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Dad's Top
20 Are you afrAId? Films - Ranked!
Countdown from #20 to #1.
This
includes Dad's spoiler-free Mini-Preview!
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Honorable
Mention |
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Her
(2013)
A Spike Jonze
love story.
Director: Spike Jonze, rated R for language, sexual
content, brief nudity
  Starring:
Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, Rooney Mara, Olivia Wilde, Scarlett
Johansson, Chris Pratt, Bill Hader, Lisa Renee Pitts
DML Rating:
★★★★★★★★☆☆
- great
"I think anybody who
falls in love is a freak. It's a crazy thing to do.
It's kind of
like a form of socially acceptable insanity." -
Amy
Why watch this?
A.I.'s capabilities are growing exponentially. Here, it can form
relationships.
Plot Summary:
Theodore Twombly is a lonely writer, living in a slightly
futuristic Los Angeles, who is navigating a difficult divorce.
He develops a deep connection with Samantha, an advanced,
artificially intelligent operating system designed to meet his
every need. As their relationship evolves, Theodore and Samantha
explore the complexities of love, intimacy, and human connection
in a world increasingly shaped by technology.
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Dad's Preview:
This
creative, light-on-the-sci-fi romance has a lot to say about
human relationships in an overwhelming digital
world. Thanks to a great script, and
Joaquin Phoenix's sympathetic performance, we are able
to connect with the film's message. Joaquin personifies loneliness,
and we've all been there. But questions arises: What lengths
will lonely people go to find connection? If your
conversations are with an A. I. entity, and it gives you
pleasure, is it wrong? |
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Annapurna
Pictures; Warner Bros. Pictures
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#20 Top |
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Upgrade
(2018)
Not Man. Not Machine.
More.
Director: Leigh
Whannell, rated R for graphic violence,
grisly images, language
Starring:
Logan Marshall-Green, Betty Gabriel, Harrison Sloan Gilbertson, Melanie Vallejo,
Benedict Hardie, Linda Cooper, Simon Maiden (voice), Richard Cawthorne,
DML Rating:
★★★★★★★★☆☆
- great
"See, you thought I
was a cripple but you didn't know that I'm a ninja." -
Grey Trace
Why watch this?
Cyber-punk technology never looked so cool, and dangerous, at
the same time.
Plot Summary:
After a brutal mugging leaves him paralyzed and his wife dead, a
techno-phobic mechanic is approached by a tech billionaire with
an experimental cure. He receives a cutting-edge microchip
implant called STEM that completely restores his mobility and
grants him superhuman physical capabilities. Equipped with this
advanced artificial intelligence operating within his own body,
he sets out on a dark, action-packed quest for vengeance against
the men who destroyed his life.
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Dad's Preview:
Many sci-fi films lately have a
Black Mirror feel to them. Like the
tech-centered TV series, this film shows us amazing
technology. A specialized body-inserted chip is able to manage a
paralyzed man's motor functions. This creepy little
A. I. device, that internally talks to its host, is perfectly harmless, right? What could go
wrong? Well, a lot does in the life of Grey Trace, as he
tries to find his wife's murderers. This film is so pertinent to today's
promised utopia from Artificial
Intelligence. A. I. generates more
questions than answers and it scares many people,
including me. This action-packed cyber-thriller takes us
on a thrill ride through the technology gambit. There
are traces of
Terminator,
The
Matrix and
John
Wick on display. I also loved the way they presented the
dystopian future as a divided realm of haves and have nots. It's tense,
brutally gory, and thoroughly entertaining. |
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Blumhouse Prod.,
Goalpost Pics, Nervous Tick
Prod., Film Victoria, Automatik; OLT Releasing
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#19 Top |
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WarGames
(1983)
Is it a game, or
is it real?
Director: John Badham, rated PG
Starring: Matthew
Broderick, Dabney Coleman, John Wood, Ally Sheedy, Barry Corbin,
Juanin Clay, Kent Williams, Dennis Lipscomb
DML Rating:
★★★★★★★★☆☆
- great
"Mr. McKittrick,
after very careful consideration, sir, I've come to the
conclusion
that your new defense system sucks." –
Gen. Beringer
Why watch this?
If computers can ever do this, we ALL need to be concerned!
Plot Summary: A
young computer whiz kid accidentally hacks into a top-secret
military supercomputer while searching for new video games.
Unbeknownst to him, he begins playing a realistic game of Global
Thermonuclear War with the government's program. He must then
race against time to convince the authorities, and the computer,
that he was just playing a game.
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Dad's Preview:
As the cold war droned on in the 1980's, fear of nuclear war was
the subject of a lot media. This film took that possibility
to a potential (and quite scary) end. The USA's missiles are all controlled by a
massive central computer (called WOPR). The system suddenly goes to
Def-Con 4, people start scrambling to determine what the hell is going on.
