For #SciFiJanuary - a review of Rich Horton's excellent Best of the Year Anthology for 2021. https://www.shortsf.com/reviews/horton2021

Let’s cap off #SciFiJanuary with one of my favorite #SciFi #Films The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951 US). This was directed by the insanely talented Robert Wise and released the same year as the classic noir The House on Telegraph Hill which he also directed. Busy guy. A rebuke of Cold War politics this masterpiece is considered one of the best #ScienceFiction films ever and really holds up over time. Keanu Reeves made a remake in 2008 but I like the original. Keanu was like “Duuude your planets going to be blown up” JK! love you Keanu. Wise later directed West Side Story and then in 1979 Star Trek the motion picture. I forgive him for that. It looked good though. #Film #FilmFan #Movie #Movies #Cinema

As we wind down #SciFiJanuary the second transition film to #LoveFestFebruary is A Map of Tiny Perfect Things (2021 US). Two teenagers are stuck in a time loop in a small town. Like About Time this has a strong romance and relationship component to it but it’s still solidly #SciFi. I love how it plays with the rules of the genre. I won’t spoil it for you and talk more about that but just to say it’s really interesting that way. I really enjoyed this one and especially appreciated the color work on it. It’s an Amazon original and as such is not available elsewhere at least not right now. #ScienceFiction #Film #Films #FilmFan #Movie #Movies #Cinema

As we close up #SciFiJanuary I like to post a transition film into #LoveFestFebruary and the first entry is About Time (2013 UK US). On a man’s 21st birthday he is told the family secret. The men in the family can travel through time. And as you would expect a 21 year old man to do he f*cks around with it and of course finds out. What’s neat is you really see him grow up through his time transgressions. Although, this has a very strong romance element it is still solidly #SciFi. I think this is one of my favorite time travel movies. Star Domhnall Gleason comes across as so very endearing even when he’s being an idiot. Rachel McAdams is a little too much “the love interest” for my taste but I still enjoyed it. Find it on Amazon or for rent on most streaming, #ScienceFiction #Film #Films #FilmFan #Movie #Movies #Cinema

The Vast of Night (2020 US) students investigate a mysterious signal in 1950’s New Mexico. I like to call this a great little film that could. With a budget of 700k which was spent mostly on costumes and props including cars, director Andrew Peterson did a great job creating tension and just the right amount. It can be a bit of a slow burn sometimes as it gets into the details of radio reception and science. It’s kind of cool that way, but then it picks up. I enjoyed it. Find it on Amazon. I’m not seeing it for rent in my region. #SciFi #SciFiJanuary #ScienceFiction #Film #Films #FilmFan #Movie #Movies #Cinema

It’s #FondueSunday in #SciFiJanuary and todays second entry is Angry Red Planet (1959 US). I’m finishing up a color grading project on a film so my mind is on color. I was curious how they made the Martian scenes in this film. Apparently, they shot those parts in black and white then applied some manner of chemical to it in the development of the film. The budget was $200 k and the sets were cheesy af so they were able to hide that and an added bonus is that B/W is cheaper to film in. Two birds with one stone. Clever! But OMG the dialogue was cringe and the lead astronaut was such a douche. I liked the color effect but I kinda got over it after the first five minutes. Overall though this is classic fondue. Find it on Amazon or for rent if you are so inclined. #SciFi #ScienceFiction #Film #Films #FilmFan #Movie #Movies #Cinema

It’s #FondueSunday in #SciFiJanuary and todays entry is LaserBlast (1978 US) a moody teenager finds an alien laser gun in the desert. Things don’t go well after that. Well folks I don’t know what to say. It’s really bad. However, I am in awe of how many explosions they were able to have on a $280k budget. Those things aren’t cheap. The stop motion aliens were kinda fun. I loved the scene where a senior alien was chewing out the juniors for losing the laser. A black ops sort of character looked exactly like the guy on the cover of Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here Album. You know, the guy that was on fire. I gotta say I checked out from watching the film. I really should have watched the Mystery Science Theaters 3k version. Believe it or not this film made money at the Box Office. It’s on Tubi and Amazon free and available to rent if you are so inclined. #SciFi #ScienceFiction #Film #Films #FilmFan #Movie #Movies #Cinema

The Beast from 20,000 fathoms (1953 US) another Ray Harryhausen stop motion #Kaiju. On the Harryhausen box set there are pics and video of the making of this film. It’s really neat to watch. I recommend the box set. This is another example where the monster carries the film. Talk, talk, talk, blah blah, Monster! Yay! Rejoice! At the last I heard there is a Harryhausen museum in London with a lot of his models on display. I also heard his family is trying desperately to save the relics from natural deterioration. If anyone has updates please feel free to post. I would love to go there but alas I’m just too busy rn. You can find this one on Hulu or for rent on most streaming. #SciFi #SciFiJanuary #ScienceFiction #Film #Films #Movie #Movies #FilmFan #Cinema

