Watched on Friday October 4, 2024.

Watched on Wednesday October 2, 2024.

Watched on Wednesday October 2, 2024.

Although I've technically watched the first two films in the series, it was so far back before my film-student metamorphosis that this might as well be my first Aliens film – and what a great first impression! I'll try and keep this mostly spoiler free:

On a miserable mining planet where the sun never shines, protective sister Rain and her meek brother Andy plan on leaving the hell-hole which rendered them orphans. However, despite having fulfilled their end of the contract, the Weyland-Yutani corporation rejects their space visa outta here, because – you'll never believe it – corporations don't care about you.

Luckily, it just so happens that her blue-collar friends have discovered an abandoned corpo ship floating in the planet's orbit, which – if they can get to first – could be their cryo-ticket straight to greener pastures.

Obviously they couldn't have known that ship was secretly a Xenomorph research facility, or the specific circumstances that lead to it's "abandonment" (spoilers - but the Xenomorphs didn't ask to take over politely).

Shit goes down, because that's what shit does, and they find themselves trapped on the station. They must cross the alien-infested facilities and make it to their ship before the whole station drifts into the celestial cheese grater that is their planet's asteroid belt, or get skewered by an alien trying.

The plot is super tight - everything that happens feels consequential, and has rippling effects throughout the film. The main driving tension in the film is between between the emotional decision-making of the crew not responding well against the utalitarianistic androids. Panic, compassion and huberis are as much to blame for their pitfalls as the rational, calculated efforts of algorythms bent on protecting them (until they don't).

On that note, performances. The supporting cast breathe enough life into their roles to get you on board with their supposed kinship, and our stand-in Ripley does a great job here as well. The true standout here is David Johnsson as Andy – effortlessly rebooting his performance from a loveable, malfunctioning Baymax to an apathetic, profit-driven Terminator as others hijack his prime directives for their own ambitions. The way face contorts and twitches is unnerving, ever-processing and scheming. If nothing else, this performance alone is worth the price of admission.

As expected, the production design is brilliant. There's all the retro-futurist machinery whirling on the station, with it's keypads and levers that click and boop and tickle your brain in all the best ways – contrasted by the biomechanical and vaginal horrors of H.R. Giger. In short, it's Star Wars impregnated by a freudian nightmare.

The all-consuming gore-nest of the Xenomorphs is oppressive, dark, and fuckin' scary. It's not as claustrophobic as I remember the original feeling – but most importantly, it feels tangible: like someone actually lived and worked and died in this place. Now we're crawling through their remains - and they do, we feel the sweat dripping from their backs, and the acid spittle of the Xenomorphs sizzling through flesh and steel alike.

I'd say that is in no small part thanks to the phenomenal practical puppetry at play – seeing these techniques in a modern blockbuster is quite refreshing to say the least.

This is maybe a bit random, but I feel like there is something kind of game-y about the film. From it's mechanical lock-and-key progression ("find-the-dead-scientist-which-will-give-you-clearance-to-open-the-door"); the clever mechanics woven into its set-pieces; down to the floaty-ness of the camera. That's not an insult, by the way – it specifically reminded me of one of my favourite games: Pray, developed by Arkane Austin (Rest in Peace). It's a testiment to the cultural infulence the originals that I can find traces of it spreading into other mediums, even.

The criticism I've heard around this film is that in trying to create a faithful sequel to the originals, it delivers nothing more than a homogenised heap of nostalgia pulled from better entries in the series. This is no better encapsulated than by the needless re-casting of the late Ian Holm as one of the movie's antagonists because – you'll never believe it – companies don't care about your legacy.

I didn't know about the source material it pulled from as I watched it, and felt it still delivered a fun, tight and gripping cinema experience. I have no idea how I'll feel about this movie the further I dive into the franchise's back catalogue – but for what it's worth, this film has me excited to find out.

Watched on Wednesday September 4, 2024.

Watched on Monday August 26, 2024.

Watched on Friday August 23, 2024.

Watched on Wednesday July 31, 2024.

Feminist take on Wake in Freight, great thriller.

Foundational lesbian cinema

Watched on Tuesday May 14, 2024.

Watched on Wednesday March 20, 2024.

Watched on Wednesday March 13, 2024.

Watched on Sunday March 10, 2024.

The casting agent deserves a raise because holy shit, where do you find a child that can pull off a performance like this? Great writing too, with one of the best anti-climactic endings I've seen

Watched on Wednesday February 28, 2024.

Watched on Wednesday February 28, 2024.

Watched on Wednesday March 6, 2024.

Freud bricked up

What a stunning opening sequence (!!!)

Irregardless of what you think of the third act (well intentioned but not as effective in execution, in my opinion), this film is a reminder of the power that cinematography and visual storytelling can have on how we feel the story.

I’m conflicted on this one: there are so many individual scenes and interactions that are incredibly interesting and insightful in a bubble, but by the end I can’t help but feel like the film is lesser than the sum of its parts.

Will have to watch again to fully wrap my head around it.

I can’t believe the whole movie was a set up for the fucking midget

Watched on Monday December 26, 2022.

Watched on Saturday December 10, 2022.

Wowowowow!!! Every department was firing on all cylinders to provide the most gripping cinema experience I’ve had since Everything Everywhere All At Once. Super super impressed with the production design (the house through the mist is immediately iconic), the sound design was immersive af, and the story was engaging the whole way through, somehow providing satisfying closure to the question of “how the fuck are they going to wrap this up?” I’m falling asleep because I haven’t slept in 2 days but wow, I’m blown away, will watch it again on a bigger screen ASAP

Watched on Monday August 8, 2022.

The cool thing about babysitting is that I'm forced to watch or rewatch silly children's films I wouldn't otherwise. Almost every time time I'm surprised by how good they are, really, and Kung Fu panda is no exception.

Simple premise wonderfully realised through freeform structure, immersive special effects and a charming performance that all sold the world beautifully.

Watched on Wednesday July 27, 2022.

A soulless Wall-E clone in which things just... happen

A dissapointing effort from Pixar, who's world-building feels incomplete, who's macguffins are underdeveloped and who's emotional punches feel undeserved.

Watched on Tuesday July 26, 2022.

It feels like a GOMA art installation in the best way possible. Utterly mesmerising, gorgeously animated and endlessly replay-able, it demonstrates the cyclical nature in which societies rise and fall in a tight 9 minutes.

Gorgeous Gorgeous Gorgeous. If I could buy an animated print of this somehow I would plaster this in the centre of my living room.

Motorbike go *V R O O M*

Seriously though: despite having no plot, its very impressive visual effect never ceased to mesmerise me.

Princess Mononoke is my idol

Mans must have gotten the worst post nut clarity known to man

Watched on Monday July 18, 2022.

Goddamn, Mjölnir really dropped it’s standards huh?

Cute and immersive short film with lots of subtle commentary.

WOFHASL;GJAE;OGJASL;KGJ;AOEGJL'ASJGAEG

Lovely, lovely film.

still great shit.

Watched on Tuesday February 1, 2022.

Moral of the story: Fuck British People

Michel Poiccard is the most bricked up man in cinema history

Watched on Sunday May 29, 2022.

Watched on Sunday May 29, 2022.

only reason this gets a full star is because I want whatever the writers were on when making this fever dream

This review may contain spoilers.

Brad Pitt makes getting shot three times in the chest and blown up by two grenades look like his beauty routine

Watched on Tuesday May 24, 2022.