The Icon Bar: The Playpen: This is not the man on fire you are looking for
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This is not the man on fire you are looking for |
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Jeffrey Lee |
Message #102190, posted by Phlamethrower at 20:24, 14/5/2007 |
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It looks like Film4 sneakily changed their schedules on Saturday. So instead of recording this, I ended up recording this. Of course it's possible that I'm just being a bit silly and not spotting that the one I'd set the PC to record was the 1987 version, but that doesn't explain why the PC recorded a file long enough to have been the 2004 version. The recording length came from the EPG, so either (a) I'm going insane and it was the 1987 version, but Film4 are also going insane and scheduled an extra hour for the film, or (b) Film4 sneakily changed their schedules. Another odd occurence on the night was that the PC didn't turn off afterwards like I told it to, so maybe it spotted that something had changed and tried to tell me about it...
Oh well, at least I'll be able to compare the two the next time the remake is shown  |
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Tony Haines |
Message #102264, posted by Loris at 17:53, 17/5/2007, in reply to message #102190 |
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I remember once I was watching this film, "Thirst", which the TV guide claimed to be about vampires, but instead was about water-borne illness.
Quite fun actually, we were predicting the appearance of the undead all the way through. |
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VinceH |
Message #102269, posted by VincceH at 22:46, 17/5/2007, in reply to message #102264 |
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Seen 'em both.
Thirst with vampires - late 1970s IIRC. Average low budget horror flick of the time.
Thirst with bug in water - late 1990s IIRC. Average TV movie.
Neither will go down in the anus of time as particularly good films - but nor will they go down as the worst examples of their kind. |
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Tony Haines |
Message #102277, posted by Loris at 10:30, 18/5/2007, in reply to message #102269 |
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Yeah, I saw the other one later too. |
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Jeffrey Lee |
Message #102781, posted by Phlamethrower at 21:05, 8/6/2007, in reply to message #102277 |
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And in a slightly similar case of annoyment, it looks like I'm missing the end of Terminator from a few nights ago. Boo!
I'm not entirely sure who/what to blame for that, but I also know that I (or rather, my TV card) also recorded about an hour extra of one channel after the end of a programme. (Which may or may not have been on the same day and time, as I've deleted the file now).
But, I do have plenty of sample footage of giant robots massacreing humans in a post-apocalyptic future. Yay! |
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VinceH |
Message #102784, posted by VincceH at 21:55, 8/6/2007, in reply to message #102781 |
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I think I have one or two low budget efforts on DVD with that sort of thing.
(Though being low budget, the relevant scenes probably show one or two robots massacreing one or two people, in a really cheap looking scene, and the viewer is supposed to 'fill in the blanks' and see lots of robots slaughtering lots of people).
However, The Terminator is IMO the defining movie of this genre. There's something particularly special about the robot/human war scenes in that film. |
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Jeffrey Lee |
Message #102791, posted by Phlamethrower at 00:07, 9/6/2007, in reply to message #102784 |
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However, The Terminator is IMO the defining movie of this genre. There's something particularly special about the robot/human war scenes in that film. I can't think of any other films I've seen with similar man-machine battles 
For me, I think it's a case of:
a) Hunter-killers roaming the landscape, killing anything in sight
b) Humans being forced to fight them guerilla-style in the wreckage of old cities, because they don't have any significant military technology left (tanks, planes, etc. which could be used to kill them from a safe distance)
c) Night (or rather nuclear winter). Humans aren't that good at seeing in the dark, but robots are. This makes it even more dangerous to stay in the open, as a hunter-killer in the distance will still be able to see you, even if you can't really see it.
d) The dramatic touches, such as the bones being crushed underneath the tracks of the hunter-killers, hunter-killers looming out of the shadows, etc. |
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VinceH |
Message #102792, posted by VincceH at 09:52, 9/6/2007, in reply to message #102791 |
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One in particular that I can think of - but I can't bring the title to mind - is about a time travel project where, quite ridiculously, in the event of the time line being contaminated/corrupted, they send these crappy looking robots back to put it right, which they do by destroying everything in the immediate vicinity of the initial problem.
So the film starts with the initial contamination of the time stream occuring when the a probe is sent back in time to a remote desert spot, but there's a family holidaying there in a camper. One contamination of time later, and a robot is sent back to 'fix' things, which it does by killing everything in sight, including the family (I did mention it was a ridiculous idea, didn't I?), thus corrupting the time stream even more. The film's protagonist also goes back in time, IIRC to stop the robot when he realises what will happen - but he fails. He returns to a future where everything's changed and there's a war between man and machine, and he learns amongst other things that because that robot made things worse, more such robots were sent back automatically to put things right - and thus the problem spread wider and wider.