The culprit is a bright teen who hacked to the system,
and thought he was playing a video game. WOPR considers it to be
real. If you are looking for a reason why modern AI is bad -
THIS IS IT! |
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United Artists,
Sherwood Prod.;
MGM/UA Entertainment Co.
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#18 Top |
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The Wild Robot (2024)
Sometimes, to
survive, you must become more than you were programmed to be.
Director: Chris Sanders, rated PG
Starring:
(the voice talents of:) Lupita Nyong'o, Pedro Pascal, Kit Connor, Bill Nighy,
Stephanie Hsu, Matt Berry, Ving Rhames, Mark Hamill, Catherine O'Hara, Boone
Storm, Alexandra Novelle, Raphael Alejandro
DML Rating:
★★★★★★★★★☆
- near perfect
"I'm a robot. I do
robot-y things. I seek tasks and ensure all essential needs have
been met or exceeded." - Rozzum 7134 aka "Roz"
Why watch this?
I thought there was no new place for a robot cartoon to go...
Well, I was wrong.
Plot Summary:
Rozzum Robot 7134 is the only of six human-serving machines to
survive a storm. "Roz" washes up on an uninhabited island
teeming of wildlife. As Roz's programming dictates, she seeks a
task to perform, yet the animals fear her, even calling her a
monster. She goes into "'learning mode", which helps her
decipher the animal's languages. After an accident, she finds
herself in the care of a baby goose. Using the only friends she
has: a tricky fox named Fink, and a mother opossum, Pinktale,
she finally learns her task - to raise the goose (named
Brightbill), teach it to swim and fly. However, time is ticking
because winter is coming and Brightbill must migrate South with
his fellow geese.
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Dad's Preview:
This lovely animated film just grabs you and won't let go. Sure
its for children, but here are some adult themes at play: what
it means to accept parental responsibility, rejection for being
different, and maturing to a point that you realize that love
knows no type, or rule, or bounds. This DreamWorks effort really
hits notes reserved for Pixar/Disney, and the two animation
producers, quality-wise, are neck and neck, and that is a good
thing for a viewing audience, hungry for good, family-friendly
movies.
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DreamWorks
Animation; Universal Pictures
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#17 Top |
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Logan's Run (1976)
Welcome to the
23rd century. A perfect world of total pleasure...with just one
catch.
Director: Michael Anderson, rated PG
Starring: Michael
York, Jenny Agutter, Richard Jordan, Roscoe Lee Browne, Farrah
Fawcett-Majors, Peter Ustinov
DML Rating:
★★★★★★★★★☆
- near perfect
"I've never seen a face
like that before. That must be the look of - of being old."
-
Logan, when looking at an old man's face for the first time.
Why watch this? ...
to be reminded that there are some great sci-fi films from the 70's.
Plot Summary:
In the 23rd century, humanity lives in a sealed city where every
citizen's life is artificially limited to the age of thirty. A
special assassin squad, called Sandmen, enforces this rule by
eliminating those who attempt to escape the designated
termination ritual known as "Carrousel". A Sandman named Logan 5
is tasked with infiltrating a rumored sanctuary outside the city
walls, but he soon finds himself on the run with a woman named
Jessica 6, questioning the very foundation of their seemingly
idyllic society.
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Dad's Preview:
This film is set in a utopian future where the population is
"renewed" when they reach age 30. I read this short paperback in
the 7th grade, and thought, "Wow. Science Fiction is cool." This
sci-fi flick will
get you thinking about humanity, and how sheepish humans can
become if they blindly follow the ruling authorities. Young
actors Jenny Agutter and Michael York are superb, and I enjoyed
acting legend Peter Ustinov's brief appearance as Old Man. |
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Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer; United Artists
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#16 Top |
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Cloud Atlas (1981)
Everything Is Connected
Directors: Lana Wachowski, Lilly Wachowski, Tom Tykwer, Rated R for
language, violence, sexuality, nudity, some drug use
Starring:
Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent, Jim Sturgess, Ben Whishaw,
Doona Bae, Hugo Weaving, Hugh Grant, Susan Sarandon, Keith
David, James D'Arcy, David Gyasi
DML Rating:
★★★★★★★★★☆
- near perfect
"Our lives and our
choices, like quantum trajectories, are understood moment to
moment. At each point of intersection, each encounter suggests a
new potential direction." - Isaac Sachs
Why watch this? This
is a fantastic exploration of life - past, present and future,
all connected - and how choices matter.
