We are not alone

Starring: Richard Dreyfuss, Francois Truffaut, Teri Garr, Melinda Dillon, Bob Balaban, J. Patrick McNamara, Roberts Blossom, Philip Dodds, Cary Guffey, Lance Henriksen

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"Ronnie, if I don't do this, that's when I'm going to need a doctor." – Roy Neary

Why watch this? This chaotic and beautiful film is Steven Spielberg's version of first contact.

Plot Summary: This sci-fi thriller follows two plots heading in the same direction. The first follows several scientists from around the globe who are researching strange events and discoveries, all while UFO sightings are on the rise. Meanwhile, in Muncie, Indiana, a three-year-old boy, Barry, and an ordinary electric worker, Roy, experience the UFOs with life-changing effects. Of course, the government has been making preparations to welcome the outer space visitors at Devil's Tower in Wyoming. But what about Roy (an several other unrelated folks from around the U.S.) and his apparent connection to these aliens? Is he crazy, or does he have some purpose to play in this historic moment in time?

EMI Films; Columbia Pictures

A message from deep space. Who will be the first to go? A journey to the heart of the universe.

Starring: Jodie Foster, Matthew McConaughey, Tom Skerritt, John Hurt, Jena Malone, David Morse, Geoffrey Blake, William Fichtner, Timothy McNeil

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"The universe is a pretty big place. It's bigger than anything anyone has ever dreamed of before. So if it's just us... seems like an awful waste of space. Right?" - Ellie Arrowway

Why watch this? This is a very creative envisioning of how first contact might occur.

Plot Summary: Dr. Ellie Arroway, a passionate SETI scientist, searches for extraterrestrial intelligence by listening to radio signals from space. After years of searching, she discovers a powerful signal from the star Vega that contains instructions for building a mysterious machine. Despite facing skepticism and political obstacles, Ellie is chosen to potentially make humanity's first contact with alien life.

South Side Amusement Co.; Warner Bros.

A place on earth more awesome than anywhere in space.

Starring: Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Michael Biehn, Leo Burmester, Todd Graff, Kimberly Scott, Chris Elliott

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"We all see what we want to see. Coffey looks and he sees Russians. He sees hate and fear. You have to look with better eyes than that." - Lindsey Brigman

Why watch this? The scene where Lindsey drowns is UNFORGETTABLE!

Plot Summary: A civilian ocean drilling team is enlisted to search for a lost nuclear submarine in the deep sea, encountering dangerous situations along the way. As they investigate, they discover the potential for something unexpected and possibly non-terrestrial life. The team must confront a group of gung-ho Navy Seals, while discovering more about the mysterious presence.

Gale Anne Hurd; 20th Century Fox

Why are they here?

Starring: Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker, Michael Stuhlbarg, Mark O'Brien, Tzi Ma, Abigail Pniowsky

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"But now I'm not so sure I believe in beginnings and endings. There are days that define your story beyond your life. Like the day they arrived." - Dr. Louise Banks

Why watch this? This film, about humanity's first contact, is refreshing. The first priority, logically, is how to communicate.

Plot Summary: When mysterious alien spacecraft appear across the globe, a linguist named Louise Banks is tasked with attempting to communicate with them. She races against time to understand their purpose, hoping to prevent global conflict that escalates due to fear and miscommunication between nations.

FilmNation Ent., Lava Bear Films,
21 Laps Ent.; Paramount Pictures

250,000 miles from home, the hardest thing to face... is yourself.

Starring: Sam Rockwell, Kevin Spacey (voice), Dominique McElligott, Kaya Scodelario, Benedict Wong, Adrienne Shaw, Matt Berry, Malcolm Stewart

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"I'm here to keep you safe, Sam. I want to help you." – GERTY

Why watch this? This film starts out one way, then twists around into something totally new.

