Science Fiction and Fantasy Films List

note: the updated list is here. The list below is no linger being updated.

I have spent a bit more than a month looking for and looking at science fiction (and some fantasy) movies, many online. It's been great fun! What has surprised me has not been how many of these movies I had not seen, but how many of them I had not heard of. My list is below. Many of these are linked to embedded videos of full films:

A Trip to the Moon (1902)
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1907) wikipedia entry
The End of the World (1916) wikipedia entry
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1916)
A Trip to Mars (1918) wikipedia entry

Aelita: Queen of Mars (1924)
The Thief of Baghdad (1924)
The Lost World (1925)
Paris Qui Dort (1925)
Metropolis (1927)
Alraune (1928)
The Mysterious Island (1929)
Woman in the Moon (1929)

The End of the World (1931, Gance)
Frankenstein (1931)
The Invisible Man (1933)
Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
Ghost Patrol (1936)
The Man Who Could Work Miracles (1936)
Things to Come (1936)
King Solomon's Mines (1937)
The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Dr Cyclops (1940)
Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe (1940)
Angel on My Shoulder (1946)
The Boy with Green Hair (1948)

Destination Moon (1950)
The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
Flight to Mars (1951)
Lost Continent (1951)
The Man from Planet X (1951)
The Man in the White Suit (1951)
The Thing from Another World (1951)
Unknown World (1951)
When Worlds Collide (1951)
Red Planet Mars (1952)
The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953)
Cat-Women of the Moon (1953)
Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century (1953 animated short)
Invaders from Mars (1953)
It Came from Outer Space (1953)
The Magnetic Monster (1953)
Mesa of Lost Women (1953)
Phantom from Space (1953)
Project Moon Base (1953)
Robot Monster (1953)
War of the Worlds (1953)
Devil Girl from Mars (1954)
Gog (1954)
Killers from Space (1954)
Nineteen Eighty-Four (1954, BBC)
The Snow Creature (1954)
Stranger from Venus (1954)
Them! (1954)
The Quatermass Xperiment (1955)
This Island Earth (1955)
Earth vs. the Flying Saucers (1956)
Forbidden Planet (1956)
Indestructible Man (1956)
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
It Conquered the World (1956)
The Red Balloon (1956 short)
Warning from Space (1956)
World Without End (1956)
X the Unknown (1956)
20 Million Miles to Earth (1957)
The Astounding She-Monster (1957)
Attack of the Crab Monsters (1957)
The Brain from Planet Arous (1957)
The Giant Claw (1957)
The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957)
Invasion of the Saucer Men (1957)
Kronos (1957)
The Monolith Monsters (1957)
Quatermass 2 (Enemy from Space) (1957)
Not of This Earth (1957)
The Strange World of Planet X (1957)
Attack of the 50-Foot Woman (1958)
The Blob (1958)
The Day the Sky Exploded (1958)
I Married a Monster from Outer Space (1958)
It! The Terror from Beyond Space (1958)
The Lost Missile (1958)
Missile to the Moon (1958)
Queen of Outer Space (1958)
The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958)
The Trollenberg Terror (or The Crawling Eye) (1958)
The Atomic Submarine (1959)
The Cosmic Man (1959)
Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959)
On the Beach (1959)
Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959)
Teenagers from Outer Space (1959)
The World, the Flesh and the Devil (1959)

The Amazing Transparent Man (1960)
Assignment: Outer Space (1960)
Last Woman on Earth (1960)
The Time Machine (1960)
Visit to a Small Planet (1960)
Battle of the Worlds (1961)
The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1961)
The Last War (1961)
Mysterious Island (1961)
The Phantom Planet (1961)
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961)
Amphibian Man (1962)
Creation of the Humanoids (1962)
The Day of the Triffids (1962)
First Spaceship on Venus (1962)
La Jetee (1962)
Journey to the Seventh Planet (1962)
Panic in Year Zero! (1962)
Planet of Storms (1962)
This Is Not a Test (1962)
Children of The Damned (1963)
The Damned (1963)
Jason and the Argonauts (1963)
X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes (1963)
The Atomic Brain (1964)
Attack from Space (1964)
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
Evil Brain from Outer Space (1964)
Fail-Safe (1964)
First Men in the Moon (1964)
The Last Man on Earth (1964)
Robinson Crusoe on Mars (1964)
Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964)
Alphaville (1965)
Crack in the World (1965)
The Eye Creatures (1965)
Planet of the Vampires (1965)
Voyage to the Prehistoric Planet (1965)
The War Game (1965)
Fahrenheit 451 (1966)
Fantastic Voyage (1966)
One Million Years B.C. (1966)
Seconds (1966)
Zontar, the Thing from Venus (1966)
In the Year 2889 (1967)
Mars Needs Women (1967)
Privilege (1967)
Quatermass and the Pit (1967)
They Came from Beyond Space (1967)
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Charly (1968)
Countdown (1968)
Planet of the Apes (1968)
The Power (1968)
Przekadaniec (1968)
Yellow Submarine (1968)
Marooned (1969)

Crimes of the Future (1970)
Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970)
No Blade of Grass (1970)
The Phantom Tollbooth (1970)
The Andromeda Strain (1971)
The Omega Man (1971)
THX 1138 (1971)
Silent Running (1972)
Solaris (1972)
Fantastic Planet (1973)
Idaho Transfer (1973)
Sleeper (1973)
Soylent Green (1973)
Westworld (1973)
Dark Star (1974)
The Disappearance of Flight 412 (1974)
A Boy and His Dog (1975)
Death Race 2000 (1975)
Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
Rollerball (1975)
The Ultimate Warrior (1975)
At the Earth's Core (1976)
Logan's Run (1976)
The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976)
Alternative 3 (1977)
Capricorn One (1977)
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
Coma (1977)
Cosmos: War of the Planets (1977)
Damnation Alley (1977)
Kingdom of the Spiders (1977)
The Last Wave (1977)
The People That Time Forgot (1977)
Star Wars (1977)
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1978)
Superman: The Movie (1978)
Warlords of Atlantis (1978)
Alien (1979)
Mad Max (1979)
Meteor (1979)
Quintet (1979)
Stalker (1979)
Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)

