aguywhoplaysthief on 13/5/2009 at 05:23

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Alien is one of the best sci-fi horror movies of all time, and it should be seen by everyone. Aliens is okay, but only if you enjoy science fiction that knows it's being rather silly.

The others are abortions.

Rogue Keeper on 13/5/2009 at 07:57

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[nitpick]Assembly Cut[/nitpick]



Now I'm not sure what you mean by "quicker pace". Two more previously unseen scenes have been added and few more have been extended, while the scne where Ripley setups Nostromo's self-destruction had been trimmed a bit. As a result, the DC is only about one minute shorter than the theatrical version. We also should have in mind that the theatrical version ran 119 mins., while on DVD it ran only 116 mins. because of different frame rates.
For what it's worth, I prefer the DC. It's edited so that the first quarter of the film seems to be slightly longer, because of the added scene showing the crew listening to the transmission. Later there's this scene in which Ripley discovers the cocoons. Not everyone may like this break of pacing shortly before the climax, but for nerds it's interesting. Also I liked how Lambert smacked Ripley, but I think Scott could have included the later scene of personal talk between the two women as well, to expand their relationship. Now it looks like Lambert hates Ripley even more, while the scene in the canteen suggests they can be personally compassionate. Pity.

Rogue Keeper on 13/5/2009 at 09:54

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You know, I believe if you watched all the documentaries and all the heresay carefully, you would know that he most appropriate name for it is the "Assembly Cut".

But as Fincher refused to participate on the Alien Quadrilogy (the bitterness towards the studio seems to be still alive in him), there was no ultimate, competent artistical authority who would call it properly this way or another. So I presume it's FOX who refer to it as the Special Edition (sounds more attractive from commercial standpoint to me).

Eventually I'm going to check this with Charles de Lauzirika, I plan to develop some kind of online friendship with him. :ebil:

Scott is obsessed with re-tweaking of dramatical pacing, but the tragedy is that when he adds something into his new editions, he also trims something else. I guess the perception of pacing would be individual and relative. To me, the Alien DC appears to be slightly longer, even if it is in fact shorter.

And now for something completely different : More nerdery, my T-Shirt

http://media.80stees.com/images/products/Alien_In_Space_No_One_Can_Hear_You_Scream-T.jpg

Rogue Keeper on 13/5/2009 at 10:59

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Some update for N'Al :

I can't watch the A3 documentaries now, but I looked for more info. Wiki says that "Lauzirika has been in charge of the restorations and new cuts of such as films as Alien³" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_de_Lauzirika#Film_.26_DVD_Career)

So perhaps it may be appropriate to call the 2003 Special Edition a "Special Edition", because it's newly cut and restored. But I'm fairly sure it's based on original Fincher's Assembly Cut, which has been rejected by Fox in 1992. I can only guess to what extent Lauzirika cooperated with Fincher and what would be the extent of changes in comparison with the original Assembly Cut - Fincher didn't contribute to Making of A3 or any other new documentaries and commentaries which supplemented A3 in Alien Quadrology. But the Special Edition of A3 certainly isn't "revolutionary", never seen by the world before. The Assembly Cut must have been locked in Fox archive or somewhere, Lauzirika just digitally restored it and made it available to the public. Further research is needed (but I guess there may be some unverified rumors based on behind-the-curtain events floating out there).

N'Al on 13/5/2009 at 11:54

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If this is what you consider a flame war you clearly haven't been at TTLG long enough.

As for the 'Assembly Cut'/ 'Director's Cut'/ 'Special Edition' of Alien 3, I don't really care what it is or should be called, frankly. I just called it special cut to make a distinction between it and the original theatrical release.