The Alien quadrilogy recap, Part 3 (Alien³)

Over the next few days my friend and expert on the horror genre Lizzy will be recapping the Alien quadrilogy, reminding us what happened in the previous films and giving us some analysis, trivia and background about this classic series, then she'll be taking on prometheus, including thoughts on the alternative start and endings. Hope you enjoy reading these as much as I have! Beware though, ahead are quite a few spoilers.

Alien³ (1992)

Director: David Fincher

Rotten Tomatoes rating 42%

Start running…again

Alien³ had a troubled birth. When shooting began there was no finished script. The proposed director was cut before the shooting started and David Fincher, who had never made a feature film, was brought in at the last minute. Fincher was never given complete control of the script and the film was hacked to pieces without the director’s knowledge. Fincher went on to direct several Oscar winning films and has completely disowned Alien³. Unlike the Scott, Cameron and Jeunet, Fincher did not record an introduction for the box set.

As the opening credits of Alien³ , the assembly cut, unfold a facehugger crawls across the cryo-tubes and a pod jettisons from the ship Ripley and the others were escaping on. The pod crashes on Fiorina 161, a planet housing a maximum-security penal colony.

Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) is the only survivor and her arrival courses ructions with all male population. Some seem overjoyed at her arrival while others are angry pointing out that they have all taken the pledge. Super Andrews (Brian Glover) mindful of the fact that most of his charges have been convinced of sexual offences decrees that Ripley will stay in the infirmary until the authorities come to pick her up.

In the infirmary Ripley awakens as she receiving an injection from the doctor Clemens (Charles Dance). He tells her what happened to the others and she demands to see the wreckage. Newt is reported to have drowned in the cryo-tube. Her body was intact and was taken to the morgue. The body that is shown of Newt is in fact one of the dummies of Carrie Henn for the escape sequence in Aliens.

Ripley demands an autopsy citing a contagion. Clemens performs this and finds nothing he did not expect to see but before he can confront Ripley Andrews arrives. Clemens lies to Andrews telling that he was making sure that there was no outbreak of cholera. Andrews responds by informing Ripley of the scum that populate his prison and warning her to stay away until the rescue ship arrives.

As Andrews precedes over the cremation of Newt and Hick the carcass of an ox –in the cinema release this is a dog- begins to break apart. The religious text delivered by preacher Dillon (Charles S. Dutton) is intercut with scenes of the unobserved baby alien breaking out and running away. At the same time Ripley has a nosebleed.

Ripley, who is now shaven headed and in prison fatigues, causes heads to turn as she enters the canteen. She tried to thank Dillon for his words but he tells her that he is a murderer and rapist and she doesn't want to know him. He then informs her that he is waiting for God to return. 

Sitting above the others Clemens explains the religion that the prisoners have. Those that remain on the planet practice a fundamentalist hybrid of apocalyptical faith. They have also chose to stay on Fiorina. Having explained this Clemens asks Ripley to tell him why she really wanted the autopsy. She does not tell him.

In the pipes far below the alien claims its first prey just before Ripley is seen waking up next to Clemens who is revealed to have a barcode on his back. He tells her that he is not a prisoner but demurs when she asks for an explanation.

Clemens is called to the alien’s victim. The unfortunate man was pulled into a fan. It is assumed that the air carried him in after getting too close but there is a burn in the metal of the fan the same as the one that was on Ripley’s pod.

After seeing this, the doctor goes to find Ripley. He finds her searching the wreckage for the flight recorder. She asks for an audio computer, which the colony does not have. Instead she decides to find Bishop’s remains.

Clemens is called to Andrews. The network is interested in Ripley. They want her closely observed. When Clemens tries to walk out Andrews bullies him into staying. He hints that knows something has been going on between Clemens and Ripley and demands details about her. Clemens gives the bare minimum.

Ripley meanwhile searches the rubbish tip and finds Bishop’s remains. As she carries him back inside she is attacked by a group of prisoners. Before they can gang rape her, an angry Dillon comes to her aid and re-educates them.

In a darken chamber the alien claims its second victim. This time there are witnesses. As these men try to escape, in a rather confused way and while screaming, the alien picks another one off.

Ripley reconnects Bishop’s melted top half. She asks him to access the flight recorder. From this she discovers that there was an alien aboard the ship. She asks if the company knows and Bishop informs her that they know everything. He then asks her to be disconnected stated that he would rather be nothing than not be top of the line.

The alien survivor Gollic (Paul McGann) is found burned and raving. He states that a dragon killed the others. Andrews prefers to belief that the man was responsible for the deaths but Ripley tells another tale. When she informs him of the alien threat she is horrified to learn that the colony has no weapons and the only link to the outside is a monthly supply ship.

Gollic continues to rant as Ripley receives treatment for a number of minor symptoms. He tells Ripley that she is going to die. Clemens curtains him away and then reveals the reason he is on Fiorina. He was a morphine addict and accidently killed a patient. When his sentence was up he chose to stay.

Across the room Gollic struggles against his restrains. Feet appear underneath the curtain and a shadow fills the space. The alien reaches out grabs Clemens and kills him. The alien, who appears anatomically different from those in previous instalments, presses its head to Ripley’s but it does not kill her.

Andrews has called the prisoners together to quash the rumours. As he is doing so Ripley runs in to tell him about Clemens. Andrews doesn’t have time to take this in as the alien grabs him and pulls him into the airshaft.

The men appear disorganised without Andrews and ask Ripley to be their leader as she is the closest thing to an officer they have. Bizarrely her rank in this film seems to her increase to Lieutenant. Ripley agrees and with the help of Mr Aaron (Ralph Brown) formulates a plan. They will burn the alien out and then trap it in the foundry.

As Ripley helps cover the walls with pitch she doubles over in pain. The fire starts prematurely burning out another couple of prisoners. Ripley, Aaron and Dillon try to lead the men to safety but the alien drags one away.

