Friday, April 27, 2012
Random Thoughts, The Predators...
I don't think Predator society is as organized as some may think. I think, at most, the Predators live in scattered nomadic clans. And clans only really associate with each other when in conflict over territory or in visitation of neutral sacred ground. In my mind the "Super Predators", or 'Berzerkers', are the same type of creatures but a different species, like neanderthals & homo sapiens. The "Super Predators" being neanderthals compared to the Predators, homo sapiens of course. But unlike the neanderthals the "Super Predators" survived. They would have lived within the more advanced Predator society, but ultimately splintered off after a time. Taking technology & blood lust with them.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
COMMENTARY: PREDATOR 2
Thanks for sticking around as I play with this idea. Today is part 2 of the 3 part series. And here we go;
PREDATOR 2.
OPENING; Right out of the gate it's different from the first, no space shot. Instead it visually transitions from the Jungle to the city which is a cool idea. Los Angeles 1997, its fun to know that since this movie came out in 1990 it was set in the future. Jumping into heat vision, the new hunter is listening in on the city.
GANG WAR; Two things that are present in this movie; gang wars and media coverage, both completely over the top. But its not hard to imagine no one noticing a Predator cutting through town with all of this going on. The writers of both films Jim and John Thomas were really pushing the heat and violence aspect of the hunt with the heat wave and city blowing itself up. Instead of a special forces team, we get a group of LAPD detectives. Harrigan is our primary heroic figure. I can't help but think of PREDATOR 2 as an alternate universe sequel to LETHAL WEAPON 2. Driving the car through to create a barricade, nice. The Scorpios have an armory that would make most gun nuts shit themselves. Harrigan with a shotgun, taking out everybody. Its interesting to note that originally Schwarzenegger was going to come back as Dutch but ultimately decided to go with TERMINATOR 2 instead. The script was than rewritten. Heat vision, the new hunter watching the roof. Harrigan being afraid of heights is a small detail, but a nice one. We, and Harrigan, see the hunter cloaked right up front. The idea being that we already know what the Predator is, so now we can cut out the most of the discovery of the character and go straight into exploring him. Its important to know that Harrigan already has the hunters attention at this point. As they investigate the slaughter of the gang, you get to see little details, like the hunters claw marks in the wall where he dragged the gang member up to the ceiling.
FALL OUT; The badass cop being yelled at by his superior. Where PREDATOR played with the war/action movie, PREDATOR 2 plays with the cop/action movie. Here we're also introduced to another aspect of the sequel which is the government knowing about the Predators existence. Its a very natural thing that they would be after anything having to do with it. Back at the police station which is overflowing, a lot of the "future" LA is the writers essentially projecting and jumping at possibilities. Keyes as played by Busey as only Busey could play him. The trinity of Harrigan, Leona, and Danny is terrific, you can tell there's nothing but love there. Maria Conchita Alonso crushing Bill Paxton's balls is great, its also fun to say Maria Conchita Alonso. Harrigan giving the we're all f*cked but we're a team speech, you believe that he's tired of what he does but he'll keep doing it.
PENTHOUSE; Full frontal nudity, something PREDATOR did not have. That particular actress would go on to become a fairly successful porn star. Jamaicans vs Colombians interrupted by the hunter. This penthouse attack establishes a number of new weapons like the net gun and the spear and brings back the iconic wrist blades. Its also our first look at the new hunter design by Stan Winston. Feds starting to take over everything having to do with the hunter, but Harrigan's not having it. The skinning of prey back in a big way, penthouse turned into a meat locker. The woman has been left alive by the hunter, cementing the idea that there is some sort of code at work. Keyes establishes dominance as fast and as unsubtle as he can. The media has an incredibly aggressive presence in this movie, everything is in a much more exploitative tone which was a commentary on the sort of trash reporting that had begun to be more prominent on television at the time. Harrigan being a detective, is not an idiot.
BEGIN INVESTIGATING; Bill Paxton always seems to have fun with his characters. Harrigan told Danny to wait for him, but he's a detective too, he's going to do what he can when he can. That "spear tip" is cool little piece, but how it got stuck in that vent cover is beyond me, ricochet? You see a lot more of the hunter, a lot sooner in this one. But like I said we don't need to discover the Predator because we already know about it. With Danny gone Harrigan starts to fall apart. Bureaucracy is something that was present in the first movie, but only barely. Here its right out there because you're in a major city, and you can't get away from it. You know exactly what Keyes is looking for, very obvious. Leona and Jerry bring Harrigan back to Earth and focus him back on what needs to be done. Keyes operation seems pretty well thought out, but we'll see. This forensic examiner is a natural part of the detective element of the story, but is she using an electron microscope? The hunter on the eagle is a beautiful image.
KING WILLIE; I really like the old world aspect of Willie, like a spirit warrior out of time. You almost forget that he's the head of the Jamaican gangs, but you understand why. Bringing a spiritual element to how the prey views the hunters is a nice play on the expansion of the Predators themselves. There's more going on than we've seen. The hunter walking in the water is a terrific visual. Willie drawing his sword, and the two warriors facing off is another. This bit where the hunter cleans his trophy and places it in his case is amazing. Amping up the hunting aspect to its natural next level, also our first hints of other trophies he's taken.
INVESTIGATION CONTINUES; More bits of information, small but helpful. Now the team is focusing in on the slaughter houses. Harrigan looking at the trophies in the store front, he knows, he doesn't articulate it but he knows what's going on. The hunter and the kid scene, carrying the concept of a code forward. In this movie the Predators mythology is expanding in every direction. The lonely music from the first movie fades in here, humanity comes back into the picture. Harrigan jumping around with his gun always felt off to me, but I think that was the point. Harrigan is shaken up.
THE SUBWAY; EVERYONE on the train is packing, you know whats coming. The hunter's attack on the subway seems random, but when you consider what he's done before, he's working his way up to Harrigan. So it's only natural that he goes after those closest to him. "Want some candy?" another often repeated line. Bill Paxton has been killed by a Terminator, by Aliens, and by a Predator, think about that for a minute. Leona goes back to help Jerry, but everyone is already dead and hung up. Heat vision, Leona is pregnant, leading to another demonstration of a code. I know there are people who have a problem with the Predators having an honor code of any kind, they think it makes them weaker and overall less threatening. But I love it, it brings character to the characters culture and sets them ever further apart from every other killer from outer space.
