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PREDATOR: BADLANDS – Review

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In a flip from the recent Summer movie fare, let’s take a break from the serious “award-bait” cinema of the current Fall/Winter works and head to the multiplex for a big, loud, thrill-packed SF flick. And talk about “flips” this new release turns the usual movie marketing trend on its ear. While some films like COMING TO AMERICA and HAPPY GILMORE had sequels that went straight to streaming decades later, this newest franchise entry in a series that begin all the way back in 1987 is in theatres after the previous two went right to Hulu. Yes, from big screen to small (er) screen then back to the big screen (not that the last two weren’t worthy of a wide run at the multiplex). Oh, and it’s not a remake or rehash, but rather a fresh spin as we span the galaxy with PREDATOR: BADLANDS.


Here’s one bit of “freshness”: this story actually begins on the predator home planet of Yautja Prime where the “runt” (actually just around six Earth feet) of the “hunter clan”, Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi) is being “put through his paces” by his tutor big brother Kwei (Mike Homik). The training lessons are cut short by a brutal family tragedy, which traps Dek on Kwei’s spacecraft cruiser. Its onboard navigator whisks him away to the savage, distant planet Genna. Dek had been preparing to travel there in order to “earn his cloak” by defeating a beast that had claimed scores of his kin, the towering killer colossus Kalisk. But first, Dek just has to survive the place, since a new unknown danger seems to lurk around every bend. When it appears that he’ll be a meal for the ferocious forest (the tree limbs are alive and hungry) Dek hears a voice calling to him. It is a human-looking woman who calls herself Thia (Elle Fanning). After he heeds her advice and survives the attack, Dek locates her and is surprised to see she’s missing her lower half. Thia explains that she’s a “synthetic” (much like a robot or android) who was damaged and separated from her “team” that was sent to capture the very same Kalisk for her “makers” at the Weyland-Yutani Corporation (yes, the same company creeps from the ALIEN series). She promises to help him if Dek can return her to her ship, where she hopes to connect with her “twin sister” Tessa. Ah, but it turns out that the Kalisk-damaged WY ship is able to repair Tessa and her army of male “synth” drones. Joined by a fiesty local beast dubbed “Bud”, can Dek and Thia survive against Tessa and her team after they are tasked by “mother” to not only capture the Kalisk for the company, but also “acquire” the lone Yautja predator and his weaponry?


What really keeps us invested in this tale filled with special effects wizardry and action-packed chaos are the two terrific performances at its center. Foremost is Schuster- Koloamatangi who informs us of Dek’s inner-turmoil and profound sadness through his body language, since most of his features are CGI augmented (mainly those “pincer” jaws and mouth, though much is also told with those wide yellow-tinged eyes). Sure, he’s got that warrior swagger down, but somehow this predator commands our empathy as he strives to prove himself and shatter his image as an “outcast”, while now being “the hunted”. Talk about your “family issues”. I’ll be interested in seeing this actor in more roles sans alien enhancements. Adding to his surprising humanity is the pairing with Fanning who almost “steals the show” as the chatty and very,very emotional “artificial” (her eyes state “property of WY Co.”). Thia is very funny, as many of her exchanges with Dek simply drip with snark, be she’s much more than a “sassy bot”. Fanning shows us her compassion for the “runt”, while not hiding her own sadness as she yearns to be with her sister. Let’s hope the fantasy settings don’t distract from Ms. Fanning’s talents, which should garner her many supporting actor nominations.

The guiding force behind this excellent “reboot” trilogy (along with the Hulu exclusives PREY and PREDATOR: KILLER OF KILLERS) is director Dan Trachtenberg, who worked with Patrick Aison on the screenplay based on the original film script from Jim and John Thomas. Despite Fox Studios attempts to revive the franchise in 2010 and 2018, the series seemed to be defunct, even after two dust-ups with the ALIEN, he has proved to be this franchise’s Frankenstein, sparking new interest from older fans while capturing so many newcomers. Every aspect of the production is top-of-the-line, from the look of the different planets (Genna seems like Australia on steroids) to the creative weaponry (love the glowing red tether lines) to the immersive booming audio. (really try to see it on a big screen with a superior sound). Who would think that, since its introduction in the original, we’d be rooting for an offspring of the monster trying to whittle down “Ahhnold” and his merry band of mercenaries in the jungle. It’s a “thrill-ride” that doesn’t forget to engage us with the heroes and villains. Plus, I really enjoyed the “borrowing” from the other Fox franchise, adding to their mythos. Here’s hoping that Trachtenberg and company can continue guiding the series in theatres (though his last two are worthy of a Hulu “trial”) after basking in the edge-of-your-seat triumph that is PREDATOR: BADLANDS.

