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0:00:13the uncomfortable number 319 September's
0:00:222016 welcome back everybody to being
0:00:26comfortable
0:00:27we're going to talk about uh it's
0:00:30actually kind of an old movie but it's
0:00:31not a movie club it is a virus i have to
0:00:33say by request has been on the schedule
0:00:35for a little while
0:00:36it's 1979 alien classic sci-fi horror
0:00:39movie directed by ridley scott starring
0:00:42Sigourney Weaver many other interesting
0:00:44actors in this movie too
0:00:46we're doing this episode in part because
0:00:48it's an awesome old side scary side
0:00:50movie and in part because Anthony
0:00:53Johnston demanded it
0:00:55Anthony welcome hello hello Jason
0:00:58that's not a system i had had your name
0:01:02right next to it for a long time and I
0:01:04like okay let's just yeah that's good
0:01:06let's let's do it it's that's because i
0:01:08was listening
0:01:09oh god what more than two years ago to
0:01:12another to another episode earlier
0:01:14episode of the show and I wasn't even a
0:01:16podcast or the time and you and I'd
0:01:18correspondent a little and you mentioned
0:01:21that will have to do a in some time and
0:01:22I immediately emailed you at 1am from
0:01:25bed saying if you ever do that i would
0:01:28love to be on that episode and so he
0:01:30will and the system works is quite the
0:01:33wheels of the podcasting grind very
0:01:35slowly but they don't eventually reached
0:01:37this point
0:01:38also joining us to talk about alien Liz
0:01:41miles
0:01:42hello hello is this like a regular
0:01:44episode yeah it is
0:01:45Wow no it's not it's not because you're
0:01:48on it's a very special
0:01:50because you're on it is on my list of
0:01:55like this my bucket list thing I can't
0:01:57figure out that we are changing lives in
0:02:00this episode of what I'm saying there's
0:02:01momentous things happening in this
0:02:03episode later we'll have the the dog
0:02:05draft will be happening anyway
0:02:08Monty ashley is also here hi Monty
0:02:10Snoopy oh sorry I mean hello hello just
0:02:13say that pic that so that's a good pic
0:02:14tho say that pic Erica and sign also
0:02:16joins us
0:02:17alright i do that's wired strange so
0:02:23that's like an episode of Babylon 5
0:02:25people get married without knowing it
0:02:26and Steve let's of course is here
0:02:29because there's gross stuff and this
0:02:31girl stuff in a movie I think it's
0:02:33stabilized hi Steve you have my
0:02:34sympathies Jason for the the general or
0:02:37for thinking because I'm here
0:02:39yeah pictured here is present I feel bad
0:02:41for her now this has been on the
0:02:42schedule for solo has literally since
0:02:45the start of the podcast this has been
0:02:46on your list of things I remember going
0:02:49to see Prometheus specifically because
0:02:50we're going to talk about the soccer
0:02:55that was back today when we thought we
0:02:56just cover an entire franchise in an
0:02:58hour
0:02:59that was good in fact the notes that i
0:03:01have have all four alien movies in the
0:03:03Wow from the time i watch them whatever
0:03:05it was three years ago and it
0:03:07Prometheus was that so what about the
0:03:08alien vs predator franchise Steve no
0:03:11that's not canon finger let's not let's
0:03:13not
0:03:14no no that's the very very dangerous
0:03:16place to talk to see where some of us
0:03:18don't even count alien cubed know for
0:03:21the next one anyway
0:03:22alien so alien is a movie that I think
0:03:27we are all too young to say that we went
0:03:30in and saw the movie and were surprised
0:03:32at what happens in it is that accurate
0:03:34because I always knew this is the movie
0:03:36where somebody has an alien come out of
0:03:39their chests spoilers for alien by the
0:03:41way points for almost 40 year old movie
0:03:44I definitely saw spaceballs before I saw
0:03:46Bailey I think I did too i didn't matter
0:03:48i saw alien in the theater I was seven
0:03:51at the time to be responsible
0:03:55well that's when it was out it's not
0:03:57like I could tell them to lay the movie
0:03:58for another three years until it's
0:04:00appropriate for me not surprised Steve
0:04:02not surprised one bit sudden theater
0:04:04with my sister and but I can honestly
0:04:05say that i was surprised because I had
0:04:07already i had a copy of a alien the
0:04:12illustrated story i think it was called
0:04:13i basically the heavy metal a associated
0:04:18graphic novel written by archie goodwin
0:04:20i think was i believe so and it was very
0:04:22very good and it also included several
0:04:25the scenes that were not yet clipped
0:04:28from the script at the time that the the
0:04:30graphic novel was written right met it
0:04:33was it was a revelation when the dvds
0:04:36and the blue race came out and i finally
0:04:38saw these scenes that I remember being
0:04:39in the graphic novel that were in the
0:04:41movie but yeah the the the chest burster
0:04:44thing was not a shock to me probably
0:04:47wouldn't have been that big shock
0:04:49yeah even if i had seen it sight unseen
0:04:51I hadn't I wasn't surprised me but not
0:04:55because it had been spoiled by reading a
0:04:57comic or people telling me but because i
0:04:59actually read the novelization by alan
0:05:01dean foster I ever saw the movie is
0:05:05really good novelization as well it is
0:05:07and it also featured those parts that
0:05:10were you know sort of subsequently cut
0:05:12out of the script which confuse the hell
0:05:14of me when I first did actually see the
0:05:16movie the eyesore on VHS first and that
0:05:19was what first intrigued me about the
0:05:21about the film was that the aladin
0:05:23foster novelizations on a shelf and the
0:05:25movie poster was the cover for it and I
0:05:27thought they were summarized strangely
0:05:28intriguing about that that cover and
0:05:31that was it's a classic poster is a
0:05:33classic sort even know it
0:05:34it does sort of diverging lot from what
0:05:36actually happens in the movie
0:05:38yes but and the egg doesn't even look
0:05:41like the eggs in the movie it's a it's a
0:05:43hand raised or something as well it
0:05:44certainly doesn't doesn't shoot green
0:05:46lightning out of line and hover that
0:05:49will never happen to our field and even
0:05:50the tagline on the poster i believe is
0:05:52in space no one can hear you scream
0:05:54that's correct but to quote the magazine
0:05:57parody of this movie they make an awful
0:05:59lot of noise I remember this the as a as
0:06:04a thing and pop pop culture just
0:06:06literally aliens the movie where that
0:06:08guy has is a chest ripped open by an
0:06:10alien and purse out and I I had not seen
0:06:13it in fact i read in arthur c clarke not
0:06:17ball 2010 they wanted there's a joke
0:06:21about how they stock alien on the ship's
0:06:23library when they're flying to Jupiter
0:06:25and somebody watches it and says who put
0:06:28this on here these people in the
0:06:30spaceship and at that point I still
0:06:32hadn't seen it but I knew what they were
0:06:33getting and I didn't I probably saw it
0:06:35at not too long after sometime in the
0:06:37late eighties but for me it was all
0:06:39about that one scene and not really
0:06:42knowing anything else about it i mean
0:06:43and then knowing that it was became a
0:06:45franchise I guess the other thing
0:06:47because then aliens came out and was a
0:06:49big hit to and then all the other things
0:06:51happen but I really didn't catch up with
0:06:52the alien franchise and told ya like the
0:06:55late eighties I think I so it was
0:06:58already a franchise when you I think so
0:07:00right when the aliens come out right
0:07:02alien ETS six yeah I'm pretty sure about
0:07:05aliens first and then went back to see
0:07:07alien wow I might have as well I know
0:07:11for sure like Monty I saw spaceballs
0:07:12first and first time I saw spaceballs i
0:07:15think was just on VHS it was with my
0:07:16parents who are big geeks and they
0:07:18actually had to explain the chest sorry
0:07:20spoilers for spaceballs explain the the
0:07:24chest burster seen spaceballs to me
0:07:26because I just didn't really get it
0:07:28because i didn't really know about the
0:07:30zeitgeist of of science-fiction horror
0:07:32movies at the time so they had to be
0:07:34like I don't know it's in it's the same
0:07:35guy from that from this movie where this
0:07:37happened so yeah thanks mom and dad
0:07:40yeah I had also that I had family
0:07:42disapproval when I was just being 10 or
0:07:4411 and my sister and I used to stare
0:07:45grandparents during summer holidays and
0:07:48often are young son Cole he's only a few
0:07:50years older than us and our cousins were
0:07:52there as well and they were just
0:07:54horrified to learn to be hansung alien
0:07:56or aliens or any had any opinion about
0:07:58alien so when we can we got to watch all
0:08:01three movies which is ok you know it
0:08:03wasn't ok was really weird and scary the
0:08:05most of it and it was probably worse for
0:08:08my sister who was really not kid with
0:08:10like the witches ruled else which is
0:08:13movie that scared the crap out of
0:08:14partners presumably meant for children
0:08:16it's so obvious next step is alien
0:08:18wasn't coping very well this but I want
0:08:21to help very constant comment rate so
0:08:23the chest purchasing wasn't exactly
0:08:26surprised when you've got your own
0:08:27cookbook
0:08:28wait for it wait for our way
0:08:30don't hurt what's your heart you're like
0:08:33yeah ok ok could be just so just chill
0:08:36relax enjoy the tension in the
0:08:38atmosphere instead of you telling me
0:08:40fact after fact that i don't know i mean
0:08:42it was talking I was told
0:08:44oh and this is tom skerritt never was
0:08:45really shocked about how is colin like
0:08:47have no idea tom skerritt it's why are
0:08:49you telling me I still want to be tom
0:08:50skerritt ya see by the time i saw this i
0:08:52had already seen top gun so I knew
0:08:54exactly who tom skerritt us part of the
0:08:56other reason that people were so shocked
0:08:58was because of course he's you know the
0:09:00heroic mail man you looking captain and
0:09:03you know that in itself was just quite a
0:09:05surprise at the time I was twelve
0:09:08thirteen when I saw this I know I kind
0:09:11of been older than 13 because I
0:09:13definitely saw it before aliens came out
0:09:16in 86 and i had a friend who was
0:09:21absolutely obsessed with this movie I
0:09:24mean to like obsessed with this with
0:09:26Geiger just everything and I became a
0:09:28little obsessed but nowhere near on the
0:09:30level of that he was and he was also
