The MoFo Top 100 of the 1970s: Countdown

Alien is a good movie, but it's never really been a favourite of mine. I haven't seen either in a while, i do remember preferring Aliens though.

I'll stick with my prediction too.

1.Taxi Driver
2.The Godfather
3.Star Wars
4.Jaws
5.Alien

Alien is certainly an intense, thrilling, major achievement in film, but it did not make my list. I do prefer it by a lot over Aliens though.

__________________
I may go back to hating you. It was more fun.

Guap did say foreign language film.

But Arnie (and Sly) were the perfect representations of the 80's. Rocky.. Well, wasn't.



Weird, as that's one of the two films my mum didn't want me to see either (the other being Texas Chainsaw Massacre, which I'd already seen. ) and, when I saw it, I had no idea why.

Alien? I don't hate it like I used to. It's OK, but I don't think it'll ever be something I really like. Not helped by the UGLY Sigourney Weaver.

__________________
5-time MoFo Award winner.

Yeah, she is NOT attractive. I mean, I know I'm not the authority on sexy women, but when people say she's sexy in Alien and they like her running around in her skimpy undergarments, I'm confused. She looked better as she started getting older, maybe, but still, I'm kind of shocked by the Sigourney arousal. It baffles me. And so much about women already baffles me, so Sigourney Weaver attraction is like rocket science for me.

The aliens look sexier than her.

I had Alien as my #7 film of the 1970s. I never get tired of it, and it has tons of subtext to chew on in regards to film discussion. That said, I am a bit surprised it placed as highly as it did.

__________________

I think Sigourney is all kinds of beautiful. In Alien, and today. There's a thread devoted to her, HERE.


So, we're nearly at a total of 1,000 points here at number five. Anybody want to revise their guess on how many points the number one film received?

__________________
"Film is a disease. When it infects your bloodstream it takes over as the number one hormone. It bosses the enzymes, directs the pineal gland, plays Iago to your psyche. As with heroin, the antidote to Film is more Film." - Frank Capra

27 million

I guessed that it would be over 1,000 points awhile back. I did make that guess. Yes.

and how about Sigourney Weaver in Galaxy Quest



definitely think she is hot. perhaps in a different sorta way, maybe an ALIEN kind of way, which is no insult, i like to think of myself as an alien sometimes

speaking of which, Alien was #7 on my countdown

Alien: Saw it, didn't like it, didn't vote for it.

My List
1. Charlotte's Web (#127, not on the countdown)
2. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (#8)
3. The Long Goodbye (#19)
4. Harold and Maude (#27)
5. Kramer vs. Kramer (#44)
6. Paper Moon (#74)
7. Deliverance (#51)
8. Cries and Whispers (#50)
9. Serpico (#55)
10. Dog Day Afternoon (#28)
11. Dirty Harry (#34)
12. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (#68)
14. Frenzy (#121, not on the countdown)
15. Smokey and the Bandit (#124, not on the countdown)
16. Chinatown (#6)
18. Get Carter (#111, not on the countdown)
20. The Rocky Horror Picture Show (#46)
21. Network (#32)
22. Hausu (#76)
23. Mad Max (#70)
24. Tale of Tales (#120, not on the countdown)
25. Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo (1 point, not on the countdown)

__________________

Alien was my #1. It’s my favorite film of all-time. I’ve been passionate about it much of my life – I’m not sure when I first saw it, was either a kid or a teenager. But it’s been around me all my life, as my dad and sister are both fans as well. Find me when I was 17 and you’d usually catch me in my old Alien shirt, with the classic poster on it featuring the brilliant tagline -

In space, no one can hear you scream.

It’s simply the best film I’ve ever seen. Such a masterful use of suspense and build-up, great characters, terrific Sigourney Weaver, and easily the greatest creature design in history – xenomorphs rank high on my list of favorite things, period. I also love the mystery of the creature. They don’t explain what it is exactly, or where it came from, and I think that’s a stroke of genius.



The reproductive system of the creature adds to its complexity, and the film also deals symbolically with our own reproductive system – I love catching these little metaphors in the film (the obvious phallic design of the creature, “umbilicus clear”, when they are looking at the tracking device to follow Dallas as he searches for the creature and it looks similar to a sperm going to an egg, to name a few). I find more with every viewing. I feel like this subliminally makes the creature more threatening to the viewer, somehow - as though it wants to violate our entire being rather than simply kill us.

And talk about a climax. Ridley Scott is known for his visuals, but I also think he’s great at making really intense films. Blade Runner, Gladiator, and Prometheus, to name a few, are full of edge-of-your-seat moments. Even Black Hawk Down, which I didn’t care for in general, is still pretty gripping. But in my opinion, Alien is his most intense. It just doesn’t let up.

Overall, it’s a fantastic take on the classic monster movie, takes that format and runs with it, masters it, excels with it, and ultimately, makes the best movie of all-time with it.

