(Welcome to Tales from the Box Office, our column that examines box office miracles, disasters, and everything in between, as well as what we can learn from them.)
"In space, no one can hear you scream." Few cinematic taglines have managed to become as immediately identifiable as this one. While it needs no introduction, the tagline was attached to director Ridley Scott's seminal 1979 classic, "Alien." Regardless of genre, it is one of the most highly regarded and influential films ever made. It was also, not for nothing, a huge hit in its day, only to become an even bigger hit as the years have rolled on. Put plainly, it's one of the most important box office success stories in history.
"I thought it was a small movie," said Sigourney Weaver, the film's lead, in an interview with Reuters in 2019. "It had a tiny cast and a brilliant young director.
"In space, no one can hear you scream." Few cinematic taglines have managed to become as immediately identifiable as this one. While it needs no introduction, the tagline was attached to director Ridley Scott's seminal 1979 classic, "Alien." Regardless of genre, it is one of the most highly regarded and influential films ever made. It was also, not for nothing, a huge hit in its day, only to become an even bigger hit as the years have rolled on. Put plainly, it's one of the most important box office success stories in history.
"I thought it was a small movie," said Sigourney Weaver, the film's lead, in an interview with Reuters in 2019. "It had a tiny cast and a brilliant young director.
- 5/25/2024
- by Ryan Scott
- Slash Film
Alien – © 2024 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
If you’ve been reading this site for awhile, you know we celebrate “Alien Day” ever since it’s inception a few years ago.
Alien Day was created by a Sci-Fi subculture of people who wanted to honor not only the Alien film series. The first “unofficial” Alien Day was celebrated in the spring of 2015 by a group of folks in Brooklyn, New York, USA
https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/alien-day/#:~:text=Alien%20Day%20was%20created%20by,Brooklyn%2C%20New%20York%2C%20Usa.
The setting for Aliens took place on Lv-426 (the name of the moon where the xenomorphs are discovered in the 1979 film). Sci-Fi fans embraced it and made it the official day to celebrate every year.
In celebration of the 45th anniversary of Ridley Scott’s 1979 sci-fi/horror masterpiece “Alien,” the film will return to theaters for a limited time...
If you’ve been reading this site for awhile, you know we celebrate “Alien Day” ever since it’s inception a few years ago.
Alien Day was created by a Sci-Fi subculture of people who wanted to honor not only the Alien film series. The first “unofficial” Alien Day was celebrated in the spring of 2015 by a group of folks in Brooklyn, New York, USA
https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/alien-day/#:~:text=Alien%20Day%20was%20created%20by,Brooklyn%2C%20New%20York%2C%20Usa.
The setting for Aliens took place on Lv-426 (the name of the moon where the xenomorphs are discovered in the 1979 film). Sci-Fi fans embraced it and made it the official day to celebrate every year.
In celebration of the 45th anniversary of Ridley Scott’s 1979 sci-fi/horror masterpiece “Alien,” the film will return to theaters for a limited time...
- 4/16/2024
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Before Fede Alvarez’s Alien: Romulus gives the franchise a brand new installment this coming August, Ridley Scott’s original horror classic Alien is headed back to theaters nationwide.
The Alien: 45th Anniversary Re-Release haunts theaters for “Alien Day” on Friday, April 26, 2024! You can check listings and grab tickets through Fandango now.
In celebration of the 45th anniversary of Ridley Scott’s 1979 sci-fi/horror masterpiece, the film will return to theaters for a limited time on April 26, known worldwide as Alien Day.
Plus, before the film, attendees will see “Alien: A Conversation with Ridley Scott & Fede Alvarez,” where Fede Alvarez sits down with Ridley Scott to discuss the film that started the iconic franchise.
You can watch a clip from that special bonus feature down below. In this clip, Ridley Scott and Fede Alvarez discuss the film’s iconic Chestburster scene. One person who couldn’t believe his eyes back in 1979? Stanley Kubrick!
The Alien: 45th Anniversary Re-Release haunts theaters for “Alien Day” on Friday, April 26, 2024! You can check listings and grab tickets through Fandango now.
In celebration of the 45th anniversary of Ridley Scott’s 1979 sci-fi/horror masterpiece, the film will return to theaters for a limited time on April 26, known worldwide as Alien Day.
Plus, before the film, attendees will see “Alien: A Conversation with Ridley Scott & Fede Alvarez,” where Fede Alvarez sits down with Ridley Scott to discuss the film that started the iconic franchise.