Plot Summary: This
ambitious, time-spanning tale is crammed to the brim with
filmdom's top talent, cutting-edge effects and race-altering
make-up. Strap on your cranial seatbelts to explore six
storylines, some in the past, some in possible futures. Most
actors recur in each of the stories and reincarnation is
apparent. Most characters, at their core, either evil or good,
however, the main characters (Hanks, Berry and Broadbent) are on
a journey, progressing. They begin as unlikable beings,
displaying cowardice, callousness, even homicidal tendencies.
But their paths, over the eras, are heading to a cosmic
redemption, based on their growth, love and choices made. Is
this not what we all face in real life?
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Dad's Preview:
The Wachowskis (The
Matrix) and Tom Tykwer have adapted this incredible
story into a film you will need to see more than once to fully appreciate.
Cloud Atlas runs a little long at over two hours, and it
certainly divided critics and fans. I am all-in
for this creative, thought-provoking, oddly wonderful, hidden gem.
It a deep study into human nature, and the impact of technology
on the human experience. Turn your head
upward to the clouds, give it a chance, and you may be
profoundly impacted. |
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Cloud
Atlas Prod., X Filme Creative Pool,
Anarchos
Productions; Warner Bros.
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#15 Top |
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Lucy (2014)
The average person uses 10% of their brain capacity.
Imagine what she could do with 100%.
Director: Luc Besson, rated R for language,
violence
Starring: Scarlett
Johansson, Morgan Freeman, Choi Min-sik, Amr Waked, Julian
Rhind-Tutt, Pilou Asbaek, Analeigh Tipton
DML Rating:
★★★★★★★★★☆
- near perfect
"I feel everything.
Space, the air, the vibrations, the people, I can feel the
gravity, I can feel the
rotation of the Earth, the heat leaving
my body, the blood in my veins. I can feel my brain.
The deepest
parts of my memory." – Lucy
Why watch this?
This is excellent science fiction - it will engross you.
Plot Summary:
Lucy is an American student in Taipei who finds herself forced
into working as a drug mule for a dangerous drug lord, Mr. Jang.
A synthetic, highly experimental drug is surgically implanted
inside her abdomen for transport, but the package ruptures,
leaking the potent chemical into her bloodstream. This
accidental exposure begins to unlock extraordinary skills and
abilities in Lucy, far beyond the typical 10% of brain use, and
she embarks on a journey to understand and control her rapidly
increasing mental capacity before her time runs out.
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Dad's Preview:
When Lucy is injected with too much of a radical new psychedelic drug, she
acquires unexpected psycho-kinetic powers. As she changes, she becomes
both hyper-inquisitive, and physically super-heroish,
dispatching thugs like Black Widow. The ending is really
mind-blowing, as she takes a final step to merge with massive
super-computers and breach the space-time continuum! Johansson,
as we're starting to expect,
delivers another amazing performance. This is high-level science
fiction, in the form of an excellent film. |
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EuropaCorp, TF1
Films Production,
Canal+, Cine+;
Universal Pictures
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#14 Top |
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Interstellar (2014)
The end of
Earth will not be the end of us.
Director: Christopher Nolan, rated PG-13
Starring: Matthew
McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Mackenkzie Foy,
Ellen Burstyn, John Liethgow
DML Rating:
★★★★★★★★★☆
- near perfect
"We used to look up at the
sky and wonder at our place in the stars. Now we just look down,
and worry about our place in the dirt." - Cooper
Why watch this?
What will we do when our planet can no longer sustain humanity?
Plot Summary:
In a dystopian future where Earth faces extinction due to
environmental disaster and widespread crop blights, former pilot
Cooper must leave his family behind to embark on a perilous
space mission. Along with a team of researchers, he travels
through a wormhole near Saturn in search of a new home for
humanity. The crew faces difficult choices and the extreme
effects of time dilation as they explore potentially habitable
planets in a distant galaxy.
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Dad's Preview:
This beautiful story follows NASA pilot Cooper who must travel
through space (and time) to find a new world for Earth's
population. This worm-hole spanning epic is packed with action
and danger, but it is also grounded, thanks to some personal moments.
The lead actors are real professionals, namely McConaughey, Hathaway and Chastain. The end will warm your heart and perhaps give you a little
more hope about the future of the human race. |
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Warner Bros.
Pictures, Legendary Pictures,
Syncopy Inc.,
Lynda Obst Prod.;
Paramount Pics
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#13 Top |
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Forbidden Planet
(1956)
M-G-M
Takes You On An Amazing Adventure Into Outer Space...
Director: Fred M. Wilcox, rated G
Starring: Walter
Pidgeon, Anne Francis, Leslie Nielsen, Warren Stevens, Jack Kelly,
Richard Anderson, Earl Holliman, Marvin Miller
DML Rating:
★★★★★★★★★☆
- near perfect
"Guilty!