3.5 Out of 4

PREDATOR: BADLANDS is now playing in theatres everywhere

1st Reviews Are In, Thailand Celebrates With The “Alien: Romulus Experience”, France Invaded And Milan Italy Attacked By Xenomorphs From Fede Alvarez’s ALIEN: ROMULUS

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Milan and the beaches of Italy were recently besieged by Xenonorphs from ALIEN: ROMULUS. The highly anticipated movie is set to hit theaters on August 16, 2024. That’s just a week away!

The Xenomorph is the most perfect specimen in the universe, as well as the ultimate weapon. It has concentrated acid for blood, does not require food, and can survive in any atmosphere. It has a skeletal humanoid shape with an elongated, cylindrical head and a bony tail.

Check out these cool videos below!

Even during the Olympics, France had time for the Alien

Social media reviews are also in today from an early screening of the movie:

https://twitter.com/theatomreview/status/1821899460689195414

WAMG also caught up with the slimy beasties in Hollywood at The Grove LA.

“My ambition is for the generation who saw the original movie to love this film and for those who have never seen an ‘Alien’ movie to be introduced to this incredible universe through our film,” says director/co-screenwriter/executive producer Fede Alvarez. “With any horror movie, you want the people to be terrified and have an experience that leaves them breathless.”

In Thailand, 20th Century Studios has invited fans to the ALIEN: ROMULUS experience.

ALIEN: ROMULUS takes the phenomenally successful “Alien” franchise back to its roots: While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonizers come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe. The film stars Cailee Spaeny (“Civil War”), David Jonsson (“Agatha Christie’s Murder is Easy”), Archie Renaux (“Shadow and Bone”), Isabela Merced (“The Last of Us”), Spike Fearn (“Aftersun”), Aileen Wu.

Fede Alvarez (“Evil Dead,” “Don’t Breathe”) directs from a screenplay he wrote with frequent collaborator Rodo Sayagues (“Don’t Breathe 2”) based on characters created by Dan O’Bannon and Ronald Shusett. “Alien: Romulus” is produced by Ridley Scott (“Napoleon”), who directed the original “Alien” and produced and directed the series’ entries “Prometheus” and “Alien: Covenant,” Michael Pruss (“Boston Strangler”), and Walter Hill (“Alien”), with Fede Alvarez, Elizabeth Cantillon (“Charlie’s Angels”), Brent O’Connor (“Bullet Train”), and Tom Moran (“Unstoppable”) serving as executive producers.

The score is from composer Benjamin Wallfisch (“IT” and “IT: Chapter Two,” “Shazam!” “Annabelle: Creation”).

The time has come. See ALIEN: ROMULUS in theaters and IMAX on August 16.

If you catch the film at an Alamo Drafthouse, be sure to get the FaceHugger Fries, Escape Hatch Queso, Acid-For-Blood drink and Xenoburger : https://drafthouse.com/st-louis/show/alien-romulus

Fede Alvarez’s ALIEN: ROMULUS New Trailer Features More Airducts, More Trackers And More Facehuggers!

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With throwbacks to the ALIEN, ALIENS and ALIEN3 movies, featuring facehuggers, trackers, the Xenomorph and female protagonist, this new trailer for ALIEN: ROMULUS, made for the die hard fans dropped today. There are winks and nods to all the original movies.

The all-new sci-hi/horror-thriller from producer Ridley Scott and director/writer Fede Alvarez opens exclusively in theaters nationwide August 16, 2024.  

ALIEN: ROMULUS takes the phenomenally successful “Alien” franchise back to its roots: While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonizers come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe.

Check out this past weekend’s interview with the director at Monsterpalooza. Alvarez said: “I want to believe in the canon of this movie is like gospel. I played “Alien: Isolation” and its what made me want to make this movie. I played 10 years ago. I was playing the game and I think we felt like ALIEN wasn’t that scary anymore. In playing the game and being terrified, I was like, this is can be actually terrifying and that’s when my mind start going like, oh man, someone give me a chance to make this movie, so definitely playing the game many times, I thought how do you reproduce the atmosphere? You hire these guys, you hire the people that worked on them.” He went onto say, “I tried to get everybody that was involved in those movies to get them back and also channel my own emotions of how I felt when I watched that and what what will create the same emotion today.”

