DISAGREE AND DIE-HARDER: Another 50 Best Films of All Time - Part 1

To celebrate Slaughter Film's 300th podcast, Forest has taken on the painstaking task of chronicling ANOTHER 50 of the very best film of all time!

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Alien: Covenant (2017)

Genres

Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Director

Ridley Scott

Country

USA

Cast

Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston, Billy Crudup, Danny McBride, Demian Bichir, Carmen Ejogo, Amy Seimetz, Callie Hernandez, Jussie Smollett, Nathaniel Dean, Tess Haubrich, Alexander England, Benjamin Rigby, Uli Latukefu, James Franco, Guy Pearce

Storyline

The crew of the colony ship Covenant land on a small planet resembling the Earth with the intention of doing a peaceful exploratory mission but it will soon turn into a desperate rescue operation. 

Opinion

I saw the trailer to Alien: Covenant only once and waiting for rental seemed to be the best option. Although that way I missed the chance to see a gigantic Michael Fassbender wearing a white suit while having a tedious conversation with Guy Pearce which was easily the best part of the film. And probably the only good thing about it as well.

It wasn't a surprise though. After the disastrous Prometheus, I had no doubt Ridley Scott would bring to the screen another terrible prequel to his flawless Alien and that's exactly what happened. The story is beyond boring, the plot isn't very well thought through - actually, it's not thought at all, also proved by the huge amount of plot holes that will make you question your sanity for deciding to watch this film, and twists you can see coming miles away -, and there's so much nonsense, it probably makes its own genre. Not even science fiction allows so much nonsense. Nor fantasy.

What's worst in a movie like this, however, it's not the plot, as impossible as it may sound. That place belongs to the characters. I don't know, maybe the writers tried to make up for the excess of plot holes with a complete lack of characterization, but they are all the same. There's nothing to differentiate one from another. And you just don't care for them. I guess that's why I can't remember a single name other than Michael Fassbender's characters. Yep, he's got two characters, David from Prometheus (that's why I remember the name) and new entry Walter (and I remember the name because when it first appeared I was like, wtf wasn't him David?). By the way, Fassbender did a pretty good job considering how messed is the script. Also, there's a part of me who believes they gave him a double role to make up for all the other lacks of this film. Or to keep people watching from start to finish, because who can say no to all this Fassbender? I sure can't.

I should have thought twice before writing that the characters are the worst part of the film, the visual effects are so much worse. That's something I sure wasn't expecting from Scott and from a 2017 movie. Not only they don't hold up to other films of this year, they also are a huge step down from Prometheus. The year was 2012, just in case you didn't know.

And I'm done. I don't want to waste any more of your time (and mine) to talk about this poor excuse of a prequel. It's kinda the sequel Prometheus deserved though. 

Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007)

Genres

Action, Horror, Sci-Fi

Directors

The Brothers Strause

Country

USA

Cast

Steven Pasquale, Reiko Aylesworth, John Ortiz, Johnny Lewis, Sam Trammell, Ariel Gade, Robert Joy, Kristen Hager, David Paetkau, Matt Ward, Michael Suchanek, David Hornsby, Gina Holden, Ian Whyte, Tom Woodruff Jr., Bobby Jones

Storyline

The dwellers of a rural Colorado town find themselves in the middle of a battle between two extraterrestrial races, Alien and Predator, and must team up for any chance of survival. 

Opinion

Wow, things dropped pretty fast. A week ago I was let's say praising Alien vs. Predator for being a fun crossover. Now I have to talk about how shitty Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem is. It is just plain dumb, like its predecessor, but it's not fun. It's more like a torture, to be honest. 

The film is a mess right from the beginning. It is supposed to be a sequel but there isn't any kind of recall neither to the characters of the previous film nor to the events of the previous film. It doesn't even have a weak storyline because that would require one, and that's definitely something the film does not have. Plot holes, however, it's plenty of those. It is such a mess and so incoherent, it's impossible to even concentrate. It keeps shifting from one thing to another without focusing or giving importance to anything. It is utterly unengaging.

The characters are just as terrible. They have no depth or development whatsoever. They are so thin, the wind would blow them away. Like those sheets falling down and flying everywhere. The only difference is that you probably care about those sheets, but don't give a damn about these characters.

The script, however, wasn't Alien vs. Predator's strong suit either. The action pretty much saved the film. Unfortunately, that doesn't happen here. The action sequences are terribly choreographed, they are not exciting, and they pretty much consist of people shooting in the dark.

And let's not talk about the special effects and costumes. No, actually, let's talk about those. They are terrible. You look at those Aliens and Predators and all you can see are men wearing some terrible Halloween costumes. 

In a few words, this film is an offense both to the Alien and to the Predator franchise. 

