aliens

Talking James Horner’s ALIENS Soundtrack On The Scores Are Not Enough

James Cameron’s Aliens is cinematic perfection. A sequel that’s better than the original – with a quotable screenplay, top-tier cast, great design and a pulsing James Horner score. It all works. The film has heart, action and a [...]

October 18, 2026

Behind The Scenes: James Cameron Directs James Remar As Hicks On The Set Of ALIENS

This behind-the-scenes photograph from the set of Aliens shows James Cameron directing James Remar. The actor was originally cast as Hicks in the 1986 Alien sequel, but he was replaced by Michael Biehn after a few days of filming. The official [...]

August 3, 2022

The Genius Of Bill Paxton

The great Bill Paxton was a pleasure to watch. Paxton was an actor who straddled the line between leading man and character actor and he was adept at comedy and drama, starring in movies and TV shows, in roles small and large. I went through a [...]

February 25, 2022

Notebook Reviews: DEEP RISING

Stephen Sommers – 1998. Writer/director Stephen Sommers delivers a gloriously wonderful B-movie in the shape of Deep Rising. Part Poseidon Adventure and part Aliens, Sommers’ film is an absolute hoot from start to finish. Treat [...]

September 29, 2021

TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY Is 30 Years Old

For better or for worse, James Cameron’s Terminator 2: Judgment Day helped usher in the age of CGI-fueled blockbusters when it was released back in 1991. The liquid metal effects of the T-1000 showed audiences a brave new cinematic world and [...]

July 4, 2021

Notebook Reviews: DOG SOLDIERS

Neil Marshall – 2002 Neil Marshall‘s directing debut, Dog Soldiers is an exceptionally refreshing slice of horror cinema. The set-up is classic: Zulu meets Aliens with werewolves – and the film is every bit as good as you would hope. [...]

June 4, 2021

Behind The Scenes: David Fincher Faces The Xenomorph On The Set Of ALIEN 3

Topping Aliens was never going to be easy. James Cameron took Ridley Scott’s 1979 film and turned it up to eleven and upped the threat – the first Alien was a horror movie, and Cameron made an action picture with Vietnam undertones. This [...]

June 2, 2021

Review: Zack Snyder’s ARMY OF THE DEAD – A Stupid Movie With Stupid Characters Doing Stupid Things

Zack Snyder is probably the most divisive director of the century. Over the last 20 years, no filmmaker has faced the vitriol which has been targeted at Snyder or been embraced by the fervent adoration of their fanbase. It’s odd – [...]

May 23, 2021

Uncovering Curiosities: Alexandre O. Philippe’s MEMORY: THE ORIGINS OF ALIEN

Along with George Lucas’ Star Wars in 1977, Alien helped redefine the science fiction genre when it was released in 1979. Ridley Scott’s film was a bleak, lived-in look at the genre, a film which took a real world aesthetic and crafted [...]

May 20, 2021

Notebook Reviews: PITCH BLACK

David Twohy – 2000 Pitch Black is a hugely enjoyable sci-fi action film in the mould of Aliens. This David Twohy directed film has brilliant tension and some very good special effects. It shows the star power of Vin Diesel – who is very [...]

March 24, 2021

Notebook Reviews: ALIEN RESURRECTION

Jean-Pierre Jeunet – 1997 Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s Alien Resurrection is a solid entry into the Alien franchise. It’s better than Alien 3, but nowhere near as good as Alien or Aliens. The cast is good and they all do good work, but [...]

February 23, 2021

Uncovering Curiosities: The Wachowski’s JUPITER ASCENDING

Jupiter Ascending is the Wachowskis’ best film since 1999’s The Matrix. The 2015 film may be over-stuffed with ideas and have enough plot to fill a trilogy but you can’t fault the spectacle that the siblings have put onscreen. The story is a [...]

February 20, 2021

Behind The Scenes: Michael Fassbender & Director Neil Marshall On The Set Of CENTURION

Neil Marshall’s Centurion is not for the faint-hearted. It’s an extremely violent and gory action film in which heads and limbs are removed by slashing swords and every body part that can be skewered, is. In fact, it’s almost too violent: [...]

January 25, 2021

Uncovering Curiosities: Billy O’Brien’s SCINTILLA

Scintilla (also known as The Hybrid) shows once again that you don’t need a mega budget to deliver a captivating science fiction feature. Writer/director Billy O’Brien’s film may not break new ground in a narrative sense, but it works as a [...]

October 29, 2020

Watch The Music Video For REACH From Bill Paxton’s Band Martini Ranch – Directed By James Cameron!

There’s a billion things which have passed Movies In Focus by – but I didn’t seem to know that the mighty Bill Paxton was in a band called Martini Ranch (alongside Andrew Todd Rosenthal) – and I definitely didn’t [...]

September 17, 2020

Review: Fans Of Alien Will Burst Their Chests With Love For MEMORY: THE ORIGINS OF ALIEN

Along with Star Wars, Alien helped redefine the science fiction genre when it was released in 1979. Ridley Scott’s film was a bleak, lived-in look at the genre, a film which took a real world aesthetic and crafted a film which combines sci-fi, [...]

September 17, 2019

In Space No One Can See Your Screen: Trailer For MEMORY: THE ORIGINS OF ALIEN

Few films have continued to endure over the last 40 years quite like Alien. Ridley Scott‘s film has entered the movie lexicon on how to deliver science fiction and horror. Apart from James Cameron’s follow-up, none of the sequels or [...]

August 18, 2019

THE PREDATOR: Getting The Gang Together

A motley crew is defined as an assembly of individuals of various backgrounds, appearance, and character that come together for a single cause. Utilising this as the centrepiece of a narrative has been a hallmark of cinema for many years now, [...]

September 4, 2018

Blu-ray Review: James Cameron’s TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY Is Still Great

November 28, 2017

Obituary: Bill Paxton 1955 – 2017

Bill Paxton died on February 25 2017 following a stroke after heart surgery. He was 61 years old. I grew up with Bill Paxton on screen. He was a pleasure to watch, an actor who straddled the line between leading man and character actor. Paxton was [...]

February 27, 2017

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