UKH

I'm looking for some recommendations for films over the Christmas period.

I'm not much of a film watcher these days as I'm usually asleep when I get chance to sit down.

I have The Martian on my list. I'm not so much into Aliens type thing. Although I did get through Prometheus.

I have a secondary interest in that I'm looking at the interior designs of spacecraft/stations for a project I'm doing.

Cheers

In reply to Bellie:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067756/

In reply to Bellie:

For the design you HAVE to see Alien, even if you don´t watch the entire thing. That is probably the greatest interior of a film spaceship ever,

Otherwise, Solaris and Blade Runner were genre defining.

Also, Battlefield Earth, just to experience how utterly idiotic SciFi can be.

CB

In reply to Bellie:

There really is only one choice and that's 2001

In reply to Bellie:

Moon

In reply to Bellie:

for design obviously check out Stanley Kubricks 2001
the sky fi channel on satellite has a few gems hidden away among the dross

In reply to Bellie:

from a design perspective, the Star Trek films are interesting in the way the design of the Starship Enterprise has changed over the years, whilst retaining the same iconic features. DON'T try watching all the films though. Some are OK, One is excellent (WofK), many are pants.

Serenity is excellent, and an interesting grungy ship, contrast with the shiny government ships

Dune is completely hatstand. I love it!

In reply to Bellie:

Ex Machina - excellent film

In reply to Bellie:

Thanks for the suggestions so far. I have Moon on DVD, I enjoyed it. I guess for 'research' I'll need to revisit the genre defining ones such as Alien. Who knows I might enjoy them this time round.

I saw an article on the computer graphics for The Martian... the actual computer screen graphics - not any CGI. It was amazing how much detail was gone into on these things. I can't seem to find the actual article now.

In reply to toad:


Also has the best bit of dialogue in any movie ever....

"Kaylee Frye: Goin' on a year now I ain't had nothin' twixt my nethers weren't run on batteries!

Capt. Malcolm Reynolds: Oh, God! I can't *know* that!

Jayne Cobb: I could stand to hear a little more. "

In reply to Bellie: Event Horizon is good.

In reply to Bellie:

I thought Ender's Game film was pretty good - although I think I enjoyed the book more.

Insterstellar is mostly good, and the music is brilliant.

You MUST watch Europa Report. It's probably the best scifi movie I've ever seen.

In reply to Bellie:

Dark Star

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069945/

In reply to cb294:



WRONG!
Watch firefly/Serenity.

You're welcome .

:-p

In reply to Bellie:

I like the movie "Contact". (And another vote for "2001").

In reply to Scarab9:

Just had a look a the trailer. Not even close.

CB

In reply to Bellie:

Moon is amazing

Firefly/ Serenity are amazing too, if not a bit different. Properly fell in love with them

In reply to Scarab9:


Tedious fanboy wank.

Try "Primer", and see how many viewings it takes to work out wtf is going on.

No spaceships, though.

Just came out: arrival

Aliens visit earth and a linguist is hired to try and communicate with them learning something very sci fi in the process.

Rated very highly by critics too

In reply to Bellie:

For niche Kiwi made post-apocalyptic sci-fi, look no further than The Quiet Earth.

2001, Bladerunner, Alien(s) all essential viewing.

In reply to planetmarshall:




I absolutely love "Primer" one of my favourite films of all time.
Totally bonkers at the first watching.

TS

In reply to Bellie:

Plenty here to have a go at. Checked out some of the trailers. That Darkstar looks like Oliver Postgate meets Space 1999 : ) Proper old school sci fi. I did like Blakes 7.

In reply to Bellie:
Last twenty years: Gattaca
Last couple of years: I Origin
Last week: Midnight Special

In reply to cb294:



I shall assemble the nerds and we will hunt you down blasphemer!

In reply to planetmarshall:



https://xkcd.com/657/
Apparently, you need to "watch the ties".