Some of my friends prefer the action-packed sequel, but Aliens peaked for me with my initial viewing, whereas Alien remains just as strong, if not stronger, on each subsequent viewing. You can call Alien one of the greatest science-fiction films of all-time or one of the greatest horror films of all-time, and it's thanks to that cross-over appeal, that excellency in two popular genres, that makes the film such a beloved classic. I re-watched it recently (although I've seen it many, many times before), and what always strikes me the most about the film is the amazing attention to detail. I feel like I have a better picture in my head of the spaceship Nostromo than any other spaceship in science-fiction. The set design is impeccable, whether we're in the bowels of the ship, the control room, the brightly lit eating area, or the ominous planet that's home of the awe-inspiring space jockey. The creature effects are also extraordinary, and the biggest reason why the alien is one of the most feared and most iconic monsters in movie history.

I love the movie's slow build of tension and dread. I love the suspense we feel during the Nostromo's brief time on the other planet, the chills I get when we learn that the signal they detected isn't an SOS but a warning to stay away. The chest-bursting scene is iconic. I feel like the side characters do wonders with the short amount of time that the script gives them. Ripley is one of the most badass female characters in existence. The special-effects have held up very well. Even though it isn't typical gore, the scene with Ash, the android, revealing their true mission while a milk-like substance dribbles from his mouth, his head no longer connected to his body, continues to gross me out every time I watch it. I curse the cat for making me jump two or three times during the film. And the last fifteen minutes or so is extraordinarily tense, when we think Ripley has escaped, only to find that the alien is in the shuttle with her. (To give my two cents on the earlier discussion, even though I don't find Sigourney particularly attractive, she had a great body, and the scene where she strips down to those tiny whities is very sexy, imo.) Ridley Scott also deserves a ton of praise for taking the material seriously instead of turning it into a campy b-movie, which is what many filmmakers probably would have done. Alien was #7 on my list.

My List:
#1) Apocalypse Now
#3) One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
#4) The Last Picture Show
#5) Aguirre, the Wrath of God
#6) Eraserhead
#7) Alien
#8) Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia
#9) Nashville
#10) The Holy Mountain
#11) Paper Moon
#12) The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
#13) Five Easy Pieces
#17) Chinatown
#18) Solaris
#21) The Godfather Part II
#22) Straw Dogs
#23) The Outlaw Josey Wales
#24) Mean Streets

__________________

I don't have that much to say about Alien. I didn't vote for it but I do like it quite a lot, and would probably agree with you all that it's a great movie. Fantastic imagery, and genuinely creepy edge of your seat stuff in terms of atmosphere. I have only seen it once and haven't seen any of the other films in the series, so can't make comparisons. I will probably know for sure how much I like it when I watch it again, eventually, and perhaps it could become a favourite like it clearly is with a lot of you guys

I also haven't seen the sequels yet. I have Aliens on DVD, though, so I might watch it soon.

__________________
Cobpyth's Movie Log ~ 2019

You don't know how happy I am that Alien made the top 5. I was so nervous it would be 11 - 14, then I was just happy to see that it was in the top ten. Every day after that I was expecting it to show up, everyone was saying it would, and it didn't and didn't until it was the top five! It fully deserves it. I just stared at Holden's #5 poster for quite a bit. It's beautiful.

I will be the same way very soon as well.

__________________
Fear and Loathing in MoFo... The Gunslinger 45's Top 50 Favorite Films

In the 10 Ring: Gunslinger45's reviews

Alien was number 12 on my list, and for me, fully deserving of the #5 spot. I believe that in a sense, it is just as timeless as other sci-fi giants such as 2001, despite the fact that it has a very 70s/80s feel to it. And it's precisely because of this timelessness that I admire it.

hey, that's me



although really, didn't pick this username on a whim. it came through seeing the movie, which made me consider our position in the universe in new ways. we get our 'space' ideas through sci-fi movies, and perhaps through research of NASA and other space programs. i don't know anywhere near as much about the universe as i'd like to. although, especially when it comes to sci-fi movies, i find it interesting how everything we find in space must sort of reflect us. so that we the audience can relate to it. That's just how movies work. Like, the alien in this movie, while it looks strange, it's based on phallic anatomy as others have mentioned.

this line of thinking also got me into doing a little research of my own, and i came across what i found an interesting quote. which may be relevant~

---------
“people talk a lot about going to the stars, but we just keep putting our money into other projects, like war and popular music and international athletic events and resurrecting the fashions of previous decades. If we wanted to go into space, we would have.”
— George Alec Effinger
---------

we don't really live in an age of space exploration. at least not beyond super exclusive astronauts, and even that is pretty rare and they don't really venture that far out. in a way i do find it sad that i (or we) will not discover what lies beyond out there. as we are really just a tiny floating ball orbiting a sun in one galaxy out of 20 billion or so galaxies. there is so much to be explored beyond our own grasp

that's what i began to think about when i watched Alien, and saw the spaceship Nostromo. and found myself relating to the idea of space exploration. finding what is really out there. which won't happen during any of our lifetimes, just not feasible. maybe in a different age though

Ridley Scott picked the name for his spaceship from Joseph Conrad's novel. i'd be interested to know why he chose it. and what message he hoped might pass on. or maybe it was just a name. although some movie directors tend to put a lot of thought into this sort of thing, so maybe it had deeper meaning to Sir Ridley Scott

Same actually. I was going to watch it for the Eighties but haven't been that bothered about seeing it since then, will get to it eventually though.