CHASE; Harrigan interrupts the hunter as he removes Jerry's spine and skull. Harrigan also punches out Tony Pope, which depending on your feelings either makes you cheer or doesn't affect you in the least. Harrigan keeps stumbling on things as he drives right into the area Keyes has under observation. The hunter being hit by lightning on top of the building is just a primal image, power. Keyes calls back to the first movie. If you look closely you can see Anna on one of the screens. They actually did film a full interrogation with Elpidia Carrillo but didn't use it. Keyes as Basil Exposition as he explains every little detail known about the Predators that we have up until this point.
SLAUGHTER HOUSE; Now here PREDATOR 2 goes ALIENS on us. Admittedly it may or may not be intentional, but the comparison can still be drawn. If you think about it Keyes' plan was pretty intelligent. They think they have the hunter figured out, but he knows somethings wrong. Adaptation is the hunters greatest advantage, he faces a problem he works around it. Changing the vision on his mask, another new detail, but not a surprising one. It's hard not to cheer for the Predator in this movie, he's just so cool. Is Harrigan going into the slaughter house because he wants to help Keyes or because he wants the hunter, a little bit of both I think. I love this scene because it does show more of the warrior aspect of the Predators. Its a different mode of combat from the hunting, its more direct and destructive. He levels Keyes' team in seconds. The look the Predator gives Keyes when Keyes is all alone is really hardcore, almost between a 'how dare you' and 'what a joke'. The water disabling the Predators cloaking technology has always bugged me just a little, you would think they'd find a way to deal with that. Harrigan takes out the hunters shoulder cannon, but the hunter responds with a wrist launcher, a great little weapon. Harrigan with a shotgun equals destruction. Does anyone at the LAPD know about Harrigan's personal armory? I'm just wondering. I really love the design of the Predator in this movie, Stan Winston outdid himself. And I really appreciate his logic in the redesign; this is a different individual so of course it would look different. The 'mother f*cker' quote coming back is alright, not a fan of that moment. Keyes comes back but is promptly cut in half by another new weapon, the smart disk, awesome. Weird note; you never see Keyes' torso fall to the ground, but his legs do. Harrigan hates heights, and birds, although the birds thing may come from not want to die. Since he lost his mask, the hunter has a backup air supply, very smart, but leaving your spear so anyone can use it, not so much. We revisit the self-destruct as the hunter and Harrigan hang off a ledge over an alley. But cutting the hunters arm off Harrigan just saved millions of people, think about it.
CHASE ME; The hunter in the bathroom scene is another interesting moment of development. Yes there is advanced technology at work, but the imagery is distinctly primal. The Predator hover over the flame, adding ingredients, rubbing the gel on himself. It all gives the feeling of an ancient world come to life. Of course its undercut with the little old lady and Jeopardy theme. Harrigan manages to crawl his way into the bathroom with nothing but the hunters smart disk. falling down the elevator shaft is sort of beautiful in its symbolism, Harrigan is entering the underworld. And lands, on a Predator ship. Starting he begins my favorite part of the movie, possibly my favorite part of any Predator movie.
THE SHIP; This design is GORGEOUS. The lighting, the detailing, the mist, the monoliths, the ceiling, there is a culture here. And it is amazing. The trophy case is wonderfully detailed. Notice the various skulls of alien species'. The Alien skull being in there was a nod to the dark horse comic 'Alien Versus Predator' which was out at that time. But the thing I'm not clear on is why the Alien has a bone skull when its clearly biomechanical. Anyway. The final showdown between Harrigan and the hunter feels short because it was spread out over two locations. Here it ends quickly but not before a brief exchange of blades, Harrigan using the smart disk, and the hunters confidence, to his advantage. Than SURPRISE, the best moment in any Predator movie; the reveal of the clan. That elder Predator is most badass version of this species every put to film. Simply incredible. Stan Winston's crew actually called it the Grey Back, similar to a silver back Gorilla.
Fun fact, the elder and the hunter from this film were both played by Kevin Peter Hall who played the original Predator in the first film. He made sure to make the two Predators he played this time as distinct in their movements as possible. Things like the elder holding his necklace, add to their characterization. Another fun fact, the elders face was made using the Predator from the first film. They took that Predators face and aged it, fading the colors and adding piercings and spikes. Stan Winston then told the rest of his team to really go for it with the rest of the clan. Each person was allowed to design the clan members from scratch, which is why each is so unique from the rest. The problem came in casting, Kevin Peter Hall was 7'2" and there simply aren't many tall performers working, so Danny Glover went to the Lakers basketball team. That's right, the clan you see is portrayed by the Lakers.
As the clan carries away their fallen comrade, the elder acknowledges each member who than cloaks as they leave the room. He turns to leave as well, but stops, looking back to Harrigan, he thinks for a moment. Pulls a flintlock pistol from his belt and throws it to Harrigan, "take it". Harrigan examines the pistol, it reads; "Raphael Adolini 1715". A version of the story of how the elder gained that pistol is seen in the comic 'PREDATOR 1718'. The elder walks away, sheaths his sword, and cloaks. The code of honor, again, is something that does divide a lot of people. I actually think there's room for both views to coexist. But the overriding rule of continuity in these sorts of series is it doesn't count unless its in the movies. After the ship takes off Harrigan emerges from the tunnel like Dante out of hell. Covered in ash, and much like Dutch in PREDATOR, changed. Danny Glover sells it with his eyes. "Don't worry assh*le, you'll get another chance.", Harrigan knows it'll never be over. The hunters will always come.