So the whole war is because these robots that have been sent back are trying to eliminate all human life in order to correct the mistake that was made by sending them back. Oops.
The main fights in the future aren't a patch on Terminator, as I said. IIRC, they just filmed those parts in and around some remote, ruined warehouses or something like that. One or two naff robots here and there, and a small group of humans.
Oh, and the robots shoot like The A Team! 
What's bugging me at the moment, though, is the title. I can't rest until it comes back to me.
<scans dvd collection.>
Not being able to see the wood for the trees springs to mind right now. Nothing jumps out at me and says "It's me, it's me!"
<scans again>
Aha!
A.P.E.X.
Phew. I'd never have got anything else done today if I'd not found that title! |
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Jeffrey Lee |
Message #102794, posted by Phlamethrower at 10:20, 9/6/2007, in reply to message #102792 |
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Yeah, I've seen APEX. But the war can't really be compared to the one in Terminator, can it? There was only one type of robot. In Terminator you've got big ones and you've got small ones, because you've got an intelligent enemy that is able to redesign and evolve itself. In APEX you just get malfunctioning men in suits popping out of time vorticies every so often and killing the first people they see. |
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Jeffrey Lee |
Message #102795, posted by Phlamethrower at 10:29, 9/6/2007, in reply to message #102794 |
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...and while looking to see if Wikipedia have a "war with machines" category...
Terminator 4, expected for release in either 2009 or 2010.
...
It has been confirmed that T4 will take place after the events of T3, and will focus mainly on the war between man & Skynet. Woo! |
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VinceH |
Message #102797, posted by VincceH at 10:39, 9/6/2007, in reply to message #102794 |
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Yeah, I've seen APEX. But the war can't really be compared to the one in Terminator, can it? Nope, but I thought I said something to that effect. 
There was only one type of robot. In Terminator you've got big ones and you've got small ones, because you've got an intelligent enemy that is able to redesign and evolve itself. Yeah... the Cylons.
("These are new, they look human...")
In APEX you just get malfunctioning men in suits popping out of time vorticies every so often and killing the first people they see. I just scanned through a bit of it. A floating triangle in the air. ALL TIME VORTICIES SHOULD LOOK LIKE THAT!
[Edited by VincceH at 11:40, 9/6/2007] |
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Jeffrey Lee |
Message #102799, posted by Phlamethrower at 10:55, 9/6/2007, in reply to message #102797 |
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According to IMDB, there aren't many man-versus-machine films. There apparently aren't many future war films either (There would be even less if some idiot wasn't responsible for putting Firefly and Serenity in there). And, no-one has thought of puting APEX under either category (apparently it's merely an independent time-travel film). And according to the "You might also like..." thing, if you like Terminator 1/2/3, you're only ever going to like Terminator 2/3/2.
So, yeah, it looks like the genre could do with at least a couple more films |
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VinceH |
Message #102800, posted by VincceH at 11:38, 9/6/2007, in reply to message #102799 |
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According to IMDB, there aren't many man-versus-machine films. I've just been looking there myself. It is a bit of a short list, isn't it?
There apparently aren't many future war films either Hadn't looked at that yet.
I think I've got Screamers...
<One search later... is it possible to have too many DVDs? If so, that's how many I have>
Or, at least, I think I've have seen it. I can't remember what any of the important bits are like. Probablly naff.
(There would be even less if some idiot wasn't responsible for putting Firefly and Serenity in there). I've got those.
And, no-one has thought of puting APEX under either category (apparently it's merely an independent time-travel film). And according to the "You might also like..." thing, if you like Terminator 1/2/3, you're only ever going to like Terminator 2/3/2. I usually find a good way to seek out similar titles is via Amazon et al. Look at what other customers who [looked at/bought] this item also [looked at/bought]
So for APEX we have other customers looked at:- The Unit - Series 1 [2006] okay, perhaps not.
- Species [1995]Hohoho yes... but no.
- Men Of Honour [2001]Don't these people know what they're looking for?
- Planet Of The Apes [2001] Well, at least it's man vs SOMETHING!
- Cliffhanger [1993] Man vs gravity (and bad guys). Oh well.
- U.S. Marshals [1998] (*3 for £12) Man vs cheap goodness.
And people bought> APEX also bought:- Total Reality [1999] The Matrix on... what's the opposite of sterioids? (actally, it's quite watchable)
- Waterworld [1995]Wrong type of dystopia - Mad Max goes for a swim, or something.
- Millennium [1989]Cor, I haven't seen that in donkey's years, but no good.
- The Shadow [1994]My memory says naff naffness, which is actually quite naff.
