Official Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge (January 2022)

[sol]

Spoiler

1. Island of Lost Souls (1932)
2. Mr. Nobody (2009) #Livingin5D
3. Dolls (1987) #WitchyPoo
4. Alien (1979) REVISION #DeadSpace
5. Aliens (1986) REVISION
6. Foxfur (2012) #DoubleUp
7. Radius (2017) #NorthAmerica
8. Deadpool (2016) #Hilarious
9. Der Samurai (2014) #Europe
10. The Matrix (1999) REVISION
11. Zebraman (2004) #Asia
12. Robot Jox (1989) #PostNuke
13. Skull - The Mask (2020) #SouthAmerica
14. The Infinite Man (2016) REVISION #Australia
15. Miracle Mile (1988)
16. The Return. (1980)
17. The Powerpuff Girls Movie (2002) #Animation
18. Secret Magic Control Agency (2021) #Russia
19. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990) #OutsideTheBubble
20. The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit (1998) #SoundOfThunder
21. Carnival of Sinners/The Devil's Hand (1943)
22. Journey To The Center Of The Earth (2008) #20000Leagues
23. Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989) REVISION #TimeAfterTime
24. Bill & Ted Face the Music (2020)
25. The Puppet Masters (1994) #StrangeLand
26. Bicentennial Man (1999) #Foundation
27. Damnation Alley (1977) #Hugo
28. Dead of Night. (1977) #IAmLegend
29. The Mirror Boy (2011) #Africa
30. Your Highness (2011) #LookAWizard!
31. Sucker Punch (2011) #LookADragon!
32. Ender's Game (2013) #Nebula
33. Demon Seed (1977) REVISION #ICantDoThatDave
34. Die Puppe (1919) REVISION #SpeculativeSilence
35. Stowaway (2021) #RforRocket
36. The Box (2009) REVISION #IAmLegend
37. Onward (2020) #LookAUnicorn!
38. Encanto (2021) #MagicalRealism
39. Enchanted Desna (1964)

40. Die Monster Die! (1965)



Best entered into with as few expectations as possible, it is mostly unclear just which Lovecraft story this horror film is adapted from, and all of the weirdness and mysteriousness carries it. The whole thing is downright spooky as a young man arrives in town and is constantly refused service when trying to get a lift to a certain abode. Played by Boris Karloff, the owner of the abode is pretty creepy and something seems amiss yet what is not obvious.

[VincentPrice]

20. Pulse-1988: 8/10

Spoiler

1. Impostor-2001: 4/10
2. The Colossus of New York-1958: 7/10
3. Puzzlehead-2005: 6/10
4. Beast in Space-1980: 2/10
5. Blue Monkey-1987: 9/10
6. Velocity Trap-1999: 6/10
7. War of the Worlds-2005: 10/10
8. Evolution-2001: 8/10
9. Strange Invaders-1983: 8/10
10. Absolon-2003: 4/10
11. Cyborg Cop-1993: 7/10
12. Tarantula-1955: 8/10
13. The Mole People-1956: 7/10
14. The Day After Tomorrow-2004: 8/10
15. Save Yourselves!-2020: 8/10
16. Galaxy Quest-1999: 10/10
17. Spider-Man-2002: 9/10
18. Spider-Man 2-2004: 10/10
19. Spider-Man 3-2007: 7/10

[VincentPrice]

21. Slipstream-1989: 3/10

Spoiler

1. Impostor-2001: 4/10
2. The Colossus of New York-1958: 7/10
3. Puzzlehead-2005: 6/10
4. Beast in Space-1980: 2/10
5. Blue Monkey-1987: 9/10
6. Velocity Trap-1999: 6/10
7. War of the Worlds-2005: 10/10
8. Evolution-2001: 8/10
9. Strange Invaders-1983: 8/10
10. Absolon-2003: 4/10
11. Cyborg Cop-1993: 7/10
12. Tarantula-1955: 8/10
13. The Mole People-1956: 7/10
14. The Day After Tomorrow-2004: 8/10
15. Save Yourselves!-2020: 8/10
16. Galaxy Quest-1999: 10/10
17. Spider-Man-2002: 9/10
18. Spider-Man 2-2004: 10/10
19. Spider-Man 3-2007: 7/10
20. Pulse-1988: 8/10

[sol]

Spoiler

1. Island of Lost Souls (1932)
2. Mr. Nobody (2009) #Livingin5D
3. Dolls (1987) #WitchyPoo
4. Alien (1979) REVISION #DeadSpace
5. Aliens (1986) REVISION
6. Foxfur (2012) #DoubleUp
7. Radius (2017) #NorthAmerica
8. Deadpool (2016) #Hilarious
9. Der Samurai (2014) #Europe
10. The Matrix (1999) REVISION
11. Zebraman (2004) #Asia
12. Robot Jox (1989) #PostNuke
13. Skull - The Mask (2020) #SouthAmerica
14. The Infinite Man (2016) REVISION #Australia
15. Miracle Mile (1988)
16. The Return. (1980)
17. The Powerpuff Girls Movie (2002) #Animation
18. Secret Magic Control Agency (2021) #Russia
19. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990) #OutsideTheBubble
20. The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit (1998) #SoundOfThunder
21. Carnival of Sinners/The Devil's Hand (1943)
22. Journey To The Center Of The Earth (2008) #20000Leagues
23. Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989) REVISION #TimeAfterTime
24. Bill & Ted Face the Music (2020)
25. The Puppet Masters (1994) #StrangeLand
26. Bicentennial Man (1999) #Foundation
27. Damnation Alley (1977) #Hugo
28. Dead of Night. (1977) #IAmLegend
29. The Mirror Boy (2011) #Africa
30. Your Highness (2011) #LookAWizard!
31. Sucker Punch (2011) #LookADragon!
32. Ender's Game (2013) #Nebula
33. Demon Seed (1977) REVISION #ICantDoThatDave
34. Die Puppe (1919) REVISION #SpeculativeSilence
35. Stowaway (2021) #RforRocket
36. The Box (2009) REVISION #IAmLegend
37. Onward (2020) #LookAUnicorn!
38. Encanto (2021) #MagicalRealism
39. Enchanted Desna (1964)
40. Die Monster Die! (1965)

41. The Stone Rider (1923)



The basic story is decent here, most notably because the tyrant is not a one-dimensional evil antagonist. On the contrary, it is only after his realises how poorly his peasants think of him that he chooses to become a "devil", and Rudolf Klein-Rogge is well-suited to the role. Outside of his performance though, there is not a lot to write home about. Some of the sets are weird and unusual (but they have nothing on Caligari) and the supporting characters are dull.

[peeptoad]

...some very cool shots and visuals in this one. My phone camera flash was a mistake but it looks neat anyway.

14. The Lathe of Heaven (1980) 8 #Nebula

fantastical flicks

1. Tanin no kao (1966) The Face of Another 8+ #Asia
2. Simón del desierto (1965) Simon of the Desert 8 #NorthAmerica
3. Macunaíma (1969) 7+ #SouthAmerica
4. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) 8 (rewatch) #Hugo
5. Rise of the Guardians (2012) 6 #LookAUnicorn!
6. Puss in Boots (2011) 6 #Animation
7. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) 7+ (rewatch) #LookADragon!
8. Céline et Julie vont en bateau: Phantom Ladies Over Paris (1974) Celine and Julie Go Boating 6 #Livingin5D
9. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) 7(rewatch) #LookAWizard!
10. Don't Look Up (2021) 7 #Hilarious
11. Solomon Kane (2009) 6 #WitchyPoo
12. The Fourth Kind (2009) 3 #DeadSpace
13. Heavy Metal 2000 (2000) 5 #OutsidetheBubble

[AB537]

25-29. Katla (Netflix (mini?)series, 2021, 8 episodes) 6/10 ... 33 minutes carried over

[flavo5000]

QUESTION: Does Shang-Chi qualify for "a film with alternate dimensions" challenge?

Eh, I don't think so. At the time it was released, Marvel hadn't really rolled out their multiverse strategy, and the film doesn't really allude to it in any meaningful way.

