It doesn’t matter whether or not fans prefer the raucous party that is “Aliens” or the slow burn terror that is “Alien,” no matter what there will never be another film like Ridley Scott’s “Alien.” Many have tried to duplicate the subtle horrific tale of a group of scavengers stuck on a ship with a creeping alien capable of striking them down at any moment, but very few have been able to capture that thrill and chill that Scott embodied so well with his fixture. Though “Aliens” is a welcome addition to any repertoire, not even James Cameron could capture the dark essence of the alien creeping in the corners of this creaky barge ready to murder and harvest any human host it could seek out. Ian Nicholas brings together an absolutely incredible compilation book that makes up the essential encyclopedia chronicling the development and making of “Alien.”
Tag Archives: Drama
The Walking Dead Season Two, Episode One: What Lies Ahead
What we see in “What Lies Ahead” is a group of people trying to prove someone wrong. At the end of the first season they were told by Doctor Jennings from the CDC that there is nothing in the world, and there is simply no hope. Which is why he attempted to commit suicide with the group aboard.
But the end of the episode showed that they were all willing to fight for their lives because there was hope. Hope had to mean something to him and to them. What we witness in “What Lies Ahead” is a group on the raggedy edge where they’re now laying witness to the wasteland where all hope is lost.
The Tree of Life (2011)
Back in 2011, there were rumblings of audience members in attendance of “The Tree of Life” screenings who were asking for their money back. Primarily because they didn’t understand the film. Sitting here I can safely say that this movie isn’t for everyone. It’s a thinking man’s picture, an existentialists dream, a study in to the nature of our universe and what we view as world’s colliding and collapsing in on themselves. I couldn’t understand what was so difficult to comprehend with “The Tree of Life.” It’s a film about the crisis of faith, pure and simple.
A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)
As a person who has taken part in lucid dreams, it’s refreshing to see a sequel strive to turn the premise of “A Nightmare on Elm Street” completely on its head. With states of dreaming and forms of the sub-conscious there is so much one can do with the premise that it’s a dream come true to see folks like Frank Darabont and Wes Craven re-visit the material and figure out a new way to deliver it to fans. Considered arguably the best of the “Nightmare” films, “Dream Warriors” takes a look at what would happen if the kids in Freddy’s dream world decided to finally start fighting back once and for all.
Paranormal Activity 2: Tokyo Night (2010)
Whether or not you enjoy “Paranormal Activity 2: Tokyo Night” is directly proportioned to whether or not you enjoy the “Paranormal Activity” franchise at all. At the end of the day this is Japan’s piece of the Paranormal pie and it is officially a sequel to and an extension of Oren Peli’s lore that he established with he first film and that has been established with the second film. This is not the first time an American film has seen a foreign sequel matched with an American sequel as George Romero saw his film “Dawn of the Dead” become its own franchise in Italy while “Day of the Dead” was simultaneously released and for once it’s refreshing to see Japan take on an American hit film and provide their own adaptation of the source material.
The Walking Dead – The Complete First Season: 3-Disc Special Edition (DVD)
With “The Walking Dead” being perhaps one of the biggest television hit in years, it was only obvious AMC television would rush out a box set of the entire first season of “The Walking Dead.” I can’t imagine it took them very long since the first season of the 2010 hit series is only six episodes, but that’s only the norm for AMC who practices a formula of six trial episodes leading in to a hopeful second and third season of thirteen episodes. It happened with “The Killing” and they also practiced the formula for “Breaking Bad,” two truly genius series.
With “The Walking Dead” rushed in to production on the home video front, fans were treated to a hastily created albeit much welcomed addition to their horror collection that brought together one of the biggest hits of 2010. For folks looking for a more complete edition, AMC and Anchor Bay have released a more thought out and well versed edition in a Three Disc hard cover treatment that should be a welcome collector’s piece for hardcore fans of “The Walking Dead.”
The Dead (2011)
The Ford Brothers have obviously come from the school of Romero with “The Dead,” a film that touts itself as one of the first South African zombie movies ever released. It strives to bring audiences the genre that Romero built in its most traditional sense as a zombie movie where the living must fight to ward off the walking dead, all of whom lumber and groan at the sight of fresh meat. There’s not a runner to be found, which should please traditionalists looking for a dread filled good time and the Ford brothers seemed to have been fed on a strict diet of Romero’s films as their monstrous zombies actually walk in rigomortis stricken pale bodies that turn them in to rather omnipotent and menacing beings.