12 DAYS OF HALLOWEEN: 1. Aliens (1986)

 

     “Aliens” was the sequel to “Alien” (1979).  James Cameron was a young 31-year old director who had not yet released “Terminator”.  He was approached to write the screenplay and he decided to make the sequel a combat film with a mix of terror.  That’s straight from the horse’s mouth so I don’t want to hear all the bitching about it not being a war movie or a horror movie. He envisioned it as an allegory about the Vietnam War.  The Colonial Marines exemplified the overconfident American army which had all the firepower, but was thrust into an alien environment against a primitive enemy that was relentless.  He wanted Ripley back to be a feminist hero, but contract problems with Sigourney Weaver almost led to Ripley being written out.  Cameron was given a paltry $18 million budget.  The film was shot in England, but American actors were used.  The movie was a critical and box office smash.  It won Academy Awards for Sound Effects Editing and Visual Effects.  It was nominated for Best Supporting Actress (Sigourney Weaver), Art Direction, Original Score (James Horner). and Film Editing.  At the Saturn Awards for science fiction films it won Best Film, Direction, Writing (Cameron), Supporting Actor (Bill Pullman), Supporting Actress (Jenette Goldstein), and Best Performance by a Younger Actor (Carrie Henn).  The aliens’ nest set was a decommissioned power plant. 

            “Aliens” takes place 57 years after “Alien”.  Ripley (and Jonesy the cat) are found drifting is space.  At a meeting with the evil corporation, Ripley is disbelieved (she’s a woman, after all).  She is shocked to learn that a colony has been set up on the planet where the Nostromo encountered the alien.  Communication has ceased with the colony.  A company man named Burke (Paul Reiser) convinces a very reluctant Ripley to join a squad of Colonial Marines on a rescue mission.  An android named Bishop (Lance Henriksen) is along.  Needless to say, Ripley is not enamored with him.  The squad is your typical heterogeneous unit filled with braggadocio and disdain for the potential “bugs” they may have to exterminate.  Their commander is green and will need to gain their respect.  Luckily, they have a gruff sergeant to motivate them.  You know this is a war movie when they arrive to snare drums.  The colony is located on an inhospitable planet and the settlement’s interior is cinematic prison/factory/ghost town.  They encounter one survivor, a little girl named Newt (Henn) and Ripley develops a mother/daughter relationship with her.  In a pulse-pounding and pulse-expending recon, they discover a nest of aliens.  It’s game on, as Hudson (Pullman) might say.

            “Aliens” has been called the greatest sequel ever and it is hard to argue with that assessment.  Cameron’s decision to make the sequel more of an action thriller was brilliant.  He did not take the lame sequel route of trying to recreate the vibe of the original.  Although more comfortably placed in the sci-fi genre, it is certainly a war movie.  It is basically a squad behind-the-lines movie.  Their tactics are realistic and the weaponry is amazing.  What sets it apart from a WWII movie is the strong female character. She has to overcome PTSD along with the misogyny.  Ripley is iconic and set a new standard for a woman who challenges the male-dominated world. (It is a bit depressing to think that in 2179 nothing has changed in this respect.)  in fact, the film has three strong female characters.  Ripley was ranked #8 on AFI’s list of screen heroes in 2003.  The character does not suck all the air out of the room, however.  The movie is blessed with several indelible characters – Hudson (who stands in for the audience), Hicks, Newt, Vasquez, Bishop. Hell, even Paul Reiser’s slimy Burke is a great villain.  The actors are up to the characters with several doing their best work.  And I haven’t yet mentioned the aliens.  There is less left to the imagination than in “Alien” and the queen is a terrifying addition to the xenomorphs introduced in “Alien”.  Special effects wizard Stan Wilson deserves huge credit, along with Cameron.          

