I turned 16 in March of '81 and got my driver's license that summer. I was finally able to go watch the movies I wanted to see, so it was a pretty awesome year for me. I remember our AD&D game broke up one Friday night, and we drove into town in a car that must have looked like we were about to do a Cheech and Chong cameo, stopped at Burger King to order the stoner special, and saw Heavy Metal. As a responsible grandparent, I should condemn that, but man it was a good time.
Escape From New York was John Carpenter at the absolute peak of his powers as a filmmaker. Kurt Russell as Snake Plissken was the quintessential 1980s action hero long before Stallone and Schwarzenegger, Rambo and The Terminator, and Lethal Weapon and Die Hard.
Excalibur's plot isn't a mess, its an appropriately mythical take on Arthurian myth! When Malory wrote Le Morte D'Arthur in the 15th century (the stated source for this adaptation) they were old tales even then, and thus already devolving into archetype and allegory. Boorman just carries forward that tradition, and I think its a wonderful film because of that.
Chris Makepeace is the name of the kid that Bill Murray tries to help in the Meatballs movie 🍿 Chris’sakes.. 1979!? 😳 I’m old now lolol 😮Sincerely, David J. Goldbaum Boston Mass. USA 🇨🇳 Naturrally.. right.
@@mookie2637 It even predates England as a country! The film's certainly the best version of the legend on film. It's what got me into both the legend and the works of Wagner!
it’s a tough one, because i feel like it’s been widely influential, but i feel like it’s never hit that mainstream acceptance like i would hope it would. I usually reserve the 5’s and 4.5’s for movies that have reached that mass appeal level of things.
I agree with you in my heart but suspect that Josh is correct in actuality, you can however console yourself in the knowledge that the heavy metal magazine is BEYOND influential in sci-fi film (which he touches on in the recap) mostly due to it being the first place most American film makers saw the European sci-fi/fantasy aesthetic that would end the era of flying saucers and cigar shaped rocket ships here and take us to the more organic and lived in sci-fi of the 70's on. Great movie regardless and a 5 out of 5 for me
@@RussellCHallWell said and you described it perfectly. As an innocent teenager in the late 80's i discovered the magazine alongside my introduction to the comic book medium. I would never be the same.
Wow! I was playing Warzone and thought man I wish there was a new...holy crap! Perfect timing! Love your work here! As a literal child of the 80s (late 70s whatever😅) I super appreciate your hard work!
🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation: 🎬 Introduction *to '80s Sci-Fi Project* - One man's attempt to watch all '80s Sci-Fi films. - Host: Josh Spiegel. - Focus on Sci-Fi films of 1981. 🌌 Broad *Genre Inclusion* - Definition of the genre, including fantasy, superheroes, and Kaiju. - Acknowledgment of varying opinions on what qualifies as Sci-Fi. - Exploration of diverse films within the genre. 📺 The *Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy TV Mini-Series (1981)* - Discussion of the TV mini-series adaptation. - Brief summary of the plot and characters. - Acknowledgment of its significance in Sci-Fi and comedy. 🕵️ The *Incredible Shrinking Woman (January 30, 1981)* - Overview of the film's plot and characters. - Joel Schumacher's first theatrical film. - Mention of the film's parody of commercialism. 🌎 Earthbound *(January 30, 1981)* - Description of the low-budget release involving aliens. - Mention of its origins as a TV pilot. - Emphasis on its obscurity and lack of success. 👽 Surreal *Softcore Sci-Fi: Sex is Crazy (1981)* - Synopsis of the film's surreal plot involving aliens and sexual shenanigans. - Directed by Jess Franco, known for numerous films. - Recognition of its softcore content. 🚗 The *Last Chase (April 10, 1981)* - Brief overview of the action sci-fi film. - Lee Majors as the protagonist in a post-apocalyptic setting. - Discussion on the film's reception and Lee Majors' career. ⚔️ Excalibur *(April 10, 1981)* - Introduction to the fantasy film based on King Arthur's legend. - Director John Borman's involvement and challenges during production. - Mention of the film's visual appeal, mixed with critical reviews. 🚀 "Escape *From New York" is a dystopian sci-fi film set in 1997, where Manhattan is a high-security prison, and anti-hero Snake Plissken must rescue the president within 24 hours.* 🎬 Directed *by John Carpenter, the film incorporates satirical elements and was a box office success, grossing around $25 million against a $6 million budget.* 🌐 The *script, written in the 70s, reflected post-Watergate skepticism towards the presidency, making it a unique action story with a cult following.* 🎭 The *film features Kurt Russell as Snake Plissken, with supporting roles from Tom Atkins and Adrienne Barbeau, contributing to its star-studded cast.* 🎨 "Heavy *Metal" adapts stories from the French comic magazine Metal Hurlant, presenting a collection of animated sci-fi tales with an adult theme.* 🎞️ Despite *mixed reviews, "Heavy Metal" garnered a cult following, earning $20 million at the box office, and is remembered for its unique anthology format.* 📜 Each *story in "Heavy Metal" is distinct, ranging from futuristic film noir to sci-fi sword and sorcery, showcasing diverse animation styles and creativity.* 🎵 Legal *issues with the film's music delayed home releases, but it eventually gained proper distribution in 1996, contributing to its enduring legacy.* Made with HARPA AI
That was my favorite of the Hitchhikers Guide movies! Outland was such a great film, i never get tired of watching it! Clash of the Titans is another great film that i love to watch! Harryhausen's work still stands up, and often is better than CGI! imho Dragonquest is such a great film ! Heavy Metal is such a great movie, and the Bomber story is my favorite story in the movie!
