Despite having lost three of her shipmates to an alien invader she doesn’t understand, despite learning that her shipmate and science officer Ash (Ian Holm) is an android, despite nearly getting killed when Ash tried to shove a porn mag down her throat, it’s something else that truly disturbs Ripley in Alien. It’s the two words she saw in a message from her employer: “crew expendable”
With those two words, Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) realizes that she’s at the bottom of a food chain, and not just because there’s a bloodthirsty Xenomorph on board. Never one to portray businesses or anyone with power in a favorable light, Alien director Ridley Scott took writers Dan O’Bannon and Ronald Shusett’s idea about a haunted house movie set in space and turned it into a screed against the ruling classes.
By focalizing the adventure through the perspective of working-class space truckers,...
With those two words, Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) realizes that she’s at the bottom of a food chain, and not just because there’s a bloodthirsty Xenomorph on board. Never one to portray businesses or anyone with power in a favorable light, Alien director Ridley Scott took writers Dan O’Bannon and Ronald Shusett’s idea about a haunted house movie set in space and turned it into a screed against the ruling classes.
By focalizing the adventure through the perspective of working-class space truckers,...
- 4/30/2024
- by Joe George
- Den of Geek
Ridley Scott's "Alien" is a science fiction masterpiece that mixes haunted house horror with the cold vastness of space, and it took a whole team of creatives to imagine the distinct future screenwriter Dan O'Bannon had envisioned. In his BFI Film Classics book "Alien," author Roger Luckhurst contrasts concept artists Ron Cobb and H.R. Giger, who each contributed to the look and feel of the film's dystopian, corporate-run version of the year 2122. While Cobb helped make the sterile corporate side of things feel appropriately grounded, Swiss biomechanical artist Giger designed the more out-of-this-world elements. It seems like Giger himself is rather out-of-this-world, too, as Luckhurst reveals a story from the movie's set where the artist simply decided, one day, that he needed bones. Lots of bones. Truckloads of bones.
If there was ever a movie where that kind of thing might be appropriate, it's probably "Alien." While some crew...
If there was ever a movie where that kind of thing might be appropriate, it's probably "Alien." While some crew...
- 12/10/2023
- by Danielle Ryan
- Slash Film
The new Alien movie directed by Fede Alvarez began filming in Budapest, Hungary on March 9th and wrapped up in early July, right before the Screen Actors Guild strike began. As far as we know (and here’s everything we do know about the movie that may or may not be called Alien: Romulus), it’s still on track for an August 16, 2024 theatrical release. Alvarez is doing a good job of keeping details under wraps – but over the weekend, he did take to social media to share a picture of the books he was looking through while developing the project.
Some of my bibliography when developing my Alien film. Did I missed anything? pic.twitter.com/uxYGLFkwdf
— Fede Alvarez (@fedalvar) October 14, 2023
In this image we have books on the art of the video game Alien: Isolation, Aliens set photography, the work designer H.R. Giger did on Alien, the work of concept artist Ron Cobb,...
Some of my bibliography when developing my Alien film. Did I missed anything? pic.twitter.com/uxYGLFkwdf
— Fede Alvarez (@fedalvar) October 14, 2023
In this image we have books on the art of the video game Alien: Isolation, Aliens set photography, the work designer H.R. Giger did on Alien, the work of concept artist Ron Cobb,...
- 10/16/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Of all of Hollywood’s attempts to cash in on the video game craze of the 1980s, The Last Starfighter trails only Tron as the decade’s most fondly nostalgized entry in the video game movie’s micro boom. Like Tron, Nick Castle’s film is a demonstration of then-new CGI technology, which means that inevitably its heavy reliance on wireframe animations and blocky, thickly pixelated objects has very much aged, though the fact that its visual effects are tethered to the game technology of the day further highlights it as a relic of its era. Perhaps the one area in which it’s ahead of its time is in its conceit of an arcade game being used as a military recruiting tool.
At the center of The Last Starfighter is a teenager named Alex Rogan (Lance Guest), who lives in a trailer park at the dusty outskirts of his hometown.
At the center of The Last Starfighter is a teenager named Alex Rogan (Lance Guest), who lives in a trailer park at the dusty outskirts of his hometown.
- 5/5/2023
- by Jake Cole
- Slant Magazine
No monster has struck fear into the hearts of moviegoers quite like the Xenomorph. The titular creature in Ridley Scott's 1979 sci-fi masterpiece "Alien" — as well as the sequels, prequels, spin-offs, video games, comic books, and novels that followed — is a killer beyond compare in science fiction, and today stands as one of the genre's most recognizable antagonists. And while it's fair to say that the franchise has been subject to a few ups and downs over the years, the spine-chilling power of the Xenomorph itself has never been less than total.
How much do you really know about Ellen Ripley's archnemesis, though? Is there more to this horrific beast than what you've seen on screen? Well, yes: Fittingly for a creature designed by a legendary surrealist, the history of the Xenomorph is as strange as the monster is scary. From the earliest concepts to those endless variants to...
How much do you really know about Ellen Ripley's archnemesis, though? Is there more to this horrific beast than what you've seen on screen? Well, yes: Fittingly for a creature designed by a legendary surrealist, the history of the Xenomorph is as strange as the monster is scary. From the earliest concepts to those endless variants to...
- 3/11/2023
- by Chris Heasman
- Slash Film
The spaceship is one of the true hallmarks of the science fiction genre. Without these technological marvels, how else might we explore strange new worlds, seek out new life and new civilizations, and boldly go where no man has gone before? Yes, sci-fi is rife with spaceships of all kinds: capital ships, cruisers, fighters, freighters, yachts, rockets, space stations, escape pods, flying saucers, and pretty much anything else you can imagine. Despite their myriad differences, though, the majority are united by a single key attribute -- they're all seriously cool.
But what actually makes a spaceship "cool?" Is it enough to give it a slick look and make it go fast? Well, a nice coat of paint certainly doesn't hurt, but it takes more than mere aesthetics to win the hearts of sci-fi fans. Spaceships might be considered cool because they show off unique abilities, play a compelling role in a story,...
But what actually makes a spaceship "cool?" Is it enough to give it a slick look and make it go fast? Well, a nice coat of paint certainly doesn't hurt, but it takes more than mere aesthetics to win the hearts of sci-fi fans. Spaceships might be considered cool because they show off unique abilities, play a compelling role in a story,...
- 2/22/2023
- by Chris Heasman
- Slash Film
Click here to read the full article.
On July 13, 1984, Universal debuted Nick Castle’s sci-fi actioner The Last Starfighter in theaters. The Hollywood Reporter’s original review, headlined “‘Starfighter’ summer tonic for youthful sci-fi film enthusiasts,” is below:
The Last Starfighter is a fight science-fiction adventure that may prove a summer tonic to young viewers whose heads swirl with notions of alien planets, forces and intergalactic warriors. For others, this Universal/Lorimar production may be an all-too-familiar trek through familiar plot terrain and special effects wizardry.
Lance Guest stars as a recent high school grad who’s a videogame whiz. Guest lives in a trailer park and aspires to bigger things. He wants to go away to school, not just the local community college, but doesn’t have the funds. The best thing about his life is his frisky girl friend (Catherine Mary Stewart) and the escapist time he spends,...
On July 13, 1984, Universal debuted Nick Castle’s sci-fi actioner The Last Starfighter in theaters. The Hollywood Reporter’s original review, headlined “‘Starfighter’ summer tonic for youthful sci-fi film enthusiasts,” is below:
The Last Starfighter is a fight science-fiction adventure that may prove a summer tonic to young viewers whose heads swirl with notions of alien planets, forces and intergalactic warriors. For others, this Universal/Lorimar production may be an all-too-familiar trek through familiar plot terrain and special effects wizardry.
