Sunset Cinema: Blade Runner

With the advent of digital projection, major theater chains have been showing more and more classic titles along side new releases. Whether it's a Blu-Ray or Digital Print scanned from the original, films can screen forever. Last week we checked out Blade Runner: The Final Cut as part of Cinemark's Classics Series. I own a VHS of Runner as well as a box set but have probably seen it maybe twice in my life. It's just one of those titles that people love but I never got into. The 3 hour documentary, Dangerous Days is fantastic though and maybe more compelling than the film, for me. Set in the crowded, neon lit, rain soaked future of 2019 in Los Angeles, Blade Runner sets up a world where robotic creatures, Replicants, are used for slave labor, to fight or for pleasure. When they go haywire, special police officers dubbed Blade Runners hunt them down and "retire" them. Combat model Roy Batty and several accomplices have come back to earth from outer space, looking to extend their built in four year life span. After many a death, former Runner Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) is tasked with pulling the curtain on Batty and his crew. Things are complicated when Deck meets Rachael (Sean Young), a beautiful Replicant who doesn't know she is one.

Based on Phillip K. Dick's novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, adapted by Hampton Fancher and David Webb Peoples and directed by Ridley Scott, Blade Runner is one of the most influential movies of all time. It's easy to see why as Scott and company designed and built an entire world for the story to take place in that feels far off with flying cars and humanoid robots as well as old school with sex, violence, architecture and a noir vibe. Everything is textured and layered from Deck's crowded and stone walled apartment to run down hotels filled with rain, debris and robots to corporate building that look like electric pyramids. While the eye is constantly engaged, the mind starts to drag as the film is a bit slow, Deckard isn't great at his job and gets manhandled by every Replicant he meets and gives off a rapist vibe when he and Rachael get down. Being the final cut, you're more or less spoon fed that Deckard is a Replicant with his unicorn day dream, falling in love with Rachael after knowing her for a day, his eyes do that red robot thing in a scene and then the end where policeman Gaff (Edward James Olmos) lets the two run off together. I always thought he was supposed to be human and if Ford is going to be involved in the sequel, they need to write themselves out of a corner.

Rutger Hauer's performance as Batty is still terrific all these years later and his final "like tears in rain" speech is truly a memorable moment among all the glitz and lights of the film. Vangelis' synth score is effective after all this time and creates even more atmosphere. Of course Blade Runner was not a box office hit upon release in 1982 with Scott being taken off the film after going over budget, being brought back, no one being happy with the released version, on and on. A workprint was discovered in a vault in the 90's and screened at a Los Angeles 70mm film festival leading to a Director's Cut and finally a Final Cut supervised by Scott. While the film has great things going on, can lead to lively discussions and make you question what it is to be human, for some reason the flick just leaves me cold and not the kind you'd watch regularly. A follow up is currently in the works where hopefully the story matches the visuals. Until then, keep seeing things you people wouldn't believe.

Van Dammage: Billion Trailer

"So every time you do something, 

you multiply by 8 billion,

and think what it will do to the planet! 

Show my trailer! I love you so much."

Jean-Claude Van Damme on saving the world

Holy shit Jean-Claude Van Damme is awesome. He was recently in the UK for a special black tie event where the Muscles From Brussels talked about his incredible journey through life, took questions and met the fans along with a multiple course dinner and auction of memorabilia.  Word was that JCVD veered away from the typical inspirational stories of his Hollywood career and opted to try and share bits of worldly wisdom from his up and down, rock and roll life. While Van Damme's blend of simple logic meets seemingly incomprehensible philosophical garble can be confusing to the uninitiated, he's one of the most eloquent, funny and smart (versus intelligent) speakers out there. What he says just makes sense while making you reflect. Like his view of being envious versus jealous as one is like looking around you but the other is akin to staring in a rear view mirror and not seeing what's happening in front of you. Or not eating too much meat because animals have eyes and eyes mean they have a soul. Fantastic stuff. On the professional front, a reteaming with Pound of Flesh producer Kirk Shaw and director Ernie Barbarash for an Antwerp set heist flick is in the works as is a potential weekly series for Ridley Scott where Van Damme would play a movie star moonlighting as a spy.

