30 Day Movie Challenge: Day 23- ALIEN³ (1992)

Earlier in the year I made it a mission when I was doing this that I was going to watch the rest of a couple of franchises and one of them was the Ridley Scott born Alien franchise which started in 1979 with the original before the sequel in 1986 that was directed by James Cameron. Now we fast forward six years later and we have the 1992 sequel ALIEN³ which was directed by David Fincher (The Social Network) and features the return of Sigourney Weaver (Aliens) as our beloved Ripley. We can only assume that it's some years later and they have been in cryogenic sleep, but what they didn't realize when they escaped is that a pod made it on to the spacecraft and after it try to implant itself on one of them, it caused a malfunction and forced the escape pod to crash on a prison planet where only Ripley survives. The only problem is that not only does she have an Xenomorph to worry about in this prison planet that has no weapons, but she has to deal with rapists and murderers too. The film also stars Charles S. Dutton (A Time To Kill) as Dillon, Charles Dance (Last Action Hero) as Clemens, Paul McGann (The Three Musketeers) as Golic, Brian Glover (An American Werewolf In London) as Andrews, Ralph Brown (Wayne's World 2) as Aaron, Danny Webb (Valkyrie) as Morse, Pete Postlethwaite (The Usual Suspects) as David, Lance Henriksen (Aliens) as Bishop II, and Holt McCallany (Fight Club) as Junior.

I get that there was really nothing they could do about certain things, but one thing I wish they had done was a better job with the CGI because it was so obvious and probably more so thanks to High Definition TV's. Anytime, the Xenomorph would come on to the screen, the CGI was just too obvious and too cringe worthy for my liking. Other than that, I enjoyed the film and I definitely liked the direction they headed in especially with the weapons option out of their hands. There was one point int he film when you thought things were done and where could they possibly take it, but they figured out a brilliant way to continue the story, but I will not be giving that away cause that is not what I do here. The one thing that I can say is that it definitely makes things interesting for Ripley and co. as they try to figure out how to stop it. The one thing I was disappointed in is that they show the one prisoner let the creature go, but we never see what happens to him and that is something I would want to know because I can only assume that the Xenomorph killed him. I also definitely love the fact that the Xenomorph does exactly what the last part of it's name means and that it morphs with whoever it's host is and that is what you get. In this one, it doesn't pick a human as a host so it makes things very interesting as he acts differently than past Xenomorphs. This definitely is not the best film in the franchise, but it was actually kind of fun to watch which is why I am giving this one an B because it lost lots of points for the CGI.

Aliens (1986)

One of the evolutionary films of the 20TH Century was 1979's Alien which was one of the first films to feature a woman as the main hero of the film. That was a huge move back in the day considering that most films featured men as the heroes and women were always rescued. That is why I decided to check out the sequel in 1986's Aliens which was written and directed James Cameron (Terminator: Dark Fate). The film once again stars Sigourney Weaver (Ghostbusters) as Ripley who has been frozen for over 57 years on her ship when she is found after the events of the first film. Since that time, as colony had already set up shop on the moon, but the problem is that they've lost contact and now Ripley is on her way back with Colonial Marines, but do they have the firepower to handle what is happening? The film also stars Carrie Henn (Alien³) as Newt, Michael Biehn (The Terminator) as Corporal Hicks, Paul Reiser (The Little Hours) as Burke, Lance Henriksen (Alien Vs Predator) as Bishop, Bill Paxton (Weird Science) as Hudson, William Hope (Captain America: First Avenger) as Lt. Gorman, Jenette Goldstein (Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas) as Private Vasquez, Mark Rolston (Rush Hour) as Drake, Al Matthews (Superman III) as Sgt. Apone, and Ricco Ross (Mission: Impossible) as Frost.