You can watch a clip from that special bonus feature down below. In this clip, Ridley Scott and Fede Alvarez discuss the film’s iconic Chestburster scene. One person who couldn’t believe his eyes back in 1979? Stanley Kubrick!
- 4/16/2024
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
Burbank, Calif., February 15, 2023 – As part of the year-long centennial celebration for the 100th anniversary of Warner Bros. Studio, three classic and beloved films from the Warner Bros. library – The Maltese Falcon, Cool Hand Luke, and Rebel Without a Cause – will be available for purchase on 4K Ultra HD Disc and Digital this April.
On April 4, The Maltese Falcon and Cool Hand Luke will be available to purchase on Ultra HD Blu-ray™ Disc from online and in-store at major retailers and available for purchase Digitally from Amazon Prime Video, AppleTV, Google Play, Vudu and more.
On April 4, Rebel Without a Cause will be available to purchase on Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc from online and in-store at major retailers. On April 18 it will be available for purchase Digitally from Amazon Prime Video, AppleTV, Google Play, Vudu and more.
The Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc will include each feature film in 4K with Hdr...
On April 4, The Maltese Falcon and Cool Hand Luke will be available to purchase on Ultra HD Blu-ray™ Disc from online and in-store at major retailers and available for purchase Digitally from Amazon Prime Video, AppleTV, Google Play, Vudu and more.
On April 4, Rebel Without a Cause will be available to purchase on Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc from online and in-store at major retailers. On April 18 it will be available for purchase Digitally from Amazon Prime Video, AppleTV, Google Play, Vudu and more.
The Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc will include each feature film in 4K with Hdr...
- 2/20/2023
- by ComicMix Staff
- Comicmix.com
This article contains Alien spoilers
They say that in space, no one can hear you scream. For those who’ve watched Ridley Scott’s Alien, you’ll know that isn’t the case – with this sci-fi staple “screaming” about its legacy for the past 43 years. Making a household name of Sigourney Weaver as Lt. Ellen Ripley, Alien is tightly held as one of the all-time horror greats.
Although the franchise has since spun off into sequels, prequels, and those maligned Alien Vs Predator crossovers, it all returns to the Uscss Nostromo and its doomed crew. While it’s ironic that the titular alien is only on the screen for a total of four minutes, this isn’t the only factoid to slither from behind the scenes. Here are 10 things you might not know about Alien.
1. What’s in a Name?
There’s something simplistic about the name Alien, and now,...
They say that in space, no one can hear you scream. For those who’ve watched Ridley Scott’s Alien, you’ll know that isn’t the case – with this sci-fi staple “screaming” about its legacy for the past 43 years. Making a household name of Sigourney Weaver as Lt. Ellen Ripley, Alien is tightly held as one of the all-time horror greats.
Although the franchise has since spun off into sequels, prequels, and those maligned Alien Vs Predator crossovers, it all returns to the Uscss Nostromo and its doomed crew. While it’s ironic that the titular alien is only on the screen for a total of four minutes, this isn’t the only factoid to slither from behind the scenes. Here are 10 things you might not know about Alien.
1. What’s in a Name?
There’s something simplistic about the name Alien, and now,...
- 11/18/2022
- by Kirsten Howard
- Den of Geek
Ridley Scott's sci-fi slasher-in-space "Alien" recently celebrated its 40th birthday in 2019. The 1979 classic is not only hailed as one of the scariest films of all time, but boasts one of the most impressive casts in a horror movie. A mishmash of personalities and temperaments were necessary to sell the story of an interstellar freight crew that answers a mysterious signal from a nearby moon. The band of white-and-blue-collar pros include Captain Dallas, Executive Officer Kane, Warrant Officer Ripley, Navigator Lambert, Science Officer Ash, and engineers Parker and Brett, few of whom would make it past the monster promised in the title.
When the time came to cast the crew of the Nostromo, Scott needed an array of non-archetypal performances that departed from the usual sci-fi parameters. He wanted a spectrum of character actors that would reflect a future dominated less by tribalism and more by corporations.
Some actors, like Tom Skerritt,...
When the time came to cast the crew of the Nostromo, Scott needed an array of non-archetypal performances that departed from the usual sci-fi parameters. He wanted a spectrum of character actors that would reflect a future dominated less by tribalism and more by corporations.