#HicksLives! aka Prometheus 2 and the Pending Hold

ALIENS 2 ON HOLD FOR PROMETHEUS 2, I KNEW THIS WOULD HAPPEN, 

NOBODY WANTS MORE PROMETHEUS BULLSH@T! #HICKSLIVES! 

- My initial feelings on the news that prompted this article.

It's been nearly a year since Neill Blomkamp teased the internets with fan made artwork that entailed the continued adventures of older alien fighting couple Ripley and Hicks. Soon, it was made official that Blomkamp was working with Fox on a potential new film that would somehow follow James Cameron's original 1986 classic as well as take into account lackluster chapters Alien 3 and Resurrection which saw Ripley and Hicks perish. In the meantime, Ridley Scott was still talking up a sequel nobody really wanted to 2012's Prometheus, he would be producing Blomkamp's Aliens 2 and that would somehow interconnect the two stories even though they take place decades apart. Right around the release of Ridley Scott's Fox flick The Martian earlier this month, Blomkamp released an image of an updated pulse rifle, the weapon of choice of the Colonial Marines in Aliens. After suffering the successful if unloved Prometheus, Scott struck out with low budget The Counselor and delivered an expensive dud with Exodus: Gods and Kings. With The Martian garnering critical acclaim and boffo box office, it was announced that the Prometheus follow up would be titled Alien: Paradise Lost and start shooting in early 2016.

Last night Blomkamp stated that his Aliens movie was now on hold for Paradise Lost, effectively killing all of the momentum that has been built up. It was an immediate punch in the movie lover gut to me as I've always liked Aliens much more than Alien. Just throw in the trash with the rest of my dreams and the under review sequel to Pacific Rim...The prospect of an Aliens sequel set 30 years later with older and gruffer versions of Sigourney Weaver's Ripley and Michael Biehn's Hicks is personally much more exciting than more rehash/retread/reboot that Paradise will be. The story just lends itself to a broader world with aliens and technology while utilizing some thrilling and atmospheric action grit. It's funny that Fox didn't want Prometheus to be a direct Alien film and it shows in its half reboot/half prequel execution which yielded a handsome and enjoyable enough film that drew the ire of many a viewer with it's Lost style, "let's ask 20 questions and answer 2" motif. After doing decent box office while eliciting poor word of mouth, the Prometheus sequel becomes a direct Alien film, exploring more ho-hum Space Jockey storylines with a younger, more mainstream cast. Business wise it makes sense, Scott has been working with Fox for some time producing and directing with their latest collaboration becoming a huge hit. Meanwhile Blomkamp is coming off the not successful Chappie and Sigorney Weaver or Michael Biehn are far from magazine cover fodder.

What's next? I think it's up to Blomkamp to make a kick ass picture that's a huge hit so Fox will be begging him to come back. Weaver will never lack for work while Biehn just had a kid and is financially stable from his long career and frequent convention appearances to be able to turn down roles. It's a two way street, if Prometheus 2 does well, Fox may want to focus on more chapters or if it tanks, they may get cold feet for the Alien universe in general. I hope the Aliens sequel happens but that cinematic dream has just come screeching to a halt for at least a couple of years...

#HicksLives! aka Michael Biehn and Alien 5?

Since images of a proposed Alien sequel started popping up on Neill Blomkamp's Instagram account on New Years Day, the internet has been rife with rumors on what was going on. Blomkamp is a known fan of the Ridley Scott and James Cameron films and had revealed he'd been working on an Alien movie in his spare time without Fox's awareness or permission. The young director had just worked with Alien star Sigourney Weaver on the yet to be released Chappie and had apparently run ideas past her. Weaver's interest was piqued and soon it was officially announced that Blomkamp would be making a new Alien film, possibly two, that would follow the events of 1986's Aliens.