Duck Dodgers and the Return of the 24½th Century (1980 animated short)
Hawk the Slayer (1980)
The Lathe of Heaven (1980)
Popeye (1980)
Virus (1980)
Dragonslayer (1981)
Escape from New York (1981)
Heavy Metal (1981)
Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981)
Time Bandits (1981)
Ator, the Fighting Eagle (1982)
Blade Runner (1982)
Chronopolis (1982 short)
Conan the Barbarian (1982)
The Dark Crystal (1982)
The Sword and the Sorcerer (1982)
The Thing (1982)
Tron (1982)
Turkish Star Wars (1982)
Warriors of the Wasteland (1982)
The Day After (1983)
Deathstalker (1983)
Krull (1983)
Videodrome (1983)
Yor, the Hunter From the Future (1983)
1984 (or Nineteen Eighty-Four) (1984)
The Brother from Another Planet (1984)
Conan the Destroyer (1984)
Countdown to Looking Glass (1984)
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (1984)
One Night Stand (1984)
Starman (1984)
Sword of the Valiant (1984)
The Terminator (1984)
Threads (1984)
The Warrior and the Sorceress (1984)
Barbarian Queen (1985)
Brazil (and the "Love Conquers All" version) (1985)
The Dungeonmaster (1985)
The Galaxy Invader (1985)
Legend (1985)
Lifeforce (1985)
The Quiet Earth (1985)
Red Sonja (1985)
Captain EO (1986 short)
Highlander (1986)
Labyrinth (1986)
Letters from a Dead Man (1986)
Robot Holocaust (1986)
The Barbarians! (1987)
Deathstalker II Duel of the Titans (1987)
Innerspace (1987)
RoboCop (1987)
The Running Man (1987)
Steel Dawn (1987)
Akira (1988)
Deathstalker and the Warriors from Hell (Deathstalker 3) (1988)
Gor (1988)
Hell Comes to Frogtown (1988)
My Neighbor Totoro (1988)
The Seventh Sign (1988)
They Live (1988)
Willow (1988)
A Grand Day Out (Wallace and Gromit, 1989)
Outlaw of Gor (1989)
Slipstream (1989)

Abraxas: Guardian of the Universe (1991)
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
Freejack (1992)
Demolition Man (1993)
Fire in the Sky (1993)
Time Runner (1993)
The Stand (1994)
Stargate (1994)
The City of Lost Children (1995)
Ghost in the Shell (1995)
Johnny Mnemonic (1995)
Jumanji (1995)
Twelve Monkeys (1995)
Waterworld (1995)
Escape from LA (1996)
Independence Day (1996)
Mars Attacks! (1996)
The Fifth Element (1997)
Gattaca (1997)
Kull the Conqueror (1997)
Men in Black (1997)
The Postman (1997)
Princess Mononoke (1997)
Armageddon (1998)
Dark City (1998)
Deep Impact (1998)
Soldier (1998)
Bicentennial Man (1999)
Existenz (1999)
Matrix (1999)
Wild Wild West (1999)

Battlefield Earth (2000)
On the Beach (2000)
Pitch Black (2000)
Possible Worlds (2000)
Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (2001)
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)
Shrek (2001)
Spirited Away (2001)
Equilibrium (2002)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
Lilo and Stitch (2002)
Men in Black 2 (2002)
Minority Report (2002)
Reign of Fire (2002)
Solaris (2002)
Voices of a Distant Star (2002, animated short)
The Core (2003)
The Matrix Reloaded (2003)
The Matrix Revolutions (2003)
Timeline (2003)
Appleseed (2004)
The Chronicles of Riddick (2004)
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (2004)
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
Howl's Moving Castle (2004)
Immortal (2004)
Primer (2004)
Aeon Flux (2005)
Constantine (2005)
Doom (2005)
Fantastic 4 (2005)
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005)
The Island (2005)
Mirrormask (2005)
Robots (2005)
Serenity (2005)
Zathura (2005)
Children of Men (2006)
The Fountain (2006)
Pan's Labyrinth (2006)
Slither (2006)
Ugly Swans (2006)
Ultraviolet (2006)
Blood and Chocolate (2007)
Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007)
Ghost Rider (2007)
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
Invasion from Planet C (2007)
The Man from Earth (2007)
Martian Child (2007)
Meet the Robinsons (2007)
Sunshine (2007)
The Dark Knight (2008)
Eagle Eye (2008)
The Forbidden Kingdom (2008)
Hellboy 2: The Golden Army (2008)
The Incredible Hulk (2008)
Iron Man (2008)
Skhizein (2008 animated short)
WALL-E (2008)
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)
Jathia's Wager (2009, short)
Moon (2009)
Panic Attack (2009, short animated)
Reach (2009 animated short)
Star Trek (2009)
Book of Eli (2010)

Robot Monster

Robot Monster is a 1953 science fiction movie. Elmer Bernstein did the music. The alien is a man in a gorilla suit wearing a space helmet. The ending is especially lame.

Youtube has it online in 7 parts. Part 1:

part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7

Moria opens their review with this:

Robot Monster is one of the classic so-bad-its-funny turkeys from the 1950s. It’s right up there in terms of ineptitude along with Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959)
...
Robot Monster is a film that is hard to hate – it gets a four star rating here because the cheesiness of its ineptitude provides such an enormous degree of sheer entertainment value.

