Episode: 356 • Duration: 01:26:08
Happy Alien Day! For 4/26 we wanted to make sure we celebrated the origins of the Alien franchise, so we’re covering Ridley Scott’s classic from 1979. In this episode, we basically just gush over how much we love the atmosphere, practical effects, and slow pacing – as well as drawing attention to some very notable 2001: A Space Odyssey comparisons.
We’re also drinking Founders Brewing Co.’s Easy Drinking Beer!
Credit for the opening music selection to Mark Van Fleet, taken from Alien Versions, his alternate soundtrack to Alien.
Approximate timeline
0:00-15:00 Intro
15:00-24:00 Beer talk
24:00-end Alien
In May, we’ll be tackling more Difficult Films!
Hit that play button above to listen in.
Transcript – ALIEN (auto-generated)
Click to expand full transcript
0:53
None.
1:35
Hey guys, welcome back to the Bowling Micron podcast.
I’m Ryan from closeplotation.com and I’m joined with my Co host Martin.
How’s it going?
Doing pretty well and we are celebrating in the month of April.
Don’t normally celebrate anything in the month of April.
1:50
I, I don’t think really generally don’t have any holidays.
Yeah, sometimes I guess Easter, but we like we’ve talked about that on the previous episode that we did for Easter.
We don’t normally do Easter episodes either, but we’re celebrating a different, it’s not not technically a holiday, although, you know, maybe the federal government will want to at some point add it to the roster.
2:13
But we’re celebrating April 26th, which for probably laymen and most people don’t really recognize that date at all.
It doesn’t stand out to you.
You say what?
What is that for April?
20 you say?
As Paul McCartney would say, it’s just another day.
2:29
That’s right, you know, is this, is this someone celebrity’s birthday or something?
Is this Sydney Sweeney’s debut when she showed her boobies now the now the staple of you that show Euphoria, where pretty much literally anything you hear about that show is just Sydney Sweeney showing her boobs.
2:47
No, it’s not that.
But that’s been going around as well.
I don’t know if you’ve seen that the little ice cream photos, but.
No, because I don’t care at all about, like I told you, private, I find Sydney A Sweeney to be attractive at all.
3:03
So.
Just just joking, but no, 426 is, is actually alien Day has been so dubbed by the community and there’s so much so that there’s even, you know, like a subreddit and everything that’s called, you know, LV 426 and all that.
3:22
But effectively it’s, you know, it’s been dubbed Alien Day because the, the, the mining planet, the colony, the, the, the asteroid or whatever you want to call it.
That’s part of alien aliens.
That is where they first find the alien life form and the Xenomorph hitch is a ride on the ship.
3:44
It’s it, that’s the name of it.
That’s what it’s what it’s called in, in the it’s not named in alien as we talk about this film does not mention a name at all.
They just kind of it because also it makes sense too, because in this movie no one knows anything about it in the in this movie, right?
3:59
Like it’s just like they wake up and they’re like, shit, where the fuck are we?
And they’re going to a mining colony.
But a later movies in the you know, especially this is this Alien is is a lot like Star Wars and that there is tons and tons of novelization offshoots of it and comic books and all kinds of this media about Alien that if you don’t, you know, like you, you can just watch the regular movies and you know, you have effectively what is the Alien universe.
4:31
But if you want to branch out, there’s tons and hundreds of novelizations of expansion on anything that you can think of within the alien universe.
So effectively it’s been, you know, dubbed ALV 426, also known as Asheron.
4:48
I think they they do name it Asheron at some point in this like the official name of the mining county, but.
So So what you’re saying is that just like George Lucas and his letting the proliferation of media happen for his franchise, Ridley Scott soon after this film and its success let Alien Christmas become a thing?
5:16
Yeah, I don’t know if it’s so much Ridley Scott or if it was James Cameron because you know, again, James Cameron is really the one in Alegens to actually.
And we, you know, we, I think we, we did that episode quite a while ago.
And I don’t know if we ever really actually discussed it, but back in the day, yeah, when we did the I think we did.
5:34
Didn’t we do it for Bill Pullman’s?
We either did it for Bill.
Pullman’s, I think we did twister for that.
So then it was for Alien Day back in like 2017 or something.
It’s.
Possible.
I can’t remember.
You have to go back and look at him.
You’re the historian.
5:50
So you didn’t do your job this time?
Fuck.
You weren’t prepared.
Hold on.
Oh God.
No, I’m just kidding.
But yeah, no.
Listen, I listen.
I take my tips on how to be prepared for the job.
Like Cash Patel.
6:05
Raise your hand if you think I’m prepared.
That’s right, you think I’m preparing so.
But yeah, I think it was James Cameron who really, yeah, at least coined the idea that it was LV 426 and and or Asheron, you know, Now after that, I don’t know if there was, you know, discussion.
6:25
I think probably what ended up happening after that is that LV 426 got a lot more back story in things like the comic books because in the 1980s the the Alien comic series was really big it it became a huge deal.
6:41
So much so that it gets reprinted very often to this day.
I just recently read the Aliens original comic book series, which was I think it was like a four issue comic run, which is actually really good.
I do recommend checking that out if you’re interested in the alien series at all.
7:00
And again, to the, you know, like as the series progressed and we talked about in Aliens becomes more of an action type series in the comics, it really is situated more around science fiction in action.
But I really enjoyed the aliens comic that I did read.
7:19
And this was and, and the, the other confusing thing that you’ll find, which is not just related to aliens, but pretty much any series and, and any comics in general, is that it, it’s really difficult to get into the series as a comic series unless you really start from the beginning and you start from scratch.
7:38
And then even starting from the beginning is difficult because it, it got renamed a couple times too.
So like, it’s hard to figure out which which series is which and which is the actual first issue in the series and.
What do you say?
What do you mean a comic is like getting invested into a comic series is and beyond.
8:00
Yeah, I I do recommend checking out the series though, and it’s very fun and like I said, the novelizations of the the IT, it can really expand Alien as a whole as much as you want it to.
8:18
But with that said, getting back to where we are in this episode, we’re doing Alien, the original Alien, the first Alien from 1979 direct.
That’s what it’s actually called.
Yeah, it’s called the first.
The first Alien.
8:33
That’s it where it all began.
And yeah, interestingly enough, like you said, we we started with Aliens.
We didn’t do the first movie in the series.
We started with Aliens.
I don’t know.
Again, I don’t like you said.
I don’t really remember why or what prompted us to be like let’s do aliens this time.
8:54
It was your.
Suggestion.
Yeah, something like maybe, I don’t know.
I’m telling you, it was either for Alien Day, I think it was for Aliens Day, maybe that that popped up on your radar like some fan that you are.
Could be, could be, yeah.
I whatever the case, we did aliens back in the day and you should go back and listen.
9:13
And that’s probably another one that we’re going to have to pull out and do and and repost because it’s been so long since we did that one.
That’s just very really episode, but a fun discussion.
But as we discussed in that one, you know, that movie is is, and I think you said in the last the outro of the last episode 2, that movie is the action version, like the Terminator 2 to the horror elements of Alien or the Terminator.
9:43
And everybody has their preference, you know, do they like the more science fiction actiony elements or do they like the more dreaded horror elements of a movie?
And for me, as we get into, I like the more horror oriented elements to the film.
10:01
And, and, and we’ll talk about that as we get into Alien.
But I joked with you, I said this was my first time watching the movie, but that’s not true.
I’ve seen it a few times.
Flew flew right over my head.
And perfectly though, I, I want to point out that I think I watched this back when I was probably, I want to say I was like 8 or 9 and I got to the chest bursting scene and I was really impacted by that.
10:26
I was really affected.
Like I do remember seeing that and being like completely shocked.
All right, because it kind of comes out, you know, it comes out of nowhere for someone unsuspecting if you’ve never seen this movie.
And it was like the perfect storm of a reaction for me.
10:42
And I definitely was very, I think I watched it with my dad and I was, I had to pretend like I was not affected, but I was like.
Holy shit.
You know, like, but I had to play it cool because, you know, otherwise my dad probably turn it off.
10:58
And so, So what I did this time is I had my 6 year old watch it so that he would be ready for it when he was nine years old.
You know, so like get him ready for it now, get him steeled for it so he’s not scared in the future.
I’m joking, but yeah, so I, I, like I said, I’ve seen this numerous times, but I want to say I was probably 8 or 9 when I first saw it.
11:18
And it really leaves an impression on you.
