I had to start this specific Michael Biehn thread in light of recent events. Please post all Michael Biehn related news here. I consider Michael Biehn to be one of the greatest actors around who unfortunately for whatever reason was not able to maintain his fame. That performance in the Abyss was Oscar worthy. It's time for Biehn to reclaim his place as a top A-lister. He deserves another chance to play Hicks.
Reclaim? A lister?
Hmm, bit of a stretch. Not that I'd want A listers in an Alien film anyways.
He already had the role of a lifetime in Megiddo: The Omega Code 2.
Come on Guys! Navy Seals was the American Sniper of my generation! :-\
No seriously, Biehn is a genius. He just had no luck with the movies he got to do.
Is it true that his relationship with Gale Anne Hurd soured his relationship with James Cameron? Is this why he has been marginalized all these years?
In the words of Dwayne Hicks, "It just doesn't make any sense"... ;)
Quote from: Gash on Feb 24, 2015, 04:26:49 AM
Reclaim? A lister?
Hmm, bit of a stretch. Not that I'd want A listers in an Alien film anyways.
I'd argue that there were a few in
Prometheus.
I'd think his rumoured trouble with alcoholism and kinda-sorta burning some of his bridges when he went after the Alien 3 production kept him from "huge success"
On the other hand, he was involved with two major hit movies in the 80s, and has had numerous well portrayed supporting roles in the 90s. That's no small thing.
Fox obviously didn't hold the grudge long enough to keep him away from A:CM. Then again, maybe that was their evil plan all along...
Quote from: Nightmare Asylum on Feb 24, 2015, 04:38:00 AM
Quote from: Gash on Feb 24, 2015, 04:26:49 AM
Reclaim? A lister?
Hmm, bit of a stretch. Not that I'd want A listers in an Alien film anyways.
I'd argue that there were a few in Prometheus.
You'd be right. But Theron and Fassbender are a cut above. A lister is more often than not 'celebrity' casting for the name and the face recognition above the acting.
His Terminator co-star L Hamilton isn't doing so well either.
I like the guy but he is not an actor that can carry a movie. The dude's a grunt, no offense.
I don't know, there are a few of his more recent, and not entirely great, movies where his presence was the only thing to light up a scene.
A man like Michael Biehn has got a great big hole, right in the middle of him (probably thanks to a safety support). He can never kill enough, or steal enough or inflict enough pain to ever fill it.
Michael Biehn is such a one-trick pony. So lucky Cameron had such a crush on him.
As was every male lead in an 80s action movie.
I'd take Biehn over most of the others, though.
He's definitely better than most of the 80s action dreck, but that doesn't say much.
He's like an American Cristopher Lambert on a double-dose of qualude and valium, suffering from aggressive hemorrhoids.
Quote from: SpreadEagleBeagle on Feb 24, 2015, 08:27:13 AM
He's definitely better than most of the 80s action dreck, but that doesn't say much.
He's like an American Cristopher Lambert on a double-dose of qualude and valium, suffering from aggressive hemorrhoids.
Oh man you're on a roll tonight. What happened? No need to dish the man.
Quote from: OpenMaw on Feb 24, 2015, 04:39:18 AMI'd think his rumoured trouble with alcoholism and kinda-sorta burning some of his bridges when he went after the Alien 3 production kept him from "huge success"
He also seems to have no sense/luck when it comes to choosing roles.
They wanted him for
The Usual Suspects, but he turned it down because he "didn't understand it". Not a smart choice.
Quote from: HuDaFuK on Feb 24, 2015, 11:00:28 AM
Quote from: OpenMaw on Feb 24, 2015, 04:39:18 AMI'd think his rumoured trouble with alcoholism and kinda-sorta burning some of his bridges when he went after the Alien 3 production kept him from "huge success"
He also seems to have no sense/luck when it comes to choosing roles.
They wanted him for The Usual Suspects, but he turned it down because he "didn't understand it". Not a smart choice.
Wow! Bad call!
Quote from: Local Trouble on Feb 24, 2015, 04:50:54 AM
Fox obviously didn't hold the grudge long enough to keep him away from A:CM. Then again, maybe that was their evil plan all along...
Fox already got even with him after they surreptitiously impregnated Hicks in Alien 3.
