Sci Fi Top 100, #17: "Solaris" (1972)

Movie Stats:
Released 1972 (France)
Soviet, in Russian (some non-translated German; I watched with English subtitles)
Director - Andrei Tarkovsky
Stars - Donatas Banionis, Natalya Bondarchuk, Juri Jarvet

Plot Summary:
When the crew of a space station orbiting the planet Solaris begin to experience strange phenomena, psychologist Kris Kelvin (Banionis) is sent there to determine if the project should continue. Bondarchuk co-stars as Kris’s wife, Hari (it was spelled this way in the subtitles; IMDB posts her name as Khari), and Jarvet as Dr. Snaut, a space station crew member.

Warnings:
Minor gore; implied sexy times; female semi-nudity (breasts seen through a see-through shirt that might as well have not been there at all).

Bad Stuff:
It’s very long and very slow. At one point, I said to my husband, “I feel like I’ve been watching this film for 30 years.”

There are a lot of scenes and shots that feel like they’re in there because the director was desperate to show how artistic he was. For example, the five-minute-long, silent, car ride of a secondary character with no apparent destination. We never see that character again. Or, the extreme close-up of Banionis’s ear hair while he monologued.

I don’t find characters’ reactions particularly believable. [SPOILER] If a loved one of mine came back from the dead, my reaction would include a great deal more freaking out. [SPOILER]

Good Stuff:
I enjoyed its more science-y aspects and liked that they attempted an actual explanation for the phenomena. While some characters’ reactions weren’t relatable, I appreciated that there was one person (Dr. Sartorius, played by Anatoliy Solonitsyn) who approached it as a scientist.

Quite a bit of the cinematography is really beautiful.

I appreciate the exploration of humanity, reality, and morality.

The Verdict:
To give you an idea of how long this film is, I completed 3 loads of laundry while watching it. I see that it’s received a lot of accolades over on IMDB. I confess I don’t get it. When I was younger, I loved a good art house film. Now I find even the shorter ones tedious and labored. One that’s nearly 3 hours long? Practically torture. There were so many scenes where I found myself thinking, “What is even the point of this?” It feels both self-indulgent & self-important, like if I were able to say any of this to the director, he would respond snootily, “Well, obviously you just don’t get it.” The longer I watched, the more I began to appreciate the more recent version. The original may be deeper and more philosophical, but at least it didn’t have this much filler.

I give it 2.5 stars.

Music Love: "This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)" by Talking Heads

Note: Video is a little NSFW due to pictures flashing on the screen behind the band.

I completely, utterly, love this song, and I’d somehow forgotten how much I love it until I saw it mentioned in a Reddit thread a couple of weeks ago & listened to it again. (That thread, appropriately, was an Ask Reddit about people’s favorite songs of all time.)

There’s just something so charmingly sweet about it, music and lyrics. It makes me happy every single time I hear it. My favorite lines:

“And you're standing here beside me; I love the passing of time. Never for money, always for love. Cover up and say goodnight, say goodnight.”

and

“I come home, she lifted up her wings. I guess that this must be the place.”

and

“I'm just an animal looking for a home; share the same space for a minute or two. And you love me 'til my heart stops. Love me 'til I'm dead.”

In addition to how charming the song is by itself, I was equally disarmed by the video. Everyone seems to be having so much fun. I love all the knowing looks they give each other. Even more, I love how hilariously awkward David Byrne is. Moving his head like a chicken, dancing around with a standing lamp while looking like Mr. Rogers. Adorable.

By the time I finished this video, I was grinning like a fool. I immediately wanted to watch it again. There was something so incredibly special about the Talking Heads. Sometimes I feel a little sad that they’ll never perform together again.

Sci Fi Top 100, #18: "Children of Men" (2006)

Movie Stats:
Released 2006 (Italy)
American, British & Japanese, in English (lots of non-translated foreign languages)
Director - Alfonso Cuaron
Stars - Clive Owen, Clare-Hope Ashitey, and many others

Plot Summary:
In a near future where all women in the world have been infertile for nearly 20 years, young Kee (Ashitey) finds herself pregnant. Cynical former activist Theo Faron (Owen) is tapped to bring her to safety.