It came from Beneath the Sea (1955 US). Like I said earlier I’m a big Ray Harryhausen fan. I just love stop motion. So much so that I made a short film stop motion. This film is all about the #Kaiju and Harryhausen’s work and tbh there isn’t much else going for it. Harryhausen was just so good at what he did that it was enough to carry a film and propel it into legendary status. There is a theory floating about that his work resonates so much now because it was painstakingly hand crafted and not computerized. Yeah there were flaws but it was human flaws. Harryhausen talked about creating this beast. It only had six appendages instead of eight because eight was just too much to animate. He was doing the work one day and got a phone call. When he returned he forgot where he was and had to start all over again. Nowadays there is tech to help the animator but even then that happened to me several times. I stopped answering my phone. I have the Harryhausen box set which is awesome but you can find this for rent on most streaming. #SciFi #SciFiJanuary #ScienceFiction #Film #Films #FilmFan #Movie #Movies #Cinema

King Kong (1933 US) I’m a big Ray Harryhausen fan and he got his start on Kong animating the #Kaiju. He was just a helper at that point. It stars Faye Wray who seriously reconsidered her life choices after getting crush by the robot arm of Kong. In 1933 filmmakers were still trying to figure out how to make good films so a lot of the rules that we acknowledge and take for granted now weren’t quite imbedded in stone yet. For instance Faye Wray is on the beach, she looks shocked, points to something and says “look over there”. The camera never pans to the pov shot nor does it cut to. You just never know what she was looking at. Nowadays that would be grounds for incarceration but back then it was just “huh I wonder what was there?” I’m team Kong in the Legendary universe and I have to say I liked the 1933 film but it was kinda f’ed up. It was widely understood in the black community that Kong was “the scary black man” out to harass white women. Ok they made it in 1933. You can appreciate the skills and artistry of Kong now but two remakes should not have happened. The Legendary Kong is more of a king and protector and Im down for that. Find it on HBO and Amazon and available for rent on most streaming. #SciFi #SciFiJanuary #ScienceFiction #Film #Films #FilmFan #Movie #Movies #Cinema

It’s #FemaleFilmmakerFriday in #SciFiJanuary. todays entry is Strange Days (1995 US). In the future memories can be extracted and sold on the black market. Oscar winner Kathryn Bigelow directs this #SciFi. #ScienceFiction check #FilmNoir check. You would think that it would be a classic but no. I can’t say this is a film that I demanded my two plus hours back but it didn’t knock it out of the park. The film stars Ralph Fiennes and the queen of Wakanda herself Angela Bassett. Bassett does a great job but Fiennes not so much. He seemed a bit annoying making it hard to get into the film. Bigelow did a great job capturing the noir vibe. She’s good at that but casting is just as important and I think that’s where the film went awry. Perhaps, being in her early career she didn’t have as much control as she would have liked. Back then suits were overly involved in production worried that a female director would f*ck it up. Suits don’t make good creative decisions. Things are better for women directors now but that attitude still rears it’s ugly ass head now and then. Don’t @ me I’ve seen it. But I don’t have any info on what happened here specifically. Find it on HBO or for rent on most streaming. #Film #Films #FilmFan #Movie #Movies #Cinema

Freaks: You’re one of Us (2020 GR) This isn’t a terribly high budget film. I couldn’t find the financials but I’m guessing about $1 million. A Fry Cook gets super powers. I actually liked this better than Freaks even though it doesn’t score as high with critics and audiences. It runs closer to a drama than SciFi thriller as the Fry Cook has to deal with her life and the new powers. It really could have used more color work and just a bit more with audio. But it has subtitles so that helps. What I liked about it is her reaction to getting super powers. It spends time on that fantasy that so many people have. It didn’t do great at the box office being in the middle of a pandemic and all so now it lives at Netflix. #SciFi #SciFiJanuary #ScienceFiction #Film #Films #FilmFan #Movie #Movies #Cinema

Freaks (2018 US) A little girl with special abilities is hidden away by her father. Starring Emile Hirsch and Bruce Dern. I’m a fan of Bruce Dern and enjoy him in pretty much anything. I enjoyed this film. It was well shot, well paced and cast. But I can’t say that it stood out from other top notch SciFi films that have popped up in the last five years. You can see the twist coming a mile away but that doesn’t mean the film is not enjoyable. Find it on Tubi for free and for rent on most streaming. #SciFi #SciFiJanuary #ScienceFiction #Film #Films #FilmFan #Movie #Movies #Cinema

It’s time for #WTFWednesday in #SciFiJanuary and todays entry is AI (2001 US). I actually love this film but not for the reasons you think. I like to play a little game called “spot the Kubrick” when I watch it. I once wrote a very long essay on this because there is just so much to talk about. Stanley Kubrick bought the rights to it long before it went into production. He commissioned a #SciFi writer to write a treatment. He asked Steven Spielberg to direct because he felt that it was closer to his sensibilities. Spielberg declined. Kubrick continued development but then the unthinkable happened. He died. Spielberg agreed to take up the mantle and get it made in honor of his friend Kubrick. Spielberg vowed to keep the film as close to Kubricks vision as possible. What emerged was as producer Bonnie Curtis pointed out was an “F’ed up Spielberg movie and a warm and fuzzy Kubrick film”. These two could not be farther apart in style. Haley Joel Osment stars as the android designed to be a loving son. Jude Law stars as the android designed for sex. Because male prostitutes are a signature of Spielberg films. Having said that Kubrick was right. Spielberg does a better job of emotionally investing the audience than Kubrick. Considering the story was Pinocchio, a fairy tale, Spielberg was better suited. Ultimately audiences were, WTF did I just watch? Find it on Amazon and for rent in most streaming. #ScienceFiction #Film #Films #FilmFan #Movie #Movies #Cinema