With the alien again on the loose and Ripley’s symptoms worsening. She gets herself to a medi scanner and with the help of Aaron runs the test. She is looking for haemorrhage but Aaron sees something different. Inside Ripley’s chest these is the embryo of an alien queen. 

Ripley tells Aaron to get the rescue team to turn back. He refuses because he is due to go home on the next rotation. Ripley tries to make him understand that the company will not kill the alien but Aaron is desperate to get back to his wife and kid. When Ripley goes to confront the alien knowing that it will not kill her while the queen is gestating the company makes contact and ordering Ripley to be quarantined.

Ripley goes to confront the alien. Despite having already seen that the alien will not attack her she tries to goad it into doing so. Ripley knows that she is under a death sentence and that they company will want the queen inside her. Yet feels unable to commit suicide. She explains this to Dillon who is sceptical about the alien. Ripley asks him to kill her but he refuses on the grounds that he needs Ripley to kill the alien. He promises that once it is dead he will euthanize her afterwards. 

Dillon tries to rally the prisoners for a suicide mission. Aaron refuses to belief that the company won't help them and thinks that they should wait for the rescue team. Ripley repeats the crew expendable order and after some stirring words from Dillon they decide it is better to go out fighting.

The plan is to trap the alien in the foundry and burn it in the molten lead. Once the alien is trapped men in white suits arrive. The first thing that they ask is if Ripley is still alive. While she is luring the alien through the lead works they storm through the canteen.

Meanwhile Dillon sacrifices himself to pin the alien down. Unfortunately the agile creature is able to jump out of the lead and though burning it's still alive. Ripley turns the sprinklers on it causing it to cool and shatter.

Before she can relax she comes face to face with Bishop. Only this Bishop is not an android. He is the designer for the company. He tells Ripley that they are not interested in the creature and that they are going to cut the queen out of her and destroy it. The human Bishop tells Ripley to trust him. For moment she appears to do so but then escapes to the walkway below.  Aaron at this point realises that Ripley was right and hits the company man over the head, which results in Aaron being shot. Bishop then tries to reason with Ripley but she takes a swan dive into the lead and escapes the company forever. 

Many people will say that they do not like Alien³. What many people are unable to explain is why. So far the most honest that I’ve heard was from my dad who said he didn’t like it because of Newt dying.

There is a theory that a flawed production creates a vibe that follows the film. This does not mean that the film is bad just that it will always be viewed as less than perfect. It may not be fair to view the film as tainted but there were definitely problems on set.

There are two stories about what went wrong with the editing of Alien³. The first is that David Fincher got so pissed off with the lack of control in the project that he walked out before it was finished. The other is that the film was edited without his knowledge.

Another completely apocryphal suggested that there was a completely different version of the film, as happened with the Exorcist prequels a few years ago. This is not true. There is no director’s cut of Alien³ instead there is the assembly cut release in 2003. This is 31 minutes longer than the theatre release and is basically the unedited version. Incidentally this edition contains more unreleased scenes than the director’s cuts of the other three films put together.

The original teaser trailer suggested that the film was set on Earth. Apparently it used the tagline On Earth Everyone Can Hear you Scream.

This idea was based on the graphic novels that had been released after Aliens. When the studio decided to change the official timeline of what happened to the survivors these had to be reissued with the character’s names altered. The little girl went from being Newt to Billy.

Then a draft of the script was started with the action set in a monastery. They actually started building sets for this and then altering them to fit the prison.

This was also the reason for the chastity pledge and the religion that the prisoners follow. There were many changes to the script but this was one of the ones that work best. Monks would not have been as interesting as characters. As it is Ripley is forced to band together with men who are deeply flawed and disturbed human beings. It explains the motivation that they have for sacrificing themselves. They are all searching for some sort of redemption. 

According to David Fincher’s account the studio was so desperate to repeat the success of Aliens that they did not want to lose control of the picture. What they ended up though with was a film that got lowest Rotten Tomatoes rating out of all the Alien films.

- Lizzy

The Alien quadrilogy recap, Part 2 (Alien)

Over the next few days my friend and expert on the horror genre Lizzy will be recapping the Alien quadrilogy, reminding us what happened in the previous films and giving us some analysis, trivia and background about this classic series, then she'll be taking on prometheus, including thoughts on the alternative start and endings. Hope you enjoy reading these as much as I have! Beware though, ahead are quite a few spoilers.

Aliens (1986)

Director: James Cameron

Rotten Tomatoes rating 100%

This Time It’s War

There are several taglines for Aliens but the one above neatly sums up the premise of the film.

The story goes James Cameron had written a script for an Alien sequel before he started Terminator. The studio was unsure about the project. Alien has been such a bit hit and had been so well received that they were convinced that a follow up would be a commercial and financial disaster. James Cameron undeterred did two things. Firstly he wrote a better script and got Sigourney Weaver on and board. He then held a meeting where he wrote the word Alien added an S and then a line turning it into Alien$. The combination of showmanship and hard work paid off. Not only did they green light the project they allowed him to shelf it until after he had finished Terminator.

Alien begins with a salvage crew discovering the sleeping Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) and complaining that they won’t get paid. Despite the hopeful message at the end of the first film our heroine was not picked up in a matter of weeks. Instead she has been drifting in space for 57 years.

Back on earth another aspect of Ripley’s character is revealed. In the first film the delay in return home visibly distressed her. In Aliens it is explained that she made a promise to return for her daughter’s birthday. By the time that she finally does get back the little girl has grown old and died not knowing that Ripley was waiting for her.

Before she has the chance to grieve Ripley is summoned to tribunal in front of company representatives. She is charged with blowing up a commercial vehicle and it’s payload and despite her defence is stripped of her rank. When she challenges the company men to investigate the planetoid, now named as LV-426, she is informed that colonists have lived there for the past twenty years. 

