Official Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge (January 2023)

[beasterne]

29. This Island Earth (1955) - Great title, and an intriguing opening. But unfortunately the film is not able to develop any of the story beats properly. The characters are all very wooden, and the alien planet Metaluna has about 4 total inhabitants. Watching this just makes me interested in seeing how the MST3K boys skewer it in their movie.



30. Trancers (1984) - Pretty fun. It's a b-movie version of The Terminator, where a cop from the 23rd century goes back in time to prevent the bad guy from murdering the ancestor's of his society's leaders. Helen Hunt puts in a good performance as the Sarah Connor-like girl caught up in the action. Imagine my surprise when I learned that she actually came back for the next two sequels!



31. 20 Million Miles to Earth (1957) - Strong stop-motion creature animation from Ray Harryhausen, this movie is still fairly pedestrian. Also, what's with the title? Venus and Earth are 38 million miles away, even at their closest point. Should have been called 40 million miles to Earth.

movies so far

1. Stargate (1994)
2. Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993)
3. Valerie and her Week of Wonders (1970)
4. Eternals (2021)
5. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)
6. Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)
7. Gremlins (1984)
8. Rollerball (1975)
9. Fahrenheit 451 (1966)
10. Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984)
11. The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976)
12. The Abyss (1989)
13. Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)
14. Altered States (1980)
15. Westworld (1973)
16. Invaders from Mars (1953)
17. Nope (2022)
18. Love, Death & Robots
a. The Witness 12 min
b. Suits 17 min
c. Good Hunting 17 min
d. The Dump 11 min
e. Shape-Shifters 16 min
f. Ice Age 11 min = 84 min total, 4 min carryover (if needed)
19. The Andromeda Strain (1971)
20. Black Panther 2: Wakanda Forever (2022)
21. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022)
22. About Time (2013)
23. John Dies at the End (2012)
24. Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)
25. Fantastic Voyage (1966)
26. Penguins of Madagascar (2014)
27. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 (2015)
28. A Scanner Darkly (2006)

[OldAle1]

Dear Mr. Fantasy (and Ms Science Fiction)

1. The Amazing Transparent Man (Edgar G. Umer, 1960)
2. Monstrosity AKA The Brain Snatchers AKA The Atomic Brain (Joseph V. Mascelli / Jack Pollexfen, 1963)
3. Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi / Spirited Away (Hayao Miyazaki, 2001) re-watch
4. Moonraker (Lewis Gilbert, 1979) (re-watch)
5. Nope (Jordan Peele, 2022)

6. The Man Who Could Work Miracles (Lothar Mendes/Alexander Korda, 1936) (re-watch)



TCM. Probably 3rd viewing. I think I first saw this back in the 90s - I believe I had, or maybe still have somewhere, a VHS with it taped from AMC, from the days when AMC was more or less what TCM is now. This has long been a favorite but it grew in my estimation this time. It's basically a moral fable with heavy Socialist undertones, from an early story by H.G. Wells, in which a meek draper's assistant (the marvelous Roland Young) is suddenly given unlimited power by a trio of bored gods (one of them played by George Sanders, who excels in bored) and has no idea what to do with it except that he wants the prettiest girl in the store (Joan Gardner) to love him and, whoops, that's the one thing he can't change - the human mind or personality. Being a simple, relatively uneducated sort, he allows himself to be led around the notions of first making his capitalist fortune by helping his boss become a captain of industry; then convinced by a progressive parson to make the world a better place and do away with want and hunger; and finally, he has enough of listening to others and decides he wants what he wants - with disastrous but comical results. Ralph Richardson almost steals the show as the uptight military man who Young makes an enemy of early on. Wells worked on the script for this himself, and also scripted the much better-known Things to Come, released the same year; this was his time - alas the coming war and his death just afterward in 1946 kept him from ever achieving a greater cinematic profile, even if he has continued to be in demand for regular adaptations and reworkings of a few of his more famous works.

7. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (Gore Verbinski, 2007)

Let's see - I watched the 2nd POTC film in 2010, and the first one probably in 2003-4, not long after it came out on DVD. I also saw the first one a second time - it did not improve, and I wasn't crazy about it in the first place. The second one was utter crap. So why bother with this? I dunno, pirates? I loves me some pirates. And when you're as low-energy and feeling as crappy as I am these days, dumb blockbusters sometimes are the only things that work. And, y'know, sometimes there's a pleasant surprise though given than this has the same director and more or less same cast as the previous films, that seemed unlikely.

Alas my worst instincts proved correct. This was just total garbage. First, it looked horrible. I mean, HORRIBLE. If you've read many of my comments about mainstream films of the past couple of decades, you know that the excessive color correcting/timing/tinting/whatever that often results in really washed-out visuals, or heavily tinted (most often teal/gold) and clearly digital appearances really sticks in my craw. In this case everything's green/yellow tinted, as bad a case as I've ever seen, but if that were the only problem the film had it would be notable but not a killer; I can appreciate films that do everything well except one thing, even if that one thing is the cinematography. Well, sometimes. But I don't have to worry about that here because the whole thing sucks. I quickly lost track of why which pirate was going after whichever other pirate, and who was on who else's side, and why I should care - because I didn't see any reason to care. All the characters were cartoonish (Jack Sparrow) or bland (most of the rest of them), and the only possible saving grace might've been the action sequences but they were nothing special either. And the fantasy/horror parts just felt there to be something different, they didn't really add anything or change the ultimate storyline. What happened to the goddess Calypso anyway? She just creates a storm, disappears, and... that's it? Really fucking dramatic. Maybe in the end not quite as bad as the second film, but only because it's a few minutes shorter. Shoot me if I am ever tempted to watch the 4th film.

[AB537]

22. Everything Everywhere All at Once (Kwan/Scheinert, 2022) 7/10 ... very hard to rate, I've never seen anything like this before

[sol]

Spoiler

1. Case for a Rookie Hangman (1970) Fantasy
2. When the Cat Comes (1963) Fantasy
3. Sexmission (1984) Science Fiction
4. Big Bang Love, Juvenile A (2006) Fantasy
5. The Sorcerer's Apprentice (1978) Fantasy
6. The Oddsockeaters (2016) Fantasy
7. Last and First Men (2020) Sci-Fi
8. The Thing (1982) REVISION Sci-Fi
9. Predator (1987) REVISION Sci-Fi
10. My Twentieth Century (1989) Sci-Fi
11. Strawberry Mansion (2021) Sci-Fi
12. Aftermath (2012) Fantasy
13. The Lure (2015) Fantasy
14. Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (2021) Fantasy
15. Under the Blossoming Cherry Trees (1975) Fantasy
16. RoboCop (1987) REVISION Sci-Fi
17. RoboCop (2014) Sci-Fi
18. Prey (2022) Sci-Fi
19. Save the Green Planet! (2003) Sci-Fi
20. The Timkeepers of Eternity (2021) Sci-Fi
21. In the Earth (2021) Sci-Fi
22. Total Recall (2012) Sci-Fi
23. Predator 2 (1990) REVISION Sci-Fi
24. The Little Mermaid (1976) Fantasy
25. The Predator (2018) REVISION Sci-Fi
26. Shock! Shock! Shock! (1987) Sci-Fi
27. Gaia (2021) Fantasy
28. A Clockwork Orange (1971) REVISION Sci-Fi
29. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) REVISION Sci-Fi
30. The Girl from the Other Side (2022) Fantasy
31. Ghostbusters (1984) REVISION Fantasy
32. Ghostbusters II (1989) REVISION Fantasy
33. Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021) Fantasy
34. Village of the Damned (1960) REVISION Sci-Fi
35. Village of the Damned (1995) Sci-Fi
36. Something in the Dirt (2022) Sci-Fi
37. Land of the Dead (2005) REVISION Sci-Fi
38. Red Moon Tide (2020) Fantasy
39. Death of a Rockstar (2020) Sci-Fi
40. Till We Meet Again (2021) Fantasy
41. Krakatit (1948) Sci-Fi
42. Mad Love (1935) REVISION Sci-Fi
43. Cat People (1942) REVISION Fantasy
44. The Dybbuk (1937) Fantasy
45. Dracula: Dead and Loving It (1995) REVISION Fantasy
46. The Mummy (1932) REVISION Fantasy
47. Official Denial (1993) Sci-Fi
48. Absolute Denial (2021) Sci-Fi

49. Nowhere (1997) REVISION Sci-Fi



Gregg Araki's subversive comedy about a bi-curious teenager whose entire universe begins to literally collapse after indulging in his latent homosexual desires, this remains incredibly interesting upon rewatch. There are UFO sightings, encounters with alien beings and one character gets abducted - but does this really happen or is the apocalypse merely in his mind? There is nary a boring moment to be had either way, especially as he keeps sighting reptilians in purposely disorientating split-second shots. James Duval is also simply amazing, acting all cool but deeply worried and paranoid just beneath the surface.

[dirty_score]

19. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022) Episodes 7-8 (144 min.)

Season finale. 9 hours I won't get back.

[gunnar]

188-194 - Alphas Season 2 (562 minutes) - The second season was pretty similar to the first one. It's not a great show, but it's certainly watchable. I can see why it didn't get renewed for a third season. It's too bad about the cliffhanger ending, though.

195 - The Stepford Wives (1975) - 7.5/10 - Joanna Eberhart is a semi-professional photographer who moves to the small town of Stepford, Connecticut with her husband and two young daughters. At first things seem good, but she soon realizes that the women in town are incredibly docile and submissive. This classic is a pretty good science fiction horror film.

196 - The Spooky Bunch (1980) - 6/10 - An opera troupe is beset by ghosts, some of whom are seeking revenge for their deaths many years earlier. There are some fun parts here and there, but I thought it was only inconsistently interesting.

197 - Zardoz (1974) - 6/10 - In the year 2293, there is a small enclave of Eternals and the rest of the populated world has uncivilized people called Brutals who are controlled by a small group of Exterminators. They worship the giant stone god Zardoz, a creation of the Eternals designed to help control the masses. The Eternals have grown bored, though, and have differing opinions on what to do when an Exterminator named Zed (Sean Connery) manages to enter their enclave. There were some interesting ideas, but overall I didn't enjoy the film all that much.

198 - Rouge (1987) - 8/10 - A courtesan who committed suicide with her wealthy lover in 1934 so that they could spend eternity together returns as a ghost in 1987 to search for the lover who never arrived in the afterlife. She is helped in her search by a newspaperman and his girlfriend. The film has nice costumes for the period sections and while it can be a bit slow at times, I enjoyed it.

199 - After Yang (2021) - 7.5/10 - A family has to deal with the loss of their daughter's companion robot/sibling when it malfunctions and won't awaken. The father tries to get it repaired, but is only able to obtain Yang's memory bank through which he is able to gain a view into Yang's life and previous lives since they were not the first owners. The story kind of meanders, but it gives a decent glimpse into a world where robots and clones are commonplace and generally accepted. The visuals are also pretty cool.

200 - The Snow Queen (1986) - 7.5/10 - This Finnish adaptation of the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale is very well done. The costumes, landscapes, sets, and performance of the lead girl are all very good.

Spoiler

1 - Abbott and Costello Go to Mars (1953) - 6.5/10
2 - The Beast of Yucca Flats (1961) - 4/10
3 - Miss Minoes (2001) - 7.5/10
4 - Beyond Tomorrow (1940) - 6.5/10
5-20 - See (2019) Seasons 1-3 (1283 minutes)
21 - First Spaceship on Venus (1960) - 5.5/10
22 - I Was a Teenage Werewolf (1957) - 6/10
23 - Not of This Earth (1957) - 6/10
24 - Re-Animator (1985) - 7/10
25-30 - 480 minutes of tv shows
Infinity Train Season 3 (2020) (113 minutes)
Infinity Train Season 4 (2021) (113 minutes)
Star Trek Lower Decks Season 2 (2021) (254 minutes)
31 - Pitfall (1962) - 8/10
32 - I'm Your Man (2021) - 7.5/10
33 - The Blood of a Poet (1932) - 6/10
34 - The Blood of Jesus (1941) - 5/10
35 - Children of the Damned (1964) - 7/10
36 - Doctor X (1932) - 6/10
37-46 - 800 minutes of tv shows
Chocky (1984) (151 minutes)
Chocky's Children (1985) (151 minutes)
Chocky's Challenge (1986) (151 minutes)
Ark (2009) (48 minutes)
Annedroids Season 1 (2014) (299 minutes)
47 - The Omega Man (1971) - 6/10
48 - The Quatermass Xperiment (1955) - 6/10
49 - Quatermass 2 (1957) - 7/10
50 - Quatermass and the Pit (1967) - 7/10
51 - Silent Running (1972) - 7/10
52 - your name. (2016) - 8/10
53 - Yeelen (1987) - 7/10
54 - Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (2010) - 7/10
55 - Summer Days with Coo (2007) - 8/10
56 - Under the Skin (2013) - 6/10
57-62 - Alphas Season 1 (2011) (496 minutes)
63 - Melancholia (2011) - 7.5/10
64 - Save the Green Planet (2003) - 7.5/10
65 - The Sorcerer's Apprentice (1978) - 7.5/10
66 - Miracle in Milan (1951) - 7.5/10
67 - Tropical Malady (2004) - 6/10
68 - Il Mare (2000) - 7/10
69 - Okja (2017) - 8/10
70 - Rare Exports (2010) - 7/10
71 - The Lift (1983) - 7.5/10
72 - The Adventures of Goopy and Bagha (1969) - 7/10
73-76 - 326 minutes of tv shows
The Doombolt Chase (1978) (146 minutes)
Dramarama: Spooky (1983) (180 minutes)
77 - 4:44 Last Day on Earth (2011) - 6/10
78 - King Lear (1987) - 3/10
79 - Robot Monster (1953) - 5/10
80 - Tribulation 99: Alien Anomalies Under America (1992) - 5/10
81-83 - Delta Wave (1996) (248 minutes)
84 - Things to Come (1936) - 7/10
85 - The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976) - 6/10
86 - Dreams (1990) - 8.5/10
87 - Dark Star (1974) - 6/10
88-98 - 883 minutes of tv shows plus one short
Station Eleven (2021) (512 minutes)
The Sparticle Mystery Season 1 (2011) (364 minutes)
Rare Exports, Inc. (2003) (7 minutes)
99 - Os Canibais / The Cannibals (1988) - 7/10
100 - Chorus (1975) - 7.5/10
101 - The Monster Squad (1987) - 7.5/10
102 - The Student of Prague (1913) - 7/10
103 - The Time of Their Lives (1946) - 7.5/10
104 - Nope (2022) - 7/10
105 - Shock Waves (1977) - 6/10
106 - Tarantula (1955) - 7/10
107 - The Blob (1958) - 7/10
108 - The Devil-Doll (1936) - 7/10
109 - The Invisible Ray (1936) - 5/10
110 - Memoria (2021) - 7.5/10
111 - Three Crowns of the Sailor (1983) - 5.5/10
112 - Black Sheep (2006) - 6.5/10
113 - Body Snatchers (1993) - 7.5/10
114 - Chopping Mall (1986) - 7/10
115 - Die, Monster, Die! (1965) - 7/10
116 - Fiend Without a Face (1958) - 6.5/10
117 - The Man Who Changed His Mind (1936) - 7/10
118 - The Mask of Fu Manchu (1932) - 6.5/10
119 - The Stone Tape (1972) - 6.5/10
120 - Trancers (1984) - 7/10
121 - Cemetery of Splendour (2015) - 7/10
122 - Bacurau (2019) - 8/10
123 - 20 Million Miles to Earth (1957) - 7/10
124 - It! The Terror from Beyond Space (1958) - 6.5/10
125 - The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953) - 7/10
126 - The Brain That Wouldn’t Die (1962) - 4/10
127 - X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes (1963) - 7/10
128 - Carnival of Sinners (1943) - 8/10
129 - Werewolf of London (1935) - 7/10
130 - Frankenstein Created Woman (1967) - 8/10
131 - Humanoids from the Deep (1980) - 5/10
132 - The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) - 8/10
133 - The Day of the Triffids (1962) - 6/10
134 - The Diabolical Dr. Z (1966) - 5/10
135 - The Man They Could Not Hang (1939) - 7.5/10
136 - The Raven (1963) - 7/10
137 - The Revenge of Frankenstein (1958) - 7/10
138 - Night of the Creeps (1986) - 7.5/10
139 - Phantasm (1979) - 7/10
140 - Timecrimes (2007) - 7/10
141 - Hocus Pocus (1993) - 7.5/10
142-147 - 480 minutes of tv shows
The Enchanted Castle (1979) (174 minutes)
Crash Zone Season 1 (1999) (306 minutes)
148 - India Song (1975) - 5/10
149 - When the Cat Comes (1963) - 7/10
150 - Krakatit (1948) - 7.5/10
151-158 - 645 minutes of tv shows
Dramarama (1983-1989) - 13 episodes (328 minutes)
Eerie Indiana: The Other Dimension (1998) (317 minutes)
159 - A Time of Roses (1969) - 6/10
160 - Zazie dans le Métro (1960) - 8.5/10
161 - Kin-Dza-Dza! (1986) - 7.5/10
162 - The Seventh Seal (1957) - 8.5/10
163-172 - 805 minutes of tv shows
Continuum Season 1 (2012) (440 minutes)
Eve Season 1 (2015) (365 minutes)
173 - Birds, Orphans and Fools (1969) - 5/10
174 - Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988) - 7.5/10
175 - Miracles of Thursday (1957) - 8/10
176 - The Secret Adventures of Tom Thumb (1993) - 7/10
177 - Tomorrow I'll Wake Up and Scald Myself with Tea (1977) - 8.5/10
178 - Who Wants to Kill Jessie? (1966) - 6.5/10
179 - A Scanner Darkly (2006) - 7/10
180 - Alice in Wonderland (1966) - 6/10
181 - The Singing Ringing Tree (1957) - 7/10
182 - Soylent Green (1973) - 7.5/10
183-187 - Falling Skies Season 1 (2011) (410 minutes)

