posts: 685
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Post by Cyel on Apr 2, 2018 9:11:18 GMT
Oh, don't start me on comedies! I think it's the hardest genre to find a good movie. Re-watching old episodes of Friends or the Simpsons is a safer bet.
One of the funniest films I've sen lately was "Three billboards outside Ebbing...", surprisingly. It's a bit like real life can be- tragic and sad and absurdly funny just a moment later. A film I recommend heartily, btw, great characters and well done in every aspect. I admire the way the simple aspects of the story can be told with the way that keeps you interested.
Going back to s'-f, Downsizing was also a nice surprise. Apart from gently touching on some important themes like immigration, first world's wasteful lifestyle or global warming, it's also just a warm movie with likeable characters and a story that makes some unpredictable turns in the right places (which in itself is a feat nowadays).
Obviously I don't only watch those perfect middle ground s-f and I like some slower ones from time to time- new Blade Runner was absolutely amazing for me, even if you ignore my nostalgia for the source material, both the P.K.Dick's and R.Scott's.
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Post by Soul Samurai on Apr 2, 2018 9:32:18 GMT
The best comedies these days are usually action films, strangely enough; it seems like big-screen action doesn't work right now if it takes itself too seriously, so a healthy dose of comedy is needed to get us to buy into it or something. Meanwhile "comedy" writers are mainly just crutching on trying to gross us out or talking about genitals rather than actually constructing clever jokes. I dunno. Guardians 2, Thor 3, Jumanji, Central Intelligence, and Knight And Day are some of the main films of the last few years that actually stuck in my head as being very funny. OK, not everyone agrees with me about Knight And Day, but I think it was HILARIOUS watching Cameron Diaz freaking out for an entire movie while Tom Cruise tries to be calm and reassuring as he hangs on to speeding cars and shoots people in the face. Eh, if you want humor try Brooklyn 99.
I enjoyed the new Blade Runner. The original was INCREDIBLY atmospheric and spawned an entire visual style, plus it had some interesting ideas and I love the confrontation at the end, but the new one kinda just felt more eventful to me. The actual plot works better and has higher stakes, that sort of thing. Very glad I went to watch it in the cinema (I'm finding it harder to go out and actually catch films in the cinema these days).
I've just re-read my post and it reminded me how old I am, complaining about how young people today don't understand humor. Sigh. The irony is that's it's being posted on a site dedicated to playing with toy soldiers.
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Asmoridin
Junior Strategist
Getting back into the game after too long a hiatus!
Posts: 323
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Post by Asmoridin on Apr 2, 2018 14:08:18 GMT
Arrival - An interesting take on the perspective of language and how it can affect us. It can be a little slow, but that can also be a good palate cleanser. I found this movie to be FANTASTIC. Slow at times, like you said, but we found this movie really gave us a lot to think about in the weeks following it.
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Post by Charistoph on Apr 2, 2018 14:52:12 GMT
Arrival - An interesting take on the perspective of language and how it can affect us. It can be a little slow, but that can also be a good palate cleanser. I found this movie to be FANTASTIC. Slow at times, like you said, but we found this movie really gave us a lot to think about in the weeks following it. Quite true. I wouldn't have recommended it if I didn't enjoy it. It's not a movie I would pop out every week to watch like I would Guardians of the Galaxy or classic Star Wars, but it brings a thoughtful pace in and makes you think. As I said, a good palate cleanser after binge-watching the action-packed movies.
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kaernak
Junior Strategist
Either pray to Menoth or feel his fury. You'll burn either way.
Posts: 172
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Post by kaernak on Apr 2, 2018 19:19:16 GMT
If you want some quick Netflix shows to watch I cannot stop raving about Altered Carbon. It was a book trilogy first( of course ) but it is extremely well written and had me on the edge of my overly comfortable computer chair to the end. The Expanse is another book to tv show but its getting ready to start its 3rd season.
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