Meanwhile on LV-426 a family of salvagers come across a familiar wreck. Leaving the two children in the rover the adults go to investigate. Our introduction to Newt (Carrie Henn) comes as she anxiously points out that their parents have been a long time. On cue the mother knocks on the door and Newts opens it we first her piercing scream. The camera pans back showing Newt’s father lying prone on the ground with a facehugger tightly coiled around his head.

With contact to LV-426 lost Carter Burke (Paul Reiser) appears at Ripley’s door. She slams it in his face remembering how he threw her to the wolves at the tribunal. He persists informs her of the situation and through combination of blackmail and bribery tries to persuade her to accompany a rescues party of marines. She refuses but after another nightmare changes her mind. She does however have one condition, they will be going destroy the aliens not bring them back. Burke agrees but as we know from Alien the Weyland-Yutani Corporation is not to be trusted.

The last line that Ripley gets to speak on Earth is when she tells Jones that he will be staying behind this time. The cat looks unimpressed.

As the colonial marines wake up they are revealed as stereotypical servicemen shown is just about every Vietnam War film and apparently this was Cameron’s intention.

Private Hudson (Bill Paxton) is the wise ass; Sergeant Apone (Al Matthews) shouts a lot, the lieutenant, Gorman, (William Hope) is a source of derision and Privates Drake (Mark Rolston) and Vasquez (Jenette Goldstein) are clearly meatheads. Vasquez is herself a stereotype, as people tend to pigeonhole female soldiers as being extremely butch. The other woman in the troop is Corporal Dietrich (Cynthia Scott) is the pilot who seems to be there to make up the numbers. Interestingly it is these two who are the first to be dismissive about Ripley.

The marines are generally scathing about the mission, describing it as just another bug hunt. There are also references to other alien species adding more questions about the universe in which these films take place.

The only one who does not join in with the clowning around, apart from Gorman, is Corporal Hicks (Michael Biehn). Hicks is set up as being more serious, thoughtful and prepared to listen to Ripley. This lines him up as a potential romantic lead.

Over breakfast the marines cajole Bishop (Lance Henriksen) into performing his party piece. This involves stabbing the table in between his and Hudson’s fingers so fast that the moving hand almost becomes a blur. Uncharacteristically Bishop hits his finger and a thin line of white fluid oozes out. Ripley is horrified to discover that they are travelling with an android. She complains to Burke who addressing Bishop and not Ripley proceeds to tell an edited version of what happened with Ash. This makes it seem as though Ash went rogue and Bishop counters by stating that Ash must have been an outdated model and that he has been programmed never to do anything like that. He then recites Asminov’s first law of robotics but Ripley remains angry.

The marines fall in to receive orders. Unfortunately Lieutenant Gorman is unable to get their names right and defers to Ripley. As she tries to tell her story the soldiers cockily interrupt her. That is apart from Hicks who sits at the back smoking and staring dreamily in Ripley’s direction.

As they prepare to go down to the surface Ripley gets her chance to show off her loading skills. She drives the suit-like machine more efficiently than the marine in the background using the opportunity to flirt with Hicks who watches her with a wide smile on his face. This is another subversion of the classic male/female relationship. In most films the man gets to parade around looking cool while the woman gazes longingly but as always Ripley does things a little differently. 

After landing in the pouring rain the advanced party enters the control area. Predictable it is deserted. The walls show evidence of a firefight but there is no movement on either the scanners or the head cameras. The only thing that they find is a hole melted in the ground and evidence of nest building. The inexperienced Gorman declares the area secure demonstrating his ineptitude. Ripley tries to point out his mistake but like all weak leaders he shoots her down and ignores her advice. 

In the medi-lab are two live facehuggers in jars. While investigating the scanners pick up a moving object. A shadow runs across the screen. With guns pointed the hostile life form is found to be Newt hiding in the gratings. When she runs Ripley follows her and soothers her when she tries to get away. Ripley’s maternal side comes out as she draws the little girl out of her protective shell. Ripley tries to reassure Newt that she will be safe with the soldiers but Newt tells her that this won’t make any difference.

At the same time Bishop is in the lab dissecting a facehugger, which he describes as magnificent.

Hudson picks up life under the heat exchangers. The marines enter what they discover to be a hive. Unfortunately for them Ripley realises that if they fire their weapons the whole building will explode. The cameras reveal the remains of the colonists set in the walls. In the directors cut one of these is found alive begging for death, which unfortunately comes a moment later when a baby alien breaks out of her chest.

The scanners show life but visually there is nothing. As the marines curse their equipment aliens fold from the walls and attack. During the firefight that follows Ripley tries to persuade Gorman to fall the men back but he refuses. So she takes matters into her own hands, steals his vehicle and goes to the rescue.

After getting the depleted force to safety. Ripley suggests that they take off and nuke the installation from orbit. Burke vetoes this citing the cost to the company. Ripley points out that Hicks is in temporary command as Gorman is unconscious. Corporal Hicks reluctantly agrees with Ripley and after being insulted by Burke orders the nuke but as so often happens the plan goes wrong when an alien attacks Dietrich as she tries to take off bringing the transport crashing to the ground. 

Ripley takes charge and with Hicks plans a defensive strategy. At last with the two most sensible characters in charge things can only get better right? 

In the directors cut Corporal Hicks gives Ripley a tracker with a caveat that it does not mean that it means they are engaged. She then gives it to Newt to prevent bad dreams.

 Meanwhile Bishop has been busy. He has analysed the structure of the facehugger. The aliens are like insects meaning that they have a queen laying the eggs. Ripley orders Bishop to destroy the specimens when he is finished but he states that he is unable to comply as Burke ordered that they be taken back. Burke then tried to bribe Ripley who tells him that she will ensure that nothing gets through quarantine. 

After the aliens attack the survivors realise that they will not be able to last out until help arrives. The only way to get off LV-426 is to remote pilot the Sulaco in orbit from the colonial control. Bishop volunteers to go out and do this.

