PsyGuy Reviews

Burn Up (2008)

Thought provoking, thrilling, and relevant.

[8/10 · 11 June 2008]

I thought this was an excellent mini-series. It certainly managed to hold my attention. It was well acted with no notable exceptions. It was well paced, relevant, and frighteningly believable. I cannot say I know anything about this prior to catching it on TV, and I really don't have the background to suggest how factually accurate any aspect of this might be, but it certainly is an eye-opener and a possible starting place for people to become interested in the global politics and economics surrounding the existing establishment and the impact and importance of climate change and environmental awareness.

This sort of program is what I have been expecting a move towards in a supposedly educated, modern world. I honestly think individuals fail to realize the power they have in todays society. The ability for any of us individually or collectively have our voices heard in a global forum via television, and in more recent times, the internet, is something we all conveniently manage to forget in our own personal pursuit of entertainment. Programs like this use the oft wasted resources not only to entertain, but to engage us, and even help to educate us to the fragile nature of the world we have helped to forge. At the end, we get to back to our self-indulgent lifestyle, but perhaps feeling a bit more consciously aware of our own silent participation and perpetuation of the status quo. I believe this mini-series challenges us to face the facts by confronting us with the cold reality that no matter what the ultimate reason ends up being, things will not just continue on the way they presently do. If were smart and bold enough, we will prepare ourselves to meet the challenges and deal with the issues before it is forced upon us, ready or not.

Aliens (1986)

This is my number one favorite movie of all time!!

[10/10 · 21 November 2005]

This is quite possibly the best movie ever made. This sequel to the the sci-fi horror Alien, has often been referred to as more of a sci-fi action then a horror itself. While there may be some truth to this, this film still has many areas which are quite frightening. It might be better classified as a thriller or suspense though then action. Unlike an action film, this film starts out fairly slowly. Aside from one frightening scene early on, nothing specifically scary or action orientated happens for a rather large portion of the movie. The film relies on the viewers knowledge of the first film to help it build up the tension for the eventual inevitable confrontation.

Ellen Ripley, the sole-survivor of the events of the first film is found in cryo sleep 57 years after she escaped the horror of discovering an alien life form dangerous enough to be a threat to the human race if it were ever to find its way to civilization. Instead of her warnings being taken seriously, she is shocked to discover that in her absence, a terraforming colony of families has been established on the very world where her original crew discovered the aliens. She is punished by the "company" for her participation in destroying their cargo ship and begins a humdrum new life while dealing with the trauma of her experiences.

When all contact with the colony is lost and she is given the opportunity to redeem herself. The aliens have robbed her of her crew mates, her daughter (who has grown old and died while she drifted around in cryo sleep), and her career. Only she seems to understand the gravity of the threat that they pose. She realizes that the company (who had attempted to get a hold of an alien specimen in the first film) could still be trying to gather a specimen for their research. This combined with her motivation for payback leads her to accept the offer of returning to the now colonized planet to help wipe out the species. It becomes more clear to her during the journey that she is the only person who has not underestimated the hostility of the aliens.

She journeys to the planet with a group of enthusiastic but underwhelmed group of combat marines who believe that they can deal with anything. They are led by an inexperienced lieutenant and have brought along a representative of the company as well as an android. Since an android was partly responsible for the downfall of her first crew (it was ordered to capture and return the alien at the expense of the crew) Ripley feels uneasy about the mission and we see parallels to the events of the first movie. The major difference here is that while the first movie dealt with one alien, it seems likely that they are proceeding to their encounter with well over 100 of these creatures.

The colony is reached and the search for what happened is under way. There is evidence of a fight but no one or no bodies left to find. The evidence that the aliens were responsible begins to pile up and eventually the marines discover where the colonists have ended up. It is at this point that the aliens finally appear and in large numbers. It is also at this point that the film really begins to distinguish itself from the style of its predecessor. What ensues is a battle to survive where the tension is replaced somewhat by the action. Finally (and almost too late) Ripley's concerns are recognized as valid and she finds herself in a position where she must help to lead the marines actions before she becomes just another victim of the aliens.

