Haven't seen
Alien in cinema yet. Cannot wait!
QuotePark Circus is bringing Ridley Scott's ground-breaking 1979 sci-fi classic Alien back to cinemas with a special 4K restoration marking its 40th anniversary.
The film was restored in 4K in 2018 by 20th Century Fox at Company 3/Deluxe Entertainment Services Group, supervised by Ridley Scott and Pam Dery. The 4K scans were done at EFilm and the audio restoration was done by Audio Mechanics.
Winner of the 1979 Oscar for Visual Effects (H.R. Giger, Carlo Rambaldi, Brian Johnson, Nick Allder, Denys Ayling), and the film which spawned a vast media franchise of films, novels, comic books, video games, and toys, Alien remains a visceral, captivating and poetic blend of sci-fi and horror.
Following a special screening at Glasgow Film Festival on February 28 2019, Alien will open at BFI Southbank on 1 March 2019 for an exclusive two-week run, before screening at cinemas across the UK and selected international territories.
http://www.seenit.co.uk/ridley-scotts-alien-returns-to-cinemas-for-40th-anniversary-celebration-screenings/
Park Circus is a film distributor based in the United Kingdom, and operating internationally. The company specialises in the distribution of classic and back catalogue / repertory films for theatrical exhibition. They represent over 25,000 films from Hollywood and British studios and a large number of independent rights owners (Wikipedia).
Oh, I'll definitely try and make it to a 4K showing!
The Vue currently has listings up: https://www.myvue.com/film/alien---40th-anniversary
Cineworld too: https://www.cineworld.co.uk/films/classic-movies-alien-40th-anniversary/ho00006120
This is the best thing they could do for the franchise at this point. Bring the quality films back to theaters. Let new audiences get a taste for them, as they should be.
Nice, I'll definitely be making the effort to see this.
This is excellent news. Is there any word of a 4K boxset?
Just Alien as far as we know.
I hope it gets to Australia.
I think it's the same firm that handled the Predator anniversary release if that helps folk guest if they'll be getting it.
Cool... but I hope this isn't the "Watch."
It isn't.
Quote from: SiL on Jan 08, 2019, 10:42:26 PM
I hope it gets to Australia.
I second this!
Whilst too young to see the original Alien on the big screen (saw it on it's initial TV release over here) I did manage to see the Director's Cut on the big screen.
Theatrical or Director's Cut? Or both?
Bloody excellent!
Can't wait.
Can do without the Directors Cut. Watched it again recently and it's just cut way too fast.
Wasnt it longer? I thought the only difference was the the inclusion of the hive seen. And technically the directors cut was the theatrical cut since Scott had the final say in the edit.
Would be good if this came to Australia.
I've seen a back to back screening of Alien and Aliens but this 4k restoration sounds juicy.
Quote from: bobcunk on Jan 09, 2019, 04:32:26 AM
Wasnt it longer? I thought the only difference was the the inclusion of the hive scene.
And technically the directors cut was the theatrical cut since Scott had the final say in the edit.
No, it's actually 11 seconds shorter.
The DC's a novelty only.
Both slaps should've been included in the Theatrical Cut-
otherwise the TC's perfect, but you can't have everything.
Quote from: bobcunk on Jan 09, 2019, 04:32:27 AM
Wasnt it longer? I thought the only difference was the the inclusion of the hive seen. And technically the directors cut was the theatrical cut since Scott had the final say in the edit.
It's slightly shorter. A truncated version of the hive scene was added as well as the transmission scene, but you lose 'do you mind it I put the transmission through ECIU' and the 'what are my chances' scene, and a stack of scenes have a few seconds shaved off. After Brett is killed it really flies by.
Quote from: SM on Jan 09, 2019, 05:02:20 AM
It's slightly shorter. A truncated version of the hive scene was added as well as the transmission scene, but you lose 'do you mind it I put the transmission through ECIU' and the 'what are my chances' scene, and a stack of scenes have a few seconds shaved off. After Brett is killed it really flies by.
I love the Eggmorphing scene so much but all the other snips really hurt that film - especially Dallas and MUTHUR. Also prefer the original transmission, not the DC version too.
I only really noticed it recently because I only ever watch the original version. It really cemented the original being the superior version for mine.
Alien's DC wasn't so good. Seeing the extra scenes was a nice novelty, though the cocoon scene was truncated and the Jockey SOS audio was pretty underwhelming. I think there was long fan cut that restored lots of footage and shots that was much better. There was an amazing shot of the Alien in the Lambert/Parker scenes that might've been one of the film's best, except it was cut.
