Flying Saucer Cinema - Fall

This classic science fiction film appreciation class showcases beloved films that cry out for viewing in a group setting the way they were first presented to the world. Each week will bring something new, films ranging from Golden Age sci-fi of the 1950s and 60s to the dystopian science fiction of the 1970s and occasional forays beyond. Co-hosts Eric Cohen and Mark Daniels will be your guides and provide you with film information, trivia, and lively post-screening discussion every week. We begin Fall Quarter with the quintessential sci-fi masterpiece of the 1950s, Fred Wilcox’s Forbidden Planet, featuring Leslie Nielsen, Anne Francis, and Walter Pidgeon. The story, which features a starship crew in the 23rd century investigating the silence of a distant planet's colony, prefigures Star Trek by more than a decade and is not to be missed! Next up is These are the Damned, a Hammer Films drama-thriller-horror-sci-fi mashup in which the misdeeds of a biker gang led by Oliver Reed morph into a story about creepy government experimentation. Our third entry for the quarter is the gonzo delight Night of the Lepus, a story of ginormous mutated bunny rabbits attacking an Arizona town. Last but not least is Outland, featuring Sean Connery as a federal marshal in what amounts to "High Noon in space." Whether you are a seasoned science fiction film buff or simply want to put your head in a different place for a couple of hours every week, this will be an engaging, fun adventure of a class you won't want to miss.