Alien vs. Predator (2004)

Genres

Action, Horror, Sci-Fi

Director

Paul W.S. Anderson

Countries

USA, UK, Italy, Canada

Cast

Sanaa Lathan, Lance Henriksen, Raoul ova, Ewen Bremner, Colin Salmon, Tommy Flanagan, Joseph Rye, Agathe de La Boulaye, Carsten Norgaard, Liz May Brice, Glenn Conroy, Karima Adebibe, Sam Troughton, Ian Whyte, Tom Woodruff Jr., Petr Jakl, Pavel Bezdek, Kieran Bew, Carsten Voigt, Jan Filipensky, Adrian Bouchet, Eoin McCarthy, Andy Lucas

Storyline

During an archaeological expedition on an island in the Antarctic Ocean, a team of archaeologists and scientists find themselves caught up in a battle between two alien races, aliens and predators. 

Opinion

It could have been worse. That's what I kept telling myself as the ending credits for Alien vs. Predator rolled out. Sure, it could have been better considering it's and Alien and Predator crossover, but despite all its flaws it still was fun to watch. 

And I'm really surprised because this film it's kind of a mess. The plot is uninspired and there are so many holes it's impossible to keep count. Wait, actually I'm not even sure this film has a plot. So no plot no holes I guess. Anyway, it's just terrible.

The characters aren't any better. They are paper-thin, uninteresting, stupid and they soon become boring as fuck. The character development is so little, they are dead and you barely know their names. I remember only two names, Lex  - because of Lex Luthor - and Sebastian - because I've never met or heard of any Italian named Sebastian. And the wooden acting surely doesn't help. 

However, he most surprising thing, script-wise, is the dialogue. The two franchises kind of have good dialogue; here it's just a mess. If feels like watching a parody of a sci-fi flick, that's how bad the dialogue is.

But it was fun. Well, at least the last part was. After a very long and tedious first part with the annoying humans, the aliens and predators show up, killing humans and each other, and the fun begins. The action sequences and special effects aren't anything special - they are average - but if compared with the rest of the film they really are great, and they make the watch more bearable. And although it's just your typical action flick action, it's fun. 

Aliens (1986)

Genre

Action | Sci-Fi

Director

James Cameron

Country

USA | UK

Cast

Sigourney Weaver, Michael Biehn, Paul Reiser, Lance Henriksen, Carrie Henn, Bill Paxton, William Hope, Ricco Ross, Al Matthews, Jenette Goldstein, Mark Rolston, Colette Hiller, Daniel Kash

Storyline

Fifty seven years after she survived her disastrous ordeal, Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) discovers The Company have colonised the moon from Alien but have lost contacts with the colony. So she is sent there with a team of Space Marines to find out what is going on.

Opinion

Most of the time sequels turn out to be a really bad idea. But this time James Cameron took over from Ridley Scott, and it was more than obvious that the result would be different, and so it was. In fact "Aliens" is a thrilling science-fiction flick as well as a good sequel.

Even though it's better to watch this only after seeing "Alien" because it follows those events, and despite it shares some points with its predecessor's, the plot is quite strong and will keep you interested throughout the entire film.

The film also introduces new, interesting and quite memorable characters, and one in particular, and the bond that grows between that character and Ripley, allows to develop the main character even further.

Unlike Scott, Cameron decided to focus mainly on the action, which becomes even more violent than before - if that's even possible -, going from a claustrophobic thriller to an almost war movie. However, at the same time, he still managed to keep that suspense that characterized "Aline" and that kept the viewer glued to the screen.

In addition to a paced story and fast, intense and exciting action, the film also features creepy locations, great special effects - even though I feel like they were better in the first film -, and mesmerizing, to say the least, music. The acting isn't anything special, but it's believable.

Alien (1979)

Genre

Horror | Sci-Fi

Director

Ridley Scott

Country

UK | USA

Cast

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

Storyline

After intercepting an SOS signal from a nearby moon, the crew of a commercial spaceship is attacked by a mysterious lifeform.

Opinion

Before delivering to the audience huge disappointments - see "Prometheus" and "The Counselor" -, Ridley Scott used to make fantastic films, and "Alien" is one of them. Not only this is the film that launched the famous series, but it's also a spectacular horror/sci-fi film.

"Alien" is also one of those films you can watch a million times and never get tired of, and, in part, that's because of the story. Even though it is simple, it still manages to be smart, interesting, incredibly well-constructed and does not fall into clichés or absurd twists.

It work very well as a horror because the story is about fear, and people facing it. And just like happens in "regular" horrors, some of the characters fight back, others are overwhelmed by fear and let it destroy them. And people are killed with no logic whatsoever. There is no meaning behind who gets to live and who dies. And that's what makes the film so much more interesting.

