This has been a terrible year for me.  I really feel like this was a throw away disaster of a year personally and from a media standpoint as well.  I can’t think of a single sci-fi flick, horror movie, or TV show that was a whiz-bang world mover for me.  In lieu of this I thought I would close out the year here on the site with a post about some sci-fi series that tug at my heart any time I even just so much as hear mention of them. Here goes. This is my list of favorite Science Fiction TV series of all time.

The Twilight Zone

Not only one of the greatest sci-fi shows ever, it’s one of the best shows of all time. Rod Serling hosted the show from 1959 to 1964. Each week, he featured a usually creepy, sometime witty, show that ranged from alien invaders to time travel. This show is in many ways the show that launched a thousand ships, or rather careers, actors, writers and special effects artists.

Dr. Who

No sci-fi show list is complete without Dr. Who. The series started in 1963 and featured several men as the doctor – a time traveling, eccentric alien – and his comrades. Sure, many of the monsters were terribly cheesy, but it is a classic nonetheless. The show was canceled in 1989, made a brief return in a TV movie in 1996 and then was fully resurrected and came back into production in 2003. It continues today

Lost in space

“Danger Will Robinson, danger!” For three years and countless reruns after, we watched the Robinson family survive against scary and hilarious beings that threatened their existence. The family, as the title implies, was hopelessly lost in space because of a sabotage effort gone awry thanks to Dr. Zachary Smith. The program aired from 1965 to 1968.

Star Trek

The original Star Trek, which aired just three seasons from 1966-69, fell from the number 1 spot on the list to number 2. Yes, perhaps it didn’t feature the best acting, or most compelling story plots, but it was a show that set the standard for future space epics since. The show is also more popular today than it was when it first ran. The show went on to inspire several movies, several spinoffs, and hordes of fans.

BattleStar Galactica

The 1978 series ‘”Battlestar Galactica” is a fantastic story of 12 colonies destroyed by a race of mechanized beings called Cylons, who are bent on destroying civilization. Commander Adama, played by the late Lorne Green, leads a rag-tag fugitive fleet across the galaxy in search of the lost 13th tribe, who settled on a planet called Earth. The great cast included Dirk Benedict as Starbuck and Richard Hatch as Apollo.

Buck Rogers

A 20th century astronaut, Buck Rogers (played by Gil Gerard), is on a space mission when his shuttle runs into a cosmic anomaly. Buck’s frozen in suspended animation until he’s revived 500 years later. From 1979 to 1981, we watched as Buck helped solve future Earth’s dilemmas. And, of course, we couldn’t leave out the lovely Erin Gray as Colonel Wilma Deering. The show also taught us that spandex is in ample supply in the 25th century.

The Six Million Dollar Man

Those famous words, “We can rebuild him, we have the technology,” explain how astronaut Steve Austin (Lee Majors) becomes the “The Six Million Dollar Man.” Austin is mutilated after a crash and a secret government agency replaces his now departed parts with super powerful mechanical limbs. Austin uses his new superhuman like powers to solve crimes and catch bad guys. Look for the classic episode when he battled Sasquatch, or Big Foot. The series began in 1973 and resulted in a spinoff series called the “Bionic Woman.”

(The original) V

This miniseries was nearly 20 years ahead of “Independence Day.” In 1983, sci-fi loving Americans were glued to their sets to watch the Visitors in the miniseries “V.” It followed the classic aliens plot — aliens come to Earth to help humanity, but actually want to steal the planet’s natural resources. A regular show followed this miniseries, but never quite lived up to the original.

Alien Nation

Alien slaves, bred to be super intelligent and strong, crash on Earth. These “Newcomers” are assimilated into society. The show focused on one of them, George Francisco, who becomes a police detective partnered with a human cop, Matthew Sikes. They fight crime, learn to respect each other’s cultures, and fight the new bigotry between humans and aliens.

Star Trek: The Next Generation

This series is on many people’s list as the best sci-fi show of all time. It nearly made our number one spot, too. The show featured a great cast that evolved throughout its seven seasons, from 1987 through 1994.

So there you have it.  My picks for the greatest Sci-Fi TV shows ever.  Am I close?  Let me know.

