• Welcome to the new COTI server. We've moved the Citizens to a new server. Please let us know in the COTI Website issue forum if you find any problems.
  • We, the systems administration staff, apologize for this unexpected outage of the boards. We have resolved the root cause of the problem and there should be no further disruptions.

2011 SF Movies Coming Up: Any Winners Here, D'ya Think?

I expect to be disappointed watching movies, most especially remakes, after the fabulously horrid Starship Troopers* AND Battlefield Earth. I expect nothing good from John Carter of Mars, and the thought of a Bladerunner remake depresses me knowing that the quality of screenwriters is what it is.

I would like to see a good version of Starship Troopers, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress and The Cat Who Walks Through Walls but I hold no hopes for that. I dread the screen versions of anything John Ringo or David Weber, there is no way in hades they will get those right. On the other hand, I,Robot made me deliriously happy for one reason- in the credits was the line "Inspired by a book by Issac Asimov". The screenwriters were honest for once. WHEEEE!:rofl:

Then again, with all my pessimism, it makes going to the movies fun when they dont suck! :D



*- I would like to note that while it was in no way Robert Heinleins Starship Troopers as advertised, it was an ok movie that I refer to as Bug Hunt. But I do expect that if you wish to bring what many consider a classic to the big screen, frakking do it right.
 
mbrinkhues said:
Disagree. I get a lot more entertainment from Transformers than I'll ever get from "Silent Running". I could use "Enemy Mine" only as a sleeping pill but get amusement from "Independence Day". I can see the "stronger message" in the original "Rollerball" but prefer the more action-driven modern version.

And I am well past 40 so it's not the teenager speaking
Click to expand...

I'm not a big fan of Silent Running. I think the film was well shot (mostly), but adding Joan Baez to the soundtrack may have seemed hip at the time, but horribly dates the movie both in terms of when it was shot (i.e. the 70s) and stylistically. There's a lot more technical panache with today's commercial market films, but there's nothing of any true substance in them other than "this is bad..." kind of stuff, or "character-X is crying out for attention".

The modern approach seems to be to bridge markets, hence the reason Transformers was made. Get the male who grew up watching the show to drag their offspring in there to relive their youth and rake in the dollars. It's adult enough to allow the parent to relive his boyhood with his son or grandson, which is how it's marketed. Lots of slick CGI and a thumping sound track make for a huge event film that will garner a lot of attention. But in terms of pure literary value on a cinematic level, they're pretty vapid.
 
Last edited:
I liked the robots in Silent Running.

modo_drone_housing_wip_3a.jpg

modo_drone_housing_wip_4b.jpg


The story was kinda hokey.

The "sci-fi" I mostly prefer though are the B&W '50s movies released twelve years ago on DVD as The Wade Williams Collection.
 
Last edited:
shadowdragon said:
I expect to be disappointed watching movies, most especially remakes, after the fabulously horrid Starship Troopers* AND Battlefield Earth. I expect nothing good from John Carter of Mars, and the thought of a Bladerunner remake depresses me knowing that the quality of screenwriters is what it is.

I would like to see a good version of Starship Troopers, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress and The Cat Who Walks Through Walls but I hold no hopes for that. I dread the screen versions of anything John Ringo or David Weber, there is no way in hades they will get those right. On the other hand, I,Robot made me deliriously happy for one reason- in the credits was the line "Inspired by a book by Issac Asimov". The screenwriters were honest for once. WHEEEE!:rofl:

Then again, with all my pessimism, it makes going to the movies fun when they dont suck! :D



*- I would like to note that while it was in no way Robert Heinleins Starship Troopers as advertised, it was an ok movie that I refer to as Bug Hunt. But I do expect that if you wish to bring what many consider a classic to the big screen, frakking do it right.
Click to expand...
You didn't like Blade Runner?
 
If anyone is tempted to watch Skyline (still currently showing in UK, I think), go get a burger instead. It's a plotless shaggy dog story and I was tempted to ask for my money back. I would've walked out, except I kept waiting for something to happen. :( :mad:
 
Icosahedron said:
If anyone is tempted to watch Skyline (still currently showing in UK, I think), go get a burger instead. It's a plotless shaggy dog story and I was tempted to ask for my money back. I would've walked out, except I kept waiting for something to happen. :( :mad:
Click to expand...

I heard it was absolutely horrible. Thanks for the warning.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top