                It is hard to imagine how the movie could have been better.  (Other than a cheap scene where Ripley dreams of giving birth to an alien.)  The sound track (amazingly done by Horner in just three weeks) and sound effects are amazing.  The movie takes the commando mission and last stand tropes and puts them in a futuristic monster movie in a haunted house setting.  This hybridization works because all the elements are maxed out.  The movie starts strong and builds consistently to one hell of an ending.  Ripley’s duel with the queen is incredible and includes one of the greatest lines in movie history:  “Get away from her, you bitch!”.  If that does not get you fired up, nothing will.

GRADE  =  A+

 

THE 12 NIGHTS OF HALLOWEEN: 2. Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)

 

                “Pan’s Labyrinth” was written by del Toro based on notes and sketches he did in a notebook over several years.  Not only did he write the screenplay (which was nominated for an Academy Award), but he translated the dialogue and wrote the subtitles. He turned down double the budget offered by a Hollywood studio because the money came with the demand that it be done in English.  Was the movie a labor of love?  Duh.  The movie was a big hit with critics and discerning movie goers (you know – the ones who are willing to read subtitles).  It premiered at Cannes where it received a twenty-two minute standing ovation.  It ended up winning Oscars for Art Direction, Cinematography, and Makeup (which must have made Doug Jones, who played the Faun and the Pale Man, feel better about the hours he spent in getting make-up).  It was nominated for Best Foreign Film (it lost to “The Lives of Others” but probably should not have).

                The movie is set in Spain in 1944.  Although the Spanish Civil War has been over for five years, there is still a resistance movement called the Maquis.  These rebels are in the mountains standing up to the Franco government using tactics like sabotage.  Into this environment comes a little girl named Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) and her pregnant mother.  They are going to meet her stepfather who is a captain in the Spanish army.  Vidal (Sergei Lopez) has been assigned the task of wiping out a rebel band in the area.  He plans on accomplishing this task by any means necessary.  Since he is a Fascist, you can about imagine what lengths he is willing to go to.  Plus he’s evil.  When he viciously executes two suspects you know this is not a kid’s movie.

                The movie follows two narrative tracks.  Vidal is hunting for the rebels and Ofelia is in a fantasy arc that has her performing tasks assigned by a Faun after a fairy takes her to a labyrinth on the grounds of the estate.  The Faun believes that Ofelia is the reincarnation of a princess who died and needs to return to her rightful place with her father the King of the Underworld.  The tasks come from the mind of del Toro and some drug use may have been involved.  The first involves getting a key from a giant toad and a dagger from a monster who has one eye and it’s in his palm (the Pale Man).  While Ofelia is living out her fantasy (or is it?), her stepfather’s war with the Maquis is a realistic portrayal of guerrilla warfare and counterinsurgency at its most brutal.  Vidal is getting increasingly frustrated as the rebels are a thorn in his side.  His housekeeper Mercedes (Maribel Verdu) is with the insurgents and befriends Ofelia.  This is where the two stories intertwine.

                “Pan’s Labyrinth” is an amazing movie.  It is one of those movies that deserves multiple viewings.  The special effects are outstanding.  There is a mixture of CGI, animatronics, and make-up (that Oscar was a no brainer).  The scares are potent.  Stephen King (who saw the film with del Toro) squirmed when the Pale Man chased Ofelia.  If those images were in del Toro’s head for years, he must have lost some sleep.  The score fosters the eerie vibe and the cinematography is stellar.  The Oscar for Art Direction was well deserved.  Vidal’s room is designed to mirror the inside of his watch.  Did I mention this is not a kid’s movie?  Not only is it scary, but the non-fantasy segments can be gory.  Like most guerrilla wars.  There is a visceral fire-fight in the forest that includes execution of the wounded.  There is torture for confession.  And there is a dedicated counterinsurgent who would fit well in the Gestapo.  In fact, Vidal belongs in Satan’s secret police.  He is one of the most villainous characters I have encountered.  Lopez sinks his fangs into the role, but the rest of the cast is strong, too.  Baquero is perfect as Ofelia.  She auditioned so well that del Toro changed the age of the character to fit her.  Verdu is the rare strong woman in a war movie. 

