Weekend Update

[shipperx]

So, I'm still drawing on "the goddamned house" (which is what I've taken to [silently] calling my sister's house which I don't think she'll ever build because it's going to cost too much, but just try talking reason to her.  It's impossible. ) Anyway, while stuck at home drawing, I leave the TV on.  So, some comments about stuff which played while I drew.

The Lakehouse w/ Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves

Not bad.  The time travel part is a bit dopey (especially in how it plays in the resolution of the movie) and I don't think Sandra's unwillingness to meet Keanu throughout much of the movie is particularly well explained.  But all in all, I found the movie lazily enjoyable.  Whoever wrote the script (and since this movie is a remake of the Japanese movie, this probably has to do with the original Japanese movie) did have some familiarity with architecture if, perhaps, only in having read From Bauhaus to Our House  Not only did they mention the "gods" Meier and Corbu, but the whole quandry of Keanu's family seemed entwined with Wolfe's essay on Modern Architecture. Maybe this is why I still enjoyed the movie despite Bullock's depressive character in the film.

The Inside Man w/ Denzel Washington, Jodie Foster, and Clive Owen

Pretty good.  Liked Denzel's shout-out to Dog Day Afternoon.  Quite twisty.  Jodie Foster is scary as hell.  Yeah, I realize that the Nazi subplot leads to some interesting questions about the bank president's age... and they never explain how Clive Owen's character knew about the past or the box, but-- still -- fairly good movie with interesting actors.

Alien w/ Sigourney Weaver

You know something?  Like Jaws, this movie withstands the test of time.   It's still scary.  Still, after all these years, the parameters of the alien in Alien is well known due to it's many sequels, so it doesn't quite carry the same impact it would have in the movie's first airing.  Looking at the original, however, I have to say that it truly had a great script.  Wiping away foreknowledge gained from "Aliens" and then the ever worsening sequels that followed, and just looking at the story structure of Alien, it was extremely well done. It's not just a run, hide, and shoot at stuff movie.  In fact, the first half is rather quiet.  It's really grandly mysterious sci-fi (if you can erase all the things you know from subsequent movies).  It's plotted as a series of (unpleasant) discoveries.  The initial search of the alien ship where there's no knowledge of what it is, is atmospheric and creepy but only sets up anticipation because little happens... well, until he ends up with the thing glommed onto his face.

And poor (shockingly youthful) Sigourney as third in command (and facing some sexism) who is right when she starts spouting protocol about quarentine.  She may appear bitchy to her co-workers by adhering to the rules, and lacking in compassion because the guy has a creature on his face, but she's right.  They are endangering everyone by bringing him back on board.  

It's so easy to overlook how wonderfully this movie is plotted because decades later we're so familiar with the shocks in the movie such as face sucking creature leading to little alien spewing from the guy's chest to the acid blood to little alien becoming big-ass unstoppable alien, but in the original script this is a wonderful build of danger and anticipation.  If you don't know the aliens life-cycle (as of course we do even if our famliarity was only pop culture.  The popping out of his chest scene is pretty iconic at this point)... anyway, if you were unaware of the aliens procreation cycle, the pacing of the movie is beautifully done with ever rising horror.  The face sucking creature is pretty scary.  Discovering that trying to kill the creature secretes acid that could eat through the hull of the ship raises the stakes because -- hello!  spaceship!   Eating through the hull would be bad (and probably why most of the sequels have been based predominantly on planets).  Then little creature they think they can catch becomes big-ass unstoppable monster.  

Also, though this part is impossible to erase because we all know -- it's Ripley!!!   If you erase the fact that you're aware that Sigourney Weaver is the star of the franchise, and look at the original film, Ripley isn't telegraphed as the hero of the first movie.  Tom Skerrit looks like the hero, and John Hurt was a bigger star at that time.  Ripley is third in command and, as previously mentioned, surprisingly young looking.  Ripley begins the movie very much in the tertiary role.  Therefore, as the "heroes" are killed off, it would have been a great shock.  It's almost "Psycho"-like in that for the first half of the movie, it looks as though the movie's lead is Skeritt (in fact, I think he's even first in the credits).  Yeah, we know now that Sigourney is going to be the kick-ass heroine of the movie, but without the knowledge of the sequels or the knowledge of the original movie, the original script itself doesn't cop to that fact until half-way through the movie.  I think Sigourney Weaver herself as has said as much.  And, it's worth noting, that this was 1979.  There hadn't been a history of kick-ass heroines when this came out.  Ripley is really one of the first, far pre-dating Terminator's Sarah Connor, Xena, Buffy, Aeryn Sun, or even Dana Scully.   Ripley being the true hero of the movie was a deft changing of movie leads in mid-stream in the plotting of the script.

And, speaking of the fact that this was released in 1979, this movie and its special effects hold up extremely well.  The computers are way outdated, but other than that the dour, dark special effects still work.  The characters and "look" of the film still work.  And there's a reason this movie is a classic.  It was really, really well done from script to actors, directing to special effects.  Still good after all these years (even if Alien Resurrection sucked balls.  And I don't even acknowledge the existence of Alien Vs. Predator.)

