Alien – Visionary Sci Fi Masterpiece

January 17, 2010 by Paul Wall  
Filed under Action, Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller

In space no one can hear you scream.
Terminator Salvation - DVD Cover

Alien 1979 DVD Cover

Actors:

Tom Skerritt Dallas
Sigourney Weaver Ripley
Veronica Cartwright Lambert
Harry Dean Stanton Brett
John Hurt Kane
Ian Holm Ash
Yaphet Kotto Parker
Bolaji Badejo Alien
Helen Horton Mother
Directors: Ridley Scott
IMDB Rating: 8.5
out of 10 (152,694 votes)

Top 250: #49

“Alien” 1979 by Ridley Scott – Movie Review

“Alien” is a break-through film. A sensation on the battlefield for the moviegoers’ money. The movie which, along with several other movies shot in the late 70’s – early 80’s, defined the mainstream for many years (I would also mention that the era of “Alien” is not over yet, although it is close to its sunset as never before).

Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver)

Ellen Riplay (Sigourney Weaver)

Gothic story in futuristic surroundings convincingly dusted by the wind of time (the interiors of the ship were artificially “aged”) sets the highest standards for the genre of space sci-fi. And a few have managed to surpass it. To tell the truth only James Cameron was able to do better in the “Aliens”.

Originally the screenwriter Dan O’Bannon was thinking about the storyline of gremlins spreading havoc on board the B-17 bomber. Later B-17 turned into a small starship named “Snark” with exclusively male crew. But the producers insisted that two women be included in the crew, and one of them should defeat the main villain. Time has shown that it was the right decision. Seemingly fragile but strong Ripley became the second – after her toothy enemy – most important symbol of the “Alien” cult universe.

According to the original intent the dying alien would scratch a triangle on the dashboard. Searching his ship the people from “Nostromo” would find a stone pyramid nearby with the aliens eggs. This idea was never implemented (though Giger did the necessary sketches), but the idea of the pyramid was finally used in the “Aliens v. Predator” movie.

Alien 1979 Screenshot Alien Face Hugger Alien 1979 Thumb Alien
Click here for more Alien posters and other Alien Movie Goods

Read more

‘Alpha Dog’ Download and Reviews

November 27, 2009 by Paul Wall  
Filed under Crime, Drama

“Alpha Dog” Movie Details

Alpha Dog tagline: Inspired by true events.
Alpha Dog - DVD Cover

Alpha Dog DVD Cover

Actors:
Bruce Willis Sonny Truelove
Matthew Barry Interviewer
Emile Hirsch Johnny Truelove
Fernando Vargas Tiko “TKO” Martinez
Vincent Kartheiser Pick Giamo
Justin Timberlake Frankie Ballenbacher
Shawn Hatosy Elvis Schmidt
Heather Wahlquist Wanda Haynes
Alex Solowitz Bobby “911″
Alec Vigil P.J. Truelove
Harry Dean Stanton Cosmo Gadabeeti
Frank Cassavetes Adrian Jones
Nicole Dubos Neighborhood Girl on Couch
Regina Rice Dance Bitch Girl
Laura Nativo Party Girl
Directors: Nick Cassavetes
IMDB Rating: 6.9/10 out of 35,245 votes

“Alpha Dog” Movie Review

“Alpha Dog” Plot Summary

A drama based on the life of Jesse James Hollywood, a drug dealer who became one of the youngest men ever to be on the FBI’s most wanted list.

Powerful and realistic. Well done by Cassavetes and Timberlake.

Alpha Dog starts off as what seems like a movie all about a group of friends who life their idea of the American dream: doing drugs, having sex, and hanging out with each other not a care in the world. However, when their leader, Johnny Truelove (Emile Hirsch), decides to kidnap the brother (Anton Yelchin) of a man (Ben Foster) who owes him drug money, their perfect world begins to shatter as they realize that their mindless prank has become a situation that could get them stuck in jail for the rest of their lives.