The film stars Cailee Spaeny (“Civil War”), David Jonsson (“Agatha Christie’s Murder is Easy”), Archie Renaux (“Shadow and Bone”), Isabela Merced (“The Last of Us”), Spike Fearn (“Aftersun”), Aileen Wu. Fede Alvarez (“Evil Dead,” “Don’t Breathe”) directs from a screenplay he wrote with frequent collaborator Rodo Sayagues (“Don’t Breathe 2”) based on characters created by Dan O’Bannon and Ronald Shusett.

ALIEN: ROMULUS is produced by Ridley Scott (“Napoleon”), who directed the original “Alien” and produced and directed the series’ entries “Prometheus” and “Alien: Covenant,” Michael Pruss (“Boston Strangler”), and Walter Hill (“Alien”), with Fede Alvarez, Elizabeth Cantillon (“Charlie’s Angels”), Brent O’Connor (“Bullet Train”), and Tom Moran (“Unstoppable”) serving as executive producers. 

Cailee Spaeny as Rain Carradine in 20th Century Studios’ ALIEN: ROMULUS. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2024 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

(L-R): Xenomorph and Cailee Spaeny as Rain Carradine in 20th Century Studios’ ALIEN: ROMULUS. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2024 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

Xenomorph in 20th Century Studios’ ALIEN: ROMULUS. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2024 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

Ridley Scott’s Sci-Fi Classic ALIEN Returns To Cinemas On “Alien Day” April 26

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ALIEN – © 2024 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

If you’ve been reading this site for awhile, you know we celebrate “Alien Day” ever since it’s inception a few years ago.

Alien Day was created by a Sci-Fi subculture of people who wanted to honor not only the Alien film series. The first “unofficial” Alien Day was celebrated in the spring of 2015 by a group of folks in Brooklyn, New York, USA

https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/alien-day/#:~:text=Alien%20Day%20was%20created%20by,Brooklyn%2C%20New%20York%2C%20USA.

The setting for ALIENS took place on LV-426 (the name of the moon where the xenomorphs are discovered in the 1979 film). Sci-Fi fans embraced it and made it the official day to celebrate every year.

In celebration of the 45th anniversary of Ridley Scott’s 1979 sci-fi/horror masterpiece “Alien,” the film will return to theaters for a limited time starting on April 26.

Tickets are now available for purchase at Fandango or wherever tickets are sold. Be sure to check out the unique homage poster, TV spot, and preview of an exclusive conversation between Ridley Scott and Fede Alvarez, the director/writer of the upcoming theatrical release “Alien: Romulus,” which will appear on prints of “Alien” in theaters April 26.

One of the most influential sci-fi/horror films of all time, “Alien,” which was released in June 1979 and won an Oscar® for best visual effects, stars Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm, and Yaphet Kotto. It is the terrifying tale of a crew aboard a commercial spacecraft that lands on an alien planet to investigate a mysterious transmission of unknown origin and encounters the deadliest lifeform in the universe. “Alien” is directed by Ridley Scot, with a screenplay by Dan O’Bannon and a story by Ronald Shusett, and the producers are Gordon Carroll, David Giler, and Walter Hill.

“Alien,” the iconic film that launched the phenomenally successful “Alien” franchise, has spawned successful products in various ancillary markets, including comic books, video games, novels, merchandise, and an active social presence. Fans can celebrate Alien Day and the fan-favorite “Alien” franchise with exciting products across collectibles, books, apparel, and more!

20th Century Studios’ “Alien: Romulus,” a truly terrifying cinematic experience from producer Ridley Scott and director/writer Fede Alvarez, opens in theaters nationwide August 16, 2024.  

Check out their recent conversation.

The sci-fi/horror-thriller takes the phenomenally successful “Alien” franchise back to its roots: While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonizers come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe.

The film stars Cailee Spaeny (“Priscilla”), David Jonsson (“Agatha Christie’s Murder is Easy”), Archie Renaux (“Shadow and Bone”), Isabela Merced (“The Last of Us”), Spike Fearn (“Aftersun”), Aileen Wu. Fede Alvarez (“Evil Dead,” “Don’t Breathe”) directs from a screenplay he wrote with frequent collaborator Rodo Sayagues (“Don’t Breathe 2”) based on characters created by Dan O’Bannon and Ronald Shusett.

