EVENT 225 Days of good sci-fi

To kill time until Star Wars the Force Awakens comes out I will post a new sci-fi movie and/or TV recommendation every day.

'Good' is completely subjective of course. Its what's 'Good' according to -ME-
There will be a lot of older 'classic material' and eclectic choices because that's just the way I roll.

If you want to recommend something e-mail me at bator_andrew@hotmail.com.

May the Force be with you. Always.

 

So let's kick this off with the best thing since Star Wars...

Firefly (TV Series) 2002-03
14 Episodes

Rather then lament what could of been let's focus on the positive. Here you have 11 hours of quality sci-fi adventure, great characters, and an interesting setting. If you've never seen it, it's pretty much "Han Solo: The Series" without aliens.



Where can I watch it?
If you do a search for 'Firefly' on youtube it will come up.

You can pay to watch it on Hulu+, Amazon Prime, or VUDU

 

Serenity (Movie) 2005
Written & Directed by Joss Whedon. Starring Nathan Fillion, Summer Glau

In this continuation of the television series "Firefly," a group of rebels travel the outskirts of known space aboard their ship, Serenity, outside the reach of the Alliance, a sinister regime that controls most of the universe. After the crew takes in a couple of sibling fugitives they find themselves being pursued by the Operative, an Alliance agent who will stop at nothing to find them.

Somehow this movie got made and is a great end cap to the series. Sadly, it didn't even make it's budget back when it came out 10 years ago. If you try and watch the movie without seeing the series first it won't make much sense.



Trailer:

Where can I watch it?

You can pay to watch it on Amazon Prime, or VUDU

 

Psycho-Pass (Anime) 2012-13
22 Episodes

The story takes place in an authoritarian future dystopia, where omnipresent public sensors continuously scan every citizen's mental state, personality, and probability that individuals will commit crime. The resulting assessment is called a Psycho-Pass. When the probability of a person engaging in crimes exceeds a certain level in an individual, he or she is pursued, apprehended, and killed if necessary.

If you liked the movie Minority Report (2002) you should check this out. Personally, I am a proponent of watching anime in the original Japanese with sub-titles.



Trailer:

Where can I watch it?
Watch the 1st four episodes for free on Hulu! (Subbed or Dubbed)

You can pay to watch it on Amazon Prime

Psycho-Pass: Part One (Blu-ray/DVD Combo) Episodes 1-11


Psycho-Pass: Part Two (Blu-ray/DVD Combo) Episodes 12-22

 

Psycho-Pass 2 (Anime) 2014
11 Episodes

A direct sequel to the series Psycho-Pass. The story once again follows the Public Safety Bureau's Criminal Investigation Division, led by Inspector Akane Tsunemori, as they are caught up in another mysterious case.

Not only is it a great sci-fi story but Production I.G. is one of the leaders in modern day animation. There is a great deal of exceptional violence so it may not be for everyone.



Trailer:

Where can I watch it?
Watch all 11 episodes for free on Hulu! (Subbed)

 

Outland (Movie) 1981
Written & Directed by Peter Hyams. Starring Sean Connery, Peter Boyle

Thriller about an honest marshal in a corrupt mining colony on Io, Jupiter's sunless third moon, who is determined to confront a violent drug ring even though it may cost him his life.

It's basically a futuristic remake of High Noon (1952) in space. If you like the Alien/Predator franchise this movie seamlessly fits in that shared universe concept.



Trailer:

Where can I watch it?
If one were to do a search for 'outland movie - le film' on Youtube one might find it but why don't you own one of the best science fiction movies of all time already?

You can pay to watch it on Amazon Prime, or VUDU

 

Dying Earth Week
It's the end of the world as we know it. This week we count down 7 bleak futures...

-------------------------------------------------------

Appleseed (CGI anime movie) 2004
Based on the manga by Masamune Shirow

After global war has devastated the planet one of the last cities struggles to survive. Its population is made up of genetically-engineered organic androids, cyborgs, and the few remaining Humans rescued from the wasteland. However, not every Human is content to live in this manufactured Utopia.

