Update: WINNERS!
CONGRATULATIONS to Tony DePasquale, Greg Wilcox, John with handle johnm0019125 in the comments below and Lewis Motisher!! You each get either a DVD or Blu-ray of GOG from Kino-Lorber. Please email Annmarie or me for details.
Qualifying Entry Task
Earlier this month, we launched our “Classic Movies and More” YouTube Show via an interview with Bob Furmanek, CEO and Director of the 3-D Film Archive, about his latest film restoration, GOG (1954). Well, we are happy to say that now, we have FOUR copies of GOG to give away on DVD/Blu-ray (winners’ choice), courtesy of Kino Lorber!
Since Annmarie (@ClassicMovieHub) and I are partners in this venture (along with Rob Medaska), you can enter to win either here on Once Upon a Screen or at Annmarie’s fabulous Classic Movie Hub.
However you choose to enter, you must complete the below task by Saturday, April 2 at 9PM EST. Annmarie and I will combine our entries, and then together pick four winners via a random drawing. We will announce the winner(s) on Twitter or on this Blog (depending on how you entered), on Monday April 4 around 9PM EST.
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ENTRY TASK (2-parts) to be completed by Saturday, April 2 at 9PM EST
1) Answer the below question via the comment section at the bottom of this blog post.
2) Then TWEET* (not DM) the following message (see below if you do not have a Twitter account):
Just entered to win the GOG #DVDGiveaway courtesy of @ClassicMovieHub @CitizenScreen and @KinoLorber #SciFi #3D
THE QUESTION:
What is one of your most favorite Sci-Fi movies and why?
*If you do not have a Twitter account, you can still enter the contest by simply answering the above question via the comment section at the bottom of this blog — BUT PLEASE ENSURE THAT YOU ADD THIS VERBIAGE TO YOUR ANSWER: I do not have a Twitter account, so I am posting here to enter but cannot tweet the message.
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If you want to learn a little more about GOG, you can watch our interview with Bob Furmanek. The story of how the movie was found and restored is fascinating:
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Please note that only Continental United States (excluding Alaska, Hawaii, and the territory of Puerto Rico) entrants are eligible.
If you can’t wait to win the DVD/Blu-Ray, you can purchase it on amazon via the below link (click on image):
Good luck!
– Aurora for Once Upon a Screen
Once upon a screen... 
I do not have a Twitter account, so I am posting here to enter but cannot tweet the message.
FORBIDDEN PLANET of 1956 is the earliest film that I include on my science-fiction favorites list. That is because it is really about something. The acting is largely wooden, but the concepts (borrowed, as I understand, from Shakespeare’s “The Tempest”) are profound, and actually eclipse the interesting special effects. When you can leave a movie, especially of this genre, thinking about its implications, you realize how shallow and bereft of imagination most films are, especially current ones. I want mental stimulation in at least some movies. Of course, most films are pure entertainment and do not demand any intellectual investment. But sometimes I need something really provocative, and FORBIDDEN PLANET is such a film.
This film was run on WOR-TV Channel 9 in New York in the early 60’s on Million Dollar Movie, which meant it was shown 16 times in a week. I probably watched it ten times that week on our black and white t.v., and once in color on a neighbor’s. I memorized dialog, music cues, most everything, and acted out all the parts when play-acting in my backyard. This was a seminal film for me, even at age ten or eleven, when I did not understand the conceptual aspects but loved the visuals. Over time I did, of course, gain an appreciation of what the film was attempting to put across.
FORBIDDEN PLANET was pretty daring for 1956. It was the earliest color and widescreen and stereophonic sound sci-fi films, and had a decent budget. The music score was entirely electronic, produced by Bebe and Louis Baron. Ub Iwerks, a brilliant effects employee of the Disney Studio, was commissioned to produce some of the still-revolutionary effects. The film was entirely set-bound, but it very nicely disguised this with huge dioramas and clever photography and editing. The atmosphere is thick and immersive.
The less said about the human performances the better, but Robby the Robot is a character that, once seen in this film, is indelibly seared into the brain. He serves up the film’s small but important humorous elements.
As an adult, the most fascinating aspect of the film is the history of the Krell, an ancient civilization that has left its dangerous legacy behind for others to tamper with. The exploration of their achievements is as good as it gets in science-fiction films. The Monster of the Id is the most metaphysical villain I have encountered before or since. It now serves as a powerful metaphor for what we humans are doing that is so destructive to our planet and species.
FORBIDDEN PLANET is endlessly entertaining. 98 minutes of pure delight. I have probably watched it fifty times, and if I live long enough, will watch the beautiful Blu-ray another fifty.