Fede Alvarez’s New ALIEN Movie Begins Production on March 9 In Budapest – Ridley Scott Producing

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(Pictured): Cailee Spaeny. Photo by Dani Brubaker.

20th Century Studios’ new “Alien” film starring Cailee Spaeny (“Mare of Easttown”) will begin production in Budapest on March 9. Joining Spaeny in the cast are David Jonsson (“Industry”), Archie Renaux (“Shadow and Bone”), Isabela Merced (“Rosaline”), Spike Fearn (“The Batman”) and Aileen Wu (“Away from Home”).

In this ninth entry in the immensely popular and enduring film series, a group of young people on a distant world find themselves in a confrontation with the most terrifying life form in the universe.

(Pictured): Aileen Wu. Photo by Wolf Marloh.

Fede Alvarez (“Evil Dead,” “The Girl in the Spider’s Web,” “Don’t Breathe”) directs from a screenplay he wrote with his frequent collaborator Rodo Sayagues.

Ridley Scott, who directed the original “Alien” and produced and directed the series’ entries “Prometheus” and “Alien: Covenant,” and Michael Pruss (“Boston Strangler” upcoming) are producing under their Scott Free banner, with Brent O’Connor (“Bullet Train”), Elizabeth Cantillon (“Persuasion”) and Tom Moran (“The Donut King”) serving as executive producers.

Director Ridley Scott on the set of ALIEN: COVENANT

Scott Free Productions, formed in 1995, is the film and television production vehicle of acclaimed filmmaker Ridley Scott. The company is responsible for some of the most successful films ever made – including “Top Gun,” “Gladiator,” “Blade Runner,” “Alien,” “American Gangster,” “Thelma and Louise,” “Black Hawk Down,” “Man on Fire” and “Days of Thunder.”

Isabela Merced. Photo by Cibelle Levi

(Pictured): Spike Fearn. Photo by Ruth Crafer.
(Pictured): Archie Renaux. Photo by Joseph Sinclair.
(Pictured): David Jonsson. Photo by Joe Quigg.

Celebrating its 40th Anniversary, ALIEN Returns to U.S. theaters October 13th, 15th & 16th

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¨It’s got a wonderful defense mechanism. You don’t dare kill it.¨

Forty years ago, Ridley Scott‘s science-fiction/horror masterpiece ALIEN revolutionized the genre and the industry. To celebrate its 40th anniversary and everlasting impact on filmmaking, I wanted to remind you that Fathom Events is bringing ALIEN back to the big screen at more than 600 nationwide theaters as part of its TCM Big Screen Classics series. A perfect pre-Halloween fright, ALIEN returns to theaters for three days only: this Sunday, October 13, Tuesday, October 15, and Wednesday, October 16.

Moviegoers can search for their local participating theaters and purchase tickets for ALIEN now at FathomEvents.com.

Working from a screenplay by Dan O’Bannon and a story by Dan O’Bannon and Ronald Shusett, ALIEN is a film dripping in dread. Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm and Yaphet Kotto are the crew members of the Nostromo, which investigates a mysterious signal coming from an unknown planet. When they unwittingly take an alien creature aboard the ship, they have no idea just how terrifying—and deadly—the ordeal will be.

·       WHAT: In the summer of 1979, moviegoers journeyed into deep space and met with unimaginable horror as they discovered director Ridley Scott’s science-fiction/horror masterpiece Alien. Working from a screenplay by Dan O’Bannon and a story by O’Bannon and Ronald Shusett, Scott created a film dripping in dread, one that upended audience expectations for a science-fiction film by combining a futuristic setting with extreme terror. Forty years later, Alien returns to more than 600 cinemas nationwide for three days only, with special commentary before and after the film from TCM Primetime Host Ben Mankiewicz.

Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, Harry Dean Stanton, Veronica Cartwright, John Hurt, Ian Holm and Yaphet Kotto are the crew members of the Nostromo, which veers off course to explore a mysterious signal emanating from an unknown planet. When they unwittingly take an alien creature aboard the ship, they have no idea just how terrifying – and deadly – the ordeal will be.

Combining a remarkable visual style, including designs by H.R. Giger and Oscar®-winning visual effects, along with a disquieting score by Jerry Goldsmith, Alien has become a modern classic.

