Re: 11th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

Started with Tobor the Great. A little slow-paced (Republic Pictures; enough said) for a 77 minute kids film, but a fun schlock-fest. Reminded me of The Invisible Boy with Robby the Robot.

Re: 11th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

Tobor was fun. Even in the 50s, ripping off what was successful was a hollywood norm (think Robby the Robot)

Re: 11th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

I liked it well enough. The first season was the least of the Netflix Marvel shows, but there were enough good bits to keep me going and if nothing else it's the lead up to the Defenders. I'm hearing that season 2 should be a big improvement.

Re: 11th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

Ah I see, thanks for the info.

Re: 11th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

I started Saturday night with Logan's Run. I still find it rather cheesy with just average visual effects but it's grown on me over the decades. That was followed by The Omega Man, IMHO the worst adaptation of Matheson's story. Then it was off to Memphis...

Jurassic Quest was incredibly cheesy. Horrible "animatronics" (mostly a moving mouth, ridiculous moving arms, or a wagging tail) in a dimly lit area so you don't notice how travel worn the dinosaurs actually are (I did - some poorly assembled, patched with painted duct tape, ripped rubber bits, and more). It's a huge money grab affair obviously designed to separate parents from their money to make their kids happy "riding" a stuffed, rubber coated, armature affair like you used to see in front of grocery stores (But for ~$.50 there - these were $5 a "ride!"). My grandkids, at least the ones little enough to do the "activities," spent most of their time on the "bounce house" type slides ($5 a time down or use an armband for unlimited). Doing a quick head count I guess the pulled in 20 thousand plus just on gate admissions. At least "smart" parents could purchase a kiddie armband that let them do the expensive junk with no extra outlay (but that was an extra $14). My wife kept saying "It's for the kids - not you" but I felt like the presenters were ripping everyone off in a major way.

Best was the Memphis Zoo on Monday. We walked the entire zoo and saw almost every animal they have. It was a fun, but tiring, 5 hour visit. But all the kids (ages 18mo - 15 YO) were well behaved and had a good time. So did we adults (4 of us). It cost less than the fake dinosaurs and was a far superior experience.

Got home last night and watched Soylent Green. Outside the "shock" ending I still don't get why this gets such high ratings. Heston and Robinson do very well (of course) but the story is told in a somewhat hamfisted way. Oh well... It's still enjoyable - and just qualifies for the "Watch a film that takes place in the "future" but the year has already come and gone" checklist item (for those of you doing the checklist).

Re: 11th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

Yeah, I watched Iron Fist and liked it fine. I'm a fan of the character and haven't watched that many other Netflix Marvel shows. I need to dig into a few more of those.

Re: 11th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

I tried watching the first episode of the 2000 remake of Randall and Hopkirk Deceased tonight. I only made it through 20 minutes before switching it off. I didn't remember it as being as bad as it is. The 'humour' is just so bad and Vic and Bob do not make good dramatic actors. Emilia Fox still looked... foxy though. But not enough to keep me watching it any longer.

Re: 11th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

i watched Cyborg 2087 tonight. It is a Michael Rennie potboiler about cyborgs from the future. The cyborgs have motor cycle helmets and silver suspenders. plenty of program music, including music used in Night of the Living Dead, lol. Michael Rennie wears an ascot and jump suit. Only Michael Rennie can pull off this look without being totally ridiculous.

Re: 11th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

I have seen alot of reviews that praise Colossus: The Forbin Project. I guess I am in the minority. Colossus the supercomputer that controls a nuclear arsenal, negotiates on our behalf, makes policy decisions, but doesn't know what a bed is or how to make a gin and tonic?

The computer decides to redirect all missiles to countries not under it's control , like africa and denmark. when did africa become a military superpower threat? china isn't on the list.

silly stuff

Re: 11th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

It sounds like there are some good watches going on! I had planned on watching more at night but I have been too tired once I hit the hotel. I will have to catch up when I get home!

Has anyone seen the new Jurassic World movie yet? Was waiting till this challenge started to see it and was curious how it was.

Re: 11th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

I'm with you. I'm quite hard on movies featuring "computers that take over" anything. I know they're intended as cautionary tales but most are half-baked, have ludicrous tech (basically writers who really don't know computers and how they work), or are full of illogical moments. No "back door" in case things go wrong? The computer blocks the "back door?" I don't buy it.

