1970 & 1971 - A Clockwork Orange
8.4 / 8.0
78
8.4
X1
9.08
Despite the film's controversial nature, A Clockwork Orange was a hit with American audiences and was critically well received. Kubrick was a perfectionist of meticulous research, with thousands of photographs taken of potential locations, as well as many scene takes; however, per Malcolm McDowell, he usually "got it right" early on, so there were few takes. Filming took place between September 1970 and April 1971, making A Clockwork Orange the quickest film shoot in his career.
A Clockwork Orange received a wide variety of recognition from the award organizations: Oscar nominated for Best Director, Best Film Editing, Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay; BAFTA nominated for Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Direction, Best Film, Best Film Editing, Best Screenplay, Best Sound Track; Directors Guild of America nominated for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures; Golden Globes nominated for Best Director, Best Motion Picture, Best Actor; won the Hugo Best Dramatic Presentation Award; won the New York Film Critics Circle Best Director & Best Film Awards; and Writers Guild of America nominated for Best Drama Adapted.
In addition, the film is 21st in the AFI's 100 Years... 100 Thrills and number 46 in the AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies. "Alex De Large" is listed 12th in the villains section of the AFI's 100 Years... 100 Heroes and Villains. In 2008, the AFI's 10 Top 10 rated A Clockwork Orange as the 4th greatest science-fiction movie to date. In 2008, Empire magazine rank this at #37 on their list of "The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time." In 2010, TIME placed it 9th on their list of the Top 10 Ridiculously Violent Movies.
1972 - Solaris
8.4 / 8.2
90
8.0
8.66
Solaris premiered at the 1972 Cannes Film Festival and despite the film's narrow release in only five film theaters in the USSR, the film nevertheless sold 10.5 million tickets. Unlike the vast majority of commercial and ideological films in the 1970s, the film was screened in the USSR in limited runs for 15 years without any breaks, giving it cult status.
In the Eastern Bloc and in the West, Solaris premiered later. In the United States, a version of Solaris that was truncated by 30 minutes premiered at the Ziegfeld Theatre in New York City on 6 October 1976. The critically successful Solaris features Natalya Bondarchuk (Hari), Donatas Banionis (Kris Kelvin), J ri J rvet (Dr Snaut), Vladislav Dvorzhetsky (Henri Berton), Nikolai Grinko (Kris Kelvin s Father), Olga Barnet (Kris Kelvin s Mother), Anatoli Solonitsyn (Dr Sartorius), and Sos Sargsyan (Dr Gibarian); the music score is by Eduard Artemyev.
M. Galina in the 1997 article Identifying Fears called this film "one of the biggest events in the Soviet science fiction cinema" and one of the few works that does not seem anachronistic nowadays. The film was nominated by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films for Best Science Fiction Film.
At the Cannes Film Festival, it won the FIPRESCI Prize and Grand Prize of the Jury Award, along with a nomination for the Palme d'Or. For the Chicago International Film Festival, it was Gold Hugo nominated for Best Feature, both in 1972 and 1973. A list of "The 100 Best Films Of World Cinema" compiled by Empire magazine in 2010 ranked Tarkovsky's Solaris at #68.
1973 - Sleeper
8.0 / 7.4
7.2
X1
7.75
Sleeper is a 1973 futuristic science fiction comedy film, written by Woody Allen and Marshall Brickman, and directed by Allen. The plot involves the adventures of the owner (played by Woody Allen) of a health food store who is cryogenically frozen in 1973 and defrosted 200 years later in an inept totalitarian state.
There are two known cuts of Sleeper. The first, seemingly original cut, contains a dinner scene shortly after Miles and Luna return to the house where Miles was originally taken after revival. In the dialogue-less scene, Miles eats in time with a piano soundtrack while Luna watches him in amazement.