·       WHO:        Fathom Events, Turner Classic Movies and Twentieth Century Fox

·       WHEN:  Sunday, October 13, 2019 – 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. (local time)

                 Tuesday, October 15, 2019 – 7:00 p.m. (local time)

  Wednesday, October 16, 2019 – 7:00 p.m. (local time)

·       WHERE: Tickets for Alien can be purchased at www.FathomEvents.com or participating theater box offices. For a complete list of theater locations, visit the Fathom Events website (participating theaters are subject to change).  

40th Anniversary! ALIEN – Original Theatrical Cut Midnights This Weekend at The Tivoli

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¨It’s got a wonderful defense mechanism. You don’t dare kill it.¨

ALIEN plays this weekend (May 3rd and 4th) at the Tivoli (6350 Delmar Boulevard)as part of their Reel Late at the Tivoli Midnight series. A Facebook invite for the screening can be found HERE

Ridley Scott has had a great career and has made many fantastic films, but ALIEN (1979), only his second, may arguably be his best.

It may be one of those films where everything fit perfectly. Direction, cast, visuals, score, atmosphere, editing, pacing. It’s hard to believe it was made 34 years ago it holds up so well. Made two years after Fox’s license to print money after STAR WARS, their next big sci-fi hit couldn’t have been more different. Much like STAR WARS, ALIEN drew on older movies for inspiration, such as IT THE TERROR FROM BEYOND SPACE, PLANET OF THE VAMPIRES, FORBIDDEN PLANET, THE THING, etc. And like STAR WARS, it presented B-movie thrills  with an A-picture budget, treating its material seriously. If you could liken STAR WARS to a cliffhanger serial for modern kids, ALIENis like the old B-movie space monster films for a modern adult audience.

Now you’ll have the chance to revisit ALIEN in all its big-screen glory when it plays midnights this weekend (May 3rd and 4th) as part of the Tivoli’s Reel Late at the Tivoli Midnight Series! Even better, this will be the ALIEN Original Theatrical cut that we all enjoyed 40 years ago! Don’t miss ALIEN this weekend!  I’ll be there with ALIEN trivia and prizes!

The Tivoli’s website can be found HERE

Here’s the rest of this Spring’s ‘Reel Late at the Tivoli’ schedule:

May 10-11          PERFECT BLUE Subtitled  

May 17-18          THE CONJURING

Alien 40th Anniversary Launches March 29th With Six New Video Shorts

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Alien Day is right around the corner. Before April 26th arrives, 20th Century Fox has released news that six new terrifying tales will debut over the next few weeks.

From the first heart-racing Chestburster scene to the last horrifying Xenomorph attack, ALIEN has terrified audiences around the world for decades, building a loyal fanbase with its unforgettable moments of jump-scare suspense, acid-bleeding Aliens, and strong female heroines.

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of this groundbreaking sci-fi horror film, Twentieth Century Fox Film partnered with global creative community Tongal to offer die-hard fans an opportunity to develop and produce wholly original shorts set in the world of ALIEN.

After reviewing over 550 pitches from filmmakers, six final stories were chosen. The filmmakers were given unprecedented access to the franchise, including storytelling elements, creatures, and characters, to bring a new, terrifying experience to life for audiences.  Each of the six shorts brings forth an exciting new narrative for fans while paying homage to the original film.

Rollout of the six shorts will begin this week, with exclusive fan screenings of the first four at Emerald City Comic Con in Seattle on Friday, March 15th, followed by C2E2 in Chicago on Saturday, March 23rd.  The final two shorts, both helmed by female filmmakers, will screen exclusively for fans at WonderCon on Saturday, March 30th, followed by a moderated panel with the directors.  The shorts will be released weekly on IGN, starting on March 29th.  Then, beginning May 3rd, they will be available on the official @AlienAnthology social channels and AlienUniverse.com, along with exclusive behind-the-scenes content.

ALIEN: 40th Anniversary Shorts Synopses:

ALIEN: Alone – Hope, an abandoned crew member aboard the derelict chemical hauler Otranto, has spent a year trying to keep her ship and herself alive as both slowly fall apart. After discovering hidden cargo, she risks it all to power up the broken ship in search of human life.  Written and Directed by Noah Miller

ALIEN: Containment – Four survivors find themselves stranded aboard a small escape pod in deep space. Trying to piece together the details around the outbreak that led to their ship’s destruction, they find themselves unsure to trust whether or not one of them might be infected.  Written and Directed by Chris Reading