[maxwelldeux]

Ludacris' favorite challenge

1. Aelita: Queen of Mars (1924)
2. Dead Heat (1988)
3. The Double Life of Véronique (1991)
4. RoboCop 2 (1990)
"5. Shorts: 80m:
The Infernal Boiling Pot (1903, 2m)
Going to Bed with Difficulties (1900, 2m)
Le papillon fantastique (1909, 2m)
The Golden Beetle (1907, 3m)
The Hilarious Posters (1906, 3m)
The Black Imp (1905, 4m)
The Dragonfly and the Ant (1913, 5m)
The Thieving Hand (1908, 5m)
Alice in Wonderland (1903, 8m)
The Red Spectre (1907, 9m)
The Airship Destroyer (1909, 7m)
The Flat (1968, Czechoslovakia, 13m)
Entente cordiale (1912, 17m)"
6. Ant-Man (2015)
7. Stargate (1994)
8. The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953)
9. Gladiator Eroticvs: The Lesbian Warriors (2001)
10. PK (2014)
11. The Hunger Games (2012)
12. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013)
13. Tribulation 99: Alien Anomalies Under America (1992)
14. When Worlds Collide (1951)
15. The Wandering Earth (2019)
16. The Blood of a Poet (1932)
17. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 (2014)
18. Star Trek (2009)
19. Captain Marvel (2019)
20. Strange Days (1995)
21. Holy Motors (2012)
22. Megalodon (2018)
"23. Shorts (80m):
The Eclipse: Courtship of the Sun and Moon (1907, 9m)
Down to the Cellar (1983, Czechoslovakia, 15m)
Food (1992, Czechia, 17m)
Kingdom of the Fairies (1903, 16m)
The House of Ghosts (1906, 6m)
Le squelette joyeux (1898, 1m)
Artistic Creation (1901, 2m)
The Land Beyond the Sunset (1912,14m)"
24. 1990: The Bronx Warriors (1982)
25. Wedlock (1991)
26. Save the Green Planet! (2003)
27. The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947)
28. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 (2015)
29. Hell Comes to Frogtown (1988)
30. Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (2010)
31. Psycho Goreman (2020)
32. Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp (1917)
33. Mr. Vampire (1985)
34. Timecop (1994)
35. The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949)
36. Fortress (1992)
37. Willow (1988)
38. Conan the Barbarian (1982)

39. Conan the Destroyer (1984)
Didn't really like this any more than the first one. But it was cool to see Wilt Chamberlain kick some ass. And this got me silver on the Marshall Julius list, so yay!

40. The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985)
I loved this one. Jeff Daniels was utterly fantastic in this playing two different versions of the same character. Sweet story, good ending. This is the sort of fantasy I like - mostly grounded in reality, but with one element that makes it fantastical.

[ororama]

9. Psycho Goreman (2020) * 95 min.
Fun movie. Never laugh out loud funny, but consistently amusing.

10. Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) * 148 min.
This time a Marvel movie worked, despite being too long and having too many characters. There was a story, instead of an excuse to cram as many superheroes in as possible for forty seconds each.

11. Strange Days (1995) * 145 min.
The unrelenting pace, the sense of things falling apart and the moral and physical darkness of this future world were engaging and kept making me forget that this was sci-fi as well as film noir. Great performance by Ralph Fiennes.

12. Infinity Pool (2023) * 117 min.
I enjoyed it, but it seemed like a moral message was intended and it just seemed kind of empty on that score.

Spoiler

1. It! (1967) * 96 min.
2. On Body and Soul/Teströl és lélekröl (2017) * 116 min.
3. The Merry Skeleton/Le squelette joyeux (1898) * 1 min.
Artistic Creation (1901) * 2 min.
The Disintegrated Convict (1907) * 5 min.
The Red Spectre/Le spectre rouge (1907) * 9 min.
Scrooge; or Marley's Ghost (1901) * 4 min.
Trolldrycken (1915) * 3 min.
Samurai Jack: Episode XX - Jack and the Monks (2002) 22 min.
Samurai Jack: Episode XXI - Jack and the Dragon (2002) 23 min.
Samurai Jack: Episode XXII - Jack vs. the Five Hunters (2002) 23 min.
4. Samurai Jack: Episode XXIII - Jack vs. Demongo, the Soul Collector (2002) 23 min.
Samurai Jack: Episode XXIV - Jack Is Naked (2002) 22 min.
Samurai Jack: Episode XXV - Jack and the Spartans (2002) 23 min.
Samurai Jack: Episode XXVI - Jack's Shoes (2002) 22 min.
5. Carol for Another Christmas (1964) * 86 min.
6. Eternals (2021) * 156 min.
7. House of Dark Shadows (1970) 97 min.
8. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990) * 94 min.

*First time viewing

[Silga]

39. The Hudsucker Proxy (Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, 1994) 9/10

A Journey through the Universe

1. Escanaba in da Moonlight (Jeff Daniels, 2001) 6/10
2. A Smoky Mountain Christmas (Henry Winkler, 1986) 5/10
3. Idaho Transfer (Peter Fonda, 1973) 2/10
4. Slipstream (Anthony Hopkins, 2007) 7/10
5. Vice Versa (Peter Ustinov, 1948) 7/10
6. TekWar (William Shatner, 1994) 3/10
7. The Legend of Bagger Vance (Robert Redford, 2000) 8/10
8. Ghost Dad (Sidney Poitier, 1990) 4/10
9. Lost River (Ryan Gosling, 2014) 4/10
10. Human Highway (Dean Stockwell, Neil Young, 1982) 7/10
11. What Is It? (Crispin Glover, 2005) 1/10
12. Matilda (Danny DeVito, 1996) 8/10
13. Charlie's Ghost Story (Anthony Edwards, 1995) 6/10
14. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Chris Columbus, 2001) 9/10 (rewatch)
15. Light of My Life (Casey Affleck, 2019) 7/10
16. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Chris Columbus, 2002) 8/10 (rewatch)
17. Rainbow (Bob Hoskins, 1995) 3/10
18. Unicorn Store (Brie Larson, 2017) 6/10
19. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Alfonso Cuarón, 2004) 10/10 (rewatch)
20. The Tin Soldier (Jon Voight, Gregory Gieras, 1995) 2/10
21. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Mike Newell, 2005) 7/10 (rewatch)
22. The Shape of Water (Guillermo del Toro, 2017) 8/10
23. The Red Sneakers (Gregory Hines, 2002) 4/10
24. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (David Yates, 2007) 8/10 (rewatch)
25. Oh, God! (Carl Reiner, 1977) 7/10 (rewatch)
26. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (David Yates, 2009) 9/10 (rewatch)
27. Panic In Year Zero! (Ray Milland, 1962) 5/10
28. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (David Yates, 2010) 9/10 (rewatch)
29. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (David Yates, 2011) 9/10 (rewatch)
30. Practical Magic (Griffin Dunne, 1998) 4/10
31. A Quiet Place Part II (John Krasinski, 2020) 7/10
32. The Milagro Beanfield War (Robert Redford, 1988) 5/10
33. Death Becomes Her (Robert Zemeckis, 1992) 6/10 (rewatch)
34. Final (Campbell Scott, 2001) 4/10
35. The Invention of Lying (Ricky Gervais, Matthew Robinson, 2009) 6/10
36. Dragonfly (Tom Shadyac, 2002) 3/10
37. The Lake House (Alejandro Agresti, 2006) 4/10
38. Knowing (Alex Proyas, 2009) 6/10 (rewatch)
39. The Hudsucker Proxy (Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, 1994) 9/10

[AB537]

23. Colossal (Nacho Vigalondo, 2016) 6.5/10

[mightysparks]

6. Minoes (2001) 5/10
7. Wonder Woman (2017) 6/10
8. The Mitchells vs the Machines (2021) 6/10
9. Petite maman (2021) 5/10
10. The Northman (2022) 6/10

Petite maman seems a bit borderline but it is tagged as fantasy..

10 Laser Beams

1. Don't Look Up (2021) 6/10
2. Doctor Strange (2016) 6/10
3. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) 6/10
4. Encanto (2021) 6/10
5. Monsters vs. Aliens (2009) 4/10
6. Minoes (2001) 5/10
7. Wonder Woman (2017) 6/10
8. The Mitchells vs the Machines (2021) 6/10
9. Petite maman (2021) 5/10
10. The Northman (2022) 6/10

[sol]

Spoiler

1. Case for a Rookie Hangman (1970) Fantasy
2. When the Cat Comes (1963) Fantasy
3. Sexmission (1984) Science Fiction
4. Big Bang Love, Juvenile A (2006) Fantasy
5. The Sorcerer's Apprentice (1978) Fantasy
6. The Oddsockeaters (2016) Fantasy
7. Last and First Men (2020) Sci-Fi
8. The Thing (1982) REVISION Sci-Fi
9. Predator (1987) REVISION Sci-Fi
10. My Twentieth Century (1989) Sci-Fi
11. Strawberry Mansion (2021) Sci-Fi
12. Aftermath (2012) Fantasy
13. The Lure (2015) Fantasy
14. Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (2021) Fantasy
15. Under the Blossoming Cherry Trees (1975) Fantasy
16. RoboCop (1987) REVISION Sci-Fi
17. RoboCop (2014) Sci-Fi
18. Prey (2022) Sci-Fi
19. Save the Green Planet! (2003) Sci-Fi
20. The Timkeepers of Eternity (2021) Sci-Fi
21. In the Earth (2021) Sci-Fi
22. Total Recall (2012) Sci-Fi
23. Predator 2 (1990) REVISION Sci-Fi
24. The Little Mermaid (1976) Fantasy
25. The Predator (2018) REVISION Sci-Fi
26. Shock! Shock! Shock! (1987) Sci-Fi
27. Gaia (2021) Fantasy
28. A Clockwork Orange (1971) REVISION Sci-Fi
29. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) REVISION Sci-Fi
30. The Girl from the Other Side (2022) Fantasy
31. Ghostbusters (1984) REVISION Fantasy
32. Ghostbusters II (1989) REVISION Fantasy
33. Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021) Fantasy
34. Village of the Damned (1960) REVISION Sci-Fi
35. Village of the Damned (1995) Sci-Fi
36. Something in the Dirt (2022) Sci-Fi
37. Land of the Dead (2005) REVISION Sci-Fi
38. Red Moon Tide (2020) Fantasy
39. Death of a Rockstar (2020) Sci-Fi
40. Till We Meet Again (2021) Fantasy
41. Krakatit (1948) Sci-Fi
42. Mad Love (1935) REVISION Sci-Fi
43. Cat People (1942) REVISION Fantasy
44. The Dybbuk (1937) Fantasy
45. Dracula: Dead and Loving It (1995) REVISION Fantasy
46. The Mummy (1932) REVISION Fantasy
47. Official Denial (1993) Sci-Fi
48. Absolute Denial (2021) Sci-Fi
49. Nowhere (1997) REVISION Sci-Fi

50. Spaceballs (1987) REVISION Sci-Fi



Viewed for a third time, this still feels far funnier in the moments when it is not spoofing the Star Wars series. Most of the related jokes are really groan-inducing, from Rick Moranis complaining about people going over his helmet to a one 'Pizza the Hutt', but the unrelated jokes work almost all the time, from the characters watching themselves on a Betamax tape, to an unabashed merchandising running gag, to a hilarious John Hurt cameo towards the end.

[gunnar]

201-210 - 827 minutes of tv shows
The Feathered Serpent Seasons 1 and 2 (1976) (300 minutes) - Politics, religion, and treachery in an Aztec-like culture. The leader is trying to do away with blood sacrifices and move to a more peaceful culture, but the high priest has other plans. The second season has a few more supernatural elements. It's pretty entertaining.

Escape Into Night (1972) (148 minutes) - Marianne is a young girl who is confined to bed for the most part due to injuring herself in a fall from a horse. She starts having dreams about a house that she has drawn and a boy who is in an upstairs bedroom, but is unable to walk. It becomes apparent that these dreams have some relation to reality.

The Cul-de-Sac Season 1 (2016) (128 minutes) - This New Zealand drama starts with the children and teenagers waking up one morning and finding that all of the adults have disappeared and storms occasionally roll through the town destroying anybody who is caught without cover. It's not as good as other similar shows, but I'll probably check out the next two seasons eventually.

Inuyashiki: Last Hero (2017) (251 minutes) - An alien spacecraft accidentally destroys two Japanese citizens - a teenager and an older man. The aliens do a quick repair using combat robot bodies before heading off to their next destination. The teenager uses his newfound abilities for bad while the older man uses them to help people. This is a nice adaptation of the manga series, which I read and enjoyed when it came out.