It’s something that I think even now to this day, if you can imagine somebody coming in and really having having no idea about alien, I still think it can be really effective.
And we’ll talk about that.
But how about you?
What is your experience of the alien?
11:34
So I’ll update on the historical part.
Yeah, we did it in 2017 for.
Alien Day.
All right, OK, well, we’ve already done Alien Day once before, but cool.
Cool, cool, cool.
Yeah, that’s what I figured.
But you know, like you, I am more because I’ve said that a billion times.
11:54
Like I I appreciate when there’s the horror startup and then the action sequel.
I appreciate the horror startup more often because there’s usually more TLC with it and then the action films become a spectacle.
It’s been a long time since I’ve seen Alien.
12:10
And in fact, as I probably said, we’re going to send out that, you know, Ryan’s going to repost the Aliens episode.
So I mean, it’s been damn near decades.
So we got, you know what I’m saying now.
Could be totally wrong from what I said that bought like I’ve never I’ve never been really familiar with the Alien franchise.
12:32
It’s not something that was ever on like, you know, TV when I was a kid that was like readily available wasn’t something like my parents would watch.
I you know, it was obviously in the zeitgeist is, you know, the xenomorph itself, you know, is very, you know, a popular figure.
12:49
And as I was telling Ryan, one of my favorite memories, the kids playing Conker’s bad fur day.
The final boss is a xenomorph and all the little like 70 different references to the alien films.
It’s cool.
I didn’t see Alien until college when I was just going through like a list of films check out, you know, and bootleg and watch, but it wasn’t one that I sat that like I remembered, you know, really think like sticking with me with at the time, but I do remember liking it a lot.
13:22
That’s just, you know, I just never like as I said, it’s just not something that’s ever like completely, you know, resonated with me because it’s not something that’s ever really been there like the like Alien Resurrection and free.
13:40
Never seen them except like bits on like TV back in the day when they used to be on UPN, like 24/7, you know, Ridley falling into the lava like she’s fucking in Terminator T2, you know?
So like for me, I was coming in again, like with fresh eyes.
13:58
It’s been damn near like probably like 15 years now.
So with a, you know, new and better experience.
So it was fun to get to do this again.
Yeah, yeah.
And I did want to also bring up really quick the fact that.
14:17
So while I do think that this movie has a a great effective score, it’s used really effectively, sparingly.
I do have.
As I say, Jared Goldsmith, who did like almost every other film in the 70s.
That’s right, they said.
14:32
Jerry, sorry, we got another one for you.
Luckily, they they were like this.
Listen, it’s going to be minimal.
You only got to do it every, you know, have a sting every now and.
Then not as much as you’re, you’re, you’re used to everyone.
But I will say that I have a tape, a cassette tape of an alternative alien soundtrack done by Mark Van Fleet.
14:58
And it’s very cool.
And the intention is that you’re supposed to listen to it instead of the, you know, the non diegetic sound that’s in the film, right?
So like anytime.
So you you turn the tape on basically and you start the movie at the same time and it’s effectively an alternative soundtrack that you watch and listen to and it’s very cool.
15:18
I have not actually done the the you know, like done makes made sure that I was doing it at the same time, but I’ve just listened to it, you know, outside of the movie and it’s very cool soundtracks, very nice alternative.
Still retains a lot of the same elements of like how it sounds and, you know, kind of the same science fiction, you know, sort of space ambient that it has.
15:42
But it’s a nice alternative.
So just shout out to Mark Van Fleet there something that he released.
I did probably like 10 or 15 years ago now that he sent to me when I was reviewing Noise a lot more than I am and very cool.
Just want to throw that out there because I think it’s, you know, something that I think would be really cool for like a, a new 4K release of the movie.
16:06
You know, obviously they’ve been doing that previously.
And like James Cameron is a good example.
You know, while he didn’t direct this movie, he’s a good example of a director who has been doing a lot of revisionism in his movies and not so much Ridley Scott as much, although, you know, like looking at Blade Runner and stuff.
16:23
But, you know, it’d be cool to see a 4K release where they incorporate something like that, where you can have a, you know, and, and they do the work to do an isolated dialogue track and then stick that score in there as an alternative.
I think that’d be pretty cool.
I was going to say this.
16:39
So by revisionism, do you mean like the Lucas kind of bastardizing with the DVD releases of Star Wars with Hans had been like Mom, you know, or like is it like just like.
More like a.
A different take on the experience.
16:55
Yeah, more like the experience itself, like what he believes is like the way to visually see the movie, like how how the transfer is and stuff.
He really likes the grain like stripped out for the most part.
So you’ll see like there’s some abominations of of releases where the the film is very waxy looking and you know, like it, it’s it’s almost like he’s trying to re digitalize the movie in a way that just does not make sense for these types of films that that were released in the 70s and 80s.
17:28
So you’ll see like there’s AI think there’s a pretty, which is an example of Terminator specifically being like a travesty of, of release because it’s just so waxy.
And yeah, like the greens been stripped and and.
All that stuff.
See, that’s the thing like if they want like a director wants to go back and like do stuff like that, fine, but don’t like, you know, then say this is the definitive version and take away like like if like we again, that’s something like always with like the Lucas stuff, which I mean, hindsight being 2020, it’s over 20 years now.
18:01
It’s funny to think about, but it’s like what we’re going to do that you want to tinker with your project.
It’s already been out in the world for consumption.
Fine, but don’t take away like, you know, the original and say like no, no, this is like, you know what I truly meant.
18:16
So cool.
If you did, you would have done it back then.
You know it was what do you the technology wasn’t there.
OK, that’s the reason why you didn’t do it then.
So like you proud of what you did, then if you feel like you have something to add to that art in the future, you can add it.
18:36
But don’t take away from the previous because let the audience decide you know if that’s you know worthwhile or not.
Because at the end of the day, you’re like, you may be like your new cut may inspire people who are younger like wow, wow.
Like look at the how clear beautiful the shot is.
18:53
And the older people have their, you know, crappy 360 peak.
And I’m not saying like that, but I mean, they’ll have at least have, you know, what they’re familiar with, so.
Yeah, I and I I think that’s true like the same way.
And I’m not saying that about specifically about Alien, but just, you know, just just mentioning it.
19:09
But but like I was saying, I think Mark Van Fleet’s they should really look into doing something like that.
What a nice new way to watch the movie, you know, just a a new experience.
So very cool.
And I just want.
You know what?
It’d be great if they did like a concert and like, they did that.
19:27
Yeah.
Like you get to watch the movie.
It’s like a drive and you get to watch the movie and then perform to it at the same time to add to it.
Yeah, yeah.
What for sure, Yeah, it’d be very cool.
So shout out to that.
Check that out if you can find it.
It’s very cool really, you know, enjoyed that when I listened so.
19:48
While you get rid, prep our beer talk.
Yeah, I’m going to run a quick tinkle real quick, so OK.
You can set up, I’ll prep, I’ll prep us for it while you and try to try to block out your peeing in the background.
So, yeah, so we’re, we are drinking a new beer today.
20:06
You know, obviously one that you’ve had from a Brewer in the past.
Founders Brewing Company, of course.
And we were talking about this off air, but Founders is it has become actually listed as a macro brewery at this point.
It is a very of large Brewing Company at this point.
20:25
It has a widespread, it’s pretty much making it across the country at this point.
And, you know, it used to be a fairly, you know, smaller run brewery with some very like limited releases.
And now they really are just expanding for the most part.
20:41
And you know, in this case, they’re they’re really making a lot of like flagship type beers, ones that they want to mass market across the country.
And so the one that we have on the show today is a new one from them that is again, one of their like a line that they’re trying to do as a more mass marketable approach to brewing.
21:04
And it’s called the easy drinking beer.
A very, you know, you know, obviously it’s.
Pulled pulled right out of the Saranac playbook of you know it, You know, weekday beer.
Right, and it’s just kind of like beating on the shelf and and like the layman has gone on the shelf and like, wow, look at that.
21:22
Or like the wife is shopping for the husband.
Like what do you like to drink, honey?
I don’t really know this could this could pick out some stuff.
Oh, easy drinking beer.
That sounds great.
This could easily be like the as we’ve said for forever.
Like, what would you want to drink if you’re on TV or in a movie?
21:39
They’ll have a beer.
I’ll take a beer, Yeah.
And then they’re just like.
Oh great, I’ve got found this easy drinking.
Beer here, it’s exactly what you’re looking for.
Yeah.
Or like it, it.
