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Showing posts with label Alien. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Alien. Show all posts
Sunday, January 22, 2023
Wednesday, August 15, 2018
Celebrating My 50th With 50 Favorites - Part 5 - THE TOP TEN
Finally, my top ten have arrived. Are any of these in your list of favorites too??
My favorite Universal monster film. There, I've said it. There's not much I can say about a film so revered that hasn't already been said. But the reason I love it so much is that I can identify with the monster. Everyone probably can in their own way. Pushed to be something that he wasn't, so much expected of him, yet misguided and anxious only for people to accept him the way he was, despite knowing he was an abomination. Boris Karloff as the monster said so much just with his eyes and mannerisms, he didn't even need to speak to convey that message. The fact that Mary Shelley wrote the book when she was a mere 19 years old just blows my mind - so far ahead of her time! It's a beautiful film, too...the gorgeous sets, including Dr Frankenstein's laboratory, are a sight to behold particularly for such an early time in film. And Colin Clive as the unhinged but brilliant scientist who steals bodies from their graves with his hunchback assistant Fritz (Dwight Frye) brings to mind many an evil man who desires more than he should, and really should just leave well enough alone. But the fact that he proceeds with his experiments despite the immoral and corrupt ramifications just goes to show that greed and the desire for fame and/or fortune always brings out the worst in mankind, often times with irreparable results - and it's still happening today, nearly 90 years later.
It's only in the last several years that I have come to really love this film. It's my favorite "zombie" film. George (Ray Lovelock) is off for the weekend on his Norton motorcycle when he stops to gas up and Edna (Cristina Galbó) rams his bike with her car, unintentionally but puts it out of commission nonetheless. To make up for it, she tells him they can ride together and he can use her car while his bike is being fixed. Traveling through the English countryside they stop to seek out directions and George sees some men using some kind of equipment that uses ultrasonic radiation to kill insects on crops. Obviously that sounds like an awful idea and of course it is, as soon the dead are rising and George and Edna are smack in the middle of it. The dialogue is campy, the blood is too red and film is somewhat dated but quite honestly it does raise the question as to what we are doing to the world with all our chemicals and treatments and what might happen if things go awry. George and Edna are likeable leads and the gore factor is ratcheted up as the film goes on and the zombies get hungrier. Just a damn fun film!!
'Four
old men and a secret' should be the alternate name for this chiller.
From Peter Straub's amazing novel comes the story of John, Ricky, Sears
and Edward....a quartet of college pals that meet an enigmatic beauty
and spend a summer charming her. Until something awful happens. The
repercussions of the tragedy that unfolds are so malevolent, so vengeful
that words can't quite do it. The novel is very much my favorite book,
and the movie, while not completely faithful, still packs a frightening
punch with loads of disturbing imagery! And that house!!! So much love! Starring some of Hollywood's
finest older leading men - Fred Astaire, Melvyn Douglas, John Houseman
and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. Alice Krige as Eva/Alma still haunts my
dreams.
You know how I feel about remakes, I've made it abundantly clear several times. But when they are done right and it's time for one, I'm on board. A remake of 1951's The Thing From Another World, John Carpenter's The Thing is in my opinion perhaps the best of his work. With top-notch practical special effects by genius Rob Bottin and a stellar cast, it's a harrowing showcase of fear. Frequent Carpenter collaborator Kurt Russell as MacReady is just the icing on the cake, with his snide remarks yet excellent leadership skills when everything starts falling apart. As researchers literally at the end of the earth, the Antarctic team finds themselves fighting the unknown...an organism that literally has the capability to attack unsuspecting victims and morph into an exact replica of them, so the question remains....who is the thing? Everything about this film is terrifying - the isolation...the fear of the unknown...the thought that someone might not be who they say they are...it's an action-packed, straight-up thrill ride, one I've taken over and over again!