However, the biggest credits for the success of the film go to the one and only Ridley Scott. He is able to deliver an excellent story that has just the right pace, that is wonderfully put together and that also features a tense and claustrophobic atmosphere. And the musical score by Jerry Goldsmith is perfect to underline it.

The camera work is top notch. Scott uses each movement, light and shadow in the best way possible, and does an incredibly job at not revealing exactly how the alien moves - seeing a guy in a suit wouldn't have been very effective.

At last but not least, the actors. It is not very common for a science fiction film to have such strong performances. Each actor does a great job portraying their characters in a quite realistic way. And Sigourney Weaver, what a powerful performance! And thinking she was nobody before making this.

Ridley Scott On 3D Conversion And Michael Bay

I have to say Quint over at AICN got some very interesting 3D news out of Sir Ridley Scott in a short 6 minutes about his upcoming prequel to ALIEN. My hat goes off to him! :-)

As you know, Scott is shooting his ALIEN prequels in native 3D.

So lets go into the details from the interview. Ridley Scott is an advocate of 3D conversion - good conversion obviously. Scott says: "I’ve heard now that audiences object if it’s not purely 3D, if it’s 2D to 3D. I could show you 2D to 3D and you wouldn’t know the difference. But when they’re told it’s 2D to 3D they say, “Fuck that, man! I’m paying another four dollars…” It’s about money, of course, but you’re still paying for the effect. Really, it’s very close. 2D to 3D is awfully close."

Quint is NOT speaking for all of us though, when he tells Scott that there are technical limitations of filming a movie in 3D - specifically lighting. Scott's reply? Hogwash. And it is true. If you tackle it correctly (as Scott is doing - he will be capturing as much digital information as possible and tackling lighting in post), then you have nothing to fear.

Here is some more good news from Scott: Michael Bay is indeed shooting TRANSFORMERS 3 in native 3D! Here is his comment which I construe as being that Bay is filming in native: "I was told it was going to slow us down… it didn’t slow (Michael) Bay down. Bay is moving like lightning. Once he realized, “Oh, Jesus… there’s no difference, really. Except I’m adding dimension.”

Personally I would have asked about the cameras Scott is using and what stereoscopic team, if any, is he bringing on board to assist, etc. But hey, it wasn't my interview. Glad he got in what he got in.

Ridley Scott Confirms ALIEN Prequel To Be Shot In Native 3D!! *AND* There Will Be TWO Prequels!!!

**SAME DAY UPDATE: From Collider once again - The other big news from the interview is he said he’s developing two Alien prequels! When asked if he was going to shoot both together, he said, “at the moment I’m just trying to get the first one out.”

Jim here. Perfect!! The man himself, Ridley Scott, has confirmed to Steve @ Collider that the ALIEN prequel will definitely be shot in 3D and that he will be using the most advanced 3D cameras on the planet. Twice as effective as the ones used on AVATAR as Cameron's technology has evolved since then.

Scott's main concern is lighting because the ALIEN franchise is very dark and shadowy. As you may know, projecting 3D cuts the light effectively in half as 50% of the light goes to each eye, but not at the same time. James Cameron had some similar issues with AVATAR and spent a lot of time on evening out the lighting throughout the movie and it paid off. Look for the same effort from Ridley on ALIEN.

The ALIEN prequel script is in its fourth draft right now! Don't forget to read more from Ridley Scott here.

Quick Post: ALIEN Prequel WILL Be In S3D!

Jim here. Just a quick post to bring you up to speed on the Ridley Scott ALIEN prequel we have been dying to hear more about.

According to ShadowLocked, STAR WARS and ALIEN art director Roger Christian confirmed that the ALIEN prequel will indeed be in stereoscopic 3D.

Says Christian: "Ridley's doing the next Alien in 3D."

When asked whether he thought the new prequel could set the Alien franchise straight again, Christian responded:

"I do. Ridley told me some of his ideas when we were here in Toronto. He has a very clear understanding of where this should go. They kind of stopped dead one of the greatest horror franchises there's ever been, and it had legs to go on. So I'm hoping he'll revive another three. The world certainly wants it, and the fans want it - everybody. "

"I always made only one promise to myself. I said if ever I went back to designing, the only film I would ever want to design is Alien, if Ridley re-did it. I could never understand why they didn't pull him back in". Pressed as to whether he'll be on board the Alien franchise again, Christian laughed: "I don't know! We'll see. I would do it if it came up, depending on what I was doing at the time."

"Paul Anderson was here (in Toronto) shooting the next Resident Evil movie in 3D, so I went down on the set with him. Watching shots of zombies in 3D is amazing - I got really excited! For horror films, it's brilliant."

Excellent news indeed. Stay tuned for more!!