"Aliens" : Some nice effects, but actually kind've a crap film.

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But surely the studio had the rights to his designs. So, kind-of.

Also, vahid OTM.

― Harold Media (kenan), Friday, 20 August 2004 04:28 (nineteen years ago) link

Although to be fair, the highfalutin lit crit shit happens after the fact, and neither adds nor detracts from the shit-yr-pants suspense.

― Harold Media (kenan), Friday, 20 August 2004 04:29 (nineteen years ago) link

Vahid's made some nice points re: Ripley's maternal role in the second one (the sexual elements in the first one, I believe, have more to do with Giger's actual design...could the monster look any more priapic?) But paired with the popcorn dialogue ("game over, man, game over!" "get your hands off her, you bitch!"), the subtext vahid alludes to seems muted.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 20 August 2004 04:30 (nineteen years ago) link

come on, the subtext there is totally obvious, you can't say that it's just some lit-critters reading in the maternal aspect

― s1ocki (slutsky), Friday, 20 August 2004 04:30 (nineteen years ago) link

and alex that is why they call it SUBtext

― s1ocki (slutsky), Friday, 20 August 2004 04:30 (nineteen years ago) link

Seems to me, at least, the first one was genuinely suspenseful and NOT FOR EVERYONE , whereas this one went for the wider audience buck. That seems kinda crass to me.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 20 August 2004 04:32 (nineteen years ago) link

Cripes, I look away and a thread breaks out on one of my fave films of all time (sorry Alex).

S: the theatrical cut
D: *only* being able to have the extended cut on DVD for a long time, but that's thankfully now corrected

Alien and Aliens are different takes on standard tropes that were successful precisely Scott and crew on the one hand and Cameron and crew on the other were able to hotwire them into something which was so ridiculously successful -- commercially and in terms of effective filmmaking -- that each in their own single-handedly established a slew of new cliches. Which may seem a strange thing to credit them for, but *how* many films since then have essentially tried to be one or the other, borrowing set pieces, concepts, dialogue practically and more? And none are nearly as good as these two.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 20 August 2004 04:33 (nineteen years ago) link

...but damnit, Cameron's at the top of his game here. He defines his job -- "This movie will be about a bunch of lovable Army meatheads that will be put into terrible danger" -- and then he does it better, arguably, than he has ever done any other job.

― Harold Media (kenan), Friday, 20 August 2004 04:33 (nineteen years ago) link

― Harold Media (kenan), Friday, 20 August 2004 04:34 (nineteen years ago) link

The mother confrontation is on right now. Whatever problems I have with the film -- this is very stylishly done, I must say.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 20 August 2004 04:35 (nineteen years ago) link

ahhhh!!! you love it

― s1ocki (slutsky), Friday, 20 August 2004 04:35 (nineteen years ago) link

alex loves aliens!

― s1ocki (slutsky), Friday, 20 August 2004 04:35 (nineteen years ago) link

how about the music at the end there? (bum-ba-dum-ba-dum, bum-ba-dum-ba-dum etc) that must've been used in almost every post-aliens action trailer ever

― s1ocki (slutsky), Friday, 20 August 2004 04:36 (nineteen years ago) link

I'm rooting for the aliens, if that's what you mean.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 20 August 2004 04:36 (nineteen years ago) link

and what an ending! the surprise alien mother attack at the end (when ripley gets into the exoskeleton), i mean come on man. come. on.

― s1ocki (slutsky), Friday, 20 August 2004 04:37 (nineteen years ago) link

Also, the whole "running through the ship before it goes kablooey" ship....didn't we cover that in the last film?

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 20 August 2004 04:38 (nineteen years ago) link

You're back to arguing against the obviously formulaic, which will ruin your appreciation of the movie every time.

― Harold Media (kenan), Friday, 20 August 2004 04:39 (nineteen years ago) link

I'm rooting for the aliens, if that's what you mean.

that's pretty much the subtext of EVERY ilxor post you've ever written, alex!

:-)

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Friday, 20 August 2004 04:39 (nineteen years ago) link

Also, when the Queen Beastie gets sucked out into deep space, but only manages to slip away with Ripley's fetching Reebok pump (or whatever she was wearing). Weak.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 20 August 2004 04:39 (nineteen years ago) link

come on, you can't go wrong with a self-destruct climax

― s1ocki (slutsky), Friday, 20 August 2004 04:39 (nineteen years ago) link

Also, when the Queen Beastie gets sucked out into deep space, but only manages to slip away with Ripley's fetching Reebok pump (or whatever she was wearing).

