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Scarecrow Academy presents the second part of our in-depth look at how some great directors tackled science fiction. The Art in Sci-Fi Part 2: Science Fiction and the Director continues with its fall semester, an eight-week online discussion series in which we’ll analyze directing methods in detail, and define what makes great style in this rich, complex genre.
Discussions are led by National Society of Film Critics member Robert Horton, author of the Seasoned Ticket column at the Scarecrow blog and Scarecrow’s “Historian-Programmer in Residence.”
The Zoom sessions are free and open to all, but we ask participants to watch the films in advance of the events. Registration is required. To register and learn more about film viewing options, visit:
bit.ly/scarecrowacademy
Sessions are on Saturdays at 2:00 pm Pacific Time and include:
October 22
The Bride of Frankenstein (James Whale, 1935). This classic of the Universal horror cycle is also a great science fiction picture, as it poses a fundamental question of sci-fi — what does it mean to be human? — in a blend of horror and campy humor that still feels fresh.
October 29
Seconds (John Frankenheimer, 1966). The director of The Manchurian Candidate brings his 1960s sensibility and powerful visual style to the dark tale of a man who trades his body for a younger model (Rock Hudson in his riskiest performance) and finds the result a tricky one.
November 5
Blade Runner (Ridley Scott, 1982). One of the most influential sci-fi pictures of them all, this futuristic spectacle follows replicant hunter Harrison Ford through his noirish duties—but who, in the end, are we rooting for?
November 12
Miracle Mile (Steve De Jarnatt, 1988). L.A. musician Anthony Edwards answers a random phone call announcing that the nukes are about to drop. Is it real, and what do you do if you have 90 minutes left? De Jarnatt’s answers in this cult film are wacky and suspenseful.
November 19
Signs (M. Night Shyamalan, 2002). Two brothers (Mel Gibson and Joaquin Phoenix) realize that crop circles on their farm are indications of a coming alien visitation, a situation that provides Shyamalan a chance to exercise his talent for purely cinematic chills—and he doesn’t even need a twist ending.
November 26
Ex Machina (Alex Garland, 2014). An alluring Artificial Intelligence robot (Alicia Vikander) is all too convincing in this sinister and wickedly funny film from the director of Annihilation and Men.
December 3
Little Joe (Jessica Hausner, 2019). A meticulously crafted story of scientists developing new plant species, the effect of which might be more alarming than expected. Emily Beecham won the Cannes Best Actress prize for this variation on Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
December 10
Nope (Jordan Peele, 2022). The director of Get Out swings big with his UFO extravaganza, in which Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer watch the skies to get photographic evidence of the imminent invasion, with a dollop of Hollywood satire thrown in.
