Mars movies - A list

FILMIST · 2002-10-09 11:21:26

MARS MOVIE LIST

I've just updated the list of Mars Movies with brief descriptions, as well as noted which ones I'll be donating to our local chapter's Mars library.

Please drop me an e-mail if I've missed any films that have a Mars-related plot.

I've posted it on our website at:

http://chapters.marssociety.org/sandieg … ovies.html

Enjoy!

:-J

Gerry Williams
The Mars Society - San Diego
http://chapters.marssociety.org/SanDiego/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MarsSocietySanDiego/
__
"Living on Earth is expensive, but it includes a free trip around the sun."

Palomar · 2002-10-09 16:09:38

MARS MOVIE LIST
I've just updated the list of Mars Movies with brief descriptions, as well as noted which ones I'll be donating to our local chapter's Mars library.
Please drop me an e-mail if I've missed any films that have a Mars-related plot.
I've posted it on our website at:
http://chapters.marssociety.org/sandieg … ovies.html
Enjoy!
:-J
Gerry Williams
The Mars Society - San Diego
http://chapters.marssociety.org/SanDiego/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MarsSocietySanDiego/
__
"Living on Earth is expensive, but it includes a free trip around the sun."

*I see you have listed the movie "The Man Who Fell to Earth" starring David Bowie. I don't recall it having anything to do with Mars; in fact, the planet of origin for the main character wasn't, as I recall, even mentioned in the film.

Overall, I thought the movie was atrocious. It is disjointed, incoherent in places, barely hangs onto a ghost plot, and constantly gets side-tracked into situations which don't seem to fit what came before or after. I have a feeling the producer of the film was bombed out on acid the entire time.

David Bowie, however, was good in the role. He was absolutely gorgeous...the only man I've ever seen who can be drop-dead gorgeous while being both very skinny and pale!

--Cindy

P.S.: The film was shot in location in southern New Mexico, and the scenes where Bowie's character takes off in the spaceship from his home planet was shot at White Sands.

Josh Cryer · 2002-10-10 03:06:44

So that's where A.J. gets his name.

Amazing list, though! I shall bookmark this page for further viewing.

Phobos · 2002-10-10 21:00:54

What's the best movie that features Mars? I think I'd have to vote for Total Recall. I think in the future it's possible we could find ourselves in a situation where we can't easily trust our memories or sense of reality.

Palomar · 2002-10-12 15:38:56

...Total Recall. I think in the future it's possible we could find ourselves in a situation where we can't easily trust our memories or sense of reality.

*That is not a predicament I'd care to find myself in. Think of the potential for great abuse...who's doing the tweaking, and why? Who's creating the set-up...and for what reason? No thanks!

My favorite scene in "Total Recall" was the one where Schwarzenegger was trying to determine if his wife and the guide for the TR company were real; if he and they were actually on Mars and actually standing in a hotel room together, or if indeed it was all in his head. He had threatened to shoot the guide in the head...you know the scene; the guide explained Arnie shouldn't shoot him because even though the scenario was just a figment of Arnie's imagination, the psychological belief of having killed someone would hurt his mind, etc., etc...and Arnie was just about to put down the gun when he noticed a little trickle of sweat going down the guide's forehead. No imagination there. Ka-boom.

However, TR isn't one of my favorite films. Though it has nothing to do with Mars, my favorite film of that sort [mind tricks, confusion and external manipulation, etc.] would have to be "Dark City." The final scene is very poignant.

--Cindy

Palomar · 2002-10-12 15:57:31

*About a year ago I was watching a special regarding a cartoonist who had passed away. He had done a lot of animation work for the Warner Brothers "Looney Tunes" series in particular...but I can't remember his name! I can remember the photos of him in my mind's eye; maybe his name will come back to me.

Anyway, he drew a cartoon, intended to be a series, called "John Carter On Mars." I'm quite sure the character's name was John Carter. I posted about this to the civ-culture mailing list last year, when I was subscribed to it.

The cartoon was drawn up in either the 1930s or 1940s, and shows John Carter galloping around red Marsian hills on a horse, etc. It was very pretty animation. Apparently the idea never "took" with studio execs.

Does anyone know more about this? I'll try to track down more information and try to jog my memory more...wish me luck!

--Cindy

P.S.: Added with Edit feature:

http://home.attbi.com/~cjh5801a/Carter.htm

I've found references to John Carter ala 1970 cartoon features, and a "pulp fiction" article of 1912 [Google search...just one example above], but I haven't the time to pore through all the web links and I don't see anything relative to the short-lived ANIMATED cartoon from Warner Brothers.

Mark S · 2002-10-12 18:57:38

What do you think of "Mission to Mars" ?

Most critics have been absolutely brutal toward the movie. I felt that it was too simplistic, but it was still enjoyable. The characters were underdeveloped and the movie did not live up to its potential, but it still presented a realistic looking and magical look at Mars that was able to entertain even the most jaded space enthusiast.

Palomar · 2002-10-12 19:50:43

What do you think of "Mission to Mars" ?
Most critics have been absolutely brutal toward the movie. I felt that it was too simplistic, but it was still enjoyable. The characters were underdeveloped and the movie did not live up to its potential, but it still presented a realistic looking and magical look at Mars that was able to entertain even the most jaded space enthusiast.