Spoiler

1 - Abbott and Costello Go to Mars (1953) - 6.5/10
2 - The Beast of Yucca Flats (1961) - 4/10
3 - Miss Minoes (2001) - 7.5/10
4 - Beyond Tomorrow (1940) - 6.5/10
5-20 - See (2019) Seasons 1-3 (1283 minutes)
21 - First Spaceship on Venus (1960) - 5.5/10
22 - I Was a Teenage Werewolf (1957) - 6/10
23 - Not of This Earth (1957) - 6/10
24 - Re-Animator (1985) - 7/10
25-30 - 480 minutes of tv shows
Infinity Train Season 3 (2020) (113 minutes)
Infinity Train Season 4 (2021) (113 minutes)
Star Trek Lower Decks Season 2 (2021) (254 minutes)
31 - Pitfall (1962) - 8/10
32 - I'm Your Man (2021) - 7.5/10
33 - The Blood of a Poet (1932) - 6/10
34 - The Blood of Jesus (1941) - 5/10
35 - Children of the Damned (1964) - 7/10
36 - Doctor X (1932) - 6/10
37-46 - 800 minutes of tv shows
Chocky (1984) (151 minutes)
Chocky's Children (1985) (151 minutes)
Chocky's Challenge (1986) (151 minutes)
Ark (2009) (48 minutes)
Annedroids Season 1 (2014) (299 minutes)
47 - The Omega Man (1971) - 6/10
48 - The Quatermass Xperiment (1955) - 6/10
49 - Quatermass 2 (1957) - 7/10
50 - Quatermass and the Pit (1967) - 7/10
51 - Silent Running (1972) - 7/10
52 - your name. (2016) - 8/10
53 - Yeelen (1987) - 7/10
54 - Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (2010) - 7/10
55 - Summer Days with Coo (2007) - 8/10
56 - Under the Skin (2013) - 6/10
57-62 - Alphas Season 1 (2011) (496 minutes)
63 - Melancholia (2011) - 7.5/10
64 - Save the Green Planet (2003) - 7.5/10
65 - The Sorcerer's Apprentice (1978) - 7.5/10
66 - Miracle in Milan (1951) - 7.5/10
67 - Tropical Malady (2004) - 6/10
68 - Il Mare (2000) - 7/10
69 - Okja (2017) - 8/10
70 - Rare Exports (2010) - 7/10
71 - The Lift (1983) - 7.5/10
72 - The Adventures of Goopy and Bagha (1969) - 7/10
73-76 - 326 minutes of tv shows
The Doombolt Chase (1978) (146 minutes)
Dramarama: Spooky (1983) (180 minutes)
77 - 4:44 Last Day on Earth (2011) - 6/10
78 - King Lear (1987) - 3/10
79 - Robot Monster (1953) - 5/10
80 - Tribulation 99: Alien Anomalies Under America (1992) - 5/10
81-83 - Delta Wave (1996) (248 minutes)
84 - Things to Come (1936) - 7/10
85 - The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976) - 6/10
86 - Dreams (1990) - 8.5/10
87 - Dark Star (1974) - 6/10
88-98 - 883 minutes of tv shows plus one short
Station Eleven (2021) (512 minutes)
The Sparticle Mystery Season 1 (2011) (364 minutes)
Rare Exports, Inc. (2003) (7 minutes)
99 - Os Canibais / The Cannibals (1988) - 7/10
100 - Chorus (1975) - 7.5/10
101 - The Monster Squad (1987) - 7.5/10
102 - The Student of Prague (1913) - 7/10
103 - The Time of Their Lives (1946) - 7.5/10
104 - Nope (2022) - 7/10
105 - Shock Waves (1977) - 6/10
106 - Tarantula (1955) - 7/10
107 - The Blob (1958) - 7/10
108 - The Devil-Doll (1936) - 7/10
109 - The Invisible Ray (1936) - 5/10
110 - Memoria (2021) - 7.5/10
111 - Three Crowns of the Sailor (1983) - 5.5/10
112 - Black Sheep (2006) - 6.5/10
113 - Body Snatchers (1993) - 7.5/10
114 - Chopping Mall (1986) - 7/10
115 - Die, Monster, Die! (1965) - 7/10
116 - Fiend Without a Face (1958) - 6.5/10
117 - The Man Who Changed His Mind (1936) - 7/10
118 - The Mask of Fu Manchu (1932) - 6.5/10
119 - The Stone Tape (1972) - 6.5/10
120 - Trancers (1984) - 7/10
121 - Cemetery of Splendour (2015) - 7/10
122 - Bacurau (2019) - 8/10
123 - 20 Million Miles to Earth (1957) - 7/10
124 - It! The Terror from Beyond Space (1958) - 6.5/10
125 - The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953) - 7/10
126 - The Brain That Wouldn’t Die (1962) - 4/10
127 - X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes (1963) - 7/10
128 - Carnival of Sinners (1943) - 8/10
129 - Werewolf of London (1935) - 7/10
130 - Frankenstein Created Woman (1967) - 8/10
131 - Humanoids from the Deep (1980) - 5/10
132 - The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) - 8/10
133 - The Day of the Triffids (1962) - 6/10
134 - The Diabolical Dr. Z (1966) - 5/10
135 - The Man They Could Not Hang (1939) - 7.5/10
136 - The Raven (1963) - 7/10
137 - The Revenge of Frankenstein (1958) - 7/10
138 - Night of the Creeps (1986) - 7.5/10
139 - Phantasm (1979) - 7/10
140 - Timecrimes (2007) - 7/10
141 - Hocus Pocus (1993) - 7.5/10
142-147 - 480 minutes of tv shows
The Enchanted Castle (1979) (174 minutes)
Crash Zone Season 1 (1999) (306 minutes)
148 - India Song (1975) - 5/10
149 - When the Cat Comes (1963) - 7/10
150 - Krakatit (1948) - 7.5/10
151-158 - 645 minutes of tv shows
Dramarama (1983-1989) - 13 episodes (328 minutes)
Eerie Indiana: The Other Dimension (1998) (317 minutes)
159 - A Time of Roses (1969) - 6/10
160 - Zazie dans le Métro (1960) - 8.5/10
161 - Kin-Dza-Dza! (1986) - 7.5/10
162 - The Seventh Seal (1957) - 8.5/10
163-172 - 805 minutes of tv shows
Continuum Season 1 (2012) (440 minutes)
Eve Season 1 (2015) (365 minutes)
173 - Birds, Orphans and Fools (1969) - 5/10
174 - Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988) - 7.5/10
175 - Miracles of Thursday (1957) - 8/10
176 - The Secret Adventures of Tom Thumb (1993) - 7/10
177 - Tomorrow I'll Wake Up and Scald Myself with Tea (1977) - 8.5/10
178 - Who Wants to Kill Jessie? (1966) - 6.5/10
179 - A Scanner Darkly (2006) - 7/10
180 - Alice in Wonderland (1966) - 6/10
181 - The Singing Ringing Tree (1957) - 7/10
182 - Soylent Green (1973) - 7.5/10
183-187 - Falling Skies Season 1 (2011) (410 minutes)
188-194 - Alphas Season 2 (562 minutes)
195 - The Stepford Wives (1975) - 7.5/10
196 - The Spooky Bunch (1980) - 6/10
197 - Zardoz (1974) - 6/10
198 - Rouge (1987) - 8/10
199 - After Yang (2021) - 7.5/10
200 - The Snow Queen (1986) - 7.5/10

[beasterne]

32. It Came from Outer Space (1953) - What seems like a meteor crashes in the desert outside a small Arizona town. A man sees what he believes is an alien spacecraft in the crater before it is covered in debris, but no one else in the town believes him. Compares very favorably to Invaders from Mars. The plot is basically identical, but the themes are more interesting. I also appreciated the alien-ness of the creatures in this one.



33. Event Horizon (1997) - This had some great images. Several moments in the film really landed as well. But it is quite disjointed from a plot and thematic standpoint. Apparently the original cut of the film ran at 130 minutes before studio-mandated cuts brought the runtime down to 96 minutes, which must explain some of the plot holes and fuzzy character motivations. The placing on the TSZDT list is well-deserved. There are some extremely unsettling scenes of gore and horror in this one. And Sam Neill's line near the end of the film actually sent chills up my spine.

spoiler line

"Where we're going, we won't need eyes to see."

This could have been great. As is, it's more of a messy "What if?" exercise.




34. Three Thousand Years of Longing (2022) - I planned this as my 3000th check on ICM. Pretty good really--better than I was expecting. Tilda Swinton and Idris Elba do a great job here, even though Tilda doesn't have that much to work with. The film doesn't hide that it takes its inspiration from genie stories. Tales inside of tales, be-careful-what-you-wish-for morals, all of that is here in this story. Some very nice visuals as well. If anyone is a fan of The Fall I'm sure you would appreciate this film. I'd say this movie has been a bit slept on from 2022.

Hooray for 3000 checks!






35. The Omega Man (1971) - I knew nothing about this movie going into it except that it was a sci-fi movie. I didn't even know Charlton Heston was the star until the opening credits! So I spent most of the movie being mad at I Am Legend (2004) for totally ripping it off. Egg on my face when I learned afterwards that both films were based on the same novel

Anyway, this film was so-so for me. I liked parts of it, but for whatever reason I was never able to fully suspend my disbelief. I think it comes down to the fact that the ghouls were just really really dumb in a way that took me out of the story every time.

movies so far

1. Stargate (1994)
2. Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993)
3. Valerie and her Week of Wonders (1970)
4. Eternals (2021)
5. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)
6. Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)
7. Gremlins (1984)
8. Rollerball (1975)
9. Fahrenheit 451 (1966)
10. Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984)
11. The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976)
12. The Abyss (1989)
13. Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)
14. Altered States (1980)
15. Westworld (1973)
16. Invaders from Mars (1953)
17. Nope (2022)
18. Love, Death & Robots
a. The Witness 12 min
b. Suits 17 min
c. Good Hunting 17 min
d. The Dump 11 min
e. Shape-Shifters 16 min
f. Ice Age 11 min = 84 min total, 4 min carryover (if needed)
19. The Andromeda Strain (1971)
20. Black Panther 2: Wakanda Forever (2022)
21. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022)
22. About Time (2013)
23. John Dies at the End (2012)
24. Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)
25. Fantastic Voyage (1966)
26. Penguins of Madagascar (2014)
27. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 (2015)
28. A Scanner Darkly (2006)
29. This Island Earth (1955)
30. Trancers (1984)
31. 20 Million Miles to Earth (1957)

[ChrisReynolds]

Previously assimilated...

1. About Time (Curtis, 2013) 9968 checks, 1 official list 4/10
2. Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back - Despecialized edition (Kershner, 1980) [Rewatch] 112741 checks, 25 official lists 9/10
3. The Electric Grandmother (Black, 1982) 24 checks, 0 official lists 6/10
4. Rick and Morty episodes
a. Rick and Morty: Final DeSmithation (Olsen-Tesoro, 2022) [23 mins] 7 checks, 0 official lists 6/10
b. Rick and Morty: Juricksic Mort (Archer-Tesoro, 2022) [22 mins] 5 checks, 0 official lists 4/10
c. Rick and Morty: Full Meta Jackrick (Gray-Tesoro, 2022) [21 mins] 3 checks, 0 official lists 5/10
d. Rick and Morty: Analyze Piss (Sagadraca-Tesoro, 2022) [22 mins] 3 checks, 0 official lists 5/10
e. Rick and Morty: A Rick in King Mortur's Mort (Archer-Hair, 2022) [22 mins] 2 checks, 0 official lists 5/10
f. Rick and Morty: Ricktional Mortpoon's Rickmas Mortcation (Archer-Tesoro, 2022) [23 mins] 2 checks, 0 official lists 4/10
5. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (Mercado-Crawford, 2022) 316 checks, 1 official list 6/10
6. M3GAN (Johnstone, 2023) 148 checks, 0 official lists 6/10

7. Crimes of the Future (Cronenberg, 2022) 850 checks, 0 official lists
The concept -- a world where people spontaneously grow new weird organs, and surgery has both replaced sex and become a popular live entertainment -- sounds like something an AI would come up with if asked to write the logline of a Cronenberg film, but it is an interesting world, and the atmosphere created is appropriately disturbing and cold. However, the plot is very weak and rambles around without impetus and with long rambling philosophical speeches, unfortunately making the film boring after a while.
4/10



8. Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel (Carrivick, 2009) 2020 checks, 0 official lists
A low-budget BBC comedy (it does feel made-for-TV, although it was released in cinemas for a bit) about three slackers who travel around in time while staying inside the confines of a pub. It desperately wants to be a sci-fi Shaun of the Dead, but not even close, as it's nowhere near funny or clever enough. It has a few points of interest and is definitely better than the similarly-toned Hot Tub Time Machine which I watched last month.
4/10



9. Black Adam (Collet-Serra, 2022) 1112 checks, 1 official list
A passion project for Dwayne Johnson, but the end result is the definition of soulless corporate superhero film-making. You've got the Zack Snyder ingredients of muted colour palette, slow motion and glorification of fascist superheroes, twinned with the Marvel-aping of quips, needle drops and introductions of additional characters with franchise potential.
3/10

[flavo5000]

190. Nihon igai zenbu chinbotsu a.k.a. The World Sinks Except Japan (Minoru Kawasaki, 2006)


191. Future World (James Franco, Bruce Thierry Cheung, 2018)


192. Giorgio Moroder Presents Metropolis (Fritz Lang, 1927)


193. Wu Kong a.k.a. Immortal Demon Slayer (Chi-kin Kwok, 2017)


194. Sheborg Massacre (Daniel Armstrong, 2016)


195. The Incredible Petrified World (Jerry Warren, 1957)


196. The Machine (Caradog James, 2013)


197. Pulse (Paul Golding, 1988)


198. The Scribbler (John Suits, 2014)


199. El-haimoune a.k.a. Wanderers in the Desert (Nacer Khemir, 1984)


200. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (Joel Crawford, Januel Mercado, 2022)