[flavo5000]

Spoiler

1. Island of Lost Souls (1932)
2. Mr. Nobody (2009) #Livingin5D
3. Dolls (1987) #WitchyPoo
4. Alien (1979) REVISION #DeadSpace
5. Aliens (1986) REVISION
6. Foxfur (2012) #DoubleUp
7. Radius (2017) #NorthAmerica
8. Deadpool (2016) #Hilarious
9. Der Samurai (2014) #Europe
10. The Matrix (1999) REVISION
11. Zebraman (2004) #Asia
12. Robot Jox (1989) #PostNuke
13. Skull - The Mask (2020) #SouthAmerica
14. The Infinite Man (2016) REVISION #Australia
15. Miracle Mile (1988)
16. The Return. (1980)
17. The Powerpuff Girls Movie (2002) #Animation
18. Secret Magic Control Agency (2021) #Russia
19. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990) #OutsideTheBubble
20. The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit (1998) #SoundOfThunder
21. Carnival of Sinners/The Devil's Hand (1943)
22. Journey To The Center Of The Earth (2008) #20000Leagues
23. Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989) REVISION #TimeAfterTime
24. Bill & Ted Face the Music (2020)
25. The Puppet Masters (1994) #StrangeLand
26. Bicentennial Man (1999) #Foundation
27. Damnation Alley (1977) #Hugo
28. Dead of Night. (1977) #IAmLegend
29. The Mirror Boy (2011) #Africa
30. Your Highness (2011) #LookAWizard!
31. Sucker Punch (2011) #LookADragon!
32. Ender's Game (2013) #Nebula
33. Demon Seed (1977) REVISION #ICantDoThatDave
34. Die Puppe (1919) REVISION #SpeculativeSilence
35. Stowaway (2021) #RforRocket
36. The Box (2009) REVISION #IAmLegend
37. Onward (2020) #LookAUnicorn!
38. Encanto (2021) #MagicalRealism
39. Enchanted Desna (1964)

40. Die Monster Die! (1965)



Best entered into with as few expectations as possible, it is mostly unclear just which Lovecraft story this horror film is adapted from,

Well, in theory it's supposed to be an adaptation of The Color Out of Space but other than a mysterious meteorite, there's very little similarity to the source story.

[Silga]

QUESTION: Does Shang-Chi qualify for "a film with alternate dimensions" challenge?

Eh, I don't think so. At the time it was released, Marvel hadn't really rolled out their multiverse strategy, and the film doesn't really allude to it in any meaningful way.

Thanks. I edited my previous post accordingly.

[ChrisReynolds]

Previously assimilated...

1. Basilisk: The Serpent King (Furst, 2006) 23 checks, 0 official lists #WitchyPoo 3/10
2. Time-travel TV episodes #TimeAfterTime
a. Doctor Who: Eve of the Daleks (Laufer, 2022) [59 min] 3 checks, 0 official lists 2/10
b. The X-Files: Synchrony (Charleston, 1997) [44 mins] 100 checks, 0 official lists 4/10
3. The X Files (Bowman, 1998) 5074 checks, 2 official lists 5/10
4. Encanto (Bush-Smith, 2021) 796 checks, 1 official list 3/10
5. Ragewar / The Dungeonmaster / The Challenges of Excalibrate / Digital Knights (Allen-Band-Buechler-Ford-Manoogian-Nicolaou-Turko, 1984) 109 checks, 0 official lists #LookAWizard! 4/10
6. Dungeons & Dragons: Wrath of the Dragon God (Lively, 2005) 144 checks, 0 official lists #LookADragon! 5/10
7. Gaia (Bouwer, 2021) 89 checks, 0 official lists #Africa 4/10
8. Dung fong sam hap / The Heroic Trio (To, 1993) 296 checks, 2 official lists #Asia 6/10
9. Transcendance (Pfister, 2014) 4985 checks, 0 official lists 4/10
10. The Lathe of Heaven (Barzyk-Loxton, 1980) 170 checks, 1 official list #Nebula 7/10
11. Luca (Casarosa, 2021) 1927 checks, 0 official lists #MagicalRealism 6/10
12. Dead Space: Downfall (Patton, 2008) 477 checks, 0 official lists #Animation 4/10
13. Alien Abduction: Incident in Lake County (Alioto, 1998) 189 checks, 0 official lists #DeadSpace 4/10
14. The Matrix Resurrections (Wachowski, 2021) 1275 checks, 0 official lists #ICantDoThatDave 4/10
15. Journey to the Center of the Earth (Brevig, 2008) 17379 checks, 1 official list #20000Leagues 3/10
16. Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase (Stenstrum, 2001) 621 checks, 0 official lists #Hilarious 5/10
17. Jack the Giant Slayer (Singer, 2013) 3997 checks, 1 official list 5/10
18. Cinderella (Branagh, 2015) 6451 checks, 2 official lists 5/10
19. Possible Worlds (Lepage, 2000) 135 checks, 1 official list #LivingIn5D 5/10
20. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze (Pressman, 1991) 5079 checks, 1 official list #OutsidetheBubble 3/10
21. Vampirella (Wynorski, 1996) 52 checks, 0 official lists #RforRocket 3/10
22. Into the Woods (Marshall, 2014) 6330 checks, 2 official lists 3/10
23a. The X Files: Fire (Shaw, 1993) 147 checks, 0 official lists 5/10
23b. The X Files: Eve (Gerber, 1993) 149 checks, 0 official lists 6/10
24. Wrath of the Titans (Liebesman, 2012) 8124 checks, 1 official list 4/10
25. The Return of Captain Invincible / Legend in Leotards (Mora, 1983) 57 checks, 0 official lists #Australia 5/10
26. Epic (Wedge, 2013) 4620 checks, 1 official list 4/10

27. Inkheart (Softley, 2008) 3467 checks, 0 official lists #LookAUnicorn!
Great cast and premise, but the film never does anything too interesting with either of them. Softley is a mediocre director, but I think the script is primarily to blame. Honestly, you have a device where any public domain literary character can appear as a character, and the two you choose are Ali Baba and Toto from the Wizard of Oz?
4/10



Bonus challenge running total: 18

[flavo5000]

76. The Second Civil War (Joe Dante, 1997)
How has this not had a resurgence in recent years. The prescience of it is strikingly eerie. The plot involves a conservative blowhard governor (Beau Bridges) with a home militia redneck fanbase who decides to take a firm stance against immigration by blocking Idaho's borders to refugees. When the president (Phil Hartman), at the advisement of a marketing lobbyist (James Coburn), gives him an ultimatum to open his borders to allow in refugee orphans, tensions start to mount as the national guard is called to stand awaiting orders on both sides of the border. Meanwhile the whole affair is being escalated and exploited by the media (with the likes of Dan Hedaya, Ron Perlman, James Earl Jones, Denis Leary, Dick Miller and even Roger Corman). Back in 1997 this probably seemed extremely cynical and preposterous. Now? It's depressing. Having said that, it's also pretty funny with most of the craziness working pretty well (save for a sub-plot involving the Idaho governor and his reporter mistress which feels out of place here) and as you can see above, the cast is STACKED. I really think this one is a hidden gem worth digging up again.


77a. Black Mirror: Striking Vipers (Owen Harris, 2019)
77b. Black Mirror: Smithereens (James Hawes, 2019)
Other than the interactive Bandersnatch which I haven't gotten around to yet, these were the last two Black Mirror episodes I hadn't seen. Striking Vipers is well-acted but just didn't really work for me. It felt a little too one-note to sustain the runtime. Smithereens fared a little better as a biting criticism of the long tendrils of social media but I felt like the denouement was a little lacking.


78. Das indische Grabmal erster Teil - Die Sendung des Yoghi a.k.a. Mysteries of India, Part I: Truth (1921)
79. Das indische Grabmal zweiter Teil - Der Tiger von Eschnapur a.k.a. Mysteries of India, Part II: Above All Law (1921)
This epic-length adventure set in mystical India is pretty fun in parts but also drags. It's always nice to see Conrad Veidt though, one of the true greats of the silent era.


