Ridley Scott returns to sci-fi! - His first sci-fi film since Blade Runner

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MovieWes
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Post by MovieWes »

Damien wrote:
MovieWes wrote:Oh, come on! Blade Runner was one of the great films of the '80s and he hasn't done a sci-fi film since. Yes, I know, using the terms "great films" and "'80s" in the same sentence may sound a bit oxymoronic, but there were a handful of truly great films during that decade, and Blade Runner (along with Raging Bull, Ran, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and Aur Revoir, Les Enfants) was one of them. Sure, he's done a lot of crappy films since then, but this could be his return to form. As long as he doesn't use Russell Crowe. Again.

I don't like a single one of the films you mentioned. :D (Well, Ran I could take or leave.)

Best Sci-Fi: Solaris, Invaders Of The Body Snatchers, A.I., Invaders From Mars
Oh well. I guess that only goes to show that you can't please everyone. :)
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Post by Damien »

MovieWes wrote:Oh, come on! Blade Runner was one of the great films of the '80s and he hasn't done a sci-fi film since. Yes, I know, using the terms "great films" and "'80s" in the same sentence may sound a bit oxymoronic, but there were a handful of truly great films during that decade, and Blade Runner (along with Raging Bull, Ran, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and Aur Revoir, Les Enfants) was one of them. Sure, he's done a lot of crappy films since then, but this could be his return to form. As long as he doesn't use Russell Crowe. Again.
I don't like a single one of the films you mentioned. :D (Well, Ran I could take or leave.)

Best Sci-Fi: Solaris, Invaders Of The Body Snatchers, A.I., Invaders From Mars
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Post by OscarGuy »

Nothing as exciting as that. I'm actually quite lucky it didn't hit my feet. While it is made of the same material as the tiles in my bathroom, it was still a sizable chunk...
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Post by flipp525 »

OscarGuy wrote:I just had a fight with someone online for putting me and my opinions down, not to mention the soap/towel rod in my shower crashed to the floor this morning while I was using it, meaning a quite expensive repair bill, I wouldn't go there right now, Eric...I'm not in a nice place emotionally.
Oh, my. Were you at least having sex in said shower when everything came crashing down? That definitely would've been worth it.
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Post by Eric »

OscarGuy wrote:I just had a fight with someone online for putting me and my opinions down, not to mention the soap/towel rod in my shower crashed to the floor this morning while I was using it, meaning a quite expensive repair bill, I wouldn't go there right now, Eric...I'm not in a nice place emotionally.
By all means, have at it whenever you feel.
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Post by OscarGuy »

Sci Fi seems to be the genre that most of us respond to so differently. In the pantheon of great Sci Fi flicks, everyone seems to hold different films in different esteems based on their personal view of how a Sci Fi film should act. Some prefer the modern day approach pitting the present with the future (The Day the Earth Stood Still and Contact). Some prefer an idealistic future where even humanity can get in its own way while trying to face off against outside forces (Star Trek). Some like the nihilistic view of future and the collapse of humanity (Blade Runner, Escape from New York). While others are interested in the cautionary tales of the dangerousness of careless advancement of technology (2001, A.I.).

Each of these styles pose different questions that different people respond to. And even within those segments, there is division. I think most attempts at science fiction in film succeed or fail based on the personal feelings of those who view them. And most of those feelings all stem from how they view the modern world and where its destiny might lie.
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Post by flipp525 »

Greg wrote:This reminds me of how Oscar Guy and me were about the only ones here that thought Contact was a great film.
Add me to that club. I still think it was one of the best films that year and Jodie Foster should've been nominated.
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Post by Greg »

This reminds me of how Oscar Guy and me were about the only ones here that thought Contact was a great film.
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Post by FilmFan720 »

If you want great science-fiction, that says a lot about the human condition, I would go with The Day the Earth Stood Still, Primer, The Terminator/Terminator 2, Truffaut's Fahrenheit 451, Brazil, Solaris or my personal favorite sci-fi film The Planet of the Apes (the third and fourth films in that series, especially the fourth, are also great science fiction films). I really need to revisit A.I. I didn't like it the first time around, but feel like I would like it more.

