December 15, 2007 - 3:13 am - Posted by Administrator
Imagine for a minute, Ellen Ripley, the baddest chick in the whole goddamn galaxy, played by… Meryl Streep?!?
It almost happened. Producers Gordon Carrol and David Giler were actually considering Streep for the part of Ripley. Luckily for movie fans, Streep passed on what she said was after all “only a horror film”. The Producers then settled on Sigourney Weaver.
In retrospect the choice seems clear. Lieutenant Ellen Ripley can only be portrayed by Sigourney. And the concept is simple. The Nostromo, a civilian mining vessel, has been contaminated by an unknown alien organism which grows exponentially over several days and has acid for blood. The Alien goes on a killing spree, striking from the shadows.
Many have called Alien a gothic horror film first, and a science fiction picture second. In this reviewer’s opinion, the fact that it’s both is what amazes. Without sacrificing anything, Director Ridley Scott entrances with realistic sets, special effects, and story detail that paint a rich picture of the Weyland-Yutani space mining industry in the coming century, and simultaneously horrifies with glimpses of an H.R. Giger-designed alien terror never before realized onscreen. Alien has consistently ranked in the top five of hundreds of Halloween scary movie lists.
An oustanding supporting cast including John Hurt as Kane (whose death scene is one of the great horror moments), Tom Skerritt as Dallas, Veronica Cartwright as Lambert, and Yaphet Kotto as Parker, are all stalked to their deaths by the increasingly menacing alien. Soon, Ripley and the Nostromo’s cat Jonesy find themselves the only survivors, and they’re forced to flee for their lives.
Alien has become a cultural phenomenon, spawning five sequels to date. It influenced a whole generation of science fiction movies to come, including Outland (1981), and Predator (1987). And oh yeah, it won an Oscar. It’s good.
Turn up the surround sound, turn off the lights, and watch. I wish I could get that feeling again.
December 13, 2007 - 11:32 pm - Posted by Administrator
Alien Nation is a cops-and-drug-dealers tale masquerading as a science fiction movie. Don’t get me wrong, I think there’s a place for that story in the realm. I just remember feeling deceived once I saw it in the theatre… the marketing campaign had left me to expect a hardcore alien contact movie, and instead I got a buddy cop movie where one of the cops was an alien. I don’t know… I didn’t dig it.
Aliens arrive on Earth, refugees looking for a new home. Of course we allow the “Newcomers” to settle among us. Everything will be cool, right?
Alien Nation stars James Caan as Detective Matthew Sykes, forced to partner with a “Newcomer” cop named Sam Francisco (Mandy Patinkin). Together they investigate “Newcomer” crimes influenced by a powerful alien psychotic drug.
The script isn’t entirely without sci-fi merit. The idea that the Newcomers were deathly afraid of water was interesting. It seems water to an alien is the same as battery acid to a human. And the concept of aliens arriving on Earth in spaceships will always be a sci-fi staple. I just wish I hadn’t wasted my $6.50 to see this one.
Alien Nation was also the basis for a semi-successful TV Series of the same name.
I give Alien Nation the lowest rating available:
The Anal Probe: It’s two hours of discomfort, and you won’t remember it tomorrow.
December 13, 2007 - 7:19 pm - Posted by Administrator
Other than John Carpenter’s remake of The Thing, I’ve never been a huge fan of his sci-fi movies… primarily his horror endeavours; but They Live is one of his cult classics.
Former pro-wrestler Roddy Piper stars as a drifter who discovers a box of sunglasses which allow the wearer to see the aliens who roam the planet disguised as ordinary humans. Keith David co-stars as a construction worker content in the world he knows, uninterested in Piper’s magic sunglasses. Indeed, one of the greatest fist fight sequences ever filmed results when Nada (Piper) tries to get Frank (David) to try on the glasses. When he finally does, he can see the aliens, and the obedience messages which have been subliminally embedded in billboards, tv commercials, newspapers, and more.
We soon find out an undergound rebellion of those who know the truth is growing.
They Live is John Carpenter’s vehicle for a cautionary tale about consumer culture, cold war paranoia, and Orwellian society. The special effects leave something to be desired and the movie overall is a little anti-climactic, both of which are probably due to budget. At any rate, I highly recommend it to any sci-fi fan.
I must admit, I hope they make a big budget remake of this movie someday.
Imagine for a minute, Ellen Ripley, the baddest chick in the whole goddamn galaxy, played by… Meryl Streep?!?
Alien Nation