I doubt Biehn will be in this.
Remember when Blomkamp originally showed off the concept art he mentioned that some one of them were just for fun?
Well I'm guessing that was the alternative A3 art with Weaver and Biehn.
I'm guessing this movie will follow Ripley 8 with no Hicks. Every possible angle to include Hicks just seems like such a contrivance.
This is not a contrivance at all. If you ignore the bad juju that has been the hallmark of the series since Alien 3 and just continue where Aliens left off, maybe a decade or 2 later then it makes perfect sense. Biehn would fit right in. If you go on the Michael Biehn FB page, you will see that he is actually asking people to support the idea. I hope Fox let's him Mickey Rourke this thing. Biehn is an acting genius and I am convinced that given this opportunity, he can shine again...
Quote from: Perfect-Organism on Feb 24, 2015, 07:50:43 PMBiehn is an acting genius and I am convinced that given this opportunity, he can shine again...
I like Biehn, but let's try and keep things real. Acting genius? Not even close.
Quote from: The Eighth Passenger on Feb 24, 2015, 03:12:03 PM
Quote from: Local Trouble on Feb 24, 2015, 04:50:54 AM
Fox obviously didn't hold the grudge long enough to keep him away from A:CM. Then again, maybe that was their evil plan all along...
Fox already got even with him after they surreptitiously impregnated Hicks in Alien 3.
Finally, a believer!
You know the score pal, anything SM says is teh cannonz.
Quote from: whiterabbit on Feb 24, 2015, 10:00:14 AM
Quote from: SpreadEagleBeagle on Feb 24, 2015, 08:27:13 AM
He's definitely better than most of the 80s action dreck, but that doesn't say much.
He's like an American Cristopher Lambert on a double-dose of qualude and valium, suffering from aggressive hemorrhoids.
Oh man you're on a roll tonight. What happened? No need to dish the man.
But honestly, what's up with the Beihn adoration? He is so mediocre and dull and not in a good way.
I'd say he's really good at being consistent.
What was consistent between his role in Aliens vs. the Abyss? Both were soldiers, yet he played both so differently and brilliantly that it was like a different person was playing the role. The man has a great dynamic, just bad opportunities for some reason...
Quote from: Perfect-Organism on Feb 24, 2015, 08:52:17 PM
What was consistent between his role in Aliens vs. the Abyss? Both were soldiers, yet he played both so differently and brilliantly that it was like a different person was playing the role. The man has a great dynamic, just bad opportunities for some reason...
I didn't say he's
bad, I said he's consistent. And his character in the Abyss is basically Hicks with Nitrogen Psychosis. His character in Terminator is Hicks fighting the Terminator. His character in Navy Seals is modern-day Hicks.
He's consistent. When you need a hammer, you have a hammer. When you need a Hicks, you have Michael Biehn.
Quote from: Mister Skeezler on Feb 24, 2015, 08:59:15 PM
Quote from: Perfect-Organism on Feb 24, 2015, 08:52:17 PM
What was consistent between his role in Aliens vs. the Abyss? Both were soldiers, yet he played both so differently and brilliantly that it was like a different person was playing the role. The man has a great dynamic, just bad opportunities for some reason...
I didn't say he's bad, I said he's consistent. And his character in the Abyss is basically Hicks with Nitrogen Psychosis. His character in Terminator is Hicks fighting the Terminator. His character in Navy Seals is modern-day Hicks.
He's consistent. When you need a hammer, you have a hammer. When you need a Hicks, you have Michael Biehn.
Spot on.
Ya. He'd be suitable for voice acting as Hicks in a Saturday morning 'ALIENS' cartoon.
That's about it, though.
-Windebieste.
Quote from: The Eighth Passenger on Feb 24, 2015, 08:38:45 PM
You know the score pal, anything SM says is teh cannonz.
SM is our very own Schrödinger's cat.
Quote from: SpreadEagleBeagle on Feb 24, 2015, 08:42:43 PM
Quote from: whiterabbit on Feb 24, 2015, 10:00:14 AM
Quote from: SpreadEagleBeagle on Feb 24, 2015, 08:27:13 AM
He's definitely better than most of the 80s action dreck, but that doesn't say much.