Some actors, like Tom Skerritt,...
- 10/1/2022
- by Anya Stanley
- Slash Film
Here's another installment featuring Joe Dante's reviews from his stint as a critic for Film Bulletin circa 1969-1974. Our thanks to Video Watchdog and Tim Lucas for his editorial embellishments!
Post-production tampering mitigates against this Western by Sam Peckinpah finding its deserved reception from better-class audiences. Shortened release version is vague, confusing, and is being sold as routine action entry in saturation breaks where it should perform routinely, no more. Kris Kristofferson and acting debut of Bob Dylan provide youth lures. Rating: R.
“It feels like times have changed,” says Pat Garrett. “Times, maybe—not me," says Billy the Kid. A classical Sam Peckinpah exchange, reflecting one of the numerous obsessive themes that run through his latest Western. But times certainly haven’t changed for Peckinpah—for, despite the overdue success of his last venture, The Getaway, the embattled and iconoclastic director who revolutionized the Western with The Wild Bunch...
Post-production tampering mitigates against this Western by Sam Peckinpah finding its deserved reception from better-class audiences. Shortened release version is vague, confusing, and is being sold as routine action entry in saturation breaks where it should perform routinely, no more. Kris Kristofferson and acting debut of Bob Dylan provide youth lures. Rating: R.
“It feels like times have changed,” says Pat Garrett. “Times, maybe—not me," says Billy the Kid. A classical Sam Peckinpah exchange, reflecting one of the numerous obsessive themes that run through his latest Western. But times certainly haven’t changed for Peckinpah—for, despite the overdue success of his last venture, The Getaway, the embattled and iconoclastic director who revolutionized the Western with The Wild Bunch...
- 8/6/2015
- by Joe Dante
- Trailers from Hell
Avco Center Cinemas, Westwood, CA
On Friday, director Ridley Scott arrived in Sydney, Australia, reportedly to scout for locations for Prometheus 2.
Prometheus (2012) starred Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron and Idris Elba, was well received by critics and subsequently a box office hit. The sequel is scheduled for a release in March 2016.
I’ll bet Scott never thought in a million years that he’d be scouting locations for another Alien movie almost 35 years to the day after the original hit theaters.
Jump back to opening weekend… May 25, 1979. “In space no one can hear you scream”
I was a 12 year girl when my mother, after much pleading, took me to the Showcase Cinemas in East Hartford, Ct on that Friday night. These were the days prior to the words “spoilers” and “internet” when audiences went into a film blind and when parents didn’t take their children to R rated movies.
On Friday, director Ridley Scott arrived in Sydney, Australia, reportedly to scout for locations for Prometheus 2.
Prometheus (2012) starred Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron and Idris Elba, was well received by critics and subsequently a box office hit. The sequel is scheduled for a release in March 2016.
I’ll bet Scott never thought in a million years that he’d be scouting locations for another Alien movie almost 35 years to the day after the original hit theaters.
Jump back to opening weekend… May 25, 1979. “In space no one can hear you scream”
I was a 12 year girl when my mother, after much pleading, took me to the Showcase Cinemas in East Hartford, Ct on that Friday night. These were the days prior to the words “spoilers” and “internet” when audiences went into a film blind and when parents didn’t take their children to R rated movies.
- 5/25/2014
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
I remember being scared to death of Ridley Scott's Alien when I was a kid. To be honest, it still scares me a bit to this day. You would think that most of the facts surrounding it's filming would be common knowledge to fans. Oddly enough, I did not know the following list of ten things that io9 put together. From The Who's involvement in the film to Sigourney Weaver's audition outfit, there are some awesome facts below.
Here is the list featured in a new book titled Alien Vault: The Definitive Story of the Making of the Film:
That famous "chestburster" scene was just as horrifying for the actors. None of them quite knew what was coming, as you might have heard. The book is full of great details about how far Ridley Scott went to keep them in the dark. "If the actor is justacting terrified,...
Here is the list featured in a new book titled Alien Vault: The Definitive Story of the Making of the Film:
That famous "chestburster" scene was just as horrifying for the actors. None of them quite knew what was coming, as you might have heard. The book is full of great details about how far Ridley Scott went to keep them in the dark. "If the actor is justacting terrified,...