In reply to Scarab9:

Forgive me O master, I failed to spot the sarcasm (at least I hope that is the case)....
CB

In reply to Bellie:

I don't think Interstellar has had a mention yet. Ok film, and you'd probably find it interesting from a design point of view. The robots are the most original for years - basically just a wardrobe sized self-propelled Leatherman.

Can't believe nobody has mentioned Guardians of the Galaxy so far. It's wonderful!

Not a film but if you can it might be worth looking at the Battlestar Galactica tv series. (The 2004-2009 one, not the cheesy 70s/80s one.) I think it's the only spaceship I've seen on film or TV that has actual plumbing. And bulkhead doors that swing open on hinges!

In reply to Tom Valentine:

But a stylistic throwback to something much older. It feels very "Close Encounters of the Third Kind", in a similar sort of way to how Super 8 was an homage to ET.

In reply to deepsoup:

In all these spacestation designs they all seem to have the interlocking sliding door design usually hexagon shape!. Obviously a future thing, but one that we hardly see in house design in the here and now. It wouldn't take much either - surely, for a door to recess into the stud wall.

In reply to deepsoup:

Nevertheless I enjoyed it.

In reply to Bellie:


Flash Gordon?


I think that's the most positive review I've seen.

In reply to Snot:


..which features the best (and possibly only....) use of a Chesney Hawkes song in movie history

In reply to Bellie:

Barbarella?

In reply to Tom Valentine:

Me too, it wasn't meant as a complaint.

In reply to Bellie:

ooh yes, Flash Gordon. Very camp and very retro.

Have we had Silent Running, yet? Some of the ship scenes got reused in Battlestar Galactica (the old one), although I think there were some cameos by the old TV spaceship fleet in the new remake.

In reply to Bellie:

Alien Resurrection - an overlooked classic! Featuring biometric breath sensors and Ripley, revived as a powerful human/alien hybrid clone who must continue her war against the alien

In reply to Bellie:
Predestination. No spaceship interiors though.


Midnight Special was dull, meandering and directionless.

In reply to 1poundSOCKS:


GORDON'S ALIVE!!

In reply to toad:


Yes, 1st reply to the topic, by me. Someone, for no doubt good reasons, has given me a dislike for it.

In reply to no_more_scotch_eggs:


Well the song was launched on a film soundtrack, but I'll give you *best*.

In reply to hokkyokusei:

Bad form! Are you also a prolific beta sprayer?

In reply to Bellie:


For old school sci fi try Forbidden Planet. Acting and sets are fifties-ish but pretty good and thought-provoking.

In reply to Bellie:

Best sci fi film ever is The Fifth Element. Best on screen sci fi is a TV series, Babylon 5, cheap box sets are available. The Alien films, ET and Close Encounters are great, District 9 is brilliant, Mars Attacks is a hoot.

In reply to planetmarshall:

Oops. Right enough..!

In reply to aln:

Yes, how could I forget Mars Attacks!

Attack the Block is also good fun.

CB

In reply to no_more_scotch_eggs:


"Doc Hollywood" opens with "The One And Only"

In reply to Pekkie:


Good shout.

In reply to Bellie:

I saw Arrival recently, it was excellent.

In reply to Bellie:

Most of my favourite films have already been mentioned.

Starship Troopers is quite jolly; the use of CRTs make the ships bridges look very dated - somehow Star Trek managed to pull of a significantly more timeless look. The actual spacecraft in starship troopers seem more believable however - more like a large military ship but in space. The defining technology described in the 1959 Heinlein novel of Troopers is now on the cusp of cutting edge reality.

Wall-E is a good synthesis of many classic sci of ideas. Reminds me a lot of Rob Grant's book Colony which in turn reminds me of Heinlein's 1941 "Orphans of the Sky" - the bridge design in that is in parts ultra modern with the use of optical touch sensors etc.

2010 looks more at the spaceships of the 2001 universe. More politics and less trippy weirdness than its predecessor.