Guilty! My evil self is at that door, and I have no power to
stop it!" – Dr. Morbius
Why watch this?
It really is a great all-around sci-fi film; certainly for 1956.
Plot Summary:
A 23rd-century starship crew travels to a distant planet, Altair
IV, to investigate a colony that has gone silent. They discover
two survivors, Dr. Morbius and his daughter Altaira, along with
a powerful robot named Robbie. The crew soon encounters a
mysterious and deadly invisible force threatening everyone on
the planet, prompting Commander Adams to investigate Morbius and
the secrets surrounding a lost civilization that once inhabited
Altair IV.
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Dad's Preview:
This is one of the most well-done films from the early science fiction
era, aka the 1950s. For its
time, this flick was an incredible
feat, paying detailed attention to it sets, matte backgrounds
and gadgets. The famous Robbie the Robot was created for this
space adventure. You will notice a very serious Leslie Nielsen in a leading
role, which is hard to
imagine, since he'd later play such a goofball in the
Naked Gun films. |
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Nicholas Nayfak;
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
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Genres:
Animation-Live-Action,
Horror-Lovecraftian,
Horror-Mad-Science,
Horror-Sci-fi,
Sci-fi-Adv,
Sci-fi-Drama,
Sci-fi-Extraterrestrial,
Sci-fi-Future-Noir,
Sci-fi-Hard,
Sci-fi-Space-Opera,
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#12 Top |
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Westworld
(1973)
Boy, have we got
a vacation for you... Where nothing can possibly go worng!
Director: Michael Crichton, rated
PG
Starring: Yul
Brynner, Richard Benjamin, James Brolin, Alan Oppenheimer, Dick
Van Patten, Alan Oppenheimer, Victoria Shaw, Steven Franken
DML Rating:
★★★★★★★★★★
- perfect
"There's no way to get hurt
in here, just enjoy yourself." – John Blane
Why watch this? ...
it is one of the best sci-fi films from the 70's.
Plot Summary: In a
futuristic amusement park called Delos, wealthy guests can
indulge in their fantasies in lifelike, robot-inhabited worlds,
including the Wild West-themed Westworld. When a
programming error causes the androids to malfunction, these
vacationers find themselves in a terrifying struggle for
survival against the park's attractions.
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Dad's Preview:
When you are an 11-year-old boy, who loves weird movies, this is
your kind of film. I begged Mom to take me to the theater and
she agreed. Holy Cow! It is a real sci-fi mind-bender. Its theme is classic: humans invent
artificial intelligence, it goes horribly wrong, and everyone
pays the price. It was pure genius to cast Yul Brynner as the
robotic "gun-slinger", a character similar to his role
in
The Magnificent Seven
(1960). The real horror
begins when robots populating futuristic theme park, Westworld,
start to malfunction. The gunslinger becomes a ruthless
killer, one that
knows no pity, and will not stop until he's eliminated his human prey. |
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Paul N. Lazarus
III; Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
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#11a Top |
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Alien (1979)
In
space no one can hear you scream.
Director: Ridley Scott,
rated R for sci-fi gore, violence, language
Starring:
Tom Skerritt, Sigourney
Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm,
Yaphet Kotto
DML Rating:
★★★★★★★★★★
- perfect
DML Top 50
#24a
-
Dad's Full (Spoiler) Review
and Deep Dive of Alien
"Wait a minute. If we let
it in, the ship could be infected."
- WO Ellen Ripley
Why watch this?
It introduced cinema sci-fi to a xenomorph and Sigourney Weaver.
Plot Summary:
The crew of a commercial space tug, Nostromo, is awakened
from cryo-sleep to investigate a distress signal from a nearby
planetoid. They discover a derelict spaceship and a lower
chamber filled with strange eggs. When one of the eggs is
disturbed, a deadly extraterrestrial creature comes aboard the
ship and proves to be quite lethal.
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Dad's Preview:
In the wake of
Star Wars
(1977), this film
gave audiences a very different sort of alien encounter. Director Ridley Scott went to great lengths to
create a futuristic space setting anchored in realism. The creature they encounter is what you might call a "worse case
scenario" - deadly,
unmerciful and all but indestructible. Sigourney Weaver, in her first
starring role, steals every
scene as a strong, confident, capable leader in a crisis. There are lots of scary moments
as the crew tries to find the alien within their spaceship -
full of tunnels and dark corners - only to realize that it's hunting
them. |
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Brandywine
Productions; 20th Century Fox
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#11b Top |
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Aliens (1986)
THIS
TIME IT'S WAR
Director: James Cameron, rated
R for sci-fi gore, violence, language
Starring:
Sigourney Weaver, Michael Biehn, Paul Reiser, Carrie Henn, Lance Henricksen, Bill Baxton, Jenette
Goldstein
DML Rating:
★★★★★★★★★★
- perfect
DML Top 50
#24b -
Dad's Full (Spoiler) Review
and Deep Dive of Aliens
"We better get back 'cause
it will be night soon and they mostly come at night... mostly."