There have been a few attempts to bring this story to fruition. A traditional animation movie: Appleseed (1988); This attempt, and an inferior sequel: Appleseed Ex Machina (2007); A TV series: Appleseed XIII (2011) which you can see for free on Hulu; And another CGI movie reboot: Appleseed Alpha (2014)



Trailer:

Where can I watch it?
You can watch it for free on Hulu! (Dubbed)

 

Dying Earth Week (Continues)

-------------------------------------------------------

Dredd (Movie) 2012
Based on the British comic book 2000 AD (1977)

In a violent, futuristic city where the police have authority to act as judge, jury and executioner, a cop teams with a trainee to take down a gang that deals the reality-altering drug, SLO-MO.

This is a far superior attempt portraying the character and dystopian future city of Mega-City One then Sylvester Stallone's Judge Dredd (1995). I've seen many say they didn't enjoy this movie because it ripped off The Raid: Redemption (2011). I've yet to see that so I cannot comment. I understand the sentiment though and feel that way about the Hunger Games movies which lifts the same premise from the Japanese movie Battle Royale (2000). If you like old-fashioned high octane 80s action movies you should enjoy this.



Trailer:

Where can I watch it?

You can pay to watch it on Youtube, Amazon Prime, VUDU

 

Dying Earth Week (Continues)

-------------------------------------------------------

Soylent Green (Movie) 1973
Directed by Richard Fleischer. Starring Charlton Heston and Edward G. Robinson
Loosely based on Make Room! Make Room! (1966) by Harry Harrison

A science fiction police procedural investigating the murder of a wealthy businessman in a dystopian future suffering from pollution, overpopulation, depleted resources, water scarcity, poverty, dying oceans, and global warming. Much of the population survives on processed food rations.

Sadly, this is not that far off from the world we (and your children) are actually heading into. Remember - Tuesday is Soylent Green day.



Trailer:

Where can I watch it?

You can pay to watch it on Youtube, Amazon Prime, VUDU

 

Dying Earth Week (Continues)

-------------------------------------------------------

Nineteen Eighty-Four (Movie) 1984
Starring John Hurt and Richard Burton
Based on the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949) by George Orwell

In a dystopian 1984, people endure a squalid existence in the totalitarian superstate of Oceania under the constant surveillance of the Thought Police. The protagonist Winston works in a small office cubicle at the Ministry of Truth, rewriting history in accordance with the dictates of the Party and its supreme figurehead, Big Brother. Winston is an everyman with restless desires who keeps a secret diary of his private thoughts, thus creating evidence of his thoughtcrime.

Check out the movie, it's doubleplusgood.



Trailer:

Where can I watch it?

You can pay to watch it on Youtube, Amazon Prime, VUDU

 

Dying Earth Week (Continues)

-------------------------------------------------------

Mad Max (Movie) 1979
Directed by George Miller. Starring Mel Gibson

In a dystopian future Australia, law and order have begun to break down following a major energy crisis. Motorcycle gangs scavenge the lands and terrorize the population. An overworked police force tries to hold society together as it slips into anarchy. One officer is consumed by vengeance as everything he cares about is ripped away from him.



Trailer:

Where can I watch it?

You can pay to watch it on Amazon Prime, VUDU

 

Dying Earth Week (Continues)

-------------------------------------------------------

The Road (Movie) 2009
Starring Viggo Mortensen, Robert Duvall, Charlize Theron

A man and his young son struggle to survive after an unspecified cataclysm has killed most plant and animal life. Civilization has collapsed, reducing the survivors to scavenging and in most cases cannibalism. The duo search for supplies as they travel south on a road to the coast in the hope it will be warmer.

Excellent but highly depressing movie.



Trailer:

Where can I watch it?

You can pay to watch it on Amazon Prime, VUDU

 

Dying Earth Week (Concludes!)

-------------------------------------------------------

Children of Men (Movie) 2006
Directed and co-written by Alfonso Cuarón. Starring Cliven Owen, Julianne Moore, Michael Caine

When infertility threatens mankind with extinction and the last child born has perished, a disillusioned bureaucrat becomes the unlikely champion in the fight for the survival of Earth's population; He must protect the planet's last remaining hope from danger.

The film works on multiple levels. As a violent chase thriller, a fantastical cautionary tale, and a sophisticated human drama about societies struggling to live. One of the best sci-fi movies of this century (so far).



