http://snarkerati.com/movie-news/the-top-50-dystopian-movies-of-all-time/
I seen about 30+ of the 50 list. Majority of not seen ones are the japanese, especially animes, which not really my interest. Films not on the list, suggestion welcomed!
My favorites:
-2019 after the fall of New-York
-Exterminators of the year 3000
-The new barbarians
-The Bronx Warriors
-The Warriors. Not sure if we could consider this one as a dystopian/post-apocalyptic movie. It's more or less an exaggerated vision of the street gangs of New-York during the 70's-80's. But the movie start with a mob meeting where they are trying to create a parallel society where each gangs are united against the law/system.
Pretty good list that one! I liked that a film like Woody Allen´s Sleeper is included. Last Man on Earth should be there, but as it´s the same story as The Omega Man i guess it excusable. What about Stalker? One of my favorite films and rather dystopian, but maybe in a different way, desolate and mysterious. If collapsed societies count, films like Virus, Dawn/Day of the Dead etc could be others. My favorite "nuclear war and it´s aftermath" film is The Day After, sober and effective.
Got to mention the Polish 80s classic Seksmisja as well!
Oh, those trashy Italian flicks are all fun, Atlantis Interceptors is my favorite of those.
My usually latent patriotism stirs with the Mad Max movies. Three of the few times we found our own voice in movies with something original (and it had to be stuffed up in the third by getting Tina fucking Turner to star in it). The images of desperation amongst desolation have always inspired me and in regards to peak oil (excluding the fact that they used nuclear war as a device for the sequels, which wasn't an issue in the first movie) could be closer to reality than anticipated.
Apparently there are plans for a fourth film to be made, hopefully not using Mel Gibson (who I think should stick to directing). It's been cancelled for the time being, though. Not really looking forward to it unless they come up with something new, which I doubt very much. There's so much potential for the kind of world created in those movies but I'll bet cash money they just go for cliche and schlock.
Atlantis Interceptors! Thanks for that. I'm looking for that film since a while. I saw it several years ago and since then, i was trying to remember what was the title of this post-apocalyptic flix about Atlantis.
Quote from: Andrew McIntosh on January 18, 2011, 01:55:22 AM
Apparently there are plans for a fourth film to be made, hopefully not using Mel Gibson
BLASPHEMY!! but I forgive you!
offtopic: I wonder what that viking film would have been like. dicaprio retreated from the project among prolly everyone else when mel decided to show his woman who wears the pants in that family.
im going to get a turd flung at me for saying this but I liked the postman AND waterworld.
Quote from: niko penttinen on January 18, 2011, 05:52:20 AMim going to get a turd flung at me for saying this but I liked the postman AND waterworld.
Well, when you take the "B-movie" idea, and do it with big budget, I guess it can still succeed. And I did like them both as well, even if they would have probably worked better without the "good message" for the "mass audience" being such a carrying idea. Same goes for movies like Island, with the human clones to be spare parts.
Some years ago I bought set of dvd's, with 2019 after the fall of New-York, Exterminators of the year 3000, The new barbarians, The Bronx Warriors, The Warriors... Shrink film stuff what got released at the same time? Haven't watched all of them, but the new barbarians is such a cult, it is kind of amusing to see it with good picture quality.
Rising Storm. Los Angeles is the sand desert ruled by repressive puritanical maniac, treating rich upperclass like royalty and poor are just dirt of the desert. The last radio DJ is a recollection of rebel sound of rock'n'roll and freedom that was suppressed. Cheap motorcycles, sand pits,...
Hardware is a classic that would fit in here with it's bleak post-apocalyptic setting & visuals. Even has TOPY's First Transmission playing in the background in various scenes, heh. Recent 2-disc edition from Severin is very nice.
Kind of liked Hanekes Hour Of The Wolf. Everyone seems to hate that one, but i found it quite enjoyable.
Threads and Day After are pretty good when it comes "nuclear movies". Especially Threads i would say. Both have that typical 80's made-for-TV look. Any other recommendations in this "genre"?
Quote from: Matthias on January 18, 2011, 10:36:19 AM
Kind of liked Hanekes Hour Of The Wolf. Everyone seems to hate that one, but i found it quite enjoyable.