Lance Guest stars as a recent high school grad who’s a videogame whiz. Guest lives in a trailer park and aspires to bigger things. He wants to go away to school, not just the local community college, but doesn’t have the funds. The best thing about his life is his frisky girl friend (Catherine Mary Stewart) and the escapist time he spends,...
- 7/13/2022
- by Duane Byrge
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Thirty-five years ago, James Cameron’s Aliens opened in theaters, stunning audiences and surprising even the most jaded critics. Here was a much belated sequel to a Hollywood blockbuster that was seven years old—and at a time when sequels were synonymous with soulless cash grabs. Yet in so many ways, Cameron’s follow-up took the ideas introduced by Ridley Scott and company in Alien and ran with them. More than just an added “s” in the title, Aliens marked an entire shift in tone and even genre. Rather than horror, we were now in the realm of action; instead of hiding in the shadows, the sequel overwhelmed audiences with spectacle. Like the poster said, “This time, it’s war.”
With near universal praise, Aliens even earned an Oscar nomination for star Sigourney Weaver in a role she’d already played once back in 1979. Hence many fans have spent years...
With near universal praise, Aliens even earned an Oscar nomination for star Sigourney Weaver in a role she’d already played once back in 1979. Hence many fans have spent years...
- 7/18/2021
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
“Greetings, Starfighter. You have been recruited by the Star League to defend the frontier against Xur and the Ko-Dan armada.”
The 1984 Sci-Fi classic The Last Starfighter is currently available on Blu-ray from Arrow Video
Greetings Starfighter! You have been recruited by Arrow Video to experience the 1984 sci-fi classic as you’ve never experienced it before! Directed by Nick Castle, the man behind the Michael Myers mask in the original Halloween, The Last Starfighter tells the story Alex Rogan (Lance Guest), an arcade game whizz-kid whose wildest dreams comes true when he finds himself enlisted to fight in an interstellar war.
Now newly restored from a 4K scan of the original negative and featuring a 4.1 mix originally created for the film’s 70mm release – never included on previous home video formats – The Last Starfighter arrives loaded with brand new and archival bonus features. Strap yourself in: the Blu-ray adventure of a lifetime is about to begin!
The 1984 Sci-Fi classic The Last Starfighter is currently available on Blu-ray from Arrow Video
Greetings Starfighter! You have been recruited by Arrow Video to experience the 1984 sci-fi classic as you’ve never experienced it before! Directed by Nick Castle, the man behind the Michael Myers mask in the original Halloween, The Last Starfighter tells the story Alex Rogan (Lance Guest), an arcade game whizz-kid whose wildest dreams comes true when he finds himself enlisted to fight in an interstellar war.
Now newly restored from a 4K scan of the original negative and featuring a 4.1 mix originally created for the film’s 70mm release – never included on previous home video formats – The Last Starfighter arrives loaded with brand new and archival bonus features. Strap yourself in: the Blu-ray adventure of a lifetime is about to begin!
- 10/28/2020
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Ron Cobb Dies: Production Designer And Cartoonist Known For ‘Back To The Future’, ‘Star Wars’ Was 83
Cartoonist and Back to the Future DeLorean production designer Ron Cobb has died at the age of 83.
Mark Hamil and Star Wars officially confirmed Cobb’s passing on Monday. He died of Lewy body dementia in Sydney, Australia.
“We were saddened to learn of the passing of conceptual designer Ron Cobb, who designed one of the most memorable characters in the Mos Eisley cantina, Momaw Nadon. He also contributed to E.T., Raiders of the Lost Ark, Alien, Back to the Future, and many more. He will be missed,” said a tweet from the official Star Wars account Monday.
The Los Angeles native and sci-fi production juggernaut was born on September 21, 1937. He began dabbling in graphic illustration when he was 18 and landed an animation job at Disney’s Burbank studios.
About 10 years later, Cobb worked on the animation giant’s 1959 classic Sleeping Beauty. Not long after, Cobb served in the Vietnam War as a draughtsman.
Mark Hamil and Star Wars officially confirmed Cobb’s passing on Monday. He died of Lewy body dementia in Sydney, Australia.
“We were saddened to learn of the passing of conceptual designer Ron Cobb, who designed one of the most memorable characters in the Mos Eisley cantina, Momaw Nadon. He also contributed to E.T., Raiders of the Lost Ark, Alien, Back to the Future, and many more. He will be missed,” said a tweet from the official Star Wars account Monday.
The Los Angeles native and sci-fi production juggernaut was born on September 21, 1937. He began dabbling in graphic illustration when he was 18 and landed an animation job at Disney’s Burbank studios.
About 10 years later, Cobb worked on the animation giant’s 1959 classic Sleeping Beauty. Not long after, Cobb served in the Vietnam War as a draughtsman.
- 9/22/2020
- by Alexandra Del Rosario
- Deadline Film + TV
Rob Cobb Has Died at 83 — Ron Cobb, production artist behind Star Wars, Alien, and Back to the Future succumbed to dementia Monday at the age of 83. Cobb died on his birthday — his wife of 48 years, Robin Love, reported — after an illustrious career contributing to production design in many Hollywood [...]
Continue reading: Ron Cobb, the Artist Behind Star Wars, Alien, and Back To The Future, Has Died at 83...
Continue reading: Ron Cobb, the Artist Behind Star Wars, Alien, and Back To The Future, Has Died at 83...
- 9/22/2020
- by Scott Mariner
- Film-Book
Ron Cobb, who designed the DeLorean time machine for Robert Zemeckis’s Back to the Future, the Nostromo ship for Ridley Scott’s Alien, and more, has died at the age of 83. Celebrate his life by reading about several of his biggest on-screen accomplishments below. The Hollywood Reporter says that the multi-talented filmmaker passed away today […]
The post Ron Cobb, Designer of ‘Back to the Future’ DeLorean and Much More, Dead at Age 83 appeared first on /Film.
The post Ron Cobb, Designer of ‘Back to the Future’ DeLorean and Much More, Dead at Age 83 appeared first on /Film.
- 9/22/2020
- by Ben Pearson
- Slash Film
Film designer and cartoonist Ron Cobb died Thursday of Lewy body dementia at the age of 83. Cobb was a significant influence on the look and aesthetics of films including “Alien,” “Star Wars” and “Back to the Future.”
Cobb died on his birthday, Monday, after an illustrious career contributing to production design in Hollywood. He served as a consultant for “Back to the Future,” providing the initial designs for a DeLorean modified to travel through time, and several iconic alien species in the “Star Wars” universe.
We were saddened to learn of the passing of conceptual designer Ron Cobb, who designed one of the most memorable characters in the Mos Eisley cantina, Momaw Nadon. He also contributed to E.T., Raiders of the Lost Ark, Alien, Back to the Future, and many more. He will be missed. pic.twitter.com/TP9RckDiI6
— Star Wars (@starwars) September 22, 2020
His credits range from “Star Wars...
Cobb died on his birthday, Monday, after an illustrious career contributing to production design in Hollywood. He served as a consultant for “Back to the Future,” providing the initial designs for a DeLorean modified to travel through time, and several iconic alien species in the “Star Wars” universe.
We were saddened to learn of the passing of conceptual designer Ron Cobb, who designed one of the most memorable characters in the Mos Eisley cantina, Momaw Nadon. He also contributed to E.T., Raiders of the Lost Ark, Alien, Back to the Future, and many more. He will be missed. pic.twitter.com/TP9RckDiI6
— Star Wars (@starwars) September 22, 2020
His credits range from “Star Wars...
- 9/22/2020
- by Eli Countryman
- Variety Film + TV
Cartoonist turned production designer Ron Cobb, best known for coming up the initial design of DeLorean time travel machine from “Back to the Future” has died, according to a report in the Hollywood Reporter. Cobb was 83.
Cobb died on Monday, his birthday, of Lewy body dementia in Sydney, according to his wife of 48 years, Robin Love.
