I am ready for my second post! Well, for quite a while I have had an aching curiosity for seeing this film:
Prometheus, the new "quasi-prequel" to the Alien franchise from Ridley Scott who directed the original film back in 1979. However, there was a little voice in my head that was telling me, "Proceed With Caution" meaning, "I don't think you should see this until you've seen the original source material," so for four nights in a row I viewed each of the Alien films consecutively, to get myself prepared for the next film that was soon to come. (I skipped over the Alien Vs. Predator films because from word of my mother, they were pretty stupid.)
Alien (1979)
In space, no one can hear you scream.
Quite the perfect tagline for this space terror story. The crew of the Nostromo receives a mysterious message from a seemingly deserted planet. But once on there, they discover a spacecraft which contains a deadly secret that begins to attack the crew one by one. Very suspenseful, I jumped about twice (Mom jumped a little higher I'd have to say) great acting and great characterization, especially with Lt. Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver). She's right up there with Lisbeth Salander on one of the most incredible female characters ever.
8/10
Aliens (1986)
Unlike the first film, this one is directed by James Cameron, who would later direct Sigourney Weaver in Avatar Ripley has been in the cryo-freeze for 57 years and she wakes up to a completely different atmosphere. She returns to the planet where she found the Aliens with a military crew, where they find the remains of a destroyed human colony, the only survivor being a young girl who seems to know the severity of the alien attacks as much as Ripley. But this time, the Aliens are coming back with a vengeance, and the climatic scene where the Ripley walks into the depth of the Alien Queen. Lived up to the suspensefulness of the first film and felt like an awesome roller-coaster ride.
8/10
Alien 3 (1992)
The third film in the series and one of the first directed by David Fincher (acclaimed director of Fight Club, The Social Network, and one of my all-time favorites, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo). Ripley is the only survivor of a spaceship crash on a penal planet with only men prisoners. Soon after the bodies begin to pile up, Ripley discovers that she has been impregnated with an Alien Queen and makes the ultimate sacrifice to save the human race. Though it still has a huge amount of Ripley's greatness and a sense of adventure, the whole feel with the penal colony was pretty awkward and it just didn't sit that well with me for some reason. Overall, it's still a good movie.
7/10
Alien: Resurrection (1997)
The last film in the series, and definitely the most disgusting movie I have ever seen. Set 200 years after the last film, scientists have cloned Ripley and the Alien Queen embryo that was growing inside of her when she died. This new Ripley has an empathetic connection with the Aliens and enhanced super-strength, acid blood, and sort of a sick demeanor. A group of smugglers including the android Call (Winona Ryder) take Ripley and convince her to get to kill the Alien Queen and make sure none of the descendants can come to Earth. This film was fairly flat. Mainly because I didn't like the reinvention of Ripley to being a little psychotic and twisted because of her Alien DNA in her and also because the film was just gross, plain GROSS both dealing with slime and guts, and sick twisted minds of some of the humans in this film. Definitely bleh!
5/10
Well, aliens haven't been the only things going on in my life. Sucker that I am for musical things, I viewed the season finale of Glee which pertained things that made me laugh, made me angry, and made me choke up. The season, though uneven, was still overall, very well done and I will state this, if I can be able to blend in with that crowd of New Yorkers like Rachel did in the last scene, I wouldn't have another worry in my life.
Next, na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na BATMAAAAAAN! I had the chance to attend the Tumbler Tour for The Dark Knight Rises which isn't in theatres until next month, but they are giving the country an advanced look at two of the major vehicles that are used in the film, the tumbler and the bat-pod. My heart was racing the entire time. I have never been this excited for a superhero movie in a long time (sorry Avengers, you were fun though)!
(Anne Hathaway rode this!!!!) :-)
"This isn't a car..."
Next, Dance Moms: Miami finale filled with angry teachers, and screaming mamas! The small group at Stars gets the edition of Mia Diaz in the season finale. Mia is one of the most incredible ten-year-old dancers I have ever seen in my life and her YouTube videos are always outstanding. However, since they have "Moms" in the title, they of course have to focus on the drama of the moms, which to me honestly is, "Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah." I just watch for the dancing and at least for this, I prefer teachers Victor Smalley and Angel Armas way over Abby Lee Miller from the original Dance Moms. Not that I dislike the original, but Victor and Angel relate the kids on a more personal level and still tell each kid how valuable they are to the group. Abby shows huge favoritism to one of her students and it was incredibly obvious in the last episode of that season where her star dancer, Maddie, forgets her solo and she cries for her, but she didn't cry at all for any of the other kids when they forgot theirs. Abby and co. return next week. Looking forward to it, but still cringing at the fact that I have to hear Abby's crazy voice again.
Lucas's extensions are to die for. And people thought I was super flexible at nine!
Finally, Hatfields and McCoys on History Channel is so awesome! I'm not necessarily into Civil War Era stories but this account of the real-life feud that happened between 1863 and 1891 is very engaging and eye-grabbing, and speaking of eye-grabbing...
The boy in the back left playing Tolbert McCoy, yes please. He's Sam Reid who also played the role of the Earl of Essex in Anonymous. Couldn't take my eyes off of him the entire time. Kind of sad that he got killed tonight though. :(
Well that's all for now folks! See ya real soon!
Liz