The "what are my chances" exchange between Dalas and MUTHUR is essential in establishing the hopelessness of their situation and is sorely missed in the "director's" cut.
Definitely gunna see this, even if I have to travel a little out of my town. I always regret not going to see Alien in the cinema back when the DC cut had a temporary release back in 2004.
Never understood why the audio signal was changed from that incredibly unsettling sound in the original scene. The crew's reaction to it made no sense.
The DC should be called; The Marketing Cut.
Or if that's too on the nose.
The Special Edition.
Or y'know it should actually be scrapped altogether, just replaced with an extended Cut-
With all the extra scenes from the DC tacked onto the TC, with the original transmission-
and the original cocoon scene moved to before the tension ramps up, not in the middle of the escape.
I wonder if this new 4k version fixes any of the issues from the original film such as the Ash head cut, Parker and Brett's mirrored reflections, the raised landing leg while on LV-426 and the Blu-Ray's colour timing errors?
I bloody well hope so, especially for that Ash head cut.
PLEASE put the Cat smack in the Theatrical version!
The end of that scene is such a bizarre cut off-
the music just abruptly ends.
But I won't hold my breath.
If it shows in my area I would go....but I doubt it will.
As for the 4K Discs....I will be waiting till the entire movie set is in 4K.
Somehow I doubt that Alien³ will get the attention and care it needs
when it comes to the 4K remasters of the Alien series as a whole.
I hope they don't let James Cameron near the 4K of Aliens
with a ten foot pole after what he did to Judgment Day's 4K.
It's only one day. I have to sort my rota out because I cannot miss it.
Quote from: SiL on Jan 08, 2019, 10:42:26 PM
I hope it gets to Australia.
So do I. I saw a double feature presentation for ALIEN (TC) & ALIENS (DC) at Modbury a couple of years ago, to help promote ALIEN: COVENANT, they screened "THE CROSSING" after the double feature.
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Jan 09, 2019, 09:34:04 AM
Quote from: SM on Jan 09, 2019, 05:02:20 AM
It's slightly shorter. A truncated version of the hive scene was added as well as the transmission scene, but you lose 'do you mind it I put the transmission through ECIU' and the 'what are my chances' scene, and a stack of scenes have a few seconds shaved off. After Brett is killed it really flies by.
I love the Eggmorphing scene so much but all the other snips really hurt that film - especially Dallas and MUTHUR. Also prefer the original transmission, not the DC version too.
Haven't watched the theatrical version in years. Once I saw the hive scene, I was hooked on the DC.
I watched the DC once and that was plenty. If Scott had added scenes and trimmed shots, rather than removing great moments like "What are my chances?", it probably would've become the go-to version for me.
I miss the Thedus line...
The additional scenes from the DC aren't too lengthy. Why not just drop them in without the various edits throughout the TC?
Because Scott doesn't give his audience credit and assumes nobody has an attention span any more. I'm fairly certain he's said as much -- he couldn't make Alien today because people wouldn't sit through it.
Yeah he thought it might be too slow for a modern audience so trimmed the start and end of a lot of scenes.
Maybe he's right - I dunno. Thing is, including the hive scene just slowed stuff down again.
I think the only parts which reeeaaally "needed" to be trimmed for a modern audience would be Brett's search for Jonesy, and the long ass dolly shot before Ripley talks to Ash in the medbay. The shaved frames here and there were kind of unnecessary.
I get his reasoning, but yeah I don't think the shaving quite works. I did like the new 'Alien swinging in the chains shot'.
Interestingly, in one of Michael Palin's diary books he talks about an early screening of Alien (he was on the board at Shepparton I think), and says the movie never tops the chestburster scene. So perhaps there was some justification for speeding it up even back then?
I actually prefer the theatrical cuts of the first four films.
I watched the Alien DC yesterday for the first time in a long time. I too liked the added shot of the creature hanginng from the chains. However, it seems so strange to have Rips set the self destruct and then randomly go down the ladder to the nest with only 10 minutes to gtfo.
Yeah her impetus for going down there was never properly handled in the film. In the script she hears Dallas weeping - which she wouldn't be able to hear over the alarms.
Where would the SM Cut place that scene?
I'd just watch the original cut.
But ideally it should where it was scripted to be - just after Ripley finds Parker and Lambert.
Would you keep the scene out of it because of Aliens?