The Amazing Race

While I haven't exactly been a fan of Mirna.  I haven't actively loathed her until last night but sheesh!  What a hypocritical shrew!  Somehow, in her mind her own tactics are always pure and wonderful and true.  But if you're someone other than Mirna then those actions are reprehensible and teh evol!  Sheesh.  YIELDING IS NOT PLAYING DIRTY!  IT'S PART OF THE GAME!  And, what the hell does Mirna care, anyway!  The BQ's didn't yeild Mirna.  No, Mirna, BQ's don't deserve bad karma for playing the freaking game.  And, newsflash, the BQs are no more "dirty" than you! STFU.

And Eric is a douche.  I don't much like Danielle what with her triple D's hanging out in every country in the world (couldn't she come up with a shirt that at least covered the cleavage just a tiny bit?!) but, my jaw dropped at the end where he reserved the right to blame HER for their being last.  Uh...wah?  Did I miss something somewhere?  At what point did she do anything that put them behind?  Neither of them were at the ticket counter when the Mirna/BQ ticket smackdown was going down, so it's both their faults that they weren't there to fight for their place in line, and he's the stubborn fool who wouldn't stop to ask directions!  And somehow, their being last is Danielle's fault?!  Sexist ass.

Comments

[petzipellepingo.livejournal.com]

There hadn't been a history of kick-ass heroines when this came out. Ripley is really one of the first, far pre-dating Terminator's Sarah Connor, Xena, Buffy, Aeryn Sun, or even Dana Scully. Ripley being the true hero of the movie was a deft changing of movie leads in mid-stream in the plotting of the script.
Nods. She was one of the very first and still one of the best IMO. And while I'm not as fond of Alien as Aliens it really has held up beautifully. And Alien Resurrection "spits" we will speak of it no more.

[morgantree.livejournal.com]

Interesting read.

Another film that I really think stands the test of time is Bladerunner -- circa 1980 or thereabouts. Way ahead of its time...

[mbangel10.livejournal.com]

I thought The Lakehouse was a fairly entertaining movie. Although I find myself partial to anything Keanu is in. This might be due to the fact that as soon as he appears on screen, I'm all "ooh, pretty!"... I'm such a fangirl sometimes. LOL

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

I've long been of the opinion that Keanu is smarter than people give him credit for because, while he's had his fair share of bad movies, he has shown an interesting taste in movie scripts. I find that I like many Reeves movies. Not just "Speed" and "The Matrix" but also stuff like "A Walk in the Clouds".

[mbangel10.livejournal.com]

I'm in total agreement. He does pick great scripts, just look at films such as "The Gift" or "A Scanner Darkly"... I tend to prefer his off the cuff roles compared to the big budget (then again, who doesn't love Speed and the first Matrix film?) but yeah, the guy knows how to pick them.

He's had a highly successful movie career for over 20 years, so yeah, he's definitely in the smart actor department.

[nutmeg3.livejournal.com]

I love Alien, and I still find it almost unbearably tense and scary. Btw, have you been watching Planet Earth? Sigourney Weaver does the narration, and she does a terrific job. She's got one of "those" voices. ::envies::

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

Aw man, I hated Alien Resurrection long before I knew who in the heck Joss Whedon was and what his contributions to Alien Resurrection had been (which, having read Joss Whedon's version of the script, he was indeed responsible for the stuff I hated in the script.) It was the first movie that I remember rewriting in my head even as I watched the movie on screen (first, because I found myself doing the same thing during Star Wars: Episode 1). It just seems so tired and lame that yet again it was all about weapons. The whole Dr. Frankenstein parallel seemed totally wasted because I thought it would have been so much more interesting had the scientist not been after a weapon but had been "resurrecting" the aliens out of a belief that genocide was wrong and that humans didn't have the right to eradicate a race -- which would be a defensible position to have...well... except that "they will kill us ALL!" part. But while watching the movie it simply screamed to me that there would have been a better, more complicated direction to take the plot and I was cursing the writer for totally wimping out on it. Then there was the whole Winnona Ryder bit, which just sucked.

Anyway, I had no idea who the writer was for Alien Resurrection. I just knew that I hated, hated, hated the script (as opposed to Alien and Aliens which told two different --but two cogent stories.)

Alien Resurrection. Ick! Bleurgh!

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

What was interesting to me when re-watching it, was that it was a really well put-together script. It wasn't just generic schlock. It was a good script which, while it has withstood the test of time, must have been exceedingly good when initially viewed unspoiled.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

I think he has an interesting taste in scripts. And, I do have to admit to having greatly enjoyed him in a number of roles, so... yeah, I like Keanu Reeves and think he's kind of underestimated.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

Yeah, my Ripley love bleeds over into anything Sigourney Weaver. She always brings great intelligence to her parts (and she does have a great voice).

What I enjoyed on this re-viewing of Alien -- which really doesn't pack surprises due to familiarity -- was simply admiring that this was a really strong, really well done script. This screen writer did a really good job of crafting an incredibly scary movie that was smart and had (if unspoiled) really great plot twists. It wasn't just a shoot and run movie.

That Sigourney kicks ass goes without saying. :)