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Alien: Resurrection, a review by Jon

Alien: Resurrection
2 out of 5



200 years have passed since Ripley made her noble sacrifice. But now she’s back, albeit a clone.

And that’s all this film amounts too at its best: a clone of something so much better. We’re off to a bad start with the cover: ”From the director of Amelie”… just who the hell are they trying to market this film to? Good grief.

I must have masochistic tendencies. I had no need to see this again, yet here I am. I felt a need to complete the rant properly, I suppose! I mean it’s hardly fair to take the piss out of something I saw once when it first came out, is it?

Ok, so… this film is a fucking diabolical mess. A skid mark right across the franchise. Whereas ALL three previous films demonstrate a graceful elegance and a terrible beauty, this is just plain ugly, full of empty gimmicks. All the blame can be rested squarely on Jeunet’s shoulders. Seeing it now I realise what a fantastic theme they had, but he screwed it up.

Still, it isn’t as bad as I remember. I know! I’m as surprised as you! The cast is fantastic and the characters they play have great potential. After the interchangeable bald heads of Alien 3 it’s a pleasure to have such distinct people with something worthwhile to say. Most of the dialogue is cool, as you’d expect from a script by Joss Whedon. His vision is in here somewhere.

The look of the film is wonderful. The colours continue from Alien 3 and the sound design is identical. The creature effects are the best of the series. Sigourney Weaver is once again the strong anchor for the film. After all it is her story. But good though she is, should it have been about her still?

I’m not sure about them bringing Ripley back. It was always going to have a hint of cheese about it, but on the DVD they include Whedon’s first draft. If they had followed this exactly, it would have worked. It is simply brilliant. The opening shot as described evokes the previous films, as do enigmatically powerful dream sequences as the cloned Ripley comes alive. With the look of the film down, great characters played by brilliant actors, why did it go so wrong?

Jeunet didn’t follow the script. That simple wonderful opening shot Whedon describes is replaced by an odd scene with a guard squashing a insect, loading it into a straw and blowing it against a window. Pardon? What the hell is that for?

Well as I’ve just been discussing with Jimmy the nature of comedy as a genre and I think that is exactly what Jeunet made. A whimsical comic satire of the original lean horror and worse, he’s bastardising a perfect setup to do so. From what I’ve read of the script so far, he changes very little. It’s all how it was filmed. We watch Ripley, rather than follow her which is vitally important for the audience. Whedon's script gets inside her head and Weaver acts it very well, but Jeunet obviously doesn't give a damn. The film is amused by her and the other characters, rather than being empathic, so they become two-dimensional.

The marvellous creature designs are undermined by his complete inability to understand them as well. Their clean efficiency is lost as he’s more interested in showing them having personalities. As Achim mentioned earlier, the underwater sequence is great, but it was obviously supposed to be a match for the trap scene in Aliens, where the drones work out how to get above. But Jeunet’s sledgehammer approach to tension means it’s just one more noisy gag.

All this said, it could have still just about worked. It’s a fun movie, as good as the Alien v Predators, and there’s something to be valued in Ripley’s character. But then Jeunet goes and makes sure the shark has been well and truly jumped.

The pregnant Alien Queen is the single worst image I have ever seen in a mainstream film. No exaggeration. That he should de-claw one of Stan Winston’s greatest creations is a pure insult. Injury is added by having her killed by the… thing, the… what the hell is that fucking thing? A baby? Argh! It’s just… I can barely type, I’m that bloody angry! You people made me watch this again! You did it!

In another film (Invasion of the Marsh-Mallow Man?) that stupid looking dough-boy creature would be a decent villain. The effects guys gave it such incredible emotion. One minute it’s snarling, the next whimpering with its big puppy dog eyes and ickle nose… isn’t it cute?

Strangely, in that element, I can still see Whedon’s mark. His script developed the human/alien mix and I think a better director with a deadly serious intention like the others, could have made it work. But no. What a complete cock-up.

I don’t think the Scary Movie/Date Movie/Epic Movie guys have stolen anything from Alien yet. There’s no need. They couldn’t screw it up anymore than Jeunet. Thank crap I only got this off Ebay for a winning bid of 55p!

(From October Marathon: Horror! on October 31st, 2008)

Iron Man 3, a review by addicted2dvd

Iron Man 3 (2013/United States) IMDb |Wikipedia |Trailer | Paramount Home Entertainment, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Director: Shane Black Writing: Drew Pearce (Screenwriter), Shane Black (Screenwriter), Stan Lee (1922) (Original Material By), Don Heck (Original Material By), Larry Lieber (Original Material By), Jack Kirby (Original Material By) Length: 131 min. Rating: Rated PG-13 : Sequences of Intense Sci-Fi Action and Violence Throughout, and Brief Suggestive Content Video: Widescreen 2.40:1 Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio: 7.1, Audio Descriptive: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo, French: DTS-HD High Resolution: 7.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Commentary: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo Subtitles: English, French, Spanish, Commentary

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Stars:
Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark
Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts
Don Cheadle as Colonel James Rhodes
Guy Pearce as Aldrich Killian
Rebecca Hall as Maya Hansen
Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan

Plot:
The studio that brought you Marvel's The Avengers unleashes the best Iron Man adventure yet with this must-own, global phenomenon starring Robert Downey Jr.

When Tony Stark/Iron Man finds his world reduced to rubble, one question haunts him: Does the man make the suit, or does the suit make the man? Featuring spectacular special effects, Marvel's Iron Man 3 explodes with exclusive Blu-ray content, including a Gag Reel, deleted scenes, a never-before-seen Marvel short film and a first-of-its-kind, interactive Second Screen Experience app hosted by JARVIS!

Extras:

• Scene Access
• Audio Commentary
• Bonus Trailers
• Deleted Scenes
• Featurettes
• Outtakes/Bloopers
• Digital Copy
• Marvel One-Shot: 'Agent Carter' Short Film

Last night we all got together over here and watched their copy of Iron Man 3. This is the first time I got to see this one... and like the others I enjoyed it very much. Great film... lots of fun to watch. However... I will say this third one is definitely my least favorite of the three. I just didn't care much for a couple of directions the story took. Still well worth the time put in to watch it... a must see if you are a fan of the first 2 films.



(From What Movies I Been Watching on February 1st, 2014)

Psych: The Complete Second Season, a review by addicted2dvd

Psych: The Complete Second Season (2007/United States)

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Stars:Extras:

• Audio Commentary
• Feature Trailers
• Deleted Scenes
• Featurettes
• Outtakes/Bloopers
• Lil' Shawn and Gus webisodes

I been enjoying this show so much that I just couldn't be bothered writing a review for each disc. So I waited until I watched the complete season. And I am still completely hooked on this series. I have now watched 2 of the 4 seasons that I got for Christmas... and just can't wait to start season 3. Why am I so hooked on this series?... I really don't know... just know that I am enjoying every moment of this fun series. Favorite episode of the season? So many good episodes it really isn't easy to say... but I guess I would have to go with Shawn (and Gus) of the Dead... which happens to be the season finale. And I think they ended the season with a nice little cliffhanger. Nothing detrimental to the storyline... but something to keep your interest for the next season.




(From Addicted2dvd's Random TV Series Watched on December 31st, 2011)