For real. I'm hoping the author misspoke 'cause otherwise...
YOU BUGGING.
If by "bugging" you mean "has a highly developed taste for quality sci-fi and horror, which precludes liking any of the Alien movies", then yes. I am bugging.
'Aliens' does have moments of 80s-ACTION-MOVIE-OVER-THE-TOP-NESS about it, enjoyable as it is.
The Thing however is a stone cold classic and the head that sprouts legs is just the best. You know the FX guys were trying to outdo each other on that film.
For real. I'm hoping the author misspoke 'cause otherwise...
YOU BUGGING.
If by "bugging" you mean "has a highly developed taste for quality sci-fi and horror, which precludes liking any of the Alien movies", then yes. I am bugging.
Critique pleez?
Stylish but ultimately empty (moreso as the series goes on), repetitious genre horror.
The HR Giger sets were next level, but I'd rather sit and stare at a copy of 'Brain Salad Surgery' for 90 minutes.
The Thing brought outer space to Earth w/ that Antartica shit.
Scared the bejeezus out of me as a young youth.
Thing slaughters Alien, IMO. I much prefer AlienS, which I find to be the pinnacle of 80s action films.
The Thing has great performances, insane soundtrack, out of nowhere effects sequences, AND probably more quotables.
Yeah I love Alien to bits and think it does have to be one of the first to present space travel as just as dull and montonous as any other long haul shipping no doubt due to Dan O'Bannon's involvement with the script (it's funny how closely some of the plot follows Dark Star). Creepy as hell at times as well but The Thing is just one of The great eighties horrors. The sense of claustraphobia, paranoia and slowly increasing madness is so well done and there's very few films that could go up against it and win. I personally think the fx is fantastic as well, the fact that most of it is real time makes it far more horrific than any twice as gory cgi work.
Aliens, while an excellent action movie, also marks the first stage in the ever more saccharine Cameron movies and will therefore always hold a mixed place in my affections.
Aliens, while an excellent action movie, also marks the first stage in the ever more saccharine Cameron movies and will therefore always hold a mixed place in my affections.
I hear what you're saying here but I think - just barely - the film manages to prevent itself from tipping over through the strength of Weaver's performance. Her Ripley, along with Bruce Willis' McClain are, in my opinion, the best action heroes for not just the '80s but most of the '90s too and certainly >>> anything Ahnauld ever did. They were human, vulnerable but straight up bad ass when the situation called for it (and let's be honest, who amongst us wouldn't want to have that same unlikely blend of attributes?)
So while Newt was annoying at times (and let's be honest - how many 6-7 year olds do you know who aren't a little annoying?) - I thought Ripley's emotional connection to her felt genuine enough to prevent it from sliding into overly saccharine territory. In contrast, T2 just didn't work, not the least of which was that Linda Hamilton was over the top and the young John Connor was written to be pretty f*cking annoying and lame.
Besides, the ensemble casting in Aliens was also, I thought, excellent. Same goes for The Thing.
And to boot, in Aliens, they merged a steady cam harness with a machine gun. Ill as F*ck.
(and let's be honest, who amongst us wouldn't want to have that pulse rifle with a flame thrower strapped to it?)[/b]
Fixed.
And to boot, in Aliens, they merged a steady cam harness with a machine gun. Ill as F*ck.
SO ILL. I like that in those movies they went with bullets (or some similar future-ass ballistic projectile) instead of lasers in terms of the weapons. Gave it that Vietnam-esque visceral impact instead of "Pew!....Pew! Pew! zap!"
Aliens, while an excellent action movie, also marks the first stage in the ever more saccharine Cameron movies and will therefore always hold a mixed place in my affections.
I hear what you're saying here but I think - just barely - the film manages to prevent itself from tipping over through the strength of Weaver's performance. Her Ripley, along with Bruce Willis' McClain are, in my opinion, the best action heroes for not just the '80s but most of the '90s too and certainly >>> anything Ahnauld ever did. They were human, vulnerable but straight up bad ass when the situation called for it (and let's be honest, who amongst us wouldn't want to have that same unlikely blend of attributes?)
So while Newt was annoying at times (and let's be honest - how many 6-7 year olds do you know who aren't a little annoying?) - I thought Ripley's emotional connection to her felt genuine enough to prevent it from sliding into overly saccharine territory. In contrast, T2 just didn't work, not the least of which was that Linda Hamilton was over the top and the young John Connor was written to be pretty f*cking annoying and lame.
Besides, the ensemble casting in Aliens was also, I thought, excellent. Same goes for The Thing.
And to boot, in Aliens, they merged a steady cam harness with a machine gun. Ill as F*ck.
Yeah I heartily agree with the above. Certainly Weaver's performance is a major plus as she balances the aggression and maternal instincts she's feeling towards Newt. I think Aliens gets it about right it's just that these days when I watch it I see the beginnings of the Furlong and get the shivers.