0:09:32really good artist so he would literally
0:09:34spend all day like drawing aliens and
0:09:37scenes from the movie and he had all the
0:09:40paraphernalia and it was just crazy so
0:09:43I'd try and get Gerard on your pc folder
0:09:45is a good way to get right principles
0:09:46yeah so yeah I saw this movie a lot when
0:09:50I was you know quite young but I don't
0:09:54know I I think it's one of those things
0:09:56that are it's another of those movies
0:09:59where there's so much that actually
0:10:00isn't on screen that apart from the
0:10:04chest bursting seen does not actually
0:10:06that much in it sort of physical Igor
0:10:09why is that is unsuitable for kids it's
0:10:11just that it's so tense and scary and
0:10:13just herbing yet is not very bloody at
0:10:15all it's really not apart from the
0:10:17Chester yet except for that one scene
0:10:19where everybody gets covered
0:10:22apart from that but that's that's that's
0:10:24really the Soul scene
0:10:26yeah thatthat's particular which is
0:10:28another reason it's so shocking right
0:10:30a parker gets carried off you know we
0:10:34don't see what really what happens to
0:10:35him a Dallas he gets grabbed and you
0:10:39don't see anything that happens to him
0:10:40because he was
0:10:41originally destined to be a future host
0:10:45for an alien and lambert & Parker we
0:10:49just sort of see from the distance and
0:10:51there's blood dripping down but it's not
0:10:52like you see this is not even in focus
0:10:54yeah there's like I have a really quick
0:10:57shot that if you posit you can see what
0:11:00happens when the aliens little extended
0:11:02dead teeth come out and bite it
0:11:05Parker's head but that's about it that's
0:11:08it it's very low-key internet going
0:11:11it's like a slasher movie but the line
0:11:13item for fake blood instead went for KY
0:11:16jelly haha so this is what i want to
0:11:19mention is is that this is a movie with
0:11:21lots of sci-fi trappings that are very
0:11:23interesting i think that it it was a lot
0:11:26i kept I kept thinking as I watched it
0:11:27as most 1970 sci-fi movies do a tone was
0:11:30a huge debt to 2001 but it is a horror
0:11:34movie where everybody gets picked off
0:11:36one by one I think at its core like
0:11:39steve was listing be dead ways everybody
0:11:41dies
0:11:41everybody dies one by one until only
0:11:44Sigourney Weaver is left it is a horror
0:11:46movie in that way and that's one of the
0:11:47things that I think is fascinating about
0:11:49it is that it is it is just a horror
0:11:52movie set in a sci-fi world but it is
0:11:54unabashedly you know a slasher movie
0:11:56where the slasher is not a a phantasm or
0:11:59a madman but a killer alien but
0:12:01otherwise it's just don't you know it
0:12:03it's a slasher movie
0:12:05yeah actually I took a class in college
0:12:07called film styles and genre with David
0:12:11bordwell the american film theorists and
0:12:13historian and the every every semester
0:12:16he would do a different genre and I
0:12:18would I lucked out and got horror for
0:12:20the genre therefore the the semester i
0:12:22happen to be doing it an alien i think
0:12:24was one of the one of the first things
0:12:26that we actually watched and talked
0:12:28about for that class so i have just sort
0:12:31of always seen it as a horror movie
0:12:33because i know i had seen it before that
0:12:34but I had seen aliens so many more times
0:12:37and that of course is not a horror movie
0:12:39that's an actual yeah so my memories my
0:12:42memories of alien are really just Oh
0:12:44abiding Lee paying attention to the
0:12:47horror elements because that is that's
0:12:49sort of how I I really paid attention to
0:12:52it the first time I
0:12:53dug into the film actually the nastiest
0:12:55death by far is has got to be ash and
0:12:59yeah yeah i mean it and and the only
0:13:02reason I think that even would have
0:13:03passed muster as an r rating is because
0:13:05he's squirting milky fluid instead
0:13:07relies yeah it's pretty it's pretty foul
0:13:10if you watch it in the context of him
0:13:12being a human you know I think one of
0:13:14the reasons that this movie was has
0:13:16become so influential is because of that
0:13:18combination of Johnson guess it is a
0:13:20horror movie but it's a really good
0:13:21horror movie and because the sci-fi is a
0:13:25setting rather than the sort of driver
0:13:28in the sense of what we think of as hard
0:13:30sci-fi and also because it does such a
0:13:32good job of that kind of working-class
0:13:34dirty sci-fi yeah you know that you're
0:13:38so funny things like Star Wars but
0:13:39obviously very different context there
0:13:41because the size is setting it doesn't
0:13:44require sort of my friend Frankie
0:13:48cornered leanings in order to appreciate
0:13:50the horror movie aspect of it and you
0:13:53know both of those genres are so
0:13:55maligned schlocky so many so often and
0:14:00yet this is regarded as a classic well
0:14:02in 1979 that was a pretty valid
0:14:04complaint oh sure sure but then along
0:14:07came this and suddenly this was winning
0:14:09awards
0:14:10I mean it literally won an Academy Award
0:14:12I'm indicate was for effect but you know
0:14:14has incredible i like to compare to 2001
0:14:17for its aesthetic which is the polar
0:14:20opposite of 2,000 ones gleaming
0:14:23antiseptic stanley kubrick style whereas
0:14:27this is even before you see any people
0:14:29it's a spaceship that people live in its
0:14:32grungy even more than Star Wars is lived
0:14:36in universe
0:14:37this is a working-class yes science
0:14:40fiction world which has loved so much
0:14:42it's not campaign it's not guns back in
0:14:44its everything looks as if it's used as
0:14:47if you could just sort of walk into it
0:14:49and start living in that world I agree
0:14:52it's actually we talk about this in our
0:14:53episode about the original Ghostbusters
0:14:56movie but I said I think one of the
0:14:57things about and from 2016 you look at
0:14:59them smoking on a spaceship you're like
0:15:02oh that's a really bad idea
0:15:03somebody's opposition do you guys have
0:15:06but it is a i also read that as I do in
0:15:09ghostbusters as it is also a signal of
0:15:12like these are real people these are
0:15:13like working class people there they're
0:15:15doing a job i think i think i enjoy
0:15:17avocados performance since he's like i'm
0:15:19just so i'm just working here man
0:15:21right i think it's really good i just
0:15:23want my money yeah their banter over
0:15:24their first breakfasts feels really like
0:15:27a an organic conversation I mean these
0:15:29are these are like the space garbage men
0:15:32right so that the first conversation
0:15:33they have is about money
0:15:35Yeah right there talking about their
0:15:36bonuses that's the worried about its
0:15:38really not talking about how amazing is
0:15:41that they've just woken up from
0:15:42suspended animation
0:15:43that's one is not even mentioned you
0:15:45know are there not gimmies that the
0:15:47United space there might be a new world
0:15:50out there you like new civilizations
0:15:52like an antithesis of the star trac
0:15:55optimism this mission is over we gotta
0:15:58get home and get pay well what do you
0:16:00mean where we are delayed we don't want
0:16:01to be delayed
0:16:02yeah this isn't a star trek universe
0:16:04where we've evolved past money make
0:16:06money pay me
0:16:09everybody come see the incomparable
0:16:11perform live at the now hear this
0:16:14podcast festival taking place October 28
0:16:17through the 30th in anaheim california
0:16:19it's a three-day festival of your
0:16:21favorite podcast things like WTF with
0:16:24marc maron pop-culture happy hour comedy
0:16:26bang bang hello from the magic tavern is
0:16:28going to be there i'm very excited about
0:16:29that you don't want to miss it we will
0:16:32be performing on saturday so if you can
0:16:34only make it for one day make sure it is
0:16:35Saturday October the 29th or you will
0:16:38miss out on our show go to now hear this
0:16:41fest dot-com now htar this fast dot-com
0:16:47to get tickets and information about the
0:16:48full lineup hotels and a whole lot more
0:16:50use offer code incomparable when you buy
0:16:53tickets and you'll save twenty five
0:16:54percent off general admission and you
0:16:56let them know that the uncomfortable
0:16:57sent you that's now hear this fest com
0:16:59offer code incomparable i hope to see
0:17:01you there on Saturday October 29th don't
0:17:04when I mentioned 2001 of the way I view
0:17:06it is yeah this is this is a dirty world
0:17:08in a way that the 2001 isn't but but it
0:17:11is the pacing of it the way space is
0:17:14treated I felt like very 2001 it is
0:17:17slow and deliberate and quiet especially
0:17:20at the beginning which serves the horror
0:17:22movie part of this movie that very well
0:17:24right that it that it's using you know
0:17:27could you could argue i guess the 2001
0:17:29is also sort of horrific and what
0:17:31eventually happens but it's it's a lot
0:17:32of things and we're not here to talk
0:17:34about 2001 that that's another episode
0:17:35that we probably never will do but it
0:17:38would be 10 hours long if we did it but
0:17:40it's it's a slow pace and and all of
0:17:44that I think works to the benefit of the
0:17:45horse stuff but but I definitely felt
0:17:47like the first time we haven't really
0:17:49even kind of broken down the plot of the
0:17:50movie here but first chunk went on the
0:17:52planet especially and their the interval
0:17:55and they get out and all that not only
0:17:56is I think the science questionable in
0:17:58there but uh which okay it's fine
0:18:01whatever but it's just it it feels it
0:18:05feels slow and and frustrating to to me
0:18:08as a modern film viewer but also at the
0:18:10same time really calls back to something
0:18:13like 2001 which was absolutely that's
0:18:15like space is quiet and it's slow and
0:18:17these things are moving very slowly
0:18:18through silence and I did appreciate
0:18:20that part of it even though it's a very
0:18:22different feeling world yeah I want to
0:18:23talk a little bit about that pacing
0:18:24which when I rewatched this the first
0:18:28time three years ago when we were
0:18:29supposed to do this movie I I made a
0:18:32note that you know as much as I love
0:18:34this movie and this is not the fault of
0:18:35the movie in any way but it as much as I
0:18:38love the movie i think it's a
0:18:39masterpiece and i think that the effects
0:18:40and things still hold up very well I
0:18:42agree it kind of doesn't work anymore
0:18:45I you know you said I disagree not
0:18:48because everything seems dated but