Prior to viewing this film, I had only seen Alien and Alien: Covenant so I didn't really know what to expect going into this one. I will say that the original had a certain magic to it thanks to Ridley Scott who gave it that horror element whereas James Cameron was going for the more big budget blockbuster style we had seen in plenty of his films. Now I am not taking anything away from his version because it was really good and it had me glued, but I liked that he added a more corporate element to it. The addition of Burke (Reiser) added a different element naturally because he looks at things in a dollars and sense kind of way and he would naturally have conflict with everyone else. Up until now, we never really had that element in the previous film so you need a more human villain and he was perfect. The Aliens themselves were absolutely awesome including the introduction of the very pissed off mama alien who does not appreciate what Ripley and Co. are doing. The element of suspense wasn't as great as the first film, but there were some really good intense moments in this one. I absolutely loved the cast of the film and I thought the choices were great especially the late Bill Paxton. Some of the special effects were a little noticeable at times, but overall it was actually pretty good and it has to be for a film like this. I think I am definitely looking forward to continue the journey towards having seen every film in the series, but I fear they are not as good as this one. I am going to go ahead and give this film an A- for a final grade.

Forbidden Planet (1956)

We are here with another edition of Sunday At The Classics and we have an interesting one for all of you. For a very long time, Sci-Fi was not a genre that was taken all that serious by most and probably not until Star Wars started changing people's minds. However, there was one film that sort of changed the way people looked at the films and showed that it didn't have to be wild and zany and that is 1956's Forbidden Planet. Leslie Nielsen (Naked Gun) plays Commander Adams, a man in charge of a starship fleet that is sent into space to look for a professor and a crew that has gone missing for 20 years as humans were starting to look for other planets to inhabit. Unfortunately when they get there, the professor and his daughter are the only ones there and they begin to get stalked by an invisible monster. The film also stars Walter Pidgeon (Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea) as Dr. Morbius,  Anne Francis (Bad Day At Bat Rock) as Altaira Morbius, Warren Stevens (Star Trek: The Original Series) as Lt. 'Doc' Ostrow, Jack Kelly (A Fever In The Blood) as Lt. Farman, Richard Anderson (The Six Million Dollar Man) as Chief Quinn, Earl Holliman (The Sons Of Katie Elder) as Cook,  George Wallace (Radar Men From The Moon) as Bosun, and the film was directed by Fred M. Wilcox (I Passed For White).

One of the cool things about this film was the fact that they built a real robot (Robby The Robot) and used it in the actual film. He is an actual robot and not a man inside of a suit which from what I can gather must have been the influence for C3PO and R2D2 in Star Wars. The one thing I was a hard sell on was the very end of the film when they explain who the creature is that is attacking them because it showcases that the film borrowed heavy from Sigmund Freud as they sprinkled him in with some of Shakespeare's The Tempest. one thing that I will say is that I had no idea that at one time, Leslie Nielsen wasn't always a goofball on camera. Nielsen take son a more serious tone for this film and he does it well as he commanded the screen every time he was on it. I thought when I saw that the film was nominated for an Oscar that it was going to be for Nielsen, but in fact it was for special effects which were done very well. I also loved the sets and how they were designed and you have to remember that in 1956, this was all practical effects compared to today's standards. It also helped that Anne Francis was an absolute fox in this film as she was quite stunning and certainly eye candy as she definitely holds her own as well. If you are a fan of Sci-fi then I am definitely suggesting that you check out this film cause it was really enjoyable to watch. That is why I am giving the film an A- for a final grade.

Upgrade (2018)

What if you were told that there was a way for people that are paralyzed whether it be from the waist or neck down that there was something they could do to regain motion? I am thinking that a lot of people would certainly jump at the opportunity to do so because I probably would. That is the very question we face in today's film Upgrade which is a Sci-Fi, Action, and horror film that was written and directed by Leigh Whannell (Insidious: Chapter 3). The film stars Logan Marshall-Green (Spider-Man: Homecoming) as Grey Trace, a mechanic who also happens to be a technophobe, but unfortunately his life will be turned upside down when his wife is murdered and he is left as a quadriplegic. One day, he is offered the chance to walk again by planting a computer chip in his spine and after he accepts it, he goes on a mission to track down the men that wronged him. The film also stars Melanie Vallejo (Power Rangers: Mystic Force) as Asha Trace, Harrison Gilbertson (Need For Speed) as Eron Keen, Benedict Hardie (The Light Between Oceans) as Fisk, Betty Gabriel (The Purge: Election Year) as Det. Cortez, Simon Maiden (The Great Raid) as Stem, Richard Cawthorne (Wolf Creek) as Serk, and Christopher Kirby (Star Wars: Episode III- Revenge Of The Sith) as Tolan.