Threads and Day After are pretty good when it comes "nuclear movies". Especially Threads i would say. Both have that typical 80's made-for-TV look. Any other recommendations in this "genre"?
Did you mean Time of the Wolf? Hour of the wolf is a great Bergman film.
Isn't that recent movie Hobo With A Shotgun in the dystopian mode? I haven't actually seen it, just a trailer, but it gave me that impression.
Haha, of course Jonas. Thanks.
well of course the impressive THE CUBE, and although hyper commercial, The Matrix that still bites after so many years.
A personal favorite of mine is Deathmachine. Brad Dourif is of course brilliant as he plays his usual, evil character.
I've seen most of the list. Love MAD MAX & ROAD WARRIOR! I immediately thought of the Italian films first mentioned; I was never a huge fan of those as they never lived up to what I wanted but that was vhs-rental days. Would like to re-visit a bunch of'em.
Quote from: bitewerksMTB on January 18, 2011, 11:50:51 PM
I've seen most of the list. Love MAD MAX & ROAD WARRIOR! I immediately thought of the Italian films first mentioned; I was never a huge fan of those as they never lived up to what I wanted but that was vhs-rental days. Would like to re-visit a bunch of'em.
Quite a few years ago I picked up that Post-Apocalyptic Shriek Show boxset (had to have been around $13.99) that included 2019, Bronx Warriors, and New Barbarians. Of the three, 2019 was actually memorable- definitely check that one out again with a beer.
When it comes to the italian postapocalyptic films, 2019 - After The Fall Of New York is definitely my favorite.
Bronx Warriors is pretty cool too, but i prefer the second one. The first one comes out as a blatant rip off mixture of Escape From New York and The Warriors (in a good way, i must add), where the second one stands better on it's own and is a bit more fast-paced and violent.
Not a big fan of The New Barbarians but it's a fun ride i guess. Nice vehicles.
A underrated Fulci-gem is his The New Gladiators (violent TV-shows, another subgenre...).
Don't remember much from Segio Martinos Hands Of Steel more than a great synthscore. If my memory is correct one of the actors died during the filming due to a poorly prepared helicopter-stunt.
Still much i haven't seen, like Endgame, Blastfighter etc.
Maybe a bit of the mark but I always found The Kingdom by Trier to be really dystopic and his earlier films like Elements of Crime and Europa. It's time to revisit them again.
I agree about von Trier, but re-watched Europa not so long ago, and like so many 90s movies it didn´t feel as exciting as back when it was new. Now i must say it´s one of my least favorite from him whereas before the re-watch it would be close to the top. But the apocalyptic feeling is the best thing with the film, maybe unavoidable for something set in the aftermath of the German defeat. Anyone know of more good films set in this time, with the werewolves and things like that? I´m sure i´ve seen a couple but can´t think of any specific right now.... The time in the bombed out cities is pictured very well in books like Dagerman´s German autumn and Bolano´s 2666 among others.
By the way, Blastfighter is not in post-apocalypse, it´s a (decent) First Blood rip off, Hands of Steel focus, like the title suggests, a lot on armwrestling (bit of Over the top in there).
Quote from: magnus on January 18, 2011, 01:40:27 AM
Last Man on Earth should be there, but as it´s the same story as The Omega Man i guess it excusable.
A similar plot is also found in
The Quiet Earth. It's many years since I watched it, but I remember liking the mood of it. Go New Zealand!
Quote from: magnus on January 19, 2011, 04:32:37 PM
Anyone know of more good films set in this time, with the werewolves and things like that? I´m sure i´ve seen a couple but can´t think of any specific right now.... The time in the bombed out cities is pictured very well in books like Dagerman´s German autumn and Bolano´s 2666 among others.
How about Kurt Vonnegut's
Slaughterhouse 5? A very good book turned into a pretty trippy, yet quite decent filmed effort by George Roy Hill (
Slapshot,
Garp, etc). There you have your sci-fi themes like time and space travel coupled with WWII atrocities (the allied bombings of Dresden).
It's been discussed before but it surely deserves a mention here, The Road.
You guys should also look for Final Executor/L'ultimo guerriero, in french La chasse aux Morts Vivants (Living Dead hunt...Actually there's no zombie/living deads in that movie). It's another great italian post-apocalyptic movie.