ALIEN: Harvest – The surviving crew of a damaged deep-space harvester have minutes to reach the emergency evacuation shuttle. A motion sensor is their only navigation tool leading them to safety while a creature in the shadows terrorizes the crew. However, the greatest threat might have been hiding in plain sight all along.  Directed by Benjamin Howdeshell

ALIEN: Night Shift – When a missing space trucker is discovered hungover and disoriented, his co-worker suggests a nightcap as a remedy. Near closing time, they are reluctantly allowed inside the colony supply depot where the trucker’s condition worsens, leaving a young supply worker alone to take matters into her own hands.  Written and Directed by Aidan Breznick

ALIEN: Ore – As a hard-working miner of a planet mining colony, Lorraine longs to make a better life for her daughter and grandchildren. When her shift uncovers the death of a fellow miner under mysterious circumstances, Lorraine is forced to choose between escape or defying management orders and facing her fears to fight for the safety of her family.  Written and Directed by the Spear Sisters

ALIEN: Specimen – It’s the night shift in a colony greenhouse, and Julie, a botanist, does her best to contain suspicious soil samples that have triggered her sensitive lab dog. Despite her best efforts the lab unexpectedly goes into full shutdown and she is trapped inside. Little does she know, an alien specimen has escaped the mysterious cargo, and a game of cat and mouse ensues as the creature searches for a host. Directed by Kelsey Taylor

In addition to the shorts series, Fox has launched several other exciting initiatives around the 40thAnniversary of the premiere of the original ALIEN film. The USC School of Cinematic Arts is currently hosting a special exhibit of elements from all six films in the ALIEN franchise, including concept art by Academy Award winner H.R. Giger, plus costumes, props, memorabilia, and fan art.

Everything ALIEN will culminate in a 24-hour, worldwide celebration on ALIEN DAY, Friday, April 26th.

Join the conversation and follow @AlienAnthology on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube, and dive deeper into the terrifying world of ALIEN on AlienUniverse.com.

The Tivoli Announces the ‘Reel Late’ Midnight Line-Up – MANDY, AUDITION, ALIEN, SHAWSHANK, and Many More

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Another brilliant lineup of midnight movies for the ‘Reel Late at The Tivoli’ to end the 2018 season. It’s an especially good variety of titles that will draw the late night movie buff crowd with several retro surprises. The Midnight Movie experience has always catered to a college-age crowd and that’s the way it should be. The oldest film this time is THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW from 1975 and the most recent is MANDY, which made a big splash when it played midnights at the Moolah recently. There’s no Miyazaki this schedule  but PERFECT BLUE  looks like a good anime. A couple of standards including ALIEN and THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION are on the schedule . I’ve been hosting the midnight show at The Tivoli for ten years now and I think AUDITION and MANDY may be  new to the Tivoli midnight roster. They will draw a good crowd.


Tickets are $8 (except for ROCKY HORROR).

May 25, 1979 – A Look Back At Ridley Scott’s ALIEN

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Friday, May 25th, 1979.  A cinema anniversary I celebrate every year with a screening of Ridley Scott’s ALIEN.

Since my initial revisiting of the movie in 2014 for the 35th anniversary, 20th Century Fox continues the franchise with more prequels including ALIEN COVENANT in 2017 (Trailer), and more to follow in the timeline leading audiences right up to ALIEN. PROMETHEUS (2012) starred Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron and Idris Elba, was well received by critics and subsequently a box office hit.

The marketing of COVENANT invoked spine-tingling chills when the initial posters were released. The tagline from the 1979 film, “In space no one can hear you scream” is still foreboding, but “RUN” and HIDE” with images of the Xenomorph and Egg were terrifying and a warning of whats to come.

Fans have seen the birth of Alien Day, celebrated on April 26 (LV-426, the planet where we first met the Xenomorph) and a new ALIENS story with the recent comic book series “Aliens: Dust to Dust.”

2019 marks the 40th… FORTIETH!… anniversary of the movie that, without a doubt, has the SCARIEST movie monster of all time.

Tonight load up the Blu-ray, DVD copy of ALIEN, turn off the lights, cuddle up with that special someone, and get ready to board The USCSS Nostromo.

Originally posted 2014:

I was a 12 year girl when my mother, after much pleading, took me to the Showcase Cinemas in East Hartford, CT on that Friday night. These were the days prior to the words “spoilers” and “internet” when audiences went into a film blind and when parents didn’t take their children to R rated movies.

