From her comments on AI:

(To be fair to Kubrick, �Spartacus� is one of my favorite movies of all time.)

I wonder if she realizes that out of Kubrick's entire filmography, Spartacus is the one he considers the least indicative of his sensibilities and his least favorite of his major works.

[ edited by Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner on 2008-06-23 22:15 ]

Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner | June 24, 01:12 CET

Pretty good list. Though I don't think I'd put Day After Tommorow on there.

macbezz | June 24, 02:10 CET

Perhaps she'll let you know Roland (she posts on here as Nebula 1400 IIRC).

Not an insane list as these things go though, as usual, i'd move the order around a bit. And i'd most definitely pull AI (which I thought was saccharine, over-long and emotionally empty) and 'Signs' too - the ending and huge plot-holes blew it for me - and put 'Sunshine' and 'Donnie Darko' in there. And much as I enjoyed it I might also pull 'The Day After Tomorrow' and put 'Pitch Black' in its place - not as worthy maybe (and clearly lower budget) but a great, tight little sci-fi horror/action film. Honourable mentions go to the flawed but very lovely 'Solaris' (might swap this for 'Vanilla Sky', much as I liked that film) and the equally flawed, daft-but-cool 'Equilibrium".

And if super-hero films like for instance 'X-Men' or 'X-Men 2' qualified I might have to rethink again.

Saje | June 24, 02:27 CET

I wonder if she realizes that out of Kubrick's entire filmography, Spartacus is the one he considers the least indicative of his sensibilities and his least favorite of his major works.

She knows. She also knows that Kubrick was not the original director of the movie. It was Anthony Mann, who was fired during the filming of the movie.

In the end, Kubrick was dubbed director. Whether he liked the way the movie came out or not, it was a great movie. "2001" was great in the first two-thirds, and the rest was Kubrick on acid.

Superhero films will be coming...

[ edited by Nebula1400 on 2008-06-24 02:20 ]

Nebula1400 | June 24, 02:28 CET

Just saw CSTS in Toronto on Saturday - and I love how we still cheer out loud for our heros. I guess it is true you CSTS!!

As for the heart tugger - I am going to go with Book's death - the scene with him and Mal is just amazing...

Rogue Demon Hunter | June 24, 02:42 CET

yep even after all this time and SO many viewings
seeing Serenity at these screening still gives me a thrill

rivergirl | June 24, 03:43 CET

My top SF picks for the last 10 years (can't come up with 10 that I'd want to include):

1. Matrix
2. Serenity
3. V for Vendetta
4. The X-Files (only 'cause I was an XF addict)
5. Galaxy Quest
6. Terminator 3 (not great by itself, but not a bad addition to the other films)

If you include 1997, I'd also throw in:

Gattaca
Contact

And if I were to include fantasy/superhero movies I'd also add the following (in no particular order):

Lord of the Rings movies
The Sixth Sense
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
X-Men 1 & 2
Iron Man
Batman Begins

I've seen the rest of the movies on the list in the article and although I enjoyed most, I wouldn't include them on any of my 'top' lists.

JossIzBoss | June 24, 04:05 CET

I love the Galaxy Quest mention. That movie makes me laugh time and again, especially Sigourney Weaver's "I have one job on this ship. It's stupid, but I'm going to do it." And all things Alan Rickman, cuz he rocks.

V for Vendetta is great; I actually prefer the movie to the graphic novel, because Evey is so much stronger. I've been spoiled by Joss; I like my heroines to kick ass. Although I do miss the reference to Enid Blyton's Magic Faraway Tree.

Serenity's awesomeness, of course, goes without saying. On a side note, I just converted another Browncoat this week: my stubborn brother! He's coming to CSTS!

And Day After Tomorrow is quite good, and not just because I have a soft spot for Emmy Rossum. I love the part where the Americans are fleeing and the Mexicans won't let them in. I love it. Plus, I consider it one of the better movies in the "huge disaster" genre.

BandofBuggered | June 24, 05:44 CET

Is V for Vendetta sci-fi? Why is The Day After Tomorrow, mediocre at best, on the list? And I still think The Matrix is tremendously overrated.

The Dark Shape | June 24, 05:58 CET

So, what would be on your list, The Dark Shape?

Nebula1400 | June 24, 06:39 CET

Nebula1400

She knows. She also knows that Kubrick was not the original director of the movie. It was Anthony Mann, who was fired during the filming of the movie.

This always happens to me when I talk about someone in the third person as though they're not in the room, standing right next to me. One day I'll learn.

Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner | June 24, 09:59 CET

I would include Gattaca (it was released in 1998 in the UK) and A Scanner Darkly probably at the expense of The Day After Tomorrow and AI.

moley75 | June 24, 13:01 CET

V for Vendetta is great; I actually prefer the movie to the graphic novel, because Evey is so much stronger. I've been spoiled by Joss; I like my heroines to kick ass.

Out of curiosity BoB, did you read it or see it first ? Cos I liked the film well enough but it doesn't hold a candle to the comic IMO (in which BTW, I thought Evey was plenty tough showing a huge amount of moral courage even if she did, admittedly, spend a lot of it reacting). But I read the comic years (and years and years ;) before I saw the film and my pet theory is, when the quality is at least comparable, whichever you experience first tends to be your favourite.