(http://films.psychovision.net/critique/chasse-aux-morts-vivants-585/jak.jpg)
the illustrated man
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064473/
Dead-End Drive In - Excellent Ozploitation about a Drive-in cinema turned into a concentration camp where the government send all the anti-social and freethinker kids.
THE AFTERMAN: This fits in with the topic. I've never heard of the film...
http://www.diabolikdvd.com/category/Cult-Favorites/Afterman-DVD-(PAL-All-Region).html
Quote from: bitewerksMTB on January 20, 2011, 07:29:52 PM
THE AFTERMAN: This fits in with the topic. I've never heard of the film...
http://www.diabolikdvd.com/category/Cult-Favorites/Afterman-DVD-(PAL-All-Region).html
With that kind of description, i'll certainly order a copy.
I can't believe yesterday was my first time seeing Road Warrior... What an excellent movie.
talking of road warrior, how many finns have seen the Kaurismäki "THE LAST BORDER" from 1993? When you put regular finnish actors speaking english, it sounds about as good as our rally drivers speak english. I have vague feeling I saw it from TV sometimes in mid 90's? Friend of mine just complimented it being very good. DVD is available nowadays.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTV4BJtOugE
The Last Border - viimeisellä rajalla
Director: Mika Kaurismäki
"One man's guest for revenge in a post-apocalyptic world"
Finnish post-apocalyptic movie ("Finnish Mad Max") starring : Jürgen Prochnow, Kari Väänänen, Juice Leskinen, Jolyon Baker.
Music by : Stone
I've meant to watch THX 1138 for years, but finally did it. George Lucas film from 1970, dark and paranoid totalitarian society focusing on suppressing any humanity and focusing on consumption and total control. Everybody bald and dressed in white. Bleak and desperate. Great soundtrack & experimental sound effects.
Normally I don't bother with DVD bonus features, but the long piece with Walter Murch, sound designer of movie, is great. Good stories of sonic experiments in times when you didn't even have access to simple reverb effect that easy. Probably have to talk some more about this later on, but tomorrow check the documents of disc 2...
Quote from: FreakAnimalFinland on January 22, 2011, 10:54:35 PM
I've meant to watch THX 1138 for years, but finally did it. George Lucas film from 1970, dark and paranoid totalitarian society focusing on suppressing any humanity and focusing on consumption and total control. Everybody bald and dressed in white. Bleak and desperate. Great soundtrack & experimental sound effects.
Normally I don't bother with DVD bonus features, but the long piece with Walter Murch, sound designer of movie, is great. Good stories of sonic experiments in times when you didn't even have access to simple reverb effect that easy. Probably have to talk some more about this later on, but tomorrow check the documents of disc 2...
THX as I recall is a pretty excellent film. There were a few scenes that really took me by surprise, as I didn't expect them to be so well done (explosions, the car/motorcycle chase), but I don't know how much of what I saw could have been due to post-everything Lucas signature revamping or whatever he does.
Around the time I saw it I had just met Sig Haig for the first time, so that was cool to see.
Has Logan's Run been mentioned? I've never seen it, but from what I've seem, I tend to associate the imagery from THX to be the same in Logan's Run. Really wish I could remember what I watched recently (I think it was a cartoon?) where Logan's Run is referenced has the sexiest movie ever... damn.
I will try to see where to get hold of it.
I watched all the documentaries this morning from disc 2 as well, and the original student short movie where THX feature film was based on.
I like especially the Murch explaining, how they didn't want the usual sci-fi electronic sounds to the movie. I guess theremins and early synths making "futuristic" electronics beeps and zaps. But the explanations of how how created the soundtrack by slowing down and reversing fragments of classical music, and eventually the actual composer liked that early reference soundtrack so much, he just wrote down the notes as they were, and re-created it with actual orchestra.
And when Murch mentions, the opening sequence of film is actually 400% slowed down and reversed Stabat Mater by Pergolesi, it's like no wonder it sounds so good and no wonder others have seen the genius quality of this piece and adopted it.. wink!