The defences hold but only just. Ripley tells Hicks that she does not want to end up in the hive. She asks him to shoot her if the time comes. He promises that he will kill them both and then shows Ripley how to use his gun.

Ripley then curls up asleep with Newt who she finds lying under the bed. When Ripley awakes she sees the specimen jar lying on its side. They call for help but Burke turns off the cameras. Ever resourceful Ripley sets off the fire alarm. The facehuggers attack. As Ripley fends off hers Newt proves she can do more than just scream by trapping the second one against the wall.

It is revealed to the party that the plan was to impregnate Ripley and Newt in order to smuggle them past quarantine but before the marines’ fury can be vented the aliens come back. Burke runs away trapping the other behind him but in films, or this one at least, evil men never triumph. As Burke tries to escape there is an alien waiting for him to give him his just desserts.

During the carnage that follows everyone apart from our substitute family dies. Newt leads the way through the vents but falls through a shaft before Hicks can grab her. The adults try to rescue her but aliens carry her away.

Bishop lands with the ship and in getting there Hicks is injured. Bishop tries to point out how close the detonation is but Ripley is determined to go back for Newt. She tools up and tells Hicks not to let Bishop take off. As Ripley leaves the ship she and Hicks exchange first names. This is significant as it is the first time that she is known as anything other than Ripley.

Ripley enters the hive and finds the tracker on the ground. Just as she is about to give up hope Newt screams. Ripley frees the little girl, picks her up and runs. Then she stops. In what is probably the most chilling scene of the whole film, the camera pans back and reveals the arachnid form of the queen towering above.

Soldier aliens advance from either side, protecting their queen. Ripley fires a warning flame at the eggs in from of her. The queen silently responds and the smaller aliens retreat allowing Ripley and Newt to escape. It can be argued that Ripley makes a mistake here, all be it an understandable one. The queen sees a human protecting a child by threatening her offspring. She allows the human to escape but the human then sets fire to her eggs anyway. It could be argued that Ripley brings on the subsequent attack by not fulfilling her side of the bargain.

Ripley and Newt get out of the hive but there is no ship waiting for them. Cursing Bishop they wait for the attack.

Before it can come Bishop arrives. They climb into the ship and the nuclear bomb goes off but just like the first film this is not the end. As Ripley makes peace with Bishop a giant tail spears him through the middle. The queen has hitched a ride to the larger ship proving the aliens can survive in the vacuum of space.

In order to redresses the size difference. Ripley climbs into a loader and fights the queen. She succeeds in sending her out of an airlock and Bishop redeems androids by preventing Newt from following. 

Finally they can go to sleep and dream. 

Everything about Aliens is bigger and better than its predecessor, even in its length. The director’s cut of Aliens comes in at around two and three quarter hours. The film ratchets up the violence and the number of deaths. It gives us a more explosions, more spaceships and a bigger and more dangerous alien. 

Characters and ideas are developed further in Aliens. In Alien the company is referred to as a shadowy presence. In Aliens it is given a name and faces. The corporate hierarchy is shown for the first time. 

Ripley is given a backstory and a first name. Having developed a strong female lead in the first film this one takes it to the logical progression by giving her both a maternal side and the chance to show her leadership skills. She also gets a love interest. In Alien Ripley is only seen in the context of the Nostromo and what happens to it. In the follow up she becomes a well-rounded character, not just a whole person but also the one you would choose to have on your side if going against aliens.

I once heard it argued by a film lecture that Ripley in Alien was a man played by a woman.  This made me angry as it detracted from the importance of Ripley been a strong female role in the horror genre. Aliens proves that this hypothesis doesn't stand up.

- Lizzy

The Alien quadrilogy recap, Part I (Alien)

Over the next few days my friend and expert on the horror genre Lizzy will be recapping the Alien quadrilogy, reminding us what happened in the previous films and giving us some analysis, trivia and background about this classic series, then she'll be taking on prometheus, including thoughts on the alternative start and endings. Hope you enjoy reading these as much as I have! Beware though, ahead are a number of spoilers.

Alien (1979)

Director: Ridley Scott

Rotten Tomatoes rating 97%

In space no one can hear you scream

In 1979 Alien disturbed sci-fi audiences as much with its grimy realism as it did with set piece shocks.  The opening sweep through the Nostromo reveals a working ship more akin to a North Sea trawler than the bridge of the enterprise. Aside from the stasis chambers, which adhere to convention being sleek white pods, the interior is made up of chains, iron grating, functional computers and discarded equipment.

In the following scenes the hierarchy of the crew is established. Over breakfast the engineers Parker (Yaphet Kotto) and Brett (Harry Dean Stanton) complain about their share of bonuses. Later they are dismissive of Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) who is able to share a joke with Lambert (Veronica Cartwright) and Kane (John Hurt) but is later not included in the search party. She is the civilian equivalent of an NCO, not in charge but not one of the workers either. The captain, Dallas (Tom Skerritt) is shown a little apart but interestingly enough defers to Science Officer Ash (Ian Holm) when it comes to procedure. In these few scenes it is made clear that Ash will always toe the company line and that Ripley is a lone wolf.

The autopilot of the Nostromo responded to what is described as a distress signal. Ash points out that the company has a clause in the contract that requires all distress signals to be investigated. So the crew lands on a planetoid and Dallas, Kane and Lambert set off across the desolate wasteland to the wreck of a giant spaceship. In what is probably the second most famous scene in the film they discover the corpse of large and technologically advanced creature whose chest bones had been broken outwards.

Meanwhile back on the ship Ripley tells Ash that she has deciphered the message and it is not a distress call. It is a warning. Ash tells Ripley that it is too late to do anything and those on the surface will soon discover if there is any danger.

Of course it is not long before the danger appears. In a chamber full of leathery eggs Kane is attacked by the facehugger. Dallas and Lambert get him back to the airlock but Ripley refuses to let them in stating quarantine procedure. Ash overrides her and lets them in anyway. When Ripley confronts him, Ash tells her that he acted in Kane’s best interest which sound suspiciously false given Ash’s previous adherence to company policy.