Fans were semi-divided on the inclusion of alive in Aliens but dead in Alien 3 Corporal Hicks, played by one Michael Biehn. Blomkamp's artwork showed off an older and scarred Hicks so unless it's a dream, the events of Alien 3 would essentially be jettisoned. I honestly don't have a problem with that as Alien 3 was released 20 years ago and was not exactly a celebrated entry into the franchise. Take into account that Hicks doesn't die on screen in Aliens and I don't see many casual movie goers being too upset about it. Approaching the release of Chappie, Weaver was announced to be returning to the series that would aim to be a sequel to Aliens without totally ignoring 3 and 4th flick Resurrection. Ridley Scott's Prometheus that was an entertaining if overreaching pseudo prequel/reboot to Alien that no one is clamoring for a follow up to. Chappie failed to garner much in terms of box office gross or positive reviews but Alien 5 is still moving forward. Scott is producing and asked Blomkamp to make a simple story change to not affect Prometheus 2.

With Weaver back, what did that mean for Biehn? With Hick's image and character so prominently displayed, readers were questioning if he would return. At a convention in Florida, it's alleged that Biehn was aware of the new film and had been contacted. Cut to last week and news hit across the internet from Empire to Dark Horizons that Michael Biehn's private Instagram was announcing his involvement in Alien 5 and his return as Hicks. The only problem is that Biehn isn't on Instagram as confirmed by wife and producing partner Jennifer-Blanc Biehn via Facebook. While it sounds like Biehn is interested and talks are in progress, nothing is official unfortunately. But on a congratulatory note, it looks like Blanc gave birth to son Dashiell Biehn this past weekend and is in good spirits.

Until then #HicksLives (maybe) and #F@ckAlien3!

#HicksLives! aka Neill Blomkamp's Aliens

It was New Years day and I was recovering from the night before when it happened.  District 9 writer and director Neill Blomkamp's Instagram started posting concept art from a mysterious Alien sequel.  Not any old money wringing follow up though but what looked like a direct sequel to 1986's groundbreaking Aliens!  You know, where xenomorph attack survivor Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) joins a ragtag group of Colonial Space Marines to investigate what ends up being an overrun colony?  Then fights off the workers and their giant, bitch queen with pulse rifles, flame throwers, grenades and a power loader?  While Ridley Scott crafted an atmospheric, creepy slasher flick with truck drivers in space, James Cameron turned his sequel into a self contained roller coaster action flick.  Featuring a fan favorite and Cameron collaborating cast including Michael Biehn, Bill Paxton, Lance Henriksen, Jeanette Goldstein and Mark Rolston; Aliens has lived for nearly 30 years in various comic book, video game and toy form.

It wasn't the artwork of Ripley wearing some kind of alien costume, or his rendition of the mysterious xenomorph ship or even the sleek Weyland-Yutani technology that caught my eye.  Instead it was the return of mother fucking Michael Biehn as Hicks, the soft spoken Marine thrown into command after his superior is wasted.  By the end of Cameron's chapter, a family dynamic between "mother" Ripley, "daughter" Newt (Carrie Henn), "father" Hicks and "weird artificial person uncle" Bishop (Henriksen) was beautifully formed.  As you know, Biehn excelled as the sensitive yet physical action hero in The Terminator and Aliens before headlining projects big and small like Navy Seals and Timebomb in the 90's.  With a third installment inevitable but Weaver's participation in question, producers David Giler and Walter Hill pursued a sequel that could or could not include Ripley's character.  A script by cyber-punk author William Gibson following Hicks and Bishop on a space station was commissioned.  Early into the process, Biehn, the actor who brought Hicks to life after original actor James Remar was fired, was told he would not be asked to return.  I'm guessing the studio wanted a known star and not an actor who had provided great performances but played second fiddle to women in two back to back hits.

Gibson's script was deemed lackluster and Friday the 13th part Four director Renny Harlin was hired.  The visual and kinetic helmer from Finland worked on the project for a year, trying to take us to the alien planet but was vetoed due to budget concerns.  An idea to bring the creatures to earth and having Ripley and Hicks fight them there was also jettisoned.  Frustrated at the lack of progress, Harlin quit and went on to direct The Adventures of Ford Fairlane and Die Hard 2: Die Harder for studio Fox.  Eventually the notion of a floating colony turned into a desolate planet prison and after lots of wasted time and money, Alien 3 was released starring Weaver as Ripley with Hicks and Newt's characters being killed off in the opening minutes.  Originally, a double of Biehn post chest burster explosion was to be featured in the film but Biehn and his agent told young director David Fincher and Fox they didn't have their permission.  In the end, a photo of Biehn as Hicks was used and the actor was paid nearly his Aliens salary for his trouble.