He's like an American Cristopher Lambert on a double-dose of qualude and valium, suffering from aggressive hemorrhoids.
Oh man you're on a roll tonight. What happened? No need to dish the man.
But honestly, what's up with the Beihn adoration? He is so mediocre and dull and not in a good way.
Honestly, I don't know. I just said I like the guy.
Micheal Biehn is great at playing the grunt and second fiddle and Ripley love interest. Rather see him in a Terminator movie though. He was awesome in the Rock, giving that America f**k Yea!! speech before being gunned down mercilessly by a bunch of thugs. There's that.
Quote from: Local Trouble on Feb 24, 2015, 10:40:26 PM
Quote from: The Eighth Passenger on Feb 24, 2015, 08:38:45 PM
You know the score pal, anything SM says is teh cannonz.
SM is our very own Schrödinger's cat.
Is he even alive anymore?
Who... the cat? Just look in the box and find out for yourself.
-Windebieste.
He was close to A list I think, but didn't quite get there. He never had that one performance in a film where he was the main character and the film was also amazing. He had a couple of great parts, but it was part of a bigger cast(with Weaver and Schwarzenegger no less, among others). I think he might have crossed that line with the right movie, it just never came. He's still my personal favorite actor. His Reese was awesome IMO. Hicks was great too(or he wouldn't be such a favorite all these years later) as well as Lt. Coffey and Johnny Ringo. I would say Hicks was the least of those, but they were all great.
Quote from: Perfect-Organism on Feb 24, 2015, 04:34:36 AMIs it true that his relationship with Gale Anne Hurd soured his relationship with James Cameron? Is this why he has been marginalized all these years?
Cameron did consider him for primary villain roles in both Titanic and Avatar. I think it's only a matter of time (and finding the right role) until they work together again.
As for why Biehn's star has faded over the last couple of decades, surely the alcoholism must be a main factor. Apparently it was the reason he "didn't understand" the Usual Suspects script at the time, and played havoc in his personal life.
That's fine when you're a 20-something female celebrity who likes to go commando when entering limousines, but not so great for strong, quiet, sensitive type role-players in their late-30s/40s.
I think he's a decent actor with a great look and charisma, just a shame that he wasted the latter half of his prime, career-wise.
Quote from: razeak on Feb 24, 2015, 11:07:40 PMHe was close to A list I think, but didn't quite get there.
I don't think I'd go that far. He was in some incredible movies, but as others have said, he's kind of a one-trick pony. He was good at what he did, but a diverse, nuanced actor, he was not. And I say that as a fan.
Glad someone else digs his roles as Johnny Ringo though. Love him in that film. The bit where he and Val Kilmer are showboating in the saloon is awesome :)
Quote from: Vertigo on Feb 25, 2015, 12:26:16 AM
I think he's a decent actor with a great look and charisma, just a shame that he wasted the latter half of his prime, career-wise.
^This.
Biehn's "Seventh Sign" with Demi Moore and Jurgen Prochnow disproves the one-Hicks-pony argument.
The poor guy was suffering from a terrible disease - Alcoholism is really, really bad - especially if you're not a functioning alcoholic. "Normal" jobs enable people to be functioning alcoholics, but figure that you're an actor waiting for a role, you don't have to get up at 0600 or whatever - your free time is your drinking time. Also, a lot (if not all) of these deals are made over dinner / at a party. If you've got an issue controlling your drinking and act... badly... at such times, it will colour people's judgement. They don't know you have an illness after all - they just "know" that you're OTT drunk. If you're a producer and your potential lead gets hammered at your first or second meeting... you'll be thinking "can I trust this guy..? No, get me Paxton's number."
It's a tragic illness, made acceptable because alcohol - unlike weed or any other narcotic is (in the vast majority of places) easy to get hold of, cheap and legal.
He is a good actor. Maybe not a great one, but I strongly feel that some of the comments on here are way, way off.
If they do go the retconning route, it would be cool to have Biehn back as Hicks.
Heck, if they decide to bring back even more dead characters, let's get Bill Paxton back, too.
Quote from: Ultramorph on Feb 26, 2015, 01:19:48 AM
Heck, if they decide to bring back even more dead characters, let's get Bill Paxton back, too.
