Mrs Thatcher became Prime Minister, Idi Amin was deposed, and John Wayne died.

It was a year of change and consequences.

It was also a year filled with science fiction.

It wasnt always good, but it was everywhere.

Alien

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The Nostromo travels through space.

It will wake up to a distress beacon, and a planet where strange beings fought for survival.

The unexpected, the unthinkable, will happen to the traditional hero.

We were dragged there, slowly and precisely, by Scotts direction.

Not bad going for just one Xenomorph.

The Black Hole

Have Disney always had their eyes on theStar Warsuniverse?

Okay, so you cant really see a black hole, but you know what I mean.

Its an uncomfortable mix of family-friendly moments tied with deep unpleasantness.

And we see him use it its the first on-screen death to appear in a Disney film.

Are there any other family films that contain an actor whos best known for playing a serial killer?

What a weird delightThe Black Holeis, particularly the very strange and disturbing ending.

And the score, by John Barry, is the best thing about it.

The Brood

Oliver Reed dominates this film with his unique threat of violence.

You cant take your eyes off him; it seems something really nasty is about to happen.

And, since this is a David Cronenberg film, you know its going to get very nasty indeed.

The wife demands to see the daughter, and he suspects physical abuse.

How can he protect his child?

People start to die around the daughter, and the science fiction element rears its very ugly head.

The therapy is creating something that cant be controlled.

Get the uncut version and enjoy.

Larson also co-wrote the theme song, which plays over the very slick and soft-focus opening credits.

The rooms are endless and connected by shiny corridors and stairwells.

Its a cross between an Escher painting and Hotel California.

The whole thing reminds me of FassbindersWorld on a Wire, which is no bad thing.

Theres also a great dog that takes your luggage and shows you to your room.

Even Hotel California didnt have that.

Maybe stick to the film.

Mad Max

I had to check thatMad Maxreally was made in 1979.

Its great to revisit this film and be reminded of why Mel Gibson conquered the movie world.

He bursts out of the screen in this movie.

When they mess with Max, he becomes a lone figure of vengeance, in the best movie fashion.

Cue cars and stunts and a really satisfying nasty conclusion that apparently inspired the Saw franchise.

The later films all looked a bit too recognisably dystopian to me, but here life continues as usual.

Policemen still have a go at preserve order, husbands and wives still have a go at raise babies.

Meteor

I love disaster movies, and this one contains every cliche.

But never fear, we arent all going to die, although a few major cities might get splatted.

Thats what happens in disaster movies.

Nobody is actually required to do anything to save the world except look at some computers and wait.

This is an ongoing problem with disaster movies about meteors.

Still, in the meantime, watch Sean Connery stand around and shout with Karl Malden.

Quintet

Paul Newman is a movie God.

So is Robert Altman.

But there is a reason why nobody really remembers Quintet, and thats because its not very memorable.

Newman plays Essex, a seal hunter who becomes embroiled in the game.

He rarely emotes, and everyone is smothered in bulky hats and furs that resemble medieval costume.

If only it wasnt downhill from there.

Its loosely based on their novel,Roadside Picnic.

There is a Stalker.

Within The Zone there is a Room where your deepest desire can come true.

Director Andrei Tarkovsky has never been interested in feeding viewers an easy experience.

And, of course, about The Room.

What is your own deepest desire?

I wonder if any of them find what they are really looking for?

Its an idea for the planet Earth that I never get tired of.

But this firstStar Trekmovie never got much love.

The effects still look stunning, and the crew are as reliable as ever.

She died from a heart attack in 1998 at the young age of 49.

When you revisit these movies, some look incredibly dated and some look as fresh as ever.

What if science takes us in this new and scary direction in the future?

But that only adds to the enjoyment of the film.

And, in some cases, the questions raised have become more relevant than ever.

Thats the most incredible thing about science fiction sometimes it gets it right.

It was, indeed, a heck of a year.