Films/DVD Asylum

• ? - grantv 07:02:20 03/18/11 (1)
  In Reply to: RE: What? Pinnacle of horror sci-fi, perhaps. 2001 and Solaris are the pinnacle of the genre. Alien is posted by tinear on March 17, 2011 at 13:31:41

  It's interesting how you resort to insult ("I suppose if one is 12 years old, that is sufficient intellectual stimulation.") because somebody might like a movie that you do not. It's something that a 12 year old would likely do. :)
  
  
  

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  • You sir, have no sense of irony. nt - tinear 12:39:03 03/18/11 (0)
    In Reply to: RE: ? posted by grantv on March 18, 2011 at 07:02:20

    d
    

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• Oh noes! Snoozlaris! ..nt - late 22:14:31 03/17/11 (0)
  In Reply to: RE: What? Pinnacle of horror sci-fi, perhaps. 2001 and Solaris are the pinnacle of the genre. Alien is posted by tinear on March 17, 2011 at 13:31:41

  .
  

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• So which one have you seen multiple times? - Road Warrior 16:32:46 03/17/11 (2)
  In Reply to: RE: What? Pinnacle of horror sci-fi, perhaps. 2001 and Solaris are the pinnacle of the genre. Alien is posted by tinear on March 17, 2011 at 13:31:41

  Alien was freekin awesome. We saw it at a single plex which was at the time the largest theater in Texas (Medallion center). A teenager in front of us had evidently dragged his younger brother to the show. About the time the cyborgs head came off and he was spilling green juice out of his neck and was telling the crew they were fucked, the kid in front of us screams, "TAKE ME OUT OF THIS GODDAMN MOVIE!" He went on for quite some time. Older bro wouldn't relent. I wondered what that little kid's dreams were like for the next week. He cried continuosly for some time. My dreams for a week were basically Alien induced nightmares.
  
  Best sci fi movie of all time after 2001 which was_just_totally_different.
  
  
  
  
  
  "I'd like to own a squadron of tanks"
  
  

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  • I saw the first one a couple of times. I think Carpenter's, The Thing" is its equal, as is the - tinear 20:04:43 03/18/11 (1)
    In Reply to: RE: So which one have you seen multiple times? posted by Road Warrior on March 17, 2011 at 16:32:46

    original version.
    
    

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    • Hmmm, loved The Thing, especially Carpenter's, the feeling of paranoia was palpable - Road Warrior 20:59:59 03/19/11 (0)
      In Reply to: RE: I saw the first one a couple of times. I think Carpenter's, The Thing" is its equal, as is the posted by tinear on March 18, 2011 at 20:04:43

      the first one scared the beejeezus out of me, but I was what, 10? 12?
      
      Alien and Aliens trumped em both IMHO.
      
      
      
      "I'd like to own a squadron of tanks"
      
      

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• 'Alien' worked on so many levels it would take pages to properly describe. - Tony D. 15:57:48 03/17/11 (0)
  In Reply to: RE: What? Pinnacle of horror sci-fi, perhaps. 2001 and Solaris are the pinnacle of the genre. Alien is posted by tinear on March 17, 2011 at 13:31:41

  If all you got out of it was fear then I suggest a re-viewing with someone who understands the film as a guide...even then multiple viewings would be necessary.
  
  
  J.B.
  

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• Gotta disagree with you there. Much thought went into Alien - Jazz Inmate 15:08:05 03/17/11 (8)
  In Reply to: RE: What? Pinnacle of horror sci-fi, perhaps. 2001 and Solaris are the pinnacle of the genre. Alien is posted by tinear on March 17, 2011 at 13:31:41

  Alien explores "the other" on multiple levels, including gender, race and species--not just extraterrestrial. It features some of the strongest symbolic imagery of any movie ever produced, derived more from reproductive and sex organ anatomic imagery than anything else. It also hammered the theme of a corporate entity, e.g., mother or nostradamus, that was programmed to force unfavorable interactions with "the other". This could be interpreted on multiple levels throughout the film. One of the images even involved the robot Ash cramming a pornographic magazine and ship manual down Ripley's throat. I'd think that kind of symbolism of authoritarian and paternal force would be right up your alley.

  The alien that emerges from the egg is arachnoid. The alien that emerges from the man is phallic. The multiple mouths of the alien suggest labia. The large alien structure bearing thousands of eggs that the ship's party investigates looks from a distance like fallopian tubes. The imagery of Dallas encountering mucosal secretions in a tunnel just before the alien literally "embraces" him is highly suggestive. I could go on but others do it far better than I could.