The Timeless Tomorrow

1. Miraklet i Valby a.k.a. Miracle in Valby (Åke Sandgren, 1989)
2. Nora (Satomi Mikuriya, 1985)
3. Ratatouille (Brad Bird, Jan Pinkava, 2007)
4-8. The 10th Kingdom (2000)
9. Silent Shorts [Le pied de mouton (1907), The Airship Destroyer (1909), Alice in Wonderland (1903), Scrooge; or Marley's Ghost (1901), The Thieving Hand (1908), An Interesting Story (1904), Le roi du maquillage (1904), Mary Jane's Mishap (1903), The Little Match Seller (1902), The Enchanted Drawing (1900), Le cauchemar (1896), Les affiches en goguette (1906), Le squelette joyeux (1898), Le scarabée d'or (1907), Le papillon fantastique (1901), L'homme orchestre (1900), Nouvelles luttes extravagantes (1901), La tentation de Saint-Antoine (1898), Le cochon danseur (1907) ]
10. Cyber Vengeance (J. Christian Ingvordsen, 1997)
11. R.I.P.D. (Robert Schwentke, 2013)
12. Pyl a.k.a. Dust (Sergey Loban, 2005)
13. Synchronic (Justin Benson, Aaron Moorhead, 2019)
14. Day the World Ended (Roger Corman, 1955)
15. The Immortal Wars (Joe Lujan, 2018)
16. Rumpelstiltskin (David Irving, 1987)
17. Split Second (Tony Maylam, 1992)
18. A Monster Calls (J.A. Bayona, 2016)
19. The Butterfly Effect 2 (John R. Leonetti, 2006)
20. Jungle Jim in the Forbidden Land (Lew Landers, 1952)
21. Black Adam (Jaume Collet-Serra, 2022)
22. Goodbye World (Denis Hennelly, 2013)
23. After the Dark (John Huddles, 2013)
24-26. The Vanishing Shadow (Lew Landers, 1934)
27. Moontrap: Target Earth (Robert Dyke, 2017)
28. Voyage of the Rock Aliens (James Fargo, 1984)
29. Yattâman (Takashi Miike, 2009)
30. Ansikte mot ansikte a.k.a. Face to Face (Ingmar Bergman, 1976)
31. Bell Book and Candle (Richard Quine, 1958)
32. The Recall (Mauro Borrelli, 2017)
33. If Only (Gil Junger, 2004)
34. Iron Sky: The Coming Race (Timo Vuorensola, 2018)
35. Class of 1999 (Mark L. Lester, 1990)
36. Galaxy of the Dinosaurs (J.R. Bookwalter, 1992)
37. Humanoids from Atlantis (J.R. Bookwalter, 1992)
38. Injû kyôshi - jissha-ban a.k.a. Angel of Darkness (Mitsunori Hattori, 1995)
39. Jack Frost (Troy Miller, 1998)
40. The Cloverfield Paradox (Julius Onah, 2018)
41. Huo shao hong lian si a.k.a. Burning Paradise (Ringo Lam, 1994)
42. G-Saviour (Graeme Campbell, 2000)
43. Looker (Michael Crichton, 1981)
44. The Brain Eaters (Bruno VeSota, 1958)
45. Mortal Engines (Christian Rivers, 2018)
46. Otroki vo vselennoy a.k.a. Children in the Universe (Richard Viktorov, 1975)
47. Aliens Cut My Hair (Michael McIntosh, 1992)
48. Mortal Kombat: Legacy S1 (Kevin Tancharoen, 2011)
49. Francis Goes to West Point (Arthur Lubin, 1952)
50. Francis Covers the Big Town (Arthur Lubin, 1953)
51. Francis Joins the WACS (Arthur Lubin, 1954)
52. Francis in the Navy (Arthur Lubin, 1955)
53. La momia azteca a.k.a. The Aztec Mummy (Rafael Portillo, 1957)
54. Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio (Guillermo del Toro, Mark Gustafson, 2022)
55. Exodus: Gods and Kings (Ridley Scott, 2014)
56. Love, Death & Robots S3 (2022)
57. Space Truckers (Stuart Gordon, 1996)
58. No Resistance (Tim Thomson, 1994)
59. Tômei ningen arawaru a.k.a. Invisible Man Appears (Shinsei Adachi, Shigehiro Fukushima, 1949)
60. Tômei ningen to hae otoko a.k.a. The Invisible Man vs the Human Fly (Mitsuo Murayama, 1957)
61-62. Terry Pratchett's Hogfather (Vadim Jean, 2006)
63. Císaruv pekar - Pekaruv císar a.k.a. Emperor and the Golem (Martin Fric, 1952)
64. One and Two (Andrew Droz Palermo, 2015)
65-66. Final Days of Planet Earth (Robert Lieberman, 2006)
67. The Dirt Bike Kid (Hoite C. Caston, 1985)
68. The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (James Gunn, 2022)
69. Dream a Little Dream (Marc Rocco, 1989)
70. Morgan (Luke Scott, 2016)
71. Puss in Boots (Eugene Marner, 1988)
72. Chiu kup hok hau ba wong a.k.a. Future Cops (Jing Wong, 1993)
73. Philadelphia Experiment II (Stephen Cornwell, 1993)
74. Flesh Gordon Meets the Cosmic Cheerleaders a.k.a. Flesh Gordon 2 (Howard T. Ziehm, 1990)
75. Gong gui zai a.k.a. Red Spell Spells Red (Titus Ho, 1983)
76. Alien 2 - Sulla Terra a.k.a. Alien 2: On Earth (Ciro Ippolito, Biagio Proietti, 1980)
77. Kdyby tisíc klarinetu a.k.a. If a Thousand Clarinets (Ján Rohác, Vladimír Svitácek, 1965)
78-81. Paper Girls E1-8 (2022)
82. Surrogates (Jonathan Mostow, 2009)
83. The Librarian: Quest for the Spear (Peter Winther, 2004)
84. The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines (Jonathan Frakes, 2006)
85. The Librarian: The Curse of the Judas Chalice (Jonathan Frakes, 2008)
86. Mutant Hunt (Tim Kincaid, 1987)
87. Naufragio (Jaime Humberto Hermosillo, 1978)
88. The Day After (Nicholas Meyer, 1983)
89-91a. Schmigadoon! E1-7 (2021)
91b. The Disintegrated Convict (1907)
91c. The 'Teddy' Bears (Edwin S. Porter, 1907)
91d. Prekrasnaya Lyukanida a.k.a. The Beautiful Leukanida (Wladyslaw Starewicz, 1912)
92. Xi you ji zhi: Sun Wukong san da Baigu Jing a.k.a. The Monkey King 2 (Soi Cheang, 2016)
93. Ghost in the Machine (Rachel Talalay, 1993)
94-99. Dennô koiru a.k.a. Dennou Coil E1-26 (2007)
100. The Dark Side of the Moon (D.J. Webster, 1990)
101. Mandibules (Quentin Dupieux, 2020)
102. The Alpha Test (Aaron Mirtes, 2020)
103. Ring of the Nibelungs a.k.a. Dark Kingdom: The Dragon King (Uli Edel, 2004)
104. Chimera Strain (Maurice Haeems, 2018)
105. Dolcezza Extrema a.k.a. Sick Sock Monsters from Outer Space (Alberto Genovese, 2015)
106. The Gnome-Mobile (Robert Stevenson, 1967)
107. Futureworld (Richard T. Heffron, 1976)
108. A Very Nutty Christmas (Colin Theys, 2018)
109. La cicatrice intérieure a.k.a. The Inner Scar (Philippe Garrel, 1972)
110. Mermaids of Tiburon (John Lamb, 1962)
111. Syngenor (George Elanjian Jr., 1990)
112. Domain (Nathaniel Atcheson, 2016)
113. Charly (Ralph Nelson, 1968)
114. Age of Tomorrow (James Kondelik, 2014)
115. Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (Arthur Lubin, 1944)
116. Hot Tub Time Machine 2 (Steve Pink, 2014)
117. Immortals (Tarsem Singh, 2011)
118-120. Dropkick on My Devil!! S1E1-12 (2018)
121-123. The Triangle (Craig R. Baxley, 2005)
124. Halo: Nightfall (Sergio Mimica-Gezzan, 2014)
125. Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn (Stewart Hendler, 2012)
126. Imagine That (Karey Kirkpatrick, 2009)
127a. Here Comes Tobor (Duke Goldstone, 1957)
127b. City Beneath the Sea (Irwin Allen, 1969)
127c. The Faeries of Blackheath Woods (Ciaran Foy, 2006)
127d. Mezame no hakobune a.k.a. Open your Mind (Mamoru Oshii, 2005)
128. The Advanced Guard a.k.a. The Colony (Peter Geiger, 1998)
129. Weird Science (John hughes, 1985)
130. Voyage Into Space (Minoru Yamada, 1970)
131. The People That Time Forgot (Kevin Connor, 1977)
132. Rise of the Black Bat (Scott Patrick, 2012)
133. The Day the World Ended (Terence Gross, 2001)
134. The Resurrection of Zachary Wheeler (Bob Wynn, 1971)
135. Dante 01 (Marc Caro, 2008)
136. Xin liu xing hu die jian a.k.a. Butterfly and Sword (Michael Mak, 1993)
137. Seksmisja a.k.a. Sexmission (Juliusz Machulski, 1984)
138. Tsuin shigunaru a.k.a. Twin Signal (Toshiko Sasaki, 1996)
139. Robot Ninja (J.R. Bookwalter, 1989)
140. The Pied Piper of Hamelin (Bretaigne Windust, 1957)
141. The Borrowers (Walter C. Miller, 1973)
142. Alien Private Eye (Vik Rubenfeld, 1987)
143. I grandi condottieri a.k.a. Gideon and Samson (Marcello Baldi, Francisco Pérez-Dolz, 1965)
144. Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Phantom Planet (1998)
145. The Muppets Take Manhattan (Frank Oz, 1984)
146. Afritah Hanem (Hinri Barakat, Yusuf Maloof, 1949)
147. Replicas (Jeffrey Nachmanoff, 2018)
148. Vampire Academy (Mark Waters, 2014)
149. Karei naru erogami-ke no ichizoku: Shinsô reijô wa denki shitsuji no yume o miru ka a.k.a. Erotibot (Naoyuki Tomomatsu, 2011)
150. Nemesis (Albert Pyun, 1992)
151. Nemesis 2: Nebula (Albert Pyun, 1995)
152. Nemesis III: Prey Harder (Albert Pyun, 1996)
153. Nemesis 4: Death Angel (Albert Pyun, 1996)
154. Somewhere, Tomorrow (Robert Wiemer, 1983)
155a. Studio One in Hollywood: A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (Franklin J. Schaffner, 1952)
155b. A Little Girl Who Did Not Believe in Santa Claus (Edwin S. Porter, J. Searle Dawley, 1907)
155c. Jeanne d'Arc (Georges Méliès, 1900)
156. Puzzlehead (James Bai, 2005)
157. Scrooge (Henry Edwards, 1935)
158. Without Warning (Greydon Clark, 1980)
159. Surf II (Randall M. Badat, 1984)
160. Mad World a.k.a. Dystopia (Paul Tanter, 2018)
161. Riddick (David Twohy, 2013)
162. Rubber's Lover (Shozin Fukui, 1996)
163-164. Quatermass and the Pit E1-6 (1958)
165. Il racconto dei racconti - Tale of Tales (Matteo Garrone, 2015)
166. Angel on My Shoulder (Archie Mayo, 1946)
167-169. Zero kara hajimeru mahou no sho a.k.a. Grimoire of Zero E1-12 (2017)
170. Journey to the Center of the Earth (Henry Levin, 1959)
171. Violet Evergarden: Recollections (2021)
172. El ojete de Lulú a.k.a. Lulu's Talking Ass (Jesus Franco, 1986)
173. Chatterbox! (Tom DeSimone, 1977)
174. Archive(Gavin Rothery, 2020)
175. Bionicle: Mask of Light (David Molina, Terry Shakespeare 2003)
176. King Solomon's Treasure (Alvin Rakoff, 1979)
177. Theatre 625: The Year of the Sex Olympics (Michael Elliott, 1968)
178. The Medusa Touch (1978)
179-181. Gostya iz budushchego a.k.a. Guest from the Future E1-5 (1984)
182. Jack and the Beanstalk (Jean Yarbrough, 1952)
183. The Barbarians (Ruggero Deodato, 1987)
184. Project Almanac (Dean Israelite, 2014)
185. Missile to the Moon (Richard Cunha, 1958)
186. Unidentified Flying Oddball (Russ Mayberry, 1979)
187. Flesh and Fantasy (Julien Duvivier, 1943)
188. Le fatiche erotiche di Hercules a.k.a. Hercules: A Sex Adventure (Joe D'Amato, 1997)
189. Daai laap mat taam Ling Ling Fat a.k.a. Forbidden City Cop (Stephen Chow, Vincent Kok, 1996)
190. Nihon igai zenbu chinbotsu a.k.a. The World Sinks Except Japan (Minoru Kawasaki, 2006)
191. Future World (James Franco, Bruce Thierry Cheung, 2018)
192. Giorgio Moroder Presents Metropolis (Fritz Lang, 1927)
193. Wu Kong a.k.a. Immortal Demon Slayer (Chi-kin Kwok, 2017)
194. Sheborg Massacre (Daniel Armstrong, 2016)
195. The Incredible Petrified World (Jerry Warren, 1957)
196. The Machine (Caradog James, 2013)
197. Pulse (Paul Golding, 1988)
198. The Scribbler (John Suits, 2014)
199. El-haimoune a.k.a. Wanderers in the Desert (Nacer Khemir, 1984)
200. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (Joel Crawford, Januel Mercado, 2022)

[VincentPrice]

16. Headless Horseman-2022: 5/10
17. Diamond Pyramid-1985: 7/10

Spoiler

1. Black Adam-2022: 7/10
2. Viy-1967: 9/10
3. Wyrm-2019: 8/10
4. 1-2009: 7/10
5. The Peanut Butter Solution-1985: 7/10
6. RoboCop-1987: 10/10
7. War of the Worlds-2005: 10/10
8. Hrabe Drakula-1971: 8/10
9. Aqua Teen Forever: Plantasm-2022: 10/10
10. X-Men-2000: 8/10
11. The Prince and the Pauper-1937: 7/10
12. Creatures from the Abyss-1994: 8/10
13. Nope-2022: 10/10
14. Come True-2020: 8/10
15. Last Action Hero-1993: 10/10

[Tngy]

39. Pi (1998) 7/10
40. Tremors (1990) 6/10
41. Spider-Man (2002) 6/10
42. Spider-Man 2 (2004) 6/10
43. Spider-Man 3 (2007) 5/10
44. Ex Machina (2014) 7/10

Spoiler

1. Office Invasion (2022) 3/10
2. Arrival (2016) 7/10
3. Toy Story (1995) 8/10
4. Moon (2009) 5/10
5. Toy Story 2 (1999) 8/10
6. Akira (1988) 7/10
7. Toy Story 3 (2010) 8/10
8. Idiocracy (2006) 7/10
9. Los Cronocrímenes Timecrimes (2007) 6/10
10. Toy Story 4 (2019) 7/10
11. Liu Lang Di Qiu The Wandering Earth (2019) 4/10
12. Klaus (2019) 4/10
13. The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997) 4/10
14. Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) 6/10
15. Indringer (2021) 3/10
16. Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990) 4/10
17. Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) 7/10
18. Holy Motors (2012) 7/10
19. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014) 7/10
20. War for the Planet of the Apes (2017) 7/10
21. Incroyable Mais Vrai Incredible But True (2022) 6/10
22. Mandibules Mandibles (2020) 8/10
23. Deep Impact (1998) 4/10
24. De Uskyldige The Innocents (2021) 8/10
25. Inception (2010) 5/10
26. Big (1988) 6/10
27. Back to the Future (1985) 6/10
28. Back to the Future Part II (1989) 5/10
29. Back to the Future Part III (1990) 5/10
30. Come True (2020) 6/10
31. Az Prijde Kocour When the Cat Comes (1963) 6/10
32. The Terminator (1984) 7/10
33. Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989) 5/10
34. Unbreakable (2000) 4/10
35. Armageddon (1998) 4/10
36. Blade Runner (1982) 7/10
37. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) 8/10
38. Slither (2006) 4/10

[AB537]

24. Sai yau gei: Yut gwong bou haap - A Chinese Odyssey: Part One - Pandora's Box (Jeffrey Lau, 1995) 5/10 ... listed as fantasy on ICM, MUBI and Netflix, which makes it (especially when considering the content) a bizarre exclusion from IMDB
25. Zoe (Drake Doremus, 2018) 6.5/10

[blocho]

sounds like something an AI would come up with if asked to write the logline of a Cronenberg film

You inspired me to ask ChatGPT for the plot of a hypothetical Cronenberg movie. Here's what I got back:

Title: "The Mind's Eye"

A scientist creates a device that allows people to enter and control their own dreams, but as the lines between reality and the dream world begin to blur, the characters are forced to confront the darker aspects of their subconscious minds. As they delve deeper into their own psyches, they realize that the device has a mind of its own, manipulating their dreams and leading them towards a sinister discovery. The film explores themes of technology, psychology, and the power of the human mind.

I would call that accurate but kind of uninspiring. Real Cronenberg wipes the floor with AI Cronenberg. So I asked ChatGPT for a plot summary for a Cronenberg movie that diverges from his previous work. Here's what I got back:

Title: "The Island of Lost Souls"

A group of survivors from a shipwreck wash up on a mysterious island, only to find that it is inhabited by a strange community of people who have been living there for generations. The island is ruled by a charismatic leader who claims to have the power to heal any illness, but as the newcomers begin to explore their new surroundings, they uncover a dark secret about the leader and the true nature of the island. The film blends elements of science fiction, horror, and mystery, as the characters are forced to confront the reality of their situation and fight for their survival.

Real Cronenberg -- 2
AI Cronenberg -- 0

[shugs]

15. A Quiet Place Part II (John Krasinski, 2020, ) - 6/10
16. Under the Blossoming Cherry Trees (Masahiro Shinoda, 1975, ) - 7/10
17. Soldier (Paul W. S. Anderson, 1998, ) - 5/10
18. Super 8 (J.J. Abrams, 2011, ) - 6/10

Spoiler

1. Kiss Me Goodbye (Robert Mulligan, 1982, ) - 5/10
2. Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes (Junta Yamaguchi, 2020, ) - 7/10
3. Island of Lost Souls (Erle C. Kenton, 1932, ) - 7/10
4. Miracle in Milan (Vittorio De Sica, 1951, ) - 8/10
5. The War of the Worlds (Byron Haskin, 1953, ) - 7/10
6. Legend (Ridley Scott, 1985, ) - 7/10
7. Invention for Destruction (Karel Zeman, 1958, (CS)) - 7/10
8. A Chinese Ghost Story II (Tony Ching Siu-Tung, 1990, ) - 8/10
9. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (Joel Crawford, Januel Mercado, 2022, ) - 9/10
10. A Chinese Ghost Story III (Tony Ching Siu-Tung, 1991, ) - 6/10
11. The Crazy Ray (René Clair, 1925, ) - 7/10
12. Space Cop (Mike Stoklasa, Jay Bauman, 2016, ) - 5/10
13. A Quiet Place (John Krasinski, 2018, ) - 7/10
14a. The Great Space Jam (Mike Stoklasa, Jay Bauman, 2011, ) - 6/10
14b. La Jetée (Chris Marker, 1962, ) - 7/10
14c. The Cameraman’s Revenge (Wladyslaw Starewicz, 1912, ) - 8/10
14d. Fantasmagorie (Émile Cohl, 1908, ) - 7/10
14e. The Red Balloon (Albert Lamorisse, 1956, ) - 8/10

[flavo5000]

sounds like something an AI would come up with if asked to write the logline of a Cronenberg film

You inspired me to ask ChatGPT for the plot of a hypothetical Cronenberg movie. Here's what I got back:

Title: "The Mind's Eye"

A scientist creates a device that allows people to enter and control their own dreams, but as the lines between reality and the dream world begin to blur, the characters are forced to confront the darker aspects of their subconscious minds. As they delve deeper into their own psyches, they realize that the device has a mind of its own, manipulating their dreams and leading them towards a sinister discovery. The film explores themes of technology, psychology, and the power of the human mind.

I would call that accurate but kind of uninspiring. Real Cronenberg wipes the floor with AI Cronenberg. So I asked ChatGPT for a plot summary for a Cronenberg movie that diverges from his previous work. Here's what I got back:

Title: "The Island of Lost Souls"

A group of survivors from a shipwreck wash up on a mysterious island, only to find that it is inhabited by a strange community of people who have been living there for generations. The island is ruled by a charismatic leader who claims to have the power to heal any illness, but as the newcomers begin to explore their new surroundings, they uncover a dark secret about the leader and the true nature of the island. The film blends elements of science fiction, horror, and mystery, as the characters are forced to confront the reality of their situation and fight for their survival.

Real Cronenberg -- 2
AI Cronenberg -- 0

That second one sounds like a ripoff of Lost by The Asylum...