Didn't you know? Hudson survived Aliens.
Cinema 1992 - 20th Century Fox logo fades, the familiar fanfare descends to an ominous note.
5 minutes in. Broad smile. Newt and Hicks are dead. This is the universe of Alien again.
20 minutes later, a funeral that's more effecting than the characters warranted.
23 years later. Uh oh.
Michael Biehn had a future with Aliens, and I'd like to see him in Alien 5 playing Hicks.
Quote from: Liberator on Feb 26, 2015, 07:51:27 AM
Michael Biehn had a future with Aliens, and I'd like to see him in Alien 5 playing Hicks.
Totally, the fact that he was left out of Alien 3 really had a negative impact on his life. There's something to be said for not connecting yourself too much to the projects you work on, but I just think Biehn was such a brilliant actor that it would be to everyone's benefit to see him regain some of his past glory.
We were talking about it on our podcast last night - I was saying how much I'd like to see him played like Hicks was in the original Dark Horse comics. I could see Biehn pulling that off really well.
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Mar 02, 2015, 08:39:38 AM
We were talking about it on our podcast last night - I was saying how much I'd like to see him played like Hicks was in the original Dark Horse comics. I could see Biehn pulling that off really well.
The other night I was watching "The Divide." Biehn plays an embittered 9/11 survivor who lost his family in the film. I could see it working really well, too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNj_gXsmaZ8#ws (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNj_gXsmaZ8#ws)
That opening "You want to survive, you listen to me" was pure Hicks wasn't it. So cool. Loved it.
Very cool interview. I will have to watch that film. Here is another Michael Biehn classic: Navy Seals from 1990. That's basically Hicks...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Is16u0jr1bQ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Is16u0jr1bQ)
Let's get some other classic Michael Biehn trailers on here to get us stoked for the new film...
Quote from: Perfect-Organism on Mar 02, 2015, 02:16:28 PMHere is another Michael Biehn classic: Navy Seals from 1990.
"Classic" is seriously pushing it... It's an OK way to kill 90 minutes but nothing more. Considering its cast, it really should've been a lot more fun.
Charlie Sheen and a severely underused Bill Paxton are the best things about it.
Oh, Navy SEALS. Man - that was supposed be a totally different movie. I think it was Paxton was talking about it in an interview, it was a very serious script to begin with but then just got turned into a Charlie Sheen vehicle. I saw it in the cinema and was well-excited because Sheen was cool then (and, in a old guy way, still cool today), it had Biehn, Paxton, Rossovitch... it should have ruled. As it was, its pretty generic, good fun, but the Sheen character seems like what he is - something parachuted into the script that doesn't really fit.
For me, anyway, it's still a fun ride for all that.
Here's the trailer for Asteroid. A gem from the producer of Predator that propelled Michael Biehn to, um, I don't really know... ;)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0KGxZnVMZs (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0KGxZnVMZs)
Quote from: Perfect-Organism on Mar 02, 2015, 06:26:32 PM
Here's the trailer for Asteroid. A gem from the producer of Predator that propelled Michael Biehn to, um, I don't really know... ;)
[/url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0KGxZnVMZs]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0KGxZnVMZs[/url]
Propelled him through the roof, I suppose.
Nothing will ever out-do Rex Colt.
Nothing...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pe2wglYEu0o (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pe2wglYEu0o)
...except for the soundtrack? It oozes with nostalgia.
Send for a medic so I can kill him too.
It's bedtime for Sloan... and I'm gonna tuck him in... under six feet of dirt
Haha, I loved that game.
That game rocked.
Darling: "Listen. This will make you more like Sloan. Powerful but without the side-effects."
Rex: "No Doc. No way. I swore an oath to a special lady."
Darling: "Your... wife?"
Rex: "No. Lady Liberty. She taught me that winners... don't use drugs."
I felt his role in "art of war" was really good. It wasn't an overly proud or dramatized role. So to me it more showed his flexibility as an actor. Movie was ok but I felt his role more made the movie than Wesley snipes role.
I know a guy who worked on the production of the movie Cherry Falls way back when. He said Biehn was an absolute nightmare to work with as he was always pissed on set so he took loads and loads of takes for his scenes and caused huge delays for everyone. His problems with alcoholism have no doubt harmed his career and I seem to recall he came out publicly about it some years back.
