Wednesday 15 July 2015

Thursday Movie Picks #53: Science Fiction Movies (No Space/Aliens)

I missed last week's Thursday Movie Picks because I went on a road trip of my own. Due to a train driver strike I was forced to catch the bus to get to a small town in Gloucestershire instead of using the train. I left the house at 8.30 am and didn't get back to 10pm so I had no time to write or publish my three favourite Road Movies. Anywho I am back this week. The instigator of Thursday Movie Picks can be found here - http://wanderingthroughtheshelves.blogspot.co.uk/



Cult Classic from the 70s where everything is fine and dandy in the futuristic world where poverty, war and starvation is a thing of the past. For this blissful tranquillity everyone seems happy to accept that they only live until they are thirty as they are vaporised and renewed once they hit this age. However, a couple discover something that changes everything.

In contrast to the idealistic futuristic settings in Logan's Run, the future depicted in Soylent Green isn't quite as nice. In 2022 New York City has 40,000,000 inhabitants many of whom are suffering deeply from overcrowding, poverty, starvation, depleted resources and incredibly humid conditions. Many survive on something called soylent green but what is soylent green?

Gojira is allegory to the Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the firebombing of Tokyo as Gojira is a beast born from American activities which caused the beast monster to rise from the seas as a result of American testing of the hydrogen bomb. The theme of nuclear anxiety is commonplace in Japanese cinema, Akira Kurosawa directed two films (I Live in Fear and Rhapsody in August) that dealt exclusively with such a theme. Gojira arguably contained some anti-American themes of which were cut out of the American version of the film which, as a result, caused the American cut to lack the depth of the Japanese original.

18 comments:

  1. Great picks! Monsters, conspiracies and weird societies all tick the sci-fi genre. Not seen Soylent Green, almost read the book but I am intrigued by the film even though I do know what the number one ingrediant is in Soylent Green.

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    1. Haha, It's quite an iconic twist ending. Sadly, I knew it before I'd seen it...

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  2. Gojira is a movie that I've been meaning to check out. I haven't heard of your other picks, both sound interesting.

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    1. Logan's Run is quite obscure...surprised you haven't heard of Soylent Green..guess you don't know why Soylent Green is...Lucky you =)

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  3. I actually haven't seen any of your picks this week (though I've seen a good portion of Soylent Green. Gojira is one I've always been curious about.

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    1. Make sure you finish SG...I guess you know the ending...?

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  4. I didn't like LOGAN'S RUN nor any of the 20-something GOJIRA movies I've seen.

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    1. Even the original Gojira?

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    2. Yes. However, it got close enough to being good. Same with the 2014 one.

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  5. Sorry to hear about the stressful trip. Public transport is great...until it isn't. I've only seen your first two picks both terrific in their ways though both sort of dated now. That can add a layer of enjoyment itself though. I'm not much for the whole Godzilla/Mothra genre of films but this one might be fun on a rainy afternoon.

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    1. it wasn't too bad. I spent most of the time waiting to catch the bus.

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  6. Oh, traveling woes! I know how it is. As far as your picks go, I've seen none, though Logan's Run is a must that I've been meaning to get to for years. And a former colleague of mine, a science teacher, LOVED Soylent Green. He talked about it all the time. Need to see that one as well. Great picks!

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    1. Both are very good films. Classic 70s sc-fi

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  7. Soylent Green is...won't spoil it. Great picks! I've only seen bits and pieces of Logan's Run. Need to watch it all the way through.

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    1. Sadly...the internet spoiled it for me. I googled Soylent Green and on the very first page I was told was Soylent Green was

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  8. Dang, I haven't watched any of these. All of them sound great though!

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  9. Haven't seen any of them, but I know the spoiler of Soylent Green. I thought Snowpiercer was going to go that route too.

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  10. For this blissful tranquillity everyone seems happy to accept that they only live until they are thirty as they are vaporised and renewed once they hit this age. However, http://www.bringthepopcorn.net/

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