And actually, the can is almost designed to look like the fake beers that they have on TV shows where it’s, you know, like you look at the beer that they’ve got and you’re like, what is Hammond’s?
22:00
I’ve never heard of Hammond’s beer before.
Like that looks like it looks like a macro American beer, but I don’t I don’t know what that is is.
That a Schlitz?
I haven’t seen that.
Year exactly so I so that it’s like yeah, like you said they’re almost trying to make it as so generic as possible in this in this case, it is really effectively their standard logger style literally the tagline too is great beer for thirsty people.
22:31
The the marketing, the, you know, the, the marketing part of founders was just like on autopilot that day, you know?
Or grok maybe you know, spat it out like.
It writes itself.
OK, so just, you know, don’t worry about it too much.
22:49
You picked it out though, so I’ll let you go first.
What do you think about easy drinking beer?
So I mean, if you’re a long lived listener on the podcast, founders is a worry that we’ve had on the podcast a billion times over the years.
23:06
They’ve kind of become like a Sam Adams, like Saranac.
You know, they quality as you know, their popularity and market share has grown.
It’s drifted off, sadly.
They’re not bad, but you know, yeah.
23:24
So they had a couple of new founders at our store and I was thinking about getting them and they had their shandy and this and I decided to go with this because this is 5% compared to the San G 3 1/2.
23:43
But it’s a golden ale.
So that’s also like ingest the ABG.
It’s golden ale and it’s not like there’s a lot of golden ales around like it’s not it’s not just like they’re solid gold.
So I don’t even think they make any more messing on their website, so I haven’t.
24:00
Seen it recently, no, Yeah.
So it’s all, why not?
You know, the cans look corny and the marketing for it looks completely corny.
It looks like it’s designed for people who are from like Illinois or Wisconsin going to, you know, Lake, MI for the, you know, a summer vacation.
24:23
You’re like, I want to get these fucks with like this nice $22.00 for a 12 pack, you know.
But no, I was interested in trying because like, they’re one of the brands that no matter how good or bad they’ll ever get, I’ll be invested in to try something new that they’ve released just because like, hey, it’s founders.
24:42
They’ve, you know, it’s been 15 years of me, you know, buying this stuff and it sounds like I like it a lot.
Actually, I think it is, you know, a really good beer.
Is it easy drinking?
No, because it is a golden ale.
25:01
It is heavier.
It’s got a much more pronounced body.
It’s got a nice, you know, toasty breadiness to it that’s super.
But like something that’s more, you know, you know more, you know, pronounced than like if it was to say, a lager, the body’s a hell of a lot bigger on it.
25:24
But it’s still a nice easy drinking beer to have like, you know, enjoy.
Yeah.
But like I said, I don’t, I like I said, I don’t think you’d be pounding them.
But like because it does.
It has like a nice filling this to you.
But it’s something like if it was like a late night and you’re at the camp, you know, campgrounds and you’re at the fire, Yeah, this would be something like that.
25:46
Well, I have like one or two and feel, you know, full and go about your business.
I like you said, I like it.
I might get a couple more times, but yeah, I was pleasantly surprised by this one.
Yeah, I mean, I think it’s pretty good.
It’s a solid beer all around as I take a sip there.
26:07
Yeah, I think it does have a little bit more of a body to it than your traditional lager style.
Certainly has a almost more of like a bitter hot bite to it at it’s times 2 that people might not be expecting.
I remember even like back in the day when my mom was drinking beer and she’d have a Coors and she’d be like, that’s a little bit happy, you know, like it’s super people like that.
26:28
They’re going to be a little bit surprised, like.
Easy drinking this is kind of bitter.
You know.
That’s funny when you hear people like people say that dude, not just your mom, because it’s like because it’s like you should get a medal like for your taste buds, like you’re drinking your Coors Light and you’re being able, you know, to distinguish the hop on it.
26:48
Holy shit we got.
Yeah, it’s just funny.
So I do think that this one, you know, like, again, for people who are seeing it says easy drinking might be a little bit of a you know, it’s it’s it’s more of a lead in beer kind of to some more complex, you know, brews, But I think it’s pretty good.
27:09
I would definitely get this again.
I you know, again, the price range on it is a little bit scary, you know, because I think you can get some other beers.
I had a better price range that would probably do a similar function for you.
But with that said, I think it’s pretty tasty.
27:24
Founders and again to let’s just also gripe at the fact that Founders has been putting out less and less 15 packs.
They were one of the originators of the 15 packs.
And then all of a sudden they said, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, where?
Where’s our margins on?
These I think well I think again like because the Shandy’s in a 15 pack, but again it’s 3 1/2% I think if this was like that like 3 1/2% then yeah, they probably would have threw it in a 15 pack but.
27:49
Yeah, I do.
I do think that at a certain point, someone, someone there was saying, whoa, you know, we’re losing a little bit too much on the 15 packs, like cut it down a little bit, you know, especially for those ones that have a little bit more to them.
We need to, you know.
We have an Oktoberfest flying out on the shelves and a 15.
28:07
Pack exactly, yeah.
So do you want to gripe about that a little bit?
But and again, I think it’s pretty, it’s pretty tasty and you know it, it’s got like a very eye-catching label to it that I think will probably make it very mass marketable to for most people.
28:25
So I am sure it’s coming your way.
Like like I said earlier, founders has really expanded across the country.
Basically it’s like almost available anywhere.
So I’m sure you can find it.
I can’t remember what the what the biggest.
I don’t even think it was technically the biggest brewery in Michigan.
28:43
No, there’s like another craft brewery that’s I only have to check this out.
Yeah, I’m not, I’m not quite sure, but I mean, they are one of the biggest in that area.
I don’t know if they are the biggest, but they’re definitely expanding quite a bit, you know.
28:58
And again, they’re still trying to do some of those bells, bells, Bells.
Yeah, yeah, they’re still trying to do some of those more niche beers, you know, obviously like the Canadian breakfast out and some of their other breakfast out styles that they do.
But, you know, they’ve really expanded into the marketing across the country for for more mass marketable beers.
29:19
So OK, let’s get into Alien.
This movie does not get a, you know, a Ridley Scott’s Alien, right.
Just to point that out.
It’s not, you know, it’s not Preface.
29:37
You know, it’s funny.
It doesn’t.
But John Carpenter took notes.
And you know, trying to support them into the thing.
Right.
Carpenters a thing but what I noticed the most on this like rewatch of 15 years.
29:52
Holy hell is this film so similar to 2001 A Space Odyssey.
You know, like the design and everything.
The design, like the quietness, like the quiet horror of space and like how is like everything plays out.
30:11
The only difference is instead of it being like Kubrick clean and just a rogue AI, here it’s, you know, turned into slightly, you know, darker, grittier and a, you know, predator.
Yeah, like a lot.
But like, but I’m not saying it’s ripping it off, but I’m saying like, yeah, like, just like watching it, it was like in looking at how like, you know, Ridley Scott’s like framing shots for the interiors.
30:38
It’s like, wow.
It’s like.
Yeah.
I mean, you could definitely see the the inspiration there.
And and to a certain extent too, we have to also note that this time period, you know, there, it’s while 2001 did come out in 1968, it also is a very specific feeling for this movie that you just really can’t you can’t you can’t replicate again, No, I I don’t think like you cannot replicate the great feeling of these 1970s space set movies that had a very specific feeling and style to it.
31:14
And I do agree with you the this film, you know, Ridley Scott spends a lot of time at the beginning of this movie setting up the solitude of space, you know, because for about probably like the 1st 15 minutes or so, it’s very quiet.
31:31
It’s very meandering through these, you know, the hole in the hallways of the spaceship.
You know, the the Nostromo.
It, it, it’s he’s spending a lot of time very in a very slow fashion, almost what you would consider to be now what they call like, slow burn horror or like elevated horror to some extent of just setting up this very specific feeling.
32:00
What’s that?
What did you say there?
They say Kubrick.
They say yeah, yeah.
It’s not only that, though, too, like again, like it’s you press it to look at it because like the all the setting in interiors is like this is literally the basis now of like all sci-fi going on out for like like interiors for spaceships and stuff.
32:23
Every, like horror or actions like sci-fi video game we’ve ever played, like from Halo on up, like you can look at like, or Doom like, oh, there’s the interior like, yeah, that’s the thank you, Ridley.
And and not only just that though, like even after Alien, right?
32:44
So like Alien released in 1979, we’re talking the the heyday of the 1980s when sci-fi and horror movies were really coming out in bulk.
