Private Hudson; Vasquez and Drake also proposed
Flex pick · Picker not identified
In the discussion (2)
- Private Hudson is the main spin-off suggestion
- Vasquez and Drake are suggested for a prequel
Private Hudson — proposed full-film scene-stealer award
The panel proposes a new category here.
In the discussion (4)
- Bill Paxton’s Hudson is too prominent to qualify as a short heat-check performance
- The proposed award recognizes a supporting performer who takes over much of the film
- About Last Night’s Jim Belushi performance is offered as a comparison
- The name is not finalized during this discussion
Michael Biehn’s character name: Dwayne Hicks
In the discussion (1)
- Dwayne Hicks is cited as a Reggie Cleveland-style name mismatch
Cameron’s farewell to the Pinewood crew
In the discussion (1)
- The hosts recount Cameron’s cutting farewell after a difficult Pinewood shoot
☆★☆★☆★☆★
Roger Ebert’s review is discussed: 3½ stars
In the discussion (2)
- The hosts report Ebert awarded 3½ stars
- They contrast his praise of craft with his discomfort at the sustained intensity
Motion trackers / ceiling reveal; alien-hive ambush
In the discussion (12)
- Ripley’s nightmare
- Meeting the Marines, Vasquez’s pull-ups and Bishop’s knife trick
- Discovering the facehuggers and Newt
- Finding the cocooned colonist and the hive ambush
- Ripley taking control of the armored vehicle
- Bishop volunteering to reach the transmitter
- Motion-tracker countdown and aliens above the ceiling
- Hudson’s last stand and Gorman/Vasquez’s shared death
- Newt in the water
- Ripley rescuing Newt from the egg chamber
- Power-loader finale, Bishop torn apart and the airlock rescue
- Two preferences favor the tracker sequence; the ambush is another explicit preference
Vietnam echoes and 1986 Hollywood conventions
In the discussion (5)
- Vietnam-war overtones
- A female action lead treated as a novel proposition
- Michael Biehn replacing James Remar
- Burke’s contemporary-looking blazer
- Metroid and the female-hero reveal are linked to Ripley
Marines gearing up; waking from hypersleep
In the discussion (3)
- The Marines’ preparation and gear-up sequence
- Characters waking from hypersleep
- Bishop’s tearing sound is offered earlier as a sensory favorite
Post-hypersleep hygiene and Ripley’s apartment
In the discussion (2)
- Waking from long sleep without a shower
- Ripley’s enclosed apartment, cat and smoking
Vasquez waking up and doing pull-ups
In the discussion (1)
- Vasquez’s immediate pull-ups and verbal comeback
Slow-burn structure, practical craft and the ensemble
In the discussion (11)
- An hour-long build before the first sustained alien action
- Timeless hostile-terrain war structure
- Physical sets, miniatures and creature effects
- The war-focused promotional tagline
- Paul Reiser as a comic actor playing a villain
- Organic continuation from Alien
- Video calling and other simple future technology
- Michael Biehn’s screen presence
- Hudson and Hicks as contrasting partners
- Filming the Marines’ introduction late to capture their familiarity
- The finale’s countdown matching elapsed time
Hudson — proposed morally ambiguous character award
The panel proposes a new category here.
