Little known SF films

[Hollow]

Saw something called The Subjects earlier, it was about clinical trials of a new wonder drug, ineviable disastrous result later and we are left with a raft of wasted ideas, i didnt like it much, glimmers of interesting stuff, drowned out by the inane dialogue.

[Mark Steels Stockbroker]

I'd settle for Darkstar as the key reference: the early 70s pisstake SF film (starring Dan O'Bannon, who wrote the original Alien script), in the basic idea is that Space Men In The Future are just going to be the same regular slobs you meet in America right now in 1970: hippies, jobsworths, fools.

[purlieu]

Making a note of lots of interesting looking ones in here. Some thoughts on some already mentioned...
Seconds is phenomenal. Horrific with a nice underlying level of satire. I love the idea of going to an office and a chap in a suit calmly explaining the price is so high because they need to find a corpse matching your own body. Utterly bleak.
Miracle Mile I enjoy a lot, particularly the really drastic change in tone. I wish I'd seen it without knowing it was going to be SF. One from my 'watched because it has a Tangerine Dream soundtrack' list.
I love the beginning of Lifeforce but it trails off down a vampire-esque track which doesn't appeal much to me.
Xtro is marvellous bonkers fun. I love the way it was an ET exploitation film on some level.
I loved Coherence, totally my kind of thing. Didn't find it too confusing, actually, I just delighted in the way it unfolded. Triangle, similarly, as soon as I'd grasped the concept wasn't confusing, although it was utter nonsense

Spoiler alert

The ending suggests to me that it's a never ending loop, which would be impossible without her aging

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Shane Carruth I have a lot of time for, although no matter how many graphs and diagrams I read, I cannot get my head around Primer at all. Upstream Color is one of my favourite films, though. Absolutely beautiful, sumptuous cinematics and soundtrack to the extent that you don't need to grasp the plot at all to enjoy it.
Love is nice, with a much better soundtrack than you'd expect from a band fronted by a member of Blink 182.
No idea if it's well known or not, but I enjoyed Source Code a lot. More time travel/alternate timeline stuff that seems to be getting a lot of people on the IMDB board annoyed because it might not quite follow every understood rule of quantum physics to the letter.

[Mark Steels Stockbroker]

Source Code is good.

Mind you, I do like The Box, which probably makes my opinion worthless to some of you.

[BlodwynPig]

Miracle Mile I enjoy a lot, particularly the really drastic change in tone. I wish I'd seen it without knowing it was going to be SF. One from my 'watched because it has a Tangerine Dream soundtrack' list.

A poor soundtrack mind. Did I mention I just did Firestarter, Sorcerer and Flashpoint thanks to putlocker. There are a few I haven't seen, Zoning, Shy People, Three O'Clock High. Might take a look. But the three above are probably the best. In fact, Sorcerer and Flashpoint went immediately into my top 30 films.

[BlodwynPig]

Oh and this one

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wavelength_(1983_film)

featuring Robert Carradine and Cherie Currie of all people

[BlodwynPig]

On a tangent (geddit?)...

Just looking up Tangerine Dream's filmography. They did a hell of a lot of soundtracks...a lot of the films look naff as hell though, especially later...

Dead Solid Perfect - Film following the life of a professional golfer on the PGA Tour. Directed by Bobby Roth

The Switch - Drama about assisted suicide. Directed by Bobby Roth

The Man Inside - Thriller film about unethical journalism, directed by Bobby Roth

Rainbow Drive - Homicide drama directed by Bobby Roth
Bobby sounds a hoot to have round at a dinner party

[steveh]

The original version of The Lathe of Heaven from 1980 is worth watching. Made for public TV in the States and based on an Ursula K. Le Guin novel, it's the story of a man whose dreams can change reality and the scientist whose help he seeks who then tries to control him to his own benefit. It makes the most of a tiny budget thanks to a decent script, good acting and restraint in its production and effects.

[Ignatius_S]

On a tangent (geddit?)...

Just looking up Tangerine Dream's filmography. They did a hell of a lot of soundtracks...a lot of the films look naff as hell though, especially later...

