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Surgeons of Horror

~ Dissecting horror films

Surgeons of Horror

Tag Archives: Aliens

Movie review: Life

13 Wednesday Dec 2017

Posted by surgeons of horror in Movie review

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Aliens, jake gyllenhaal, life, ryan reynolds, sci-fi horror, Sci-Fi Movies

When life gives you lemons you make lemonade or in this case, when Life gives you aliens you get a carbon copy of everything you’ve seen before, and yet it’s strangely watchable despite its obvious flaws.

When a six-man crew encounter evidence of life on Mars, they get more than they bargained for.

Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Rebecca Ferguson, and Ryan Reynolds who all turn out solid performances as the storyline ticks along at a fairly decent pace.

It’s just a shame that Life doesn’t offer any smart alternatives in the process of its narration.

The only glimmer of difference comes in sacrificing one of its key players in a semi-shock twist moment.

By the films conclusion though, it tries to pull another trick but this resolution could be seen from a mile off and the audience is left disappointed as a result.

The Diagnosis:
Most cinephiles may note the comparisons with Alien and other sci-fi horror movies if its kind, but it is a great attempt at a modern entry into this genre and has enough energy and pace to keep the momentum moving along.
This combined with the strong acting make it compelling viewing despite its flaws.

  • Saul Muerte

Encounters with the unknown

29 Sunday Oct 2017

Posted by surgeons of horror in News article

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Aliens, area 51, blue mountains triangle, the unknown, ufo's

Ever since my youth, this Surgeons of Horror reporter has had a growing fascination with life beyond this planet.
Does it exist? What lies beyond the stars?
So compelled was I to find out the answer to one of life’s eternal conundrum’s that I almost willed something to happen.

This one time, my parents were driving along the freeway in the United States, (where else?) in a hired convertible.
It was late and my eyes were drawn to the heavens above.
As I rested my head on the back seat, my eyes began to scan the skyline, casting across from one star to the next.
I became immersed in its sheer enormity. Out there on the open road, I felt insignificantly small and this notion that surely we can’t be alone in the universe crept across my mind.
What started off as an idle admiration of the stars and all its infinite glory suddenly became a futile desire to look beyond the shining lights in the sky to search for anything out of the ordinary.
An anomaly that didn’t naturally belong in the sky. If life did exist out there, now was the chance for it reveal itself to me.
Why me of all people you could ask?
Well this 7 year old boy didn’t think beyond the realms of his own sphere, which is ironic considering I was now willing, nay praying for signs of life beyond.
It seemed as though hours had past, when in reality it was probably only a few minutes, but finally something odd did occur.
A green light flashed before me high into the night sky and hovered momentarily for a few seconds before instantaneously propelling itself upwards and out of my field of vision.
To this day, I’m not entirely sure if I dreamt that moment. Was it real? Or had I drifted off to sleep in the back of the car, and let my imagination run wild in the eases of my mind? Either way, that moment hung with me over the years.

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It was only a few years later, where my fascination was sparked once more, primarily due to watching numerous episodes of The X-Files and watching Mulder and Scully scamper around trying to seek the truth.
This led me on my own search, as I had learned of something known as The Blue Mountains Triangle.
Allegedly, there is an underground military base located in the heart of the Blue Mountains, somewhere in the Burragong region.
This base, which supposedly is co run by both Australian and the U.S. is probably best described as Australia’s own Area 51; a place where the military have been studying and experimenting with UFOs and UFO sightings.
Again without any basis of truth or facts to steer my investigation, I ventured out to uncover if there was anything to these so-called stories.
I took the long drive out to the Lake Burragong lookout and set up camp for the night. Surely now I could find more proof?
There had been numerous sightings of Unidentified Flying Objects over the Blue Mountains skyline and I couldn’t see how I wouldn’t be one of the lucky few to witness such an awe inspiring moment; a moment that would connect me with the universe.

From what I remember, it was a bitterly cold night. My insane mission would lead me from the shelter of a nice warm house, to sitting in the middle of nowhere at the height of winter.
Yes logic had been lost on me and my only goal was to find proof of existence. I sat there willing and praying as I had done before.
Hours passed and then all became foggy and darkness settled once more.

The next thing that I recall, there was a loud tapping on my car window, which shook me back to reality.
The car had steamed up, so I had to wind the window down, where upon I was greeted by a Park Ranger, wondering what I was up to.
I tried to explain to him my reasoning’s and even quizzed him if he had ever witnessed anything unusual whilst working out here, but all I received from him was an expression of strangeness, as though he had pigeonholed me into a group of crazies, and the only thing unusual was my intent on proving something that simply didn’t exist.