I really appreciate how not-precious Adams was with Hitchhikers. He wasn't flippant, but he wasn't precious with it either. He looked at each new adaptation, especially in a new medium, as another chance to almost rewrite it again. I gather Adams really enjoyed contantly adapting it, because there's been video games and of course the requisite Disney one shot (which he unfortunately died before it was released). As someone who likes A LOT of stuff and cares about the creators of the stuff, I really appreciate how Adams knew interpreting and adapting the story to new formats and media would simply win new fans for the story and make it the classic that it is. I still wish we got sequels to the Disney film. Underrated classic
My fave from this bunch is Excalibur, with Escape close behind. I first saw Outland only a few years ago and I was really impressed by Sean Connery's performance. I was used to seeinf him as either Bond or an eccentric mentor type. But as a world weary, everyman space cop, he's great.
Not specifically related but I just wanted to say, "The Incredible Shrinking Man" is a much better film than you'd think, and has to this day the best giant spider in movie history.
That shirt is the most awesome thing I've seen today. I love Hitchhiker too. You broke a lamp! The Clash Of The Titans was on like every Saturday morning. Incidentally this movie taught me that I was most probably gay. Dragonslayer was tough. I have seen Heavy Metal countless times, once or twice at midnight screenings. The woman at the Pentagon was the girl on Lost Saucer. The Dorse is king. Great series!
I have a soft spot for The Last Chase. While it's shot in a telemovie style, many of the flying cinematography is exceptional and the score is very thematic. Lee Majors' separation from Fawcett is felt throughout and he really sells it as a guy at the final end of his rope. There are two versions, as the director's cut is R-rated. The Code Red DVD is long out of print and fetches a hefty price, but you have to make sure you get the corrected version, as the first pressing has severe audio desync. Excalibur's importance cannot be overstated. I know Boorman's filmography has questionable entries, but I'm convinced he's gonna go down as a legendary director, if he hasn't already.
YES!!! Love the 80's Project series, and while horror is my favorite, I'm really enjoying the Sci-Fi episodes, and finding lots of movies to track down. Thank you for all your great work, and I'm enjoying your new book, too!
Okay, you convinced me. Used this months Audible credit on Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. And yes, I know, being an English Nerd, I should have been reading it while hanging off of my mothers teat! LOL
My lineup? 1. Escape from New York, 2. Dragonslayer, 3.Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, 4. Clash of the Titans, 5. The Incredible Shrinking Woman. The other ones I really don't know or remember. But my top five here are some of my favorites!
I am absolutely loving this strand, I look forward to Saturday mornings to catch up with it now! Great to see DRAGONSLAYER getting some love, one of my very favourite films. George Martin has used the name of the dragon - Vermithrax - and the credit for the go-motion work is well justified. One wee thing though; in the trailer that can be found here and there online there are scenes of Sir Rich Ralphardson getting up to magical allsorts not seen in the movie suggesting deleted scenes which I don’t think have ever surfaced. If there’s any details on these it’d be great to hear about them. Anyway, fantastic work and looking forward to next week already!
“Under the category of ‘genre.’” The word “genre” actually means, “a category of artistic, musical, or literary composition characterized by a particular style, form, or content.” So pretty much every movie is “a genre film.” Yet, in RUclips parlance, it’s as if it’s become a way of saying, “sci-fi and sci-fi-adjacent,” as if, say, romance, comedy, drama, etc. aren’t “genres.”
Music rights can be a bitch. I remember Stevie Wonder not being featured in the home release of The Thing until the DVD came out. Probably a lot of examples of studios only having theatrical rights and not wanting to pay addition money for home video. Unlike Heavy Metal it didn't really impact the film, but it was nice to hear it put back in.
Love the shirt, Josh. I have the schematic diagram of a Babel fish shirt, which I wear proudly. (And if you really wanna feel '80s..who else played the C-64 text game of "Hitchhikers"?)
What a year!! I was a 13 year old girl and Snake Plissken left me shook! Outland, Clash of the Titans, Heavy Metal, Dragonslayer, saw all of them. I picked up the novel Hitchhiker's Guide on a whim, and that changed everything. I have to find out what songs they used on the home release soundtrack. The original was an absolute banger, curious to see how they altered it. This was a blast, can't wait for part 2!
