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Stare-Out posted:Would you not say though that the suggestion of gore can be considerably more effective than explicit, visible gore? I agree with the rest of that analysis, I just found that particular line to be a sticking point. The point of horror is catharsis, to see the things that terrify or revolt you in a context that's safe (but not too safe!) so you can understand them. Subtlety and gross exaggeration are both valuable tools. I don't demand that a horror film frighten me, because if I did I would enjoy very few of them (and the ones I enjoyed would often have more to do with my personal phobias than the craft of the filmmaker.) I just expect that they have something to say about fear. Tuxedo Catfish fucked around with this message at 18:01 on Jul 10, 2015 |
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# ? May 14, 2024 21:50 |
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Gaz2k21 posted:Hey man contamination rules! I love it, but it really, really doesn't rule to me.
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Gaz2k21 posted:Hey man contamination rules!
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Tuxedo Catfish posted:I agree with the rest of that analysis, I just found that particular line to be a sticking point. The point of horror is catharsis, to see the things that terrify or revolt you in a context that's safe (but not too safe!) so you can understand them. Subtlety and gross exaggeration are both valuable tools. But I think what Cameron means has to do more with how a lot of horror movies tend to be gratuitous with the violence and gore (funnily enough, much like Aliens is), and while that can be effective in its own way, doesn't really evoke a sense of fear or terror as much as disgust which should be more of a payoff instead of the core of what you're experiencing. Maybe that doesn't come across as well in a short soundbyte like that, granted. And with Alien it's used masterfully; there's fertile ground there for genuine terror, physical in the Alien's power of violently and effectively ripping you apart and mental/sexual in the phallic and vaginal imagery and the insertions and laying eggs and what have you.
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For me, the most interesting and unsettling part of Alien didn't even make it into the movie at all. The part where Brett is turning into an egg. You can sort of see what resembles a human figure, but it's mostly just a mess, and while it's not gory, it is disgusting.
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I agree up to a point, to me it's not as much about being disgusted by the visual but horrified by the very notion of the Alien coldly and instinctually reducing Brett (or any human) into a stage of its development. What is so striking about that is that you can easily imagine some insect doing that to another insect in the sense of "it's just what it does", it's evolution, it's survival, there's no conscious malice behind it at all but to us it's a person, a whole life lived. And now it's just a platform for creating more of something else. That's terrifying.
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Stare-Out posted:
You really think Aliens is gratuitously violent? I'm not even sure if it's as gory as the first is. (I'll acknowledge that if you just re-color Bishop's 'blood' to be red, his surprise maiming by the queen alien would be a top-contender for the most gruesome moment in the whole series, but hey) Neo Rasa posted:Speaking of real world analogues, I'm sure I missed someone already mentioning the dragonfish. I say we take off and nuke the entire site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure! On a related note: once I found the fish's eyes I found it ever-so-slightly less unnerving. I mean, don't get me wrong, those are some terrifying, soulless predator eyes if I've ever seen them, but it's definitely a different effect. Edit: Good God even that translucent one looks like a chestburster!
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lizardman posted:You really think Aliens is gratuitously violent? I'm not even sure if it's as gory as the first is.
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^ Ah, including the robots, aliens themselves and general destruction makes sense. I was thinking more exclusively in graphic violence/ gore concerning people. Robot and alien guts look different enough that it doesn't effect me so much (also neither of them show much in terms of pain or suffering, which makes it less disturbing). Also, did some googling of that black dragonfish and just had to share: ![]()
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Stare-Out posted:But I think what Cameron means has to do more with how a lot of horror movies tend to be gratuitous with the violence and gore (funnily enough, much like Aliens is), I think it's a testament to his skill at that time that you feel this way. Aliens is an extremely visceral film, but I'd almost compare it to Mad Max in that way more stuff happens off screen than people remember. Alien is of course way more suggestive though in general like you say. The Alien's existence reducing us to another bug in a vast food chain is one of the most terrifying things about it and is what really taps into the cosmic horror. EDIT: As far as violence in Aliens goes I was thinking of just violence inflicted on humans too. I mean who cares about a glorified toaster or an ant amirite? ![]() blackguy32 posted:For me, the most interesting and unsettling part of Alien didn't even make it into the movie at all. The part where Brett is turning into an egg. You can sort of see what resembles a human figure, but it's mostly just a mess, and while it's not gory, it is disgusting. I was glad Dead Space ripped this off, it made for one of the few sections of the game after the pretty strong opening where it was almost a straight horror game again. I'm really glad the scene was added back in even if Scott was fine what was in theaters.
