Thursday, August 6, 2015

Thursday Movie Picks!

So, Over at Wandering Through The Shelves, every Thursday is pick 3 films that correspond to  the theme of that week.  This week it is Alien Invasion of Earth. Now we all know we already have been invaded by strange beings like Bieber, Kardashiasses, Hilton, Trump and other "suck your brains out through your ears, aliens but I am actually talking about 3 great films that all stem from the 1950's. This was, to me, the heyday of great outer space films since the 1950's was freaking out over nuclear war and Communism.  So here is my list and you can head over to the other blog to check out what the other gals and guys have picked. Without further ado my list begins with:

War Of The Worlds-1953


Now this IS an alien invasion where George Pal won an Oscar for best visual effects and rightly so. It all happens in a small, sweet  American Town (doesn't it always) where the townsfolk witness something falling from the sky and landing nearby (oh looky-I rhymed:))) There is a scientist nearby (of course) who, with the sheriff, priest and other townsfolk check out  what it might be all about. After 3 men (think of them as the red shirted security team from Star Trek) get vaporized, the town and the rest of the world soon realize they are in for a battle they have no hope of winning. Nothing seems to work not even the nuclear bomb. My freak out moment is when the heroine has her shoulder touched by an alien. Yup I did not sleep the first time I saw this movie.


Invaders From Mars-1953


OK aside from the cheesy poster where the alien has the buxom gal in his arms (don't all aliens and horror monsters do this??), this is quite an unsettling film which was another freak out for me. The classic where the kid sees something crash down into a nearby area during a thunderstorm and slowly his dad and most others are behaving in an odd, cold way. Of course no one believes the kid at first but slowly a doctor and an astronomer  start to believe him....they better! Now was this kid for real or was he dreaming it all??? Hmmmm

Invasion of the Body Snatchers-1956

 
Be careful of the pod people! Yup, another small American town where people are really not themselves. Everyone becomes suspicious of everyone else and no one is to be trusted-remember this film was made during the Communist fears. The psychiatrist can see the changes in the people and realizes these pods are now being sent to many other towns. He must stop this all the while helping the woman he loves escape with him, telling authorities of this invasion and not falling asleep. Sleeping is when you are vulnerable and can be "taken over". Yup-another freak out for  me. I freak out easily.

I had to pay homage to 3 great movies and stay in the 1950's -"Village of the Dammed" is another great one but I am saving that one for later.

45 comments:

  1. Invasion of the Body Snatchers! Me too! The not sleeping bit got to me too.

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    1. Yes that freaked me out-but all of them did especially Invaders From Mars also

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  2. AWWWW!!! I have such fond memories of War of the Worlds and my dad. We watched that together many times when I was a kid. He even had a copy of the original broadcast and we listened to that together.

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    1. What a great memory especially listening to the original broadcast and knowing that many people thought it was for real

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  3. I haven't seen these from the 1950's, but I bet they would be fun to watch; hard to imagine they are over 60 year old movies!

    betty

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    1. OMG! I didn't even think of them as 60 years old but you are so right! I consider them semi-modern:)

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  4. I've never seen the original War of the Worlds. I've been wanting to but can't find it. I'll have to look a little harder. :)

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    1. Oh I hope you can find it because I consider it superior to the remake even though the remake has all the extra special effects

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  5. I've never seen the original War of the Worlds. I've been wanting to but can't find it. I'll have to look a little harder. :)

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  6. Hi, dear Birgit! Horror and sci-fi are my favorite movie genres and I have seen all of these including Village of the Damned. The scene you mentioned in which an alien touches Sylvia's shoulder was imitated a few years later in House On Haunted Hill (1958), the movie I referenced at the top of my current post.

    Click on the :35 point of this clip:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2o77cakESs

    I have seen Invasion of the Body Snatchers many times and it is one of my favorite movies of any genre. I'm glad you like all of these movies, too!

    Happy Thursday to you, dear friend Birgit!

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    1. I have not seen House on Haunted Hill, or if I did it has been too many years ago. I have to put that on my list to see. You have a great Thursday too:)

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  7. The original War of the Worlds was far better than any of the umpteen remakes they made.

