The future of SciFi

@shardy "also, the directors cut of "THX1138" is a great example of intelligent sci-fi" Indeed it is. @allinamberclad You are now my favorite person for mentioning Phase IV, Monsters and Moon all in one post. All three fantastic science fiction films. And strangely enough three that didn't cost all that much relative to others. @Winwood Watch Primer (2004) if you haven't already. It's pretty much the only serious/plausible movie about time travel. You should also check out Peter Watts and Greg Egan if you like hard sci-fi (or just science fiction in general). They're both incredible authors that tend to write relatively short books with a lot of great ideas in them (rather than the other way around). And I happen to think that the very best ideas in science fiction have happened and continue to happen in books, not movies.

A high quality scifi movie called "Gravity" is coming out this November (with George Clooney and Sandra Bullock and directed by A. Cuaron). http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/sandra-bullock-describes-gravity-as-basically-some-next-level-shit Also good SF movies (in my opinion) are: 2001 Solaris Contact Alien Blade runner Sunshine

@CanadaPhil: yep, TCM is airing a great selection of sci-fi classics today TCM did air ALIEN once, last year as part of their "31 Days Of Oscar" programming schedule. it was really great for ALIEN to finally get the TCM / Robert Osbourne treatment, it was the very first time ALIEN aired on TCM i DVRd it in TCM HD, it looked really great. they aired the original theatrical cut, and i was very happy that night

@Shardy, Yep I remember that. When I saw Robert Osbourne talking about ALIEN his nerd cred went throught the roof! They also played Poltergeist at one point (close enough to sci-fi haha). Also, as an fyi.... The Saturday 8pm slot is reserved for what Osbourne & TCM refer to as THE ESSENTIALS (where they only honor the best of films), so I think its cool that they are now acknowledging Close Encounters in this tier. The only other sci-fi that I think has played in their "Essentials" slot was 2001. Edit... Oh forgot.. Im pretty sure they have also given that honor to BLADERUNNER !!, so they have included at least 3 fairly recent classic Sci-Fi(by TCM standards anyway) in their Essentials lineup. Im hoping they play Barbarella soon. Hahaha!

I have a very strong feeling that, looking back at Prometheus a few years hence, the general consensus will be that Ridley Scott is more of a businessman than an auteur. Not that there is anything wrong with that. I hope I am mistaken, but from everything I have seen so far this looks like a pretty cynical attempt by an average director to cash in on his most successful film. And if you bought the ultimate director's cut of Blade Runner you should be expecting Prometheus to slowly mutate over time, so that fanboys will buy the same movie several times.

barbarella wow that's 60s sc fi in all its glorious technicolour a great film to watch inebriated with your favourite poison whatever that may be lol i saw it once on mushrooms .

i bet they wont show flesh gordon lol

Watching Close Encounters on TCM right now.

As Darwin mentioned there is 'Gravity' on the horizon as well as 'Elysium', 'Cloud Atlas' and 'Ender's Game'. And a couple more that don't come to mind immediately. The future seems to be bright when it comes to intelligent SciFi. And BTW I'm of the school that '2010' is a fine film but doesn't come near '2001' for quality and vision. IMHO.

@CanadaPhil: yes again,,! i'm recording CEOTK on my DVR right now glad you also were lucky enough to see Robert Osbourne's great presentation of ALIEN. i do wish they'd add ALIEN into their regular rotation list like some of the other classics they run every now and then in all honesty, i don't think TCM has ever aired Blade Runner. i for one would LOVE to see that film get the TCM treatment too last time i saw Blade Runner air on cable, was on BBC America, edited with commercials (ugh) last fall although, the MGM Channel did air Blade Runner (with only 1 commercial break) unedited and in it's true letterbox format a a few years back. they too aired the theatrical version that i was lucky to see first run in the theater waaaaaaay back in 1982 ah....memories.....

Yep... I think I confused it with a showing on SPACE which is Canada's Sci-Fi channel. But thinking of Bladerunner and taking this back to the OT, I honestly think the future of Sci-Fi (at least the more serious topics) will unfortunately have to be with brave independent types like Duncan Jones who brought us MOON 2 years back. I think that was made with only a few million bucks!! The rest of the stuff we have had for nearly 10 years now is really nothing than CGI fluff... designed to appeal to the lower common denominator. I actually think of MOON as a sort of prequel to BLADERUNNER if you can believe that. They sort of fit the same timeline and its not too hard to imagine the sort lived clones of MOON as the forerunner of Tyrell's replicants.

I liked District 9 because it didn't take place in outer space, and didn't include a sprawling Blade Runner/Jean Giraud-esque future metropolis. Both those things are played out and boring to me, especially the latter. I'll make an exception for Prometheus and Gravity, but then I'm done with that stuff for a while.

@CanadaPhil: i am not familiar with Duncan Jones' work(s) i will have to investigate him, and see what you are referring to unless you meant the film "MOON" with Sam Rockwell...? in any case, sounds interesting

@ shardy Yeah, Duncan Jones wrote and directed Moon and directed Source Code.

a few points, firstly no one said that all that could be invented had been, it was a comment from einsteins physics lecturer at university that everything had been discovered and all that remained was to dot the i's and cross the t's. Then einstein turned physics on his head. I think people here sometimes are too quick to (mis)quote someone and leave out the context within which they made their quote. Other than trying to sound opinionated and full of themselves online i don't know why this is done so often online. Its a bit pathetic. there's a Q&A with RS and DL i watched yesterday where ridley talks about how he sees quantum mathematics and science as art. they come to a dead end in thougt, and then have to be creative, look at it from other angles, and what if..sometimes an answer will intuit itself to them. Science is full of that, in the greats. Had not heard of Phase IV, so will search on that now, and thanks for the tip on peter watss and greg egan too guys, much appreciated.

Phase IV / Saul Bass were in interesting combo, that film is the polar opposite of the ADHD type films of late Phase IV is definitely an acquired taste Douglas Trumbull's 1983 film "Brainstorm" also came into my mind as putting forth a profound sci-fi concept for a film that is a good film to watch if given the chance