The State of Scientist Cinema
I came across an interesting article from the New York Times today, giving a run-down of what’s new in the "scientist film" genre. According to the author, we're still waiting for that special film to do for scientists what The Godfather did for la cosa nostra (um, didn’t he see Medicine Man!?). Anyway, while we all wait for the next Brando to sweep the Oscars in a lab coat, the genre is nonetheless active; a few examples given include The Mist in the Palm Trees, billed as the first “quantum film” and Challenger, a recently announced production starring David Strathairn (Good Night, and Good Luck) as Richard Feynman, a gifted physicist who investigated the Challenger disaster.
On the very slim chance that you didn’t love Connery as a rogue rainforest researcher finding and losing a cure for cancer, what are some other science films that tickle your fancy, blog readers? —John Mahoney
Outbreak's not-ebola-but-really-ebola virus, with Donald Sutherland as crazy US government agent gets my vote.
Also, Elisabeth Shue as the cold-fusion scientist in The Saint = awesome. However, Denise Richards as scientist in that Bond movie = not awesome.
Posted by: teleportationstation | May 24, 2006 at 11:57 AM
Nicholas Cage as the FBI Chemist who drives a Volvo, a beige one, in The Rock has my vote.
David Goldblum as the Cable Guy in Independance Day.........not so much. "I know exactly how to destroy the alien invasion cuz my dad sneezed on me! Hard liquor rules!!"
Posted by: Insomniac | May 24, 2006 at 01:02 PM
what about the movie Real Genius? Do college movies about the MIT culture/style count - 'cause that was perhaps the ultimate Teen/Twenty-somethings Scientist movie.
Posted by: aaron | May 24, 2006 at 10:49 PM
Well if you are gonna go there, then Weird Science has my vote!
Posted by: Insomniac | May 25, 2006 at 01:00 PM
There is no taste out there on the Internet, I swear (except for the Real Genius and Weird Science guys—big up). Hasn’t anybody here seen Stealth? That’s the most scientifically-accurate movie I’ve ever seen, and I’m a professional. My favorite part is when illegally downloading music off the Web turns the robotic plane evil. Musta been the Papa Roach—that crud turns me evil, too. Wait, what was I talking about?
Posted by: Joe Brown - PopSci | May 26, 2006 at 09:01 AM
This is an old one but Fantastic Voyage (from the 60s?) is a good nanotech-anomoly film. A surgical team is miniaturized and inserted into a dying man. Remake, anyone?
Posted by: Arjun Thakur | May 26, 2006 at 03:28 PM
Ok, the obligatory Star Trek ref. Where would we be if Roddenberry didnt invision a world where technology has lifted Man to a point where war, famine, desease and poverty are eliminated? It scores high on the philisophical side and even higher on the technilogical side.
Beam Me up Scotty!
Posted by: Concerned | June 05, 2006 at 03:06 AM
nova teoria do universo sustenta que o cosmo iniciou de fora para dentro numa contração e se desenvolve por processos de fluxos estruturantes.
ver no google -TEORIA DO UNIVERSO FLUXONÁRIO ESTRUTURANTE. Autor ancelmo luiz graceli
Posted by: ancelmo luiz graceli | July 05, 2008 at 08:42 AM