- Escape Velocity [2002]Ah... girl vs bad guy and a star's gravity well.
- The Time Machine [1960] Classic, but no good.
While messing around though, a couple of other possibilities spring to mind. There's a film called Virus, wherein a boat of some form is found adrift, with no crew. A salvage team go in, and discover that some alien force hit a satelite, transferred itself down to the ship, and was then able to make the machines kill all humans ( </bender> ) - so mostly it's a bunch of people on a boat who get taken out one by one, but ISTR that when the entity wires up one of the crew (Donald Sutherland?) it looks pretty good.
Also, what about Cyborg (van Damme) or its sequel(s?) - was there anything useful in that? (I can't remember offhand, but I suspect not)
I also saw something called Omega Doom recently - gangs of different types of robots fighting it out, with some humans still alive somewhere. But all the robots look human, and it's really only about a small group in one ruinous location - I don't think we even see any real humans. So why on Earth did I mention it?
So, yeah, it looks like the genre could do with at least a couple more films Yup. |
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Jeffrey Lee |
Message #102801, posted by Phlamethrower at 12:58, 9/6/2007, in reply to message #102800 |
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There's a film called Virus, Seen it. Wasn't too bad, I guess - although I think there were a few bits where wiring came to life and killed people all on their own. Not exactly a future war setting, either.
Also, what about Cyborg (van Damme) or its sequel(s?) - was there anything useful in that? (I can't remember offhand, but I suspect not) Haven't seen them, but I suspect you're right.
Anyway, the reason I was interested in The Terminator (as opposed to any other (non) man-versus-machine/future-war films) is because I can use it as a good template for creating similar war/battle scenes in DeathDawn. Although I didn't need to see the film again to remember what the scenes were like, it has reminded me of a few finer details - like the fact that the humans were using worn-out cars with weapons and armour bolted on instead of proper military tech1, that the land-based hunter-killers used tracks instead of legs2, that they had pink lasers3, and that the flying hunter-killers had twin rotors/jets in pods on their sides, as opposed to traditional helicopter designs4.
1. There must be some military term for this, right? [edit - Technicals and Hillbilly armo(u)r. Woo!]
2. One less reason for me to write code to do robot walking animations (or even worse, draw giant sprites for individual animation frames). The only other current reason I have for doing robot walking animations (in code) is so I can have some multiped tanks, like the ones in GITS5. But the lack of fine-grain detail in the level structure means that, in the context of the game, there won't be any reason to have a legged tank instead of a tracked one (since there's no way of representing level geometry that is too big for a tracked tank but not too big for a legged tank). I'm not interested in standard mecha either, because I don't see it as a viable military platform (Compared to just bolting some legs onto a tracked tank to give it extra mobility in rough terrain)
3. The big girly robots!
4. Which, now that I've been reminded of it, I seem to remember being the same design as the smaller prototypes seen in T3.
5. See here, in particular the big ones from about halfway down the page. They remind me of giant scorpions, but with artillery cannons on their tails instead of stingers
[Edited by Phlamethrower at 14:07, 9/6/2007]
[Edited by Phlamethrower at 14:13, 9/6/2007] |
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VinceH |
Message #102802, posted by VincceH at 13:40, 9/6/2007, in reply to message #102801 |
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and that the flying hunter-killers had twin rotors/jets in pods on their sides, as opposed to traditional helicopter designs
4
4. Which, now that I've been reminded of it, I seem to remember being the same design as the smaller prototypes seen in T3. I hadn't picked up on that before, but I think you're right.
I shall check...
<later>
Well, that was fun. I was going to use the laptop because I can just take still frames straight from the appropriate points, but the player in my laptop isn't region free, so it won't look at Terminator, and for some reason it just doesn't like T3 - so in both cases I had to use my normal player and take photographs of the TV screen.
The designs are different - which makes sense not only on the basis that the films were made, what, 20 years apart, but also because the machines will have updated the designs as they go, but also because there have been subtle changes to history - Judgement Day was postponed, so mankind had a different amount of time available for the initial designs.
Anyway, two frames showing flying hunter/killers from each - the first selected to match as closely as possible (without other shit in the way obscuring them) the angles we see them from. t1a vs t3a, and t1b vs t3b.
I've also added j5 to remind everyone that Johnny 5 is alive!
[Edited by VincceH at 16:17, 9/6/2007]
[Edited by VincceH at 16:20, 9/6/2007] |
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Richard Goodwin |
Message #102804, posted by rich at 15:33, 9/6/2007, in reply to message #102800 |
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You might also like the Japanese film Returner, which is a mix of Terminator, The Matrix, a Yakuza film, and, um, ET. Technically it's about a future war with aliens, but they have some super-awesome transforming robot things.
