Ridley Scott's "Alien"

As a fan of the horror genre, I have a large list of favorite films which I feel are "must see" films for anyone who appreciates horror or just loves a great film.  Ridley Scott's "Alien" in near the top of that list.

Tagged as "Jaws in Space," Alien was released into theaters in 1979.  It was Scott's first major directing job and it proved to be the film that jump-started a long and amazing career.  While Scott has directed some of the greatest films of the past 40 years, I feel that Alien still stands and one of his greatest achievements.

To define the film in a very general way, and I do mean general, Alien is essentially a haunted house style film set in space.  There are 7 people trapped on a ship being terrorized by an unknown being.  While this description could be a formula for a boring and predictable film, Scott's abilities to create tension and terror make for a movie going experience that will leave you sitting on the edge of your seat.  To assist in Scott's superb direction, the design of the titular Alien character was also a terrifying sight.  Scott and the film's producers were drawn to the artwork of Swiss surrealist artist H. R. Giger.  Scott did not want his film to have a cheesy, B-Movie design to it's alien and Giger's work was far from that.  Based on his 1976 artwork Necronom IV, Geiger created an alien that was sleek, deadly, and very terrifying.  Using a biomechanical style, Giger then designed many other important aspects of the film including the planet landscape which the crew found the alien, the ship that the alien eggs were on, and all of the alien lifeform's lifecycle stages (egg, facehugger, chestburster, and xenomorph).  Giger's designs were like all other pieces of his work; smooth, sexual, disturbing, and yet beautiful.  Giger won an Academy Award for his designs on Alien.

Alien was also influential because it introduced the character of Ellen Ripley, the heroine of the Alien franchise.  Ripley, played by Sigourney Weaver in her first staring role, was the first of her kind of the sci-fi world.  Most, if not all of the main characters of science fiction films in the past had been male.  Ripley was a strong woman in a high ranking position on her ship.  Her strength and survival was an inspiration to women everywhere.

For all of these reasons, and many more which I cannot find the words to describe, this film has been, and will always remain one of my favorites.  Scott created a sci-fi/horror masterpiece that has yet to be matched in its intensity and creativity.  There have been many sequels and spin-offs in the franchise, all of which, besides James Cameron's Aliens, have failed to match Scott's initial vision.  There are rumors going around on the horror circuit that Scott has signed on to direct 2 prequels to his original film.  I really hope this news is accurate because his genius could bring the franchise back to its terrifying roots.  I guess only time will tell if Scott pulls through.  For the world's sake, I hope the films will not include Scott's current favorite Russel Crow.  While I loved Crow in Gladiator, he has yet to wow me in any of his more current roles.  Please Mr. Scott...cut the umbilical cord on that relationship!

If you would like to view the original 1979 trailer, please click this blog's title for a link to YouTube.

Lamb of God - "Descending"

Lamb of God has become one of the constant metal bands on my playlists of the past 5 years.  This is a band that I had to slowly bring into my repertoire because at the time that I was introduced to them, I still wasn't into the harder metal, with constant guttural screaming.  At that time I still needed some combination of clean vocals and screaming.  However, what I found after years of giving Lamb of God a chance was something that has stuck with me, and likely will long after the band calls it quits (which I hope they never do).  Lamb of God is an intense, uncompromising, and brutal band whose message has never changed since their inception; being true to yourself; standing up for your beliefs; and challenging the world to try to stop them.  This is not a band for the meek and gentle.  This is pure strength, anger, and testosterone.

Originally known as Burn the Priest, Lamb of God ascended to metal royalty out of Richmond, Virginia in in 2000.  While they had formed back in 1994, it wasn't until the release of their first album under their new name, New American Gospel, did they gain any attention from the metal community.  Since that release, Lamb of God has been labeled as a prophet for the New Wave of American Heavy Metal that has been going on since the mid 1990's.  With each album release, Lamb of God has created an aggressive, uncompromising sound that builds and strengthens with each album.  As the Palaces Burn (2003) and Ashes of the Wake (2004) are considered to be examples of their best work.  Many of their fans did not care as much for their 2006 release, Sacrament, feeling that they "sold out" or "went for a more mainstream sound."  However, I beg to differ.  While there are more songs on Sacrament that have a catchier hook to them, this album could be considered a solidification of what Lamb of God is all about.  The track that I want to point out, that has had a great impact on my life, is track 6, Descending.

Descending is a song about a man sorting through a tormented life of questions and doubts.  The lyrics speak of a person who is torn between what is good and evil in his life.  They are at a crossroads feeling like in many ways, good and evil are the same thing.  "This God that I worship, this demon I blame, conspire as one.  Exactly the same, it's exactly the same." It can be hard at times to feel like you have a clear understanding of what you should do in your life.  Things that seem right can be considered wrong to others, and vice versa. There is always an internal struggle inside everyone around this, whether they want to recognize it or not.  *Disclaimer: the following is just an anecdote...not what the song is about or implying*  An example in current times is around gay rights.  Many believe that homosexuality is wrong, no matter what, and they should not have the same rights and privileges as heterosexual couples.  Others believe that regardless of who someone is and what they do, they are human beings and deserve basic rights as anyone else would receive.  Someone who is in the middle of this struggle could completely identify with the message to this song.

