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

I am 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.

Here’s the rundown of this month’s movies (courtesy of my Instagram feed).

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This week’s TCM “Must-See Sci-Fi” pic is CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977). Starring Melinda Dillon and Richard Dreyfuss, this movie is both an homage to and a big departure from the alien invasion movies of the 1950s. J. Hoberman wrote in the @nytimes that the film “revived the Cold War space-invader genre with a difference. Humans had previously been menaced by bloodsucking carrots or brain-eating Martians; in ‘Close Encounters,’ the new extraterrestrials were positively angelic.” Written and directed by Steven Spielberg. Good stuff. 🛸 @turnerclassicmovies @devilstowernps #tcmmustseescifi #letsmovie (📷: @sonypictures)

A post shared by Movies Past and Present (@moviespap) on Aug 6, 2020 at 6:25pm PDT

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I’ve added a movie to my TCM “Must-See Sci-Fi” watch list that’s not in the book: @disneystudios THE BLACK HOLE (1979). This movie is gloriously bad. The art direction and production design are 💯 and the story is absolutely terrible. And get ready for one of the weirdest and worst endings ever when the surviving astronauts actually go through the titular space region. Still, it’s a guilty pleasure and I’ll be watching it this week for my sci-fi viewing project. The film is available on @disneyplus so you can share in the pain with me if you’re so inclined. #theblackhole #guiltypleasure #disneyplus (🎨: @disney)

A post shared by Movies Past and Present (@moviespap) on Aug 11, 2020 at 2:04am PDT

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This week’s TCM “Must-See Sci-Fi” pic is ALIEN (1979). Still terrifying after all these years. 😱👽 🚀 #inspacenoonecanhearyouscream @turnerclassicmovies #tcm #tcmmustseescifi #letsmovie (📷: @20thcenturystudios)

A post shared by Movies Past and Present (@moviespap) on Aug 20, 2020 at 12:03am PDT

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This week’s TCM “Must-See Sci-Fi” pic is E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL (1982). Author Sloan de Forest states, “For a motion picture that stars a special effect, E.T. THE EXTRA TERRESTRIAL connects with viewers on a deeply authentic level. It portrays a bond of understanding that transcends barriers of culture, language, and even species. Most of all, it’s about the power of believing. Elliott expresses this simply and perfectly when he says good-bye to E.T., assuring him, ‘I’ll believe in you all my life.” 🛸🚲 #et #etphonehome @turnerclassicmovies #tcmmustseescifi #letsmovie (📷: @universalpictures)

A post shared by Movies Past and Present (@moviespap) on Aug 29, 2020 at 8:22pm PDT