This, this was a basically a landmark film for the way that you would put a viewer into a sort of like metallic claustrophobic area, right?
33:08
Because I’m not, I’m not even just talking space, but there was a large number of films that came out that were set underwater too.
So in an underwater, you know, submarine or underwater like a base.
And it had a very similar feeling.
33:24
So you like you can almost you, they almost replicated this like a good example of that would be deep *6, which is another great movie one will have to do at some point.
I love that movie, but again, it is effectively an Alien copycat in the fact that they were like, let’s do Alien get the guy on the phone who did the Alien settings, you know, like who did all of the the spaceship stuff.
33:50
We want that guy and I, we want you to just turn that into an underwater area.
And then that that was basically deep *6 and.
And you you mean Sealab 2029?
Yeah, but like, it has a very specific feel.
34:05
And like I said, I said, you know, I said 70s, but even into the 80s, you just really can’t replicate this anymore, no matter how how hard you try.
I really don’t think it’s very easy to, you know, try to do this now, especially digitally of just, you know, like let’s get a very specific alien setting.
34:23
It just feels very specific, feels very claustrophobic and even like the switches that you think of, right?
Like all the switches that they have in the, that are like those like little pin switches that they flick on and off, up and down and stuff like that.
34:39
It’s just stuff that you you kind of take for granted now when you watch a a movie and set in space and it’s all very.
Not only that, though, it’s fun too, to think like how analog everything is.
Like, you know, it’s like they’re in space.
This is the.
Future.
34:54
They got deep sleep like, you know, deep sleep.
But it’s like, oh, everything so fucking analog.
They had like, Oh yeah, you got to go monkey around with a computer.
OK, You know, like I said, like there’s there is like and that’s like again, like something to like we were talking about the James Cameron thing.
35:15
Like again, be proud of the Ant.
Like people already appreciate like the like, if there was to ever be a, you know, just got a Carpenter was like, I want to revisit the thing and, you know, digitalize it.
It’s like a guy like appreciate, appreciate the hard work and like that you had to do to get that fucking done.
35:36
Because the line between it being impressive and shit is very easy line to, you know, cross when it comes to practical effects.
So if you’re very successful and people are able to have such like a fondness to that and a memory and enjoyment of it, be proud of that.
36:01
And aliens up there, Alien like for like just atmosphere alone is up there as the film for being incredibly atmosphere.
I agree, like the 1st 15 minutes, this movie is very great because again, like we like I said, Ridley Scott is, is taking a lot of time And in, in most scenarios you would be like, why the fuck are they taking so much time?
36:25
Like, you know, going going through these, the, the ships in the hole and just like slow tracking shots.
But in this case, it sets a very specific feeling of dread that that you can’t really like.
It’s hard to replicate.
It’s hard to hard to, you know, get that feeling across.
36:43
I’m sure there are a lot of directors who have set out to do a similar function, right?
Like it’s like, all right, I’m going to capture with this the same Ridley Scott dread that Alien has.
And then, you know, it just falls flat for whatever reason.
It’s just hard to do in this particular scenario.
36:59
I think it’s very difficult to match the first, like I said, 15 minutes where people haven’t even woken up on the ship yet.
And the dread comes from the fact that we spent so long in this very solitude place of space, because there’s a lot of connotations to that too, right?
37:16
Like as a, as a viewer, we know the film is titled Alien, right?
So like, there’s no surprise there.
There will be an alien.
And then so there’s an expectation.
And the viewer is kind of already expecting it to be so much scary because when you think about a, a place like space that’s very much unknown, especially in the 70s, you know, it was even more unknown.
37:40
It, it’s, it’s very sinister already.
You know, you’ve already got that aesthetic to it.
And then to set it in such a, you know, silent element is very, it just feels very evil.
And then not only that, but the way that he wakes up the crew and the crew has like no idea what’s going on is I think even better because now when they wake up and they’re like, wait a second, where are we?
38:09
We’re supposed to be back to Earth And we’re like not even halfway there.
Like what happened?
Now you’ve set that in motion of like, holy shit, what’s going on?
Like, not now there’s that, you know, there’s even more of a sinister feeling going on.
I think it’s, it’s an expert way to set, you know, create that ambience in the movie.
38:30
Not only that, though, too they they and we’ll get into I don’t want to get into it like right now, but they they explored that in a way later on that like, I don’t know if if it’s like just happenstance or it ends up being genius for like what like you could do with the can and down the road, because it’s so like, you know, well, there’s either like a throw away or it’s, you know, to add a little bit of depth, but it also at the same time, you know, just like built so much out of it.
39:06
You know, it’s and again to the whole like with the mother computer again is very 2001 hell inspired and I do love that too of like it’s it’s the 1970s.
So it’s the computer screen.
39:22
There’s no desktop or anything.
You’re just like, what’s going on Mother not enough data.
How do we win date Mother not enough data.
Yeah, kids.
Talk to it.
You know.
Yeah, it’s great.
I, I think that, you know, again and there’s, there’s something that you can be said that can be said for both ways, right?
39:40
Like so contemporary viewers might watch this and be like, oh, that’s so ridiculous, right?
Like the the mother room where they have to go into and it’s like just filled with little sparkly lights.
You know, you might look at that and you’d be like, that’s stupid, right?
Like who would design one specific room like that that has like little twinkle lights all over it for you know, for no serving no purpose besides it being like.
40:04
You know, it’s supposed to be looking technical and at the same time I really appreciate it.
I think it’s like a very cool visualization and even like the like you said, the analog buttons that they have that look like, you know the cashier buttons on it with that they used to have in like old supermarkets, you know, that had the colored keyboard things or or like an 8 track player that you would have to like press the button on that they have.
40:27
Ticker tape is coming out of it.
Yes.
I mean, again, like those are aesthetics that now nowadays people are trying to replicate.
Like I’m thinking of it from like the death metal perspective, but like old school 70s sci-fi, especially like novel covers and things are are back, right?
40:46
You know, death metal is is using those as inspiration for their own offshoots of like love, crafty and sort of alien space tech.
And I love it.
I think that it is a really cool aesthetic that is very specific to the time frame, and Alien is a huge originator of that.
41:06
And, you know, and again, of Giger, you know, HR Giger being a big part of the design of the Xenomorph is also a huge factor in this.
You know, his art, his dark art is very specific to this time frame, too.
So you know that that also can’t be, you know, pushed aside.
41:26
There’s a lot from Giger’s artwork that makes its way and creeps into Alien, which is very cool.
So with that said, you know, like again, I think that the, the idea of this, that it’s very, it’s set.
The Alien is set in a very specific small bubble, right?
41:45
We only have a small crew.
It’s like a crew of what, what is it?
7 people I think, or seven or eight people.
I didn’t stop to count, but you know, it’s, it’s a very small crew.
There’s the claustrophobia of being set in there and all of the crew kind of waking up disoriented, not sure what they’re doing, and then eventually hearing this SOS call that’s coming from an outside source that they have to track and and find all really effective.
42:15
What do you think about the like, how they set up the characters you like, all the characters that the film offers to you?
Yeah, no, it’s great because again, like the vibing feel like, again, I feel like, you know, Carpenter was taking notes with the thing because it’s like, you know, everybody it’s instead of it being in space on a spaceship, it’s, you know, and, you know, in Antarctica because here, like we get the, you know, slow, you know, pods opening them up, then waking up from stasis.
42:49
And then once they’re open from stasis, it becomes, you know, they’re all sitting there eating bullshitting.
And it’s funny too, because it’s like, oh, is that where like I was thinking like somebody came up with like a plastic container I did to hold cereal.
Like they took notes like Lucky Charms in there and they’re just, you know, passing around and having a good time.
43:10
You know, we get to hear just from that little banter that, you know, it’s a trade ship.
They’re coming back from like a mining expedition.
I also love that.
They have, they have dedicated roles basically.
So you know, like the so and so’s like in maintenance so and so’s like the science officer.
43:26
So like, it’s like really easy breezy, you know, very digestible and everyone is, you know, interesting.
And I was going to say I I really love that they seem to have like a surplus of bubble gum on the ship because like Yakoto is like chomping away at bubble gum pretty much every single frame that he’s in.
43:47
It’s it’s great.
It actually the movie makes me want to have a few things makes me want to have bubble gum.
And I also love.
Nothing will ever.
Nothing was ever going to be Ed O’Neill and fucking giants.
I mean, little giants just.