Wow you had so much man meat to ogle in the 80s 🤔 The way men and women were depicted in film back then was so different to each other! Back then there were actresses and actors, now they're all actors. Conan
I was hoping that you’d get to Condorman in this one. I know it’s not sci-fi, as such, but it certainly ain’t horror so it’d live here a lot better than the main timeline. Maybe next episode? 🤞
Re: Heavy Metal Dark Horse Comics is putting out new hardcover collections of Richard Corben's Den. Which is especially nice, since they were out of print for decades.
Almost half of these movies were my jam when I was a kid. Excalibur, Clash of the Titans, Dragon Slayer, Escape from New York, and Heavy Metal all rank among favorites of mine. If I had to pick a top choice, I'd go with Escape, because John Carpenter and Snake. 🐍
I was waiting for this series bro. I hope you make them as long as you want. the longer the better. love your work. thank you in advance. I paused the video 5 seconds in to like and comment. :)
Me and my girlfriend literally watched Clash of the Titans on Sunday, it was on TV as we both vegged out on the couch too hungover from the night before to bother doing anything else lol I still enjoyed it 😂
Love it...Back when I was a teenage fetus, I jumped into a truck with my high school chums, dropped some acid and went to the movies, had no idea what we were going to see...It was Excalibur, and I have been releasing the dragons breath ever since .
Another fantastic video. Great job! Harry Canyon also inspired The Fifth Element. I loved The Last Chase and did a rewatch recently. What a load of shit. It's so bad I'm ashamed I enjoyed it as a kid.
It be might more accurate to say that Heavy Metal magazine was inspired by Metal Herlant, as both magazines/brands continue to exist today as seperate enties from two different companies. And AFAIK, attempts to make a Snake Plissken-related video game has fallen through (same with a possible anime, though have been a few board games, believe it or not). And this is super nitpicky, but post-Clash of the Titans, Ray Harryhausen did make one more short film, an adaptation of The Tortoise and the Hare (which had started filming decades prior, but then abandoned at the time). Other wise, excellent stuff.
Earthbound sounds ridiculous. Imagine someone saying to you "Let's do Lost In Space, but they're aliens. Stuck on earth. And they look like humans. They'll have adventures!" Like, what, picking up a parcel? Paying taxes? Just from the summary alone you can see why every network passed on it.
I have such mixed feelings about The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I absolutely LOVED the 1st book and the movie adaptations. But the ending of the final book is so abrupt and rage inducing, it made me regret spending all the time I spent that summer reading through the 4 books.
Please don't take this as a complaint, but I noticed that you're making a common mistake about movie box office results. Studios do not get all the money from the box and similarly the production budget is not all of the film's budget, it's just the budget that is publicly known. So you can't just look at the box office total and the production budget and figure out if a film is a success or not. Every film is different and whether or not a movie actually makes money (as opposed to the Hollywood accounting which always loses money) is complicated and I could drill down into a lot of needless details for trying to penetrate what studios prefer to keep quiet. However, there is a rule of thumb that can be used: if the box is three times it's production budget then the movie was probably a success. It's not an absolute, films that made more than that have been disasters for studios who thought they were going to have the biggest movie of all time and studios that made less than that have been cheerful successes because the studio was able to work alternate revenue streams. Studios really don't want people to know how successful or not a movie actually is. Sorry if this comes across as kind of harsh. It's just something I see all the time.
the way the industry works is weird. generally, studios refer to anything that makes more than its budget as a success, even if that indicates that it’s not initially profitable. honestly, if you ask producers, i feel like they’ll claim that a film that makes 5x its budget lost money. when you consider how the whole tax/loss situation works, it seems like there’s potential to make more money off of a film that doesn’t make its budget back. the odder part is that i know producers out here, and they use that same criteria. if it makes more than its production budget, it’s referred to as a success, so that’s what i roll with as well. it’s a strange industry.
What I love about Outland is how it could easily coexist in the same universe as Alien, Blade Runner, and Aliens. What I don't like about Outland is its scientifically inaccurate depiction of explosive decompression in space, which doesn't actually happen. Your face and hands might swell a bit, but you wouldn't explode. The most that would happen would be suffocation, pulmonary hemorrhaging or embolism if you held your breath, or if you survived, decompression sickness, also known as “the bends."
Gaining 20 milion on a 16 milion budget is not a succes. It's a loss. Marketing budget is not included in the production budget and the studio does not get to keep all the box office. The theaters get a big share as well. That being said, I very much enjoy these videos. Thanks for making them.
the way the industry works is weird. generally, studios refer to anything that makes more than its budget as a success, even if that indicates that it’s not initially profitable. honestly, if you ask producers, i feel like they’ll claim that a film that makes 5x its budget lost money.