No I would keep it out because it slows the film down.
With all this talk, it seems we need to do a Fan Cut lol
The original 1979 theatrical version is the ideal cut. I wish the 2003 re-edit wasn't so disappointing.
If the original 2003 re-edit (with everthing thrown back in, before the director pruned it back) still exists, I would love to see that get a home video release.
Quote from: Elmazalman on Jan 10, 2019, 08:04:27 PM
If the original 2003 re-edit (with everthing thrown back in, before the director pruned it back) still exists, I would love to see that get a home video release.
I've never heard of that version. Does it fix the pacing issues and flesh out the characters?
Quote from: Local Trouble on Jan 10, 2019, 08:06:06 PM
Quote from: Elmazalman on Jan 10, 2019, 08:04:27 PM
If the original 2003 re-edit (with everthing thrown back in, before the director pruned it back) still exists, I would love to see that get a home video release.
I've never heard of that version. Does it fix the pacing issues and flesh out the characters?
This version had everything back in. I doubt it fixed the pacing. The additional footage may have fleshed out characterisation.
I think this version also included
unreleased material in addition to the deleted scenes / outtakes from the various home video releases
I wish they'd re-release Alien 3 to theatres. It's the only one out of the whole franchise I've not seen on the big screen.
Quote from: irn on Jan 10, 2019, 08:51:01 PM
I wish they'd re-release Alien 3 to theatres. It's the only one out of the whole franchise I've not seen on the big screen.
Which version?
I'd like to see both Aliens and Alien 3. Alien:Resurrection i saw at least four times and saw Alien 3 in an illegal basement cinema showing bad quality vhs copy with typically monotone Russian voice over, but that added to the murkiness.
Saw Alien couple years ago when the Covenant came out, but the experience was surprisingly underwhelming, dunno why. Maybe seeing Prometheus took something away and the space jockey scene no longer was as effective.
Blade Runner on a huge screen in a packed cinema couple months ago was great though.
My cinema viewing of ALIEN was spoiled by people arriving 10-20 mins after the film's start. Very inconsiderate.
Showcase showings: https://www.showcasecinemas.co.uk/film-info/alien#T1FTSruuFKlGpV6i.97
I actually came here to ask if anyone knew which version it will be. After reading some of the comments I'm going to watch the Theatrical Cut tonight on blu-ray as Ive always watched DC.
https://www.fathomevents.com/events/tcm2019-alien-40th-anniversary-1979
No idea if it's the 4K restoration, though.
https://www.parkcircus.com/film/115566-Alien?fbclid=IwAR2JcAxmDtGv5FW9VZqhah1rB0dbgMO-U7X34M5OmBf3DdYYn51pnHJXfO4
Details of showings here. Doesn't look like the international releases extend very far.
Will you be there to represent in your finest AvPG swag?
Quote from: Local Trouble on Feb 12, 2019, 09:02:34 PM
Will you be there to represent in your finest AvPG swag?
Ha. I'm sure I'll be there in some AvPG shirt or something.
Quote from: Roby on Feb 13, 2019, 12:29:47 AM
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Jan 08, 2019, 10:50:23 PM
It isn't.
Do you know what the "watch" is?!
Yep.
Ordered my tickets for a showing on Friday 1st. ;D
Im off to my local Vue cinema in Ellesmere Port with a couple of mates on Friday, cant wait. The chance to see Alien on the big screen is not to be missed. Really hope they do this with Aliens aswell.
I would pay any money i have to watch Alien on big screen but i doubt that our Ukranian guys will bother to organise anniversary viewing :'(
Booked!
Tickets booked for Friday night. Never seen it on the big screen so this will be a real treat.
Quote from: drsmuts on Feb 27, 2019, 10:51:36 AM
Tickets booked for Friday night. Never seen it on the big screen so this will be a real treat.
Can't beat seeing it on the big screen! I managed to see Alien and Aliens back to back on Alien Day a few years back. Awesome experience, even if the people sitting next to me were annoying.
Happy 40th Anniversary Alien!
Tickets bought ;D
Just got back. Good to see it on the big screen....well sort of as it wasn't the biggest one at the venue and cant help thinking that the image was a bit out of focus at times.
Just got back from seeing it. I'm buzzing I finally got to see the first Alien film on the big screen. Btw it was the Theatrical cut of Alien. Also it looked great on the big screen and the sound was great as well. I know Alien 40th anniversary is only a limited showing, but was surprisingly shocked that the cinema I went to was packed out to the max, every seat was more or less taking other then afew priority seats for wheelchairs. Just go's to show that a 40 year old film can still out sell Alien Covenant on its first showing.. Basically when I went to see Covenant on the first showing at the same cinema, Covenant was only quarter full.
