SCI-FI September!

[Rob4]

Sorry I don't have time to do reviews (so just a quick sketch) but these are the sci-fi's I've watched so far in September:

The Outer Limits: ZZZZZ - Queen bee enters the land of humankind to mate with a man and extend the reach of her species. Much sexual tension ensues. Bonkers concept but usual OL high standards in acting, photography and direction made this a rivetting watch.

Out of the Unknown: Lambda 1 - Something about a teleport vehicle being trapped in limbo and the subsequent rescue attempt. Frankly, I didn't understand a bit of it...

Out of the Unknown: Level Seven - Nightmarish nuclear armageddon story about an elite group at the titular level with the responsibility of retaliating to nuclear attack. They believe they cannot be reached at their level... of course [SPOILER ALERT] they are wrong. Excellent hour of classic Brit television.

On a side note it was interesting to compare the American and British approach to TV sci-fi from the same period. Clearly the Americans were way ahead in the photography and direction departments and probably also had the edge on acting too. The acting for the camera was of similar quality but a lot of the UK actors seem to be delivering their lines in booming 'theatre voices'. The scripts appear to be of similar quality, but I think the utter bleakness of the UK stories makes them that little bit more compelling. This was a small sample, of course, so I'm probably drawing my conclusions from limited evidence.

Liquid Sky - Midnight movie stuff about miniature aliens feeding off orgasmic energy. I started out detemined to hate it but couldn't help myself from enjoying the madness of it all.

The Legend of Hell House - Yes I know most will say it's horror but it has that pseudo-psychic science underpinning which was fashionable throughout the seventies so I'm including it! It's a good movie for the most part, with an ending that's pants. [SPOILER ALERT] The big malevolent spirit is suffering from small man syndrome

[MrBarlow]

Terminator 2: Judgement Day. 1991.

Big Arnie is back as the cyberdyne system model 101 cyborg, this time re-programmed to protect the future leader of the resistance leader John Connor played by Edward Furlong. Linda Hamilton returns this time believing that the end is nye by the robots after a nuclear war. Robert Patrick is the newer model that is made by liquid metal and take on any form. James Cameron returns to the directors chair and gave us a decent action packed sequel of car chases, shootouts and great visual/special effects that were created by the great Stan Winston and background score by Brad Fiedel who returns from the previous film. As much as most of the missing scenes were re-introduced, there is still maybe one of two scenes still left out on the cutting room floor that still should have been left in and explains that Sarah describing what it's like to kill "One Of Those Things".

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[MrBarlow]

Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines. 2003.

Generally this entry gets a lot of flack, yeah it's not the best but certainly not the worst in the franchise, Arnie was told when to come back to the franchise with the advice of "take the money and run". Nick Stahl steps in from where Edward Furlong was supposed to be and tries to fill the role in and decently does it. Kristanna Loken plays the female terminator with some extra accessories. This one starts off with John living off the grid and a terminator executing members of the resistance at a young age before the fallout and the big Arnie protector trying to keep John and new companion Kate alive to save the human race. There is a decent car chase that uses the microchips in cars that can be controlled, plenty weapons and some decent shoot outs, but the pacing of the film can be a bit all over the place.


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[Demdike@Cult Labs]

The Atomic Submarine (1959)

A reasonably suspenseful sc-fi B-picture featuring a cast of familiar faces such as Dick Foran, Tom Conway and Arthur Franz.

Director Spencer G Bennet sustains a tense atmosphere throughout as the nuclear powered submarine and it's crew search the waters around the North Pole for an underwater UFO and it's iconic single eyed occupant.

It's main drawback is it's overuse of stock footage above the waves but the submarine model looks good enough certainly. At a mere seventy minutes this never outstays it's welcome and was an enjoyable watch.

The picture quality on the Screenbound / Odeon dvd is top notch.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1961)

Following simultaneous nuclear tests across the globe by the US and Russia, strange meteorological events begin to affect the planet altering the Earth's nutation by 11 degrees making the planet heat up as it slowly spirals towards the sun.