Ultimately this is another lesson in why technology will be the death of us because nothing worth wild comes without the fine print or the bottom line if you may. I am definitely so happy that I chose to check out this film because when it originally came out, I didn't have time to see it, but this was thinking a little outside the box called Hollywood and running with something original. It's a breath of fresh air in a world polluted with remakes and reboots and good for Leigh Whannell because that whole Saw crew have turned out to be amazing writers. I was glued to my seat the whole entire time because the action is bad ass and the story is just so well written. I though the hunt for the men who did it and the sequences that followed owed a little bit to the film The Crow as he is back to right the wrongs, but there is just this little twist at the end of the film. My screenwriter professor once told me that if you were going to take an idea that was already done, you had to do something different to it to make it original whether it be weapons upgrades or into the future like Leigh did for this film. I loved the cinematography with all the cool fight scenes, but the tone deserves some notice. It has a very brooding look and feel to the film in an almost futuristic feel like Blade Runner and so many more. Some may find my final grade a little shocking, but this was worth the watch and then some so that is why I am going to give the film an A- for a final grade. 

Inception (2010)

When I first did my 366 challenge back in 2016, the whole point of that challenge was to watch one film and after 366 films I never had bothered to watch the one film I set out to watch. I promised myself that even if I didn't accomplish the challenge this time around I was still going to sit down and at one point watch the 2010 film Inception and it happens to be today's film. The film was written and directed by Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight Trilogy) and it stars Leonardo DiCaprio (The Wolf Of Wall Street) as Cobb, a master thief who does his dirty work in the dream world thanks to dream sharing technology. Cobb is on the run for a crime he didn't commit, but he is tasked with infiltrating the mind of a CEO in a very dangerous mission, but if he accomplishes it he earns his freedom. The film also stars Tom Hardy (The Dark Knight Rises) as Eames, Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Looper) as Arthur, Ellen Page (Hard Candy) as Ariadne, Ken Watanabe (The Last Samurai) as Saito, Dileep Rao (Avatar) as Yusuf, Cillian Murphy (Batman Begins) as Robert Fischer, Tom Berenger (Sniper) as Browning, Michael Caine (The Dark Knight) as Miles, Pete Postlethwaite (The Town) as Maurice Fischer, Marion Cotillard (Public Enemies) as Mal, and Lukas Haas (Mars Attacks!) as Nash.

I honestly can not believe that it took me 10 years to literally watch the film Inception because what a movie this was. Christopher Nolan is definitely one of the best writers/directors on the scene and this was definitely one his masterpieces. First off, the story is amazing as Leo and co. push the boundaries of the dream world, the repercussions they can have, and just how delicate it is. The second thing they presents us with the plot which is to convince Robert Fischer to turn over his empire, they present all of the subplots, and all of the turning points in the film successfully do what it was they were supposed to do in the first place. The third thing is that they assembled a great cast for the film and everyone did absolutely fantastic with their amazing acting. The fourth thing is the idea overall for the sets had to be a painstaking experience for them especially with all the details and of the manipulation that was needed was just out of this world. I honestly do not know what else can be said about the film, but there is a nice twist at the end that makes you question some characters. If you have not yet seen Inception then you do not know what you are missing out on as this is definitely the best film of the challenge that I have watched so far. The film is currently available to watch on Netflix, but you need to devote some serious time with this one. I am going to give the film an A+ for a final grade because it deserves it.

Terminator: Dark Fate (2019)

In 2018, the Halloween franchise did something no other franchise has been able to successfully do and that was to forget every single sequel film or reboot ever made and just start over. They basically said that only the first film was cannon, brought back the original director in a producing capacity, brought back some actors, and knocked it out of the park. So, Hollywood natural follows in those footsteps because they look at numbers, So, here comes Terminator: Dark Fate which tells you to ignore everything that has happened after Terminator 2: Judgement Day and they did what I said in bringing back James Cameron as a producer and originally lead actress Linda Hamilton. It seems that the future has been changed thanks to Sarah Connor and skynet is no more, but there is just one question. Why is a terminator being brought back to the past and what does he want with Dani Ramos (Natalia Reyes)? That is for Grace (Mackenzie Davis), an enhanced human from the future to answer as she tries to protect Dani from this fierce Terminator. The film also stars Gabriel Luna (Bernie) as Gabriel/Rev-9, Diego Boneta (Rock Of Ages) as Diego, Arnold Schwarzenegger (T2: Judgement Day) as Carl/T-800, Edward Furlong (T2: Judgement Day) as John Connor Reference, and the film was directed by Tim Miller (Deadpool).