His detailed analysis of specific spaces, sounds, sources, how to achieve specific tonality, harmonics and textures, and what kind of things he experiments to get these good effects. I know, that these days people will just say, why bother, when you can use reverb plugin or distortion, but I would believe there is certain unconscious feeling when you listen to sound, when it has the hidden qualities what aren't necessarily obvious. Lets say his technic to play audio 4 times the normal speed in room, to record it with recorder that runs at same speed, and then slow it down back to normal speed, when the talking sounds normal, but the natural room reverb has grown 400%. Whole process including magnetic tapes and actual space being somewhat different than plugin of computer. which can be useful and good, but not the only option.
Also the method that they transmitted the audio via radio, and then captured the material with another radio, occasionally slightly out of the accurate frequency, creating great distortions, which would be affected not only by random hand adjustments, but conditions of weather, location, etc. And the detail, it's not something you necessary consciously think of, but which has the certain effect to your brain when you hear it. I think, that piece, would be probably useful reminder for noise makers from the times when innovative experiments resulted great sounds. What a dark colossal atmosphere you could pull out from music-box and tape manipulation, as opposed to some cheesy digi synth and reverb plugin.
I think it was THX 1138 I watched on a HD movie channel that had some new scenes added to it. Did not help at all.
Quote from: bitewerksMTB on January 23, 2011, 08:53:48 PM
I think it was THX 1138 I watched on a HD movie channel that had some new scenes added to it. Did not help at all.
yes, the "new & improved" version that Lucas made for the DVD and is now basically the only one available outside of VHS as far as I know includes such gems as that CGI blow-job machine artificially inserted to drop into the frame at the part where Robert Duvall is watching that black woman dancing on TV to make it look like it mechanically sucks his dick... thanks for obliterating any iota of subtlety out of that scene George. lots of other dumb "enhancements" of varying degrees of obviousness/significance but thats the one that really had me shaking my head.
Logan´s run is classy, really good one with nice sets. I believe i´ve seen The Last Border many years ago, a film where very little happens (might have confused it with something else though...). Another finnish film set in future, about controllling people with television and suppressing emotions (a bit of 1984 then) is Ruusujen aika from 1969. A good one, maybe with a bit more 60s feeling than future, but there is a headphones-disco in it! Another one that takes place in the, near, future but certainly feels more like early 70s when it´s made (Vietnamwar, hippies etc.) is Peter Watkins Punishment Park. A "most dangerous game" story with hippies being hunted by armed police in Death Valley. Very well made, but maybe a little too predictable, quite intense in places though.
This thread made me dig up my old book "Classic Science Fiction Films" (and also watch a few, but none very dystopian yet), and the post-nuclear war film Five (1951) is described like this: "Innovative author-filmmaker Arch Oboler turns in a gripping, original film of postwar mores, survival, and interpersonal relationships. The best film ever of this sort." And "The climatic visit to a once-great metropolis littered with skeletons and debris is credible and well-executed, and it has great impact." I guess it´s more of a drama, i´ll be getting the dvd of it real soon, but has anyone seen it? Never heard of it, as far as i can remember, before reading that....
Quote from: FreakAnimalFinland on January 22, 2011, 10:36:23 AM
talking of road warrior, how many finns have seen the Kaurismäki "THE LAST BORDER" from 1993? When you put regular finnish actors speaking english, it sounds about as good as our rally drivers speak english. I have vague feeling I saw it from TV sometimes in mid 90's? Friend of mine just complimented it being very good. DVD is available nowadays.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTV4BJtOugE
The Last Border - viimeisellä rajalla
Director: Mika Kaurismäki
"One man's guest for revenge in a post-apocalyptic world"
Finnish post-apocalyptic movie ("Finnish Mad Max") starring : Jürgen Prochnow, Kari Väänänen, Juice Leskinen, Jolyon Baker.
Music by : Stone
This is now available in shops part of Kaurismäki dvd series for 5 euros. Bought it today with the 3xdvd deluxe edition of Caligula. Now just have to think what to do with previous double disc I have..
Quote from: chibitachop on January 23, 2011, 10:22:03 PM
Quote from: bitewerksMTB on January 23, 2011, 08:53:48 PM
I think it was THX 1138 I watched on a HD movie channel that had some new scenes added to it. Did not help at all.
yes, the "new & improved" version that Lucas made for the DVD and is now basically the only one available outside of VHS as far as I know includes such gems as that CGI blow-job machine artificially inserted to drop into the frame at the part where Robert Duvall is watching that black woman dancing on TV to make it look like it mechanically sucks his dick... thanks for obliterating any iota of subtlety out of that scene George. lots of other dumb "enhancements" of varying degrees of obviousness/significance but thats the one that really had me shaking my head.