Dead Solid Perfect - Film following the life of a professional golfer on the PGA Tour. Directed by Bobby Roth

The Switch - Drama about assisted suicide. Directed by Bobby Roth

The Man Inside - Thriller film about unethical journalism, directed by Bobby Roth

Rainbow Drive - Homicide drama directed by Bobby Roth
Bobby sounds a hoot to have round at a dinner party

Can't comment about the ones I haven't seen, but Dead Solid Perfect and The Switch are definitely worth watching. Dead Solid Perfect is a very funny film and suspect it's the best movie to have been made about the gold world (although there's not much competition). The Switch certainly isn't a bundle of laughs but it's a good drama; Gary Cole is the lead and he's outstanding.

There are far worse works to be associated with and having a fair few films that TD were involved with, I can honestly say that they were; however, it's remains an interesting bunch.

[Brundle-Fly]

1950's

Fiend Without A Face (1958) Brilliant stop motion animation creepies to rival Harryhausan's skeletons in this Brit atomic paranoia sci-fi.



1960's

Journey To The Far Side Of The Sun AKA Doppelgänger (1969) Another UK sci-fi that got overshadowed by Kubrick's film of that same year. Written by Thunderbirds creators Gerry and Sylvia Anderson.



1970's

The Questor Tapes (1974)  Strictly a TV movie by Gene Roddenbury. A sort of high tech update of Frankenstein. Loved it as a kid, not seen it in decades so it may have rusted badly.



1980's

Brainstorm(1983)  Proto-Black Mirror type technology terror tale. After the 'orgasm scene', every teenage boy wanted one of those kits. Christopher Walken stars



1990's

Fire In The Sky (1993) Scary alien abduction movie. The puny human examination scene is horrific.



2000's

Splinter (2008) Parasitic, shapeshifting bastard that gives the creature in The Thing a run for its money.

[purlieu]

The Man Inside - Thriller film about unethical journalism, directed by Bobby Roth

Oh God, avoid this soundtrack. In fact, avoid any soundtracks of theirs for films produced after Miracle Mile, it's the last listenable one. It might have some awful late '80s MIDI nonsense on it, but also some lovely moody pieces. Some of those like The Man Inside, Zoning and Catch Me If You Can, oh God. Some of the worst music ever. Shy People is another shit soundtrack. My favourite scores of theirs are Firestarter, Heartbreakers, The Park is Mine and their alternate (and far superior) score to Legend.

But you're right, they worked on a lot of naff films.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Although- as purlieu and I discovered, Dead Solid Perfect, the golf one, is in its own way almost a listenable soundtrack. A fair amount of dated harpsichord and hackwork, but some nice sequences and stylistically very consistent.

I would highly recommend Heartbreakers, The Park Is Mine and Legend, they're very consistent industry-quality soundtracks you can listen to both with or without the film in mind. Also, by way of compliment to TD, they're all three very different feeling and sounding despite being made in a very close period of time to each other.

Some of the others have only 1 or 2 salvageable pieces of music, so it's a real pain and a slog to find out which one those are. This for example:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VFpLShdEFI

How many people on earth would voluntarily seek this out- a track low down the running order on a TV movie soundtrack from the late 80s? As it turns out, a lovely piece. (stick with it until 4.10 for a brilliant development in the track)

Anyway, back to sci-fi!

[Steven]

Fire In The Sky (1993) Scary alien abduction movie. The puny human examination scene is horrific.

This is based on a true story, essentially everything that happens to Travis Walton (being on a UFO, being strapped down by aliens and experimented on) between being knocked out in the forest and waking up again in the forest 5 days later is complete horseshit made up by Hollywood. All he remembers is seeing a strange craft, being stunned and the sensation of being choked before waking back up.

[Brundle-Fly]

This is based on a true story, essentially everything that happens to Travis Walton (being on a UFO, being strapped down by aliens and experimented on) between being knocked out in the forest and waking up again in the forest 5 days later is complete horseshit made up by Hollywood. All he remembers is seeing a strange craft, being stunned and the sensation of being choked before waking back up.

