Any good horror/fantasy/sci-fi? I'm am...

[Kent]

Hi!

i am looking for movies that can be places in one of the above genres; horror, fantasy, sci-fi and also thrillers sometimes.

Do you have any good movies to recommend? Movies with supernatural elements, and stuff like that, that have something fantastic to them?

I'd love to get recommendations about movies that you think is good (or even better than good :)).

Even drama is OK along at it has something supernatural or in that direction, like for instance "Donnie Darko", which is a drama but with supernatural elements.

Anyway...appreciate your help.

Oh, one more thing...I'm looking for movies from America (USA, Canada, Mexico etc)

[pmw]

I keep pushing "eXistenZ" as a fantastic David Cronenberg jaunt.
Jennifer Jason Leigh, Jude Law, Willem Defoe to boot. Take a look if you havent seen it already.
P

[Russ]

I always thought Alien was fantastic movie. Great cast, great atmosphere - a simple story that's probably as old as humankind, but done to good effect when set on a spaceship.

I remember seeing a movie called "A Cold Night's Death" on television when I was a kid. I was great. It had Eli Wallach in it - so you know it's good. A Cold Night's Death could be described as SF / thriller / abit like a Twilight Zone episode.

Cheers

[Kent]

I was thinking about movies that are no older than 2000. That is movies from 2000, 2001, 2002 and coming movies in 2003.

Preferably movies that arent mainstream, than doesnt go in ordinary movie-theaters.

Thanks :)

[tabuno]

I still believe "Forbidden Planet" and "The Day The Earth Stood Still" continue to have an impact, though dated, they remain sci fi classics with themes that are as eternal since they were made. John Carpenter's remake of "The Thing" also captured my attention. "Big Trouble in Little China" For totally different type of supernatural feel but more along high drama are the superb classic by Director Peter Weir "Picnic at Hanging Rock" and one that most people have never heard of and one of my personal favorites "Nomads" starring Pierce Brosnan as you have never seen him before. "Brazil" (original cut) and "Alien" and "Bladerunner" and of course "2001: A Space Odyssey" are the masterpieces of contemporary sci fi. Lastly, of course, as "Carnival of Lost Souls" (1962) and "THX-1138." Well there is "Soylent Green" and "Journey to the Center of the Earth" and "Silent Running" and "Planet of the Apes" (original version) and "Close Encounters of the Third Kind." Finally, and I'm definitely in the minority here, "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" the first Star Trek movie really kept the original television series character. "Time After Time" and "Count Dracula" (1977) and then Rod Taylor's "The Time Machine." Ok. I better stop.

[tabuno]

"Equilibrium" is getting great reviews which is being shown in the top 20 movie marekts now. "Solaris" is getting highly mixed reviews, but for serious sci fi fans, it's great for American fare. "Fahrenheit 451" is being remade and scheduled to be released in 2004 and "Rendezvous with Rama" coming 2005.

[Johann]

I don't want to hear about a Fahrenheit remake. Good god why are they bothering?

The scariest film I've ever seen (save The Exorcist) is Riget (or The Kingdom). Lars von Trier created the nastiest place on earth: a haunted hospital that has down's syndrome afflicted actors relay the fates of principal "doctors" & "nurses".
It's like the video box says: "Like ER on acid."

STIFF WARNING: the film is 9 hours long in two parts. But I swear you won't leave the livingroom. It's un-f***ing-believeable. Sorry, it was made before the year 2000.

[Kent]

I may check "Forbidden Planet" and "The Day The Earth Stood Still" out someday, even though sci-fi frpm that early years is somewhat lame. Sci-Fi almost requiers special effects, and even if it sont, I am not very impressed with the movies from the 50:ies.

I have seen both "The Thing" An "Big trouble in little china", and i like the Thing very much, except for the monster. i have already seen Brazil, Bladerunner and Alien, and most of the ones you (Tabuno) mentioned :) But i appreciate your help anyway.

"Riget" as it is called in Danish I have also seen...both Riget I och Riget II. Ernst Hugo Järegård (a swedish actor) is anbelievable in the role! His extremely funny and the hole serie is GREAT! To bad that the americans are doing a remake of it!!! HAHAHA! What a joke! THey can NEVER do it as godd as Trier did.

Anyway...I'll keep looking for movies and thanks for your help.

[Johann]

Oh my god. Did you just say they are doing a remake of Riget?

Well fuck me with a rubber spoon. How in the name of lucifer are they going to pull that off? WAIT! I KNOW!


THEY'LL NEVER DO IT IN A FUCKING MILLION STARDATES!

(sorry, I had something stuck in my spleen...)

[Kent]

Hehe, that's right.