@@movietimelines That's because they don't want to pay the actual creators of the movie extra money. Basically what happened with the first two alien movies. And I can imagine that sometimes they claim a non-existing succes to save face. 😉 Anyway, usually it is assumed that a movie has to make at least twice its production budget in order to break even. Which seems logical considering the theaters probably take about 40% of the proceeds. Although that too can vary.
ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK was my first pick as well but HEAVY METAL the movie should have got 5 stars for culture impact The design concepts went on to become great movie genre including BLADE RUNNER a definite cult classic 🤔
Has Helen Mirren ever been in a horror film? I can’t think of one and that seems like a tragedy. Excalibur is the second best Fantasy film of the 80’s after Conan the Barbarian.
i grew up on clash of the titans, dragonslayer, heavy metal, and excalibur (one of my favorite films to this day) on vhs. somehow, today's films just fail to capture my imagination in the same way as even the cheesiest 80s fantasy did.
Sorry but there should be a tie here for number one escape from New York and heavy metal rest of them are just good but nowhere near the top. Every chance I could I've watched both these movies I have literally a pirated copy of a copy of a copy of heavy metal on VHS I've also got the remastered VHS the Blu-ray and a DVD I'm looking forward to getting a hold of the 4K and the digital download same thing with escape from New York. That's how much these two movies should be tied for number one.
Snake Plissken on the thumbnail is an instant click.
Yeah… he got me, too…
One of the only good Suicide Squad movies.
Yup. Jack Burton's lost twin.
you meant dean prophett, right?
I turned 16 in March of '81 and got my driver's license that summer. I was finally able to go watch the movies I wanted to see, so it was a pretty awesome year for me.
I remember our AD&D game broke up one Friday night, and we drove into town in a car that must have looked like we were about to do a Cheech and Chong cameo, stopped at Burger King to order the stoner special, and saw Heavy Metal. As a responsible grandparent, I should condemn that, but man it was a good time.
Escape From New York was John Carpenter at the absolute peak of his powers as a filmmaker. Kurt Russell as Snake Plissken was the quintessential 1980s action hero long before Stallone and Schwarzenegger, Rambo and The Terminator, and Lethal Weapon and Die Hard.
No The Thing showed JC's true intent on making a movie he always wanted to.
EFNY was just his stepping stone to get to The Thing.
Excalibur's plot isn't a mess, its an appropriately mythical take on Arthurian myth! When Malory wrote Le Morte D'Arthur in the 15th century (the stated source for this adaptation) they were old tales even then, and thus already devolving into archetype and allegory. Boorman just carries forward that tradition, and I think its a wonderful film because of that.
It's almost as if Movie Timelines has no idea that the plot somehow pre-dates the film.
Chris Makepeace is the name of the kid that Bill Murray tries to help in the Meatballs movie 🍿 Chris’sakes.. 1979!? 😳 I’m old now lolol 😮Sincerely, David J. Goldbaum Boston Mass. USA 🇨🇳 Naturrally.. right.
@@mookie2637 It even predates England as a country! The film's certainly the best version of the legend on film. It's what got me into both the legend and the works of Wagner!
Can't get enough of these videos! Your making this sci-fi horror fan really happy!
I dare say Heavy Metal is at least a 4.5 in cultural significance. Its influence is still being felt to this day.
it’s a tough one, because i feel like it’s been widely influential, but i feel like it’s never hit that mainstream acceptance like i would hope it would. I usually reserve the 5’s and 4.5’s for movies that have reached that mass appeal level of things.
I agree with you in my heart but suspect that Josh is correct in actuality, you can however console yourself in the knowledge that the heavy metal magazine is BEYOND influential in sci-fi film (which he touches on in the recap) mostly due to it being the first place most American film makers saw the European sci-fi/fantasy aesthetic that would end the era of flying saucers and cigar shaped rocket ships here and take us to the more organic and lived in sci-fi of the 70's on. Great movie regardless and a 5 out of 5 for me
@@movietimelines Cool, I can see that.
@@RussellCHallWell said and you described it perfectly. As an innocent teenager in the late 80's i discovered the magazine alongside my introduction to the comic book medium. I would never be the same.
In terms of the IP itself, but not really the film. The magazine was the real star of the show. Film still has cult classic status of course.
“The Girl…Gold Watch” stinger features Burton Gilliam. Sweet man who loves to meet fans.
Wow! I was playing Warzone and thought man I wish there was a new...holy crap! Perfect timing! Love your work here! As a literal child of the 80s (late 70s whatever😅) I super appreciate your hard work!
🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation:
🎬 Introduction *to '80s Sci-Fi Project*
- One man's attempt to watch all '80s Sci-Fi films.
- Host: Josh Spiegel.
- Focus on Sci-Fi films of 1981.
🌌 Broad *Genre Inclusion*
- Definition of the genre, including fantasy, superheroes, and Kaiju.
- Acknowledgment of varying opinions on what qualifies as Sci-Fi.
- Exploration of diverse films within the genre.