To be fair, the 'true story' is already fifty shades of complete horseshit before we start questioning the integrity of Hollywood.

[Steven]

To be fair, the 'true story' is already fifty shades of complete horseshit before we start questioning the integrity of Hollywood.

Nah, I've heard many interviews with him back in the 90s, and I believe him. But there are far simpler explanations for his story than Aliens, the movie was basically a massively hyperbolic device to make anybody skeptical instantly dismiss his story entirely as a lie.

[Famous Mortimer]

It's not a true story. Part financial desparation by the group of loggers (who'd have owed significant penalty payments unless an "act of God" intervened) and part they'd watched the movie about Betty and Barney Hill a few weeks beforehand. Oh, and Walton was a UFO buff too, before the "abduction".

http://www.jasoncolavito.com/blog/review-of-ancient-aliens-s05e09-strange-abductions

But sci-fi movies! To celebrate all things time travel, I watched Time Guardian, a surprisingly fun Australian movie about a time travelling city and the bad cyborgs who try and track it down. They could afford Dean Stockwell and Carrie Fisher...for a few days each, and aside from a ropey lead performance it's alright.

[BlodwynPig]

Although- as purlieu and I discovered, Dead Solid Perfect, the golf one, is in its own way almost a listenable soundtrack. A fair amount of dated harpsichord and hackwork, but some nice sequences and stylistically very consistent.

I would highly recommend Heartbreakers, The Park Is Mine and Legend, they're very consistent industry-quality soundtracks you can listen to both with or without the film in mind. Also, by way of compliment to TD, they're all three very different feeling and sounding despite being made in a very close period of time to each other.

Some of the others have only 1 or 2 salvageable pieces of music, so it's a real pain and a slog to find out which one those are. This for example:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VFpLShdEFI

How many people on earth would voluntarily seek this out- a track low down the running order on a TV movie soundtrack from the late 80s? As it turns out, a lovely piece. (stick with it until 4.10 for a brilliant development in the track)

Anyway, back to sci-fi!

I haven't heard that one. On soulseek there is a guy who has compiled all their film, tv and radio soundtracks, there are about 30 volumes of the stuff.

[BlodwynPig]

The Risky Business soundtrack is pretty good - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQ2OE_Vodgw

[purlieu]

Ah yeah, 'The Hospital' is a fantastic track. The rest of the soundtrack is pretty poor, too, God knows where they pulled that one out from. Their music for Risky Business is some of the best film music they did, shame there's so little of it in comparison to the others.

[phantom_power]

What about Near Dark. I haven't seen it for a while but I remember the soundtrack being suitably moody and interesting

[Ignatius_S]

What about Near Dark. I haven't seen it for a while but I remember the soundtrack being suitably moody and interesting

It's a long time since I saw it, but can't remember the soundtrack sticking out as being substandard in any way and suspect your recollection is right.

Thief was a one that I would say worked very well (and a superb film to boot).

[BlodwynPig]

What about Near Dark. I haven't seen it for a while but I remember the soundtrack being suitably moody and interesting

A decent soundtrack and great film.

In fact, my favourite soundtracks are even better films.

Sorcerer - great soundtrack, fantastic film
Flashpoint - fantastic soundtrack, fantastic film
Thief - great soundtrack, fantastic film

[Steven]

It's not a true story. Part financial desparation by the group of loggers (who'd have owed significant penalty payments unless an "act of God" intervened) and part they'd watched the movie about Betty and Barney Hill a few weeks beforehand. Oh, and Walton was a UFO buff too, before the "abduction".

http://www.jasoncolavito.com/blog/review-of-ancient-aliens-s05e09-strange-abductions

What's that article based on, though? It just says Walton was a huge UFO buff, and proves it by just saying he was a huge UFO buff? Is all the logging deadline stuff from this post from a Sheriff's nephew? As it states that the story is true, to the same extent I did - sans Aliens, I don't think he ever mentioned seeing Aliens, except this story introduces LSD into the picture and then makes a bunch of assumptions as to his whereabouts.