CREDITS; PREDATOR 2 is the one that I remember most prominently from when I was a kid. PREDATOR was a ride that introduced me to the character, but PREDATOR 2 took that character and developed it in ways that I didn't see coming and that I love very dearly. I remember as a kid seeing the clan emerge in the ship and my mind was blown. That image had never left me, the elder has never left me. This movie could've so easily been just a horrible sequel to a great movie. Copying everything that came before, but it wasn't. it did something different and added to the mythos. And that's what a sequel should do. I know a lot of people hate PREDATOR 2, but a lot of that hate seems to come from the uniquely fanboy place of "its not like the first one". Its a complaint that comes up with every sequel of every movie, or of every adaptation of every comic book character. Its not exactly like whats come before so its not good. I actually think that may be an issue of most people have when it comes to something that's different. You're taking them out of their comfort zone so they hate it. I love PREDATOR 2, and I know there are other people who love it too. To the cast and crew, I say thank you for all of your hard work. Director Stephen Hopkins came in and was faced with the challenge of making a sequel to PREDATOR, and I think he did a terrific job.
But I should also single out Kevin Peter Hall, who gave life to the Predators in PREDATOR & PREDATOR 2. He was an actor who happened to wear creature suits and it showed. His performances were incredible and were a huge part of why the characters have lasted. If you go over to IMDB please look him up, chances are you've seen his work in other films and TV shows but didn't know it. Here are two links for you;
WIKI; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Peter_Hall
IMDB; http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001310/
Tragically Hall announced he had contracted HIV from a contaminated blood transfusion, and on April 10, 1991 he died from pneumonia at the age of 35 years old. His loss is still felt today.
Thank you for reading, this has been interesting for me, even though it was likely painful for you. Tomorrow will be the third and final part of this experiment as I watch PREDATORS.
 |
| PREDATOR 2 was released on November 21st, 1990. It received largely negative reviews and a poor box office return, but has since developed a cult following. |
PREDATOR 2.
OPENING; Right out of the gate it's different from the first, no space shot. Instead it visually transitions from the Jungle to the city which is a cool idea. Los Angeles 1997, its fun to know that since this movie came out in 1990 it was set in the future. Jumping into heat vision, the new hunter is listening in on the city.
GANG WAR; Two things that are present in this movie; gang wars and media coverage, both completely over the top. But its not hard to imagine no one noticing a Predator cutting through town with all of this going on. The writers of both films Jim and John Thomas were really pushing the heat and violence aspect of the hunt with the heat wave and city blowing itself up. Instead of a special forces team, we get a group of LAPD detectives. Harrigan is our primary heroic figure. I can't help but think of PREDATOR 2 as an alternate universe sequel to LETHAL WEAPON 2. Driving the car through to create a barricade, nice. The Scorpios have an armory that would make most gun nuts shit themselves. Harrigan with a shotgun, taking out everybody. Its interesting to note that originally Schwarzenegger was going to come back as Dutch but ultimately decided to go with TERMINATOR 2 instead. The script was than rewritten. Heat vision, the new hunter watching the roof. Harrigan being afraid of heights is a small detail, but a nice one. We, and Harrigan, see the hunter cloaked right up front. The idea being that we already know what the Predator is, so now we can cut out the most of the discovery of the character and go straight into exploring him. Its important to know that Harrigan already has the hunters attention at this point. As they investigate the slaughter of the gang, you get to see little details, like the hunters claw marks in the wall where he dragged the gang member up to the ceiling.
FALL OUT; The badass cop being yelled at by his superior. Where PREDATOR played with the war/action movie, PREDATOR 2 plays with the cop/action movie. Here we're also introduced to another aspect of the sequel which is the government knowing about the Predators existence. Its a very natural thing that they would be after anything having to do with it. Back at the police station which is overflowing, a lot of the "future" LA is the writers essentially projecting and jumping at possibilities. Keyes as played by Busey as only Busey could play him. The trinity of Harrigan, Leona, and Danny is terrific, you can tell there's nothing but love there. Maria Conchita Alonso crushing Bill Paxton's balls is great, its also fun to say Maria Conchita Alonso. Harrigan giving the we're all f*cked but we're a team speech, you believe that he's tired of what he does but he'll keep doing it.
PENTHOUSE; Full frontal nudity, something PREDATOR did not have. That particular actress would go on to become a fairly successful porn star. Jamaicans vs Colombians interrupted by the hunter. This penthouse attack establishes a number of new weapons like the net gun and the spear and brings back the iconic wrist blades. Its also our first look at the new hunter design by Stan Winston. Feds starting to take over everything having to do with the hunter, but Harrigan's not having it. The skinning of prey back in a big way, penthouse turned into a meat locker. The woman has been left alive by the hunter, cementing the idea that there is some sort of code at work. Keyes establishes dominance as fast and as unsubtle as he can. The media has an incredibly aggressive presence in this movie, everything is in a much more exploitative tone which was a commentary on the sort of trash reporting that had begun to be more prominent on television at the time. Harrigan being a detective, is not an idiot.
BEGIN INVESTIGATING; Bill Paxton always seems to have fun with his characters. Harrigan told Danny to wait for him, but he's a detective too, he's going to do what he can when he can. That "spear tip" is cool little piece, but how it got stuck in that vent cover is beyond me, ricochet? You see a lot more of the hunter, a lot sooner in this one. But like I said we don't need to discover the Predator because we already know about it. With Danny gone Harrigan starts to fall apart. Bureaucracy is something that was present in the first movie, but only barely. Here its right out there because you're in a major city, and you can't get away from it. You know exactly what Keyes is looking for, very obvious. Leona and Jerry bring Harrigan back to Earth and focus him back on what needs to be done. Keyes operation seems pretty well thought out, but we'll see. This forensic examiner is a natural part of the detective element of the story, but is she using an electron microscope? The hunter on the eagle is a beautiful image.
KING WILLIE; I really like the old world aspect of Willie, like a spirit warrior out of time. You almost forget that he's the head of the Jamaican gangs, but you understand why. Bringing a spiritual element to how the prey views the hunters is a nice play on the expansion of the Predators themselves. There's more going on than we've seen. The hunter walking in the water is a terrific visual. Willie drawing his sword, and the two warriors facing off is another. This bit where the hunter cleans his trophy and places it in his case is amazing. Amping up the hunting aspect to its natural next level, also our first hints of other trophies he's taken.