Beyond the message of the song, Descending is a powerhouse of sound.  From the opening guitar riffs to the pounding double base drum work, this is a song that any metalhead can feel in their core.  It may not be the most elaborate song Lamb of God has ever done, but sometimes all it takes for an incredible song is a song with solid basics to be great.

Lamb of God continues to write incredible music, and released their most recent album, Wrath, in 2009.  Wrath continues to show Lamb of God's musical growth but shows that their themes and messages are never changing: be true to yourself, stand up for your beliefs, and challenge anyone who tries to stop you.

LOST

I am going to join what I am assuming most people think is an annoying fan base and sermonize about the wonders of the show LOST and how it has changed the face of television.  In September of 2006, J.J. Abrams brought a complex concept for a television show to the general public.  The idea was about a group of people who crash landed on a deserted island and must figure out a way to survive.  Wait, what?  Didn't we already see this on Gilligan's Island?  Well, if you think that all LOST consists of is Gilligan minus the comedy, you are completely wrong.  When the show first started, it followed a basic survival show formula but quickly spiraled into a complex story that kept fans guessing until the very end.  6 years later, fans across the world are still trying to figure out all of the intricacies the writers laid before them.

The epic journey followed the survivors of the Oceanic flight 815 after their plane is torn apart mid-air and they land on an unidentified island in the Pacific Ocean.  While there are 72 total survivors, the show focuses on 14 individuals with varying pasts and complications that make for an interesting chemistry of the group.  Among them are a doctor (Jack), a fugitive (Kate), a con man (Sawyer), a paraplegic who can suddenly walk (Locke), a father and son (Michael and Walt), a Korean husband and wife who "can't speak English" (Jin and Sun), a former Iraqi Republican Guard officer (Sayid), a brother and sister (Boone and Shannon), an 8 month pregnant woman (Claire), a washed up rock star bass player (Charlie), and a billionaire with bad luck (Hurley).  Throughout each of the first few seasons, we are slowly introduced to these characters' lives through flashbacks of their former lives.  We slowly discover that each character is somehow flawed and alone in the world.  This all plays a part of how the events unfold across 6 amazingly memorable seasons.  Eventually, there are complex storylines that involve a strange monster, "Others" on the island, a crazy French woman, electro-magnetic power, the Dharma Initiative, time travel, philosophy, and faith.  If I chose to write more in to the details of LOST, I would have a blog that would take hours to read.  That's not the purpose of this blog, so I will save you all and go on to how this has effected my life.

From the very first episode, I was addicted.  I had never experienced a television show that made me want to care about seemingly random people and their plight.  Every week I was left with so many mysteries and cliffhanger endings that I couldn't not watch the following week.  LOST challenged my perception of what I thought a television show should be.  Before LOST, I mostly watched sitcoms, cartoons (still do), and a lot of movies.  LOST played like an epic movie that just wouldn't end.  I found myself lost (ha, ha) inside the mysteries and spend hours upon days (total, not at a time) theorizing what was going to happen next.  I was never right...ever.

I can honestly say that I can understand Trekkies.  When you fall in love with a show, you become a dedicated follower that will defend its honor to the very end, even if there are some less than perfect episodes, and LOST had them.  LOST was not a perfect show.  It didn't even really answer the major questions of the entire show in the finale.  However, to true fans, it doesn't really matter.  It wouldn't be LOST if it didn't end with more questions.  However, I was happy with where it ended.  I wish I could see more, but to do more would probably take another 6 years to explain.

I know a lot of people out there will never give LOST a chance, just like most people will never give classic cult shows like Star Trek a chance.  All I can hope is to show one other person in this world the wonder that was LOST and get them hooked.

If you would like to see an extended, fan made trailer of the first 3 seasons, click the title of this entry.

Farewell, LOST.  Namaste.

Dio - "Holy Diver"

This is in memory of Ronnie James Dio, one of the masters of Metal, who passed away on Sunday from his battle with stomach cancer.  While I know the impact that Dio has had on the world of Metal, I have to say that I honestly never gave his music a chance when I first got into Metal.  As a new metalhead in my college years, I thought metal had to be brutal, fast, and screaming.  The "old" stuff like Dio, Metallica, and Iron Maiden never appealed to me until my tastes matured and I wanted to learn more about the history and gain a greater appreciation of Metal.  I am very glad that I found the "old" stuff and embraced it as the foundations of the music I love.

