Search

Search only in certain items:

Alien: River of Pain
Alien: River of Pain
7
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
The second (or is it third? Audible has it 2nd, but I've also seen it called #3? Maybe 3rd produced, but 2nd set?) of - currently - 3 canon Alien novels, this takes part largely alongside the early parts of the movie Aliens, cutting back and forth between Ripley and the inhabitants of the colony of Hadley's Hope.

Remember I said alongside the start of Aliens? To put that into context, this is - largely - filling in the gaps in the movie, between the point at which Ripley's escape pod is picked up, and the arrival of the Marines (and Ripley, and Burke) to that colony, after all communication with it is lost. As such, there are several scenes in here which are lifted straight from that movie, with some - slightly - expanded upon.

It also gives a reason why Newt is the only survivor found hiding in the air-ducts ("They mostly come at night. Mostly"), why there's Alien Face-huggers in jars in the colony, why the marines are so hyped up when we first meet them in the film (they're just back from R&R), and even why Newt's family went out prospecting in the first place.

Worth a read/listen? Yes, although I have to say that there are elements of this that reminded me quite a bit of the 90s comic/novel "Aliens: Nightmare Asylum" - especially in some of the characters - and that it just seems weird, now, that the presence of Marines on the planetoid, pre Ripley and co, are never mentioned at all!
  
40x40

Darren (1599 KP) rated Alien 3 (1992) in Movies

Jun 20, 2019  
Alien 3 (1992)
Alien 3 (1992)
1992 | Horror, Sci-Fi
Story: How do you follow up two of the best sci-fi films or all time? This struggles to keep up with the atmosphere created in the first two. It offers nothing new to the series either. As a stand-alone film this would struggle to be a good sci-fi thriller. It’s only positive I can think of were a couple of surprise deaths. (5/10)

 

Actor Review: Sigourney Weaver – Ripley back to kick the alien’s arse. Sigourney has created one of the biggest icons in female cinema, but this is not the chapter anyone would be remembering. (6/10)

 ripley

Actor Review: Charles S. Dutton – Dillon leader of the religious movement on in the prison. One of the good guys who protects Ripley from the bad prisoners. He does an ok job but doesn’t have enough to work with. (6/10)

dance

Actor Review: Charles Dance – Medical officer with a dark past on the road to recovery. Good supporting role is used well to create a good connection between Ripley and the prisoners. (6/10)

 

Director Review: David Fincher – The great director disowned this film after it got changed post production and I don’t blame him. (4/10)

 

Action: Slow moving action throughout. (6/10)

Sci-Fi: Take out the Alien it offers very little in the world of sci-fi. (5/10)

Thriller: Not very thrilling compared to previous offering. (5/10)

Special Effects: Poor special effects too. (5/10)

Chances of Tears: No (0/10)

Settings: A prison on a planet with nowhere to run creating a great isolation setting for this sci-fi horror. (9/10)

 

Suggestion: I only say try because it makes the first two look even better and it is nice to see how the characters you grew to love, well their next chapter. (Try It)

 

Best Part: Lead scene.

Worst Part: Loses suspense element.

Action Scene of the Film: Final scene.

Kill Of The Film: Clemens

Oscar Chances: Nominated for one Oscar for visual effects

Chances of Sequel: Did get a sequel.

 

Overall: Poor addition to the franchise.

https://moviesreview101.com/2014/01/29/alien-3-1992/
  
Blood Contract Trilogy
Blood Contract Trilogy
Ron Ripley | 2020 | Fiction & Poetry
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
111 of 200
Kindle
Blood contract
By Jon Ripley

Signed over two hundred years ago, the Blood Contract ensured the sanctity of the Blood lands. In return, the Blood family dedicated their lives, and their deaths to the protection of the town of Thorne.For many years, the town of Thorne was nothing more than a picturesque New England village. But in modern day, the town is enjoying a boom in real estate development. To satisfy the developers with enough land, the town has decided to break the Blood Contract.And the Bloods are not pleased.Not at all.Now, as Autumn moves ever on towards winter, the Aldermen and the people of Thorne are going to learn that there is a price for ignorance.And it's higher than they could have ever imagined.




I absolutely loved this book! Full of gruesome deaths and horror plus the fey too what more could you ask for? It was just brilliant to read. I loved his style and the characters were brilliant! Looking forward to reading more from Ron Ripley!
  
