“Faint cries waiting to come to life
Of a twisted , or so they call a questioning mind, an intimidating knife
That cuts through the mind’s unending and gut-wrenching strife
For it could break open the cranium to marry reality, isn’t it Nature’s only wife?
So I went to bed watching, reading, imagining and dreaming Science Fiction’s rife
For this is the only chance to live the most, since no one knows what is afterlife”
Watching films is easy, but picking the right ones to talk about takes a bit of work. Picking them from many good films is even more of a task. So, somehow I tried to pick the following sci-fi films for this week’s post.
The Kovak Box (2006), Daniel Monzón Jerez
What could be a common factor among a successful sci fi writer, his soon-to-be-wife, a Spanish lady and sudden explosion of mass suicides? Inked with grappling script, loyalty to execution of an exciting idea rather than cheap sci-fi thrills or CGI, The Kovak Box is a perfect 2000s thriller that went under the carpet which manages to hold the viewer’s attention till the end with engaging pattern in dialogue construction and building the suspense . We also get to experience the thrills felt by any person watching the main character in the story uncovering the truth not with CGI grandeur but with brilliant performances and eye-catchy locations. While it may seem guessable, what makes the film worth watching is the consistent self-composition in the tone. Once again, this film proves the fact that Editing is the king, screenplay & score for the film are fitting crown and staff. So, go for it.
G.O.R.A (2004), A.R.O.G (2008), Arif V 216 (2018), Ömer Faruk Sorak, Cem Yılmaz & Kıvanç Baruönü
Packed with the innocence of Sleeper (1973), the knack of Spaceballs (1987) and the heart of Galaxy Quest (1999), the first of the trilogy – G.O.R.A – follows the story of a greasy-haired carpet dealer/Fake UFO photo seller Arif from Turkey land who gets abducted by advanced human-like civilization. The rest of the story revolves around how he tackles the Turkey Vader on the spaceship filled with his fellow foul-mouthed subordinates and makes it back home with his Leia. Certain it is that it is a dig at Star Wars, The Fifth Element and other popular sci-fi films. But the film is self-referential, honest in its approach and contains fresh, inventive humor given its modest budget. The same goes with its successors – A.R.O.G and Arif V 216 – where the humor quotient is well-maintained throughout without dropping from the bar it has set for itself. That is where this trilogy remains a winner and hence it deserves a watch. Sit back and enjoy this fast paced, surprising Turkish sci-fi comedy for a change.
Grabbers (2012), Jon Wright
Grabbers is a British-Irish action comedy sci-fi thriller that seemingly follows the footsteps of Edgar Wright’s Cornetto trilogy offering a save-yourself-from-creatures situation simultaneously equipped with loads of English humor as a topping. The story takes place on a remote island when a meteor crash-lands in the nearby waters that seems to have brought an Extra-terrestrial guest. The death of local fishermen and the mutilated corpses of Whales confirms that something indeed has set its foot on land. How a self-destructive and alcoholic policeman with his new workaholic partner along with the help of local townspeople bring the monster down forms the rest of the story. This is surely an entertaining film right from the beginning. You see the killings happening but at the same time you can’t hold yourself from laughing at it anyway. Funny, really! The story is formulaic but definitely stays fresh on its own. Because they don’t keep on talking about the science and make the script too intelligent for itself. Common sense, intuition and presence of mind come as the rescuers for the characters which is a brilliant thing to incorporate into the story. Another big bonus is the engaging score for the film from Christian Henson. The jump scares and the horror elements really did payoff and it’s certain to not disappoint you. Fecking good CGI and the answer is always in the Beer!
Robot Overlords (2014), Jon Wright
Christian Henson is the primary reason that I picked another film from the same director-composer duo. Robot Overlords takes place in the near future where Robots have taken over the Earth and held humans under curfew for reasons that are beyond Human comprehension. But there comes a set of teenagers who finds a way to break free of the clutches and goes on an extraordinary journey to stop the Robot supremacy furthermore. “Earth to be. Unsullied by overpopulation and pollution. Brave New World.”- comes from the villainy mouth of Robin Smythe played by Ben Kingsley, who monitors the humans through electronically controlled implants, is strong enough for this little-more-than-a-teenage sci-fi film. Although you feel that film’s plot is a bit shallow not being able to build character depth, the film’s bgm, VFX of the Spaceships and Sentinel-Robots-filled-Britain act as saviors. Supporting characters by Gillian Anderson, Geraldine James and Steven Macintosh serve as a strong backbone. Emotionally strong and authentic, this film is Love, Death and Robots. Literally.
Diminuendo (2018), Adrian Stewart
The story takes place in 2025 where an emotionally scarred director- Haskell Edwards played by legendary Richard Hatch (Captain Apollo, Battlestar Gallactica), still mourning his girlfriend- Cello Shea’s death a decade ago, comes to a shock when a future tech company hires him to direct Cello’s biography using her Life-doll also to market their product. Unable to process the striking resemblance of the technologically reanimated ghost from his past, he agrees to make the film anyway incorporating her actual life situations with him. At some point in the story, he becomes an unreliable narrator as we see him getting lost unable to distinguish his actual memories from the scripted scenes as they lack clarity often confusing the viewer. This, I think, could be compared with Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Synechdoche, New York character. Person losing his touch with reality while coping with loss, isolation and seeking redemption. The film is a tribute to himself from the late actor (diagnosed with pancreatic cancer about which the crew were unaware about at the time of production) who has put his blood and sweat in making this work which can be seen on-screen as well. This can also be seen as a reflection in the deteriorating condition of the character he was playing that speaks about the actor’s commitment to make a really compelling film. It is a tough story that remains uncompromising in nature while handling some provocative ideas with aplomb. It will continue to fare as yet another potentially creepy concept into an odd, touching adventure from the iconic collaboration of Richard Hatch and Walter Koenig (who has Star Trek: The Original Series, Moontrap, Inalienable to his account).
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