Cobb’s designs help defined production design for some of the most iconic films of the 1970s and 80s. Cobb, who was born in 1937, broke into the industry in 1956 working at Disney as a breakdown artist on “Sleeping Beauty.” Cobb did uncredited design work on the aliens in the cantina scene in 1977’s “Star Wars,” and broke out designing the exterior of the earthship, Nostromo, on Ridley Scott’s “Alien” in 1978. Cobb also designed many of the Nostromo’s interior sets. In 1982, Cobb scored his first credit as production designer on 1982’s “Conan the Barbarian.
Cobb died on Monday, his birthday, of Lewy body dementia in Sydney, according to his wife of 48 years, Robin Love.
Cobb’s designs help defined production design for some of the most iconic films of the 1970s and 80s. Cobb, who was born in 1937, broke into the industry in 1956 working at Disney as a breakdown artist on “Sleeping Beauty.” Cobb did uncredited design work on the aliens in the cantina scene in 1977’s “Star Wars,” and broke out designing the exterior of the earthship, Nostromo, on Ridley Scott’s “Alien” in 1978. Cobb also designed many of the Nostromo’s interior sets. In 1982, Cobb scored his first credit as production designer on 1982’s “Conan the Barbarian.
- 9/21/2020
- by Umberto Gonzalez
- The Wrap
As 2020 continues to suck in ways that few could have ever predicted we've recently learned that Ron Cobb, the legendary cartoonist turned production designer whose work influenced films like Alien, Back To The Future, and Conan The Barbarian, has passed away. He was 83. Cobb passed on Monday - his birthday - of Lewy body dementia, the same affliction that plagued the late…...
- 9/21/2020
- by Steve Seigh
- JoBlo.com
Ron Cobb, the underground cartoonist turned production designer who influenced the making of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and helped shape the worlds of Conan the Barbarian, Alien and Back to the Future, has died. He was 83.
Cobb died Monday — his birthday — of Lewy body dementia in Sydney, his wife of 48 years, Robin Love, reported.
Cobb brought to life several cantina creatures for Star Wars (1977) and came up with weaponry and sets for Conan the Barbarian (1982), the exterior and interior of the Nostromo ship in Alien (1978) and the earth colony complex in Aliens (1986) and the DeLorean time machine in Back to the Future (1985).
His prolific design work also included the ...
Cobb died Monday — his birthday — of Lewy body dementia in Sydney, his wife of 48 years, Robin Love, reported.
Cobb brought to life several cantina creatures for Star Wars (1977) and came up with weaponry and sets for Conan the Barbarian (1982), the exterior and interior of the Nostromo ship in Alien (1978) and the earth colony complex in Aliens (1986) and the DeLorean time machine in Back to the Future (1985).
His prolific design work also included the ...
- 9/21/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Ron Cobb, the underground cartoonist turned production designer who influenced the making of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and helped shape the worlds of Conan the Barbarian, Alien and Back to the Future, has died. He was 83.
Cobb died Monday — his birthday — of Lewy body dementia in Sydney, his wife of 48 years, Robin Love, reported.
Cobb brought to life several cantina creatures for Star Wars (1977) and came up with weaponry and sets for Conan the Barbarian (1982), the exterior and interior of the Nostromo ship in Alien (1978) and the earth colony complex in Aliens (1986) and the DeLorean time machine in Back to the Future (1985).
His prolific design work also included the ...
Cobb died Monday — his birthday — of Lewy body dementia in Sydney, his wife of 48 years, Robin Love, reported.
Cobb brought to life several cantina creatures for Star Wars (1977) and came up with weaponry and sets for Conan the Barbarian (1982), the exterior and interior of the Nostromo ship in Alien (1978) and the earth colony complex in Aliens (1986) and the DeLorean time machine in Back to the Future (1985).
His prolific design work also included the ...
- 9/21/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
“Alien” and its many sequels and prequels have always been about transformation. The creature itself is constantly changing, as are those unfortunate enough to encounter it. As you celebrate Alien Day — celebrated on April 26 because the original film is set on the planet Lv-426 — take a moment to revisit the many forms Sigourney Weaver’s greatest screen partner has taken on in the nearly 40 years since H.R. Giger and Ridley Scott first introduced us to it.
The facehugger (“Alien”)
Our first exposure to the otherworldly creature known among fans as the xenomorph remains the most quietly unsettling. “It’s got a wonderful defense mechanism,” Parker (Yaphet Kotto) says after noticing the facehugger’s acidic blood: “You don’t dare kill it.”
Almost reminiscent of a scorpion in its appearance, the facehugger was initially intended by Giger to be larger and possess eyes; screenwriter Dan O’Bannon had imagined it as an octopus-like being with tentacles.
The facehugger (“Alien”)
Our first exposure to the otherworldly creature known among fans as the xenomorph remains the most quietly unsettling. “It’s got a wonderful defense mechanism,” Parker (Yaphet Kotto) says after noticing the facehugger’s acidic blood: “You don’t dare kill it.”
Almost reminiscent of a scorpion in its appearance, the facehugger was initially intended by Giger to be larger and possess eyes; screenwriter Dan O’Bannon had imagined it as an octopus-like being with tentacles.
- 4/25/2017
- by Michael Nordine
- Indiewire
Stuart Wilson Oct 12, 2016
Lots of ideas for the Indiana Jones films to date haven't yet made it to the screen - so could Indiana Jones 5 use them?
As the July 2019 release date inches closer, we still have no idea what will feature in the fifth Indiana Jones movie, that was confirmed earlier this year. If the earlier sequels are anything to go by though, there's a good chance we'll see some discarded concepts from previously ditched drafts.
You might think this kind of cobbling together of earlier ideas is what led to the rather messy Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull. However, as of Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom, we were seeing scenes that Lucas and Spielberg hadn't been able to fit into Raiders Of The Lost Ark. The stopover in Shanghai was originally considered during the Raiders story conferences, as was the climactic mine cart ride.
Lots of ideas for the Indiana Jones films to date haven't yet made it to the screen - so could Indiana Jones 5 use them?
As the July 2019 release date inches closer, we still have no idea what will feature in the fifth Indiana Jones movie, that was confirmed earlier this year. If the earlier sequels are anything to go by though, there's a good chance we'll see some discarded concepts from previously ditched drafts.
You might think this kind of cobbling together of earlier ideas is what led to the rather messy Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull. However, as of Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom, we were seeing scenes that Lucas and Spielberg hadn't been able to fit into Raiders Of The Lost Ark. The stopover in Shanghai was originally considered during the Raiders story conferences, as was the climactic mine cart ride.
- 10/10/2016
- Den of Geek
The making of James Cameron’s 1986 space horror, as revealed in a book Aliens: The Set Photography. The book, which includes brand new set photos and commentary from cast member Carrie Henn (who played Newt), details how Cameron and his set designer Ron Cobb created the world in which Ripley and co are stalked by predatory aliens, lead by a territorial queen
Continue reading...
Continue reading...
- 8/9/2016
- by Guardian Staff
- The Guardian - Film News
This Lego xenomorph was inspired by Ridley Scott’s classic film Alien. It was created by the Arvo Brothers, and they’ve released a project design book that gives you a step-by-step guide on how to build your own.
Inspired by the works of geniuses H.R. Giger and Ron Cobb, this new project presented us with an opportunity to build one of the greatest icons of fantasy art. A journey from organic to geometric shapes, from dark to light, and the deep admiration that drives us to build all our creations as our only luggage. This book includes detailed, step-to-step instructions showing how to build the model, together with comments, pictures and diagrams that help the description and will contribute to your understanding of the entire process.
I love this design and that they even managed to include xenomorph drool. To get the instructions on how to build this bad boy,...
Inspired by the works of geniuses H.R. Giger and Ron Cobb, this new project presented us with an opportunity to build one of the greatest icons of fantasy art. A journey from organic to geometric shapes, from dark to light, and the deep admiration that drives us to build all our creations as our only luggage. This book includes detailed, step-to-step instructions showing how to build the model, together with comments, pictures and diagrams that help the description and will contribute to your understanding of the entire process.