Plot Summary: Sam Bell is a lonely astronaut who is nearing the end of his three-year contract working on a lunar mining base. He longs to return to Earth to see his wife and daughter, but as the time for his departure approaches, he begins experiencing strange hallucinations. After a lunar rover accident, Sam awakens to find unsettling truths about his mission and his own identity.

Liberty Films, Xingu Films, Limelight;
Sony Pictures Classics, Stage 6 Films

Is it a game, or is it real?

Starring: Matthew Broderick, Dabney Coleman, John Wood, Ally Sheedy, Barry Corbin, Juanin Clay, Kent Williams, Dennis Lipscomb

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"Mr. McKittrick, after very careful consideration, sir, I've come to the conclusion that your new defense system sucks." – Gen. Beringer

Why watch this? If computers can ever do this, we ALL need to be concerned!

Plot Summary: A young computer whiz kid accidentally hacks into a top-secret military supercomputer while searching for new video games. Unbeknownst to him, he begins playing a realistic game of Global Thermonuclear War with the government's program. He must then race against time to convince the authorities, and the computer, that he was just playing a game.
 

Dad's Preview: As the cold war droned on in the 1980's, fear of nuclear war was the subject of a lot media. This film took that possibility to a potential (and quite scary) end. The USA's missiles are all controlled by a massive central computer (called WOPR). The system suddenly goes to Def-Con 4, people start scrambling to determine what the hell is going on. The culprit is a bright teen who hacked to the system, and thought he was playing a video game. WOPR considers it to be real. If you are looking for a reason why modern AI is bad - THIS IS IT!

United Artists, Sherwood Prod.;
MGM/UA Entertainment Co.

A Spike Jonze love story.

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, Rooney Mara, Olivia Wilde, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Pratt, Bill Hader, Lisa Renee Pitts

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"I think anybody who falls in love is a freak. It's a crazy thing to do. It's kind of like a form of socially acceptable insanity." - Amy

Why watch this? A.I.'s capabilities are growing exponentially. Here, it can form relationships.

Plot Summary: Theodore Twombly is a lonely writer, living in a slightly futuristic Los Angeles, who is navigating a difficult divorce. He develops a deep connection with Samantha, an advanced, artificially intelligent operating system designed to meet his every need. As their relationship evolves, Theodore and Samantha explore the complexities of love, intimacy, and human connection in a world increasingly shaped by technology.

Annapurna Pictures; Warner Bros. Pictures

The picture runs 130 minutes!... The story covers 96 of the most critical hours in man's history!...
The suspense will last through your lifetime!

Starring: Arthur Hill, David Wayne, James Olson, Kate Reid, Paula Kelly, George Mitchell, Ramon Bieri, Kermit Murdock, Richard O-Brien, Peter Hobbs, Eric Christmas

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"I'll have the answer when I know why a sixty-nine-year-old sterno drinker with an ulcer is like a normal six-month-old baby." – Dr. Mark Hall

Why watch this? The 70's produced several excellent Sci-Fi movies. This is one of them.

Plot Summary: An event occurs where all the residents of the small New Mexico town of Piedmont are found dead, literally dropped in their tracks. This eerily corresponds with the recovery of a U.S. satellite that has crash-landed nearby. An elite team of scientists visit the town, finding two survivors: a bawling infant and a raving old man. The rest of the residents, when examined, have veins filled with dust. It is quickly deduced that something, an airborne virus or poison, is responsible. A team of government experts are tasked with the urgent burden of identifying the organism and finding a way to kill it - before it can spread to more populated areas.
 

Dad's Preview: This space-age thriller, based on the novel by Michael Crichton (Jurassic Park (1993), The 13th Warrior (1999)), has been praised by actual scientists for its accuracy regarding virus control. It's an example of high sci-fi. There are no Hollywood A-list stars here, and that adds to its feeling of authenticity. As the valuable time ticks by, the team becomes more desperate to find results. Is this a bio-weapon or a new germ from outer space? Regardless, the film is compelling as the team works through dead-ends and startling discoveries.

Robert Wise; Universal Pictures

You are not welcome here.