It is soon established that the creature attached to Kane’s face is keeping him alive but will kill him to defend itself. This is also the scene where the crew find that it has acid for blood. After a while facehugger drops away and Kane appears to recover. He states he fills fine but hungry.

The legend behind the most famous scene is that only John Hurst knew what was going to happen. Some of the actors were reportedly told that they would have to hold John Hurt down. Others apparently knew nothing. The most startling reaction to the creature bursting from Kane’s chest comes from Lambert and according to the legend this was completely genuine.

After this the hunt begins. Firstly we are introduced to the eighth member of the Nostromo’s crew, Jones the cat. It is while Brett is trying to catch the cat that we get the first glimpse of the alien proper.  Like all the most effective monsters it is revealed in stages. First the outline as it drops down from behind Brett’s back. As he turns the head and dripping jaws are shown glistening, beautiful and deadly. Then from Brett’s perspective the second mouth juts forward while the cat looks impassively on.

After the presumed death of Captain Dallas Ripley accesses the ships computer and discovers that they were lied to. The purpose of the mission was to bring back the alien and the crew were expendable. At this point Ash’s true nature is revealed. After he is thwarted in his attempt to kill Ripley it is discovered that Ash is a robot sent by the company to bring back the alien for the weapons division.  Ash is another subversion of the sci-fi genre. Killer robots had existed prior to Alien but in general these had become self aware, faulty or had broken their programming. What is chilling about Ash is that he is following orders but at the same time breaking Asimov’s laws of robotics.

With the crew reduced to three humans Ripley is suddenly listened to and she decides that they will blow up the ship and leave in the escape shuttle. Ripley in an echo of the maternal side that will be important in later films goes off to save the cat while Parker and Lambert pack. This saves Ripley’s life proving the importance of being nice to cats.

In the director’s cut there is a scene between the self-destruct sequence and the failure of the override where Ripley discovers Dallas alive in the beginnings of an alien nest. There is the further hint of prior relationship between the two as she euthanizes him. This is an interesting piece character development in the longer edition but it is not so vital that it reduces the impact of the theatrical release.

As she tries to escape Ripley almost comes face to face with the Alien.  As a fan intermittently reduces the light Ripley backs away. It is too late to stop the ship blowing up but with moments to spare Ripley gets away on the shuttle and the Nostromo explodes. It seems as though our heroine and ship’s cat are finally safe but in horror movies you should always be wary when the film keeps running.

As Ripley prepares for hyper sleep a black leathery hand shoots out from the panel of dark wires. After only a moment of distress Ripley climbs into a space suit and singing a song to calm her nerves forces the alien out into the open before harpooning and blasting it into the vacuum of space. Then she and Jones go to sleep and drift off hoping for rescue.

The plot of Alien is essentially that of the standard haunted house monster film but set in space. However through the use of utilitarian sets, clever lighting and H E Geiger Ridley Scott transcended this simple premise and created a claustrophobic masterpiece. One of the most effective devices in Alien is the lack of onscreen carnage. In the theatrical version there are only two on screen deaths. Of these only one can be considered gory. Parker’s death is noble and valiant but cut so that there isn’t the bloodshed that there is with Kane’s exit.

This leaves much of the violence to the audience’s imagination. This is a device that can be very effective as people under tension can usually come up with consequences lot more devastating than comfortable writers can.

Alien leaves the viewer with as many questions as it gives answers. The company wanted the alien for the weapons division but how did they know it was there. What was the creature in the chair? Will Ripley and the cat get picked up?

This ensures that people not only remember the film but they talk about it too.

Of course the subversive element in Alien is the female lead. In the 1970’s women in horror films tended to spend most of their time in their underwear screaming. Admittedly Ripley is shown in her underwear but she does not panic and wait to be rescued by man. She spends most of the film as the only sensible crew member and even though she commits one of the cardinal sins of horror by going back to get the cat she not only survives but deserves to.

Alien is a classic, it is a well made, atmospheric and has the greatest heroine in the whole of the horror genre.

- Lizzy

The iPad Mini: Does Apple really need to turn around to take on the hounds instead of trying to keep ahead of the pack?

The iPad Mini: Does Apple really need to turn around to take on the hounds instead of trying to keep ahead of the pack?

I discovered, very recently, that I have an actual, honest-to-goodness label: an iSheep. This was complete and utter news to me, I can tell you - I'm a sheep, now? That kinda hurt.

I mean, I know there are some pretty derogatory terms being bantered around from fanboy to fanboy - and, if you loiter around Google+ enough and mention that you have, in fact, gone out and purchased with your own money the latest in the iPhone linage, you'll get to hear them all. Loudly and repeatedly. Boy, that's a fun evening to spend, believe me.

I can't deny it, mind; I have them all. iPhones litter the house, dating back to the first one, somewhere in a drawer. iPad. Apple TV. (I have drawn a line at getting a MacBook, or an iMac for that matter. I'm not bloody loaded.). I have found myself, nursing a pint with my mates, defending the closed Apple ecosystem, finding the whole thing safe and comforting. As I tell them, I may be living in a 'gated community' but at least I know the  bins are collected regularly and the streets are clean. (Okay okay, when you can actually find the streets. Apple Maps. Yeah yeah. I know...)

The Apple device I find myself using the most is the iPad, something I feel was a true innovation on release. Not the concept of a tablet PC, mind; that had been around for donkeys years. But this was the first time we had something really sleek and appealing to hold in the hands. One button and it flared into life with no hesitation, and, with the established look and feel of the iPhone's iOS in place, something which anyone from tiny babies to my sixty-year old mum could instantly get to grips with.