Warnings:
Strong blue language; violence; gore; brief female nudity (breasts & labia); drug use (marijuana).

Bad Stuff:
The pace is quite slow.

The birth scene is rather unbelievable.

Good Stuff:
I like that Theo is just a guy. He doesn’t have special skills or superhuman powers. His initial flight with Kee is almost comical, shoeless, with a car that barely starts. He spends half the film running for his life in flip flops. He simply cares, first for the ex-wife who asks for his help (Julian, played by Julianne Moore) and then for the Kee & the baby.

The acting is phenomenal. I love that you can see Theo transform from a man who’s been completely beaten down by life into a person with hope. There are some great secondary characters as well. My favorites are Theo’s friend Jasper (Michael Caine) & police officer Syd (Peter Mullan).

It has the kind of open ending I enjoy.

It’s got a great soundtrack.

The Verdict:
I saw this when it first came out. Whenever someone mentions it, I always say, “I love that film!” But I only saw it that once until now. While I don’t particularly care for the slow pace, I still think it’s a very good film. I find it incredibly moving. In fact, during one particular scene toward the end, I couldn’t stop the tears from rolling down my cheeks. The hope & redemption in a world gone mad just really hit me right in the feels. The acting, particularly from Owen, was what stood out to me then, and it’s still what most stands out to me now, but there’s also much more to recommend, including what I mentioned above plus the stark cinematography.

I give it 4.5 stars.

Sci Fi Top 100, #19: "The Fly" (1986)

Movie Stats:
Released 1986 (USA)
American, British & Canadian, in English
Director - David Cronenberg
Stars - Jeff Goldblum, Geena Davis, John Getz

Plot Summary:
When scientist Seth Brundle (Goldblum) sends himself through the teleportation device he’s invented, a mishap leads to his DNA merging with that of a fly. Davis co-stars as journalist-turned-Seth’s-lover Veronica Quaife & Getz as Veronica’s editor/former lover, Stathis Borans.

Warnings:
Blue language; violence; extreme gore; sexy times; brief male nudity (butt only).

Bad Stuff:
It’s way, way more gory than I care for in my movies.

I don’t like that it goes from a fairly interesting, scientifically-themed flick to horror schlock. That was disappointing.

There’s no reason that they had to tack “jealous creep ex” onto the Stathis character. He would have been perfectly acceptable (even better) as merely Veronica’s editor & friend. It was an unnecessary storyline. [SPOILER-y] There are a million other triggers that could have sent Seth on an ill-advised trip through the teleportation device beyond his jealousy of Stathis. [SPOILER]

Good Stuff:
I really enjoyed the first half of the film, which had a lot of scientific theory. I have no idea if any of it was correct, but it sounded plausible & was interesting.

Jeff Goldblum gives an excellent performance. I thought he was particularly good during the part of the film where he’s in the early stages of his transformation. Truly chilling.

A lot of the special effects are great.

I loved the soundtrack.

The Verdict:
This is a tale of two movies for me. The first half is interesting and intense as we follow an enthusiastic-and-perhaps-naive Seth while he perfects his machine, falls in love with Veronica, makes some poor life choices, and begins his transformation into a fly. The second half is typical, boring 1980s horror crap. I really liked that first half. If the whole film had been that way, I would’ve given it more than 4 stars. But it didn’t stay that way. Therefore, it’s not getting that 4+ rating. I still think there’s a lot to recommend in this film, particularly Goldblum’s performance, but it’s definitely not going to be my favorite of the Top 20.

I give it 3.75 stars.

Side note: Is it me, or does Stathis Barons sound strikingly similar to Stannis Baratheon? Maybe George R.R. Martin is a fan of this film, lol.

Out and About: Hellhole Canyon

Last month, my husband and I decided to head out to east San Diego County to visit the Bates Nut Farm. However, since there weren't any special events going on at the farm that day, I figured we wouldn't be spending a whole lot of time there & decided to hunt for other things to do in the area. That's how I discovered Hellhole Canyon.

