Re: 5th Annual Summer Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

Watching How to Train Your Dragon. I'm kind of enjoying it. It's a lot different than what I thought it would be from seeing the previews. I think they based Toothless on a cat, though! I didn't understand why it was on so many lists, but I think it earned it.

Re: 5th Annual Summer Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

well the director's did Lilo and Stitch, and Toothless has a lot of the same characteristics of a cat ... and Stitch when you think about it.

Re: 5th Annual Summer Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/d...Starcrash3.jpg


Who would win this battle of pockmarked intergalactic warriors?

Re: 5th Annual Summer Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

Hmm, didn't know that. I really didn't do much research on this one. I had paged through the book and wondered how it was going to translate and just didn't feel drawn to it with the previews but I'm glad I finally watched it. I think I would've been more inclined to view it if I had known the director was the same as Lilo & Stitch. Stitch is one of my favorite Disney characters.

Just finished with Brazil (the long version). I have to say it's not exactly my cup of tea. I thought I might enjoy it, but I just couldn't get into it. I see the commentary the director is trying to make, but it just didn't grab my attention like I was hoping. Glad I watched it as now I can say I have, but probably not going to get a rewatch from me.

I did enjoy Mother-Katherine Helmond. I've always enjoyed watching her and she really pulled off her part well. And her shoe hats.

Re: 5th Annual Summer Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

Thanks for the reminder about the DEFA Sci-Fi Collection. I read a review when it first came out, but had totally forgotten about it.

It's kind of amazing that these movies received a US release at all. An improved transfer would be nice, but it doesn't seem likely. Of course, who knows-there have been quite a few surprising blu-ray releases lately.

Re: 5th Annual Summer Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

I'm watching Harry Potter 4, which has a bunch of French characters :)

Re: 5th Annual Summer Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

"I fart in your general direction!"

Re: 5th Annual Summer Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

"Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries!"

I watched Eegah this morning for the first time. I just don't see all the negative reviews towards the film. It's certainly not Hamlet but it's not as bad as many other films I've watched this year and I'd absolutely rank it higher than Plan 9. It was quite a fun romp and a fairly typical "B" "teen horror/sci-fi" film of the 50s/60s, actually better than others in that category. As I'd not really read much about it before I was surprised to see a young Richard Kiel playing Eegah. I also kept trying to place Arch Hall Jr. but couldn't. I kept thinking one of the "beach movies" but a search on his body of work (only 6 films total) came up dry for anything I've seen him in so it must be one of those cases of "looks like someone else".

Re: 5th Annual Summer Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

Watched a couple more movies from the Sci Fi Classics set yesterday. I watched Rayomnd Burr in Bride of the Gorilla, and then last night I watched a Gamera movie, Attack of the Monsters.

Re: 5th Annual Summer Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

You should definitely seek out The Sadist - it's a grim, downbeat version of Badlands, shot by Vilmos Zsigmond and with a truly slimy, terrifying turn by Hall.

Re: 5th Annual Summer Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

I love the color cinematography in EEGAH and the views of Palm Springs in 1962. You should know that Arch Hall Sr., the actor who plays the scientist with the pith helmet, was a pretty famous character in his own right. The movie, THE LAST TIME I SAW ARCHIE (1961), directed by Jack Webb and starring Robert Mitchum as Archie, was based on his wartime antics. (Hall sued.)

Re: 5th Annual Summer Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

Watched How To Train Your Dragon a couple months ago for the first time and loved it.

Re: 5th Annual Summer Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

I'm trying desperately to get through the last season of Voyager (good grief it's worse than I remember) and had a question. I think this came up a few years ago but I don't remember the answer: do superhero films a la "The Dark Knight Rises" count? I'd categorize films about a man dressing up as a bat and fighting crime as fantasy but neither imdb nor allmovies agrees with my assessment.

Re: 5th Annual Summer Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

The last episode was pretty good though. It is kind of the finally on the Star Trek Universe.

