Best Sci-Fi Tournament - Round 1, Group P
Coming soon:
Just five for me:
The Jacket
The Fifth Element
Kin-Dza-Dza
Minority Report
Independence Day
Most people have never heard of it, much less seen it, but here’s why you should vote for Kin-Dza-Dza! I can give you stats, such as the fact that it’s rated an 8.3 on IMDB (Blade Runner is rated 8.2) and is ranked at #18 overall amongst IMDB’s top-rated sci-fi films of all time. But that doesn’t mean too much. Hopefully the fan-created trailer posted above can spark your initial interest, but if you have about two hours to spare while this poll is ongoing, why not go ahead and watch the full film on YouTube. Unfortunately, this film never really made it outside Russia, when it was originally released in 1986. Apparently, it made a bit of a splash later in Japan, and is somewhat known there. However, until 2006 or so there had never been a version of the film available (legally or not) for English-speaking audiences. While knowledge of Kin-Dza-Dza! had up till then been slowly growing, some fans uploaded a poor-quality DVD rip of the film up on Google Video with fan-made subtitles, because the DVD officially released in Russia did not have them. Since then the film’s fame grew, and recently the film was restored in Russia and released in HD on Blu-ray. Meanwhile, in 2011, Mosfilm, the studio that owns the film and released it on DVD and Blu-ray, actually uploaded the whole film to their YouTube channel, with English subtitles to boot (sadly, not in HD). This makes it the best and easiest way for anyone curious to watch the film. And it deserves to be watched so much. Yes, it’s a foreign-language film with subtitles, and sometimes they can speak a tad too fast so the subtitles either don’t catch everything or go by pretty quickly. That doesn’t matter, because it’s so rewatchable, you can keep picking up little pieces here and there that you missed on the first or second go. You should watch it, because it’s so fucking great! It’s a completely original film, a unique idea, and it’s really difficult to compare it to any other similar type of movie. I’ve seen comments from people who’ve compared it to The Road Warrior and Waterworld and Brazil and so on, but there’s really not a lot it could be compared to. It’s a space/time-travel movie with nearly no special effects, yet it’s a completely alien world. That’s a testament to the great production design, costumes, and other background folks that made it happen. And, of course, the acting. The score is great, too, and so is the script. The story itself is pretty simple: two ordinary guys accidentally get teleported from Earth to a planet in another galaxy. They’re trying to get back home. That’s pretty much the gist of it, but everything hinges on execution, and the director nails it. One of the great decisions that were made when making this film was to not explain anything. Just as our main characters are plucked from their lives in Russia and transported unknown light-years away in a split second, the audience too has to navigate the alien world without any knowledge or real understanding of what’s going on. Little by little small details begin making some semblance of sense, and halfway through you’re pretty much up to speed, just like the characters. It is truly a crime that this film isn’t likely to receive any wide acclaim, but it’s right there for anyone to watch and enjoy. Although, things have changed since 2006 and Kin-Dza-Dza! is receiving more and more notice. Last year, it was screened at the University of Iowa, as part of their International Writing Program. And it’s getting more and more general online notice now that it’s freely, legally, and easily available subtitled on YouTube.
Here are some fun links:
- http://www.electricsheepmagazine.co....2/kin-dza-dza/
- http://www.reddit.com/r/scifi/commen...topian_satire/
- http://www.academia.edu/1210718/Danelyas_Kin_Dza_Dza
And since Kin-Dza-Dza! was uploaded in two parts by Mosfilm, here are the two YouTube links (if the subtitles don’t automatically turn on, click the CC button on the YouTube interface):
Sphere, The Fifth Element... scraping the bottom of the barrel!
The Fifth Element was pretty good until Chris Tucker showed up. Then it became unwatchable.
Actually, that pretty much sums up every movie that contains Chris Tucker.
Only movie with Chris Tucker I like besides Friday. His performance is almost a parody of himself and he owns most of the good quotes. It was super-green.
Haven't voted because I want to try and watch Kin-Dza-Dza first. As of now though only going to vote for Minority Report and The Fifth Element. Sphere is one of those films I re-watched plenty of times as a kid on the black box but don't remember too well so going to try and re-watch that to see if it's worthy.
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If Sphere was able to recreate everything contained within the novel it would be one of the greatest science fiction films ever made. Unfortunately, cinema is limited in that way and many of the minor details which help fully round out the story get lost in the shuffle. Still, some of the themes which take a larger slice of the pie do manage through shine through and more importantly, the moral conundrum at the heart of the story is kept intact.
Unwatchable. It's so staged and awkward there's no way to suspend disbelief. You just feel sorry for the actors trying to make it work.
Kin-Dza-Dza is one of the best films ever. Too bad only pablo and bears watched it.
Also, I forgot to vote for The Jacket (my nominee). Heatheror feverish, can you please edit the poll, adding my vote manually? Not that it will change anything, though.
Bears are still not allowed to the computer more than a couple minutes a day. Love you all.
Ask not what bears can do for you, but what you can do for bears. (razz)
When one is in agreement with bears one is always correct. (mae)
bears are back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sphere is the only one here to get a vote from me.
Only the gentle are ever really strong.
You won't venture and give Kin-Dza-Dza a try?Originally Posted by Heather19
Hey check this out, there's 4 different sellers selling mint conditions copies of Kin Dza Dza for $15
http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listi...&condition=new
Good deal, I wonder if it has better subtitles.
Minority Report should be winning, not ID-4 lol.
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I agree lol, but ID4 is not entirely without merit. Sure, there's enough cheese on there to slab on your ham sandwich, but it had a few tricks up its sleeve in the design department. I always thought the visual concept behind the aliens was very well done, and I absolutely LOVE the aerial battles ("Eagle 20, Fox 2!").
Besides, Jeff Goldblum defeats a race of aliens with infinitely superior technology using like a Windows 95. Talk about fiction!
Honest Trailer for Independence Day:
http://youtu.be/7YtvsxB9xQY
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I ♥ Honest Trailers.
You don't need an honest trailer for Independence Day if you have seen Mars Attacks!
Jean: We're definitely missing your input! Hope you feel better…
He was using an Apple powerbook.Besides, Jeff Goldblum defeats a race of aliens with infinitely superior technology using like a Windows 95. Talk about fiction!
Hearts are tough, she said, most times hearts don't break, and I'm sure that's right . . . but what about then? What about who we were then? What about hearts in Atlantis?
Oh I know, I was being facetious. Windows 95 sounds funnier
Is this based on the film you guys are talking about? It's directed by the same guy who directed Kin-Dza-Dza. Also, does the film have an American name, sometimes I think that's why some of the Russian films don't catch on. Most people don't recognize the film Dip huet seung hung, but I'm pretty sure a lot of people know it's English name, The Killer, one of the best gangster films of all time.You won't venture and give Kin-Dza-Dza a try?
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2659374/?ref_=nv_sr_1
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Yeah, I bookmarked the site. That was pretty funny, Matts!!!
28 in 23 (?)!!!!
63 in '23!!!!!!!!!!
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The Houston Astros cheated Major League Baseball from 2017-18!!!! Is that how we teach our kids to play the game now?????
5th Element is a memorable movie. Not only is the story fantastic, but the visuals are mind blowing. I recall using the DVD as a reference after calibrating my Mitsubishi 65903 (65" RPTV-Purchased in May 1998; no real content then). At that time DVD's were 480i, but it still looked marvelous. I've since watched it in 1080P and it has held up well.
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