1000 Misspent Hours says it

stands among (and in my estimation, even exceeds) such films as Plan 9 from Outer Space and The Giant Claw as a true archetype of deliriously lousy 50’s science fiction.

Yellow Submarine

Yellow Submarine is a 1968 animated fantasy film starring The Beatles. It is currently out of print (Why is this oop?) but is available online at googlevideo:



Moria has a review. Senses of Cinema has a page that says, "Yellow Submarine is constantly a feast for the eyes and every frame bursts with invention." The New York Times calls it "a family movie in the truest sense". Roger Ebert says it is

the most original and inventive feature-length animated cartoon since the days when Walt Disney was still thinking up innovations.
...
It is beautifully simple and childlike on one level, and erudite and deep on another.

There's a remake in the works.

Destination Moon

Destination Moon is a 1950 science fiction film produced by George Pal (War of the Worlds, Time Machine, When Worlds Collide). Robert Heinlein is one of the writers. It won an Academy Award.

We don't get lift-off until half-way through the 4th clip below. [Those clips have since been removed, but Youtube has it online with embedding disabled here.]

Moria says, "There is surely no other science-fiction works around that can be accused of being so close to the real events that they are like watching documentaries," and calls it "the first film of the so-called Golden Age of Science-Fiction Cinema that lasted from around 1950 to 1957." 1000 Misspent Hours gives it a positive review. StompTokyo says it "was long revered as a model of scientific accuracy". The New York Times says, "we've got to say this for Mr. Pal and his film: they make a lunar expedition a most intriguing and picturesque event." SciFi.com has a review. io9 has links to photos.

Slipstream

I never saw Slipstream, a 1989 post-apocalyptic science fiction film starring Mark Hamill. The Star Wars trilogy films are the only Mark Hamill movies I've seen. I saw each installment in the theater when it was first released and loved them. Robbie Coltrane (Cracker, Hagrid) and Ben Kingsley are also in this. Elmer Bernstein did the music. I don't like the music. Feels heavy-handed to me.

The voice-over narration is done by a woman this time, but sexism is evident as she says,

By the end of the century, man's destruction of the Earth's environment turned the forces of nature upon him.

The movie's fun, though, and it's a shame I'm just now coming across it. I wish it had gotten more attention.

It can't be embedded, but it's online at googlevideo.

Moria says, "if it doesn’t really know what sort of story it is telling, there are times it is at least made with a quaint appeal," and

Mark Hamill’s fine performance as the single-mindedly ruthless lawman is a role surely designed for once and all to kill off his typecasting in boyish youthful roles following the Star Wars films.

Million Monkey Theater has a thorough plot description and recommends it, calling it "a fairly odd duck of a movie".

The Day After

The Day After is a 1983 made-for-tv post-apocalyptic movie starring Jason Robards. Stephen Furst (Babylon 5), John Lithgow, JoBeth Williams and Bibi Besch (who has a Star Trek connection) are also in it. It won a couple of Emmy Awards.

At over 2 hours it seems long for this kind of thing, but it doesn't seem too long as I watch it. The first hour sets the scene, and the second hour shows the aftermath. I remember seeing this when it came out.

The film is at googlevideo:


Moria claims it "exists more as a controversy than it does as a film" saying,

the film’s problem is that characters are blank identities full of even more banal responses. Events happen – bomb explodes, people fight for water – but there’s no drama here.

At the Earth's Core

At the Earth's Core is a 1976 science fiction film starring Peter Cushing (Horror of Dracula, Satanic Rites of Dracula, Horror Express, Nineteen Eighty-Four) and Doug McClure (The People That Time Forgot, Warlords of Atlantis). It's based on the Edgar Rice Burroughs book with the same name. The book can be read online here.

This reminds me a lot of the other McClure films. They are what they are. Fine enough once, I guess. I won't repeat them.

trailer:

Moria gives it a bad review but opens by explaining:

At the Earth's Core was the second in a trilogy of Edgar Rice Burroughs adaptations made by director Kevin Connor, producer John Dark, production company Amicus and star Doug McClure. The series began with The Land that Time Forgot (1974), continued with The People that Time Forgot (1977) and ended on the non-Burroughs adapted but Burroughs-styled Warlords of Atlantis (1978). All these films were lost world films set period, usually in the Victorian era.

1000 Misspent Hours says,

The main advantage At the Earth’s Core has over The Land that Time Forgot or The People that Time Forgot is lots of action.

Innerspace

Innerspace is a 1987 science fiction comedy film. It's a take-off of Fantastic Voyage in that people are miniaturized and injected into someone. It stars Dennis Quaid, Meg Ryan, Martin Short, Robert Picardo (who has a Star Trek connection), William Schallert and Henry Gibson (yes, that Henry Gibson).

Youtube has it online in 12 parts. Part 1:

part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8, part 9, part 10, part 11, part 12

Moria says it's "just a chaotic comedy that never came to life". Roger Ebert calls it "an absurd, unwieldy, overplotted movie that nevertheless is entertaining". The New York Times has a review.

World Without End

Amen. No, no, no... It's just reflexive, I guess.

World Without End is a 1956 science fiction time travel film starring Hugh Marlowe (The Day the Earth Stood Still, Earth vs. the Flying Saucers) and Rod Taylor (The Time Machine). The music's a real pain. It's sad to think that so far into the future the men will be the only ones with authority.

I can't find a trailer, but here's a short clip:


Reviews are not plentiful. DVDTalk reviews it.

Equilibrium

Equilibrium is a 2002 science fiction film starring Christian Bale. This is a new take on themes from Huxley's Brave New World and Orwell's 1984. I'm glad I've seen it, but there's nothing new here.