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Ugh, I hate that scene so much. One of the only things in film to ever have grossed me out to the point of me actively never wanting to watch it again. I think it's by faaaar the most disturbing moment in the entire franchise. Has Scott ever talked about the alien design from the end of Prometheus? I'm not sure what to think of it at all, it doesn't look very scary, but at the same there's something almost dignified about it. I have no idea what they were actually going for there.
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I really wish they just went ahead and used the OG Giger-designed alien for that shot in Prometheus, even if it wouldn't really make sense. I always felt with that movie you either did have a xenomorph cameo or you didn't but they went with "kind of" so the result is what should have been a crowd-pleasing moment turned into a big ol' "meh". Also with the original design it's more likely they would have used a proper suit and not CG'ed it, and the design of the creature we see in Prometheus is nowhere near as scary or compelling anyway - it looks like some kind of eye-less dinosaur.
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At the same time, one could just say that's what it looks like when it emerges from an Engineer. When you say "original design" though do you mean the one he derived from the Visitor painting with the really clear shades/eyes? I like the eyeless a lot more. The head actually being a weird helmet over a human skull is awesome too, and would have been fitting. At the same time, I like how primordial and less robotic the stuff is in Prometheus vs. the biomechanical suit built into/around the engineer. Either way I hope Prometheus 2 (is it still going to be called Paradise?) is even more out there if they actually follow through with having Shaw/David explore space more.
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I'm ridiculously so much more hyped for Prometheus 2 than Alien 5 (especially if the latter retcons Alien 3).
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OBCY![]() lovely frame but I have to make do until I find something nice.
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What's it say?
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It's been a while and I've forgotten. I think it's the tag line but I'm not sure.
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Yeah it is, also seems to be keeping the subtitle that a lot of European countries had: "Alien - The 8th Passenger"
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Gaz2k21 posted:I don't think I've watched anything but the assembly cut ever since it was made available. I went through Alien War as a kid ( ![]() The highlights that I can remember: - being led through a patch of eggs, and 1 of them slowly opening as you walked past - being herded into an elevator, then just as the doors shut an alien lunges in and pulls one of the party out - at the very end, you are running madly along a corridor with the marines yelling and shooting behind you, then you bust through some double doors and find yourself outside the attraction in the middle of a shopping centre with loads of shoppers staring at you I'm still amazed that they never brought it back. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRiOBVjxLJY
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Man, the first time I ever went to London that had just opened, and my parents asked me if I wanted to go but I said no because I thought it was too scary (I would've been like 9), what a loving idiot kid I was, I probably would've remembered that experience for life.
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Alien War was amazing. Great attention to detail and lighting in the sets you walk/run through. The only poor bit of it was the weapon firing effects as it was obvious that it was just strobes and loudspeaker sound effects. I remember being yelled at to run by the 'marine', and the whole group running round a corner and being confronted by an alien half crouched with it's arms reaching out towards you - just a few feet away. Cue everyone hightailing it back the way we came! ![]() The elevator section was in fact supposed to be some sort of transport vehicle. One of your party was actually a member of staff whose job it was to get grabbed. Not that you realize it at the time of course. It was pretty shocking when it happened. The gift shop had a load of props from the movie, including body armour and face-hugger stasis tubes, and some movie models including one of the drop-ship. I was really disappointed when they closed it down.
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cthulusnewzulubbq posted:It's been a while and I've forgotten. I think it's the tag line but I'm not sure. I asked my wife and she could actually sort of read it because all slavs are the same and said "in (something) no one can hear your screams". I think it's safe to assume it's space.
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Bagpuss_UK posted:I went through Alien War as a kid ( They actually did, in Scotland and Blackpool but it wasn't licensed and it closed in 2013.