                 Most war horror movies are low budget affairs. I considered about 30 movies for this list and most are bad and not scary. “Pan’s Labyrinth” stands alone in its awesome graphics and story line. If you can get Stephen King to squirm, you certainly are looking at a scary movie. There are no flaws to the film, other than it is not firmly in the war movie genre. For the purposes of this list, it fits and whether you care for war movies or not, it is a  must-see. Few war horror movies combine a horrific human with creepy creatures.

GRADE =  A+

 

THE 12 NIGHTS OF HALLOWEEN: 3. Predator (1987)

 

            “Predator” was directed by John McTiernan (“The Hunt for Red October”, “The 13^th Warrior”).  The working title was “Hunter” as screenwriting brothers, Jim and John Thomas, started with the idea of aliens from different planets hunting a variety of species. It was streamlined to one alien facing off against a crack human soldier. When Arnold Schwarzenegger came on board, he suggested it be more than a duel. The plot was changed to give his character a team of warriors. The movie was filmed in the jungles of Mexico. It was a difficult shoot as the cast had to deal with leaches, snakes, humidity, heat, as well as cold. It was particularly difficult experience for Kevin Peter Hall who played the alien in a suit that was both hot and hard to act in. (He was rewarded for his efforts by being given the role of the helicopter pilot at the end of the movie.) The special effects garnered an Oscar nomination for Stan Winston. The film was made for $15 million and made $100 million worldwide. It spawned a franchise. The movie originally got bad reviews, but over the years its reputation has grown.

            The movie opens with the alien coming to Earth. At first, it is unclear what he is doing here, but after a while it becomes clear that he is on a safari. But he is not looking to shoot water buffalo from a truck. He is trying to prove his skill against worthy prey. With that said, it’s not really a fair fight because he has all the advantages. He has a cloaking device that makes him almost invisible. He has thermal imagery that allows him to see his prey easily. And he has a plasma cannon. He can manuever through the trees. (Now that I think about it, he has less advantages than the average hunter against a deer. The deer has no weapon.) Everybody on Dutch Schaefer’s (Arnold) special ops team is dead meat. But not Dutch, of course, because he is played by Arnold. So bet the over, but don’t bet on the alien.

            Dutch and his crew of he-men (there is a guy with glasses but he earns his macho card by telling really lewd jokes) are sent on a mission by Dutch’s friend (with skepticism) Dillon (Carl Weathers) to rescue some hostages from communist guerrillas. Before the hunt begins with the whittling down of our heroes, they get to slaughter the guerrilla camp. Screw those commies. Piece of cake, time to head for the choper.  The scene should be a requisite in action film studies. Lots of explosions (often causing catapulted deaths), huge ammunition expenditure (with no reloading), burning bodies, etc. One of the crew gets a scratch and yet none of the commies is just wounded. (By the way, there are several times that the strutting Dutch should have been killed.) They take one prisoner, Anna (Elpidia Carrillo). She is a commie, but the bro code demands a female be protected from the monster. Once the high fiving is over, it’s time to find out who goes first. It will take a while before they put together clues as to what the hell is killing them. This builds to the final showdown which is long and suspenseful. Well, not the outcome, but we do wonder how Arnold will win.

            “Predator” was successful when it came out, but in a field of action thrillers like “Die Hard”, it did not have a big impact. I was not awed when I first saw it. However, when I watched it as a war horror movie, I realized that in comparison to other movies in the subgenre, it is way above average. Is it a horror movie? Yes. The alien is scary. The movie takes the approach of teasing out his appearance. It takes a while to see what a creepy looking dude he is. It’s worth the wait. The deaths of the team are a variety. There is enough character development to create empathy for them. The cast is good and includes Jesse Ventura as a muscle-bound killing machine. He is armed with a gatling gun. But Arnold dominates. He is perfect for Dutch. He gets to say his favorite catch phrase – “Get to the choppa!”

            “Predator” places high on this list because it adds a monster to an action thriller. And it is propelled by one of the best scores for a movie of this type. Kudos to Alan Silvestri for composing a score that does not sound generic. It enhances a movie that is entertaining for fans of violent action with an outstanding villain and a superstar hero.

GRADE  =  A