The film contains several plot points which parody or spoof several well-known works of science-fiction, most notably H. G. Wells' The Sleeper Awakes and George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four. Another direct homage/parody is the use of actor Douglas Rain (best known as the voice of HAL 9000 in 2001: A Space Odyssey) to voice the evil computer in Sleeper. But Sleeper is mainly a comedic tribute to the comedians whom Woody Allen deeply admires: Benny Hill and Bob Hope.
Award wins and nominations: nominated for Best Science Fiction Film by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films; won the Hugo Best Dramatic Presentation Award; won the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Best Dramatic Presentation Award; and nominated for Best Comedy Written Directly for the Screen by the Writers Guild of America. In 2000, readers of Total Film magazine voted Sleeper the 30th greatest comedy film of all time. Also in 2000, the American Film Institute listed Sleeper 80th among its 100 Years 100 Laughs.
1974 - Non si deve profanare il sonno dei morti
7.2 / 7.0
6.8
7.20
Non si deve profanare il sonno dei morti is a Spanish-Italian horror sci-fi film written and directed by Jorge Grau and starring Ray Lovelock, Arthur Kennedy and Cristina Galb . The film focuses on two Londoners who are harassed by a local police investigator in the English countryside and are framed for murders committed by zombies who have been brought to life by a farming pesticide.
The film premiered in Italy on November 28, 1974, and was released in the United States in 1975 under the title Don't Open the Window, frequenting the drive-in circuits and cinemas paired as a double feature with The Last House on the Left (1972). The film was released in the United Kingdom under its title The Living Dead at the Manchester Morgue, despite the fact that the film takes place in South Gate, not Manchester. While there are claims that a scene in which a zombie eats an eyeball was filmed, no such scene exists in any surviving print of the film, according to the liner notes of the Blue Underground DVD release.
The film was released in Italy on November 28, 1974, and was later released throughout 1975 in the United States and the United Kingdom under varying titles. In total, the film was released under more than 15 different titles internationally. The film won the Cinema Writers Circle Award for Best Director, and the Catalonian International Film Festival awarded it for the CEC Medal, Best Special Effects, and Best Actress.
1975 - Rollerball
6.0 / 6.4
6.5
X1
6.61
Rollerball is a dystopian science fiction film directed by Norman Jewison from a screenplay by William Harrison, who adapted his own short story "Roller Ball Murder", which first appeared in 1973 in Esquire magazine. Although it had an American cast, a Canadian director, and was released by the American company United Artists, it was produced in London and Munich.
Reviews for the film have been mostly positive. Variety praised the film, calling the lead performances "uniformly tops." TV Guide gave the film 3 out of 4 stars, saying that "the performances of Caan and Richardson are excellent, and the rollerball sequences are fast-paced and interesting."
James Rocchi of Netflix said in his review that "the combination of Roman Empire-styled decadence and violence mixed with a vision of a bizarre, loveless corporate future is evocative and unsettling."
The film won three awards from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films - Best Actor, Best Cinematography, Best Science Fiction Film. It also won the BAFTA Best Art Direction Award along with BAFTA nominations for Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, and Best Sound Track.
Rollerball was Hugo nominated for Best Dramatic Presentation, and nominated for Best Dramatic Writing by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. The film was nominated for three American Film Institute Lists - 100 Years...100 Thrills, 100 Years...100 Cheers, and 10 Top 10 - Science Fiction Film.
1976 - Logan's Run
6.1 / 6.6
6.8
X1
X6
6.96
Logan's Run is a 1976 American science fiction film directed by Michael Anderson and starring Michael York, Jenny Agutter, Richard Jordan, Roscoe Lee Browne, Farrah Fawcett and Peter Ustinov. The screenplay by David Zelag Goodman was based on the novel of the same name by William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson. It depicts a dystopian future society in which population and the consumption of resources are managed and maintained in equilibrium by the simple expedient of killing everyone who reaches the age of thirty, preventing overpopulation. The story follows the actions of Logan 5, a "Sandman", as he runs from society's lethal demand.
