Sigourney Weaver

(ph: Helmut Newton)

Alien: Resurrection (1997)

 

200 years after her death, Ellen Ripley is revived as a powerful human/Alien hybrid clone who must continue her war against the Aliens.

Too ambitious for its own good this installment of the Aliens series is quite messy, but has some moments, especially concerning the visuals.

On renewed viewing I need to correct my initial rating: this is actually an imaginative and at times quite disturbing new take on the Alien saga and, compared to the last installment, the plot is quite coherent.

On re-watching: meanwhile I do quite enjoy this version; it does have some intense moments.

Halliwell*: "Stylish, occasionally impressive movie that all too soon settles into familiar routine."

Maltin**: "Clumsy sequel with crummy logic, far too many wisecracks; a few good action scenes, but scrictly for series fans."

 

Alien³ (1992)

 

Ripley continues to be stalked by a savage alien, after her escape pod crashes on a prison planet.

Although it has a good premise, all the necessary ingredients and some great visual moments, this movie is from beginning to start incoherent, basically a total mess.

On re-watching: the longer so-called Assembly Cut is a major improvement and offers a more stringent narrative than the original theatrical release.

Halliwell (no star): "Grim, grey sequel that struggles, and fails, to add something new to the now familiar story."

Maltin**: "More-of-the-same sequel...Good performances, some scares, but a definite feeling of deja vu hangs over the proceedings."

 

Aliens (1986)

 

The planet from Alien (1979) has been colonized, but contact is lost so a rescue team with impressive firepower is sent to investigate.

Sensible sequel to a sci-fi classic and upping the ante on suspense and action, although there are some silly moments (alien mother riding the elevator).

On re-watching: A step down from the original, more focused on action, but it certainly delivers the goods.

Halliwell*: "Frightening but mechanical sequel with none of the half-assed poetry of the original."

Maltin***1/2: "Intense, exciting sequel directed by Cameron the same way he did THE TERMINATOR - once it gets going there's just no letup! Weaver is sensational in compelling leading role."

 

Alien (1979)

 

After a space merchant vessel receives an unknown transmission as a distress call, one of the crew is attacked by a mysterious life form and they soon realize that its life cycle has merely begun. 

Superbly directed and highly suspenseful sci-fi thriller, the decrepit spaceship design and especially the truly abhorrent creation of the alien still influence sci-fi and horror movies to this day.

On re-watching: a classic of its genre that reveals new details on every new viewing.

Halliwell****: "Deliberately scarifying and highly commercial shocker. On its own terms, a classic of suspense - and art direction."

Maltin***1/2: "Space-age horror film reverts to 1950s formula, but unfolds at a deliberate pace, populates the story with interesting, colorful characters, and plants its (genuine) shock moments with exceptional skill. Imitated but seldom equaled." 

Snow White: A Tale of Terror (1997)

Sigourney Weaver

Bio:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigourney_Weaver

The Cabin in the Woods (2011)

Five friends go for a break at a remote cabin, where they get more than they bargained for, discovering the truth behind the cabin in the woods.

Tongue-in-cheek horror flick cleverly ups the antes onto ever new meta-levels  and is filled to the brim with genre allusions; fun for fans, but a bit over-the-top.

Maltin**1/2: "...script is aimed at the hearts of fanboys everywhere, adding at least two extra levels of surprises. Amusing and intelligent, but the cleverness works against the horror, the horror against the humor."

Abduction (2011)

A young man realizes he's not his parents' son, and after they are attacked and murdered, he finds himself amidst a mysterious conspiracy.

Mediocre spy thriller with some Bourne Identity allusions speeds along with run-of-the-mill action sequences and some remarkably wooden performances.

Maltin**: "Teenage BOURNE IDENTITY rip-off gives TWILIGHT star Lautner a chance to show off his action, if not acting...Nothing memorable here, but the pace is intense and the movie doesn't try to be more than a filler for Lautner fans."

Alien³ (1992)

Ripley continues to be stalked by a savage alien, after her escape pod crashes on a prison planet.

Although it has a good premise, all the necessary ingredients and some great visual moments, this movie is from beginning to start incoherent, basically a total mess.

Halliwell (no star): "Grim, grey sequel that struggles, and fails, to add something new to the now familiar story."

Maltin**: "More-of-the-same sequel...Good performances, some scares, but a definite feeling of deja vu hangs over the proceedings."

A Monster Calls (2016)

A boy seeks the help of a tree monster to cope with his single mother's terminal illness.

Finely directed drama interspersed with animated sequences is fascinating and hold's one's attention to its unbearably heartwrenching ending. 

Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014)

The defiant leader Moses rises up against the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses, setting 600,000 slaves on a monumental journey of escape from Egypt and its terrifying cycle of deadly plagues.

Bombastic Biblical epic reliably ticks off the main highlights of the Exodus story, but never goes beyond Cecil B. DeMille's efforts - including the silliness.

 

Chappie (2015)

In the near future, crime is patrolled by a mechanized police force, but one police droid, Chappie, is stolen and given new programming, he becomes the first robot with the ability to think and feel for himself.

Although quite violent and rude at times, this sci-fi movie is more like a fairy-tale in disguise and does show some heart and emotion.

Avatar (2009)

A paraplegic marine dispatched to the moon Pandora on a unique mission becomes torn between following his orders and protecting the world he feels is his home.

Spellbinding ecological science fiction with great visuals and a simplistic message.

On renewed viewing: great to warch, but the White Saviour plot is still disconcerting.

Maltin***: "Innovative, futuristic fable, set in a rich computer-generated environment and populated with strikingly designed creatures...Thrilling at times, with a cornucopia of wonders to behold. Cameron's parable about imperialism too often resorts to B-movies cliches and goes on too all long, but the visual experience trumps most of its flaws."

Ghostbusters (1984)

Three former parapsychology professors set up shop as a unique ghost removal service.

An otherwise silly premise (and plot) is turned into a successful comedy thanks to tongue-in-cheek direction and a valiant, good-humored cast of characters.

Halliwell*: "Crude farce with expensive special effects. It took more money - millions more - than Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, which must say something about the age we live in."

Maltin***: "The first multimillion-dollar scare comedy...Engagingly offbeat, even subdued at times, with Murray's flippant personality nicely contrasting Richard Edlund's eye-popping special effects. Great fun all the way..."

The Cold Light of Day (2012)

After his family is kidnapped during their sailing trip in Spain, a young Wall Street trader is confronted by the people responsible: intelligence agents looking to recover a mysterious briefcase.

Lacklustre  espionage thriller doesn't miss a cliche in the book; the star cast aren't challenged in any way, and one wonders if they really understood what it was all about.

Aliens (1986)

On the set: Sigourney Weaver and the Alien Queen