I won't get into 2001 for fear of being thrown off the board. It is a very good film, but nowhere near a masterpiece.
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Post by OscarGuy »

I just had a fight with someone online for putting me and my opinions down, not to mention the soap/towel rod in my shower crashed to the floor this morning while I was using it, meaning a quite expensive repair bill, I wouldn't go there right now, Eric...I'm not in a nice place emotionally.



Edited By OscarGuy on 1223994330
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Post by Eric »

OscarGuy wrote:Heck, I'd say First Contact and Wrath of Kahn were among two of the greatest Sci-Fi films ever made
Ah that does bring me back to the very early days of this site, when you had First Contact and Evita down for dozens of nominations each.
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Post by OscarGuy »

A.I. can't even hold a candle to Children of Men or Blade Runner. A.I. thought itself more important than it really was.

Most of the Star Trek films said more about the human condition than A.I. did. Heck, I'd say First Contact and Wrath of Kahn were among two of the greatest Sci-Fi films ever made, but for me, the distinction of best will always be 2001: A Space Odyssey.
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Post by anonymous1980 »

MovieWes wrote:
FilmFan720 wrote:I have always found Blade Runner highly overrated. It is a fine science fiction film, but it is so stiff and self-important. It thinks it is highly intelligent, when it really doesn't say much in the end.

Oh, I disagree with you entirely on that point, since I think that Blade Runner, probably more than any science fiction film of its kind, has lots to say about lots of things, ranging from the human condition/human nature, to consumerism/commercialization/corporatism, environmentalism, mortality, identity/sexuality, morals/ethics, bigotry, personal rights/freedoms, etc. I could go on forever, but I don't really want or have time to go into all of it right now (and believe me, I have plenty to say on the subject). However, it is, IMHO, one of the most beautifully realized and thought-provoking films I've ever seen. I'll write a little bit more on the subject when it's not 11:00 pm. Just not right now.

By the way, the only science fiction film that I believe even comes close to Blade Runner in this regard is Children of Men.

And A.I. Artificial Intelligence. (Which I think is equal if not surpassed Blade Runner)

I recently rewatched Blade Runner last week while I was out sick. It is Ridley Scott's best work.




Edited By anonymous on 1223976573
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Post by MovieWes »

FilmFan720 wrote:I have always found Blade Runner highly overrated. It is a fine science fiction film, but it is so stiff and self-important. It thinks it is highly intelligent, when it really doesn't say much in the end.

Oh, I disagree with you entirely on that point, since I think that Blade Runner, probably more than any science fiction film of its kind, has lots to say about lots of things, ranging from the human condition/human nature, to consumerism/commercialization/corporatism, environmentalism, mortality, identity/sexuality, morals/ethics, bigotry, personal rights/freedoms, etc. I could go on forever, but I don't really want or have time to go into all of it right now (and believe me, I have plenty to say on the subject). However, it is, IMHO, one of the most beautifully realized and thought-provoking films I've ever seen. I'll write a little bit more on the subject when it's not 11:00 pm. Just not right now.

By the way, the only science fiction film that I believe even comes close to Blade Runner in this regard is Children of Men.




Edited By MovieWes on 1223957733
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Post by dws1982 »

If you look beyond mainstream Hollywood, and consider what independent filmmakers were doing, and what international filmmakers were doing, it would be hard to write off the 80's as a terrible decade. (It may still be the worst decade ever for film--I'm not in a great position to judge such things--but there are plenty of excellent 80's films out there if you want to look for them.) If you only consider mainstream Hollywood, then it probably is as bad as everyone says.

The 80's gave me several films I'd put against the best of any decade, like Come and See, Shoah, Year of the Quiet Sun, The Right Stuff, Crimes and Misdemeanors, Manhunter, Desert Bloom, The Big Red One, Casualties of War, Fanny and Alexander, The Long Riders and Three Brothers. For that, I think the 80's deserve a word of defense.
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