Starring: Sharlto Copley, Jason Cope, David James, Vanessa Haywood, Mandla Gaduka, Nathalie Boltt, Sylvaine Strike

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"When dealing with aliens, try to be polite, but firm. And always remember that a smile is cheaper than a bullet." - MNU Instructional Voice

Why watch this? Benevolent aliens reach Earth, and humans are never gracious hosts.

Plot Summary: After aliens arrive on Earth seeking refuge, they are placed in a segregated internment camp near Johannesburg, South Africa, known as District 9. A government bureaucrat, tasked with relocating the aliens, is exposed to an alien substance that begins to transform his DNA. This leads to him being hunted by his own government and seeking refuge within District 9, where he learns more about the aliens and their treatment.

TriStar Pictures, QED International,
WingNut Films; Sony Pictures Releasing

A place beyond your dreams. A movie beyond your imagination.

Starring: Kyle MacLachlan, Virginia Madsen, José Ferrer, Linda Hunt, Sting, Richard Jordan, Francesca Annis, Leonardo Cimino, Brad Dourif, Freddie Jones, Jack Nance

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"Don't try your powers on me. Try looking into that place where you dare not look. You'll find me there, staring back at you." - Paul Atreides

Why watch this? It's wonderful world-building along with a smart script. Try to keep up!

Plot Summary: In the distant future, warring noble families clash over control of Arrakis, a harsh desert planet and the only source of the universe's most valuable substance: the spice melange. When control of Arrakis is transferred to House Atreides, young Paul Atreides is thrust into a dangerous political landscape where he must confront betrayal and fight for survival in a treacherous environment. As Paul navigates the planet's deadly secrets and its mysterious native inhabitants, the Fremen, he comes to terms with his destiny.

Dino De Laurantiis Corp.; Universal Studios

Bring Him Home

Starring: Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Jeff Daniels, Michael Peña, Sean Bean, Kate Mara, Sebastian Stan

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"They say once you grow crops somewhere, you have officially colonized it. So, technically, I colonized Mars. In your face, Neil Armstrong." - Mark Watney

Why watch this? An impressive one-man show, akin to Cast Away (2000).

Plot Summary: After a fierce dust storm on Mars, astronaut Mark Watney is presumed dead and left behind by his crew. However, Watney survives and must utilize his scientific ingenuity and wit to stay alive with meager supplies on the hostile planet. Meanwhile, NASA and his crewmates embark on a challenging and daring mission to rescue him against all odds.

Scott Free Prod., Kinberg Genre,
TSG Ent.; 20th Century Fox

Long Live The Fighters.

Starring: Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Christopher Walken, Léa Seydoux, Souheila Yocoub, Charlotte Rampling, Javier Bardem, Alison Halsted

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"Look how your Bene Gesserit propaganda has taken root. Some of them already think I'm their messiah. Others... false prophet. I must sway the non-believers. If we get enough of them to support us, we can halt spice production. It's the only way I can get to the Emperor." – Paul Atreides, to his mother

Why watch this? Part 2 ends in explosive fashion, and harkens a third film.

Plot Summary: Paul Atreides unites with Chani and the Fremen to seek revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family, rising as a powerful leader on the desert planet Arrakis. As he embraces the ways of the desert warriors and navigates a manufactured prophecy, he struggles to prevent a terrible future holy war that he foresees. Ultimately, Paul faces a difficult choice between the love of his life and the fate of the universe.

Legendary Pictures; Warner Bros. Pictures

The end of Earth will not be the end of us.

Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Mackenkzie Foy, Ellen Burstyn, John Liethgow

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"We used to look up at the sky and wonder at our place in the stars. Now we just look down, and worry about our place in the dirt." - Cooper

Why watch this? What will we do when our planet can no longer sustain humanity?