I didn't take any pictures at the nut farm, but in addition to some tasty jams & other goodies, we picked up this cute piece of art for our house:

After finishing at the farm, we headed over to hike the canyon, which is nearby. I really enjoyed this hike, even though we didn't get to stay for very long. The views are absolutely gorgeous! Unfortunately, I didn't take into account the fact that the trail allows for horseback riding, which means there was a lot of horse dung and consequently a lot of flies. If we'd brought hats, it wouldn't have been a problem, but we forgot hats, so the flies were quite annoying, especially for my short-haired husband.

Here are a few shots from the hike:

Many trees like this bore evidence of a
somewhat recent fire.

Arty shot.

As I said, I really enjoyed the hike & was disappointed that we had to cut it short. I would definitely like to go back, but it will have to wait until the Fall. Due to its location deeper in the desert, it gets quite a bit hotter than where I live. In fact, the park is closed to hiking in August.

Sci Fi Top 100, #20: "Forbidden Planet" (1956)

This movie was previously reviewed as part of my A-Z Movie Project. Below is the pertinent information about it: the movie stats, plot summary, and the rating I gave it. You can read the full text of my review HERE.

Movie Stats:
Released 1956 (USA)
American, in English
Director - Fred M. Wilcox
Stars - Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis, Leslie Nielsen, Warren Stevens

Plot Summary:
Twenty years after a group of scientists landed on a far-flung planet for research, Commander Adams (Nielsen) and his crew are sent to discover why no one has heard from them again. On the planet, they find only two survivors, Dr. Morbius (Pidgeon) and his beautiful, naive daughter, Altaira (Francis). Soon, all are embroiled in a deadly mystery. Stevens co-stars as Lt. “Doc” Ostrow.

Rating:
3.25 stars

Sci Fi Top 100, #21: "Back to the Future" (1985)

Movie Stats:
Released 1985 (USA)
American, in English (small amount of non-translated probable Arabic)
Director - Robert Zemeckis
Stars - Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover

Plot Summary:
Teenager Marty McFly (Fox) finds himself trapped in the past after using a time machine invented by his friend Dr. Emmett Brown (Lloyd). Thompson co-stars as Marty’s mother, Lorraine, and Glover as his father, George.

Warnings:
Blue language; violence; attempted rape; drug use (marijuana).

Bad Stuff:
[THIS WHOLE SECTION CONTAINS SPOILERS]
I’ve always been squicked out by Lorraine lusting (unwittingly) after her own son. While it’s played for laughs, it just makes me uncomfortable.

The casualness with which sexual assault is dealt is exactly what people mean when they say, “rape culture.” Marty discovers that his father used to be a peeping tom and shrugs it off. In the altered timeline, Biff attempts to rape Lorraine and is shown to be friendly with her 30 years later. In fact, Lorraine and George laugh about how the attempted rape brought them together. Gross.

I wish Marty and Doc had one conversation where Marty said, “So you befriended me with full knowledge that all of this was going to happen? Would we have ever been friends otherwise?”
[SPOILERS]

Good Stuff:
It’s got a great sense of humor. Lots of funny one-liners, dialogue, and sight gags. Also, pay attention to things in the background. So many amusing business names, etc.

I like how very much Marty acts like a teenaged boy. I feel like that’s a rare note to hit in a way that’s endearing/amusing rather than annoying. My favorite example of this is in the opening scene, where, when left to his own devices, Marty utilizes Doc’s giant amp to play the loudest guitar riff known to man.

The plot is well thought out. It lays its groundwork at the beginning, so you never feel like the writers made up stuff as they went along. For example, how Marty ends up back in 1955 is clever & makes sense.

The pacing is excellent.

The Verdict:
My whole life, everyone I know has liked this film way more than me. It’s not that I don’t like it; it’s that most people love this film a lot. So I’ve always kind of felt like I don’t like it, or at least that I don’t get the rampant love. I tried to put those feelings aside and watch it this time with the mindset of a critic. And it actually worked! It led me to recognize that this is a really well made film. While it’s theatrical fluff, it’s fun and funny and paced in such a way that it never drags. It feels realistic, like something that could occur if you just so happen to have a mad scientist for a friend. I don’t really care for the icky sexual stuff (although I will admit that it was certainly in line with 1980s sensibilities) and I’m annoyed by the ending, which shamelessly sets up a sequel, but overall I think it’s a fantastic film.

I give it 4.25 stars.