Youtube has it online divided into 11 sections. Part 1:

part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8, part 9, part 10, part 11

Moria says it "proved a considerable hit in European release, although was barely seen in the US, and has since gained a small cult reputation" but that it disappoints, seeming "no more than a collection of clichés from just about every Dystopian science-fiction film and book ever made". The New York Times calls it "pretty silly stuff".

Embryo

Embryo is a 1976 horror movie starring Rock Hudson, Barbara Carrera and Roddy McDowell. Remember Alraune? Similar concept, but there's more horror here. I saw this somewhere in a list of science fiction films but it seems to me to be a better fit for the horror category, which is where I'm putting it on my list.

Moria has a review and doesn't like it. TCM has an overview.

They Live

They Live is a 1988 John Carpenter science fiction film. The music by Carpenter and Alan Howarth (who has several Star Trek movie connections) is fun. The whole movie is fun. The first time I saw this was on tv.

It's online at googlevideo:


Moria has a review.

Alphaville

Alphaville is a 1965 French science fiction film directed by Jean-Luc Godard. This is interesting, and I plan on watching it again. There's always something to notice.

You can watch the first few minutes here: [this video has been removed.]

trailer:

Moria calls it "one of Godard’s most eccentric indulgences". FilmReference.com has a page which says the film "remains part of a valuable current of science fiction while holding its place in the history of cinema". DVDTalk reviews the Criterion edition, rating it "excellent". Films de France opens its review with this:

If there had to be just one word to sum up Alphaville¸that word would have to be weird. It is a film that constantly challenges our preconceptions, our expectations, and, as a result, manages to be both deeply disturbing and very funny at the same time.

Cosmos: War of the Planets

Cosmos: War of the Planets is a 1977 Italian science fiction film dubbed in English. It stars John Richardson from One Million Years B.C.. It's slow, and I don't like the music.

"I think we've got to do something."

"We will."

Wonderful idea!

You can watch it online compliments of googlevideo:

or at the Internet Archive.

Million Monkey Theater opens with this:

This is a muddled, confusing, badly edited and occasionally completely unwatchable Italian science fiction movie, a rambling wreck of a film that tries so desperately hard to be impressive but fails miserably on almost every count. Still, I kinda liked its funky vibe. While bad, it's campy fun...

Fail-Safe

Fail-Safe is a 1964 science fiction film that deals with an accidental nuclear attack. It stars Henry Fonda, Dan O'Herlihy, Walter Matthau, Ed Binns, Larry Hagman and Dom DeLuise. Frank Overton (who had a Star Trek connection) and Fritz Weaver (also with a Star Trek connection) also starred.

This remains a tense drama, and I can't help but think that something like this could easily happen no matter what the disclaimer at the end of the movie says.

Googlevideo has it online:


Moria says,

director Sidney Lumet creates an incredibly stark tension, evoking a real sense of what it must have really been like during the Cuban Missile Crisis with the seconds ticking away in dread

The New York Times says it

is definitely in the area of those films that are important and are going to be talked about. And it packs a melodramatic wallop that will rattle a lot of chattering teeth.

Sunday Psalm

Psalm 147

1 Praise ye the LORD: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely.

2 The LORD doth build up Jerusalem: he gathereth together the outcasts of Israel.

3 He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.

4 He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.

5 Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.

6 The LORD lifteth up the meek: he casteth the wicked down to the ground.

7 Sing unto the LORD with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God:

8 Who covereth the heaven with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains.

9 He giveth to the beast his food, and to the young ravens which cry.

10 He delighteth not in the strength of the horse: he taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man.

11 The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy.

12 Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem; praise thy God, O Zion.

13 For he hath strengthened the bars of thy gates; he hath blessed thy children within thee.

14 He maketh peace in thy borders, and filleth thee with the finest of the wheat.

15 He sendeth forth his commandment upon earth: his word runneth very swiftly.

16 He giveth snow like wool: he scattereth the hoarfrost like ashes.

17 He casteth forth his ice like morsels: who can stand before his cold?

18 He sendeth out his word, and melteth them: he causeth his wind to blow, and the waters flow.

19 He sheweth his word unto Jacob, his statutes and his judgments unto Israel.

20 He hath not dealt so with any nation: and as for his judgments, they have not known them. Praise ye the LORD.

KJV

The Strange Love of Martha Ivers

Somehow The Husband just hasn't gotten on board my old science fiction movie train -wonder why that is- and he picked The Strange Love of Martha Ivers for our movie tonight. It's an odd choice for him since there's nary a joke to be heard, no humor or light-hearted playfulness, and to describe the ending as "happy" is only possible if you totally ignore the entire plot and half the characters. But choose it he did. He had never seen it before, so maybe he didn't realize what a grim little jewel it is. Or maybe he just really likes Barbara Stanwyck (Sorry Wrong Number, Christmas in Connecticut, Stella Dallas). Also starring are Van Heflin (3:10 to Yuma, Shane, The Greatest Story Ever Told), Kirk Douglas (Spartacus, Out of the Past), Lizabeth Scott (known for her many film noir roles) and Judith Anderson (Rebecca). The main reason I remember Dame Judith Anderson is that she stopped a Shakespeare performance I attended to fuss at the audience from the stage. I felt sorry for her that she was so easily distracted.... Or not, but it was a strange experience, and it detracted from the performance for me in a way that audience chatter never could.

It's online at youtube in 11 sections. Part 1:

part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8, part 9, part 10, part 11, or in 4 sections at the Internet Archive.

The DVD we have is a $1 disk with no special features of any kind. It's a decent print, though.