I'm a major fan so Paxton is an undeniable plus as he is with most films he graces but Biehn, for all the good it did him, actually offers up a nice balance to Ripley's anger by underplaying the "hero" role. Shame the next Cameron film was the end of his big movie career.
Without wanting to sound too old and jaded it seems liked a long time since a major action film cast decent actors all the way down the list.
Detour but I always felt like Michael Biehn deserved a better career than what he was handed. After "Aliens" and "Terminator," dude could have been big but besides from "The Rock," he more or less disappeared by the '90s. I always heard the rumor that, back when Cameron had the rights to Spiderman, he was going to cast Biehn as Peter Parker. I'm not sure if that would have been 100% on point, casting-wise, but it seemed like a good choice at the time.
ANyways, if we're going to talk garbage, whoever green-lit Alien3 deserves a face-hugger.
Have you seen the original designs for the planet where, if memory serves, everything's made out of wood and instead of prisoners the habitants are monks? Would certainly have been different.
Alien3 despite protests from diehards, does indeed suck though.
As for Biehn, I agree that it seemed like he got short shrift. Not sure if it was his preference for playing things soft rather than in your face that cost him his star career in the nineties or what. He would have been woefully miscast as Parker though anything's preferable to liplicker Maguire.
I agree, but its the "darkest" one of the 4 visually. I gotta watch it again.
No, you really don't. It seriously sucked.
haha.
Ill never forget how loud the crowd cheered in ALIENS, when Ripley comes out in the Exo-Shell thingy and says......"OVER HEREGET AWAY FROM HER, YOU BITCH!!!"
Starship Troopers is awesome for very different reasons. Mostly, the bad/overacting in the film - some say deliberate...but I wouldn't be so sure about that - just makes every scene f*cking hilarious.
And man - it's about GIANT BUGS WHO ATTACK PEOPLE.
I ride for Starship Troopers. It's not Aliens though but it's not aspiring to be.
the other thing about ST is the 'military culture' in the whole thing. All the recruiting commercials for the army are effing hilarious. The newsreels, etc are a great riff on all of the 40s and 50s propaganda machines.
Back to the Alien series, I've come to see that series as the jump-off for upcoming directors:
Alien - Ridley Scott Aliens - Cameron Alien3 - David Fincer Alien Resurrection - Jean-Pierre Jeunet (albeit he had done City Of Lost Children already)
I agree, but its the "darkest" one of the 4 visually. I gotta watch it again.
Chris Cunningham worked on FX for that one. Early one for him, just past 20 years old. From what I've read he wasn't too happy with the experience. Made him not want to work with Hollywood again.
Re: the original topic, I'll go with Alien. I'm a John Carpenter fan, but Alien is the better movie IMO.
the other thing about ST is the 'military culture' in the whole thing. All the recruiting commercials for the army are effing hilarious. The newsreels, etc are a great riff on all of the 40s and 50s propaganda machines.
Back to the Alien series, I've come to see that series as the jump-off for upcoming directors:
Alien - Ridley Scott Aliens - Cameron Alien3 - David Fincer Alien Resurrection - Jean-Pierre Jeunet (albeit he had done City Of Lost Children already)
Your argument really doesn't work with Jeunet - he had already made both City of Lost Children AND Delicatessen, both of which brought him int'l acclaim and that's not mention the other, lesser-known films he had already made in France.
if anything, ressurection helped kill the momentum his career had in the states.
watched the alien 3 director's cut 5 months ago. it's a bad movie no matter how u slice it. i understand trying to be subversive with genre material, but that shit was straight up boring.
if anything, ressurection helped kill the momentum his career had in the states.
watched the alien 3 director's cut 5 months ago. it's a bad movie no matter how u slice it. i understand trying to be subversive with genre material, but that shit was straight up boring.
Yeah. I really can't find much of anything that's redeemable about it.
Comments
Critique pleez?
The Thing however is a stone cold classic and the head that sprouts legs is just the best. You know the FX guys were trying to outdo each other on that film.
as far as the original question:
MINDGARDEN PICK: the thing. if this movie isn't classique, nothing is.
RAEL WORLD PICK: alien. ripped off cronenberg's 'body horror' style and brought it to the masses.
Stylish but ultimately empty (moreso as the series goes on), repetitious genre horror.
The HR Giger sets were next level, but I'd rather sit and stare at a copy of 'Brain Salad Surgery' for 90 minutes.
They both take from....
E.T. was where folks were at.
The sequels shouldnt really factor into this debate.
The OG is that shit.
Scared the bejeezus out of me as a young youth.
Thing slaughters Alien, IMO. I much prefer AlienS, which I find to be the pinnacle of 80s action films.
The Thing has great performances, insane soundtrack, out of nowhere effects sequences, AND probably more quotables.