One girl escapes a future massacre to destroy the alien menace in our time, before it has a chance to become more of a threat, and she just happens to return right next to some guy in a big black coat who's a Yakuza-killing Neo, but cooler. Edit: Teh Amazon says it's £5.97
Also, in TV land Stargate SG-1 fought the replicators, which could form other, larger robots from the parts of smaller robots, generate barriers, or even evolve into human-like robots. While technically they didn't fight in our actual future, they did almost destroy Thor's race, who it was implied started out very much like us until they evolved into the Greys, hinting that they were kind-of our future.
________
 Cheers,
Rich.
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Jeffrey Lee |
Message #102805, posted by Phlamethrower at 16:14, 9/6/2007, in reply to message #102804 |
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I've also added j5 to remind everyone that Johnny 5 is alive! That's a T-1, not Johnny 5! (Although, if you look at the tracked hunter-killers in T1, they do look quite a bit like a jumbo Johhny 5. Certainly moreso than the T-1's)
You might also like the Japanese film Returner, which is a mix of Terminator, The Matrix, a Yakuza film, and, um, ET. Technically it's about a future war with aliens, but they have some super-awesome transforming robot things. Yes; that's on my recently-compiled List of Films to Watch. |
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Richard Goodwin |
Message #102806, posted by rich at 16:25, 9/6/2007, in reply to message #102805 |
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Yes; that's on my recently-compiled List of Films to Watch. Can we see this list, and make funsuggestions?
________
Cheers,
Rich.
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Jeffrey Lee |
Message #102808, posted by Phlamethrower at 16:41, 9/6/2007, in reply to message #102806 |
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Yes; that's on my recently-compiled List of Films to Watch. Can we see this list, and make fun^Wsuggestions?
But of course!
Prepare to enter the inner world of my psyche! (Or rather, the inner world of IMDB films tagged with the "post-apocalyptic", "cyberpunk", and "dystopia" keywords)
Disclaimer: These are in no particular order, and the large number of question marks are an obvious indication of my uncertainty over certain/all titles.
broken saints?
dominion tank police (Now on its way to me, very slowly, until I give up and order from elsewhere)
appleseed?
battle angel alita? (gunnm) (Looks like I'll have to read the manga for this one, as I still haven't bothered to region-free-ify my DVD player. Not that that's necessarily a bad thing, of course, as the anime only covers a short part of the story. Alternatively, I can wait a few years for the live-action version  )
bubblegum crisis?
strange days?
ritana? (Now ordered, since (a) I need more stuff to watch before giving up on my 4-6 week experiment, and (b) it was listed on Amazon with Natural City as well, both for acceptably cheap prices)
Bis ans Ende der Welt?
brazil!
dark star!
Große Verhau, Der?
the cell?
natural city? (See note about Ritana)
eat-man?
hardware?
lawnmower man?
a.d. police?
cyberjack?
cyborg/2/3?
neon city?
otherzone?
split?
survivors?
delicatessen?
Zbogum na dvaesetiot vek?
On the Beach?
Grey: Dijitaru tâgetto?
Testament?
O-bi, O-ba - Koniec cywilizacji?
The Quiet Earth?
Ever Since the World Ended?
Kaze no na wa amunejia?
New Gall Force?
Things to Come?
Dernier combat, Le?
Revengers Tragedy?
The Bed Sitting Room?
A Boy and His Dog?
The Running Man?
Six-String Samurai?
Night of the Comet?
The Blood of Heroes?
patlabor!
2019 - Dopo la caduta di New York?
Screamers?
Chosen Survivors?
The Ultimate Warrior?
Music of the Spheres?
Cold Harvest?
Z.P.G.?
Mindwarp?
Steel Frontier?
Tank Girl??
Interzone?
Quintet?
Power Corps.?
Phoenix the Warrior?
Lunarcop?
Hell comes to Frogtown |
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Richard Goodwin |
Message #102809, posted by rich at 17:34, 9/6/2007, in reply to message #102808 |
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OK, ones I've watched:
* Strange Days - some interesting ideas, but Kathryn Bigelow's not the greatest director in the world (that's her ex-husband, innit?), so it's kind of meh. And unintentionally funny, as it's a "futuristic" film set on New Year's Eve, 1999.
* Hardware - if that's the British cyberpunk thing, I quite enjoyed it at the time; decent soundtrack (P.I.L. etc.), Iggy Pop, and the door opening noise was a BBC B booting up! "Just look at that sky - it's a work of art! Nature never knew colours like that!" * lawnmower man - put the DVD down and step the fuck away. Just don't. It's so shit, even Stephen King took his name off the credits.