44:03
Just but I also love the fact that they have those like little hospital plastic coffee cups, you know, like those little, you know, the specific type of coffee cup that’s like, you know.
For the person.
To go like like a plasticky.
44:21
I love it.
I want one of those.
Not only that though, too, one of the things I think we’ve mentioned before on the podcast, but I love like it like too, because again, they’re incredibly tiny, like, you know, they’re meant for like today’s day and age for who and for what is I love going like when you go to a coffee shop or your convenience store or whatever, if you’re fucking millennial and older, you’re getting like the biggest fucker you can get for your coffee.
44:47
You’re getting like the 24 rounds.
So your boomers and Gen.
X are getting like the smallest one and it’s like, who’s that for?
Why are you getting a 12 ounce coffee when you like, What do you do it?
Like, what do you do that for?
You’re not at home.
You don’t have to be like, you know, you can get yours.
45:04
No, so I I do always love that, like for the and that, yeah, in my head too, They don’t say it.
There’s not like a thing.
But in my head, like these poor bastards, they’re waking up out of stasis and they’re like celebrating, thinking they’re about almost on earth and they’re pouring fucking Maxwell House and they’re like, yeah, ’cause you in the Africa was like the coffee’s the best part of this shit right now.
45:27
The rest of this food sucks.
And he’s like, he’s, he’ll be all pouring it away and you know.
And you know what too?
The the opening is very relatable and that the guys working maintenance, you know, doing the hard part of making sure the ship works are like, you know what?
45:44
I we’re not getting fucking paid.
We’re not getting paid enough here, guys, you guys are what are you guys doing?
You just like sitting around, you know, giving direction to where we’re heading and we’re here.
We are keeping the ship and, and, and let’s talk about how what it seems like is the ship itself is such a like rickety shit bag because they they go to land on one fucking planet and they blow like 4 engines and it’s down for 24 hours is.
46:14
Like I say, like all, all they need is a fucking more camel and, you know, New Hope.
Like when he sees, you know, the Millennium Falcon for the first time.
Yeah, what a piece of job.
It’s right.
It’s like, it’s like, man, that these guys landed on one fight, but but again, but but.
46:33
Again, too, like, as I was saying earlier, you’re like this is like one of the brilliant.
And I don’t know if it was just like a excuse me, but like like a brilliant like a little like if it was a plan detail or if it was just there to kind of, you know, pad out the story.
46:52
But again, like the whole idea, like why we got it?
Why?
Why do we have to answer that SOS?
Well, it’s in your contracts and if you got any of you were talking about getting paid and their bonus, it’s like if you want to get paid, you have to answer that SOS It’s law.
You know, corporation wants you to do that.
47:08
Oh, OK.
And like.
I love it, yes.
It’s like just the throw away detail.
Yes, and it ends up being such a big part of the film.
It’s in it not just the film, but like the entire franchise as a whole from throughout the whole thing, because the script from Dan O Bannon does not actually go into much detail.
47:29
Like you said, it’s they’re more like throwaway lines, like, yeah, the company says you got to do this.
And then later on in the movie, obviously it becomes known that this was this was planned all along, this was a directive for the ship.
But later in the franchise, as it continues, the corporation aspect of this becomes a huge deal.
47:53
Right?
Like that, that it’s not just that they didn’t just like stumble on this alien and like, oh shit, you know, we found an alien God.
Damn it, you know.
That it was dangerous, right ladies like intentional and well, that was that I.
Was going to say it’s like how many times did they have to send a fucking fleet out there to die?
48:15
And it’s like, you’re right, try 7.
But that’s that becomes a franchise even up to.
The new show that you know, was just just came out from Noah Hawley alien Earth, where they they really capitalize on this idea of like feuding corporations who are like in only interested doesn’t matter what happens.
48:34
They’re interested in monetizing the aliens that they find, not just the xenomorphs, but all the alien entities that they find outside of in space.
It it becomes a running, you know, almost anti capitalist through line of the franchise of like these corporations do not give a shit about who they send out into space as long as you come back with the Organism.
49:00
So Dan O’bannon was right on with this.
And you know, let’s let’s also just reference the fact that.
Dan O’bannon was.
Absolutely.
In his prime here in the late 70s, early 80s, directing The Return of Living Dead.
I’m sorry, writing The Return of Living Dead, he worked on Carpenter’s first film, Dark Star, which again, you like you said The thing is obviously taking a lot of inspiration from Alien and, and, and certainly the Dark Star was a very early precursor even to Alien.
49:35
Dan O Bannon was right on here and had a lot of great ideas, a lot of, you know, pointed remarks about capitalism and society.
And I think Alien expresses that in in very, you know, like internalized ways.
49:53
Yeah, it’s internalized.
It’s it.
It’s.
Very small, but it’s very nuanced and like I’m, you know, sound like a fucking jerk off but like but I mean, but it is like it’s small and if you don’t think about it like you know, you can walk away.
50:08
But again, even with it being.
Stupid like, you know?
Ties everything together at the end, I think.
Whether?
Intentional or not, it’s smart.
Because like, it gives people such latitude to run with with the franchise down the line if they want to.
50:30
And it’s just like, again, it’s vague enough to where you can insert whatever down the line.
And I think as a plot point, it works incredibly well.
It has that develops out to throughout the entire film because there’s more than just that as the a plot point and twist.
50:54
Yeah, it’s a lot to work with.
For a movie.
That really does not have all that much dialogue and a lot of the dialogue is actually related to the work that they’re doing, right.
So like, you know, landing, you know, all the directions that they’re doing, you know, going out on the the planet.
51:13
It’s it’s really a testament to the screen writing that they do get those elements in because you could really look at the the script and just kind of be like, oh, wow, you know, it’s like, you know, it’s not really too populated with much information.
It all comes across.
And again, this movie is almost two hours long, but it’s all really necessary.
51:31
If there’s not like a moment where you think, wow, this movie is running a little bit too long here.
I think that they should have cut this down.
It’s all very important.
Whereas and again, to it is a testament to the movie that it’s only two hours, right?
Like you think about a movie that would release today, this movie probably be bridging 2 hours and 45 minutes because they would have to stuff it with all kinds of external elements to it.
51:57
And this movie is very lean it, it doesn’t have a whole lot going on like that, but it’s still manages to get across a very particular point, a very particular feel.
It’s really effective.
I I and I think, you know, we haven’t even talked about the horror element to it, but, you know, besides the ambience of the opening, but I think that it really comes across in a lot of ways very effective.
52:24
Let’s talk about that.
What do you think?
About all the horror.
Elements that happened, you know, we talked about the ambience of the first part, but what do you think about like going out on the, you know, the frozen planet or the, the, the asteroid as they go into the mining colony, the giant alien that they see like sitting in a chair, all that kind of stuff.
52:40
What do you what do you think works really well again?
You know, especially with like the analog technology that works really well as an idea of like the landing on this, you know, inhospitable planet.
You know they give some.
52:58
Techno Babble bullshit on.
You know, like what it’s like with like methane, need a little bit of this, a little bit, you know, you know, But yeah, yeah, you guys maybe go down there, take a look, you know, So I get like it, you know, and again with like, you know, the clearly analog technology of like how everything is like, of course they’d be like as soon as they’re down there, there’s interference at the matte paintings to like show them like, you know, go on the planet what that ship looks like and stuff.
53:35
Very good and attention inside.
It’s like a good. 15.
Minutes of them like, you know, slow building up to them finding a dead a dead alien, you know, like you know, and then the the eggs of the xenomorph.
53:55
So works really well.
Again, just like 2001, like Ridley Scott does a great job of like just building tension up and keeping everything like right on your tippy toes again, because also to the soundtrack is very muted.
54:19
You know, Jerry Goldsmith isn’t coming, you know, so like it’s very, you know, meticulous and methodical in building up that tension to a swell.
There’s some great moments of him building.
54:34
And just, you know, very ambient sound that all of a sudden hits you with a very like swelled violin note that just like really slams it and it’s great.
It’s you know, it’s one of those moments where you know, you don’t need to rely on the music score to get your, you know, the, the mood across.
54:54
But when you do, you know, that’s, that’s really where it hits.
I think that’s, you know, it’s, they’re great stings.
It’s a a really nuanced score that works, that works great for it.
But yeah, I love when they go on to the asteroid.
I think it’s a really cool moment, you know, And again, too, we we have to mention the fact that all of the like model props that they have too of the spaceships, it’s it’s shot in a really great way.