I also find it really bloody useful, too. Apple detractors may lay into the iPad as a overly expensive plaything, incapable of being useful beyond dicking around on Facebook and play Angry Birds with. But, as a DJ and occasional blogger, I find the iPad a powerful and useful tool in what I do day-to-day, from playing out at gigs with Algoriddim's Djay and Vjay apps, from my accounts, paperwork and presentations with Apple's own iLife suite and scootiling around blog sites and rambling on, like I am here. (Yup, okay, it's also really good fun to screw around on, too - World Of Goo is always a giggle and the Avengers flick looks great on it.)

Which is why I'm very interested in today's iPad Mini / iPad Air / iPad Nano / ...Whatever release, to be announced at Cupertino,  6pm GMT this evening. The latest version is being given its existence under mounting pressure from the Android and Windows platforms, gaining huge wodges of market share with their various, ever-improving attempts at playing catch-up. So, why do I feel that releasing a smaller version of the iPad is a step backward for Apple?

Steve Jobs, on the iPads initial launch , jumped on the issue of the iPad's screen size right from day one, proclaiming 'the 10-inch screen is the minimum size required to create great tablet apps', that there are 'clear limits to how close you can physically place elements on a touch screen before users can reliably tap, flick or pinch them'. He went on to say, in various reports and interviews, that he didn't not feel that the iPad should be developed to be any smaller and wouldn't be, while he was at the company.

And, once I got my hands on one, I found myself agreeing. One of my favourite apps on the iPad is Photoshop Touch; it's not just a scaled-down version of the industry standard image manipulation software on the desktop, it's a powerful piece of productivity in its own right. I love the ease of just getting in there with my fingers, manipulating elements around, placing them where I instinctively want to. I can't imagine being able to do this on a smaller footprint.

Let's take the example of how I'm talking to you now. I'm not having to squint while I'm typing this out in Pages like I would have to do if typing this out slowly and methodically on my iPhone and I can take a second to pop to the loo, prop the iPad on my lap and carrying on working if required - brilliant! (Not that I'm doing that right now, of course. Oh no. No sirree.)

To have this screen estate at my disposal is liberating and unrestrictive, anything smaller would be like wrapping this seasons Christmas presents through a letterbox with chopsticks - ask anyone who's gotten into an intensive editing session on iMovie on the iPhone, something beyond a piddly little video involving their sleeping cat falling off the sofa, and they'll tell you, however fast the thing might run on the later devices, it's a difficult, frustrating affair.

Up to now, there hasn't been the need to change that footprint with the iPad either - previous attempts by Apple's competitors in the tablet market have been godawful, laggy affairs, like trawling through mud. Yes, these tablets can play Flash, if that's really something you feel is a benefit (note: it really isn't) but that pointless if you've already hit the Home button because the tablet has taken its time recognising you wanting to open the browser in the first place.

And then there's the size. To differentiate themselves from the behemoth that is the iPad, most tablet manufacturers have gone the smaller route, coming off as Fisher Price versions of the thing that you actually wanted in the first place - a compromise.

This is no longer the case, however; recent releases on both Android and Windows Mobile platforms have finally been able to perform quickly and reliably and be just as slick under the finger. The Galaxy Note with its stunning multi-tasking abilities and gorgeous screen screams along with its dual core 1.4Gb processor, matching the iPad 2 (still the affordable iPad of choice) for performance. And the Nexus 7 is very sweet, too - playing with one, I had a lot of fun and understand it's appeal. This is the machine that looks like it's well placed to be the 2012 stocking filler of choice with its impressive spec at a truly staggering cheap price.

(Although, even Google have admitted, this is going to come at a risky cost - to them - revealing this week that the Nexus range is being launched effectively at cost and that their revenue stream will come from content bought by the user. Great news for the buyer, something that could prove nerve-wracking for the shareholders...)

Both devices are the spear-head of a new breed - the 'tweeners'. Not quite big enough to be considered actual 'tablets' and too big to replace the smartphone in the pocket but powerful enough (and now, cheap enough) to just about be useful as either. But, c'mon, beyond tapping away at a small doc, it's not like you can actually *do* anything with them.

These new young Turks are snapping at Apples heels with devices that can finally go toe-to-toe technically and all are doing so with the smaller screens - and now, Apple are responding with their own. Against the ethos of their departed leader, Tim Cook appears to be wanting to establish himself his own man by responding to the 6" market with their own, stepping onto the fray... but, in the past, Apple has always had the fight come to them. Does it cheapen the company to turn around to slap down the hounds instead of trying to keep ahead of the pack?

Part of this adds, also, to my overall impression of Tim Cook as a stuffy bean-counter; more interested in spreadsheets and marketshare graphs than the actual devices themselves. Take the iPad 3. The updated retina display, itself a response to other tablets and their flashy specifications, came at the cost of the slimmest of increases to weight and thickness, taking away some of that 'magical experience' of a new iPad. Wouldn't have happened on Jobbo's watch.

And it's interesting to note that, on the very week that Apple take their first step into the 'tweener' market, the Turks decide that, okay, maybe bigger is better, with Nexus being joined by a 10" model as soon as possibly next week, and the 'net getting all a fluster over Microsoft's 'post-PC' miscreant, Surface. (Dunno why. It's poorly spec-ed, too reliant on external architecture to actually do anything and apparently weighs more than a small hatchback. I'm holding off till I see one in the wild.)

So, this is why I'm going to be watching the launch of the new Apple device with much interest. Look, maybe they've managed to crack it. They've got the app infrastructure, they've got the reputation for quality. Maybe they've been able to bring the joy of actually using an iPad to a smaller form and maybe, just maybe, they can stem the tide of pretenders. But I just feel, to add one more analogy to the pile, that this might be the popular kid at school, responding to the jibes and backhanded comments from the lower-form kids and finally letting the playground twerps get finally under his skin. I'm not convinced they should - or even need to. Pudgy fingers be damned.

by Leonard Sultana

Travelling man's table top night, first impressions.

Finally managed to get myself to one of Travelling man's board game nights in Leeds. I've been meaning to go for over a month now, but they only run on the first Tuesday of the month and the third Thursday and unfortunately I haven't been free until tonight.