Plot Summary: In a dystopian future where Earth faces extinction due to environmental disaster and widespread crop blights, former pilot Cooper must leave his family behind to embark on a perilous space mission. Along with a team of researchers, he travels through a wormhole near Saturn in search of a new home for humanity. The crew faces difficult choices and the extreme effects of time dilation as they explore potentially habitable planets in a distant galaxy.

Warner Bros. Pictures, Legendary Pictures,
Syncopy Inc., Lynda Obst Prod.; Paramount Pics

No children. No future. No hope.

Starring: Clive Owen, Clare-Hope Ashitey, Julianne Moore, Michael Caine, Pam Ferris, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Charlie Hunnam, Peter Mullan, Danny Huston

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"As the sound of the playgrounds faded, the despair set in. Very odd, what happens in a world without children's voices." - Miriam

Why watch this?  This film shows us a future you might not want to see, but rather need to see.

Plot Summary: The story is set in dystopian 2027, twenty years since the last baby was born due to a mysterious infertility in women. This has led to war, global chaos, and a general sense of dread. England remains an isolated country still holding onto some form of government. It is now a police state, rounding up refugees, deporting them, or worse. Theo Faron, a former activist, is forcibly taken by a group of militants, called the Fishes, led by his ex-wife Julian. They want him to use his connections to acquire transit papers for a young girl named Kee. Theo quickly becomes the only chance Kee has to get her out of a crumbling country.

Strike Ent., Hit and Run Productions,
Toho-Towa; Universal Pictures

Your mind is the scene of the crime.

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Ken Watanabe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Elliot Page, Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Tom Berenger, Michael Caine

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"Building a dream from your memory is the easiest way of losing your grasp on what's real and what is a dream." - Cobb

Why watch this? It's plot is mind-bending. The cityscapes twisting within themselves is visually cool.

Plot Summary: Skilled thief, Dom Cobb, specializes in stealing information by entering people's dreams using a shared dream technology. He is tasked with the seemingly impossible job of planting an idea into a target's subconscious, rather than extracting one, a process called "inception". If he succeeds, his criminal history will be erased, allowing him to return home to his children, but a dangerous enemy from his past threatens to derail the mission.

Legendary Pictures, Syncopy;
Warner Bros. Pictures

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Director: Stanley Kubrick, rated G

An epic drama of adventure and exploration

Starring: Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, William Sylvester, Daniel Richter, Leonard Rossiter, Margaret Tyzack, Robert Beatty, Sean Sullivan, Douglas Rain (voice)

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"Open the pod bay doors, HAL." - Dave Bowman

Why watch this? This slick, conceptual science fiction film influenced the genre and films that followed.

Plot Summary: Following the discovery of a mysterious monolith that influenced prehistoric human evolution, a similar artifact is uncovered on the Moon, emitting a powerful signal aimed toward Jupiter. A crew of astronauts, led by David Bowman and aided by the advanced AI computer HAL 9000, is sent to investigate this alien signal on the spacecraft Discovery One. As HAL begins to malfunction and endanger the crew, Bowman must confront the computer and ultimately face a surreal journey into deepest space.

Stanley Kubrick; Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

M-G-M Takes You On An Amazing Adventure Into Outer Space...

Starring: Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis, Leslie Nielsen, Warren Stevens, Jack Kelly, Richard Anderson, Earl Holliman, Marvin Miller

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"Guilty! Guilty! My evil self is at that door, and I have no power to stop it!" – Dr. Morbius

Why watch this? It really is a great all-around sci-fi film; certainly for 1956.

Plot Summary: A 23rd-century starship crew travels to a distant planet, Altair IV, to investigate a colony that has gone silent. They discover two survivors, Dr. Morbius and his daughter Altaira, along with a powerful robot named Robbie. The crew soon encounters a mysterious and deadly invisible force threatening everyone on the planet, prompting Commander Adams to investigate Morbius and the secrets surrounding a lost civilization that once inhabited Altair IV.

Nicholas Nayfak; Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

What would you do if you were accused of a murder, you had not committed... yet?

