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The Next Picture Show

#070: (Pt. 1) Alien (1979) / Life (2017)

The Next Picture Show

Filmspotting

Tv & Film, Film History, Film Reviews

4.6858 Ratings

🗓️ 4 April 2017

⏱️ 47 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The new LIFE has come in for some pointed comparisons to Ridley Scott’s ALIEN, which seems like as good an excuse as any to revisit the unimpeachable 1979 space thriller. In this half of the conversation, we marvel at how a film so narratively economical can be so deliberately paced, and still manage to induce scares after multiple viewings. Plus, some feedback from our recent episodes on KONG: SKULL ISLAND and GET OUT. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about ALIEN, LIFE, or both by sending an email to comments@nextpictureshow.net, or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

It's very difficult to keep the line between the past and the present.

0:05.0

Do you believe that someone out of the past can enter and take possession of a living being?

0:12.0

We may be true with the past, but the past is not through with us.

0:19.0

Welcome to The Next Picture Show, a movie of the week podcast,

0:22.5

devoted to a classic film and how it shaped our thoughts on a recent release.

0:25.9

I'm Keith Phipps here with...

0:27.4

Dr. Robinson.

0:28.2

Scott Tobias.

0:29.0

And behind the boards is Genevieve Kosky.

0:31.4

Here on the next picture show, we believe that no film exists in a vacuum and that all

0:34.9

culture is more interesting in context.

0:36.7

So every other week, we get together to talk over a classic film and consider how culture is more interesting in context. So every other week,

0:37.7

we get together to talk over a classic film and consider how it relates to a current movie.

0:41.5

This week, while no films exist in a vacuum, some films do take place in a vacuum.

0:46.0

We're going to look at two such films, and if we make it back alive, discuss them.

0:49.6

Tasha, what do we have lined up?

0:51.5

Ridley Scott's Space Horror Movie Alien arrived in theaters in May of 1979, and it's inspired a wide array of sequels, prequels, spinoffs, and knockoffs, including the new life, which has come in for some pointed alien comparisons.

1:03.6

But for this episode, we're going back to the source, to the first film that reminded viewers that in space no one could hear them scream.

1:09.9

Alien arrived as part of a wave of

1:11.4

demand for all things science fiction, started by the twin successes of Star Wars and close

1:16.2

encounters of the third kind. What type of science fiction films mattered less than the genre.

1:21.5

Hence everything from the cat from outer space to a remake of invasion of the body snatchers to the

...

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