They can't just look at the Danish one but they HAVE TO do one of theri own. THat's almost like dubbing a movie...even worse (if it can get any worse than dubbing)


It's ridicilous that they can look att Riget and only add subtitles...

ridicilous

[oscar jubis]

In my opinion, the best horror/fantasy/sci-fi movies are coming out of Asia. Most are available on DVD but were not released in theatres in the US. My favorite recent (relatively) American film in this category is DARK CITY. Although some would consider the awesome MULHOLLAND DRIVE a fantasy, I won't.

DARK CITY is a science-fiction film in film-noir clothing. Aliens tinker with the world, and the memories of men. An "innocent-man-wrongly-accused" searches for an explanation with assistance from a radical scientist, while being pursued. As you'd expect from the director of The Crow(Alex Proyas), the cinematography, art direction and f/x are outstanding. DARK CITY is smarter and more fun though. Anybody who liked Metropolis or Brazil or Blade Runner must rent the dvd. It includes many extra features including running commentaries, Roger Ebert's is very interesting and illuminating.

[Johann]

Could you list some titles, Oscar? My exploration of flicks from the orient is quite weak. I think Crouching Tiger was the last fantasy film I saw.

And Dark City. Hell of a show. True film fans love this movie. Jennifer Connelly had me riveted, I recall. Only seen it once, however, but I don't think I can forget Kiefer Sutherland practically hyperventilating. Does Ebert do commentatry on the whole film or just selected scenes? Do you know of any other Ebert commentaries?

[oscar jubis]

Ebert does film-length commentary in Dark City and CITIZEN KANE, a must for film buffs.

From So. Korea: THE ISLE(Seom), a Seven-inflected serial killer procedural famous for causing fainting and vomiting at the Venice F. Fest, and MEMENTO MORI, a high school-set ghost story. TELL ME SOMETHING is also excellent, not "horror" but certainly horrific.
From Japan: Kiyoshi Kurosawa's CURE and PULSE, Hideo Nakata's RING and DARK WATER. Also, from director of the cult Tetsuo, GEMINI, a film I recommend to Greenaway fans. I like Takeshi Miike's AUDITION, but I find his other films:Dead or Alive, Visitor Q, the increasingly popular Ichi the Killer, shocking samplers of abject cruelty, torment and gore, recommended exclusively to nihilists.
I also recommend a horror/fantasy from H.K. called THE EYE.

Asian countries are releasing their dvds in NTSC format and without regional codes so they can be seen(and sold on Ebay) worldwide. Cost is in the low to mid teens, shipping included. I could list recommendations in other genres if there is interest.

[Johann]

Thanks for the recommendatons!

Now I have to buy the Kane DVD. You can bet I'll be paying attention to what Roger has to say....

[Raging Bull]

>Hideo Nakata's RING and DARK WATER

So far the only Nakata I've seen is Ghost Actress/Don't Look Up. I like this one a lot because it uses simple but effective techniques, just flashing a small ghost onto the screen for a second so you'd wonder if your eyes were playing tricks on you if you didn't know better. Also, it relies on mystery rather than a stupid "startling revelation" (ie you are a moron if you didn't see this coming) like Sixth Sense and Others.
Los Sin Nombre (The Nameless) is a good Se7en-inflected one.
Battle Royale might not exactly fit this discussion, but I'd recommend it anyway.

Mike
Raging Bull Movie Reviews (http://www.metalasylum.com/ragingbull)

[oscar jubis]

I can't find Nakata's debut (Ghost Actress) anywhere. That could change due to the popularity of his most recent films.
I also appreciate films that rely on mystery(thus leave themselves open to interpretation) but in the case of The Others, the "startling revelation" gave the film needed pathos and emotional impact.
BATTLE ROYALE fits this discussion. Along with Ring and possibly Audition, the most popular recent foreign film in this genre. Premise: Anarchy reigns in near future Japan. Society's response is to randomly pick a school class(42 kids) and subject them to a survival game of kill-or-be-killed in a remote island. Takeshi Kitano plays the resentful,cruel teacher who presides over this violent domain. Septuagenarian director Fukasaku still remembers how 15 years olds talk and behave, except for the lack of sex, which I found baffling. Go along with the premise and you'll be consistently entertained by this fascist fantasy.

[Raging Bull]

I don't think Ghost Actress is currently being distributed in the US, but they show it on Sundance. They also show Audition, Cure, & a mediocre one called Uzumaki (Spiral).
Others didn't show me anything beyond Amenabar could go from making original throught provoking Spanish films to commericial Hollywood formula films. It could have had emotional impact if the story was written to not live and die on the surprise. It didn't have emotional impact because the trick was obvious due to the studios delusion that American viewers need a million clues.
I wasn't sure whether to include Battle Royale because IMO it's more a social commentary action film than anything else. It's kind of applying peak Romero to a different setting.

Mike
Raging Bull Movie Reviews (http://www.metalasylum.com/ragingbull)

[Raging Bull]

>I find his other films:Dead or Alive, Visitor Q, the increasingly popular Ichi the Killer, shocking samplers of abject cruelty, torment and gore, recommended exclusively to nihilists.