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One of my favorite Halloween traditions is to watch scary movies.  Some of the most fantastic, awe inspiring and terrifying of these are the classic monster movies.  Werewolves have captivated man’s imagination since the earliest of times.  They incorporate many of the phobias and fears of a frail human race, unwanted, often horrific physical transformation, the loss of control over ourselves, the desire to hurt  or even kill others.  The list goes on and on.  I love werewolf mythos, especially where it intersects with film.

I decided that a great way explore one of my favorite literary beasts in movies would be to compose a list showing where I think the milestones exist in film history as it applies to depicting such a fiendish creature.

In 1935 the first film to feature bipedal anthropomorphic werewolf was made with simple yet effective makeup on actor Henry Hull.  This is,for me, the first true werewolf in a movie.

In 1941 the silver screen was graced by Lon Chaney Jr’s masterful makeup work in black and white.  The complexity of the makeup and appliances in this film were a marked leap forward from earlier movies.

Werewolves pretty much copied Lon Chaney Jr’s makeup with ever so slight variations for years until the gory Hammer Horror film Curse of the were wolf came along.  The creature here evokes a more feral look and color adds depth and conveys feelings not seen before.

Movies stagnated again for a pretty long stretch of time until 1981 when a pair of films BURST onto the scene.  American Werewolf in London allowed a young makeup artist named Rick Baker to show us how the werewolf transforms in a way NEVER before seen on screen.  The creature in this film shows us the agony of  the transformation as well as facets of it none of us ever even considered before.  It is also the most animalistic of the film monsters to date.

Rob Bottin a student of baker showed his mentor and contemporary that two werewolves are better than one.  Bottin’s transformation scene concentrated on mostly the head and upper body but it proved to watchers how truly terrifying such a change could be when the cursed character truly embraces being such a beast.  This iteration of the werewolf while still quite manlike is the scariest wolf captured on film to date for me.

in 1987 a team of effects artists headed by the late Stan Winston gave us this gem called Monster Squad.  The werewolf here was a re-imagining of the classic wolfman using practical / mechanical effects.  While the creature was very manlike its mechanical facial expressions made it very realistic and eerie.

Ginger Snap, from 2000,  makes the list because it chose NOT to copy the Baker /Bottin style of creature.  No surreal transformation scenes here.  Instead you get a female werewolf with a strange mostly stretched skin look.  It is unusual and in many ways very alluring.  The advent of computer generated effects added greatly to the realistic movements of this creature.

Dogsoldiers burned up the silver screen in 2002 giving us a very scary werewolf which manlike in stance was quite feral and animalistic. This combination of a very wolf-like head and a very bipedal stance was frightening and intimidating enough for it to make my list.

Underworld in 2003 gave us our first FULLY computer generated screen werewolves.  The transformations were fast and fairly realistic.  The movements of these creatures and the fact that they used CG and practical effects VERY effectively makes this a clear advancement in werewolf effects.

Van Helsing was made in 2004.  This movie has ALL CG werewolves.  No practical effects to be had in the this flick.  While some are pretty realistic others are not so much.  This is not a great film but it shows up here for no other reason than its use of CG for all aspects of the wolves.  If you want my two cents they really have to get realistically moving hair right before they will ever be able to ditch practical effects entirely.

Honorable Mention : I left 2010′s remake of The Wolfman off the list intentionally.  Even though it won Rick Baker an Oscar award I think it really didn’t break new ground so it wasn’t really a step forward.  If anything its clever use of practical and CG effects had already been done although not with this sense of flair and style.

Thats its.  Hope you enjoyed my time line.  Happy Halloween!

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Dracula (1931)

Renfield has arrived in Transylvania to do a job for a particular Count that resides there.  However once he enters Dracula’s home, he falls under the spell and soon turns to serve the Count.  Dracula then travels to England where he seeks a bride and finds a few women to grab a taste of.  But Van Helsing will attempt to stop him but could it be too late?