This movie works incredibly well on many levels. One of the key elements surrounds the strengths of the female character. Part of this is brought to the forefront when one survivor is found (a young girl approximately the age of Ripley's own daughter when last she saw her) I have never before or since seen a movie with such a strong female lead where I found the character so convincing. Weaver who portrayed this character deservedly received an Oscar nomination for the role. The direction is flawless. The payoff when the aliens are finally revealed is worth the anticipation alone. The characters are varied and interesting. Some may seem a little clichéd now but it was more likely that it was movies using this as a template for success which made them a bit clichéd after the fact.

It is unfortunate that you only get to watch this for the first time once, but this movie stands up extremely well to repeated viewings. I've been watching it almost once week for years and I never seem to tire of it.

Alien (1979)

One of the greatest, scariest movies of all time. Must be seen in widescreen.

[10/10 · 21 November 2005]

Alien is a sci-fi horror movie. By todays standards this movie might seem to start out a bit slow. First time viewers should understand that this is a part of the style that makes this movie stand out amongst the others in this genre. The movie takes its time setting itself up a a science fiction film. It doesn't presume that viewer will already understand things which have over time become standardized in these types of films. This gradual transition from science fiction to horror builds up a tension that the rapid paced editing and fast jumping plots of most modern movies can never hope to achieve. The overall effect you become familiar with the characters and drawn into the environment in which they live completely. By the time things happen, you care about the characters and can feel their fear and tension.

Some of the early scenes initially appear to be the standard attempts at creating a certain "Wow" factor in the viewer, such as the exterior shots of the "Nostromo" (the commercial mining vessel where the movie begins). This is actually far from the truth however. The way these scenes are developed, with the use of sound (or lack thereof) and music, serves to set a tone of bleak desolation and solitude. This hostile environment is truly what makes the situation the characters will have to endure even more desperate and terrifying. Their smaller craft detaches itself from the larger, making their level of comfort and safety appear ever smaller. With heir landing craft damaged during the decent, they land on a planet where the atmosphere is described as "almost primordial" in order to investigate an apparent distress signal. Three crew members finally brave the 2 kilometer trek to the signals origin. Trapped in the tiny self-contained environments of their suits, an untold distance from known civilization, these people are now as isolated as any person could ever imagine.

This then, is the setting for where the horror begins. The signal they have been diverted to investigate is coming from a derelict ship that seems to have crashed in this wasteland. As they approach, their transmissions to their waiting companions on the drop ship are slowly disrupted until they are no longer possible, further isolating them. When one of the three separates from the group to investigate another part of the ship, they discover something mankind has never encountered before, something completely alien, unexpectedly hostile, and frightening.

The entire movie is filmed in a manner that seems to make all of these imaginary locations look realistic and believable. The ships are claustrophobic and have a lived in look. The people are simply going about what initially seems to be routine business, oblivious to what is coming. Their surprise is ours as the events unfold. Their reactions are honest as they are completely unprepared for what is happening. Their fear is felt as slowly they begin to realize just how trapped and vulnerable they are when they begin to get an idea of what they are up against. The sound, lighting, and slowly panned visuals all serve to reinforce the setting and mood that has been created.

There's no need to delve any further into the substance of the plot. For those who have yet to witness this movie, I can only add that you are in for a treat. This is, without a doubt in my mind, the best movie of its type. Even after all these years since it was released, there is very little within it that doesn't still manage to look great. The director is to be commended on this awesome film, which has been referred by many, and accurately if I do say so, as a masterpiece. Please note that the only way to view this film is in its original aspect ratio whether you view the original theatrical release or the 2003 slightly altered version. I've watched many many films in both manners before, but none that lose so much in the transition to television. If you have not seen this film in widescreen, then you have not seen this film at all.