0:18:49because it takes so long to get going
0:18:52and for me remembering how amazing all
0:18:56of the sci-fi stuff and all the
0:18:57planetary stuff was as a kid it doesn't
0:19:00bother me because it's me it just feels
0:19:02like a really good slow burn but i think
0:19:06most modern audiences watch this stuff
0:19:09in the beginning and it's stuffed it in
0:19:111979 it was groundbreaking and now it's
0:19:13stuff that we've seen a million times
0:19:14and i'm also going to disagree sight of
0:19:18this here especially because we call
0:19:19Dean's is now who will sit through a
0:19:20season of Game of Thrones were so it'll
0:19:22happen they are they love this little
0:19:26bird piece which is great because i'm
0:19:28completely on board with that I'd love a
0:19:30lot of seventies I can certainly see
0:19:32like John audiences and people who are
0:19:35prepared for that sort of a slow burn to
0:19:39appreciate it properly but i-i-i show
0:19:43this to my daughter who's 13 angels
0:19:47minus 14 my son who's 9 was also in the
0:19:50room and he spent the first hour like
0:19:52playing roblox he wasn't really paying
0:19:53attention but she was so bored she made
0:19:56it to the chest burster seeing as I
0:19:58insisted that she at least get and then
0:20:02I just around until Parker got
0:20:04dispatched as well because you at least
0:20:06need to see Kaiser what sort of it
0:20:08trajectory the movies beyond come on
0:20:10kids watch these people die horrific
0:20:12yeah
0:20:14yes you must was that's right it's good
0:20:17for you it's good for the soul questions
0:20:18already she was already lost to me at
0:20:20that point that the interesting thing is
0:20:22my son who who barely saw any of that
0:20:24first hour or so of the planetary
0:20:27exploration he got interested right
0:20:29around the time the chest burster
0:20:30happening closed up roadblocks and he
0:20:32watched the last hour of the movie and
0:20:33really enjoyed it but that first hour is
0:20:36so slow and you know I just I just think
0:20:40that that's it probably lose a lot of
0:20:42people who watch it I used to think that
0:20:44to be honest but and the past 10 years
0:20:48or so whenever we watched it I love the
0:20:50opening stuff more and more and i think
0:20:52i know i don't i can't speak to people
0:20:54generally but i know that for me it's
0:20:57because it really hits that sweet spot
0:20:59of space mystery with the space horror
0:21:02combination and I i just love the
0:21:05atmosphere of that the claustrophobia
0:21:07bits the gradual reveal the tiny Clues
0:21:11you get the hint that they'll do the
0:21:13spaceship thing which is completely ruin
0:21:14everything about it because of
0:21:16Prometheus I can't watch when the scenes
0:21:18big-time people without thinking of your
0:21:20God that other movie which in retrospect
0:21:22actually I wasn't too mad at Prometheus
0:21:25before until i rewatch daily and after
0:21:27and then I got very hungry i still have
0:21:30much for me this I can't bring myself to
0:21:32watch it it's interesting i kinda liked
0:21:34it it didn't hate as far as the slow
0:21:36burn stuff goes I for me I take its seat
0:21:38sort of sequence by sequence and some of
0:21:40it works and
0:21:41some of it I think doesn't the entire
0:21:42opening where they're actually on the
0:21:44ship i love it i love that it has a
0:21:46chance to breathe because likely says
0:21:48you are discovering things in every
0:21:51every shot has something you know you
0:21:53get the human touch of the like the
0:21:54little drinking birds with one of them
0:21:56in motion and one of them not and and
0:21:58all of that stuff the conversations
0:22:00everything is driving you towards
0:22:03something and giving you information
0:22:04about who these people are what the
0:22:06world is like and then you get the
0:22:07sequence of them landing on the planet
0:22:09where you're not really getting anything
0:22:10except this planet is inhospitable in
0:22:12this land is very loud
0:22:14yea so lots of alerts i was really bored
0:22:16during that point because it was slow
0:22:19and wasn't giving us any information i'm
0:22:21fine with slow as long as I'm getting
0:22:22something out of it
0:22:24can you imagine how long that little
0:22:25mechanical roosters been dipping his
0:22:26beak in that glass of internally i
0:22:28wanted to engineer that big what America
0:22:30when I rotate around was I mean and I
0:22:32wrote down this way I feel like a modern
0:22:33science which movie would do some of
0:22:34that stuff at the very beginning better
0:22:36and specifically more detail a little
0:22:39more mystery and yes a faster pace but I
0:22:41feel like that was the thing that struck
0:22:42me is is I just kind of thought I could
0:22:45see how it could be a little more
0:22:46detailed that there was some time we're
0:22:48kind of not a lot was happening and I
0:22:51did feel to Steve's point that you're
0:22:53meant to marvel at the scene that now
0:22:55seems a lot more pedestrian there are
0:22:56other parts of that I think are really
0:22:58great i'm not saying this whole movie
0:22:59would be made better if it was made as a
0:23:01modern blockbuster good god no I'm not
0:23:04saying that but I feel like I feel like
0:23:06it could've been a little more sort of
0:23:08sci-fi detail to intrigue you at the
0:23:10beginning that that it is just not there
0:23:13because i think at the time they figured
0:23:14it was intriguing enough for a spaceship
0:23:15landing on my alien planet what more do
0:23:17you need
0:23:17when you've got a room full of blinking
0:23:19lights that's a computer you can you
0:23:21know but soft landing soft landing soft
0:23:23landings in the bank sorts of computers
0:23:25the more lights the computer had better
0:23:27it is banking and flashing green and
0:23:30watching
0:23:30why does that computer breathe in
0:23:32context in 1979 it's not even that slow
0:23:35pace like a nineteen seventies indie
0:23:37movie will take forever and not do
0:23:40anything sure like to lay blacktop
0:23:42that's my favorite example nothing
0:23:44happens that movie and I love it
0:23:46Steve you you mentioned the influence
0:23:48and that's one of the points that I want
0:23:49to really wanted to sort of bring up was
0:23:52think about I mean how
0:23:54influential this movie is being for a
0:23:56start but also Blade Runner and you know
0:24:00the movie ready Scott made after this he
0:24:03made this blade runner in the space of
0:24:05three years two of the most influential
0:24:09sci-fi movies and in the case of alien
0:24:12horror movies of all time
0:24:14that's kind of amazing you know like
0:24:16almost every movie that's followed since
0:24:18in those genres has paid some kind of
0:24:21debts to either alien or blade runner
0:24:23it's astounding absolutely and half of
0:24:26that I quite like you made terrible
0:24:28movies now I thought the Martian was
0:24:32very very good yeah I i really like the
0:24:34Martian I i have no i haven't seen that
0:24:36we're not talking smack about 1492
0:24:38conquest of paradise are we but any of
0:24:40us should be so lucky to make even one
0:24:42thing half as good as any other of these
0:24:45movies you know they're just so
0:24:46influential it's almost hard unless unit
0:24:50old farts like us and you've lived
0:24:51through its almost hard to appreciate
0:24:53this sort of before-and-after alien and
0:24:56blade on a state alter cinema sci fi ya
0:25:00know I don't want to suggest there's
0:25:01anything really wrong with the pacing in
0:25:031979 I think it's actually almost
0:25:05perfectly paced for the time it was made
0:25:07it's just doesn't it doesn't really work
0:25:09i think for a lot of people in today's
0:25:11audiences got kicked myself forever for
0:25:13this I did not insist that we watch the
0:25:17movie in a darkened room away from all
0:25:20the other distractions and we did that
0:25:21was because that was because my daughter
0:25:24did not want to watch it in a darkened
0:25:26room with the other distractions she was
0:25:27a little she had some trepidation about
0:25:29it she's not watched a lot of horror
0:25:30movies so in order to get to watch it we
0:25:33had to watch it during the day and I
0:25:34think if if she had been locked in where
0:25:36she couldn't get into the other stuff
0:25:39doing physically locked it i'm not
0:25:42talking about clapping and irons it's
0:25:44amazing parenting tips you get from
0:25:46podcast speaking of darkened rooms
0:25:48though actually I did even though
0:25:51obviously I originally saw it on VHS i
0:25:52have seen it on the big screen because
0:25:55the local multiplex where i lived in the
0:25:58early nineties did a double bill of
0:26:01alien aliens it started at 9pm so you
0:26:03can imagine what time will roll
0:26:04out that and how we smelled but the main
0:26:08thing i remember was how much more
0:26:11powerful alien particularly was on the
0:26:14big screen like this was a by that point
0:26:16I'd already seen the movie fifty a
0:26:18hundred times but are seeing it on the
0:26:22big screen was like seeing it for the
0:26:24first time all over again it was
0:26:25extraordinary there were a couple of
0:26:27scenes like for example where the alien
0:26:29reveal in the air ducts when they when
0:26:32he kills Dallas was it i mean you know I
0:26:34knew it was coming and yet seeing get
0:26:3730-foot high in a darkened room
0:26:39surrounded by the dolby surround sound
0:26:41scared the crap out of me that's such a
0:26:44beautiful shot
0:26:45it's fantastic here but there were a few
0:26:47shots like that where the impact of
0:26:49seeing them at the theater on the big
0:26:52screen really made a difference so I
0:26:54mean what are the chances anybody is
0:26:56still showing alien as a special showing
0:26:58on the big screen but if anybody if you
0:27:00ever get the chance to to see it on the
0:27:02big screen do so because it really is
0:27:04extraordinary that was why I was glad i
0:27:06got to watch in college because we had
0:27:08you know it was a 35-millimeter print
0:27:10brought into the you know that the
0:27:11ballroom was great as great as it is to
0:27:14see it in the theater I've got to say
0:27:16the blu-ray of these look fantastic
0:27:18really does this if I didn't already
0:27:20have blu-ray this the alien City alien
0:27:23anthology they call the blu-ray set
0:27:24quadrille is the quadrille into is a
0:27:27dvds sorry you're right it's different
0:27:30made-up word that's it it's a
0:27:32magnificent set it's very well produced
0:27:33but the thing that really blows me away
0:27:36as I spent years watching this on VHS in
0:27:38and scan you know and pan and scan mrs.