I couldn’t agree more on all you say about FORBIDDEN PLANET, Rick. I never tire of seeing that movie! Thanks for entering the contest and good luck!
Aurora
I do not have a Twitter account, so I am posting here to enter but cannot tweet the message.
Fave Sci Fi is THEM, saw it young and it has remained solid in recent revisits. It works as a film but also pushed pleasant nostalgia buttons.
Thanks for entering the contest, John and good luck! I love THEM! I just bought the blu-ray to watch for an upcoming blogathon post I need to do and cannot wait to see it. I think it remains solid as a movie as you say because it tackles the subject seriously aside from being entertaining.
Aurora
I do not have a Twitter account, so I am posting here to enter but cannot tweet the message.
My favorite sci-fi film is probably “The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)” with it’s allegorical story, wonderful, understated performances by Michael Rennie and Patricia Neal, solid direction from Robert Wise, and iconic, theremin-rich score by Bernard Herrmann.
CONGRATULATIONS! You won a copy of GOG either on DVD or Blu-ray from Kino Lorber!!!! Please email me at citizenscreenclassics@gmail.com for details. 😀
I have a lot of favorite SciFi movies. For me, a good Science Fiction movie has to about a real concept, and without that concept, the film falls apart. It can’t be an action movie set on a space station. One of my favorites is The Final Cut (2004). In a society where certain people have implants that record everything they see over their lifetimes for the sake of making a rememory video at their funerals, Robin Williams is a cutter, who edits these video. He specializes in the jobs nobody else wants. There’s more to it than that, the political, legal, and sociological implications of having your life as well as the lives of those around you recorded. It makes you reexamine the implications of things, like memories and privacy and human rights.
Interesting, Chris! I haven’t seen that. Thanks for stopping in and good luck!
Great interview! It’s always interesting to hear how people get started on a project and what it means to them.
I’m not eligible for the contest, but just wanted to say a recent discovery +Sci Fi fave is Advantageous by director Jennifer Phang. When a woman realizes she’s being squeezed out of her career because she’s getting older, she undergoes a radical treatment. It’s a haunting, thoughtful film, set in the not-too-distant future, and has a real message about aging women in society.
I think that’s what I find most fascinating, Ruth. Rather than the techie stuff, which goes over my head, it’s People’s passions for these films snd/or projects.
I’ve never even heard of Advantageous, but it sounds great. I’ll look it up!
Thanks as always for stopping in and your thoughtful comments.
I’m with Tom Hanks on this one. For me, Thanks to a prescient junior high science teacher, the whole class was taken on a field trip to see 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY during its opening week in NYC’s Cinerama presentation. To this day, it remains my most memorable cinema presentation and experience. (Although the premiere of STAR WARS with that opening shot came close.)
It is probably one of the handful of films that could be called “perfect” (I’d personally add WIZARD OF OZ to that handful.) and can’t be duplicated. The only one that tried was STAR TREK: TMP. (And don’t get me started on 2010!) This journey from the dawn of man to the infinite beyond is communicated almost entirely by the visuals, along with the best use of classical music since FANTASIA. It effectively conveys the emptiness, the vastness, the loneliness, the unknowable, and the mystery of space better than any other film. (Although the opening of CONTACT was impressive.)
Sure there are some anachronisms (Pan Am) and the telephone joke doesn’t even register today …but the effects still hold up even in today’s CGI-drenched world.
Sure, some have called it slow, but I’ve never failed to get drawn into the beauty of the film. A work of both art and vision, 2001 is about ideas over action, unlike today’s movies. (Have you seen the new STAR TREK trailer? Ugh.)
While I will probably agree with most of the submissions you will receive (FORBIDDEN PLANET is certainly in my library), I think 2001 towers over them all. It is often called the “granddaddy” of SF films, but it hardly shows its age. It is not just my favorite SF movie…it’s my favorite of any genre for its display of both the power of cinema and the ability to still spark debate.
I do not have a Twitter account, so I am posting here to enter but cannot tweet the message.
I’m with Tom Hanks on this one. For me, Thanks to a prescient junior high science teacher, the whole class was taken on a field trip to see 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY during its opening week in NYC’s Cinerama presentation. To this day, it remains my most memorable cinema presentation and experience. (Although the premiere of STAR WARS with that opening shot came close.)
It is probably one of the handful of films that could be called “perfect” (I’d personally add WIZARD OF OZ to that handful.) and can’t be duplicated. The only one that tried was STAR TREK: TMP. (And don’t get me started on 2010!) This journey from the dawn of man to the infinite beyond is communicated almost entirely by the visuals, along with the best use of classical music since FANTASIA. It effectively conveys the emptiness, the vastness, the loneliness, the unknowable, and the mystery of space better than any other film. (Although the opening of CONTACT was impressive.)