[flavo5000]

201-208. Legion S2E1-11 (2018)


209. Dragon's Heaven (Makoto Kobayashi, 1988)


210. Majo demo Steady a.k.a. My Steady is a Witch (Osamu Kobayashi, 1986)


211. A Walk in My Shoes (John Kent Harrison, 2010)


212. Les aventures extraordinaires d'Adèle Blanc-Sec (Luc Besson, 2010)


213. Curucu, Beast of the Amazon (Curt Siodmak, 1956)


214. Gintama (Yûichi Fukuda, 2017)


215. Dreamscape (Joseph Ruben, 1984)


216a. Assassin's Creed: Lineage (2009)
216b. Assassin's Creed: Ascendance (Laurent Bernier, 2010)
216c. Dragon Fist (Shigeyasu Yamauchi, 1991)


217. The Magus (Guy Green, 1968)


218. Return to Nim's Island (Brendan Maher, 2013)

The Timeless Tomorrow

1. Miraklet i Valby a.k.a. Miracle in Valby (Åke Sandgren, 1989)
2. Nora (Satomi Mikuriya, 1985)
3. Ratatouille (Brad Bird, Jan Pinkava, 2007)
4-8. The 10th Kingdom (2000)
9. Silent Shorts [Le pied de mouton (1907), The Airship Destroyer (1909), Alice in Wonderland (1903), Scrooge; or Marley's Ghost (1901), The Thieving Hand (1908), An Interesting Story (1904), Le roi du maquillage (1904), Mary Jane's Mishap (1903), The Little Match Seller (1902), The Enchanted Drawing (1900), Le cauchemar (1896), Les affiches en goguette (1906), Le squelette joyeux (1898), Le scarabée d'or (1907), Le papillon fantastique (1901), L'homme orchestre (1900), Nouvelles luttes extravagantes (1901), La tentation de Saint-Antoine (1898), Le cochon danseur (1907) ]
10. Cyber Vengeance (J. Christian Ingvordsen, 1997)
11. R.I.P.D. (Robert Schwentke, 2013)
12. Pyl a.k.a. Dust (Sergey Loban, 2005)
13. Synchronic (Justin Benson, Aaron Moorhead, 2019)
14. Day the World Ended (Roger Corman, 1955)
15. The Immortal Wars (Joe Lujan, 2018)
16. Rumpelstiltskin (David Irving, 1987)
17. Split Second (Tony Maylam, 1992)
18. A Monster Calls (J.A. Bayona, 2016)
19. The Butterfly Effect 2 (John R. Leonetti, 2006)
20. Jungle Jim in the Forbidden Land (Lew Landers, 1952)
21. Black Adam (Jaume Collet-Serra, 2022)
22. Goodbye World (Denis Hennelly, 2013)
23. After the Dark (John Huddles, 2013)
24-26. The Vanishing Shadow (Lew Landers, 1934)
27. Moontrap: Target Earth (Robert Dyke, 2017)
28. Voyage of the Rock Aliens (James Fargo, 1984)
29. Yattâman (Takashi Miike, 2009)
30. Ansikte mot ansikte a.k.a. Face to Face (Ingmar Bergman, 1976)
31. Bell Book and Candle (Richard Quine, 1958)
32. The Recall (Mauro Borrelli, 2017)
33. If Only (Gil Junger, 2004)
34. Iron Sky: The Coming Race (Timo Vuorensola, 2018)
35. Class of 1999 (Mark L. Lester, 1990)
36. Galaxy of the Dinosaurs (J.R. Bookwalter, 1992)
37. Humanoids from Atlantis (J.R. Bookwalter, 1992)
38. Injû kyôshi - jissha-ban a.k.a. Angel of Darkness (Mitsunori Hattori, 1995)
39. Jack Frost (Troy Miller, 1998)
40. The Cloverfield Paradox (Julius Onah, 2018)
41. Huo shao hong lian si a.k.a. Burning Paradise (Ringo Lam, 1994)
42. G-Saviour (Graeme Campbell, 2000)
43. Looker (Michael Crichton, 1981)
44. The Brain Eaters (Bruno VeSota, 1958)
45. Mortal Engines (Christian Rivers, 2018)
46. Otroki vo vselennoy a.k.a. Children in the Universe (Richard Viktorov, 1975)
47. Aliens Cut My Hair (Michael McIntosh, 1992)
48. Mortal Kombat: Legacy S1 (Kevin Tancharoen, 2011)
49. Francis Goes to West Point (Arthur Lubin, 1952)
50. Francis Covers the Big Town (Arthur Lubin, 1953)
51. Francis Joins the WACS (Arthur Lubin, 1954)
52. Francis in the Navy (Arthur Lubin, 1955)
53. La momia azteca a.k.a. The Aztec Mummy (Rafael Portillo, 1957)
54. Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio (Guillermo del Toro, Mark Gustafson, 2022)
55. Exodus: Gods and Kings (Ridley Scott, 2014)
56. Love, Death & Robots S3 (2022)
57. Space Truckers (Stuart Gordon, 1996)
58. No Resistance (Tim Thomson, 1994)
59. Tômei ningen arawaru a.k.a. Invisible Man Appears (Shinsei Adachi, Shigehiro Fukushima, 1949)
60. Tômei ningen to hae otoko a.k.a. The Invisible Man vs the Human Fly (Mitsuo Murayama, 1957)
61-62. Terry Pratchett's Hogfather (Vadim Jean, 2006)
63. Císaruv pekar - Pekaruv císar a.k.a. Emperor and the Golem (Martin Fric, 1952)
64. One and Two (Andrew Droz Palermo, 2015)
65-66. Final Days of Planet Earth (Robert Lieberman, 2006)
67. The Dirt Bike Kid (Hoite C. Caston, 1985)
68. The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (James Gunn, 2022)
69. Dream a Little Dream (Marc Rocco, 1989)
70. Morgan (Luke Scott, 2016)
71. Puss in Boots (Eugene Marner, 1988)
72. Chiu kup hok hau ba wong a.k.a. Future Cops (Jing Wong, 1993)
73. Philadelphia Experiment II (Stephen Cornwell, 1993)
74. Flesh Gordon Meets the Cosmic Cheerleaders a.k.a. Flesh Gordon 2 (Howard T. Ziehm, 1990)
75. Gong gui zai a.k.a. Red Spell Spells Red (Titus Ho, 1983)
76. Alien 2 - Sulla Terra a.k.a. Alien 2: On Earth (Ciro Ippolito, Biagio Proietti, 1980)
77. Kdyby tisíc klarinetu a.k.a. If a Thousand Clarinets (Ján Rohác, Vladimír Svitácek, 1965)
78-81. Paper Girls E1-8 (2022)
82. Surrogates (Jonathan Mostow, 2009)
83. The Librarian: Quest for the Spear (Peter Winther, 2004)
84. The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines (Jonathan Frakes, 2006)
85. The Librarian: The Curse of the Judas Chalice (Jonathan Frakes, 2008)
86. Mutant Hunt (Tim Kincaid, 1987)
87. Naufragio (Jaime Humberto Hermosillo, 1978)
88. The Day After (Nicholas Meyer, 1983)
89-91a. Schmigadoon! E1-7 (2021)
91b. The Disintegrated Convict (1907)
91c. The 'Teddy' Bears (Edwin S. Porter, 1907)
91d. Prekrasnaya Lyukanida a.k.a. The Beautiful Leukanida (Wladyslaw Starewicz, 1912)
92. Xi you ji zhi: Sun Wukong san da Baigu Jing a.k.a. The Monkey King 2 (Soi Cheang, 2016)
93. Ghost in the Machine (Rachel Talalay, 1993)
94-99. Dennô koiru a.k.a. Dennou Coil E1-26 (2007)
100. The Dark Side of the Moon (D.J. Webster, 1990)
101. Mandibules (Quentin Dupieux, 2020)
102. The Alpha Test (Aaron Mirtes, 2020)
103. Ring of the Nibelungs a.k.a. Dark Kingdom: The Dragon King (Uli Edel, 2004)
104. Chimera Strain (Maurice Haeems, 2018)
105. Dolcezza Extrema a.k.a. Sick Sock Monsters from Outer Space (Alberto Genovese, 2015)
106. The Gnome-Mobile (Robert Stevenson, 1967)
107. Futureworld (Richard T. Heffron, 1976)
108. A Very Nutty Christmas (Colin Theys, 2018)
109. La cicatrice intérieure a.k.a. The Inner Scar (Philippe Garrel, 1972)
110. Mermaids of Tiburon (John Lamb, 1962)
111. Syngenor (George Elanjian Jr., 1990)
112. Domain (Nathaniel Atcheson, 2016)
113. Charly (Ralph Nelson, 1968)
114. Age of Tomorrow (James Kondelik, 2014)
115. Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (Arthur Lubin, 1944)
116. Hot Tub Time Machine 2 (Steve Pink, 2014)
117. Immortals (Tarsem Singh, 2011)
118-120. Dropkick on My Devil!! S1E1-12 (2018)
121-123. The Triangle (Craig R. Baxley, 2005)
124. Halo: Nightfall (Sergio Mimica-Gezzan, 2014)
125. Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn (Stewart Hendler, 2012)
126. Imagine That (Karey Kirkpatrick, 2009)
127a. Here Comes Tobor (Duke Goldstone, 1957)
127b. City Beneath the Sea (Irwin Allen, 1969)
127c. The Faeries of Blackheath Woods (Ciaran Foy, 2006)
127d. Mezame no hakobune a.k.a. Open your Mind (Mamoru Oshii, 2005)
128. The Advanced Guard a.k.a. The Colony (Peter Geiger, 1998)
129. Weird Science (John hughes, 1985)
130. Voyage Into Space (Minoru Yamada, 1970)
131. The People That Time Forgot (Kevin Connor, 1977)
132. Rise of the Black Bat (Scott Patrick, 2012)
133. The Day the World Ended (Terence Gross, 2001)
134. The Resurrection of Zachary Wheeler (Bob Wynn, 1971)
135. Dante 01 (Marc Caro, 2008)
136. Xin liu xing hu die jian a.k.a. Butterfly and Sword (Michael Mak, 1993)
137. Seksmisja a.k.a. Sexmission (Juliusz Machulski, 1984)
138. Tsuin shigunaru a.k.a. Twin Signal (Toshiko Sasaki, 1996)
139. Robot Ninja (J.R. Bookwalter, 1989)
140. The Pied Piper of Hamelin (Bretaigne Windust, 1957)
141. The Borrowers (Walter C. Miller, 1973)
142. Alien Private Eye (Vik Rubenfeld, 1987)
143. I grandi condottieri a.k.a. Gideon and Samson (Marcello Baldi, Francisco Pérez-Dolz, 1965)
144. Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Phantom Planet (1998)
145. The Muppets Take Manhattan (Frank Oz, 1984)
146. Afritah Hanem (Hinri Barakat, Yusuf Maloof, 1949)
147. Replicas (Jeffrey Nachmanoff, 2018)
148. Vampire Academy (Mark Waters, 2014)
149. Karei naru erogami-ke no ichizoku: Shinsô reijô wa denki shitsuji no yume o miru ka a.k.a. Erotibot (Naoyuki Tomomatsu, 2011)
150. Nemesis (Albert Pyun, 1992)
151. Nemesis 2: Nebula (Albert Pyun, 1995)
152. Nemesis III: Prey Harder (Albert Pyun, 1996)
153. Nemesis 4: Death Angel (Albert Pyun, 1996)
154. Somewhere, Tomorrow (Robert Wiemer, 1983)
155a. Studio One in Hollywood: A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (Franklin J. Schaffner, 1952)
155b. A Little Girl Who Did Not Believe in Santa Claus (Edwin S. Porter, J. Searle Dawley, 1907)
155c. Jeanne d'Arc (Georges Méliès, 1900)
156. Puzzlehead (James Bai, 2005)
157. Scrooge (Henry Edwards, 1935)
158. Without Warning (Greydon Clark, 1980)
159. Surf II (Randall M. Badat, 1984)
160. Mad World a.k.a. Dystopia (Paul Tanter, 2018)
161. Riddick (David Twohy, 2013)
162. Rubber's Lover (Shozin Fukui, 1996)
163-164. Quatermass and the Pit E1-6 (1958)
165. Il racconto dei racconti - Tale of Tales (Matteo Garrone, 2015)
166. Angel on My Shoulder (Archie Mayo, 1946)
167-169. Zero kara hajimeru mahou no sho a.k.a. Grimoire of Zero E1-12 (2017)
170. Journey to the Center of the Earth (Henry Levin, 1959)
171. Violet Evergarden: Recollections (2021)
172. El ojete de Lulú a.k.a. Lulu's Talking Ass (Jesus Franco, 1986)
173. Chatterbox! (Tom DeSimone, 1977)
174. Archive(Gavin Rothery, 2020)
175. Bionicle: Mask of Light (David Molina, Terry Shakespeare 2003)
176. King Solomon's Treasure (Alvin Rakoff, 1979)
177. Theatre 625: The Year of the Sex Olympics (Michael Elliott, 1968)
178. The Medusa Touch (1978)
179-181. Gostya iz budushchego a.k.a. Guest from the Future E1-5 (1984)
182. Jack and the Beanstalk (Jean Yarbrough, 1952)
183. The Barbarians (Ruggero Deodato, 1987)
184. Project Almanac (Dean Israelite, 2014)
185. Missile to the Moon (Richard Cunha, 1958)
186. Unidentified Flying Oddball (Russ Mayberry, 1979)
187. Flesh and Fantasy (Julien Duvivier, 1943)
188. Le fatiche erotiche di Hercules a.k.a. Hercules: A Sex Adventure (Joe D'Amato, 1997)
189. Daai laap mat taam Ling Ling Fat a.k.a. Forbidden City Cop (Stephen Chow, Vincent Kok, 1996)
190. Nihon igai zenbu chinbotsu a.k.a. The World Sinks Except Japan (Minoru Kawasaki, 2006)
191. Future World (James Franco, Bruce Thierry Cheung, 2018)
192. Giorgio Moroder Presents Metropolis (Fritz Lang, 1927)
193. Wu Kong a.k.a. Immortal Demon Slayer (Chi-kin Kwok, 2017)
194. Sheborg Massacre (Daniel Armstrong, 2016)
195. The Incredible Petrified World (Jerry Warren, 1957)
196. The Machine (Caradog James, 2013)
197. Pulse (Paul Golding, 1988)
198. The Scribbler (John Suits, 2014)
199. El-haimoune a.k.a. Wanderers in the Desert (Nacer Khemir, 1984)
200. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (Joel Crawford, Januel Mercado, 2022)
201-208. Legion S2E1-11 (2018)
209. Dragon's Heaven (Makoto Kobayashi, 1988)
210. Majo demo Steady a.k.a. My Steady is a Witch (Osamu Kobayashi, 1986)
211. A Walk in My Shoes (John Kent Harrison, 2010)
212. Les aventures extraordinaires d'Adèle Blanc-Sec (Luc Besson, 2010)
213. Curucu, Beast of the Amazon (Curt Siodmak, 1956)
214. Gintama (Yûichi Fukuda, 2017)
215. Dreamscape (Joseph Ruben, 1984)
216a. Assassin's Creed: Lineage (2009)
216b. Assassin's Creed: Ascendance (Laurent Bernier, 2010)
216c. Dragon Fist (Shigeyasu Yamauchi, 1991)
217. The Magus (Guy Green, 1968)
218. Return to Nim's Island (Brendan Maher, 2013)

[Lonewolf2003]

31. G-Force (2009, Hoyt Yeatman): 5.8 - It's a family animation movie about CGI guinea pig being secret agents. It's totally predictable and forgetable. But while watching pretty watchable.

32. Superman II (1980, Richard Lester): rewatch: 8.0 > 8.0 - A case of the sequel being (slightly) better than the original. Next week: The Donnner cut.

33. Inu-oh (2022, Masaaki Yuasa): 7.5

34. Mind Game (2004, Masaaki Yuasa): 5.5 - A disappointment. Too weird for just being weird in my taste, and the second half in the whale drags too much. There are still some very fun moments tho and the ending is good, so not a complete waste of time just expected something else/more.

35. Injustice (2021, Matt Peters): 5.8 - Superman breaks bad, Batman and co try to stop him. It's clear that in another source (it's adopted from a videogame) with more time to develop the plot and characters this could be a very intriguing story, alas in this short film the plot and characters are underdeveloped. Still it passes the time okay for 78 minutes it lasts.

