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Awix (3310 KP) rated Doomwatch (1972) in Movies
Feb 26, 2018
Big screen adaptation of then-popular BBC TV SF-thriller show looks much more like a horror story than the telly version normally was. Scientist (Bannen) discovers something nasty afflicting the inhabitants of a remote island; can anything be done to help them?
Competently done; resembles the TV show in its tone and concerns much of the time. However, the general tone and subject matter (investigator on remote island discovers conspiracy of silence amongst locals, including disappearing corpses) would almost make you suspect a Wicker Man rip-off, except this was made first (by a matter of months). Not that it matters much these days, but the actual stars of the TV show barely appear in the movie; they may have been busy actually making it at the time the movie was in production. Worth seeing if you're familiar with the TV show, probably a bit too low-octane if you're not.
Competently done; resembles the TV show in its tone and concerns much of the time. However, the general tone and subject matter (investigator on remote island discovers conspiracy of silence amongst locals, including disappearing corpses) would almost make you suspect a Wicker Man rip-off, except this was made first (by a matter of months). Not that it matters much these days, but the actual stars of the TV show barely appear in the movie; they may have been busy actually making it at the time the movie was in production. Worth seeing if you're familiar with the TV show, probably a bit too low-octane if you're not.
Awix (3310 KP) rated 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) in Movies
Feb 20, 2018 (Updated Feb 20, 2018)
Kubrick and Clarke's proverbial good SF movie encompasses the entire history of the human race in 142 minutes (it takes the Fifty Shades trilogy 343 minutes to say considerably less about slightly more trivial matters). Much of the plot is left for the viewer to infer: where do we come from? Where are we going? What is our essential nature? What does it all mean? Probably appears to concern uplift of human race from primitive apes to transcendent star-beings by extraterrestrial forces, with the odd problem along the way.
Not the warmest or paciest of films, but still fabulous to look at and displaying a consummate mastery of image and sound. Probably says something about the film that the only performance most people can remember is that of Hal the computer. Not so much a film with a story as a series of unforgettable linked audio-visual experiences; one of those movies that everyone should see at least once, preferably on the big screen.
Not the warmest or paciest of films, but still fabulous to look at and displaying a consummate mastery of image and sound. Probably says something about the film that the only performance most people can remember is that of Hal the computer. Not so much a film with a story as a series of unforgettable linked audio-visual experiences; one of those movies that everyone should see at least once, preferably on the big screen.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Phase IV (1974) in Movies
Feb 22, 2018 (Updated Feb 22, 2018)
Strange, chilly SF movie; cerebral even by the standards of the early 70s - rather like 2001: A Space Odyssey with much more insecticide. Quite what's going on remains somewhat obscure, but some kind of cosmic force or phenomenon affects the behaviour of terrestrial ants in a rather alarming fashion; two scientists studying the insects find themselves besieged by the creatures, along with a survivor of one of their attacks.
By no means the B-movie shocker it sounds like; actually quite slow and thoughtful (maybe too much so). Saul Bass was primarily a graphic designer and his interest is clearly in the visuals: there are long sequences of close-up photography showing ants behaving peculiarly, with no dialogue or voice-over. Certainly some striking sequences, and kind of pleasantly mystifying to watch; the decision by the distributors to remove most of Bass' original ending was probably a mistake, robbing the climax of its impact. A curiosity, but a worthwhile one.
By no means the B-movie shocker it sounds like; actually quite slow and thoughtful (maybe too much so). Saul Bass was primarily a graphic designer and his interest is clearly in the visuals: there are long sequences of close-up photography showing ants behaving peculiarly, with no dialogue or voice-over. Certainly some striking sequences, and kind of pleasantly mystifying to watch; the decision by the distributors to remove most of Bass' original ending was probably a mistake, robbing the climax of its impact. A curiosity, but a worthwhile one.
Gender and the Quest in British Science Fiction Television: An Analysis of Doctor Who, Blake's 7, Red Dwarf and Torchwood
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Doctor Who, Blake's 7, Red Dwarf, and Torchwood represent a significant cross section of BBC...
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Giovanni Pintori
Giovanni Pintori and Marta Sironi
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Born in Sardinia, Giovanni Pintori (1912- 1999) was employed by Olivetti in 1939, where he defined...