All I knew from the ad in the TV Guide was that it was science fiction. Period. After seeing JAWS in 1975, my naïve younger self really didn’t think there’d ever be another movie that would give me such nightmares.

What I didn’t bargain for was director Ridley Scott’s movie would scare the living daylights out of me and become his masterpiece – ALIEN.

The terror begins when the crew of a spaceship investigates an S.O.S – “A transmission, out here?” – from a desolate planet, and discovers a life form that is perfectly evolved to annihilate mankind. One by one, each crew member is killed off until only Ripley is left, leading to a crowd-cheering conclusion.

Today’s trailers give everything, and I mean everything, away. The monsters are no longer a surprise. Keeping the money-shot hidden are a thing of the past. This trailer set the tone and mood before the film’s release.

It’s hard to impress on today’s moviegoers how truly frightening the experience was – hearing people’s screams, while watching others get up and walk right out of the theater – as the two hours unfolded up on the screen. To say audiences were white knuckling the armrests of their chairs from the minute the opening title began is an understatement. Would it have the same effect on audiences if released into cinemas today? Truthfully, no.

 

With only a crew of seven, and a cat, Jones, these truck drivers in space try to survive a killing machine. The menacing feeling of not being able to escape from such claustrophobic quarters, while the “Company” you work for has only one thing in mind – Insure return of organism… Crew expendable.

Staying with me throughout the 35 years are three things. Ripley has the wherewithal to survive until the conclusion, this visceral film still looks as fresh as it did on that weekend in 1979 and the underlying, continual sound of the ship’s heartbeat running throughout the audio.

Mother_computer-alien

The combinations of the jumpsuit uniforms, the commercial towing vehicle ‘The Nostromo,’ decorated with relics from airplanes, and most importantly, H.R. Giger’s creature – the rich aesthetics of the film refuse to look dated or low-budget. As with all of Scott’s pictures, ALIEN is a beautiful film to watch.

The production design and attention to detail is impeccable. The knobs, switches, buttons, lights, headsets – all the functioning technicality of the set made such an impression on twelve year old me that I later became a newscast director pushing the same knobs, switches, buttons in a control booth.

alien_1979_1600x1200_65135

Editor Terry Rawlings cut the film with such a slow, long burn that by the end of the chest-burster scene, you could cut the tension in the theater with a knife. It was that palpable. Anything remotely sounding like a pinging tracker still send chills down the spine.

Sigourney Weaver’s “Ripley” becomes the hero and it is ultimately her story. Up to that time, for a studio to make the lead protagonist a woman, keeping her wits together and being the sole survivor was unheard of. Science Fiction was never the same.

Her character inspired heroines to come – THE TERMINATOR’s Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), BRAVE’s Merida (voiced by Kelly Macdonald), PROMETHEUS’s Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) and GRAVITY’s Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) just to name a few.

Without H.R Giger’s realistic, horrific alien, the movie would have been laughable instead of lauded. The double-jawed head filled with razor like teeth is still scary stuff. Jerry Goldsmith’s menacing score added fuel to the horrifying one hundred and sixteen minutes in the darkness. Seven months later, audiences would hear his score for another sci-fi film, STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE.

In the end, the stars aligned for the perfect movie, and 35 years later, ALIEN is still a terrific melding of horror and science-fiction.

After all was said and done on May 25, 1979, the cheering from a weary audience died down and the “blink and you’ll miss them” credits with Howard Hanson’s pacifying Symphony No. 2 “Romantic” rolled, what did my mother and I do? Went out to the Box Office and bought tickets for Saturday night’s show.

An in-depth book on all things ALIEN is Alien Vault https://www.amazon.com/Alien-Vault-Definitive-Story-Making/dp/0760341125/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1527268577&sr=8-1&keywords=alien+vault

alien 1979

Cast: Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, Ian Holm, Yaphet Kotto, John Hurt, Harry Dean Stanton, Veronica Cartwright, Bolaji Badejo, Helen Horton, Eddie Powell.

Director: Ridley Scott

Producers:  Gordon Carroll, David Giler, Walter Hill, Ivor Powell, Ronald Shusett.

Story By: Dan O’Bannon and Ronald Shusett

Composer:  Jerry Goldsmith

Cinematography:  Derek Vanlint

Editor: Terry Rawlings, Peter Weatherley

Production Design: Michael Seymour

Art Direction: Roger Christian, Leslie Dilley

Set Decoration: Ian Whittaker

alien poster