a 2017 science fiction horror film directed by Ridley Scott ....The film is a sequel to Prometheus (2012), the second installment in the Alien prequel series and the sixth installment overall in the Alien film series, as well as the third directed by Scott. The film stars Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston, Billy Crudup, Danny McBride and DemiĂĄn Bichir, and follows a crew of a colony ship that lands on an uncharted planet and makes a terrifying discovery.
I've seen all the movies in this series, including the earlier prequel, Prometheus (I wrote about that one here). I was very disappointed in Prometheus and was starting to get that same sinking feeling as I began to watch Alien: Covenant. Then I stopped and looked back .... Scott had directed one of the earlier Alien movies in the series, but which one? Aha - the first.
The first in the series of movies, Alien, came out in 1979 and though it was science fiction, at its core it was horror. it was well received ...Alien was nominated for two Academy Awards, winning for Best Visual Effects. Aliens received seven nominations, including a Best Actress nomination for Sigourney Weaver, and won for Best Visual Effects and Best Sound Effects .... Alien was also inducted into the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress for historical preservation as a film which is "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." The American Film Institute ranked Alien as the sixth most thrilling American movie and seventh-best film in the science fiction genre, and in the AFI's 100 Years.
Here's a clip - the crew knows an alien is on the ship, somewhere in the duct work, and they're hunting it with flame throwers because using other weapons causes it to bleed acid. The Captain (Tom Skerrit) gets killed and Ripley must get the diminishing crew members to follow her lead ...
But my favorite of all the Alein movies was the second, Aliens, directed by James Cameron and much more science-fiction-y (I wrote about it here) ....
But anyway, what I realized was that what I didn't especially like about the Scott versions of the Alien series was the emphasis on horror over science fiction .... horror seems to be about gore .... science fiction is about thinking new things. Horror has its place, sure, but I think it's on the second tier.
So, I did watch the film and thought it was well made, with good cinematography and decent acting. The script was sort of interesting if you've been trying to figure out how the alien species came to exist in the first place. If you like gore, there was also a whole lot of squishy killin' & dyin' ;) I liked best the part where David, the android from the Prometheus film, meets and interacts with Walter, an updated model of the same android from the crew of the Covenant (Michael Fassbender plays both).
Here's part of a review from New York Magazine ...
[...] A ship â the Covenant â carrying colonists to a distant, habitable planet is threatened by an explosion in space that forces crew members out of suspended-animation pods and incinerates the commander (a cameo by an overexposed star whom most of us could do, in this instance, without). While theyâre awake, they pick up a faint human signal from a closer, more habitable planet. Itâs eerie, that signal: You can hear a John Denver song. Is it a siren luring them to their deaths? If it werenât, this wouldnât be a horror picture, so you start looking at the characters as meat and wondering in what order theyâre going to be eviscerated. You certainly can count on the new commander, played by Billy Crudup, to make the wrong decision. Singled out by others in the crew because heâs a âman of faith,â he canât conceive of a universe as fundamentally nihilistic as this one.
The focus of Alien: Covenant turns out to be less on the title character than on an android called David, who appeared in Prometheus and whose âbirthâ is depicted in a prologue. Played once more by Michael Fassbender, heâs rather fey in his form-fitting white bodysuit attempting to mimic the gait of a human. You know you should worry when his first question to his creator (Guy Pearce) is, âIf you created me, who created you?â Itâs a bit early for existentialism.
Co-screenwriter John Logan also wrote the final and much-reviled Star Trek: The Next Generation movie, Nemesis (I liked it), and he knows his way around android f2fs. When David ultimately meets his âbrother,â Walter (Fassbender), a member of the Covenant crew, the two discuss the ins and outs and what-have-yous of being human. In Star Trek, that man-machine nexus was â as in all things Star Trek â hopeful. Here, thereâs some doubt about Davidâs ultimate motives, which puts Alien: Covenant squarely in the tradition of the Terminator and Matrix movies. And, of course, the novel Frankenstein, which carried the subtitle The Modern Prometheus. No less than Stephen Hawking â who survives with the aid of machines â has predicted that we have 100 years to live before evolved machines take human imperfection as justification for wiping us all out .....
If you would like to help the animal victims of Hurricane Harvey, there are a number of organizations to which you can donate, the Humane Society being one of them ...
[...] Austin Pets Alive! is an animal shelter and no-kill pet advocacy group seeking assistance to help with pets, following the onset of the storm, and has created a page on its website specific to Hurricane Harvey-related needs.