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Marketing New Brain posted:
I saw Aliens first and loved it. Being younger, I remember trying to rent Aliens 2 because I knew there was a sequel, not realizing that Aliens WAS the sequel.
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Holy poo poo, I remember Alien War! My little brother and I went to visit our sister in England back in...probably '96 or '97 and we did that! It was fuckin' rad. I remember the marine telling everyone to keep their hands at the level of their eyes (Phantom of the Opera reference, motherfuckers!) in case any facehuggers tried to attack you. The thing I remember most, though, was how hard the marine was trying not to have a British accent. He went wa-a-a-a-a-ay too far in the other direction and ended up with that weird combination of New York and Texas that most British people seem to think an American accent is. Made the whole thing really surreal/hilarious.
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I can't believe this thread passed under my radar. I'm a big fan of the Alien3 Assembly Cut, and I almost universally prefer it to the theatrical cut. There's a few alternate scenes I prefer in the theatrical cut, most notably at the beginning and end. Ripley getting ejected from the EEV and having to be rescued on the beach by Clemens always struck me as goofy, and I always felt the characters finding Ripley in the EEV and realizing she was alive was more visually interesting than finding her on the beach. We also don't really get an indication of how she got out of the EEV. Was she ejected? If so, how? The Assembly Cut version also introduces a bit of a continuity error, because for whatever reason, the EEV is switched in its position - in the theatrical cut, one side is submerged in the water, and in the Assembly Cut it's the other. This is important because of where the characters are located in the EEV - from left to right, it's Bishop, Hicks, Ripley, and then Newt. In the theatrical cut, the right side of the EEV is underwater, so it makes sense when you find out Newt drowned in her cryotube but the other characters didn't. In the Assembly Cut, it's switched so the left side is underwater. I also much prefer the ending in the theatrical cut showing the Queen Chestburster popping out of Ripley, and a large part of that is the music. Here's the theatrical version of the scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyZ4nwg7GgE Here's the Assembly Cut: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3vbfkRB6gQ The Assembly Cut really truncates the (awesome) soundtrack, and once you know what to listen for in the theatrical cut, it's really jarring in the Assembly Cut (the music edit happens at about the 1:58 mark).
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Xenomrph posted:I can't believe this thread passed under my radar. I agree with all this. The assembly cut is better but I'm so used to watching the theatrical cut that there are a few standout scenes that feel like missed opportunities. The other thing that stood out to me in the assembly cut was the fact that I don't think the dog is ever introduced, as the alien has a different origin, but the dude who gets chopped up by the fan still looks down the hole for his dog. Minor quip.
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second-hand smegma posted:I agree with all this. The assembly cut is better but I'm so used to watching the theatrical cut that there are a few standout scenes that feel like missed opportunities. I have "ideal versions" in my head for all four of the Alien movies, where I'd mix-and-match alternate/deleted scenes from the different versions of each movie. For Alien 3 I'd keep the theatrical version's crash and salvage (it's more visually interesting, keeps with the continuity of the character's deaths, and establishes the dog), keep the theatrical version's Ripley death, and then keep everything else from the Assembly Cut. Fun fact: the Alien was always intended to be born from an ox. They filmed all the adult Alien scenes first, under the assumption that they could make the "ox-burster" scenes work later. When they couldn't get the effects for the baby Alien to work right, they said "oh poo poo, now what do we do?", and then they remembered that they'd established the dog in the EEV salvage scene and in the dialogue during the fan attack so they changed it to be a dog Alien. It's just funny seeing people say "the adult Alien acts dog-like, because it was born from a dog", because that was never the intention when filming. Also for people who like movie merchandise and stuff, NECA's figure of the Dog Alien is fantastic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THNiZyObkxo Xenomrph fucked around with this message at 04:17 on Jul 25, 2015 |
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second-hand smegma posted:I agree with all this. The assembly cut is better but I'm so used to watching the theatrical cut that there are a few standout scenes that feel like missed opportunities. I like the Assembly Cut version of her falling because it places an emphasis on why Ripley is sacrificing herself more without shoehorning in the chest burster to make sure a retarded audience knows why she's doing it. It's smarter.
