“The Man from Earth” - this was a really good film that has a small cast and almost entirely filmed within a single room. It was written by Drexel Bixby who was also a writer for Star Trek. He wrote “Mirror, Mirror”. This was the story he wrote from his death bed and got turned into a movie in 2007. Has a few star trek actors in its small cast too. Trying to be vague for the story of the movie because I felt going into it blind was such a good way to experience it.
“Fantastic Planet” - this animated film was an experience to say the least. I loved watching it as a kid and bought the Criterion collection edition a few years ago. It’s on HBO Max and worth a watch for how weird it is.
I’ve heard The Man From Earth is really good, I gotta try that. Will add Fantastic Planet too since I’ve seen good reviews of it. I’ve seen bits and pieces way back in the day on premium cable and I remember liking it.
The name also reminded me of MGM’s incredibly influential mid 1950s groundbreaking high-end feature Forbidden Planet.
Any fan of Star Trek, Star Wars or other 60s and 70s science fiction who hasn’t seen Forbidden Planet should make the effort to hunt down a copy just to know where a lot of the tropes and design came from.
Under the Skin - with Scarlett Johansson. There’s almost no dialogue. No exposition about anything, or names - just the short lifespan of an alien. Disguised as a woman, they’re part of what seems to be a hidden alien colony living amongst humans.
The soundtrack is haunting, hypnotizing and beautiful.
It’s on Max! I watched it for the first time there a month ago. Try and watch it where you can hear the audio. The music is so well done in that film and adds to experience if it’s heard well.
I’ve heard of Solaris, never seen it. Yeah I ignored the Hollywood remake, and have heard the original Soviet version is basically Russia’s answer to 2001.
Oh that’s definitely a hard question. My answer might vary a lot depending on whether I’m in a spooky atmospheric mood, an adventurous mood, or a deep thoughtful mood. Right now, I think my answer is going to be Arrival (2016). It touches on the fun topic of intelligent life landing on earth and trying to communicate with us.
Ghostbusters I & II (I know it’s a comedy with horror elements, but the proton packs are definitely sci-fi, and so is the whole city of NY coming together in harmony during the 2nd movie)