55:20
Like really, Scott is very careful to showcase that these feel very like it feels very mass like right, Like it doesn’t feel like it’s a model.
55:36
It doesn’t look like a model per per SE.
They feel heavy.
It feels weighty when you see the the ship kind of like trying to to land all of those.
Those model shots are really great.
I think that they again, it’s really a testament to very careful filming and direction and editing of what they’ve the shots that they wanted to get on showcase.
56:00
The same is true later on of when they actually show the Xenomorph.
There is a very, very careful selection of shots of showing the Xenomorph.
You know, again, like the Xenomorph is, is designed in a specific way that it is very black and the film is very dark.
56:19
And the darkness in the shadow of, of the, the ship itself lends itself to the Xenomorph being so dark and black that you can barely make out the outlines of the Xenomorph.
And so there’s a lot of shots in this movie where, you know, you’re kind of almost squinting be like, what it, what is that in the darkness?
56:37
And it’s sort of, you know, the same feeling that you would imagine somebody being on the ship doing when they’re like, what is that in the corner?
You know, like I can’t, I can’t just can barely make out something that’s there that shouldn’t be there.
I think that’s the, you know, again, great direction and, and shot editing for that.
56:58
But I love going on to the the asteroid and that that visualization of the alien that’s sitting in the chair is sort of massive.
And again, this is not a xenomorph, right?
It’s a it’s a different alien, It’s a different race.
Like it’s, it’s like an ancient alien.
It’s huge.
57:14
Because it’s like the chair that it’s sitting in.
Like, it’s like a, you know, gunner’s chair.
Yeah.
It’s, you know, it’s.
It’s huge so.
It’s like.
It yeah, it like it has.
Scope, it has scale and you know that again, that sets up a lot for the franchise.
57:32
Like the franchise will run with that.
That’s you know, it’s not Alien is not just the Xenomorphs.
There’s more to it.
There’s more races of Alien that the Xenomorphs have impacted and again too.
It also reminds me of the best of like love, crafty and horror too.
57:49
The the sort of a cosmic horror of like these are much bigger entities than we’re used to.
Like we’re small little humans in the scope of of space and there are these giant alien beings that we don’t have any idea about that they’re living out here in the further reaches of space.
58:06
It’s really a cool dynamic that’s incorporates love, crafty and horror into the mix.
Whether you want to attribute to it or not.
I’m sure that it has to be some sort of inspiration for Dan O’bannon in that it is very love crafty and or you know, elder gods like in the way that they present the giant alien.
58:28
I think it’s a very cool, cool idea.
You know, again, it also reminds a lot of At the Mountains of Madness, you know, the Lovecraftian novel that he wrote.
You mean Into the Mouth Madness written by?
Yes, yes, by.
58:46
Yeah, it’s very, very cool ideas I.
Love.
I love that.
Approach to it that and again to this movie does not venture very far from the ship.
So that really like interlude of them getting off the ship and going on to the asteroid is a nice little touch to it that, you know, kind of get you out of that claustrophobic element and then put you in the fucking you know, you know, Blizzard here that you’re you’re going out into so you were told to.
59:12
Go out into that like that.
Would you like, Hey, we got to go.
I don’t, I don’t know.
I I do like.
This giant like Fleshlight ship.
Yeah, yeah, ’cause that that you know that that’s.
Like Dallas is like Lambert, you’re going out too, and she’s like fucking great, you know?
59:31
You know, You know, again, Lambert is kind of like a Barbara type character, except I think that they’ve written a lot.
You know what?
Yeah.
No, she is ’cause she.
Becomes catatonic for the second right?
Yeah, like she, she kind of gets that.
But I, but I, I.
59:46
Can understand it a little bit better.
Like I, I do feel like she’s, especially how Veronica Cartwright plays her is better than Barbara.
And the fact that like, OK, it may kind of makes sense.
Like you would be catatonic after seeing the giganticness of like a xenomorph standing in front of you, but at the same time, like she’s still able to operate right?
1:00:05
Like, whereas Barbara is just like completely useless in in Night of Living dead.
So.
Yeah, also too, let’s point, let’s let’s.
Not forget, if they just fucking listen to Sigourney Weaver, none of this would have happened.
1:00:22
It’s very true.
Sigourney Weaver is right.
About all and all counts.
So like, especially when, you know, when they bring back, what’s his name Kane, I think it is who’s coming back with the alien attached to him.
And she’s like, no, you guys are staying out there.
1:00:40
You, you, you need a quarantine out there before because we can’t let that in and and, you know, risk the rest of the ship.
What do you think about that?
Would you do the same?
Would you?
Would you have?
Would be right there with her?
Yeah, no, I would definitely.
1:00:56
Be like you, would you?
Would make the same decision.
It’s again it’s.
Like funny to think about.
Too, Because it’s like we know what why Ash does what he does, you know, but still it’s just like open it like also too, it’s like 2001.
1:01:12
Like open the door, Hal.
No, I can’t do that.
It’s like yeah, two.
Yeah, we are.
What about crew guys has a fucking giant vagina bugs, you know, slapped on his face.
Yeah, you guys have to wait and quarantine until the thing fucking maybe dies.
1:01:29
We can’t do that.
Like it’s just, yeah, I do love it because like.
It is it’s it’s almost ridiculous.
But at the same time, I guess you can understand from Dallas’s perspective, he’s like got to protect the, you know, the the all of his crew.
And so he wants to bring Kane in.
1:01:45
But like, yeah, at the same time, you’re like, that’s shocking.
I would have been left.
I would have been leaving them there, you know, like I’m.
Going to be like, I’m already halfway there.
You guys like have fun on the fucking asteroid.
We’re we’re gone.
Like, you know, I feel like Yaffa Koto is the most relatable.
1:02:03
Character he’s listen like that’s.
Speaking.
What the voice of reason?
Yeah.
What, what the audience is thinking, He’s like, what the fuck is that?
Like, you know, like can that guy fucking on his face?
There, you know, he’s he’s the one.
1:02:19
That’s always speaking what the audience is thinking.
He’s great.
I love you.
Poor man stuck down in the boiler rooms at this.
Ship and he’s like popping up like the fuck did you do now like no, he’s you know.
Yafik.
Koto is loved when there is a.
1:02:35
Fucking anti fascist hardcore screamo band named after him.
OK, shout out to the actual screamo band Yafiko.
But yeah, you’ve been, you’ve been waiting 10 years.
That’s right, Yeah.
Been waiting for.
To get that in here, we had to do a Charles Bronson episode so I could get Charles Bronson the, you know, Power Violence band in, and now I got Yafikoto in.
1:02:57
So yeah, which is something I totally.
Forgot I totally forgot Gothic coder was in the film.
So seeing him was like oh there he is, let’s go like you know my king.
But they say.
1:03:13
But again, like I like I.
Do like the science Part 2 of them.
Like trying to figure out like, you know the face hugger, what’s going on and like and again, you can kind.
Of Tell with Ash.
1:03:29
Who let them back in against quarantine that yeah, he’s a prick.
And to what we find out later on, like it makes sense because he is incredibly like stoic and I personally think he’s.
1:03:47
Just like an autistic Dr. Well, you wouldn’t back then back in the. 70s This guy’s a fucking piece of shit.
He’s a weirdo.
Let’s talk about trains.
A lot but you know, but you know.
But he is like, you know, very stoic and, you know, it’s great when he was like.
1:04:08
A him in Dallas.
Are trying to get the fucking you know the face hugger off he’s like I’m going to cut cut this digital now make it in sounds like in the digital Dallas like the fuck are you talking about?
She’s like an incision on the finger.
1:04:24
The finger, it’s a finger which.
No wonder why 2 Dallas doesn’t know what the.
Hell is going on.
He’s the one who runs the ship.
He’s fucking Kenny Rogers.
Like from MAD.
He looks like Kenny Rogers.
Mad TV like Kenny Rogers.
This is Jackie.
That’s like, oh, shit, they kicked me in the balls.
1:04:42
Like he just, like, he just looks like he’s totally lost and, you know, yeah, yeah, he does.
I mean, I think that’s.
You know, it’s part partly the point of like, he’s out of his element there.
But yeah, Tom Skerritt, he definitely does.
Do they ever do they ever like because?
1:04:59
It is a really good scene when like like when they’re like we got to get out of here and he’s like Ash goes well, we need to study and go back to find like more of these, you know things and then you know, so when you ever.
1:05:15
Ridley.