0:27:42so much of the detail on the fringes and
0:27:45so much of the framing you know you
0:27:48don't i had forgotten having only seen
0:27:50in the theater once when I was seven so
0:27:52tonight it's unsurprising that i forgot
0:27:54but but those shots were they're
0:27:58approaching the derelict spaceship in
0:28:00pain and scan their boring as all hell
0:28:03because you only get that tiny little
0:28:05that tiny little close-up shot of them
0:28:07approaching the thing when you see it in
0:28:09its full detail
0:28:10uh
0:28:11on the blu-ray you really get the sense
0:28:13of how gigantic this thing is how tiny
0:28:15the crew is in comparison and it makes
0:28:17all the difference in the world
0:28:19those shots are all about scale and
0:28:20weird things with scale that whole thing
0:28:22is like this is much larger than it
0:28:24should be the body as much larger than
0:28:26it should be
0:28:27it's all like that and you you you're
0:28:28right you completely miss it if it's
0:28:30just cropped into the infinite little
0:28:32square and it's gorgeous I mean that the
0:28:34wreath three and whatever the
0:28:35remastering that they did on the picture
0:28:37itself the original movie did not look
0:28:39that good by any stretch of the
0:28:41imagination so let's go to the planetoid
0:28:43I and talk about the crash base ship
0:28:44because this is one of these I mean that
0:28:46we don't have that many settings in this
0:28:48film I mean we're gonna end up on the
0:28:49Nostromo and people get picked up one by
0:28:51one but we start with this spaceship and
0:28:55it's huge and if they see it through the
0:28:57kind of fog of it you ash can you see
0:28:59this
0:29:00there's a spaceship crash they find a
0:29:03dead alien in a chair it's super weird
0:29:05it's hard to understand even what you're
0:29:07seeing it's so strange and and like we
0:29:11said the scale of it is completely
0:29:13strange and it's it's a it's a scene
0:29:16that that is a scene that I could watch
0:29:18over and over again because it's so
0:29:20weird and confusing and creepy and i
0:29:24love that movie is basically saying
0:29:25figure look at this what do you think
0:29:27this looks like figure it out which is
0:29:29what it's what I feel like the scene is
0:29:31doing it makes the title of the movie
0:29:32into an adjective rather than and now
0:29:34it's like an HR giger painting looks
0:29:36like your penis is an unusual but
0:29:38otherwise it's a good yeah i lock the
0:29:42others are so many reasons i love you i
0:29:43like because it's forcing you to
0:29:45empathize with the crew and terribly for
0:29:48feeling what they're feeling is there
0:29:49exploring and texting and you know that
0:29:52I don't get that level of connection
0:29:55with a lot of movies and it's also its
0:29:58space horror in a way that's perfect for
0:30:01me because it means i can enjoy being
0:30:03scared was not being scared to leave the
0:30:06room after works because something's
0:30:07going to get me it's that there's enough
0:30:10of a disconnect that's why i'm not a fan
0:30:12of slasher movies because like that the
0:30:15world but spaced far that's brilliant
0:30:17anything can happen space horror because
0:30:19I'm never going to go into rocket
0:30:20because I'd be too scared even if i get
0:30:22so it's fine that's fine
0:30:24this is
0:30:25really why I thought this would be a
0:30:26good introductory horror movie for the
0:30:28kids because that it's like I said it's
0:30:31it's light on the blood and it's
0:30:33entirely happening somewhere that looks
0:30:36completely unlike their daily
0:30:37environment so they can disassociate
0:30:40from from anything yes I as a child who
0:30:44is reasonably easily scared that does
0:30:47help with the Space Jockey seen talking
0:30:50about scale this is where they use
0:30:52children in suits
0:30:54ah when you see longshots those are
0:30:57children wearing spacesuits walking
0:30:58around set to make everything seem
0:31:00bigger so John Hurt decides hey I know
0:31:03what I'm gonna do I'm gonna go down
0:31:05below in this weird thing and find a
0:31:08whole chamber full of things that look
0:31:11kinda like eggs
0:31:12okay and there's things in the end and
0:31:13it's actually one of the moments that I
0:31:15really love in this is when he looks at
0:31:17one at the egg and there's like movement
0:31:18on the inside
0:31:19what's in there and it's so great Ridley
0:31:22Scott's happens that's what's in there
0:31:24and it's lit up by Pink Floyd's lasers
0:31:27appear how it works like I like the fact
0:31:30that the eggs are sweating upwards I've
0:31:32always thought all looking affect the
0:31:35thing that I like about it is is sort of
0:31:37the setup for this that that makes me
0:31:39not annoyed with his choices because if
0:31:41this was a sort of a scientific crew
0:31:43that was supposed to be going out and
0:31:45investigating new world a new life and
0:31:47all that kind of stuff i would be super
0:31:49annoyed somebody who just goes in by
0:31:51himself and starts poking at crap
0:31:53oh god don't see Prometheus this is a
0:31:55bunch of you know workaday folks who
0:31:57want to get home and get their money so
0:31:59then but they're doing what they're told
0:32:00to do just so that they can get out of
0:32:02here and this particular character has
0:32:04some genuine curiosity about this stuff
0:32:06so he does go in and start looking
0:32:08around and poking and and I don't have
0:32:10to be too annoyed at him because you
0:32:12know that's that's probably what you do
0:32:14well he's the one that's all excited
0:32:15he's the one that's excited about going
0:32:17out he's the one that volunteers there
0:32:18was like why am I not surprised because
0:32:20he's clearly the guy who's into the
0:32:22whole you know exploring other worlds
0:32:24stuff it's Kane who urges them to go on
0:32:26as well when lumber wants to go back
0:32:28he's the one who's saying no we have to
0:32:30keep going
0:32:30hang on we've gotten this far time to
0:32:33take a break and tell you about one of
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0:34:07incomparable the eggs in this is so much
0:34:10more yucky than they are in later movies
0:34:12as well from aliens almost a really sort
0:34:14of cleaned up and streamlined all the
0:34:17alien stuff including the aliens
0:34:18themselves and especially these words
0:34:20these eggs are horrible leathery oh yeah
0:34:24I love the shot when it opens and you
0:34:26see what looks like uncooked chicken on
0:34:28the top with vain
0:34:30yeah exactly how is a ladder or
0:34:32something awful and and so he gets a
0:34:36thing of space groups who was expecting
0:34:38that
0:34:39nice job dummy talking about pacing by
0:34:42the way just here sometime code stuff
0:34:44for you that happens at 34 minutes
0:34:46almost exactly half an hour later is the
0:34:49first kill
0:34:50haha yeah and almost exactly
0:34:52half an hour after that is the ash
0:34:54revelation so the whole film is divided
0:34:57into 30 minute chunks
0:34:59I would have loved to see this movie and
0:35:00not know which a horror movie because
0:35:02it's called alien and you have a half
0:35:04hour of just screwed around on a
0:35:05spaceship you're thinking all right
0:35:06space movie
0:35:07where's the alien then my god what
0:35:10happened
0:35:11yes if they call this movie like space I
0:35:13scholars or something and that ice road
0:35:16spacers something like it seems like
0:35:19we're kind of going through the plot at
0:35:20this point so yeah I wanted to to bring
0:35:22in how much I appreciate having seen it
0:35:24a million times how well they do the ash
0:35:27plotline and how subtle the indications
0:35:31that he's not entirely human
0:35:33yeah kind of come in as you go along
0:35:35like and how he sort of suddenly pushing
0:35:38them to go investigate even though
0:35:40nobody really is that into it except for
0:35:41Cain like a there's a point early on
0:35:45where they land the ship has been
0:35:47damaged and Dallas a like well we can I
0:35:49think it's actually can says we can't go
0:35:51out and this because it's a you know
0:35:53it's nighttime and it's cold and the
0:35:54winds of space or blowing him and asks
0:35:58hopefully chimes in well mother says the
0:36:00sun's coming up in 20 minutes
0:36:01she's the one who also persuade your
0:36:04coast character that he should so they
0:36:07should investigate the beacon remember
0:36:09when they're right
0:36:10no just telling them all that yeah that
0:36:12we've had the SOS and he's like well
0:36:13that's not in my contract and ashes on
0:36:15his life actually it is and if you don't
0:36:18go you'll lose all your shares right
0:36:20money and really wants to go out and
0:36:22inform them that it's a warning and not
0:36:24a got call for help and he's the one who
0:36:27have chimes and well it's not much point
0:36:29in going after him by the time you get
0:36:30out there they'll know whether it's a
0:36:31warning or not so you know no bother
0:36:34ok I really have to go watch this again
0:36:35because all of this i mean i'm not
0:36:37exactly good at picking up and sort of
0:36:39plot hints that this is a luchshe never
0:36:42note and then later Ripley won't let
0:36:44them back in which is 100-percent the
0:36:46correct thing to do slightly round and
0:36:49ok just taps on the little opener go on
0:36:51in uh-huh i think my favorite to my
0:36:54favorite early bit like this is when
0:36:56he's getting ready to take his position
0:36:57at the console to watch the away team go
0:36:59out he does this really weird little jog
0:37:02in play before he heads over there and
0:37:05it's it seems completely unnatural it's
0:37:08like he's got some sort of a glitch in
0:37:09his system and he's like somehow by
0:37:12moving is his bits around he's like
0:37:13breaking rust or something
0:37:15I think that's meant to be i mean i
0:37:17don't know but i I've always wanted
0:37:19thought that's meant to be a signal to
0:37:22us for later that there is something
0:37:25wrong with him that he is malfunctioning
0:37:26because you're right there's no it's not
0:37:29like he's about to go on any kind of
0:37:30physical activity there's no point to it
0:37:32whatsoever i think that's one of this is
0:37:34one of the things that this movie does
0:37:36very well to add this entire plot point
0:37:39about ash and about the reason that this
0:37:42is all happening and I this is one of
0:37:44those cases where I think a modern movie
0:37:46would completely mess this up because
0:37:49they would a modern movie would say well
0:37:51we need to have all these reversals of
0:37:54about how they all got set up and they
0:37:56need to find out that this was always
0:37:57set up in the beginning and it needs I I
0:37:59just feel like a modern movie would
0:38:00really do a bad job of this because it
0:38:02would make they would make it more
0:38:04integral to the plot in and and the fact
0:38:06is it's not necessary it to have this
0:38:09happen it's it's cool that it happens we
0:38:12don't need a reason why we have a movie
0:38:15where a spaceship lands on a planet and
0:38:17they get infected with an alien and
0:38:19kills them all but uh but it's a nice
0:38:22bit of additional seasoning to vote to
0:38:25the reason why it happens there was a
0:38:27conspiracy it you know these people were
0:38:29set up and then you get the reveal with
0:38:31ash which is such a great sci-fi moment
0:38:35in a horror movie that it's great I just
0:38:38I feel like it is the it is a perfect
0:38:39level of integration with the plot that
0:38:42a modern movie would screw up because
0:38:44they try to do too much with it
0:38:45this is why when I show this to this to
0:38:47people who already know about the chest
0:38:48burster seen I'm not too bothered by
0:38:50that because the ash reveal is so well
0:38:52so what just happened all surprises
0:38:53because that I mean he's spinning around
0:38:56and there's fluid shooting everywhere
0:38:58don't even have the time to really deal
0:39:01with that Parker Knox's head
0:39:03yeah an air tank was some kind it's a
0:39:05fire extinguisher or something yeah his
0:39:07head flies off and he's like doing the
0:39:09chicken with his head cut off things
0:39:10with his hands
0:39:11it's great they use the white fluid
0:39:13because red would look too much like
0:39:15blood but that white fluid is really
