Fan Fare

Is “Blade Runner” the greatest sci-fi movie ever?

It’s a controversial call but sci-fi website Totalscifionline.com has come up with its list of the greatest sci-fi movies of all time — crowning the 1982 movie “Blade Runner” as the winner. Starring Harrison Ford and Rutger Hauer, and directed by Ridley Scott, the movie depicts a dystopian Los Angeles where manufactured beings called replicants are hunted down by Ford, a semi-retired blade runner.

“It¹s odd to think that “Blade Runner” was not a critical or commercial success on its initial release in 1982. Some critics dismissed it as a case of style over substance,” said Matt McAllister, editor of Totalscifionline.com. ”Yet while the depiction of a neon-lit future LA is still breathtaking, Ridley Scott¹s film is backed up a real sense of sadness, fear and longing .. However many times you¹ve seen Blade Runner before, it retains its awe-inspiring power. ”

In second place came Stanley Kubrick’s epic “2001: A Space Odyssey”while the first release of the Star Wars franchise, “Episode IV: A New Hope,” was listed at No. 3.

The list spans more than a century of movies in the sci-fi genre, with current release “Moon” making position 74, and “A Trip to the Moon” from 1902 in the top 15. Other entries in the list include two versions of “Invasion of the Body Snatchers,”  and a list of titles from the genre’s 1970s heyday such as “Silent Running,” “The Man Who Fell To Earth” and “The Andromeda Strain.” as well as films by Steven Spielberg, James Cameron and Russia’s Andrei Tarkovsky. Three “Star Trek” movies made the list with the newest movie coming in at 93, “The Wrath of Khan” at 19 and “The Undiscovered Country” at 67.

Following is the top 10 list. Do you agree?

1. Blade Runner (1982) 2. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) 3. Star Wars (1977) 4. Alien (1979) 5. Metropolis (1927) 6. The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) 7. The Terminator (1984) 8. Planet of the Apes (1968) 9. E.T. (1982) 10. Solaris (1972)

AFI’s 10 Greatest Films in Classic Genres. Do you agree?

The American Film Institute unveiled its list of the “10 Greatest Films in 10 Classic Genres” in a three-hour CBS Television Network special this week. A jury of 1,500 film artists, critics and historians named the following films as the very best in their genres but do you agree?:

2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (Science Fiction) – CITY LIGHTS (Romantic Comedy) – THE GODFATHER (Gangster) -  LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (Epic) – RAGING BULL (Sports) – THE SEARCHERS (Western) – SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS (Animation) – TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (Courtroom Drama) – VERTIGO (Mystery) - THE WIZARD OF OZ (Fantasy).

For a full list of the honorees in each category go to the AFI Web site.