As
previously mentioned, Psycho is very special to me, right up there with
Jaws as far as movies I've seen the most. I can quote every line, I
know every scene. I love Norman Bates, in all his quirky, psychotic
glory. John Gavin...be still my heart! And the sheer brilliance of
killing off your marquee name in the first act of the film,
well....that's brave....hats off to Hitchcock. Robert Bloch may have
created the character of Norman, but Hitchcock perfected it and Anthony
Perkins embodied it. Even people not familiar with the horror genre as a
whole know Psycho. The shower scene....the fruit cellar...Mother and
Norman's "close" relationship, there's so much to appreciate. It's one
of my desert island films, because I'll never tire of it. And if you're
sitting there thinking I'm nuts then we just can't be friends.
My
favorite. The I-Ching of films for me. The be-all-end-all. I don't
think I've seen any movie as many times as Jaws. I own multiple copies
over many formats and yet if it is on television with commercials every
five minutes I'm still unable to turn it off. As with Psycho, the book is
good, the movie is superior. All the characters, Brody (Roy Scheider
), Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) and Quint (Robert Shaw) are strong and
engaging in their own ways. John Williams' score is just legendary, the
most recognizable two notes in music. Spielberg's direction jump-started
a visionary, critically acclaimed career and with good reason! We're
not just talking summer blockbuster here, we are talking about a film
beloved by fans and critics alike. The simple plot of man vs. shark made
millions of people afraid to go in the ocean. An impressive feat to be
sure. Let's just say, if I could marry a film, this would be the one. My
only one!
10. Frankenstein (1931)
My favorite Universal monster film. There, I've said it. There's not much I can say about a film so revered that hasn't already been said. But the reason I love it so much is that I can identify with the monster. Everyone probably can in their own way. Pushed to be something that he wasn't, so much expected of him, yet misguided and anxious only for people to accept him the way he was, despite knowing he was an abomination. Boris Karloff as the monster said so much just with his eyes and mannerisms, he didn't even need to speak to convey that message. The fact that Mary Shelley wrote the book when she was a mere 19 years old just blows my mind - so far ahead of her time! It's a beautiful film, too...the gorgeous sets, including Dr Frankenstein's laboratory, are a sight to behold particularly for such an early time in film. And Colin Clive as the unhinged but brilliant scientist who steals bodies from their graves with his hunchback assistant Fritz (Dwight Frye) brings to mind many an evil man who desires more than he should, and really should just leave well enough alone. But the fact that he proceeds with his experiments despite the immoral and corrupt ramifications just goes to show that greed and the desire for fame and/or fortune always brings out the worst in mankind, often times with irreparable results - and it's still happening today, nearly 90 years later.
9. The Living Dead at the Manchester Morgue (aka Let Sleeping Corpses Lie, 1974)
It's only in the last several years that I have come to really love this film. It's my favorite "zombie" film. George (Ray Lovelock) is off for the weekend on his Norton motorcycle when he stops to gas up and Edna (Cristina Galbó) rams his bike with her car, unintentionally but puts it out of commission nonetheless. To make up for it, she tells him they can ride together and he can use her car while his bike is being fixed. Traveling through the English countryside they stop to seek out directions and George sees some men using some kind of equipment that uses ultrasonic radiation to kill insects on crops. Obviously that sounds like an awful idea and of course it is, as soon the dead are rising and George and Edna are smack in the middle of it. The dialogue is campy, the blood is too red and film is somewhat dated but quite honestly it does raise the question as to what we are doing to the world with all our chemicals and treatments and what might happen if things go awry. George and Edna are likeable leads and the gore factor is ratcheted up as the film goes on and the zombies get hungrier. Just a damn fun film!!
8. Ghost Story (1981)
'Four
old men and a secret' should be the alternate name for this chiller.