Frankenstein (1931)

Dr. Henry Frankenstein has become obsessed with the subject of what it is that creates life. Intent on proving that he can create life itself, he and his assistant Fritz have been digging up corpses from graves and trying to assemble a man from parts, with the intent of bring it to life.  But once he does it, he realizes he can’t control the creature and soon must seek to destroy his very creation.

Wolfman (1941)

Larry Talbott has returned home to his family’s estate after an 18 year absence however not everything is as he left it.  Seems some werewolf stories are running about and when Larry and 2 ladies go out for fun, they run into a wolf.  Larry saves the life of Gina but her friend Jenny isn’t so lucky.  Larry gets bit the battle by the creature but the next morning the wound is gone and so is the wolf, with only the body of an old gypsy man in its place.  The police begin to investigate but Larry soon convinces himself that he’s now a werewolf.  Trouble is, there are more dead bodies popping up that could prove it.

Them (1954)

After several people in the New Mexico desert wind up dead, the police and FBI investigate and are shocked to find gigantic ants, whose mutations were caused by the first atomic bomb explosion nine years earlier. They manage to destroy the nest of ants, but not before two winged queen ants have hatched and escaped the nest. Now they the US Government has to find the creatures before the breed and destroy the entire continent.

The Fly (1958)

Andre Delambre is playing around with his new invention, a teleportation device.  Soon he decides to change from inanimate matter to actual human matter and does using himself.  But something goes terribly wrong and Andre ends up merging with a fly that accidentally got into the chamber.  He will try and do everything he can to change himself back but it may not work and he might instead start taking on the characteristics of a giant fly.

The Flesh and the Fiends (1959)

It is 1828 and local surgeon/professor Dr. Knox relies on grave-robbers to supply him with fresh bodies for his anatomy lectures. Irish immigrants Burke and Hare initially can’t believe that hadn’t previously struck upon this idea to earn money before.  But once they start finding bodies…they realize it’s a “cash cow” and they soon start finding alternative ways to find bodies…including murder.

Psycho (1960)

Phoenix office worker Marion Crane is fed up with the way life has treated her. She has to meet her lover Sam in lunch breaks and they cannot get married because Sam has to give most of his money away in alimony. One Friday, Marion is trusted to deposit $40,000 by her employer into the bank. Seeing the opportunity to take the money and start a new life, Marion leaves town and heads towards Sam’s California store. Tired after the long drive and caught in a storm, she gets off the main highway and pulls into “The Bates Motel.”  Once she checks in, the owner will make sure she won’t check out.  But Marion’s actions have ensured that Norman is gonna have a few more visitors.

Mr. Sardonicus (1961)

A man digs his dead father up to retrieve a lottery ticket and in the process is scared into a skull like frozen grin for years.  His cruelty is only exceeded by his cunning as he forces his wife from an arranged marriage to trick a former love and brilliant doctor to try and heal him.  I dark an surreal story with castles, torture and atmospheric evil.

Night of the living dead (1968)

John and Barbara are out to say some prayers for their father when out of nowhere comes “the living dead.”  John is disposed of and Barb ends up at an abandoned house.  Soon enough she is joined by Ben and a few stragglers in the basement.  7 people against the world.  The “Living Dead” surround the house and eventually make their move.  The 7 must work together to defeat these beasts, but that will be just as hard as killing their attackers.

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    While some geeks might be uncomfortable saying they are a fan of certain genres of film, I have no troubles saying that I love musicals.  I have been a fan of musicals as long as I can remember.  I love music and film so naturally musicals are dear to me.  I want to share some of my favorite “twisted” musicals with you today.  These are by no means the ONLY musicals I like but these have really meant something to me through the years.  Hope you enjoy.

The Phantom of the Paradise

 What happens when you cross Faust, The Phantom of the Opera, and The Picture of Dorian Gray, and pepper in a smattering of Frankenstein and a discotheque?  You get an early Brian DE Palma film that will blow your mind.

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The Rocky Horror Picture Show

The first time I watched this film I had no clue what I was watching.  A friend of mine and his sister introduced me to this movie and I have seen it once a year every year since my pre-teens.  The Evil Dr. Frank N. Furter an alien from the planet Transylvania in the Galaxy of Transsexual has found the secret of life itself.  Tim Curry and Susan Sarandon steal this twisted show.