INVESTIGATION CONTINUES; More bits of information, small but helpful. Now the team is focusing in on the slaughter houses. Harrigan looking at the trophies in the store front, he knows, he doesn't articulate it but he knows what's going on. The hunter and the kid scene, carrying the concept of a code forward. In this movie the Predators mythology is expanding in every direction. The lonely music from the first movie fades in here, humanity comes back into the picture. Harrigan jumping around with his gun always felt off to me, but I think that was the point. Harrigan is shaken up.
THE SUBWAY; EVERYONE on the train is packing, you know whats coming. The hunter's attack on the subway seems random, but when you consider what he's done before, he's working his way up to Harrigan. So it's only natural that he goes after those closest to him. "Want some candy?" another often repeated line. Bill Paxton has been killed by a Terminator, by Aliens, and by a Predator, think about that for a minute. Leona goes back to help Jerry, but everyone is already dead and hung up. Heat vision, Leona is pregnant, leading to another demonstration of a code. I know there are people who have a problem with the Predators having an honor code of any kind, they think it makes them weaker and overall less threatening. But I love it, it brings character to the characters culture and sets them ever further apart from every other killer from outer space.
CHASE; Harrigan interrupts the hunter as he removes Jerry's spine and skull. Harrigan also punches out Tony Pope, which depending on your feelings either makes you cheer or doesn't affect you in the least. Harrigan keeps stumbling on things as he drives right into the area Keyes has under observation. The hunter being hit by lightning on top of the building is just a primal image, power. Keyes calls back to the first movie. If you look closely you can see Anna on one of the screens. They actually did film a full interrogation with Elpidia Carrillo but didn't use it. Keyes as Basil Exposition as he explains every little detail known about the Predators that we have up until this point.
SLAUGHTER HOUSE; Now here PREDATOR 2 goes ALIENS on us. Admittedly it may or may not be intentional, but the comparison can still be drawn. If you think about it Keyes' plan was pretty intelligent. They think they have the hunter figured out, but he knows somethings wrong. Adaptation is the hunters greatest advantage, he faces a problem he works around it. Changing the vision on his mask, another new detail, but not a surprising one. It's hard not to cheer for the Predator in this movie, he's just so cool. Is Harrigan going into the slaughter house because he wants to help Keyes or because he wants the hunter, a little bit of both I think. I love this scene because it does show more of the warrior aspect of the Predators. Its a different mode of combat from the hunting, its more direct and destructive. He levels Keyes' team in seconds. The look the Predator gives Keyes when Keyes is all alone is really hardcore, almost between a 'how dare you' and 'what a joke'. The water disabling the Predators cloaking technology has always bugged me just a little, you would think they'd find a way to deal with that. Harrigan takes out the hunters shoulder cannon, but the hunter responds with a wrist launcher, a great little weapon. Harrigan with a shotgun equals destruction. Does anyone at the LAPD know about Harrigan's personal armory? I'm just wondering. I really love the design of the Predator in this movie, Stan Winston outdid himself. And I really appreciate his logic in the redesign; this is a different individual so of course it would look different. The 'mother f*cker' quote coming back is alright, not a fan of that moment. Keyes comes back but is promptly cut in half by another new weapon, the smart disk, awesome. Weird note; you never see Keyes' torso fall to the ground, but his legs do. Harrigan hates heights, and birds, although the birds thing may come from not want to die. Since he lost his mask, the hunter has a backup air supply, very smart, but leaving your spear so anyone can use it, not so much. We revisit the self-destruct as the hunter and Harrigan hang off a ledge over an alley. But cutting the hunters arm off Harrigan just saved millions of people, think about it.
CHASE ME; The hunter in the bathroom scene is another interesting moment of development. Yes there is advanced technology at work, but the imagery is distinctly primal. The Predator hover over the flame, adding ingredients, rubbing the gel on himself. It all gives the feeling of an ancient world come to life. Of course its undercut with the little old lady and Jeopardy theme. Harrigan manages to crawl his way into the bathroom with nothing but the hunters smart disk. falling down the elevator shaft is sort of beautiful in its symbolism, Harrigan is entering the underworld. And lands, on a Predator ship. Starting he begins my favorite part of the movie, possibly my favorite part of any Predator movie.
THE SHIP; This design is GORGEOUS. The lighting, the detailing, the mist, the monoliths, the ceiling, there is a culture here. And it is amazing. The trophy case is wonderfully detailed. Notice the various skulls of alien species'. The Alien skull being in there was a nod to the dark horse comic 'Alien Versus Predator' which was out at that time. But the thing I'm not clear on is why the Alien has a bone skull when its clearly biomechanical. Anyway. The final showdown between Harrigan and the hunter feels short because it was spread out over two locations. Here it ends quickly but not before a brief exchange of blades, Harrigan using the smart disk, and the hunters confidence, to his advantage. Than SURPRISE, the best moment in any Predator movie; the reveal of the clan. That elder Predator is most badass version of this species every put to film. Simply incredible. Stan Winston's crew actually called it the Grey Back, similar to a silver back Gorilla.
Fun fact, the elder and the hunter from this film were both played by Kevin Peter Hall who played the original Predator in the first film. He made sure to make the two Predators he played this time as distinct in their movements as possible. Things like the elder holding his necklace, add to their characterization. Another fun fact, the elders face was made using the Predator from the first film. They took that Predators face and aged it, fading the colors and adding piercings and spikes. Stan Winston then told the rest of his team to really go for it with the rest of the clan. Each person was allowed to design the clan members from scratch, which is why each is so unique from the rest. The problem came in casting, Kevin Peter Hall was 7'2" and there simply aren't many tall performers working, so Danny Glover went to the Lakers basketball team. That's right, the clan you see is portrayed by the Lakers.
