Movies I Love Despite Their Flaws

Movie:  The Martian Year: 2015 Director:  Ridley Scott Starring: Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Jeff Daniels, Kristen Wiig Another Ridley Scott movie? Yeah, I like his work. I was excited to see this after reading the fantastic book by Andy Weir. And, above all, I was hoping that they could do the book justice. They did. Over the years, I've seen movie after movie that unfold on Mars and I've seen all manner of awfulness on the screen. This movie didn't have that. There were no big round Martian moons (because Mars' moons are neither big nor round), no bulgy eyes due to decompression (I'm looking at you, Arnold) and no freezing solid (Tim Robbins, we need to talk). But it's not a flawless movie and the scientist that lives in my brain* kept kicking the back of my chair. So this is to acknowledge what he was telling me. The Flaws One of them is a major plot hole. The whole reason that Mark Watney winds up stranded is that there is a Martian windstorm

Movie:  Alien Year:  1979 Director:  Ridley Scott Starring: Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, John Hurt, Ian Holm, Yaphet Kotto, Veronica Cartwright Much like when I went to see Star Wars,  I didn't know much about this movie at all before I saw it. The magazine Heavy Metal (the American offspring of the French BD magazine Metal Hurlant ) had some production photos and artists' illustrations but didn't go into any detail about plot. I didn't know who any of the actors were except Yaphet Kotto who I'd seen in a James Bond movie. Also, like when I went to see Star Wars, my buddy and I trekked the 54 mile drive to Boise to see this one. On the drive home, we didn't say anything at all. We were left speechless for an hour long drive. The Flaws There aren't a lot of them but they are there and most of them are only visible to the very astute (read: nitpicky as hell) filmgoer. When the crew leaves the ship into what is seen as an incredible wind storm, t

Movie:  Star Wars Year:  1977 Director:  George Lucas Starring:  Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Alec Guinness I went into this movie knowing very little about it. I'd seen a couple of Ralph McQuarrie's pre-production paintings in Starlog  magazine and a short article in Newsweek. But a friend had seen a trailer and read other things about it so we took a 54 mile drive to the nearest theater that was showing it opening weekend. From the moment we startled when the music started until the lights came up at the end, we were gobsmacked. Today's audiences can't quite grasp what it was like. We'd never seen anything like it. Prior to that, we'd had 2001: a space odyssey and Silent Running  but the ships weren't as fast moving and dynamic as those in Star Wars . On the drive home, neither of us could say a word for the first 25 miles. Then we couldn't shut up about it! And people have been talking about this movie for over 40 years now. The Fl

Movie: The Day the Earth Stood Still Year: 1951 Director: Robert Wise Starring: Michael Rennie, Patricia Neal, Hugh Marlowe and Sam Jaffe When I was 10 or 11 years old, this movie played regularly on late night TV. I must have seen it half a dozen times in one summer. The alien nature of Klaatu (Michael Rennie) fascinated me and the giant robot Gort (Lock Martin) scared the bejesus out of me! Helen Benson (Patricia Neal) and her son Bobby (Billy Gray) gave us characters that could keep this grounded in reality. I loved it. I still do. Today, it's probably my all-time favorite movie. Don't even mention that travesty with Keanu Reeves. The less said about it, the better. The Flaws There's a point when the crowd surrounding the spacecraft all run away in fear. The director decided to overcrank the camera. Instead of looking panicky, they just look like goofy characters in a Keystone Kops movie. The "metal" of the giant robot Gort was actually made of foam