MI
Moving In ( Book 1)
Ron Ripley | 2023
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
120 of 235
Kindle
Moving In ( Books 1)
By Ron Ripley
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

"Iron...and...salt," whispers the old man. The dead old man. "Hurry or it will be too late...."

To escape the stress of living in the city and the anxiety of his high-pressure job, Brian Roy moves his family to the country. His wife loves the easy living, but Brian hates it...especially when weird things start happening in the house. When he discovers a dead body in the woods and a burial ground in his basement, Brian could never imagine the shocking history of the house or its former occupants that comes to light.

As his life starts to unravel, Brian isn't so sure living in the country is going to be the oasis of peace he and his wife expected. Lately, his home has become a haunting den of hell.

This was so much fun! A proper ghost fest! I love Ron Ripley he is so easy to read and enjoy. Really good start to a promising series.
  
40x40

Craig Davidson (18 KP) rated Aliens (1986) in Movies

May 11, 2019 (Updated May 11, 2019)  
Aliens (1986)
Aliens (1986)
1986 | Action, Horror, Sci-Fi
Hudson (3 more)
Pulse rifle
Alien queen
Marines
First 20 mins (0 more)
Stop ya grinning and drop ya linen
Contains spoilers, click to show
So what can I say about aliens. Since its release in 1986 it's become probably one of my favourite and go to films. James Cameron at his best.
The whole cast are amazing and although the movie is a little yawn until the marines come in to it I just adore it.
The movie picks up where alien finished finding Riley in the escape craft form the nostromo 57 years later. She is picked up by a salvage craft and taken back to be grilled by the Weyland-Yutani Corporation (nooooo) as to why she destroyed the nostromo.
As usual the big wigs do not believe the story and inform Ripley that the planet LV-426 is now inhabited by terraformers who are changing the planet to be more earth kike. Soooo after the grilling Ripley gets Carter Burke (slimey weasel corporate man ) sends people from Hadleys Hope station to investigate the coordinates where the alien ship was first encountered. And of course Newts dad ends up with a beauty of a face hugger on his mush. This starts the chain of events that basically wipes out the whole station.
So after a while Burke and Lt Gorman. track down Ripely to ask her to join them as an advisor and go back to LV-426. She of course says no until she has a dream and leaves her ginger pussy at home.
So now the film really begins and the USS Sulaco comes in to shit looking like a giant gun.
We then meet the colonial marines including Android bishop and my favourite film character of all time hudson.
They all arrive and on the planet and eventually come across the little girl Newt (Rebecca but no body calls her that ,except her brother ) who has survived the alien invasion by crawling around the air ducts.
The marines eventually find the rest of the colony via there trackers and head to collect them. Of course they find the colony people stuck to the walls by some sort of secreted resin ( but secreted by why what ?) With there chest cavities well open exposing there inner organs. They then find a live one ( in a shit ya pants moment) and we get to see the alien push through the poor woman's chest.
The marines torch the little git and then all hell breaks loose. But we get to hear the iconic sound of the pulse rifle and get to hear Vasquez shout "let's rock" as they try to sort out the pesky bug problem by spraying the whole place with bullets.
We loose slot of the secondary cast in this scene and they also crack one of the nuclear reactors which will blow up soon.
The marines fight hard but they end up loosing the drop ship and are stranded. So the plan is hatched to remote a new drip ship down from the sulaco.
The android bishop has to crawl down a very long pipe in a very claustrophobic scene to get a signal to use the remote control.
The rest of the people left alive Ripley ,Hicks ,Gorman ,Hudson ,Vasquez ,Newt and the horrible Burke at left in the station to set up and defend themselves and fortify the area.
But the alien have there clever mama and they attack in force.
It's is in this attack we see how brave the loudmouth marine Hudson is in what is my opinion one of the greatest last scenes ever of a character "fuck you " being his last words.
After this the rest are lost apart from Hicks and Ripley and newt and bishop .
Newt takes a slide down a vent and gets lost , Ripley then goes and gets her and comes across the bad ass bitch that's has been laying the alien eggs . A fight happens and Ripley gets newt out and back to the drop ship and back to USS Sulaco with hicks and bishop. But ohhhhh no the mama alien was on board and rips bishop in half and covers the place in milk. Ripley beats the crap out of the mama alien with a really cool fork lift then they all go to sleep.
Aliens for me is a classic and better than the original.
  