What did Blomkamp's version entail?  Nobody really knows.  Nobody even knows if it was sanctioned by Fox or just a side project from a passionate fan who is also a successful filmmaker.  But having older versions of Ripley and a scarred Hicks fighting aliens again set the fan forums and internets on fire.  While some argued how you could skip Alien 3 and fourth chapter Resurrection (Ripley kills herself in 3 and is a clone in 4), I honestly didn't think it was that big a deal.  These characters have lived on for nearly 30 years in various formats with Hicks and Newt fighting their way through a Dark Horse Comics mini-series and Hicks (complete with Biehn voicing) popped up in 2013's letdown video game Colonial Marines with no explanation on how he survived.  Personally, I don't think the average movie goer would notice if they made a straight sequel to Aliens with no mention of 3 or Resurrection as enough time has passed and only a handful of hardcore fans would notice.  Let's face it, Fox isn't that interested in continuity, didn't you see half prequel, half sequel Prometheus?  Or how about the X-Men franchise which has no continuity: Professor X is evaporated at the end of 2004's part 3 then magically puts his consciousness into another body and by this past summers Days of Future Past is back with no explanation.  The filmmakers tried to address the reboot/sequel plot holes (offscreen, never in an actual movie) by saying Xavier had a twin brother who was in a coma for the last 50 years...Ok that explains why he looks like Patrick Stewart but why would he be in a wheelchair too?  Exactly, the $750 million bucks worth of movie goers didn't really care.  And the small pack of complaining fanboys don't make up enough of the general population to make a difference.  While no one is clamoring to see what Prometheus 2 would bring us, there has been an outpouring to bring back Hicks and Ripley so let's do the Damme thing!

Hicks lives, fuck Alien 3!

Fox Friday: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes & The Fault In Our Stars

A very randomly special Friday here at Dammaged Goods as we look at 3 seemingly sci-fi films that have little to do with one another besides being released by Fox.  First we'll check out #1 flick in America, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, the follow up to 2011's quiet yet surprisingly solid reboot Rise of the Planet of the Apes.  In that installment we met ape Caesar who after being injected with a test drug for Alzheimer's begins to gain super intelligence and leads an uprising.  Taking place 10 years after, Dawn finds us in the remote woods outside San Francisco where Caesar leads a community of intelligent apes in a peaceful existence.  Some humans wander into their territory looking for a dam that is their last hope to generate power and with it, their hopes at rebuilding society after the human created but Simian named epidemic has wiped out much of society.  From there, Caesar clashes with anti-human members of his tribe while assisting the survivors lead by Jason Clarke's Malcolm.  Of course common ground is found as tensions rise and before long it's another ape invasion resulting in Caesar and Malcom needing to work together to restore order.  While the film isn't boring or not enjoyable per se, it just wasn't very engrossing either.  The story beats are very basic and familiar and while the apes f/x looked amazing, I didn't give a crap if the humans lived or died.  While I appreciate films like Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Godzilla, X-Men: Days of Future Past and now Apes trying to give audiences a little more story and emotion with their spectacle, it hasn't been wholly successful.  The best example is Cap's very familiar story that basically takes Three Days of the Condor's paranoid and violent government controlling conspiracy themes and adds a whole lot of action and technology without actually addressing or dissecting those issues and questions from 1975.  The worst example is probably Godzilla which relegated the title star to a minor role while we ran around with some very uninteresting characters for 90 minutes.