Re: 5th Annual Summer Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

Suggestions for next year's checklist: Add formats, drop based on a novel, add contagious disease genre

Re: 5th Annual Summer Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

I watched *another* worthwhile film on that MC "Sci-Fi Classics" set. This time: Cosmos: War of the Planets, a Italian production done in the vein of 50s/60s "B" films. The worst part is the film was originally done in 1.85:1 AR but the copy on the set is FS and *badly* done FS. They simply parked the camera at the center of the frame so there's *lots* of half faces, and information being cropped off. In looking it up I was surprosed to see a MOD of the film is available from WB. I have issues with MOD (primarily the inflated prices) so it could be a very long time before I purchase a "better" copy of this one.

Re: 5th Annual Summer Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

A couple of days ago I watched Warning from Space, a Japanese film from 1956. I found it interesting that a couple of ideas I'd always thought originated elsewhere actually appear to have come from this film.

1. The aliens look like starfish with a single eye. Looks like Gardner Fox and Mike Sekowsky may have "borrowed" this concept to create "Starro" who debuted in The Brave and the Bold #28, Feb/March 1960.


2. The twin circular restraint used in the beginning of Superman II in which General Zod, Ursa, and Non were held prior to banishment to the Phantom Zone.


Even the "tunnel" in the background is somewhat reminiscent of that used in The Time Tunnel. Could Irwin Allen have seen this film and gotten the inspiration for the tunnel construction?

Things that make you go hmmmmm....

Re: 5th Annual Summer Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

Batman counts as part of the Comic Book Act of 2007.

Noted.

Speaking of the checklist, anyone close to finishing?

Re: 5th Annual Summer Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

I'm 12 away. I think that's pretty good! Depending on what I watch tonight, I can probably check off another 2 or 3.

For next years, I know I'm a newbie at this, but I like the based on an author's work one. There are tons of eligible ones out there.

The ones I'm having more difficulties with are some of the actors. Lionel Atwill, Mara Corday, Marshall Thompson, Faith Domergue, Joey Wang, Maggie Cheung, Gloria Talbot, James Coburn, Ross Martin and Dick Miller. I know they are there because they are from older, classic movies and it's good to widen your horizons, but it's hard finding movies with them in, for me at least. Plus, when I do find them, they all tend to be B-type movies and I'm getting a little burned out on them.

I'm going on my own movies and ones that my library has. I have been able to find some of them online but not all of them (maybe I'm just looking in the wrong places.) I would keep some of the more well known actors, maybe Lionel Atwill, Gloria Talbot, Faith Domergue but switch out some of the others.

I am not even sure what James Coburn is in that would qualify for sci-fi/fantasy. Most of his credits at IMDB seem to be action/crime/mystery/westerns.

Re: 5th Annual Summer Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

Saw Ted (2012) tonight - one of the funniest movies of the year for me so far.

Re: 5th Annual Summer Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

Our Man Flint (1966) & In Like Flint (1967). Both are: Action/Adventure/Comedy/Sci-Fi spy spoof films. IMHO among the best the genre has to offer.

Re: 5th Annual Summer Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

Not really - 22 away including all the "optional" entries, but I have the films I plan to use for completion ready to go. I'm going to concentrate on them before diving into that 2nd Mill Creek set.

Re: 5th Annual Summer Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

Don't forget you only need one actor from each group, which I didn't seem to make at all clear..

Re: 5th Annual Summer Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

I know, but it seems like 2 or 3 of the options only have the harder to find ones. Maybe instead of removing actors, just rearranging them so each line has a newer option and an older option. It would take just a little rearranging. Something like this would've been easier for me to get titles to. I admit I probably would have missed out on one or two of the films I watched, but I would have been more interested in the ones I did watch instead. :)

i.e.:

Lionel Atwill/Donald Sutherland/Sigourney Weaver
Marshall Thompson/Faith Domergue/Bruce Campbell
Jeff Goldblum/Mara Corday/Stephen Chow
Maggie Cheung/Gloria Talbot/Natalie Portman
James Coburn/Ross Martin/Dick Miller/Kurt Russell
Michelle Rodriguez/David Warner/Tilda Swinton
Joey Wang/Peter Cushing/Bruce Willis

Re: 5th Annual Summer Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

Which are you having trouble with? I'm sure some of us could suggest titles.