Trailer:

Where can I watch it?

You can pay to watch it on Amazon Prime, VUDU

 

So where do we go after society collapses? One of my favorite sci-fi sub-genres, the Post-Apocalypse baby! Or as the Lost Children of the wasteland refer to it as, The Pox-Eclipse. Until the end of May we'll count down the top post-apocalyptic science fiction offerings.

Post-Apocalypse Sci-Fi (Honorable Mentions)

-------------------------------------------------------

The Last of Us (Video Game) 2013
Action-adventure survival horror

Takes place twenty years after a fungal-based, brain-altering pandemic has spread and infected the majority of the world's population. Survivors live in heavily policed quarantine zones. The game revolves around a man tasked with escorting a young girl across the post-apocalyptic United States.

After 37 years of playing video games this is my favorite of all time bar-none. I bought a PS3 just to play it. It was well worth it. A movie version is slated for 2016. Here's hoping they do justice to the really interesting post-apocalyptic setting and great characters that are in the game.



Trailer:

-------------------------------------------------------

Zardoz (Movie) 1974
Starring Sean Connery

In the future, Earth is ruled by Eternals, an advanced and secret sect of beings who reign over a savage group called Brutals. The Eternals have created a god named Zardoz to intimidate the Brutals, making them believe that killing is their natural state. However, Zed, an Exterminator of Brutals challenges that assumption when he enters the Zardoz monument and is captured. He goes on to learn the truth about the Eternals and the false god that rules society.

A lot of people hate this movie. It's certainly a weird movie, but I find it quite original and entertaining. If you aren't familiar with any dharmic or New Age concepts like the third eye, auras, reincarnation or psychic powers you will probably be lost. It is quite an ambitious story told on a miniscule budget. It also builds to a great reveal of why the world of Zardoz is so messed up. Written and directed by John Boorman, the same guy that did Deliverance and Excalibur. He acknowledges that the film is overly ambitious and strange, but his affection for it remains clear to this day. He’s especially proud that all of the film’s visuals were created in camera without the aid of post-production work. It's definitely hokey but well worth checking out, if for no other reason then because there is nothing else quite like it.



Trailer:

Where can I watch it?

You can pay to watch it on Youtube, Amazon Prime, VUDU

 

Post-Apocalypse Sci-Fi Countdown
Counting down the top post-apocalyptic science fiction offerings until the end of May.

-------------------------------------------------------

Oblivion (Movie) 2013
Staring Tom Cruise, Morgan Freeman, Olga Kurylenko

In the year 2077, Jack Harper works as a security repairman on an Earth left empty and devastated after a war with aliens. Jack has two weeks left before his mission ends and he joins his fellow survivors on a faraway colony. However, Jack's concept of reality comes crashing down after he rescues a beautiful stranger from a downed spacecraft.

Shut your brain off while you watch this movie and just enjoy the beautiful visuals of desolation. I give full props for the effects. It's entertaining but not a great sci-fi movie. That's why it's at the bottom of my Post-Apocalypse list. If you want to get some idea of the kind of questions I often ask myself even on a first viewing of a film then watch this CinemaSins video.
Warning, this is 100% spoiler so don't watch until you've seen the movie:

Spoiler

Everything Wrong With Oblivion In 12 Minutes Or Less

And my biggest problem with the movie is the aliens came here to steal... WATER. All these resources wasted when they could of just traveled to the Oort Cloud, which incidentally, would of been much easier to harvest.

Trailer:

Where can I watch it?

You can pay to watch it on Youtube, Amazon Prime, VUDU

 

Post-Apocalypse Sci-Fi Countdown
Counting down the top post-apocalyptic science fiction offerings until the end of May.

-------------------------------------------------------

THX 1138: The George Lucas Director's Cut (Movie) 2004
Directed by George Lucas. Staring Robert Duvall, Donald Pleasence

In the future, free will is outlawed by means of mandatory medication that controls human emotion. When THX 1138 and LUH 3417 stop taking their meds, they wake up to the bleak reality of their own existence and fall in love with each other in the process. But love is also illegal in this Orwellian dystopia, and the act of making love has made both of them outlaws on the run from an army of robotic police.