0:39:17disturbing shit is like shooting out of
0:39:20his mouth while he's trying to talk it's
0:39:22so great being blowed that's so great
0:39:24now I mean that and that's where that's
0:39:26that's where we won't talk about mixing
0:39:27genres i love that the science-fiction
0:39:29aspect it's layered back in on it's
0:39:31almost like we start with a base coat
0:39:33base coat of of sci-fi then we lay some
0:39:35horror on top of that and then here we
0:39:37get the sci-fi on top of that again it's
0:39:39like what the f what everybody still
0:39:41pretty horrible it is always horrible
0:39:43but it's like sci-fi horrible and that's
0:39:45thatthat's this movie is nice layering
0:39:47of different source port as well because
0:39:49you've got you've got the alien and then
0:39:51you've got you the sense that their
0:39:53cooperation is not super great and then
0:39:56you've got scary android malfunction and
0:39:58trying to kill you as well as that is
0:40:00it's top surface layers within the Clery
0:40:03bits i also love how when they reconnect
0:40:06his head even though he's inside look
0:40:09completely organic you know he sort of
0:40:11like some weird sci-fi organic surgeries
0:40:14and but they still basically use jump
0:40:15leads so yeah I'm gonna take me is
0:40:18inside look like mostly like tubes and
0:40:20boba for some reason I've never really
0:40:22quite understood its gross that's what
0:40:23the insides of people look like Robonaut
0:40:25one of the things that I think most most
0:40:26interesting about the the
0:40:28special-edition DVDs that have the
0:40:30deleted scenes as you really get a sense
0:40:31of how well directed and edited this
0:40:34film was and and and the ash reveal i
0:40:38think is a perfect example of that
0:40:39because there was a an early scene i
0:40:41forget if it actually was a deleted
0:40:42scene if it was just something that got
0:40:44clipped out of the script but there's a
0:40:46scene somewhere early on where Ripley
0:40:48and Lambert are discussing whether
0:40:50either of them has slept with ash
0:40:53yeah because you know you're on a long
0:40:54space trip and basically it sounds like
0:40:56the the standard operating procedures
0:40:58you just sleep around with whoever's on
0:40:59the cruise to keep yourself from dying
0:41:02of boredom and they're both surprised
0:41:04but not entirely surprised because ash
0:41:06is kind of a weirdo that neither of them
0:41:07has actually slept with him and it's
0:41:11it's it would have been an interesting
0:41:12scene but at the same time I think it
0:41:14would have been too telegraphic
0:41:15right now what is becoming a terrific
0:41:17Lou and I love the fact that they clip
0:41:19that out because as much as I'd like to
0:41:21see that scene and I think it adds an
0:41:22interesting sort of wrinkle to the life
0:41:24in space nature of the film the fact
0:41:27that he took it out i think is is is
0:41:29very telling as to how how much care was
0:41:32taken to really make that reveal workout
0:41:34but the paranoia goes then through this
0:41:36whole franchise forward and I i love
0:41:39that aspect of it that that this is not
0:41:41this is not i just love it's not an
0:41:44accident that these people people were
0:41:45horribly killed a corporation decided to
0:41:49essentially not care if they got killed
0:41:51because they wanted to get this alien
0:41:54that's basically the story and and again
0:41:57it didn't need to happen that way but
0:41:59that's that's what it is and then we
0:42:00take for that sort of corporate
0:42:02malfeasance and people being not as
0:42:04important as prophets talk about them
0:42:06talking about money in the beginning in
0:42:08the end this is this is a another
0:42:09financial calculations that's being had
0:42:12that is exposing them to this work it's
0:42:14just an attempt and began use again is
0:42:16one of the most influential things in
0:42:19the movie like you know as someone who
0:42:21has worked on a lot of sci-fi and horror
0:42:23and sci-fi our properties let me tell
0:42:26you oh yeah oh my goodness with the
0:42:28corporation's looking for weaponized
0:42:30supernatural things and prepared to
0:42:33sacrifice the search party at every
0:42:34video game right quickly share price
0:42:36such a cliché right now it's amazing i
0:42:39think it's interesting that that whole
0:42:40storyline the whole ash thing was not
0:42:43part of the script that dan o'bannon and
0:42:44run shoes that put together but it was
0:42:46something that was suggested and then
0:42:48almost forced into the story by David
0:42:51Eyler and walter hill and I i don't
0:42:53think the an abandoned was particularly
0:42:54fond of it but it was something that
0:42:56they thought was a great idea and they
0:42:58said insisted on and I think it's
0:42:59frankly one of the best things in the
0:43:00movie yeah I think that was the right
0:43:01choice
0:43:02yeah he still cashing the checks yeah
0:43:04that's just it just puts another spin
0:43:06it's not it's another thing in the pot
0:43:08right it's just another thing that's
0:43:09happening like it's a it's not just that
0:43:11monster is killing people but it's like
0:43:12and somebody on the ship is setting it
0:43:15up so that that's okay because the
0:43:17bosses don't care but i love the fact
0:43:19that there aren't like a bunch of scenes
0:43:21like a of that makes it obvious that
0:43:23there's a mole on the crew it's just
0:43:24something that suddenly appear yeah
0:43:26ashes head flies off
0:43:28yeah that milk is applied everywhere
0:43:29like oh my god what's going on here
0:43:32it's when he tries to kill quickly that
0:43:35it's really right that's yes first real
0:43:37revelation is like I'm gonna sing but
0:43:39that leads immediately into his eyes and
0:43:41that's one long scene he tries to kill
0:43:43Ripley after we see the memo that says
0:43:44crew expendable
0:43:46yeah that's just what we talked about
0:43:49how well written and directed and edited
0:43:51and shot this movie is it's also got a
0:43:54ridiculously incredible cast
0:43:56yep yeah this movie was made 37 years
0:43:59ago and every human actor in it had a
0:44:03great career
0:44:04except for Yaphet Kotto they're all
0:44:06still working in big properties today
0:44:08and avocados heard the right to take
0:44:10some time off if he wants like you can't
0:44:13just have Harry Dean Stanton and John
0:44:15Hurt and homer standing around this
0:44:17movie does yeah they're not that
0:44:18important well any major starts to go
0:44:21any waiver you know you have cool did so
0:44:24that just looks like let's talk about
0:44:25Sigourney Weaver she is so great as we
0:44:27have talked about her a lot partially
0:44:28because we've been listening victims the
0:44:31final girl she doesn't qualify
0:44:33yeah you got your head fake right where
0:44:34she's just part of the crew but of
0:44:36course she's the one who survives and
0:44:38and and dallas has taken fairly quickly
0:44:40and it is this and she ends up being the
0:44:43one who makes everything happen in this
0:44:45in this movie and ends up being I know
0:44:49it did make a star of her and you can
0:44:51watch it you're like yep
0:44:52yeah i mean totally makes sense that
0:44:53yeah of course ripley earned her
0:44:55survival it's not like she just happens
0:44:57to be the last one she was correct so
0:44:58awfully out a lot of times in horror
0:45:01movies it is just a random girl who
0:45:02survives and I really appreciate that
0:45:04Ripley was smart and just yet barely
0:45:08smart enough to survive and I really
0:45:10liked it there wasn't anything
0:45:11incredibly like grand in her and what
0:45:14she chooses do is just a loss of times
0:45:16she makes very small decisions end up
0:45:18being the correct ones and it's that
0:45:20accumulation of all of them together
0:45:22that I her to survive rather than having
0:45:24a grand revolution moment of oh and this
0:45:27is i will save myself and sat down the
0:45:30cat and back away
0:45:31come to this decision is here that
0:45:33there's a lovely piece of this direction
0:45:35as well because you really want is right
0:45:37for the last 15 minutes of the movie
0:45:39she's the only actor on screen out you
0:45:41know apart from the guy in the alien
0:45:42sushi carries the whole rest of the
0:45:44movie but there is a lovely misdirection
0:45:47before that where is just her partner
0:45:50and lumber left and she goes off by
0:45:52herself looking for the cats looking for
0:45:54Jones and Parker Lambert are paired up
0:45:56and up until this point the alien is
0:45:59only picked off alone people so you know
0:46:03you naturally expect that she is gonna
0:46:05be the one who buys it next
0:46:07so that of course you know she doesn't
0:46:09she's busy triggering the third cat
0:46:10scare in the movie does like a literal
0:46:14cats care less where mystery but i think
0:46:17that's a lovely reversal to sort of you
0:46:19know again just kind of play with the
0:46:21audience's expectations
0:46:23although it is a little depressing that
0:46:24she sends the two of them off to collect
0:46:25coolant which apparently they don't need
0:46:27because she takes none of it with her
0:46:29onto the shuttle right i wish i would
0:46:32have been able to see this not knowing i
0:46:33mean we already talked about the chest
0:46:34burster see which of course I a new but
0:46:36I also didn't I didn't ever see it
0:46:38without knowing that sigourney weaver
0:46:40was going to survive because you know
0:46:41she went on to make the second movie so
0:46:43I hadn't even put that together that the
0:46:46movie is playing with your expectations
0:46:47when she goes off by herself because my
0:46:50expectations were always just that she
0:46:51would survive so okay good job
0:46:53filmmakers a even better than I thought
0:46:55but one thing i really like is the
0:46:57double back that happens we're so the
0:47:00idea is ok there's only three of us left
0:47:01we're gonna self-destruct and we're
0:47:03going to get out in the shuttle and that
0:47:06doesn't go well but yeah but Ripley
0:47:09starts to self-destruct which is cool
0:47:11nice little bit of of uh of set design
0:47:17and and prop design there with the whole
0:47:19like it is intricate is so tactile right
0:47:22now physical of course in an essential
0:47:24part of the self-destruct system is to
0:47:26turn on fog machines and strobe lights
0:47:28the entire shipment she's she's not just
0:47:31flipping switches and you know she's
0:47:33actually moving things and pushing
0:47:34things and yeah I just pulling things
0:47:37out of the ground is wonderful as a lot
0:47:39of disco lights to turn on but then but
0:47:41then what was great is she finds out
0:47:43uh-oh you know here's the they're dead
0:47:46the alien is here i love that she goes
0:47:48back to try and turn off the
0:47:49self-destruct and you get the ticket so
0:47:51you don't just get the countdown to
0:47:52destroy
0:47:52action you get the countdown to when
0:47:54it's a replicable that it's going to be
0:47:57destroyed and she fails she does she
0:47:59doesn't get it so at that point she's
0:48:00like I guess I gotta get my cat and get
0:48:02out of here i just i love that we get to
0:48:05countdowns there and we get the the like
0:48:07okay plan a and then planet doesn't work
0:48:09she's like all right I guess I'll go
0:48:10turn it off
0:48:11hope that didn't work either now I'll go
0:48:13i love how it's going to definitely
0:48:15pissed off she is at that moment too
0:48:17soon ashes mother's monitor and then the
0:48:20whole way back down the hall towards the
0:48:22cat she's screaming and shouting
0:48:23obscenities fantastic i love that she
0:48:26takes care of the cat during all this
0:48:28many lesser hero would have just left
0:48:30the poor thing to die but no no she news
0:48:33priorities cat lucky
0:48:34oh I love the cat throughout i love the
0:48:36cat III have this in my notes I went to
0:48:38mention we brought up the county few
0:48:40times i love the cat i love the first
0:48:41time we see the cat where it's like
0:48:43there's this bright orange cat on this
0:48:45spaceship it's like whoa what is this
0:48:47movie like like I I could accept aliens
0:48:49bursting out of people's just but people
0:48:51just kind of have a cat on the spaceship
0:48:52it's great and strange and then they use
0:48:54the cat for scares and then she saves