Reviews:
Ferdy on Film

Amphibian Man

Amphibian Man is a 1962 Soviet science fiction film. It is based on the novel with the same name by Alexander Beliaev. RUSCICO has a DVD release. Different, that's what Amphibian Man is -tragic and beautiful and sweet and strange. It's like a fairy tale. The music plays an important role in the character and plot development.

Youtube has it in parts in Russian with English subtitles. Part 1
The other sections are here.

1000 Misspent Hours says,

It’s kind of like a gender-twist version of “The Little Mermaid,” only with class conflict, mad science, and Russian-language mariachi music— in other words, something the world never knew it had been missing until the day it showed up unbidden on the doorstep.

My Cat Is Plotting to Kill Me!

HT: Bad Astronomy

R.I.P. James Whitmore

I see from Edward Copeland on Film that James Whitmore has died. He died of lung cancer yesterday.

Obits:
The Cinemated Man has a video. You can see that entire Twilight Zone episode in 7 parts linked here. I remember seeing it on TV, though not in its first run, and knowing it was about the saddest thing I'd ever seen.

Cinematical:

My personal, sentimental favorite remains Them! (1954), the greatest giant ant movie ever made. Whitmore played a New Mexican police Sergeant who finds a little girl wandering in the desert, and soon finds himself courageously facing down nature gone amuck.

(Them! can be seen online.)

Variety notes his political affiliation:

He recently lent his name to the Barack Obama campaign, appearing at several fundraising events.

BBC News:

James Whitmore, a veteran character actor who was nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of President Harry Truman, has died aged 87.

CNN
MSNBC
E Online
SFScope
The Vault of Horror

2/27/2009: Arbogast on Film has an article, not an obituary:

I want to talk about one film role, perhaps the film role in Whitmore's long and respected CV, the one that most people will probably remember above all others. I speak of course of his flinty turn as police sergeant Ben Peterson in Warner Brothers' giant ant rally THEM! (1954). Even more specifically, I speak of one scene in particular in that classic big bug movie - Ben Peterson's final scene, his death scene.

The movie Them! can be seen online here. That particular scene begins at 1:21:15.

The Man From Planet X

The Man From Planet X is a 1951 Edgar Ulmer science fiction film. Robert Clarke (The Astounding She-Monster, The Hideous Sun Demon) stars. William Schallert (who has an original series Star Trek connection as well as a DS9 appearance) plays a creepy bad guy. Most of the story is told in a flashback from the point of view of Clarke's character, a reporter: "It began prosaically enough..." It's an interesting film.

trailer:


veoh has the film online, but you have to download their player to watch it. Not a worthwhile endeavor, in my experience, having had trouble with their player in the past.

Moria gives it 3 stars and calls it "a minor entry and not unworthwhile". 1000 Misspent Hours says it's "an unexpectedly good film". DVDTalk calls it "A tiny movie of giant merit" and "a stylist's delight".

The Astounding She-Monster

The Astounding She-Monster is a 1957 science fiction film. Ed Wood served as a creative consultant. It begins with a voice-over narration that goes on and on, and it moves into what might be a parody of a crime film. "The best laid plans will go astray this day."

But this is no ordinary crime story. No, there's a shiny alien woman in this movie. This alien woman has funny eyebrows. I do like the collie. Pretty dog in an uncredited role, but MonsterHunter says he's star Robert Clarke's real-life dog. Except for the dog this is a complete waste of time. Dull. Boring.

Veoh has it online if you want to download their player. I've had too much trouble with it in the past to go through that ever again. Here's a trailer:


Moria says it's "rather dreary".

Videodrome

Videodrome is another Cronenberg film. Just not my thing. It may be an important film for all kinds of reasons, but I'm not watching the rest. Cold violence, male power, torture, abused women. As entertainment?

This film is available in a Criterion edition.

Parts of it are online at youtube. Here's the trailer:


Moria praises it as "the most conceptually daring film David Cronenberg had dared to foist on audiences up until that point." Images Journal discusses the film and reviews the Criterion DVD. The SciFiMoviePage includes it in their list of Ten Lesser-Known Cyberpunk Movies. DvdTalk says

Cronenberg really hits his directing stride with Videodrome. For the first time his actors are all top-rank. The effects don't overpower the story and the story doesn't rely on a chase to sustain its thriller framework. The revelations are paced well and we accept some truly weird happenings as matters of fact.

The Cosmic Man

The Cosmic Man (no wikipedia entry for the movie, but a short explanation of one part of Jungian theory...) is a 1959 science fiction film starring John Carradine in the title role. Paul Sawtell and Bert Shefter did the music, which is appropriately science-fiction-y. They also did It! The Terror from Beyond Space.

The characters talk about Univac: "I can run some figures through Univac..." Cool! I do wish the woman didn't scream so much.

via youtube:



TCM has an overview. DVDTalk reviews it, saying it "follows the Day the Earth Stood Still's pacifist space visitor script template" and calls it "ok". They say it "ends up as an inoffensive movie that might have been special if it were given a little more care and sensitivity in the direction department."

4/15/2009: Classic Sci-Fi Movies blog has a review.

Queen of Outer Space

Queen of Outer Space is a 1958 Zsa Zsa Gabor movie. Eric Fleming (remember Rawhide?) is in it, too. Women from Venus dress in revealing outfits and high heels.

"You're not only a queen; you're a woman, too. And a woman needs a man's love."

Googlevideo has it online:


Moria says,

Queen of Outer Space is a terrible film – Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959) type terrible.

The SciFi.com review closes with this:

Queen of Outer Space's chief charm is in its unintended humor and its status as an artifact of an era whose time, thankfully, has passed.