From Peter Straub's amazing novel comes the story of John, Ricky, Sears
and Edward....a quartet of college pals that meet an enigmatic beauty
and spend a summer charming her. Until something awful happens. The
repercussions of the tragedy that unfolds are so malevolent, so vengeful
that words can't quite do it. The novel is very much my favorite book,
and the movie, while not completely faithful, still packs a frightening
punch with loads of disturbing imagery! And that house!!! So much love! Starring some of Hollywood's
finest older leading men - Fred Astaire, Melvyn Douglas, John Houseman
and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. Alice Krige as Eva/Alma still haunts my
dreams. 7. The Changeling (1980)
Years have not aged this fantastic ghost story starring George C. Scott as John Russell, a man grappling with the tragic death of his wife and daughter in a horrific accident. A famous composer, John moves across the country in order to take a teaching job and try to resume some semblance of a life He rents an old mansion from the local historical society, makes friends with Claire (played by Scott's wife, Trish Van Devere) and gets to work on finishing a composition he's been working on. Soon though, hes awakened by loud banging noises during the night, which escalate to the point that a seance is held in which they discover a young boy was killed in the house. Everything about The Changeling is stellar - the acting, the musical score, the house itself...it's just that good! Scott's portrayal of a desperate man's agonizing mourning for his family is heart-breaking. And though this one has every haunted house gimmick known to man, they make it work - it's never cheesy and always legitimately frightening. Loud, inexplicable noises, pianos playing by themselves, disembodied voices, a creepy attic with a child-size wheelchair - all these things combine to bring fear into your very soul. This one just got a fantastic BluRay release so if you haven't seen it yet, now's the time. Truly one of the best of its kind.
6. The Thing (1982)
You know how I feel about remakes, I've made it abundantly clear several times. But when they are done right and it's time for one, I'm on board. A remake of 1951's The Thing From Another World, John Carpenter's The Thing is in my opinion perhaps the best of his work. With top-notch practical special effects by genius Rob Bottin and a stellar cast, it's a harrowing showcase of fear. Frequent Carpenter collaborator Kurt Russell as MacReady is just the icing on the cake, with his snide remarks yet excellent leadership skills when everything starts falling apart. As researchers literally at the end of the earth, the Antarctic team finds themselves fighting the unknown...an organism that literally has the capability to attack unsuspecting victims and morph into an exact replica of them, so the question remains....who is the thing? Everything about this film is terrifying - the isolation...the fear of the unknown...the thought that someone might not be who they say they are...it's an action-packed, straight-up thrill ride, one I've taken over and over again!5. Alien (1979)
I
mentioned previously that sci-fi isn't my favorite--(even though The
X-Files is my favorite TV show- I prefer the stand alone horror
episodes.) That said, I LOVE ALIEN. To me, it's just the finest sci-fi
horror film in existence. Sure, there are some who say Aliens is the
better movie, but they'd be wrong. Ridley Scott's effective and brutal
Alien, starring Sigourney Weaver as fierce heroine Ripley, is full of
suspense and laden with terror. The Xenomorph creature is an astounding
work of art conceived by H.R. Giger and the story by Dan O'Bannon is
what nightmares are made of. Immediately claustrophobic due to the whole
of the film taking place in space, mostly on the commercial towing ship
Nostromo, the sense of helplessness permeates the whole two hour
running time. There's nowhere to run when you're stuck in space. Ripley
is an excellent character, a welcome female presence in a mostly
masculine crew. She's got guts and runs on pure adrenaline by the film's
end. She's a role model and a formidable adversary for the relentless
alien. For pure shock factor, Alien is bar none, particularly in that
famous chest-burster scene.
The
last thirty minutes are a edge of your seat uncomfortable fright-fest
in which you'll believe every word of the tagline: In space, no one can
hear you scream.
4. Friday the 13th (1980)
Oh Friday the 13th, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways. Warning: SPOILERS!
I
love your campiness (pun intended). I love your heroine, Alice and her
mad drawing skills. I love Crazy Ralph and the fact that you all
actually ARE, in fact, doomed. I love that you play strip monopoly. I
love that Bing Crosby's son is a hottie and can play a mean guitar. I
love that sexy Brenda wears a granny gown. I love that Jack and Marcie
have sex with Dead Ned above them. I love that poor Annie doesn't like
to call children kids because it sounds like little goats. I love that
when Mrs Voorhees finally gets a chance to kill Alice she slaps her up
and pushes her face in the dirt instead. I love that Steve's Jeep won't
pull that tiny trailer and that he only leaves Sally a 75 cent tip at
the diner, even though she flirts with him like crazy. I love that
Marcie has dreams about little bloody rivers and can fix a faulty
faucet. I love that Jack puts it all out there in his Speedo at the
docks. I love that Alice and Bill don't run for their lives after they
find the bloody ax in the bed. I love that Mrs Voorhees hands still
clench their fingers after she loses her head.
