Let's Read the ALIEN RPG

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I really like 13th Warrior. Hell of a soundtrack too.

Eaters of the Dead is honestly my favourite Crichton book. The whole concept of a Beowulf reconstruction through written sources, pitched as legitimate, with citation and academic reference is a hell of a gimmick. It is also a superb read.

EmperorNorton said:
Aliens is also by far the most quotable movie of the series. :tongue:
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Given every third word in Alien 3 is "fuck", I'm pretty sure I quote that more often. Plus, Aliens' most memorable line is also the worst uttered throughout the whole film.
 
Malleustein said:
Eaters of the Dead is honestly my favourite Crichton book. The whole concept of a Beowulf reconstruction through written sources, pitched as legitimate, with citation and academic reference is a hell of a gimmick. It is also a superb read.
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I forgot it was Crichton who did that, it's so different from his usual style. Anyway, yeah, the meta-premise of the book was just mind candy for me, I love that blending of scholarship with fiction, but of course, completely untranslatable to film.

Hmmm, now I kinda want to watch the movie again - I don't think I've seen it since it was a new release on VHS at Blockbuster!
 
Speaking of, I've yet to see a cinematic adaption of Beowulf that was totally satisfying. Even the Neil Gaiman/Zemeckis one felt like...something was missing (and yeah, janky CGI didn't help, but that wasn't the problem - I think the extra plot that Gaiman came up with revolving around Grendel's mom just didn't really interest me, and Grendel simply wasn't horrific enough). I think I've seen at least three others not including 13th Warrior, (or the animated film Grendel! Grendel! Grendel!), and all of them just didn't quite manage to hit that - whatever element - that would really make it work for me onscreen.

I had a particular fascination with the original in my mid-teens, and even attempted my own translation at one point.

I do seem to recall a Dark Horse comic from a long time a go that did a sorta adaption of Beowulf where Grendel was an Alien Xenomorph - sounds a bit silly, but it worked for me, at least at the time I read it.
 
The 13th Warrior might be the best Beowulf film, even if it barely comes across as such. It is almost damning with faint praise to say so, mind you.

The Dark Horse comic (good return to topic) was fun. Silly, but fun. I haven't read it in many a year, but recall enjoying it and liking the artwork at the time.
 
Endless Flight said:
The self-destruct engagement sequence was one of my favorite scenes because it took so long to do and the alien could have jumped from behind at any moment.
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The whole second half of the film is like that, IMHO. The alien can get you anywhere, at any moment. Maybe you can barricade yourself somewhere but then you'll starve or suffocate while the ship breaks down from lack of maintenance. It's like the creature turned the ship into a war zone, only the crew doesn't get time to adjust to it.

And I especially like how Ripley has to read the instructions after the self-destruct panel pops open (and it's placement: why do people need to get on their knees to operate it?). She's probably had to go through the sequence to get her license, but that was years ago in a well-lit classroom after an instructor bored her group to death with all the boilerplate verbiage WY no doubt requires to be read out. But in Alien it's pull those levers — panel opens — key in… what was that again? — oh thank God there are instructions — screw in the plugs — flip a switch in every rod that comes up, all the while trying not to freak out and watch the dark corners to the point where you can no longer focus on the panel.
 
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Silent Green said:
The whole second half of the film is like that, IMHO. The alien can get you anywhere, at any moment. Maybe you can barricade yourself somewhere but then you'll starve or suffocate while the ship breaks down from lack of maintenance. It's like the creature turned the ship into a war zone, only the crew doesn't get time to adjust to the it.

And I especially like how Ripley has to read the instructions after the self-destruct panel pops open (and it's placement: why do people need to get on their knees to operate it?). She's probably had to go through the sequence to get her license, but that was years ago in a well-lit classroom after an instructor bored her group to death with all the boilerplate verbiage WY no doubt requires to be read out. But in Alien it's pull those levers — panel opens — key in… what was that again? — oh thank God there are instructions — screw in the plugs — flip a switch in every rod that comes up, all the while trying not to freak out and watch the dark corners to the point where you can no longer focus on the panel.
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It is one of the better on-screen portrayals (that isn't actual combat) of stress and fear conflicting with willpower. Masterfully done. Honestly, from the point Ripley realizes she is alone, and the only mouse left in the creature's cat and mouse game, is just tremendous.
 
Malleustein said:
The 13th Warrior might be the best Beowulf film, even if it barely comes across as such. It is almost damning with faint praise to say so, mind you.

The Dark Horse comic (good return to topic) was fun. Silly, but fun. I haven't read it in many a year, but recall enjoying it and liking the artwork at the time.
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I really liked Outlander as a Beowulf film.

 
Ralph Dula said:
I just wanted to throw out today’s the 35th anniversary of the release of Aliens.
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Better late than never.
 
TristramEvans said:
13th warrior wasn't bad for what it was, and has at least one line I quote to this day.

But the book it was based on, Eaters of the Dead, is absolutely amazing.
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Silent Green said:
Tomorrow the pus will run and you'll have a fever?
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When you die, can I give that to me daughter?
Grow stronger.
Only an Arab would bring a dog to war.
You couldn’t keep a cow out of this place.
Go and hide in a hole if you like, you won’t live one moment longer.
At least I know who my mother is, you pig-eating son of a whore.
Hurry to meet death before your place is taken.

So many things to use on a daily basis.
 
My wife uses the grow stronger line with our kids all the time. :grin:
 
13th Warrior was amazing, particularly when looked at for the time it was released (1999).

