Sci-Fi Film Series at Denver Science Museum & Denver Film Society

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Parent Category: Film Festivals

Category: Previews

Published on Sunday, 10 July 2011 15:00

Written by Christopher Lai

Every Wednesday night during the summer, the Denver Museum of Nature & Science along with tthe Denver Film Society will present science fiction films to feed the audience's imagination with the exploration of possible futures, hopes and fears, and the unfolding of technologies.

The series will screen five famous sci-fi films and explore the science behind these alternative possibilities, seeking to separate scientific facts from cinematic fiction. Metropolitan State College of Denver professor Vincent Piturro, astrobiologist David Grinspoon, biologist Paula Cushing, geneticist Nicole Garneau, zoologist Aaron Spriggs, and space scientist Ka Chun Yu will lead discussions before and after the film series.

The five films to be screened are:

Children of Men
dir. Alfonso Cuaron
July 13 at 7pm - Denver FilmCenter
Alfonso Cuaron directs this Oscar-nominated film version of P.D. James's classic dystopian novel, a futuristic drama set in a world in which humans have lost the ability to reproduce and subsequently face certain extinction.

Things change when a single woman mysteriously becomes pregnant, prompting a conflicted government bureaucrat (Clive Owen) and his ex-wife (Julianne Moore) to join forces to protect her. Michael Caine co-stars.

Post film discussion with Aaron Spriggs, zoology collections assistant with the Denver Museum of Nature & Science.

Alien
dir. Ridley Scott
July 20 at 7pm - Denver Museum of Nature & Science
Ridley Scott's sci-fi horror classic stars Sigourney Weaver as Ripley, a tough-as-nails warrant officer who stares down one of the most terrifying movie monsters of all time: a bloodthirsty alien that stalks and eviscerates its prey. As the deadly creature winds its way through the air shafts of the spacecraft Nostromo, the crew members consider deploying the ship's escape shuttle … but there's only room for four people.

Post film discussion with Paula Cushing PhD, curator of invertebrate zoology for the Denver Museum of Nature & Science.

2001: A Space Odyssey
dir. Stanley Kubrick
July 27 at 7pm - Denver FilmCenter
Stanley Kubrick's quiet masterpiece probes the mysteries of space and human destiny. While investigating the appearance of mysterious monoliths throughout the universe, astronauts David (Keir Dullea) and Frank (Gary Lockwood) battle their ship's intelligent computer, HAL-9000.

This epic sci-fi drama based on Arthur C. Clarke's story The Sentinel was nominated for four Academy Awards and won for its stunning special effects.

Post film discussion with David Grinspoon PhD, curator of astrobiology for the Denver Museum of Nature & Science.

Moon
dir. Duncan Jones
August 3 at 7pm - Denver FilmCenter
In the near future, astronaut Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell) is living on the far side of the moon, nearing the end of a three-year contract with Lunar Industries to mine Helium-3 (vital for Earth's clean energy production). Bored and lonely, Sam's only companion is GERTY (voice of Kevin Spacey), the base's helpful computer, and taped messages from his wife and young daughter home on Earth. 

Sam begins to experience migraines and hallucinations which interfere with his work, and ends up in sickbay (with no memory of how he got there), facing a radical change in his circumstances. Sam Rockwell gives a tour-de-force performance in this intriguing science fiction story, reminiscent of such thought-provoking classics as THX 1138 and Solaris.

Post film discussion with Ka Chun Yu PhD, curator of space sciences for the Denver Museum of Natures & Science.

Gattaca
dir. Andrew Niccol
August 10 at 7pm - Denver Museum of Natures & Science
With one eye on his lifelong dream of working in outer space, a genetically flawed but determined "In-Valid" (Ethan Hawke) hires a DNA broker (Tony Shalhoub) to help him obtain more desirable genetic material from a paralyzed man (Jude Law). In the process, he meets and falls in love with a beautiful "Valid" (Uma Thurman) with a heart defect. Screenwriter Andrew Niccol also directs this futuristic thriller in his feature-length debut.

Post film discussion with Nicol Garneau PhD, curator of human health with the Denver Museum of Nature & Science.

For more information, go to www.denverfilm.org.

Sci-Fi Film Series
July 13 - August 10, 2011

Denver Museum of Nature & Science
2001 Colorado Blvd.
Denver, CO 80205
303-370-6600

Denver FilmCenter/Colfax
2510 East Colfax
Denver, CO 80206
303-595-3456

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