May 18, 2017
Getting Ready for Alien Covenant
Alien Covenant is finally here! So now’s a good time to catch up on all the related films in both the Alien and Predator franchises...
Movie title/year the film was released/time when majority of film takes place
- Predator/1987/1987
- Predator 2/1990/1997 (Bill Paxton is killed by a Predator)
- The Predator/2018/sometime between 1997 and 2010
- Alien vs Predator/2004/2004
- Aliens vs Predator Requiem/2004/2004
- Predators/2010/2010
- Prometheus/2012/2093
- Alien Covenant/2017/2104
- Alien/1979/2122
- Aliens/1986/2179 (Bill Paxton is killed by an Alien)
- Alien3/1992/2179
- Alien Resurrection/1997/2381
Next year we get to experience a new stand-alone Predator movie. This one, The Predator, is written and directed by Shane Black, who knows a thing or two about film making and Predators seeing as he portrayed one of the characters in the original film, and he's written/directed quite a few quality flicks including the first two Lethal Weapon films, The Nice Guys and Iron Man 3. Interestingly though, if it's true that this film will be set after Predator 2 and before Predators, then this will be the first Predator movie not set in either the current time or the future.
You should certainly check out the teaser Fox put our that bridges the events in Prometheus and Alien Covenant:
And this teaser that shows the crew of the Covenant enjoying a meal together...
Labels: Alien, Alien Covenant, movies, Predator, Prometheus, science fiction
May 15, 2017
Guardians of the Franchise
Well I did end up seeing Guardian's Vol 2, and while it was by no means a bad entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it was no where near as amazing as the original. It might not be fair to even make the comparison. After all, Guardian's Vol. 1 is in my view one of the best sci-fi films ever. It vastly transcends the MCU's other films in just being a solidly great film, perfectly balancing humor with adventure and nostalgia. It's a tall order to try to match that. So I wasn't too surprised that Vol. 2 didn't quite live up to the original, but it does seem to me that once a really cool unique film finds success that movie execs suddenly become risk-adverse. It's a shame. I wish they would just let the story continue taking us to really cool and unexpected narratives. But I guess they would rather stick to the script, to scrape in as much cash as possible using the techniques that are proven sucessful and ultimately boring.
The acting was great, the effects par for the course; it's just the story that was really flat. I also think there was a massive missed opportunity here [spoiler alert] in not connecting the story with other characters in the overall MCU, especially considering the several scenes depicting Earth. They could have easily shown Spidey or Nick Fury watching on TV as the strange phenomenon was occurring on Earth.
So overall, not bad but not even close to as awesome as Vol. 1. ... In other movie-related news, there is a new trailer for the Blade Runner sequel!
This is the only movie that really matters to me this year. Blade Runner is such an important film. It still has some of the most gorgeous imagery, the rain-drenched neon-lit dystopia. It has aged beautifully when compared to other films based on PKD's works. The story is deeply intriguing. The characters incredibly fascinating.
The sequel looks like it has everything going for it. A great cast featuring Ryan Gosling, and most importantly including Harrison Ford and Edward James Olmos reprising their roles. The cinematography from the trailers looks great. One of the writers (Micheal Green) contributed to Logan which was fantastic. The director (Denis Villeneuve) previously directed The Arrival which was also fantastic (he is also set to direct a new adaptation of Dune).
Labels: Blade Runner, Blade Runner 2049, Guardians of the Galaxy, Marvel Cinematic Universe, movies
May 4, 2017
May The Forth And Movie News
Since it's officially Star Wars Day I'm going to just say it: I think Rogue One is maybe the best Star Wars film! The characters are amazing! It's the only prequel to the original that we really need, and it's just a lot of fun. It certainly holds it's own with Empire, and Force Awakens. I am really excited to see The Last Jedi later this year!
In other news, this new trailer for Thor looks really great! I'm happy that it's directed by Taika Waititi who had a demonstrated talent with comedy (Eagle Vs Shark, Flight of the Conchords, What We Do in Shadows).
There is also a new Alien Covenant scene that connects the events of Prometheus with the next movie. This scene looks very intriguing to say the least. I hope Covenant expands on the world of the engineers.
What I'm most excited for really is Guardian's of the Galaxy Vol. 2, which opens tomorrow! I've been looking forward to this ever since I walked out of the theater after seeing Vol. 1.
Labels: Alien, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars, The Last Jedi