Warlords of Atlantis

Warlords of Atlantis is a Doug McClure film from 1978. Cyd Charisse is in this! As is John Ratzenberger. I'd never heard of it before coming across it on youtube. It seems Atlantis' 7 cities are inhabited by invaders from Mars who got trapped under our sea with dinosaurs by accident. They aim for world domination so they can escape. It's all a bit confused, but mindless fun.

It's online at youtube in 10 sections. Part 1:

part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8, part 9, part 10

Moria has some positive words. Million Monkey Theater calls it "a fun romp".

Stranger from Venus

Stranger from Venus is a 1954 science fiction movie starring Patricia Neal. It is a slow-moving film with a lot of talk and little action.

Youtube has it online:


SFFWorld has a review that wonders why the folks behind The Day the Earth Stood Still didn't sue. DVDTalk's review says it "plays like a pretentious theatrical production made by people lacking the talent to come anywhere close to pulling it off".

1/9/2011: SFSignal has it as their Sunday Cinema.

Damnation Alley

Damnation Alley is a 1977 post-apocalyptic science fiction film starring Jan Michael Vincent. I can't remember the last time I saw or heard of him, but he made a big impression on me when I saw him in Sandcastles in high school. Also starring are George Peppard and Paul Winfield (who has a Star Trek connection). Jerry Goldsmith did the music. It's very loosely based on the Zelazny novel with the same name. It was never released on DVD, and the VHS version is out of print.

I like it fine, and at least it doesn't have a love triangle. Vincent and Winfield get to sing "Will the Circle Be Unbroken". You don't want to miss that, now do you?

Youtube has it in 10 sections. Part 1:

part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8, part 9, part 10

1000 Misspent Hours closes by saying that "It’s certainly no classic, but it doesn’t strike me as an outright failure, either." StompTokyo doesn't have much positive to say. Foster on Film says it's a "soul sucking, career-destroying joke".

Moria calls the movie "a travesty" and "a real Grade Z film" and calls Jan-Michael Vincent's performance "dull". They say,

Damnation Alley has been held up as the perfect example of Hollywood’s lack of understanding of science-fiction literature and a case illustration of what happens when filmmakers decide they know better.

The Disappearance of Flight 412

The Disappearance of Flight 412 is a 1974 science fiction movie starring Glenn Ford and David Soul. I remember David Soul best from his time in Here Come the Brides and from his Star Trek connection.

This film offers proof that the voice-over narration LIVES!

You can watch this made-for-tv film via Internet Archive:

Million Monkey Theater does its usual fine job of giving a thorough overview of the plot and calls it "dated".

It Conquered the World

It Conquered the World is a 1956 Roger Corman science fiction film starring Peter Graves and Lee van Cleef.

[removed from youtube]

Better yet, on 11/9/2009 I've found it in one piece at bliptv compliments of The Cinemated Man:


1000 Misspent Hours seems to think it a bit slow:

Another title that should perhaps have been considered is Roger Corman Presents: How to Make 71 Minutes Seem Like Three Days.

Moria says it's "an essential item in the Roger Corman cult" and "a rather entertaining cheapie". Suite 101 has an overview and some trivia.

It was remade for tv in 1966 with Larry Buchanan as director and with John Agar (Tarantula, The Mole People, Journey to the Seventh Planet, Brain from Planet Arous) in the Peter Graves role. The remake, called Zontar, the Thing from Venus, is also available online. Watch it at the Internet Archive. It's quite close scene for scene to the original.

StompTokyo reviews them both.

Idaho Transfer

Idaho Transfer is a 1973 science fiction time travel film directed by Peter Fonda and starring Keith Carradine (I loved the TV series Kung Fu in which he played the main character as a teen). I tend to dislike time travel movies.

Does the claim that this movie was filmed entirely in Idaho serve as evidence of the actual existence of Idaho? Just askin'.

It can be watched online from the Internet Archive:


Million Monkey Theater calls it "a weird ass movie" and has a lengthy plot description.

The Adventures of Robin Hood

The Younger Son picked this well-loved classic to watch tonight as he recovers from wisdom teeth extraction. The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) is perfect, having something for everybody. It has action, adventure, fencing sword-play, romance, humor... Claude Rains. Now really! Who wouldn't like this film? It's directed by Michael Curtiz and William Keighley and stars Errol Flynn as Robin. It also has Alan Hale, Basil Rathbone, Olivia de Havilland, Una O'Connor, Eugene Pallette, Herbert Mundin and, as I said, Claude Rains. The music by Korngold is perfectly suited to the characters and action. The husband says one of the stunt men broke a leg during the filming. He also says that Maid Marian's horse would later be re-named Trigger for the Lone Ranger.

Trailer:


Roger Ebert has it on his list of great movies and closes by saying,

The ideal hero must do good, defeat evil, have a good time and win the girl. "The Adventures of Robin Hood" is like a textbook on how to get that right.

The New York Times describes it this way:

A richly produced, bravely bedecked, romantic and colorful show, it leaps boldly to the forefront of this year's best and can be calculated to rejoice the eights, rejuvenate the eighties, and delight those in between.

The World, the Flesh and the Devil

The World, the Flesh and the Devil is a 1959 post-apocalyptic science fiction film starring Harry Belafonte, Inger Stevens and Mel Ferrer. Two men and one woman at the end of the world. Maybe there just are no new plots. I've seen this one before and did not re-watch it for this project.

trailer:


Time, SciFi.com, the New York Times have reviews. 1000 Misspent Hours says,

it gets a bit heavy-handed from time to time, and exhibits a few curious intellectual blind spots, but on the whole, it is fairly courageous, very well made, and nearly as thought-provoking as its creators so obviously wanted it to be.