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The Wiz

I love The Wizard of Oz.  I always have.  When I saw this movie I felt like I was seeing it all over again.  It’s terribly dated now and chock full of what to me seems like some nasty ethnic stereotyping, but if you can suspend belief in the real world you will be in for a treat.  The talent assembled here is almost unmatched.  The late Michael Jackson is just icing on the cake.  There’s no place like home.

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The First Nudie Musical

I first saw this movie on Showtime back in the late Seventies or early Eighties, and tried to find it on tape for years afterwards. Very funny, and I LOVED seeing Ron Howard (uncredited) and Cindy Williams in the same film pre-Happy Days/Laverne & Shirley. I have frequently tried to describe this film to my friends, and been frustrated. Even singing “Lesbian Butch Dyke, you can call it what you like” didn’t convey the hilarity.

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Cry Baby

John Waters is a genius.  Johnny Depp does some early work here mixing songs with some seriously good 50’s retro props, costumes and scenery.  Not the greatest acting, so be prepared to laugh a lot at this camp fest extraordinaire.

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Earth Girls Are Easy

Those of us that grew up in the REAL MTV eighties will remember this film.  Jeff Goldblum, Jim Carry, and Damon Wayans make this musical a MUST see.  It’s really only somewhat a musical since the songs are sparse.  When aliens fly off course and accidentally land in an valley girl’s pool all hell breaks loose getting them back home.  While I have always thought of Gina Davis as some what a horse faced actress, in this film she is SMOKING HOT.

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Little Shop of Horrors

I’ve loved this movie for years and never get tired of it. It’s entertaining and funny without needing to go for cheap or raunchy jokes (which I have nothing against). The songs are fun, and everyone in this movie can really sing. The jokes are clean and smart even if they are a little dark and twisted.  This was done by the great Frank Oz. I’m a big Muppets fan, so it makes sense that I love this too.

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Popeye

If you can find enjoyment in critically panned movies such as The Wiz, you can find corny enjoyment in this relatively same plateau of a production with catchy songs, and memorable characters.  Distance yourself from cartoon which it’s based, and think of it as a real life community of oddball people with their own rules for living. There was a lot of work drawn on this production and it’s not second rate including sets, music, costumes, and performance. It actually has tender moments from the transition of Popeye being the lone outcast to Olive Oyl discovering her love for this man soon after they find sweet pea lost in a basket. It is that chemistry which pulls the movies weight.

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Scrooge

I have reviewed this movie before on the site but it makes my list here just because the thought of a musical based on the ghosts of Xmas story is amazing.

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The Nightmare Before Christmas

Nightmare Before Christmas is wildly original, full of great songs, great lines (“nothing’s more suspicious than frog’s breath!), and great animation.  Between Tim Burton’s freaky/funny vision & Danny Elfman’s songwriting (& splendidly haunted, poignant singing) what imaginative forces we have at work here.

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#15 Rob Reiner

• This is Spinal Tap
• When Harry met Sally
• The Princess Bride
• A Few Good Men
• Stand by Me
• Throw Momma from the Train
• Misery

      When I was researching this list I almost fell out of my chair because I, to my surprise, did not realize how many fo Rob’s movies have affected me.  Just out of high school I can vividly remember watching this This is Spinal Tap. I quote The Princess Bride almost daily.  I have a strange unnerving fear of cast iron frying pans thanks to Throw Momma from the Train.  I wont even get into how bad my ankles hurt any time I see Kathy Bates now.  This guy definitely influenced my life.

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#14 Peter Jackson

• Dead Alive
• Bad Taste
• The Frighteners
• Lord of the Rings Trilogy
• King Kong

    How does a guy get from making strange, amazing, horror comedies to making the Lord of the Rings.  I remember watching  Bad Taste and Dead Alive.They freaked me out as a teenager. The grand, epic scope of the Lord of the Rings films makes Jackson a director I can relate to. I must be one of the few people on the planet that loved his King Kong remake.