Starring: Tom Cruise, Colin Farrell, Samantha Morton, Max von Sydow, Neal McDonough, Peter Stormare

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"Don't trust anyone. Just find the Minority Report." – Dr. Iris Henimen

Why watch this? This futuristic thriller is one of Spielberg's many masterpieces.

Plot Summary: In a future where a specialized police unit called PreCrime stops murderers before they can act, Chief John Anderton believes the system is flawless. However, one day he receives a prediction that he himself will commit a murder, leading him to question the system's infallibility. Now a fugitive from the very unit he led, Anderton must try to prove his innocence and uncover a possible conspiracy that could be behind his predicted crime.
 

Dad's Preview: Early on, Tom Cruise was just too cocky for me. This film made me an true fan. Set in a future, utopian Earth, the plot centers on a crime agency that arrests people for future crimes. The dreams of three telepathic triplets (kept in medically-induced comas), called "Pre-Cogs", are recorded and analyzed to predict future murders. The plot is uber-creative and Spielberg makes is exciting. Cruise's character is flawed and complex. It's engaging, fast-paced and full of surprises.

DreamWorks Pics, Amblin Entertainment,
Blue Tulip Prod.; 20th Century Fox

Words can't describe it!  "Metropolis" must be seen!

Starring: Brigitte Helm, Alfred Abel, Gustav Fröhlich, Rudolf Klein-Rogge, Fritz Rasp, Theodor Loos, Erwin Biswanger, Heinrich George, Heinrich Gotho, Fritz Alberti, Grete Berger

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"Your magnificent city, Father - and you the brain of this city - and all of us in the city's light... and where are the people, father, whose hands built your city...?" - Freder to his father Jon

Why watch this? This masterpiece is ground-zero for sci-fi influence in films.

Plot Summary: This is a morality tale set in a futuristic city dystopia where the wealthy rule and abide in shining skyscrapers above, while the workers live below in concrete squalor. The city's creator and administrator is the cold Jon Fredersen. His privileged, good-hearted son, Freder, by chance, encounters Maria, a saintly woman caring for the underworld's children. This inspires Freder to learn the truth about the oppressed workers, who slave away, operating massive computers, themselves becoming cogs in the brutal machinery. Jon becomes frustrated that the workers are planning to rebel, so he enlists the city's inventor, Rotwang, to covert a female robot into the likeness of Maria, to quell the upstart insurrection.

UFA; Parufamet

A chilling, bold, mesmerizing, futuristic detective thriller.

Starring: Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, Edward James Olmos, M. Emmett Walsh, Daryl Hannah, William Sanderson, Brion James

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"I need ya, Deck. This is a bad one, the worst yet. I need the old blade runner, I need your magic." - Bryant

Why watch this? It's haunting, brooding and dark... and a mesmerizing sci-fi classic.

Plot Summary: In a dystopian future Los Angeles, a burnt-out detective (aka: a "blade runner"), Rick Deckard, is tasked with hunting down and "retiring" a group of advanced androids called replicants, who have escaped from off-world colonies. These replicants seek to find their creator and extend their limited life-spans, while the blade runner wrestles with the complex morality of his job and his growing connection to a beautiful replicant who believes she is human.

The Ladd Co., Shaw Brothers; Warner Bros.

Boy, have we got a vacation for you... Where nothing can possibly go worng!

Starring: Yul Brynner, Richard Benjamin, James Brolin, Alan Oppenheimer, Dick Van Patten, Alan Oppenheimer, Victoria Shaw, Steven Franken

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"There's no way to get hurt in here, just enjoy yourself." – John Blane

Why watch this? ... it is one of the best sci-fi films from the 70's.

Plot Summary: In a futuristic amusement park called Delos, wealthy guests can indulge in their fantasies in lifelike, robot-inhabited worlds, including the Wild West-themed Westworld. When a programming error causes the androids to malfunction, these vacationers find themselves in a terrifying struggle for survival against the park's attractions.

Paul N. Lazarus III; Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer