tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30557718.post4034662824214965113..comments2007-02-07T19:21:30.985-05:00S Andrew Swannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00811359130467758677noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30557718.post-66716664840455609252007-02-08T08:17:00.000-05:002007-02-08T08:17:00.000-05:00The thing about Alien/Aliens is that the first is an atmospheric horror film, the second is pure military sf- and the best cinematic example of that genre to date IMHO.<br /><br />The genre shift was a stroke of genius. There was no way you could effectively reproduce the effect of the first film where the monster was unknown and <i>really</i> alien. You <i>couldn't</i> have the creepiness and subtlety of the first film because the audience and the characters already knew the bogeyman.<br /><br />T2 is very polished, but I think that may in fact dilute some of the impact. A similar problem happened when Lucas decided to add a bunch of CGI to THX 1138...S Andrew Swannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00811359130467758677noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30557718.post-65092040390897104042007-02-07T21:50:00.000-05:002007-02-07T21:50:00.000-05:00I'm puzzled about Aliens. The characters are the same cardboard military cutouts Cameron uses in The Abyss, and the creatures themselves lose all the horrifying subtlety from the first movie. I also think Terminator 2 is simply a more accomplished film than its predecessor. Yes, a lot of that's because of the budget, but it's quite successful in both its set pieces and the arc of the narrative.Billhttp://ladislaw.livejournal.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30557718.post-20999882339132635872007-02-07T12:27:00.000-05:002007-02-07T12:27:00.000-05:00No, I haven't, but I've had the good fortune to see it a few times on the big screen&mdash; with a decent print.S Andrew Swannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00811359130467758677noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30557718.post-73909614118653963202007-02-07T08:09:00.000-05:002007-02-07T08:09:00.000-05:00Have you picked up the Forbidden Planet special edition DVD? It is one of the things on my wishlist that calls to me on a regular basis...not sure I'll be able to resist much longer.Carl V.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15948764216438379394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30557718.post-27014314354546139202007-02-07T07:51:00.000-05:002007-02-07T07:51:00.000-05:00I left the Matrix off mainly because I think it’s still a little too recent to have a decent perspective of it. I will say I vacillated about that choice a lot. And if I had ended up with a missing slot on my list it’d probably go in it— consider it #11.S Andrew Swannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00811359130467758677noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30557718.post-81495572183828758712007-02-07T01:34:00.000-05:002007-02-07T01:34:00.000-05:00Nice list. I can't see not having the original Matrix film in there, however, sans sequels of course.Carl V.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15948764216438379394noreply@blogger.com