I love this design and that they even managed to include xenomorph drool. To get the instructions on how to build this bad boy,...
- 3/5/2016
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
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Alien may be a sci-fi horror classic, but what about the movies that inspired it - including David Cronenberg’s debut, Shivers?
At first, they might look as different as night and day. One is the directorial debut from a maverick Canadian director, the other is a Hollywood movie funded by 20th Century Fox. One is set in deep space, the other in a luxury apartment block on terra firma. One had a decent amount of money to throw at the construction of sets and special effects, the other was made for a few thousand dollars.
Yet Alien, released in 1979 and triggering a franchise that is still growing and mutating today, has more in common with Shivers than at first meets the eye. Cronenberg made Shivers for approximately $130,000 in 1975. Could it be that this low-budget shocker inspired what is still considered to be the ultimate space horror movie?...
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Alien may be a sci-fi horror classic, but what about the movies that inspired it - including David Cronenberg’s debut, Shivers?
At first, they might look as different as night and day. One is the directorial debut from a maverick Canadian director, the other is a Hollywood movie funded by 20th Century Fox. One is set in deep space, the other in a luxury apartment block on terra firma. One had a decent amount of money to throw at the construction of sets and special effects, the other was made for a few thousand dollars.
Yet Alien, released in 1979 and triggering a franchise that is still growing and mutating today, has more in common with Shivers than at first meets the eye. Cronenberg made Shivers for approximately $130,000 in 1975. Could it be that this low-budget shocker inspired what is still considered to be the ultimate space horror movie?...
- 2/18/2016
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
An alien craft shaped like an artichoke? A vessel with breasts? Here's our pick of 15 of sci-fi cinema's most eccentric spaceships...
For decades, heroes have crossed the universe in rocket ships and modified light freighters. Aliens have conquered galaxies in disc-shaped craft of varying sizes.
Yes, as long as there's been science fiction on the silver screen, spaceships have captured our imagination, from the matinee serials of the 30s to the sci-fi blockbusters of the present.
We all have our own idea of what a great spaceship should look like. For some, it's Han Solo's fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy, the Millennium Falcon. For others, it's the more graceful USS Enterprise, or maybe the utilitarian craft of 2001: A Space Odyssey. But what about cinema's more unusual, outlandish spaceships? The ramshackle ones, the anachronistic ones, the ones that look a bit rude, or just plain scary? Those are...
For decades, heroes have crossed the universe in rocket ships and modified light freighters. Aliens have conquered galaxies in disc-shaped craft of varying sizes.
Yes, as long as there's been science fiction on the silver screen, spaceships have captured our imagination, from the matinee serials of the 30s to the sci-fi blockbusters of the present.
We all have our own idea of what a great spaceship should look like. For some, it's Han Solo's fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy, the Millennium Falcon. For others, it's the more graceful USS Enterprise, or maybe the utilitarian craft of 2001: A Space Odyssey. But what about cinema's more unusual, outlandish spaceships? The ramshackle ones, the anachronistic ones, the ones that look a bit rude, or just plain scary? Those are...
- 6/19/2015
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
We look at the films that slipped through Hollywood's net, from biblical epics to a time travelling Gladiator sequel...
This article contains a spoiler for Gladiator.
If you're one of those frustrated over the quality of many of the blockbusters that make it to the inside of a multiplex, then ponder the following. For each of these were supposed to be major projects, that for one reason or another, stalled on their way to the big screen. Some still may make it. But for many others, the journey is over. Here are the big blockbusters that never were...
1. Airframe
The late Michael Crichton scored another residential on the bestseller list with his impressive thriller, Airframe. It was published in 1996, just after films of Crichton works such as Jurassic Park, Rising Sun, Disclosure and the immortal Congo had proven to be hits of various sizes.
So: a hit book, another techno thriller,...
This article contains a spoiler for Gladiator.
If you're one of those frustrated over the quality of many of the blockbusters that make it to the inside of a multiplex, then ponder the following. For each of these were supposed to be major projects, that for one reason or another, stalled on their way to the big screen. Some still may make it. But for many others, the journey is over. Here are the big blockbusters that never were...
1. Airframe
The late Michael Crichton scored another residential on the bestseller list with his impressive thriller, Airframe. It was published in 1996, just after films of Crichton works such as Jurassic Park, Rising Sun, Disclosure and the immortal Congo had proven to be hits of various sizes.
So: a hit book, another techno thriller,...
- 6/11/2015
- by simonbrew
- Den of Geek
We’ve all been there. You eat and eat and eat, and your stomach gets so full, you feel as if you’re about to burst. Well, if you were Kane (played by John Hurt) in Ridley Scott’s “Alien,” then burst it did. Though, not exactly due to too much food. The “chestburster” scene from the 1979 film is one of cinema’s all time classics, and CineFix breaks down the mechanics and history behind it in this amazing new “Art of the Scene.” The nine-minute video starts with an introduction of the key players behind the “Alien” aesthetic, namely Scott, writers Dan O’Bannon and Ronald Shusett, and designers Ron Cobb, Chris Foss, and H.R. Giger. Cobb, a former engineer, was largely responsible for the look of the Nostromo, the crew’s ship in the film. The dining room he helped bring about gave a sense of normalcy to the deep-space setting,...
- 2/3/2015
- by Zach Hollwedel
- The Playlist
Happy Black Friday everyone! With the holiday shopping season kicking off today, we thought we’d get a jump start on our Annual Holiday Gift Guide as well, so that we can provide you guys with some great gift options and help you save a few bucks in the process.
Once again, Daily Dead is going to be posting some of our favorite gift ideas for all the horror, sci-fi and comics lovers out there over the next few weeks and just because we want to do something fun for our readers, at the end of each day’s recap, we’ll be posting a holiday horror-related trivia question and giving away great prize pack featuring items from our fantastic sponsors, including Scream Factory, Anchor Bay Entertainment and Horror Decor.
Vendor Spotlight: HorrorDecor.net
For any horror fan out there who likes to incorporate their love of zombies, slasher movies...
Once again, Daily Dead is going to be posting some of our favorite gift ideas for all the horror, sci-fi and comics lovers out there over the next few weeks and just because we want to do something fun for our readers, at the end of each day’s recap, we’ll be posting a holiday horror-related trivia question and giving away great prize pack featuring items from our fantastic sponsors, including Scream Factory, Anchor Bay Entertainment and Horror Decor.
Vendor Spotlight: HorrorDecor.net
For any horror fan out there who likes to incorporate their love of zombies, slasher movies...
- 11/28/2014
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
Scream Factory recently gifted us genre fans a double dose of creature feature terrors with their Blu-ray releases of the killer rat flick Deadly Eyes and George P. Cosmatos’ hugely underrated deep sea horror film Leviathan. While both films aren’t necessarily well-known amongst more casual fans, it’s great to see Scream put such great effort into their presentations for each of these cult classics.
For those who haven’t seen it before, Deadly Eyes (or Rats)is a rather ridiculous (but wonderfully so) early ‘80s nature-run-amok story that plays up the concerns and dangers of modern urban society by way of roided-out killer rat infestations that have a penchant for human flesh. The film takes its premise very seriously, but it’s the use of Daschunds in rat costumes that has given Deadly Eyes something of an unintentional comedic spin, making for a rather uneven horror film.
But...
For those who haven’t seen it before, Deadly Eyes (or Rats)is a rather ridiculous (but wonderfully so) early ‘80s nature-run-amok story that plays up the concerns and dangers of modern urban society by way of roided-out killer rat infestations that have a penchant for human flesh. The film takes its premise very seriously, but it’s the use of Daschunds in rat costumes that has given Deadly Eyes something of an unintentional comedic spin, making for a rather uneven horror film.
But...
- 9/6/2014
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
Ryan Lambie Jun 12, 2019
Intended as a sequel to Close Encounters, Night Skies began in the 1970s and eventually became E.T.