Sure there are some anachronisms (Pan Am) and the telephone joke doesn’t even register today …but the effects still hold up even in today’s CGI-drenched world.
Sure, some have called it slow, but I’ve never failed to get drawn into the beauty of the film. A work of both art and vision, 2001 is about ideas over action, unlike today’s movies. (Have you seen the new STAR TREK trailer? Ugh.)
While I will probably agree with most of the submissions you will receive (FORBIDDEN PLANET is certainly in my library), I think 2001 towers over them all. It is often called the “granddaddy” of SF films, but it hardly shows its age. It is not just my favorite SF movie…it’s my favorite of any genre for its display of both the power of cinema and the ability to still spark debate.
Great comments and I agree with your mentions. Except – and believe me I’ve gotten grief from many – I’m not a fan of 2001. I’ve tried and tried to like it, but it doesn’t happen. In any case love your comments, thanks for joining us and GOOD LUCK!
I posted hours ago. Why is my entry in the Gog sweepstakes not showing up?
It will now I’m just now getting to the posts. Others that show up automatically have posted on this blog before.
…and another one disappears into the ether!
Okay. Now it appears, though it says I posted it at 2:46 this afternoon, not at 10:30 or so, this morning. Is it my browser? Feel free to delete any of this, except my original entry. Pfft!
Lol. No worries at all. It’s Not your browser. As a way to keep Spam out the first post by anyone has to be approved. I didn’t get to it until a few minutes ago. Going forward – should you leave another comment – it will appear automatically.
Got it! Really, feel free to delete this exchange if you like. But I do wants me some 3D Gog!
Good luck!! And thanks for entering. 🙂
I do not have a Twitter account, so I am posting here to enter but cannot tweet the message.
My favorite Sci-fi film: The Time Machine (1960)
I have really great memories of seeing this as a kid, the acting(Rod Taylor), script, creatures, visual effects so impress to my youth. and suspense as it unfolded the first time on the screen.
Another good one! I haven’t seen that in quite some time. Good luck!
Frankenstein! Everything about this movie is iconic….
No argument from me!! Good luck to you.
I do not have a Twitter account, so I am posting here to enter but cannot tweet the message. My favorite science fiction film is QUATERMASS 2 (1957). Very much like “The Invasion of the Body Snatchers” but a lot more suspenseful. The film does not drag at all and will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Ooh, I’ve never seen this one! Making a note to watch – with the lights on!! Thanks and good luck!
My own favorites list varies from year to year thanks to discovering films I haven’t seen yet or revisiting older ones I’d not seen in a while. That said, I’d have to say Douglas Trumbull’s SILENT RUNNING (1972) is my current favorite SF film. Rather than recap the entire plot, I’ll point to the Wikipedia entry:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silent_Running
It’s got a great performance from Bruce Dern as Freeman Lowell, a botanist caring for the remains of Earth’s forests which have been sent into space in domes on three huge ships thanks to the planet being too polluted (which is scientifically odd, but go with it and it works fine). Given orders to destroy the forests and return home, Lowell snaps and goes to extreme measures to save those final few trees his ship holds.
Dern is excellent as he slips into madness and murder with purpose, but it’s the three robot “drones” (Huey, Dewey, and Louie) who make the film work so well. Four bilateral amputees were chosen to play the trio and in those custom suits they perform so well that you think the visual effects team was able to create actual machines that could “act” along with the rest of the cast.
Off to tweet, as my account is old, dusty and needs some nice updates like this!
g.
Nice choice. Wow, a blast from the past! I haven’t seen SILENT RUNNING in years. Thanks for stopping in and good luck!
One of my favorite Sci-Fi movies is the early silent classic LE VOYAGE DANS LA LUNE AKA (‘A Trip to the Moon’)! Because the film short was/is a work of pure, playful imagination, a picture-book fantasy brought to life with intricate, hand-painted sets and a whimsical portrait of science meets fiction!
Well, few would argue with your choice as far as originality. Nice to see this one get a mention. Good luck!!
I do not have a Twitter account, so I am posting here to enter but cannot tweet the message. Aren’t I behind the times?