What I don't love? The fact that they killed that snake. 😐
3. The Woman in Black (1989)
I've been championing this film for 25 years or longer. I can't remember the first time I saw it but as soon as I did, I knew I had to own it. I had it on VHS first, and when DVD's began taking the world by storm, I purchased a bootleg copy from overseas and I'm not afraid to admit it. The novella by Susan Hill that it is adapted from is the best ghost story I may have ever read, and the only one that gave me legit chills when I read it. The story adapted for film changes a few minor details but involves Arthur Kidd (Adrian Rawlins), a lawyer who is assigned the task of closing the estate of one Mrs. Drablow, an eccentric old woman who lives on an isolated piece of land across a causeway that floods during high tide. Kidd attends the funeral of his client and notices a woman in black at the back of the church and later in the cemetery. Townsfolk seem terrified when he mentions it, and later he comes to know why after spending the night at the spooky Drablow house. By investigating the decedent's personal belongings, he learns of a horrific accident involving the mysterious woman in black and her relationship with the old woman. Vengeance is a great motivator, apparently even after death. This film is hard to come by, out of print for many years. It is available on YouTube, and though not a stellar copy it's still worth seeking out!
2. Psycho (1960)
As
previously mentioned, Psycho is very special to me, right up there with
Jaws as far as movies I've seen the most. I can quote every line, I
know every scene. I love Norman Bates, in all his quirky, psychotic
glory. John Gavin...be still my heart! And the sheer brilliance of
killing off your marquee name in the first act of the film,
well....that's brave....hats off to Hitchcock. Robert Bloch may have
created the character of Norman, but Hitchcock perfected it and Anthony
Perkins embodied it. Even people not familiar with the horror genre as a
whole know Psycho. The shower scene....the fruit cellar...Mother and
Norman's "close" relationship, there's so much to appreciate. It's one
of my desert island films, because I'll never tire of it. And if you're
sitting there thinking I'm nuts then we just can't be friends.
1) Jaws (1975)
My
favorite. The I-Ching of films for me. The be-all-end-all. I don't
think I've seen any movie as many times as Jaws. I own multiple copies
over many formats and yet if it is on television with commercials every
five minutes I'm still unable to turn it off. As with Psycho, the book is
good, the movie is superior. All the characters, Brody (Roy Scheider
), Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) and Quint (Robert Shaw) are strong and
engaging in their own ways. John Williams' score is just legendary, the
most recognizable two notes in music. Spielberg's direction jump-started
a visionary, critically acclaimed career and with good reason! We're
not just talking summer blockbuster here, we are talking about a film
beloved by fans and critics alike. The simple plot of man vs. shark made
millions of people afraid to go in the ocean. An impressive feat to be
sure. Let's just say, if I could marry a film, this would be the one. My
only one! Saturday, October 31, 2015
Octoberfest Five: Christine's 5 Comfort Horror Favorites
When it comes down to choosing a movie to watch on Halloween, I admittedly make too much of the situation. Do I want to go with an old classic; something I'm quite familiar with? Or chance something entirely new which may end up tarnishing my holiday and leave me with a bad taste in my mouth? It's a conundrum, and one I am still not sure of the answer to as I write this.
It's Halloween every day at a horror fanatic's house. The amount of horror I watch in one year is astounding. It has seen me through good days and bad - and it's mostly the latter when I mention the words "Comfort Horror". When I've had a rough day at work or have to deal with issues I seemingly can't face that come up in daily life, quite often I reach for a horror film that I am utterly comfortable with - a movie that I've seen countless times and can depend on to take me away from all my troubles for a few hours. One that epitomizes my love of the genre. Comfort horror doesn't necessarily have to be your favorite films, though for many I can only assume they would be. And I'm not going to lie - any time I notice Jaws or Psycho on TV I simply have to turn it on, that's a given. That said, I'm not going to use those two in my list because they are too obvious.
