Post Apocalyptic Movies

[ARIES666]

Originally Posted by transjen

Escape from New York is a great movie but i feel it doesn't fit in this cat Jennifer

Well, well, well...aren't we a little "smarty-pants"! (Just kidding "transjen"!) I knew there would be a few "purists" around. Stickler for details, T.J?

[violet lightning]

:Dhowdy!
No criticism. just a few points of discussion...

First of all, I like everyones lists. Just a few thoughts...

"Matrix" definitely counts. Reality is not what it would appear...
"Soylent Green" is a great movie, as is "Escape From New York". (all time great movie name "Snake Pliskin"! Its right up there with "Slarty
Bartfarst"!)
I think in Escape, society still exists in a normal fashion, just not inside New York City. (the city definitely does have a post-apocalypse feel and look to it)

"Soylent Green" is similar. Its not strictly post-apocalypse, but the world is overcrowded and in trouble and society is close to breaking down.

"Silent Running" is one of my old favorites. The world and society are still there below the space nurseries, just no more plants, trees, etc.
They are all very related and totally worthy of being discussed and remembered.
(one thing I think they all have in common, is they could all be called "futuristic" movies)

I haven't seen "Radioactive Dreams" or "Six String Samurai" but they sound interesting. (how about "Steamboy"?)
Re: "Mad Max" trilogy... I thought Mad Max was ok, not great. "The Road Warrior" was kick ass, everything falls into place. "Beyond Thunderdome", meh.

I feel movies like "On the Beach" "Fail Safe" and "Dr. Strangelove" (my all-time fave regardless of genre) may have helped avert nuclear war. Surely JFK and Krushev and others would have seen them...

[ARIES666]

Violet, how come you are always picking movies that I love? Doesn't matter what type, it seems. Dr. Strangelove and Fail-Safe...etc, etc. And...."Snake Pliskin"!!?? That is my all-time favorite character name in movies!! Up until Escape From New York, Kurt Russel was doing "Disney_Type" movies. He was contracted to Disney, I believe.

[rockabilly]

Its off topic but what about Kurt's performance in Death Proof? Back on topic if they do a sequel to Escape from L.A. it would be post apocalyptic since Snake "shut down the world" with global EMP's.

[ARIES666]

Twenty years before "The Terminator", an episode of "The Outer Limits" aired entitled "Demon With A Glass Hand". For those who have seen it (VioletLightning, I bet), you can see where I am going with this. Anyway, without giving away too much of the plot/storyline, it involves some "baddies" from the future travelling back to the present to "terminate" another "time traveller". This "time traveller" is on a mission to save the human race of the future.

I have only seen The Terminator in the theatre, on cable and on VHS...I have not seen the DVD. I don't know if James Cameron or Gale Anne Hurd (they wrote the screenplay) discuss their influences and inspiration for The Terminator, but I'd bet a million bucks Cameron saw "Demon With A Glass Hand" as kid/teenager!

Anyway...if you want to see some incredible 60's SciFi TV...check out "The Outer Limits: Demon With A Glass Hand"

[violet lightning]

:D Hi!
I only vaguely remember the episode, but never connected that with "Terminator", but I bet you are right! ( I need to rewatch that episode)
One thing I know, is there are very few truly "original" ideas...
We all are influenced and tend to build on what we like or inspires us. (with our own unique twist of course) Might be conscious or unconsciously.
Some of the people who come to mind as being truly original in sci-fi or film were writers like Phillip K. Dick (Blade Runner, Total Recall, Minority Report, etc) and Rod Serling and directors like Stanley Kubrik and Ridley Scott, but of course, they had their influences too.
I haven't seen the DVD, but I'd like to hear what did influence him.

I still haven't seen "Deathproof" or the other drive-in feature,(can't think of the name off hand) even though I own a copy of each.(gifts) I just can't seem to get in the mood. Old crappy drive-in movies were fun because they were unintentionally bad and exploitive, but when they purposely make ones like that, the kitsch factor is missing.
:D...Snake... he rocks! And he even hooked up with older woman Goldie Hawn!

[ARIES666]

Great post, VioletLightning....

Most directors are inspired or influenced by other great directors. Inspired to first...make movies, and then...to use them as a template for some of their own screen efforts. For example, George Lucas was influenced by the chariot race in Ben-Hur...he incorporated that into the first Star Wars film (I think it wa the first). The list goes on and on.

Agree with you on the "Deathproof/Planet Terror". Tarantino has access to millions of dollars of financing for his movies. The true "B" movies are made on "shoestring" budgets and many times they look it....hence their charm!