Alien (1979)
Alien (1979)
1979 | Horror, Sci-Fi
I have so much love for Alien
One of my favourite horror movies! The xenomorph looked fantastic and after seeing how it was all made, it makes it so much more impressive. this movie builds tension so well and Ripley is one of my favourite heroines of all time. Jones also being my favourite animal hero of all time of course. I don't think i could think of a more amazing horror monster than a chest bursting, face hugging, scary motherfucker xenomorph. it will be giving nightmares still for years to come.
  
40x40

Darren (1599 KP) rated Aliens (1986) in Movies

Jun 20, 2019  
Aliens (1986)
Aliens (1986)
1986 | Action, Horror, Sci-Fi
Story: Aliens starts when Ripley (Weaver) is finally rescued from her hyper sleep, only to find out that she has been sleeping for centuries, questioned for her action on the spacecraft she learns that the same planet LV-426 has been colonised with no problems from any alien species. We get to see how the colony is building on the planet which includes us watching Newt (Henn) and her family being the ones to find the alien ship.

The company representative Burke (Reiser) looks to recruit Ripley into helping them once the company loses connect with the colony, this time armed with marines led by Lieutenant Gorman (Hope). The elite unit including Corporal Hicks (Biehn), Private Hudson (Paxton), Private Vasquez (Goldstein) and Private Drake (Rolston) to mention a few is armed to the teeth ready for any combat needed, but it is the android Bishop (Henriksen) that cause Ripley the worries especially after what happened last time she was on a mission with one.

Once at the colony the soldiers find the place abandoned at first until they find Newt only to learn the truth about what happened at the base. The unit find themselves under attack from multiply xenomorphs and only Ripley knows how to fight them off.

Aliens is the sequel to one of the greatest horror movies that actually takes the film in a different direction by adding action element. This doesn’t take away anything because if the sequel had just been on one ship with limited weapons it simply would have been a remake feeling, this story feels fresh because we already know the basics of what our heroes are up against we just needed to learn how they will deal with them this time. When it comes to the story it once again is simple soldiers versus aliens in a battle to survive which all works perfectly for this classic 30 years later.

 

Actor Review

 

Sigourney Weaver: Ripley is the lone survivor from the events of the first film, she has been in hyper sleep for years. She is charged for her actions as no evidence of any alien life form is discovered in the wreck, dealing with all the side effects we get to see how she is getting on with her life again. All this changes when the company that blamed her turned to her for help on the same planet that we first met a xenomorph. When things go wrong she takes charge of the situation while trying to protect a little girl. Sigourney was nominated for an Oscar for this performance and it would hard not to praise her brilliant performance.ripley

Carrie Henn: Newt is the little girl that was living on the colony before the attack, she is also the lone survivor once the soldiers turn up to deal with the situation. She has survived by hiding and offers the soldiers much needed advice on where to survive. Carrie is great in this role for such a young actress at the time.

Michael Biehn: Corporal Hicks has to take charge of the soldiers once his seniors become incapacitated. He will listen to Ripley and make the right decisions when it comes to fighting the xenomorphs. Michael is great in this role where he actually plays the sensible soldier.

Lance Henriksen: Bishop is the android on the mission, he is instantly disliked by Ripley but this time we only see good from the android who is willing to risk his own life to save the humans. Lance is great as this android keeping the emotionless expression throughout.

Support Cast: Aliens has a supporting cast that is mostly the soldiers who are generic in their own way along with the company man that also works for this film very well.

Director Review: James Cameron – James is a director that always makes classics and this could well be his best.

 

Action: Aliens is filled with combat driven action which comes off very nicely in the confined spaces.

Horror: Aliens is still filled with horror of isolation on the planet being hunted down by an alien enemy.

Sci-Fi: Aliens puts our characters in space and a new planet ticking off all of the sci-fi elements to make this an action sci-fi film.

Settings: Aliens creates a larger isolation idea with the characters being trapped on a base rather than a ship with no escape from the enemy.
Special Effects: Aliens has stunning effects that still stand the test of time.xena

Suggestion: Aliens is one I do feel everyone should have watched at least once in a lifetime. (Watch)

 

Best Part: First meeting the aliens.

Worst Part: Depends which cut you watch, the shorter cut takes away a lot of back story.

Action Scene Of The Film: Final fight.

Favourite Quote: Ripley ‘Get away from her you bitch’

 

Believability: No

Chances of Tears: No

Chances of Sequel: Yes

Post Credits Scene: No

 

Oscar Chances: Won Two Oscars for Best Sound Effects and Visual Effects.

Box Office: $85 Million

Budget: $ 18.5 Million

Runtime: 2 Hours 34 Minutes

Tagline: There are some places in the universe you don’t go alone.

