A resourceful enemy of the state is given a choice: help the government retrieve a stolen high-tech weapon—or die. [ Escape from L.A. credits: Dir: John Carpenter/ Kurt Russell, Stacy Keach, Steve Buscemi/ 101 min/ SciFi-Fantasy, Action-Adventure/ Government Enforced Morality] “Escape From L.A. is primarily an action film, but there’s also a lot of comedy here, as Los … [Read more...]
Kurt Vonnegut’s Harrison Bergeron (1995)
WINNER: TOP 25 LIBERTARIAN FILMS In a future America, all exceptional human intelligence and achievement is stamped out in order to eliminate the destructive consequences of envy. [ Kurt Vonnegut's Harrison Bergeron credits: Dir: Bruce Pittman/ Sean Astin, Miranda De Pencier, Christopher Plummer/ 99 min/ Drama, SciFi-Fantasy/ Equality & Envy, Individualism] “For a … [Read more...]
Daybreak (1993)
When a moralistic U.S. government begins forcibly quarantining those infected with an AIDS-like disease, a heroic few defend them. [ Daybreak credits: Dir: Stephen Tolkin/ Moira Kelly, Cuba Gooding Jr., Martha Plimpton/ 84 min/ Drama, SciFi-Fantasy/ Democide, Government Enforced Morality, Government Health Care] No trailer available. In this projected near-future, the … [Read more...]
Coneheads (1993)
The U.S. Immigration & Naturalization Service is hot on the trail of a pair of hard-working aliens—only these aliens are from another planet. [ Coneheads credits: Dir: Steve Barron/ Dan Aykroyd, Jane Curtin, Michelle Burke/ 87 min/ Comedy, SciFi-Fantasy/ Pro-Immigration] “An upbeat, hilarious film, especially likely to appeal to recent immigrants." “If they’re just … [Read more...]
The Fortress (1992)
A young couple is sent to prison for violating a law that forbids having more than one child, and must outwit a high-tech incarceration system to escape. [ The Fortress credits: Dir: Stuart Gordon/ Christopher Lambert, Kurtwood Smith, Loryn Locklin/ 95 min/ SciFi-Fantasy, Action-Adventure / Reproductive Liberty] “The film makes the ultrapowerful state toward which we are … [Read more...]
The Handmaid’s Tale (1990)
In a future America, an authoritarian theocratic state rises to power and forces captive women to breed children for the dominant religious class. [ The Handmaid's Tale credits: Dir: Volker Schlondorff/ Natasha Richardson, Robert Duvall, Faye Dunaway/ 109 min/ Drama, SciFi-Fantasy/ Reproductive Liberty] “Faye Dunaway and Robert Duvall are excellent as the principal … [Read more...]
Edward Scissorhands (1990)
A manmade boy with scissors for hands finds a troublesome mixture of acceptance and rejection in the outside world. [ Edward Scissorhands credits: Dir: Tim Burton/ Johnny Depp, Winona Ryder, Dianne Wiest, Vincent Price/ 100 min/ SciFi-Fantasy, Comedy, Romance/ Social Tolerance] “This film is a pleasure to watch and its social tolerance message is ageless—as befits a … [Read more...]
Brazil (1985)
A bureaucrat in a future totalitarian state becomes its enemy and ultimately—its victim. [ Brazil credits: Dir: Terry Gilliam/ Jonathan Pryce, Katherine Helmond, Robert De Niro/ 131 min/ SciFi-Fantasy, Comedy/ Anti-Socialism, Government as Torturer] “Brazil is three parts 1984 and one part Monty Python’s Flying Circus. Orwell’s 1984 clearly inspired both the story and the … [Read more...]
Orwell’s 1984 in Three Films (1954, 1956 & 1984) | Movie Review
WINNER: TOP 25 LIBERTARIAN FILMS The now-classic John Hurt film version of George Orwell's 1984 is probably the definitive cinematic interpretation, but the 1956 and 1954 tellings continue to attract fans. All three films are of strong interest to libertarians for their enduring anti-totalitarian message. Review of 1984 (1984) A very effective adaptation of the George … [Read more...]
The Last Chase (1981)
In the near future, a former race car driver speeds across the country in a daring escape from a highly regulated America in which cars, among other things, are banned. [ The Last Chase credits: Dir: Martyn Burke/ Lee Majors, Burgess Meredith, Chris Makepeace, George Touliatos/ 106 min/ Action-Adventure, SciFi-Fantasy/ Canada/ Anti-Regulation, Abuse of Power, Escape from … [Read more...]