Cheers Blip! I was looking at the forum the other week thinking that we've got a great little community here, why is that we don't discuss other non-Epic topics? I thought it might help draw the community together further and less in a "business"-like manner. Of course, I wasn't sure if non-Epic topics would annoy some people on the forum, but it seems to have gone down well!

The fact that both you and I now have a few films to look into is an added bonus! Hang fire on Pi until I report back. It isn't sci-fi in the traditional sense of the word and to be honest I don't remember too much about it. I'll dust it off later!

I hoping something similar happens with the music thread. It's been a long time since I've been introduced to new music - I'm very much still into the bands that I liked in '92 - so I'm hoping there might be a few diamonds unearthed there as well!

_________________
Clickable links for more Epic goodness:

Life of Die Channel including Epic Podcasts and Battle Reports

Epic 40K Players Page on Facebook
Net Epic Evolution Rules
Net Epic War! Campaign Rules

One of my all-time favourites has always been "King Kong vs Godzilla" purely because of what happened when I saw it as a kid, many decades ago in an evening performance.

Early on in this very mediocre "B" movie, the 'love interest' ignored orders and wandered off through the undergrowth of a small south Pacific island, home of King Kong. As she meandered in a daze along the path, she literally tripped over the mangled corpse of a native who had been executed by the local tribe "with extreme prejudice" for some misdemeanour. She paused, looked down, and in a puzzled voice exclaimed "Oh, he's dead!"

The cinema audience erupted with cheers and laughter, and from that point we were all cheering and applauding the 'good guys' and booing the 'bad guys', and this in a by-gone age well before mobile phones when people would tell you to shut up if you whispered and frown pointedly if you merely rustled your pop-corn.

And before you ask, this was the highlight of the film. I cannot remember any more of the plot other than the end which had two men "duking it out" in rubber suits as King Kong and Godzilla, while stomping through a very poor miniature cityscape

Cloud Atlas is one of my new favourite films, it was just fantastic start to finish. If you don't like movies that make you pay attention and you have not read the book, then you might not be into it as the switching between stories might annoy you, but that wasn't a problem whatsoever for me. Overall I thought it was extremely well made, well paced, engaging and believable. If you're concerned about Tom Hanks, IMO I thought he did very well in this film, the only problem is that he is just so famous/recognisable that the makeup guys had a job to do to stop you thinking "oh there's Tom Hanks again" as opposed to "oh there's <character X> again".

Pi, well, Darren Aronofsky has a certain style. I would say that to enjoy Pi you have to be in the right frame of mind, it is (deliberately) like gently burrowing a needle into your brain, like you are meant to have a headache by the end of it. But don't let that put you off! It just goes to show the mastery of the medium that he has. Not really sci fi, although I suppose it's close.

However, if you are going to watch an Aronofsky movie then the one I would recommend would be Requiem for a Dream. It has a similar "need to be in the right frame of mind" quality about it because it is not a happy movie, but this is my favourite film of all time in any category, ever. When you watch this film it will really "affect" you. Look out for how the tempo of the film gathers, towards the end it just feels relentless, with no "filler" dialogue scenes to let you relax. When it ends it will feel like you've been holding your breath in the middle of a warzone and have just made it back to base. It's largely down to the drama of the score, part of which you will probably recognise because it has subsequently been used extensively in dramatic trailers for other movies (e.g. LotR: Two Towers, Sunshine, I am Legend).

(Edit: bonus point for Requiem for a Dream is that, if you don't tell her anything about the film, your wife/girlfriend might watch it too as it has Jared Leto in it - in addition to Jennifer Connelly too of course.)




So far I am resisting giving my top 5, it's too hard

_________________
Kyrt's Battle Result Tracker (forum post is here)
Kyrt's trade list

However I will briefly mention Battlestar Galactica (the feature-length mini series). This is the one sci fi movie that I have watched the most times over the last few years. It's great for a sunday afternoon. It has claims of underlying "themes", sure, but for me they aren't in-your-face and it is just quite a simple movie with a nice unfolding of the story.

_________________
Kyrt's Battle Result Tracker (forum post is here)
Kyrt's trade list

Near the end of Sin City, where Jessica Alba is standing front & Center looking resplendent in full beauty makeup, from the back of the cinema came the orgasmic moany 'oh hell she's sooooo beautiful'. Which really underlined the whole surrealism of it; it was a great counterpoint ...

_________________
Let there be code.

Primer and Moon and much more 'my sort' of sci-fi film than alien and blade runner etc (from earlier in the thread). Pi is great as well, though not scifi. I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK' is fun, another one that is not directly sci-fi but has some cross-over (as the title suggests!) whilst still being drama-romance, so a good choice for watching as a couple.

I'm keen to see Cloud Atlas, got the book on my shelf (unread) as well though and not sure if i should read it first

_________________
AFK with real life, still checking PMs

Ha ! Its one of my girlfriend's favorite movies , she's been nagging me to watch it for ages. Maybe i now know why !