One more thing that's great, is how dazzling and blinding the strobe light effects are when Ripley escapes the Nostromo.
Quote from: drsmuts on Mar 01, 2019, 10:15:21 PM
Just got back. Good to see it on the big screen....well sort of as it wasn't the biggest one at the venue and cant help thinking that the image was a bit out of focus at times.
There are parts of the film, particularly towards the end, that are out of focus. Ridley mentions they were rushing.
Quote from: drsmuts on Mar 01, 2019, 10:15:21 PM
Just got back. Good to see it on the big screen....well sort of as it wasn't the biggest one at the venue and cant help thinking that the image was a bit out of focus at times.
I did notice that especially when they are all talking after Dallas gets taken, Ripley's eyes were slightly out of focus but I think it was due to how the death of field was shot in the original print. But the 20th century fox logo and Alien title screen was pretty noisy. however the rest of the film looked fine to me. One thing that does stand out more especially in the big screen is when Kane trips in to the egg pit and he's foot kicks an egg.
Quote from: Kimo on Mar 01, 2019, 10:16:44 PM
One more thing that's great, is how dazzling and blinding the strobe light effects are when Ripley escapes the Nostromo.
Yeah, I just came back from cinema and you're right. Those light effects were amazing. My screen was fully packed. I regret it wasn't director's cut but well, still enjoyed it.
Quote from: SiL on Mar 01, 2019, 10:19:46 PM
Quote from: drsmuts on Mar 01, 2019, 10:15:21 PM
Just got back. Good to see it on the big screen....well sort of as it wasn't the biggest one at the venue and cant help thinking that the image was a bit out of focus at times.
There are parts of the film, particularly towards the end, that are out of focus. Ridley mentions they were rushing.
Yeah I suppose it isn't really noticable on home Blu Ray. Still enjoyed it though. Screening I went to though at 7pm was pretty empty. Expected a lot more punters to be honest, especially as there isn't much out at the moment.
Quote from: dave1978 on Feb 26, 2019, 10:32:46 AM
Im off to my local Vue cinema in Ellesmere Port with a couple of mates on Friday, cant wait. The chance to see Alien on the big screen is not to be missed. Really hope they do this with Aliens aswell.
I was at that screening! I booked my tickets way in advance and when they upgraded to the bigger screen our seats got shifted from dead centre to middle right :(
Tomorrow!
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/mar/01/alien-review-ridley-scott-lethally-contemporary-masterpiece
I went to the showing last night in the Vue Leamington. I thoroughly enjoyed it and thought the sound design really stood out. Although my wife fell asleep early on but woke up before the chestbuster!!
Just out of interest how busy where the showings that everyone else has been too? It was quite small screen we were in last night but I'd say it was about 75% full which I thought was pretty good.
Packed.
A L I E N -40th Anniversary 4K
Cinema, excellent but weathered.
I went to Prince Charles Theatre in London for their first showing. It was also packed. It looked and sounded great. That said, I didn't notice any massive improvement over the Blu-ray restoration. Maybe it was the projector or I'm not really able to pick up on the difference between 1080 and 4K (though it's not actually 4K if that technical memory is correct?).
Did anyone else pick up on anything?
Also, for anyone who cares, the colour grading when Brett was going to his death in the engineering area was copper for this edition.
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Mar 03, 2019, 10:39:51 AM(though it's not actually 4K if that technical memory is correct?)
I thought this was a brand new 4K master?
No, I mean 4K not actually being 4K.
There are different standards of 4K (3840 x 2160 pixels or 4096 x 2160 pixels).
Realistically it's whether the theatre even has a 4K projector. Most digital projections are 2K (2048x1080) in cinemas. 4K adds a slight improvement on those screens, but the reality is that anything over 2K is really much of a muchness in terms of quality due to resolution of display mediums (projectors, screens, etc.), ideal viewing distances, and the ability of the human eye to resolve detail.
The guys at Sony did a test on an IMAX screen years ago and found that you physically couldn't distinguish certain resolutions after a point even on those big screens. Increased resolution is rapidly turning into a marketing gimmick. 4K is, for the foreseeable future, a practical limit -- and even that's not a massive improvement to the layperson over 2K.