Brilliantly parodied in the MST3K movie. So I will have nothing said against the original.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 20 August 2004 04:40 (nineteen years ago) link

If only Newt had been flayed alive and chopped into mcnuggets, this film would be way better.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 20 August 2004 04:40 (nineteen years ago) link

I really need to get this DVD

― Gear! (Gear!), Friday, 20 August 2004 04:41 (nineteen years ago) link

What was the name of the cat in the first one?

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 20 August 2004 04:41 (nineteen years ago) link

The only "marines battling aliens" film I like more is Starship Troopers, which has another kind of subtext entirely.

― Gear! (Gear!), Friday, 20 August 2004 04:42 (nineteen years ago) link

The third and fourth installments really did suck a big space bone, though, can we all agree on that?

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 20 August 2004 04:42 (nineteen years ago) link

Jonesy the cat.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 20 August 2004 04:44 (nineteen years ago) link

definitely, but go into any movie chatroom worldwide and Fincher bonesmokers will tell you it's the best in the series.

― Gear! (Gear!), Friday, 20 August 2004 04:44 (nineteen years ago) link

bonesmokers!

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 20 August 2004 04:45 (nineteen years ago) link

On another matter entirely, why can't they leave The Exorcist alone? Why another abortive sequel?

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 20 August 2004 04:46 (nineteen years ago) link

xxpost

It's certainly the best-*looking*.

― Harold Media (kenan), Friday, 20 August 2004 04:47 (nineteen years ago) link

Ebert: "one of the best-looking bad movies I have ever seen."

― Harold Media (kenan), Friday, 20 August 2004 04:47 (nineteen years ago) link

I will watch the Paul Schrader cut.

― Gear! (Gear!), Friday, 20 August 2004 04:48 (nineteen years ago) link

Is that an actual quote, Harold?

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 20 August 2004 04:48 (nineteen years ago) link

It is.

― Harold Media (kenan), Friday, 20 August 2004 04:48 (nineteen years ago) link

Bishop just took one for the team. Milky vomit. Time for the robot loader battled...which is dumb/

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 20 August 2004 04:49 (nineteen years ago) link

hmmm... for some reason I can't find that Ebert review online.

― Harold Media (kenan), Friday, 20 August 2004 04:50 (nineteen years ago) link

but there's this one:

http://www.suntimes.com/ebert/greatmovies/alien.html

― Harold Media (kenan), Friday, 20 August 2004 04:51 (nineteen years ago) link

Why would an industrial forklift loader -- presumably designed to lift bulky stuff -- come with built in flame-throwers?

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 20 August 2004 04:52 (nineteen years ago) link

I believe you, Harold, don't sweat it.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 20 August 2004 04:53 (nineteen years ago) link

Because he's a COOL ROBOT!

Oh, there's no talking to you.

― Harold Media (kenan), Friday, 20 August 2004 04:53 (nineteen years ago) link

The whole sucked outta the airlock scene is shit. I'm sorry.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 20 August 2004 04:54 (nineteen years ago) link

Here we go... an excerpt.

"ALIEN 3 is one of the best-looking bad movies I have ever seen. It is a triumph of art direction and a disaster of screenwriting, and the eyes appreciate it more than the mind. Watching it in the moment, we are absorbed. After it's over, we are disappointed, because what actually happens in the movie is so much less interesting than where it happens and how it looks while it's happening."

http://www.scifimoviepage.com/alien_20.html

― Harold Media (kenan), Friday, 20 August 2004 04:55 (nineteen years ago) link

It is a triumph of art direction and a disaster of screenwriting

The fat man nails it!

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 20 August 2004 04:55 (nineteen years ago) link

GOD I HATE NEWT!!!!

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 20 August 2004 04:56 (nineteen years ago) link

Why would an industrial forklift loader -- presumably designed to lift bulky stuff -- come with built in flame-throwers?

you can't tell me those flamethrowers weren't useful

― s1ocki (slutsky), Friday, 20 August 2004 04:56 (nineteen years ago) link

this is the thread where alex watches aliens and we try to convince him to like it

― s1ocki (slutsky), Friday, 20 August 2004 04:56 (nineteen years ago) link

i can't dispute that alien > aliens >> alien 3 >>>>>>>>>>> alien resurrection

― vahid (vahid), Friday, 20 August 2004 04:57 (nineteen years ago) link

More recently, I'm guessing...

http://www.planetavp.com/amr/films/a2/carriehennat22.jpg

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 20 August 2004 04:57 (nineteen years ago) link

http://www.djfl.de/entertainment/djfl/1015/101540b2.jpg

Doesn't this picture make you just want to root for the aliens?

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 20 August 2004 04:58 (nineteen years ago) link

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https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Fu20G4faQAYcgeT?format=jpg&name=medium

― Josh in Chicago, Saturday, 29 April 2023 12:43 (eleven months ago) link

lol beautiful

― Ste, Saturday, 29 April 2023 19:49 (eleven months ago) link

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