LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Alien (1979) in Movies
Nov 16, 2019
The plot is straightforward, and immediately gripping, as a merchant space vessel called The Nostromo, and it's crew, pick up an unidentified distress signal from a nearby moon.
Upon arrival, one of the Crue is attacked by an alien lifeform, and accidentally smuggles something back onto the ship with him, resulting in the infamous chest bursting scene, and a crew trapped floating through space, whilst being hunted one by one.
Said chest bursting scene is one of the single most disturbing scenes in horror, with genuine reactions of surprise by the cast, and horrific practical effects.
Once the plot kicks in, we're presented with a master class of tension. The shadowy setting hides the Xenomorph alien for most of the runtime, offering fleeting glimpses, and occasional bursts of violence.
H. R. Gigers design of the creature is of course iconic, abrasive, and terrifying.
Sigourney Weaver offers a strong female lead in Ellen Ripley, a character that remains a highlight, even throughout the later underwhelming sequels.
Even though Ripley is thrown front and centre in the aftermath of Alien, during this film, she is part of a crew that don't boast any heroes. Everyone aboard feels like real people, way out of their depth in what they're dealing with, and it just adds to the already unsettled surroundings.
Ridley Scott's directing and camera work in Alien manages to be claustrophobic, atmospheric and isolating all at, combining uneasy sound cues with amazing visuals to create a sci-fi horror like no other.
Alien is a film I never tire of watching. As far as this genre goes, it's near perfect.
The Restaurant at the End of the Universe
9.0
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Following the smash-hit sci-fi comedy The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Restaurant at the...
Perfect Little Stitches and Other Stories
10.0
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A collection of twenty-one dark fantasy and horror stories by Deborah Sheldon. Mysterious....
Horror Short Stories Deborah Australian
My World Miles from Tomorrow
Book
Little ones will take a trip into Miles Callisto's world in DK's My World: Miles from Tomorrow. From...
David McK (3883 KP) rated The Martian in Books
Jan 28, 2019
I've been burned in the past with books that have been turned into movies where (IMO) the source material just wasn't really all that great.
I also have to make clear - I haven't actually seen the film yet, so can't compare the two, but I did wonder how interesting a story told almost entirely from one person's perspective - with that person also entirely on his own, kinda like a modern-day/near future Robinson Crusoe could be.
Now that I have read it, I must admit: i did find this a gripping read, even if there are passages that just seem to drag on a bit. The story, for anyone who doesn't know, is about astronaut Mark Watney, who has been left behind on the planet Mars by his crew-mates, who believe he has died, and the efforts he goes to to survive, while NASA do their best to formulate a rescue plan (as do his crew-mates when they discover he is still alive, and now the only man on the planet for an entire 2 years or so).
The ending, though, is also a bit anti-climactic: what happens next??
Consider Phlebas
8.0
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The war raged across the galaxy. Billions had died, billions more were doomed. Moons, planets, the...
"The Culture"
BookwormMama14 (18 KP) rated Goliath (Leviathan, #3) in Books
Jan 2, 2019
Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)
7.9
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When the LAPD kills several members of the South Central gang Street Thunder, the remaining members...
A Night to Remember (1958)
7.6
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The sinking of the Titanic is presented in a highly realistic fashion in this tense British drama....