Here are five of mine:
| FRIDAY THE 13TH |
| HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSES |
| ALIEN |
| INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (1978) |
| NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD |
Friday, February 15, 2013
WiHM: Final Girl Week, Day 6
Today we have two kick-ass women in horror on our list, the first of which is one of my favorite movie heroines of any genre, and the other a great pick from one of the best films of the last decade. Toughness, tenacity, and pure will to survive are these girls' claim to fame. Two of our best final girls yet!
Christine's pick:
ELLEN RIPLEY (Alien series)
Though slasher films are generally where we look to for final girls, in the world of horror they are all around, in every sub-genre - we just have to know where to look. Certainly Ripley would count as one of the fiercest final girls we have ever encountered in any genre!
Alien (1979) is a bonafide masterpiece, a science-fiction sight to behold. And a great part of what makes it so insanely good is Sigourney Weaver's turn as warrant officer Ellen Ripley.
When an alien infiltrates the Nostromo during an investigation of a transmission from an unknown planet, the entire crew is almost systematically killed by the Queen. The search for the alien on board makes for tense, almost unbearable suspense, and as each crew member is gruesomely executed, it's up to Ripley to take things into her own hands in an attempt to dispatch of the unsightly creature.
The strength of Ripley's character is what makes her so amazing. As the tag-line suggests, 'in space, no one can hear you scream', so she realizes it is her battle to win or lose. No one is coming to help her, they are too far from Earth for any kind of rescue to take place. With a fortitude much greater than any final girl I can remotely think of, Ripley uses her brain to seemingly outsmart the creature. With everyone else on board deceased, she takes Jonesy (the cat) into the shuttle, intent on destroying the Nostromo with the Queen on board. When the alien blocks her way, she nearly doesn't make it to the shuttle on time but manages to escape on it right as the Nostromo explodes.
Thinking that is the end of the alien, Ripley begins to relax, only to be shocked and terrified to see the alien has joined her on board the shuttle. Showing sheer will to survive, she dons a space suit and opens the hatch, trying to blow the alien out the door through means of decompression. Our final girl struggles to detach it and succeeds when the engines blow it off into space. See ya later, queenie.
She then proceeds to kick ass through several more Alien films.
Ripley is a true role model of final girl guts and mettle, with enough backbone to propel her to the top of any list. She's probably the one I admire the most, not just due to her endless courage and intellect, but because she has the most heart. I dare you to disagree.
Marie's pick:
SARAH (The Descent)
The ever-frustrating Juno
(Natalie Mendoza) suggests they check out a cave in the U.S Appalachian mountains. Its more-claustrophobic-than-usual conditions have the girls questioning Juno as to her motives for going there and Juno has to finally admit the cave is uncharted and no one has even been down there. The girls are rabid with anger but have to set aside those worries as they soon find out that the cave is infested with
blind, humanoid, cannibalistic crave creepies.
Christine's pick:
Though slasher films are generally where we look to for final girls, in the world of horror they are all around, in every sub-genre - we just have to know where to look. Certainly Ripley would count as one of the fiercest final girls we have ever encountered in any genre!
Alien (1979) is a bonafide masterpiece, a science-fiction sight to behold. And a great part of what makes it so insanely good is Sigourney Weaver's turn as warrant officer Ellen Ripley.
When an alien infiltrates the Nostromo during an investigation of a transmission from an unknown planet, the entire crew is almost systematically killed by the Queen. The search for the alien on board makes for tense, almost unbearable suspense, and as each crew member is gruesomely executed, it's up to Ripley to take things into her own hands in an attempt to dispatch of the unsightly creature.
Thinking that is the end of the alien, Ripley begins to relax, only to be shocked and terrified to see the alien has joined her on board the shuttle. Showing sheer will to survive, she dons a space suit and opens the hatch, trying to blow the alien out the door through means of decompression. Our final girl struggles to detach it and succeeds when the engines blow it off into space. See ya later, queenie.