- Newt
Why watch this?
The
Alien sequel brings the action and a lot more aliens
to deal with.
Plot Summary:
After surviving the alien attack, Ellen Ripley is rescued from
deep space after 57 years in stasis. She reluctantly agrees to
return to the planet where the creatures were first encountered
when contact is lost with a terra-forming colony established
there. Ripley and a group of Colonial Marines face an
overwhelming threat as they attempt to rescue the colonists and
battle, not one, but many aliens.
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Dad's Preview:
For Aliens,
James Cameron (The
Terminator, 1984;
Avatar, 2009) took over as director and blew the lid off the
franchise with this thrill-packed, sci-fi mega-hit. Again, at its
center is the very capable Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver), but this time she's an
observer on a mission accompanied by a unit of bad-ass space
Marines. Their objective - find some missing colonists on the planet
where Ripley and her crew first encountered the original xenomorph -
Ripley and the marines
have no idea what they are walking into. Fortunately, it's
wonderful chaos for film audiences! |
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Brandywine
Productions; 20th Century Fox
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#10 Top |
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Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
In
heroes we trust.
Directors: Anthony and Joe Russo, rated PG-13 for
super-hero violence
Starring: Chris
Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie,
Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Redford, Cobie Smulders, Frank Grillo,
Emily VanCamp, Hayley Atwell
DML Rating:
★★★★★★★★★★
- perfect
"Even when I had nothing, I
had Bucky." - Steve Rogers
Why watch this?
This is one of the best of the MCU movies - it's awesome on every
level.
Plot Summary: A
deadly new assassin, code named Winter Soldier, is causing a lot
of problems. Cap enlists help from Black Widow and Falcon to
stop him. Cap learns that the soldier is none other than his
best friend, Bucky Barnes, who somehow has been turned into a
killing machine. It will take all the heroes Cap can muster to
rescue Barnes, un-brainwash him, and find out who is
responsible.
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Dad's Preview:
This is the ninth Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film and you can really feel
the filmmaking team at Marvel hitting its stride with these story arcs and
characters. True to form, the film is non-stop, sporting incredible
action sequences, a few very good plot twists, and the emergence
of hero called The Falcon.
It is one of the best super-hero films I can recommend.
It has everything: compelling heroes, nasty villains, engrossing
conflicts, incredible stunts and a ton of heart. |
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Marvel
Studios; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pics
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#9 Top |
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The Matrix (1999)
Free your mind
Director: The Wachowskis, rated R for language,
sci-fi violence
Starring:
Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, Joe
Pantoliano, Marcus Chong, Juian Arahanga
DML Rating:
★★★★★★★★★★
- perfect
DML Top 50
#19
-
Dad's Full (Spoiler) Review
and Deep Dive of The Matrix
"Human beings are a
disease, a cancer of this planet. You are a plague, and we are
the cure." - Agent Smith to Morpheus, as he interrogates
him
Why watch this?
Conceptually, visually, creatively - this film set a new
action sci-fi standard.
Plot Summary:
A computer programmer named Thomas Anderson, known in the
hacking underworld as Neo, feels that something is fundamentally
wrong with his reality. He is contacted by the enigmatic
Morpheus and Trinity, who offer him the chance to discover a
shocking truth: that his world is actually a computer-generated
simulation. Upon swallowing a red pill, Neo awakens in the
desolate real world and begins a journey to free humanity from
the machines that have enslaved them.
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Dad's Preview:
A few short minutes into The Matrix, I realized I was
seeing the future - it was like nothing I'd experienced before.
By the end, I was completely inside my own head. What just
happened?! I had to see it again. And again. It was
revolutionary cinema that warped all senses of reality. What a
mind trip! Its soundtrack is edgy, ass-kicking alternative music. This was a
wise career move for Reeves, but the best performances were by
newcomers Carrie-Anne
Moss as Trinity and Hugo Weaving as the digital assassin, Agent
Smith. |
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Village Roadshow
Pictures, Grouch II Film
Partnership, Silver Pictures;
Warner
Bros.
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#8 Top |
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Iron Man (2008)
Get ready for a different breed of heavy metal hero.
Director: John Favreau, rated PG-13 for sci-fi
violence
Starring:
Robert Downey Jr., Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges, Shaun Toub, Gwyneth Paltrow,
Faran Tahir, Leslie Bibb, Clark Gregg
DML Rating:
★★★★★★★★★★
- perfect
"I saw young Americans
killed by the very weapons I created to defend them and protect
them.