📺 The *Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy TV Mini-Series (1981)*
- Discussion of the TV mini-series adaptation.
- Brief summary of the plot and characters.
- Acknowledgment of its significance in Sci-Fi and comedy.
🕵️ The *Incredible Shrinking Woman (January 30, 1981)*
- Overview of the film's plot and characters.
- Joel Schumacher's first theatrical film.
- Mention of the film's parody of commercialism.
🌎 Earthbound *(January 30, 1981)*
- Description of the low-budget release involving aliens.
- Mention of its origins as a TV pilot.
- Emphasis on its obscurity and lack of success.
👽 Surreal *Softcore Sci-Fi: Sex is Crazy (1981)*
- Synopsis of the film's surreal plot involving aliens and sexual shenanigans.
- Directed by Jess Franco, known for numerous films.
- Recognition of its softcore content.
🚗 The *Last Chase (April 10, 1981)*
- Brief overview of the action sci-fi film.
- Lee Majors as the protagonist in a post-apocalyptic setting.
- Discussion on the film's reception and Lee Majors' career.
⚔️ Excalibur *(April 10, 1981)*
- Introduction to the fantasy film based on King Arthur's legend.
- Director John Borman's involvement and challenges during production.
- Mention of the film's visual appeal, mixed with critical reviews.
🚀 "Escape *From New York" is a dystopian sci-fi film set in 1997, where Manhattan is a high-security prison, and anti-hero Snake Plissken must rescue the president within 24 hours.*
🎬 Directed *by John Carpenter, the film incorporates satirical elements and was a box office success, grossing around $25 million against a $6 million budget.*
🌐 The *script, written in the 70s, reflected post-Watergate skepticism towards the presidency, making it a unique action story with a cult following.*
🎭 The *film features Kurt Russell as Snake Plissken, with supporting roles from Tom Atkins and Adrienne Barbeau, contributing to its star-studded cast.*
🎨 "Heavy *Metal" adapts stories from the French comic magazine Metal Hurlant, presenting a collection of animated sci-fi tales with an adult theme.*
🎞️ Despite *mixed reviews, "Heavy Metal" garnered a cult following, earning $20 million at the box office, and is remembered for its unique anthology format.*
📜 Each *story in "Heavy Metal" is distinct, ranging from futuristic film noir to sci-fi sword and sorcery, showcasing diverse animation styles and creativity.*
🎵 Legal *issues with the film's music delayed home releases, but it eventually gained proper distribution in 1996, contributing to its enduring legacy.*
Made with HARPA AI
That was my favorite of the Hitchhikers Guide movies!
Outland was such a great film, i never get tired of watching it!
Clash of the Titans is another great film that i love to watch!
Harryhausen's work still stands up, and often is better than CGI! imho
Dragonquest is such a great film !
Heavy Metal is such a great movie, and the Bomber story is my favorite story in the movie!
Man, Dragonslayer is such an underrated gem. And Vermithrax Pejorative is still one of the best dragons ever in film. She's simply amazing.
I’m getting the 4k Bluray HDR soon.. I only have a remastered PB DL from a few years ago..
I really appreciate how not-precious Adams was with Hitchhikers. He wasn't flippant, but he wasn't precious with it either. He looked at each new adaptation, especially in a new medium, as another chance to almost rewrite it again. I gather Adams really enjoyed contantly adapting it, because there's been video games and of course the requisite Disney one shot (which he unfortunately died before it was released).
As someone who likes A LOT of stuff and cares about the creators of the stuff, I really appreciate how Adams knew interpreting and adapting the story to new formats and media would simply win new fans for the story and make it the classic that it is. I still wish we got sequels to the Disney film. Underrated classic
Excellent decision making an exception for The Hitchhikers Guide. You seem like the sort of frood who really knows where his towel is.
My fave from this bunch is Excalibur, with Escape close behind.
I first saw Outland only a few years ago and I was really impressed by Sean Connery's performance. I was used to seeinf him as either Bond or an eccentric mentor type. But as a world weary, everyman space cop, he's great.
Not specifically related but I just wanted to say, "The Incredible Shrinking Man" is a much better film than you'd think, and has to this day the best giant spider in movie history.
10/10 for doing this series so well.
11/10 for including Hitchhikers.
That shirt is the most awesome thing I've seen today. I love Hitchhiker too.
You broke a lamp!
The Clash Of The Titans was on like every Saturday morning. Incidentally this movie taught me that I was most probably gay.
Dragonslayer was tough.
I have seen Heavy Metal countless times, once or twice at midnight screenings. The woman at the Pentagon was the girl on Lost Saucer. The Dorse is king.
Great series!
I have a soft spot for The Last Chase. While it's shot in a telemovie style, many of the flying cinematography is exceptional and the score is very thematic. Lee Majors' separation from Fawcett is felt throughout and he really sells it as a guy at the final end of his rope. There are two versions, as the director's cut is R-rated. The Code Red DVD is long out of print and fetches a hefty price, but you have to make sure you get the corrected version, as the first pressing has severe audio desync.
