Take 5: Science Fiction Films of the 1980s

Karen: Boy, it's been a while since we did a Take 5! The premise here is to name your five top picks of the post's topic. Last weekend, I happened to put on the old classic Arnold Schwarzenegger film, Predator. I've always enjoyed that film, not only for the fantastic creature design of Stan Winston and his team but for the solid story and wonderful characters and performances by Arnold, Bill Duke, Sonny Landham, Carl Weathers, Jesse Ventura, and of course, Kevin Peter Hall as the Predator. It was a great combination of action and science fiction. It also got me thinking about the science fiction films of the 80s. There were so many good science fiction films released in this decade (well, and a lot of terrible ones too). But a ton of great ones that I still think of fondly and will sit and watch just about any time. So why not do some reminiscing? 

Karen: I'll list my five top picks for my favorites of that decade, then you list yours, and let's all discuss. Deal? 

1. The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

2. Predator (1987)

3. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)

4. The Thing (1982)

5. Aliens (1986)

Monsters Galore at Monsterpalooza

Karen: I've been to a number of comic book and science fiction conventions over the course of my life, starting at age ten with the San Diego Comic Con and going through numerous Star Trek conventions, Comic Cons, Wonder Cons, etc. But never had I been to a convention dedicated to monsters -that is, until a few weeks ago, when I journeyed to Burbank, California. Monsterpalooza: the Art of Monsters was a brand new experience for me, and one I thoroughly enjoyed!

Karen: It was like a typical comic con in the way it worked; there were panels, signings, and a dealer's room. However, everything was focused on monster movies, from the silents to modern day. I enjoyed many panels, but two stand out. One was the Jack Pierce panel. Pierce is the man responsible for the make-ups of all the classic Universal monsters, including the Frankenstein Monster and the Wolfman. The panel gave an overview of Pierce's life, including the fact that he managed the Universal Studios basketball team, and many of the team members went on in 1936 to play in the Olympics. The second panel was one on the 25th anniversary of Predator. Six of the original effects crew were reunited and shared stories and pictures. It's amazing to discover that the men who made that outstanding creature were all between about 19-24 years old at the time!

Karen: The dealers' room, besides offering the usual T-shirts, books, posters, and other paraphernalia, also had a great deal of art work on display: primarily sculptures, and in some cases life size statues. Artist Mike Hill had tributes to both Jack Pierce and modern monster maker Rick Baker, with full size sculptures of Pierce making Boris Karloff up as the Mummy, and Baker making David Naughton up as the werewolf from American Werewolf in London. These were incredibly life-like. See for yourself.

Karen: In one section of the dealers' room was the Monsterpalooza museum. This was an unbelievable display of paintings, sculpture, movie props, etc., from all sorts of movies and TV shows. Daniel Horne's paintings of classic monsters were phenomenal. Some of the full-size creatures were also sensational, including a Predator vs. Alien stand-off, and a towering Sasquatch with an incredibly expressive face.

Karen: I have to give a shout out to my pals at the Universal Monster Army who won the best display award with their depiction of a 60's monster kid's dream hobby shop. This looked wonderfully authentic,right down to the window that looked out on a small town street. Great work guys.

Karen: Monster kid supreme Bob Burns and his wife Kathy were in attendance and they are always a pleasure to see. A documentary about the Burns' enormous collection of movie memorabilia (and their lives too) called Beast Wishes will be out next month. I saw a few minutes of the documentary and immediately got on the pre-order list. It looks fabulous.

Karen: As with most conventions, something unexpected happened. We were informed that the Fry's Electronics store just a block away had a sci-fi theme. We went over and discovered there was a flying saucer crashed into the front of the building! Inside, hordes of little green men glared from the beams above, a giant octopus burst through a wall, giant ants attacked, and Gort's cousin held a woman in his arms in front of his colossal spaceship. I can't say enough about this store. If you are in the Burbank area, it's right by the Bob Hope Airport. Definitely worth a look-see!

Karen: I really enjoyed this weekend and highly recommend Monsterpalooza to anyone who enjoys a good monster! A second show this year, Son of Monsterpalooza, will take place at the same venue (Marriott Burbank Hotel and Convention Center) on October 26-28.

Battle of the Sci Fi Flicks: the 80s

Karen: This is it, sci fi fans: my last entry on the best, most influential sci fi films from decades past. Today we look at the 80s, the post-Star Wars decade, which ushered in a lot of big budget science fiction extravaganzas. But that doesn't mean that many of them weren't pretty good films. Again, in no particular order, are my picks for the top contenders:



1. Robocop (1987): A high tech Frankenstein story, with cartoonish, over the top violence, satirical humor, and an excellent performance by Peter Weller. Set in a dystopian near-future, where crime is running rampant, police officer Alex Murphy is killed and brought back to life as a law enforcing cyborg. Gradually he begins to rediscover his past and become more human. A fun movie. The sequels were far below the original in every way.