[Famous Mortimer]

What's that article based on, though? It just says Walton was a huge UFO buff, and proves it by just saying he was a huge UFO buff? Is all the logging deadline stuff from this post from a Sheriff's nephew? As it states that the story is true, to the same extent I did - sans Aliens, I don't think he ever mentioned seeing Aliens, except this story introduces LSD into the picture and then makes a bunch of assumptions as to his whereabouts.

I'm not sure digging back to the source materials that Colavito used will make you any more likely to change your mind, and I'm not going to track down 40 year old US goverment contracts, but this information has been reported since the date of the "abduction" and has never been corrected by Walton or any of his family.

From a site called "debunker.com" (in case you wanted to go the shoot-the-messenger route):

But the real "bombshell," as Klass describes it in his book, was the fact that Walton had failed an earlier polygraph examination miserably and this information had been suppressed by APRO, which had been proclaiming the Walton case "one of the most important and intriguing in the history of the UFO phenomena." This test was administered by John McCarthy, who with twenty years of experience was one of the most respected examiners in the state of Arizona. His conclusion: "Gross deception." Proponents of the Walton case never mention this examination.

If the case is a hoax, what possible motivation could Walton and the others have? Two possibilities have been identified: every year, the National Enquirer offered a multi-thousand dollar award for the "Best Case" of the year (up to $100,000 for "positive proof" of ET). Walton and the other crew members divided a $5000 award from the National Enquirer. The second, and more compelling, motive involved a contract Rogers had with the U.S. Forest Service. Rogers had contracted with the Service to thin out the Turkey Springs area over a year before Walton's experience. He won the contract when he submitted the low bid of $24.70/acre in June of 1974. The contract term was 200 working days ("working days" to allow for bad weather and the long mountain winter) to thin 1277 acres, later reduced to 1205 acres. Rogers was seriously behind schedule and in fact had received an eighty-four day extension (accompanied with a $1.00 per acre penalty for missing the completion date). Only five days of this extension remained at the time of Walton's alleged abduction. At the time of Walton's disappearance, Rogers was in serious trouble: he had over a hundred acres left to finish in five days or he would default on the contract and lose some $2500 -- money sorely needed to get through the winter months -- or he request a second extension and accept another penalty for failing to finish on schedule a second time.

Just two weeks prior to Walton's disappearance, NBC-TV aired a two hour movie featuring the abduction tale of Betty and Barney Hill. Rogers has acknowledged watching the first portion of the movie, the portion that detailed the Hills' "abduction." Klass speculates in his book that "to a man facing two unattractive alternatives on his Turkey Springs contract, the account of the Hills' 'UFO-abduction' could easily suggest a third." By making Turkey Springs the site of an alien abduction, Rogers could claim his men were too afraid to return and continue working -- providing an "act of God" that could result in contract termination with no penalty and full payment to Rogers.

And this, from a pro-UFO organisation (although I can't find an "original", and am drawing it from the same page):

"Ground Saucer Watch" Memo on the Walton Incident

Conclusions (undated: probably December, 1975)

"Ground Saucer Watch," a pro-UFO organization, was the very first UFO organization on the scene of the Walton "abduction". In cooperation with Dr. J. Allen Hynek of CUFOS, Dr. Lester Stewart of GSW began to interview the Walton family while Travis was still "missing." They immediately smelled a hoax. These are their conclusions, without any changes - RS.

1. Walton never boarded the UFO. This fact is supported by the six witnesses and the polygraph test results. [3]

2. The entire Walton family has had a continual UFO history. The Walton boys have reported observing 10 to 15 separate UFO sightings (very high).

3. When Duane was questioned about his brother's disappearance, he stated that "Travis will be found, that UFO's are friendly." GSW countered, "How do you know Travis will be found?" Duane said "I have a feeling, a strong feeling." GSW asked "If the UFO 'captors' are going to return Travis, will you have a camera to record this great occurrence?" Duane, "No, if I have a camera 'they' will not return."