*WARNING: SHORT HISTORY LESSON*
Ronnie James Dio (or has he was born, Ronald James Padavona) started his musical career as most young people do, in the classic musical training.  He played French Horn and Trumpet and even recorded some music with rockabilly bands back in the '50's.  He had a few bands, well the same band with multiple name changes, adopted the monkier Dio from mafia member Johnny Dio, joined a band that toured with Deep Purple, and later joined Rainbow with Ritchie Blackmore (from Deep Purple).

Dio has an amazing career already before Black Sabbath came knocking on his door to replace Ozzy Osborne in 1979.  Many metal heads started listening to Metal around that time and only really know Black Sabbath as led by Dio, claiming Dio as the better of the two.  That debate will last forever.  My opinion, they are two separate bands and you really should not compare them.  They just kept the name.

It was during his first time with Black Sabbath when Dio "invented" the universal Metal symbol, the Devil Horns. As most metal heads know, it was a sign to give/protect from the evil eye that his Italian grandmother used a lot. The symbol stuck and is now an immortal symbol for all things Metal.

1982 came around and Dio decided to go solo.  He made a number of classic Metal albums with many well known songs like Holy Diver, Rainbow in the Dark, Dream Evil, and The Man Who Would Be King.  Dio did a short reunion with Black Sabbath in 1992, but returned to his solo project later.  His last project was the band Heaven and Hell, a reunion of Dio era Sabbath.  The band took the name Heaven and Hell to differentiate them from the Ozzy led Sabbath.  The name is from the titular track from Dio's first Sabbath album, Heaven and Hell.
*END OF HISTORY LESSON*

Now for the song post.  "Holy Diver" is a title track from his first album (click the title link to hear the song on You Tube).  It is a great representation of everything Dio stood for in Metal.  His songs spoke of the eternal battle of Good and Evil, and occasionally of the mystical/mythical realm.  For all those wanting to get into Metal, I would highly recommend the "Holy Diver" album as a great place to start.

The Metal community is suffering its first significant loss in its 40 year history.  We who are die hard metal heads will hold Dio is the highest regard as one of the founding fathers of a very misunderstood and under appreciated form of art.

R.I.P. Dio, we will miss you.  (6/10/42 - 5/16/10)

Demon Hunter - "Not I"

This entry is being made for two reasons: #1. I genuinely like this song and wanted to post on it. #2. Recent events surrounding ignorance and hate that I have encountered on social media websites really fired me up.  This song popped up on my iPod and it resonated with how I was and am currently feeling regarding people who seem to proudly share their bigoted, hateful, and/or racist comments on the internet.

As some of you in the world know, Demon Hunter is a Christian metal band.  Those that are just learning this and never knew that Christian metal existed are probably pretty confused right now.  If you are a metal fan, you really should give this genre a try.  Some of your favorite bands may be a Christian band and you would have never known.  It is the same aggressiveness and loud music, just with positive lyrics.

"Not I" leaves nothing for guesses.  It is a song about standing up for what you believe in.  That belief could be God, equality, ending hate...anything.  For me, this song fired me up regarding my stance against intolerance and hate.  This country has suffered from enough ignorance and violent acts against other people.  These intolerant people "act" in the name of their God/god and damage every step forward we have made as a modern society.  These people then turn around and teach their children these same "values," if they can be called that.  Literally, ignorance is breeding ignorance.  This cycle will NEVER end unless people stand up for what is right and end the vicious cycle of hatred.  I don't care if you are Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Atheist, Gay, Straight, Trans-gender, Latino, Chinese, Black, White, Purple or Green...We all share this world and we must get along if we are to keep it.

I don't want to leave this post short, but to be honest, there really isn't much more for me to say about this song.  I am posting the lyrics below so you can all understand what this song means to me regarding my feelings about hate and intolerance:

So now you're suffering the fallacy of what you said
When you uncover the depression from where you've tread
Breathe over the glass you wrote on
Swallow all that you waste your throat on
You wear the mark and wave the banner they made with sin
Revealing every single lie that you've been breeding within
Wash over the skin you've broken
Think over the tone you spoke in


So lost in your affliction/addiction
The solemn comfort of your grave
If you close your eyes, the light can't take it away


Not I - I won't conform to what I see in you
Not I - I won't surrender what I am
Not I - And even if it was a part of me
Not I - I'll never be that way again


The blind will follow on the path that you created in vain
No guiding light, but just the shadow of the dead will remain
Dig open the the pain you're hiding
Give your hand to the faith you're fighting
The void you suffer is a curse forever bleeding inside
Now you embrace the fatal sickness you should despise
Remember the day you lost that
Where is the shame that will bring your soul back


Reach back behind your pride
And pull the thorn from the burning pain in your side


Sing me a new song
A broken song of redemption and regret
Sing me a new song
And beg for all the mercy you can get

George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead (1968)

Date: October 1, 1968.  Location: Pittsburgh, PA - Fulton Theater.