80. Koiya koi nasuna koi a.k.a. The Mad Fox (Tomu Uchida, 1962)
This one contains a few disparate elements that didn't entirely work for me, in particular the political melodrama of the first half. Once it starts becoming more steeped in folklore though it pulled me back in with it's tale of the white fox bride. The set design and acting style is very stage-like (the baby couldn't have looked more like a fake doll) in the spirit of a traditional Noh play, but this suits the storytelling style on display. Overall while it wasn't an unqualified success, I think there was enough here that I liked.


81. Shen jian dong shan he a.k.a. Thrilling Bloody Sword (Hsin Yi Chang, 1981) #LookAWizard
I unabashedly LOVED this! Easily the greatest Taiwanese film ever made. Sword fighting with disembodied chattering teeth and scaly upside down legs... A Flying coffin stealing a magic fairy then shooting a laser from a dragon face on its lid... A woman giving birth to a pulsating red pod. A Crazy nine-headed dragon... Words can't express the batshit insanity on display here. If you love films like The Boxer's Omen, Hausu and Mystics in Bali, you'll be right at home here.


82. Madeleine, anatomia di un incubo a.k.a. Madeleine: Anatomy of a Nightmare (Roberto Mauri, 1974)
At its core, this film is about the mental unraveling of a woman who is unable to cope with a miscarriage and devolves into a series of loveless one night stands punctuated with nightmarish dream sequences. It's a strange and at times uncomfortable film that doesn't hold your hand but may offer something unique for fans of weird Italian cinema.


83. Transcendence (Wally Pfister, 2014)
Dull, overly serious and plodding. I couldn't get into this one at all. It felt like a high budget Lawnmower Man but without the fun, cheesiness.

Spoiler

1. Zack Snyder's Justice League (Zack Snyder, 2021)
2. La flûte à six schtroumpfs a.k.a. The Smurfs and the Magic Flute (Peyo, 1976) #Animation
3. Free Guy (Shawn Levy, 2021) #Hilarious
4. Mizu no tabibito: Samurai kizzu a.k.a. Samurai Kids (Nobuhiko Obayashi, 1993) #Asia
5. La beauté du diable a.k.a. The Beauty and the Devil (Rene Clair, 1950) #DoublingUp
6. Alraune a.k.a. A Daughter of Destiny (Henrik Galeen, 1928) #SpeculativeSilence
7-9. The Martian Chronicles (Michael Anderson, 1980) #SoundofThunder
10. Na komete a.k.a. On The Comet (Karel Zeman, 1970)
11. Encanto (Byron Howard, Jared Bush, Charise Castro Smith, 2021)
12. Sputnik (Egor Abramenko, 2020) #Russia
13. Flubber (Les Mayfield, 1997)
14. TC 2000 (T.J. Scott, 1993)
15. At First Light (Jason Stone, 2018) #NorthAmerica
16. Sen Aydinlatirsin Geceyi a.k.a. Thou Gild'st the Even (Onur Ünlü, 2013) #MagicalRealism
17. The Juniper Tree (Nietzchka Keene, 1990) #Europe
18. Ghosts Can't Do It (John Derek, 1989)
19. Puteri gunung ledang a.k.a. A Legendary Love (Teong Hin Saw, 2004)
20. The Bermuda Triangle (René Cardona Jr., 1979)
21. Synchronicity (Jacob Gentry, 2015) #LivingIn5D
22. The Invisible Boy (Herman Hoffman, 1957) #ICantDoThatDave
23. Strange Invaders (Michael Laughlin, 1983) #DeadSpace
24. Xian nu xia fan a.k.a. The Human Goddess (Meng Hua Ho, 1972)
25-27. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier E1-6 (2021)
28. Xi you: Xiang mo pian a.k.a. Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons (Stephen Chow, Chi-kin Kwok, 2013)
29. Colossal (Nacho Vigalondo, 2016)
30. Somewhere in Time (Jeannot Szwarc, 1980) #IAmLegend
31. Real Playing Game (Tino Navarro, David Rebordão, 2013)
32. The Land Unknown (Virgil W. Vogel, 1957)
33. Innerspace (Joe Dante, 1987)
34-35. Uchû no senshi a.k.a. Starship Troopers (Tetsurô Amino, 1988) #StrangeLand
36. Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone (Lamont Johnson, 1983)
37-38. Going Postal E1-2 (Jon Jones, 2010) #Nebula
39. Anthem of a Teenage Prophet (Robin Hays, 2018)
40. Noroît (Jacques Rivette 1976)
41. PK (Rajkumar Hirani, 2014)
42. Divergent (Neil Burger, 2014)
43. Reka caruje a.k.a. Magical River (Václav Krska, 1946)
44. Journey to the Far Side of the Sun (Robert Parrish, 1969) #RIsForRocket
45. Invisible Sue (Markus Dietrich, 2018)
46. Le meraviglie di Aladino a.k.a. The Wonders of Aladdin (Mario Bava, Henry Levin, 1961)
47. The Giver (Phillip Noyce, 2014) #Africa
48. Wrath of the Titans (Jonathan Liebesman, 2012)
49a. ABC Weekend Specials: The Mouse and the Motorcycle (Ron Underwood, 1986)
49b. ABC Weekend Specials: Runaway Ralph (Ron Underwood, 1988)
50. Zapped! (Robert J. Rosenthal, 1982)
51. Equalizer 2000 (Cirio H. Santiago, 1987) #PostNuke
52. Tempest (Paul Mazursky, 1982)
53. Cosmic Fantasy: Ginga Me Hyou no Wana (Kazuhiro Ochi, 1994)
54. The Caller (Arthur Allan Seidelman, 1987)
55. Death Race 2050 (G.J. Echternkamp, 2017)
56. The Mists of Avalon (Uli Edel, 2001)
57. Mystery Science Theater 3000: Mac and Me (Joel Hodgson, Rob Schrab, 2018)
58. Rememory (Mark Palansky, 2017)
59. Star Slammer (Fred Olen Ray, 1988)
60. No Men Beyond This Point (Mark Sawers, 2015)
61. Sukkubus - den Teufel im Leib (Georg Tressler, 1989) #WitchyPoo
62. 4D Man (Irvin S. Yeaworth Jr., 1959)
63. Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Day Time Ended (Joel Hodgson, Rob Schrab, 2018)
64. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (Destin Daniel Cretton, 2021)
65. Obyknovennoe chudo a.k.a. Ordinary Miracle (Mark Zakharov, 1979)
66. Xtro 3: Watch the Skies (Harry Bromley Davenport, 1995)
67. Mystery Science Theater 3000: Ator, the Fighting Eagle (Joel Hodgson, Rob Schrab, 2018)
68. A Touch of Genie (Joseph W. Sarno, 1974)
69. The Mislayed Genie (Eric Jeffrey Haims, 1973)
70-72. Tin Man (Nick Willing, 2007)
73. Virus (John Bruno, 1999) #OutsideTheBubble
74. Bible! (Wakefield Poole, 1974)
75. Jonathan (Bill Oliver, 2018)
76. The Second Civil War (Joe Dante, 1997)
77a. Black Mirror: Striking Vipers (Owen Harris, 2019)
77b. Black Mirror: Smithereens (James Hawes, 2019)
78. Das indische Grabmal erster Teil - Die Sendung des Yoghi a.k.a. Mysteries of India, Part I: Truth (1921)
79. Das indische Grabmal zweiter Teil - Der Tiger von Eschnapur a.k.a. Mysteries of India, Part II: Above All Law (1921)
80. Koiya koi nasuna koi a.k.a. The Mad Fox (Tomu Uchida, 1962)
81. Shen jian dong shan he a.k.a. Thrilling Bloody Sword (Hsin Yi Chang, 1981) #LookAWizard
82. Madeleine, anatomia di un incubo a.k.a. Madeleine: Anatomy of a Nightmare (Roberto Mauri, 1974)
83. Transcendence (Wally Pfister, 2014)

[sol]

40. Die Monster Die! (1965)



Best entered into with as few expectations as possible, it is mostly unclear just which Lovecraft story this horror film is adapted from,

Well, in theory it's supposed to be an adaptation of The Color Out of Space but other than a mysterious meteorite, there's very little similarity to the source story.

