The science fiction bug has landed at Turner Classic Movies, as the network is devoting the month of July to the genre with a series of nights called “Out of this World” dedicated celebrated sci-fi movies of the past. From the 1920s classic Metropolis to the more modern work of Stanley Kubrick (2001: A Space Odyssey) and George Lucas (Star Wars).
In addition to the classic fare, the network will also use the occasion to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo moon landing with one night of films dedicated to stories set around the moon.
There’s also a nearly 20-minute mini-documentary from the network (watch online for free here) discussing science fiction in which Joe Dante (Twilight Zone: The Movie, The Howling, Gremlins), Frank Darabont (The Mist, The Walking Dead, The Green Mile), and others explore the genre’s impact on our culture.
The rest of this month’s schedule is as follows:
- July 9: Acclaimed director Frank Darabont introduces films from the 1950s, one of the most influential decades for science fiction that brought us The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), The War of the Worlds (1953) and Forbidden Planet (1956)
- July 16: In honor of this month’s 50th anniversary of the moon landing, TCM airs seminal moon movies such as Destination Moon (1950) and For All Mankind (1989). The night then continues with iconic creature features including Them! (1954) and The Blob (1958)
- July 23: TCM travels into the 1960s with 1960’s The Time Machine and 1968’s 2001: A Space Odyssey
- July 30: the final night of galactic travels features a TCM premiere of Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977) alongside Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) and Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
Cover image via TCM