4. The Walton's mother showed no outward emotion over the 'loss' of Travis. She said that UFO's will not harm her son, he will be returned and that UFO's have been seen by her family many times.

5. The Walton's refused any outside scientific help or anyone who logically doubted the abduction portion of the story.

6. The media and GSW was fair to the witnesses. However, when the story started to 'fall apart' the Waltons would only talk to people who did not doubt the abduction story.

7. APRO became involved and criticized both GSW and Dr. Hynek for taking a negative position on the encounter.

8. The Waltons 'sold' their story to the National Enquirer and the story was completely twisted from the truth.

The entirety of the evidence appears to be a bunch of passed lie detector tests by people who could have been fooled (a rig set up by the Walton brothers?), and the constantly evolving testimony of Walton himself. I definitely count myself in the "want to believe" category, but if this tissue of lies is the best the pro-UFO camp can come up with, I think we're going to have to wait for our first contact.

[Famous Mortimer]

I'm sorry. I sound like a right hectoring twat. But that story is definitely a load of bollocks, though.

[Steven]

I'm not sure digging back to the source materials that Colavito used will make you any more likely to change your mind, and I'm not going to track down 40 year old US goverment contracts, but this information has been reported since the date of the "abduction" and has never been corrected by Walton or any of his family.

From a site called "debunker.com" (in case you wanted to go the shoot-the-messenger route):

And this, from a pro-UFO organisation (although I can't find an "original", and am drawing it from the same page):

Thanks, yeah I haven't really looked into this case since I was a teen in the late 90s, so maybe more details have emerged. Will look into it further at some point, hopefully. I mean I'd seen earlier interviews with that Bob Lazar and could tell he was full of shit, he reeled off the same story with the same details like Mr Orange in Reservoir Dogs, Walton was more convincing though.

The entirety of the evidence appears to be a bunch of passed lie detector tests by people who could have been fooled (a rig set up by the Walton brothers?), and the constantly evolving testimony of Walton himself. I definitely count myself in the "want to believe" category, but if this tissue of lies is the best the pro-UFO camp can come up with, I think we're going to have to wait for our first contact.

Yeah, the sources and their connections for this kind of info is important to look at, as articles and further extemporisations tend to get more distorted as time lingers on.

I'm sorry. I sound like a right hectoring twat. But that story is definitely a load of bollocks, though.

No worries, discussing conspiracy theories on the internet is mostly a lost fucking cause, ideologues etc. Though they are interesting so you can't help getting dragged in sometimes. And you're right, the stuff I saw with Walton in the 90s just talks about being knocked out and waking up days later, more recent interviews are Alien this and Spaceship that, he's definitely made up a load more to keep the gravy train rolling, doesn't negate his original story though, but I'll look into the logging contracts etc when I have the inclination, which means not for a fucking while.

[Famous Mortimer]

By the way, the one I was always most convinced by was the Rendlesham Forest one, seemingly credible sources, unusual stuff that couldn't be easily explained, etc. That's bollocks too, mind. Come on, UFO boffins! Let's have some proper evidence!

My old flatmate and I were obsessive fans of "UFO Hunters", because the first one we ever watched, the main guy presented as his prime evidence, a drawing of a photograph of a UFO, as the photo was long since "lost". Amazing! You can't argue with people like that.

I suppose I ought to try and drag this back on topic.

The Book (2010)
It's about a book with actual supernatural powers, given to us by people from innner space, in the future, to help us all out. Honestly, it's been a while since I saw it, but it just popped into my head and I'd definitely suggest tracking it down. Has something of the feel of a Residents video to it.

The same year's "Book Of Eli" takes up all the search results, but have a gander here and maybe give it a go.

[billtheburger]

boobs, innit?

[Steven]

Splinter (2008) Parasitic, shapeshifting bastard that gives the creature in The Thing a run for its money.

This was interesting, The Thing comparisons are accurate though they did do a pretty much perfect recreation

Spoiler alert

of the hand like the face-hugger stalking Ripley and Newt moment, and essentially face-hugger was a hand with a smothering vagina attached, Giger's psycho-sexual monsters really were what made those movies.

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