70's Sci-Fi Appreciation Thread (pre-Star Wars)

Did anybody mention Soylent Green?
Why is Rollerball always forgotten? I think it's a shame most people lost the point on this movie and only saw a futuristic-sport film. Corporations, executives, anphetamins, masses control, does it ring any bell to you?

 

I was gonna say Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (there, I said it), but that was a little post-Star Wars (1979).

 

Silent Running for some reason struck a cord in me. It played a local theater for 2 weeks and it only cost me 50 cents to get in. I saw it 4 times over that 2 weeks. I was just a little late to be a full blown hippy but I was still into the idea of it. The theme of the film really got to me. I really did think it would come to that. I loved the little droids they had and i even got the sound track. If you look at the prices its going for these days I think it was worth 2.99.

 

I DID have Rollerball, Soylent Green, and Zardoz (ugh . . .) on my list, BTW. I guess I'm the one being anal now. But, there is one I should add--Sleeper. Heck, I have a few comedies on the list already.

I don't think Silent Running is bad, just a little overboard with the Joan Baez soundtrack. The "memory montage" set to her song is kind of cheesy.

I will have to check out Quintet and Zero Population Growth . . .

 

Yes, from the folks who brought us "Thunderbirds", "Captain Scarlet" and "Space: 1999" (not to mention "Supercar", "Fireball XL5, "Joe 90" et al)

I wonder if the guy who created "X-Files" (Chris Carter?) ever saw "UFO", because there's a couple of creepy episodes of "UFO", when the aliens are up to bad stuff on Earth, that are a bit X-Filesish.

 

I'm sort of baffled that I haven't seen mention of Bladerunner. It's 80's, of course, but you mention some '80's films. I oscillate between finding this movie endlessly fascinating (and always a feast for the eyes) and pretty dull, especially at stretches near the end, book cased on either end by some of my favorite movie scenes ever.

 

I watched this when it was on circa 1974, but I don't remember much about it, apart from liking it! As I recall the ship (The Ark) was a structure that connected various "eco-pod" sorts of things, and it was headed elsewhere after Earth's destruction. The protagonists were on a quest to find the bridge as the ship was headed for a black hole - or something like that.

 

I loved UFO. And I'm still wondering where I can find a purple wig for the Mrs...

 

A purple wig and a shiny silver outfit to match:

 

Oh yeah, thick thick cheese there. And fragrant too.

Regarding Quintet, do so at your peril. You have been warned.

 

Speaking of the "memory montage" I'm afraid that tonight I'm going to have nightmares about a movie called "Soylent Running".

Starring Charlton Heston and Bruce Dern.

Soylent Running is ... robots!

 

It can't be worse that Zardoz. That movie gave me more of a headache then Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, The Wiz, and The Perils of Gwendoline in the Land of the Yik Yak . . .

I have another one for the list: Damnation Alley. I think it's in the commercial/adventure genre, as opposed to the thought-provoking Sci-Fi vein, but heck, it's got a really cool car!

Another one--one of the all-time greats in my book:

The Martian Chronicles (TV miniseries)

 

Did anyone mention A Boy And His Dog already? I haven't seen that in YEARS. It's a vague memory now.

Agreed about Zardoz. It is kinda funny though.

Jason

 

I don't remember if The Lathe of Heaven came out before or after Star Wars, but I remember it being late 70s and I remember thinking it was fantastic at the time.

Dale

 

Good call on the Mario Bava. If you can get past the dreadful acting and cheesy effects you'll find more stylish atmosphere and inventive touches here than in most of the higher-bankrolled flicks in the genre. All of Bava's films remain visually interesting - i've always wondered what he could have done with a real budget.

Aaron

 

Paul, I'm happy to see that you were inspired as well.

 

Nice list - my favorites are Soylent Green and Omega Man. Something about Charlton Heston I guess My son likes this band called Soilent Green(death metal and slightly different spelling) and when he got a sweatshirt that had their name on it I said : wow that's a cool movie so we had to rent it. He actually got into it too. Holds up well - I hadn't seen it in quite some time.

 

Anybody seen God Told Me To, released 1976?

I've heard this Sci-Fi/Horror/Cop flick (!) is excellent.

 

Dude, you got one kick*ss avatar!

 

I know it's post-Star Wars and a T.V. mini series but, what about The Martian Chronicles based on the Ray Bradbury book?
I've read plenty of bad reviews over the internet but I bought it a couple of weeks ago on DVD and I really enjoyed it.

 

Agreed. It ties together several disperate short stories in the book rather well. Plus, it's got Rock Hudson, Bernie Casey, and Roddy McDowell--how could you NOT like it???

Seeing as it was released in 1980 . . .

 

Uh, I meant "disparate." My feeling is that either the critics haven't read the book or were put off by the cheap and cheesy special effects. Who cares about the critics!

 

I mentioned The Martian Chronicles as it was shot in 1979 and spent a whole year canned waiting to see the light of day. Even the DVD set I have has 1979 copyright.

 

Any truth to the rumor that they are (or were) going to "redo" the DVD release and replace the instances of the "bad" SFX with computer generated ones?

The SFX, in and of themselves, do not both me at all, except for one scene. I believe it is mission two, where there is some sort docket sequence going on that lasts *forever*. There is a very cheesy, climactic orchestration which just doesn't go well with with footage of something that looks like a plastic toy.

It's not the SFX that bug me. Instead, there are a few scenes where the budgetary constraints of the filimg really show. These are the scenes in Mission Control earlier on in the movie, and also when Wilder returns to earth to find everybody dead. The idea that Mission Control is a small room with a few consoles with a few buttons just doesn't work. They could have built a bigger, more impressive set.

 

I just looked it up on IMDB and it was televised in January, 1980. I guess by a technicality it's a 70's movie.

Does anybody want to post reviews of the movies (and TV shows) in the list? Does anybody want to share some memories? Let's keep this thread rolling!

I have DVD's of Space: 1999 on the way (via netflix). I will post some reviews. Maybe I'll even watch the Beta Cloud episode, and finally see the ending that I missed 32 years ago!