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So Ridley Scott is directing a Prometheus sequel... (The official Alien: Covenant Thread)


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In retrospect, I liked that Gone Girl fucked me about. Because for about 45 mins of its runtime it plays it dead straight, it feels like a standard gravely serious thriller, it's even quite dull. But then something happens and you suddenly realise Fincher is completely taking the piss! And that sets the tone for everything after. It's an exceedingly daft movie. 

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GONE GIRL is fine; certainly one of the better later Fincher films. But I'm mostly a fan of Fincher up to and including PANIC ROOM. I'm not that big a fan from ZODIAC onwards. Everything becomes too dialogue-heavy. Regardless of his creative control, ALIEN 3 remains my favourite with his name on it.

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Outside of Alien 3, I would say he's never made a bad film. Panic Room is suspiciously missing on blu. Twilight Time announced they were releasing it years ago with nothing to show for it. Give it to Criterion!

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3 hours ago, Thor said:

ALIEN 3 remains my favourite with his name on it.

 

Right on dude! :thumbup: ALIEN 3 is one criminally underrated mutha of a film.

My other fave Fincher's would be 

ZODIAC, GONE GIRL, and SE7EN. I love the "you're fucked" attitude of all of them, and Afleck is mesmerizing in GG.

I cannot decide whether FIGHT CLUB is a masterpiece, or pretentious drivel.

Answers on.

 

 

Ps Er...what's all this got to do with AC?

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14 hours ago, Jay said:

I don't really think it's fair to rank Alien 3 against the others because had no creative control over the script, sets, cast... He got the performances out of the actors others hired on the sets already built before he was hired and a script that couldn't really be changed, and I'm sure selected the cinematographer that gave it its look, but then didn't even have full creative control over post production either. 

 

True. It really wasn't his movie. He should have disowned it and put the blame on Alan Smithee!

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15 hours ago, Jay said:

 I'm sure selected the cinematographer that gave it its look...

 

Actually, Jay, he didn't. Jordan Cronenweth had to retire, and Alex Thompson took over, and shot the film to JC's specifications. The same happened to Claude Renoir, with MOONRAKER :(

 

1 hour ago, Koray Savas said:

He did disown it. Fox offered him the chance to edit it himself for the first anthology set years ago and he ignored them. 

 

So who did the extended cut? Terry Rawlings?

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5 minutes ago, Richard said:

 

Actually, Jay, he didn't. Jordan Cronenweth had to retire, and Alex Thompson took over, and shot the film to JC's specifications. 

 

 

So who did the extended cut? Terry Rawlings?

 

Notice how all these names are Ridley Scott artists. But you knew that, right?

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Sorry, Al, I don't remember Claude Renoir shooting a RS film...but...(rasping voice) I get the point, Lord! 

 

 

2 minutes ago, Stefancos said:

Weird that Fincher had so little creative control. Didnt Cameron have loads?

 

He had loads, and he had final cut, but the crew was against him. There's a telling bit on the documentary where he has a disagreement over a face-hugger, and a piece of fishing wire.

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24 minutes ago, Richard said:

 

He had loads, and he had final cut, but the crew was against him.

 

That's no excuse! The crew of Blade Runner was against Ridley Scott (in fact, it was some kind of war between the crew and the director) but that didn't stop the movie from becoming a classic.

 

(ah, you were talking about Cameron)

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As far as i remember, the age-old conflicts between the english and american work approach mainly result from fixed working hours and tea breaks that drove the muricans mad - especially with a perfectionist dictator like Cameron it must have been wicked fun on those last weeks of production on 'Aliens' (where he also busted Horner).

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No, but he does have a portrait of kd Lang, hanging above his mantelpiece.

 

 

2 hours ago, Alexcremers said:

 

That's no excuse! The crew of Blade Runner was against Ridley Scott (in fact, it was some kind of war between the crew and the director) but that didn't stop the movie from becoming a classic.

 

(ah, you were talking about Cameron)

 

 

"Yes, guv'nor" my ass!

 

It's interesting how a "troubled" shoot (BR, ALIENS, TESB) can produce great films.

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1 hour ago, Richard said:

 

It's interesting how a "troubled" shoot (BR, ALIENS, TESB) can produce great films.

 

Was the TESB crew against Lucas & Kershner?!

