Great one Henry! Yeah, this is a classic and so is the sequel. You can skip all the other Alien movies following that except for the new one who is Alien back on form.
Alien (1979) was director Ridley Scott's second film and a great success. I remember hearing others talk about it and seeing the posters for it at the local theater during its first run, but it was rated R - restricted for those under seventeen -- and I was more or less still fresh out of grade school at the time. Ridley Scott's next film was Blade Runner. I saw that during its initial release. But I digress. Alien took the gloss off the science fiction of Star Wars and Star Trek. Alien is more or less teamsters in space battle alien raptor to the death. The alien was designed by Swiss artist H. R. Giger. The cast beyond Sigourney Weaver is remarkable too -- Tom Skerritt, John Hurt, Veronica Cartwright, Yaphet Kotto, Harry Dean Stanton, Ian Holm. You might not recognize those actors by name but keep watching movies and you're bound to encounter them again. Harry Dean Stanton, for example, features in films directed by Wim Wenders, John Carpenter, Martin Scorsese, and David Lynch. And Yaphet Kotto was also great in Across 110th Street (1972), Blue Collar (1978), and Brubaker (1980). Aliens (1986), the sequel to Alien, adds a lot of action to the horror. It was directed by James Cameron. The franchise meandered a bit in the nineties but found its footing again with Prometheus (2012), also directed by Ridley Scott.
"It's got a great defense mechanism. You don't dare kill it." Classic sci-fi horror. The tension is so thick, you will need a sharp steak knife in order to cut it. The voice of "Mother" is so iconic, in my honest opinion. There's something unnerving about a cold feminine voice counting down to your death. It wasn't until GLaDOS that we rediscovered that a computerized female voice can be absolutely creepy. Fun Fact: In H.R. Giger's original illustrations that inspired the look of the Alien, the creature had eyes. For the movie, Giger insisted that the creature have no eyes, thus giving the bleak appearance of a cold and emotionless beast that hunts by smell. Real Guts Fact: The dead facehugger that Ash (Ian Holm) autopsies was made using fresh shellfish, four oysters, and a sheep kidney to re-create the internal organs. Filming had to be done quickly because the organic material would go bad very fast under the studio lights. Bloody Solution Fact: It was conceptual artist Ron Cobb who came up with the idea that the Alien should bleed acid. This came about when Dan O'Bannon ran into a wall with the screenplay on how to handle the last half of the movie. He needed a good reason for why the crew members don't just shoot the thing and kill it but still not make it an indestructible monster that can't be killed. The acid blood was the idea that solved this problem.
Any computerized voice can be creepy. Remember HAL from 2001: A Space Odyssey? If the alien had eyes, those would most likely be it's weak spot. I can imagine the smell of the dead facehugger 😨 The acid blood is a creative idea. Though the corrosiveness is crazy strong. The way it melts through the ship is like water melting through cotton candy! Thanks for sharing 😉
Good reaction. Just to let you know, and I apologize if this has been said, the ship was not that big. The main part of the vehicle is basically a huge ore silo. It isn't a huge ship. The only true ship is what they took down to the planet (with the small shuttle inside). What they left behind on the way to the planet was the "silo" part , or container part, of the ship. That is why they all went down to the planet and no-one stayed behind. When you said "Just a tiny little shuttle. Why don't they take the bigger one", its because the Alien is in the bigger one, the only one (other than the shuttle). You are also, one of the very rare reactors that understood that the Alien blocked her way to the escape shuttle, so she tried to go back and kill the self destruct, but was too late. Can't wait to see your Aliens reaction!!
At 4 :22 - you can briefly see the cat at the breakfast table: Ripley is petting it. We learn later that the cat's name is Jones, and of course, it goes without saying that Jonesy is the most vital resident of the Nostromo (I say as one cat curls against my leg, waiting for a tummy rub, and another keeps guard at my window). Kane is played by classically trained and marvelous actor John Hurt. He first came to our family's attention when, in the 1970s, the BBC mini-series "I, Claudius" came to the US. Based on a novel by Robert Graves, who in turn, based his novel on ancient Roman sources, it tells the story of the rise of the Emperor Claudius: disabled, stricken with a stammer, and undervalued by almost everyone in his family. Claudius is played by Derek Jacobi, who came to Brooklyn a few years ago to play King Lear, and was, of course, magnificent. John Hurt played the insane Emperor Caligula, and just, oh, plain ran away with the role. The series is available here and there for streaming, and if you get the chance, sit back and enjoy its wonderful script and amazing cast, including a youngish Patrick Stewart.... with hair. Here's a taste of John Hurt's Caligula: ua-cam.com/video/HUHYlYgXOS8/v-deo.html
Jonesy outmaneuvering and surviving the alien is proof of his skills. Except the time he was trapped in his cage (he really had no choice there). Thanks for the "I, Claudius" suggestion 😊
@@henryellow So true! And you'll notice that he reacts whenever the Alien is nearby, including growling in the shuttle. Ripley misinterprets it, thinking, with justice, that Jonesy is reacting to the events of the day. But I think he knows the Alien is there. Listen to your baby pet. Always listen to your baby pet!
