Alien (1979) or, Space Eggs Are Bad News

7/20/2013

Alien (1979) or, Space Eggs Are Bad News

♥♥♥♥♥

Perhaps the most famous tagline of all time, Ridley Scott's Alien's 'In space no one can hear you scream.'

The commercial spaceship the Nostromo is bound back for Earth, when the crew pick up a strange signal and discover an alien, non-friendly life form.

Alien is the brilliant science fiction classic, written by Dan O'Bannon (Dark Star (1974)) and directed by British master filmmaker Ridley Scott (Gladiator (2000)), which showed the world that a real horror movie could also take place in deep space.
The first three fourths of Alien are the best; quiet and uniquely creepy scenes one after the other. It is the slow yet always forward-moving pace and great character work that expand the film, together with a monster, the alien, which is likely the best movie monster of all time.
Ian Holm (Time Bandits (1981)) is very good as a cynical android, and Sigourney Weaver (The Girl in the Park (2007)) is equally terrific as Ripley, the survivor and heroine of the film.
Alien is the first of quite a few of his films that have immortalized Ridley Scott in film history.

Related posts:

Alien franchise: Prometheus (2012) or, Even Then, Space Eggs Were Bad News
AVP: Alien vs. Predator (2004) or, Everyone Loses
Alien: Resurrection (1997) or, Queen of the Goo Massacre!
Alien 3 (1992) or, The Monsters Go to Jail!
Ridley Scott: Prometheus (2012) or, Even Then, Space Eggs Were Bad News (Alien prequel)
Robin Hood (2010) - R. Scott's grand film of the English legend
American Gangster (2007) - Great American - now black - gangster picture
A Good Year (2006) or, Ridley Scott Likes Provence
Top 10: The best big flop movies reviewed by Film Excess to date
Blade Runner (1982) - R. Scott's visual extravaganza, great SF

Top 10: Best future-set movies

Even the trailer for Alien is scary. This is a film that is almost always worth another watch

Cost: Reportedly 11 mil. $
Box office: 104.9 - 203.6 mil. $ (varying accounts)
= Blockbuster (returned at least 9.53 times its cost)
[Alien was released 25 May and runs 117 minutes. Though an extended cut and a director's cut has been released, Scott has stated that he prefers the original theatrical cut, which he describes as the best version he could make at the time. The script was inspired by numerous sci-fi movies and other fiction, (just as the film itself would subsequently inspire numerous cultural products), not least the fascinating creature designs by H. R. Giger. Scott reportedly described the film as "the Texas Chain Saw Massacre of science fiction" to Fox executives to enhance the allotted budget, (which he had success with, especially due to the phenomenal success of Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)). Filming took place in the Shepperton and Bray Studios in England for 14 weeks from July - October 1978. SPOILER The famous 'chest-burster scene' was done in one take with the actors not informed of what would specifically take place and thus reacting in genuine horror, which is caught effectively on film. SPOILER Scott reportedly wanted the film to end with the alien ripping off Ripley's head and taking over the ship, to which Fox raised objections, and which would have made the future of the franchise impossible (or at least vastly different, as the following three films also center on Ripley.) The film opened #1 to an incredible 3.5 mil. $ in just 91 theaters, widening out to 635 theaters in North America, where it grossed 80.9 mil. $ (77.1 % of the total gross if we accept the most commonly stated 104.9 mil. $ world gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were France with 4.7 mil. $ (4.5 %) and Japan with 4.4 mil. $ (4.2 %). Several influential critics were unimpressed of the film initially, including Roger Ebert, Leonard Maltin and Vincent Canby. The film was nominated for 2 Oscars: It won for Best Visual Effects and lost Best Art Direction to All That Jazz. It was also nominated for a Golden Globe and 7 BAFTAs, of which it won 2. The film initially made an additional 40.3 mil. $ on VHS and Betamax sales in North America alone. It currently rests at #52 on IMDb's user-generated Top 250. Scott returned with a 1979 commercial for Channel No. 5 and theatrically with Blade Runner (1982). Weaver returned in 3 by Cheever (1979, miniseries) and theatrically in Eyewitness (1981). Alien is certified fresh at 97 % with a 9/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Alien?

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William Friedkin has died

Born in Chicago, Friedkin accrued TV credits prior to his advance to the big screen as the director of Good TImes (1967), The Birthday Party (1968), The Night They Raided Minsky's (1968) and The Boys in the Band (1970) before his major breakthrough, The French Connection (1971), for which he won his only Oscar. He followed it up with the even bigger smash, The Exorcist (1973), arguably the best horror film of all time, for which he was Oscar-nominated. Later credits include Sorcerer (1977), Cruising (1980), To Live and Die in L.A. (1985), Rampage (1987), Rules of Engagement (2000), Killer Joe (2011) and The Devil and Father Amorth (2017, documentary). Friedkin passed away at age 87. R.I.P.

Louise Fletcher has passed away

Born in Alabama to deaf parents, Fletcher got her first credits in late-1950s TV-series.She took a 10 year-long sabbatical to devote her time to motherhood after the release of A Gathering of Eagles, but then came back and soon saw her career's most important part, as Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975), for which she won her sole Oscar. Later credits include Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977), The Lucky Star (1980), Brainstorm (1983), Two Moon Junction (1988), Cruel Intentions (1999), A Perfect Man (2013) and many more. Fletcher passed away at age 88. R.I.P.

