A Monumental Night: A L I E N at the Alamo!
Filed under: Horror, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
What would it take for you to get up, leave your house, spend a few dollars ... all to enjoy a film that you already own on DVD? Put another way, would you fly halfway across the country to see a brand-new 35mm print of your all-time favorite movie? Well I did last weekend! As it stands I only need the flimsiest of excuses to visit Austin, Texas, but last week I had a chance to see a friend's film in front of a packed, horror-hungry crowd (it was The Collector, and I dug it) -- followed only a few days later by an Alamo Drafthouse sold-out screening of (wait for it) Ridley Scott's A L I E N. The near-flawless* sci-fi horror film that still resides at #1 on my lifetime list.
So I sat down with a bunch of great friends (and a huge batch of wonderfully well-behaved audience members) to see a film I've gone over ... about 25 times. So what new stuff did I see? First off, I was struck by how much the audience loved Yaphet Kotto as the ever-griping space mechanic known as Parker. He's the only real source of light humor in the film, and virtually all of his dialog was met by appreciative chuckles from the audience. Especially when he keeps warning Dallas and Ash to "freeze it, freeze the damn thing! Why don't they freeze it?"
I expected this seasoned movie crowd to hoot and holler through the little alien's dinner table debut, but nope ... a theater packed with hardcore A L I E N fans and they all sat stock-still, either frozen by the scene's impact (yet again) or choosing to remain dead silent out of respect for their co-viewers. (THIS is why you watch old movies at the Alamo, people.) I did notice a few unexpected giggles when nasty old Ash flips his lid, but I suppose that's inevitable for such a strange and shocking scene. But things got serious again in a hurry.
But of course the true highlight of seeing this sort of film on the big screen is this: It looks like an actual movie. I don't care how big your TV is and it matters not one whit how blu your discs are: Home video is an approximation of the theatrical experience, and as far as A L I E N goes, there's nothing like the sweat, the steam, the sounds, and the strobe lights pounding on you from a big-time movie screen.
Plus, Sigourney Weaver just looks prettier on the big screen.
Big thanks to the Alamo for the awesome evening. I even had cheese fries and a milk shake while I watched Harry Dean Stanton chase that darn cat into the jaws of a space monster. Now that's a fun night.
* This was the "director's cut" of A L I E N, which lessened my geekiness by only about 1.5%. I truly prefer the theatrical cut of the film, for many nerdish reasons, but this version still brought me back to my beloved childood nightmares.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
7-31-2009 @ 6:29PM
Mike McGranaghan said...
Excellent piece, Scott. And I share your love for the film. It's one of my all-time favorites as well.
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7-31-2009 @ 7:09PM
paul said...
Movie theaters are like fm stations now days, corporate and beholden to the man. But fm used to be a different cat altogether, independent and beholden to the listeners. Tim and Karrie League are two cool cats that have their finger on the geek pulse of Cool. Ironically, this wildly independent movie nerdiness was the key to their success. Having said that, I wished more theaters would, like Prudence, come out to play.
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7-31-2009 @ 9:12PM
chuck said...
Seeing one of your older favorite films on the big screen is GREAT. I went into NYC in Jan to see my favorite film The Poseidon Adventure along with 150 diehard fans of the film. It was a terrific experience. There's a clearview classic series in NYC that plays fan favorites during the year. They have shown Planet of the Apes, Back to the Future, E.T The Shining, Earthquake and many more over the last few years. I highly recommend the experience.I also agree there are things that you see on the big screen that you don't pick up on a TV screen. ,
CHUCK
http://blog.entertainmenttodayandbeyond.com/
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8-01-2009 @ 12:29AM
Gholson said...
The print was gorgeous. It really was like seeing it again, for the very first time. I can't wait to see the ALIENS on Friday...
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8-01-2009 @ 3:23AM
Phil Guest said...
Great story, Scott - reminded me of seeing ALIEN first time round in 1979. I was 14 - it was given an X certificate in the UK, meaning 18 and older only. So I begged my Dad to smuggle me in. It was its first Saturday night and the ticket line was wrapped around the block - no pre-booking seats in '79! We managed to get in and I scrunched down in my seat, convinced that someone in the audience would rat me out: "Hey! That kid's only 14!". The lights dimmed and that was it. The Gaumont cinema had a BIG screen and ALIEN looked fantastic. I had slavishly read and reread Alan Dean Foster's excellent novelisation, so I knew where all the big scares were. The audience went nuts for it; my Dad (fortunately) really liked it too. Great memories - and it's the only film that, whatever format it gets released on, I'll happily buy again. Roll on the Blu-Ray!
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8-01-2009 @ 5:06AM
Beeslo said...
Wow. The timing of me reading this article is great. I am actually seeing this tomorrow at 1:30 at the Alamo Drafthouse. I love ALIEN...even more so than Aliens (which don't get me wrong, is a fantastic film). But I have never seen this movie in a dark room full of strangers and well, its gonna be great.
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8-01-2009 @ 3:48PM
Pingles said...
One of my favorite films. And great article.
Can I ask a favor and perhaps run a quick spellcheck on the stories before posting. The two non-word mistakes (flimiest and screning) really throw off an interesting article and would have been caught by any spellchecker.
Sorry for the nitpick.
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