I'M A SUCKER FOR ALIEN FILMS

I've previously expressed my views on the George Floyd case, which began today in Minneapolis.  All kinds of Black Lives Matter and police justice issues at stake.  Only police officer Derek Chauvin on trial.  The defense will prove that Floyd was on fentanyl and methamphetamine, had underlying health conditions and was a convicted criminal.  Historically, jurors usually lean in the direction of the police.  However, the times have changed.  The city of Minneapolis has already agred to pay the Floyd family $27 million.  While live on news channels, the case will last another month.

Here is one news item that, finally, is appearing to be making headway:

• The Biden administration is developing digital “vaccine passports,” The Washington Post reported.

The Ever Given is free and again sailing through the Suez Canal.  Who is to blame?  Weather?  This container ship is Panama-flagged, Japanese-owned and Taiwan-operated.

Are you a cancer victim of the weedkiller Roundup?  Here's how to get your share of the $2 billion verdict.

I avoid animatic, zombie, vampire, comic book and lowly-rated Rotten Tomatoes films.  I enjoy alien movies, and most probably because I once worked for NASA on the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI).  Last year I had a posting entitled:  The Best Extraterrestrial Intelligence Films.  So here is a follow-up.

I went to the internet to find out what were the best SETI films of all time.  There are all kinds of lists, but many had Alien at #1.  So  I went to Netflix and Prime, and found #49, the 1984 Starman, available for free on Prime.  Starred Jeff Bridges and Karen Allen,  direction by John Carpenter.  Rotten Tomatoes gave it decent 85/70 scores.  I loved the film.  Then I learned there was a follow-up series, 22 episodes in the 1986-7 period.  Can't find it anywhere.

Jeff Bridges is 71 and apparently not in splendid health.  Karen Allen, now 68, made her debut in Animal House and went on to Raiders of the Lost Ark.  Frankly, don't click on those links.  Best to remember them in their prime.

#50 was a film I had watched two years ago, the 2019 The Vast of Night.  Rotten Tomatoes rated it 92/66.  I liked it, very much.  Sort of a matter of fact every day simple flick, 1950's New Mexico.  Most SETI productions are splashy and steeped in computer graphics, with mystery or fear.  Not this one.  Worth your while if you have the time.  From Wikipedia:

The two take a moment to catch their breath, but they see the truth when they lay eyes on flying saucer hovering nearby. They watch in awe as the spacecraft rejoins a massive mothership in the sky, and the wind begins swirling around them. Elsewhere the crowd leaves the basketball game, but Everett, Fay, and Maddie are gone. Only their footprints and tape recorder remain.

Provoked by these two lowly rated SETI shows, I thought, why not the 1979 Alien, for Rotten Tomatoes gave it 98/94.  As Saturday was International Whisk(e)y Day, I had a Hibiki on spherical ice.

The meal was a mixed bag of alien treats.  The cat in the photo turns out to be one of the two survivors in Alien.

Well, the only place I could find the film was on Prime, for $3.99.  Oh, well, better than driving to a theater and paying $20 after you add popcorn and drinks.  What came to immediate mind was that this was 1979 and all those actors looked so young.  John Hurt did not look old, and Tom Skerrit had  18 years to go until his villainous role in  Contact, which only got 66/78 scores from RT.  Sigourney Weaver looked terrific.  Well, she is now 67, and watch her age from a one-year old.  Still not bad today.

I thought, this was like going back home in time.  What was I doing in 1979?  Oh, yeah, a big year for me.  I was at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory on laser fusion, and was invited by Senator Spark Matsunaga to join his staff in DC.  The world was suffering from the Second Energy Crisis and gasoline was scarce.  I must have first viewed this film that year.

This was the grimiest, sweatiest and cinematographically darkest movie I've ever seen.  It occurred to me that I would never want to be in that environment, and the luxury of showers/baths came intruding to mind.

Noticed that Mozart's Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, my #27 favorite song, was used in the soundtrack.  I also recently purchased a blue tooth doorbell system that plays EKN three times/day when my meals are delivered.

Well, two survived that ordeal, which meant there surely was going to be a sequel.  

• Surely enough, there were three of them, in 1986 by James Cameron, 1992 by David Fincher and 1997 by Jean-Pierre Jeunet.  Ridley Scott then did a prequel, Prometheus in 2012, followed by Alien:  Covenant in 2017.
• Sigourney Weaver returned to #2 and #3, but did not want to be part of #4, until given $11 million and creative control.  

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  But you can also count Predator in 1987, Predator 2 in 1990 and four more.

Chronologically, if you watch all twelve, what should be the order?

1. Predator (1987):  Arnold Schwarzenegger stars.
2. Predator (1990):  Danny Glover and Gary Busey.
3. Alien vs Predator (2004)
4. Alien vs Predator Requiem (2007)
5. The Predator (2018)
6. Predators (2010)
7. Prometheus (2008)
8. Alien Covenant (2017)
9. Alien (1979)
10. Aliens (1986)
11. Alien 3 (1992)
12. Alien Resurrection (1997)

I suspect I will start with 7-12, then later, depending on how much money is involved, 1-6.

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