Alien (1979)

How do we kill it Ash? There's gotta be a way of killing it. How? How do we do it? Ripley

☆☆☆☆☆ Masterpiece 

Alien (1979) is an eerie, claustrophobic, visual tour de force Sci Fi masterpiece. 

Directed by Ridley Scott.


Starring Sigourney Weaver, John Hurt and Ian Holm among many others.


Ridley and his cast and technical crew create a truly mesmerizing Sci Fi horror film. The eerie silence at the beginning continues for the first half of the film as the slow unfolding drama builds momentum for the action in the second half of the film. Scott combined the claustrophobic environment of The Thing From Another World, 1951 with the visual artistry of Star Wars, 1977 and the relentless beast of Jaws, 1975. It's quiet moments are its most terrifying, because your mind starts imagining the worst possible outcomes. I will never forget the little Alien bursting out of John Hurt.

Sigourney creates the female action hero by gradually becoming a fearsome opponent to the Alien in her space ship. I love the maternal instincts that bring up her determination to survive and kill the Alien in her midst. The men seem helpless and rely on her to lead them and help destroy the monster inside their space craft.

Alien has influenced many films with its blend of action, Sci Fi and Horror. I just watched it 35 years after its theatrical release and it still looks amazing. The scene below is timeless. The actors looked stunned and terrified. Ridley gave them an outline of the scene, but the cast was not prepared for what the mechanical wizard's concocted. The blood splattering the actors added to the horror of the scene.

Film Scene

Trivia - Sigourney Weaver and Meryl Streep were the two finalist for the part of Ripley. The two actresses had been schoolmates at Yale.

Film Trailer






Film Photos - Posters

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Film Script

Note - If you would like to view And Alien (1979) to rent or buy please click on the link below the comments. It is sponsored by Google, so it is the safest and most secure way to get a copy for your film library.

300

" Spartans! Ready your breakfast and eat hearty... For tonight, we dine in hell!" King Leonidas

☆☆☆☆☆ Classic 


300 (2010) is a visual feast.


Directed and co-written by Zack Snyder.


Starring Gerard Butler, Lena Headey and David Wenham among many others.


I like 300, because Zach's visual style of using both super-imposition and chroma key techniques which brought to life what hand to hand sword fighting in sandals must have been like 2,500 years ago. I've got to hand it to Gerard for being as convincing as Russell Crowe was in Ridley Scott's, sword and sandal epic, Gladiator (2000). It's not easy delivering cheesy, pro-wrestling lines as, "Spartans! Ready your breakfast and eat hearty... For tonight, we dine in hell!" Butler's charismatic personality and dark sense of humor carried 300 on his shoulders as well as Crowe carried Gladiator with his Oscar winning performance. As an actor you've got to figure out how to get around weak dialogue or CGI or whatever may be lacking in the story. Both Gerard and Russell show that personality is one effective way in overcoming cheesy dialogue or lackluster CGI.

The CGI wizardry in the scene below kept me glued to the story as it unfolded. I think in a few years location shooting will not exist in filmmaking. Need to shoot in New York, London, Cairo and the Bahamas for James Bond, software like Lightwave will make it possible and cost effective. I included a small CGI discussion by the masters of Lightwave to give you an idea of the artistry involved in making 300.

Film Scene

Trivia -  Director Zack Snyder's son, Eli Snyder plays young King Leonidas (7-8 years old) in the child fight training scene.

Film Trailer

Discussion on CGI Work 300

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Film Transcript

 

Note - If you would like to view 300 to rent or buy please click on the link below the comments. It is sponsored by Google, so it is the safest and most secure way to get a copy for your film library.