Arghk, you're spoiling the film. Sorta.

What I was trying to get at is that had I entered the film knowing that it was a Color Out of Space adaptation, I think I would have disliked it. As it so happens though, I was unaware of that until the final quarter of the film that made me go "ahh" and I liked it that way. More mysterious and WTFish.

[toromash]

Do ICM Members dream of official checks

1. Daredevil (Mark Steven Johnson 2003) 2/10
2. Elysium (Neil Blomkamp 2013) 5/10
3. The Inhuman Woman (Marcel L'Herbier 1924) 8.3/10
3.5. The Witcher S1 E1 5.5/10
4. The Witcher S1 E2 3/10
5. Good Manners (Marco Dutra, Juliana Rojas 2017) 6.8/10
6. Kiki's Delivery Service (Hayao Miyazaki 1989) 8/10
7. The Witcher S1 E3 6/10
8. The Withcer S1 E4 4/10

9. The Aerial (Esteban Sapir 2007) 5/10
Too artsy for my taste.

[beasterne]

12. Soylent Green 4/10

New York City. Population 40M. The far-off future of...2022. Maybe knowing the twist poisoned the well on this one. But this was such a joyless, mechanical movie for me. I didn’t buy Heston as a cop in the future at all. Edward G Robinson was a bright spot in his final role, and there were a couple of nice sci-fi touches. I did like that the movie took a show don’t tell approach as well. But it just did not land for me.

13. Speed Racer 8/10

If Soylent Green was joyless, this was the exact opposite. You could feel how much fun everyone was having while making this, in every single frame. I’m not familiar with the source material at all, but I have to assume they were quite faithful while still dialing the visuals up to 11. Of course the dialogue was corny and a bit clunky, but I think that’s entirely beside the point of this one. What a ride. This will be high on my ballot of unofficial films when we do that poll this year.

the list!

1. Don’t Look Up 6/10
2. The Matrix: Resurrections 7/10
3. South Park: Post COVID - The Return of COVID 4/10
4. Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey 5/10
5. Gremlins 2: The New Batch 6/10
6. The Running Man 7/10
7. Yu Yu Hakusho ep. 72-75 7/10
8. Yu Yu Hakusho ep. 76-79 7/10 (21 mins per episode = 84 mins total)
9. Yu Yu Hakusho ep. 80-83 7/10 (21 mins per episode = 84 mins total)
10. The Animatrix 8/10
11. Zack Snyder’s Justice League 6/10
12. Soylent Green 4/10
13. Speed Racer 8/10

[gunnar]

13. Speed Racer 8/10

If Soylent Green was joyless, this was the exact opposite. You could feel how much fun everyone was having while making this, in every single frame. I’m not familiar with the source material at all, but I have to assume they were quite faithful while still dialing the visuals up to 11. Of course the dialogue was corny and a bit clunky, but I think that’s entirely beside the point of this one. What a ride. This will be high on my ballot of unofficial films when we do that poll this year.

I've been a Speed Racer fan since the 1980s when a new comic book series started up. I bought the hardcover collection of the original manga and loved that, too. I thought the trailer for the Speed Racer film was really bad, but I decided to watch the film anyway back in 2008 and was surprised at how much I ended up enjoying it. It felt like a live action cartoon at times ad was a lot of fun.

[klaus78]

Spoiler

1. Memoria (2021) 7/10
2. Star Wars: Visions (2021) 6/10

3. Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021) 6/10
4. Ich bin dein Mensch (2021) 5/10

[OldAle1]

13. Speed Racer 8/10

If Soylent Green was joyless, this was the exact opposite. You could feel how much fun everyone was having while making this, in every single frame. I’m not familiar with the source material at all, but I have to assume they were quite faithful while still dialing the visuals up to 11. Of course the dialogue was corny and a bit clunky, but I think that’s entirely beside the point of this one. What a ride. This will be high on my ballot of unofficial films when we do that poll this year.

I've been a Speed Racer fan since the 1980s when a new comic book series started up. I bought the hardcover collection of the original manga and loved that, too. I thought the trailer for the Speed Racer film was really bad, but I decided to watch the film anyway back in 2008 and was surprised at how much I ended up enjoying it. It felt like a live action cartoon at times ad was a lot of fun.

Ha, I've got at least the first issue of that 80s comic (was it NOW Comics?) - I think that was when I was getting every #1 issue of everything, which didn't last long (thankfully). Don't remember reading it though, and don't really remember the TV show which I definitely saw some episodes of as a kid (on TV, English-dubbed of course).

LOVE the movie though, and it's nice to see that it seems to be developing into at least a little cult success if nothing else.

[gunnar]

I've been a Speed Racer fan since the 1980s when a new comic book series started up. I bought the hardcover collection of the original manga and loved that, too. I thought the trailer for the Speed Racer film was really bad, but I decided to watch the film anyway back in 2008 and was surprised at how much I ended up enjoying it. It felt like a live action cartoon at times ad was a lot of fun.

Ha, I've got at least the first issue of that 80s comic (was it NOW Comics?) - I think that was when I was getting every #1 issue of everything, which didn't last long (thankfully). Don't remember reading it though, and don't really remember the TV show which I definitely saw some episodes of as a kid (on TV, English-dubbed of course).

LOVE the movie though, and it's nice to see that it seems to be developing into at least a little cult success if nothing else.

Yes, it was Now Comics. The series ran for 38 issues plus they also collected the manga in trades and published a Racer X series. Now also published Green Hornet, Terminator, Astro Boy, Fright Night, Married with Children, and other titles, many of which I enjoyed.

[OldAle1]

I've been a Speed Racer fan since the 1980s when a new comic book series started up. I bought the hardcover collection of the original manga and loved that, too. I thought the trailer for the Speed Racer film was really bad, but I decided to watch the film anyway back in 2008 and was surprised at how much I ended up enjoying it. It felt like a live action cartoon at times ad was a lot of fun.

Ha, I've got at least the first issue of that 80s comic (was it NOW Comics?) - I think that was when I was getting every #1 issue of everything, which didn't last long (thankfully). Don't remember reading it though, and don't really remember the TV show which I definitely saw some episodes of as a kid (on TV, English-dubbed of course).

LOVE the movie though, and it's nice to see that it seems to be developing into at least a little cult success if nothing else.

Yes, it was Now Comics. The series ran for 38 issues plus they also collected the manga in trades and published a Racer X series. Now also published Green Hornet, Terminator, Astro Boy, Fright Night, Married with Children, and other titles, many of which I enjoyed.

Ah, it's all coming back. I didn't get most of those - I think I was already mostly into b/w indies like Love and Rockets and the Turtles by then, but I remember them. Pretty sure I have an issue or two of Astro Boy and Green Hornet. I guess comics have always been doing the movie/tv thing, since the earliest days, but in the 80s it was the smaller publishers getting into the field that took a lot of those properties for a while.

[blocho]

19. The Lathe of Heaven (1980)
Comments in the 1000<400 topic.

20. Grey Eyes (2021)
Ugh, this sucked. I quit after 30 minutes. I'm not sure why I even started watching it.

20. Capricorn One (1977)
I'm not counting this either because I don't think it's a sci-fi movie. But it is a good conspiracy thriller, with a fun cast, a nice blend of action and humor, and a spectacular aerial sequence.

20. Chappie (2015)
A poor mix of an action thriller with a robot/AI plot.

[ororama]

25. Cowboy Bebop: Session #9 Blue Crow Waltz (2021) * 50 min.
Cowboy Bebop: Session #10 Supernova Symphony (2021) * 47 min.
Cowboy Bebop is my favorite anime series, not that I've watched a lot. I liked this live version just as well. I found Spike Spiegel and Faye Valentine to be cyphers in the original series, more genre stereotypes than people, and John Cho and Daniella Pineda humanized them, although I thought the script softened her too fast. The series needed more Ein, though, and Ed was limited to a cruel tease.