- 10/18/2011
- by Tiberius
- GeekTyrant
A little movie sustenance for those late-night cravings:
"Harry Potter" star Emma Watson was shocked that playing the brainy Hermione was so lucrative. Although she got a $75/week allowance, at 17 her dad sat her down for a talk. Nope, not the birds and the bees. She's apparently worth $32 million. [People]
Brad Pitt had such a good experience on "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford," he's reuniting with the director Andrew Dominik for a comedy this time around. In "Cogan's Trade," he'll play an enforcer that will stick his nose into a heist that takes place during a mob-protected high stakes poker game. [The Hollywood Reporter]
Meryl Streep in a wife beater battling aliens? It could have happened. On the "Alien" anthology Blu-Ray release, producer Gordon Carroll reveals that Streep and Sigourney Weaver were both considered for the part of Ripley, but since Streep's longtime companion at the time had died,...
"Harry Potter" star Emma Watson was shocked that playing the brainy Hermione was so lucrative. Although she got a $75/week allowance, at 17 her dad sat her down for a talk. Nope, not the birds and the bees. She's apparently worth $32 million. [People]
Brad Pitt had such a good experience on "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford," he's reuniting with the director Andrew Dominik for a comedy this time around. In "Cogan's Trade," he'll play an enforcer that will stick his nose into a heist that takes place during a mob-protected high stakes poker game. [The Hollywood Reporter]
Meryl Streep in a wife beater battling aliens? It could have happened. On the "Alien" anthology Blu-Ray release, producer Gordon Carroll reveals that Streep and Sigourney Weaver were both considered for the part of Ripley, but since Streep's longtime companion at the time had died,...
- 11/3/2010
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Pop2it
Oscar-winning actress Meryl Streep came thisclose to stealing the iconic role of Officer Ripley away from her Yale Drama School rival Sigourney Weaver. On the new Blu-ray release of the classic, Alien franchise producer Gordon Carroll says both actresses were in the running. "The first woman was Meryl Streep [but] Meryl's long-time companion [John Cazale] had just died, and I did not feel that she should be asked to come in from the country. [...] The other woman was, of course, Sigourney Weaver." Any chance Meryl would take on Ripley in those Alien prequels? Enh, never mind. [Blastr.com]...
- 11/2/2010
- Movieline - TVline
The true treasures of the Charles De Lauzrika Alien franchise documentaries on the new Alien Anthology Blu-ray release prove to be in the offcuts and the additions to the existing versions of the original DVD Anthology docs. There are numerous nuggets for the genuine Alien buff, including an actual look at Richard E. Grant screen-testing on set for the role that Charles Dance won in David Fincher's Alien 3 (with the casting of Paul McGann and Ralph Brown in Alien 3, the producers were only short of Grant and Richard Griffiths for staging Withnail and I in space).
Well, I'll save some of the others for the late review that's coming, but it's interesting also to find out in the offcuts section of the Blu-ray that Meryl Streep was one of only two Broadway actresses that Ridley Scott had been due to see in New York for the role...
Well, I'll save some of the others for the late review that's coming, but it's interesting also to find out in the offcuts section of the Blu-ray that Meryl Streep was one of only two Broadway actresses that Ridley Scott had been due to see in New York for the role...
- 11/2/2010
- Shadowlocked
We've ogled them in "The Fifth Element", laughed at them in "Men in Black" and nuked 'em in "Starship Troopers". Now it's time to get cuddly with them.
So far, 1997 has been the Year of the Aliens in big-budget science-fiction movies, and the aptly titled "Alien Resurrection" checks in with enough slime, gore and scary monster-flick moments to satisfy undemanding audiences. But it's an ugly, animated corpse of a movie stitched together from the other three films in the 20th Century Fox series, even as it follows the direction taken in "Alien3" to its next ghastly stage.
Not the best in the series, but in some ways the most ambitious, "Alien Resurrection" is a mixed bag of stilted humor, repetitive action and successfully more repulsive encounters with alien-human mutations. Strong awareness should help pump up its Thanksgiving-weekend opening numbers, but the American debut of French director Jean-Pierre Jeunet ("The City of Lost Children") won't substantially outperform the previous "Alien" production, released in 1992.
From pesky leaping babies fresh from their eggs to a large artificially created queen (retrieved from a clone of the series' heroine, who sacrificed her life at the end of the last disappointing installment), "Alien Resurrection" is as cynical about human motives as its predecessors, but it's the most sympathetic toward the killer species regularly butchering franchise lead player Sigourney Weaver's male co-stars.