Another hit for Fox this summer was June's The Fault In Our Stars which cost $12 million yet opened up ahead of Tom Cruise's huge, $178 million sci-fi tentpole Edge of Tomorrow and to date has grossed $25 million more in America.  Worldwide though the action and visuals of Edge have given it a nice $100 million in extra ticket receipts.  Not that they are the same kind of film vying for the same audience, they just both happen to sound like science fiction films when Fault totally isn't.  While Edge was based on a Japanese Manga, Fault's source material is the 6th novel from best-selling author John Green published in 2012.  The story of teenage cancer patients Hazel and Gus, Fault explains to us early on that cancer sucks and the story being told will not be sugar coated.  However the runtime does include plenty of stock moments like the "meet-cute", the playful yet semi-fake sounding banter and a trip to Europe.  The Descendants' Shailene Woodley plays Hazel with humor and quiet grace while Ansel Elgort's Gus is goofy and open since he's survived a bout of the sickness and won't be silenced.  What's interesting is that these two play lovers here but previously acted as brother and sister in Divergent.  There's plenty of heart on display without the drama becoming too leaden or syrupy.  There were many a sniffle in the audience but I managed to keep it together.  I can only imagine that opening weekend with young fans of the book was Niagara Falls all day and night.  While it didn't hit me the chest the way that 50/50 did, Fault was a cute film dealing with serious issues and handled nimbly by director Josh Boone and screenwriters Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber.  Oh and Michael Biehn totally should have played someone's dad in the film.  Speaking of the Biehn, on this day in 1986, Fox released James Cameron's sequel to Ridley Scott's Alien, Aliens.  See how this all works?

Ask Me a (Hero Complex) Question: Alien(s) w/ Sigourney Weaver

Closing night at the Hero Complex Film Festival was a double feature of seminal science fiction cinema:  1979's Alien and 1986's Aliens with star Sigourney Weaver appearing for Q&A.  Both looked beautiful up on the big screen even though the sound on Alien was a little washed out.  Ridley Scott and Fox's sideways answer to Star Wars is a tense, atmospheric horror flick while James Cameron's follow up is more of an action movie roller coaster.  Both employ outstanding casts playing memorable characters, impressive set design, pulse pounding music and their own style of thrills and chills. 

Alien is more or less truckers in space, blue collar rough necks who complain about their jobs and wages on The Nostromo, a cargo vessel coasting through deep space.  The crew is awoken from hyper sleep by a mysterious beacon and land on uncharted planet LV-426 where they find a crashed vessel that contains a long dead pilot but hundreds of still alive eggs filled with nasty creatures known as "face huggers".  They attach to a host, impregnate them with an embryo which then bursts out of their chest in the form of a terrifying baby alien.  Then it's basically slasher time as the crew try to find the alien before they're all killed off.  I can honestly say I've only seen Alien maybe one time all the way through and watching it on the big screen the first thing that struck me was the absolutely amazing use of miniatures and models for the space ships and exteriors.  How anyone would want to go from the craftsmanship, scope, attention to detail and believability of Star Wars and Alien to the fake looking, shiny cartoons of today's CGI is beyond me.  Yaphet Kotto and Harry Dean Stanton's grumbling mechanics are funny and relatable while Weaver's Ripley starts off as semi cold and stand offish before having to fight for survival and plant the seed for the iconic heroine she would become in the sequel.

Whereas James Cameron received many technology related questions by individuals probably hoping for some enlightening morsel of what the future holds, between films Sigourney Weaver took the stage for a breezy, fun and informative Q&A with a surprising amount of gushing fanboy/girl love that focused mainly on the Alien franchise.  I wanted to ask about Galaxy Quest but didn't want to upset the mood.

- Alien was her first real movie coming from working in theater and had no clue how they were made or how to behave on a set.  Ridley Scott had to tell her to stop looking at the camera while Ian Holm was a gracious mentor and helped her through.
- Weaver just finished working with Ridley Scott again and he's still the same guy having fun on set, not giving a shit about rehearsals and a true visual artist.
- In theater, actors go out after performances for a few pints but in film, people go back to their daily lives, wives and boyfriends. 