Spoiler

1. Black Adam (2022, Jaume Collet-Serra): 5.5
2. The Mummy Returns (2001, Stephen Sommers): 4.0
3. Predator (1987, John McTiernan): rewatch 8ish? > 8.5
4. Predator 2 (1990, Stephen Hopkins) rewatch: 4-5ish > 6.2
5. AVP: Alien vs. Predator (2004, Paul W.S. Anderson) rewatch: 6.5 > 6.2
6. AVPR: Aliens vs Predator - Requiem (2007, Colin & Greg Strause): rewatch: 5.5 > 4.0
7. Predators (2010, VS, Nimród Antal) rewacht: 6.5 > 4.8
8. The Predator (2018, Shane Black): 4.0
9. Prey (2022, Daniel Trachtenberg): 8.0
10. Strange World (2022, Don Hall & Qui Nguyen): 7.2
11. Abominable (2019, Jill Culton & Todd Wilderman): 4.5
12. John Carter (2012, Andrew Stanton): 4.5
13. Knowing (2009, Alex Proyas): 5.0
14. Green Lantern: Beware My Power (2022, Jeff Wamester): 4.0
15. The Sorcerer's Apprentice (2010, Jon Turteltaub): 5.8
16. The Matrix Resurrections (2021, Lana Wachowski): 8.2
17. Astro Boy (2009, David Bowers): 6.0
18. Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (200, Raja Gosnell): 3.5
19. Superman (1978, VS, Richard Donner) rewatch; 7.5 > 8.0
20. Jiu Jitsu (2020, Dimitri Logothetis): 3.5-
21. Warcraft (2016, Duncan Jones): 6.0
22-27. Andor Season 1 (2022, Tony Gilroy): 7.8 (553 min total)
28. Tenet (2020, Christopher Nolan): 7.8
29. Palm Springs (2020, Max Barbakow): 7.5
30. Unearthly Stranger (1963, John Krish): 5.0

[klaus78]

Spoiler

1. Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio (2022) 6/10
2.-7. Dark (Season 3) 4/10
8. The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra (2001) 4/10
9. Stalker (1979) [rewatch] 9/10
10.-20. The Twilight Zone (Season 4) 5/10
21.-26. Andor (Season 1) 6/10

27. Case for a Rookie Hangman (1970) 8/10
28.-29. The Last of Us (Season 1 Episodes 1-3)
30.-34. Attack on Titan (Season 4.1) 7/10

[jdidaco]

(Screenshots from 'Akademia pana Kleksa' & 'Grajacy z talerza'),



59. La poupée (The Doll, Jacques Baratier, 1962) 8/10
60. Le ciel sur la tête (Skies Above, Yves Ciampi, 1965) 7/10
61. Eta vesyolaya planeta (This Merry Planet, Yury Saakov & Yuri Tsvetkov, 1973) 7/10
62. Subversion (Stanislav Stanojevic, 1979) 8/10
63. Rendez-moi ma peau... (Give Me Back My Skin, Patrick Schulmann, 1980) 7.5/10
64. Akademia pana Kleksa (Mister Blot's Academy, Krzysztof Gradowski, 1984) 8/10
65. Den gneva (Day of Wrath, Sulambek Mamilov, 1985) 7.5/10
66. L'herbe rouge (Red Grass, Pierre Kast, 1985) 8/10
67. Przyjaciel wesolego diabla (Friend of the Jolly Devil, Jerzy Lukaszewicz, 1987) 7/10
68. Ucieczka z kina 'Wolnosc' (Escape from the 'Liberty' Cinema, Wojciech Marczewski, 1990) 8/10
69. Grajacy z talerza (Playing from the Plate, Jan Jakub Kolski, 1995) 8.5/10
70. Mandibules (Mandibles, Quentin Dupieux, 2020) 5/10



It ends, sadly. Thank you again for hosting, shugs, always one of the funnest challenges of the year!

!seen 70

Spoiler

1. Der Mann mit dem Objektiv (The Man with the Magic Lens, Frank Vogel, 1961) 7.5/10
2. Die goldene Gans (The Golden Goose, Siegfried Hartmann, 1964) 7/10
3. Grimms Märchen von lüsternen Pärchen (Grimm's Fairy Tales for Adults, Rolf Thiele, 1969) 7/10 (original cut)
4. Az ember tragédiája (The Tragedy of Man, Miklós Szinetár, 1969) 8.5/10
5. Radúz a Mahulena (Raduz and Mahulena, Petr Weigl, 1970) 9.5/10
6. Zlatovláska (Princess Goldilocks, Vlasta Janecková, 1973) 7.5/10
7. Wer reißt denn gleich vorm Teufel aus (The Devil's Three Golden Hairs, Egon Schlegel, 1977) 8/10
8. Palac (The Palace, Tadeusz Junak, 1980) 8.5/10
9. Alicja/Alice (Jerzy Gruza & Jacek Bromski, 1982) 7/10
10. Tretí princ (The Third Prince, Antonín Moskalyk, 1983) 8.5/10
11. Pierscien i róza (The Ring and the Rose, Jerzy Gruza, 1987) 9/10
12. Kamia sympatheia gia ton Diavolo (No Sympathy for the Devil, Dimitris Athanitis, 1997) 8/10
13. Bugday (Grain, Semih Kaplanoglu, 2017) 7/10
14. Mindörökké (Perpetuity, György Pálfi, 2021) 7.5/10
15. Rusalka (The Water Nymph, Václav Kaslík, 1963) 8.5/10
16. König Drosselbart (King Thrushbeard, Walter Beck, 1965) 8/10
17. Didn't You Hear? (Skip Sherwood, 1970) 6/10
18. Idaho Transfer (Peter Fonda, 1973) 8/10
19. Hans Röckle und der Teufel (Hans Röckle and the Devil, Hans Kratzert, 1974) 7.5/10
20. Orfeo 9 (Orpheus 9, Tito Schipa Jr., 1975) 8/10
21. Das blaue Licht (The Blue Light, Iris Gusner, 1976) 8/10
22. Foes (John Coats, 1977) 8/10
23. Adamo ed Eva, la prima storia d'amore (Adam and Eve Meet the Cannibals, Luigi Russo & Enzo Doria, 1983) 6/10
24. Cudowne dziecko (The Young Magician, Waldemar Dziki, 1987) 7.5/10
25. Rapunzel oder Der Zauber der Tränen (Rapunzel or the Magic of Tears, Ursula Schmenger, 1988) 8/10
26. Die Geschichte von der Gänseprinzessin und ihrem treuen Pferd Falada (The Goose Princess, Konrad Petzold, 1989) 8/10
27. Svatba upíru (The Vampire Wedding, Jaroslav Soukup, 1993) 7.5/10
28. Jezerní královna (Queen of the Lake, Václav Vorlícek, 1998) 7.5/10
29. Sokoliar Tomás/Král sokolu (Tomás and the Falcon King, Václav Vorlícek, 2000) 8/10
30. Nope (Jordan Peele, 2022) 7/10
31. Kain XVIII (Cain the XVIII-th, Nadezhda Kosheverova & Mikhail Shapiro, 1963) 9/10
32. Tri tolstyaka (Three Fat Men, Iosif Shapiro & Aleksey Batalov, 1966) 8.5/10
33. Swiss Made (Yves Yersin, Fritz E. Maeder and Fredi M. Murer & H.R. Giger, 1968) 8/10
34. V trinadtsatom chasu nochi (In the Thirteenth Hour of the Night, Larisa Shepitko, 1969) 8/10
35. Mal da udal (Small and Bold, Mukhamed Soyunkhanov, 1974) 8/10
36. Priklyucheniya Buratino (The Adventures of Buratino, Leonid Nechaev, 1976) 7.5/10
37. L'oiseau bleu (The Blue Bird, Gabriel Axel, 1981) 8/10
38. Pessi ja Illusia (Pessi and Illusia, Heikki Partanen, 1984) 9/10
39. Golos travy (The Voice of the Herbs, Natalya Motuzko, 1992) 9.5/10
40. Princezna ze mlejna (The Watermill Princess, Zdenek Troska, 1994) 7/10
41. Lotrando a Zubejda (Ruffiano and Sweeteeth, Karel Smyczek, 1997) 8.5/10
42. Rölli ja metsänhenki (Rollo and the Woods Sprite, Olli Saarela, 2001) 6.5/10
43. Skrítek (Elf, Tomás Vorel, 2005) 7.5/10
44. Earwig (Lucile Hadzihalilovic. 2021) 7/10
45. Agente S 03: Operazione Atlantide (Operation Atlantis, Domenico Paolella, 1965) 6/10
46. Agente Logan - missione Ypotron (Operation 'Y', Giorgio Stegani, 1966) 7/10
47. The Year of the Sex Olympics (Michael Elliott, 1968) 8.5/10
48. La ragazza di latta (The Tin Girl, Marcello Aliprandi, 1970) 7.5/10
49. Conviene far bene l'amore (Love and Energy, Pasquale Festa Campanile, 1975) 8/10
50. Brave New World (Burt Brinckerhoff, 1980) 8/10
51. Vendetta dal futuro (Hands of Steel, Sergio Martino, 1986) 6/10
52. Remote Control (Jeff Lieberman, 1988) 6/10
53. Vampiros Sexos/I Was a Teenage Zabbadoing (Carl Andersen, 1988) 7.5/10
54. Rote Ohren fetzen durch Asche/Flaming Ears (A. Hans Scheirl & Ursula Puerrer & Dietmar Schipek, 1992) 8/10
55. Bad Channels (Ted Nicolaou, 1992) 6.5/10
56. Tri bratri (Three Brothers, Jan Sverák, 2014) 7.5/10
57. Sedmero krkavcu (The Seven Ravens, Alice Nellis, 2015) 8/10
58. The Northman (Robert Eggers, 2022) 7.5/10

[ChrisReynolds]

sounds like something an AI would come up with if asked to write the logline of a Cronenberg film

You inspired me to ask ChatGPT for the plot of a hypothetical Cronenberg movie. Here's what I got back:

Generated plots

Title: "The Mind's Eye"

A scientist creates a device that allows people to enter and control their own dreams, but as the lines between reality and the dream world begin to blur, the characters are forced to confront the darker aspects of their subconscious minds. As they delve deeper into their own psyches, they realize that the device has a mind of its own, manipulating their dreams and leading them towards a sinister discovery. The film explores themes of technology, psychology, and the power of the human mind.

I would call that accurate but kind of uninspiring. Real Cronenberg wipes the floor with AI Cronenberg. So I asked ChatGPT for a plot summary for a Cronenberg movie that diverges from his previous work. Here's what I got back:

Title: "The Island of Lost Souls"

A group of survivors from a shipwreck wash up on a mysterious island, only to find that it is inhabited by a strange community of people who have been living there for generations. The island is ruled by a charismatic leader who claims to have the power to heal any illness, but as the newcomers begin to explore their new surroundings, they uncover a dark secret about the leader and the true nature of the island. The film blends elements of science fiction, horror, and mystery, as the characters are forced to confront the reality of their situation and fight for their survival.

Real Cronenberg -- 2
AI Cronenberg -- 0

This is the best one I got:

Title: "The Unnatural Realm"

Plot: The film follows a troubled young woman, Lila, who has been struggling with mental illness for most of her life. After a particularly bad episode, she is admitted to a psychiatric hospital for treatment. While there, she discovers a mysterious device that can transport her to an alternate reality. In this alternate reality, Lila discovers a terrifying world filled with grotesque creatures and surreal landscapes. She soon learns that the device has been created by a mad scientist, who is attempting to use it to create a new form of life. As Lila explores this strange new world, she discovers the true horror of what the mad scientist has been doing and must confront her inner demons in order to escape and save the world from his sinister plans.

It's still difficult to get GPT to make truly original stuff, but I'd watch that.

[Minkin]

Techno-babble / Food-babble Challenge

01. Colossus and the Headhunters (1963) - Italy / Slovenia - Rating: 4 /10
02. Scooby-Doo and the Reluctant Werewolf (1988) - Romania - Rating: 3/10
03. Star Trek Deep Space 9 - Season 4 Episode 24 + 25
04. Atlantic Rim (2013) - Florida / New York - Rating: 3/10
05. Mom and Dad Save the World (1992) - San Bernardino County / Saturn - Rating: 7/10
06. Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle for Earth (1992) - Japan / Indonesia - Rating: 6/10

07. The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) - England / USA - Rating: 4/10
It’s the Charles Dickens ghost for Christmas story, only with the addition of Muppets and songs – which is to (hopefully) make it less terrifying for children (which it doesn’t really succeed at). So we build up this character of Ebenezer Scrooge, who everyone hates and for good reason: he’s miserly, miserable and seems to be mad at absolutely everything and everyone. That he’s so disliked must be news to him – as it takes until his visit from the Ghost of Christmas Future – to see that everyone is happy that the bastard is dead, with people in the street just casually commenting about how glad they were that Scrooge is finally dead. I’m not sure how any of this would be considered news to him – as its not exactly any different than the Ghost of Christmas Present – showing the results of people suffering due to him being such an unlovable asshole. I mean, he must know already that he’s one of the most dreaded and hated men in existence, I just don’t see why a Ghost showing him first hand the reactions upon his death, would do anything to change him – as nothing has changed at any point during his life other than this mystical event – and if there’s one thing the 21st century has shown us: the rich don’t care if they’re hated. It’s not like we get to see him burn in hell and get any actual just-reward for being such a terrible person his whole life, so I don’t see why any of the Ghosts of Christmas would do anything to rectify this. That he experiences these visits from the Christmas ghosts at all shows a certain taxation on his mental stability. They start soon after he lays down for bed, so there’s a strong likelihood that the visits from the Ghosts were simply down to his sleep – as only delirium or dreaming could produce this effect. This all said, the preceding moments leading up to his visits from the Ghosts shows him briefly hallucinate: where he sees the doorknob turn into a face of his former business partner – which is the one true hallucination we get, whereas the rest can be pinned down to being a dream – probably down to having Stilton blue cheese and getting weird and intense dreams as a result; or hell, maybe he was eating moldy bread and got dosed with ergot and went on a trip. For one can have life-altering dreams that make you sit up and become a different person – because they were so strong and because they affected you so deeply. For instance, I know someone who became a better friend to their sister after they had a disturbing dream – so it’s possible to have a dream change your life. Scrooge’s experience here lies somewhere between hypnogogic, paranormal, and hallucinatory – but whatever the case is, it shows that everyone is redeemable, that everyone can be saved and become a good-natured godly folk person, it just might take a little bit of the fantastical to bring about. Besides all of that, what I really want to know is: if it’s a world of sentient animals… and vegetables, everyone must be really casual about killing and eating things that can talk back to you. I guess they’re all lucky to have any food at all – but making vegetables have a consciousness seems like it would make you struggle to eat much of anything – just hope the monger killed them first. Anyway, I don’t think the songs add anything other than to kid-size the experience, so it just kinda end up being annoying and the addition of the Muppets try to tame this story into something palatable for children, but it doesn’t really succeed at that either – as it just turns into a case of “don’t be like Scrooge;” but hell – this is as good of evidence of needing to tax the wealthy as anything goes – lest they all have the same delusion of frugality that Scrooge does – as hate/shaming the wealthy into becoming better people, hasn’t had much of an impact lately.


I will hopefully have +1 more before the end of my day, but just in case, I'll say thanks to shugs for hosting!

[Silga]

40. Shortcut to Happiness (Alec Baldwin, 2003) 5/10

That's it for me. I watched 20 films for last year's Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge, so I managed to double it this time.

Thanks for hosting, Shugs!

