In Defense of "Alien: Resurrection"

“There's a monster in your chest. These guys hijacked your ship, and they sold your cryo tube to this... human. And he put an alien inside of you. It's a really nasty one. And in a few hours it's gonna burst through your ribcage, and you're gonna die. Any questions?”

 

When I was younger, a sequel to a film meant one thing: More.

More adventures with Marty and Doc, more terminators and aliens, more stars and space (final frontiers and wars), more weapons that are lethal, to infinity and beyond ‘Thunderdome’.  You get the idea.

In the 90’s with Hollywood when they think sequel, they also think: More.

More money!  Because of this you get a much different teen wolf, a worse karate kid, one too many Godfathers, and the worst Batman ever.

And as of late the third and fourth films of a series seem to be the death nail of said series like the ‘please no more’ adventures of Jack Sparrow, Neo and his tired bullet-time pals, the taming of John McClane, and more Jason and Shrek movies you can shake a stick at.

But as movies are subjective, a case can be and usually is made for why a film series hasn’t died, but got better.  I will admit the film I’m about to discuss does not fall in that category, it does however warrant a defense.  This is where I begin to talk about “Alien: Resurrection”.

Released in 1997 when the few aliens in sci-fi we had was action and comedy-centric as in “M.I.B.” and “The Fifth Element” or super serious like in the brilliant “Contact”.  Being a sequel “Alien: Resurrection” was held to a standard that almost had to be followed and with the success of James Cameron’s “Ailens” and flop of David Fincher’s “Alien 3” “Resurrection” had a lot to live up to at the same time a lot to make up for.

The story takes place 200 years after the events in “Alien 3” scientist on a space station have cloned Ellen Ripley and in turn resurrect the acid-blood alien species.  A rag-tag crew, who has brought human hosts aboard to be infected unbeknownst to them, get stuck as aliens break free and all hell breaks loose and they have to trust the unstable Ripley clone to help get them off the ship before they all die.

First the bad, this film was really miscast, from the loud and awkward performance by Dan Hedaya, the non-captain like Michael Wincott and Winona Ryder who plays it like a whiny teen with a twist that feels only slightly more like a whiny teen.  And more importantly than all of the casting missteps, another director should have been hired that understood the uniqueness and humor of a Joss Whedon script.  Maybe the original choice of Danny Boyle would have made it work.  Don’t get me wrong Jean-Peirre Jeunet made some good stuff, see “Amelie” and “City of Lost Children”.  He just didn’t fit this franchise.

Since I mentioned Whedon, time to talk about the good.  The story is bold, jumping 200 years and not explaining why cloning takes so long in this future, and why so many aliens need to be hatched and studied.  But we get to see aliens chase people with guns, which we missed since “Aliens” and it almost worked all the way with the crew of the Betty who slightly foreshadow of the crew of Serenity.  We get shades of Zoe and Jane with Kim Flowers and Ron Perlman as Johner, who has one of the best scenes as he faces off against a spider.  This film has aliens swimming underwater, basketball, a chest-bursting scene that plays like a crazy horror movie, Brad Dourif torturing aliens, which lead to a clever escape, and the clone Ripley played very animal-like by Sigourney Weaver still really works as a character and the centerpiece of the film.

Now I wouldn’t put this in the class of the first two “Alien” films but it’s far better than “3” and while not as beautiful as the semi-quasi follow-up/ prequel thingy that is “Prometheus” it’s still a fun watch, mainly because after seeing just about everything Joss Whedon has done, I can imagine how the lines in the film should have been read and see the winks and plays on stereotypes that are attempted in “Alien: Resurrection”.  That’s how I watch it now with, Whedon-goggles, trust me its way better than enduring those God-awful A.V.P. films.   Though I’m still not too sure which hybrid alien is worse.

--Robert L. Castillo         

Now You See Me

                                                         

             I always wanted to be a magician. I would picture me in front of an audience wowing them with the tricks I performed, or maybe just to pick up an attractive girl at the bar. Either way it was the performance that would matter. There is something about magic that grabs our attention whenever we see it. I think it is because either we want to believe magic is real or we want to be that one guy who figured out how the trick was done. The question on everyone’s mind after seeing a trick is always the same, “How did they do it”?