"Austin Pets Alive! has been helping shelters in the direct line of Hurricane Harvey. Weâve been working with these shelters to transport as many pets as possible to APA! and as of Saturday morning, weâve transported over 235 animals to our shelter," a statement on the website says. "Because of the incredible, humbling support weâve received from the community thus far, we have been able to remove some items from our needs list completely."
Comments from James Cameron criticizing âWonder Womanâ received a swift backlash online â including from the filmâs own director. In an interview with The Guardian, Mr. Cameron called the movie a âstep backward.â âAll of the self-congratulatory back-patting Hollywoodâs been doing over Wonder Woman has been so misguided,â he told The Guardian. âSheâs an objectified icon, and itâs just male Hollywood doing the same old thing.â
Patty Jenkins, the director of âWonder Woman,â responded with a note on Twitter. âJames Cameronâs inability to understand what Wonder Woman is, or stands for, to women all over the world is unsurprising as, though he is a great filmmaker, he is not a woman,â she wrote, adding, âThere is no right and wrong powerful kind of woman.â .. Also in The Guardian, Mr. Cameron unfavorably compared Wonder Woman, played by Gal Gadot, to Sarah Connor, a character in Mr. Cameronâs âTerminatorâ franchise. âSarah Connor was not a beauty icon,â he said. âShe was strong, she was troubled, she was a terrible mother, and she earned the respect of the audience through pure grit.â ....
I feel I must weigh in on this - I think Patty Jenkins is wrong and James Cameron is right. Now I'll explain why :)
I think Gal Gadot is a very good actress and that it's mainly due to her that the film did as well as it did ... it certainly can't have been the script/story. As I wrote in an earlier post, the creator of the Wonder Woman character in the comics (William Moulton Marston) was anything *but* a feminist (a bondage loving polygamist), and the grasp he and later writers of WW comics had of Greek mythology is laughable.
The movie script which I assume is the same as the official novelization, presents us with a semi-divine princess raised on a magic island devoid of men, who has little knowledge of the outside world. Is she a good person? I think so. Is she strong? Sure, - trained from childhood in martial arts, and pretty much indestructible with her magic bracelets. Is she brave? I'm not sure - can you be brave when you've never really been vulnerable?
I've seen all the Terminator movies many times, including the first two, the ones in which Cameron's Sarah appears. Is director James Cameron a feminist? From the way he goes through wives and considering the female characters in some of his films, I'd say no, but he did a good job of creating a feminist in his character of Sarah and I think Linda Hamilton did a good job of portraying that.
When people think of Sarah, they mainly reference the Sarah of Terminator 2 (1991), a tough, driven, emotionally troubled woman with a young son. She's savy about weapons and has worked out to the point of being in very good shape. But that's not who she always was and the story of how she got there is told in the first Terminator movie (1984).
When The Terminator begins, we're introduced to a 19 year old Sarah ... she's a waitress, she lives with a friend, goes out on dates, has a pet iguana named Pugsley :). She's bright, she's sweet. In the course of a couple of days, her life radically changes ... she learns of time travel and an apocalyptic future only she can avert, she's hunted by a Terminator, meets her protector from the future with whom she falls in love, and everyone she knows gets killed.
In the epilogue some months later, she's shown as pregnant and preparing to take up the responsibility of trying to save the world. Is she a good person? Yep. Is she strong? Yes, she had to be just to survive and she will be even more so after years of struggle and hardship. Is she brave? You bet she is because she's scared to death and she still sucks it up and goes on.
3) What does it mean to be a feminist icon and who gets to decide that? ...
The director of the Wonder Woman movie, Patty Jenkins, said in the above quoted article that Cameron couldn't decide who was a feminist icon because he's a man. That's dopey. The whole point of feminism is to have men and women be equals, not to empower one gender at the expense of the other.
And Patty Jenkins also said in that article that there is no such thing as a "right and wrong powerful kind of woman". Really? By this description, Louise Linton would be a feminist icon because of her wealth and position. No wonder Jenkins thinks Wonder Woman is a feminist icon ... being a semi-divine princess with magical accoutrements would certainly give one a step up on power. Mortal Sarah Connor had to rely on courage and love instead. Feminism isn't about having power over others or being the absolute best, it's about trying to always be the best version of yourself, among equals.
A welcome change in the yard ... my sister kindly paid for us to hire a tree guy to finally cut down the dead acacia tree that's been leaning on the house for years. Here's how it was ...
And now the tree lies in pieces ....
The next chore money must be found for is hiring someone to take the old tarps off the roof and put on new ones before the rainy season starts next month ...
Here's Hansel, who I woke up when I was walking around taking pictures :) ...
