Annihilation (2018)

[aiman04]

Originally Posted by Todd Tomorrow

Last time I checked the Arrival thread on this forum, there were a lot of people who appeared confused as to what the film was about and what happened in it. The way it explored a genuinely alien life form via linguistics was something I have not seen done before.

You've already mentioned a Shane Caruth film and I'd like to add his more recent Upstream Color, a meditation on empathy via the criminal exploitation of a symbiotic life form, as the most thoughtful science fiction film I've seen in recent years.

Thanks for reminding me of Upstream Color, been meaning to see that, I love Primer. Do you know any others? I’ve seen Time Lapse, Coherence, Triangle and my favorite so far, Predestination.

[Todd Tomorrow]

Originally Posted by aiman04

Thanks for reminding me of Upstream Color, been meaning to see that, I love Primer. Do you know any others? I’ve seen Time Lapse, Coherence, Triangle and my favorite so far, Predestination.

I've seen all of these and the one I like the most is Triangle. Predestination also was quite good. The other two had interesting ideas but for me they were lacking in execution.

These may not all have great ideas at its core, but they all are 21st century lo-fi sci-fi movies which are different from Hollywood mainstream movies and which I've enjoyed:

Another Earth, Her, Sleep Dealer, The One I Love, Under the Skin, Sound of My Voice, Beyond the Black Rainbow, Never Let Me Go, Monsters, The Girl with All the Gifts, The Dark Hour

[aiman04]

Originally Posted by Todd Tomorrow

I've seen all of these and the one I like the most is Triangle. Predestination also was quite good. The other two had interesting ideas but for me they were lacking in execution.

These may not all have great ideas at its core, but they all are 21st century lo-fi sci-fi movies which are different from Hollywood mainstream movies and which I've enjoyed:

Another Earth, Her, Sleep Dealer, The One I Love, Under the Skin, Sound of My Voice, Beyond the Black Rainbow, Never Let Me Go, Monsters, The Girl with All the Gifts, The Dark Hour

Thank you so much. I’ll check them out!

[s2mikey]

Originally Posted by Todd Tomorrow

Last time I checked the Arrival thread on this forum, there were a lot of people who appeared confused as to what the film was about and what happened in it. The way it explored a genuinely alien life form via linguistics was something I have not seen done before.

You've already mentioned a Shane Caruth film and I'd like to add his more recent Upstream Color, a meditation on empathy via the criminal exploitation of a symbiotic life form, as the most thoughtful science fiction film I've seen in recent years.

Ehhhh. I don’t believe people are always confused. IMO, a lot of the time the movie just ends up being lame to them. That’s what happened to me with arrival. The film appeared to be a cool, sci fi film based on linguistics and such. Instead, we got what amounted to a sappy, lifetime network inspired feel good movie that just pissed me off. I’m not saying it was poorly made or acted. Far from it. It just irritated the shit out of me.

What they have to be careful of is how they market and promote these films. If it’s not an action film then don’t make it out to be so expectations are properly set. It does make a difference what people expect, IMO.

[Rodney-2187]

Originally Posted by dgoswald

It's good to see a slight renaissance of sci-fi of varying degrees of complexity in cinema.

Time for a Buck Rogers reboot. I've been wanting it forever.

[Todd Tomorrow]

Originally Posted by s2mikey

Ehhhh. I don’t believe people are always confused. IMO, a lot of the time the movie just ends up being lame to them. That’s what happened to me with arrival. The film appeared to be a cool, sci fi film based on linguistics and such. Instead, we got what amounted to a sappy, lifetime network inspired feel good movie that just pissed me off. I’m not saying it was poorly made or acted. Far from it. It just irritated the shit out of me.

What they have to be careful of is how they market and promote these films. If it’s not an action film then don’t make it out to be so expectations are properly set. It does make a difference what people expect, IMO.

If you think it was a sappy feelgood movie, then you definitely didn't get it.

[javy]

Originally Posted by Todd Tomorrow

I've seen all of these and the one I like the most is Triangle. Predestination also was quite good. The other two had interesting ideas but for me they were lacking in execution.