Excalibur's importance cannot be overstated. I know Boorman's filmography has questionable entries, but I'm convinced he's gonna go down as a legendary director, if he hasn't already.
I was 17 in 1981 and saw the best of these movies in the theater when they came out, yes, be jealous of me!
“Outland” is a weird movie. It looks amazing: analog future tech. And it’s clearly “High Noon”. It never lives up to the potential.
Totally agree. HBO played Clash of the Titans possibly hundreds of times and I watched most of them. Loved it, not so much the remake.
When it comes to Burl Ives... Nope, it's not Christmas I think of. it's Happy Happy Joy Joy that comes to my mind.
In Lifepod, the hero is Joe Penny, star of TV Show as Riptide or Jack & the Fatman
He also very wisely stayed away from Carmela Soprano.
YES!!! Love the 80's Project series, and while horror is my favorite, I'm really enjoying the Sci-Fi episodes, and finding lots of movies to track down. Thank you for all your great work, and I'm enjoying your new book, too!
Escape from New York is brilliant 👍 😊🐾 💜
Jurassic Park originally planned to use Go-Motion for the dinosaurs, but instead went CGI.
Dragonslayer's go-motion was done in a more limited way for Empire Strikes Back. Love your channels, Josh.
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy book series are one of the best sci-fi book series I ever read.
Excalibur is a classic! I will watch this every time I have a chance to!
Okay, you convinced me. Used this months Audible credit on Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.
And yes, I know, being an English Nerd, I should have been reading it while hanging off of my mothers teat! LOL
it’s a great book. the successive chapters aren’t quite as strong as the earlier ones, but it’s such a fun read.
I'm glad Landis left "incredible shrinking woman" I would have missed Charles Grodin and Lily if he crushed them with that spider.
i snort laughed at this.
And as we finally arrive at my birthdate, we get the excellent Escape From New York.
Hell yeah.
isn't eascape from LA better?
Not only do I think of Christmas when I hear Burl Ives, I also think of creepypasta narrator Otis Jiry. 🙂
My lineup? 1. Escape from New York, 2. Dragonslayer, 3.Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, 4. Clash of the Titans, 5. The Incredible Shrinking Woman. The other ones I really don't know or remember. But my top five here are some of my favorites!
I am absolutely loving this strand, I look forward to Saturday mornings to catch up with it now!
Great to see DRAGONSLAYER getting some love, one of my very favourite films. George Martin has used the name of the dragon - Vermithrax - and the credit for the go-motion work is well justified. One wee thing though; in the trailer that can be found here and there online there are scenes of Sir Rich Ralphardson getting up to magical allsorts not seen in the movie suggesting deleted scenes which I don’t think have ever surfaced. If there’s any details on these it’d be great to hear about them.
Anyway, fantastic work and looking forward to next week already!
“Under the category of ‘genre.’” The word “genre” actually means, “a category of artistic, musical, or literary composition characterized by a particular style, form, or content.” So pretty much every movie is “a genre film.” Yet, in RUclips parlance, it’s as if it’s become a way of saying, “sci-fi and sci-fi-adjacent,” as if, say, romance, comedy, drama, etc. aren’t “genres.”
Music rights can be a bitch. I remember Stevie Wonder not being featured in the home release of The Thing until the DVD came out. Probably a lot of examples of studios only having theatrical rights and not wanting to pay addition money for home video. Unlike Heavy Metal it didn't really impact the film, but it was nice to hear it put back in.
6/13. The dragon in Dragonslayer is STILL my favorite on-screen dragon!
Love the shirt, Josh.
I have the schematic diagram of a Babel fish shirt, which I wear proudly.
(And if you really wanna feel '80s..who else played the C-64 text game of "Hitchhikers"?)
used to love that game. it’s where i learned the word “analgesic”
What a year!! I was a 13 year old girl and Snake Plissken left me shook! Outland, Clash of the Titans, Heavy Metal, Dragonslayer, saw all of them. I picked up the novel Hitchhiker's Guide on a whim, and that changed everything. I have to find out what songs they used on the home release soundtrack. The original was an absolute banger, curious to see how they altered it. This was a blast, can't wait for part 2!
Wow you had so much man meat to ogle in the 80s 🤔
The way men and women were depicted in film back then was so different to each other! Back then there were actresses and actors, now they're all actors.
Conan
I was hoping that you’d get to Condorman in this one. I know it’s not sci-fi, as such, but it certainly ain’t horror so it’d live here a lot better than the main timeline. Maybe next episode? 🤞
yup. it’ll be in the 2nd part of this.
@@movietimelines Thanks for the answer, sir!
My favorite of this set has to Heavy Metal. I first watched that at just the right time in my teen years.
HEAVY METAL was the bomb, watched it few times already. What a masterpiece.