Maybe die-hard genre followers will embrace the grotesque agenda and the endless grisly attacks, but the whole project is a notch or two lower in the writing department.
Not to worry, fans, there is a repeat of the gut-busting that highlighted the first film and a climactic alien birth scene that tries hard to gross out viewers. Unfortunately, the last frightful surprise is borderline laughable, and one has lost interest even when the alien-infested research ship on which the film is set heads toward Earth.
Looking way out of place and not terribly convincing, but trying her best, Winona Ryder as an odd crew member with a secret is dominated by Weaver in their scenes together and mostly overwhelmed by the production. Weaver, with her sleek body and cool demeanor, is hardly the motherly female action hero she blossomed into in "Aliens", but there's no denying she's in a groove with the character. All the best aspects of the film are hers.
ALIEN RESURRECTION
20th Century Fox
A Brandywine production
Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Screenwriter: Joss Whedon
Based on characters created by: Dan O'Bannon, Ronald Shusett
Producers: Gordon Carroll, David Giler, Walter Hill, Bill Badalato
Director of photography: Darius Khondji
Production designer: Nigel Phelps
Editor: Herve Schneid
Alien effects: Alec Gillis, Tom Woodruff Jr.
Music: John Frizzell
Visual effects supervisors: Pitof Henry,
Erik Henry
Costume designer: Bob Ringwood
Casting: Rick Pagano
Color/stereo
Cast:
Ripley: Sigourney Weaver
Call: Winona Ryder
Johner: Ron Perlman
Elgyn: Michael Wincott
General Perez: Dan Hedaya
Gediman: Brad Dourif
Running time -- 107 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
So far, 1997 has been the Year of the Aliens in big-budget science-fiction movies, and the aptly titled "Alien Resurrection" checks in with enough slime, gore and scary monster-flick moments to satisfy undemanding audiences. But it's an ugly, animated corpse of a movie stitched together from the other three films in the 20th Century Fox series, even as it follows the direction taken in "Alien3" to its next ghastly stage.
Not the best in the series, but in some ways the most ambitious, "Alien Resurrection" is a mixed bag of stilted humor, repetitive action and successfully more repulsive encounters with alien-human mutations. Strong awareness should help pump up its Thanksgiving-weekend opening numbers, but the American debut of French director Jean-Pierre Jeunet ("The City of Lost Children") won't substantially outperform the previous "Alien" production, released in 1992.
From pesky leaping babies fresh from their eggs to a large artificially created queen (retrieved from a clone of the series' heroine, who sacrificed her life at the end of the last disappointing installment), "Alien Resurrection" is as cynical about human motives as its predecessors, but it's the most sympathetic toward the killer species regularly butchering franchise lead player Sigourney Weaver's male co-stars.
Maybe die-hard genre followers will embrace the grotesque agenda and the endless grisly attacks, but the whole project is a notch or two lower in the writing department.
Not to worry, fans, there is a repeat of the gut-busting that highlighted the first film and a climactic alien birth scene that tries hard to gross out viewers. Unfortunately, the last frightful surprise is borderline laughable, and one has lost interest even when the alien-infested research ship on which the film is set heads toward Earth.
Looking way out of place and not terribly convincing, but trying her best, Winona Ryder as an odd crew member with a secret is dominated by Weaver in their scenes together and mostly overwhelmed by the production. Weaver, with her sleek body and cool demeanor, is hardly the motherly female action hero she blossomed into in "Aliens", but there's no denying she's in a groove with the character. All the best aspects of the film are hers.
ALIEN RESURRECTION
20th Century Fox
A Brandywine production
Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Screenwriter: Joss Whedon
Based on characters created by: Dan O'Bannon, Ronald Shusett
Producers: Gordon Carroll, David Giler, Walter Hill, Bill Badalato
Director of photography: Darius Khondji
Production designer: Nigel Phelps
Editor: Herve Schneid
Alien effects: Alec Gillis, Tom Woodruff Jr.
Music: John Frizzell
Visual effects supervisors: Pitof Henry,
Erik Henry
Costume designer: Bob Ringwood
Casting: Rick Pagano
Color/stereo
Cast:
Ripley: Sigourney Weaver
Call: Winona Ryder
Johner: Ron Perlman
Elgyn: Michael Wincott
General Perez: Dan Hedaya
Gediman: Brad Dourif
Running time -- 107 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 11/12/1997
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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