SF Movies I Need to See (again): SF Movie Series Part One

I’m sure I’m not the only one who has a list of “classic” films that they’ve never seen. It wasn’t until about two years ago that I watched Casablanca, I’ve never seen The Graduate which some people assure me is a crime, and I’ve never watched Fast Times at Ridgemont High which I know is a crime.

Unfortunately, I have neither the time nor the desire to watch every movie I “need” to see, so I’d rather specialize a bit. Here’s a list of Science Fiction* films that either I haven’t seen, or haven’t watched in so long I barely remember what happened. I’m going to make an effort to knock these out by the end of the summer 2007. I hear Netflix calling my name…

If there’s something not on here that you think I should add, please note it in the comments. The List, in no particular order:

• Gattaca
• Blade Runner**
• Digitally scragged Return of the Jedi (I was so fed up with Lucas after his “improvement” of episode IV and V that I never went to see VI)
• Akira
• The Last Mimzy
• The Animatrix
• Time Bandits**
• King Kong (the original)
• The Day the Earth Stood Still**
• THX 1138
• Soylent Green (is people!)
• The Terminal Man
• Robocop** (I saw this at a very impressionable age and it gave me nightmares. I’d probably enjoy it more, now)
• Bicentennial Man (we briefly saw the filming of this as we drove on 101 Hwy 1 in CA)
• The Thirteenth Floor
• Red Planet
• 28 Days Later
• The Butterfly Effect
• Thunderbirds
• Children of Men (after I finish the book)
• The Fountain
• Ultraviolet

I’m sure there are movies I’m forgetting at the moment. I’ll add them later. As I count up the list (22) I realize that if I watch one a week, I’ll be done in late August. That’s iffishly doable; I do have other things on my plate (wife, yard, vacation, work, hiking, other hobbies) so I may not be “successful”.

*There may be some films on this list that don’t qualify as “science fiction” in some fans’ minds. That’s ok. Make your own list! And keep in mind this is not some Top 10 or Top 100 list, an exercise I find is a bit meaningless on the hugely interactive web because no two people will ever agree on the contents of those lists.

**Seen it at least once. Barely recall the plot

***Astute readers will note that most of this is a chronological/alphabetical list taken piecemeal from wikipedia