Alien (1979)

When Alien was first released in 1979 during the summer season, science fiction movies were all the rage. The trend had been started two years earlier with the unexpected box office success of Star Wars, and by 1979, anything even remotely connected with space and/or aliens was a guaranteed success. Two highly anticipated efforts – the big screen debut of Star Trek and the Star Wars sequel (Empire Strikes Back) – both of which were within a year of their opening dates, further invigorated the atmosphere. It was into this climate that Alien was unleashed upon the general public.

When commercial towing vehicle Nostromo, heading back to Earth, intercepts a SOS signal from a nearby planet, the crew are under obligation to investigate. After a bad landing on the planet, some crew members leave the ship to explore the area. At the same time as they discover a hive colony of some unknown creature, the ship’s computer deciphers the message to be a warning and not a call for help. When one of the eggs is disturbed, the crew do not know the danger they are in until it’s too late.

The people who developed Alien knew they would be in the shadow of Star Wars and Close Encounters. But these were feel-good family films, Alien marked a return to the malevolent flying-saucer flicks of the 50’s –with a dash of horror thrown in. Writer Dan O’Bannon and Co-story man Ron Shusett intended Alien to be a low budget affair, like O’Bannon’s previous film; Dark Star. Over three months, a modest script emerged from a half-finished O’Bannon story about a distress signal in space called memory. It was re-titled Star Beast and finally Alien.

The film’s memorable tagline “in space, no one can hear you scream”, promised a far different experience to the other Sci-Fi films seen before. Most people these days would consider Alien to be more horror the science fiction. Alien is about shocks, chills and thrills, not space battles. Where Star Wars had Light sabers and blasters, Alien has intense atmosphere. In many ways Alien was the first of its kind. True – it wasn’t the first space movie to feature a homicidal monster, nor was it the first a group of characters were hunted down one-by-one in dark, dank spaces. However, this film was one of the first to effectively combine these two genres. Alien became the blueprint for dozens of rip-offs and three Alien sequels (With the prequel Prometheus coming out this spring!!), with one exception (James Cameron’s superior Aliens which changed the creepy horror for all out action), none has come close to what filmmakers attained way back in 1979.

As I said previously, Alien set the blueprint for Sci-fi horror: the claustrophobia, the crew class system, and getting a cat involved in the proceedings, and of course, the famous Alien out of chest scene. There are thrills of the highest order – but the beauty of Alien remains. One of the best Sci-Fi films ever made.

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Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)

Thomas Alfredson's Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a successfully constructed film which boasts a fantastic combination of intrigue and tension. The film should satisfy audiences beyond just the typical thriller with a nice twist at the end.

Set in 1970's London: After a covert operation goes wrong, British intelligence spy-master Control (John Hurt) and his right-hand man George Smiley (Gary Oldman) are sacked. After information is leaked concerning a possible mole in the service, Smiley is asked to return and spy on the spies.

Based on possibly the best espionage novel ever, Tinker Tailor (for short) is a gripping film. The narrative is carefully woven by screenwriters Bridget O'Connor (who the film is dedicated to) and Peter Straughan. There is a steady trickle of exposition, some of which occurs in flashback sequences. This works to keep the viewers guessing whilst retaining the big question, who is the mole? The premise of the film is fairly simple, but it is made  more intriguing by the different strands that operate and increasing the sense of mystery.

Going back to the Cold War spy game to unmask the traitor in the circus that is MI6, Smiley learns that Control already found out there was a mole and gave code names for the main suspects. Tinker is Percy (Toby Jones). Tailor is Bill Haydon (Colin Firth). Soldier is Roy Bland (Ciaran Hinds). Poor man is Toby Estherhase (David Denck). Finally with have Beggarman which is George Smiley. Smiley is considered one of the suspects because Control knows he has two weaknesses. His wife and with the soviet counterpart Carla. We never get to see Smiley's wife or Carla in full view and I think it's a great decision. They both seem to turn up in Smiley's mind or when he talks about them with other people. One scene in particular, Smiley talks about his one encounter with Carla. It never goes into a flashback, instead Smiley recites the encounter word or word.

Other key players in the spy game include Mark Strong as the dutiful Jim Peradiux who is betrayed and used as bait. Tom Hardy plays the muscle as Ricky Tarr, a foot soldier who is sent out on field work and it's his return after going AWOL that sets off the whole mystery of the mole. We also have the return of Kathy Burke who's been away from TV for far too long. Never the less, it's great to see her back as the boozy Connie, a researcher who is forced out of the service to keep her mouth shut. Finally we have Benedict Cumberpatch who is brilliant as Peter Gulliam, Smiley's trusted leg-man. Cumberbatch looks like in had the most fun in the film and features in one the film's best scenes. But make no mistake, this is Gary Oldman's film. He inhabits Smiley perfectly and it's hard to believe this actor played Sirius Black and Stansfield in Leon (1994). Rarely has a film used a persons body language to dramatic effect, whether it be to adjust his spectacles or the movement of his shoulders you can always sense what's going through Smiley's mind. An Oscar nomination is surely on the cards.

Alredson has done a great job in making a very British film but also to capture the workings of Smiley's mind perfectly. After making Let the Right One In, Thomas has made two of the best films in recent years. After talking with Oldman he told me he would love to play the role of Smiley again and have another opportunity to work with the writers and director. Here's hoping Tinker Tailor is a success as I'm already excited about the sequel.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is one of the best films this year. It's utterly absorbing, with a great cast and will surely be a major contender for the top awards.

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