For realistic small spaceship cockpit design rooted in near-future technology the Starfury fighters from Babylon-5 are pretty good, similar things with the Mk-II viper from the recent Galactica.

The cartoon series Archer went into space with a couple of spaceships and a space station, they were more rooted in the near future than most stuff you'll see on the small screen.

They've been mentioned but Silent Running and Dark Star are both masterpieces.

In reply to Bellie:

Under the Skin (Scarlett Johansson bonus!) is beautiful, sad and unsettling.

In reply to wintertree:

Well there you go. ..

It's use in moon still the best though

In reply to Pekkie:

Good call. Especially as the OP said he's interested in design, classic stuff. Robbie is pretty much the definitive movie robot. (That's one of the main reasons I suggested Interstellar - rare to find a movie imaginative enough to feature a robot character who's nothing like him.)

In reply to planetmarshall:



+1 - soundtrack by Queen, BRIAN BLESSED, Ornella Muti, some of the best OTT quotes ever. Pathetic earthlings.

Cocoon.

Innerspace.

and if you tire of the telly, a great work of SF that has never yet been filmed: Cities in Flight by James Blish.

In reply to Steve Perry:


No. It's very, very good. Possibly the best sci-fi horror film. Excluding the first Alien. Obviously.

Andy F

In reply to planetmarshall:


I'm sorry if that spoils it for anyone, but it didn't help me much!

In reply to andy farnell:
I thought it was utter bilge, sorry. No accounting for taste I suppose.

In reply to Bellie:

Cargo is really good. German I think.

Currently enjoying Black Mirror.

In reply to deepsoup:


Each to their own.

Andy F

In reply to Bellie:

Recently I really enjoyed Edge of Tomorrow. Apart from the end when a typically Hollywood denouemont is reached, but the bit before is cool, as is the concept if you've ever spent a long time mastering a computer game. Of course it's not a classic like many of te films above but thought I'd throw it out there.

In reply to Bellie:

For something a bit different try Robinson Crusoe on Mars or even Fantastic Planet, both very much of their time but very good.

In reply to Bellie:

As well as Dark Star, look for "Silent Running"

In reply to Bellie:

for Space (and underwater) Fashion as well as interiors and posteriors there is UFO, not to be missed.

In reply to Pbob:

interesting about UFO is that it predicted Alien attacks and secret defence organisations in the 1980s. What we actually got were the Sinclair ZX80 and CB radio, not to mention Legs n Co

In reply to Bellie:

event horizon

sunshine

the fountain

blade runner

close encounters

for style, you MUST see the fifth element

Ai

Red Dwarf????

In reply to andy farnell:


Yes, Event Horizon always scares the bejesus out of me.

I thought Interstellar was interesting (and the special effects modelling the wormhole and black hole generated several proper science publications), although I still think there's a glaring temporal paradox in the timeline of the story.

Rumours persist of an Iain M Banks Culture movie although, sadly, it's probably State of the Art rather than Consider Phlebus (actually, my vote would be for Surface Detail)

In reply to Pekkie:


Another vote for Forbidden Planet. For its age the special effects are outstanding and there are some interesting concepts. Plus it's based on Shakespeare and so positively high-brow.

In reply to Bellie:




Interstellar.

In reply to Dave Garnett:
'Use of weapons' would be my choice, brilliant book.

In reply to Bootrock:

Another vote for interstellar. Definitely got some science for your sci fi.

In reply to ogreville:
Another vote for Danny Boyle's "Sunshine."

For interiors and general style of the piece (thinking those heat suits especially) and also for the plot, characterisations etc. Great scifi film & barely mentioned this far.

In reply to lorentz: Interstellar was such a surprisingly good film, it gathers such momentum; really beautifully directed. Moon, Sunshine, Starship Troopers, Star Wars, E.T., Ex Machina, Looper, The Time Travellers Wife, About Time... are all nice passages of time.

