The 101 Sci-Fi Movies brings us another anime classic, based on the manga of the same name, this one dealing with the idea of what it means to be living and how we define life. Set in the oh-so-distant year 2029, corporations and city-states have taken over the world, nations have collapsed, and the…
Jurassic Park (1993) – Steven Spielberg
As soon as I heard about Michael Crichton’s new book in 1990, I scrabbled to get my hands on a copy, and ended up co-opting and keeping my mother’s hard cover edition as soon as she was done with it. Then, hearing that Spielberg had bought the rights for it, I knew I had…
Patriot Games (1992) – Phillip Noyce
Phillip Noyce takes over for John McTiernan, Harrison Ford takes over for Alec Baldwin, and Tom Clancy’s techno-thriller follow-up to The Hunt For Red October, Patriot Games finds its way onto the 101 Action Movies list. Jack Ryan (Ford) and his family are on a working vacation in London, when he foils a kidnapping/assassination attempt…
Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991) – James Cameron
The 101 Sci-Fi Movies, and the 101 Action Movies mesh with this title, appearing as a fin example of both genres. Cameron’s film picks up 13 years after the original classic, and finds a rebellious John Connor (Edward Furlong) living with his foster parents, while his toughened, but possibly psychotic mother, Sarah (Linda Hamilton)…
Point Break (1991) – Kathyrn Bigelow
The 101 Action Movies brings this adrenaline rush of a film back into my life. I honestly hadn’t seen this one in years… Keanu Reeves is rookie FBI agent, Johnny Utah, assigned to the bank robbery division in California, under the command of Ben Harp (John McGinley). He’s partnered up with a bit of a burn-out, Pappas (Gary…
Total Recall (1990) – Paul Verhoeven
Using the short story, We Can Remember It For You Wholesale by Philip K. Dick, as a springboard, this entry on the 1010 Sci-Fi Movie list, sees Arnold Schwarzenegger playing a secret agent on Mars, under Paul Verhoeven’s direction, who was last seen on the list for Robocop. Bored with his construction job, and dreaming…
The Newsroom S02E04 – Unintended Consequences
The episode’s title is completely apt this week, as we see unwanted and unexpected consequences plague the ACN team. We finally get to see what happened to Maggie (Alison Pill) in Uganda, causing her to be called back from Africa to be debriefed and under review, and it’s a little terrifying. We follow Maggie…
The Hunt For Red October (1990) – John McTiernan
Tom Clancy’s techno-thriller, which I remember reading back in grade 9, when my friend Michael introduced me to it and after that, every Christmas until I 1989, I would receive Clancy’s new novel in hardcover for Christmas, was put to film by John McTiernan. Coming off of the incredible run of success that Predator and Die…
The Mind Reels Adventures – Ghost Hunting
Everyone has a ghost story, or knows someone who does. There’s something about dark, desolate feeling spaces that seems to foster that primal part of our brain that taught us to be afraid of the dark. I have a few stories of my own, Sue does as well. I think both of us are…
The Abyss (1989) – James Cameron
People will say Terminator 2 or Aliens, the romantics might go with Titanic, some people swear by Avatar, but for me, my favorite James Cameron film will always be The Abyss, and I’m so happy I got to revisit it for the 101 Sci-Fi Movies list. Featuring the largest underwater set ever built, in a…