Bill and Teds Excellent Adventure (1989 US) Best paradox ever. I’m paraphrasing here;

Keanu Reeves:How are we going to get in there? We could steal my Dads keys but he lost them two days ago.

Alex Winter: I know! After the report we could go back in time, steal your Dads keys before he lost them and hide them here.

Keanu Reeves: Excellent idea but we can’t forget or it won’t work. But there here so we didn’t forget.

Alex Winter: Excellent!!

That’s it. That’s the post

🤯 @alexwinter
#SciFi #SciFiJanuary #ScienceFiction #Film #Films #FilmFan #Movie #Movies #Cinema

The Final Countdown (1980 US). An aircraft carrier gets caught in a wormhole and sent back to 1941 Pearl Harbor starting Kirk “Spartacus” Douglas and Martin Sheen. Tbh this didn’t have a whole lot of plot. A good chunk of the movie was the US Navy playing with their toys. Most of the extras were actual sailors and pilots. It had lots of aerial photography with modern and vintage planes. It was kinda cool that way. This was a don’t have to think too hard kind of movie for when you have dinner to make. What I liked about it is that Spartacus, I mean Douglas and Sheen had to deal with those pesky paradox issues. It reminded me of Captain Janeway who didn’t give a rats butt about paradox’s or timeline integrity. Not great but I had fun with it. #SciFi #SciFiJanuary #ScienceFiction #Film #Films #FilmFan #Movie #Movies #Cinema

Clockwork Orange (1971 US) This Kubrick soft #SciFi is not for the faint of heart. Director Stanley Kubrick has a tendency with all of his films to hold a shot, usually wide, to make you take it all in no matter how uncomfortable you are. The scene in this film where Malcom McDowells eyes are held open is just so on brand for Kubrick. He has a point and god dammit you will listen and think about it. Kubrick was known for authenticity in his films. I love the joke that the US government commissioned him to fake the moon landing but he insisted on shooting on location. Also super on brand. If you haven’t yet watch this film. Find it on HBO and for rent on most streaming. #SciFiJanuary #ScienceFiction #Films #Film #FilmFan #Movie #Movies #Cinema

Dr. Strangelove (1964 US) one of my favorite Kubrick films. This satire is not #SciFi but I had to post. I had loved this masterpiece for quite awhile. When I was in college we studied this in film theory class. What I discovered was that everyone in the class had no idea about this film. When they saw it they loved it but occurred to me that it needs to be shown more. So pass it on. For those who have seen this a little funny tidbit. John Wayne was Kubrick’s first choice for the Slim Pickens cowboy pilot role. John Wayne read the script and responded with a “Ah Hell No Pilgrim”. Face it you read that in a John Wayne voice. Some didn’t know who John Wayne was. So I encourage you to pass on this lovely film. Find it for rent on most streaming. #SciFiJanuary #ScienceFiction #Film #Films #FilmFan #Movie #Movies #Cinema

I want to do a Stanley Kubrick day. First entry is 2001: A Space Odyssey. Kubrick is one of my favorite directors and this is one of his best. Most #SciFi enthusiasts have seen this but there are many who have not. If you are one of those people who have not, you should. This film is such a part of our collective unconscious that you need to see it. It’s referenced a lot. I loved that during the pandemic obelisks popped up all over the world. It was such a neat distraction from the misery of the regular news. One popped up near me and I was excited to go see it but a group of weirdos destroyed it before I could go. Something about “this is a Christian nation” and “no aliens”. I don’t think they got the joke. Find it on HBO or to rent on most streaming. #SciFiJanuary #ScienceFiction #Film #Films #FilmFan #Movie #Movies #Cinema

Todays second entry into #FondueSunday is this future oriented #Scifi. Just Imagine (1930 US). A man from 1930 is struck by lightning and frozen(?). Idk how that worked. He is awakened in 1980 where the government is imposing their values on the public. I do think this was about censorship and the Hays code. Although, the code was not officially enforced until 1934 it was in effect informally before that. They really pushed the boundaries of the code. Why? Cuz it was stupid. In the name of “decency” Nazi spies were able to influence speech via the church pre WWII. Anti nazi depictions were banned under the Hays code “decency”. Chilling! This film cost a lot of money in sets. It flopped at the box office but they later sold some sets and props to make up the budget. You will recognize the space ship as Flash Gordon’s. Find it on YouTube free. SciFi #SciFiJanuary #ScienceFiction #Film #Films #Movie #FilmFan #Movies #Cinema