In reply to Bellie:

Prometheus is the worst of the 5 Alien movies. Films 1 - 4 are much better. Some people aren't so keen on 3 though a friend of mine says it was his favourite.

The Martian is definitely good imo.

There are also the five Terminator films if you've not seen them. No. 2 is the best but all are pretty good.

The Matrix trilogy?

If you liked Moon then Source Code by the same director, Duncan Jones, is very good: proper sci fi in that explores weird possibilities of what future technology might lead to.

Ex Machina, AI, and Transcendence are different views on AI.

Limitless is a sci-fi/thriller about smart drugs of the future.

Looper and Predestination are pretty decent thrillers involving time travel.

Minority Report is a really interesting film about using physics to see crimes before they happen. Sound a bit naff like that but really good film.

Oblivion is set in the future when Earth's resources have been completely destroyed. Another interesting unpredictable story.

In Time, set in a future where people can stop aging.

District 9 is about a harmless Alien Space ship marooned in Johannesburg and also about racism.

Edge of Tomorrow is a mind bender featuring the use of time travel.

There are the Planet of the Apes films. Rise of the Planet of the Apes is probably my favourite but most are good in different ways.

Mission to Mars I thought was good despite the low reviews.

In reply to Bobling:


I disagree...I thought it to be one of the best sci-fi films I had seen in the last 10 years. What puts people off is TC but I actually really liked in him in this.
But yes, the ending is Hollywood....I would personally have edited the ending with the view of the grenade pins

In reply to Bellie:
Wow, thanks so much for the suggestions. I'm sat with my morning cuppa digesting all of these. I've seen some of them - and in fact the ones suggested, that I have already seen, are in my collection as I liked them so much. Some - are ones that I thought I wouldn't get on with too.

I've hardly seen any of the big ones in the past few years - such as Interstellar and The Martian, so I need to get back into watching, given the oh so brief moments I get to sit down.

I do think the more odd ones like District 9 and Moon too.

Some suggestions also seem to ring a few bells from watching trailers of them at the time and thinking I must see them... but never getting round to it. So thanks for that - I will get round to it now.

There's also some real oldies in there too. I do like to see set design from way back when they actually built model sets and there wasn't such thing as CGI.

All have a big joint 'Like' for taking time to post. I didn't realise there would be so many fans of the genre.

In reply to Bellie:
moon
interstellar
solaris
2001
the Martian
sunshine

silent running is fun in a cheesy but melancholy 1960s way

In reply to Bellie:

If you look up Space 1999 the episode to watch is "Dragon's Domain" which was regarded as quite shocking at the time and a lot of people seem to remember.

In reply to no_more_scotch_eggs:


the one and only - Written for 'Buddy's Song'
also in Doc Hollywood. LA Slasher, Source Code and of course Moon.
Not a bad resume for a one hit wonder.

In reply to Bellie:

In that case - silly question, have you seen A Matter of Life and Death (1946)?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Matter_of_Life_and_Death_(film)

In reply to Duncan Bourne:

One of my favourite films of the last 5-years

I've just remembered the original Logan's Run with Jenny Agutter......

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074812/

In reply to Kimono:

I am curious. Is Edge of tomorrow the same film as "live, die, repeat" I saw once?

In reply to Bellie:
If you like weird with some adult content then I recommend Lexx. Dated effects but utterly mad. Main feature a living ship that looks like a giant insect

In reply to deepsoup:

Indeed I have, years ago. Classic David Niven.

In reply to Bellie:

A bit of a long shot but the 1960's children's film "Thunderbirds are GO!" had a very impressive self-assembling spacecraft and you will see interesting spacecraft interior shots with the puppet crew, complete with oscilloscopes and Bob Monkouse as one of the crew. One of the nicest touches is the sequence where they leave the earth's atmosphere and the sky darkens as stars appear. Not to mention a puppet version of Cliff Richard and the Shadows performing in a celestial night club!

No CGI in prospect then, and it's impressive for its time.