These may not all have great ideas at its core, but they all are 21st century lo-fi sci-fi movies which are different from Hollywood mainstream movies and which I've enjoyed:

Another Earth, Her, Sleep Dealer, The One I Love, Under the Skin, Sound of My Voice, Beyond the Black Rainbow, Never Let Me Go, Monsters, The Girl with All the Gifts, The Dark Hour

I love Sound of My Voice. That film blew my mind.

Another Earth, Her, Under the Skin, and Monsters are all beatiful films too. I've meant to check out Beyond the Black Rainbow for a while. The One I Love sounds Intersting.

Both Tarkovsky's Stalker and Villeneuve's Arrival are awesome sci-fi films. Just saying.

I'm really interested in seeing Annihilation.

[Gacivory]

Originally Posted by Todd Tomorrow

I've seen all of these and the one I like the most is Triangle. Predestination also was quite good. The other two had interesting ideas but for me they were lacking in execution.

These may not all have great ideas at its core, but they all are 21st century lo-fi sci-fi movies which are different from Hollywood mainstream movies and which I've enjoyed:

Another Earth, Her, Sleep Dealer, The One I Love, Under the Skin, Sound of My Voice, Beyond the Black Rainbow, Never Let Me Go, Monsters, The Girl with All the Gifts, The Dark Hour

I love Never Let Me Go! I feel like not enough people saw that film, or I guess liked it.

[dgoswald]

Originally Posted by Gacivory

I love Never Let Me Go! I feel like not enough people saw that film, or I guess liked it.

It's harrowing when the implication of the premise of the story hits home. I adore that film. The book is even better IMO.

[Todd Tomorrow]

Originally Posted by Gacivory

I love Never Let Me Go! I feel like not enough people saw that film, or I guess liked it.

Yes, me too, very underrated. I guess that because of the title and the cast, many people don't realise that it's a dystopian science fiction film. They probably think its just a love story.

[Gacivory]

Originally Posted by Todd Tomorrow

Yes, me too, very underrated. I guess that because of the title and the cast, many people don't realise that it's a dystopian science fiction film. They probably think its just a love story.

I feel like it was a hard sell, but I remember seeing it in theaters and being blown away! I was sad Andrew Garfield didn't get recognition for his role in it.

[javy]

I'm going to have to check out Never Let Me Go now.

[jacobsever]

In the trailer, there's a super creepy noise as soon as they say "It's something they termed, The Shimmer".

Is that supposed to be The Shimmer making that noise? As if it's some sort of living entity?
Or is it simply part of the score of the film?

Either way, the way it sounds...the tones & notes and everything...is one of the most creepy/eerie things I've heard. It's very haunting.

[eiknarf]

Can't believe this had poor test screenings and was "too intellectual" for the big screen in some sectors!! That makes me MORE interested

[ChristmasFnatic]

Is there atleast some kind of monster/creature enemy here?

[Mandalorian]

Originally Posted by ChristmasFnatic

Is there atleast some kind of monster/creature enemy here?

The trailer is riddled with hybrid looking animals

[eiknarf]

Originally Posted by ChristmasFnatic

Is there atleast some kind of monster/creature enemy here?

Well, it's not an alien, or something that landed here from space. Or is it now in the film? It's an environment disaster area.

[eiknarf]

Originally Posted by jacobsever

In the trailer, there's a super creepy noise as soon as they say "It's something they termed, The Shimmer".

Is that supposed to be The Shimmer making that noise? As if it's some sort of living entity?
Or is it simply part of the score of the film?

Either way, the way it sounds...the tones & notes and everything...is one of the most creepy/eerie things I've heard. It's very haunting.

Seems like a sound-trigger.
Those four notes are part of the score, but in the trailer it's timed to coincide with the moment they show us the "smog-thing" so it grabs your attention. This way, for the rest of the trailer, when you hear those four notes, you're reminded of the feeling you got when they first showed you that smog-thing

[ArrestedDevelopment]

Originally Posted by eiknarf

Can't believe this had poor test screenings and was "too intellectual" for the big screen in some sectors!! That makes me MORE interested

It's absolutely stupid that studios put so much confidence in a few test screenings. They're completely unrepresentative of the general movie-going audience.

[eiknarf]

Originally Posted by ArrestedDevelopment

It's absolutely stupid that studios put so much confidence in a few test screenings. They're completely unrepresentative of the general movie-going audience.

How can I be a part of a test screening? How can I go to one? Where and when do these happen?