Tracks you know Dallas out and he’s like she goes to him like what the fuck are you doing we didn’t get the hell out of here he’s like, well the science officer said we got to go so we got to go and she.
You know, says like you’re.
1:05:31
You, this is your ship.
The fuck are you talking about?
If you want us to go, we go and he’s like this.
If the company says the science officers, you know, says that, then we got to do that or whatever.
Do you think like he was in on the thing or no, I don’t think so.
I think he, I think the film kind.
1:05:47
Of makes it, you know, seem like he’s really, you know, he’s the captain, but he’s really just following orders from whatever mother says.
You know, it’s, it’s just whatever they say goes and he’s kind of it’s almost like, you know, the military where they’ve been preconditioned of like you just listen to whatever they say is orders, you know, whatever they say is what we do.
1:06:05
And, and I think too, there’s there’s that that kind of there’s the fear of reprisal after you get off the ship, right.
You get home, you know, you’re safe from space, but you get home and then, you know, the corporation says, whoa, we saw what you did there.
1:06:22
You know, like mother’s been tracking all and she knows what you did.
And we have, you know, audio evidence of what you did.
So I think, I think he’s probably just, you know, following orders basically, you know, a grunt following orders.
It’s captain of the ship.
And I, I, you know, I again, it’s it’s kind of an interesting dynamic that I think gets played out further in the later franchise.
1:06:44
But here it’s just sort of hinted at of like there are people who listen to authority and there are people like Ripley who’s like, I don’t care what the corporation says.
Like this is what I would do.
And I think that again too, that’s kind of another standpoint and and viewpoint into the audience to like, where do you stand like this?
1:07:04
The view from the audience sit with Ripley.
Do they understand Ripley’s, you know, ultimate decisions and especially her decision to blow up the Nostromo instead of trying to capture the Xenomorph?
I mean, at a certain point, I guess you get to bring me.
1:07:21
I’m not fucking captured like shit, you know?
I would rather go.
Home and get like you know like sodomized by 10 poles yes, by the company like if I meant like you know like you cut the like I mean I know it’s with the you know the fakes hugger, but they cut it open and it’s fucking ass bleeding down like through the shit hole.
1:07:42
They could have like, you know, creamed out until like a black hole, like yeah, but I would have.
It’s a great point too, because it like.
Goes through like three holes, right, like the acid is not just like goes through one floor and then like they, they Ridley Scott specifically shows them going like, Nope, Nope, still going down and then like they go down like 3 floors to find where it eventually stops.
1:08:05
So, you know, it just kind of sets up that like very dangerous element to the alien.
And I, I think that’s really, you know, it’s really cool how they they do develop that And I think like to a certain extent, yeah, you’re right.
Like who’s going to try to capture the xenomorph at a certain point?
1:08:22
You’re just like, OK, superior being, as Ash says later on, look at this survivability.
I mean just do what you can to fucking get rid of it.
Well, also too that also makes it.
Why?
It’s like so great.
And it’s like, why did it?
Why is it paired up with the Predator franchise?
1:08:40
Well, there you go.
The Predator likes to hunt like Apex, you know, Apex, you know, you know.
So there you go.
But it is great.
And like again like.
The tension and like like it’s again, I hate to compare, but it’s it like like with carpenters the thing like they do the little science and instead of Wilford Brimley, this time it’s you know, it’s Ash and they you know, find Kane, you know, by himself and the the face hugger gone and they try finding him and they find Dan.
1:09:19
They study it some more and then eventually canes up.
It’s a miracle.
God be praised.
He’s like balloon in the face, but everyone was like hey, I love him back but I’m like you’re fine.
Like even though too when.
They’re doing like the X-ray.
1:09:34
MRI scan the fucking things like down his throat and they’re like, hey, you just need to have some fucking cat crunch bud, let’s go, you know?
Yeah.
And then, like he said, I don’t even.
Know what the hell?
He’s eating, he’s eating some kind of like salad or vegetables that he keeps like shoving in and all of a sudden, you know, you get and then get the really great chest burst to screen, you know, scene, which also is great too, because when the blood splatters out, it literally just goes on to fucking Veronica Cartwright barely touches anybody else.
1:10:09
It’s just all like, it’s just like, you know, it’s like it’s great.
The chest burst you’re seeing.
Is great.
I think it’s, you know, it’s one of those things with within the 70s, like this is they were doing practical effects very well.
You know, it burst out.
1:10:26
It’s all it it again to now, like it might be a little comedic, especially how the Alien franchise has kind of been parody in the past.
And now you see like the, you know, the very the baby xenomorph and you kind of like, oh, it’s a little cute because it the way it looks.
The way it looks.
Yeah, Yeah.
1:10:43
And then it runs.
Off but looks like.
It looks like a little.
Action figure like yeah, I still think it’s very effective.
All of the special effects are really effective, like even, you know, again, the xenomorph elements to it.
But like I said, they really couch them in in shadow for the most part.
1:10:59
But when you do get to see it, it’s very surprising, especially the the one scene that you you get when the xenomorph you can just see Sigourney Weaver think she’s gotten off the ship.
She’s like, all right, I fucking blew you up, you bitch.
And she’s on the, you know, the shuttle.
1:11:16
And then all of a sudden she just sees like this blackness in the corner and knows that it’s the, the Xenomorph is there.
And you, you know, again, you can just see the outline of it crouching in the corner and it’s great.
It’s like just that that again is it is really testament to the editing team and the direction to say, all right, we’re, you know, we, we understand, like the Xenomorph as a whole.
1:11:40
The the whole costume of the guy is great, looks great, well designed but also also not shown shown.
A lot, which I think, again, less is more.
So I think that definitely works in the film’s favor.
1:11:56
Exactly like.
They were.
They recognize like the while the costume looks great, very effective, you show it too much, you show it in bright lighting, it’s still probably going to look like a guy in a costume.
So you don’t want to do that and you want to show it in more of like a beastial way.
1:12:13
And so that’s how they do it.
They very they, they, they, they couch it in shadow.
Not a lot of good lighting on purpose.
And then you just get like these very specific shots of like the the mouth opening up in the second mouth coming out, you know, sliding out or you just see it like just being its own alien.
1:12:31
Right, like the alien.
Is sometimes they just show it in shots of like, I’m just an alien living, right?
Like this is just what I do.
I sometimes my mouth comes out, you know, like I like that a lot too.
It’s just like this is just, you know, it’s almost like a nature documentary.
This is just what the alien does sometimes.
1:12:47
I don’t know, he’s fucking weird sometimes, you know, I like that.
I I, I think it’s really.
Effective.
I think that.
They did a great job showcasing it and it definitely makes sense that it would be a, you know, an inspiration for a lot of films later on that weren’t maybe able to match the the horror of Alien, But but we’re able to, you know, get to the to the heart of like what makes Alien so scary sometimes?
1:13:15
Because I do think it’s really effective and and has a specific sense of dread that you don’t get very often.
What else?
What?
Else did we talk about?
So let’s talk about the twist with Ash.
Ash being a.
1:13:33
An Android or Cyborg, whatever you want to call it.
Yeah.
I mean, you kind of they’re they’re kind of doing a little.
Comes out of comes out of left field.
But it also at the same time like it like, damn that like, ’cause it’s right after everyone’s basically dead except Ripley and yeah, Koto and she’s the one that’s.
1:13:58
Looking at mother the computer.
And finds out that, you know, plan the entire time has been they’re going to go out, they’re going to, you know, be woken up to find the signal, get the goddamn alien back and that we don’t care if everyone dies.
Just get it back because the company.
1:14:18
Want the corporation?
Wants to turn them into some yeah military thing yeah and, and, and I think like.
They have prefaced this by showing him chugging glasses of milk.
And so, you know, like, this guy’s not right.
1:14:35
Who’s chugging glasses?
Of milk, unless you’ve got a sleeve of Oreos over.
There, you know, like not even.
Yeah.
No one is chugging.
Glass of milk.
So, you know, it was, it was, it was actually heavy.
Cream.
That’s why I didn’t do it.
Wasn’t a person or maybe maybe like a White Russian like.
1:14:53
He’s got a drinking problem and he’s I do stash over there.
I do hate the fact that when they like if they.
Fight and they cut him open.
He’s got like the white, you know, He’s like, yeah, he’s a Milky, Milky.
I’m not.
Saying this is like bad, but it is just funny.
But I mean, that is a great twist because again, especially if you think about it, 1979, who’s going to be like, holy shit, this guy’s a fucking Cyborg, you know?