*I enjoyed it. My husband and I rented it on video and watched it at home. I didn't have the opportunity to see it in a movie theater, as I was very ill the first few months of 2000.

One of my favorite scenes is when the commander [?] and his wife do a little zero-gravity tango to romantic music.

Gary Sinise's character made the right decision!

--Cindy

Mark S · 2002-10-12 20:54:33

Gary Sinise's character made the right decision!

How many people would be willing to risk it all to make contact with the Martians and experience something that human eyes have never seen before? I would venture to guess that the number was pretty large.

The ending was reminiscent of "2001," but without the bizarre aging sequence / transformation into the Star Child. In a way, I liked the blunt ant literal ending of "Mission to Mars" better.

Phobos · 2002-10-12 21:25:52

However, TR isn't one of my favorite films. Though it has nothing to do with Mars, my favorite film of that sort [mind tricks, confusion and external manipulation, etc.] would have to be "Dark City." The final scene is very poignant.

Never seen Dark City. I'm gonna have to check that one out.

Anyway, he drew a cartoon, intended to be a series, called "John Carter On Mars." I'm quite sure the character's name was John Carter. I posted about this to the civ-culture mailing list last year, when I was subscribed to it.

I bet there's a lot of Japanese animation that features Mars. I can't recall any that revolved around Mars (even though I've seen a lot of space ones), but then again I used to watch them when I was taking Japanese in college, so I probably misunderstood what was going on most of the time anyway. I love the anime names. Neon Genesis Evangelion is my favorite title even though I have no idea what the hell it means. Sounds cool though.

Preston · 2002-10-13 11:16:12

I tend to think of it as 'Neo Genesis Evangelion', that is, New Genesis Evangelion. I can't find evangelion in a dictionary, but I've seen an actual Christian "Evangelion" back home [a sort of Christian evangelical center, I guess]. Evangelion is related to the word evangelism, which is "Conversion resulting from the zeal of crusading advocacy of the gospel." And genesis is basically creation. This all makes sense in light of the series, especially the movie...

Adrian · 2002-10-13 11:25:35

Getting even further off-topic, I'm really looking forward to when (hopefully not 'if') they release Miyazaki's 'Spirited Away' here in the UK - for those of you unfamiliar with the title, 'Spirited Away' is the most successful film in the history of Japanese cinema and is made by one of their best animator/writers. I haven't actually seen any of Miyazaki's work before (I have Princess Mononoke on my computer but I haven't watched it yet) but I'm assured that it's great.

'Spirited Away' is being released to cinemas in the US soon, so look out for it.

Themescules · 2002-10-13 14:52:11

*About a year ago I was watching a special regarding a cartoonist who had passed away. He had done a lot of animation work for the Warner Brothers "Looney Tunes" series in particular...but I can't remember his name! I can remember the photos of him in my mind's eye; maybe his name will come back to me.
Anyway, he drew a cartoon, intended to be a series, called "John Carter On Mars." I'm quite sure the character's name was John Carter. I posted about this to the civ-culture mailing list last year, when I was subscribed to it.
The cartoon was drawn up in either the 1930s or 1940s, and shows John Carter galloping around red Marsian hills on a horse, etc. It was very pretty animation. Apparently the idea never "took" with studio execs.
Does anyone know more about this? I'll try to track down more information and try to jog my memory more...wish me luck!
--Cindy
P.S.: Added with Edit feature:
http://home.attbi.com/~cjh5801a/Carter.htm
I've found references to John Carter ala 1970 cartoon features, and a "pulp fiction" article of 1912 [Google search...just one example above], but I haven't the time to pore through all the web links and I don't see anything relative to the short-lived ANIMATED cartoon from Warner Brothers.

You must be talking about the Very Famous cartoonist Chuck Jones.

Palomar · 2002-10-13 20:00:06

*About a year ago I was watching a special regarding a cartoonist who had passed away. He had done a lot of animation work for the Warner Brothers "Looney Tunes" series in particular...but I can't remember his name! I can remember the photos of him in my mind's eye; maybe his name will come back to me.
Anyway, he drew a cartoon, intended to be a series, called "John Carter On Mars." I'm quite sure the character's name was John Carter. I posted about this to the civ-culture mailing list last year, when I was subscribed to it.
.
You must be talking about the Very Famous cartoonist Chuck Jones.

*I'm fairly certain it was not Chuck Jones.

--Cindy

Josh Cryer · 2002-10-13 22:33:01

Heh, I downloaded Spirited Away the other night, I've been encoding it in DivX all evening... going to watch it later... heh... I'm so evil...

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#1 2002-10-09 11:21:26

Re: Mars movies - A list

#2 2002-10-09 16:09:38

Re: Mars movies - A list

#3 2002-10-10 03:06:44

Re: Mars movies - A list

#4 2002-10-10 21:00:54

Re: Mars movies - A list

#5 2002-10-12 15:38:56

Re: Mars movies - A list

#6 2002-10-12 15:57:31

Re: Mars movies - A list

#7 2002-10-12 18:57:38

Re: Mars movies - A list

#8 2002-10-12 19:50:43

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#9 2002-10-12 20:54:33

Re: Mars movies - A list

#10 2002-10-12 21:25:52

Re: Mars movies - A list

#11 2002-10-13 11:16:12

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#12 2002-10-13 11:25:35

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#13 2002-10-13 14:52:11

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#14 2002-10-13 20:00:06

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