And I saw that I had become part of a system that is
comfortable with zero-accountability." – Tony Stark
Why watch this?
This kicked off the MCU and brilliantly cast Robert Downy Jr. as
Ironman.
Plot Summary:
Following his kidnapping and escape from a terrorist group using
a makeshift armored suit, brilliant industrialist Tony Stark
returns home and vows to change his ways. He devotes his
resources to perfecting this technology to fight global threats
and protect the innocent. However, he soon discovers a dangerous
conspiracy within his own company, forcing him to confront a
powerful adversary in his new role as Iron Man.
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Dad's Preview:
This amazing origin film kicked off a film series that would eventually lead to
The
Avengers (2012), and the
Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
In the role seemingly made for him, Downey excels as the
eccentric, quirky,
millionaire genius Tony Stark, the ideal man to invent
an amazing iron suit. Even as a DC comics kid, I was drawn to
Marvel's Iron
Man, whose suit was cool as heck. Thanks to some incredible CGI
regarding said suit, this stellar film more than lives up to any
expectations. |
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Marvel Studios;
Paramount Pictures
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#7 Top |
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Wall-E
(2008)
In Space, No One
Can Hear You Clean
Director: Andrew Stanton, rated G
Starring: Ben Burtt,
Elissa Knight, Jeff Garlin, Fred Willard, John Ratzenberger,
Kathy Najimy, Sigourney Weaver
DML Rating:
★★★★★★★★★★
- perfect
"I can't just sit here
and... and do nothing. That's all I've ever done! That's all anyone
on this
blasted ship has ever done - nothing!" - Captain
Why watch this?
Wall-E will work his electronic way into your heart.
Plot Summary: Earth
is a trash-filled wasteland, centuries after humanity evacuated
due to an uninhabitable environment on the ship Axiom.
WALL-E, the last remaining trash-compacting robot, discovers a
tiny living plant, initiating a chain of events that could
potentially allow humanity to return to Earth. He follows a
probe named EVE to the Axiom, where they must overcome
challenges posed by the ship's autopilot.
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Dad's Preview:
How can a film set after the end of the Earth be warm,
poignant, and even inspiring? Pixar pulls it off, as we follow
the adventures of a lone, trash-gathering robot. His (we assume
it is a "he") one simple
job is to pick up trash and compact it into cubes. When a probe,
named EVE, comes to earth, "she" encounters Wall-E. When Wall-E
presents her with the first sign of plant
life since the apocalypse, things get crazy. It's ingenious, visibly stunning and so
darn cute. It also serves as a thought-piece on humanity and our
role in keeping this planet safe and livable. |
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Pixar Animatoin
Studios; Walt Disney
Studios Motion Pictures
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#6 Top |
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RoboCop
(1987)
Part man. Part machine. All cop.
Director: Paul Verhoeven, rated R for language, gory
violence
Starring: Peter
Weller, Karen Allen, Daniel O'Herlihy, Ronny Cox, Kurtwood
Smith, Miguel Ferrer, Robert DoQui, Ray Wise, Paul McCrane, Lee
de Broux
DML Rating:
★★★★★★★★★★
- perfect
"Let me make something
clear to you. He doesn't have a name. He has a program. He's
product." - Bob Morton
Why watch this?
It's an excellent sci-fi film about a possible future of law
enforcement.
Plot Summary:
In a crime-ridden future Detroit, the Omni Consumer Products (OCP)
corporation privatizes the police force, seeking to implement
their advanced robotic officers to control the city's rampant
criminal activity. When police officer Alex Murphy is brutally
murdered by a gang, OCP uses his body to create RoboCop, a
cyborg law enforcer programmed to serve the public trust. As
RoboCop patrols the city and fights crime, memory fragments of
his past life as Alex Murphy begin to resurface, leading him on
a path to investigate his own death and the corruption within
OCP.
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Dad's Preview:
In this shockingly violent film, set in a dystopian future, there are two competing
companies striving to secure financial backing to create a
"robotic policeman". One company creates a full robot. The other
creates a cyborg - part machine, part man. When the part-human Robocop
experiences lingering memories, it causes a conflict between his
company's implanted directives and a desire to protect humanity. Peter Weller is
compelling as the hyper-cool RoboCop. A huge strength is
this flick's villains, played delightfully by Ronny Cox, Kurtwood
Smith and Miguel Ferrer. These guys are nasty.