This was the time and place that George A. Romero unleashed what some call his greatest film, Night of the Living Dead.  The theater was filled with people of all ages, including children.  At that time, the MPAA rating system was not in place, and wouldn't be for another month, so children were allowed into the theater.  96 minutes later, a stunned audience left the theater in silence, not able to comprehend what they just saw.  Sure, they had seen horror films before, but they were not prepared for the film that changed horror forever.

As a film buff, I had been wanting to see Night of the Living Dead for a long time.  I finally got around to seeing it when I was a senior in high school.  At the time, I worked at the public library and when the film landed in my hands to shelve for the next patron to rent it, I couldn't let it go.  I had to see what was go great about this film.

What I saw was a very well made, funny at times, suspenseful, gory, and shocking film that rocked my high school mind.  Horror films from the 60's were typically terribly acted and cheesy to most audiences with exceptions for a few great films.  Film makers filled American movie screens with all kinds of horror such as Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 hit Psycho, Roger Corman's B-films, the cheesy Hammer Horror remakes of Dracula, Frankenstein, and The Mummy, and Roman Polanski's classic Rosemary's Baby.  All of these films hold a significant place in film history, but non so much as Night of the Living Dead.

NOTLD took the genre in a new direction, showing audiences how to incorporate social commentary in very abstract ways, though Romero's claims this was unintentional.  The main topics that were explored in NOTLD are the Cold War and racism.  Some feel it was a critique of America's involvement in Vietnam.  Whatever the thought or intention, the finished product had a lasting impact on the horror genre.  NOTLD's zombies established the modern idea of zombieism.  Before this, zombie were related to voodoo and were under the control of someone external.  Romero's zombies were an unstoppable force, created by radiation exposure, and were driven by their hunger for flesh.  The dead rose to feed on the living.  Once someone was bitten by a zombie, it was not long before they too would turn and hunt those around them.

I could go on about the various themes that Romero created through his daring casting, but what I really want to emphasize was the shocking ending.  This is not a film with a happy ending.  I don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't see it, but I will say that this film may have created the snap surprise ending that many films still utilize today.  I thought things were going well in the end for the heroes, but I was sadly mistaken and blown away by where the film decided to end.

This is a must see for all fans of horror.  Anyone who claims to be a horror fan and has not seen NOTLD needs to stop what they are doing and rent it.  Or, click on the title of this entry for a link to HULU and watch this film online for FREE! (It is 100% legal...it fell into "public domain" after the distributor failed to put a copyright indication on the prints...thanks guys!)

Avenged Sevenfold - "I Won't See You Tonight (Parts 1 & 2)"

Avenged Sevenfold is a hard rock band that has transcended various genres in the metal world since their inception in 1999.  Originally more of a metalcore sound, the band has taken on a more guitar driven, hard rock sound as the years progressed.  While some attribute this "style change" as selling out when they became famous, it is more of a chance for the band to mature their sound as their musical abilities progress.

I was first introduced to this band, as with most of my metal repertoire, in college through my radio show.  One of the first tracks that my friend showed me was "I Won't See You Tonight (Part 1)" from the "Waking the Fallen" album.  I was blown away by the intensity of this song.  It's not a hard song by any means, but could almost be compared to a ballad (but not in the "love song" sense).  Rather, it is the words of this song that are deep and heavy.  To simply state the theme, this is a song about suicide and the thoughts and feelings of the person who is planning to take their own life.  The lyrics themselves are nothing new.  In fact, they are very similar to other songs that talk about suicide written in a letter to a friend or family member.  "Cry alone, I've gone away.  No more night, no more pain.  I've gone alone, took all my strength.  But I've made the change, I won't see you tonight."  It is the intensity and commitment to the theme that singer M. Shadows delivers which makes this song so amazing.  It is a deep and painful look inside the mind of someone who feels there is nothing left in the world for him (Click the title of this entry to listen to Part 1).

Now, as some of you may have noticed, there is a Part 2 to this song (Click here to listen to Part 2).  Where Part 1 was the depressing, reaching out for help kind of song, Part 2 is about the aftermath of the suicide.  This song is very hard and angry told through the eyes of the person who found their deceased friend and the note.  "Come back to me, this is unconceivable.  Breaking apart the ones you love.  Hate runs deep for what you've done to us.  Left alone through suicide."

People criticize songs about suicide stating that they are romanticizing death and making it okay for people to take their own lives.  However, I feel this song is very unique because, as far as I know, there has never been a song told from the survivors view point.  It takes the "romantic" view of suicide and turns it on itself, completing the picture of what suicide actually does to everyone around.  I think Avenged Sevenfold should be commended for this intense portrayal of what suicide is and the power it holds in this world.