0:48:57the cat I love everything about having
0:48:59the cat and the cat is a metaphor for
0:49:01ripley's humanity
0:49:03the cat is Ripley's weakness and if she
0:49:05would have let its size you have a much
0:49:07better time in the next two movies and
0:49:10Liz she does leave it in harm's way if
0:49:12you watch the directors cut the
0:49:13director's cut has the scene where the
0:49:15alien finds the captain like bats
0:49:18suicide because it's not arrested which
0:49:20thank God they cut out because to me all
0:49:22these are free and where were you just
0:49:24see the alien creeping up on the cat and
0:49:26then it cuts away before you see it
0:49:28knock it away is I originally was sure
0:49:32that the cat had been implanted with an
0:49:33alien in some ride huh
0:49:36and that that was going to be that the
0:49:37false ending at the end is going to be
0:49:39the cat you know looking creepy or maybe
0:49:41having something burst out of its chest
0:49:43for the sequel alien to an attack
0:49:46exactly by the way where does the
0:49:48cabbage leaf initially is there a little
0:49:50kitty ago
0:49:52well yes I hope so that that's that's
0:49:54headcanon must be in somebody's pod
0:49:56somebody gets hurt
0:49:58I think there's a little kitty sleep
0:49:59party party
0:50:01kitty but what's good everybody gets one
0:50:03ship cat that's that's to cut you know
0:50:06why it's there and it's to kill its to
0:50:08kill all the rats that are on that you
0:50:10can hope to be a contributor on it or
0:50:12ship dog
0:50:13it doesn't have to be a cap any animal
0:50:15i'm sure glad I don't know i think they
0:50:17have a rodent dog hairs on the Nostromo
0:50:19and they need a cat too just to kill
0:50:20them to kill the rats on this room space
0:50:23rats the ranch save the that's the other
0:50:26fantastic reversal in the movie when
0:50:28they first go hunting for the alien you
0:50:31think that they're still looking for
0:50:32something about the size of a rat
0:50:34yes I'm going all you've seen is the
0:50:37chest poster and they think that
0:50:38obviously that is the most groan worthy
0:50:40scene in the movie where there's like
0:50:42the little puppet that they dragged
0:50:44across the floor and strengthen the best
0:50:47set to ruin the whole chest / seem to be
0:50:49the very first time I saw it because
0:50:51that was also explain
0:50:53there's this ridiculous little thing
0:50:54running across the screen before it
0:50:56happened so then we could all laughed
0:50:58and I was like okay that's great
0:51:00so having seen in the theater in 1979 i
0:51:02can tell you that that scene was
0:51:04actually surprisingly effective her and
0:51:07it was specifically because everybody
0:51:09lost their stuff in alien popped out
0:51:11right and then words it's across the
0:51:13table in that ridiculous fashion its
0:51:15comic relief everybody interesting and
0:51:18it wasn't like that released english it
0:51:19was like oh my god that was hilarious
0:51:21and I assume the chest burster had to go
0:51:24eat five tons of food to grow into a
0:51:27giant monster yeah it really is probably
0:51:30the result did people at becoming the
0:51:32part of the first one it it just ate
0:51:36john hurt from the inside that was just
0:51:38an its boundary well the food stores ya
0:51:41na Jeong kzg9r okay yeah acid is for it
0:51:45so it can eat metal
0:51:46so something I'll never forget it i was
0:51:48eating ship wraps
0:51:49that's why Jones began after it they
0:51:51were actually hunting together initially
0:51:52I want to put out a word for that for
0:51:54that scene 2 because that's one of my
0:51:55very favorite scenes at six weeks with
0:51:57me from this movie is when the acid
0:51:58burns through the decks and they and
0:52:01they check how far down the acid goes
0:52:03and and they like put the like little
0:52:05little pride or pencil or whatever then
0:52:07and end it end it and it smokes on the
0:52:10tip because of this acid and it's like I
0:52:12love that that's so creepy like
0:52:14oh it's asking how bad is it well how
0:52:16far down did it burn all the way down
0:52:19it's a very bad i love that because they
0:52:20don't even do anything with it in this
0:52:22movie stressed no no just so you know
0:52:24you can't cut into it was made of asking
0:52:26what they do because that's that's why
0:52:27they can't remove the facehugger off of
0:52:29Cain
0:52:30well yeah but that that's just one
0:52:31moment they could have found another
0:52:32reason for that but they don't expand on
0:52:35that until the next movie when it starts
0:52:37mattering a lot it does also serve that
0:52:39scene however to emphasize the size of
0:52:41the ship yes because you know like a
0:52:43doctor who episode they are using the
0:52:45same corridor again and again and again
0:52:47with different lighting i feel i should
0:52:49point out this moment that these
0:52:50corridors that we see here were in fact
0:52:52we use in Doctor Who story really
0:52:54of course leeward what what no i want to
0:52:57know this doctor who trivia now tool is
0:52:59pleased at peter davison story terminus
0:53:02uses alien set
0:53:04Wow no well if it was a peter davison 1
0:53:07i've seen that I think the corridors
0:53:09look exactly like the line to space
0:53:11mountain
0:53:11we've got that same way about the
0:53:15warning first waste space mountain the
0:53:18when you land in 1979 strangely enough
0:53:21that's what the future looks like to me
0:53:23is tomorrow land of 1979
0:53:26yeah yeah but always my favorite one is
0:53:28to entertain my favorite thing about
0:53:30that acid scene is when Dallas hands the
0:53:33pen that he borrowed from branded him
0:53:35and he's looking at this biz pen that
0:53:37smoking and drinking and cooking you
0:53:40breakfast my pen do good
0:53:42it looks like it looks just irritated
0:53:45you and he's already concerned about his
0:53:46bonus because pens are very expensive
0:53:48it's not like you can go to the pet shop
0:53:50he's in deep space but he's probably got
0:53:53one pin yeah how many pens they can't
0:53:54run out to the to the staples to buy
0:53:56more band you gotta get one of those
0:53:57fancy space pens
0:53:59Eric I think technically all pens or
0:54:01space pens when they're in space like
0:54:04how many become space money and all
0:54:05everything else becomes space whatever
0:54:07work
0:54:07westerville space are they still append
0:54:09that's true who makes you think actually
0:54:12talking about space technology one of
0:54:14the things that always always bugged me
0:54:16about this was a a how easily they
0:54:19design the motion trackers like that
0:54:21really is just kind of hand wave him
0:54:23just skipped right over that
0:54:25but not only that but then somehow some
0:54:29point like in between Dallas is death
0:54:31and the rest of the movie the motion
0:54:33trackers suddenly get massively upgrade
0:54:35is from we're gonna buzz when something
0:54:37moves to go now we've got a grid with
0:54:39dr. that show position isn't it beeps
0:54:41and there's no explanation for that all
0:54:44wrapped up the tench and sure but like
0:54:48this why not start with them like that
0:54:49to start with you know it's right it's
0:54:51not
0:54:51oh I can't think of any good headcanon
0:54:53to explain that that's annoying
0:54:55I all I can it's a day the mother linked
0:54:59all of the motion sensors on the ship
0:55:00together and they were tied into that at
0:55:02the end mother did it's like a wizard
0:55:03with a comb-over
0:55:05yeah my mother's not very helpful tho
0:55:08bad another we don't yet know how
0:55:10powerful that machine is because she's
0:55:12got so many lights and even though the
0:55:15monitor is about 13 inches across you
0:55:17still have to sit about 10 feet away
0:55:19from him according to use it it's just
0:55:21that powerful and you have to get in a
0:55:23chair that revolves rather than just
0:55:25stepping into a chair that's facing her
0:55:27to start with I'd never just about the
0:55:30better to appreciate the 360 degree
0:55:31light show
0:55:32yeah but it looks great so the last
0:55:36scene so she gets on the she goes back
0:55:38to does the double back she and a CAD
0:55:40get on the shuttle and this is where we
0:55:42get that second ending right the false
0:55:44ending the Nostromo has exploded
0:55:46she's gonna owe it's all over whoo that
0:55:49was a close one lose three times while
0:55:51unless it's simple it's got different
0:55:53parts that explode slightly different
0:55:55times I guess explode surprisingly
0:55:57loudly considering that it's in space
0:56:00people who you explode they just gave
0:56:01you can hear you scream but you can hear
0:56:04every other sound I don't normally
0:56:06object to that but if you make it their
0:56:07tagline I feel and the last explosion
0:56:12has like the 2001 slits counterfeit yes
0:56:15of course very strange
0:56:17we're done we're done she's safe it's
0:56:19all okay Freddie's dead i should i want
0:56:22to point out that the false ending here
0:56:24is unfortunately probably the one thing
0:56:27that I don't think works very well
0:56:28because there's no doubt as she's
0:56:31leisurely taking off her clothes and
0:56:33getting prepared for her long space
0:56:34journey that something else is yet see
0:56:36it yeah seems a weird
0:56:37meet in the middle and then she took off
0:56:39her clothes and went in a pod the end
0:56:42ok when I was 11 years old I totally
0:56:45bought it I got shocked
0:56:47yeah when I was when I first saw this I
0:56:49remember thinking that they seen the
0:56:51revelation of the alien was you know
0:56:52hiding in plain sight was the most
0:56:54awesome thing I had ever seen in my life
0:56:57just absolutely incredible blew my mind
0:57:01I loved it to bits
0:57:02now I watching I think how would there
0:57:04be a bit gap big enough for him to fit
0:57:07in but at the time at the time I loved
0:57:10it
0:57:10well in such convenient proximity to all
0:57:12those five machines that can be used to
0:57:14collect yeah I love that scene but but
0:57:17just use point my feeling is something
0:57:19has to be it doesn't feel like the the
0:57:21end of a movie right it doesn't feel
0:57:23like what about what to fake me out you
0:57:25need to make it feel like the credits
0:57:26are going to roll at any moment and then
0:57:28they don't and that didn't happen here
0:57:30where it's like boy it seems like we're
0:57:31waiting around a long time I guess
0:57:33something else is gonna happen even in
0:57:3579 that the fake ending was a trope I
0:57:37mean Carrie was 1976 and that was done
0:57:40better than this and they could vary i
0:57:42think they feel like they could very
0:57:43easily have made this work a little
0:57:45better by having her sit down and do her
0:57:47final transmission that sheet that they
0:57:49say for the end of the movie have her
0:57:51start that you've got a reason for her
0:57:54to be still on the ship but rather than
0:57:56flashing panties
0:57:57yeah she's coming not that I'm
0:57:59complaining about that necessarily mean
0:58:02you know receiving was a lovely woman
0:58:03but a tease that's a real shame for me
0:58:06because that is kind of the only thing
0:58:07that really sort of spoils and dates the
0:58:10movie for me it's just the completely
0:58:12gratuitous underwear shots
0:58:15yeah especially in comparison to the
0:58:16style of the underwear that all the
0:58:18dudes are wearing very like just workmen
0:58:21like just white underwear and that i
0:58:25love the fact that many characters were
0:58:27all written so they could easily be
0:58:28gender swap and that comes across in the
0:58:30script very well all the characters just
0:58:31relate to each other as people and yet
0:58:33the costuming is so vastly different it
0:58:36doesn't seem like they would have that
0:58:38different of under clothes for for each
0:58:41person when it comes to the women there
0:58:43was a huge fabric shortage because it's
0:58:45the future and well as what we had to do
0:58:47Kane seems like the kind of guy who
0:58:48would be wearing boring underwear
0:58:49though I thought the one thing i do love
0:58:51about the fact that I mean there are
0:58:53many things i love but one thing I
0:58:54really love about the fact the Ripley is
0:58:56the one who survives is that she is the
0:58:58only member of the crew who tries to