The film was shot primarily in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex including locations such as the Fort Worth Water Gardens and the Dallas Market Center between June and September 1975. The film only uses the basic premise from the novel, that everyone must die at a specific age and Logan runs with Jessica as his companion while being chased by Francis. The motivations of the characters are quite different in the film. It was the first film to use Dolby Stereo on 70mm prints.
The film won a Special Academy Award and was nominated for two more, Best Cinematography and Best Art Direction-Set Decoration. Logan's Run was very popular at the Saturn Awards, winning the six awards it was nominated for: Best Science Fiction Film, Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction, Best Costume, Best Make-up and Best Set Decoration. It was also nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, the older award for science-fiction and fantasy films, and for the Nebula Award for Best Script. For the film, Anderson was nominated for the Golden Prize at the 10th Moscow International Film Festival.
1977 - Star Wars
8.2 / 8.1
9.1
8.8
X6
9.39
Critic Roger Ebert wrote, "Like The Birth of a Nation and Citizen Kane, Star Wars was a technical watershed that influenced many of the movies that came after." It began a new generation of special effects and high-energy motion pictures. The film was one of the first films to link genres such as space opera and soap opera together to invent a new, high concept genre for filmmakers to build upon. Finally, along with Steven Spielberg's Jaws it shifted the film industry's focus away from personal filmmaking of the 1970s and towards fast-paced big-budget blockbusters for younger audiences.
Star Wars won six Oscars at the 50th Academy Awards, including Best Art Direction. Other Oscar wins include Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Visual Effects, Best Original Score, Best Sound, and a Special Achievement for Sound Effects Editing. Additional nominations included Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Best Original Screenplay, Best Director, and Best Picturel.
At the 35th Golden Globe Awards, the film was nominated for Best Motion Picture Drama, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor, and it won the award for Best Score. It received six BAFTA nominations: Best Film, Best Editing, Best Costume Design, Best Production/Art Design, Best Sound, and Best Score; the film won in the latter two categories.
John Williams' soundtrack album won the Grammy Award for Best Album of Original Score for a Motion Picture or Television Program, and the film was awarded the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation. In 1997, the MTV Movie Awards awarded to Chewbacca character the lifetime achievement award for his work in the Star Wars trilogy.
The film also received twelve nominations at the Saturn Awards, the oldest film-specialized awards to reward science fiction, fantasy, and horror achievements, including a double nomination for Best Actor for Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford and Best Actress for Carrie Fisher. It won nine: Best Science Fiction Film, Best Direction and Best Writing, Best Supporting Actor, Best Music, Best Costume, Best Make-up, Best Special Effects, and Outstanding Editing. The film was selected for numerous AFI's All Time lists: 100 Years...100 Movies, 100 Years...100 Thrills, 100 Years...100 Heroes and Villains, 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes, 100 Years of Film Scores, 100 Years...100 Cheers, 100 Years...100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition), and 10 Top 10 Sci-Fi Film.
In 2011, ABC aired a primetime special, Best in Film: The Greatest Movies of Our Time, that counted down the best movies chosen by fans based on results of a poll conducted by ABC and People magazine. Star Wars was selected as the No. 1 Best Sci-Fi Film. In 1989, the U.S. National Film Registry of the Library of Congress selected the film as a "culturally, historically, or aesthetically important" film. In 2002, Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back were voted as the greatest films ever made on Channel 4's 100 Greatest Films poll. In 2006, Lucas's original screenplay was selected by the Writers Guild of America as the 68th greatest of all time.
1978 - Superman
8.0 / 7.0
88
7.3
X5
8.10
Superman, directed by Richard Donner, stars Marlon Brando, Gene Hackman, Christopher Reeve, Margot Kidder, Glenn Ford, Phyllis Thaxter, Jackie Cooper, Marc McClure, Valerie Perrine and Ned Beatty. The film was released with critical acclaim and financial success. Reviewers noted parallels between the film's depiction of Superman and Jesus and particularly praised Reeve's performance. The film's legacy presaged the mainstream popularity of Hollywood's superhero film franchises.