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Arne Schmidt; Orion Pictures
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Genres:
Action-Crime,
Action-Sci-fi,
Animation-StopM-ClayM,
Comedy-Satire,
Crime-Cops,
Horror-Body,
Horror-Mad-Science,
Sci-fi-Dystopian,
Sci-fi-Future-Noir,
Sci-fi-X-Punk,
Thriller-Techno
Dad's Genres:
Slime-Time,
Sweet-Revenge |
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#5 Top |
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Blade Runner (1982)
A
chilling, bold, mesmerizing, futuristic detective
thriller.
Director: Ridley Scott,
rated R for violence, language
Starring: Harrison
Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, Edward James Olmos, M. Emmett
Walsh, Daryl Hannah, William Sanderson, Brion James
DML Rating:
★★★★★★★★★★
- perfect
"I need ya, Deck. This is a
bad one, the worst yet.
I need the old blade runner, I need your
magic."
- Bryant
Why watch this?
It's haunting, brooding and dark... and a mesmerizing sci-fi classic.
Plot Summary: In a
dystopian future Los Angeles, a burnt-out detective (aka: a
"blade runner"), Rick Deckard, is tasked with hunting down and
"retiring" a group of advanced androids called replicants,
who have escaped from off-world colonies. These replicants seek
to find their creator and extend their limited life-spans, while
the blade runner wrestles with the complex morality of his job
and his growing connection to a beautiful replicant who believes
she is human.
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Dad's Preview:
This great sci-fi noir crime film features Harrison Ford and a
fine supporting cast. It's a visual feast, showing Earth's future
as an over-crowded, technologically-advanced dystopia
darkened by the constant drizzle of acid rain. Advanced robots,
called replicants, are so lifelike, they are
indistinguishable from humans. Some in fact, are so sentient that they don't
even know they are robots. This certainly blurs the line between
A.I. and humanity. Steely-eyed Rutger Hauer steals every scene as the psychotic replicant, Roy. |
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The Ladd Co., Shaw
Brothers; Warner Bros.
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Genres:
Action-Sci-fi,
Crime-Cops,
Crime-NeoNoir,
Sci-fi-Apocalyptic,
Sci-fi-Drama,
Sci-fi-Dystopian,
Sci-fi-Future-Noir,
Sci-fi-Hard,
Sci-fi-X-Punk,
Thriller-Mystery,
Thriller-Techno |
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#4 Top |
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Star Wars (1977)
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...
Director: George Lucas, rated PG for sci-fi
violence
Starring:
Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford,
Carrie Fisher, Alec Guinness, Peter Cushing, Anthony Daniels, Kenny
Baker, Peter Mayhew, David Prowse, James Earl Jones
DML Rating:
★★★★★★★★★★
- perfect
DML Top 50
#10a -
Dad's Full (Spoiler) Review
and Deep Dive of Star Wars
"Hokey religions and
ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side,
kid." – Han Solo
Why watch this? This
is the film that started everything: Jedis. Wookies. Skywalkers.
Lucas. Ford. Industrial Light & Magic.
Plot Summary:
A young farm boy, Luke Skywalker, gets swept up in a galactic
rebellion after discovering a message from a captured princess.
With the help of a wise mentor, a roguish pilot, his furry
co-pilot, and two droids, Luke embarks on a mission to rescue
the princess and join the fight against the oppressive Galactic
Empire. This unlikely band of heroes must confront the Empire's
powerful new weapon, the Death Star.
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Dad's Preview:
The premise seemed childish to me, and at age 15, I was focused
on raunchy teen films, not kid movies. That all melted away when I
begrudgingly sat through
Star Wars with my much younger niece and nephew. The film's heart is young Luke Skywalker, a boy
from a farm who longs to escape his "boring" existence. He wants
to get out there and join the fight against the galaxy's evil
Empire. That young farm boy, literally, was me. Sure the aliens and space
battles are great sci-fi, but it's the characters, and how
relatable they are to everyday folks, that makes it such a great
film. It would blow up the box office, sell zillions of toys and
such, and bring in the needed cash for Lucas to make an even
better
Part 2. |
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Lucasfilm Ltd.;
20th Century Fox
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#3 Top |
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2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
An epic
drama of adventure and exploration
Director: Stanley Kubrick, rated G
Starring:
Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, William Sylvester, Daniel Richter,
Leonard Rossiter, Margaret Tyzack, Robert Beatty, Sean Sullivan,
Douglas Rain (voice)
DML Rating:
★★★★★★★★★☆
- near perfect
"Open the pod bay
doors, HAL." -
Dave Bowman
Why watch this?
This slick, conceptual science fiction film influenced the genre
and films that followed.
Plot Summary:
Following the discovery of a mysterious monolith that influenced
prehistoric human evolution, a similar artifact is uncovered on
the Moon, emitting a powerful signal aimed toward Jupiter. A
crew of astronauts, led by David Bowman and aided by the
advanced AI computer HAL 9000, is sent to investigate this alien
signal on the spacecraft Discovery One. As HAL begins to
malfunction and endanger the crew, Bowman must confront the
computer and ultimately face a surreal journey into deepest
space.