26. Neon Genesis Evangelion: Angel Attack (1995) * 23 min.
Neon Genesis Evangelion: The Beast (1995) * 23 min.
Neon Genesis Evangelion: A Transfer (1995) * 23 min.
My older son recommended this.

Spoiler

1. Electric Dragon 80.000 V (2001) * 54 min.  #DoubleUp
2. Aerials (2016) * 90 min.
3. The Shannara Chronicles: Chosen: Part 1 (2016) * 41 min.
The Shannara Chronicles: Chosen: Part 2 (2016) * 41 min.
4. Teknolust (2002) * 83 min.
5. Der Golem, wie er in die Welt kam/The Golem: How He Came Into the World (1920) 85 min.  #SpeculativeSilence
6. Conceiving Ada (1997) * 85 min.
7. Encanto (2021) * 102 min.  #MagicalRealism
8. The Shannara Chronicles: Fury (2016) * 40 min.
The Shannara Chronicles: Changeling (2016) * 40 min.
9.The Shannara Chronicles: Reaper (2016) * 40 min.
The Shannara Chronicles: Pykon (2016) * 41 min.
10. The Shannara Chronicles: Breakline (2016) * 41 min.
The Shannara Chronicles: Utopia (2016) * 41 min.
11. The Shannara Chronicles: Safehold (2016) * 40 min.
The Shannara Chronicles: Ellcrys (2016) * 41 min.
12-14. The Shannara Chronicles: Druid (2017) * 43 min.
The Shannara Chronicles: Wraith (2017) * 43 min.
The Shannara Chronicles: Graymark (2017) * 43 min.
The Shannara Chronicles: Dweller (2017) * 43 min.
The Shannara Chronicles: Paranor (2017) * 43 min.
The Shannara Chronicles: Crimson (2017) * 42 min.
15. The Shannara Chronicles: Warlock (2017) * 43 min.
The Shannara Chronicles: Amberle (2017) * 42 min.
16. The Shannara Chronicles: Wilderun (2017) * 42 min.
The Shannara Chronicles: Blood (2017) * 42 min.
17. Das Zaubermännchen/Rumpelstiltskin (1960) * 70 min.  #Europe (East Germany)
18. Cowboy Bebop: Session #1 Cowboy Gospel (2021) * 49 min.
Cowboy Bebop: Session #2 Venus Pop (2021) * 38 min.
19. Freak Orlando (1981) * 127 min.
20. Schneewittchen/Snow White (1961) * 60 min.
21. Cowboy Bebop: Session #3 Dog Star Swing (2021) * 45 min.
Cowboy Bebop: Session #4 Callisto Soul (2021) * 45 min.
22. Cowboy Bebop: Session #5 Darkside Tango (2021) * 44 min.
Cowboy Bebop: Session #6 Binary Two-Step (2021) * 40 min.
23. Ikarie XB 1 (1963) * 86 min.  #RforRocket
24. Cowboy Bebop: Session #7 Galileo Hustle (2021) * 47 min.
Cowboy Bebop: Session #8 Sad Clown A-Go (2021) * 43 min.

*First time viewing

(6  minutes carry forward, 69 minutes total)

[ororama]

12. Soylent Green 4/10

New York City. Population 40M. The far-off future of...2022. Maybe knowing the twist poisoned the well on this one. But this was such a joyless, mechanical movie for me. I didn’t buy Heston as a cop in the future at all. Edward G Robinson was a bright spot in his final role, and there were a couple of nice sci-fi touches. I did like that the movie took a show don’t tell approach as well. But it just did not land for me.

I read the novel (Make Room! Make Room! by Harry Harrison) many years ago, but I believe the twist was Soylent Green is...algae! (as advertised). It was about overpopulation producing the sort of world that we live in today. I can't understand why we are supposed to be shocked by the movie's twist, as opposed to everything else that we see.

My favorite Charlton Heston role is in The Omega Man, although Anthony Zerbe steals that movie from him.

[gunnar]

93 - Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994) - 6.5/10 - Robert De Niro stars as The Creature and Kenneth Branagh as Victor Frankenstein. It was actually better than I expected, though not great by any means.

94 - Wonder Man (1945) - 7/10 - Danny Kaye stars as nightclub entertainer Buzzy Bellew who is set to testify in a murder trial until he gets murdered himself. His ghost enlists the help of his identical twin brother to set things to rights. Lots of singing, dancing, and humor in this zany adventure. It was fun.

95 - Mama Turns 100 (1979) - 6/10 - Ana (Geraldine Chapman) returns to the home where she served as a nanny as the matriarch of the house is about to turn 100, surrounded by her children and grandchildren. This was okay, but I may have enjoyed it more if I'd seen the earlier Ana and the Wolves film. I didn't think the comedy was that amusing and the drama was only mildly interesting.

96 - The Cell (2000) - 7/10 - Jennifer Lopez is a child psychologist who is part of a project where her mind is projected into the mind of a comatose child. She is brought in when a serial killer is apprehended, but he is in a coma and the FBI wants to locate his latest victim before it is too late. The film takes us into several dreamscapes. It was decent enough.

97 - Just Imagine (1930) - 3/10 - Life is shown in the far future...1980 to be exact. People flying around New York in personal hover planes instead of using cars, pills instead of food, letters and numbers instead of names, and women seem to be property and forced to marry men who put in an application for them. The humor fell extremely flat, the acting was uninspired, and the musical numbers were so-so at best. Some of the set design for the 'future' was occasionally mildly interesting, but overall the film is pretty bad.

98 - The Story of Three Loves (1953) - 7/10 - Three passengers on an ocean liner think back on former loves, even if the relationship was brief. It's a decent movie and the performances weren't bad, but it felt just a bit uninspired at times.

99-104 - The Chronicle (2001) Episodes 101-111 (475 minutes plus 5 minutes carried over from before, 39 remaining) - A New York City tabloid focuses on the weird and the strange, but a new reporter finds that it is all true. I watched this series when it first aired. It's decent genre tv.