This is one bleak but brilliant intense slice of British science fiction from director Val Guest. Made almost documentary style the film is seen through the eyes of Daily Mirror reporter Edward Judd and his editor Leo McKern and MET Office clerk Janet Munro, and it's via their reactions that reveal to us the catastrophic nature of the impending doomsday scenario.

It's testament to these three, Munro and Judd especially, that we don't need to see any fancy special effects in order to be completely invested in proceedings not to mention utterly gripped.

This is intelligent and taut, an authentic look at Fleet Street's workings - it was filmed at the offices of The Daily Mirror - as the viewer seemingly swelters along with the rest of London thanks to the immersive sweltering atmosphere throughout the film. Outdoor locations are incredibly eerie and credibly memorable such as the Thames totally dried up and the orange infused camera work at the beginning and last ten minutes of the film convey the catastrophe in devastating fashion as the film fades to black on two possible Daily Mirror headlines.

Finding a near mint copy of the BFI Blu-ray, complete with booklet, in Cex for £6 late last year of this long deleted movie was sheer joy.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

The Dungeonmaster (1984)

I switched this off following W.A.S.P.'s mini performance of Tormentor. Once again it made me realise two things. How great the band were supporting the primal force that was their debut album and such a pity i never got to see them until a few years later minus the outrage.

Secondly i realised once again how shit the surrounding film The Dungeonmaster aka Ragewar actually is.

Certainly one of my more sensible decisions not shelling out fifty five quid for that Arrow Empire Video Store box set.

[Justin101]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs;

Certainly one of my more sensible decisions not shelling out fifty five quid for that Arrow Empire Video Store box set.

I definitely enjoyed all 5 films and the special features and the booklet, money well spent for me haha.

[Frankie Teardrop]

LITTLE JOE – The setting is a plant breeding facility, where scientists are chuffed about their prize bloom, an orchid that releases mood-enhancing chemicals in exchange for its owner’s loving care. It’s mainly the research project of Alice (Emily Beecham), who takes a sample home for her son, hoping to get some off-radar fieldwork in on the side. That backfires when the people around her start to change; taking a dive into ‘Invasion Of The Body Snatchers’ type paranoia, ‘Little Joe’ shows us that even tiny potted things can have an agenda of their own. ‘Little Joe’, despite wearing the trappings of a sci-fi thriller, is at heart a relationships drama that functions as metaphorical swipe at the pharmaceutical industry (I think the plan to market oxytocin-producing ‘Little Joe’ is meant to analogise the mass use of antidepressants.) It’s austere but absorbing. The ultra-clinical atmosphere brings to mind the tone of some of the work of JG Ballard maybe, or perhaps the landscape of seventies UK TV sci-fi – there’s no full-on triffid action or anything, just the sense of eeriness that stems from watching emotionally constipated men and woman wandering round a big greenhouse to a soundtrack of strange, high-pitched wailing. Somehow, that’s far more tense and dramatic than it sounds; ‘Little Joe’ is stylistically compelling for sure, but its emotional drive comes from Beecham’s performance as the mother who fears losing contact with her son. Really interesting and highly recommended – from director Jessica Hausner, which makes me want to dig out her wonderful ‘Hotel’, a film that I remember as a very weird and dreamlike thriller with a shade or two of Lynch about it.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Frankie Teardrop

from director Jessica Hausner, which makes me want to dig out her wonderful ‘Hotel’, a film that I remember as a very weird and dreamlike thriller with a shade or two of Lynch about it.

Somebody else who knows Hotel.

Best bloody strange film about a hotel in the Austrian Alps i've seen.

[Frankie Teardrop]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

Somebody else who knows Hotel.

Best bloody strange film about a hotel in the Austrian Alps i've seen.

I remember really liking it when I saw it all those years ago, enough to make me wonder why I haven't checked it out again in the intervening years. Might try to track down my old DVD, but I bet it's ended up in someone's attic. Another entry on the depressingly long "why isn't it on blu ray?" list.