* Delicatessen - French cannibal movie by the director of Alien Resurrection? S'okay, but the best scene's been copied in adverts etc. so much.
* Revengers Tragedy - the only thing I know about that is that it's an Elizabethan tragedy, but shot as if it's in the future; and it's got Eddie Izzard in it, which is pretty much enough to recommend anything.
* The Running Man - Arnie? Really? It was fun at the time, but I think it'd look a bit dated. Plus, Stephen King's second film in the list that he took his name off (OK - he actually wrote the book under a pseudonym )
* Patlabor - get the double set of Patlabor 1 and 2 if you can; 1 is great, drawn in a slightly cartoony style but with a serious, kinda biblical-themed terrorism plot. The second, however, is done in a more realistic style (think Ghost in the Shell, not surprising given the director) and is more political, so it's fun to contrast the two. (And if you still have a VCR, you can get the VHS box set for about 3 or 4 quid off Amazon)
* Tank Girl - got terrible reviews, but if you're drunk/stoned enough to laugh at Mr. Ice Tea as a half-kangeroo hybrid it's enjoyable enough.
I've never watched Brazil all the way through, but how about Twelve Monkeys by t'same director? And Avalon - Japanese film shot in Poland, based on Arthurian legend, about people escaping reality in first person shooters by the guy that did Ghost in the Shell/Patlabor(s)?
Oh, and some first-season Dark Angel which has a futuristic post-EMP storyline vaguely tying it to Bis ans Ende der Welt. It got a little stupid in season 2, but the pilot especially was interesting.
________
Cheers,
Rich.
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Jeffrey Lee |
Message #102810, posted by Phlamethrower at 17:50, 9/6/2007, in reply to message #102809 |
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* Hardware - if that's the British cyberpunk thing, I quite enjoyed it at the time; decent soundtrack (P.I.L. etc.), Iggy Pop, and the door opening noise was a BBC B booting up! That's the one.
* Delicatessen - French cannibal movie by the director of Alien Resurrection? Yes.
* The Running Man - Arnie? Really? It was fun at the time, but I think it'd look a bit dated. I'm trying to remember whether I have seen this film already or not. But I don't think I have, and thus it remains on the list.
but how about Twelve Monkeys by t'same director? Seen it; otherwise it probably would have been on the list. It was good, IIRC.
And Avalon - Japanese film shot in Poland, based on Arthurian legend, about people escaping reality in first person shooters by the guy that did Ghost in the Shell/Patlabor(s)? Hmm, that may have been on the list at some point. But I have a few other similar-themed films recorded and waiting to be watched, so I'm in no rush to add another to the pile. |
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VinceH |
Message #102829, posted by VincceH at 22:57, 9/6/2007, in reply to message #102808 |
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strange days? I think this is a good film. However, although I can see why it's been lumped in as cyberpunk, I think it's actually a bit of a stretch. OTOH, it's been a long time since I watched it, and it was only the once - so maybe I've forgotten a lot of detail.
the cell? WTF? Which of those keywords does this have?
<looks>
Oh, Cyberpunk. Hmm. I guess I can see why, but I wouldn't have categorised it as that. Personally, having watched it once, I doubt I'd ever bother to watch it again.
cyborg/2/3? The first is IIRC a slightly above average Van Damme movie. The second I can't remember much about, other than Jack Pallance (?) saying "I've got my eye on you..." - and the third I haven't seen.
I also noticed today a film called Cyborg 2087 which, without taking a lot of notice, I assumed was another sequel - but it was made in 1966 and actually looks quite interesting.
split? There appear to be a few titles on IMDB with that title. This one? If so, I like that the first listed keyword is 'female nudity' 
survivors? I've been thinking about this one for a long time - and in fact discussed it (and one of the reasons) recently.
Stating the obvious, though: See also Tripods and Day of the Triffids.
On the Beach? Read the book instead. It's much better.
Testament? I think I've bought this recently - though I don't remember seeing it on any of my frequent searches through my collection in search of other things, so I either I didn't buy it after all, or there are more piles of DVDs that I can't see. (I know there are some in the cupboard, but they won't be recent purchases!)
The Quiet Earth? Very quirky, but one that has always stuck in mind as a good yarn - though it's been a long time since I saw it. Added to my collection recently, so maybe in 10 years or so I'll get around to watching it.
A Boy and His Dog? I remember watching it, and I remember liking it - but I was young. I think back now, looking at how the film is described, and think I want to see it again, but I don't want that to involve me spending any money, just in case.
The Running Man? Meh. It's a fun Arnie thing, but that's about all.