In reply to Bellie:

Accompanied by the classic trekkie sound effect of pulling out then putting back a piece of paper from an envelope for the opening/closing.

In reply to Bellie:

Flesh Gordon

In reply to Bellie:
For interior design, the large clear perspex hexagonal"cafetiere" of the Tardis takes some beating. A few flashing light bulbs and some wall sets from Top of the Pops and you have knocked spots off all this modern CGI nonsense. I should know, I was about 5 years old and I used to regularly sh1t myself watching it back in the 70's and so did my sister, so it must have been realistic. So that's two anecdotes, which everyone knows the plural of is data. Ergo, fact. HTH

and whilst I'm at it....that theme tune and the noise the tardis made when it disappeared.....

In reply to Bjartur i Sumarhus:

Mystery Science Theater 3000.
Mars attacks!
Manos the hands of fate!

In reply to Duncan Bourne:


Yes, it is.

Most of my favorites have already been mentioned, but no-one seems to have called out Oblivion yet, which is relatively recent and relatively decent.

In reply to Dave Garnett:

That is interesting to hear, but isn´t State of the Art a collection of short stories?

I would love to see Use of Weapons, ideally with Jessica Chastain as Sma.

CB

In reply to coolhand:


Mentioned above by stp

In reply to stp:

Terminator? The first is brilliant (even if the special effects are now dated), but I did not like any of the others. Number 2? Arnie as a good guy, machine gunning his human enemies in the legs? How poor is that,
CB

In reply to Bjartur i Sumarhus:

The original Tardis hum gave an impression of very powerful and not wholly safe technology. I loved the dematerialisation sounds - a pulsation of cosmic force together with the sound of space and time being pulled apart

In reply to planetmarshall:


What do you mean Gordon's alive?

In reply to cb294:

And a short story in itself. There have been some great (and some dreadful) sci-fi films based on a short story. (Especially a Philip K Dick short story!)

I doubt a Culture film could be made in Hollywood without it being an absolute travesty tbh, especially if they tried to adapt one of the full-length novels.

In reply to deepsoup:

not culture, but I've always thought the obvious IMB adaption would be Against a Dark Background. Linear and (by his standards) relatively straightforward plot.

Never happen, I know.

In reply to cb294:

Get outta here, it was ace!

Robert Patnick was a great villain, the CGI effects were way ahead of their time and the shape-shifting Terminator was a clever way to make the most of them whilst making indestructible Arnie the underdog.

*Poor* is the 3rd, 4th and 5th. Though the 5th did at least have the decency not to take itself too seriously.

Did you ever see the TV series (the "Sarah Connor Chronicles")? Surprisingly good. Good cast (if you don't mind Summer Glau basically reprising her role from Firefly/Serenity as the deadly weird kid), some interesting plot twists and a fine turn from Shirley Manson in the second series.

Sensibly it was set after the second film, and quietly forgot the others had ever happened.

Too bad it was abruptly canned just as it was getting interesting. Or maybe it's just as well it was canned just as it was about to jump the shark. We'll never know.

Ooh, ooh, thinking of Lena Headey, that reminds me!

Dredd! (*Not* the Sylvester Stallone one, obviously.)
I don't think anyone's suggested that yet.

In reply to cb294:


The perfect sci fi thriller with some great lines.

'I need your boots, your clothes and the keys to your motor-cycle.' A perfectly reasonable request - what's your problem?

The cyborg checks his onboard computer for a suitable reply to an insult in 1980s LA and comes up with 'screw you, asshole' which when you think about it is a suitable reply in 2016 London - depending on the size of the insulter.

'I came across time for you, Sarah,' says Rees, the cyborg's pursuer. How romantic is that? He didn't come across a world, a solar system, a galaxy, he came across time.

In reply to toad:

Well, you're probably right but never say never.

There was a BBC radio adaptation of State of the Art btw. It pops up on Radio 4 Extra every now and then. Worth a listen possibly next time it comes around...

In reply to deepsoup


Good call - faithful adaption.

