Hello and welcome back to Thursday Movie Picks, the weekly series hosted by Wandering Through the Shelves where you share three movies to fit the theme of the week each Thursday.
And this year, for the first time ever, we have television editions. Isn't that great? I love TV series, and I can't wait to find more interesting series thank to the others picks, maybe yours as well. But enough with the intro, the theme for this week is science fiction, and I'm going with three picks I love so much I binge-watched two of them. So let's get started
Black Mirror (2011- )
This is an anthology series the shows the dark side of life because of technology. A guy on Twitter kept telling me to watch this show, and I watched it so he'd eventually shut up. Well, we even talked about the episodes afterwards. I loved all of them, and I'm buzzing because Robert Downey Jr. optioned my favourite episode, The Entire History of You, to potentially make it into a film.
Futurama (1999-2013)
Fry is a 25-year-old pizza delivery boy whose life is going nowhere. On New Year's Eve 1999 he accidentally freezer himself and wakes up 1,000 years in the future and has the chance to make a fresh start. Does this qualify as a TV series? I think so. Anyway, I love this show, it's fun and the characters, they are so awesome! Especially Bender. And how cute is Nibbler?
Stranger Things (2016- )
When young Will goes missing, we are taken on a supernatural journey of 3 stories as his mother, his brother, his friends and the police chief start searching for him. I don't usually do supernatural, but Netflix's shows are usually great and there's Winona Ryder in it and I gave it a shot. Well, I watched 8 episodes in 2 days. And that's because I was busy.
I'm fairly sure I said this on someone else's blog too, but I can't believe I didn't think of Stranger Things or Futurama. I need to start Black Mirror
ReplyDeleteAnd I can't believe I didn't think of Westworld.
DeleteI can't believe I didn't think of Stranger Things! Great pick :)
ReplyDeleteI've heard so many good things about Black Mirror. That's next on my watch list!
Thanks! Yeah, Black Mirror is amazing!
DeleteBlack Mirror sounds quite good and I wouldn't mind seeing it. I have watched Futurama and found it quite funny- I love Bender. I have not seen Stranger Things and am not sure about it.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't sure about Stranger Things either but then I watched it and it blew me away. Now I can't wait for season 2.
DeleteI've heard of all three of these but haven't watched a single one, although I might have seen one episode of Futurama. My sister watches Black Mirror I think. Good choices and I like the change up to TV every fourth week.
ReplyDeleteI just not a sci-fi guy but I was able to come up with three that I've been a fan of over the years.
Firefly (2002)-A ragtag group of astronauts tour the galaxy in their rust bucket ship Serenity lead by cheeky leader Mal Reynolds (Nathan Fillion). Often not functioning as a harmonious whole due to squabbles between the opinionated crew they pull together when the going gets tough and manage to emerge from their scraps banged up but unbowed. Serio-comic sci-fi series with a strong cast was regrettably brief but did lead to a big screen sequel “Serenity”.
My Favorite Martian (1963-1966)-Somewhat zany comedy of a stranded Martian (Ray Walston) taken in by young reporter Tim O’Hara (Bill Bixby) who uses the cover of being his Uncle Martin as he tries to repair his spaceship in an attempt to return home. While he works away the pair are confronted with many situations where Martin is constantly at risk of exposure. What could be idiotic is kept from being so by the skillful playing of Walston & Bixby as well as Pamela Britton who is simply aces as their charmingly addle-brained landlady Lorelei Brown. Adapted into a wretched decades too late feature in the 90’s.
The Twilight Zone (1959-1964)-Trend setting anthology series created, hosted and largely written by Rod Serling. Generally but not always with either a science fiction or supernatural theme this weekly series was consistently eerie with a cavalcade of future stars, including Robert Redford, Elizabeth Montgomery, Charles Bronson and Robert Duvall, and top flight character actors-Agnes Moorehead, Gladys Cooper, Burgess Meredith etc.- in strong stories. For the length of time it ran the series stayed uniformly high in quality but has some episodes that have remained justly more famous than others…Eye of the Beholder, The Invaders, The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street, Nightmare at 20,000 Feet, Time Enough at Last, Nothing in the Dark, and my personal favorite The Hitch-Hiker among them.
A small addendum: A moderately successful reboot of the series was done in the 80’s with varying results but there were some excellent episodes produced especially in the first season. Two directed by Wes Craven: the series’ first “Shatterday” starring Bruce Willis and “Her Pilgrim Soul” with Kristoffer Tabori and Anne Twomey are exceptional.
I wanted to watch Firefly because I heard it's fun but never started it.
DeleteStranger Things amore a prima vista!
ReplyDeletePer quanto riguarda "Black Mirror", il rapporto รจ un po' complicato: la prima stagione mi ha incuriosito, la seconda mi ha lasciato perplessa, l'ultima.... esaltante!
Concordo pienamente su tutto!
DeleteLOVE Black Mirror - like a modern-day Twilight Zone! Stranger Things was great fun, too. I always enjoy Futurama whenever I watch it, but it's not appointment viewing for me.
ReplyDeleteIt's the same with me. I used to watch Futurama when I got home from school, while eating. I still watch it now and then, but it's not like I tune in for it.
DeleteI've seen a fee episodes of Futurama. I like what I've seen, but never bothered seeking it out. I just bump into it from time to time. I've not seen any of the others. Might watch Stranger Things since everyone has been raving about it.
ReplyDeleteYou should, Stranger Things is great!
DeleteWe have two picks in common! Black Mirror and Stranger Things. I love recent episodes of Black Mirror like Nosedive and San Junipero! But I agree The Entire History of You is astonishing!
ReplyDeleteStranger Things was a big fun! But I got lost in Futurama... might wanna rewatch it but I'm not sure I won't get lost again.
Nosedive is my favourite after The Entire History of You. Bryce Dallas Howard is so sweet and the story really spoke to me.
DeleteI went with Futurama and Stranger Things as well. I'll try to get to watch a few episodes of Black Mirror this year. Great picks!
ReplyDeleteThanks! I'm sure Black Mirror will blow you away.
DeleteGad I miss Futurama. Hilarious and bizarre. I too watched Stranger Things over 2or3 days. After ep2 I was hooked and couldn't stop. Can't wait for season 2. I really hate Black Mirror but I think it's mainly the fist episode which I thought was petty and unintelligent. I saw a couple of other episodes and didn't think it was that great. Annoyingly I missed the episode that everyone liked the one you mentioned. I might eventually watch the new series, maybe.
ReplyDeleteI actually liked the first episode of Black Mirror but I see why you didn't. If you don't want to watch all the episodes, I suggest you watch The Entire History of You and Nosedive. They were the best imo.
DeleteBlack Mirror is Super bleak...I have yet to finish season one, but I will eventually check the rest it.
ReplyDeleteHave not seen Futurama.
The Stranger Things I enjoyed, but did not love.
I have to say that the first episode of Black Mirror wasn't that great, but then it gets better.
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