I was a little nervous about it all because everyone else from my normal table top group was busy so I ended up going on my own, but I really shouldn't have been, everyone was very nice and after a few ice breaking games of Tsuro while we waited for everyone to arrive I felt a lot more relaxed.

After that we played a game I'd never even heard of before called Zombicide which is a cooperative zombie survival game created by Raphaël Guiton, Jean-Baptiste Lullien, and Nicolas Raoult.

Zombiecide was apparently born of a successful kickstarter which is pretty cool, it's played on a modular tile based map and as a team you carry out a chosen missions from the rule book. Each character has special abilities and there is an xp system that allows you to level up and gain access to new character skills. The game also has rules for different types of zombies and for various items and weapons which you can use.

We played two games, the first game was all going well until Dave split the party and had his character, also named Dave break into a separate building from the group and open up a whole world of pain for the group. It did end with an epic final stand made by Amy's character who also happened to be called Amy, in which she killed scores of zombies and made us all believe she might just make it, till her luck ran out and a lone runner took her down. Still it was an awesome ride and our deaths were very entertaining.

The second game I regrettably had to leave before it finished because I had only put parking on the pay and display for four hours, I know lame right! While I was there though the group learned from its rash mistakes of the past game and we thought more about how best to tackle one area at a time.

However as people level up in the game so do the zombies spawning, so the more xp people have the more zombies start to appear and it was becoming apparent that the group might be overrun before they could safely move around the entire map and pick up all the objectives. Will have to wait till someone updates me to find out how they did without me after I went. Hopefully everything went to plan and they managed to escape with the objectives, but somehow I think they will of ended up as zombie food again!

Really enjoyed the night as a whole, it's a really good set up they've got there and a relaxed atmosphere. I'd definitely recommend checking it out if you have any interest in getting into tabletop games and you're in the Leeds area. For details on when they're playing next drop into the Travelling man and have a chat to the staff, or give them a call.

I'm going to check out the new Tabletop episode over at Geek and Sundry so till next time guys.

DFTBA

- Stray

GM’s Corner

Free Flow Gaming versus Adventure Books

Before you start your career as a GM, you have to have a couple of things down. Firstly you need to have a fairly decent grasp of the rules. At the end of the day you as the GM should be the final ruling on any problems or confusion in the gaming session, so a decent knowledge of the rules helps save time and keep the session running. The second thing a GM needs to know is his story, the story is core of the game and whilst I put emphasis on letting your player characters live out their own individual “stories”, having a well built and well thought out “plan” and world helps ease the player characters in.

This leads us to the problem that I and a few other GM’s I know came to face as we started playing. Do we invent our own stories and worlds for the player characters or do we use the various pre-written adventure books that are available?

I’ll start with Adventure books. These are pre-generated campaigns/stories that are usually written up by the same companies that make the games/rulebooks. They give the GM a full adventure from start to finish and detail all the encounters and NPC’s the players will discover along the way. They usually contain very detailed descriptions of the locations and villains that define that particular story and are often filled with hints and tips for the GM to run the sessions.

Adventure books are ideal for first time GM’s or GM’s that are moving to a different game (i.e. moving from D&D to the Star Wars RPG) and are still getting to grips with the new rules. They offer a complete campaign and often give hints and tips that are very helpful to a new GM. Another good point about adventure book gaming is you have reliable idea of the number of sessions you will need to play for, one of the major issues with free-flow gaming is that it can be nearly impossible to gauge how long a campaign will run for. This isn’t the case with adventure books, because you have the story and structure set up already, it is ideal for GM’s and PC’s who have limited time to play or that don’t want to get bogged down in a year-long campaign (Yes, it happens…)

The downside of Adventure book games is that the players are basically being “rail-roaded”. For those of you who are new to roleplay gaming, Rail Roading is when a GM or Campaign force a player characters actions. They will always end up discovering the same clues and ending up at the same locations regardless of how they may investigate. Whilst it is harder to spot for newer players, Rail Roading eventually becomes a problem for players as they feel restricted and unable to truly immerse themselves in the gaming world. Some other minor problems with adventure book gaming include the cost. Depending on the publisher, they can be quite expensive and essentially if you stick to the same gaming group, it is a one use book with no replay value. And the last problem you might face is the unimaginative player character. With these books printed and on sale for all, you run the risk that a player character will read through the story and gain an unfair knowledge of things to come. It’s not always the case, some groups might not experience this at all, but occasionally it can happen and can ruin a campaign if it becomes obvious a player knows what’s coming.

Free-flow gaming, if the term has been coined as such is a campaign of the GM’s creation. A world he has made and a story he has written. It is a style of gaming that lets the player characters have real freedom to investigate and explore the GM’s world in a manner of their choosing. Free-flow requires a lot more effort on the part of the GM. He must create a world and a story from scratch but must also be ready to improvise on the spot as usually the PC’s will not act in the manner you expect.

Free-Flow as I’ve mentioned is not limited like Adventure Book gaming, the only limit on the campaigns and worlds and characters you will meet and encounter is that of the GM’s imagination. It can offer a much more immersive world for the PC’s as they are free to interact and investigate at their own pace and in a manner of their choosing. More often than not, this style of play makes the campaigns more about the players “story” than the actual mission they are trying to achieve and this can be very rewarding for the players as they generally prefer the ego-boosts. The other benefits include it being completely free, a pen and paper being all you will need to create such a campaign and also it will be unpredictable for your player characters. With it being contained with the GM’s mind, there is no risk of a player character reading ahead and ruining the story for everyone else.