As the clan carries away their fallen comrade, the elder acknowledges each member who than cloaks as they leave the room. He turns to leave as well, but stops, looking back to Harrigan, he thinks for a moment. Pulls a flintlock pistol from his belt and throws it to Harrigan, "take it". Harrigan examines the pistol, it reads; "Raphael Adolini 1715". A version of the story of how the elder gained that pistol is seen in the comic 'PREDATOR 1718'. The elder walks away, sheaths his sword, and cloaks. The code of honor, again, is something that does divide a lot of people. I actually think there's room for both views to coexist. But the overriding rule of continuity in these sorts of series is it doesn't count unless its in the movies. After the ship takes off Harrigan emerges from the tunnel like Dante out of hell. Covered in ash, and much like Dutch in PREDATOR, changed. Danny Glover sells it with his eyes. "Don't worry assh*le, you'll get another chance.", Harrigan knows it'll never be over. The hunters will always come.
CREDITS; PREDATOR 2 is the one that I remember most prominently from when I was a kid. PREDATOR was a ride that introduced me to the character, but PREDATOR 2 took that character and developed it in ways that I didn't see coming and that I love very dearly. I remember as a kid seeing the clan emerge in the ship and my mind was blown. That image had never left me, the elder has never left me. This movie could've so easily been just a horrible sequel to a great movie. Copying everything that came before, but it wasn't. it did something different and added to the mythos. And that's what a sequel should do. I know a lot of people hate PREDATOR 2, but a lot of that hate seems to come from the uniquely fanboy place of "its not like the first one". Its a complaint that comes up with every sequel of every movie, or of every adaptation of every comic book character. Its not exactly like whats come before so its not good. I actually think that may be an issue of most people have when it comes to something that's different. You're taking them out of their comfort zone so they hate it. I love PREDATOR 2, and I know there are other people who love it too. To the cast and crew, I say thank you for all of your hard work. Director Stephen Hopkins came in and was faced with the challenge of making a sequel to PREDATOR, and I think he did a terrific job.
But I should also single out Kevin Peter Hall, who gave life to the Predators in PREDATOR & PREDATOR 2. He was an actor who happened to wear creature suits and it showed. His performances were incredible and were a huge part of why the characters have lasted. If you go over to IMDB please look him up, chances are you've seen his work in other films and TV shows but didn't know it. Here are two links for you;
WIKI; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Peter_Hall
IMDB; http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001310/
Tragically Hall announced he had contracted HIV from a contaminated blood transfusion, and on April 10, 1991 he died from pneumonia at the age of 35 years old. His loss is still felt today.
Thank you for reading, this has been interesting for me, even though it was likely painful for you. Tomorrow will be the third and final part of this experiment as I watch PREDATORS.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
COMMENTARY: PREDATOR
And here we go, my first scene-by-scene written fan commentary.
PREDATOR.
OPENING; Space cold open pretty similar to Carpenters THE THING. That ship design was always nice, but its there and gone.
ARRIVAL; How do you know a piece of music is iconic, when you hear it you think of your favorite parts of the movie and hum to yourself. Alan Silvestri's music on PREDATOR is fantastic. First time seeing the team in the movie, Dutch smoking the cigar. The movie really starts out giving the feeling of most action movies you've seen.
BRIEFING; Continuing the action movie feel. Dillon and Dutch arm wrestling and calling back to the 'good ol' days'. Your first hints that this mission is not going to be like the usual job, as the briefing continues.
FLYING IN; Some Little Richard is always welcome. This is a great scene, setting up each of the team one by one. Of course its owned by Jesse Ventura, taking the Alpha Male type to new levels. And its all fun until the drop off, where you see the personalities switch to fight mode.
INTO THE JUNGLE; The drum music fading in and out, a staple of the PREDATOR movies. Adding just a little bit of the mysterious. They find the downed chopper and the drums come back. Right out of the gate the mission is going to hell, and you can see the team knows it. The CIA subplot is a nice bit, slowly working against them. Dutch bringing back the action movie feel, pushing everyone forward. Billy finding the skinned bodies, the beginning of the subversive element in this movie. Right up until now it's been just another action movie, but here it starts the turn into something else. One of the strengths of PREDATOR is that it takes the action movie and both lives up to and completely destroys what is expected of them. This was the moment when I think many people would've started to wonder what they were seeing. This is also our first time seeing the Predators vision. Now we're taking the hard turn into unknown territory, I really would've loved to see this movie with an audience back when it first came out. As the team pushes on we get to know the team even more and more. Its not all smiles with these guys. And we get hints of the darker realms that they'll be heading into.
THE CAMP; The first action set piece of the movie pulls back into action movie territory in a huge way. The team spreads out to take down the camp. Classic action movies here, complete with massive explosions and one liners that have been quoted ever since. Blain's mini-gun has been on every holiday wish list ever since PREDATOR was released. I know Dutch and Blain take this scene, but the other guys get some great bits of action too. The whole team is great here. Also our first introduction to Anna, I fully admit to a crush on Elpidia Carrillo. CIA subplot blows up in this scene. In a average action movie this bit might've been closer to the end of the movie, but its right up front here. Dutch showing that not only is he not an idiot, but also an honorable figure. "Anytime" is not only an often quoted piece of dialogue but over the years has also become the nickname of the hunter seen in this movie. Billy's laugh is fantastic. Predator vision, scorpion in the clawed hand with the playback of the voices, just a really terrific setup for the hunter.
MOVING OUT; I love that the team is looking up into the trees as they move out, its a little thing, but its cool considering how the hunter gets around. The jungle they're in is in Mexico while the film is set in Central America. Billy really is this other element in the movie, yes he's a big action character but he functions as this midpoint between the audience and the team. We know there's something after these guys, and so does Billy. But while we know what it is, he doesn't. As Anna tries to escape we get our first major death in the movie. Also our first view of the hunters camouflage. Really solid effect done with camera tricks. Hawkins death, really his complete disappearance, followed almost immediately by the death of Blain, is the start of the teams downward spiral. And the leveling of the jungle by gunfire is essentially the beginning of the end of the action movie. You saw how well they did their job in the camp, but now they're powerless. They hit nothing.
THE NIGHT; The team sets up for the night, the lonely music fading in is the first piece of humanity we really get in the movie. Its really moving. And now we get our first look at the hunter as he decloaks and begins dealing with his injuries. I like this bit, it gives some humanity to the hunter as well, he's mortal and he feels pain. Slowly but surely the team is twisting, and its given form by Mac, Bill Duke is absolutely amazing in this role. And Billy just destroys the hope left in the team. Using the pig as a distraction was pretty brilliant on the hunters part, but I dare anyone to actually name the species of pig Mac takes out. I dare you. The hunter takes Blain's body during the chaos. The next morning, Dutch starts putting the pieces of the larger mystery together. He is not an idiot, this might be Schwarzenegger's smartest role.
