The Alphabet Project - Part 1

Last Wednesday, I was struck with an awesome desire to do something active coupled with an equally awesome desire to do nothing that would be considered constructive. Normal people call this feeling "boredom". Therefore, I decided to alphabetize my DVD collection. I cannot tell you how much I thoroughly enjoyed the task.

As I entered the last DVD in my Mennonite-built spinning wooden rack (the movie was Unbreakable, if you must know), I wondered how cool it would be to re-screen all my DVD's in alphabetical order. And how even more cool would it be to 'blog about it. (And by "cool" I mean "weird and nerdy"). Thus began what I cheerfully designate "The Alphabet Project".

Aliens, 1986. Director: James Cameron.


Upon re-screening this movie, I was amazed at how badass it still is. Made before the CGI era, all special effects are practical, but to me the movie is still very fresh. And although I know just about every line and beat of the movie, it remains very scary.



Sigourney Weaver as "Ellen Ripley" was wonderful. Women in sci-fi are often given token supporting roles as either some sort of space hooker or militarized, masculine-ized, pseudo-male. Ellen Ripley is a godsend of a role, a resourceful sci-fi hero who's strength is linked to the nurturing, motherly instincts that the Newt character brings forth. This makes her a formidable warrior and compelling character, while still maintaining her femininity.

Also compelling, Carrie Henn as "Newt". In her early scenes, that kid portrays a thousand-yard stare that so effective, it makes me suspicious of what kind of prompting James Cameron had to do to get her to get her to look so real and truthful. All in all, the movie remains the best out of the whole Alien saga. It is so good that I refuse to consider the following movie installments as canon. Screw David Fincher and Jean-Pierre Jeunet. In my mind, Aliens 3 and 4 do not exist until James Cameron directs them.

Almost Famous, 2000. Director: Cameron Crowe.



It's hard not to enjoy this movie. Sweet cast, good music and kinda wistful.



At times it can get a bit schmaltzy, but in the end, the schmaltz works. Has one of my favourite bits of movie dialogue:

Lester Bangs: What, are you like the star of your school?
William Miller: They hate me.
Lester Bangs: You'll meet them all again on their long journey to the middle.

also:

Lester Bangs: Aw, man. You made friends with them. See, friendship is the booze they feed you. They want you to get drunk on feeling like you belong.
William Miller: Well, it was fun.
Lester Bangs: They make you feel cool. And hey. I met you. You are not cool.
William Miller: I know. Even when I thought I was, I knew I wasn't.
Lester Bangs: That's because we're uncool. And while women will always be a problem for us, most of the great art in the world is about that very same problem. Good-looking people don't have any spine. Their art never lasts. They get the girls, but we're smarter.
William Miller: I can really see that now.
Lester Bangs: Yeah, great art is about conflict and pain and guilt and longing and love disguised as sex, and sex disguised as love... and let's face it, you got a big head start.
William Miller: I'm glad you were home.
Lester Bangs: I'm always home. I'm uncool.
William Miller: Me too!
Lester Bangs: The only true currency in this bankrupt world if what we share with someone else when we're uncool.

I truly wished I had someone to tell me stuff like this when I was in high school. It would have saved me so much useless angst.

Next movies:
[The] Aviator
Before Sunrise
Before Sunset