She then proceeds to kick ass through several more Alien films.
Ripley is a true role model of final girl guts and mettle, with enough backbone to propel her to the top of any list. She's probably the one I admire the most, not just due to her endless courage and intellect, but because she has the most heart. I dare you to disagree.
Marie's pick:
I’m sure you’ve seen this girl on a number of lists, but she
deserves to be! She went through some serious hell and came out bloody, but
alive.
The girl in question is Sarah (Shauna Macdonald), the lovely
Scottish protagonist in Neil Marshall’s 2005 spelunking flick The Descent. Sarah has just lost her
husband in a horrific car accident and meets up with her group of multicultural
recreational lady friends for a bit of caving.
Sarah is already losing her mind from grief and now facing the fact that she might potentially be trapped in this cave, as her
friends are being picked off one by one. However, her madness is in her favor
as it gives her cunning wit, nerve and unrelenting bravery. She also has to
face the fact that her girlfriend Juno is a total bitch and was not only
banging her husband but also killed her best friend and lied about it. And what
do you do with ladies like that? Feed ‘em to the creepies, of course.
And like any good Final Girl, Sarah comes back to us for the
sequel, as to which we must ask, “Why?”
Saturday, June 14, 2008
No one can hear you scream..
'Alien' is just one of those feel-good movies you can't help but love.
The warmth and happiness you get just from sliding this dvd into the player just resonates joy for me, and....
wait a tic...
Alien? Oh yeah - that's right, it scares the pants right the hell off of me!
Over at the always fantastic horroretc podcast (www.horroretc.com), last weeks episode was about the Alien franchise.
Coincidentally, I had just - no kidding - bought this dvd at Wally-World a week or so before that, and so just having watched the original, I was able to really enjoy all the banter about it that went on for nearly two hours. (Great job, guys!)
Alien is an incredibly claustrophobic nightmare. You can only imagine how a group of people stuck on a ship in outer space would feel with a - for lack of a better term - alien, on board. This is, in my humble opinion, the greatest sci-fi movie put to celluloid. (sorry all you Star Wars and Trekkie fans...) It is so simple in idea, yet so frightening. Ridley Scott directed the original - see, he did make good movies before Gladiator! The cast is equally up to the task, and you'll recognise most of them - Sigourney Weaver, Ian Holm (Bilbo anyone?), Tom Skerritt, Harry Dean Stanton... etc. Early roles for many of them, but they were already hitting their mark here.
The warmth and happiness you get just from sliding this dvd into the player just resonates joy for me, and....
wait a tic...
Alien? Oh yeah - that's right, it scares the pants right the hell off of me!
Over at the always fantastic horroretc podcast (www.horroretc.com), last weeks episode was about the Alien franchise.
Coincidentally, I had just - no kidding - bought this dvd at Wally-World a week or so before that, and so just having watched the original, I was able to really enjoy all the banter about it that went on for nearly two hours. (Great job, guys!)
Alien is an incredibly claustrophobic nightmare. You can only imagine how a group of people stuck on a ship in outer space would feel with a - for lack of a better term - alien, on board. This is, in my humble opinion, the greatest sci-fi movie put to celluloid. (sorry all you Star Wars and Trekkie fans...) It is so simple in idea, yet so frightening. Ridley Scott directed the original - see, he did make good movies before Gladiator! The cast is equally up to the task, and you'll recognise most of them - Sigourney Weaver, Ian Holm (Bilbo anyone?), Tom Skerritt, Harry Dean Stanton... etc. Early roles for many of them, but they were already hitting their mark here.
Isn't it a handsome little devil??
This is my favorite part - the infamous "chest-bursting" scene. You've no doubt seen a clip of this somewhere, at some point in your life - especially if you are reading this blog. It is utterly surprising, horrific, disgusting and downright gruesome! Love it.
If 'Alien' teaches us anything, it is not to go poking around in strange places on strang(er) planets. Duh.
So if you haven't seen at least the first one in the series (the first is the best, as usual) - you should either run right out and buy it, or add it to your Netflix queue for an absolutely terrifying trip to the unknown.
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