I'm running out of films - i do this every few years: get into films, then proceed to download everything i'm interested in until there's nothing left. Hurry up world and produce more interesting sf films! This time i've been looking at a 'list of all sci-fi films' in IMDB - working back in time, torrenting everything that interests (like 1 in 10 of the films at most) - the list has got this graph of films over time and it's heartening to see how exponential the growth of sci fi films has been - the last few years have a similar amount to the previous 10 (roll on the singularity!)). Anyway to the films:
Immortal (ad vitam) - a (mostly) animated dystopic(ish) future world, a bit like 5th element crossed with stargate (mysterious egyptian gods from space). Some nice visuals, though some of the animation looks a bit dated (2004) and shoddy (the people sort of look like GTA models or something). Watchable but maybe drags a bit.
Metropia - Another animated dystopia - animation's a bit more modern with photo-textures or something (pretty much the people from the british gas adverts with the big heads). Quite moody, quite nice animation effects; though doesn't really add much to the dystopian genre but is watchable.
Life Tracker - Interesting indy film that does well on a small budget; about a technology that can predict your future from analysing your dna - the film is like 'found footage' like they're creating a documentary about the technology. Does quite well and explores some interesting issues by the end (required a big suspension of belief to accept you can tell the actual future from your dna, but it didn't bother me)
Xchange - Fairly conventional scifi/thriller about a technology that lets you swap into other people's bodies; but also allows cheap copies/clones to be made for work tasks, which just happen to look like stephen baldwin (handily as he's the actor playing them) (i think i know the book this idea was ripped off from (david brin, kil'n copy)). Bit standard action but just about watchable.
World on a Wire - This is a fascinating german tv series from the 70s about virtual reality - amazingly far out for the time (and the german characters/chauvanism are funny). They basically had the matrix back then, on telly (while we watched benny hill). Great atmosphere, far out jarring synth noises, kitsch style. If this is too much work (it's quite a bit), the book this was based on was also made into an american version...
The Thirteenth Floor - Basically an american version of the same story (simulacron 3) - virtual reality/matrix and all that jazz. This version is good, but made a bit cheesy (they have to make the virtual reality based in the 1930s in black and white like philip marlowe - how original!). Good though.
(not scifi but)
Hidden Agenda - A ken loach film based in northen ireland, about the troubles, but also about the much wider general corruption of the uk establishment, and how they connived to get thatch into power (a silghtly fictionalised version of what actually happened in the 70s (the 'Wilson plots')). Really good because it's basically a true story and not many people know about it (might seem to be a bit pro-republican for some, but the important part is about the uk government more than NI itself)
Spider - By david cronenberg. This was a rewatch and probs mentioned it before - one of my favourite films. An excellent portrayal of madness from the inside; amazing performance from miranda richardson and fiennes - really pulls me in this one.
Kafka - Stephen sodherberg's film with jeremy irons. Semi biography, mostly portrayal of a mash up of kafka stories. Moody, well shot, kafkaesque (though maybe not quite enough for me). Quite enjoyable, but a bit unsatisfying in some way (maybe that's the point or something).
Schizopolis - Then tried this other sodherberg film. Pretty mad film about a bloke in a cult sort of based on scientology. Very wacky structure, some quite funny interludes; confusing. The lead actor was funny in places (the bit where he pulls faces near the start was cool [just found out this is actually stephen sodherberg himself]). Doesn't really cohere much, but i did want to watch the end (drugs helped)
Another Rewatch -
They Live - classic carpenter 80s film about glasses that reveal the aliens amongst us (it's basically david icke). Good film, though they could have saved 20 minutes by dropping the overlong homoerotic fisticuffs session in the middle. The visuals when they wear the glasses were really cool (OBEY). Felt they could have made a bit more effort to assure us that the aliens weren't meant to be jews. Bit in the laughable action mould (mullets, jokey pre-fight quips), but still good.