Here's part two of my list of favorite movies, and the ones that have had some influence on my fiction.
6. Alien. I consider this my
second favorite horror movie. It’s far more horror than SF to me, although it
combines those elements. It has definitely influenced some of my more graphic
horror. I know Sigourney Weaver from this film, and I would recognize the name
of the Captain if I heard it, although I can’t think of it now. Despite that,
there’s one element of this film that irritates me, and that is how fast the
alien grows after it “hatches.”
7. Aliens.
The sequel to Alien is a very
different movie. It has horror elements but it is primarily adventure SF, which
I do enjoy writing. There are some great dialogue lines in this one, and some
great characters. I know Weaver, of course, and would certainly recognize the
names of several of the other actors if I heard them. This was an influence on Under the Ember Star.
8. Predator. This movie nicely combines
horror and adventure. The SF elements are really quite minimal. I know Arnold,
of course, and Apollo Creed. I know that’s not the real name of the actor but
the character he played on Rocky.
There are elements of this movie that influenced Cold in the Light.
9. Invasion of the Body Snatchers, 1978. Also
a horror movie as opposed to a true SF film. Very enjoyable. I like the first
version quite a bit too, but this is the
first version I “saw” and I’ll always have a soft spot for it. This film was
remade a couple of times later and was horribly mangled. Only the first two
versions are worth seeing. I would say this has influenced some of my horror.
10. Brotherhood of the Wolf. This is a
French film starring a number of actors whose names I wouldn’t even recognize.
It’s based on real historical events, a “beast” that terrorized the French
countryside and was widely believed at the time to be a werewolf. The movie
puts quite a bit different spin on the “beast.” It’s got great action and
wonderful visuals. I enjoyed this enough to go and buy a copy. I did so,
partly, because I figured it wouldn’t show very often on TV. I was right.
Honorable Mentions:
11. The Exorcist. One
of the few movies that actually creeps me out.
12.
Excalibur. A dramatic retelling of
elements from the Arthur legend.
13. Raiders of the
Lost Ark. Great pulp adventure.
14. The Good, the
Bad, and the Ugly. Western mythmaking with Clint Eastwood.
15. Young
Frankenstein. I seldom watch movie comedies but this is one of my favorites.
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24 comments:
dude...brotherhood of the wolf is the bomb...ha...i was beginning to wonder if i was the only one to have that in their dvd collection...ha young frank....smiles....i have actually seen all of these....
Some excellent choices! Brotherhood of the Wolf - excellent film and the biggest blend of genres ever.
Aliens is one of my favorite films of all time. One heck of a roller coaster ride.
Eek!
eek!
Brian, I really like that movie a lot. I consider it very Robert E. Howardish.
Alex, yep, good stuff for sure.
Ivan, I don't believe any horror movie would scare you.
I agree with you on the westerns, Charles. No comment on the others although I saw The Thing along the way.
Another list that would pretty much reflect my own. However, I've not seen the film "Brotherhood of the Wolf," which is sort of strange since it's based upon the legend of the beast of Gévaudan, which I'm fairly well acquainted with having done a lengthy paper on it way back in college. My conclusion? The tales of the beast being bullet proof were bunk based upon the relatively innacuracy of the firearms of the area and period (compared to later firearms) and because those who missed had a little too much ego. Plus everybody likes a good bullet-proof wolf story. Also, my guess was the "beast" was likely a wild pack of wolves or possibly wolf-dog hybrids. But that's just my opinion.
Nice insights, Charles. Cinema has had a huge impact on writing. The novel has gone through an incredible transformation in the last 100 years. Film has the most influence on those changes, I feel. TV probably second.
Oscar, the thing is really a masterpiece of its kidn.
Ty, I bet you'd enjoy Brotherhood. It definitely has a unique take on the beast. Not a werewolf.
eric1313, film definitely has had a big impact. I suppose it is natural for the two to feed off each other.
Haven't seen many of these either, but I can't watch anything with too much gore or monsters or I'll have nightmares.
I loved Raiders of the Lost Art though.
I'd watch Alien and Young Frankenstein with you anytime!
" Discovery
is seeing what
everybody else has seen,
and thinking
what nobody else
has thought. "
Albert Szent-Gyorgi
ALOHA from Honolulu
Comfort Spiral
=^..^= <3
Have seen and enjoyed all but BROTHERHOOD.
Riot kitty, I find that nightmares are a beneficial side effect of watching horror movies. Love me some good nightmares.
Cloudia, I get such a kick out of Young Frankenstein. I laugh ahead of all the jokes because I know they're coming.
Patti, I bet you would like it. Hard to find, though. But a very fine movie.
Another very good list. Yep, 'The Exorcist' is still the creepiest movie ever. I saw it with my brothers at a movie theater when it first came out. The people walking out of the theater were in a state of shock.
Bernard, it was my first r-rated film at a movie theater. It was pretty shocking indeed.
Charles, I never tire of watching PREDATOR again and again. I thought the key actors including Carl Weathers, Jesse Ventura, and Bill Duke acted well.
The Outlaw Josey Wales would rank high on my list--out of this group, the Good, the Bad and the Ugly and Young Frankenstein also would rank pretty high.
A most excellent list, meaning that once again, I concur on all fronts and in all fonts.
As for influences on writing, it's all good ~!
Unlike Brian up there I have seen none of these i tend to like my gore more like when Sonny gets all shot up at the toll booth.
Prashant, yes they did. A lot of great chemistry among the whole group of actors in that one. "I aint' got time to bleed." :)
Sage, I need to watch The Good, the Bad and the ugly again. I'ts been a while. But definitely a great movie.
Erik, I know you have much broader tastes in movies than I do. Good stuff.
Mark, sonny shot up at the toll booth? I fear I don't catch the reference. Could be you watch movies even less than me.
When I was eleven, I first saw The Thing.
Sixty-five years later, I still look for the on-switch when spooked. :)
Just can't resist a few comments.
Decades later, and Alien continues to have a unique feel -- I'm surprising myself here, but I would say it's almost like a 1970s version of 2001: A Space Odyssey. The video game Dead Space (the first one) actually gets at the tone better than any of the film sequels do, in my opinion.
Predator is among my all-time favorites; with the 80s so far behind us, I'm not sure there will ever again be a film as macho as this (I once read someone say that a woman could be come pregnant just by watching it). Conan the Barbarian similarly "went for it" in my view, and we'll see if the remake, which they SAY will reproduce the original's tone, really does so.
I somehow continue to prefer Unforgiven to all earlier Westerns (and to the more recent ones too, for that matter). I'm a sucker for tragedy, I guess.
As a genre fan myself, here are some movies you might like that weren't blockbusters: Priest (with Paul Bettany), Dredd (with Karl Urban), and in the realm of horror, I always recommend The House of the Devil and The Cabin in the Woods.
Charl3s, (my k3yboard is having issu3s) I+'s official. I hav3n'+ s33n any of your favori+3 movi3s
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