I know it's shooting fich in a barrel but George Lucas must be one of the worst directors in the history of film. I've been meaning to see THX for years but reading this I won't be wasting my money. Thanks for the heads up!
Quote from: TheGreatEcstasy on January 26, 2011, 10:15:01 PM
Quote from: chibitachop on January 23, 2011, 10:22:03 PM
Quote from: bitewerksMTB on January 23, 2011, 08:53:48 PM
I think it was THX 1138 I watched on a HD movie channel that had some new scenes added to it. Did not help at all.
yes, the "new & improved" version that Lucas made for the DVD and is now basically the only one available outside of VHS as far as I know includes such gems as that CGI blow-job machine artificially inserted to drop into the frame at the part where Robert Duvall is watching that black woman dancing on TV to make it look like it mechanically sucks his dick... thanks for obliterating any iota of subtlety out of that scene George. lots of other dumb "enhancements" of varying degrees of obviousness/significance but thats the one that really had me shaking my head.
I know it's shooting fich in a barrel but George Lucas must be one of the worst directors in the history of film. I've been meaning to see THX for years but reading this I won't be wasting my money. Thanks for the heads up!
don't get me wrong, I like THX 1138 in its original non-"improved" form. if you want to see it either track down the VHS release or get a rip of it offline.
I rented and watched the postman today to see if I can stand behind the statement I made earlier.yep, still pretty decent.
I dont know what was going on but a few of the scenes looked like a shitty tv movie on the flatscreen tv, I dont remember it being like that in the theatre.
I also looked at some trailers for the fall of new york or bronx warriors... might be too brutal for me heh, ive never been a die hard b movie fan (with some exeptions)
a near perfect driving around song for a road warrior style flick would be a track from late werewolf: deaths eyes. a hint for any budding filmmaker.
Things to come, the movie adaptation of the HG Wells "Shape Of Things To Come" novel (movie is in the public domain = http://www.archive.org/details/things_to_come_ipod). Wells was a Fabian socialist with a tendency to think that given good rule, human society can only get better. I haven't read the book, though. The movie is strange - it starts off with "Everytown" in England getting the crap bombed out of it by unnamed foreign invaders. The bombing scene is great and there's a lot of good sound to sample. The war drags for decades and finishes in a nice, pre-Mad Max posts-apocalyptic dystopian society which is at first ravaged by "The Walking Sickness" then taken over by a despot. Into this little world comes someone representing a technologically advanced society that insists on taking over the world. The individual spouts a lot of nonsense about "we"; the mass taking over from the individual. His society uses a sleeping gas to subdue the little society. Then there's a montage about the importance of exploiting the Earth's natural resources "in a way never done before" and basically the special effects department has another load of fun building machines that chew up the planet and construct giant electronic towers and such.
It's pure dystopia, in that it's trying to postulate a utopia. The choice for humanity is either small, desperate, resource-less fiefdoms constantly at war with each other or a benevolent dictatorship of scientific socialist-fascists. Nice one, Wells.
While reading the IMDb entry for THE TIME GUARDIAN (1987)- which is pretty awful, by the way- I noticed a "dystopia" list on IMDb. Lot's of obvious titles, but a few others to fill the gaps (for me at least).
http://www.imdb.com/list/FIffL-U9Jko/
Reminded me of titles I didn't think of- like ZARDOZ (pretty confusing...) and titles I haven't seen like Tarkovskiy's STALKER, THE QUIET EARTH (can't wait to watch this one- I've been told to not read up a word on it prior to watching it), amongst others.
There is new movie out now on DVD set in the dystopian future called: In Time.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Time
Have to check it, plot seems okay but it bothers me a bit that out of all people they have casted Justin Timberlake in to the mainrole..
It was supposed to be predictable shite from what I've heard.
As far as movies that are not on the list, I always liked:
The Fifth Element
Class Of 1999
I also always thought of "Repoman" as a present-day dystopian film.
I was also kind of surprised that "The Road" wasn't on there.