That's one reason I dislike most of Michael Creighton's works (books and/or movies based on them). I refuse to watch Showtime's Westworld due to how I feel about the movie. Did you know Jurassic Park is essentially just a Westworld re-skin? Computers gone amuck. Too cliche', highly predictable, and truly illogical.

Re: 11th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

BobO'Link - I'm with you. I'm quite hard on movies featuring "computers that take over" anything.

I agree Bob, but it might be that you and I are just getting old! I am 53.

Seriously, I do believe that Science Fiction films that are presented as a serious intellectual story have a much higher bar to jump then say your average slasher, horror or comedy.

Re: 11th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

I spent most of the day immersed in the world of Pushing Daisies and completely forgot that it was July 4th. Time to begin my annual Independence Day viewing.

Re: 11th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

I've felt that way about those types of movies since I was a teenager. I'm 63.

I'm much harder on and critical of SF films than any other genre. Surprisingly it somewhat depends on just *when* the film was made. I absolutely love the SF films of the 50s with little reservation. It's only movies made after 2001: A Space Odyssey that I truly became super critical, mostly about the story itself and not so much the visual effects, but it really depends on the movie. If the story's done well I can forgive sub-par visuals but slap sloppy visuals on a sloppy story... It's truly a rare thing for me to rate any SF film produced after 1969 higher than 6 and most struggle to get a 5. I often feel guilty putting low ratings on films others think highly of and wonder just what they see that I do not. Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) is one of those. I find it horribly written, sloppy, and illogical. I've seen it several times and don't like it any better now than when it came out. I found Disney's Tron to be a horribly cliche', laughable, movie with terrible visual effects. The "person sucked into a computer game" premise just doesn't work for me at all. It's all silly buzz word terminology worded to sound "cool." Maybe if you were 13 at the time it was. I wasn't, it wasn't, and still isn't to me. For me, both Spielberg and Disney have a horrible track record with SF. The only SF film from Spielberg I'll willingly watch is Minority Report which IMHO is one of his best. I've yet to see a SF film from Disney I find worth a 2nd viewing (I don't count the Marvel or Lucasfilms products as being "Disney." I'm strictly speaking about films Disney made prior to those acquisitions).

Re: 11th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

I saw the last one in theaters and liked it fine, but am not feeling this one. I'll probably wait for video. Heck, I haven't even seen the Han Solo movie yet!

Re: 11th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

KInthink I am going to take my niece at some point next week to it. Looks ok to me, but guess I will find out! Have not seen Solo either but likely will at some point this month...

Re: 11th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

So I have a question about audio entries. I just listened to "LeVar Burton Reads" and he reads Ursula K. Le Guin's "The Fliers of Gy." Can I count this? It was a nice fantasy story and the episode lasts for 1 hour.

Re: 11th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

Sure, go for it! Audio counts. :)

Re: 11th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

That’s good to know about audiobooks. I knew Coast To Coast AM counted, but I never thought about audiobooks. I have some audiobooks of the Dragonlance series.

Re: 11th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

If radio counts, why not audiobooks? At least, that is my thoughts...

Re: 11th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

Makes sense to me. :)

I was outside this morning, and I thought I'd sit on my porch with a cup of coffee, and listen to some C2C. The first half didn't count, as it was a health segment, but in the second half of the show, Michael Horn was on, talking about the prophecies of Billy Meijer, who supposedly was in contact with ETs.

Re: 11th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

Gracias everyone.

Since audio books do count, I highly recommend the LeVar Burton Reads podcast. He has read a few sci-fi/fantasy short stories one from Bradbury, one from Butler, and last week there was a cool story about a talking dog. They're all between 30-60 minutes each.

Re: 11th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

It was decent. I was a bit disappointed in many events of the movie, but I did enjoy myself while watching it. The ending makes the next sequel look like it ought to be a different type of Jurassic movie.

Re: 11th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

I saw it a few days ago and had much the same reaction. I liked Jurassic World since we finally got to see the dinosaur amusement park completed (before all the screaming and killing). But Fallen Kingdom really didn't tell a story that needed to be told. MysterioMan007 is right in that the next one could be different (and hopefully worthwhile):

Re: 11th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

I think we elected it president.

If you have Sorry to Bother You playing in your town, Go See It! It's a brilliant, savage AF takedown of corporate America and our obsessive need to find identity through buying and selling crap we don't need.