Awix (3310 KP) rated Scanners (1981) in Movies
Oct 12, 2020
Horror-SF from David Cronenberg. A man with psychic powers is sent to infiltrate a dangerous network of others with similar abilities: they have many subtle telepathic and telekinetic powers, such as being able to make people's heads explode.
Actually rather less graphic and icky than the film's reputation (and advertising) might suggest; the really spectacularly gory bits bookend the movie, and much of the rest of it looks like a relatively conventional thriller. The film is arguably ahead of its time in its suspicion of the military-industrial complex and big pharma; there is perhaps a subtext about the souring of 60s idealism as free-thinkers are persecuted or exploited by vested interests. Pretty good performances from the hero and the villain, but (not really surprisingly) Patrick McGoohan steals the film as the protagonist's father-figure. A thoughtful and intelligent film that isn't afraid to really go for the splatter now and then.
Actually rather less graphic and icky than the film's reputation (and advertising) might suggest; the really spectacularly gory bits bookend the movie, and much of the rest of it looks like a relatively conventional thriller. The film is arguably ahead of its time in its suspicion of the military-industrial complex and big pharma; there is perhaps a subtext about the souring of 60s idealism as free-thinkers are persecuted or exploited by vested interests. Pretty good performances from the hero and the villain, but (not really surprisingly) Patrick McGoohan steals the film as the protagonist's father-figure. A thoughtful and intelligent film that isn't afraid to really go for the splatter now and then.
Awix (3310 KP) rated The Vast of Night (2019) in Movies
Jun 6, 2020
High-concept, low-budget SF movie. It's the night of the year's first basketball game somewhere in Texas, and most people are watching. But small-town DJ Everett and switchboard operator Fay aren't, and they start to get strange reports of mysterious radio signals and peculiar lights. The same phrase recurs again and again: there's something in the sky...
Framed as a Twilight Zone or Outer Limits pastiche, and while the subject matter is certainly similar, much of the style is not: long takes, either static or mobile, rattling dialogue, a sort of self-consciousness about form which is only to be expected in a directorial debut. Interesting subtext about the aliens' agenda and the people prepared to speak up about their experiences (generally speaking, it's people from the lowest strata of society). Genuinely tense and even a bit eerie in places: Rod Serling would never have written something so oblique, but I think he would have appreciated its quality regardless.
Framed as a Twilight Zone or Outer Limits pastiche, and while the subject matter is certainly similar, much of the style is not: long takes, either static or mobile, rattling dialogue, a sort of self-consciousness about form which is only to be expected in a directorial debut. Interesting subtext about the aliens' agenda and the people prepared to speak up about their experiences (generally speaking, it's people from the lowest strata of society). Genuinely tense and even a bit eerie in places: Rod Serling would never have written something so oblique, but I think he would have appreciated its quality regardless.
Fugitive Telemetry
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The New York Times bestselling security droid with a heart (though it wouldn't admit it!) is back in...
Awix (3310 KP) rated Star Trek IV - The Voyage Home (1986) in Movies
Mar 26, 2019
Fourth big-screen Trek dodges the usual 'all SF blockbusters must be action movies' pitfall and opts for some gentle social comedy instead. Alien probe is outraged by the extinction of Earth's whales and decides to wipe out civilisation; Kirk and the gang have to travel back to 1980s San Francisco to recruit some substitute cetaceans and save the day. Very possibly riding on the coat-tails of Back to the Future, but also Nick Meyer's Time After Time (Meyer wrote the middle section of the film).
Solidly structured and engagingly played: the actors know their characters backward and it's a pleasure to spend time with them. Interesting to speculate about the original version of the film, which would have co-starred Eddie Murphy (Paramount nixed the idea). Doing a lighter Trek works well here, but led to the studio insisting on comedy bits being added to future films in the series, which was arguably a big mistake. Doesn't detract from the entertainment value of Star Trek in one of its magisterial phases.
Solidly structured and engagingly played: the actors know their characters backward and it's a pleasure to spend time with them. Interesting to speculate about the original version of the film, which would have co-starred Eddie Murphy (Paramount nixed the idea). Doing a lighter Trek works well here, but led to the studio insisting on comedy bits being added to future films in the series, which was arguably a big mistake. Doesn't detract from the entertainment value of Star Trek in one of its magisterial phases.