Favorite scifi movie » Forum Post by GJDriessen

Quoting Sinperium,

Tron is actually not so silly an idea with the tech being developed right now. They have had a cap for years that can be placed on the head and allow you to move a cursor--now they have direct contact to the brain sensors that can "read" thewords you think and allow you to controlo a mouse and execute computer commands A little further and they'll be able to make you see and hear things (in fact, they already can to a degree).

Admittedly, he would basically have to have been Galileo, Steven Hawking, Edison, Tesla, Einstein and Niels Bohr all rolled into one to do what he did in Tron.

I didn't take issue so much with the physical-computer interface (for exactly the reasons you state) but with the fact that this entire world seemed to have spontaneously arisen within a large computer system. However, I guess that random-access memory could be experienced as a three-dimensional "space", and the rest follows from there. As I said, it's actually more plausible than it seems when you think about it. Usually, movies are the reverse.

Successfully updated karma reason!

Lessee... I have a lot of faves, but off of the top of my head:

Episodes 4-6 of Star Wars (original releases). The new and improved digital stuff really didn't do much for me. Return Of The Jedi was already pretty over the top on the visual department. Episodes 1 & 2 were mediocre, I'm not getting the 2+ hours of my life back that I wasted watching Episode III...

Dune (1984 release)

Tron. Liking the sequel a lot too.

The Last Starfighter

Stealth

Big Trouble In Little China

Buckaroo Banzai

The 'Classic' Star Trek movies, Especially STVI: The Undiscovered Country. Other Trek movies enjoyable except the last one. I will NEVER forgive JJ Abrams for the Beer Factory/Engineering sequence! Another 2+ hours...

Wing Commander. Not the best movie, but I enjoyed it.

The Terminator/Predator/AVP movies! The Alien movies were good as well, but I don't have a special heart in my place for them.

Tremors. Mostly for the humor.

Serenity (and Firefly)

While technically not a movie, Severed Dreams from the Babylon 5 Series. I love all things Babylon, but that one episode is my fave.

The Day The Earth Stood Still (the original, not the remake)

The Matrix Trilogy, of course.

Avatar.

2010. Some of the dialogue still cracks me up!

Contact

The 2K era Godzilla and Gamera Movies! (Not that Matt Broderick one). If you haven't seen these, and like the big guys, definitely check these out!

Successfully updated karma reason!

Quoting tjashen,

reply 52

Lessee... I have a lot of faves, but off of the top of my head:

Episodes 4-6 of Star Wars (original releases). The new and improved digital stuff really didn't do much for me. Return Of The Jedi was already pretty over the top on the visual department. Episodes 1 & 2 were mediocre, I'm not getting the 2+ hours of my life back that I wasted watching Episode III...

I guess I would be in the minority for generally enjoying those films, but usually for all the shooty "pew pew" parts.

Especially that opening scene for Episode III. It was epic-awesomeness, but it could have been so much more. I rejoice at what awesomeness there is, but lament what awesomeness was lost.

Quoting tjashen,

reply 52

Dune (1984 release)

I enjoyed it, but I have to say, after reading the books and watching the much better SyFy channel miniseries version, it was somewhat of a train wreck. I mean, the acting and effects are both good, and so's the plot, but it just isn't Dune. It's something that looks and talks like Dune, but is playing around in a Halloween costume.

Successfully updated karma reason!

Sinperium

Join Date 02/2010

+219

Lol, my name is David and half my friends annoyingly call me "Dave". A few years back I fell asleep on the sofa watching tv and woke about 3 am hearing a voice saying, "Dave...Dave"--it scared the crap out of me thinking someone was in my house while I was half-asleep until the voice said, "I'm sorry--I can not do that Dave" and I realized it was 2001.

I agree about Dune. The movie didn't have the life of the book. In the book, you have the internal dialogue and feelings of the characters, long explanations and examples of history and society intertwined with them and descriptions that evoke grand imagery in your head. The movie is like watching a puppet show version of the book (and the special effects are subpar. You KNOW you went to see it to be awed by the sandworm scene but the sandworms just didn't pull it off.