I'll give Cloud Atlas a go... I can sometimes live with Hanks as long as he's not doing to much "I'M ACTING HERE!!!".

There's no sound but I just heard Hanks' "method" dissected perfectly there!

And let the ladies have Leto. Jennifer Connelly is a pretty good consolation prize for the fellas. Although, have to ask, is it scrawny Connelly? Not so good if it is.

Talking of cyborgs (as Apoc was), anyone ever watched Tetsuo The Iron Man? I caught that on Channel 4 god knows how many years ago. Great imagery, zero story. Very strange.

_________________
Clickable links for more Epic goodness:

Life of Die Channel including Epic Podcasts and Battle Reports

Epic 40K Players Page on Facebook
Net Epic Evolution Rules
Net Epic War! Campaign Rules

I can't really remember, I don't recall thinking that but then all I really -can- recall about her is a general sense of "yes I would", and the eyebrows. OK, that looks more odd written down than it sounded in my head. There are a couple of very explicit scenes of her though if that's an inducement that you value

Leto is just an all-around object of hatred - what is cooler than a heartthrob movie star? Oh, that's right, one who's also in a successful rock band.

_________________
Kyrt's Battle Result Tracker (forum post is here)
Kyrt's trade list

Oh gawd Japanese Hyper-Cinema!! Stuff is insane. Good call on Tetsueo the Iron Man. Go check out Tokyo Gore Police as soon as possible. Run to get it. NOW
Anything with these in it should tell you something about what you're in for.


Not really SciFi but if you like those two then go for some Fudo: New Generation and Dead or Alive as well. The opening 10 minutes are going to make you go WTF did I just see?!?!?

Probably NSFW

_________________
He's a lawyer and a super-villian. That's like having a shark with a bazooka!

-I HAVE NO POINT
-Penal Legion-Fan list
-Help me make Whitescars not suck!

I always thought Jared Leto was, to quote Fargo, "kinda funny lookin'!" I'm pretty indifferent, but for your case of distilled hate towards him may I take the liberty of prescribing you with watching the Fight Club "I felt like detroying something beautiful" scene 30 times in a row? I guarantee you'll feel better afterwards.

_________________
Clickable links for more Epic goodness:

Life of Die Channel including Epic Podcasts and Battle Reports

Epic 40K Players Page on Facebook
Net Epic Evolution Rules
Net Epic War! Campaign Rules

I am Jack's inflamed sense of rejection

_________________
He's a lawyer and a super-villian. That's like having a shark with a bazooka!

-I HAVE NO POINT
-Penal Legion-Fan list
-Help me make Whitescars not suck!

Ha! "Tokyo Gore Police"! Got to love that title. I'll wager their motto is "tough on gore, tough on the causes of gore". I'll have to check that one out Jimmy!

When you mentioned that, I thought you were talking about that Manga series "Cyber City Oedo 808" which I also spotted on Channel 4 some years back. I used to watch that half canned after I got home from Friday night roleplaying. Good memories!

_________________
Clickable links for more Epic goodness:

Life of Die Channel including Epic Podcasts and Battle Reports

Epic 40K Players Page on Facebook
Net Epic Evolution Rules
Net Epic War! Campaign Rules

Your post deserved a seperate response. Who would have thought Jay-Z was such a delicate flower?!

_________________
Clickable links for more Epic goodness:

Life of Die Channel including Epic Podcasts and Battle Reports

Epic 40K Players Page on Facebook
Net Epic Evolution Rules
Net Epic War! Campaign Rules

Im glad some one mentioned Tokyo gore police. I bloody love japanese splatter porn! Try machine girl as well, its got a much better story line than TGP. I have several more I could recommend but I'd be straying slightly away from Sci fi if I do!

For those about to watch Primer- I went into it with a hangover and this diagram (may be classed a bit spoiler-ish if you want to go in to it blind!) http://jaced.com/blogpix/2012/primertimetravel.jpg. Awesome film, and nice to see some actually attempt at science in a film!

Dead or alive is one of Takashi Miike I am yet to watch. I have a fair few of his on DVD but I love them all so much I dont rush to watch them- I have some on the shelf for 5+ years waiting for the right time! Though I have watched Ichi more times then is healthy- and some where In the house I have the original movie as well.
His Horror films (short films) are worth watching as well, but Ive not seen them on DVD in this country, and Ive not seen them on TV for many a long year.

I have cloud atlas sat here waiting to be watched. Mrs Rex wanted to see it, we have just not got round to seeing it yet.

_________________
Epic 40,000 (3rd Ed.) & 6mm Fantasy Blog, tutorials and resources

My 6mm Sci-fi and skirmish TactComms Plog: Vermin!/Orks!/Micro-munda!