Have you tried the "advanced search" at IMDB? It's a great help finding genre films with specific cast/crew members. For example: Use "Feature film", "Science Fiction", and "Gloria Talbot" to find the 3 qualifying films in which she appeared. I Married a Monster from Outer Space, The Leech Woman, and Cyclops. Change "Science Fiction" to "Fantasy" and you get Daughter of Dr. Jekyll.

Re: 5th Annual Summer Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

Don't forget The President's Analyst (1967), a fine, fine movie that would also probably qualify for Alternate History, too.

I'm down to five in my check list.

Re: 5th Annual Summer Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

I *always* forget about that one! Thanks for the reminder - I need to add a copy to my collection! *edit* - Done... copy ordered. :)

Re: 5th Annual Summer Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

Based on good comments last year about Trollhunter I picked up a copy a few months ago specifically to use for the "Found Footage" checklist item (which went away) this year. I watched it yesterday for the 2nd foreign language checklist item instead. What a *fun* film! It was quite inventive, especially with the Government infrastructure hiding the information that trolls *do* exist and the whole "what you think you see is *not* really what you saw" aspect with the general public. It was also nice to actually *see* the trolls in various incarnations instead of all-too-brief glimpses of the "monster" given in most films of this sub-genre. I'm not generally a fan of "found footage" type films but this is an exception. If you've not seen this one I *highly* recommend you seek out a copy for viewing.

That's part of the joy I receive participating in these challenges, finding *quality* new films which I've never heard of or seen. This year the "new to me" film which has my interest piqued the most is Pandorum. I've not yet purchased a copy but intend to by the time the Horror challenge rolls around as it qualifies for both.

Re: 5th Annual Summer Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

I'm getting a bit burnt out as I near 100, so I may take today off.

Re: 5th Annual Summer Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

I've only gotten to 25 and I feel like slacking off. I may just stick to serials for a while, since you can complete an entry by watching one chapter (approx. 20 min.) here and one chapter there until you've seen four to complete an entry. I started three serials so far this month but have only finished one (FLASH GORDON). I still have BATMAN and MYSTERIOUS ISLAND to finish, plus I want to get in CAPTAIN MARVEL, THE GREEN HORNET, BATMAN AND ROBIN, FIGHTING DEVIL DOGS, the two Flash Gordon sequels, and, if I can squeeze them in, the Superman serials.

Re: 5th Annual Summer Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

I watched Exorcist II: The Heretic, and even though it isn't listed as sci-fi on IMDB or Allrovi, the use of the ridiculous "synchronizer" device that adds 70s pseudoscience to the film's goofy mix ought to qualify it, and of course demons are creatures of fantasy.

What a waste of Richard Burton and James Earl Jones.

Re: 5th Annual Summer Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

I always switch to watching TV shows when I start getting burned out. It's all too easy to hit a bad film and lose all momentum.

Re: 5th Annual Summer Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

OK... it's official... I'm starting to hate your posts... ;) I now have *2* apparently OOP serials I'll have to find! I'd never heard of Mysterious Island or Fighting Devil Dogs until now (most likely just overlooked them based on the titles as they don't sound like something I'd typically watch - yeah, I fall into that trap more than I'd like!). After looking them up they appear to be somewhat "must haves". How have I gone this long and have never heard of these? Arrrrggghhh!!!

Captain Marvel is simply great! Quite possibly the best "superhero" serial ever made. If you've not seen it before you're in for a treat!

Re: 5th Annual Summer Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

I saw CAPTAIN MARVEL as an adolescent when it was released to theaters in 1967 to capitalize on the "Batman" craze of the time. They ran all four hours of it at a neighborhood theater and some genius in the audience kept exclaiming "That's phony!" every time someone did an impossible stunt. (A tough crowd, my neighborhood.) I haven't seen it since but I have it on DVD and have been meaning to watch it for every challenge where it's been eligible.

