Alien³

** ½ out of ****

Following in the footsteps of Ridley Scott's "Alien" and James Cameron's "Aliens," David Fincher's "Alien³" shows promise with one of the most fascinating credit sequences I have ever seen and an astounding vision that belies Fincher's status as a "newbie" director. One particular scene―the cremation/alien birth scene―is beautifully constructed by crosscutting and visually engages the nihilistic tones that underlie the film. However, the film ends up falling apart near its run-of-the-mill conclusion, where the story returns to old formulas from the preceding films and even takes on point-of-view shots from the alien itself. (Huh!? First rule of horror films: The monster is scarier when you cannot see it, not when it is seeing you!) Even worse, the visual effects look so fake that even the effects from "Alien" thirteen years before look more perfect (No wonder this film's sole Oscar nomination for Visual Effects was trumped by "Death Becomes Her"). Unfortunately, I am also less impressed with Sigourney Weaver's performance as Ripley in "Alien³" than in the other films in the quadrilogy (blame it on the screenwriters?), though I am taken aback at how powerful and fascinating the character of Dillon (Charles S. Dutton) and his ethics are. 1992, 114 mins.

Alien

*** out of ****

The science-fiction/horror film that propelled director Ridley Scott to acclaim, "Alien" takes its cues from Kubrick and Lucas to the point of nearly copycatting at times. The film's deliberately slow pacing at the beginning and its atonal, Ligeti-like score mimic "2001" (though it lacks the innate grace), while its action and some of its shots, notably the low angle shots of the ship's immense hull, recall "Star Wars" (but more overdone). Even if the direction comes off a bit amateur, it is still potent, and this intense story of the commercial towing spaceship crew who (quite insipidly) reawakens an alien species is really a story all its own. Even if you want to hate how dumb the crew members are, you cannot deny the badass-ness of the toughest woman on film, Sigourney Weaver as Ripley, her first leading role (and a solid one, at that). Obviously, you know how this film has to end since several sequels exist, but the film does throw in a few surprises along the way to make things more complex (for example, the character of Ash, played by Ian Holm). Also, let us not forget just how terrifying the alien itself is―the visual effects won an Oscar. 1979, 119 mins.

To Catch a Thief

*** out of ****

A sexy Hitchcock cat burglar caper (in VistaVision!) set on the handsome French Riviera. Cary Grant stars as John Robie, a former burglar known as "the Cat" and the ubiquitously Hitchcockian man mistaken for the crimes. Grace Kelly, in her last performance for Hitchcock, is the pretty, rich American girl secretly seeking a thrill as Robie's "assistant," though he is simply trying to figure out the identity of the real burglar. "To Catch a Thief" features another solid screenplay and electric dialogue from Hitchcock's '50s screenwriter, John Michael Hayes. The film is no masterpiece like "Vertigo," but it is immensely enjoyable, nonetheless. The innuendo-laden fireworks scene is unforgettable. The film won one Oscar for Robert Burks' cinematography. 1955, 106 mins.

Evita

** out of ****

Save for Madonna’s jewel of a performance as Argentinean idol, Eva Duarte de Perón (for which she received voice lessons and ultimately won a Golden Globe for “Best Actress – Musical/Comedy”), Alan Parker‘s grand scale film version of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s and Tim Rice’s 1978 musical, “Evita,” is largely underwhelming. Do not get me wrong—I love musicals—but the film’s wall-to-wall songs subvert the power of the narrative. Take a cue from Fosse, please. Most of the songs are forgettable (that might be the songwriters’ faults), but a few are little gems: the delightfully amusing “Goodnight and Thank You,” the unforgettable “Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina,” and the heartbreaking ballad, “You Must Love Me” (Oscar winner for “Best Original Song”). Of note, the exquisitely crafted costumes made the Guinness Book of World Records; Madonna, who was pregnant during filming, changed costumes a record eighty-five times. 1996, 136 mins.