0:59:02outsmart the alien rather than taking on
0:59:05toto like everyone well I mean lumber
0:59:07just tries to you know Escape and run
0:59:09but all of the men try and take it on
0:59:12there like I'm gonna kill that thing we
0:59:15can take it out let's flush out the
0:59:16airlock I'll kill it with a flamethrower
0:59:18whatever and of course all complete felt
0:59:20she's the only one who tries to out
0:59:22think it and think how can we how can we
0:59:25escape how can we get away from it
0:59:26rather than try to actually kill it yet
0:59:29is a little weird that she strips down
0:59:30there although there is sort of a point
0:59:32to it which is to make her even more
0:59:33vulnerable
0:59:34I'm not sure it's necessary because
0:59:36she's already so underpowered compared
0:59:38to the alien they've already shown that
0:59:39even you somebody armed with a
0:59:41flamethrower is vulnerable so yeah but
0:59:44it's kind of like those thoughts you
0:59:45have sometimes when you go in and use
0:59:46the restroom and you're like this would
0:59:48be a really bad place for a serial
0:59:49killer to pop up there
0:59:51yeah cuz i think that all the time
0:59:52you've never had that that perfect i
0:59:55will now you don't go to the same rest
0:59:57stop slavery yeah this is
0:59:57stop slavery yeah this is
1:00:00so I don't watch / movies because that's
1:00:02what would happen every day
1:00:03yeah i would not have had a problem with
1:00:05her in her underwear if it would have
1:00:07been more like you know just a t-shirt
1:00:10or a wife beater top and some you know
1:00:12like boy shorts or something like that
1:00:14because I mean those little bikini
1:00:16underwear I worn underwear like that and
1:00:18that they can be comfortable enough but
1:00:20underneath you know work suits in
1:00:22spacesuits and all that kind of stuff I
1:00:24feel like probably not the most
1:00:26appropriate choice a one-piece jumpsuit
1:00:29probably made out of polyester yeah i
1:00:32mean honestly if she had been wearing
1:00:33something that was pretty much exactly
1:00:35the same as what John Hurt was wearing
1:00:37only just tailored for her slightly
1:00:38curvy or form i think it would have been
1:00:40every bit as sexy and would have made a
1:00:43lot more sense
1:00:44personally I would have advised against
1:00:46the use of chuck taylors as work boots
1:00:48which we do see what we're doing isn't a
1:00:50mission for the style over substance
1:00:52maybe some steel toes i think it's
1:00:54interesting that Sigourney was cast as
1:00:58this character because you kind of want
1:01:00her to be vulnerable and she is
1:01:02vulnerable but security is pretty tall
1:01:04like even when she's hanging around with
1:01:07the cast you can tell she's taller than
1:01:08a lot of the guy
1:01:09yeah well Veronica Cartwright was
1:01:11originally going to play rippling yeah
1:01:12and she would fit that she's much more
1:01:14sort of physically more you know less
1:01:16imposing more vulnerable
1:01:18yeah I'm and I'm glasses she's no I'm
1:01:20glad I'm glad we forgot the exiting
1:01:22that's something that when i noticed
1:01:23when i noticed the past old woman and
1:01:26they're not afraid to show how tall that
1:01:27one actually is this a lot in gosh there
1:01:30nor Wales the librarians we've cast era
1:01:33beckham asian is is the leading that and
1:01:37she's very tall and they don't try to
1:01:39disguise the fact she's much taller than
1:01:41the men and i love that here as well
1:01:43because it's it's just it's just one of
1:01:45those things that television does all
1:01:47the time so you get this idea that women
1:01:49are small and therefore physically
1:01:52weaker his computer so when we get a
1:01:54woman who is actually tall and powerful
1:01:58you know that's that's an important
1:02:00symbol at least to me and I also think
1:02:02it would be a shame if Veronica
1:02:04Cartwright was not playing Lambert
1:02:06because she is magnificent i know she
1:02:08was not a fan of how I guess you
1:02:10characterize the character is
1:02:11emotionally weak but I think she
1:02:13is perfect because she's the only one of
1:02:15the crew who is acting in a realistic
1:02:17fashion to the situation there has been
1:02:19yeah just completely Wiggin out and
1:02:21she's magnificent added I mean
1:02:23she'sshe's she is not running out of her
1:02:26no citizen
1:02:27yeah and she's not wrong she has the
1:02:30most extreme reaction to the chest
1:02:32burster as well and that's one of the
1:02:33case she was one of the people who had
1:02:35no idea who didn't know it was going to
1:02:36be as bloody as all that right at one
1:02:38extreme they were gonna go to and so her
1:02:40reaction when she saw freaks and you
1:02:42know it is just like waving her hands
1:02:44around having hysterics that's genuine
1:02:45that's really is a kind of an unscripted
1:02:48reaction Cartwright's comments but
1:02:51they're all I think I'm very sympathetic
1:02:52that mean is it's a powerpoint and movie
1:02:54like this how many times is it at a
1:02:57horror movie where the person who is
1:02:59freaking out the most who's the one who
1:03:00is crying and shrieking with destruction
1:03:02forever if it's gonna be realistic
1:03:04how many times is that guy how many
1:03:05times a woman and it's overwhelmingly is
1:03:07gonna be a woman can I direct you to
1:03:09aliens where it is a guy yeah yeah I but
1:03:13him but you have to admit that's in the
1:03:14minority men generally speaking for the
1:03:18other hand I really i do love her
1:03:20performance and I love her character and
1:03:22yet as you said she's the one who's to
1:03:25me most identifiable for the for the
1:03:27audience because for me because that is
1:03:30how i would act in that situation so
1:03:32she's also you know she's the audience
1:03:34identify so it's it's one of those
1:03:36things where I can totally understand
1:03:38where their criticisms coming from was
1:03:39also i'm more on the fence about it
1:03:42because i really really like her right
1:03:45she's cheese if not put in this
1:03:48situation she also is a tough person I
1:03:50mean you can sort of sense it from her
1:03:52sort of smartass comments about no great
1:03:55we're gonna go on the planet and that
1:03:57it's not our system and she I know that
1:03:59under breath I know that and there's
1:04:02there's actually i think a deleted scene
1:04:03that I that shows up in the director's
1:04:05cut that I think they would have been
1:04:07well served to keep in where when when
1:04:11Ripley comes down to see how can is
1:04:13doing after they finally let him into
1:04:15the ship she comes up to Ripley and
1:04:17smacks your heart and in there ready to
1:04:19fight oh yeah yeah and it's it's it's a
1:04:22really good fight scene i mean it's it's
1:04:24visceral it looks like she's genuinely
1:04:26pissed and you get a sense of how
1:04:27tougher character actually is from that
1:04:30so that's one of the few where I think
1:04:31maybe they would if they would have been
1:04:33well served to keep that in although
1:04:35there again I mean that saying has a bit
1:04:36of complexity because yes strong
1:04:38character but why she's slapping Ripley
1:04:40because Ripley didn't want to let came
1:04:44back inside the ship so it's kind of
1:04:46strength because of empathy and weakness
1:04:50so yeah again I'm sure you necessarily
1:04:53want to tie empathy and weakness
1:04:54together well but you know better if
1:04:57we're just talking sort of in terms of
1:04:58pure character stuff i just think it is
1:05:01good it makes for a more complex
1:05:02character which she is and it would be
1:05:05very easy for her to have just been the
1:05:07scream queen of the movie and I think
1:05:09yes she clearly does much more than that
1:05:11in the role her reaction to that empathy
1:05:13is not to you know Stu and didn't make a
1:05:16little side long comment she smacks
1:05:18Ripley heard its two components ready to
1:05:20kill her
1:05:21it's so good this movie i just i love it
1:05:24so much so so many things about it I
1:05:25haven't even covered half of my notes
1:05:27but yeah well this is that this is your
1:05:29chance this is the we you know she's
1:05:31going out today so she yeah well i mean
1:05:33i can tell you what happens at the end
1:05:34which is she basically fires a grappling
1:05:37hook at the thing and and blows it out
1:05:39the door but oh no it's still let the
1:05:41end because it if it sticks in the like
1:05:44the doorway so then she has to turn on
1:05:45the engines and like Senate if it's the
1:05:47biggest flamethrower she's got left and
1:05:50that's the last moment that she she has
1:05:52with the alien and then she can just go
1:05:56with the cat into the stasis pod and
1:05:58that's the actual end of the movie and
1:06:00should reach the frontier in six weeks
1:06:02yeah yeah it's gonna be fine everyone
1:06:04good luck gonna be mine
1:06:07I like that they don't milk that second
1:06:09false ending it's not like oh no the
1:06:11alien is floating in space and it's
1:06:13gonna claw its way into the ship knows
1:06:14seconds later she couldn't have engines
1:06:17Mac I actually kind of wish that they
1:06:19didn't have I mean the voice-over at the
1:06:21end is good it's fine you know it's not
1:06:23sort of an offensive voiceover like
1:06:25later or something haha
1:06:27alright disagree with you but I almost
1:06:29wish that they didn't do it because
1:06:30that's the only dialogue for like the
1:06:33last 10 minutes of the movie and the
1:06:35movie starts with almost 10 minutes of
1:06:38complete lighting not silence but no
1:06:41dialogue
1:06:41it's almost seven minutes into the movie
1:06:44before anybody speaks at all like any
1:06:48human sounds at all and it's longer than
1:06:50that at the end of the movie or would be
1:06:52if she didn't you know do the Captain's
1:06:54Log thing so I was just kind of a shame
1:06:56that there isn't that symmetry I think
1:06:58what it is you know it is still a good
1:06:59speech I i can if you're looking at i
1:07:01need the end because I I need some I
1:07:04need a good
1:07:05I you know be as subtle as you like all
1:07:07through the movie no animals you have to
1:07:10do that but give me an anvil issues
1:07:11conclusion ok slap their animal down
1:07:13there getting offensive closure that's
1:07:15what I need
1:07:16so for for for me that was that was
1:07:19something cool actually liked Steve's
1:07:21idea of veggie that she says that she
1:07:23filed her report at the beginning and
1:07:26then discovers that the alien is there
1:07:28and then at the end after she killed the
1:07:29alien maybe she just press the send
1:07:31button like done let's go
1:07:33yeah I hadn't really thought about it
1:07:35but if you're thinking in terms of
1:07:37symmetry maybe you can forgive that
1:07:39false ending for being because it's just
1:07:41her being silent in the ship briefly she
1:07:43talks to the cat but otherwise she just
1:07:45cruising around so that is sort of
1:07:46similar to the beginning of the film
1:07:47again in that respect I i think the time
1:07:50where I ask anybody have anything we
1:07:52haven't covered the day that you'd like
1:07:54to mention those but there was one thing
1:07:55that I just wanted to say about the the
1:07:58first kill
1:07:59seems we're talking about pacing earlier
1:08:00that seemed takes minutes minutes
1:08:05minutes of screen time leading up to you
1:08:07know when Brett's looking for the cat
1:08:09well it starts with like three of them
1:08:10looking for the catalyst and break off
1:08:12by himself and you get if you listen to
1:08:15I mean it's really well directed well
1:08:17staged it takes ages that are so many
1:08:19false you know sort of false beats where
1:08:23you think this is where it's gonna die
1:08:24but he doesn't you know and then you
1:08:25know this is really gonna die any
1:08:27doesn't and but if you listen to the
1:08:29sound design of that it's amazing they
1:08:32combine all these mechanical sounds more
1:08:35minutes it sounds like like air
1:08:37conditioning all sort of
1:08:38fans another minute so I've suddenly
1:08:41sounds like a heartbeat pounding and
1:08:44then it will become something else yes i
1:08:46want to mention that as well that's
1:08:47whenever there's a kill seen they're
1:08:49almost always in a section of the ship
1:08:50where they're close to what I assume is
