1980s Bracket Round 1 Match 14-14.)Aliens vs. 19.)The Shining

[klunderbunker]

The Wrestlezone Movie Tournament, 1980's Bracket;
Round 1, Match 14

Aliens

Vs.

The Shining

 

[klunderbunker]

The Shining wins this, and with ease. It is genuinely creepy. Nicholson, again, steals the show. His slow descent into madness is absolutely perfect. The hotel is the perfect setting for a horror movie as there are hundreds of places to hide, and they look so much alike. Add in the isolation of snow covered mountains, and there's no one to help.

Aliens is very similar, but in space. However, space movies have been done to death, and while it was well done, I'll go with Shining for its uniqueness.

 

[Pickle]

FUCK SHIT DAMN ASS HELL!!!!

These are two of my top ten, and they face each other in the first round? Really?

Aliens was fantastic. Amazing characters, scary as fuck at times, action scenes in all the right places. It was just as innovative as the original, as it mixed the sci-fi, horror, and war genres and came out with something that is arguably better than the original. And Alien Queen vs Power Lifter Ripley is epic.

The Shining is also fantastic. The scariest film I've ever seen, the best directed horror film I've ever seen, just fantastic. The only fault with the film, as Stephen King has pointed out, is that it's not as it could have been because Nicholson always seemed crazy, and his decent into madness wasn't as powerful.

I think I'll go with Aliens, just because it's a movie I always want to watch. Like right now.

 

[Papa Shango]

I also picked up ALiens, in addition to Alien, and I must say, it;s arguably better than the first. HOWEVER, it's up against the Shining.

Kubrick once again proves why he is one of the greatest of all time. He wasn't all too faithful to the book, however, I honestly feel it was an improvement on the book. The book at times feels like a family drama wrapped up into a thriller. The movie is an all out horror classic. Nicholson gives one of his best, career-defining performances as the mad-gone-madder Jack Torrance. He's over the top yet never campy, and it all just works. And Kubrick uses the camera and music to perfectly set the tone of the film. It's just a twisted, thrilling fun watch, and a must for the Halloween season.

 

[Mr. TM]

Ill go with Aliens here. Tough match up I must say. The Shining is a great movie, and one of those movies I just feel good while watching it. Something only great movies can make you do. But it is the draw of Aliens that makes me pick them. I just watched Alien today, because like the sequel, they just draw me in. Aliens is arguably better than the original even. If it doesn't make it to the next round, I wont be saddened, because The Shining is also deserving.

 

[Shocky]

Call me nitpicky, but when I watch a film after I've read the book, truthfulness to the source material becomes a priority, and to me, that one difference is the difference between who I vote for.

Kubrick is great, and to deny him his place in American Cinema history is ridiculous on my part, so I won't. Like wise with Jack. Jack's decent into madness is legendary, this may, maybe the role he's most remebered for, and that says a lot. The visuals in this movie are amazing.

All that being said, my pet peeve keeps me from voting for it. If it was a stand alone movie without me reading the book, it would win. However, Aliens takes this round. I love, love, love this movie. This is easily a top five movie for me for guilty pleasures. James Cameron gets ballsy in this movie.

This is one of the first examples of having an original movie being something, then the sequel be something completely different, but arguably better. It's so hard to compare Alien and Aliens, because they are two different movies. One is a psychological horror movie, the other is a Sci-Fi Action masterpiece.

Michael Biehn is awesome as Col. Hicks. In fact, most of the Marines are played to a T in this movie. The Alien Queen was a terrific addition to the franchise, and a truly terrifying design at that. At 2 1/2 hours, this movie moves like a breeze.

 

[Davi323]

Wow. Two completely different horror films...(don't let anyone fool you, the Alien movies are NOT Sci-Fi, they are horror, just set in space). For me, I am a huge fan of Stephen King in general, and the Shining would have been up there against other horror movies, but, Aliens is, well, freaking Aliens! I remember in college playing a modded version of Doom that had Aliens sound effects and voices ("game over, man, game over!") And to this day, Aliens still gives me the heebee jeebees. HR Giger's artwork is seriously messed up.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

As much as I love Aliens. Kick ass action film, doing something totally different from the original. The Shining is one of my favourite films. It takes an ok book, and makes it into a superior film. Aliens takes an awesome film, and makes a totally different sequel.

 

[Uncle Sam]

Aliens is not a horror film. Sure, it's got points of tension and certain characteristics of a horror film but primarily it's an action film. In space. With pulse rifles.

The best action movie ever in my opinion. I may just not be deep enough but I prefer it to The Shining. That, and the little kids annoys the fuck out of me. I'd have done what Jack Nicholson did too.

Oh, and Aliens has the best squad of marines ever.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

Both films have annoying children Sam. But The Shining needs it's annoying child. Aliens could have survived without. And while the kid is annoying in The Shining it's because of the way the role was wrote. In Aliens the girls is just a shitty actress.

 

[Uncle Sam]

Without Newt - who I now believe is appearing in Hollyoaks - the film loses its finale, as well as a lot of its tension.

And the whole "Red Rum" bit makes me want to bash his fucking head in. Croaky-voiced little bastard. Also, is it just me or is the shining to The Shining element kind of pointless? He calls that guy with it and he just gets literally axed within about ten seconds. The Simpsons parodied it pretty effectively with Willy.

Still, utterly fantastic film. Aliens just happens to be an all-time favourite of mine. Shining? Top fifty maybe.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

Without Newt - who I now believe is appearing in Hollyoaks - the film loses its finale, as well as a lot of its tension.

Not really. Hicks is a big hard marine. But he still elicits plenty of sympathy. They could have had Ripley save him instead. It wouldn't make him look weak, it would make the Aliens look even more bad ass.

And the whole "Red Rum" bit makes me want to bash his fucking head in. Croaky-voiced little bastard. Also, is it just me or is the shining to The Shining element kind of pointless? He calls that guy with it and he just gets literally axed within about ten seconds. The Simpsons parodied it pretty effectively with Willy.

Without The Shinng element the kid wouldn't find out the hotel is haunted. As a result he'd end up like the Scatman. Axe in neck.

 

[Uncle Sam]

Not really. Hicks is a big hard marine. But he still elicits plenty of sympathy. They could have had Ripley save him instead. It wouldn't make him look weak, it would make the Aliens look even more bad ass.

Yeah, but Hicks would be kinda hard to carry, no? And it's always cool to have a "survivor". Somebody that knows what kind of shit is going down, but is pretty indifferent to it for some reason.

Without The Shinng element the kid wouldn't find out the hotel is haunted. As a result he'd end up like the Scatman. Axe in neck.

I thought you were trying to convince me the shining was a good thing. Ba-dum-tish.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

Yeah, but Hicks would be kinda hard to carry, no? And it's always cool to have a "survivor". Somebody that knows what kind of shit is going down, but is pretty indifferent to it for some reason.

She wouldn't have needed to carry him. She could have dragged him, just like she did when he cot spunked over with acid. He also didn't need to survivor.

After she saves Newt she becomes almost irrelevant. Sure she's trying to save her. But it wouldn't be as hard to change it to her just saving herself. The end of the film doesn't involve the child at all. She has more of an impact on the beginning of the third than the end of the second.