In reply to deepsoup:

I seem to remember a big R4 production of Asimov's Foundation trilogy long long ago on an ether far far away ...

In reply to cb294:


The title story is about a visit to Earth by a Culture ship in the 1980s to retrieve a Culture citizen who has been living here as an unmodified human.

They love our television, especially Star Trek, although the Mind can't resist explaining why transportation is impossible and not all the same as displacement...

In reply to Bellie:

I quite enjoy watching Sci-Fi movies that are about parallel universes:

- Cloud Atlas

- Mr Nobody

Not so much for your interior design of spacecraft's though...

In reply to Bellie:
Dune, Bladerunner, Alien(s)
Fahrenheit 451 also a favourite

In reply to stp:


I'm surprised nobody's mentioned 'Gravity' which is in a similar vein to the Martian, and it's pretty compelling (and scifi-realistic) in its own way.


But you can only watch them once if you don't want to end up hating them.


Yep, I'd very much like to score some of those Ees.



Racism yes, and prawns too


The trouble with it is that (like all the humanity under threat from seemingly omnipotent conquering alien species movies), they meet their match on Earth. They've conquered entire galaxies but then they meet us and we're just so goddam' smart and resourceful that we send them all to hell.

Another nice time travel film is 'Safety not Guaranteed'. It's quirky, has some lovable characters, doesn't hinge on heroics and leaves you with a strange, warm feeling inside despite it being rather sad.

Anyway, nice thread There're a few films mentioned that passed me by and that I'm going to make an effort to watch.

In reply to moffatross:

Funnily enough I just watched that this evening. It is compelling, and quite beautiful. And so realistic that I don't think it's really science fiction at all.

Have you seen the short companion film 'Aningaaq'? It's lovely, though rather sad. Only 7 minutes long.

Trying to avoid any spoilers - do you remember the scene where she makes contact over the radio with someone who doesn't speak any English? This is the other side of the conversation.

youtube.com/watch?v=jLR1yCvu498&

(Spoiler alert - if you plan to watch 'Gravity' and haven't yet, probably better to leave this until after. It's tacked onto the DVD as an extra.)

In reply to Bellie:


It looks like no-one's suggested Akira yet, if you've not come across it before. Not spacey, but good for dystopian future sci-fi, and the design of Neo-Tokyo, its residents and their various machines is very good

In reply to deepsoup:

Thanks very much for that link, and no, I hadn't seen it, and wasn't even aware of it It's a magic little connection and I can well understand why it wasn't included in the cinema release. Actually, in retrospect, I think Gravity is one of the most first person POV films I've ever seen.

In reply to toad:

Just read that one again a few weeks ago. IMO it is his best SciFi book, together with The Algebraist and Use of Weapons.

CB

In reply to deepsoup:


Ace? Even my kids could only roll their eyes at the pretentiousness of nice Arnie!


The less mentioned about these the better?


No, always assumed it would be complete rubbish. Might give it a try, though, when the kids come home over Christmas.

CB

In reply to planetmarshall:




Seen it twice, read the Wikipedia explanation twice and I still haven't got a clue.
Great film though, one of my favourite time travel films as you're discovering the concept with them, rather than there being a character whose job it is to explain the film's concept and rules of time travel.

In reply to Byronius Maximus:
Upstream colour, if we've branched out into wtf weirdness

In reply to Bellie:


I really enjoyed Pacific Rim, but I'm not sure anybody else did. If that's a recommendation?

In reply to moffatross:


I was thinking of that. A great film which I was lucky enough to see at an IMAX cinema which just made it all the more special.

Not sure it's technically a scifi film though as all the technology already exists - there's nothing fictional about the science.

In reply to deepsoup:


More to the point it's a superb political/military satire. By the third series (which blatantly subverts the US occupation of Iraq) it was the hardest hitting show on TV. Critics were going wild but few viewers heard the noise. Good to see you did!!