Night of the Comet? One of those mid-80s classics that would have pride of place in my collection alongside the likes of Ferris Bueller's Day Off.
If it was released on DVD.
RELEASE IT ON DVD, YOU BASTARDS!
(But in the meantime, I recorded it off the Sci Fi Channel a short while ago.)
Screamers? Mentioned further upthread IIRC
Mindwarp? I know I've seen it - but can't remember a damned thing about it.
Tank Girl?? Entertaining enough if you're in the right frame of mind. (Hint: Alcohol helps)
Hell comes to Frogtown I'd forgotten that even existed!
Okay, a quick glance at my collection for a few others that might (in some cases loosely) be categorised as dystopia, cyperpunk or post-apocalyptic - which possibly you might have already seen or noticed and dismissed:
Jeremiah (RELEASE SEASON TWO NOW!!!!)
And now I've found Testament. In fact, now I realise I've watched it - I think I remember it being good, but given that I completely forgot about it, maybe it wasn't. !?
Omega Man. Great film.
Heh. I've just found a film entitled "Yesterday's Target" which says on the back "Anyone waiting for Terminator 3 should look no further" - yeah, than Terminator 3!
Def Con 4. Terribly dated, but quite good for what it was IIRC.
Chained Heat: The Horror of Hell Mountain - lots of nudity and lezzers, and the guy that made it made quite a number of others along similar lines - but there really is a half decent (if cliched) story behind this one. Buy too many of them expecting them to be similar, though, and expect your girlfriend to accuse you of buying soft porn. (And be disappointed, too - of those I have, this is the only one that's actually watchable. For the story, anyway.  )
Crash and Burn. Giant robots. Low budgets. The perfect combination.
Cyber Tracker 1 & 2 and Cyborg Cop. Meh.
The Day After - basic post nuke survival story. See also Threads, which is much more harrowing, though done documentary stylee in places.
The Last Patrol. Watchable meh, if you're in the right frame of mind for low budget meh, IIRC.
The Mad Max series I suspect you've seen.
Memory Run. Thasokay, IIRC.
Nemesis. Dunno about this one - it's still sealed.
The Postman. I liked this - but the book is massively better. (And The Postman brings to mind the obvious Waterworld)
The rest are hard to get to/read the titles of.
Springing to mind, there's also:
Deathsport
Deathrace 2000
Any Romero-esque zombie flick! (by which I include the likes of 28 Days Later)
Damnation Ally
Steel Dawn
Sisterhood |
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Jeffrey Lee |
Message #102834, posted by Phlamethrower at 00:02, 10/6/2007, in reply to message #102829 |
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the cell? WTF? Which of those keywords does this have?
<looks>
Oh, Cyberpunk. Hmm. I guess I can see why, but I wouldn't have categorised it as that. Personally, having watched it once, I doubt I'd ever bother to watch it again.
That's what I was thinking (that it was a load of crap), when it first came out. But that could have just been my prejudice against Jennifer Lopez, as a psychological inner-mind thriller thingy sounds a bit more interesting.
split? There appear to be a few titles on IMDB with that title. This one? If so, I like that the first listed keyword is 'female nudity'
No idea, actually I probably should have made a note of all the URLs for th films, instead of just a random selection of them.
Stating the obvious, though: See also Tripods and Day of the Triffids. Hmm, haven't seen those, actually. Although IIRC my mum is crazy about the Tripods TV series.
On the Beach? Read the book instead. It's much better.
You expect me to read a book containing words and no pictures?
In other book-related news, I think I still haven't finished Nicholas Nickleby. Not that I really care much, or can remember where the plot left off. Why on earth does Dickens think that a single 100-word sentence constitutes a paragraph? And then fill a book with them?
RELEASE IT ON DVD, YOU BASTARDS! Ah, I guess there's no point me trying to buy a DVD of that, then
Jeremiah (RELEASE SEASON TWO NOW!!!!) Hmm, that may or may not have been in the list at some point. It's certainly under the "post-apocalyptic" tag in IMDB.
Omega Man. Great film. Read the book instead. Beat that! (Or rather, was forced to read it at school. And then probably never finished it, because in my experience most school years/terms/semesters/etc. don't last long enough for an English class to finish reading the book they started. But, I think I got the gist of it)
Def Con 4. Terribly dated, but quite good for what it was IIRC. Hmm, I should probably watch that. If only because 2+ people from LEXX were involved in making it.
Chained Heat: The Horror of Hell Mountain - lots of nudity and lezzers, and the guy that made it made quite a number of others along similar lines - but there really is a half decent (if cliched) story behind this one. Buy too many of them expecting them to be similar, though, and expect your girlfriend to accuse you of buying soft porn. (And be disappointed, too - of those I have, this is the only one that's actually watchable. For the story, anyway. )
I won't be announcing to everyone when I order that, then. I mean, er, if I order it. Ahem.