           In “Now You See Me” the new film from director Louis Leterrier (The Incredible Hulk) magic and the art of distraction play a big role. Four street magicians, all with a particular talent, are summoned to an apartment in New York and shown something that will change their lives. They come together and form “The Four Horseman”, who are magicians who want to give a little something back to their audience.  J. Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg), Merritt McKinney (Woody Harrelson), Henley Reeves (Isla Fisher) and Jack Wilder (Dave Franco) are the ‘Horsemen.’ They perform one elaborate trick after another, all while the F.B.I, Interpol, and a former magician named Thaddeus (Morgan Freeman) chase after them. The Horsemen want everyone to keep an eye on them; because in their mind the more they think you see the easier it will be to fool you.

      I think every time you see a magic trick you want to leave with amazement in your eyes, because you just saw something you can’t believe. You play it over in your mind, trying to find the flaw in the trick, or the point you think they fooled you. Well like a good magic trick this story will trick you to think that you know what is going on. The story is fair enough, and the characters you can take or leave, but the twist and turns more than make up its faults. I like to have that moment in movies where I thought I had it all figured out, and then the old curve ball is thrown and I just think to myself, well played Mr. storyteller. “Now You See Me” is one of those movies that do just that. With a great cast and an intriguing story, you will enjoy trying to figure out where the movie is taking you. In a marketplace where sequels and remakes are everywhere you look, it is nice to see there are still some originality out there. I believe there is an old saying that says that everyone loves a magician. Well in this movie you get four of them, so that must mean you should really love this movie. That might not be true, but I know that you will enjoy the ride and you might ask as the end “How did they do that”?

Brian Taylor

     

Flashback Corner--L.A. Confidential

Hold up your badge, so they’ll know you’re a policeman.”

 

There are so many great gangster pictures.  Some center on the the crew like “Reservoir Dogs”, “Goodfellas”, “Miller’s Crossing”, and “Pulp Fiction”.  Others follow a central figure in the gang, “The Godfather”, “Carlito’s Way”, and “Scarface”…man, Pacino did a lot of those didn’t he?  And in the past decade or so it’s been ‘gangsta’ to love the gagster.  However, some of my favorite crime films involve the lives of the cops who chase the crooks, like “The Untouchables”, “Donnie Brasco” “Dirty Harry”, “Colors”, “Serpico” (Pacino again) “Seven”, “Lethal Weapon”.  And as much as I love those films, the one I go back to again and again is 1997’s “L.A. Confidential”.

Based on the 1990 novel by James Ellroy, the film follows three cops who have chosen very different paths that intersect in 1953 during a time of corruption, scandal, and Hollywood.  The trio is Bud White (Russell Crowe) a gruff, tough, only slightly dirty cop.  Edmond Exley (Guy Pearce) as the straight-laced do-gooder cop working his way up the ranks like his father did.  And Jack Vincennes (Kevin Spacey) as the smooth talking, flashy Narco cop who’s gone Hollywood as a TV consultant.

When a gruesome murder takes place, all three men get involved for their own personal reasons and find that they have to work together to solve the case that will take them off of their path and lead them to be the cops and men that they truly are.

This is a fantastic film with so many levels and characters that all flow together seamlessly as it tells a great story that deserved its Oscar for “Best Adapted Screenplay” for Director/Co-writer Curtis Hanson, and Brian Helgeland.  With not so many twists, but definitely turns that develop the characters and give a glimpse, albeit fictional version into the time of 50’s cops and robbers.  It’s a hard-hitting crime yarn with outstanding performances by all the key players, though mostly Crowe and Kim Basinger as the beautiful Veronica Lake look-alike/hooker.  And it also has one of the best interrogation scenes that is so intense that I get goose-bumps right now as I simply write about it.

I can still remember going to Suncoast the day this movie was released on video, and I had to have it in widescreen which at the time the movie was almost fifty bucks.  Even the guy ringing me up thought it was too high.  I like to think I watched it enough to make up the price I paid.  Fifty bucks?  Maybe not, but to this day, this is one of my favorite films of all time and has yet to be topped even with modern classics like “Heat” and “The Departed”.  And while everyone remembers 1997 as the record breaking run of the gajillion dollars earning “Titanic”, the best film of that year was “L.A. Confidential”.