@@henryellow Hope you get a chance to watch "I, Claudius"! The production values are sort of more theater oriented than movie oriented, but you're not there for fancy sets and props, not when you've got the writing and the cast assembled here.
I wanted to see this very badly when it came out. But I was 20, had a day job plus I was everyone's babysitter. Finally, it went to the drive in theater and when it's final showing notice came up in the paper, ( that's how we kept track of movies ), I made sure everybody knew I wasn't available, grabbed my Mother, as I made sure of my babysitting gigs would default to her, and drove us to the drive in, which was nearly empty that late in the film's run. I discovered being practically alone on an acre of land, in the dark, just made it scarier. The art direction and creature design and Ridley Scott's direction just building and building. But what would later be known as a xenomorph, definitely took the prize. A viscous predator that our brains just can't perceive for what it is. That happens twice in Alien. On the shuttle, of course, but earlier, when Brett's getting close to finding Jonesy, there's a shot from above showing the alien swinging in the chains right over Brett's head. Even though I'd been told about it later, it took me several more viewings to see it. Aliens is probably the best sequel ever, James Cameron turns it into an action/ sci fi/ horror. As for the franchise, someone pointed out that if consider each entry a different genre, it makes them a little easier to swallow. It's also covers a multitude of sins. Alien 3 was a mess. There were two different approaches, and I really can't you which cut is best. Maybe none of them are. I personally love Alien Resurrection. It's a Joss Weadon script. And the Alien 3 fiasco was because the studio wouldn't leave it alone. Did they learn anything from that? No. There were a few scenes the studio wanted removed, but Sigourney Weaver told them if they were cut, she would withdraw from the film. With the more contemporary sequels, there is a disappointing amount of nonsense. But the actors are good, ( or good and wasted ), but the overall story explains some of the details of earlier lore.
"Alien": In 1979, the TV and newspaper ads said only: "In space, no one can hear you scream." What would you make of that? In those long ago, pre-Internet days, we "went in blind." What will this Classic movie viewer make of this "old, long, slow-moving, character-centered no-DFX movie"? 2:18 The Company is sending the equivalent of a freighter crew to "do science" on a unexplored planet! 3:35 You got that right. 5:14 The Space Jockey, a mystery for decades. 6:28 The first jump scare. 6:41 This conversation has become iconic due to recent events. 7:20 The Face Hugger, grossing out audiences for years. 7:42 Acid Blood! 9:30 A Props dept. work of ART, made of sea animals. 10:26 Kane's last meal. 10:52 The Xenomorph, scaring audiences for over 40 years. 12:24 Along came Jones. 13:24 Say hello to Bolaji Badejo. 14:11 How's that for a "syntax error"? 15:04 You're in command, Ripley. 15:59 In 1979, this was my "WTF? Ash ISN'T Human!?" moment. 16:48 Most didn't see this coming. 19:47 Escape route cut off, stop Destruct to gain time for Plan B. 22:45 Tonight's entree on the shuttle "Narcissus" is Steamed Xenomorph in Shell. 23:10 Correction, Char-Broiled Xenomorph. This and the next movie made newcomer Sigourney Weaver a major movie star.
I think you watched the theatrical version. I actually prefer the director's cut although still not quite sure which one you saw. The director's cut is mostly different because it has an extra scene that reveals in part what the alien is up to. Definitely watch the sequel, one of the best sequels ever.
Dallas' body isn't found because the alien took it to transform it in a new egg. There's a scene which was cut from the theatrical version. She burns him after he asks her to k1ll him.
"In Space No One Can Hear You Scream"
Brilliant tagline. Made marketing the film super-easy...
Nice reaction. I'll be watching for Aliens
Great one Henry! Yeah, this is a classic and so is the sequel. You can skip all the other Alien movies following that except for the new one who is Alien back on form.