1:15:15
Right, Right.
Yeah, that’s it’s like kind of something.
You would definitely not expect fucking out of left field especially.
For the time, that’s like, God damn.
Like, you know, again, the writing is so intentional and nuanced, but at the same time and like, it’s like leaving so much for like, down the line people, for things like people to grasp on to and run with the franchise.
1:15:41
It’s like just so stupidly smart.
Like it’s like, OK.
That makes sense.
Why he was such a so weak bastard the entire time.
So yeah, I think it is great.
It’s it’s a nice twist.
Like you said, it’s not something that in that time period you would really see coming.
1:16:00
Like there’s no real indication of it.
It it’s a nice little unexpected thing that happens.
And I think even more shocking is when they show him, like, all, you know, cut apart, like the head on the desk, like, all of his body is sort of like pushed aside and he’s like just a, a mess of like, you know, after a porn shoot.
1:16:23
It’s like, yeah.
It’s just.
Which is also It is I was saying.
That it is a great setup too because you you get to see the practical effects and then as soon as they start questioning him you can totally tell that it’s been like switched and these guys there his like head sticking out of like a table.
1:16:42
Yeah, it works.
It works incredibly well.
And it’s great because it gives you that detail, like where Ass tells you like, yeah, you’ve been sent out on a death, you know, on a death mission.
We knew about the Xenomorph.
It’s a perfect, you know, perfect entity, a perfect being.
1:17:01
And we want to turn it into a weapon.
So it’s like, yeah, that’s just works.
Like I said, it works really well.
And it is a terrific twist, yeah.
1:17:18
I love it, I think.
I think it’s like such a.
Great, smart idea.
I was expecting him to at the same time to be like tears falling down from rain.
You know, from Blade.
Runner stuff, right?
Yeah, yeah, I.
I think it’s really cool.
1:17:33
It’s it’s it’s, you know, one of those things that stands out about the movie.
The chess burster scene is definitely one of them.
Ash being in a Cyborg is is another.
And again, that’s another thing that’s really carried through for the franchise is like, you know, cyborgs being very specifically part of the Alien, you know, characterization.
1:17:59
I think.
Too, we didn’t talk about Sigourney Weaver’s underwear choices.
Awful you.
You wouldn’t pick a 5.
Year old’s underwear to wear when you’re trouncing around on a space listen listen as I told you when we.
1:18:15
Were talking about this fourth podcast who’s having sex in the 70s because I know in the 70s like that was the style.
Like what the fuck?
Like it’s like, it’s like you watch the film, you see Sigourney Weaver running around in your uni suit and that shitty mullet with the way they have it like Farrah Fawcett did throughout the film.
1:18:42
But as the film goes on and sweat and it’s actually like, what’s going on?
And then for her to be, you know, like, oh, here’s me, me, I’m getting down to my panties and it’s like, put something on.
It doesn’t doesn’t.
1:18:58
That doesn’t even cover your ass.
I Yeah.
It’s it’s really interesting choice again.
Like, I’m not really sure where this comes from.
The film is very desexed, right?
Like it’s a well, it’s, it’s, I don’t, I don’t think.
It’s supposed to sexualize her.
Because again, that’s The funny thing though, too, because when it comes to the men and when in the opening, the showing their state, like coming out of stasis, their underwear is like, ridiculous.
1:19:22
It’s like this fucking like Toka Claw.
Yeah, bulky.
Yeah, like incredibly.
Bogey pant like you know.
Like you’re going to shit your pants to be dead, like, you know, diaper.
And again, like, yeah, I understand like what Sigourney is wearing as of like the time, but at the same time it’s like just fucking stupid.
1:19:42
Like you just look so stupid.
Like right before she’s about to whoop the aliens ass because she’s well, it’s going to stay.
So it’s like, oh, by the way, here’s like my fucking loincloth panties that I’m wearing that are like hooked around my knees because that’s, you know, the style of day, you know, as a.
1:20:00
Abe Simpson would say the hell.
Those are the times.
You know, it’s so, yeah.
I mean, I do appreciate.
That scene, though, because again.
The whole tension where she, you know, sneaks off into the closet, Yeah, gets into the space suit.
1:20:22
Really smart.
Works really.
Really.
Well, and, you know, it’s a great idea.
Yeah, it really is.
And like I like.
That that whole like, you know, kind of the silent thing of sneaking into the the space suit and then, you know, getting prepared by hitting the the button to, you know, start the airlock opening.
1:20:44
It’s great.
And like you see the alien sort of like, you know, putting two and two together.
It’s a nice little like, it’s a, you know, like the dress work clever, good, you know.
Yeah, there are, Yeah.
No.
No, no, no.
There are scenes with the shadows and stuff that Spielberg totally aped right for, you know?
1:21:06
For Jurassic Park, I was.
Thinking the same thing too, yeah.
Yeah, what about Joe?
What about?
Jonesy the Cat.
Jonesy is so cute and.
You know, Jonesy survives for quite a while.
1:21:24
I think it’s Alien Three that Jonesy actually bites the bullet.
But, you know, what are you going to do with cats?
Cat’s cat, you know, I think.
Jonesy is a cute little.
Cute little guy, though.
And, and I, I like that the whole scene where they’re trying to track down the, the, the little face hugger or the, well, it’s actually the Xenomorph, like the baby xenomorph at that point.
1:21:48
And they’re trying to track it down by like the, the air mass or whatever is doing that thing.
And, and they eventually track something and it ends up being a cat, just like in, you know, any horror trope that’s occurred now throughout the history of horror, it ends up being a cat at the end in a closet.
1:22:09
And I think that’s a really great part of it too.
All right, so we got to give this film a rating.
So on a scale of a zero to 10, a yaffic Kodo bubble gum chomping, what would you give Alien?
I’ll give it a name and have A10.
1:22:24
I’m glad we revisited this film.
I’m glad to, you know, have a new perspective on it because again, it’s been a long time and I’ve probably only seen it 1 1/2 times.
It’s an incredibly impressive film.
1:22:40
The way Ridley Scott builds tension, the you know, presentation and the, you know, the slow, methodical build to the horror itself is incredibly well done, incredibly claustrophobic.
1:22:58
It’s a, you know, great turning on to a different side 2001 space odyssey.
Appreciate it a lot.
And again, as somebody who’s not incredibly familiar with the Alien franchise, it’s it was a great.
1:23:15
To, you know, watch.
Sit down, watch it for like the first time forever, like fresh eye.
So 8 1/2 out of 10.
I liked it a lot.
Would love to, you know, check out more and getting more involved in the franchise to see what’s going on because it’s got a lot to offer.
1:23:35
It seems like.
Yeah, I I would agree.
I think I would give it.
About an 8 1/2 out of 10 as well.
I think Alien is a really good movie.
It’s very it it hits a lot of points, things that I love, including atmosphere, just the ambientness.
1:23:52
You know, I love like stupid, like crazy things that people wouldn’t think about to like how the whole sounds like the how that how it sounds when they like walk across the whole love it, love like that, that sound effect.
I love how they incorporate a lot of darkness and shadow into it, sort of like the a lot of the like the rain elements that are you wouldn’t think of too in like a ship, but they have them.
1:24:22
Everything about the movie is really well done.
I think this is one of Ridley Scott’s best movies for sure, in terms of just how it’s portrayed, how much inspiration it has given to other films.
You know, the horror elements at play here work really well, and I think are better designed than what we get from Aliens as an, you know, more of an action movie.
1:24:49
Overall, it’s just a really, really interesting movie that conjures a lot of dread.
It just has a very specific atmosphere in a, you know, a specific aesthetic that really can’t be repeated, even though many, many films have tried to do so.
So it’s just really great.
1:25:06
It still holds a lot of esteem here, even almost.
What is it 50 years later, almost 50 years later?
That’s crazy, but it’s.
It’s it’s still.
Holds up to this day as it being a very very solid movie all.
1:25:26
Right.
Hopefully everybody has a very nice. 426 day like that.
You know what’s next, right?
Difficult films.
You know what’s?
You know what’s?
Next Alien.
Three we have to do at some point also.
1:25:43
Yeah, for difficult film.
But no, I meant for the next Alien day, we have to do Alien through.
All right, well, we’ll be back for Difficult Films Month, which is starting next time for the month of May.
That should be fun.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So it should be fun.
1:25:59
We got some good, good ideas to throw at you for that.
And until next time, take care.
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