http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/entertainment/11986413.htm
Good alien/bad alien
BY BOB CURTRIGHT
The Wichita Eagle
The remake of "War of the Worlds" prompts a look at movie, TV creatures
We are not alone - and never will be as long as Hollywood has its way.
Before 1951's "The Day the Earth Stood Still," nobody thought much about
UFOs - then called flying saucers - and little green men from Mars.
But Cold War paranoia after World War II brought us all manner of icky,
creepy, scary visitors from Out There.
There were pod-people taking over our bodies ("Invasion of the Body
Snatchers," 1956 and 1978), throbbing blobs absorbing everybody in sight
("The Blob," 1958 and 1988), chameleon-like warriors hunting humans for
sport ("Predator," 1987) and giant preying mantises spitting acid all over
the place ("Starship Troopers," 1997).
Grisliest of all, there were slimy, toothy critters that laid eggs in
human hosts, then burst out of their chests to hatch ("Alien," 1979).
Now, with Steven Spielberg's $200 million remake of "Wars of the Worlds"
set to open Wednesday, we have aliens on the brain again.
And even Spielberg has gone to the dark side this time despite his past
proclamations that he believes alien contact will be positive.
His "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" (1977) and "E.T.: The
Extra-Terrestrial" (1982) were his mantra. But they were rare exceptions
of alien good guys along with "Starman" (1984) and "Cocoon" (1985).
Otherwise, for five decades, we've invariably had to take back our planet
from the likes of "Invaders From Mars" (1953), "The Thing" (1955 and
1981), "The Day of the Triffids" (1962), "Killer Clowns From Outer Space"
(1988) and "The Puppet Masters" (1994).
Not to mention "I Married a Monster From Outer Space" (1957), "IT: The
Terror From Outer Space" (1958), "Five Million Years to Earth" (1968),
"Fire in the Sky" (1993), "Species" (1995), "Mars Attacks" (1996), "The
Arrival" (1998) or "Ghosts of Mars" (2001).
Out of probably 120 alien flicks in the past half century, the vast
majority of outer-space visitors were out to get us.
Oddly, when television first got wind of aliens, it often found them
pretty funny .
We chuckled at "My Favorite Martian" (1963), howled at "Mork & Mindy"
(1978), hooted at "ALF" (1986) and rolled on the floor at the antics of
goofy Dick Solomon and his crew on "Third Rock From the Sun" (1996).'
They were the space-age equivalent of naive children with faces full of
wonder learning about the world for the first time.
And there's Jim Henson's "Pigs in Space," which sends up every space opera
cliche.
However, when movies found aliens funny, generally it wasn't on purpose.
Consider the ridiculous "Mars Needs Women" (1967) where the title tells
you everything (and probably more than you want to know).
Or take - please! -the jaw-droppingly awful "Plan 9 From Outer Space"
(1959) with aliens in silk pajamas and paper plates on strings for UFOs.
>From legendary director Ed Wood, it's often voted the worst movie of all
time.
Even beyond sitcoms, TV aliens could be nice, from brainy Mr. Spock on
"Star Trek" (1966) to pointy-headed suburbanites the Coneheads on
"Saturday Night Live" (1983) to the goodest good guy of all, Superman
("The Adventures of," 1952).
Every now and then, we turn out to be the aliens ourselves. Remember poor
Agnes Moorehead on "The Twilight Zone" defending her home against "The
Invaders," who turn out to be from Earth?
And in recent years because of diversity, equal time or political
correctness, it was inevitable that alien stereotyping would be toned down.
Indeed, aliens often were both villains and heroes in the same story, from
"Alien Nation" (1988 movie, 1989-90 TV series) to "Star Wars" (1977-2005)
to "Men in Black" (1997 and 2002) to "The X-Files" (1993-2002).
With that in mind, here are my picks for the most memorable aliens or
alien movies.
"Alien" (1979) Ridley Scott's tale is the "Jaws" of alien flicks,
providing visceral jumps and screams along with intelligent, provocative
storytelling. Sigourney Weaver becomes humanity's last-ditch warrior
against extinction by a possibly superior and deadly race. It's a clever
piece of filmmaking that keeps from revealing the alien completely until
the very last minute, letting our imaginations boost the terror. And the
chest-bursting alien birth is a classic moment.
"E.T.: The Entraterrestrial" (1982) This is Steven Spielberg's warm and
fuzzy flip side of "Alien" with E.T. as a wise, Yoda-like scientist who is
accidentally abandoned on Earth when his spaceship takes off without him.
Little Henry Thomas finds him, protects him, and becomes his best friend -
and best student in keeping an open mind and heart. It's about welcoming
strangers rather than automatically fearing them. And the emotional ending
provides one of the biggest "up" cries on screen.
"Close Encounters of the Third Kind" (1977) Another positive Spielberg
look at alien contact, this time with Richard Dreyfuss as an Everyguy who
gives up his comfortable job and home to become a true believer. The film
is almost spiritual in its approach to the wonders that may be Out There.
Probably the most exhilarating moment comes as aliens and humans learn to
communicate through musical tones. That opens the doors to everything.
"Enemy Mine" (1985) Wolfgang Petersen puts an alien spin on a very human
story about two avowed enemies (Dennis Quaid and Louis Gossett Jr.) who
must band together for mutual survival under hostile conditions. In the
process, they question what makes them enemies. Without politics,
religion, racism or other bigotry around them, they discover their true
worth and emotions.
"The Day the Earth Stood Still" (1951) This is the movie that started
Hollywood's love affair with aliens and, while dated, it is still a
powerful, provocative statement. Michael Rennie plays a benevolent space
visitor who lands his ship in Washington, D.C., and tries to convince
Earthlings to learn to live in peace or risk destroying their planet. As
thanks, they shoot him.
"Independence Day" (1996) This is the high-tech, special-effects flip
side of "The Day the Earth Stood Still" where Americans get out their big
guns and kick alien butt - big-time. It's memorable for the sheer
spectacle that Roland Emmerich creates, notably blowing up national
landmarks so realistically you are left in awe.
"Men In Black" (1997) This is the fun one. Barry Sonnenfeld creates a
clever, hilarious, special-effects spoof in the James Bond vein. Tommy Lee
Jones and Will Smith are slick, suave, cynical agents whose mission is "to
protect Earth from the scum of the universe." And what scum it is, with
alien critters of every form and stripe dodging the space cops and trying
to sweet-talk their way out of annihilation.
Mork in "Mork & Mindy" (1978-82) Robin Williams is brilliant as the
quintessential naif named Mork from the planet Ork, who questions all the
silliness, inconsistencies and injustices of Earth, then reports back to
his boss, Orson. Mork looks at everything literally, providing satirical
punch to what it means to really be human - Nanu-nanu!
Mr. Spock in "Star Trek" (1966-69 plus movies) Deadpan Leonard Nimoy
with his pointy ears and cocked eyebrow is the perfect logical anchor for
Gene Roddenberry's classic series. It's actually an analogy about
coexistence, whether among neighbors, countries or planets. And Spock
keeps his head while everybody around him is losing theirs.
Dr. Frank N. Furter in "Rocky Horror Picture Show" (1975) This is my
guilty pleasure. Where else can you find an alien in uniform of black
garter belt and corset singing his heart out that "I Can Make You a Man" -
referring to his hunky Frankensteinian monster. Tim Curry is a hoot as Dr.
Frank N. Furter, strutting and stalking and grinning bigger than any
Cheshire Cat. The message is that aliens rock!
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