I saw Ichi the other day, and I can't disagree. Whatever points Miike might have intended to make came off as half baked at best, drowned in a sea of sadistic action shown through very cheesy techniques/effects.

Mike
Raging Bull Movie Reviews (http://www.metalasylum.com/ragingbull)

[Perfume V]

I'm a great fan of Miike, but unlike Audition or Visitor Q, which could be described as decidedly ambiguous satires, I don't think Ichi the Killer has a point to make at all. The aim seemed to have been to transfer it from the original manga to a live-action film as faithfully as possible. This is, I think, an interesting exercise in and of itself, partly because Miike often plays fast and loose with his sources, partly because of the obvious differences between manga and live action.

I enjoyed it. It's possibly the most violent film I've ever seen - even Braindead fell short of this sort of excess. But like Braindead, I didn't feel any malice behind it. Ichi the Killer is probably best described in the words of one review I found of it - "born out of Miike's frustration with a PG-13 world."

[Ilker81x]

The point of "Ichi the Killer (Koroshiya 1)" WAS to make a live-action manga. The manga was pretty violent, as many are (not all, but many). The movie is intentionally cartoonish because it's achieving the affect of being a cartoon. The violence is intentionally over-the-top, the computer graphics intentionally cheesy, it's not meant to look serious at all. They took what they were doing seriously, but it's ultimately a movie that's funny because of its extremity. Miike was daring us to laugh at some brutal and graphic imagery. I know I laughed at this movie, and I love it. Just the scene when Ichi goes into the room crying and massacres all those gangsters, you see all the blood spraying out the door, body parts flying, and then the face hitting the wall. It's so ridiculously bad, it actually had me laughing. Maybe I'm just sick, but Miike is daring us to laugh at something so ludicrous it's funny. It's like "Evil Dead 2," only moreso.

Miike was also challenging the audience. People always complain about not seeing the demon in psychological horror movies, or not seeing enough blood or enough action, or not seeing the knife go in. People seem to think they want more...Miike gave them not what they wanted, but what they thought they wanted with "Ichi the Killer (Koroshiya 1)." Many directors would have been more "tasteful," not showing all the violence, just implying it. Some audiences would complain because not everybody likes or appreciates the power of implication (probably why a good number of people don't like "The Exorcist" or "The Blair Witch Project"...not that the latter was that good, but it wasn't bad either). I've even had friends who complained that they didn't see the chainsaw go through the guy's head in "Scarface."

That's what I think the point of the movie is. There isn't much of a point in the story or the movie itself, but rather in the intentions behind the movie, the reasons why it was done. That's just what I think though, I could be wrong.

[oscar jubis]

Originally posted by Ilker81x
Miike was also challenging the audience. People always complain about not seeing enough blood or enough action, or not seeing the knife go in. People seem to think they want more...Miike gave them not what they wanted, but what they thought they wanted with "Ichi the Killer (Koroshiya 1).

I assume these "people" you talk about are young males, getting their comeuppance. I'm curious what social psychologists would say about those who produce and seek out this type of film. I am implicated. I admit getting some weird thrill out of the experience and indeed, laughing at the overkill. Which does not mean I'll be watching it again. As far as "challenging the audience", Ichi's not an intellectual or an emotional challenge but a visceral one. An assault on the senses.
Have you seen Visitor Q?

[Ilker81x]

Yes I have seen "Visitor Q," and I see your point. But every film Miike makes has a different focus. "Visitor Q" is talking about the warped nature of family values and exterior environmental effects on them, and vice versa. It is more of an intellectual shock as opposed to a visual shock. I'll agree that "Ichi the Killer (Koroshiya 1)" is not an intellectual challenge, but even intellectuals need to have some fun once in awhile. And I don't think challenging the audience need always be an intellectual exercise. You're right, it is a visceral challenge, but that was my point.

I don't necessarily mean young males either. I know many women who have said the same thing to me. "I didn't like *insert movie title* because you didn't see anything." Several of my female friends didn't like "The Blair Witch Project" because you never see the witch. The same ones question why I still find "The Exorcist" scary, but not "The Ring." True as it may be that young males in general do get more out of films like that, but "Ichi the Killer" was recommended to me by several females who loved it.

I just think in general Miike likes to push buttons and push the limits. Each film pushes different limits. Some may be the limits of an audience's ability to understand the story, like "Audition (Oodishon)"...even though he says in the commentary that the torture scene in the end is reality and that the dream was the interlude when he is back in the hotel room, it's still a movie open for interpretation...and in the translated commentary, Miike does say "his reality" as opposed to actual reality. Meaning, it might be the reality of the main character, which may or may not be reality at all. So, in the end, the question could still be asked, even though he does give an answer. "Ichi the Killer" pushes the limits of the audience's ability to stomach what many people probably would not expect to like.