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Wed Dec 16
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For the deluxe editions, I would also include the leatherbound deluxe edition of The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which not only contains all 5 books, but looks awesome. I call it the bible-edition, which is even funnier considering the series and Mr. Adams.
@Ruthless, If you let me: That is true. However, sometimes if you do that, the text and the images run together weirdly. When I include the "click here for galleries" thing, that partly means that I've gone thru and added a bit of extra formatting so it'll look okay in non-gallery format. :)
@Ruthless, If you let me: I've been using the "delete /gallery" trick for a while but it doesn't always work right, so I was thanking Charlie for doing the extra formatting so the text matches up correctly.
That link should make it nice and easy for anyone to add these titles to their Netflix queue. As I mentioned below, some are even IW, which makes catching up even easier.
I always thought that Serenity might be a movie strictly for fans, but I've had many, many people (who aren't into sci-fi) bring the film up to me since it came out. To me, that is a success. A film that can appeal to hardcore nerds as well as "mainstream" types.
Also, the Incredibles is parody, not a ripoff. The whole movie is based on generic superhero prototypes and how that works as a family dynamic. It wasn't a film about powers, it was a film about how an otherwise normal family deals with powers. Not to mention the fact that the film was funny and regularly made jokes about the superhero genre. It was very self aware.
If you wanna call "ripoff" please direct your anger at Heroes instead. That show uses every basic storyline from X-men poorly, while the creator practically boasts about his lack of comic book knowledge.
I agree with most of those, though feel it's a crime against sci-fi that nobody else has mentioned The Fountain and the ultimate dystopian gun-fu flick (and role that almost certainly earned Bale the part of Batman) Equilibrium.
I'd also give honorable mention to Children of Men, Time Crimes, Revenger's Tragedy, Special and Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (which was quite good, just not as good as every version that came before)
@bluehinter: I keep hearing about how great Equilibrium is. I'm going to have to procure a copy of said video and watch it. I've seen bits and pieces but never the whole thing...
@bluehinter: The only thing worse than putting The Fountain on that list, would be putting Primer on that....excuse me? It IS on that list? Ugh. Talk about a full feature film BEGGING to be a 15 minute short. Interesting premise aside, the film is damn-near unwatchable. And Charlie wants us to watch it TWICE??
Children of Men however WAS a perfect film. Can't believe Avatar (which hasn't even been released yet) has been inducted, and this Cuaron gem gets pushed aside.
@Andy Neil: Primer happens to be one of my all-time favorite movies (I'd even go so far as to say it was the best sci-fi movie of the decade, period.) but it's obviously not for everyone.
I'm an old school physics geek, who used to hang out with people like Aaron and Abe. (actually, one of them's over at the LHC right now)
The fact that most people only understand a fraction of their technical jargon should in no way hamper their enjoyment of this film, but then again, I happen to like stories that see people thrust into a completely unknown situation, who must then try to figure out what the hell's going on, rather than just blowing shit up.
@bluehinter:
this -- "stories that see people thrust into a completely unknown situation, who must then try to figure out what the hell's going on" -- is also why i have a fond place in my heart for Primer, and also how i experienced the first Matrix. i cannot understand those who willingly abandon such wonder.
clearly, i'm a "no spoilers" kind of gal. i've been pretty lucky to have friends who try to respect that.
the guys in Primer could be using Trek-speak, "put this tech in the tech," for all i care (though i do appreciate even the veneer of credibility, and i was pleased to recognize a bit of the argot); it's a tersely-paced movie, in the vein of the best noir. some people don't like being forced to wait, and listen, and frankly, think. it is a very quiet movie; it's also very philosophical.
plus, i have mondo respect for the production aspect of it -- $7k, trained himself, got his family and friends to do tech stuff and act, his mom catered (how cute is that!?)
Would The Mothman Prophecies count as science fiction? certainly there is a pseudo-scientific rationale given for the phenomena. Either way that film disturbed me for weeks.
i honestly dont get why people like spiderman 2 so much. it was pretty terrible.i mean you have a world renown scientist working on a project that basically creates a perpetual sun and the only containment is these AI tenticles? and they do this domonstration in the middle of new york?! before doc oc was even crazy he was more reckless, i mean shit when he turned evil he at least went to "ye olde abandoned dock warehouse district" slightly away from the population center of the east coast.
then you have osborn being a spoiled crying rich kid and peter being a push over.
then spiderman loses his mask on an eltrain and no one is going to say anything about it? a crowd of new yorkers being nobel? i could go on like this.
then the self sustaining fusion reaction sun is stopped by what water at the end? really? a self sustaining sun put out by water and not boiling everything for miles instantly? what?
spiderman 3 wasn't the downward slide for the franchise it started during two and just climaxed during the third.