There's no doubt he is a talented actor but he's also made some questionable decisions over the years. Someone already pointed out the Usual Suspects and he also made some some sarcastic comments about Sly Stallone when he said the Expendables franchise was always on the lookout for guys like Michael Biehn. I thought that was quite complimentary of Sly, but Biehn obviously didn't think so, so that's another bridge burned.
But when he's on the ball there's no one better at the supporting military guy role.
Quote from: TheBATMAN on May 25, 2015, 06:49:05 PM
I know a guy who worked on the production of the movie Cherry Falls way back when. He said Biehn was an absolute nightmare to work with as he was always pissed on set so he took loads and loads of takes for his scenes and caused huge delays for everyone. His problems with alcoholism have no doubt harmed his career and I seem to recall he came out publicly about it some years back.
There's no doubt he is a talented actor but he's also made some questionable decisions over the years. Someone already pointed out the Usual Suspects and he also made some some sarcastic comments about Sly Stallone when he said the Expendables franchise was always on the lookout for guys like Michael Biehn. I thought that was quite complimentary of Sly, but Biehn obviously didn't think so, so that's another bridge burned.
But when he's on the ball there's no one better at the supporting military guy role.
And that's the thing. Some actors only have that one niche that they are good at. You take jason Statham. Great actor but only in action scenes. He does the strong silent bad ass really well but nothing else. Jim Carey does stupid comedy better than most but put him in a serious role and he more or less bombs it. Numbers was ridiculously boring. Some people are just suited for specific roles. Maybe If he had been around for the recent long sweep of military themed movies he'd be considered an A list actor now since that seems to be his niche.
Quote from: pred169 on May 25, 2015, 07:00:42 PMMaybe If he had been around for the recent long sweep of military themed movies he'd be considered an A list actor now since that seems to be his niche.
I highly doubt Biehn would ever be considered A-list. And I say that as a fan of his.
I Think he's a pretty good actor to be honest.
And I think his turn in The Abyss was fantastic. Probably my favourite performance of his.
I don't know if he's Russell Crowe in A Beautiful Mind good, and probably more suited to the roles we know he's good at, but still pretty decent.
I mean he's decent to hold The Terminator and Aliens - granted he's holding those with other lead actors but he holds his own.
Oh man how did I miss this thread?! Love Michael Biehn. He's arguably the star of The Terminator, he's the one who tells you the story, gets to do the cool action and deliver lines like "Come with me if you want to live" as well as maybe the most romantic line of all time, "I came across time for you, Sarah". I mean the story was really about Sarah Connor but if Reese hadn't died, I think Biehn's career could have turned out different. Same with Aliens, great role and performance, especially considering he was brought in over a weekend, but again, he wasn't the main character and is forgotten by the end.
I always thought he was like an American precursor to Christian Bale, i.e. he could play a nice guy but excelled as intense villains. Ever see Timebomb? It's a low budget pre-Bourne Identity but Biehn goes from meek to confused to angry to badass over 90 minutes and it's all pretty convincing. Navy Seals was one of his rare non-Cameron shots at stardom as the studio head had him on his list along side guys like Kevin Costner. A shame the movie turned out to be a solid action flick with a great 80's cast and not much more.
Tombstone and The Rock were also great roles for him. Unlike Arnold or other really driven personalities, Biehn never figured on being a star and that lack of drive hurt him as well as the alcoholism. He definitely made a lot of low budget flicks for cash and even got sued when he couldn't finish one allegedly due to his drinking. But American Dragons, The Ride and Rampage also show he's capable of playing a vulnerable lead who's also physical.
Was great to see him in Planet Terror as well, Robert Rodriguez's introduction shot of him walking into camera was purposely there because Rodriguez knew it was draw a cheer from the audience who knew him from so many cool flicks. Rodriguez has always been very complimentary of him so here's hoping they work together again. He'd fit into any Michael Bay movie as a hardass military or police type but he fumbled his lines on The Rock, being nervous in front of Sean Connery and Nic Cage...
Biehn is the best. He must be in Alien 5 or it will suck