A STAND; The team sets a trap for the hunter using classic techniques. One of the things about PREDATOR is it almost takes us on a trip back down the developmental line of humanity. Slowly over the course of the movie, weapons and tactics begin to devolve from the modern for the time, automatic weapons and bombs, to nets and trip lines, to bows and arrows, than hand to hand. One of the great bits when the net is tripped as Dutch goes to head back to the team. You see nothing, and than bam. Now the whole thing goes to hell. Ponchos hurt, Mac takes off, the group splits. Dillon going after Mac and everyone else headed for the chopper. Carl Weathers is solid as Dillon, he doesn't get enough credit.
TWO ROADS; Dillon and Mac try to ambush the hunter, you know how its going to go. With Mac's death you realize just how good the hunter is. He knew, he knew the whole time. Dutch realizing that the hunter is in it for the sport, he let the unarmed Anna live, is one of the jumps where you really don't know where it comes from, you never see Dutch thinking about it, but it makes sense once you hear it and you move on. Dillon's death is one of those over the top moments that does stick with you a bit. Each of these characters gets a memorable death. Billy's last stand for example, you don't even see what happens. But the character has been such a presence through the whole movie, once he pulls out that knife and marks himself you know its over so you don't need to see anything. The most often quoted line of PREDATOR; "...get to the choppah!!!". When I say PREDATOR delivers on the expectations of an action movie, it really does, the one liners are a big part of that. Who would take the time to say something like "oh shit!" as you're sliding down a hill toward a cliff? Or "stick around" after you've impaled someone with a huge knife?
BATTLEFIELD; After going over a waterfall Dutch comes to one of the the most amazing locations i've seen. The massive tree is stunning. The hunter follows him and emerges from the water now decloaked after his camouflage shorts out. This is our first really clear look at the hunter. An amazing design, and suit, by Stan Winston. The mud covering his body heat bit is one of those leaps you have to make with the movie. If you can't than much of the finale won't work for you. Now we have our two characters essentially suiting up for the showdown. Dutch is setting up for his last stand, the ropes and weights didn't work before, but he'll try it again. The hunter is taking his trophies from the dead team. Bow and arrow created by Dutch, this is what I meant by the devolving of weapons and tactics. Dutch, out of options, is falling back to the most primitive states of man. The moment where he puts on the mud and raises the torch, he looks like a caveman. So you have a caveman fighting a futuristic hunter from another planet. And the geek boner begins.
THE LAST STAND; Dutch setting a massive fire to lure the hunter in. I love the bit with Dutch hiding on the tree, and the hunter moves past him. Its a point of transition between the two. As the hunter moves down to the fire seen easily by Dutch, Dutch moves around the tree tops unnoticed. Beautiful. The explosive arrow of course Dutch's version of the hunters shoulder cannon. And the hunter replies by shooting wildly into the trees, just as the team did after Blain's death. Now the hunter begins to fall back, first losing his camouflage. But he adapts, triangulating Dutch's position after he throws the rock. The beginning of the final battle really is a shorter version of what the hunter has been doing to the team, but from the other side. The two are now just trying to outsmart each other because its all either of them really has at this point. The hunter examining Dutch and letting him go to engage in a hand to hand battle is one of those turns that sets PREDATOR apart. Why would the hunter do that? Because that's who he is, its a terrific character moment. The reveal of the hunters face, is iconic in every sense of the word.
Stan Winston created something very special with him. And yes, James Cameron had a hand in it as well. The story goes that Winston has working on the design while on a flight, playing around with the dreadlock look, when Cameron, who was sitting next to him, said; "I've always wanted to see something with mandibles." The original hunter design was so completely different its actually quite funny. Before Winston came on it was a long necked, long armed, insect, with a cycloptic dog skull face and it was played by Jean-Claude Van Damme. The director John McTiernan filmed a few pieces of footage with it, went back to the studio, and said "You don't really want me to use this do you?" and the studio said "NO! WAIT! STOP!". Winston came on not long after and performer Kevin Peter Hall was cast as the new Predator. Hall, who stood at 7'2", had experience in dance and looked to African dances for inspiration for the Predators movement.
The hunter sees through Dutch's traps again but Dutch turns it on him. Dutch showing mercy to the hunter, now crushed under a log, is really interesting. He went this far, but he stops, of course the hunter responds by activating a self-destruct device. The chopper flying with Anna on board, that's Kevin Peter Hall as the pilot FYI the director wanted to get him into the movie because he did such a great job as the Predator. Dutch standing in the ashes and smoke is a stunning visual, as the human music fades back in. It brings us back down to what I think is quite an important thing; even if the world goes up, and hell breaks loose, strip everything away and we're still just people.
RESCUE; The General and Anna look at Dutch as Dutch looks out the chopper. Schwarzenegger is terrific in this movie. I know a lot of people look to Conan or Terminator 1 & 2 as his iconic roles. But PREDATOR is the one that I think really delivered on Schwarzenegger as an actor. The last shot of him has a weight to it. You can see that the man who was throwing around one liners as he casually took out guerrilla fighters is changed in a profound way.
CREDITS; PREDATOR is a movie that's been with me since I was a kid. I've always loved it, more specifically I've always loved the Predator himself. I'm a monster guy. The best creatures have characters, and the Predator has that in a big way, so the Predator sticks with you. The entire cast and crew really worked their asses off to make something worth peoples time, and I think they succeeded in a huge way. To this very day PREDATOR is looked at as one of the great moments in action films. And has gone on to become one of the best loved movies of the past 30 years. Thank you to everyone involved.
And thank you for indulging me, I know it was rough, but it was interesting for me. Next I'll be doing the same for PREDATOR 2.
 |
| PREDATOR was released on June 12th, 1987. And while unpopular with critics at the time was a big success with audiences. |
PREDATOR.
