OK. I am a little bent. I lost count of how many times I had watched this movie at around 70. Although I haven't seen it in a while, at least the original U.S. theatrical release, I can still recite almost the entire film from memory. I can't say that this is a Great Film. It has too many strikes against it: Newt's incessant, ear-piercing shrieks; the fact that she's called Newt; James Cameron being a incredibly talented asshole; a running time that seems to go on for about two millennia. However, there's just something really captivating about this movie.
Again, this is not a Great Film. I haven't watched it enough times to memorize much of the dialog, but it's a movie I don't mind watching maybe once a year. It has the same basic plot as Aliens: a band of elite warriors going up against the unthinkable. It has Arnie at his best, meaning he doesn't speak much except to say a catch phrase or two. Elpidia Carrillo is hot. Jesse Ventura plays the role he was born to play. Sure it's hokey, especially the last half-hour or so. Still, the movie as a whole earns a high cool-factor and the sound design is stunning. The bass rattle of the alien always gives me a chill and the firefight has some amazing stereo mixing. When I finally install a 5.1 system around our living room, one of the first discs I'm going to spin is going to be this movie.
What can I say? This movie is a classic. Cary Grant charms the pants off Audrey Hepburn without even trying. Hepburn herself dazzles as the spunky widow. George Kennedy and James Coburn entertain, menace, and terrify all at the same time. No-one could touch Henry Mancini and his pop/jazz scoring. Walter Matthau is one of those actors that I just like to watch on screen no matter what they're doing. Add to all these ingredients a sparklingly witty script and you have a true Classic. I was too young to really understand everything, but something about the crackling sexual chemistry between Grant and Hepburn really caught my attention. They had a loving, erotic playfulness about them that fascinated me. This light side of the film was enhanced and counterbalanced by the murders. Those murders really affected me. It must've been around the time that I realized that I wouldn't live forever. Because of all this, I refuse to underestimate kids and their ability to pick up on what's going on around them.
OK, so this one is predictable. Almost unavoidable for a male of my generation. When it was released in the U.S., I happened to be on holiday in Hawaii. I heard from my friend that there was this new movie and it was amazing. As fascinating as Hawaii was to a six-year-old, nothing compared to the buzz generated by this flick. Even the title "Star Wars" sounded cool. As soon as we hit the mainland, my parents and I piled in to car and headed off to the drive-in. Darth Vader striding through the smoke on that giant screen scared the crap out of me. The whole experience excited me so much I sucked down a soft drink that was half my size before ol' Ben had a chance to wax mystical about the Force. Now, I'm not going to win any Star Wars-related contests. I didn't watch it a zillion times in the theater. My parents were starting their own business at the time so our family didn't have a lot of disposable income to throw at Mr. Lucas for silly action figures that had only five joints (I had been thoroughly spoiled by my set of Micronauts. Although I have to admit that Han Solo had more Fonzie-style cool in his stiff little ankle than all my see-through Time Travelers combined.) Still, I wanted that big Millennium Falcon so bad I could taste it. Sure, I got a posted or two and some cool Star Wars bedclothes, but I never got that giant plastic Falcon. It's no consolation that I would have to fork over a good $140 to get one these days.
I think that's about it for this week. I haven't even scratched the surface, but some of the following I'd actually like to spend some time analyzing, which would take much more time and brain power than I have now.
"I've seen things you people wouldn't believe… attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate. All these moments will be lost, in time, like tears in the rain."
"Goody Two-Shoes and the Filthy Beast?!"