Crash and Burn. Giant robots. Low budgets. The perfect combination. That must have been on the list at some point... maybe it will go back on again.
The Mad Max series I suspect you've seen. Of course!
Memory Run. Thasokay, IIRC. Hmm.
Nemesis. Dunno about this one - it's still sealed. Looks like it could be interesting.
The Postman. I liked this - but the book is massively better. (And The Postman brings to mind the obvious Waterworld) I didn't like The Postman, IIRC. On the other hand, I appear to be one of the few people in the world who liked both Waterworld and Battlefied: Earth.
Deathsport
Deathrace 2000 *makes notes*
Any Romero-esque zombie flick! (by which I include the likes of 28 Days Later) And Braindead, I would hope? Even though it isn't an entirely serious film
Sisterhood this one? Looks a bit too silly for me
And since you've nominated a load of stuff, I shall nominate Spacehunter. After starting to watch it many years ago, and then concluding it was shit and changing channel, and then accidentally starting to watch it again a few years later before realising what film it was, and then changing channel again, I then accidentally started watching it again a month or two ago. But I'd missed the first couple of minutes, so my brain was kept alive long enough to get past the bit at the start, to where things started to get more entertaining. So this time I was able to make it through to the end, and quite enjoyed it. Highlights include Peter Strauss being odd, Molly Ringwald being the overly-talkative naive sidekick, and Michael Ironside being a cool baddie. And then there's the whole "max max in space" thing, done a lot earlier than Firefly did it.
[Edited by Phlamethrower at 01:05, 10/6/2007] |
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Richard Goodwin |
Message #102835, posted by rich at 05:54, 10/6/2007, in reply to message #102834 |
Dictator for life
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Any Romero-esque zombie flick! (by which I include the likes of 28 Days Later) And Braindead, I would hope? Even though it isn't an entirely serious film
In that case, Shaun of the Dead!
________
Cheers,
Rich.
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VinceH |
Message #102838, posted by VincceH at 11:10, 10/6/2007, in reply to message #102834 |
Lowering the tone since the dawn of time
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Stating the obvious, though: See also Tripods and Day of the Triffids. Hmm, haven't seen those, actually. Although IIRC my mum is crazy about the Tripods TV series.
The only snag with Tripods is that one the first season has ever been released on DVD. I forgot that when I mentioned it.
One of the actors launched a campaign thingy on BBC's action network site to try to get it released at one point - which I haven't looked at in a long while.
<searches>
Ah, here it is.
Hmmm. Season one is now officially deleted - and the most recent update to that page has been elided, but looking at the replies to that comment, it clearly spoke of a release. Potential conspiracy alert. Get  on the case.
Read the book instead. It's much better. You expect me to read a book containing words and no pictures?
There'll be one on the cover. That not enough for you?
RELEASE IT ON DVD, YOU BASTARDS! Ah, I guess there's no point me trying to buy a DVD of that, then
Every once in a while, news emerges of an impending release, then everything goes quiet again. It's really annoying. It's a classic, and I'd pay good money - at least a fiver, maybe even as much as six quid - for this film.
Jeremiah (RELEASE SEASON TWO NOW!!!!) Hmm, that may or may not have been in the list at some point. It's certainly under the "post-apocalyptic" tag in IMDB.
Season one had its yawn moments, but overall I thought it was very good - and the season built up to and ended with an excellent cliff-hanger. The annoying gits at Sky originally showed it at 10 or 11pm on whatever day it was on, then mid-season shoved it back to something ridiculous like 3am, effectively killing it.
In Overpuddle, similar shenanigans were happening with Season Two. (I gather the 'suits' objected to - and interfered with - it because it was considered unoverpuddlian.) They showed the first eight episodes, then it began a protracted hiatus; probably a sporting event was the excuse initially (which does happen) but the delay in showing the rest was too long for that to wash. I think it was finally broadcast in Canada first, then eventually the States.
As for S2 in this country, those sods at Sky bought the rights, but didn't bother - IIRC they did make claims that it would be shown 'in the new year' or some such when the first season ended. More recently (in the run up to the christmas before last, I think) it appeared in the listings for January - so I dug out the S1 DVDs and watched them again in the run up to its subsequently disappearing from the listings again.
There was also news at one point of C5 obtaining the rights, which I think was season one, but wasn't sure. I emailed them about it, and had no reply. I also emailed Sky at one point and the reply was that they had the rights to S2, but had no plans to show it.