This will come as no surprise to those who have followed his work. I've watched a lot of it because he does science fiction and that's what I love - Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is one of my favorite shows of all. But still ...
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I watched this whole series. It's a show in which the main character is a beautiful blond high school cheerleader. She's not especially bright or especially a good person, but she can kick vampire ass while looking very hot.
- Firefly. I tried to watch it but just couldn't like it. What I especially didn't like was the inclusion of a main character as an upper crust geisha/prostitute/madam. Writing prostitution as legal and "high class" doesn't fix what's wrong with it ... no little girl dreams of some day growing up to have a career in which she services the lusts of strangers while pretending to want it, want it bad.
a 2017 American drama film directed by Marc Webb and written by Tom Flynn. It stars Chris Evans, Mckenna Grace, Lindsay Duncan, Jenny Slate and Octavia Spencer. The plot follows an intellectually gifted 7-year-old who gets caught up in a custody battle between her uncle and grandmother.
This isn't the kind of movie I usually rent but I like Chris Evans very much ... hey, he's Captain America ... so I gave it a try. It was actually very good, I thought. The acting was convincing and the story had some interesting details, such as stuff about the Millennium Prize Problems, a soundtrack that featured Cat Stevens ...
And there was a one eyed cat named Fred :) ...
Here's the start of the review of the film in The New York Times ...
Whatâs in a childâs best interest? It depends on whoâs answering the question. Thatâs the crux of âGifted,â the director Marc Webbâs return to small-scale features after tangling with Spidey. The gifted child here is a 7-year-old math prodigy, Mary (Mckenna Grace, charmingly precocious), who is being raised by her uncle Frank (an impressive Chris Evans). He wants a normal life for Mary; her mother, also a math genius, was under pressure and committed suicide when Mary was a baby. So they live a simple life with their one-eyed cat in Florida, where Frank fixes boat engines; the grime under his nails (and the beer he swigs) suggest that heâs firmly rooted in the working class.
Yet Frank and Maryâs strong bond â one of the filmâs most convincing parts â is tested when he sends her off to the first grade. Sheâs been home-schooled, but Frank thinks itâs time she tried âbeing a kid.â While Mary can solve differential equations, she has less-than-advanced social skills and manners. Her teacher (Jenny Slate) recognizes her abilities immediately, and floats the idea that Mary would be better served at a prep school. Frank objects, but itâs too late: Soon Frankâs rich mother (a haughty Lindsay Duncan) arrives from Boston to usher Mary off to a life of higher learning. Next stop: the local court, where a fight for her âbest interestâ ensues, bogging down the story .....
A Los Angeles judge has rejected a request by the woman who was raped by director Roman Polanski 40 years ago to have the criminal case against him dismissed. Superior Court Judge Scott Gordon said in a ruling that Polanski remained a fugitive from justice and that the court could not dismiss a case "merely because it would be in the victim's best interest." The ruling follows the first appearance in June in the case by Samantha Geimer, who was 13 years old when Polanski sexually assaulted her in Los Angeles in 1977. The director, who admitted raping Geimer, spent 42 days in pre-trial custody. He then fled the United States, fearing a plea bargain with prosecutors would be overruled and that he would get a lengthy prison term. The "Chinatown" director, who turned 84 on Friday, has never returned and numerous attempts to strike a deal without him spending more time in prison have failed ....
I've been following this case for years. I'm glad the judge did not accept the victim's wish to have the crime "forgiven". I can understand why she might want to do that, but crimes like this are against society as well and society has a stake in seeing them prosecuted.
Sure, it happened a long time ago, and if this was a sex abuse case like the one involving Cardinal Pell, they would call it "historical" to distance it emotionally. But it did happen and the details of it are really awful, so please let's not try to turn the rapist into a victim, especially not because you're a director or actor who hopes Polanski will collaborate with you or put you in his next movie .... would you be doing this if that 13 year old had been your daughter? (Woody Allen is at the top of the list of those who want Polanski forgiven, no surprise, and I guess in his case, my rhetorical question would prompt a different than expected answer - yuck).
I took this photo in the backyard today. It didn't turn out very well and isn't in focus, but it still cracks me up to look at it ... Lucy the cat, surprised while cleaning her tummy :). She has such golden eyes ....
Today I unsubscribed from the Democratic National Committee's email list, the one they use to constantly nag me for money, because I won't support a political party that plans to officially fund pro-life candidates for office.
I understand the desperation to win Democratic seats in Congress, but the decision to throw women's rights under the bus in order to lure in pro-life Republican votes is just repugnant. What's next - funding racist candidates so we can scoop up all those bigot votes we missed in the last election?