The Core

The Core is a 2003 science fiction film about drilling through to the Earth's core to set off nuclear explosions in hopes of jump-starting the core's rotation. The opening scene has a fist bump. And a couple of running clowns, just so you'll be prepared. The action starts up quickly and the tension builds steadily. New characters are introduced gradually and developed as individuals enough so that they have some subtlety as personalities. It does have a couple of preachy moments. I think it's great fun.

Watch it online from googlevideo:


Bad Astronomy reviews this film in light of scientific fact:

"The Core" is not a bad movie; in fact, a lot of it was really fun. The science was not great, though some of it was pretty good. Too bad they blew it totally with the core stopping nonsense.

The New York Times review has only one positive comment:

'The Core'' falls soundly in the tradition of glamorous inconsistency that made 70's disaster pictures so much fun.

Roger Ebert's review closes with this:

It has energy and daring and isn't afraid to make fun of itself, and it thinks big, as when the Golden Gate Bridge collapses and a scientist tersely reports, "The West Coast is out." If you are at the video store late on Saturday night and they don't have "Anaconda," this will do.

Rolling Stone concludes:

The Core -- with its by-the-numbers plot and performances -- isn't offensive, just unblushingly tacky and derivative.

Wisdom Teeth

I've heard that the presence of wisdom teeth is a convincing argument against creationism. Today, as my 3rd child recovers from surgery to remove all 4 wisdom teeth, I'm finding that argument convincing. There's a video showing wisdom tooth extraction, but I ain't embedding it here. I'm feeling too sorry for The Younger Son to get that graphic. The picture above is from wikipedia.

The Strange World of Planet X

The Strange World of Planet X (The Cosmic Monster, Cosmic Monsters) is a 1957 British science fiction film starring Forrest Tucker. Sigh... Yet another voice-over narration gets us started. "Man goes forward into the unknown, but how does the unknown react?" A theremin is used to provide some of the music. I wasn't expecting much from this one, but I ended up liking it. I liked Forrest Tucker. I wonder why this film is so little known? Other poorly received movies have fared much better while this one has languished by the wayside. I may be all alone in liking it.

Googlevideo has it online:


TCM has an overview, but this is another one I'm having trouble finding reviews for. There's a review here. DVDTalk says it's "a notably inconsistent and dramatically unsound jumble of ideas" and "has no momentum and characters that aren't very interesting".

2/20/2009: Classic SciFi Movies has a review.

Assignment: Outer Space

Assignment: Outer Space (or Space Men) is a 1960 science fiction film about a reporter on board a 22nd century space station. In the year 2116, we have reporters embedded in science expeditions in space, which is much preferable to embedding them in military expeditions in Iraq.

Googlevideo has it complete in one video:

or in 10 segments. It's also at the Internet Archive.

Being "congealed" sounds icky. I like talk of "suspended animation" much better. This movie is slow, even tedious, and I spent it thinking that surely something would eventually happen. Even when there's supposed to be some tension about impending danger or interpersonal conflict, the actors say their lines as if they are reading sentences from a boring book. It's very talky, this movie. Writer Ennio de Concini is an award-winning screenwriter just recently deceased (11/17/2008), but, oh, this is dreadful. Late in the film the Captain says, "But now it's late. What have we been doing all these thousands of years?" That's exactly how I feel at the end of this movie!

Weird Wild Realm says, "Lovely designs for the space suits & space ships make this a surprisingly attractive old piece of sci-fi jibberish."

Million Monkey Theater starts off with

I have never seen a sci-fi movie that flat out BORED ME TO DEATH like 1960's Assignment: Outer Space, a lame Italian "technological thriller" from cult director Anthony Margheriti. The faults of this movie are legion.

The Eye Creatures

The Eye Creatures (ya just gotta love that title) is a 1965 alien invasion science fiction movie. Sometimes seen as Attack of the the Eye Creatures from an error: They added "Attack of the" above the pre-existing "The Eye Creatures" title. You can't make this stuff up.

Available from Internet Archive:


Nooooo! Teenagers! Lunges for the "stop" button. Whew! That was a close call.

This is apparently a remake of the unwatchable Invasion of the Saucer Men.

1000 Misspent Hours opens their review saying, "There’s a good chance that Larry Buchanan is the worst professional director who ever lived" and pans everything about this film, giving it negative 3 1/2 stars. Just for comparison, they give The People That Time Forgot 2 stars.

Moria says it is "a real Edward D. Wood Jr-type bad film. It is worth watching for its shoddy shabbinness." They give it one star and give The People That Time Forgot 2 1/2.

Candlemas

Today is Candlemas, also called the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple or the Feast of the Purification of the Virgin. Generally ignored in the United Methodist tradition, we've always marked it in our home. There is some information on the history and traditions associated with this feast at ChurchYear.net. You can read and listen to the tune of In Peace and Joy I Now Depart. O Zion, Open Wide Thy Gates mentions Anna and Simeon.

Almighty and everliving God, we humbly beseech thy Majesty, that, as thy only-begotten Son was this day presented in the temple in substance of our flesh, so we may be presented unto thee with pure and clean hearts, by the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

(from the 1928 Book of Common Prayer)

And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord; (As it is written in the law of the LORD, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;) And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.

And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law, Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel. And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him. And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against; (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.

And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity; And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.

And when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth. And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him. (Luke 2:22-40 KJV)

post from 2008
post from 2007

The picture at the top of the post is of The Presentation at the Temple.

Reverend Mommy has a post on Candlemas in which she quotes Robert Herrick:

Down with the rosemary, and so
Down with the bays and mistletoe;
Down with the holly, ivy, all,
Wherewith ye dress'd the Christmas Hall

The Day the Earth Caught Fire

The Day the Earth Caught Fire is a 1961 British science fiction film directed by Val Guest (Quatermass Experiment, Quatermass 2) and featuring Michael Caine in an early role. It stars Leo McKern (I know him better as Rumpole). The music is by Stanley Black.