One of my top favorites is Don Siegel’s INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (1956). This is another sci-fi film with many interesting and thought provoking ideas. Aliens invade our planet, their object to take over our bodies and world. How did they travel here? What is their natural form like? That they use a basic human need — sleep — to prey on us leaves humankind helpless and makes our fate inevitable. The idea that they can arrive undetected and begin their assault in plain sight is a frightening concept. So is the idea of being caught unawares, losing ourselves to a collective whole and the implicit message that we are already in danger of being swallowed up by the mainstream and sameness of our consumerism, our entertainment choices, and especially our everyday thinking. Are we really that different from one another? Is it worth fighting for freedom and liberty, to exist as our own individual, thinking entity? Quite a lot going on here.
Good ideas aren’t always enough to make a good movie. Fortunately, Siegel keeps the pace up, the cast is believable, striking all the right chords, and Carmen Dragon’s music provides an overall creepy ambience.
Scares the bejeezus outta me, but great choice! Good luck with the contest!
It’s so hard to pick just one but I’m going to go with Ghost in the Shell (1995). I don’t watch a lot of anime but this movie mesmerized me. It’s the story of a cyborg police officer and her partner as they attempt to hunt down someone known as the Puppet Master, who hacks into cyborg/human hybrids to make them do his bidding. It’s has violent moments but it also has some quite beautiful moments and it makes you think. What is a soul? What does it mean to be human?
I’ve seen only a few anime features and can’t say I like them overall, but what you describe sounds compelling. I may have a look! Thanks for stopping in and good luck!
I do not have a Twitter account, so I am posting here to enter but cannot tweet the message.
For the many examples of the genre that I love and have affected me ultimately I will always come back to the original 1968 PLANET OF THE APES as my most beloved pinnacle experience. It is a film that proved unconventional and innovative in so many aspects that it remains a unique contribution not only to science fiction but to the history of cinema in general today. I did not see the movie when it first came out but rather came to it when CBS first broadcast the film in 1973. I was all of age 7 at the time and had no knowledge of the Apes films before seeing a television preview for BATTLE FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES. Apes with guns? Man subservient? These were weighty matter for my young age, and I needed to know more. Fortunately that CBS broadcast coincided with my new curiosity, and my father allowed me to cast aside my designated bedtime in order to watch the film. It was mesmerizing, unlike anything I had seen. Given my age at the time I can admit to not fully appreciating that iconic moment at the film’s climax when all is explained but this viewing sat with my for weeks and propelled me into a deeper love of both science fiction and horror alike. As each of the original movies arrived on television I was able to immerse myself in this bleak world where all manner of horrible fates befall the characters we embrace the most…right up to and including not only the end of civilization itself but the world in its entirety. These movies today still have a special power to unsettle me at certain moments, none of which would have been possible without the original motion picture. There are so many science fiction movies that I hold dear from each decade, but PLANET OF THE APES was the catalyst for that love. Like any first true loves we let the flame burn a little brighter for that which etched itself onto our souls.
Absolutely!! Fantastic choice and the original remains an absolute favorite of mine. No new version can ever match the shock of that ending!! Thanks for joining the fun and good luck!!
I do not have a Twitter account, so I am posting here to enter but cannot tweet the message.
I love almost every Sci-Fi film that takes place on earth, rather than in outer space. INVADERS FROM MARS, THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL, THE BLOB, INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS, THE MONOLITH MONSTERS and on and on. However, my all-time favorite Sci-Fi film is 1960’s VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED. Every second of it, is sheer perfection, to me. During it’s original theatrical release, I was so obsessed with it, I saw it 16 times! I’ve seen it countless times, since, and it never gets old.
Ooh – another one I’ve never seen! But you made up for me and then some! I’ve added VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED to my watch list! Thanks much for joining the fun and good luck!!
CONGRATULATIONS! You won a copy of GOG either on DVD or Blu-ray from Kino Lorber!!!! Please email me at citizenscreenclassics@gmail.com for details. 😀
I fooled my skeptical, then 18 year-old, daughter into watching VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED by asking her to just watch the first few minutes (a favorite ploy of mine). It drew her right in and she had to see the whole film, which she loved.
I do not have a Twitter account, so I am posting here to enter but cannot tweet the message.
It’s a tough call, but I think I’m going to have to go with “2001: A Space Odyssey.” I just find that, despite its methodical pacing and length, or the number of times I’ve seen it, once I sit down to watch it again I become completely absorbed by its presentation; its scope, its music, its camerawork. Completely mesmerizing.
Godzilla (1954). I saw it on a Saturday afternoon on a black and white TV in 1962. It scared the daylights out of me as a 5 year old. I have nightmares about Godzilla to this day and I love it.