1:08:52some piece of the engine equipment
1:08:53because there's that from that sounds
1:08:56for all the world like a like a
1:08:57heartbeat when it's muffled and it
1:08:59happens for I think every single kill
1:09:01seen there may be one or two that are
1:09:02different but I don't know who did the
1:09:04sound design but whoever did you know
1:09:06should have won an award as well because
1:09:07the eighties when it's extraordinary
1:09:09throughout the whole movie but that
1:09:11particular scene really stands out to me
1:09:12because there is no dialogue because it
1:09:14is just Brett walking through areas of
1:09:17the ship on his own going here kitty
1:09:20kitty
1:09:21and you know and that's it and so all
1:09:23you've got and there's no music either
1:09:24it's all just sound design not music so
1:09:27you go back in and watch that again and
1:09:29really pay attention to what you're
1:09:30listening to and it really kind of plays
1:09:33with you and directs your emotions and
1:09:35the anticipation you have because you
1:09:37know that's what he's gonna cock it you
1:09:38know you know this is the moment he's
1:09:40gonna die and it really plays with your
1:09:42expectations while the sound team won
1:09:44the bafta for best sound 0 did they are
1:09:48excellent so there are no worries
1:09:50so what we Brits appreciated the crap
1:09:52yeah I was going to mention that because
1:09:54that is great and I was also going to
1:09:56mention the Goldsmith score which I
1:09:57really love
1:09:58no yeah it's it's it's interesting that
1:10:00he composed an entirely almost entirely
1:10:03separate scorps it was mostly more
1:10:04traditional almost 2001 ask classical
1:10:08music and Ridley Scott I guess chopped
1:10:11all the hell and replaced a bunch of it
1:10:13was stuff from previous scores that he
1:10:14done and and I think it's great i love
1:10:18the the sort of earrings particularly in
1:10:20the opening when the letters are
1:10:21appearing on the screen and it's just
1:10:22like that sort of feedback almost more
1:10:25than actual score
1:10:27yeah the whole opening sequences so
1:10:30iconic you know and it's to the point
1:10:33where it's one of those things that
1:10:34hasn't been copied and wasn't
1:10:37influential because it's so distinct and
1:10:39so iconic you can't do it without
1:10:42everybody going on it's alien
1:10:43it's so recognizable it's of England I
1:10:46love it it's so welcome i wanted to
1:10:48recommend a couple other movies to show
1:10:51where alien came
1:10:52from in 1974 John Carpenter directed his
1:10:55first feature length film dark star
1:10:58which is fun it's super super cheap and
1:11:03the important part is that it's
1:11:04basically three different stories and
1:11:06one of them is alien butt done worse cuz
1:11:10Ridley Scott is better visuals and the
1:11:13screenplay was by dan o'bannon and after
1:11:16dark star came out crazy visionary
1:11:19director alejandro jodorowsky whose name
1:11:22I'm probably not probably correctly was
1:11:23going to
1:11:24yeah he was going to make a movie of
1:11:26dune oh I wish the documentary thing to
1:11:30guess when him he was different
1:11:34yeah the boat the other movie i'm
1:11:36recommending is the movie yer oskis do
1:11:39now which explains the movie he would
1:11:42have made which was crazy it would have
1:11:44been 18 hours long and have people of
1:11:47space sperm and all sorts of things i
1:11:49recommend Jodorowsky's holy mountain if
1:11:51you want an idea of what it might have
1:11:53looked like yeah I like your house key
1:11:56much more after watching your house keys
1:11:58dude because he seems so normal in it
1:12:00and after just watching movies i thought
1:12:02this is a crazy man crazy and have
1:12:04something relatively friends yeah he's
1:12:07quite nice is all it's just like I don't
1:12:09want to watch your movie
1:12:10I'm not terrified and here you have you
1:12:14read any of these graphic novels that he
1:12:16is a crazy crazy man yeah but for doing
1:12:19he put together a team that was dan
1:12:21o'bannon to do the special effects and
1:12:23for visual concepts Mobius and HR geeker
1:12:27sir
1:12:27and when his movie fell apart some of
1:12:30them went off and kind of coalesced
1:12:33towards alien and that's why you have a
1:12:35demo band story and HR giger designs
1:12:38some of which had been originally made
1:12:40for doing if you are familiar with alien
1:12:43and dude you may wonder where those
1:12:45images would have showed up the answer
1:12:48is everywhere
1:12:49I'm really glad that they went with
1:12:51Geiger rather than Mobius though because
1:12:52i love Mobius you know I love him as an
1:12:55as an artist
1:12:56and as a graphic novelist but an alien
1:12:59designed by Mobius rather than Geiger
1:13:04would have been so so different and i'm
1:13:06just not sure it would have had the same
1:13:07impact that this movie did I feel like
1:13:09you needed someone crazy like your house
1:13:12key to look at gieger and say you should
1:13:14work on movies and then get him far
1:13:17enough into the system so that Ridley
1:13:19Scott could say yeah we can work on that
1:13:22you're gonna have to redo a lot of these
1:13:24to make them less explicit including the
1:13:27painting that actually influence the
1:13:29alien design itself which is just ease
1:13:32the alien you look at it and its light
1:13:33will okay if we just remove the giant
1:13:35penis he sees gonna know there's a whole
1:13:39lot of elements of violation in this
1:13:40obviously the implantation by the embryo
1:13:42there's the very phallic scene of ash
1:13:45trying to choke Ripley other newspaper
1:13:47which happens right in front of a bunch
1:13:48of nudie pics that are pasted to the
1:13:50wall true i mean they aren't they are
1:13:52really shy about the sexual i think the
1:13:54magazine himself that he rolls up might
1:13:56be a nudie mag probably quite like we
1:13:59didn't really talk about it but gers
1:14:00design is such an essential part of the
1:14:03whole movie you can't get bigger without
1:14:05getting penis yes but not right but you
1:14:08would have this was saying you wouldn't
1:14:10have alien I don't think without Tigers
1:14:13designs because I just don't think
1:14:14anybody I don't think any other design
1:14:17would have been so radical lighting and
1:14:20it's hard to think now be nice sometime
1:14:22this was a radical design at all
1:14:25a4a sci-fi alien creature and I don't
1:14:28think any other conceptual artist
1:14:30working at that time would have come up
1:14:32with something quite so innovative
1:14:35unusual and simultaneously horrifying
1:14:38and disturbing but yeah it's chris stuff
1:14:41i want to mention you mentioned uh the
1:14:45general Smith score and I would just
1:14:47mention this is the same year that he
1:14:49did the Star Trek the motion picture
1:14:50score that's right wow there's a lot
1:14:53going on there he also scored outland
1:14:55which I wanted to mention because it's
1:14:56got a similar vibe to it it's high noon
1:14:58and
1:14:59based on yeah but that's a that's pure
1:15:01hi our behinds directed and sean
1:15:03connery's and that it literally is high
1:15:05noon except on Saturn the moons of
1:15:09Saturn it's it's a mining colony yeah
1:15:11it's it's a it's really good and weird
1:15:13but it has a similar vibe to this except
1:15:16of course they're the the monsters are
1:15:19us because that's what spoilers for
1:15:22outland chasing monsters are us in this
1:15:24to that's the whole reason they get sent
1:15:26down to that planet suppose that's true
1:15:27you're right Steve Martin corporate
1:15:28masters yeah a couple of quick notes i
1:15:30wanted to get too i love the fact that
1:15:32what they're flying in is a commercial
1:15:34towing vehicle because it really adds to
1:15:37the whole this is a really unglamorous
1:15:38kinds of people aspect of things
1:15:41yeah well in the design of it again is
1:15:42so it's like it's not streamlined in any
1:15:45notes utilitarian sort of yeah on
1:15:47aerodynamic industrial bulky and
1:15:49workmanlike there's no there's no
1:15:51paucity in this movie I think that's
1:15:53what separates it from a lot of sci-fi
1:15:55the game before is there's no campus or
1:15:58pomposity about it i really like the
1:16:01scene where there's there's there's a
1:16:02setup scene where Parker and bread or
1:16:04down in the bowels of the ship and
1:16:05they're complaining about their bonuses
1:16:07and they keep saying why do they never
1:16:08come down here and then later when
1:16:10Ripley decided she's going to come down
1:16:12to expect the damage from inspect the
1:16:13damage from the landing this hey what
1:16:15the hell is she coming down here for her
1:16:18yep don't worry right you'll get
1:16:21whatever is going to that's right Amen
1:16:23he does i love the set design on the
1:16:26maintenance areas that Brett goes
1:16:27through my talked about that already but
1:16:29i like the fact that they have indoor
1:16:30rain and for no apparent reason she's
1:16:33from the cooling systems yeah it's it's
1:16:35just it's condensation but he takes he
1:16:37takes a moment to take off his hat and
1:16:39enjoy the indoor range before he sets
1:16:41off to find the cat she's probably his
1:16:43own recycled sweat Ridley Scott early on
1:16:46said I like fog and rain we're gonna put
1:16:48it everywhere and I like chains banging
1:16:50into each other we need some chains
1:16:52hanging from the ceiling for some reason
1:16:54i love the lighting design in Dallas's
1:16:57traipsing through the ducts seen how
1:16:59he's just got this tiny little cone of
1:17:01light that follows him around and the
1:17:03way it reflects off of the the doors
1:17:06that sort of others in Ryan I viruses
1:17:09you have a fantastic
1:17:12and.and to add to that the lighting in
1:17:14the scene where the alien does catch up
1:17:16to him and it looks like he's reaching
1:17:17for him to give them a real big hug but
1:17:21it speaks to what I think was the genius
1:17:22of this which is a they wanted to reveal
1:17:26as little of the alien as possible
1:17:29Intel they absolutely had to show more
1:17:31of it alright well this has been has
1:17:33been good good good i'm glad we got to
1:17:35talk about this movie i hope everybody
1:17:37got through without being too scared my
1:17:40daughter didn't she got too scared
1:17:42oh but it's a classic will have to come
1:17:44back and talk about that aliens movie
1:17:45someday it's a very different movie on
1:17:47all before that happens therefore I
1:17:50don't know I don't know what it was
1:17:51seven years between the movies yeah so
1:17:53you go i'm not going to promise an
1:17:56episode number for the aliens because
1:17:57then somebody will notice and then go
1:17:59get back to me by the way i'm going to
1:18:01choose the Siberian Husky him dog
1:18:04drafted anyway k-9s on camera for me
1:18:07theist to is coming maybe you can con me
1:18:09into going and seeing that bike went
1:18:11away the rest of the alien will be
1:18:12there's ever an alien 3 podcast i just
1:18:15want to say I'm totally up for that
1:18:17because i know it will be very popular
1:18:18but Charles dances of that maybe there's
1:18:21a doggy can draw this is the 30th
1:18:22anniversary of aliens maybe we should
1:18:24rush into it right away anyway I'm gonna
1:18:27leave that as a cliffhanger and of
1:18:28course my guess is that 40 so check that
1:18:31out list miles thank you for being here
1:18:33thank you for having me Steve let's
1:18:35thank you
1:18:36we had here in 10 minutes Jason we won't
1:18:38need no rocket to fly through space
1:18:40Monty and space no one can hear you
1:18:42scream that I'm sorry I saw a picture of
1:18:45a cat on the internal mention of it
1:18:49scares me
1:18:49Erica and time thank you for being here
1:18:51thank you for having me you guys you are
1:18:53all my lucky stars
1:18:54oh and Anthony Justin I hope it was a
1:18:57good experience for you it and maybe
1:18:59worth the wait no don't worry Jason you
1:19:01will get whatever is coming back and
1:19:06with that I'm gonna file my log and
1:19:08drift into hopefully a transit sector
1:19:10sometime in the next few
1:19:12but we'll see but if you receive this
1:19:15message to our position our coordinates
1:19:18and hopefully your ears again next time
1:19:21bye everybody
1:19:30[Music]