TCM “Must-See Sci-Fi” Update for June 2020

My 2020 movie project continues of watching all 50 movies listed in the cool book from Turner Classic Movies (TCM) called Must-See Sci-Fi: 50 Movies that Are Out of This World by Sloan De Forest (Running Press, 2018; available at Amazon.com and Shop TCM). The complete list of 50 films is here.

June’s films were as follows (content mostly from my Instagram feed).

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

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This week’s TCM “Must-See Sci-Fi” is the mind-blowing 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968). Author Sloan De Forest states, “Much has been made of its importance, but the landmark film remains a classic primarily because it is so enjoyable to watch…[The film] is a feast for the eyes and ears, a work of idea-driven art that retains its power to shock, mystify, and entertain generations of viewers.” Co-written, produced, and directed by Stanley Kubrick. 🌌 🚀#imsorrydaveimafraidicantdothat @turnerclassicmovies #tcmmustseescifi #letsmovie #alonetogether (📷: MGM)

A post shared by Movies Past and Present (@moviespap) on Jun 5, 2020 at 5:59pm PDT

Barbarella (1968)

I thought that this weird sci-fi sex comedy was mostly just excessive and stupid. I can understand its cult status, but it did nothing for me.

THX 1138 (1971)

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This week’s TCM “Must-See Sci-Fi” film is the experimental art film THX 1138 (1971). Co-written, edited, and directed by George Lucas and produced by Francis Ford Coppola, the film is set in a dystopian future where a man (played by Robert Duval) starts to question the status quo. Ambitious, stark, and impressive. @turnerclassicmovies #tcmmustseescifi #letsmovie #scififridaynight (🎨: @wbpictures)

A post shared by Movies Past and Present (@moviespap) on Jun 13, 2020 at 12:03am PDT

A Clockwork Orange (1971)

This film is a difficult one. I know that’s the point, but I don’t think there was anything redeeming in it and I don’t believe I gained anything from submitting myself from the torture of watching it.

Silent Running (1972)

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This week’s TCM “Must-See Sci-Fi” entry is the ecological sci-fi film SILENT RUNNING (1972). Set in the near future, Bruce Dern plays a botanist who goes to extreme (and I mean extreme) measures to save an ecosystem of Earth’s forests that’s been preserved in an outer space bio dome. Author Sloan De Forest calls it “that rare science-fiction with not only a social conscience but a heart.” Directed by Douglas Trumbull. ♻️🌱🤖 🌌@turnerclassicmovies #tcmmustseescifi #letsmovie (📷: @universalpictures)

A post shared by Movies Past and Present (@moviespap) on Jun 20, 2020 at 12:34pm PDT

And as an added bonus, I recently saw this cool poster for Silent Running created by artist Matt Ferguson.

Solaris (1972)

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This week’s TCM “Must-See Sci-Fi” pic is the artsy and cerebral film SOLARIS (1972). The film tells the story of a space station that is experiencing some seriously unusual phenomena (as in people from the astronauts’ past re-appearing on the ship). Author Sloan De Forest writes, “As much a heartrending drama, a fantasy, and a study in psychological horror as it is a science-fiction epic, [Russian director] Andrei Tartkovsky’s SOLARIS defies classification. It is a challenging film—plodding, ambivalent to the wonders of space, more concerned with atmosphere than action. But once experienced, its haunting world is not easily forgotten.” @turnerclassicmovies #tcmmustseescifi #letsmovie [📷: Mosfilm (Russia)]

A post shared by Movies Past and Present (@moviespap) on Jun 26, 2020 at 12:12pm PDT