Spoiler Alert: Do not read on if you do not want to know any details about the film because some information will be spoiled. One thing is for certain and that is I didn't really like the film, but there are elements that I did like about it. So, they had to explain why there was a new Terminator coming to the past if Skynet was no more and that was because if it didn't happen then how can we learn from it? They basically tell you that society was doomed to create the problem anyways because we are obsessed with AI and technology. So while Skynet is no more, there is just another company waiting in the wings to become the leaders in technology and the earth is doomed. Now, what I didn't like about the film is that for a while it felt too nostalgic and it felt like a pissing contest that hey I am way cooler because I am the original savior. The other problem is that Grace's story which in turn is also Dani's story is just so uninteresting to begin with. Why are we supposed to care about someone who becomes a super soldier? It was one of those moments when I was like OK let's move on. The other thing was Arnold Schwarzenegger appearance in this film because if we are ignoring all the sequels then he shouldn't exist. Well what made sense is that Skynet had dispatched multiple Terminators and this one caught up to Sarah Connor in the past, but what he becomes is a little lame. You're meaning to tell me that after almost 30 years, you wife can't tell that you are a robot? There was just too much wrong with the story to care about the action making up for it. I know the film did well in the box office (it at least made it's money back and then a little some), but hopefully this is the last of the franchise. I am going to give the film an C- for a final grade.

Liquid Sky (1982)

Every year when I attend the Rock and Shock Convention in Worcester, MA., Vinegar Syndrome would be set up with a table full of movies. Every year, I buy some DVD's and I usually watch them for a different blog. Unfortunately Rock and Shock is no more and I have one film left over from last year that I decided to check out for today and that is 1982's Liquid Sky which was written and directed by Slava Tsukerman (Stalin's Wife) and co-written by Anne Carlisle (Desperately Seeking Susan) who also stars in the film as the androgynous nymphomaniac Margaret. You see tiny invisible aliens have landed on Margaret's rooftop in New York City looking for drugs, but what they found is even better than that. They discover that orgasms cause the same reaction in the brain as opiates so every time Margaret sleeps with someone they take them when they orgasm. The only person that knows this is a German scientist named Johann (Otto von Wernherr), but can he warn her in time? The film also stars Paula E. Sheppard (Alice Sweet Alice) as Adrian, Susan Doukas (Slow Dancing In The Big City) as Sylvia, Bob Brady (A Nightmare On Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge) as Owen, Elaine C. Grove (The Riverbed) as Katherine, Stanley Knapp (Mother's Day) as Paul, and Jack Adalist (The Last Patrol) as Vincent. 

The film is very interesting to say the least, but it's really an avant garde sci-fi film that took a chance and did something different. The idea of the film is a little insane where we have tiny aliens that land on a roof and some how this German guy knows exactly where it landed in New York. Then there are just characters that are a little over the top for me in where they are just spitting out mumbo jumbo the whole time thinking they are revolutionaries of their time which is Paula Sheppard's character. While there were moments of brilliance at times with here, I thought there were times where she was a little too much, but that could have been the intention all along. The acting in the film is not terrible by any means and in fact most everyone in the film was impressive. It was the writing that was a little off and I didn't understand if Jimmy was a different character from Margaret. You see Anne Carlisle played two different sides of the spectrum when it came to the model. She played Margaret, the girl concerned with where her career is going while playing Jimmy who just wants to get messed up. The ying and the yang, but at first I was led to believe from the back cover of the DVD that it seemed like she had split personalities, but the film treats them as two separate characters. They definitely pushed the boundaries especially seeing as for most of the movie she is getting raped by men until she uses it to her advantage to make them disappear. It was a film that definitely reflected the times in New York City and it was a job well done which is why I am giving the film an B- for a final grade.