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#13 Alfred Hitchcock

• Rear Window
• The Birds
• Vertigo
• Psycho

    I can thank Mr. Hitchcock for introducing me to one of my favorite film genres, Horror.  Psycho will for me, like many, always make taking a shower interesting.  The Birds and The Rear Window are also favs of mine.  You have to watch those crazy taxidermists right?

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#12 David Cronenberg

• Videodrome
• The Incredible Melting man
• Scanners
• Naked Lunch
• M. Butterfly
• The Fly
• Eastern Promises

    This guy taught me to have a strong stomach.  he also showed me the joys of seeing things that you just can’t believe.  The master of “Body Horror” I cant go more than a week without sitting transfixed watching one of Cronenberg’s movies.

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#11 David Lynch

• Eraserhead
• Blue Velvet
• The Elephant Man
• Dune

    This guy made the list for two reasons.  I watched the Elephant man when I was a young adult after I read some things about the person the movie was based on.  I was mesmerized by the direction and, of course the acting.  This movie made me understand that I had and continue to have a LOT to be thankful for.  Dune on the other hand was a wildly fantastical Sci-Fi Epic that it took me 4 viewings to fully understand, but once I did the richness of the movie and the direction sticks with me even now.

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# 10 Clint Eastwood

• High Plains Drifter
• Sudden Impact
• Pale Rider
• Heartbreak Ridge
• Unforgiven
• Million Dollar Baby
• Letters from Iwo Jima
• Gan Torino

    I am pretty jazzed that in my lifetime I have been able to enjoy Clint as both an amazing actor and more recently a timely director.  His movies about the west were my introduction to the western and his direction of Pale Rider and Unforgiven made me realize he was a master of both crafts.

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#9 Martin Scorsese

• Taxi Driver
• Raging Bull
• Goodfellas
• Cape Fear
• Gangs of New York
• Aviator
• The Departed

    Scorsese films showed me the seedy and often mentally off sides of life.  I can still relate to these touched individuals thanks to the brilliant direction given.  I remember his films teaching me that odd is OK and for a geek that means a lot.

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#8 Ridley Scott

• The Duelists
• Alien
• Blade Runner
• Legend
• Gladiator
• Kingdom of Heaven
• Robin Hood

    What can I say about this man?  His films are both prolific and relevant.  Ridley showed me both as a youth and as an adult that storytelling is without a doubt NOT a lost art form.  I can VIVIDLY remember how scared I was while I watched Alien, how transfixed I was watching Blade Runner, and how amazed at the imagery that existed in Legend.  I STILL to this day watch all these movies over and over and find new things every time.

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#7 Terry Gilliam

• Monty Python and the Holy Grail
• Time Bandits
• Brazil
• The Adventures of Baron Munchausen
• The Fisher King
• 12 Monkeys

    I am a huge Monty Python fan.  Lets face it British humor is something you either get or you don’t, but Terry’s films take that quirky oddness to a whole different level.  His movies brought fascination and silliness into my life at a time when I needed it.  I will forever think of how many times I watched Time Bandits to try to understand it.  Now that I get it I LOVE IT.  That’s really the way it is with all these films.

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#6 Tim Burton

• Beetlejuice
• Edward Scissor Hands
• The Nightmare Before Christmas
• Batman
• Batman Returns

    Burton ranks pretty high on this list because of my connection to him as an artist.  Being an illustrator first and a computer jockey second I can totally relate to hos he fell into film making.  I have grown up watching Tim’s progress from obscure artistic interpretations, to comedies and then darker fare.  I will always see him when i discuss dark thought-provoking films.

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# 5 John Carpenter

• Assault on Precinct 13
• Halloween Series
• The Thing
• The Fog
• Escape from New York
• Star Man
• Big Trouble in Little China
• Prince of Darkness
• They Live
• Vampires
• Villiage of the Damned

    Carpenter is one of my all time favorite directors.  The list of his movies that I would happily re watch any time is filled with his films.  It does not just stop at his directorial works but his soundtrack talents as well.  I attribute my love of synth music to him.