OPENING; Space cold open pretty similar to Carpenters THE THING. That ship design was always nice, but its there and gone.
ARRIVAL; How do you know a piece of music is iconic, when you hear it you think of your favorite parts of the movie and hum to yourself. Alan Silvestri's music on PREDATOR is fantastic. First time seeing the team in the movie, Dutch smoking the cigar. The movie really starts out giving the feeling of most action movies you've seen.
BRIEFING; Continuing the action movie feel. Dillon and Dutch arm wrestling and calling back to the 'good ol' days'. Your first hints that this mission is not going to be like the usual job, as the briefing continues.
FLYING IN; Some Little Richard is always welcome. This is a great scene, setting up each of the team one by one. Of course its owned by Jesse Ventura, taking the Alpha Male type to new levels. And its all fun until the drop off, where you see the personalities switch to fight mode.
INTO THE JUNGLE; The drum music fading in and out, a staple of the PREDATOR movies. Adding just a little bit of the mysterious. They find the downed chopper and the drums come back. Right out of the gate the mission is going to hell, and you can see the team knows it. The CIA subplot is a nice bit, slowly working against them. Dutch bringing back the action movie feel, pushing everyone forward. Billy finding the skinned bodies, the beginning of the subversive element in this movie. Right up until now it's been just another action movie, but here it starts the turn into something else. One of the strengths of PREDATOR is that it takes the action movie and both lives up to and completely destroys what is expected of them. This was the moment when I think many people would've started to wonder what they were seeing. This is also our first time seeing the Predators vision. Now we're taking the hard turn into unknown territory, I really would've loved to see this movie with an audience back when it first came out. As the team pushes on we get to know the team even more and more. Its not all smiles with these guys. And we get hints of the darker realms that they'll be heading into.
THE CAMP; The first action set piece of the movie pulls back into action movie territory in a huge way. The team spreads out to take down the camp. Classic action movies here, complete with massive explosions and one liners that have been quoted ever since. Blain's mini-gun has been on every holiday wish list ever since PREDATOR was released. I know Dutch and Blain take this scene, but the other guys get some great bits of action too. The whole team is great here. Also our first introduction to Anna, I fully admit to a crush on Elpidia Carrillo. CIA subplot blows up in this scene. In a average action movie this bit might've been closer to the end of the movie, but its right up front here. Dutch showing that not only is he not an idiot, but also an honorable figure. "Anytime" is not only an often quoted piece of dialogue but over the years has also become the nickname of the hunter seen in this movie. Billy's laugh is fantastic. Predator vision, scorpion in the clawed hand with the playback of the voices, just a really terrific setup for the hunter.
MOVING OUT; I love that the team is looking up into the trees as they move out, its a little thing, but its cool considering how the hunter gets around. The jungle they're in is in Mexico while the film is set in Central America. Billy really is this other element in the movie, yes he's a big action character but he functions as this midpoint between the audience and the team. We know there's something after these guys, and so does Billy. But while we know what it is, he doesn't. As Anna tries to escape we get our first major death in the movie. Also our first view of the hunters camouflage. Really solid effect done with camera tricks. Hawkins death, really his complete disappearance, followed almost immediately by the death of Blain, is the start of the teams downward spiral. And the leveling of the jungle by gunfire is essentially the beginning of the end of the action movie. You saw how well they did their job in the camp, but now they're powerless. They hit nothing.
THE NIGHT; The team sets up for the night, the lonely music fading in is the first piece of humanity we really get in the movie. Its really moving. And now we get our first look at the hunter as he decloaks and begins dealing with his injuries. I like this bit, it gives some humanity to the hunter as well, he's mortal and he feels pain. Slowly but surely the team is twisting, and its given form by Mac, Bill Duke is absolutely amazing in this role. And Billy just destroys the hope left in the team. Using the pig as a distraction was pretty brilliant on the hunters part, but I dare anyone to actually name the species of pig Mac takes out. I dare you. The hunter takes Blain's body during the chaos. The next morning, Dutch starts putting the pieces of the larger mystery together. He is not an idiot, this might be Schwarzenegger's smartest role.
A STAND; The team sets a trap for the hunter using classic techniques. One of the things about PREDATOR is it almost takes us on a trip back down the developmental line of humanity. Slowly over the course of the movie, weapons and tactics begin to devolve from the modern for the time, automatic weapons and bombs, to nets and trip lines, to bows and arrows, than hand to hand. One of the great bits when the net is tripped as Dutch goes to head back to the team. You see nothing, and than bam. Now the whole thing goes to hell. Ponchos hurt, Mac takes off, the group splits. Dillon going after Mac and everyone else headed for the chopper. Carl Weathers is solid as Dillon, he doesn't get enough credit.
TWO ROADS; Dillon and Mac try to ambush the hunter, you know how its going to go. With Mac's death you realize just how good the hunter is. He knew, he knew the whole time. Dutch realizing that the hunter is in it for the sport, he let the unarmed Anna live, is one of the jumps where you really don't know where it comes from, you never see Dutch thinking about it, but it makes sense once you hear it and you move on. Dillon's death is one of those over the top moments that does stick with you a bit. Each of these characters gets a memorable death. Billy's last stand for example, you don't even see what happens. But the character has been such a presence through the whole movie, once he pulls out that knife and marks himself you know its over so you don't need to see anything. The most often quoted line of PREDATOR; "...get to the choppah!!!". When I say PREDATOR delivers on the expectations of an action movie, it really does, the one liners are a big part of that. Who would take the time to say something like "oh shit!" as you're sliding down a hill toward a cliff? Or "stick around" after you've impaled someone with a huge knife?
BATTLEFIELD; After going over a waterfall Dutch comes to one of the the most amazing locations i've seen. The massive tree is stunning. The hunter follows him and emerges from the water now decloaked after his camouflage shorts out. This is our first really clear look at the hunter. An amazing design, and suit, by Stan Winston. The mud covering his body heat bit is one of those leaps you have to make with the movie. If you can't than much of the finale won't work for you. Now we have our two characters essentially suiting up for the showdown. Dutch is setting up for his last stand, the ropes and weights didn't work before, but he'll try it again. The hunter is taking his trophies from the dead team. Bow and arrow created by Dutch, this is what I meant by the devolving of weapons and tactics. Dutch, out of options, is falling back to the most primitive states of man. The moment where he puts on the mud and raises the torch, he looks like a caveman. So you have a caveman fighting a futuristic hunter from another planet. And the geek boner begins.