A Journey through the Universe

1. Escanaba in da Moonlight (Jeff Daniels, 2001) 6/10
2. A Smoky Mountain Christmas (Henry Winkler, 1986) 5/10
3. Idaho Transfer (Peter Fonda, 1973) 2/10
4. Slipstream (Anthony Hopkins, 2007) 7/10
5. Vice Versa (Peter Ustinov, 1948) 7/10
6. TekWar (William Shatner, 1994) 3/10
7. The Legend of Bagger Vance (Robert Redford, 2000) 8/10
8. Ghost Dad (Sidney Poitier, 1990) 4/10
9. Lost River (Ryan Gosling, 2014) 4/10
10. Human Highway (Dean Stockwell, Neil Young, 1982) 7/10
11. What Is It? (Crispin Glover, 2005) 1/10
12. Matilda (Danny DeVito, 1996) 8/10
13. Charlie's Ghost Story (Anthony Edwards, 1995) 6/10
14. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Chris Columbus, 2001) 9/10 (rewatch)
15. Light of My Life (Casey Affleck, 2019) 7/10
16. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Chris Columbus, 2002) 8/10 (rewatch)
17. Rainbow (Bob Hoskins, 1995) 3/10
18. Unicorn Store (Brie Larson, 2017) 6/10
19. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Alfonso Cuarón, 2004) 10/10 (rewatch)
20. The Tin Soldier (Jon Voight, Gregory Gieras, 1995) 2/10
21. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Mike Newell, 2005) 7/10 (rewatch)
22. The Shape of Water (Guillermo del Toro, 2017) 8/10
23. The Red Sneakers (Gregory Hines, 2002) 4/10
24. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (David Yates, 2007) 8/10 (rewatch)
25. Oh, God! (Carl Reiner, 1977) 7/10 (rewatch)
26. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (David Yates, 2009) 9/10 (rewatch)
27. Panic In Year Zero! (Ray Milland, 1962) 5/10
28. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (David Yates, 2010) 9/10 (rewatch)
29. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (David Yates, 2011) 9/10 (rewatch)
30. Practical Magic (Griffin Dunne, 1998) 4/10
31. A Quiet Place Part II (John Krasinski, 2020) 7/10
32. The Milagro Beanfield War (Robert Redford, 1988) 5/10
33. Death Becomes Her (Robert Zemeckis, 1992) 6/10 (rewatch)
34. Final (Campbell Scott, 2001) 4/10
35. The Invention of Lying (Ricky Gervais, Matthew Robinson, 2009) 6/10
36. Dragonfly (Tom Shadyac, 2002) 3/10
37. The Lake House (Alejandro Agresti, 2006) 4/10
38. Knowing (Alex Proyas, 2009) 6/10 (rewatch)
39. The Hudsucker Proxy (Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, 1994) 9/10
40. Shortcut to Happiness (Alec Baldwin, 2003) 5/10

[vortexsurfer]

27. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (Rob Cohen, 2008) - 6/10
28. Paradise Hills (Alice Waddington, 2019) - 7/10
29. The Matrix Resurrections (Lana Wachowski, 2021) - 9/10
30. Dual (Riley Stearns, 2022) - 9/10
31. Lost in Space (Stephen Hopkins, 1998) - 7/10

Spoiler

1. The Premonition (Robert Allen Schnitzer, 1975) - 8/10
2. The Crazies (George A. Romero, 1973) - 8/10
3. Ringu 2 (Hideo Nakata, 1999) - 7/10
4. Carrie (Brian De Palma, 1976) - 10/10
5. The Thing (John Carpenter, 1982) - 10/10
6. The Arrival (David Twohy, 1996) - 7/10
7. Spontaneous (Brian Duffield, 2020) - 8/10
8. Vanilla Sky (Cameron Crowe, 2001) - 9/10
9. Life (Daniel Espinosa, 2017) - 6/10
10. Robots (Chris Wedge, 2005) - 6/10
11. Titan A.E. (Gary Goldman & Don Bluth, 2000) - 7/10
12. Moonshot (Christopher Winterbauer, 2022) - 8/10
13. Reminiscence (Lisa Joy, 2021) - 6/10
14. I Am Mortal (Tony Aloupis, 2021) - 5/10
15. Cosmic Sin (Edward Drake, 2021) - 7/10
16. Apex (Edward Drake, 2021) - 6/10
17. After Yang (Kogonada, 2021) - 9/10
18. Munchie (Jim Wynorski, 1992) - 7/10
19. The Final Cut (Omar Naim, 2004) - 6/10
20. Arctic Blast (Brian Trenchard-Smith, 2010) - 3/10
21. Bedazzled (Harold Ramis, 2000) - 7/10
22. Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus (Jack Perez, 2009) - 4/10
23. Trancers II: The Return of Jack Deth (Charles Band, 1991) - 7/10
24. Mega Piranha (Stuart Gillard & Eric Forsberg, 2010) - 3/10
25. The Mummy (Stephen Sommers, 1999) - 9/10
26. The Mummy Returns (Stephen Sommers, 2001) - 7/10
27. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (Rob Cohen, 2008) - 6/10
28. Paradise Hills (Alice Waddington, 2019) - 7/10
29. The Matrix Resurrections (Lana Wachowski, 2021) - 9/10
30. Dual (Riley Stearns, 2022) - 9/10
31. Lost in Space (Stephen Hopkins, 1998) - 7/10

[AB537]

26. Triangle (Christopher Smith, 2009) 6.5/10
27-33. Andor (season 1, Disney+, 2022) 8.5/10 ... 12 episodes ... 35 minutes carried over, not that it matters
34. Coherence (James Ward Byrkit, 2013) 6/10

[gunnar]

211 - Cat-Women of the Moon (1953) - 5/10 - A scientific mission to the Moon with four men and one woman lands on the dark side and discovers a really old civilization of women who wear skin tight black suits and can use mind control. It's a pretty ridiculous film, but is still watchable.

212 - O-Bi, O-Ba: The End of Civilization (1985) - 6.5/10 - After a nuclear holocaust, people are living in a crowded underground bunker that is starting to fall apart. They live in hope of an ark coming to rescue them, though this was only a rumor planted to increase morale. You do get a sense of a lived in and claustrophobic society, though I only found it intermittently interesting.

213 - Ikarie XB 1 (1963) -7.5/10 - In 2163, a scientific expedition is mounted to investigate a mysterious planet in the Alpha Centauri system. Due to relativity, they will age 28 months during the mission while quite a bit more time will pass on Earth. They encounter a number of dangers during the voyage. It's a bit slow at times, but also was also fairly well acted and interesting. The space scenes were cool and I liked their ship.

214 - Summer Time Machine Blues (2005) - 7.5/10 - The members of a scifi club are unhappy when the remote for their air conditioner stops working and they may be forced to spend the sweltering summer without the benefit of cooler air. Then a time machine appears and they concoct a plan to use it to retrieve the remote and save their summer. It takes a while for this film to really get going, but once it does, I enjoyed the overlapping timelines, quirky humor, and various characters.

215 - The Miracle Fighters (1982) - 5.5/10 - A man thought to be the Emperor's son who was kidnapped many years earlier learns kung-fu from two elderly priests who argue a lot, but had the same teacher. There were some interesting fights and action sequences on occasion, but mostly I struggled to stay interested in the story.

216-229 - 1148 minutes of tv shows
Crash Zone Season 2 (2001) (257 minutes)- More adventures with a group of teens who test games for a software company and deal with the A.I. that lives there as well. It was decent.

Alienated Season 1 (2003) (303 minutes) - A family (father, mother, teen daughter, teen son, grandfather) deals with being abducted by aliens and dealing with the subtle changes, which are mostly sexual in nature. It's kind of a dumb show.

The Demon Headmaster Seasons 1-3 (1996) (316 minutes)- Dinah is a young orphan girl who is placed in a home where there are two boys close to her own age. She is later adopted by the family. She soon sees that something strange is going on at her new school. The headmaster has a sort of superhypnotism power and is capable of controlling all but a handful of the students, though Dinah's brothers are among those who are immune. The headmaster has plans to expand his control over the whole country. The headmaster serves as the foil through all three seasons, though there are four separate stories and settings. All three seasons are pretty well done and entertaining with nice performances from the kids, especially the girl playing Dinah, and the headmaster. I enjoyed seeing Danny John-Jules in a couple of the first season episodes.

The Demon Headmaster Season 1 (2019) (272 minutes) - This series is a sequel to the original 90s show. Lizzie Warren and her brother Tyler return to Hazelbrook School after spending time in the United States. Lizzie got in trouble for defending her brother from a bully during her previous time at the school. Lizzie finds that things have changed quite a bit at the school due to the new person in charge - the Demon Headmaster back to his old tricks and in charge of a school. Lizzie, Tyler, and a couple of friends try to fight against the Headmaster's plans. I enjoyed this series, though I liked the original Headmaster in the 90s show more than the new one. The kids are a bit older in this series so the dynamic is a bit different this time around.

That's it for me. Thanks for hosting, shugs. It was fun. Science fiction and fantasy are my favorite genres so I was looking forward to catching up on a number of movies and tv shows, some of which had been in my queue for a long time. I managed (barely) to get through all of the tv series that I picked out to watch this month, though there are still quite a few more for next year. I finished one short of my total from last year and now await flavo's 12 point final update to get first place.

Spoiler

1 - Abbott and Costello Go to Mars (1953) - 6.5/10
2 - The Beast of Yucca Flats (1961) - 4/10
3 - Miss Minoes (2001) - 7.5/10
4 - Beyond Tomorrow (1940) - 6.5/10
5-20 - See (2019) Seasons 1-3 (1283 minutes)
21 - First Spaceship on Venus (1960) - 5.5/10
22 - I Was a Teenage Werewolf (1957) - 6/10
23 - Not of This Earth (1957) - 6/10
24 - Re-Animator (1985) - 7/10
25-30 - 480 minutes of tv shows
Infinity Train Season 3 (2020) (113 minutes)
Infinity Train Season 4 (2021) (113 minutes)
Star Trek Lower Decks Season 2 (2021) (254 minutes)
31 - Pitfall (1962) - 8/10
32 - I'm Your Man (2021) - 7.5/10
33 - The Blood of a Poet (1932) - 6/10
34 - The Blood of Jesus (1941) - 5/10
35 - Children of the Damned (1964) - 7/10
36 - Doctor X (1932) - 6/10
37-46 - 800 minutes of tv shows
Chocky (1984) (151 minutes)
Chocky's Children (1985) (151 minutes)
Chocky's Challenge (1986) (151 minutes)
Ark (2009) (48 minutes)
Annedroids Season 1 (2014) (299 minutes)
47 - The Omega Man (1971) - 6/10
48 - The Quatermass Xperiment (1955) - 6/10
49 - Quatermass 2 (1957) - 7/10
50 - Quatermass and the Pit (1967) - 7/10
51 - Silent Running (1972) - 7/10
52 - your name. (2016) - 8/10
53 - Yeelen (1987) - 7/10
54 - Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (2010) - 7/10
55 - Summer Days with Coo (2007) - 8/10
56 - Under the Skin (2013) - 6/10
57-62 - Alphas Season 1 (2011) (496 minutes)
63 - Melancholia (2011) - 7.5/10
64 - Save the Green Planet (2003) - 7.5/10
65 - The Sorcerer's Apprentice (1978) - 7.5/10
66 - Miracle in Milan (1951) - 7.5/10
67 - Tropical Malady (2004) - 6/10
68 - Il Mare (2000) - 7/10
69 - Okja (2017) - 8/10
70 - Rare Exports (2010) - 7/10
71 - The Lift (1983) - 7.5/10
72 - The Adventures of Goopy and Bagha (1969) - 7/10
73-76 - 326 minutes of tv shows
The Doombolt Chase (1978) (146 minutes)
Dramarama: Spooky (1983) (180 minutes)
77 - 4:44 Last Day on Earth (2011) - 6/10
78 - King Lear (1987) - 3/10
79 - Robot Monster (1953) - 5/10
80 - Tribulation 99: Alien Anomalies Under America (1992) - 5/10
81-83 - Delta Wave (1996) (248 minutes)
84 - Things to Come (1936) - 7/10
85 - The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976) - 6/10
86 - Dreams (1990) - 8.5/10
87 - Dark Star (1974) - 6/10
88-98 - 883 minutes of tv shows plus one short
Station Eleven (2021) (512 minutes)
The Sparticle Mystery Season 1 (2011) (364 minutes)
Rare Exports, Inc. (2003) (7 minutes)
99 - Os Canibais / The Cannibals (1988) - 7/10
100 - Chorus (1975) - 7.5/10
101 - The Monster Squad (1987) - 7.5/10
102 - The Student of Prague (1913) - 7/10
103 - The Time of Their Lives (1946) - 7.5/10
104 - Nope (2022) - 7/10
105 - Shock Waves (1977) - 6/10
106 - Tarantula (1955) - 7/10
107 - The Blob (1958) - 7/10
108 - The Devil-Doll (1936) - 7/10
109 - The Invisible Ray (1936) - 5/10
110 - Memoria (2021) - 7.5/10
111 - Three Crowns of the Sailor (1983) - 5.5/10
112 - Black Sheep (2006) - 6.5/10
113 - Body Snatchers (1993) - 7.5/10
114 - Chopping Mall (1986) - 7/10
115 - Die, Monster, Die! (1965) - 7/10
116 - Fiend Without a Face (1958) - 6.5/10
117 - The Man Who Changed His Mind (1936) - 7/10
118 - The Mask of Fu Manchu (1932) - 6.5/10
119 - The Stone Tape (1972) - 6.5/10
120 - Trancers (1984) - 7/10
121 - Cemetery of Splendour (2015) - 7/10
122 - Bacurau (2019) - 8/10
123 - 20 Million Miles to Earth (1957) - 7/10
124 - It! The Terror from Beyond Space (1958) - 6.5/10
125 - The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953) - 7/10
126 - The Brain That Wouldn’t Die (1962) - 4/10
127 - X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes (1963) - 7/10
128 - Carnival of Sinners (1943) - 8/10
129 - Werewolf of London (1935) - 7/10
130 - Frankenstein Created Woman (1967) - 8/10
131 - Humanoids from the Deep (1980) - 5/10
132 - The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) - 8/10
133 - The Day of the Triffids (1962) - 6/10
134 - The Diabolical Dr. Z (1966) - 5/10
135 - The Man They Could Not Hang (1939) - 7.5/10
136 - The Raven (1963) - 7/10
137 - The Revenge of Frankenstein (1958) - 7/10
138 - Night of the Creeps (1986) - 7.5/10
139 - Phantasm (1979) - 7/10
140 - Timecrimes (2007) - 7/10
141 - Hocus Pocus (1993) - 7.5/10
142-147 - 480 minutes of tv shows
The Enchanted Castle (1979) (174 minutes)
Crash Zone Season 1 (1999) (306 minutes)
148 - India Song (1975) - 5/10
149 - When the Cat Comes (1963) - 7/10
150 - Krakatit (1948) - 7.5/10
151-158 - 645 minutes of tv shows
Dramarama (1983-1989) - 13 episodes (328 minutes)
Eerie Indiana: The Other Dimension (1998) (317 minutes)
159 - A Time of Roses (1969) - 6/10
160 - Zazie dans le Métro (1960) - 8.5/10
161 - Kin-Dza-Dza! (1986) - 7.5/10
162 - The Seventh Seal (1957) - 8.5/10
163-172 - 805 minutes of tv shows
Continuum Season 1 (2012) (440 minutes)
Eve Season 1 (2015) (365 minutes)
173 - Birds, Orphans and Fools (1969) - 5/10
174 - Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988) - 7.5/10
175 - Miracles of Thursday (1957) - 8/10
176 - The Secret Adventures of Tom Thumb (1993) - 7/10
177 - Tomorrow I'll Wake Up and Scald Myself with Tea (1977) - 8.5/10
178 - Who Wants to Kill Jessie? (1966) - 6.5/10
179 - A Scanner Darkly (2006) - 7/10
180 - Alice in Wonderland (1966) - 6/10
181 - The Singing Ringing Tree (1957) - 7/10
182 - Soylent Green (1973) - 7.5/10
183-187 - Falling Skies Season 1 (2011) (410 minutes)
188-194 - Alphas Season 2 (562 minutes)
195 - The Stepford Wives (1975) - 7.5/10
196 - The Spooky Bunch (1980) - 6/10
197 - Zardoz (1974) - 6/10
198 - Rouge (1987) - 8/10
199 - After Yang (2021) - 7.5/10
200 - The Snow Queen (1986) - 7.5/10
201-210 - 827 minutes of tv shows
The Feathered Serpent Seasons 1 and 2 (1976) (300 minutes)
Escape Into Night (1972) (148 minutes)
The Cul-de-Sac Season 1 (2016) (128 minutes)
Inuyashiki: Last Hero (2017) (251 minutes)
211 - Cat-Women of the Moon (1953) - 5/10
212 - O-Bi, O-Ba: The End of Civilization (1985) - 6.5/10
213 - Ikarie XB 1 (1963) -7.5/10
214 - Summer Time Machine Blues (2005) - 7.5/10
215 - The Miracle Fighters (1982) - 5.5/10
216-229 - 1148 minutes of tv shows
Crash Zone Season 2 (2001) (257 minutes)
Alienated Season 1 (2003) (303 minutes)
The Demon Headmaster Seasons 1-3 (1996) (316 minutes)
The Demon Headmaster Season 1 (2019) (272 minutes)

[beasterne]

36. Krull (1983)
37. Explorers (1985)
38. Highlander (1986)

And that’s it for me! Thanks for hosting shugs

movies so far

1. Stargate (1994)
2. Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993)
3. Valerie and her Week of Wonders (1970)
4. Eternals (2021)
5. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)
6. Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)
7. Gremlins (1984)
8. Rollerball (1975)
9. Fahrenheit 451 (1966)
10. Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984)
11. The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976)
12. The Abyss (1989)
13. Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)
14. Altered States (1980)
15. Westworld (1973)
16. Invaders from Mars (1953)
17. Nope (2022)
18. Love, Death & Robots
a. The Witness 12 min
b. Suits 17 min
c. Good Hunting 17 min
d. The Dump 11 min
e. Shape-Shifters 16 min
f. Ice Age 11 min = 84 min total, 4 min carryover (if needed)
19. The Andromeda Strain (1971)
20. Black Panther 2: Wakanda Forever (2022)
21. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022)
22. About Time (2013)
23. John Dies at the End (2012)
24. Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)
25. Fantastic Voyage (1966)
26. Penguins of Madagascar (2014)
27. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 (2015)
28. A Scanner Darkly (2006)
29. This Island Earth (1955)
30. Trancers (1984)
31. 20 Million Miles to Earth (1957)
32. It Came from Outer Space (1953)
33. Event Horizon (1997)
34. Three Thousand Years of Longing (2022)
35. The Omega Man (1971)