Got a chance to finish the video. I saw most of the movies mentioned. thanks a bunch.
Re: Heavy Metal
Dark Horse Comics is putting out new hardcover collections of Richard Corben's Den. Which is especially nice, since they were out of print for decades.
Damn you! Now Im addicting to this series. When is the next one? :D I'm fiendin'!!!
these take a while to produce, but the next episode arrives on Aug. 4th!
@movietimelines Thanks! And please TAKE YOUR TIME. The quality of these are great. Love your horror series as well
you start with that T Shirt, and lead into the greatest TV show ever, and consider me hooked 🙂
Almost half of these movies were my jam when I was a kid. Excalibur, Clash of the Titans, Dragon Slayer, Escape from New York, and Heavy Metal all rank among favorites of mine. If I had to pick a top choice, I'd go with Escape, because John Carpenter and Snake. 🐍
I was waiting for this series bro. I hope you make them as long as you want. the longer the better. love your work. thank you in advance. I paused the video 5 seconds in to like and comment. :)
"...he dropped a helicopter on someone." Damn! This comment had me do a spit take.
cool! waiting for part 2 now
coming next friday!
@@movietimelines it is!?
Sweeeeet!
Don't forget that Emperor Palpatine is flamed out by the dragon in Dragonslayer!
Me and my girlfriend literally watched Clash of the Titans on Sunday, it was on TV as we both vegged out on the couch too hungover from the night before to bother doing anything else lol I still enjoyed it 😂
Josh even though you like Shocker i decided to get over it and keep loving you in the way only a Koopa can
Love it...Back when I was a teenage fetus, I jumped into a truck with my high school chums, dropped some acid and went to the movies, had no idea what we were going to see...It was Excalibur, and I have been releasing the dragons breath ever since .
I'll give Outland an extra point for having the great Frances Sternhagen as Dr. Lazarus.
Dragonslayer is the closest that Hollywood has ever come to making a horror fantasy movie.
True!
I think I need that shirt.. or it's the PGGB talking.. or the brick wrapped with a lemon.
You should also mention the Harry section of Heavy Metal got remade as The Fifth Element.
It may be 42 years old, but the 1981 CLASH OF THE TITANS is by far the superior movie to the 2010(?) version.
Another fantastic video. Great job! Harry Canyon also inspired The Fifth Element.
I loved The Last Chase and did a rewatch recently. What a load of shit. It's so bad I'm ashamed I enjoyed it as a kid.
My favorite genre from my second favorite era.
Let’s do this!
This was awesome!
It be might more accurate to say that Heavy Metal magazine was inspired by Metal Herlant, as both magazines/brands continue to exist today as seperate enties from two different companies.
And AFAIK, attempts to make a Snake Plissken-related video game has fallen through (same with a possible anime, though have been a few board games, believe it or not).
And this is super nitpicky, but post-Clash of the Titans, Ray Harryhausen did make one more short film, an adaptation of The Tortoise and the Hare (which had started filming decades prior, but then abandoned at the time).
Other wise, excellent stuff.
Metal Hurlant?
Earthbound sounds ridiculous. Imagine someone saying to you "Let's do Lost In Space, but they're aliens. Stuck on earth. And they look like humans. They'll have adventures!"
Like, what, picking up a parcel? Paying taxes? Just from the summary alone you can see why every network passed on it.
Isn't it an infinity improbability drive? There are radio adaptations of all of the books, I think. Pan galactic gargle blasters all round!
I loved Not Necessarily the News as a kid (I am old).
I have such mixed feelings about The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I absolutely LOVED the 1st book and the movie adaptations. But the ending of the final book is so abrupt and rage inducing, it made me regret spending all the time I spent that summer reading through the 4 books.
There’s was so many good films that year
Please don't take this as a complaint, but I noticed that you're making a common mistake about movie box office results. Studios do not get all the money from the box and similarly the production budget is not all of the film's budget, it's just the budget that is publicly known. So you can't just look at the box office total and the production budget and figure out if a film is a success or not.
Every film is different and whether or not a movie actually makes money (as opposed to the Hollywood accounting which always loses money) is complicated and I could drill down into a lot of needless details for trying to penetrate what studios prefer to keep quiet. However, there is a rule of thumb that can be used: if the box is three times it's production budget then the movie was probably a success. It's not an absolute, films that made more than that have been disasters for studios who thought they were going to have the biggest movie of all time and studios that made less than that have been cheerful successes because the studio was able to work alternate revenue streams. Studios really don't want people to know how successful or not a movie actually is.
Sorry if this comes across as kind of harsh. It's just something I see all the time.
the way the industry works is weird. generally, studios refer to anything that makes more than its budget as a success, even if that indicates that it’s not initially profitable. honestly, if you ask producers, i feel like they’ll claim that a film that makes 5x its budget lost money. when you consider how the whole tax/loss situation works, it seems like there’s potential to make more money off of a film that doesn’t make its budget back.
the odder part is that i know producers out here, and they use that same criteria. if it makes more than its production budget, it’s referred to as a success, so that’s what i roll with as well.
it’s a strange industry.
