Comments on: Top 10 Science Fiction Flicks For The Thinking Man (beerandscifi version)

By: ericmsteen

ericmsteen — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 13:45:25 +0000

Bassbait – I agree with you that 2001 is one of the best films ever made for multiple reasons. However, that’s not the point of this list, so it won’t be on this list.

By: Bassbait

Bassbait — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 06:46:14 +0000

Sorry, but even if you’re trying to go obscure, 2001: A Space Odyssey has to be on the list. All Sci-fi films have become obsolete because of it. Ridley Scott, great Sci Fi director agrees. It unintentionally became the Citizen Kane of sci-fi (although with Kubrick, it might have actually been intentional), and it made all previous movies look like crap, and all modern movies look like rip offs, stylistically, plot-wise or any other reason.

2001 is the greatest film I’ve ever seen, including The Godfather and Citizen Kane, and I’d have to say it may be the best film ever made.

So if you’re going to make top ten sci fi flicks for the thinking man, you should have thought first, because 2001 would have been on the list.

By: dudu

dudu — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 22:12:37 +0000

I am a portuguese guy and i would want to subtitle these movies.
I started with the creation of the humanoids, but there are somethings i can’t understand, so if any of you would want to help me, i only ask you to write some dialogs, i already got the timings and most of the translations, but there are some dialogs i cant understand what they are saying.
if anyone wants to help me amorim_tuga@sapo.pt

By: Ben

Ben — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 05:39:30 +0000

Oh, and I also have to throw support to the commenter who mentioned that Sunshine belongs on the list!

By: Ben

Ben — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 05:38:19 +0000

Great list! I’m so glad you included Alphaville!…one of the most underappreciated movies of all time!

By: Eric

Eric — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 19:38:22 +0000

Maybe “twist” was the wrong word. I still think they didn’t do a very good job at making me care about anything that was happening.

By: Jason

Jason — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 19:34:42 +0000

I don’t understand your points against Dark City. There really was no twist as far as I could tell. Everything logically culminated as Schreber had finally found the vessel he needed to stand up to the strangers after they underestimated his humanity. The only “human” in the film is Schreber; everyone else, including John has fake memories. The fact that John has fancy tuning abilities is an aberration of biology and has no bearing on his humanity.

I don’t think Dark City qualifies as a ‘Top 10 Sci-fi Flicks for TheThinking Man’, but for reasons totally unrelated to yours. The strangers were always destined to fail. Their entire experiment was broken; it didn’t even make sense. They created a schizophrenic society where everyone was an amalgam of memories but no one actually had the experience. If John had gotten his imprint like he was supposed to, he would have become the serial killer he was meant to be. Instead, he was left mostly blank and made choices which led him to become who he was. That is how humans work. The memories dumped on the people were the result of a set of choices they didn’t actually make.

I agree that Bladerunner should have been on your list.

By: Matt

Matt — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 10:00:15 +0000

Oh, and no love for Contact?

By: Matt

Matt — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 09:58:49 +0000

Sunshine is a great sci-fi movie (although not really top 10 material). LOVE Gattaca, and only just recently realised the title is made of of the DNA code letters. Duh.

The Fountain should be on your list, or RT’s, or both. Beautiful and mindbending.

By: Eli

Eli — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 01:12:41 +0000

Some of you guys take matters of opinion way too seriously. I loved Sunshine, and I like The Matrix. I hated Handmaid’s Tale. I thought The Fountain was intellectually stimulating. But I refused to call anyone a asshole, idiot, or psuedo-intellectual garbage. Take the list with a grain of salt. It’s not like Mr. Steen named this article “Watch these movies, or your a fucking idiot!”

By: Noirling

Noirling — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 01:15:05 +0000

Fail. No Bladerunner? No Matrix? Primer was complete and total pseudo-intellectual garbage.

By: ericmsteen

ericmsteen — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 17:11:36 +0000

Hey brian,
you make a good point about the matrix. concerning “top 10″ though I think it’s totally fair to call this a top 10. “Top 10″ is a very relative term and people have differing opinions. I called it the top 10 (beerandscifi version).

By: brian

brian — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 03:10:44 +0000

Interesting list, though i don’t think calling it a “top 10″ is fair given your criteria; just because everyone has seen 2001 and blade runner doesn’t mean they aren’t amazing films. Gattaca is an amazing film though, i’d agree with it’s place there.

As for the comments re. the matrix films… they’re taught in philosophy classes because they give an accessible and recignized account of philosophical ideas, not because they’re good movies or good philosophy. Their philosophy is clumsy and hackish, and is just a collection of poorly understood ideas that could be lifted any 1st year philsosophy course.

By: Kelly

Kelly — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 02:33:30 +0000

GREAT choice on Handmaid’s Tale and Gattaca!

- Kelly
The Convention Fans Blog
http://conventionfans.today.com

By: Jordan Lund

Jordan Lund — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 23:44:20 +0000

Handmaid’s Tale? Really? That flick was a total TRAINWRECK.

Now if you want to talk about the book, I’m with you 100%, but Jesus Christ you might as well be talking about “Clan of the Cave Bear” or “Flowers in the Attic” in terms of cinematic quality.

I’d rather have seen you list “The Fountain” as a flick which demands and inspires critical thinking.