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Mar 03, 2019, 11:43:01 AM
No, I mean 4K not actually being 4K.
As SiL said, there are various definitions of 4K. It's mainly a buzzword to sell things to the consumer. 1080P is vertical resolution, but 4K is horizontal. If you're talking about pixels, then it would actually be 8K!
The Vue cinema chain (which is my local) has Sony SRX-R515DS systems which are 4096x2160.
I've not upgraded my home TV to 4K (yet). At 47" I am fine with 1080P, and my girlfriend doesn't even notice the difference between that and standard definition.
SiL's correct.
(https://media.giphy.com/media/Kul18f5GtqnSg/giphy.gif)
Thanks for the info. :)
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Mar 03, 2019, 03:55:17 PM
https://media.giphy.com/media/Kul18f5GtqnSg/giphy.gif
Thanks for the info. :)
I can't be the only person who is still confuzzled.
I interpret stuff like this as "clearer picture, improved coloration, better sound quality."
I might need it explained in idiot terms.
Quote from: TheSailingRabbit on Mar 03, 2019, 04:12:22 PM
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Mar 03, 2019, 03:55:17 PM
https://media.giphy.com/media/Kul18f5GtqnSg/giphy.gif
Thanks for the info. :)
I can't be the only person who is still confuzzled.
I interpret stuff like this as "clearer picture, improved coloration, better sound quality."
I might need it explained in idiot terms.
Technically 4K is just referring to resolution. Colour and sound quality are separate (though they do tend to all scale up together).
Resolution is clarity of picture, which is made up of pixels (light dots, effectively). If you have a 32" screen, then DVD quality is 720x576 (pal), which gives 414,720 dots, full HD is 1980x1080 which is 2,073,600 dots, and 4K (UHD) is 3840x2160 so 8,294,400 dots. The more dots available per inch, the greater the clarity of image.
Colouration and depth depends on bandwidth, which is set as part of a standard set for what is supported in specific media (i.e DVD, blu ray, UHD blu ray, etc). The more bandwidth (space) available, the greater the depth of video and audio quality available up until lossless (which is where were at now), when you can then get no greater quality, but can expand channels. Resolution is also a part of the standard, and multiple resolutions can be supported in each standard, which is why you can get standard definition special features on an HD blu ray.
Also I liked the fact we were given Alien programme notes before going into the screening. They were nothing new but a really nice touch nevertheless.
That's sweet! Didn't get that at mine.
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Mar 03, 2019, 10:39:51 AM
Did anyone else pick up on anything?
Also, for anyone who cares, the colour grading when Brett was going to his death in the engineering area was copper for this edition.
Was the copper an improvement compared to the gold? I thought the gold tint was a bit too much for the 2010 DC Blu-ray version.
Going to see this tonight. Cant wait
Enjoy!
I did. Really great to see it on the big screen. The Model Work and sets really shine through and the Chestburster scene is even more visceral. Also spotted a couple of shots id never seen before, or noticed anyway because ive only seen it on the small screen
Having a heart attack here. Just found out my local cinema is showing the 4K version on the big screen in April ;D
For all you other Aussies check out your local Event Cinema around early April.
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Mar 03, 2019, 10:39:51 AM
I went to Prince Charles Theatre in London for their first showing. It was also packed. It looked and sounded great. That said, I didn't notice any massive improvement over the Blu-ray restoration. Maybe it was the projector or I'm not really able to pick up on the difference between 1080 and 4K (though it's not actually 4K if that technical memory is correct?).
Did anyone else pick up on anything?
Listened to your latest podcast today and heard you mention this.
I'd imagine unless you have them side by side, you'll be hard pressed to tell the difference between 1080p and 4K in the theatre. Even at home, that might be the case. The closer to your TV you sit, the better it will be. But don't despair, HDR is far more noticeable than 4K and cinemas can't do that yet. Do your research before buying a 4K TV - you'll see a lot of cheap ones claiming to be HDR but you need to have a 10-bit panel for true HDR. OLED is the way to go if you want deep blacks but it'll cost you at least a grand in the sales, Prices go down substantially towards the end of the year.
Saw Alien last week at the local Odeon and then Aliens earlier this week at the Vue...much better watching on the big screen than at home (although I wish Vue had properly dimmed the lights like Odeon did)
You have pretty interesting nickname. I'm Ukranian by the way.
Quote from: Darkness on Mar 18, 2019, 07:57:56 PMOLED is the way to go if you want deep blacks
I wonder how AvPR looks on it.