Episode 228 · Film year 1992
Alien3 (1992)
- Special Guests
- Lance Henriksen, Holt McCallany, Vincent Ward, John Fasano, Mark Verheiden
- Guest Co-Host
- Brad Jones
Show notes
One of the most hated -- and possibly most misunderstood -- sequels around, David Fincher's Alien³ had contentious production history. We'll attempt to unwrap the behind-the-scenes turmoil and on-screen mayhem along with Brad Jones, the Cinema Snob (opens in a new tab).
We talked to Vincent Ward who brought the idea of "monks in space" to the game and the late John Fasano who worked on a few drafts of the Alien 3 script. We also spoke with actors Lance Henriksen and Holt McCallany about what it was like to be on the set. And, we're joined by Mark Verheiden who wrote the incredible Dark Horse comics Alien series.
BTW, this episode was not very popular with hard core Alien3 fans (opens in a new tab).
Errata: The baby alien came out of Kane, not Ash, in Alien. The less-than-stellar special effects of Alien³ were a blue-screened rod puppet (opens in a new tab), not CGI. The "Assembly Cut" on the Blu-ray Quadrilogy does not contain new shots but only cleaned-up audio.
We talked to Vincent Ward who brought the idea of "monks in space" to the game and the late John Fasano who worked on a few drafts of the Alien 3 script. We also spoke with actors Lance Henriksen and Holt McCallany about what it was like to be on the set. And, we're joined by Mark Verheiden who wrote the incredible Dark Horse comics Alien series.
BTW, this episode was not very popular with hard core Alien3 fans (opens in a new tab).
Errata: The baby alien came out of Kane, not Ash, in Alien. The less-than-stellar special effects of Alien³ were a blue-screened rod puppet (opens in a new tab), not CGI. The "Assembly Cut" on the Blu-ray Quadrilogy does not contain new shots but only cleaned-up audio.
Labels: Alien Brad Jones Cinema Snob David Fincher David Giler David Twohy Eric Red Holt McCallany John Fasano Lance Henriksen Ralph Brown Vincent Ward Walter Hill
Watch
Music credits
- "Wreckage and Rape" - Elliot Goldenthal
- "The Entrapment" - Elliot Goldenthal
- "The Beast Within" - Elliot Goldenthal
- "Alien" - 1919
Links & resources
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Comments (15)
Anonymous ....... i only have one gripe with this podcast " the alien in Alien 3 is NOT cgi its a rod puppet filmed infront of a blue screen, only as you mention the close ups are practical effects or guy in suit. In the assembly cut the alien running away after it burst out of the oxe is cgi.......Mike White Added an errata section. Thanks!
hecramsey I am surprised you guys are so down on this movie. Then again, you used terms like "damsel in distress" and "prince coming to save her" a number of times, which leads me to believe we see it from different directions. You are looking for a fairy tale, good guys vs bad guys. I think it is made abundantly clear by the prison setting, religious overtones and about a billion lines of dialogue that in Ripleys story, and I feel this is her story despite what char may be in focus, we are beyond good and bad, right and wrong, it's all rather blurry. There are so many points you made I disagree with. You say Ripley does not show enough emotion about the death of Newt and Hicks -- she asks to be killed and commits suicide at the end, I'd say that is pretty strong emoting, our plucky little survivor gave up. So many strong chars are killed of without ceremony -- exactly. This is their world -- cold, dark, unkind. Compare the warm and joyful "breakfast" meal that opens ALIEN 1979 with Ripleys "Breakfast" in 3. We are not in that world anymore. I could go on and on. You complain about conventional plot elements then complain main chars get killed against convention. Make up yer mind! This is not "Another Alien Movie Out of the Alien Movie Machine". It is as you said an outlier, a different type of story.Mike White I honestly didn't think we were "down" on the movie. And if it truly came off that way, I apologize. It had a ton of challenges in the making of it and was pretty much undone by Hill/Giler but the version closest to Fincher's version is pretty boss.
Anonymous I too get angry when people have different opinions than me.doug.glassman Can I just say how awesome it is that you talked with Mark Verheiden? His Aliens comics are fantastic and they're honestly films 3-5 for me, especially since Resurrection is oddly similar to Nightmare Asylum. (The lead military guy in Nightmare Asylum is totally Dan Hedaya long before that role was cast.)Anonymous the aliens in Aliens are terrible,dudes in not very good rubber suits. Aliens is my least favorite film in the series,Macho bullshit for the brain deadJimJam So glad you brought up the Dark Horse comics as an alternative sequel to Aliens! I "inherited" from my older brother's comic collection (ok, stole) the first two issues of what I think is the second series that begins with Hicks, Newt and Bishop on a spaceship, which has VERY James Cameron-esque visuals. Even though they're all available digitally I still find it fun to hunt them down at comic conventions so I can complete the story some day. I'm also glad someone else quotes "Guess she don't like the cornbread either" other than me. I laughed so hard when you played that clip as I'd only mentioned it on Twitter the other day. Spooky! Thanks for another great show!Anonymous Not sure how the theaterical cut is supposedly hard to find...just get the Alien Anthology on bluray or Alien Quadrilogy on dvd which both have the both versions of Alien 3.Anonymous you are saying that the thing running around the corridor walls and ceilings at the ending wasn't shitty cgi? That over smooth thing even changes sizes between the cuts. I remember people laughing at it at that point. Shit movie.Mike White We're not saying that. I said that it looked like shitty CGI as well but apparently I was wrong per the fine fans.
Mike White I would advise you to stay away from our series this summer where we look at several films based on fairly tales. I'm also sorry that there were fairy tale references in Aliens and Alien 3. http://www.jamescamerononline.com/AlienandAliens.htm http://www.forcesofgeek.com/2011/02/sleeping-beauty-versus-dragon-alien-3.html https://books.google.com/books?id=4ecFu4B_CpoC&pg=PA72&lpg=PA72&dq=Aliens,+%22+sleeping+beauty+%22&source=bl&ots=m2rDGRwAy8&sig=yythmDLpWGc0YUUaAUf4FQoUD4w&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiP08CCtrfKAhWotIMKHeQdCF0Q6AEINTAG#v=onepage&q=Aliens%2C%20%22%20sleeping%20beauty%20%22&f=falseAnonymous Regarding the teaser trailer - with the egg floating in space etc It's on the Quadrilogy and Anthology sets. http://www.dvdcompare.net/comparisons/film.php?fid=12 Probably called Theatrical Trailer #1 if I remember correctly. But if it's the one where it's an egg floating and it says "On earth no-one can hear you scream" etc - it is without a doubt on the DVD and Blu Ray.Anonymous Hey Mike-the missing piece to this is AVPGalaxy's interview with Rex Pickett-the Writer behind Sideways!It's about 2 hours and sixteen minutes of Inside Baseball,Hollywood Stylee-on YT,Title is:A Witness To The Wreckage and Rage,Talking to Alien 3 Screenwriter Rex Pickett!:)virtualcrane A team named Project A34k just put out a fan edit that upscales the film to 4K, improves the creature effects and blends the Assembly and Theatrical cuts. You should check it out. Here’s their site: https://www.a34k.net/