A friends dad took us when I was ten years old to see Excalibur in theatre. What a massacre lol
What I love about Outland is how it could easily coexist in the same universe as Alien, Blade Runner, and Aliens. What I don't like about Outland is its scientifically inaccurate depiction of explosive decompression in space, which doesn't actually happen. Your face and hands might swell a bit, but you wouldn't explode. The most that would happen would be suffocation, pulmonary hemorrhaging or embolism if you held your breath, or if you survived, decompression sickness, also known as “the bends."
Lifepod was actually a remake of Alfred Hitchcock's Lifeboat.
Can u do unanswered questions of the Netflix series Dark please🙏
Outland should get an extra bit of cultural significance since it learned from Zardoz and covered Sean Connery completely except his hand and head.
Not sure why the 'Girl & the Gold Watch" movies were such a big deal on the Chicago WGN station.
Great T-shirt
Gaining 20 milion on a 16 milion budget is not a succes. It's a loss. Marketing budget is not included in the production budget and the studio does not get to keep all the box office. The theaters get a big share as well. That being said, I very much enjoy these videos. Thanks for making them.
the way the industry works is weird. generally, studios refer to anything that makes more than its budget as a success, even if that indicates that it’s not initially profitable. honestly, if you ask producers, i feel like they’ll claim that a film that makes 5x its budget lost money.
@@movietimelines That's because they don't want to pay the actual creators of the movie extra money. Basically what happened with the first two alien movies. And I can imagine that sometimes they claim a non-existing succes to save face. 😉
Anyway, usually it is assumed that a movie has to make at least twice its production budget in order to break even. Which seems logical considering the theaters probably take about 40% of the proceeds. Although that too can vary.
0:21 “1980 PT. 2”?
I hope he doesn't reupload...
“Intentional Mistake to generate comments.”
just a little error. left over from the previous episode.
@@movietimelines Kinda figured. No biggie.
Good stuff 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
I presume 1982 will have the thing for sci fi??
I’m gonna put that in the horror version of the project.
My favorite is Dragonslayer.
Was that a Leisure Suit Larry reference!?!?!!
hmm. which one? although i did used to play the Larry games, i don’t think i referenced one here.
@@movietimelines the funny voice Morgan Fairchild line is almost word for word out of one of the games
oh, i see. no. that’s a reference to a classic Jon Lovitz SNL lying character. Larry was actually quoting that bit.
ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK was my first pick as well but HEAVY METAL the movie should have got 5 stars for culture impact The design concepts went on to become great movie genre including BLADE RUNNER a definite cult classic 🤔
Are there any differences between science fiction and fantasy?
Escape from New York is just so many ways awesome. And it’s not even Capenter’s/Kirk’s best film.
Kirk? Captain Kirk?
@@dankeplace oops meant Kurt lol
I read the Hitchhiker book first for fun in school. Maybe that’s why I was disappointed in the movie versions they made.
nothing really lives up to the book, although i enjoyed both of the live action versions on their own.
@@movietimelines it’s kind of like with Dune, there is way too much to squeeze into one movie
Love this project but it does bug me a little bit that you put fantasy on the Sci-Fi list.
Hell yeah!
Has Helen Mirren ever been in a horror film? I can’t think of one and that seems like a tragedy. Excalibur is the second best Fantasy film of the 80’s after Conan the Barbarian.
Nevermind, she did that Winchester bullshit
So fantasy is considered sci-fi?
Check out this videos intro
i grew up on clash of the titans, dragonslayer, heavy metal, and excalibur (one of my favorite films to this day) on vhs. somehow, today's films just fail to capture my imagination in the same way as even the cheesiest 80s fantasy did.
Sorry but there should be a tie here for number one escape from New York and heavy metal rest of them are just good but nowhere near the top. Every chance I could I've watched both these movies I have literally a pirated copy of a copy of a copy of heavy metal on VHS I've also got the remastered VHS the Blu-ray and a DVD I'm looking forward to getting a hold of the 4K and the digital download same thing with escape from New York. That's how much these two movies should be tied for number one.
Heavy Metal was released in 1981!? 😳 I did not know that. I loved 🥰 the soundtrack of this movie 🍿 Thankfully yours- David j. Goldbaum Boston Mass. 🇨🇳
Yes yes yes!! Keep it going!!!
How, I repeat how did you confuse Lee Van Cleef for John Wayne
it was mainly a joke. i just mostly know Van Cleef for Liberty Valance, so it seemed like a fun way to squeeze a reference to that movie in.
Did you say Robert Hamandegger?
Looking forward to 1987… Get to Da CHOPPA!!!!
18:42 Why does Wilma look like Betty Rubble?
When You will be on year 1984, do not forget about movie "Sexmission".