  Alien was the subject of a fascinating dissertation written by a PhD candidate of professor Hayden White who taught my History of Consciousness class at UCSC and Stanford. Anyway, there was a lot of thought put into Alien. The subsequent films in the franchise were crap.
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  We must be the change we wish to see in the world. -Gandhi
  
  

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  Edits: 03/17/11   03/17/11

  • I agree. - Dave Mester 15:28:09 03/18/11 (0)
    In Reply to: RE: Gotta disagree with you there. Much thought went into Alien posted by Jazz Inmate on March 17, 2011 at 15:08:05

    It's very well written, with psychological depth. Veronica Cartwright gave an excellent performance.
    
    Subsequent films were very different, and not nearly as good. They just slipped into the horror/action genre.
    

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  • Much thought went into "Star Wars." It's still dreck. And a guy writing a PHd hardly - tinear 12:43:18 03/18/11 (1)
    In Reply to: RE: Gotta disagree with you there. Much thought went into Alien posted by Jazz Inmate on March 17, 2011 at 15:08:05

    is evidence of quality. Comic books, graffiti in rest rooms have been the subject of multiple theses.
    

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    • The thought that went into Star Wars stayed on the surface - Jazz Inmate 17:09:55 03/18/11 (0)
      In Reply to: RE: Much thought went into "Star Wars." It's still dreck. And a guy writing a PHd hardly posted by tinear on March 18, 2011 at 12:43:18

      Star wars was a typical tale of empires and rebels. There was no symbolism you could sink your teeth into, and the producer admitted he ripped off the plot from Kurosawa.
      
      Alien was more original at least regarding the points I made previously about imagery and symbolism. Even the gimmicks used to generate suspense were thoughtful. When you expect to see an enormous reptillian monster, you see a soft furry cat. The way the film throws these constant mindblowing curveballs at the audience is fairly brilliant. I won't say ingenius because it falls short of a masterpiece but not by a whole lot.
      
      If it wasn't your cup of tea, so be it. By the way, the PhD candidate was a "she" not a "he" which is not surprising. The hero of Alien turns out to be...a woman. Which appealed to a lot of feminists at the time. You could throw a dart blindfolded and hit a feminist at UCSC...at least in the days I went there.
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      We must be the change we wish to see in the world. -Gandhi
      
      

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  • Dude, when was the last time you got laid? (nt) - Doug Flynn 00:13:32 03/18/11 (1)
    In Reply to: RE: Gotta disagree with you there. Much thought went into Alien posted by Jazz Inmate on March 17, 2011 at 15:08:05

    .
    

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    • yesterday, duuuude. It was like gnarley NT - Jazz Inmate 00:24:40 03/18/11 (0)
      In Reply to: RE: Dude, when was the last time you got laid? (nt) posted by Doug Flynn on March 18, 2011 at 00:13:32

      
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      We must be the change we wish to see in the world. -Gandhi
      
      

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  • Even if you ignore the multi-level "other" business - Mike K 18:34:34 03/17/11 (2)
    In Reply to: RE: Gotta disagree with you there. Much thought went into Alien posted by Jazz Inmate on March 17, 2011 at 15:08:05

    "Alien" qualifies as one of the best sci-fi pics ever AND one of the
    best horror pics ever. How many films work extremely well in two
    differing genres?
    
    As far as it's sequels are concerned, I thought "Aliens" was a superb
    film, although it could not be considered as either horror or sci-fi
    (well, a little bit sci-fi). I've always thought of it as an
    absolutely superb action-adventure flick, or maybe even a "western in
    space". The story line was great, the acting was great, there were
    multiple points when you thought the story was over only to have a new
    wrinkle in the story appear - in many ways I like it more than the
    original. But 3 and 4 were truly crap. I only got around to seeing
    the last one about a year ago.
    
    I've had an idea for an Alien 5 for several years, but I don't think I
    could sell it ... sigh ...
    
    MK
    

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    • Especially when you consider it was made in the '70s on a relatively low budget - Jazz Inmate 00:36:26 03/18/11 (1)
      In Reply to: RE: Even if you ignore the multi-level "other" business posted by Mike K on March 17, 2011 at 18:34:34

      Did you write a screenplay or just have a concept for A5?
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      We must be the change we wish to see in the world. -Gandhi
      
      

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      • Just a concept * - Mike K 09:28:40 03/18/11 (0)
        In Reply to: RE: Especially when you consider it was made in the '70s on a relatively low budget posted by Jazz Inmate on March 18, 2011 at 00:36:26

        
        

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