THE LAST STAND; Dutch setting a massive fire to lure the hunter in. I love the bit with Dutch hiding on the tree, and the hunter moves past him. Its a point of transition between the two. As the hunter moves down to the fire seen easily by Dutch, Dutch moves around the tree tops unnoticed. Beautiful. The explosive arrow of course Dutch's version of the hunters shoulder cannon. And the hunter replies by shooting wildly into the trees, just as the team did after Blain's death. Now the hunter begins to fall back, first losing his camouflage. But he adapts, triangulating Dutch's position after he throws the rock. The beginning of the final battle really is a shorter version of what the hunter has been doing to the team, but from the other side. The two are now just trying to outsmart each other because its all either of them really has at this point. The hunter examining Dutch and letting him go to engage in a hand to hand battle is one of those turns that sets PREDATOR apart. Why would the hunter do that? Because that's who he is, its a terrific character moment. The reveal of the hunters face, is iconic in every sense of the word.
Stan Winston created something very special with him. And yes, James Cameron had a hand in it as well. The story goes that Winston has working on the design while on a flight, playing around with the dreadlock look, when Cameron, who was sitting next to him, said; "I've always wanted to see something with mandibles." The original hunter design was so completely different its actually quite funny. Before Winston came on it was a long necked, long armed, insect, with a cycloptic dog skull face and it was played by Jean-Claude Van Damme. The director John McTiernan filmed a few pieces of footage with it, went back to the studio, and said "You don't really want me to use this do you?" and the studio said "NO! WAIT! STOP!". Winston came on not long after and performer Kevin Peter Hall was cast as the new Predator. Hall, who stood at 7'2", had experience in dance and looked to African dances for inspiration for the Predators movement.
The hunter sees through Dutch's traps again but Dutch turns it on him. Dutch showing mercy to the hunter, now crushed under a log, is really interesting. He went this far, but he stops, of course the hunter responds by activating a self-destruct device. The chopper flying with Anna on board, that's Kevin Peter Hall as the pilot FYI the director wanted to get him into the movie because he did such a great job as the Predator. Dutch standing in the ashes and smoke is a stunning visual, as the human music fades back in. It brings us back down to what I think is quite an important thing; even if the world goes up, and hell breaks loose, strip everything away and we're still just people.
RESCUE; The General and Anna look at Dutch as Dutch looks out the chopper. Schwarzenegger is terrific in this movie. I know a lot of people look to Conan or Terminator 1 & 2 as his iconic roles. But PREDATOR is the one that I think really delivered on Schwarzenegger as an actor. The last shot of him has a weight to it. You can see that the man who was throwing around one liners as he casually took out guerrilla fighters is changed in a profound way.
CREDITS; PREDATOR is a movie that's been with me since I was a kid. I've always loved it, more specifically I've always loved the Predator himself. I'm a monster guy. The best creatures have characters, and the Predator has that in a big way, so the Predator sticks with you. The entire cast and crew really worked their asses off to make something worth peoples time, and I think they succeeded in a huge way. To this very day PREDATOR is looked at as one of the great moments in action films. And has gone on to become one of the best loved movies of the past 30 years. Thank you to everyone involved.
And thank you for indulging me, I know it was rough, but it was interesting for me. Next I'll be doing the same for PREDATOR 2.
COMMENTARY: A Prologue
I've decided to try a little experiment, I'm going to try a fan commentary. However seeing as how I don't have the necessary equipment for recording my voice, and that I also can't stand the sound of my own voice, and I'm the only one here, the commentary will be written. A scene by scene commentary, highlighting my thoughts and feelings about a film as I go. I should say that I have not studied film, and my experience is confined to simple viewership and fandom.
And I've decided to try this little experiment with three very specific films; PREDATOR, PREDATOR 2, and PREDATORS. Each offers its own positives and negatives and, aside from my love of them, offer a chance talk about some interesting things. Or at least what I consider interesting. So lets see how this goes.
And I've decided to try this little experiment with three very specific films; PREDATOR, PREDATOR 2, and PREDATORS. Each offers its own positives and negatives and, aside from my love of them, offer a chance talk about some interesting things. Or at least what I consider interesting. So lets see how this goes.
 |
| A trilogy of fan ramblings just for you... |
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Thoughts...
'Sometimes you come into the middle of a conversation and you're completely lost. for instance, "...so than i put on the 1960's Cesar Romero Joker makeup and danced around naked to Rick Astley's 'Never Gonna Give You Up' while 'Sharktopus' played on the TV." Of course this effect is magnified when you walk into the room and the person is talking to themself.'
'Show me someone who says they don't like Godzilla and I'll show you a liar.'
'How is there not a band called the 'Geordi's'? Just imagine it, everyone dressed in black and yellow, wearing visors over there eyes. That would be awesome. Now what sort of music would they play?'
'I think jousting could make a serious comeback in popularity if you replace the horses with some sort of flying/hovering personal transports like in 'Green Lantern:The Animated Series', and eliminated most of the rules. Could you imagine? And what if that lead to the rebirth of some other ancient sports? Might be interesting.'
'I want George Takei to record an R&B album. Is that strange?'
'I want cake.'
'Show me someone who says they don't like Godzilla and I'll show you a liar.'
'How is there not a band called the 'Geordi's'? Just imagine it, everyone dressed in black and yellow, wearing visors over there eyes. That would be awesome. Now what sort of music would they play?'
'I think jousting could make a serious comeback in popularity if you replace the horses with some sort of flying/hovering personal transports like in 'Green Lantern:The Animated Series', and eliminated most of the rules. Could you imagine? And what if that lead to the rebirth of some other ancient sports? Might be interesting.'
'I want George Takei to record an R&B album. Is that strange?'
'I want cake.'
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)