I have FIGHTING DEVIL DOGS on VHS and watched the first tape (the first half) once but it was so long ago I have to re-watch it from the beginning. What I saw was great. Bruce Bennett stars as one of the two marine heroes and the other one, Lee Powell, played the first Lone Ranger on film. Powell later served as a marine in the Pacific during WWII. He died on one of the islands. It's an astounding and sad story, but I won't recount it here. Look him up on IMDB.

Oh, and I forgot to add BUCK ROGERS to my serial view list for this challenge. (I did watch PLANET OUTLAWS, the 69-minute feature compilation on the Mill Creek Sci-Fi Classics set.)

Re: 5th Annual Summer Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

I, too, watched that feature version on the MC set. It was a horrible copy - but as I don't know if I'll be able to work in the serial I put up with it anyway. It really just made me want to pull the serial out, open it, and watch but I really want to get the checklist and possibly that Mill Creek "Sci-Fi Invasion" set out of the way first. That won't leave much time for serials.

Re: 5th Annual Summer Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

Speaking of Captain Marvel, I too was in on this subconscious stream and brought it to work today, to start watching at lunch. Haven't seen it before either.

Re: 5th Annual Summer Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

Thanks for the suggestion. I did end up watching the Leech Woman. I spent a couple hours one night going through finding films to watch. I think I've actually finished that part of the checklist now, though. I have been using IMDB but not the feature you've mentioned. It probably would have made my search a lot easier as I went through name by name and then clicked on the titles I thought would work.

My main problem was finding a copy I could watch. I'm limited in what I can afford to watch right now. I don't have Netflix and don't have many video rental places around me, especially ones with older films. I have access to my library and online. For instance, I was going to watch a Superman episode with one of the actresses but only could find rentals so had to hunt down something else.

I'm down to three that I'm not sure what I'm watching. I have the others ready to watch for when I'm in the mood. I'd take suggestions for the directed/produced by Roger Corman/Edgar G. Ulmer/Charles Band one and for the Cyborg one. I'm also not sure on the Space Opera one. I have the Ice Pirates that I would think would work but was going to double check here. Also, for unrated, is that considered the same as not rated?

I'm really not trying to complain. People here have been very helpful and I have been watching things I normally wouldn't which is nice. I'm just trying to share what would have made it a little easier for me. But I'm also learning a lot of helpful hints as I go through this challenge. Like I didn't know IMDB could be refined that much. I will be able to use that for other things as well.

Re: 5th Annual Summer Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

From that list of 3, I'd go with Roger Corman as many of his early films are in the PD and freely available for streaming. Here are a few from archive.org:

The Wasp Woman - Horror/Sci-Fi
Attack of the Giant Leeches - Horror/Sci-Fi
Little Shop of Horrors - Fantasy
Last Woman on Earth - Sci-Fi/Drama/Horror/Mystery
Voyage to the Prehistoric Planet - Sci-Fi

Cyborg: Robocop (and sequels), The Terminator (and sequels), <s>Blade Runner</s>, The Fifth Element, Star Trek: First Contact, Universal Soldier, Man with the Screaming Brain (Bruce Campbell), and many more. Here's the search I ran on IMDB.

I'd think Ice Pirates qualifies as "Space Opera" as it has all the elements.

I've always interpreted unrated that way. I could be wrong...

Yeah, IMDB kind of hides that advanced search. I used to do what you did - search by name and do *lots* of clicking through film links to find what I wanted/needed. It was *very* time consuming!

Re: 5th Annual Summer Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

Technically, Blade Runner wouldn't count because those are androids and not cyborgs.

Re: 5th Annual Summer Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

They're not androids either but bioengineered beings. I thought it felt odd as I typed it... That's what you get when you simply echo a list and don't give it much thought, eh? Crossed out...