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I can agree with that, too. I think mainly the film and music quality are poor in the assembly cut and kind of harm the impact of that particular scene, in comparison to the TC. I still love the overall ending, all the doors being locked, the series being shut down and abandoned, never to be opened again. You know, until we grave rob it and clone the main character. edit; Also, I was going to mention that the only thing I actively dislike about Alien 3 (either version) is the weird hard-rock gangrape music in that one scene that completely kills all dramatic tension and sounds at odds with everything else on the otherwise excellent soundtrack. It's like this weird super 90s presentation moment that I can't ever seem come to grips with. BeanpolePeckerwood fucked around with this message at 04:31 on Jul 25, 2015 |
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Immortan posted:I like the Assembly Cut version of her falling because it places an emphasis on why Ripley is sacrificing herself more without shoehorning in the chest burster to make sure a retarded audience knows why she's doing it. It's smarter. ![]() They could have gone with the scene as originally scripted, I guess. ![]() That version of her death is present in the comic book adaptation, I can't remember if that's how it plays out in the movie novelization.
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Immortan posted:I like the Assembly Cut version of her falling because it places an emphasis on why Ripley is sacrificing herself more without shoehorning in the chest burster to make sure a retarded audience knows why she's doing it. It's smarter. Ehhh. The imagery in the Theatrical is more interesting. Maybe it's just the bad visual effect they had to throw in, but the AC's version looks bad to me all around.
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I think the lack of chestburster is a lot classier. It bursting out as she falls just feels too expected. I also like the longer Lance scenes in that ending.
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![]() ![]() http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplayl...aliens-20150723 quote:"Maybe they were in a panic about 'Alien 3'…I have no idea. And so when I hear Sigourney Weaver recounting her killing off Ripley in 'Alien 3' because she’d heard Fox were talking about doing 'Alien vs Predator,' despite the fact our project was first spoken about and initiated well over a year (not even counting Vincent Ward’s involvement!) after her movie had gone into active production, I really have to roll my eyes at her claims," Briggs said. And then he goes even further: ![]() At least he shares my views on the A3 Assembly Cut ![]()
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My movie isn't bad look at all the money it made!
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Baronjutter posted:My movie isn't bad look at all the money it made!
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david_a posted:It doesn't look like he had anything to do with the released AvP movie. They had been working on that concept ever since people went crazy for the alien skull gag in Predator 2 so this was a way earlier draft. I read something that claimed to be an AvP draft a long time ago but I have no idea if it was real or not - I vaguely remember something about a colony outpost and a woman fighting side by side with a predator. Also the skull in Predator 2 was a nod to that comic series (put there by Stan Winston himself, as a matter of fact), which was in publication and very popular while 'Predator 2' was being made. You can find the Peter Briggs AvP draft online here. The AvP movie we ended up getting has some things in common (Predators breeding Aliens for sport, female protagonist, Predator team-up for a bit, Predator ship shows up at the end and honors the protagonist) but a whole lot of it is different. And he's not wrong that an AvP movie *could* be done well, it just hasn't yet. Xenomrph fucked around with this message at 05:17 on Jul 25, 2015 |
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second-hand smegma posted:edit; Also, I was going to mention that the only thing I actively dislike about Alien 3 (either version) is the weird hard-rock gangrape music in that one scene that completely kills all dramatic tension and sounds at odds with everything else on the otherwise excellent soundtrack. It's like this weird super 90s presentation moment that I can't ever seem come to grips with. The same track is used again very briefly while Dillon/Ripley/the Alien are struggling in the lead vat. It is weirdly different from like every other track as presented in the movie. At the same time, the movie was made in the 90s and released in 1992. That the scene is so 90s in general says a lot about how influential Alien 3 was with stuff like that and its dutch angles and stuff. It's also interesting in that if one were to listen to just the score itself, it actually does fit in really well.
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One thing I do wish was carried over from Alien 3 into other Alien products is these sick helmets the the enforcer guys rolling around with Weyland and his doctors are rocking:![]() ![]()
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# ? May 14, 2024 21:50 |
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Neo Rasa posted:One thing I do wish was carried over from Alien 3 into other Alien products is these sick helmets the the enforcer guys rolling around with Weyland and his doctors are rocking:
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