[blocho]

34. On Body and Soul (2017)
Comments in the Central Europe challenge.

[maxwelldeux]

Spoiler

1. Aelita: Queen of Mars (1924)
2. Dead Heat (1988)
3. The Double Life of Véronique (1991)
4. RoboCop 2 (1990)
"5. Shorts: 80m:
The Infernal Boiling Pot (1903, 2m)
Going to Bed with Difficulties (1900, 2m)
Le papillon fantastique (1909, 2m)
The Golden Beetle (1907, 3m)
The Hilarious Posters (1906, 3m)
The Black Imp (1905, 4m)
The Dragonfly and the Ant (1913, 5m)
The Thieving Hand (1908, 5m)
Alice in Wonderland (1903, 8m)
The Red Spectre (1907, 9m)
The Airship Destroyer (1909, 7m)
The Flat (1968, Czechoslovakia, 13m)
Entente cordiale (1912, 17m)"
6. Ant-Man (2015)
7. Stargate (1994)
8. The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953)
9. Gladiator Eroticvs: The Lesbian Warriors (2001)
10. PK (2014)
11. The Hunger Games (2012)
12. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013)
13. Tribulation 99: Alien Anomalies Under America (1992)
14. When Worlds Collide (1951)
15. The Wandering Earth (2019)
16. The Blood of a Poet (1932)
17. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 (2014)
18. Star Trek (2009)
19. Captain Marvel (2019)
20. Strange Days (1995)
21. Holy Motors (2012)
22. Megalodon (2018)
"23. Shorts (80m):
The Eclipse: Courtship of the Sun and Moon (1907, 9m)
Down to the Cellar (1983, Czechoslovakia, 15m)
Food (1992, Czechia, 17m)
Kingdom of the Fairies (1903, 16m)
The House of Ghosts (1906, 6m)
Le squelette joyeux (1898, 1m)
Artistic Creation (1901, 2m)
The Land Beyond the Sunset (1912,14m)"
24. 1990: The Bronx Warriors (1982)
25. Wedlock (1991)
26. Save the Green Planet! (2003)
27. The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947)
28. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 (2015)
29. Hell Comes to Frogtown (1988)
30. Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (2010)
31. Psycho Goreman (2020)
32. Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp (1917)
33. Mr. Vampire (1985)
34. Timecop (1994)
35. The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949)
36. Fortress (1992)
37. Willow (1988)
38. Conan the Barbarian (1982)
39. Conan the Destroyer (1984)
40. The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985)

41. Warlords of Atlantis (1978)
The monsters in this elevated it slightly, but it was at best a "meh" movie.

42. Timebomb (1991)
I didn't mind this at all. I saw a lot of elements from subsequent films that just had to be influenced by this. Or at least had similar inspiration. Pretty decent amount of action in there.

43. Our Man Flint (1966)
This was hilarious. And a better Bond film than a lot of Bond films.

That's it for me - thanks for hosting!

[Tngy]

45. Godzilla (1998) 3/10
46. Elf (2003) 4/10

Spoiler

1. Office Invasion (2022) 3/10
2. Arrival (2016) 7/10
3. Toy Story (1995) 8/10
4. Moon (2009) 5/10
5. Toy Story 2 (1999) 8/10
6. Akira (1988) 7/10
7. Toy Story 3 (2010) 8/10
8. Idiocracy (2006) 7/10
9. Los Cronocrímenes Timecrimes (2007) 6/10
10. Toy Story 4 (2019) 7/10
11. Liu Lang Di Qiu The Wandering Earth (2019) 4/10
12. Klaus (2019) 4/10
13. The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997) 4/10
14. Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) 6/10
15. Indringer (2021) 3/10
16. Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990) 4/10
17. Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) 7/10
18. Holy Motors (2012) 7/10
19. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014) 7/10
20. War for the Planet of the Apes (2017) 7/10
21. Incroyable Mais Vrai Incredible But True (2022) 6/10
22. Mandibules Mandibles (2020) 8/10
23. Deep Impact (1998) 4/10
24. De Uskyldige The Innocents (2021) 8/10
25. Inception (2010) 5/10
26. Big (1988) 6/10
27. Back to the Future (1985) 6/10
28. Back to the Future Part II (1989) 5/10
29. Back to the Future Part III (1990) 5/10
30. Come True (2020) 6/10
31. Az Prijde Kocour When the Cat Comes (1963) 6/10
32. The Terminator (1984) 7/10
33. Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989) 5/10
34. Unbreakable (2000) 4/10
35. Armageddon (1998) 4/10
36. Blade Runner (1982) 7/10
37. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) 8/10
38. Slither (2006) 4/10
39. Pi (1998) 7/10
40. Tremors (1990) 6/10
41. Spider-Man (2002) 6/10
42. Spider-Man 2 (2004) 6/10
43. Spider-Man 3 (2007) 5/10
44. Ex Machina (2014) 7/10

Thanks for hosting!

[Minkin]

Techno-babble / Food-babble Challenge

01. Colossus and the Headhunters (1963) - Italy / Slovenia - Rating: 4 /10
02. Scooby-Doo and the Reluctant Werewolf (1988) - Romania - Rating: 3/10
03. Star Trek Deep Space 9 - Season 4 Episode 24 + 25
04. Atlantic Rim (2013) - Florida / New York - Rating: 3/10
05. Mom and Dad Save the World (1992) - San Bernardino County / Saturn - Rating: 7/10
06. Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle for Earth (1992) - Japan / Indonesia - Rating: 6/10
07. The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) - England / USA - Rating: 4/10

08. Star Trek Deep Space 9 - Season 4, Episode 26 + Star Trek (The Original Series) - Season 3, Episode 3


I was hoping to end the month with something at least a little more interesting, but hey, we finally finished Deep Space 9, season 4 - which has taken over a year now to complete... just have 3 more seasons to go...

Thanks again for hosting shugs!

[gunnar]

08. Star Trek Deep Space 9 - Season 4, Episode 26 + Star Trek (The Original Series) - Season 3, Episode 3

I was hoping to end the month with something at least a little more interesting, but hey, we finally finished Deep Space 9, season 4 - which has taken over a year now to complete... just have 3 more seasons to go...

A rewatch of DS9 is something I've thought about for a few years. I watched the show when it first aired, then stopped watching regularly for a while, but came back and watched it again during the last couple of seasons. I rewatched the original series in order and was going to start on Next Generation and then DS9, but still haven't gotten around to it. Maybe during next year's SF challenge.

[nimimerkillinen]

Spoiler

Spoiler

1. Himiko (1974) light fave
2. La rose de fer - The Iron Rose (1973) - watchable-~ maybe a rewatch at some point
3. Poklosie (2012) meh-
4. Rivette: Duelle (une quarantaine) (1976) (Bluray) meh++
5. Zeman: Carodejuv ucen - The Sorcerer's Apprentice (1978) (DVD) meh++
6. Clair: La beauté du diable - Beauty and the Devil (1950) (Bluray) meh++
7. Jodorowksy: Poesía sin fin - Endless Poetry (2016) (Bluray) meh++
8. Terayama: Den-en ni shisu - Pastoral (1974) (Bluray) watchable-
9. La casa lobo - The Wolf House (2018) (Bluray) watchable++
10. Vávra: Krakatit (1948) Bluray - like++
11. Wajda: Wesele - The Wedding (1973) (Bluray)
12: Tsui: Ching se - Green Snake (1993) Bluray - meh++
13. Polák: Ikarie XB 1 (1963) Bluray - dated but not terrible

14. Jasný: Az prijde kocour - When the Cat Comes (1963) 1080p Web - ihan katottava-
15. Vorlicek: Kdo chce zabít Jessii? - Who Wants to Kill Jessie? (1966) DVD
16. Jancovics: János vitéz - Johnny Corncob (1973) Bluray 4K remaster - wasnt no Fehérlófia but somewhat pleasant
17. Marczewski: Escape from the 'Liberty' Cinema (1990) Bluray - meh-
18. Krstic: Ruben Brandt, Collector (2018) Bluray - didnt like++
19. Meszaros: Liza the Fox-Fairy (2015) meh

20. Polak: Tomorrow I'll Wake Up and Scald Myself with Tea (1977) Bluray - somewhat grating

thanks for hosting!

[OldAle1]

Dear Mr. Fantasy (and Ms Science Fiction)

1. The Amazing Transparent Man (Edgar G. Umer, 1960)
2. Monstrosity AKA The Brain Snatchers AKA The Atomic Brain (Joseph V. Mascelli / Jack Pollexfen, 1963)
3. Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi / Spirited Away (Hayao Miyazaki, 2001) re-watch
4. Moonraker (Lewis Gilbert, 1979) (re-watch)
5. Nope (Jordan Peele, 2022)
6. The Man Who Could Work Miracles (Lothar Mendes/Alexander Korda, 1936) (re-watch)
7. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (Gore Verbinski, 2007)

8-15. Logan's Run 14 episodes 1977-8

1x74 min + 13x49 min = 711 minutes total.



I saw at least a few episodes of this when it first aired, when I was 11-12. Coming in the wake of the mind-blowing experience that was Star Wars, of course even at the time I probably thought it somewhat cheap and low-rent, but I really can't say for sure. It was one of those shows from my childhood that always stuck with me, and it's unavailability for decades made it all the more desirable as a lost artifact of youth. Finally I did manage to get hold of a bootleg copy - I think it might be the only bootleg dvd set I ever bought - around 13-14 years ago, and I watched it and reviewed it on Amazon in September 2010, and I'll put that somewhat detailed review at the end.

This viewing was of the official DVD set put out a few years ago, which is completely devoid of extras apart from English and French subs, but it decently transferred. Watching this again in reasonably good quality, with all the bright pastel colors popping, makes it seem a tiny bit better than that 2010 viewing; also, I have since watched the Planet of the Apes and Buck Rogers TV series from the same era, and have a better idea of it's overall competition, and really what science fiction (and fantasy and adventure) in this era of American TV was all about. The fact that these shows have no real continuity is definitely an issue - this was a normal thing in those days for most TV, but with LR and PotA in particular, you end up with episode after episode of the 3 main characters just wandering around, seemingly aimlessly, because there can't be a build-up to any ultimate destination or goal, and because the shows didn't have the budgets to be shot anywhere but on sets and studio backlots or locations close to Burbank. There's actually an episode of this show ("Futurepast") that uses a VERY recognizable L.A. landmark, Griffith Park Observatory, as it's main setting. Nevermind that the show takes place in 2319 - nothing much has really changed in 300 years; how much of that is due to lack of imagination, how much to contempt for the audience's interest in a more intelligent and worked-out science fiction world, and how much due simply to low budgets and short production times, I don't know.

On the whole I did like this a bit more than I did before, and it certainly ranks favorably next to Buck Rogers, which is the bottom of the barrel for this genre in that era from what I've seen so far, and roughly on the same level as the very similar Planet of the Apes. PotA is probably just a bit more consistently OK, but it's standout episodes aren't as good as "Man Out of Time" so overall, it's a wash. And The Six Million Dollar Man remains the brass standard such as it is for a weak, but for me fascinating and heavily nostalgic era. A re-watch of Battlestar Galactica and first viewing of Fantastic Journey await, eventually.

2010 review

"Logan's Run" was one of the first American SF series to try to capitalize on the unexpected monstrous success of STAR WARS, released in May of 1977, a year after the film on which this series is based came out (and did mediocre business). It would be followed a year later by the much larger-budgeted "Battlestar Galactica" and two years later by "Buck Rogers"; there were a few other abortive attempts in the genre in this period as well but none of them were successful; despite the growing popularity of the genre in the cinema, it just wasn't financially doable on TV at this point. Not to mention that all three series just weren't that great - though all live on in nostalgialand to those of us who were adolescents at the time.

I haven't seen many episodes of the other two shows since they first aired, but I certainly remember that they both looked a lot better and were better acted overall than this fairly cheap and shoddy piece of work which lasted for just 14 episodes; today it would probably last for two if the writing weren't any better, though certainly the production values would be higher. The first episode is more or less a retread of the film: in the City of Domes in the 24th century, all people reach the age of 30 and go to 'Carousel' where they are supposedly "renewed" - but really are killed. Some people reject the system and try to escape; they are called runners and there are men (presumably always men; I don't think there are any women in the role seen) trained to hunt down and "terminate" them called Sandmen. Logan (Gregory Harrison) is a Sandman, Jessica (Heather Menzies) is a runner, and somehow Logan ends up running with Jessica instead of doing his duty. They escape the city and end up in a city of androids, where they befriend "Rem" (Donald Moffatt), the most advanced of the mechanical men, and he becomes their travelling companion; but they are beset at nearly every turn by Francis (Randy Powell), Logan's former best friend, a Sandman who has been promised a seat on the Council of Elders that runs the city secretly (and are, uhh, you guessed it, old).

Nearly every episode sees the three fugitives running into some group of humans living in a cut-off community or city who want to capture or kill them, or experiment on them or mind-control them, etc. Despite the fact that the trio have a "Solarcraft" - a solar-powered hovercraft that travels at perhaps 25-30 miles per hour, they never seem to get far from the City of Domes; every 2 or 3 episodes they seem to go back to it or near it, or be attacked by new Sandmen from it. I guess that none of them has much of a sense of direction. And though the City of Domes is supposed to be located near Washington DC (we see the ruins in the first episode), the landscape of the show is consistently and obviously that of the American southwest - lots of changes to the geography in 300 years!

The acting of two of the three leads, and many of the guest stars, is problematic, though only Menzies approaches downright terrible. Admittedly she isn't given much to do but be decorative and/or be in distress much of the time, and she fills that function pretty well; all three leads wear the same outfits through the whole show (I guess fabric technology is so well advanced that clothes never get dirty or torn) and Menzies is given a short-short salmon-colored skirt, thus allowing for plenty of shots of her legs. Harrison isn't a whole lot better; I guess the producers of the show thought he did well at being angry/intense so he gets a lot of scenes where he communicates those emotions, but unfortunately he comes off pretty much the same no matter HOW angry or intense he's supposed to be. Michael York and Jenny Agutter were much, much better in the film. Moffatt is the saving grace here, an old pro whose function is much like Spock's on Star Trek - know-it-all and sometime comic relief, though the accent is more on the latter.

And speaking of that earlier, and much more (ultimately) successful TV show/franchise, there are actually numerous connections between the two. Principal "Logan's Run" story editor and writer of a couple of episodes D.C. Fontana had worked on the original "Star Trek", originally starting out as Gene Roddenberry's secretary but eventually writing a couple of episodes, and continuing her involvement in the franchise on into the 2000s. Writers David Gerrold and Harlan Ellison contributed screenplays to both shows; and there are a number of actors who played secondary/guest roles on both shows.

Ultimately many of the problems that this show has may simply stem from the fact that the original conception is so silly when taken straight and worked out in a weekly TV show form. The original novel on which both the TV show and film were based, written by William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson, was published in 1967 and has more than a hint of satire to its premise (which has Carousel occurring at the age of 21, not 30) - and is better worked-out all around. It becomes impossible to imagine, seeing all the people that Logan and Jessica and Rem run into within just a few days' drive of the City that there has somehow been no contact between the inhabitants and the outside world for centuries. And unfortunately, the budget being what it was - and with the overall attitude about science fiction on TV (mostly just for kids) the prevailed at the time, the show was never really able to deal with these basic problems in a satisfactory way.

Still it can be fun and the oddly lush and romantic score (undercut in the opening credits by a ping-ping videogame effect) frequently creeps into my mind. If you're unsure about watching the whole show, here are the episodes that I'd consider highlights, such as they are:

1. "Logan's Run" - duplicates the film to some extent but diverges sharply also; Logan and Jessica find the Solarcraft and meet up with Rem.
3. "Capture" - a reworking of the hoary old "most dangerous game" idea with our heroes becoming hunting targets for guest stars Horst Buchholz and Mary Woronov (of Andy Warhol fame).
5. "Man Out of Time" - written by David Gerrold, this is EASILY the best episode in my opinion, about a time traveller (Paul Shenar) who has something to do with the wars in mankind's past coming forward and needing help from Logan and company. This actually has some real drama and pathos to it.
11. "Carousel" - Logan is drugged and goes back to the City of Domes voluntarily, and must be rescued by Jessica and Rem. Jessica gets more to do, we get some hint of a real relationship that could develop between her and Logan, and the City sets are better than average.
12. "Night Visitors" - notable because it has some thematic continuity with the previous episode, with Logan and Jessica's potential feelings explored more as they spend the night in a creepy ancient house filled with people who may or may not be dead, including Barbara Babcock (of "Star Trek" - original series) and Paul Mantee (of Robinson Crusoe on Mars).