JossIzBoss: My top SF picks for the last 10 years (can't come up with 10 that I'd want to include):

Err, surely whatever's your 7th favourite is next then ? Or do you actually mean you've only liked 6 sci-fi films in the last 10 years ? ;)

Saje | June 24, 14:39 CET

LOL! No need to worry, Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner. At least you didn't say anything mean.

Lists of "bests" are always subjective. What one person loves, the next loathes, and the next person over thinks we're all idiots. C'est la vie.

Nebula1400 | June 24, 14:56 CET

Ah, someone else loves Vanilla Sky. :) But I'd toss most anything off the list to include 12 Monkeys. Wait .... older than ten years?, I can't recall.
(I'd still include it, rules were made to be broken).

Shey | June 24, 18:32 CET

The Dark Shape said:



The same here. I think "The Thirteenth Floor" was way better in a closer theme.

But "Galaxy Quest" is realy a great funny movie. I almost jump from my seat when Sigourney Weaver goes to help the little alien.

Brasilian Chaos Man | June 24, 18:36 CET

"Twelve Monkeys" was from 1995. so it didn't premiere between 1998 and now. That is one of my all-time favorites. On top of the great story, and the fact that it was filmed around places I pass by every day (the cheap motel Bruce Willis's character stayed at is no longer there), one of the actors in it was one of my oldest daughter's high school teachers.

Nebula1400 | June 24, 18:47 CET

Oh yeah, 12 Monkeys would definitely be on my list if it went past 10 years. As would quite a few other movies.

Saje, I have enjoyed other SF movies during the past ten years, but none enough to include on a favorites list. They all seem to fall flat or end up feeling hollow to me (I agree with your feelings regarding AI and Signs completely). The Fountain was interesting for about half the movie, but then just floated into the realm of the bizzare and pointless. Solaris had potential, but again left me feeling flat. Children of Men also.

Although now that I look back at that list, I realize that I misspoke about seeing all the movies - I've never seen Vanilla Sky...Minority Report would be close to making my list though (probably my bias against Tom Cruise kept it from my list :).

[ edited by JossIzBoss on 2008-06-24 19:59 ]

JossIzBoss | June 24, 22:51 CET

Actually, Saje, I read and watched V for Vendetta on the same day, because it was my homework for my Superheroes class. I *think* I may have read it first, because I remember finding it a bit confusing. Then I watched the movie, then I read it again, and understood a lot more.

I think if I read it again now, my opinion might change, as I was so very new to the comics medium when I was reading it. I had a hard time following narrative flow, etc. I just remember liking Evey much more in the movie because she was, as you pointed out, active instead of reactive. I do also realize that 20 years had passed between the comic and the movie, during which a lot changed including how women were perceived. (This is all hearsay from me, as I was born in the very late 80's, mind you.)

BandofBuggered | June 25, 01:15 CET

Saje, I have enjoyed other SF movies during the past ten years, but none enough to include on a favorites list.

To some extent I guess if you've seen more than 6 then by definition your "Top 10" would just be the 6 you really enjoyed and then the ones the disliked least afterwards but I totally get what you mean JossIzBoss - if they're not in any way your favourites then it feels wrong to put them on a list of your top 10 favourite sci-fi movies in the last ten years ;).

I do also realize that 20 years had passed between the comic and the movie, during which a lot changed including how women were perceived.

Well, maybe i'm being cynical but I suspect it may also have been partly to do with giving Natalie Portman something decent to get her teeth into (you don't usually get big names with small parts ;).

Cultural mores have changed though you're absolutely right and 'V for Vendetta' was also originally published in a UK comic called 'Warrior'.

Back then comics (over here anyway) were even more clearly split along gender lines than they are now with UK comics like 'Eagle', 'Hotspur' or 'Victor' (my own favourite, featuring stories like 'Cadman, the Fighting Coward' and 'Joe Bones, The Human Fly' - he was a climber BTW, not a bizarre hybrid ;) all featuring football, war or adventure stories and being aimed squarely at boys and titles like 'Tammy', 'Bunty' and 'Misty' featuring what were assumed to be more "girl friendly" stories (some titles like 'Beano' etc. catered for both with a mix of stories). So just having a strong female character at all was probably fairly unusual.

(and I could see how the film might be easier to follow too. They took out a lot of the subplots and pared the story down to give a clearer throughline - out of necessity, I don't blame them a bit - and good as David Lloyd's art was, it's still sometimesa bit difficult to tell characters apart in some panels. Let the book percolate for a while though, I think it may turn out to have longer legs than the film ;)

Saje | June 25, 01:47 CET

OK, I'm assuming when talking about The Matrix, it's the original from 1999. So that movie is not in this decade, hence, it's disqualified! :^o Unless she meant the last 10 years, then I withdraw my protest! :^D A movie that would be in my top ten sci-fi list would be The Fountain with Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz. It is a wonder to behold in blu-ray.

[ edited by jperiodrperiod on 2008-06-25 01:14 ]

jperiodrperiod | June 25, 03:49 CET

Yeah it's the past decade. And anyway, 'The Matrix' absolutely is in this decade since 'decade' is just a period of ten years and not specifically the ten years from e.g. 2000 to 2009. Same applies to 'millennium' BTW.

[ edited by Saje on 2008-06-25 09:20 ]

Saje | June 25, 12:20 CET