The film depicts Superman's origin, including his infancy as Kal-El of Krypton and his youthful years in the rural town of Smallville. Disguised as reporter Clark Kent, he adopts a mild-mannered disposition in Metropolis and develops a romance with Lois Lane, while battling the villainous Lex Luthor.
Superman was nominated for three Academy Awards - Best Film Editing, Best Music, and Best Sound Mixing. The Academy also honored the film with a Special Achievement Academy Award for its visual effects. Superman was successful at the 32nd British Academy Film Awards. Reeve won Best Newcomer, while Hackman, Unsworth, Barry and the sound designers earned nominations. The film won the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation.
At the Saturn Awards, Kidder, Barry, John Williams and the visual effects department received awards, and the film won Best Science Fiction Film. Reeve, Hackman, Donner, Valerie Perrine and costume designer Yvonne Blake were nominated for their work as well.
In addition, Williams was nominated for the 36th Golden Globe Awards and won the Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media. In 2007, the Visual Effects Society listed Superman as the 44th most influential use of visual effects of all time. In 2008, Empire magazine named it the #174 greatest film of all-time on its list of 500. The film also received recognition from the American Film Institute. Superman was selected as the 26th greatest film hero of all time, along with multiple nominations for other AFI lists. In 2009, Entertainment Weekly ranked Superman 3rd on their list of The All-Time Coolest Heroes in Pop Culture.
1979 - Alien
8.7 / 7.6
8.7
8.5
X1
9.05
Alien opened in American theaters on May 25, 1979. The film had no formal premiere, yet moviegoers lined up for blocks to see it at Grauman's Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood where a number of models, sets, and props were displayed outside to promote it during its first run. Critical reaction to the film was initially mixed. Some critics who were not usually favorable towards science fiction, such as Barry Norman of the BBC's Film series, were positive about the film's merits. The film was a commercial success, making $78,900,000 in the United States and 7,886,000 in the United Kingdom during its first run. It ultimately grossed $80,931,801 in the United States and $24,000,000 internationally, bringing its total worldwide gross to $104,931,801.
Alien won the 1979 Academy Award for Visual Effects and was also nominated for Best Art Direction (for Michael Seymour, Leslie Dilley, Roger Christian, and Ian Whittaker). It won Saturn Awards for Best Science Fiction Film, Best Direction for Ridley Scott, and Best Supporting Actress for Veronica Cartwright, and was also nominated in the categories of Best Actress for Sigourney Weaver, Best Make-up for Pat Hay, Best Special Effects for Brian Johnson and Nick Allder, and Best Writing for Dan O'Bannon.
It was also nominated for British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) awards for Best Costume Design for John Mollo, Best Editing for Terry Rawlings, Best Supporting Actor for John Hurt, and Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Role for Sigourney Weaver. It also won a Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation and was nominated for a British Society of Cinematographers award for Best Cinematography for Derek Vanlint, as well as a Silver Seashell award for Best Cinematography and Special Effects at the San Sebasti n International Film Festival. Jerry Goldsmith's score received nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score, the Grammy Award for Best Soundtrack Album, and a BAFTA Award for Best Film Music.
Despite having criticized Alien in 1980, Roger Ebert included it in his "Great Movies" column in 2003, ranking it among "the most influential of modern action pictures" and praising its pacing, atmosphere, and settings. In 2002, Alien was deemed "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant" by the National Film Preservation Board of the United States, and was inducted into the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress for historical preservation.
In 2008 the American Film Institute ranked Alien as the seventh-best film in the science fiction genre as part of AFI's 10 Top 10, a CBS television special ranking the ten greatest movies in ten classic American film genres. The ranks were based on a poll of over 1,500 film artists, critics, and historians, with Alien ranking just above Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) and just below Ridley Scott's other science fiction film Blade Runner (1982). The same year, Empire magazine ranked it thirty-third on its list of the five hundred greatest movies of all time, based on a poll of 10,200 readers, critics, and members of the film industry.
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