THE LAND UNKNOWN (1957) is a favorite of mine for its black-and-white Cinemascope visuals alone; the Universal effects department put in a great effort to create a unique, nightmarish lost world. Modern viewers might chuckle at the rubbery Tyrannosaurus, but he’s the real star of the picture, a monster with great charm and character (sculpted by ace Chris Mueller, who also gave theatergoers the Gill Man and Disney’s giant squid).
The stock plot drags a bit, but the art direction and prehistoric beasties more than make up for that. I was an Army aviation guy, which probably explains my fondness for the combination of dinosaurs and a helicopter. I always get a chuckle out of the handmade fix of the rotor assembly; with that patch job, I’d have just taken my chances with the T-Rex.
Godzilla (1954). I saw it in 1962 on a Saturday afternoon TV broadcast. It scared the bejeezits out of me and I still have nightmares about Godzilla chasing me to this day.
Of course I think that’s a FANTASTIC choice!! Thanks much for entering and best of luck!!
The original “The Thing From Another World”. I was about 10 or 11 years old and this movie scared the bejesus out of me. When the creature started killing the dogs I was ready to run out of the theater. I spent a few steepness nights after I saw that movie. Sci-Fi is my favorite genre and I have a copy of this movie that I watch every so often and brings those fond memories when I first saw it. Luck for me I saw with a close friend who kept me from leaving the theater. I wasn’t crazy with the Kurt Russell version even though it was more close to the original story line. They need to re-make with the new CGI technolgy of today with IMAX and 3D. It think it would be fantastic.
I don’t have a twitter account.
Just entered to win the GOG #DVDGiveaway courtesy of @ClassicMovieHub @CitizenScreen and @KinoLorber #SciFi #3D
I have so many favorites but one that I watch whenever it’s on is Logan’s Run (1976) starring Michael York. This film to me was great all around from plot to special effects makes me feel young at heart now that I am way past the age of 30. I can still fit into my Sandman outfit for cons and Halloween.
IMPRESSIVE!! I haven’t seen Logan’s Run in years! Maybe it’s time for a visit. Thanks so much for your comment and good luck! 🙂
I do not have a Twitter account, so I am posting here to enter but cannot tweet the message.
2001: A Space Odyssey
I first saw this movie back in the early 1970s when I was 8 or 9 years old on my parents’ 25″ color TV. The visuals were mesmerizing and the sound was simulcast on an FM radio station (that’s what passed for surround sound back then) but I had no idea what the ending meant. That was a time long before the internet and wikipedia so I followed the only choice open to me: I got a copy of the book and read it. It opened up the movie and explained the ending, but more importantly it helped fan the flames of my already budding love of science fiction. From then on I was hooked and voraciously dove into science fiction literature. Arthur C. Clarke will always be my favorite and I was even fortunate enough to correspond with him back in the mid 1980s. Experiencing 2001 like that also began a love affair with science fiction films that continues to this day. I’m afraid to count how many times and in how many formats I’ve bought movies like Forbidden Planet, Planet of the Apes, Soylent Green, Logan’s Run, Blade Runner and so many, many more, to say nothing of how many TV sets of ever growing size I’ve watched them on. 2001 also sparked an interest in astronomy, science and especially computers, to the point where I eventually ended up making information systems my major concentration in college and even worked as a programmer and database administrator for many years. It pretty much helped set the course of my life and career and will stay with me until I’m not around anymore.
Such a beloved and admired film. Loved your comments, thanks so much!! Good luck.
CONGRATULATIONS! You won a copy of GOG either on DVD or Blu-ray from Kino Lorber!!!! Please email me at citizenscreenclassics@gmail.com for details.😀
Thanks very much!! Email sent.
I do not have a Twitter account, so I am posting here to enter but cannot tweet the message.
One of my favorites? THE GIANT CLAW (1957)! It’s got the smoking-hot Mara Corday in it, and A GIANT ANTI-MATTER SPACE BUZZARD. Enough said.
LOL! ‘Nuff said is right!! Thanks so much for entering! Good luck.
Easy, “Artificial Intelligence: A.I.” It’s one of my favorite films in general. I don’t usually gravitate to sci-fi but that has so much going for it I wrote a massive paper on it in film school, then turned it into a series of blog posts, and I am now (eventually) crafting it into a book. It’s so layered and fascinating in so many ways.
Wow. Must take a look at that again. It wasn’t to my taste when I saw it.
If you dig you can probably find my series on the site I used to write for. I’m planning new added material if/when the book comes to fruition. I was fortunate in that I knew I’d see it multiple times opening weekend as I had several disparate groups of friends who wanted to see it. Anyway, three quick screenings quickly allowed me to eschew expectation and start digging into what it was as opposed to what I wanted it to be.
Sounds fantastic. I’ll look into it!