@True Savior:
You have to compromise to make a movie though. And worse, Hollywood in particular has been distinctly and disturbingly anti-intellectual for decades now. A message like Network or Black Mirror would never make it to the actual screen (I'm honestly kind of shocked Nightcrawler made it, and that's probably because it was hidden into a thriller before the producers found out). It would not be an upgrade of any kind to operate in such a hostile environment to your message. But maybe I imagine things to be harder than they are. However, as someone who is lazy as fuck, everything seems hard. So basically I am neogaf. So hard.
Obviously, things are starting to look better due to independent productions, but the mainstream is still "dumb it down or get fucked".
also, I still need to actually watch Black Mirror. :\
I've started a Netflix trial this month, but I haven't even touched it yet. :')
anyway, back on movies:
Journey To The Seventh Planet (1962) - could possible have the worst first ten minutes of a movie ever on account of some shameless "locker room talk", but once the ship actually lands on Saturn (yeah yeah ye, I know, it was the 60s, people didn't know that stuff yet) it actually starts to get its shit together and becomes endearing with its limited sets and the Most Annoying Mother Brain (evah) who seeks to control the humans by probing their thoughts and creating a simulation just for them. As it progresses, it becomes quite a bit smarter about what and how, and I suspect that is the influence of Ib Melchior co-writing the screenplay, who also wrote -and directed- The Angry Red Planet (see post above) and Robinson Crusoe On Mars (1964), which I saw in 2015 and enjoyed in its practical use of what was known then and the logical rules of its fiction. Though Seventh Planet is strikingly more messy and delving into schlock with its giant brain (seriously Samus, what the hell), it does maintain its rules into a mediocre, but enjoyable on account of that at least 1960's movie.
However, Ib Melchior would go on to write another 'alien world' movie that is the real reason you should know him, and that is Planet Of The Vampires (1965), which is almost a direct blueprint for what would become Alien (1979). That man had a good run, and passed away at 97 only two years ago.
It Came From Outerspace (1953) - currently watching, but I can already tell being based on a Ray Bradbury story is doing a great service to this movie, with characters being actual characters and shots where I can almost literally sense what the sentence on the page would have been. Directed by Jack Arnold, who also directed Creature From The Black Lagoon, its sequel, and The Incredible Shrinking Man, so it stands to reason the effect is caused by having a competent director.
edit: and oh boy was that right. Helicopter shots of the actual cars with actors driving, POV shots from the aliens, and even using that image as a structural element. Some good filmmaking in this movie, despite its age. Great for its time, and completely avoids the clichéd tropes of other 50s movies. Recommended watch in an unironic manner.
When Worlds Collide (1951) - the start was fun, but after that, and aside from some fun effects later on, it just becomes kinda boring. That is really all I have to say about it, which is weird.