Yeah I love Alien to bits and think it does have to be one of the first to present space travel as just as dull and montonous as any other long haul shipping no doubt due to Dan O'Bannon's involvement with the script (it's funny how closely some of the plot follows Dark Star). Creepy as hell at times as well but The Thing is just one of The great eighties horrors.
The sense of claustraphobia, paranoia and slowly increasing madness is so well done and there's very few films that could go up against it and win. I personally think the fx is fantastic as well, the fact that most of it is real time makes it far more horrific than any twice as gory cgi work.
Aliens, while an excellent action movie, also marks the first stage in the ever more saccharine Cameron movies and will therefore always hold a mixed place in my affections.
I hear what you're saying here but I think - just barely - the film manages to prevent itself from tipping over through the strength of Weaver's performance. Her Ripley, along with Bruce Willis' McClain are, in my opinion, the best action heroes for not just the '80s but most of the '90s too and certainly >>> anything Ahnauld ever did. They were human, vulnerable but straight up bad ass when the situation called for it (and let's be honest, who amongst us wouldn't want to have that same unlikely blend of attributes?)
So while Newt was annoying at times (and let's be honest - how many 6-7 year olds do you know who aren't a little annoying?) - I thought Ripley's emotional connection to her felt genuine enough to prevent it from sliding into overly saccharine territory. In contrast, T2 just didn't work, not the least of which was that Linda Hamilton was over the top and the young John Connor was written to be pretty f*cking annoying and lame.
Besides, the ensemble casting in Aliens was also, I thought, excellent. Same goes for The Thing.
And to boot, in Aliens, they merged a steady cam harness with a machine gun. Ill as F*ck.
Fixed.
SO ILL. I like that in those movies they went with bullets (or some similar future-ass ballistic projectile) instead of lasers in terms of the weapons. Gave it that Vietnam-esque visceral impact instead of "Pew!....Pew! Pew! zap!"
"They come out mostly at night...mostly."
But yes, Bill Paxon casting = so necessary.
The Latin sista had ADIOS on her gun =
Yeah I heartily agree with the above. Certainly Weaver's performance is a major plus as she balances the aggression and maternal instincts she's feeling towards Newt. I think Aliens gets it about right it's just that these days when I watch it I see the beginnings of the Furlong and get the shivers.
I'm a major fan so Paxton is an undeniable plus as he is with most films he graces but Biehn, for all the good it did him, actually offers up a nice balance to Ripley's anger by underplaying the "hero" role. Shame the next Cameron film was the end of his big movie career.
Without wanting to sound too old and jaded it seems liked a long time since a major action film cast decent actors all the way down the list.
ANyways, if we're going to talk garbage, whoever green-lit Alien3 deserves a face-hugger.
I agree, but its the "darkest" one of the 4 visually. I gotta watch it again.
No, you really don't. It seriously sucked.
haha.
Ill never forget how loud the crowd cheered in ALIENS, when Ripley comes out in the Exo-Shell thingy and says......"OVER HERE BITCH!!!"
Alien3 despite protests from diehards, does indeed suck though.
As for Biehn, I agree that it seemed like he got short shrift. Not sure if it was his preference for playing things soft rather than in your face that cost him his star career in the nineties or what. He would have been woefully miscast as Parker though anything's preferable to liplicker Maguire.
Im watchin ALIENS now and this is fuskin heat.
Yeah - it has that post Rambo thang, but still. Gun Play - less "cerebral".
My Co-Worker is a big time StarShip Troopers dude. Ive never seen it, but he swaers by it and is old enuff to have seen 2001 in the theatre.
Isnt Starship Troopers ALIENS x 4000?
Just sayin....
And man - it's about GIANT BUGS WHO ATTACK PEOPLE.
I ride for Starship Troopers. It's not Aliens though but it's not aspiring to be.
So many quotables..."It says...it's afraid!"
Back to the Alien series, I've come to see that series as the jump-off for upcoming directors:
Alien - Ridley Scott
Aliens - Cameron
Alien3 - David Fincer
Alien Resurrection - Jean-Pierre Jeunet (albeit he had done City Of Lost Children already)
Chris Cunningham worked on FX for that one. Early one for him, just past 20 years old. From what I've read he wasn't too happy with the experience. Made him not want to work with Hollywood again.
Re: the original topic, I'll go with Alien. I'm a John Carpenter fan, but Alien is the better movie IMO.
Your argument really doesn't work with Jeunet - he had already made both City of Lost Children AND Delicatessen, both of which brought him int'l acclaim and that's not mention the other, lesser-known films he had already made in France.
watched the alien 3 director's cut 5 months ago. it's a bad movie no matter how u slice it. i understand trying to be subversive with genre material, but that shit was straight up boring.
Yeah. I really can't find much of anything that's redeemable about it.