Thursday, April 12, 2012

K is for Kings of Sci-Fi

Finally it's here, the much anticipated (on my part) Kings of Sci-Fi post. I’ve been looking forward to this one the whole A-Z challenge, because for this post I’m going to talk about a few of the biggest names in the film industry . . . and the science fiction genre.

Steven Spielberg
Spielberg is without a doubt one of the most prolific workers on this list. He's played a role, as either writer or director, on an incredible list of sci-fi films, including:
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
- ET (1982)
- Jurassic Park (1993, 1997, 2001)
- A.I. (2001)
- Minority Report (2002)
- War of the Worlds (2005)
He also acted as executive produced on Terra Nova TV series (2011), Falling Skies TV series (2011), Cowboys and Aliens (2011), Eagle Eye (2008), Back to the Future (1985, 1989), Transformers (2007, 2009, 2011) and Men in Black (1997, 2002, 2012). . . just for the record.

George Lucas
Just about everyone in the world knows George Lucas's outstanding contribution to the world of sci-fi . . . Star Wars. Though he’s worked on other things (including the famous Indiana Jones), it’s Star Wars that science fiction nerds will worship for years to come.

James Cameron
Cameron is, without a doubt, one of the most gifted directors in Hollywood. The Terminator, his first addition to the science fiction arena, has the distinction of also being my favorite movie of all times. 
- The Terminator (1984) 
- Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
- Aliens (1986)
- The Abyss (1989)
- Dark Angel tv series (produced, 2002)
- Avatar (2009)

Ridley Scott
Ridley Scott is known for being somewhat difficult to work with, but no one can deny the man's genius. And his upcoming movie, Prometheus, might be the most anticipated movie of 2012. At least in my book. 
- Alien (1979)
- Blade Runner (1982)
- Prophets of Science Fiction tv series (2011-2012)
- Prometheus (2012)

Joss Whedon
I'm sure everyone's getting sick of hearing me gush about Joss Whedon, but I can't seem to help myself. Check out his list of credits and you'll see why:
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992) 
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV series (1996-2003)
- Angel TV series (1999-2004)
- Alien Resurrection (wrote only, 1997)
- Titan AE (wrote, 2000)
- Firefly (2002-2003)  
- Serenity (2005)
- Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog (2008)   
- Dollhouse TV series (2009-2010)
- The Avengers (2012)

J. J. Abrams
I have to admit, I was never that big a Star Trek fan (unforgivable in a sci-fi nerd, I know), but Abrams changed my mind with this most recent version. I'm really looking forward to it's sequel. 
- Armageddon (wrote, 1998)
- Lost TV series (2004-2012)
- Cloverfield (produced, 2008)
- Fringe TV series (2008-2012)
- Star Trek (2009)
- Super 8 (2011)

Will Smith
Will Smith might have started out as a rapper, but he it was his work in the sci-fi field that made him really famous. It's just not really summertime without a blockbuster film with Will Smith battling a few aliens. 
- Independence Day (1996)
- Men in Black (1997, 2002 and 2012)
- I , Robot (2004)
- I am Legend (2004)
- Hancock (2007)

Michael Biehn
I think it's such a shame that Michael Biehn never made it bigger in Hollywood as he's one of my favorite actors. He has the distinction of being one of Cameron's favorite actors to work with, and has been in two of the biggest sci-fi franchises of all time. 
- The Terminator (1984)
- Aliens (1986)
- The Abyss (1989)
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This post is part of the Blogging A through Z Challenge 2012. My theme is (in case you didn’t already guess) science fiction. Stay tuned for the rest of the alphabet, and if you’d like to check in on the rest of the participants, simply click here.

35 comments:

  1. Great theme, I'm new to most of these (being a scifi noob), but oh, Yoda!

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  2. Awesome! I'm actually quite impressed with myself for knowing all these people - you can thank my sci-fi geek boyfriend for that lol!

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  3. Great post, my favourites are George Lucas and Joss Whedon, because I love Star Wars and Buffy! :)

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  4. Great post -- and I couldn't agree more about Will Smith and Michael Biehn. I can only say, tomorrow... "I'll be back"...

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  5. Looking over this post, I just realized I am a huge Sci-Fi nerd and didn't realize it.

    Was Indiana Jones Spielberg or Lucas?

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    1. Created by Lucas, directed by Spielberg. It was a team effort.

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  6. Great post! I love all of these!

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  7. My husband and I still enjoy watching the Terminator movies. And of course, Star Wars, Back to the Future, Blade Runner, Close Encounters and all fantastic. (I'm a Star Trek fan from the original series all the way through.)

