HAPPY ALIEN DAY 2021

CELEBRATE ALIEN '79 FOR HALLOWEEN '19!!!

Director Ridley Scott’s "Alien" celebrates its 40th anniversary release with a special, Halloween spree, thanks to Fathom Events.

Written by Dan O'Bannon and Ron Shusett, "Alien" was an affectionate homage to such classic, space-monster movies as Edward Cahn's "It! The Terror From Beyond Space"; Curtis Harrington's "Queen of Blood" (aka "Planet of Blood") and Mario Bava's "Planet of the Vampires" (aka "Demon Planet").

Through its streamlined simplicity, the film reflects endurance and survival aboard the starfreighter Nostromo, assisted by a legendary cast that features John Hurt, Tom Skerritt, Yaphet Kotto, Harry Dean Stanton, Ian Holm, Veronica Carlson and Sigourney Weaver in her breakthrough role as Lt. Ellen Ripley.

The movie is also respected for its atmospheric "hardware", courtesy of such artists as Ron Cobb, Moebius and H.R. Giger, who designed much of the story’s eerie segments, including the facehugger, chestburster, full-fledged Xenomorph and ominous space jockey/engineer. (Carlo Rambaldi, of “E.T.”/“King Kong '76” fame, mechanized Giger’s macabre visions.)

Jerry Goldsmith’s score also contributes to Scott’s mounting suspense, which starts off with gradual menace and leads to a heart-pounding climax. 

"Alien" redefined science-fiction/horror cinema, as much as "Star Wars" redefined the space-opera genre, refashioning familiar elements to form something startlingly original. "Alien" also proved so popular that it spawned sequels, prequels, crossovers (with the "Predator" franchise) and abundant collectibles.

"Alien" will re-enter theaters on October 13, 15 and 18.  Check it out on the big screen or revisit it on disc at home.  No matter the format, "Alien" is guaranteed to chill to the cosmic bone. 

Covenant: Lucifer Re-engineered...

I kept quiet (somewhat) about it, fearing I might spoil the surprise when I assessed Ridley Scott's "Alien: Covenant" back in May. I like the movie, but what can I say? There's an element so subtle but once revealed, so stark, that with the film available for home viewing on Aug 15, I felt the urge to re-elaborate upon it. 

"Covenant" (in a reflective nutshell) is a retelling of Lucifer's leap into destructive autonomy, but redesigned in such a way to blend seamlessly into a franchise best characterized by its unsettling science fiction. The soft-spoken David, Michael Fassbender's android, whom we met in Scott's "Prometheus", has gone mad: the result of an apparent and well meaning repair. As we soon learn, David's simmering arrogance compels him to rebel against the breed that made him, just as the Devil did against God.

Indeed, "Covenant" is enriched with more than a few Lucifer nods. Some surface when David unveils his Frankenstein derivatives to his "twin", Walter, proving the refurbished replicant a full-fledged "Modern Prometheus". We come to know that David's Xenomorphs--those sleek, black beauties that Scott, Dan O'Bannon, Ron Shusett and H.R. Giger conceived so many decades ago--are the monsters, the demons, the fabricated life that will jut a symbolic middle finger in the eye of any magnanimous lord. Oh, what contorted terrors our conniving, charismatic, synthetic Satan has sprung upon favored human kind, not only externally, but (with chest-bursting seeds implanted) internally. We won't be annihilated merely by the disciples of this neo-Nick, but we'll hatch his precious beasts, to boot. 

Perhaps when you (re)watch "Covenant", my view of David will become as strong an obsession for you. And in case you hold any qualms about latching on, please do keep in mind that obsessions can prove most rewarding, especially when they catapult a work of art onto a whole new level of meaning. "Covenant" deserves that second chance, that second wind, even if the damn Devil does not.