I would rather not vote at all than vote for a pro-life candidate, because I believe one effing Republican party is more than enough. And I'm not alone ....
I've been reading/watching in the news about the trial in which Taylor Swift has accused a man of grabbing her behind ...
I'm glad she has chosen to make a public issue of this. I think it's probable that most women have experienced some level of sexual harassment at the workplace - I have - but many of us are not able to really redress it. What's disturbing is that using another person as your involuntary squeeze toy is often not seen as a serious violation. I know this because many Americans, including Catholics and Evangelical Christians, just knowingly voted for a professed pussy grabber for president.
This issue touches on the idea of bodily integrity, a concept which has informed issues not just of assault but also of torture, suicide, abortion, circumcision,. Some people think our bodies are the property of God or of society or of other people, but bodily integrity emphasizes the importance of personal autonomy and the self-determination of human beings over their own bodies. In the field of human rights, violation of the bodily integrity of another is regarded as an unethical infringement, intrusive, and possibly criminal.
Here's a bit from an article on the Taylor Swift trial ...
[...] For young fans of Swiftâs, hearing a beloved artist speak candidly about the emotional damage of sexual assault and stand up to a courtroom of men trying to prove her wrong could be a formative moment for their developing ideas of gender, sex, and accountability. Swift certainly has advantages most women who endure similar violations will never have: the money and time to mount a strong case against her alleged assailant, the jury-endearing privileges of white skin and a beautiful face, and millions of supporters rallying publicly behind her. And since heâs suing her for money and sheâs already one of the biggest superstars in the world, detractors canât argue, as they so often do in sexual-assault cases, that sheâs making up a story for money or fame.
But Swift also faces some of the same obstacles other assault survivors endure if they bring their perpetrators to court. She must relive a distressing moment over and over again to dozens of observers, recounting in detail how her body was allegedly touched without her consent, while lawyers on the other side try their hardest to make her look unreliable, petty, and fake. When McFarland asked her how she felt when Mueller got the boot from his job at the Denver radio station, Swift said she had no response. âI am not going to allow your client to make me feel like it is any way my fault, because it isnât,â she said. Later, she continued: âI am being blamed for the unfortunate events of his life that are a product of his decisions and not mine.â Women who allege sexual assault are scolded all the time for ruining menâs lives, even if those men are proven guilty. Swiftâs sharp testimony is a very visible condemnation of that common turn in cases like these. Thatâs an important message for women who may find themselves in Swiftâs position someday, and maybe even more so for the men whoâll be called on to support or rebuff them.
It documents efforts by the Unified Task Force to capture Somali faction leader Mohamed Farrah Aidid in 1993, and the resulting battle in Mogadishu between United States forces and Aidid's militia. One of the key events is the downing of two United States UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, from which the book derives its title, and the attempt to rescue their crews. United States forces included Army Rangers, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, 10th Mountain Division, Delta Force and Navy SEALs, with United Nations peacekeeping forces also involved.
The raid became the most intense close combat in U.S. military history since the Vietnam War. Although the particular mission to apprehend Aidid was officially codenamed Gothic Serpent, the media colloquially termed it the Battle of Mogadishu as well as the Battle of the Black Sea ...
I had seen the movie of the same name a few years ago and wrote a blog post about it: Somalia at the movies . That post goes into the historical details of the actual incident, if anyone is curious.
It's fairly interesting if only as a look at how modern warfare operates. I haven't yet read to the part where everything goes teribly wrong - the movie depiction of that part was pretty harrowing. This is kind of an atypical book choice for me because I have mixed feelings about the military itself and military engagements ... I suppose in some senses they are necessary but I cringe at what they must do to the heads and hearts of the people involved.
For those interested, here's a trailer of the movie version, to which Ebert gave 4 stars ...
a 2017 American monster film that is a reboot of the King Kong franchise and serves as the second film in Legendary's franchise MonsterVerse. The film stars an ensemble cast consisting of Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson, John Goodman, Brie Larson .... Kong follows a team of scientists and Vietnam War soldiers who travel to an uncharted island in the Pacific and encounter terrifying creatures and the mighty Kong.
Mostly I watched it because I wanted to see Tom Hiddleston in a role where he was a good guy instead of Thor's evil brother ;) .....
It was a pretty good monster movie. Set in the 70s just after the war in Vietnam, some scientists, some army helicopter guys, and a photographer and a British tracker (Hiddleston) investigate an uncharted island and find there a pilot whose plane had crashed in WWII, some indigenous people, and a lot of monsters. Many people get squished or impaled or eaten, and a few of the team survive and escape, because: the sequel. What's not to like?