Trivia: The knife trick scene was not in the original shooting script. According to Lance Henriksen, the adding of Hudson’s hand to the knife trick was discussed with almost everyone, except Bill Paxton.

 

Overall: Stunning sci-fi action horror that really comes off as the true classic

https://moviesreview101.com/2016/05/25/aliens-1986/
  
40x40

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2072 KP) rated Spy School: Project X in Books

Oct 6, 2022 (Updated Oct 6, 2022)  
Spy School: Project X
Spy School: Project X
Stuart Gibbs | 2022 | Children
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Target: Ben Ripley
Any student will tell you that finals is a stressful time, but it is even more so at Spy School. After all, not only do you have to pass your classes, but failing could lead to serious pain. Ben Ripley has something extra to worry about since he’s been summoned to the principal’s office. Fortunately, he is running a little late since, while he is on the way, the principal’s office explodes. Another attack confirms it – assassins have targeted Ben. Fortunately, Ben’s friend, Erica Hale, knows exactly who is behind it. Unfortunately, that means a trip to find and confront this villain with danger around every corner. Will Ben make it?

This was another wonderful book in the series. The action is almost non-stop, yet it never feels forced into the story but is instead a result of Ben’s need to stop the attempts on his life. There’s also plenty of humor, often coming from the over the top (in the best way) action sequences but sometimes coming from the characters. Speaking of characters, there were a couple of slower moments, which allowed for some good growth. I’m intrigued by the tease at the end of the book, so I’m anxiously awaiting the next entry in the series. If you are a fan old or new, you’ll enjoy this book.
  
SC
Spy Camp (Spy School #2)
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Ben Ripley is thrilled to have completed his first semester at spy school and is looking forward to a summer to relax with family and friends. Unfortunately, he has to attend Spy Camp instead. Worse yet, evil organization SPYDER is after him again. Either he will join them or be killed. The action is not stop and we get to know the main characters a little better. Mix in a dose of humor, and you've got a winner that kids and adults will all enjoy.

<a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/05/book-review-spy-camp-by-stuart-gibbs.html">My full review at Carstairs Considers</a>.
  
Alien Resurrection (1997)
Alien Resurrection (1997)
1997 | Horror, Sci-Fi
Story: Alien: Resurrection starts as we arrive on a US space research facility where General Perez (Hedaya) is working on bringing back the aliens with clones of Ripley (Weaver), the latest number 8 shows incredible strength and development. Waiting for a delivery from Captain Elgyn (Wincott) and his crew Call (Ryder), Vriess (Pinon), Johner (Perlman) Hillard (Flowers) and Christie (Dourdan) a deal is agreed they can spend a couple of days’ rest on the research ship.

After Elgyn’s crew get involved in an altercation with the scientists they must escape but the xenomorphs have escaped onto the ship, joining up with Ripley the crew look for a way off the ship while staying alive.

 

Thoughts on Alien: Resurrection

 

Characters/Performance – Ripley is now a clone and the mother of the xenomorphs being created on the ship, she is stronger than before but becomes the best weapon against the xenomorphs. Call is the newest crew member of the pirates but she is harbouring a secret from the rest of the crew. The rest of the characters are your generic group of fighters, the tough one, the gunslinger, the smart one and the captain nothing original comes from these characters.

Performance wise, this isn’t the best Weaver alien performance but she is also brave enough to take it on with a different approach. Ryder is solid enough through the film. the rest of the cast are also solid with Ron Perlman giving his aggressive dick like performance on the good guys team.

Story – The story might not be the greatest, but it does capture what is needed for an alien movie, we have the military wanting to study the aliens for their own good, this happens every single film, we also have the group of soldiers needing to fight them off, but this film does offer a chance to build the relationship between the xenomorphs and Ripley. The problem for a lot of this story telling it that it isn’t original and isn’t on the same levels as the earlier films.

Action/Horror/Sci-Fi – The action is all mindless like you would expect from big budget style sequel too far down the line, the horror is now nearly all gone from the franchise but the sci-fi angle continues on strongly as we see how the aliens are now finding new ways to breed.

Settings – The whole film is set upon the space facility craft which is good because it keeps everything within the one location which is all we want in these films.

Special Effects – The special effects are good in this film and are one of the extra highlights within the film.

Final Thoughts – The weakest part of the Weaver alien films but still a good enjoyable enough watch.

 

Overall: Enjoyable enough.

https://moviesreview101.com/2017/09/27/alien-resurrection-1997/