Having scored a phenomenal hit with Jaws in 1975, director Steven Spielberg used his considerable industry clout to make Close Encounters Of The Third Kind - a science fiction fairytale for the UFO age. It was a personal project for Spielberg, conceived and partly written by the director himself (several other writers made uncredited passes on the script), and based on Firelight, the UFO film he'd shot for $500 while he was a teenager.
“I had a real, deep-rooted belief that we had been visited in this century,” the director once said of his fascination with the UFO phenomenon. “I was a real UFO devotee in the 1970s, and really into the UFO phenomenon from reading. For me, it was science.”
Like Jaws, the production on Close Encounters was difficult; as...
Intended as a sequel to Close Encounters, Night Skies began in the 1970s and eventually became E.T.
Having scored a phenomenal hit with Jaws in 1975, director Steven Spielberg used his considerable industry clout to make Close Encounters Of The Third Kind - a science fiction fairytale for the UFO age. It was a personal project for Spielberg, conceived and partly written by the director himself (several other writers made uncredited passes on the script), and based on Firelight, the UFO film he'd shot for $500 while he was a teenager.
“I had a real, deep-rooted belief that we had been visited in this century,” the director once said of his fascination with the UFO phenomenon. “I was a real UFO devotee in the 1970s, and really into the UFO phenomenon from reading. For me, it was science.”
Like Jaws, the production on Close Encounters was difficult; as...
- 5/29/2014
- Den of Geek
Intended as a sequel to Close Encounters, Night Skies began in the 1970s but later stalled. We look at how its ideas evolved into E.T...
Feature
Having scored a phenomenal hit with Jaws in 1975, director Steven Spielberg used his considerable industry clout to make Close Encounters Of The Third Kind - a science fiction fairytale for the UFO age. It was a personal project for Spielberg, conceived and partly written by the director himself (several other writers made uncredited passes on the script), and based on Firelight, the UFO film he'd shot for $500 while he was a teenager.
“I had a real, deep-rooted belief that we had been visited in this century,” the director once said of his fascination with the UFO phenomenon. “I was a real UFO devotee in the 1970s, and really into the UFO phenomenon from reading. For me, it was science.”
Like Jaws, the production...
Feature
Having scored a phenomenal hit with Jaws in 1975, director Steven Spielberg used his considerable industry clout to make Close Encounters Of The Third Kind - a science fiction fairytale for the UFO age. It was a personal project for Spielberg, conceived and partly written by the director himself (several other writers made uncredited passes on the script), and based on Firelight, the UFO film he'd shot for $500 while he was a teenager.
“I had a real, deep-rooted belief that we had been visited in this century,” the director once said of his fascination with the UFO phenomenon. “I was a real UFO devotee in the 1970s, and really into the UFO phenomenon from reading. For me, it was science.”
Like Jaws, the production...
- 5/28/2014
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
Here's a little known fact for you guys... After the success of Close Encounters of the Third Kind, director Steven Spielberg had something a lot darker in mind for us. Read on for details and a look at what E.T. was originally supposed to be.
Spielberg was fascinated by an event which transpired back in August 21, 1955, which became known as The Kelly, Kentucky Alien Invasion.
On that evening Billy Ray Taylor and his wife were visiting the Sutton farm. Billy exited the house to go fetch water from the Sutton family well and while doing so saw what he described as an "immense, shining object" landing about a quarter of a mile from the house. It wasn't long before he and the Sutton family were besieged by extraterrestrial invaders who were trying to break into the Sutton home. Click the link above for more on that story.
After becoming aware of the Kentucky incident,...
Spielberg was fascinated by an event which transpired back in August 21, 1955, which became known as The Kelly, Kentucky Alien Invasion.
On that evening Billy Ray Taylor and his wife were visiting the Sutton farm. Billy exited the house to go fetch water from the Sutton family well and while doing so saw what he described as an "immense, shining object" landing about a quarter of a mile from the house. It wasn't long before he and the Sutton family were besieged by extraterrestrial invaders who were trying to break into the Sutton home. Click the link above for more on that story.
After becoming aware of the Kentucky incident,...
- 5/27/2014
- by Steve Barton
- DreadCentral.com
Ryan Lambie Apr 26, 2017
To celebrate Alien Day, we pay tribute to the work of the late artist Hr Giger, and follow the making of his masterpiece of design...
It’s the summer of 1978, and the UK’s Shepperton Studios simmers in the heat. Secreted away in his own personal workshop, a Swiss artist works feverishly on his paintings and sculptures, either fashioning strange shapes from gigantic blocks of styrofoam or spraying them with his airbrush.
See related 50 upcoming comic book TV shows, and when to expect them
This is 38-year-old Hr Giger, and he cuts an unusual figure. His shock of black hair is slicked back away from his pale forehead. He refuses to take his leather jacket off despite the searing heat. On a bench sits row after row of human and animal bones - skulls, femurs, vertebrae - plus a weird assortment of ribbed hoses, wires and mechanical...
To celebrate Alien Day, we pay tribute to the work of the late artist Hr Giger, and follow the making of his masterpiece of design...
It’s the summer of 1978, and the UK’s Shepperton Studios simmers in the heat. Secreted away in his own personal workshop, a Swiss artist works feverishly on his paintings and sculptures, either fashioning strange shapes from gigantic blocks of styrofoam or spraying them with his airbrush.
See related 50 upcoming comic book TV shows, and when to expect them
This is 38-year-old Hr Giger, and he cuts an unusual figure. His shock of black hair is slicked back away from his pale forehead. He refuses to take his leather jacket off despite the searing heat. On a bench sits row after row of human and animal bones - skulls, femurs, vertebrae - plus a weird assortment of ribbed hoses, wires and mechanical...
- 5/14/2014
- Den of Geek
We pay tribute to the work of the late artist Hr Giger, and follow the making of his masterpiece of design, the Alien...
Feature
It’s the summer of 1978, and the UK’s Shepperton Studios simmers in the heat. Secreted away in his own personal workshop, a Swiss artist works feverishly on his paintings and sculptures, either fashioning strange shapes from gigantic blocks of styrofoam or spraying them with his airbrush.
This is 38-year-old Hr Giger, and he cuts an unusual figure. His shock of black hair is slicked back away from his pale forehead. He refuses to take his leather jacket off despite the searing heat. On a bench sits row after row of human and animal bones - skulls, femurs, vertebrae - plus a weird assortment of ribbed hoses, wires and mechanical parts taken from old Rolls Royce motorcars. Quietly, obsessively, Giger is building his Alien.
The story...
Feature
It’s the summer of 1978, and the UK’s Shepperton Studios simmers in the heat. Secreted away in his own personal workshop, a Swiss artist works feverishly on his paintings and sculptures, either fashioning strange shapes from gigantic blocks of styrofoam or spraying them with his airbrush.
This is 38-year-old Hr Giger, and he cuts an unusual figure. His shock of black hair is slicked back away from his pale forehead. He refuses to take his leather jacket off despite the searing heat. On a bench sits row after row of human and animal bones - skulls, femurs, vertebrae - plus a weird assortment of ribbed hoses, wires and mechanical parts taken from old Rolls Royce motorcars. Quietly, obsessively, Giger is building his Alien.
The story...
- 5/14/2014
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
Creative Assembly has announced a survival horror successor to Alien, Ridley Scott's brooding sci-fi classic
The cleaners have started to come round the Creative Assembly offices. I walk into a stark white bathroom where a paper towel dispenser's guts hang open below the hand dryer. It looks sad. I walk towards a cubicle.
Suddenly, the hand dryer goes off by itself and my chest clutches in at me like a claw. The hand dryer switches itself on and off and on and off. Each time I remind myself there's no one there.
The cleaner pops in. 'Sorry!' she says, and potters off.