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  8. So many kings in one place... although, I'm pretty sure Lucas lost his claim to the throne with Episodes I-III. Thus, let me offer up a replacement...

    I know you already covered one of Philip K. Dick's films on D-Day, but his stories have lead to so many others: Total Recall, Minority Report, Paycheck, and The Adjustment Bureau, to name a few. All hail King Dick!

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    1. I actually wrote all about him under D (for Dick). He's an idol of mine.

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  9. Another great post! I am hoping one of these Kings will pick up the Hunger Games since Ross pulled out of the sequel.

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  10. I miss Terminator James Cameron. Although I liked the spectacle of Avatar, the whole thing fell down for me because of the rampant white man's fantasy factor.

    Sigh.

    Joss! Joss is still the coolest. I'm looking forward to Cabin in the Woods. I think he produced it, but apparently it's got the Whedon touch.

    A-Z @ Elizabeth Twist

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  11. I'm a big fan of those guys. 10 year ago I would have added Zemeckis to that list, but he got enamoured with the cg movies and makes mostly Christmas movies now. Just seems weird to me. If Nolan keeps making films like inception then in the next 10 years we might have to add him to the list too.

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    1. I almost added Nolan to the list. His work definitely stands out. He is one of my personal favorites.

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  12. Awesome list! Some of those are among my favorites. (And my son is a HUGE Star Wars Geek! We were at Disneyland yesterday for spring break and he rode Star Tours at least 7 times! And he came home with a Wookie backpack!)

    My all-time favorite SciFi movie is SIgns. Not all Shyamalans have been amazing SciFi, but I do love Signs.

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  13. Total Kings! Great post. Love Whedon. :)

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  14. This is made.of.awesome. I had forgotten about some of these!

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  15. Oh my gosh. I'm totally going Nerd Haywire here. This post was friggin awesome I tell you!

    JJ Abrams, Ridley Scott... Dude I'm having a hard time containing the spewage of nerd knowledge.

    Have to say, I'm not a huge Trek fan either, but LOVED the latest movie. I've seen all the Next Generation episodes, but I have yet to learn Klingon.

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    1. Thanks! I couldn't wait to get to K so I could finally talk about all my sci-fi movie idols.

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  16. Wow, you've really picked some powerhouses. I wonder how many people even remembered Will Smith as a rapper. When our kids were teenagers, they listened to him and ... what was his partner's name? Something like Jazzy Jeff? Anyhow, they sang the one and only rap song this old lady actually liked: "Parents Just Don't Understand."

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    1. I did love his theme song for Prince of Bellaire though...

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  17. So many good choices! My faves of these are Whedon, Abrams and of course Lucas! :)

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  18. Reading this post makes me realize how far behind I am when it comes to movies/TV shows and the SF genre. Shame on me, since a lot of people seem to recommend immersing yourself in the genre you write!

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  19. Michael Biehn! Not many would think to name him. Good to put Spielberg first. Both Close Encounters and Jurassic Park still look good today even after all of these years.

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    1. He was in The Terminator AND Aliens. That makes him my hero.

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  20. I'm all about Avengers for this summer. Unfortunately, it's unlikely I'll be able to go to Skywalker for this one. Oh, well...

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    1. I'm not sure I've ever been this excited about an upcoming movie before. I wish it were May 4th already.

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  21. I'm a fan of all of these. And yes - glad to see some Michael Biehn love. He was so great in Terminator.

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  22. This is a great theme. I love all of these movies, and I'm glad that you have chosen to share these.

    www.modernworld4.blogspot.com

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  23. You get 1,000,000 awesome points for calling out Michael Biehn. He is my favorite actor, and SOOOO under-rated.

    I would also throw Strange Days in there for James Cameron. He wrote it, but Katherine Bigelow directed.

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    1. I know. I think it's tragic that he's not more appreciated.

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  24. This post is amazing! You have all my favorites.

    Just swinging through A to Z. Good luck with the rest of the challenge!

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  25. Great post! and some amazing people and movies featured. I LOVE sci-fi. I think Joss Whedon has to be my favourite, though. ;)

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  26. Awesome. All boxes checked. The thing is, though, I think Ridley Scott is in a special class of his own, because he's so absurdly versatile _ I mean, there's the Duelists, but also he made the single best chick flick ever. The fact that the maker of Bladerunner ALSO made Thelma and Louise is just too magical for me to handle.

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  27. I totally agree about Will Smith. I mean, there isn't a Big Willy movie I haven't seen and I have to admit that I'm uber excited about MIB3!!!

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