I drove off, as dawn was finally breaking, with a sense of disheartenment. Not knowing if I would ever find the answer to my quest, whilst also knowing that I would be greeted at times with that same odd expression from people whenever I would try to pursue this further.
Over the years though, I learnt that I wasn’t alone. At least not in my search for Extra-Terrestrial life. There were others like me.
Admittedly some had strange and wild tales that were hard to believe, and yet there were also others that were detailed studies into this field.
There were scientists and all manners of experts that were leaping into the same quest that I had set out for all those years ago.
And as humanity makes advances in technology, so comes the greater chance of finding life beyond this planet.
Thankfully now, I don’t have to venture out into the dead of a cold winter night to carry out my quest as I can leave the professionals to it.

– Anonymous

Podcast: Alien (1979)

26 Wednesday Apr 2017

Posted by surgeons of horror in Alien franchise, Uncategorized

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Tags

Alien, Aliens, chest-burster, face-hugger, harry dean stanton, ian holm, james cameron, john hurt, ridley scott, sigourney weaver, tom skerrit, veronica cartwright, xenomorph, yaphet kotto

Following the success of his film school feature Dark Star, which he collaborated with John Carpenter, Dan O’Bannon would team with his house mate, Ronald Shusett to create (arguably) the best and most iconic science fiction horror movie to date.

Once the screenplay was in place, the perfect recipe started to formulate with some fresh new faces, starting with the director, Ridley Scott with his sophomore feature, still at a point where he was willing to take on a few risks.

There must have been something that resonated deep down with Scott too, as he has returned to the franchise at the helm with 2012’s Prometheus, this years’ Alien: Covenant, and the promise of more to come.

Joining alongside him would be fellow fresh-faced actress, Sigourney Weaver, and along with it, her take on the protagonist, Ellen Ripley, would be a pioneer in the industry, paving the way for more like-minded, strong, female characters to come.

Sure, we’ve still got a long way to come yet, but Ripley is still held highly amongst fans and cinema-lovers across the globe.

Her journey would span across another 3 movies in the franchise, such was her resonance.

It helped too that her fellow cast members, all prolific in their own right would elevate, (essentially a haunted house story, albeit set in space) high, not just in the genre, but in film history.

Tom Skerritt, John Hurt, Harry Dean Stanton, Ian Holm, Veroncia Cartwright, and Yaphet Kotto all lend valuable weight to the proceedings.

As does the visual cinematography (Derek Vanlint) and the design, headed up by H.R. Giger, who created the look and feel of the alien creature in all it’s transitions; egg, face-hugger, baby xenomorph, to its adult version.

The film drips and oozes such an amazing treat for the senses, that it’s not surprising that it still stands the test of time.

To celebrate #alienday, the Surgeons of Horror team took it upon themselves to discuss this movie, that rightfully has become a classic.

Check out our in-depth discussions on iTunes or through our podcast feed below.

https://player.whooshkaa.com/player/episode/id/99074?visual=true

  • Paul Farrell

R.I.P. Bill Paxton

26 Sunday Feb 2017

Posted by surgeons of horror in Uncategorized

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Aliens, Bill Paxton, Predator 2, Terminator

FOR MOST PEOPLE, (myself included) Bill Paxton entered our worlds as the unforgettable Private Hudson from Aliens.

As I heard the sad news today of his passing, I instantly started to reflect on Bill’s career and naturally of those films that fall into the sphere of horror.

So gifted a talent, Bill could transcend across numerous genres and even iconic film franchises, such as The Terminator, Aliens, and Predator 2.

As Private Hudson, Bill portrayed the cocky, loud-mouthed and patronising member of the Army Corp that would be slayed by a Xenomorphs on the Hadley’s Hope colony.

But it was a year later, playing Severen in Near Dark, that would capture the attention of this writer.

It’s a movie that probably deserves more recognition and sees Bill once again star alongside Lance Henriksson as renegade drifters, who just so happen to be vampires.

His past is never revealed but you get the sense that Paxton relished playing the more reckless, violent, and sadistic member of the crew.

It’s a role that stands out in a plethora of other movies, but to mention a couple more, Paxton’s performance of Jerry Lambert was another highlight in his career that I’d like to mention.

On face value, Lambert appears to be yet another brash and cocky performance from Paxton, but beneath the surface is a man of integrity and honour that belies this instinctive reaction to his character.

This is a testament to Paxton’s ability to portray depth to his roles and would later see him cast in the likes of Tombstone, True Lies, Apollo 13, and Twister to name but a few.

It’s little surprising that he would turn his attention to directing at some point in his career and what he leaves behind is possibly one of the most underrated movies at the turn of the century with Frailty.

The tale centres on a family led by a fanatical religious patriarch (played by Paxton) who leads them on a series of murders as they try to destroy the demons that are embedded through American society.

Bill Paxton leaves behind such an important mark on the history of film and the team at Surgeons of Horror will forever remember his stellar work over the years.

He will be deeply missed and put thoughts go out to his family at this time.

– Paul Farrell

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