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    1. Oh I so agree and I thought they just made the one with Tom Cruise which is ok but not as good as the original. The remake decided to deal with special effects over true plot

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  8. Classic all the way around! Invasion of the Body Snatchers is my pick of the litter.

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    1. Yes-I can't help it but the classics are there for a reason:) Invasion of the Body Snatchers is still great today-they all are actually

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  9. BIRGIT ~
    When I was a kid, I heard from my parents about how Orson Welles' radio broadcast of 'War Of The Worlds' caused a panic in America, as listeners tuning in after the opening explanation thought the thing was really happening.

    Later, still in my kiddom years, I saw the movie version and loved, Loved, LOVED it! Watched it every time I found it playing at night on TV (before VHS/DVD, of course). Yeah, for its day, those special effects were pretty good.

    I haven't seen the second movie on your list, but I've seen '...BODY SNATCHERS', both the original and the remake. One of the rare times when I've liked a remake better than the original.

    Sci-Fi and Horror are two of my least favorite genres, but one movie I love from the 1950s which combined both is 'PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE'. Most comedies made today aren't as funny as 'PLAN 9'... never mind that Ed Wood wasn't trying to make a funny movie. Ha!-Ha!

    ~ D-FensDogG
    'Loyal American Underground'

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    1. Oh poor Orson got in trouble over that one and they actually made a TV film about this event which was quite good. I remember they used the opening of an empty canned jar from the toilet bowl to give it that echo special effect. Hundreds of people started to freak out. Today I would expect people to actually get shot and killed if the same happened. Many people do like the remake better but I still have to go with the original. Oh I love, love, love Plan 9. It is hilarious. I love that he used his wife's chiropractor as Dracula even though he was much taller and thinner than Bela Lugosi. I love the hubcaps used as spaceships with the wires clearly visible. The cars speeding to their destination in broad daylight only to arrive in pitch dark and in a different car. Now there is a classic!

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  10. I've only seen Invasion of the Body Snatchers which is a classic. Have to admit, I like the '78 remake better. Two of my picks are from the 50s, as well. They're just on the other end of the quality spectrum.

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    1. Yes, many like the remake better but I think the ending for me took it away from me-I found it very typical 70's :) I am off now to see the rest:)

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  11. I've seen the modern versions of the War of the Worlds and the Body Snatchers. I think I ought to see original War. I wasn't too impressed with Tom Cruise's version. The Body Snatchers, whooo, lady, scary. And, that's just Sutherland and Goldblum. Kidding. haha. I was living in SF then, so I remember spending a lot of the time figuring where the scenes were. I'd probably see the modern Snatchers again just to see the scenes.

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    1. I love the original war of the Worlds. Body Snatchers, both versions, really creeped me out. That is cool that you can look for the actual places they filmed

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  12. When I was younger, I thought the original Invasion of the Body Snatchers was so scary! For years, we'd point at each other and do the screech that the "body snatchers" did.

    Okay, I admit I hung with a weird crowd.

    The re-make of War of the Worlds with Tom Cruise was pretty decent, I thought. Have you seen that one, Birgit?

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    1. You know...I did the same thing to people and other kids but I was the only one so you can imagine what people must have thought of me. I did see the remake and even though it was good, I prefer the original

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  13. I have to admit I haven't seen any of these. Wow. Okay, I'll remedy that. Soon :)

    Thanks for the visit over at Quiet Laughter -- and for voting for the Crows! They're lagging behind, sadly... Tallying up the results now. (And keeping fingers crossed, haha...)

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    1. You have to put some of these on your list. I will find out who won

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  14. I saw the remake of War of The Worlds and it totally freaked me out.

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    1. I wasn't as freaked out over the 2nd one but the first got to me but I was much younger

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  15. Great picks! While Body Snatchers, both this and the remake, are well made the nihilist air of doom that hangs over them make them something that one watch was all I needed. The Invaders from Mars poster is cheesy but I love the artwork and wish that modern posters put half that much effort into their design. The movie likewise is a big ole bucket of cheese but the film makers knew what they were doing and didn't kid themselves that they were making art so the films remain entertaining today in their clunky way. I like this version of War of the Worlds, it did try and be a bit more serious but still kept its feet on the ground. Both my mother and grandmother told my sister and I about the initial Orson Welles broadcast and how they all believed it. They lived out in the country and we're gathering together to drive to one of their uncles houses so they could all be together at the end when word came that it wasn't real. I do remember that TV movie version of the events that you mentioned, it was a solid effort.