In the discussion (2)
- Hudson is discussed as neither clearly good nor clearly bad
- This is a second Hudson proposal, distinct from the full-film scene-stealer proposal
Newt in the water; power-loader reveal; ceiling reveal
In the discussion (4)
- Alien emerging behind Newt
- Ripley appearing in the power loader
- Hicks lifting the ceiling panel
- Paxton leaning into a group shot to confront Burke
Dark Star, The Shining, War of the Worlds, war films and 2001
In the discussion (6)
- Bishop’s knife game compared with Dark Star
- A child’s Big Wheel in the extended cut compared with The Shining
- The opening probe compared with 1953’s The War of the Worlds
- Military structure compared with Sands of Iwo Jima
- Parallel Vietnam storytelling with Rambo: First Blood Part II
- Dissolve from sleeping Ripley to the planet compared with 2001
Apone, Bishop, Spunkmeyer and Vasquez
In the discussion (4)
- Apone
- Bishop
- Spunkmeyer
- Vasquez
Keep Aliens
In the discussion (3)
- The existing title is favored
- A maternal profanity-based alternative is joked about
- Cameron’s dollar-sign pitch is recalled
Bill Paxton as Hudson
Flex pick · Picker not identified
In the discussion (7)
- Bishop volunteering exchange
- Confronting Burke
- Reacting to the power cut
- Seventeen-day rescue estimate
- Express-elevator delivery
- Sentry-gun morale joke in the extended cut
- Game-over reaction after the dropship crash
Burke’s scheme; Newt’s parents; Newt / missing motivation
In the discussion (4)
- Burke’s plan to bring an alien specimen home is challenged
- Newt’s parents bringing children to investigate the derelict ship is questioned
- Newt’s prominence and self-assigned nickname are criticized
- Ripley’s daughter backstory is defended as crucial motivation in the extended cut
Vasquez casting and omitted Ripley backstory
In the discussion (6)
- Jenette Goldstein’s portrayal of a Chicana character is discussed critically
- Omission of Ripley’s daughter from the theatrical cut
- James Horner’s compressed scoring schedule
- The scripted co-ed shower scene and its removal
- Alien 3 killing Hicks and Newt
- Later action movies unfavorably compared with Aliens
Bill Paxton and Vasquez discussed
In the discussion (3)
- Paxton’s heightened performance is praised
- Vasquez’s gestures and physical posing are nominated
- No clean final ballot is stated
Michael Biehn
Flex pick · Picker not identified
In the discussion (1)
- Michael Biehn is nominated as an actor who should have become a bigger star
Franchise direction, Vietnam comparison and Ripley’s final line
In the discussion (4)
- Aliens may be the best entry while constraining the franchise around Ripley
- Aliens may be a better Vietnam film than Full Metal Jacket, without necessarily being a better movie
- Ripley’s famous final line delivery is criticized; another participant defends it
- Craig is invited to prepare for this category in future and has no prepared take here
Burke: 6.5 versus 8.5
In the discussion (2)
- Burke receives proposed ratings of 6.5 and 8.5
- The alien queen is defended as protecting her young rather than being a villain
Weaver negotiations; Paxton and Remar/Biehn casting
In the discussion (4)
- Weaver’s salary negotiation is recounted
- Paxton’s prospective Police Academy 2 role and Bobcat Goldthwait are discussed
- James Remar’s removal and Biehn’s quick arrival are recounted
- Pacino visiting a neighboring set leads to imagined roles for him; those are jokes, not casting history
Mark Rolston; Paul Maxwell also nominated
In the discussion (2)
- Mark Rolston, identified through his Shawshank role
- Paul Maxwell as Van Leuwen
Al Matthews as Apone
In the discussion (2)
- Al Matthews is the stated Dion Waiters candidate
- The cast’s appearance at a past cemetery screening becomes a tangent
Boston; director swap; Costner and Barrymore
In the discussion (4)
- Move the setting to Boston
- Swap Kubrick and Cameron between Aliens and Full Metal Jacket
- Young Kevin Costner as Hicks
- Drew Barrymore as Newt
Bishop — Craig’s proposed award
The panel proposes a new category here.