Still watchable but...same issue with the Judge Dredd movie and I, Robot. Demolition man did a better job of showing a Judge Dredd like society than the Judge Dredd movie did (I used to have every Judge Dredd comic--plus about 3/4 of the 2000ad prints as well).

Successfully updated karma reason!

Quoting Whiskey144,

reply 53

I enjoyed it, but I have to say, after reading the books and watching the much better SyFy channel miniseries version, it was somewhat of a train wreck. I mean, the acting and effects are both good, and so's the plot, but it just isn't Dune. It's something that looks and talks like Dune, but is playing around in a Halloween costume.

I will have to watch the SyFy mini-series, but I agree with your summation of the 84 version.

And when I say I have read all the Dunes, I include Brian's and Kevin Anderson's continuation of the story line. Not as good a writer as Frank, but still it is entertaining to read a lot of the back story and the fruition of the Kwisatz Haderach.

Successfully updated karma reason!

Quoting Sinperium,

reply 54

Lol, my name is David and half my friends annoyingly call me "Dave". A few years back I fell asleep on the sofa watching tv and woke about 3 am hearing a voice saying, "Dave...Dave"--it scared the crap out of me thinking someone was in my house while I was half-asleep until the voice said, "I'm sorry--I can not do that Dave" and I realized it was 2001.

I agree about Dune. The movie didn't have the life of the book. In the book, you have the internal dialogue and feelings of the characters, long explanations and examples of history and society intertwined with them and descriptions that evoke grand imagery in your head. The movie is like watching a puppet show version of the book (and the special effects are subpar. You KNOW you went to see it to be awed by the sandworm scene but the sandworms just didn't pull it off.

Still watchable but...same issue with the Judge Dredd movie and I, Robot. Demolition man did a better job of showing a Judge Dredd like society than the Judge Dredd movie did (I used to have every Judge Dredd comic--plus about 3/4 of the 2000ad prints as well).

I actually rather liked I, Robot on the premise that I found it an enjoyable action film. As a screen representation of the I, Robot book, it doesn't come close.

It's really a "on its own it's awesome, but held to the book it's not even close".

Quoting Dr Guy,

reply 55

I will have to watch the SyFy mini-series, but I agree with your summation of the 84 version.

And when I say I have read all the Dunes, I include Brian's and Kevin Anderson's continuation of the story line. Not as good a writer as Frank, but still it is entertaining to read a lot of the back story and the fruition of the Kwisatz Haderach.

I actually rather liked KJA's and Brian Herbert's Dune novels, as I found them good for just fleshing out the backstory and what happened after Chapterhouse:Dune.

Also, you should look up the Children of Dune miniseries that SyFy channel did. It's equally as good as the Dune miniseries.

As an aside, there's a slight warning with the Dune miniseries, as there's a handful of scenes with topless women. Parts to fast-forward or skip through if you're watching with less mature/younger individuals.

Successfully updated karma reason!

Quoting tjashen,

reply 52

Episodes 4-6 of Star Wars (original releases). The new and improved digital stuff really didn't do much for me. Return Of The Jedi was already pretty over the top on the visual department. Episodes 1 & 2 were mediocre, I'm not getting the 2+ hours of my life back that I wasted watching Episode III...

My response to your dislike.

Quoting Zeta1127,

reply 13

I still don't understand why some Star Wars fans either hate the Prequels and refuse to call the original film A New Hope or hate the Original Trilogy, it is meant to be treated as one epic saga, not individual films.

Successfully updated karma reason!

Quoting Whiskey144,

reply 56

As an aside, there's a slight warning with the Dune miniseries, as there's a handful of scenes with topless women. Parts to fast-forward or skip through if you're watching with less mature/younger individuals.

Topless? Must be on Caladan as no self respecting Fremen would expose skin to the desert air!