    I'm not a huge alien invasion movie fan but there are many within that genre that I do really enjoy so I had a hard time narrowing down to three and ended up not being able to keep it to that number. Oh well, here's what I ended up with.

    Slither (2006)-A meteor crashes outside a small southern town unleashing a plague of parasitic worms that turn the townspeople into zombies. The sheriff and the wife of one of the victims try and figure out a way to fight the slithering danger before it gets to them. Good performances by Nathan Fillion and Elizabeth Banks in this mix of comedy and horror.

    The Hidden (1987)-Dealing with a sudden spate of violent crime, perpetuated by people who until the last few days had no history of any wrongdoing, a cop is joined in the hunt by an FBI agent who has a strange aura about him. Turns out he is an alien in pursuit of a murderous intergalactic parasite that is using whatever host is available to cause mayhem until it is so damaged that he moves onto the next. Action packed film distinguishes itself from the pack by being laced with humor, a gritty feeling and solid performances from it cast. Kyle MacLachlan in particular stands out as the FBI agent from another world.

    The Andromeda Strain (1971)-A satellite crashes in the New Mexico desert carrying an alien germ that causes the death of all but two people in a nearby town. A group of scientists are whisked away to a secure underground government lab to try and solve the mystery of the survivors and isolate and destroy the life form before it can cause worldwide destruction. This cerebral take on alien invasion based on a Michael Crichton bestseller is set almost exclusively in the underground bunker.

    Honorable Mentions-Independence Day (1996)-A belligerent alien society tries to invade the planet and destroy mankind but not if an ass kicking Will Smith and a small band of scientists and soldiers has anything to say about it! Popcorn entertainment is big, loud, showy and a whole lot of mindless fun. An immense success upon release.

    The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)-A gentle alien lands and warns humans that they must learn to live peaceably or be destroyed to keep them from becoming a threat to other planets. Seminal sci-fi picture that is miles above most genre pics that were being produced at the time.

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    1. That is so neat that your mom and grandmom were part of the group who actually believed this had happened. It must have been interesting to hear their version of this major event. I have not seen any of your picks but I will mark them down. I am not a huge fan of Independence Day but I love The Day The Earth Stood Still with Michael Rennie. The music when Gort appeared was so eerie-Klaatu, Barrada, Nicto.

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  16. I grew up on these movies and still enjoy them when I catch them on TV.

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    1. They are great and wish some of the cheesy 50's films would be around more

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  17. All familiar titles that I desperately need to see. Thanks for the recommendations!

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  18. I did see War of the Worlds, but none of the other movies on your list would appeal to me one bit I'm afraid. You can keep them all to yourself.

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    1. Hahahaaa-not everyone's cup of tea but I would recommend The Day The Earth Stood Still. It is a classic film about a peaceful alien and how we screw things up. It was made during the height of the Communist witch hunts so keep that in mind when watching this film -highly intelligent film,

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  19. Again, I don't know any of these. I do love those old B-movie posters, especially the middle one in that group. Surely, someone somewhere has a museum devoted to such posters. They're beautiful!

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    1. Oh I would hope so regarding the movie posters. Some are very sought after like Attack of the killer shrews. It would be so much fun to visit a museum dedicated to film posters and such

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  20. Kardashiasses is brilliant. I'm impressed. I have a documentary about the original broadcast on radio of The War of the Worlds. I'll get to it one of these days.

    Love,
    Janie

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    1. Oh I would love to see that documentary-I love how it was done by Welles and the fear it invoked on the masses.

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  21. Great picks. I guess sleeping is overrated.

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    1. Sleep is over-rated when watching these films:)

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  22. The original War of the Worlds still holds up.

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  23. I was so freaked out by Invasion of the Body Snatches as a child. We had a baby sitter for a short time that used to have us stay up and watch movies with him. He was only our baby sitter for a short time because I'd have nightmares for days after. Wish I could figure out which movie had the monster that was on fire. I had recurring nightmares about that one until my twenties!

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  24. Oh the Body Snatchers ... scarred my childhood, it did! They just don't make movies like they used to! :)
    hugs, Asha

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