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  • For SF, I recommend Primer. Its definitely a challenging movie as there's no clear exposition, but I found myself wanting to watch it several times to piece it altogether.

    • One of my favorite movies, it’s a trip. Anyone curious curious to watch it, don’t concern yourself with understanding every little thing. It’s a lot of implied ideas /throw away lines to give the scenes more natural qualities, allusions to stuff you’ll never hear about again that aren’t plot-relevant. Just soak it all in and then watch it again :)

      The only sad thing in hindsight is it has a pretty unnecessary slur (f—) in one part but it’s quick and, again unfortunately, pretty typical for the time it came out. Also kind of a tasteless joke about making their kid “wind up in the closet.”

      Still, well worth the watch. Short too! Like 80min.

      “They took what was needed from their surroundings and made from it something more.” (I think that’s the line lol)

    • Y'know that infamous quote about Rick & Morty that doesn't understand how enjoying things made by smart people is different from being smart yourself?

      You have to be smart to appreciate this movie.

      For better and for worse.

      You can definitely enjoy it, taking it at its word that everything makes sense. It has some fantastic ideas casually sprinkled in, to make you worry and wonder, but not as part of any larger puzzle. The major thread of the film, and its conclusion, still work if you're only kinda following it.

      But when you trace what's going on, you will find that the filmmakers did all their homework, and everything does make sense, even if it takes you ages to work out how.

    • It’s almost the inverse of these visual novel games. A movie that’s really a puzzle, a game.

  • Oh, I got a few:

    Wings of Honneamise is an anime from the 80s that I rarely see mentioned that has a special place in my heart. It's about the first space program in some foreign world, with conflict and war that captures the frontier spirit.

    Black Rain, directed by Ridley Scott and starring Michael Douglas and Andy Garcia, is not exactly some small indie movie but I never see it mentioned anywhere. I would describe it as a fish out of water story with two American cops going to Osaka. I love the movie and the soundtrack.

    Colossus: The Forbin Project from 1970 is a sci-fi classic that I think really holds up.

    A Taxing Woman from 1987, co-incidentally the same year as Wings of Honneamise, is a Japanese movie about a tax collector going after a criminal who is hiding his income really well. I caught this late at night on TV 30 years or so ago and just enjoyed it a lot.

    The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec is a French movie, bringing a comic of the same name to the screen. I really liked the comics already and the movie was fun as well. Early 20th century Paris, some fantasy elements.

    Forbidden Planet, 1956, is also a sci-fi classic, starring a young Leslie Nielsen in a serious role.

    The 1978 version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers is my favorite version of the story. It stars Donald Sutherland, Leonard Nimoy and Jeff Goldblum. You might have seen Sutherland from this movie as a meme.

    La Haine is another French movie, starring Vincent Cassel, Very intense, very good.

    Ladyhawke is a fantasy movie starring Rutger Hauer, Michelle Pfeiffer and Matthew Broderick. I wish there were more movies like this. Just telling a nice story. A cursed couple, a thief and a lot of adventure.

    The Name of the Rose, with Sean Connery, Christian Slater and Ron Perlman, is a lovely version of Umberto Eco's book of the same name, that tells the story in an actually entertaining way.

    The Ninth Gate with Johnny Depp is another book adaptation that I think is better than the book. Fantasy and mystery and suspense.

    Oxygen is a French sci-fi movie with a really minimalistic set and cast that I was pleasantly surprised by.

    The Patlabor movies are among my favorite anime movies. Mostly calm and mature characters and nice stories.

    The Prophecy with Christopher Walken and Elias Koteas was an indie success in the 90s. Angels, the Devil and mortals caught in between.

    Shin Godzilla (2016) is my favorite Godzilla movie of all time. I can see why people might not like it, but it just tickled me in all the right places.

    Strange Days is one of the best cyberpunk movies out there.

    Top Secret! is brought to you by Zucker, Abrahams, Zucker, who brought us, amongst other movies, The Naked Gun trilogy and Hot Shots. It's equally silly and funny.

  • Huge in China but not much in “the west”: Wandering Earth big budget, wild plot. A bit ridiculous but in an Armageddon or Pacific Rim kind of way. Good popcorn/summer movie.

    • I was really impressed by Journey to the West (2023, directed by Dashon Kong) and the (not film) television series Three Body Problem when it comes to Chinese film/television.

  • Sunshine is a great Sci-fi movie with a stacked cast.

    I'll go way old school with one too. Logan's Run from the 70s. If any film could do with a modern remake I think it's that one.

  • Fritz the Cat 😉

    • Ralph Bakshi stuff is a must-watch with a lot of content warnings and trigger warnings.

      Fritz the Cat, Coonskin, Wizards, The Lord of the Rings, American Pop, Cool World... I miss animation this fluid and wild.

  • Kung Pao is one of the dumbest and most underrated comedies. It's not exactly sci-fi, but it does have aliens and intelligent cows.

    I watched it over ten times, and I don't regret a second.

    • *Kung Pow: Enter the Fist. I loved it when it came out but I'm afraid to watch it now for fear that it doesn't hold up. But I will always laugh at the way the lady picks up the baby and rolls it down the rest of the hill. "So cute"

  • John Dies at the End.

    It’s sci fi/comedy. Best watched whilst high, but good regardless.

  • The Voices with Ryan Reynolds.

    It's a comedy drama following a schizophrenic trying to live a normal life.

    It hits pretty hard at times.

  • Iron Sky from 2012. It doesn’t have good ratings but the first time I watched it with my father, it was hilarious. Granted, the humour is quite dark but the cultural differences that you will come to see are so funny. I liked it, personally, but of course it’s not for everyone.

164 comments