Alien (1979) was director Ridley Scott's second film and a great success. I remember hearing others talk about it and seeing the posters for it at the local theater during its first run, but it was rated R - restricted for those under seventeen -- and I was more or less still fresh out of grade school at the time. Ridley Scott's next film was Blade Runner. I saw that during its initial release. But I digress. Alien took the gloss off the science fiction of Star Wars and Star Trek. Alien is more or less teamsters in space battle alien raptor to the death. The alien was designed by Swiss artist H. R. Giger. The cast beyond Sigourney Weaver is remarkable too -- Tom Skerritt, John Hurt, Veronica Cartwright, Yaphet Kotto, Harry Dean Stanton, Ian Holm. You might not recognize those actors by name but keep watching movies and you're bound to encounter them again. Harry Dean Stanton, for example, features in films directed by Wim Wenders, John Carpenter, Martin Scorsese, and David Lynch. And Yaphet Kotto was also great in Across 110th Street (1972), Blue Collar (1978), and Brubaker (1980). Aliens (1986), the sequel to Alien, adds a lot of action to the horror. It was directed by James Cameron. The franchise meandered a bit in the nineties but found its footing again with Prometheus (2012), also directed by Ridley Scott.
"It's got a great defense mechanism. You don't dare kill it."
Classic sci-fi horror. The tension is so thick, you will need a sharp steak knife in order to cut it.
The voice of "Mother" is so iconic, in my honest opinion. There's something unnerving about a cold feminine voice counting down to your death. It wasn't until GLaDOS that we rediscovered that a computerized female voice can be absolutely creepy.
Fun Fact: In H.R. Giger's original illustrations that inspired the look of the Alien, the creature had eyes. For the movie, Giger insisted that the creature have no eyes, thus giving the bleak appearance of a cold and emotionless beast that hunts by smell.
Real Guts Fact: The dead facehugger that Ash (Ian Holm) autopsies was made using fresh shellfish, four oysters, and a sheep kidney to re-create the internal organs. Filming had to be done quickly because the organic material would go bad very fast under the studio lights.
Bloody Solution Fact: It was conceptual artist Ron Cobb who came up with the idea that the Alien should bleed acid. This came about when Dan O'Bannon ran into a wall with the screenplay on how to handle the last half of the movie. He needed a good reason for why the crew members don't just shoot the thing and kill it but still not make it an indestructible monster that can't be killed. The acid blood was the idea that solved this problem.
Any computerized voice can be creepy. Remember HAL from 2001: A Space Odyssey?
If the alien had eyes, those would most likely be it's weak spot.
I can imagine the smell of the dead facehugger 😨
The acid blood is a creative idea. Though the corrosiveness is crazy strong. The way it melts through the ship is like water melting through cotton candy!
Thanks for sharing 😉
Good reaction. Just to let you know, and I apologize if this has been said, the ship was not that big. The main part of the vehicle is basically a huge ore silo. It isn't a huge ship. The only true ship is what they took down to the planet (with the small shuttle inside). What they left behind on the way to the planet was the "silo" part , or container part, of the ship. That is why they all went down to the planet and no-one stayed behind.
When you said "Just a tiny little shuttle. Why don't they take the bigger one", its because the Alien is in the bigger one, the only one (other than the shuttle).
You are also, one of the very rare reactors that understood that the Alien blocked her way to the escape shuttle, so she tried to go back and kill the self destruct, but was too late.
Can't wait to see your Aliens reaction!!
Oh, is that so? Well then, it makes sense to me now. Thanks for clarifying 😊👍🏻
At 4 :22 - you can briefly see the cat at the breakfast table: Ripley is petting it. We learn later that the cat's name is Jones, and of course, it goes without saying that Jonesy is the most vital resident of the Nostromo (I say as one cat curls against my leg, waiting for a tummy rub, and another keeps guard at my window).
Kane is played by classically trained and marvelous actor John Hurt. He first came to our family's attention when, in the 1970s, the BBC mini-series "I, Claudius" came to the US. Based on a novel by Robert Graves, who in turn, based his novel on ancient Roman sources, it tells the story of the rise of the Emperor Claudius: disabled, stricken with a stammer, and undervalued by almost everyone in his family. Claudius is played by Derek Jacobi, who came to Brooklyn a few years ago to play King Lear, and was, of course, magnificent. John Hurt played the insane Emperor Caligula, and just, oh, plain ran away with the role. The series is available here and there for streaming, and if you get the chance, sit back and enjoy its wonderful script and amazing cast, including a youngish Patrick Stewart.... with hair.
Here's a taste of John Hurt's Caligula: ua-cam.com/video/HUHYlYgXOS8/v-deo.html
Jonesy outmaneuvering and surviving the alien is proof of his skills. Except the time he was trapped in his cage (he really had no choice there).