Count = 104 Bonus = Complete

Spoiler

1 - Palm Springs (2020) - 8/10 - #TimeAfterTime
2 - The Matrix Resurrections (2021) - 7/10
3,4 - Ghosts (2020) Episodes 103-110 (168 minutes with 8 to carry forward) - #Hilarious
5-8 - Doctor Who Season 13 Episodes 1-6 (2021) (328 minutes with 8 to carry forward) - #Europe
9-13 - La Brea Episodes 102-110 (390 minutes plus 10 minutes carried over from before, 6 remaining) but it is watchable. I'll probably stick around for the second season.
14a - Doctor Who: Eve of the Daleks (58 minutes)
14b - Space Cases Episode 101 (24 minutes)
15a - Star Trek Prodigy Episodes 101-103 (70 minutes) - #Animation
15b - Lego Star Wars: The Resistance Rising Episodes 101-102 (11 minutes)
16 - The Andromeda Strain (1971) - 7/10
17 - When Worlds Collide (1951) - 7/10 - #RforRocket
18 - Visit to a Small Planet (1960) - 4/10
19-25 - Foundation Episodes 101-110 (562 minutes) - #Foundation
26 - Portrait of Jennie (1948) - 8/10
27 - Altered States (1980) - 5/10 - #DeadSpace
28 - Finch (2021) - 6.5/10 - #PostNuke
29 - Bell Book and Candle (1958) - 7/10
30 - Babes in Toyland (1961) - 7/10
31 - Outland (1981) - 6/10
32-34 - Space Cases Episodes 102-113 (1996) - (284 minutes with 44 minutes carried forward) - #Canada
35,36 - Halfway Across the Galaxy and Turn Left Episodes 101-106 (1993) - (151 minutes plus 9 minutes carried over from before, 41 remaining) - #Australia -
37 - 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954) - 7.5/10 - #20000Leagues
38 - Real Steel (2011) - 6/10 - #IAmLegend
39 - Free Guy (2021) - 7.5/10
40 - Legend (1985) - 6/10 - #LookAUnicorn!
41 - The Door Into Summer (2021) - 7.5/10 - #StrangeLand
42 - It Came from Outer Space (1953) - 7.5/10
43 - Electric Dragon 80000 V (2001) - 3/10 - #DoubleUp
44 - Ivan Vasilyevich Changes His Profession (1973) - 7/10 - #Russia
45 - Sleepy Hollow (1999) - 7.5/10 - #WitchyPoo
46 - The Crazy Ray/Paris qui dort (1924) - 6/10 - #SpeculativeSilence
47 - Encanto (2021) - 8/10 - #MagicalRealism
48,49 - The Wheel of Time Episodes 101-103 (169 minutes with 9 to carry forward) - #Hugo
50 - The Ray Bradbury Theater Episodes 101-103 (84 minutes with 4 to carry forward) - #SoundOfThunder
51 - Charlie Jade Episodes 101-102 (90 minutes with 10 to carry forward) - #Africa
52,53 - Julie e os Fantasmas Episodes 101-104 (96 minutes plus 64 minutes carried over from before, 0 remaining) - #SouthAmerica
54 - Raya and the Last Dragon (2021) - 7.5/10 - #LookADragon!
55 - The Mitchells vs the Machines (2021) - 8.5/10 - #ICantDoThatDave
56 - Space Sweepers (2021) - 7.5/10 - #Asia
57,58 - Going Postal (2010) Episodes 1-2 (184 minutes with 24 to carry forward) - #Nebula
59,60 - The OA (2016) Episodes 101-103 (181 minutes with 21 to carry forward) - #LivingIn5D
61 - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 - 8/10 - (rewatch) #LookAWizard!
62 - Dark Matter (2015) Episodes 101-102 (86 minutes with 6 to carry forward) - #OutsidetheBubble
63 - Phantom of the Paradise (1974) - 6.5/10
64 - The Wiz (1978) - 5/10
65-71 - Halfway Across the Galaxy and Turn Left (1993) Episodes 107-126 (550 minutes plus 10 minutes carried over from before, 41 remaining)
72-79 - Star Trek Discovery Season 3 (2020) - (668 minutes with 28 to carry forward)
80 - Scrooge (1970) - 7.5/10
81 - The Clan of the Cave Bear (1986) - 7/10
82 - Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959) - 7.5/10
83 - Finian's Rainbow (1968) - 7/10
84 - On the Beach (1959) - 6/10
85 - Shanks (1974) - 5/10
86 - Hereafter (2010) - 8/10
87-92 - Charlie Jade (2005) Episodes 103-112 - (455 minutes plus 25 minutes carried over from before, 44 remaining)

[blocho]

12. Soylent Green 4/10

New York City. Population 40M. The far-off future of...2022.

The fact that a food product called Soylent actually has had a successful launch in recent years is still something I can't quite wrap my head around.

[VincentPrice]

22. Teddy Bomb-2014: 7/10

Spoiler

1. Impostor-2001: 4/10
2. The Colossus of New York-1958: 7/10
3. Puzzlehead-2005: 6/10
4. Beast in Space-1980: 2/10
5. Blue Monkey-1987: 9/10
6. Velocity Trap-1999: 6/10
7. War of the Worlds-2005: 10/10
8. Evolution-2001: 8/10
9. Strange Invaders-1983: 8/10
10. Absolon-2003: 4/10
11. Cyborg Cop-1993: 7/10
12. Tarantula-1955: 8/10
13. The Mole People-1956: 7/10
14. The Day After Tomorrow-2004: 8/10
15. Save Yourselves!-2020: 8/10
16. Galaxy Quest-1999: 10/10
17. Spider-Man-2002: 9/10
18. Spider-Man 2-2004: 10/10
19. Spider-Man 3-2007: 7/10
20. Pulse-1988: 8/10
21. Slipstream-1989: 3/10

[sol]

12. Soylent Green 4/10

New York City. Population 40M. The far-off future of...2022.

The fact that a food product called Soylent actually has had a successful launch in recent years is still something I can't quite wrap my head around.

Apparently you're not the only person to wonder about that. From their website: https://faq.soylent.com/hc/en-us/articl ... om-People-

[gunnar]

12. Soylent Green 4/10

New York City. Population 40M. The far-off future of...2022.

The fact that a food product called Soylent actually has had a successful launch in recent years is still something I can't quite wrap my head around.

Maybe that's why the population of NYC isn't 40 million these days.

[sol]

Spoiler

1. Island of Lost Souls (1932)
2. Mr. Nobody (2009) #Livingin5D
3. Dolls (1987) #WitchyPoo
4. Alien (1979) REVISION #DeadSpace
5. Aliens (1986) REVISION
6. Foxfur (2012) #DoubleUp
7. Radius (2017) #NorthAmerica
8. Deadpool (2016) #Hilarious
9. Der Samurai (2014) #Europe
10. The Matrix (1999) REVISION
11. Zebraman (2004) #Asia
12. Robot Jox (1989) #PostNuke
13. Skull - The Mask (2020) #SouthAmerica
14. The Infinite Man (2016) REVISION #Australia
15. Miracle Mile (1988)
16. The Return. (1980)
17. The Powerpuff Girls Movie (2002) #Animation
18. Secret Magic Control Agency (2021) #Russia
19. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990) #OutsideTheBubble
20. The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit (1998) #SoundOfThunder
21. Carnival of Sinners/The Devil's Hand (1943)
22. Journey To The Center Of The Earth (2008) #20000Leagues
23. Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989) REVISION #TimeAfterTime
24. Bill & Ted Face the Music (2020)
25. The Puppet Masters (1994) #StrangeLand
26. Bicentennial Man (1999) #Foundation
27. Damnation Alley (1977) #Hugo
28. Dead of Night. (1977) #IAmLegend
29. The Mirror Boy (2011) #Africa
30. Your Highness (2011) #LookAWizard!
31. Sucker Punch (2011) #LookADragon!
32. Ender's Game (2013) #Nebula
33. Demon Seed (1977) REVISION #ICantDoThatDave
34. Die Puppe (1919) REVISION #SpeculativeSilence
35. Stowaway (2021) #RforRocket
36. The Box (2009) REVISION #IAmLegend
37. Onward (2020) #LookAUnicorn!
38. Encanto (2021) #MagicalRealism
39. Enchanted Desna (1964)
40. Die Monster Die! (1965)
41. The Stone Rider (1923)

42. The Wolf House (2018)



By all accounts, this film works better with historical knowledge, but even entered into with limited background, this is amply weird and unique. The story is pretty strange, involving a girl befriending a couple of pigs and playing a game in which she makes them human, or something like that. The real treat though is the animation style, which varies from painted sets blending together to papier-mâché stop motion animation, images bleeding into each other.

[sol]

Spoiler

1. Island of Lost Souls (1932)
2. Mr. Nobody (2009) #Livingin5D
3. Dolls (1987) #WitchyPoo
4. Alien (1979) REVISION #DeadSpace
5. Aliens (1986) REVISION
6. Foxfur (2012) #DoubleUp
7. Radius (2017) #NorthAmerica
8. Deadpool (2016) #Hilarious
9. Der Samurai (2014) #Europe
10. The Matrix (1999) REVISION
11. Zebraman (2004) #Asia
12. Robot Jox (1989) #PostNuke
13. Skull - The Mask (2020) #SouthAmerica
14. The Infinite Man (2016) REVISION #Australia
15. Miracle Mile (1988)
16. The Return. (1980)
17. The Powerpuff Girls Movie (2002) #Animation
18. Secret Magic Control Agency (2021) #Russia
19. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990) #OutsideTheBubble
20. The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit (1998) #SoundOfThunder
21. Carnival of Sinners/The Devil's Hand (1943)
22. Journey To The Center Of The Earth (2008) #20000Leagues
23. Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989) REVISION #TimeAfterTime
24. Bill & Ted Face the Music (2020)
25. The Puppet Masters (1994) #StrangeLand
26. Bicentennial Man (1999) #Foundation
27. Damnation Alley (1977) #Hugo
28. Dead of Night. (1977) #IAmLegend
29. The Mirror Boy (2011) #Africa
30. Your Highness (2011) #LookAWizard!
31. Sucker Punch (2011) #LookADragon!
32. Ender's Game (2013) #Nebula
33. Demon Seed (1977) REVISION #ICantDoThatDave
34. Die Puppe (1919) REVISION #SpeculativeSilence
35. Stowaway (2021) #RforRocket
36. The Box (2009) REVISION #IAmLegend
37. Onward (2020) #LookAUnicorn!
38. Encanto (2021) #MagicalRealism
39. Enchanted Desna (1964)
40. Die Monster Die! (1965)
41. The Stone Rider (1923)
42. The Wolf House (2018)

43. Frankenstein (1931) REVISION



Revisited for the first time in around twenty years, there is a lot that is undeniably iconic here from the "It's alive!" scene, to the monster's innocent game with the young girl turned deadly, to the fire and flames mob action. The film is, however, very talky and dialogue-driven. It does not help either that everyone other than Boris Karloff and the young girl act as if they are in a melodrama and the final couple of minutes are particularly weak/pointless.