Aside: It doesn't matter one toss if they do decide to show it now, because I no longer have Sky One, thanks to their spat with Virgin Media.
Chained Heat: The Horror of Hell Mountain - lots of nudity and lezzers, and the guy that made it made quite a number of others along similar lines
I won't be announcing to everyone when I order that, then. I mean, er, if I order it. Ahem.
It's okay as long as you just buy that one (in fact, IIRC it does get shown on the Sci Fi channel every once in a while - as their 10pm movie, not the dodgy soft porn sci fi stuff they show some nights around midnight, for sad sci fi nerds who want to see porn but don't have the guts to buy or download the real stuff. "No, no, it's science fiction I watch late at night after you go to bed, Mum, honest!")
The Postman. I liked this - but the book is massively better. (And The Postman brings to mind the obvious Waterworld) I didn't like The Postman, IIRC.
I think I liked it more after reading the book, because that gives some depth to the character that just doesn't come into the film. Of course, the film differs from the book - but if it had followed the book closely, it would have been closer to 6 hours long, probably.
On the other hand, I appear to be one of the few people in the world who liked both Waterworld and Battlefied: Earth. I liked Waterworld - even though when I first saw it at the cinema I had to miss the ending if I wanted a lift home. 
I'm not entirely sure how anyone could like Battlefield: Earth!
Deathsport
I think there were lots made like this one; low budget, post apocalyptic, mostly filmed in the desert, naff script, silly ideas...
Any Romero-esque zombie flick! (by which I include the likes of 28 Days Later) And Braindead, I would hope? Even though it isn't an entirely serious film
Oh, of course.
<remembers the lawnmower scene>
Mm, nice.
Sisterhood this one? Looks a bit too silly for me
I can't remember much about it. IIRC I picked it up in a pound shop. It's probably the same sort of standard as Deathsport and the plethora of others.
And since you've nominated a load of stuff, I shall nominate Spacehunter. Aha. Without looking, I'm going to guess subtitled or tagged 'Adventures in the forbidden zone' ?
<looks>
Yes! Seen it! Liked it! Might add it to my collection. |
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Jason Togneri |
Message #102844, posted by filecore at 10:01, 11/6/2007, in reply to message #102829 |
Posts: 3868
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Any Romero-esque zombie flick! (by which I include the likes of 28 Days Later) 28 Days Later was a big thing in Finland because *gasp* when the fighter jet flies over at the end, the pilot mutters some coordinates into his radio. And guess what? Those coordinates are spoken in Finnish!
[Edited by filecore at 11:01, 11/6/2007] |
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VinceH |
Message #102849, posted by VincceH at 10:19, 11/6/2007, in reply to message #102844 |
Lowering the tone since the dawn of time
Posts: 1600
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28 Days Later was a big thing in Finland because *gasp* when the fighter jet flies over at the end, the pilot mutters some coordinates into his radio. And guess what? Those coordinates are spoken in Finnish! Am I bovvered, though? |
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Jeffrey Lee |
Message #102874, posted by Phlamethrower at 19:24, 12/6/2007, in reply to message #102808 |
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ritana? (Now ordered, since (a) I need more stuff to watch before giving up on my 4-6 week experiment, and (b) it was listed on Amazon with Natural City as well, both for acceptably cheap prices)
..and they are now here. Woo, internets! |
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Jeffrey Lee |
Message #102963, posted by Phlamethrower at 20:03, 16/6/2007, in reply to message #102804 |
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You might also like the Japanese film Returner, which is a mix of Terminator, The Matrix, a Yakuza film, and, um, ET. Technically it's about a future war with aliens, but they have some super-awesome transforming robot things. I managed to squeeze this in before Doctor Woo. Seemed good, although the ending was a bit contrived (the jumping into the cockpit of the oncoming spaceship). And it stretches the believability a bit that Harrier jump jets would still be in working order 80 years into the future. OK, I guess they could have built some new ones, but if they've had the time to invent time-compression wristbands and a time portal, couldn't they have spiced them up a bit? Unless they're all built from scrap, I guess. Mr. Grey Hair Evil Person Who I Can't Remember The Name Of was fun, though.
Also, the wraping on the DVD had a tear-off strip for easy opening. That should be enough to convince anyone who was unsure of buying the film (Although, I did also notice that the motion seemed a bit choppy. 2^12:3 pulldown, perhaps?)
[Edited by Phlamethrower at 21:10, 16/6/2007] |
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Jeffrey Lee |
Message #102978, posted by Phlamethrower at 08:57, 17/6/2007, in reply to message #102963 |
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Also:
http://www.retrojunk.com/details_articles/225/ |
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