Top 100 Sci-Fi Movies of the 20th Century!!! Part 2 No. 93 - 87

 

 I received this issue of Remind, or what Alison calls "my old people magazine," which ranks the top 100 Science Fiction movies of the 20th century.

Remind does have many pop culture stories, focusing primarily on the 1950s through the 1990s, although there are some references to earlier decades. Each issue focuses on different topics, such as country music, westerns, where are they now issues, and much more  I enjoy it, as I love pop history. They also have puzzles and a monthly guide as to what's on TCM (Turner Classic Movies).

I thought it would be fun to see the movies on the list in reverse order and see what I thought of them. The magazine's ranking of the movies is not mine.  

I won't go into detailed reviews, but I will share the IMDb ranking and my own on a 1 to 10 scale.

94)

The Blob

Year: 1958  IMDb: 6.3 Tom: 6  Had I seen before?   Yes  Service found on: Max

Not too bad, but kinda cheesy (blobby?). A growing blob threatens a small town, slowly rolling towards threatening more and more citizens. Only a small group of teenagers try to wake everybody to the menace, led by a young, intrepid Steve McQueen (not looking too much as a teen at 28 years old). One of the most popular themes in these kinds of movies is to have the alien defeated by something otherwise common. This dates back to at least H. G. Well's book The War of the Worlds.

92)

Enemy Mine

Year: 1985  IMDb: 6.8 Tom: 6  Had I seen before?   Yes  Service found on: Prime Rental

A war between an alien race and humans results in one of each being isolated on a remote planet. The two sworn enemies find themselves trapped with each other, and over time, their initial hostilities are replaced with grudging respect and interdependence and, gradually, a devoted friendship. I try very hard to ignore that the human, Dennis Quaid, has become a Trump supporter, but in the spirit of the movie, I do my best to look past it. Louis Gossett Jr. is amazing as the alien.

91)

Things to Come

Year: 1936  IMDb: 6.6 Tom: 7 Had I seen before?   No  Service found on: Prime 

I am a great fan of H. G. Wells, especially when I was younger. This movie is prophetic in parts, but like any movie set in the future, it doesn't always hit the mark. Its predictions are even more impressive when you consider that they were originally written in 1933 and predicted the effects of World War II, atomic weapons, pandemics, and more. It is dated but enjoyable.

90)

Akira

Year: 1988  IMDb: 8.0 Tom: 8 Had I seen before? Yes  Service found on: Hulu

I had the privilege of seeing this at an Atlanta movie theatre when it first came to the United States. Although I am not a hater of anime, I am not a superfan, but this movie is the exception that proves the rule. It is an awesome story set in a post-apocalyptic Tokyo, where young teens are experimented on to disastrous results.

89)

Cocoon

Year: 1985 IMDb: 6.7 Tom: 9 Had I seen before? Yes  Service found on: Library Rental

Trying to find this movie slowed my progress considerably. It's not available on any streaming service, and getting a digital copy to own or rent is impossible. I requested it from my library, and it took a week or so to locate it, but they finally located a copy for me. Remember that - don't forget about your friendly local public library!

This film is a great favorite of mine. Elderly men find that bathing in a pool near their nursing home has rejuvenating properties—they now feel young and energetic. 
They share the pool with alien cocoon entities. They gradually meet and befriend the aliens shepherding the cocoons.

To me, this movie is extra special in that the seniors are given the opportunity to travel to the alien's home planet and live forever. In virtually every other movie I've seen, those offered eternal life would turn it down. Spoiler alert!  - in this movie, it's different!

Another interesting anecdote is that one of the senior citizens, Wiford Brimley, was just 49 years when the movie was filmed!

Don Ameche (winning Best Supporting Actor), Hume Cronyn, Wilford Brimley

88) 

They Live

Year: 1988 IMDb: 7.2 Tom: 9 Had I seen before? Yes  Service found on: Peacock

Another all-time favorite of mine! I am a big fan of director John Carpenter, and this is one of his best! Set in the near future, the movie shows a world where the gap between rich and poor has increased (talk about prophetic!), and one of the downtrodden, Roddy Piper (of wrestling fame), finds a pair of glasses that allow him to see the world as it really is. And yes, most of the rich are actually alien invaders! Or, well, frankly, many of the Republicans. John Carpenter made clear that this movie was an extension of what was happening under Reaganism.

And guess what? Minus the aliens, that's about what's happened!

87)

eXistenZ

Year: 1999 IMDb: 6.8 Tom: 4 Had I seen before? No  Service found on: You Tube

I had to watch this on YouTube in 10-minute segments. It didn't help make this movie any better. As big as a fan I am of John Carpenter, I am apparently the opposite with director David Cronenberg. I guess I'm just not a big fan of random guts and body parts. This has something to do with the otherwise talented Jennifer Jason Leigh leading Jude Law through one of her reality game simulations. A huge mess that made little sense to me.

I hate to end this on a down movie, but it did include some gems like Cocoon and They Live.

Next edition!  - more of one of my least favorite directors, and another Trump-loving actor. But then it gets better - I promise!