Thanks for the "I, Claudius" suggestion 😊
@@henryellow So true! And you'll notice that he reacts whenever the Alien is nearby, including growling in the shuttle. Ripley misinterprets it, thinking, with justice, that Jonesy is reacting to the events of the day. But I think he knows the Alien is there.
Listen to your baby pet. Always listen to your baby pet!
@@henryellow Hope you get a chance to watch "I, Claudius"! The production values are sort of more theater oriented than movie oriented, but you're not there for fancy sets and props, not when you've got the writing and the cast assembled here.
I wanted to see this very badly when it came out. But I was 20, had a day job plus I was everyone's babysitter. Finally, it went to the drive in theater and when it's final showing notice came up in the paper, ( that's how we kept track of movies ), I made sure everybody knew I wasn't available, grabbed my Mother, as I made sure of my babysitting gigs would default to her, and drove us to the drive in, which was nearly empty that late in the film's run.
I discovered being practically alone on an acre of land, in the dark, just made it scarier. The art direction and creature design and Ridley Scott's direction just building and building. But what would later be known as a xenomorph, definitely took the prize.
A viscous predator that our brains just can't perceive for what it is. That happens twice in Alien. On the shuttle, of course, but earlier, when Brett's getting close to finding Jonesy, there's a shot from above showing the alien swinging in the chains right over Brett's head.
Even though I'd been told about it later, it took me several more viewings to see it.
Aliens is probably the best sequel ever, James Cameron turns it into an action/ sci fi/ horror.
As for the franchise, someone pointed out that if consider each entry a different genre, it makes them a little easier to swallow. It's also covers a multitude of sins. Alien 3 was a mess. There were two different approaches, and I really can't you which cut is best. Maybe none of them are.
I personally love Alien Resurrection. It's a Joss Weadon script. And the Alien 3 fiasco was because the studio wouldn't leave it alone. Did they learn anything from that? No.
There were a few scenes the studio wanted removed, but Sigourney Weaver told them if they were cut, she would withdraw from the film.
With the more contemporary sequels, there is a disappointing amount of nonsense. But the actors are good, ( or good and wasted ), but the overall story explains some of the details of earlier lore.
It's great that you were able to squeeze out time to watch it on the big screen. Thanks for sharing your experience 😊
I thought Sigourney Weaver was good in 1988 Gorillas In The Mist which is about Dian Fossey and her study of Gorillas in Africa.
I'll add that movie to my list 😉
"Alien": In 1979, the TV and newspaper ads said only: "In space, no one can hear you scream." What would you make of that? In those long ago, pre-Internet days, we "went in blind." What will this Classic movie viewer make of this "old, long, slow-moving, character-centered no-DFX movie"? 2:18 The Company is sending the equivalent of a freighter crew to "do science" on a unexplored planet! 3:35 You got that right. 5:14 The Space Jockey, a mystery for decades. 6:28 The first jump scare. 6:41 This conversation has become iconic due to recent events. 7:20 The Face Hugger, grossing out audiences for years. 7:42 Acid Blood! 9:30 A Props dept. work of ART, made of sea animals. 10:26 Kane's last meal. 10:52 The Xenomorph, scaring audiences for over 40 years. 12:24 Along came Jones. 13:24 Say hello to Bolaji Badejo. 14:11 How's that for a "syntax error"? 15:04 You're in command, Ripley. 15:59 In 1979, this was my "WTF? Ash ISN'T Human!?" moment. 16:48 Most didn't see this coming. 19:47 Escape route cut off, stop Destruct to gain time for Plan B. 22:45 Tonight's entree on the shuttle "Narcissus" is Steamed Xenomorph in Shell. 23:10 Correction, Char-Broiled Xenomorph. This and the next movie made newcomer Sigourney Weaver a major movie star.
I think you watched the theatrical version. I actually prefer the director's cut although still not quite sure which one you saw. The director's cut is mostly different because it has an extra scene that reveals in part what the alien is up to. Definitely watch the sequel, one of the best sequels ever.
Then it's very likely I watched the theatrical version.
Dallas' body isn't found because the alien took it to transform it in a new egg. There's a scene which was cut from the theatrical version. She burns him after he asks her to k1ll him.
Ohhh, thanks for sharing that missing scene!
You should should react to ridley scott's directorial debut. 1977's The Duellists. Good reacting, dude. Alien is a classic sci-fi horror movie.
I'll add that to my movies list. Thanks for your suggestion! 😊