#4 Mel Brooks

• Blazing Saddles
• Young Frankenstein
• History of the World Part 1
• Spaceballs
• Life Stinks
• Robin Hood Men in Tights

    Mel Brooks is a master of the spoof comedy.  When I feel the worst in my life I can ALWAYS flip on one of his films and laugh my blues away.  The dialog of his films while humorous is also clever and smart.  His films make me feel good and I love to share my love of his movies with others.  Sharing them with my kids for the first time I think is one of the greatest moments I ever had as a father.

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#3 Stanley Kubrik

• Spartacus
• Dr. Strangelove
• 2001 A Space Odyssey
• A Clockwork Orange
• The Shining
• Full Metal Jacket
• Eyes Wide Shut

    Kubrik’s amazing attention to detail in his films and his tremendous eye for camera work is what I attribute as one of the driving factors in my overall love of film.  Spartacus is an amazing film even after all these years. A clockwork Orange not only made me think about the future but feel it.  2001 is a movie that is as brilliant in execution as it is to look at.  Kubrik is definitely one of the greatest of  filmmakers of all time and one of my favorites too.

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#2 George Lucas

• THX 1138
• American Graffiti
• Star Wars series

    Now I know what you’re saying, this guy is not a really great director.  Well, that may be true, but I cannot deny that the films Lucas has directed have influenced my life’s fiber in almost every way.  I grew up living and breathing Star Wars.  I had toys.  I ate branded Happy Meals.  I drank out of emblazoned glasses.  I wore clothes with images from the films.  There is not one aspect of my childhood and now my adult life that I can not reference some Star Wars films in.  Nuff Said.

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#1 Steven Spielberg 

• Jaws
• Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind
• 1941
• Raiders of the Lost Ark Series
• E.T.
• Twilight Zone
• The Color Purple
• Empire of the Sun
• A.I.
• Hook
• Jurassic Park
• Saving Private Ryan
• Minority Report
• AND ON AND ON

    What Can I say?  Spielberg is number one on my list for the most part due to his huge confluence of films and the sheer number of them.  I have enjoyed is films over the course of my entire life.  I can almost note a film of his that I love for every year or so since I started watching movies.  I can quote lines from almost all his films.  I know trivia and details about his films that would blow your mind.  The fact that his movies stand the test of time coupled with the fact that he is STILL making movies blows my mind.  Of all the directors I know of he fits MY definition of what a director is better than any other.  I want to know all the movies he has ever made. 

…so that’s  my list.  If you read through all that then I applaud you.  I almost did not think I would finish this as it turned out to be a MUCH larger task than I anticipated.  Cheers.

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   Since the medium of Television has really taken over a big chunk of our lives, I thought I would take some time and write a list of my favorite interpretations of A Christmas Carol and why, in no particular order.  I hope you enjoy.

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Scrooge 1951,
released in the U.S. as A Christmas Carol,
starring Alastair Sim

This is arguably one of the best versions of this story.  It is lavish in style and acting.  While the sets are rather small and the quality is lacking compared to modern films.  The performances and faithfulness to the novella is second to none.  Alastair Sim provides us with one of the best portrayals of Scrooge, whom we can see has a true, heartfelt transformation.

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Scrooge 1970, a musical starring Albert Finny, and Alec Guinness

This would be my all-time favorite interpretation of this story.  Albert Finney was only 34 when he signed on to play both the old Scrooge and the young scrooge.  He won the Golden globe for his incredible physical portrayal of the character.  I first saw this version when I was about 10 years old and was so awe struck I learned everything I could about the production.  It was filmed using all British actors with lavish sets and costumes at the Shepperton Studios in London England.  It was not until several years later that I realized that Young and old Scrooge was played by the same man. You may recognize Marley here as he later went on to play Obi Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars films.

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Mickey’s Christmas Carol, a 1983 animated Disney film

The quality of the Disney animators really shines here.  While this version is sanitized for small children leaving out many of the darkest aspects of the story, it’s cuteness factor, having all your favorite Disney characters make an appearance more than makes up for it.

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Scrooged 1988, starring Bill Murray

When you have watched all the other adaptations of this story you can turn to this.  It’s a hilarious if twisted version of the tale.  Bill Murray does not disappoint and the all-star supporting cast really makes this a fantastic modernization of the story.  This is literally a potpourri of comedians.

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