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1 hour ago, Richard said:

No, but was still a tough shoot, ...

 

That's not the same as a director having to fight crew and producers for every decision.

 

 

 

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No, he just had to fight the weather, his lead getting his face re-arranged, and illicit drugs. That's enough to be going on with. Oh, and GL breathing down his neck...

No wonder he said "no, thanks" to ROTJ.

There's a story in the"making of" book, where there's a bit of a falling-out, on the carbon freeze set. Its interesting reading.

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Ridley's already had the next sequel written, so he can start filming this/next year. He really doesn't want Alien 3.2 to happen, does he?

 

Quote

 

While working on Alien: Covenant, he had the next instalment written so he is ready to keep advancing the saga.

"You've got to assume to a certain extent success and from that you'd better be ready," he says. "You don't want a two-year gap. So I'll be ready to go again next year."

 

http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/movies/ridley-scott-promises-a-return-to-alienstyle-horror-in-alien-covenant-20170222-guj8wk.html

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Guess he's realised he might not have that many opportunities left to keep directing at this level?

 

I know these films are probably an easy payday from Fox but it would be nice to see him tackling some more challenging, original sci-fi stuff (in the vein of Blade Runner) rather than these sequels. I'm fine with seeing the Prometheus timeline continued but I think other filmmakers are more than capable of continuing from here (unless he's got some pretty out-there intentions for where this is all leading -- a plan he's seemingly abandoned).

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Of course, if Covenant turns out to be a really bad movie - with the world demanding that Scott retires from Hollywood - then this may be the last movie we'll ever see from him.

 

 

Remember, you heard it first from me!  ;)

 

 

Alex

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Well Prometheus was more polarizing than inherently bad. Even if the writing is occasionally poor, there's a lot going on thematically that's interesting to dissect.

 

Covenant appears to be more straightforward, visceral horror/sci-fi. Apparently that's what the masses wanted, so we'll have to see how that reflects at the box office.

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But thematically, everything's been done in science fiction. And generally speaking they're recurrent themes; life, creation, humanity, artificial intelligence.

 

Yes, other films have done a superior job exploring these topics (specifically creation, parenthood and eternal life), but I enjoyed how Prometheus presented a perverted distortion of them. 'Children' who want their parents dead, orphans whose parents died from cell-destroying illnesses, the choice of faith over science, not to mention the entire sexual/rape allegory of the aliens themselves.

 

Some of it is surface-level stuff (and they hit you over the head with it more than once) but it's still more interesting to me than most mainstream films these days. In most films, you're lucky if the protagonist has a character arc.

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1 hour ago, crumbs said:

 

But thematically, everything's been done in science fiction. And generally speaking they're recurrent themes; life, creation, humanity, artificial intelligence.

 

Yes, other films have done a superior job exploring these topics (specifically creation, parenthood and eternal life), but I enjoyed how Prometheus presented a perverted distortion of them. 'Children' who want their parents dead, orphans whose parents died from cell-destroying illnesses, the choice of faith over science, not to mention the entire sexual/rape allegory of the aliens themselves.

 

Some of it is surface-level stuff (and they hit you over the head with it more than once) but it's still more interesting to me than most mainstream films these days. In most films, you're lucky if the protagonist has a character arc.

 

Well said. There's a whole TON of things going on in that film, especially in terms of audiovisuals, that flies over most people's heads (or at least those who are more concerned with the socalled narrative "flaws" than to see the values beyond that). It's a spectacular film that just keeps on giving after each viewing (I've seen it at least 10 times by now). 

 

I'm reading so much cynicisim on this issue; here and elsewhere. What happened to the time we evaluated a piece of cinema on its own terms, rather than constantly saying "oh, only the original is worthwhile" or "everything used to be so much better back in the day"?

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2 hours ago, Daniel Clamp said:

AVP is better than Prometheus.

 

AVP is a B movie with a budget. It's not a good movie but the underground pyramid setting, the exploitative alien and predator battle make it an entertaining frolic. 

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3 hours ago, Alexcremers said:

 

AVP is a B movie with a budget. It's not a good movie but the underground pyramid setting, the exploitative alien and predator battle make it an entertaining frolic. 

 

Agreed. I quite like it for what it is -- although trying to incorporate it (and especially the sequel) within the existing timeline and canon is incredibly difficult.

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