- Runs into Tom Skerritt and reunited with Aliens cast at Calgary Expo.
- Describes her relationship with James Cameron as a "pair of old shoes", she admires him greatly and even though he can do everyone's job, still insecure about actors which gives them plenty of freedom, limitless takes and plenty of support.
- Hasn't thought of doing Alien 5 but going to Conventions for the first time shows her how passionate fans are and wishes to give them a proper send off.
- Would want James Cameron involved in a new chapter but a young, hungry, crazy guy should be at the helm as that's how Alien movies are made.
- Wasn't expecting a sequel to Alien but was told there was a great script by Cameron, she read it and was amazed at his take and furthering ideas introduced in first film.
- Alien was a beautiful set but actors couldn't touch anything and of course, nothing actually worked.
- Original space suits were flashier with pastels and Scott said she looked like Jackie Onasis in space.
- Scott had multiple outfits from NASA brought in to keep authenticity of space travel.
- F/X crew on Alien were brilliant but so low key, always playing pranks like giving her rum instead of water.  Was left dangling one day by accident towards end of production during lunch.

- Chest burster scene was only thing to survive Dan O'Bannon and Ronald Shusett's original script which was whittled down and firmed up by David Giler and Walter Hill.
- On the page was OH MY GOAAAWWWRRR!  So cast knew something crazy was going to happen.  Arrived on set to crew members wearing ponchos to protect them from the fountains of blood that would be splattered.
- Has each of her original outfits from the Alien movies and had to break a fan's heart when he thought he had the real deal in his collection.
- Movie was featured on cover of Newsweek so she knew it was something special along with the critical and financial success.
- Working with producers on Gorillas in the Mist when Oscar nomination for Aliens was announced, instantly giving her more clout as she didn't think some of the preparation they suggested was necessary.
- Gives credit to the cast and crew of each film being responsible for it's enduring legacy with special mention of Bill Paxton and Carrie Henn for Aliens.
- Surprised they trusted her to fire blanks, a real flame thrower and "bazooka" during Aliens finale and not injure stuntmen or burn down the set.
- Parts of Ripley based on a real friend who works for lobbyist group for the environment, admires non-profit workers as they always get rejected and have no money but keep going.
- Originally wanted to be a journalist, to be in the middle of the action and give reader a taste of what's happening.

Then it was time to settle down and watch one of my favorite movies of all time, Aliens.  It was a little rough this time out as I'd just seen it on the big screen a couple months ago, it was getting late, it was my 3rd movie of the day and my big lunch seemed like a distant memory to my growling stomach.  Picking up 50 some years after Alien, Ripley has drifted through space and randomly run into a deep salvage crew and awoken from hyper sleep.  The Weyland-Yutani company doesn't believe her story as LV-426 has been colonized for decades but when contact with the station goes down, it's time to send in the Colonial Space Marines!  Ripley, the ragtag marines and "artificial person" Bishop head to the colony where they find the aftermath of a last stand and no survivors save for Newt, a young girl who has been living in the air duct system while the rest of her family and colonists have been taken prisoner by the aliens for impregnating.

From the start, Aliens goes for it, not in an "in your face" kind of way but the story starts chugging along, dealing with Ripley post traumatic stress from the first film's events to being thrown into a new nightmare where not even heavily armed, trained soldiers can protect her.  Like a great roller coaster the anticipation is killer and when we finally get to the top of the ride, the exciting plunge is harrowing in a scene where most of the Marines are wiped out while entering the hive.  On this viewing I realized how nuanced Cameron's writing of core characters Ripley and Corporal Hicks was as they both start off low key then rise to the occasion and threat in front of them.  That was especially on display with Michael Biehn's portrayal of Hicks who comes off quiet and bored in early scenes then snaps into action when his superior is killed in the attack.  Barking orders and keeping the Marines together, Biehn gets to take command while spouting out random favorite line delivery  "Drake, we are leaving!" and blasts an alien in the mouth with a shotgun.  Bill Paxton's hilariously stressed out Private Hudson squawks and complains for much of his screen time but somehow never gets annoying.  Lance Henriksen's turn as android Bishop is equal parts creepy and comforting while Jeanette Goldstein and Mark Rolston are tough-cool as lifers Vasquez and Drake. 

Upon repeat viewings The Terminator has taken firm lead as my favorite James Cameron film, with it's taunt pace, Arnold's unrelenting threat, love story between Reese and Sarah, solid performances from all involved, down and dirty action sequences and driving score.  With Aliens and Terminator 2, the core, primal emotions and relationships are still present but somewhat weighed down with additional spectacle and action.  It would be interesting to see him do a small scale, non-special f/x requiring drama someday.