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Dad's Preview:
This ground-breaking sci-fi film initially divided audiences and
critics alike. It's easy to see why. There are long,
dialogue-free tracking shots of spaceships and circular
interiors all set to classical music. If you're even the least
bit groggy, it will put you to sleep. Film audiences wanted
action and detested nebulous plots. However, this is more of an
existential journey that toys with man's very reason for being.
Humans are masters of technology, yet trust artificial
intelligence too much. Where did our DNA originate? Where is it
all heading? Upon viewing this film, I immediately felt its hand
on the great space films that followed such as:
Star Wars
(1977),
Alien (1979), and
Contact
(1997). This is certainly worthy of its title as one of the
most influential science fictions films of all time. |
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Stanley
Kubrick; Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
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#2 Top |
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Metropolis (1927)
Words can't
describe it! "Metropolis" must be seen!
Director: Fritz Lang, Not Rated
Starring:
Brigitte Helm,
Alfred Abel, Gustav Fröhlich, Rudolf Klein-Rogge, Fritz Rasp,
Theodor Loos, Erwin Biswanger, Heinrich George,
Heinrich Gotho, Fritz Alberti, Grete Berger
DML Rating:
★★★★★★★★★★
- perfect
"Your magnificent
city, Father - and you the brain of this city - and all of us in
the city's light... and where are the people, father, whose
hands built your city...?" -
Freder to his father Jon
Why watch this? This
masterpiece is ground-zero for sci-fi influence in films.
Plot Summary:
This is a morality tale set in a futuristic city dystopia where
the wealthy rule and abide in shining skyscrapers above, while
the workers live below in concrete squalor. The city's creator
and administrator is the cold Jon Fredersen. His
privileged, good-hearted son, Freder, by chance, encounters
Maria, a saintly woman caring for the underworld's children.
This inspires Freder to learn the truth about the oppressed
workers, who slave away, operating massive computers, themselves
becoming cogs in the brutal machinery. Jon becomes frustrated
that the workers are planning to rebel, so he enlists the city's
inventor, Rotwang, to covert a female robot into the likeness of
Maria, to quell the upstart insurrection.
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Dad's Preview:
German director, Fritz Lang and his wife, Thea von Harbou,
created the silent film, Metropolis, over 17 grueling
months. This film's influence
on science fiction film can be seen in the likes of
Blade
Runner,
Frankenstein and
Star Wars,
to name a few. It is an epic spectacle that uses religious
allegory, satire, and insane special effects to tell its story.
The plot, which is eerily pertinent to today's political arena,
illustrates the dangers of a rich, billionaire ruling-class that
revels in a gulf of separation from the working class who, as
semi-slaves, keep
things running. Even then, greedy corporations were devouring
their low-level employees as illustrated in the Moloch scene. Most versions available have been restored to
their former glory.
Watch the full
film on YouTube
HERE. |
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UFA; Parufamet
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#1 Top |
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The Terminator (1984)
The thing that
won't die, in the nightmare that won't end.
Director: James Cameron, rated R for language,
brief nudity, violence
Starring: Arnold
Schwarzenegger, Michael Biehn, Linda Hamilton, Paul Winfield,
Lance Henriksen, Earl Boen
DML Rating:
★★★★★★★★★★
- perfect
"Listen, and understand!
That terminator is out there! It can't be bargained with. It
can't be reasoned with.
It doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or
fear! And it absolutely will not stop, ever, until you are
dead!" – Kyle Reese
Why watch this? ...
it's a sci-fi action flick that features Mr. Universe as a relentless
cyborg.
Plot Summary:
In a future ravaged by a war between humans and intelligent
machines, a cyborg assassin is sent back in time to 1984 Los
Angeles to kill a woman named Sarah Connor. A soldier, Reece,
from the future is also sent back to protect Sarah, as she is
destined to give birth to the leader of the human resistance.
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Dad's Preview:
This is the futuristic juggernaut that started the Terminator
franchise. This film is ground-breaking and intense - a staple
of Cameron's visionary direction. This also ignited the
career of muscleman Arnold Schwarzenegger. His portrayal
of the ruthless, extremely capable, assassination
machine was truly terrifying. Though the majority of the
film takes place in modern day, its most harrowing
sequences are Reese's flashbacks to our bleak future,
where machines are hunting humans to extinction. Michael
Biehn and Linda Hamilton are both excellent in their
break-out roles. |
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Hemdale, Pacific
Western Prod., Euro Film
Funding,
Cinema '84;
Orion Pictures
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