--Robert L. Castillo       

Hangover Part III

                                                             

            Comedies have to be the hardest movies to write. I mean what is funny to one person may be offensive to another. That is ok though, because there is a comedy out there for everyone. In 2009 “The Hangover” came to theaters and found a big audience.  I think it is pretty simple why it was a success, it pushed the envelope just enough and most people can relate to it, I mean who hasn’t had a night they would like to forget. Well after a forgettable sequel what will director Todd Phillips do with what he said was always a planned trilogy.

      The good news is that unlike the last film, it actually does not just retell the same story with a different character. The bad news is just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse; the filmmakers prove to you that it can. Allen (Zach Galifianakis) is out of control. When he is not killing giraffes he is giving his father a heart attack. Allen’s family calls for an intervention and assembles Allen’s only friends, the wolf pack. Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms) and Doug (Justin Bartha) all decide to drive Allen to a place that will help him get better. I mean really what could go wrong on a simple road trip? Well with these guys, everything. They are run off the road and a guy named Marshall (John Goodman) tells them he has a problem and only the wolf pack can solve it. All they have to do is track down Mr. Chow (Ken Jeong) and return him and the thing he has stolen back to Marshall.

      My hopes were not high for this film, especially after the last one. It really just felt like everyone involved was doing as little work as possible just for a big payday. Well it did not get better with the third, in fact it got worse. Gone are the drugs and alcohol and the bad decisions that were made in result, instead they are replaced with trying to save Doug again. I mean I don’t want be mean, but this Doug guy just seems to cause so many problems for these guys. What really confused me while watching this movie was what it was trying to be. Gone was the laugh out moments that made this series what it was. Those laughs were replaced with what looked like a suspenseful comedy; if that is even something anyone would want to see. This should have never been a trilogy; this should have always been a standalone film. Now all you have is two bad films that have made you forget a pretty original and funny movie. This movie has very little laughs and quite frankly not worth wasting a second of your time watching it. In fact I will give you a funnier thing to do, then to watch this movie. You should go outside, put a rock on the ground and stare at it for two hours, because after watching this movie, I think that would have been a more enjoyable time than any part of this movie.

Brian Taylor

Fast & Furious 6

                                                                 

One of my favorite things about this movie is that just as the credits are about to roll, there is actually a disclaimer telling people not to attempt these stunts as seen on screen. I mean what is worse?  That there are actually people out there who will try and do what they see. Or that it happens so often they studio feels the need to protect themselves against their stupidity.  But enough about the disclaimer, I mean after all it comes at the end of the movie, what’s important is what comes before.

       Now this is usually the place where I tell you the plot of the movie. I like to tell you the characters, a little about the story and so forth. Well I can do that is one sentence. Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, Jordana Brewster, and even Michelle Rodriguez are all back. However if you want a plot it’s simple, the car racing crew must stop a bunch of guys who drive cars as good as they do, but they are ex military instead of street guys. Things will blow up, guns will be shot, and oh yeah lots of speeding cars. The thing about that simple plot, there is nothing wrong with it. I mean if you believe in things like reality, science, or anything like that, you might not enjoy this movie. The thing is though if you turn off your mind, and just sit back and enjoy, it will be hard for you not to have fun with this movie. Some people may see this and enjoy it, but afterwards they might need a bath, while others with bask in the glory that is “Fast & Furious”.

          You have to hand it to the makers of this film, they know their audience. I thought this series was dead and buried after the forth one, but I was wrong. Not only did it not die, it actually got better. It is almost like the filmmakers embraced what was and is good about this series, and just decided to go all out, regardless of story or reality. Justin Lin has pretty much become resident director, and who can blame him, you find something you do well, you should keep doing it. Also back is writer Chris Morgan, who wrote the last film, as well as “Fast & Furious 7”. Yes there will be another one.  I enjoyed this film, for the simple fact I didn’t have to try and follow anything. With all the things we have going on in our lives it is nice sometime to sit down, unplug, and just watch the eye candy before us.  That is exactly what this movie is, it’s eye candy, and that is the best compliment I can give it. So go this weekend and sit back and unwind, and just watch this movie. Then when it is over, just remember one thing; please do not try any of the stunts you see in the film, because you’ll want to be around for the next one.

