›› TALKiNG PiCTURES
The girl with the ‘big shocking moment’ ‘Prometheus’ lights a fire under ‘Alien’ fans... by Davi d Te mp l e ton
Writer David Templeton takes interesting people to interesting movies in his ongoing quest for the ultimate post-film conversation. This is not a review; rather, it’s a freewheeling, tangential discussion of life, alternative ideas and popular culture.
and warn them once or twice more, before we get to any juicy stuff.” And there is some pretty juicy stuff in Prometheus. Literally. Though perhaps “gooey” or “slimy” would be more apt than “juicy,” given that this is an couldn’t believe what the girl with Alien movie, a film series based on the glutithe dragon tattoo does in this nous reproductive habits of thickly viscous movie! Wow!” extraterrestrials. Ever since that very first faceRichard Peterson, laughing, is talking about hugging reptile attached itself to actor John the Big Shocking Moment in the new film Hurt’s face in the original film (implanting Prometheus. He’s had to stop himself sev- the seed of another creature that would burst eral times since seeing the film Friday night, out of the poor guy’s chest in the middle of because the Big Shocking Moment is just that dinner), the modern science fiction film has big and shocking. Featuring Noomi Rapace— not been the same. who played the title character in the original “It’s a very vivid memory, seeing that first Swedish Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and two film,” says Peterson, a noted film historian other Millennium Trilogy films—Prometheus with remarkably eclectic tastes in movies. “I is a grand, far-reaching science fiction epic saw the first Alien at a pre-release preview f ro m R i d l e y screening. No Scott. A preone knew what quel, of sorts, to expect. All we to Scott’s semiknew was that nal 1979 horit was a scary ror film Alien, science fiction the new film film set in space. includes sevI certainly didn’t eral outrageous expect what scenes, one in happened to p a r t i c u l a r, a happen. The scene in which scene with John Rapace... Hurt, with the Well, telling chest bursting, would spoil was an absot h e f i l m f o r John Hurt, as one of the few men to experience the pain of childbirth, lute shocker. a ny o n e w h o in ‘Alien.’ The movie was hasn’t seen it. essentially a So if you haunted house haven’t seen Prometheus, and you intend to, movie—people trapped on a spaceship with stop reading now! a monster—but what set Alien apart were the Part of the fun of watching a film like Pro- elements of body horror that kept popping metheus is analyzing the “big moments” with up.” other people afterward. And that’s what PeterLiterally. son and I are about to do. I was among the “Body horror,” for the uninitiated, is first to see the film Friday morning and, ever a sub-genre of horror fiction in which since, have been stoically monk-like in my si- the thrills and chills are derived from lence, waiting till I’d stumbled across another the graphic obliteration, invasion and film fan equally eager to discuss the film. Early dissection of the human body. Though Tuesday night, when I heard that Richard Alien was arguably the first such film to Peterson—programmer of the Christopher B. go mainstream, Peterson points out that Smith Rafael Film Center, in San Rafael—had David Lynch and David Cronenberg had also seen Prometheus...and liked it...I immedi- been exploring similar terrain for years in films like Eraserhead, Shivers, Rabid and ately called him up. “Can we really talk about this?” Peterson The Brood. “It was happening in cult movies,” says asks, early on. “Won’t people be upset if we Peterson, “but those films weren’t widely ruin the movie?” “We’ll warn them,” I reply. “I’ll tell them in distributed. Eraserhead was many people’s... the first paragraph that they should stop read- introduction to that sort of thing, but that ing immediately if they plan to see the movie. was a midnight movie. And Cronenberg, And then I’ll still wait a few more paragraphs, he was coming up with some really strange
“I
30 PACIFIC SUN JUNE 15 – JUNE 21, 2012
C’mon this can’t possibly be worse than... oh... my... god...
ideas in his early movies, but only a handful something that comes close to that origiof people had seen them in the United States. nal electric shock and awe. And I think it Alien was the first time in a mainstream does come close.” movie—though if I did some research I “I agree,” Peterson laughs. “An emergenmight think of others—that such a horrific cy C-section delivery of a monstrous alien interpretation of birth was shown to so many creature is about as close as you could get. people. The shock and awe of that movie was When Noomi takes matters into her own really something. hands to get the alien baby out of her, it “I can’t remember a film where I was more was definitely shocking! Clearly, that was scared,” he continues. “I’d never seen a film the most visceral moment, and easily the that made me more tense, imagining what most shocking moment in the film. It defiwas going to happen next. It’s really a very nitely brought back some of the gooeyness well-made movie.” of the original Alien.” Which brings us to Prometheus. “This was a very gooey film,” I agree. From the first announcement that Ridley “When the mechanical claw reaches into Scott was making a science fiction film set Noomi’s abdomen and pulls out that in space, rumors began spreadsquirming little slimy squid ing that it would be a prequel to thing, I couldn’t believe it Alien, though Scott initially decould actually hold onto it. It nied it, saying only that his new was very gooey and slippery film merely contained some of looking.” the DNA of the original film. “It was kind of outland“ Yo u’re d a m n s t r a i g h t i t ish that someone could even does!” says Peterson. “ They survive something like that,” make that very clear, and cerPeterson notes, “but maybe tainly by the end of the film, it’s painkillers in the future will be obvious that we are heading toa whole lot better than today.” ward where Alien began. I liked Wrapping up, I ask Peterson it. There were some fascinating if Prometheus is a satisfying new ideas. I just thought it was movie-going experience, coma really interesting reboot for pared to the fun of rememberthe series—though it certainly ing that original Alien experilacked the surprise element of ence. the first film.” “It was satisfying, yes,” he “That would have been hard Few things could ‘top’ one’s replies. “It was well acted, rst time seeing an alien tear to replicate,” I agree. “Once fithrough very well made, and there was a person from the you’ve seen your first alien tear- inside out, agrees Peterson. enough intellectual muscle in ing through a person from the this movie to make me want inside out, all subsequent aliens to keep thinking about it. tearing through people from the inside out “But was it the same as the first? Of are going to make less of an impact.” course not,” Peterson laughs. “Nothing can “Right,” Peterson laughs. “How are you ever quite match your first time, right?” < possibly going to top that?” Rip through David’s abdomen at talkpix@earthlink.net. Well, perhaps it’s time to talk about...the Big Shocking Moment. It’s your movie, speak up at “The moment in question,” I suggest, “is ›› pacificsun.com clearly the filmmaker’s attempt to give us