Jean-Luc Godard has passed away

Born in Paris, France, Godard lived much of his life in Switzerland. He wrote for French film criticism magazine Cahiers du Cinema and became foundational for the New French Wave that inspired new waves in scores of other countries across the world with his Breathless (1960). Later credits include A Woman Is A Woman (1961), Vivre Sa Vie (1962), Le Petit Soldat (1962), Contempt (1963), Alphaville (1965), Pierrot le Fou (1965), 2 or 3 Things I Know About Her (1967), Weekend (1967), Every Man for Himself (1980), King Lear (1987), Century of Cinema (1995, documentary), Goodbye to Language (2014) and many more. Godard died of assisted suicide at age 91. R.I.P.

Wolfgang Petersen has died

James Caan has died

Caan was born the son of Jewish immigrants from Germany in New York. He got his start on TV in the early 1960s. His credits include El Dorado (1966), The Rain People (1969), Brian's Song (1971, TV movie), The Godfather (1972), - for which he earned his only Oscar nomination, - Slither (1973), The Gambler (1974), Funny Lady (1975), Rollerball (1975), Silent Movie (1976), Hide in Plain Sight (1980), - the only film he also directed, - Thief (1981), Misery (1990), Honeymoon in Vegas (1992), Bottle Rocket (1996), Eraser (1996), Dogville (2003), Elf (2003), Las Vegas (2003-07), Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009) and many more. Caan passed away at age 82. R.I.P.

Jean-Louis Trintignant has died

Born in Vaucluse, France, Trintignant's theatrical debut as an actor was in If All the Guys in the World... (1955). Later credits include ...And God Created Woman (1956), The Seven Deadly Sins (1961), Inferno (1964), A Man and A Woman (1966), My Love, My Love (1967), A Man to Kill (1967), The Great Silence (1968), Z (1969), The Assassination (1972), Three Colors: Red (1994), Amour (2012), Happy End (2017) and many more. He also wrote and directed two films in the 1970s. Trintignant passed away at age 91. R.I.P.

Ray Liotta has died

Adopted from an orphenage at a young age, Liotta got hooked on acting in high school. He had various TV credits in the late 1970s and early 80s, with his film debut in The Lonely Lady (1983). Later credits include Something Wild (1986), Field of Dreams (1989), Goodfellas (1990), Cop Land (1997), Hannibal (2001), Blow (2001), Narc (2002), John Q (2002), Identity (2003), Observe and Report (2009), Youth in Revolt (2009), The Details (2011), Killing THem Softly (2012), The Place Beyond the Pines (2012), Shades of Blue (2016-18), The Simpsons (2018, TV-series), Marriage Story (2019), The Many Saints of Newark (2021), Black Bird (2022, TV-series) and many more. Liotta passed away at age 67 in his sleep while on production in the Dominican Republic. R.I.P.

Philip Baker Hall has died

Born in Ohio, Hall didn't start acting until he was 30. His long list of credits include Zabriskie Point (1970), Miami Vice (1987, TV-series), Midnight Run (1988), Ghostbusters II (1989), Cheers (1993, TV-series), Hard Eight (1996), The Rock (1996), Air Force One (1997), Boogie Nights (1997), Seinfeld (1991-98), Rush Hour (1998), The Insider (1999), Magnolia (1999), The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999), Bruce Almighty (2003), Dogville (2003), The Zodiac (2005), Zodiac (2007), Curb Your Enthusiasm (2004-09), Mr. Popper's Penguins (2011), Modern Family (2011-12) and many more. Hall passed away at age 90. R.I.P.

William Hurt has passed away

Born in Washington D.C., Hurt's first film role was the lead in Altered States (1980). Later credits include Body Heat (1981), The Big Chill (1983), Gorky Park (1983), Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985), for which he earned his only Oscar as Best Actor; Chilrdren of a Lesser God (1986), for which he was also Oscar-nominated; Broadcast News (1987), for which he was again Oscar-nominated; Smoke (1995), A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001), A History of Violence (2005), for which he was again Oscar-nominated; The Good Shepherd (2006), Into the Wild (2007), Robin Hood (2010) and many more. Hurt passed away at age 71. R.I.P.

Ivan Reitman has passed away

Born in Chechoslovakia, now Slovakia, Reitman's family fled the Soviet regime to Austria, then Toronto, when he was 4 years old. Reitman broke into movies as a director with Foxy Lady (1971). Later credits include Cannibal Girls (1973), Meatballs (1979), Stripes (1981), Ghostbusters (1984), Twins (1988), Ghostbusters II (1989), Kindergarten Cop (1990), Junior (1994), Father's Day (1997), Evolution (1998), No Strings Attached (2011), Draft Day (2014) and more. Reitman's son Jason Reitman is also a great filmmaker. Reitman passed away at age 75. R.I.P.

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7/20/2013

Alien (1979) or, Space Eggs Are Bad News

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