Even as I write this I still feel frightened. There's a kind of bleak dread I felt on the Sevastopol, the remote space station featured in Alien: Isolation. It's a dread that lingers. The game's environment is beautiful, enchanting even. But it is unsettling. And the…...
The cleaners have started to come round the Creative Assembly offices. I walk into a stark white bathroom where a paper towel dispenser's guts hang open below the hand dryer. It looks sad. I walk towards a cubicle.
Suddenly, the hand dryer goes off by itself and my chest clutches in at me like a claw. The hand dryer switches itself on and off and on and off. Each time I remind myself there's no one there.
The cleaner pops in. 'Sorry!' she says, and potters off.
Even as I write this I still feel frightened. There's a kind of bleak dread I felt on the Sevastopol, the remote space station featured in Alien: Isolation. It's a dread that lingers. The game's environment is beautiful, enchanting even. But it is unsettling. And the…...
- 1/7/2014
- by Cara Ellison
- The Guardian - Film News
It seems like every day I read about another editorial cartoonist losing his job, and that’s a real shame.
Editorial cartoons are one-panel comics that told an entire story that commented on the news of the day. It wasn’t long ago that this stuff was run on the front page of many, if not most, great American newspapers. Everybody had one on staff – except the Metropolis Daily Planet, which, oddly, didn’t seem to hire many cartoonists. Most newspapers also deployed syndicated editorial cartoons as well. Many weekly newsmagazines reprinted them, and The Week still does.
There were brilliant editorial cartoonists. And by “brilliant,” I mean text-book phenomenal. My favorite was Bill Mauldin; other greats include Ron Cobb, Paul
Conrad, John Fischetti, Herblock, Thomas Nast, Carey Orr, John T. McCutcheon (there’s a rest stop on the Indiana Toll Way named after him) and Theodor Geisel. Yep, that’s Doctor Suess.
Editorial cartoons are one-panel comics that told an entire story that commented on the news of the day. It wasn’t long ago that this stuff was run on the front page of many, if not most, great American newspapers. Everybody had one on staff – except the Metropolis Daily Planet, which, oddly, didn’t seem to hire many cartoonists. Most newspapers also deployed syndicated editorial cartoons as well. Many weekly newsmagazines reprinted them, and The Week still does.
There were brilliant editorial cartoonists. And by “brilliant,” I mean text-book phenomenal. My favorite was Bill Mauldin; other greats include Ron Cobb, Paul
Conrad, John Fischetti, Herblock, Thomas Nast, Carey Orr, John T. McCutcheon (there’s a rest stop on the Indiana Toll Way named after him) and Theodor Geisel. Yep, that’s Doctor Suess.
- 10/9/2013
- by Mike Gold
- Comicmix.com
"Well, the first thing is that I love monsters, I identify with monsters." — Guillermo del Toro
Greetings from the apocalypse! This week sees one of my most anticipated releases of the summer, "Pacific Rim," making land at the competitive blockbuster season. Whether it can survive at the box office, as the dismal tracking numbers bode ill for, is incidental, as it’s a miracle that such a bonkers movie exists at all, even in sweded form let alone $175-million-dollar form.
*Special Notice*
Brooklyn's Bottleneck Gallery has a new movie-themed art print show going up tonight titled "Where is My Mind," and yours truly has crafted a special tribute to one of my all-time favorite movies, Terry Gilliam's "Brazil." The exhibit runs through July 26, and prints go on sale online Saturday at noon. Check it out — there are some amazingly trippy pieces by some dynamite amigos that all film fans will go nuts for,...
Greetings from the apocalypse! This week sees one of my most anticipated releases of the summer, "Pacific Rim," making land at the competitive blockbuster season. Whether it can survive at the box office, as the dismal tracking numbers bode ill for, is incidental, as it’s a miracle that such a bonkers movie exists at all, even in sweded form let alone $175-million-dollar form.
*Special Notice*
Brooklyn's Bottleneck Gallery has a new movie-themed art print show going up tonight titled "Where is My Mind," and yours truly has crafted a special tribute to one of my all-time favorite movies, Terry Gilliam's "Brazil." The exhibit runs through July 26, and prints go on sale online Saturday at noon. Check it out — there are some amazingly trippy pieces by some dynamite amigos that all film fans will go nuts for,...
- 7/12/2013
- by Max Evry
- NextMovie
You can never go back. And if you can, usually, it's not a good idea. Ridley Scott's Alien prequel (and that's just what it is - that debate is now over) decides to go back anyway, to dust off a dozen or so beloved shreds of Alien iconography and reconstruct them into a sci-fi movie that, spiritually, has more in common with the likes of Contact (1997) and Sphere (1998) than the pulse-pounding ambit of the Alien quadrilogy (1979 - 1997). That in itself is not a problem. Neither is the enigmatic publicity, which taps more into the likes of Solaris and 2001: A Space Odyssey than the likes of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre blood-fest which fuelled Scott into making Alien a sci-fi/horror classic.
The big problem is that Prometheus is very average - if 'average' can stand the superlative. But after 30 years of waiting for Ridley Scott to make another sci-fi...
The big problem is that Prometheus is very average - if 'average' can stand the superlative. But after 30 years of waiting for Ridley Scott to make another sci-fi...
- 6/2/2012
- Shadowlocked
For the last of our interviews from last night’s world premiere of Ridley Scott’s Prometheus we speak to production deisgner Arthur Max about the world he has inherited and composer Marc Streitenfeld who has worked with Scott on Body of Lies, Robin Hood and American Gangster.
You can find all of our interviews here and read our review of the film here.
Marc Streitenfeld – Composer
Ridley Scott has described the film as ‘sharing the DNA of the Alien franchise’, did this encourage you to ape Jerry Goldsmith’s score, or did you try to do something different?
I watched the first movie a few times before I started on the project, it’s such a landmark film, it’s such a classic. Same goes for the score for the original film, it’s an amazing, brilliant score. Taht’s definitely something to take into consideration, but then this is a new film,...
You can find all of our interviews here and read our review of the film here.
Marc Streitenfeld – Composer
Ridley Scott has described the film as ‘sharing the DNA of the Alien franchise’, did this encourage you to ape Jerry Goldsmith’s score, or did you try to do something different?
I watched the first movie a few times before I started on the project, it’s such a landmark film, it’s such a classic. Same goes for the score for the original film, it’s an amazing, brilliant score. Taht’s definitely something to take into consideration, but then this is a new film,...
- 6/1/2012
- by Ben Mortimer
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
With Ridley Scott’s Prometheus looming on the horizon HeyUGuys are reprinting their 2010 look back at the entire Alien series. One a day until Prometheus finally enters cinemas around the world and we all find out if it’s been worth the wait.
Here’s Em Breen to take you all the way back.
The time has come for me to delve deep into the depths of the lucky dip that is the HeyUGuys Video Vault and excavate a dusty favourite to share with the world. My choice couldn’t be more timely coming, as it does, hot upon the ornithodiran heels of the imminent Alien Anthology box set release. It is a film with which I have enjoyed a grand love affair – a lifetime commitment I made when I fell under its spell at the age of eleven. It gave face and form to the things that go bump...
Here’s Em Breen to take you all the way back.
The time has come for me to delve deep into the depths of the lucky dip that is the HeyUGuys Video Vault and excavate a dusty favourite to share with the world. My choice couldn’t be more timely coming, as it does, hot upon the ornithodiran heels of the imminent Alien Anthology box set release. It is a film with which I have enjoyed a grand love affair – a lifetime commitment I made when I fell under its spell at the age of eleven. It gave face and form to the things that go bump...
- 5/28/2012
- by Emily Breen
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Sneak Peek two new international trailers, filled with movie spoilers, supporting director Ridley Scott's "Alien" prequel, "Prometheus", opening June 8th, 2012, starring Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, Idris Elba, Sean Harris, Kate Dickie, Logan Marshall-Green and Patrick Wilson :
"...A team of explorers discover a clue to the origins of mankind on Earth, leading them on a journey to the darkest corners of the universe.