Originally released in 1971. I first saw this film when Turner Classic Movies broadcast the Director's Cut. As this was my initial viewing, I had not realized the effects had been tweaked until researching it afterward. Lucas showed a lot more constraint with THX 1138 then he did on Star Wars ANH and RotJ. I feel the minor changes and improvements he made only added to the quality of the film.



Trailer:

Where can I watch it?

You can pay to watch it on Youtube, Amazon Prime, VUDU

 

Post-Apocalypse Sci-Fi Countdown
Counting down the top post-apocalyptic science fiction offerings until the end of May.

-------------------------------------------------------

Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (Movie) 1985
Directed by George Miller. Staring Mel Gibson, Tina Turner

Mad Max drifts into Bartertown. There he becomes a gladiator and gets dumped in the wasteland. He is rescued by a band of feral orphans, survivors of the "Pox-Eclipse" who have been awaiting a savoir. When several of them mistake his appearance as a sign they go off determined to find the prophesied "Tomorrow-morrow Land."



Trailer:

Where can I watch this?

You can pay to watch it on Youtube, Amazon Prime, VUDU

 

Post-Apocalypse Sci-Fi Countdown
Counting down the top post-apocalyptic science fiction offerings until the end of May.

-------------------------------------------------------

From the New World AKA Shin Sekai Yori (Anime) 2012-13
25 Episodes

1,000 years in the future Japan has become a fractured country, and small towns now exist where the rulers have powerful psychic abilities. When an incident occurs, 5 children come to realize the world is not as it seems. The world and its history are much darker than they appear and humanity is on the verge of collapsing.

I'm sure there are quite a few that are less-then-thrilled with all the Anime that appears on this list but it's one of the few ways to see 'real' sci-fi brought to life outside of reading a novel. And let me tell you, this story blew me away. It had a real old school sci-fi epic feel and in places even reminded me of something out of classic Arthur C. Clarke or Heinlein. Why we never get any TV series or movies with this kind of intelligent epic scope is beyond me. Normally I am not a fan of these 'young children as heroes' stories modern entertainment insists on telling but the show does move forward and the characters age at least 10 years during the course of the story.



Trailer:

Where can I watch this?
You can watch it for FREE on Crunchyroll!

Collections 1 & 2:

 

Post-Apocalypse Sci-Fi Countdown
Counting down the top post-apocalyptic science fiction offerings until the end of May.

-------------------------------------------------------

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind AKA Kaze no Tani no Naushika (Anime Movie) 1984
Written and Directed by Hayao Miyazaki
Based on the manga by Hayao Miyazaki (Highly recommended)

The story of Nausicaä, a young princess of the Valley of the Wind who gets involved in a struggle with Tolmekia, a kingdom that tries to use an ancient weapon to eradicate a jungle of mutant giant insects. Nausicaä must stop the Tolmekians from enraging these creatures.

Although created before Studio Ghibli was founded, the film is considered the beginning of the studio and is often included as part of the Studio's works. The world created by Miyazaki is simply stunning in its alien beauty. When you see settings like Felucia in Star Wars or Pandora in Avatar you can thank Nausicaä as the source of inspiration. If you even remotely like this movie I can not recommend the Manga comic enough. It is also written and illustrated by Hayao Miyazaki. The comic continued for many years after the movie was released. The movie is like a condensed summary of the comic up to that point but what follows is one of the greatest sci-fi stories I have ever read. You can buy a nice box set for about $45.



Trailer:

Where can I watch it?
If you do a search for "Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind" on Dailymotion or Watchanimemovie it will come up.

 

Post-Apocalypse Sci-Fi Countdown
Counting down the top post-apocalyptic science fiction offerings until the end of May.

-------------------------------------------------------

[#8] A Boy and His Dog (Movie) 1975
Starring Don Johnson
Based on a novella by Harlan Ellison

Concerns a teenage boy named Vic and his telepathic dog Blood, who work together as a team in order to survive in the dangerous post-apocalyptic wasteland of the Southwestern United States.

This movie inspired George Miller's Mad Max and the video game series Fallout. If you are easily offended by rape you shouldn't watch this. A bizarre movie filled with twisted black comedy.



Trailer:

Where can I watch this?
If you do a search for 'A Boy and His Dog (1975)' on youtube it will come up.