[Kublai Khan]

“The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom.” - Isaac Asimov

1. House of Dracula (Erle C. Kenton-1942) USA 727 checks #DeadSpace
2. The Mitchells vs the Machines (Michael Rianda-2021) USA/Canada/Hong Kong 1,402 checks #ICantDoThatDave
3. Doctor Who S21E20-24 "The Twin Dilemma" (Peter Moffatt-1984) UK #Europe
4. Stowaway (Joe Penna-2021) Germany/USA/UK 555 checks #RforRocket
5. Spider-Man: The Dragon's Challenge (Don McDougall-1979) USA 45 checks
6. The Nutty Professor (Tom Shadyac-1996) USA 37,217 checks
7. HG Wells' War of the Worlds (David Michael Latt-2005) USA 42 checks
8. Free Guy (Shawn Levy-2021) USA 2,148 checks
9. Freaks (Zach Lipovsky, Adam B. Stein-2018) USA/Canada 437 checks
10. Ready Player One (Steven Spielberg-2018) USA/India Rewatch
11. Pajama Party (Don Weis-1964) USA 51 checks #Hilarious

12. Mobile Suit Gundam I (Yoshiyuki Tomino, Ryôji Fujiwara-1981) Japan 109 checks #Asia

An early and influential anime and it feels really dated. The animation isn't great, the shot choices are boring, the action is repetitive, the regular introduction of new units has a real slimy feel of "let's sell more toys" to it. I like that it's trying to show the real unpleasant consequences of war, but this just isn't great.

13. Don't Look Up (Adam McKay-2021) USA 3,133 checks

It's surreal to watch a movie about how we miss the message by focusing too much on the messaging then read responses thrashing the movie because they didn't like the messaging.

[sol]

Spoiler

1. Island of Lost Souls (1932)
2. Mr. Nobody (2009) #Livingin5D
3. Dolls (1987) #WitchyPoo
4. Alien (1979) REVISION #DeadSpace
5. Aliens (1986) REVISION
6. Foxfur (2012) #DoubleUp
7. Radius (2017) #NorthAmerica
8. Deadpool (2016) #Hilarious
9. Der Samurai (2014) #Europe
10. The Matrix (1999) REVISION
11. Zebraman (2004) #Asia
12. Robot Jox (1989) #PostNuke
13. Skull - The Mask (2020) #SouthAmerica
14. The Infinite Man (2016) REVISION #Australia
15. Miracle Mile (1988)
16. The Return. (1980)
17. The Powerpuff Girls Movie (2002) #Animation
18. Secret Magic Control Agency (2021) #Russia
19. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990) #OutsideTheBubble
20. The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit (1998) #SoundOfThunder
21. Carnival of Sinners/The Devil's Hand (1943)
22. Journey To The Center Of The Earth (2008) #20000Leagues
23. Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989) REVISION #TimeAfterTime
24. Bill & Ted Face the Music (2020)
25. The Puppet Masters (1994) #StrangeLand
26. Bicentennial Man (1999) #Foundation
27. Damnation Alley (1977) #Hugo
28. Dead of Night. (1977) #IAmLegend
29. The Mirror Boy (2011) #Africa
30. Your Highness (2011) #LookAWizard!
31. Sucker Punch (2011) #LookADragon!
32. Ender's Game (2013) #Nebula
33. Demon Seed (1977) REVISION #ICantDoThatDave
34. Die Puppe (1919) REVISION #SpeculativeSilence
35. Stowaway (2021) #RforRocket
36. The Box (2009) REVISION #IAmLegend
37. Onward (2020) #LookAUnicorn!
38. Encanto (2021) #MagicalRealism
39. Enchanted Desna (1964)
40. Die Monster Die! (1965)
41. The Stone Rider (1923)
42. The Wolf House (2018)
43. Frankenstein (1931) REVISION

44. Dracula (1931) REVISION



Watched for the first time in twenty years, this stands up decently. The big pluses are Dwight Frye and Bela Lugosi, especially the latter's creepily stilted intonation when he speaks - and he has several memorable lines. Browning also nicely relies more on what is implied rather than shown; a dead sea captain, for instance, is only ever seen in eerie silhouette. The film is let down though by its lack of music and too much focus on periphery characters.

[hurluberlu]

5. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Chris Columbus, 2001) [Rewatch] 7+ (=)
6. Electric Dragon 80.000 V (Gakuryû Ishii, 2001) 7
7. Paradis pour tous (Alain Jessua, 1982) 8

spirit/fanta

1. The Wizard of Oz (Victor Fleming, 1939) [Rewatch] 7>8
2. Self/less (Tarsem Singh, 2015) 5
3. La belle époque (Nicolas Bedos, 2019) [#Europe] 5-
4. No Escape (Martin Campbell, 1994) 6-

[sol]

Spoiler

1. Island of Lost Souls (1932)
2. Mr. Nobody (2009) #Livingin5D
3. Dolls (1987) #WitchyPoo
4. Alien (1979) REVISION #DeadSpace
5. Aliens (1986) REVISION
6. Foxfur (2012) #DoubleUp
7. Radius (2017) #NorthAmerica
8. Deadpool (2016) #Hilarious
9. Der Samurai (2014) #Europe
10. The Matrix (1999) REVISION
11. Zebraman (2004) #Asia
12. Robot Jox (1989) #PostNuke
13. Skull - The Mask (2020) #SouthAmerica
14. The Infinite Man (2016) REVISION #Australia
15. Miracle Mile (1988)
16. The Return. (1980)
17. The Powerpuff Girls Movie (2002) #Animation
18. Secret Magic Control Agency (2021) #Russia
19. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990) #OutsideTheBubble
20. The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit (1998) #SoundOfThunder
21. Carnival of Sinners/The Devil's Hand (1943)
22. Journey To The Center Of The Earth (2008) #20000Leagues
23. Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989) REVISION #TimeAfterTime
24. Bill & Ted Face the Music (2020)
25. The Puppet Masters (1994) #StrangeLand
26. Bicentennial Man (1999) #Foundation
27. Damnation Alley (1977) #Hugo
28. Dead of Night. (1977) #IAmLegend
29. The Mirror Boy (2011) #Africa
30. Your Highness (2011) #LookAWizard!
31. Sucker Punch (2011) #LookADragon!
32. Ender's Game (2013) #Nebula
33. Demon Seed (1977) REVISION #ICantDoThatDave
34. Die Puppe (1919) REVISION #SpeculativeSilence
35. Stowaway (2021) #RforRocket
36. The Box (2009) REVISION #IAmLegend
37. Onward (2020) #LookAUnicorn!
38. Encanto (2021) #MagicalRealism
39. Enchanted Desna (1964)
40. Die Monster Die! (1965)
41. The Stone Rider (1923)
42. The Wolf House (2018)
43. Frankenstein (1931) REVISION
44. Dracula (1931) REVISION

45. Blacula (1972)



While technically a blaxploitation film, William Marshall nicely plays against type here as the refined and well-spoken title character and he is the chief reason to watch this film about a black vampire waking up in 70s LA. Ketty Lester has some bright moments as a sassy cab driver who becomes a vicious vampire when turned (see above), but the supporting cast is largely forgettable, including Marshall's love interest who he spends much time trying to net.