"There, they must fight a terrifying battle to save the future of the human race..."
Scott shot "Prometheus" @ Pinewood Studios (UK),for Twentieth Century Fox, Scott Free Productions and Brandywine Productions.
"Prometheus" re-teams Scott with long-time collaborators production designer Arthur Max ("American Gangster"), Oscar-winning costume designer Janty Yates ("Gladiator"), Oscar-winning editor Pietro Scalia ("Black Hawk Down") and set decorator Sonja Klaus ("Kingdom of Heaven").
The initial draft of "Prometheus" was written by Jon Spaihts ("The Darkest Hour") from an idea by Scott, with Damon Lindelof...
"...A team of explorers discover a clue to the origins of mankind on Earth, leading them on a journey to the darkest corners of the universe.
"There, they must fight a terrifying battle to save the future of the human race..."
Scott shot "Prometheus" @ Pinewood Studios (UK),for Twentieth Century Fox, Scott Free Productions and Brandywine Productions.
"Prometheus" re-teams Scott with long-time collaborators production designer Arthur Max ("American Gangster"), Oscar-winning costume designer Janty Yates ("Gladiator"), Oscar-winning editor Pietro Scalia ("Black Hawk Down") and set decorator Sonja Klaus ("Kingdom of Heaven").
The initial draft of "Prometheus" was written by Jon Spaihts ("The Darkest Hour") from an idea by Scott, with Damon Lindelof...
- 4/30/2012
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
Okay. I've already said my piece about the fact that Fox is marketing what we are told is a xenomorph-free Alien movie from Ridley Scott - Prometheus. Admittedly the much-awaited HD trailer has made a few minor changes in respect to the previous one, heralding back slightly less to the 1979 cinema trailer. The original 'scream' sound is still there (see link above, or at the end of this article), however, but this new 2min+ trailer does contain a lot of non-familiar imagery from the Alien franchise.
On the other hand...
Images:
Interestingly a good look at the Prometheus ship reveals something of a resemblance to one of Alien concept artist Ron Cobb's early vision of the doomed spaceship in Ridley Scott's horror/Sf classic, then called 'The Snark'...
This is not a Prometheus hate piece. Please don't gather shouting 'Burn him!', Python-style. Prometheus looks fantastic. But it does look familiar.
On the other hand...
Images:
Interestingly a good look at the Prometheus ship reveals something of a resemblance to one of Alien concept artist Ron Cobb's early vision of the doomed spaceship in Ridley Scott's horror/Sf classic, then called 'The Snark'...
This is not a Prometheus hate piece. Please don't gather shouting 'Burn him!', Python-style. Prometheus looks fantastic. But it does look familiar.
- 3/19/2012
- Shadowlocked
Jeremy’s still hobnobbing around Austin at the South by Southwest Film Festival, so he doesn’t have time to listen to a commentary track. He’s watching too many movies for the first time. So I’m stepping in to travel in time back to 1984 to have another go at The Last Starfighter. If you’re a child of the 80s like me, a lot of your movie-going interests were defined by the Star Wars movies. But once those movies wrapped up in the first third of that decade with the prequels (and alleged sequels) more than a dozen years away, a great void was left. I was about thirteen years old when The Last Starfighter came to theaters in the summer of 1984, and it tapped into the same wonder and excitement that the first three Star Wars were about. I was looking for another story about a very average teenager who comes from nowhere special...
- 3/15/2012
- by Kevin Carr
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
The younger geek won't remember the skulking atmosphere in which Sf was trying to breathe through most of the 1970s, and neither will they remember the extraordinary, often adult-oriented world of Heavy Metal, the English-language edition of the famed Sf dystopian comic-fest Metal Hurlant. Nor yet how many of those strange fantasies and amazing designs were created by the man known as 'Moebius' - Jean Giraud, who died of cancer today at the age of 73.
The man was a breath of fresh air in that struggling decade for science-fiction and futurism.
Director Ridley Scott, already an admirer of the French comic artist (who had by the mid-1970s amassed much-admired coffee-table books of illustrations, apart from his esteemed contributions to Heavy Metal and the comics world) was easily persuaded by Alien creator Dan O'Bannon to bring Moebius on-board as another artistic refugee, from Jodorowsky's Dune, to Alien. He came together...
The man was a breath of fresh air in that struggling decade for science-fiction and futurism.
Director Ridley Scott, already an admirer of the French comic artist (who had by the mid-1970s amassed much-admired coffee-table books of illustrations, apart from his esteemed contributions to Heavy Metal and the comics world) was easily persuaded by Alien creator Dan O'Bannon to bring Moebius on-board as another artistic refugee, from Jodorowsky's Dune, to Alien. He came together...
- 3/10/2012
- Shadowlocked
The man who brought George Lucas's vision to life for the Star Wars franchise, Ralph McQuarrie, has passed away at the age of 82. McQuarrie was one of Hollywood's premier futurists and concept artists, ranking alongside the like of Ron Cobb, Syd Mead and H.R. Giger in terms of his contribution to screen fantasy over the last thirty-odd years.
In a statement to Shadowlocked, Roger Christian (whose set decoration techniques on A New Hope were to influence decades of Sf movie-making, alongside his work on Alien (1979) and subsequent Oscar-winning work as a director) said:
"Ralph McQuarrie was the true inspiration for much of my creative work on Star Wars [A New Hope]. George [Lucas] brought 12 of his paintings over to London with him, and there was Star Wars: the creatures, R2D2, C3P0, Storm-troopers, Darth Vader, Tatooine. Luke's Land-Speeder, Chewbacca...it was all there. George could show us instantly what he wanted,...
In a statement to Shadowlocked, Roger Christian (whose set decoration techniques on A New Hope were to influence decades of Sf movie-making, alongside his work on Alien (1979) and subsequent Oscar-winning work as a director) said:
"Ralph McQuarrie was the true inspiration for much of my creative work on Star Wars [A New Hope]. George [Lucas] brought 12 of his paintings over to London with him, and there was Star Wars: the creatures, R2D2, C3P0, Storm-troopers, Darth Vader, Tatooine. Luke's Land-Speeder, Chewbacca...it was all there. George could show us instantly what he wanted,...
- 3/4/2012
- Shadowlocked
Democracy is a flawed concept. Here are 50 films that the IMDb voters would unfairly have you believe are worth no more than 5.9/10…
Six out of ten isn’t a very good score, really. It’s barely over half marks. 60 per cent. It’s alright, but it’s not great. You wouldn’t be proud of getting six out of ten on most kinds of tests, would you? So you might assume that any film that scores under six stars out of ten on the IMDb isn’t very good – possibly even terrible.
But that’s not always the case. Averages don’t tell the whole story; anything that’s potentially controversial or divisive will end up with a score that suggests most people weren’t that bothered about it, since high and low scores will be averaged – and IMDb users often exaggerate their scores anyway, giving a film one star...
Six out of ten isn’t a very good score, really. It’s barely over half marks. 60 per cent. It’s alright, but it’s not great. You wouldn’t be proud of getting six out of ten on most kinds of tests, would you? So you might assume that any film that scores under six stars out of ten on the IMDb isn’t very good – possibly even terrible.
But that’s not always the case. Averages don’t tell the whole story; anything that’s potentially controversial or divisive will end up with a score that suggests most people weren’t that bothered about it, since high and low scores will be averaged – and IMDb users often exaggerate their scores anyway, giving a film one star...
- 2/23/2012
- Den of Geek
This is one of those times being a geek, a collector and a fan can really come in handy. When Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine from Relic/Thq came out we covered it’s release. It got me thinking back to 1987 and the launch of the Role Playing game. I bought the copy of White Dwarf which heralded the launch of the new game and the universe that had been carefully crafted. That’s when I first encountered the amazing work of Wil Madoc Rees.