Thanks for the recommendation. I will check it out on Netflix (we have the streaming version) so I can watch it when I have the time (instead of a set channel schedule).

Successfully updated karma reason!

Quoting Dr Guy,

reply 58

Topless? Must be on Caladan as no self respecting Fremen would expose skin to the desert air!

Thanks for the recommendation. I will check it out on Netflix (we have the streaming version) so I can watch it when I have the time (instead of a set channel schedule).

I don't think it's actually aired on SyFy anymore, but you can buy both of them on DVD from SyFy's website.

Though the topless scenes aren't on Caladan, but Giedi Prime. After all, the inhabitants of Caladan are all honest, hard-working people. They haven't got the time to lounge around topless!

Successfully updated karma reason!

Quoting Whiskey144,

reply 53

Quoting tjashen, reply 52Lessee... I have a lot of faves, but off of the top of my head:

Episodes 4-6 of Star Wars (original releases). The new and improved digital stuff really didn't do much for me. Return Of The Jedi was already pretty over the top on the visual department. Episodes 1 & 2 were mediocre, I'm not getting the 2+ hours of my life back that I wasted watching Episode III...
I guess I would be in the minority for generally enjoying those films, but usually for all the shooty "pew pew" parts.

Especially that opening scene for Episode III. It was epic-awesomeness, but it could have been so much more. I rejoice at what awesomeness there is, but lament what awesomeness was lost.

Quoting tjashen, reply 52Dune (1984 release)
I enjoyed it, but I have to say, after reading the books and watching the much better SyFy channel miniseries version, it was somewhat of a train wreck. I mean, the acting and effects are both good, and so's the plot, but it just isn't Dune. It's something that looks and talks like Dune, but is playing around in a Halloween costume.

My biggest problem with Episode III is you KNEW how it was going to end, and the script went RIGHT down that path, with no surprises. I kept waiting for curveballs, or moments of 'maybe he will, or maybe he won't go to the dark side' but they never surfaced. So it was an over 2 hour ordeal that was not very satisfying from the script standpoint.

Mind you, I think the lava sequences and other sequences in the movie were stunning, but not stunning enough to let me overlook the poor script... so I won't be adding it to my collection.

My favorite parts of Episode I involved Qui Gonn Jinn, but they killed him off. Plus, Jar Jar kinda detracted from the movie, so I have to score it down...

At least in Episode V (The Empire Strikes Back), you were honestly suprised when the 'Luke, I am your father' thing came up!

As for Dune, having NOT read the books before seeing the movie, and taking into account that they only had two hours to get a lot of deep concepts across, I very much enjoyed the movie for what it was. Plus, there is a fair amount of star power in Dune to boot (Patrick Stewart, Virginia Madsen, Sting, Dean Stockwell, Max Von Sydow, Sean Young, etc. etc.), which made the movie much more enjoyable I think. That being said, I've since seen the SciFi (not SyFy) versions of Dune, and I did enjoy them, but the original movie still has that special place in my heart.

Successfully updated karma reason!

Quoting Zeta1127,

reply 57

Quoting tjashen, reply 52Episodes 4-6 of Star Wars (original releases). The new and improved digital stuff really didn't do much for me. Return Of The Jedi was already pretty over the top on the visual department. Episodes 1 & 2 were mediocre, I'm not getting the 2+ hours of my life back that I wasted watching Episode III...

My response to your dislike.

Quoting Zeta1127, reply 13I still don't understand why some Star Wars fans either hate the Prequels and refuse to call the original film A New Hope or hate the Original Trilogy, it is meant to be treated as one epic saga, not individual films.

Did you even read this?

Successfully updated karma reason!

Quoting tjashen,

reply 60

As for Dune, having NOT read the books before seeing the movie, and taking into account that they only had two hours to get a lot of deep concepts across, I very much enjoyed the movie for what it was. Plus, there is a fair amount of star power in Dune to boot (Patrick Stewart, Virginia Madsen, Sting, Dean Stockwell, Max Von Sydow, Sean Young, etc. etc.), which made the movie much more enjoyable I think. That being said, I've since seen the SciFi (not SyFy) versions of Dune, and I did enjoy them, but the original movie still has that special place in my heart.