All you've got for half decent fantasy films to that point is Conan, Conan the destroyer, Excalibur, The Princess Bride, Ladyhawke, the Harryhausen films (Sinbad, Jason & the Argonauts etc) and a variety of B movies ranging from kind of bad to awful (although many have become cult classics most are still pretty bad). With that to contend with it has no trouble finding a spot on a top 10, or even a strong contender for top 5 list.
 
13th Warrior is great. I watched it with three of my gaming buddies back then. What was most interesting to us, was how we could all recognize the type of characters each of us often played in our games.
One was Beowulf, another was Herger and one was Helfdane. I was Edgtho. I think, this made the movie even more fantastic and memorable to us.
 
I‘m just not big on audiobooks, probably because of reading speed. Audio plays, however, I like.
 
Endless Flight said:
How do you guys read so fast? I can read maybe 40 pages an hour.
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I don't know. Perhaps it is because I was reading at a very young age. Before preschool. My first memories involve reading.

Unfortunately now that I am in my 40's I lack the attention span, drive, and free time to plow through a novel in an afternoon like I used to. I still read very fast but do it in article- or chapter-sized chunks.
 
Toadmaster said:
13th Warrior was amazing, particularly when looked at for the time it was released (1999).

All you've got for half decent fantasy films to that point is Conan, Conan the destroyer, Excalibur, The Princess Bride, Ladyhawke, the Harryhausen films (Sinbad, Jason & the Argonauts etc) and a variety of B movies ranging from kind of bad to awful (although many have become cult classics most are still pretty bad). With that to contend with it has no trouble finding a spot on a top 10, or even a strong contender for top 5 list.
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For fantasy, you have to add Dragonslayer and Beastmaster, although 13th Warrior is better.
 
The Mad Hatter said:
13th Warrior is great. I watched it with three of my gaming buddies back then. What was most interesting to us, was how we could all recognize the type of characters each of us often played in our games.
One was Beowulf, another was Herger and one was Helfdane. I was Edgtho. I think, this made the movie even more fantastic and memorable to us.
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Buliwyf gets the best death ever. He stands out in front, kills the leader of the Vendol, then kicks a guy’s corpse out of the way, sits down, plants his sword, and holds it while he dies literally watching his enemies flee. There just can’t possibly be a better Viking death.
 
I read a lot from a very young age, just kind of developed a talent for reading really fast. Aside from just reading a lot of books though, I imagine watching lots of subtitled shows (I'm a weeeeeb, though also I've watched a good many non-anime foreign shows as well), has sped up my reading as well.
 
I don't know how fast I read, never counted pages, but in my teens I often read about 10 books a week. I do find a lot of Youtube videos and podcasts frustrating because so many people talk so slow - talking is such an inefficient form of communication. I wish Youtube had an automatic transcript feature.
 
TristramEvans said:
I don't know how fast I read, never counted pages, but in my teens I often read about 10 books a week. I do find a lot of Youtube videos and podcasts frustrating because so many people talk so slow - talking is such an inefficient form of communication. I wish Youtube had an automatic transcript feature.
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Talking itself is fine, it is just most people are painfully slow about getting to the point. So many 20 minute youtube videos that could easily be 5 minutes if they just focused on the topic at hand instead of meandering all over the place. Some the meandering is worth it, but for many it is just a lack of prep and editing.
 
I'd read fiction at a normal rate, but fact, especially mathematical works, at a much faster pace.

For youtube videos I usually put them on 1.5-1.75 speed depending on the speaker.

Endless Flight said:
How do you guys read so fast? I can read maybe 40 pages an hour.
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That'd be a normal enough pace.
 
CRKrueger said:
I‘m just not big on audiobooks, probably because of reading speed. Audio plays, however, I like.
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Same here. I've wanted to get into it, but haven't had luck yet. It's just frustrating. Car rides are one of the only times I like actual plays however, and when I had a commute, I used it as an opportunity to listen to a few of those.
 
Toadmaster said:
Talking itself is fine, it is just most people are painfully slow about getting to the point. So many 20 minute youtube videos that could easily be 5 minutes if they just focused on the topic at hand instead of meandering all over the place. Some the meandering is worth it, but for many it is just a lack of prep and editing.
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I think a lot of that is to fill up the time that they allot for an 'episode'. It's really frustrating.
 
YouTube has/had an algorithm set up where ten minute videos usually performed the best for advertising purposes.
 
I can cross Aliens off the list of movies I’ve never seen. It’s definitely a Cameron film. It reminds me of Terminator 2 (it would be the other way around if I saw them chronologically) in its cinematography. I think I like this movie maybe a pinch more than the first, because I like the performances of the actors who played the marines, specifically Bill Paxton. I can’t say I would ever watch these movies again. I have no interest in seeing the next one at all.

Oh, one more thing. If Sigourney Weaver weren’t in these movies, they would be so much worse. She is fantastic.
 
Endless Flight said:
I can cross Aliens off the list of movies I’ve never seen. It’s definitely a Cameron film. It reminds me of Terminator 2 (it would be the other way around if I saw them chronologically) in its cinematography. I think I like this movie maybe a pinch more than the first, because I like the performances of the actors who played the marines, specifically Bill Paxton. I still can’t say I would ever watch these movies again. I have no interest in seeing the next one at all.
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I wouldn't recommend watching any of the sequels, but Prometheus, if you accept it as a film set in the same universe but not about the aliens, is definitely worth a watch (though it's at least as polarizing as The Last Jedi - some folks HATE it. Personally, I like it at least as much as Alien).
 
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