So after playing this latest incarnation I went back to my attic and dug out that issue. I then hunted out Wil. He’s now living in California and working in Hollywood. He’s easy to talk with and it’s been a pleasure to hook-up with such a talented artist; one who’s visual concept work has helped shape some of cinemas recent biggest block busters.
So after playing this latest incarnation I went back to my attic and dug out that issue. I then hunted out Wil. He’s now living in California and working in Hollywood. He’s easy to talk with and it’s been a pleasure to hook-up with such a talented artist; one who’s visual concept work has helped shape some of cinemas recent biggest block busters.
- 2/3/2012
- Shadowlocked
Sneak Peek the first poster supporting director Ridley Scott's "Alien" prequel, "Prometheus" starring Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, Idris Elba, Sean Harris, Kate Dickie, Logan Marshall-Green and Patrick Wilson :
"...A team of explorers discover a clue to the origins of mankind on Earth, leading them on a journey to the darkest corners of the universe.
"There, they must fight a terrifying battle to save the future of the human race..."
Scott lensed "Prometheus" @ Pinewood Studios (UK), for Twentieth Century Fox, Scott Free Productions and Brandywine Productions.
"Prometheus" re-teams Scott with long-time collaborators production designer Arthur Max ("American Gangster"), Oscar-winning costume designer Janty Yates ("Gladiator"), Oscar-winning editor Pietro Scalia ("Black Hawk Down") and set decorator Sonja Klaus ("Kingdom of Heaven").
The initial draft of "Prometheus" was written by Jon Spaihts ("The Darkest Hour") from an idea by Scott, with Damon Lindelof ("Star Trek") and Scott developing the final screenplay.
"...A team of explorers discover a clue to the origins of mankind on Earth, leading them on a journey to the darkest corners of the universe.
"There, they must fight a terrifying battle to save the future of the human race..."
Scott lensed "Prometheus" @ Pinewood Studios (UK), for Twentieth Century Fox, Scott Free Productions and Brandywine Productions.
"Prometheus" re-teams Scott with long-time collaborators production designer Arthur Max ("American Gangster"), Oscar-winning costume designer Janty Yates ("Gladiator"), Oscar-winning editor Pietro Scalia ("Black Hawk Down") and set decorator Sonja Klaus ("Kingdom of Heaven").
The initial draft of "Prometheus" was written by Jon Spaihts ("The Darkest Hour") from an idea by Scott, with Damon Lindelof ("Star Trek") and Scott developing the final screenplay.
- 12/14/2011
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
Sneak Peek new images from director Ridley Scott's "Alien" prequel, "Prometheus", opening June 8th, 2012, starring Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, Idris Elba, Sean Harris, Kate Dickie, Logan Marshall-Green and Patrick Wilson :
"...A team of explorers discover a clue to the origins of mankind on Earth, leading them on a journey to the darkest corners of the universe.
"There, they must fight a terrifying battle to save the future of the human race..."
Scott shot "Prometheus" @ Pinewood Studios (UK),for Twentieth Century Fox, Scott Free Productions and Brandywine Productions.
"Prometheus" re-teams Scott with long-time collaborators production designer Arthur Max ("American Gangster"), Oscar-winning costume designer Janty Yates ("Gladiator"), Oscar-winning editor Pietro Scalia ("Black Hawk Down") and set decorator Sonja Klaus ("Kingdom of Heaven").
The initial draft of "Prometheus" was written by Jon Spaihts ("The Darkest Hour") from an idea by Scott, with Damon Lindelof ("Star Trek") and Scott developing the final screenplay.
"...A team of explorers discover a clue to the origins of mankind on Earth, leading them on a journey to the darkest corners of the universe.
"There, they must fight a terrifying battle to save the future of the human race..."
Scott shot "Prometheus" @ Pinewood Studios (UK),for Twentieth Century Fox, Scott Free Productions and Brandywine Productions.
"Prometheus" re-teams Scott with long-time collaborators production designer Arthur Max ("American Gangster"), Oscar-winning costume designer Janty Yates ("Gladiator"), Oscar-winning editor Pietro Scalia ("Black Hawk Down") and set decorator Sonja Klaus ("Kingdom of Heaven").
The initial draft of "Prometheus" was written by Jon Spaihts ("The Darkest Hour") from an idea by Scott, with Damon Lindelof ("Star Trek") and Scott developing the final screenplay.
- 11/23/2011
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
Director Ridley Scott's "Alien" prequel, "Prometheus", opens June 8th, 2012, starring Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, Idris Elba, Sean Harris, Kate Dickie, Logan Marshall-Green and Patrick Wilson :
"...the film takes a team of scientists and explorers on a thrilling journey that will test their physical and mental limits, stranding them on a distant world, where they will discover the answers to our most profound questions and life's ultimate mystery..."
Scott shot "Prometheus" @ Pinewood Studios (UK),for Twentieth Century Fox, Scott Free Productions and Brandywine Productions.
The production used several stages at Pinewood including the '007 Stage', with "Prometheus" marking Scott's fifth film lensed at the studios, including "Alien", "Legend", "White Squall" and "Robin Hood".
"It’s my heritage, my personal heritage," said Scott about working at Pinewood and Shepperton. "I film everywhere in the world and I think all things considered what we have to offer here, is...
"...the film takes a team of scientists and explorers on a thrilling journey that will test their physical and mental limits, stranding them on a distant world, where they will discover the answers to our most profound questions and life's ultimate mystery..."
Scott shot "Prometheus" @ Pinewood Studios (UK),for Twentieth Century Fox, Scott Free Productions and Brandywine Productions.
The production used several stages at Pinewood including the '007 Stage', with "Prometheus" marking Scott's fifth film lensed at the studios, including "Alien", "Legend", "White Squall" and "Robin Hood".
"It’s my heritage, my personal heritage," said Scott about working at Pinewood and Shepperton. "I film everywhere in the world and I think all things considered what we have to offer here, is...
- 11/7/2011
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
I remember being scared to death of Ridley Scott's Alien when I was a kid. To be honest, it still scares me a bit to this day. You would think that most of the facts surrounding it's filming would be common knowledge to fans. Oddly enough, I did not know the following list of ten things that io9 put together. From The Who's involvement in the film to Sigourney Weaver's audition outfit, there are some awesome facts below.
Here is the list featured in a new book titled Alien Vault: The Definitive Story of the Making of the Film:
That famous "chestburster" scene was just as horrifying for the actors. None of them quite knew what was coming, as you might have heard. The book is full of great details about how far Ridley Scott went to keep them in the dark. "If the actor is justacting terrified,...
Here is the list featured in a new book titled Alien Vault: The Definitive Story of the Making of the Film:
That famous "chestburster" scene was just as horrifying for the actors. None of them quite knew what was coming, as you might have heard. The book is full of great details about how far Ridley Scott went to keep them in the dark. "If the actor is justacting terrified,...
- 10/18/2011
- by Tiberius
- GeekTyrant
Nowadays, even before a movie hits the theaters, the store shelves are flooded with every manner of books, games, graphic novels, t-shirts, and toys. However, when Alien first arrived back in 1979, the concept of movie tie-ins was still in its infancy, and the only merchandise related to the classic sci fi-horror masterpiece was a novelization, a graphic novel adaptation, a photo-novel, and an ‘art of’ book. Since then, the movie has gone on to spawn a franchise and the acid-spewing bio-mechanoid has entrenched itself firmly into pop culture. Yet, in over thirty years, a detailed account of the famous production has been sorely lacking. Although there have been articles in such film magazines as Cinefex and Cinefantastique, each merely scratched the surface on Ridley Scott’s monster hit.
Finally, somebody took on the task of chronicling the production, from script to final cut: author and executive editor of Empire Magazine Ian Nathan.
Finally, somebody took on the task of chronicling the production, from script to final cut: author and executive editor of Empire Magazine Ian Nathan.
- 10/9/2011
- by Eric Chu
- CinemaSpy
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