2. Star Trek II:The Wrath of Khan (1982): I may have left Star Trek the Motion Picture off our 70s list, but I would never dream of leaving this film off. Not only the best Trek film of all, but a great movie, period. Captain-excuse me, Admiral Kirk struggles with growing older, and reconciling with the choices of his past. Ricardo Montalban creates an unforgettable villain in Khan. We finally get some terrific space battle scenes. And of course, we see Spock make the ultimate sacrifice. That was the first time I ever cried watching a film. An all around classic.





3. Aliens (1986): If Alien was a horror film in space, its sequel was a war film in space. Instead of just one incredibly lethal alien to deal with, Ripley and a group of marines are faced with perhaps hundreds of aliens. An exciting, action-packed film, which still had its share of thrills and chills. Sigourney Weaver as Ripley is probably still the greatest female action hero of the cinema. Stan Winston and crew gave us not only the humanoid alien like we had seen in the first film, but a gigantic queen alien that was a live effect -no CGI or animation! Truly an impressive sight.






4. Blade Runner (1982): A film noir with a science fiction setting. There's now several versions of the film floating around, but the essential look and feel of the film -probably the most significant qualities of the movie -remain unchanged. This is a bleak vision of the future, with people detached from their emotions, and only the androids seem truly human. All the themes we saw from the 70s are echoed here -the Los Angeles of Blade Runner is ecologically and socially devastated, despite all the shiny technological marvels. Definitely Rutger Hauer's best film, and he delivers one of my favorite lines of all time: "All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in the rain."




5. The Terminator (1984): Arnold's greatest role without a doubt. This film felt fresh and exciting when it came out. It crossed over science fiction, action, even horror boundaries, as the unstoppable cyborg carried out a relentless pursuit of young Sarah Conner. The Terminator itself (the exoskeleton) was a simple yet perfect design. Arnold is excellent as the emotionless machine sent from the future. I think I prefer him in a role with minimal talking!







6. The Empire Strikes Back (1980): Widely considered to be the best-made of the Star Wars films, and I won't argue with that. As a kid I left the theater stunned -what would happen to Han? How could Vader be Luke's father? What did it all mean?! There were so many great sequences -the search over Hoth, the battle on Hoth, the asteroid chase, training with Yoda, the duel between Vader and Luke, "I love you!" -"I know." It was agony to wait for the next film. But in retrospect, a perfect middle part to our story, as our heroes meet their darkest hours. A classic -big time.






7. The Road Warrior (aka Mad Max 2) (1981): I must have seen this about 6 times at the theater -often with only three or four other people sitting there in the dark -and maybe a couple of dozen times on video. This film just blew my mind; I had never seen anything like it. The sheer ferocity, and mayhem - it felt like something I shouldn't be watching. So of course I loved it. Set in yet another dystopian future, Road Warrior reset the bar for car chases - their amp went past 11 and up to 20! Of course, it was also appealing due to its young star, the pre-maniac Mel Gibson, who was beautiful even in all his dinged-up leather glory. Unfortunately it bred a multitude of poorly done imitations; but the original still holds up well -just forget about Thunderdome, though.




8. Predator (1987): Another action/sci fi film, where Arnold gets to be the hero this time, as a soldier taking on a deadly and cunning alien hunter. This movie might be the flimsiest of the lot here, but it succeeds at what it sets out to do: be an exciting action film. It also has a fun cast, with not only Arnold but Carl Weathers, Jesse Ventura, Bill Duke, and crazy-looking Sonny Landham. The Predator itself was a unique creation, another beauty from effects man Stan Winston. I re-watched this a few weeks ago and thoroughly enjoyed myself.






9. The Thing (1982): One of the few remakes that acquits itself very well. John Carpenter's version of the Thing is radically different from Howard Hawks' version (also on our 1950s list), as it goes back more to the John Campbell story, "Who Goes There?" The invading creature is capable of actually taking over and assuming the form of any biological entity. The film overwhelms with both the sense of paranoia and the horrific,almost nauseating forms the thing takes on. Rob Bottin created some of the most bizarre creatures ever seen in this movie. This is a film that will stick with you once you've seen it.

Honorable mentions: Star Trek IV, Return of the Jedi, The Abyss.

OK: let the debate begin!