July on TCM: It’s ‘Out of This World’ for sci-fi fans

Giant ants, pod people, trips to the moon, journeys back in time and close encounters with aliens both friend and foe. It’s a dream lineup for sci-fi movie fans.

We get all of that and more during the TCM Spotlight “Out of This World: A Celebration of Sci-Fi Movies” every Tuesday in July.

The series has 34 sci-fi films broken into weekly categories.

It starts July 2 with a night of early sci-fi films including the one considered to be the first in the genre: “A Trip to the Moon” by George Méliès.

July 9 is dedicated to films of the 1950s, a highly influential film decade that gave us such classics as “The Day the Earth Stood Still” and “It Came from Outer Space” (see photo, above).

July 16 is broken into two parts. Prime time is dedicated to “moon” movies in tribute to the 50^th anniversary of the moon landing. Late night (or very early morning) programming screens some great creature features including a giant reptile named Ymir.

July 23 is all about the 1960s with films from directors George Pal and Stanley Kubrick.

July 30 goes into galactic travel with films from the 1970s and ‘80s that changed Hollywood – including a little movie called “Star Wars.”

Remember – it’s no fun to watch movies alone, so be sure to use  #outofthisworld and join others in live tweeting the films. Movies start at 8 p.m. each Tuesday. Here’s the lineup.

The short film “A Trip to the Moon” was made in 1902.

July 2: Early Sci-Fi

8 p.m. “A Trip to the Moon” (1902)

8:30 p.m. “Metropolis” (1927)

11:15 p.m. “Woman in the Moon” (1929)

2:15 a.m. “Things to Come” (1936)

4 a.m. “Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe” (1940)

Dana Wynter and Kevin McCarthy are on the run from the “Invasion of the Body Snatchers”

July 9: The 1950s

8 p.m. “The Day the Earth Stood Still” (1951)

9:45 p.m. “The War of the Worlds” (1953)

11:30 p.m. “Forbidden Planet” (1956)

1:15 a.m. “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” (1956)

2:45 a.m. “It Came from Outer Space” (1953)

4:15 a.m. “The Thing from Another World” (1951)

6 a.m. “Earth vs. The Flying Saucers” (1956)

The giant Ymir from “20 Million Miles to Earth.”

July 16: Moon Movies

8 p.m. “Destination Moon” (1950)

10 p.m. “For All Mankind” (1989)

11:30 p.m. “Countdown” (1968)

1:30 a.m. “From the Earth to the Moon” (1958)

3:30 a.m. “First Men in the Moon” (1964)

5:30 a.m.: “A Trip to the Moon” (1902)

July 16 (late night): Creature Features

6 a.m.: “20 Million Miles to Earth” (1957)

7:30 a.m. “Them!” (1954)

9:30 a.m. “The Blob” (1958)

11 a.m. “The Fly” (1958)

Rod Taylor takes a ride in “The Time Machine.”

July 23: The 1960s

8 p.m. “The Time Machine” (1960)

10 p.m. “2001: A Space Odyssey” (1968)

12:45 a.m. “Five Million Years to Earth” (1968)

2:45 a.m. “Marooned” (1969)

5 a.m. “12 to the Moon” (1960)

6:30 a.m. “Village of the Damned” (1960)

I still always hold my breath when little Barry (Cary Guffey) seems to be in danger in “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.”

July 30: 1970s and ‘80s

8 p.m. “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” (1977)

10:30 p.m. “Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope” (1977)

12:45 a.m. “Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan” (1982)

3 a.m. “Solaris” (1972)

6 a.m. “Logan’s Run” (1976)

8:15 a.m. “Westworld” (1973)

10:15 a.m. “2010” (1984)