The acting is pretty good considering the cast is mostly young men with little to no experience. First, you have Anton Yelchin, whom the plot centers around. He is the young man trying to grow up, and finds a real sense of comfort in his captors, as weird as it sounds. He does a great job building a likable, yet flawed character. The film definitely displays likable characters, but the audience has to remember that these characters are not good people. Ben Foster has always been around in my eyes, and he delivers his most intense role yet as the scary and sadistic Jake Mazursky. Very good job. Emile Hirsch is steadily developing into a good leading man after nice turns in Lords of Dogtown and The Girl Next Door. He’s the leader of the group, and he has a certain presence despite his small size that reminds the viewer who’s in command. Sharon Stone continues to defy my expectations of her after watching her in Bobby and this film. Very intense and powerful performance, which is very heartfelt at the end of the film. However, none of these performances stack up close to that of GASP Justin Timberlake. Timberlake really stood out to me in the film as Frankie, Johnny’s best friend. He develops a strong friendship with Yelchin’s character, and Timberlake really steals the show the whole time. His character is the most believable and likable of the bunch. Bruce Willis and Shawn Hatosy are also good in limited screen time (I don’t think I’ve seen Willis have this much hair in a long time).

Nick Cassavetes does a good job as director, giving us the exact opposite of his most famous work to date, The Notebook. He delivers the gritty and realistic feel of 1999 Southern California and gets great performances out of actors who you don’t really expect it from. The film definitely was better than I expected because of Justin Timberlake. I thought he would make the film worse but he made it better. It has some sex scenes and nudity, not to mention a lot of language, so Alpha Dog isn’t really appropriate for anyone under 16 or 17. With a good ensemble cast, a good script, good direction, and a heart wrenching climax, Alpha Dog is a good movie to watch.

8/10 –spy

Alpha Dog - Movie Still 1 Alpha Dog Movie Still 2 Alpha Dog Movie Image 3 Alpha Dog Screen Image
Click here for more “Alpha Dog” Posters and other “Alpha Dog” Movie Goods

Read more

‘Green Mile’ Download and Reviews

October 15, 2009 by Paul Wall  
Filed under Crime, Drama, Fantasy

“Green Mile” Movie Details

Green Mile tagline: Miracles do happen.
Green Mile - DVD Cover

Green Mile DVD Cover

Actors:
Tom Hanks Paul Edgecomb
David Morse Brutus “Brutal” Howell
Bonnie Hunt Jan Edgecomb
Michael Clarke Duncan John Coffey
James Cromwell Warden Hal Moores
Michael Jeter Eduard Delacroix
Graham Greene Arlen Bitterbuck
Doug Hutchison Percy Wetmore
Sam Rockwell “Wild Bill” Wharton
Barry Pepper Dean Stanton
Jeffrey De Munn Harry Terwilliger
Patricia Clarkson Melinda Moores
Harry Dean Stanton Toot-Toot
Dabbs Greer Old Paul Edgecomb
Eve Brent Elaine Connelly
Directors: Frank Darabont
IMDB Rating: 8.3/10 out of 176,652 votes

“Green Mile” Movie Review

“Green Mile” Plot Summary

The story about the lives of guards on death row leading up to the execution of black man accused of child murder & rape, who has the power of faith healing.

Excellent! Tom Hanks leads a wonderful cast in this great movie

What an excellent movie this picture was. When I first saw the trailers in October, I thought it might be pretty good.

The Green Mile exceeded my expectations. Tom Hanks leads a wonderful cast in this movie which stands out by far from most others. If you liked Shawshank Redemption, you’ll love this one. I’ve realized just how good Stephen King can write, now that I’ve seen this and Shawshank. It’s three hours long, and worth every minute of it. It touched me in many ways. I was fortunate enough to see it twice. And I will buy it on dvd as soon as it is available. The Green Mile will certainly become a classic. Go see it, you won’t be disappointed.

Green Mile - Movie Still 1 Green Mile Movie Still 2 Green Mile Movie Image 3 Green Mile Screen Image
Click here for more “Green Mile” Posters and other “Green Mile” Movie Goods

Read more