The major downside of Free-Flow gaming is the timescale. As I’ve already mentioned, player characters rarely act in the manner a GM might expect and in an effort to keep with his players, the campaign can be stretched out quite a lot more than the GM might expect. This can be a problem as often it conflicts with other hobbies and generally the busier lifestyles people tend to lead. A person can’t be expected to give a night or two every week for the foreseeable future and often people will have to miss sessions if the campaigns drag on. Another problem is the freedom the campaigns offer, this can lead to massive deviations in the storyline as the players pursue an obscure lead or waste time chasing personal goals. This can lead to the problems with the timescale but can also be easily remedied with a little improvisation. Finally one of the bigger downsides of free-flow gaming is also the biggest strength. Whilst the campaigns can be immersive and limitless, you also have the problem that the story is only as good as the GM. Sometimes a GM can offer little in detailed description leaving the player feeling like he is moving from one empty whitewashed room to another whilst other GM’s waste time with description, detailing every inch of an area to the point where a player loses interest. The best bet is finding the middle ground.

Both types have their merits as well as their problems. I personally would recommend that new GM’s try an adventure book campaign first just to get to grips with the system and the new role they find themselves in, I would also suggest it to GM’s moving to a different game system. After that however I recommend Free-flow as it is equally rewarding for the players and the GM. I’ve tried to be as unbiased as I can be about them and I hope you find it helpful.

Next time on GM’s corner we’ll be talking about the things you need and might consider for the sessions...and it will be on Youtube!

If you have anything to add or think I’ve missed anything let me know, I welcome input from other GM’s as well as being happy to answer any questions new players might have.

See you next time.

-Roth

Better late than never... Unknown

"Better late than never" is where we review something that has been out for a while but we haven't taken a look yet and we think you might be interested in.

If we're taking a look at a story in some detail during the review will give you a spoiler warning in the title, generally this will be on something that is so old that if you've not seen it by now, you probably not going to, however we'll still try and keep specific spoilers to a minimum.

So without further ado...

Unknown

Unknown is a film released in 2011 based on the french book by Didier Van Cauwelaert released in English as Out of My Head. It stars one of my favour actors Liam Neeson. Anyone who liked him in taken will definitely want to watch this at some point. While this may be a better late than never review, I'd like to avoid talking too much in depth about the plot of the film, so they'll be no spoilers but they'll also be less in the way of analysis of what makes this a good film.

The film is set in Germany, Berlin to be specific, just before a major scientific conference. We follow the character arc of Dr Martin Harris who is played by Mr Neeson who is set to attend with his wife in tow. Unfortunately on the way back to the airport to pick up a brief case he's left behind Dr Harris is involved in a car crash that leaves him in a coma for four days. He suffers memory problems and has trouble remember who he is and what he's doing in Berlin, he eventually manages to remember his name and which hotel he was staying in and goes to see his wife.

However when he gets there he finds that his wife does not recognise him and another man is there claiming to be Martin Harris, with all the relevant paperwork to prove it. Confused by what's happening and distraught by his wife's behaviour Harris leaves the hotel and this is where the roller-coaster ride begins for the good doctor and you the viewer.

The film keeps you guessing at what's really going on the whole way through and I think that you'll be very satisfied by it's conclusion. As far as entertainment value go this film is very watchable, full of intrigue, and since it's available to rent from blockbusters at only 99p it really doesn't cost you much more than two hours to give it a go. I'd certainly recommend it, and so would Roth.

If you do end up watching it, drop us a comment and let us know if you liked it or not. Just remember this film's entertainment value relies heavily on not knowing what's going on, so if you do comment, please, no spoilers they will have to be deleted unfortunately.

Till next time!

- Stray

GM's Corner

GM's Corner

So why play Role Play Games?

Those of us that already partake are more than aware of the stigma attached to role playing games. If popular culture is to be believed then the sort of people who play games like Dungeons and Dragons and Dark Heresy are smelly, daylight fearing nerds with a limited clique of friends. They scuttle around in the shadows and spend their spare time sat in front of the PC screen wasting away on WOW and the likes.


Well let me tell you something... That only counts for like half of our little gaming group!

 

“Kind of a Dungeons and Dragons thing” – Moss
“Ew, is that some sort of sex thing?” – Jen
“Ha, Far from it Jen!” – Moss (IT Crowd – Jen the Fredo – Series 4, Episode 1)

 
One of the primary hobbies this review site will revolve around is Role Play Gaming. The most well known of these being Dungeons and Dragons, the games have also expanded into the numerous niches of popular geek culture, aside from the sword and shield play style of D&D, players can play as Jedi in the Star Wars role play, fearsome Space Marines in the Deathwatch role play and the secretive acolytes of the Inquisition in Dark Heresy (to name but a few). The possibilities are endless and only limits of role play gaming is the imagination of the GM and the players.


Over the coming weeks and months, myself and others will try and help aspiring GM’s by offering tips and hints to help with your gaming sessions. The gaming experience will only be as good as the GM who controls it, so hopefully you’ll be able to find something useful that you can use.


Now why play? In a world of Xbox Live and MMORPG’s, what can role play gaming offer? Well as I’ve already mentioned, from the GM’s point of view, it is a limitless world of your creation. For the player characters, it allows them to truly create a character and personality of their choosing. Modern gaming allows for some customisation, 
but in the world of role play gaming the character can be truly personalised to the player’s heart’s content. As such it can offer a much more immersive world in which to play out your characters lives.


Another good reason is the cost. Role play gaming is relatively cheap hobby. For the GM there is the initial expense of a rulebook and some dice and for the player characters they usually need nothing more than a few dice and some pens and paper. It’s not a bank breaking hobby and if you have a regular and committed gaming group, the costs can be split down even further.


So maybe we have your interest now, maybe not. As the site progresses we will recommend various games and rulebooks, we will offer advice on improving your sessions and if you have questions, we will do our best to answer them.


For now I hope we have at least piqued your interest.


Next time we’ll talk about free flow gaming versus adventure book gaming and Stray and I have plans to review Dark Heresy, a role play game set in the Warhammer 40K Universe where players take the roles of the secretive acolytes of the Imperial Inquisition.  

See you next time.

- Roth