In reply to Bellie:

FAQs about time travel is quite frankly hilarious. It's about a group of blokes in a pub who have a trippy evening, we genuinely thought we'd walked into the wrong screen/ made a horrible mistake going to watch it and then realised it was a fantastic film.
The Expanse on Netflix is excellent, has various different styles of spaceship and a good story.
I'm a strong fan of stargate, lots of different ship designs in that, it's very 90s but good fun most of the time, Destiny is set on a spaceship with the crew trying to figure out what everything does.

In reply to 1poundSOCKS:


I was pleasantly surprised by that.

In reply to Bellie:
Best Sci-Fi I've seen lately wasn't a film but the Neflix series The Expanse.
It reminded me of the worlds in the Asimov books Caves of Steel and The Naked Sun only with actual characters.
Great Earth/Mars/solar system based middle-future action sci-if, if that makes sense! Very watchable.

In reply to Bellie:
Also the most recent series of Black Mirror - the last of which was just brilliant near future stuff, as we're come to expect of BM.

In reply to stp:


really underrated film i think - love/hate the scene with the eyes! I find it hard to like TomC but he's been in some great Sci-fi.


Has no-one mentioned 12 monkeys yet? I really like that film.

In reply to BelleVedere:


Totally forgot about it. Great film.

In reply to Bellie:

I've now got a really decent list to go through! I suppose I'm also missing the obvious ones like revisiting the Star Trek films too. Looking for details in the design rather than watching the films this time.

I used to watch the Next generation series and DS9 but at the time never really checked out the spacecraft.

In reply to Bellie:

I'd recommend lifeforce too, as a teenager I really like this movie.

In reply to Bellie:
I'd recommend lifeforce too, as a teenager I really liked this movie.

Also liked battle beyond the stars (a certain James Cameron did the special effects)

In reply to Bellie:

Oh, just to say for spaceship design look at Oban star racer, way out ideas, especially Ceres the last surviving Mong's ship.

In reply to Bellie:

Check out the Astronaut. The whole films takes places in the 'space capsule' and is an intersting contrast to the Martian. In fact the whole film probably cost less than any one effect in The Martian.

Also, no one has mentioned The Day the Earth Stood Still (the original not the poor remake), an absolute classic in which you can see the cues for many scfi films to come.

12 Monkeys is another favourite of mine that has not yet had a shout.

In reply to Bellie:

Try Dark City for a bit of gothic and noiresque scifi. It has a great set, and it's all quite creepy in a weird dreamy way.

In reply to Bellie:

Anyone mentioned Ice Pirates yet? Good for a giggle.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087451/

In reply to Hat Dude:

Agree about "Dark Star" - it's got the best low budget alien ever, a big beach-ball with a couple of claws attached.

In reply to Bellie:

Sci-fi is one of my favourite things and you've got quite the watch list from everyone so far! Throwing my 2 pence in; Coherence is an absolute beast

In reply to moffatross:


God I forgot about that, that really is a fantastic film. Absolutely darkly hilarious too. Loved it.

In reply to Bellie:

Just one more vote for Tarkovsky's Solaris. Stalker as well.

In reply to Bellie:

A few more I didnt see in the replies.... Metropolis and Brazil both superb films of any genre and brilliant for design. Fifth Element is daft fun but weird and wonderful for design. 12 Monkeys meets both requirements pretty well.

Also search for sci fi interior design...its not just films.. lots of crazy people out there build sci fi film sets for their own life.

In reply to David Alcock:
A lesson for Hollywood. Writers, directors and imagination are more important than special effects.

That reminded me of a few others.. comedies ..Doctor Strangelove, The Man in the White Suit, Galaxy Quest.... quiet...Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Children of Men, Upstream Colour... more foreign language...Delicatessan, La Jettee, Troll Hunter, The Host, Battle Royale, The Ring, Nightwatch/ Daywatch.... and for a bit more anime Ghost in the Machine

In reply to Rob Davies:
Both it and Silent running show huge creativity. I loved the little touches of movement that gave the robot "helpers" character in Silent running.


would the rocket interior of Wallace and Grommit's Grand Day out count?