This story is told as an extensive flashback: "It's hard to believe that only 90 days ago..." I like this movie. I like Leo McKern better every time I see him.

It can be viewed at veoh.com, but you have to install their player on your computer. I've done that and had so much trouble with it I will never do it again. trailer:


Moria has a review that says,

The Day the Earth Caught Fire concerns itself with the sweeping climactic changes of an entirely hypothetical (and scientifically rather ludicrous) situation. But whatever the film lacks as science, it more than makes up for with the entirely credible social portrait of the situation – water-riots, images of queues for communal showers, people buying water on the blackmarket just to tend their garden.

Million Monkey Theater likes it:

1961‘s The Day the Earth Caught Fire is an excellent movie.
...
I strongly suggest that any sci-fi fan find a copy of this one and give it a watch.

DVDTalk says,

Val Guest's The Day the Earth Caught Fire, one of the best science fiction films made anywhere by anybody, turns the world topsy-turvy and gives us a glimpse of what it might be like to have to live through it. If Sci-Fi really is about 'future shock', huge pieces of this film will still resonate for audiences 40 years after it was released to critical acclaim and good boxoffice.
...
Wolf Mankowitz' crisp, intelligent writing style would be welcome in any genre, and here he constructs an absorbing group of characters with which we immediately identify.
...
With good production values and Guest's fluid direction bringing out every aspect of the script there isn't a scene that doesn't work, a compliment indeed considering the phenomena the actors must react to.
...
Because it's about people and not warfare or wholesale slaughter, this is the most thoughtful and persuasive of the doomsday films. It's also not a morbid soap opera

2/24/2009: Edward Judd, who starred in this film, died today. obits: The Independent, TimesOnline, Flickr, The Herald

Halftime Show: Epic Fail

I don't see how anybody could object to the Prince Super Bowl show as too "phallic" (see the Fox news report here) while not noticing Springsteen's graphic pose. Check out the video starting at the one minute mark and just wonder how Prince gets lambasted and Springsteen gets praised:
...Well, that video's gone, but there's one here.

Somebody has his slide into the camera at youtube here.

I'm not a Springsteen fan anyway. And I do like Prince.

2/2/2009:
I got a kick out of the gymnastics judging at Salon.com:

That mic stand saw more action tonight than a pole at the local strip club.

Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women

Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women is a 1968 movie directed by Peter Bogdanovich and co-produced by Roger Corman. It stars Mamie Van Doren as the leader of the alien women. There is no escape from the voice-over narration which begins this movie. The story is told in flashback by yet a different narrator, one of the human crew. Some of this film has the exact same dialog as Voyage to the Prehistoric Planet. This is a definite contender for worst movie ever made.

Googlevideo has it online:

as does the Internet Archive.

The Spinning Image explains the film:

This effort largely consists of the Russian film [Planeta Bur] cut together with shots of Mamie Van Doren and assorted young ladies dressed in shell bikinis wandering about a rocky shore as the waves crash around them. They speak in voiceover while the Russian actors are dubbed,

1000 Misspent Hours says,

I honestly can’t fathom how anyone managed to convince themselves that Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women was necessary or even minimally worthwhile as an investment of time, money, and energy. In and of itself, it’s honestly quite dull

Voyage to the Prehistoric Planet

Voyage to the Prehistoric Planet is a 1965 re-edited version of Planeta Bur dubbed in English. This version stars Basil Rathbone. I like the art in the background behind the opening credits. The music is by Ronald Stein. That voice-over narration starts things off explaining that the moon has been colonized and they have mounted an expedition to seek life on Venus. There's a robot and a token woman on the mission, but the woman remains in orbit while the men and the robot go down to the planet. It turns out there is life!

You can watch it online compliments of googlevideo:

or at the Internet Archive.

1000 Misspent Hours calls it "stylish and inoffensive, but also mostly empty". Moria has a review. Million Monkey Theater says it's "a hatchet job" but that

considering the limitations of the source material, and what was surely a budget running into the tens of dollars, Corman gave us a pretty fair and watchable movie.

Planeta Bur

Planeta Bur (Planet of Storms, Storm Planet) is a 1962 Soviet science fiction film directed by Pavel Klushantsev

It's available at youtube in 16 short segments. Russian only. No English subtitles. Part 1:

part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8, part 9, part 10, part 11, part 12, part 13, part 14, part 15, part 16

I looked at part of this just for fun, but I'm unable to make any sense of it without subtitles. There's lots of talking.

1000 Misspent Hours says it's a

philosophically inclined film, with the cosmonauts frequently taking time out from their explorations to consider and discuss the implications of what they’ve seen on Venus.

It was re-edited to make 2 other films: Voyage to the Prehistoric Planet and Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women.

2/26/2010: Classic Sci-Fi Movies says,

The action is a bit thin and at times talky, so modern viewers accustomed to laser battles and frequent explosions, will find PB hokey However, the english-subtitled version of PB is well worth watching for fans of 50s sci-fi.

Sunday Psalm

Psalm 111

1 Praise ye the LORD. I will praise the LORD with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation.

2 The works of the LORD are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein.

3 His work is honourable and glorious: and his righteousness endureth for ever.

4 He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered: the LORD is gracious and full of compassion.

5 He hath given meat unto them that fear him: he will ever be mindful of his covenant.

6 He hath shewed his people the power of his works, that he may give them the heritage of the heathen.

7 The works of his hands are verity and judgment; all his commandments are sure.

8 They stand fast for ever and ever, and are done in truth and uprightness.

9 He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend is his name.

10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.

KJV