Sleep Dealer

First of all, although you have never heard of it, this is one of my favorite sci-fi stories that I have ever seen. It came out recently, so see if you can find it in theaters! Please note: if you liked Transformers 2, this movie is not for you, it is about you.

I had no idea what to expect when going to see this movie. It was a Mexican sci-fi, so I was kind of curious what the budget would be like. The special effects are pretty consistently average, but some of the major plot points seem to drop the ball on the special effects. This doesn't stop it from being an amazing sci-fi though because the script combines brilliant social commentary and an interesting personal story with some really relevant concepts of future technology. The movie also obviously prioritizes production value, so despite some inconsistencies, it never feels too cheezy.

The story follows a young man growing up in Mexico in the near future. The movie is as much about the future of America as it is the future of Mexico because of our close relationship as neighbors. It is also, like all good sci fi, a very revealing look at the present. I think that the scariest thing about this movie is how close to the mark it hits. I have never seen such a stunning in-depth 3rd person perspective of America as this movie offers. This movie shows a dark underbelly that could easily be a parallel future to any sci-fi epic we've ever seen as told by the country that knows us best. It also reveals that the future might not be nearly as glamorous as we imagine it to be, especially for those who are not privileged enough to live in a country with international leverage.

This movie really gives a voice to the millions of people who don't have movies or Internet to broadcast their struggles in the quickly globalizing economy. By the end of the movie, I was pretty convinced, and I think if you watch it you may be a little more skeptical of the future too.

Moon

(I saw this movie at Sundance film festival at a preview screening)  First of all, if you like good sci-fi movies, go see this movie.  Second, if you don't like good sci fi movies, what are you doing on the Internet? Turn off your electricity and stop polluting the future.  

This movie was really outstanding in its ability to convey a sense of environment.  The main character is a miner stuck on a 3 year term of service alone on the moon.  I really feel that the set, the story and the character are all very convincing.  I generally don't like when sci-fi movies imply that somehow the future is never dirty.  This movie, however, is aided by one of the set designers for the movie Alien and is inspired by a lot of other great sci-fi movies as well.  

Despite writing about the atmosphere of this movie, the plot is also outstanding.  I could also really imagine the exact scenario played out by the movie occurring in reality as soon as the technology became available.  For this reason I strongly recommend avoiding the previews for it. 

I know this movie isn't out yet, so there's no real way to know if it will be a neglected gem or not.  I mentioned it anyways because it is an incredible sci-fi movie made on a really tight budget an it has a lot of potential to be neglected because it is not accompanied by a giant marketing campaign.   Moon comes out June 12th, 2009

Brazil

I really think Brazil is my favorite movie of all time. I have no idea how you can manage to combine such an awesome dystopian world with large amounts of fantasy and such interesting characters and still constantly surprise the viewer with unexpected events and visuals.











I really can't even begin to express what a clever parody this movie is of society and despite having quite a few laughs, you end up kind of disturbed by the fact that it's a little too familiar. Even after watching the movie a few times, I was still picking up things I may have missed the first time through. (like the fact that somehow every day is christmas)














This movie's kind of confusing so if you've seen it and you didn't like it, do yourself a favor and watch it again. I realize that's not a big selling point but this movie's one that's worth the effort.

La Cité des enfants perdus (City of Lost Children)

Most people who are into international or subtitled movies have probably already seen this but I still feel that it's an underrated movie. The art direction and concepts are so great that no one should miss out on it.










If you like good art direction, I think you'll especially enjoy this movie's use of limited color palettes. The plot is also really cool and deals with Missing children who are being experimented on in what looks like an an offshore oil platform. The setting is very dystopian and a lot of children fend for themselves. This movie's easy to find so don't miss it.

Madame Tutli Putli

This 20 min. short is one of the best movies I have ever seen in my life. Nobody I know has heard of it. It is a brilliant use of stop motion with so much subtlety to the animation that you really believe you're watching a real human being. Aesthetically it can't be matched. I keep telling people to see it, but word of mouth apparently doesn't work without a strong marketing campaign to add to the hype. The ending was too conceptual for my taste but other than that this short borders on perfect. You can pick it up along with some other amazing shorts on this DVD: A Collection of 2007 Academy Award: Nominated Short Films (2007)

Los Cronocrímenes (Time Crimes)

Like a lot of movies I see, I went to see Time Crimes with no expectations at all. I barely remembered the preview and didn't know what to expect. I think this is the best attitude to have because it prevents boxing a movie into a genre mentally. I suppose you can call it a thriller but above everything else this is THE movie about time travel. How does it accomplish this on a small budget? It uses the secret weapon that makes Hollywood shake in terror: an amazing plot.













This movie doesn't rely on the "wow, it's a dinosaur!" as much as it really deals with the mind-bending complexity of time travel. What may seem like plot holes while watching the movie slowly reveal themselves to be limitations on your abstract thinking skills upon further reflection. The true genius of this movie won't hit you until after you're done watching it. If like me you enjoy thinking, this movie should be #1 on your list of movies to see. (I also recommend seeing the movie before researching it further because it is truly misrepresented in its marketing and some reviews)