[Minkin]

The Past

01. Fun in Balloon Land (1965) - Rating: 8/10
02. Crash and Burn (1990) - #PostNuke - Rating: 4/10
03. Spirited Away (2001) - #Animation - Rating: 5/10

Bonus Challenge Total: 2

04. The Creation of the Humanoids (1962) - Rating: 3/10
Humans have become intertwined with robots – robots who are becoming increasingly more sophisticated, but they’re opposed by a vigilante militia group. Its of course a strong allusion to racial minorities and their struggle in society for basic rights and against oppression (an allusion aided by the militia’s civil war uniforms). The militia wants the “clickers” to be less advanced + humans to become less dependent on them -as though either of those goals would ever be feasible. One of the militia members is appalled to find his sister has developed a romantic relationship with their robot companion (an anti-miscegenation issue) – so the robots are an integral part of people’s lives. The film then turns into an ethical dilemma over the meeting point of artificial life and souls – as the robots become increasingly human in every regard. For this is largely a matter of philosophical debate – as to where life and death lies, and if conscious can be transferred to the mechanical. The film attempts to address this in a very rudimentary way, but still kinda shrugs its’ shoulders and calls it good. Naturally, these nearly-human robots play into the classic schizo delusion of people you know being replaced with exact robotic duplicates. And if you believe that you’ve been replaced with a robot replica, then it would be an issue of thinking that you’re living in a simulation – one controlled by unseen forces (I’ve experienced this one myself). Its essentially a way that unstable people interpret personal change and development in themself and others. Anyway, I gladly appreciate the depth of issues being addressed, its just too bad that this is a seriously dull film with non-stop talking over the course of its runtime. This would’ve been fine as a Star Trek episode (or better – a short story), but it really didn’t need to be dragged out to feature length.


Question:
Does the film Six-String Samurai (1998) qualify for this challenge? It doesn't have the sci-fi/fantasy tag on IMDB for some reason, but I've noticed several people's entries on here don't also follow those same rules (Second Civil War, for example), so thought I'd ask, as I otherwise assumed it wasn't eligible.

[Lonewolf2003]

Spoiler

1. Island of Lost Souls (1932)
2. Mr. Nobody (2009) #Livingin5D
3. Dolls (1987) #WitchyPoo
4. Alien (1979) REVISION #DeadSpace
5. Aliens (1986) REVISION
6. Foxfur (2012) #DoubleUp
7. Radius (2017) #NorthAmerica
8. Deadpool (2016) #Hilarious
9. Der Samurai (2014) #Europe
10. The Matrix (1999) REVISION
11. Zebraman (2004) #Asia
12. Robot Jox (1989) #PostNuke
13. Skull - The Mask (2020) #SouthAmerica
14. The Infinite Man (2016) REVISION #Australia
15. Miracle Mile (1988)
16. The Return. (1980)
17. The Powerpuff Girls Movie (2002) #Animation
18. Secret Magic Control Agency (2021) #Russia
19. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990) #OutsideTheBubble
20. The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit (1998) #SoundOfThunder
21. Carnival of Sinners/The Devil's Hand (1943)
22. Journey To The Center Of The Earth (2008) #20000Leagues
23. Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989) REVISION #TimeAfterTime
24. Bill & Ted Face the Music (2020)
25. The Puppet Masters (1994) #StrangeLand
26. Bicentennial Man (1999) #Foundation
27. Damnation Alley (1977) #Hugo
28. Dead of Night. (1977) #IAmLegend
29. The Mirror Boy (2011) #Africa
30. Your Highness (2011) #LookAWizard!
31. Sucker Punch (2011) #LookADragon!
32. Ender's Game (2013) #Nebula
33. Demon Seed (1977) REVISION #ICantDoThatDave
34. Die Puppe (1919) REVISION #SpeculativeSilence
35. Stowaway (2021) #RforRocket
36. The Box (2009) REVISION #IAmLegend
37. Onward (2020) #LookAUnicorn!
38. Encanto (2021) #MagicalRealism
39. Enchanted Desna (1964)
40. Die Monster Die! (1965)
41. The Stone Rider (1923)
42. The Wolf House (2018)
43. Frankenstein (1931) REVISION
44. Dracula (1931) REVISION

45. Blacula (1972)


While technically a blaxploitation film, William Marshall nicely plays against type here as the refined and well-spoken title character and he is the chief reason to watch this film about a black vampire waking up in 70s LA. Ketty Lester has some bright moments as a sassy cab driver who becomes a vicious vampire when turned (see above), but the supporting cast is largely forgettable, including Marshall's love interest who he spends much time trying to net.

I liked the sequel more, so I recom checking it out too.

[flavo5000]

13. Speed Racer 8/10

If Soylent Green was joyless, this was the exact opposite. You could feel how much fun everyone was having while making this, in every single frame. I’m not familiar with the source material at all, but I have to assume they were quite faithful while still dialing the visuals up to 11. Of course the dialogue was corny and a bit clunky, but I think that’s entirely beside the point of this one. What a ride. This will be high on my ballot of unofficial films when we do that poll this year.

I've been a Speed Racer fan since the 1980s when a new comic book series started up. I bought the hardcover collection of the original manga and loved that, too. I thought the trailer for the Speed Racer film was really bad, but I decided to watch the film anyway back in 2008 and was surprised at how much I ended up enjoying it. It felt like a live action cartoon at times ad was a lot of fun.

Yea, I saw it in the theater back when it was first released and was blown away by the visuals. Plot-wise it's super dorky but I mean, of course it is.

[Lonewolf2003]

I should rewatch Speed Racer some time (but than I should/ want to rewatch so many movies I could easily fill a whole year of watching with just rewatches). I didn’t like it when it came out, but think it’s more aligned to my taste now. I would be less harsh on the demerits.

[flavo5000]

Question:
Does the film Six-String Samurai (1998) qualify for this challenge? It doesn't have the sci-fi/fantasy tag on IMDB for some reason, but I've noticed several people's entries on here don't also follow those same rules (Second Civil War, for example), so thought I'd ask, as I otherwise assumed it wasn't eligible.

Ya, that would count. I'm not super picky on the general rules (maybe a little on the Bonus Challenge though). Six String Samurai is definitely a post-nuke movie. Not sure why it doesn't have the IMDB tag on it.

[sol]

45. Blacula (1972)


While technically a blaxploitation film, William Marshall nicely plays against type here as the refined and well-spoken title character and he is the chief reason to watch this film about a black vampire waking up in 70s LA. Ketty Lester has some bright moments as a sassy cab driver who becomes a vicious vampire when turned (see above), but the supporting cast is largely forgettable, including Marshall's love interest who he spends much time trying to net.

I liked the sequel more, so I recom checking it out too.

Thanks for the tip (I have had the sequel unwatched in my DVD collection for a while now), however, I don't know if I liked the original enough to check out the sequel any time soon. Either way, you certainly aren't alone in thinking that. Several reviews that I came across commented on that too.

[VincentPrice]

23. Strange Days-1995: 9/10

Spoiler

1. Impostor-2001: 4/10
2. The Colossus of New York-1958: 7/10
3. Puzzlehead-2005: 6/10
4. Beast in Space-1980: 2/10
5. Blue Monkey-1987: 9/10
6. Velocity Trap-1999: 6/10
7. War of the Worlds-2005: 10/10
8. Evolution-2001: 8/10
9. Strange Invaders-1983: 8/10
10. Absolon-2003: 4/10
11. Cyborg Cop-1993: 7/10
12. Tarantula-1955: 8/10
13. The Mole People-1956: 7/10
14. The Day After Tomorrow-2004: 8/10
15. Save Yourselves!-2020: 8/10
16. Galaxy Quest-1999: 10/10
17. Spider-Man-2002: 9/10
18. Spider-Man 2-2004: 10/10
19. Spider-Man 3-2007: 7/10
20. Pulse-1988: 8/10
21. Slipstream-1989: 3/10
22. Teddy Bomb-2014: 7/10