In reply to Offwidth:

Ah yes, la Jettee. Haven't seen that for years. Good choice.

In reply to Offwidth:

If you want weird and wonderful, you can't leave 'Being John Malkovich' off the list. Doesn't get much more original than that.

Galaxy Quest is a good call for sci-fi btw, surprised that hasn't been suggested already. (er.. I think.)

In reply to wercat:

Almost incredibly, Huey Louie & Dewey had human actors inside. They must have been pretty athletic to say the least:
cinetropolis.net/unsung-heroes-silent-runnings-drones/

In reply to deepsoup:
Oops. Clickable link: http://cinetropolis.net/unsung-heroes-silent-runnings-drones/

In reply to Tom Last:

Well if we're doing TV I will back Westworld up to the hilt

In reply to Bellie:

As a tribute, and a very watchable film, there's Queen of Outer Space (1958):

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052104/

Reviewed as "a creditable attempt to bring sex to the science-fiction genre" and mostly notable for the effortless, blatant and charming way that Zsa Zsa Gabor steals every scene she is in.

In reply to Bellie:

No space craft here but:
The Adjustment Bureau
Predestination
Her
and for District 9 fans

Chappie

In reply to Tom Valentine:

Excellent call. The OP expressed an interest in doors further up the thread.
Yet another film based on a Philip K Dick short story.

Is that good? The trailer put me off - it just looked like a gritty re-make of Short Circuit. Number 5 is alive!

In reply to Offwidth:


Shell?

In reply to deepsoup:


I quite enjoyed watching it on a flight - but then that does temporarily alter one's quality filter.

In reply to 1poundSOCKS:

Yes, sorry. Its been a few years since I've seen it.

In reply to Offwidth:


I do love GitS, 1 and 2 and the Stand Alone Complex series. They're bringing out a version with actors and real stuff next year. Hope it's good!

In reply to 1poundSOCKS:

I watched the spin-off series in a random order over a few years with a few gaps ... would be good to return one day and watch them in order.

In reply to Offwidth:


Needs to be done. The laughing man story is the meat of series one and runs through it, with the odd stand alone episode (I think it was series one, it's been quite a few years now).

In reply to freeflyer:

That film is dire but watchable... really niche cult stuff. Ed Wood is an essential watch (and a genuinely good film) for fans of such movies and it might just about make this list. Sci Fi is about using fictional science to provide disrupted and so unusual stories beyond the remit of standard fiction.

In reply to deepsoup:
"Chappie" is a disappointment but the bad guys are really good, if you get my drift...

There are obviously links with the perfectly watchable "Elysium".

Unfortunately neither has a line as good as "Don't point that fooking tentacle at me...."

In reply to Bellie:

Just watched The Signal with Laurence Fishburne. Thought this was a really interesting sci-fi with fantastic photography and a fine mystery that keeps you engaged all the way till the end.

In reply to Bellie:

by the way, just to clarify, after seeing that there is some abominable animation with the same name, the Thunderbirds are Go film is the original 60s cinema production.

In reply to all:

152 posts so far, any women?

In reply to Bellie:

Another vote for Dark Star definitely.
Also Blade Runner, Alien, 1st Star Wars film, Total Recall (Schwarzenegger one).

In reply to Bellie:

Star Wars!!!

In reply to Bellie:

Watch Arrival. Don't read about it just watch it.

In reply to Bellie:

2 Top films in my opinion. Pitch Black and sequel Chronicles of Riddick

In reply to Bellie:

Avalon

In reply to Bellie:

Nobodys mentioned the original Westworld film, ahead of its time.

And for scary time stuff, watch the original weeping angels episode of Dr Who (Blink ?). Genuinely inventive and frightening in a program for kids!

In reply to Bellie:

I see Thunderbirds are GO is currently on Film 4