Brian Taylor

   

Star Trek Into Darkness

                                                       

         In 2009 J.J. Abrams performed what is called in the medical community, CPR on the Star Trek series.  On the brink of death from neglect, he breathed new life into a series that dates back almost fifty years. His idea to go back to the original cast, before they were the characters we all knew was a brilliant idea and one that introduced Star Trek to a new audience. So how do you take something that was so good and try and make a sequel that is on the same level or better? Well, you let J.J do it.

      Kirk (Chris Pine) is Captain of the Enterprise, and he and his crew are to monitor new life forms without interfering in their lives. When a volcano erupts, threading to wipe out a whole planet, Kirk, and the crew of the Enterprise decide to interfere and save the planet from destruction. After returning to Earth, Kirk is punished by Admiral Pike (Bruce Greenwood) and reduced in rank to first officer. Meanwhile Spock (Zachary Quinto) is transferred to another ship for his part in breaking the prime directive. Trouble arises when Starfleet is attacked by one of their own named John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch), who wants revenge for something Starfleet has done. After a firefight at Starfleet headquarters, Kirk convinces Admiral Marcus (Peter Weller) to allow him to chase after Harrison, and bring him back to answer for his crimes. Kirk captures Harrison and from there things really take a turn.

     One of the hardest things to do is to make a sequel as good as or better than the original, well mission accomplished. “Star Trek Into Darkness” is every bit as entertaining and enjoyable as its predecessor and in a lot of ways better. One of the things that make this film better is that the actors have taken ownership of the roles they are performing. When you hear the name Capitan Kirk there will be just as many people who think of Chris Pine, as there would be William Shatner. That is the highest compliment I can give this current cast, you don’t think of the actors that played them before, you only think of the current cast. When the original series went to the big screen, it was a success. The first film was very well received, but “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn” is considered by fans as being the best “Star Trek” film even to this day. What J.J Abrams, along with writers Robert Orci, Alex Kurtzman, and Damon Lindelof have done is amazing. The things they did will make Trekkies smile and at the same time keep the new fans very happy.  I had very high expectations for this film, because let’s face it, I am a fan. Well from a movie lover and a fan of “Star Trek”, I could not have asked for anything better. This isn’t just a great “Star Trek “movie, this is a great movie period. So take the voyage on the star ship Enterprise and boldly go on a ride you will want to take again and again.

Brian Taylor

           

What's on Redbox?--John Dies at the End

          One of my favorite types of films is the ones that don’t try too hard to pay homage to certain films, but also don’t try too hard to seem like they are not completely ripping them off.  In the case of “John Dies at the End” it shows you something original enough and gives you a sense of the familiar at the same time.  All while being an entertaining watch.

If I had to describe it to someone, I would say that it’s like the “Supernatural” boys take a “Donnie Darko” type trip after they are exposed to a drug called Soy Sauce that leads them to be like “Ghostbusters” now that they see the world “They Live” style.  And there’s a dog that appears to be self-aware.

Paul Giamatti is a reporter meeting with Dave (Chase Williamson) who tells him a tale of weird followed by weirder about him and his fellow slacker buddy John (Rob Mayes) who after taking Soy Sauce see the world as it really is, in multiple levels with different dimensions with a healthy dose of monsters.  If you don’t pay attention you may get a little lost and miss some fast-moving funny.  But you’ll catch meat-people, hot dog cell phones, and Clancy Brown as an infomercial evangelist that is really an ass-kicking avenger of earth.

The dialogue is very clever and while the actors are not the best, it’s still worth your time and there is enough here to bring it to cult status which something director Don Coscarelli knows about since he brought us “Phantasm”, “The Beastmaster”, and “Bubba Ho-Tep”.  So if you’re up for a quirky, fun, and kinda smart flick that’s not part of the ‘crappy Hollywood re-make/sequel’ machine, check out “John Dies at the End” I promise the title doesn’t ruin the movie.

--Robert L. Castillo