Flex pick · Craig Horlbeck
In the discussion (2)
- Craig proposes an award for a suspicious-looking character who turns out to be kind
- Bishop is the example
Ripley’s unchanged clothing style
Flex pick · Craig Horlbeck
In the discussion (2)
- Craig questions why Ripley’s clothing style is unchanged after 57 years
- The group offers fashion-cycle and personal-style explanations
Practical effects, production conflicts and the extended cut
In the discussion (11)
- British crew tea-break conflicts
- A lightweight Newt dummy for carrying scenes
- Carrie Henn repeating slide takes
- Fourteen puppeteers operating the alien queen
- Heavy prop weapons
- Henriksen’s reported illness from Bishop’s milky effects mixture
- Reuse of the alien-nest set for Batman
- Editing out the colony sequence
- Weaver’s objections to cutting Ripley’s daughter backstory
- Franchise timeline complications
- Alien: Isolation’s Amanda Ripley premise
Weaver, Biehn and Goldstein: yes; Cameron and Paxton: no
In the discussion (9)
- Sigourney Weaver: yes
- James Cameron: no
- Michael Biehn: probably yes
- Bill Paxton: no, with Twister and Titanic cited
- Extraterrestrial movies: E.T. offered instead
- Alien franchise: disagreement between Alien and Aliens
- Jenette Goldstein: yes
- Body-concealment performances: examples discussed without resolution
- Paul Reiser: no; Mad About You offered instead
Cruise as Burke or Hicks; Hanks as Hudson
In the discussion (4)
- Tom Cruise as Burke
- Tom Cruise as Hicks
- 1980s Tom Hanks as Hudson
- Preferences split between Cruise/Hicks and Hanks/Hudson
Charlize Theron, Angelina Jolie and Zendaya considered
In the discussion (4)
- 2014 Charlize Theron receives two preferences
- Angelina Jolie is another choice
- Zendaya is considered for physical presence
- 1994 Demi Moore is listed among the options
Ferro and Spunkmeyer in the dropship crash
In the discussion (2)
- Dropship pilot Ferro and Spunkmeyer are selected
- The named award’s eponym is garbled and the speakers themselves question it; recording review needed
Ripley ignored, inconsistent logic and survival mechanics
In the discussion (10)
- Authorities ignore Ripley’s experience
- Claims of no comparable alien life versus Marines’ alien-sex talk
- Ripley’s financial situation after hypersleep
- Newt surviving alone
- Destroying the eggs despite an imminent explosion
- Ripley’s exposure inside the power loader
- Holding on during airlock decompression
- Sparing Burke needs more justification
- Marines overlook the ceiling
- The Marines’ effectiveness is questioned and defended as Vietnam commentary
Untouchable, with franchise variations already made
In the discussion (2)
- Untouchable is favored
- The group notes that many sequel and TV variations already exist
Impressions and a proposed refresh of the roster
In the discussion (5)
- Zane Lowe interviewing Ripley
- Barney from The Vanishing is proposed
- Hudson is proposed for future impersonations
- Frank Hackett from Network is proposed
- The group discusses refreshing a recurring roster
James Cameron for directing; Oliver Stone counterargument
In the discussion (3)
- Cameron is proposed for Best Director
- Oliver Stone’s Platoon win is defended
- Other directing nominees are listed for comparison
Hypersleep, transfer changes and Bishop’s future
In the discussion (6)
- Whether Ripley’s teeth were altered in the 4K transfer
- Biological needs during and after hypersleep
- How to spend the first moments after waking decades later
- Relative horror of cocooning, implantation and being torn apart
- A deleted Burke cocoon scene and timeline logic
- Bishop’s reconstruction after losing half his body
Armor, Vasquez’s headband and a prop gun
In the discussion (3)
- Armored vest
- Vasquez’s headband
- A heavy prop gun; Craig is explicitly asked and chooses a gun
Avoid returning to personal hell; distrust cryosleep
In the discussion (3)
- Do not return to your personal hell
- Destroy the site from orbit to be certain
- Avoid cryosleep
Alien / Platoon
In the discussion (2)
- Alien is repeatedly selected
- Platoon is an additional suggestion
James Cameron / Sigourney Weaver
In the discussion (4)
- Two Cameron votes and two Weaver votes are explicitly tallied
- Paxton is mentioned as a personal favorite, not a fifth final vote
- Individual speaker mapping remains unresolved in this pass
- The group suggests a public poll to resolve or explore a true split
Podcast choices
- Speaker not identified
- Sigourney Weaver
- Speaker not identified
- James Cameron
- Speaker not identified
- James Cameron
- Speaker not identified
- Sigourney Weaver
The Proof of Life / David Caruso Award for a Character Who Should Have Been Spun Off into Their Own Sequel
Roger Ebert's review
Most Rewatchable Scene
The most "year the movie came out" thing
What’s Aged the Best?
The Great Shot Gordo Award for Most Cinematic Shot
Is There a Better Title for This Movie?
The Butch’s Girlfriend Award for the Weakest Link in the Film
What’s Aged the Worst?
The Ruffalo / Hanna / Rubinek / Partridge Overacting Award
The Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award
The Joey Pants “That Guy” Award
The Dion Waiters Award for Best Heat Check Performance
Apex Mountain
Cruise or Hanks?
Sequel, Prequel, Limited Series, or All-Black Remake
Is This Movie Better With…?
Just One Oscar
What Piece of Memorabilia Would You Want From This Movie?
The Coach Finstock Award for Best Life Lesson
Who Won the Movie?