If you like to read - I strongly recommend getting the books. I have not seen the Scifi (or SyFY) version yet, and the epic movie was not bad (it was blessed by Frank Herbert), but like all movies made from books - they never live up to the book.

I will warn you that God Emperor of Dune is a bit cerebral in nature (very little action). But the others are great stories. Once you get past Chapterhouse, you get into the Brian Herbert and KJA books which are not as powerful as Franks, but still good reading.

Successfully updated karma reason!

Quoting Zeta1127,

reply 61

Quoting Zeta1127, reply 57
Quoting tjashen, reply 52Episodes 4-6 of Star Wars (original releases). The new and improved digital stuff really didn't do much for me. Return Of The Jedi was already pretty over the top on the visual department. Episodes 1 & 2 were mediocre, I'm not getting the 2+ hours of my life back that I wasted watching Episode III...

My response to your dislike.

Quoting Zeta1127, reply 13I still don't understand why some Star Wars fans either hate the Prequels and refuse to call the original film A New Hope or hate the Original Trilogy, it is meant to be treated as one epic saga, not individual films.
Did you even read this?

I did see your response. I don't have a problem with calling Episode IV A New Hope, but when it was originally released, it was just Star Wars, and there was no hint that a trilogy was afoot. Even the Episode IV title at the prologue wasn't added until after Empire.

I don't necessarily hate the first two movies. I'm just disappointed in them, as it seems to me that the character interaction in Episodes IV-VI was a lot more fun and interesting. But then, Harrison Ford can be a hard act to follow...

I hate the script that was used in Episode III. Hence, I don't like the movie, and I think it was a disservice to everyone involved in making it (the Special Effects guys, the actors, etc.) that they had to make do with that script. Lucas should have went back and rewrote it, or had a better guy do the writing for Episode III.

Note that Episodes 7 through 9 were supposed to have been written a long time ago. Now that Lucas has indicated he isn't making them, it might be nice to see them in book form at least...

Successfully updated karma reason!

Episode III would have been easier to understand if Qui-Gon Jinn's lines were in it like the novel, maybe they will add them in a later edition.

Episode II was all about politics, and Episode I just wasn't nearly as good of a starting point as Episode IV, but with out the Prequel Trilogy's story, the Original Trilogy wouldn't exist.

Many people, myself included, consider Episodes VII, VIII, and IX that never were to be the Thrawn Trilogy by Timothy Zahn, three of the best Star Wars books ever written.

Successfully updated karma reason!

Quoting tjashen,

reply 63

I did see your response. I don't have a problem with calling Episode IV A New Hope, but when it was originally released, it was just Star Wars, and there was no hint that a trilogy was afoot. Even the Episode IV title at the prologue wasn't added until after Empire.

I don't necessarily hate the first two movies. I'm just disappointed in them, as it seems to me that the character interaction in Episodes IV-VI was a lot more fun and interesting. But then, Harrison Ford can be a hard act to follow...

I hate the script that was used in Episode III. Hence, I don't like the movie, and I think it was a disservice to everyone involved in making it (the Special Effects guys, the actors, etc.) that they had to make do with that script. Lucas should have went back and rewrote it, or had a better guy do the writing for Episode III.

Note that Episodes 7 through 9 were supposed to have been written a long time ago. Now that Lucas has indicated he isn't making them, it might be nice to see them in book form at least...

On the subject of Episode III and what it could've been, I think part of what was Lucas not taking advantage of some of the scenes he constructed. That opening scene with the space battle over Coruscant could have been so much more epic, and I personally sometimes just sit and watch only that scene from time-to-time. It's my favorite part of the entire movie.

Successfully updated karma reason!

dune

Successfully updated karma reason!