@queensowntalia: I think it's because Spidey 2 is the lesser of three evils. They wanted to include one of the Spidey films and it's the best out of the bunch. I agree it doesn't stack up to the rest, but what are you gonna do.
@GreyHammer: Meh... I tend to disagree. I really enjoyed Spiderman 2. It was classic comic book stuff. The problem is, that classic comic book stuff, when held up to the light, often isn't realistic.
@DozertheDozarian: i mean im fine with suspending my disbelief on comic movies but the stuff in spiderman 2 was just so horrible. when super scientists are portreyed as morons and go from evil to redeemed in one second flat it makes me want to hit sam raimi
@FrankenPC: I have so much shameful love for the Chronicles of Riddick. I remember buying it and watching for the first time completely trashed off my face in a party frock. Good times.
08:10 AM
[search.barnesandnoble.com]
06:29 AM
12:39 AM
12/15/09
[www.taschen.com]
:)
12/15/09
Thanks also for the non-gallery versions!
12/15/09
12/15/09
12/15/09
07:15 AM
12/15/09
12/15/09
07:16 AM
12/15/09
[www.netflix.com]
That link should make it nice and easy for anyone to add these titles to their Netflix queue. As I mentioned below, some are even IW, which makes catching up even easier.
Hope it helps!
12/15/09
Also, the Incredibles is parody, not a ripoff. The whole movie is based on generic superhero prototypes and how that works as a family dynamic. It wasn't a film about powers, it was a film about how an otherwise normal family deals with powers. Not to mention the fact that the film was funny and regularly made jokes about the superhero genre. It was very self aware.
If you wanna call "ripoff" please direct your anger at Heroes instead. That show uses every basic storyline from X-men poorly, while the creator practically boasts about his lack of comic book knowledge.
12/15/09
12/15/09
12/15/09
I'd also give honorable mention to Children of Men, Time Crimes, Revenger's Tragedy, Special and Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (which was quite good, just not as good as every version that came before)
12/15/09
12/15/09
Children of Men however WAS a perfect film. Can't believe Avatar (which hasn't even been released yet) has been inducted, and this Cuaron gem gets pushed aside.
12/15/09
12/15/09
I'm an old school physics geek, who used to hang out with people like Aaron and Abe. (actually, one of them's over at the LHC right now)
The fact that most people only understand a fraction of their technical jargon should in no way hamper their enjoyment of this film, but then again, I happen to like stories that see people thrust into a completely unknown situation, who must then try to figure out what the hell's going on, rather than just blowing shit up.
03:38 AM
this -- "stories that see people thrust into a completely unknown situation, who must then try to figure out what the hell's going on" -- is also why i have a fond place in my heart for Primer, and also how i experienced the first Matrix. i cannot understand those who willingly abandon such wonder.
clearly, i'm a "no spoilers" kind of gal. i've been pretty lucky to have friends who try to respect that.
the guys in Primer could be using Trek-speak, "put this tech in the tech," for all i care (though i do appreciate even the veneer of credibility, and i was pleased to recognize a bit of the argot); it's a tersely-paced movie, in the vein of the best noir. some people don't like being forced to wait, and listen, and frankly, think. it is a very quiet movie; it's also very philosophical.
plus, i have mondo respect for the production aspect of it -- $7k, trained himself, got his family and friends to do tech stuff and act, his mom catered (how cute is that!?)
12/15/09
12/15/09
then you have osborn being a spoiled crying rich kid and peter being a push over.
then spiderman loses his mask on an eltrain and no one is going to say anything about it? a crowd of new yorkers being nobel? i could go on like this.
then the self sustaining fusion reaction sun is stopped by what water at the end? really? a self sustaining sun put out by water and not boiling everything for miles instantly? what?
spiderman 3 wasn't the downward slide for the franchise it started during two and just climaxed during the third.
12/15/09
12/15/09
12/15/09
12/15/09
12/15/09
12/15/09
12/15/09
12/15/09