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Predator (1987)

 
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Bogmeister
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 30, 2019 4:37 pm    Post subject: Predator (1987) Reply with quote

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_________________ Predator (1987) - Trailer


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At first glance, this film seems derivative of a few other sf/horror films of that decade — The Thing (the alien ship arriving in Earth's orbit), Aliens (1986), and with a bit of Rambo First Blood part 2 (1985) thrown in.

But it's actually an action sf film which is more than the sum of its parts and began the efficient & entertaining output from director McTiernan which continued with Die Hard (1988).

The plot concerns a group of mercenaries led by Dutch (Schwarzenegger, and including Bill Duke, Jesse Ventura, Sonny Landham and Shane Black) hired to bring a bigwig out of the jungle. They are joined by a CIA operative (Carl Weathers) who is also an old friend of Dutch.

The mission turns out to be bogus, but it's completed satisfactorily anyway. The problem begins in the team's efforts to get out — getting out of this particular jungle turns out to be next to impossible because the group is targeted by an alien hunter (7'2" Kevin Peter Hall).

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This story was filmed in a real Mexican jungle, so the location is one of the film's strengths. As the film unreels, we note more and more how the jungle surrounds our protagonists, closing them in, hemming them in, even stalking them.

The film also works very well in the first half — it's not the dull wait for the action to begin as with many such films. There's a load of suspense as we're dropped hints, given glimpses, and presented with a faint sense of dread, mostly through Landham's mystical Indian character, who senses that something isn't right, that something is out there.

Of course, in a film such as this, the worst fears are realized. Some of this is standard — the mercs being knocked off one-by-one — but this also set new standards. It's now the killer-in-the-jungle movie to beat. The action revs up for a basic mano-a-mano alien finale between Arnold and the Predator.

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The other distinction to the film is the visualization of the alien predator itself — whether it's camouflaged or moving in its own inhuman fashion, it's a bravura presentation of a nearly invincible adversary — and definitely alien. It's no surprise that this spawned a franchise.

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Predator Trivia: The first sequel was in 1990, moving the location to a near-future L.A..

~ Arnold did not return and the new hero was played by Danny Glover.

~ Afterward, there were the Alien crossover films, in 2004 and 2007. Finally, the next sequel, Predators, in 2010.

BoG's Score:8 out of 10




BoG
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Eadie
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PostPosted: Mon May 11, 2020 1:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Original concept art:




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alltare
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PostPosted: Wed May 13, 2020 11:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Because Schwarzenegger and Jesse Ventura were both in this movie, I've always referred to it as "the governor movie".

I have a minor disagreement with Bogmeister, who referred to the mission into the jungle as "bogus" ("The mission turns out to be bogus, but it's completed satisfactorily anyway"). It's been a while since I watched the movie, but if I recall correctly, it was a legitimate rescue mission that went awry, and not some kind of red herring.
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Krel
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PostPosted: Thu May 14, 2020 2:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Arnold and his men thought that they were on a rescue mission. They didn't know that they were being used by Apollo Creed for a seek-and-destroy mission, that is why Arnold and crew were so upset.

In this movie the Predator was vulnerable when they found out what they were facing. The problem is that by time they found out what they were facing, they had expended most of their ordnance. In the later movies, the Predator became just another super monster.

David.
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Fri Dec 18, 2020 5:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

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IMDB has several interesting trivia items for this production. Very Happy
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~ Jesse Ventura was delighted to find out from the wardrobe department that his arms were one inch bigger than Arnold Schwarzenegger's. He suggested to Schwarzenegger that they measure arms, with the winner getting a bottle of champagne. Ventura lost, because Schwarzenegger had told the wardrobe department to tell Ventura that his arms were bigger.

Note from me: This is a hysterical gag! Laughing

~The film provided a variety of hardships for the actors, such as leeches, snakes, stifling humidity, heat, and rough terrain.

All of the night scenes were filmed during freezing cold temperatures, which was especially hard on Arnold Schwarzenegger during the latter half of the film, when the mud he had to wear (actually pottery clay) became cold and wet.

He was warned it would take his body temperature down a few degrees, and he shivered non-stop, even when they tried to heat him with lamps (it just made the clay dry out). He tried drinking jagertee, a schnapps mixture, to warm him, but that just got him drunk.


Note from me: Being a big movie star is all glamour! Very Happy

~ The original concept for this film originated as a joke. Someone said that the only person Rocky Balboa had yet to fight, was E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982).

Note from me: Now THERE'S idea for a movie! E.T. vs Predator!

By God, if Yoda can suddenly start leaping around in a light saber duel like he did in Attack of the Clones, E.T. can have some hidden "badass" in him, too! After all, I never have figured how how he ran so fast through the underbrush just before the ship took off and stranded him. Shocked

~ According to an interview with director John McTiernan, the "hole in the jungle" appearance of the Predator was played by Jean-Claude Van Damme in a "bluescreen" (actually red) suit. Van Damme quit after two days, unhappy with being cast as an uncredited special effect, but can be seen as the Predator in If It Bleeds We Can Kill It: The Making of 'Predator' (2001). The alien was scrapped, redesigned, and was eventually played by Kevin Peter Hall who was 7'2" tall.

Note from me: I haven't watched this 29-minutes documentary yet, but I intend to.


If It Bleeds, We Can Kill It - The Making of Predator


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~ The Predator costume weighed over two hundred pounds, and even though 7'2" Kevin Peter Hall was a large and powerful man, he had to be connected to a "bungie" rig, to enable him to move more believably.

Note from me: Good Lord, for me that would be like giving myself a piggy-back ride with a brick in each hand! Shocked

~ In an interview, Carl Weathers said the actors would secretly wake up as early as 3:00 a.m. to work out before the day's shooting. Weathers also stated that he would act as if his physique was naturally given to him, and would work out only after the other actors were nowhere to be seen.

Note from me: This seems a bit silly. Body builders are well aware of how hard it is to develop muscles like these guys have. Rolling Eyes

~ Real venomous snakes and scorpions invaded the set during filming.

Note from me: Wow, I sure THAT kept everybody alert! Very Happy

~ An attempt was made to get shots of the Predator swinging from tree to tree using a monkey in a red special effects suit. However, the monkey kept removing the suit, and the idea was abandoned.

Note from me: I'm not sure I believe this item, but it sure is funny.

~ John McTiernan and Arnold Schwarzenegger lost twenty-five pounds during filming. Schwarzenegger's weight loss was a professional choice; McTiernan lost the weight because he avoided the food in Mexico, due to health concerns. Unlike McTiernan, most of the cast and crew suffered from traveler's diarrhea since the Mexican hotel in which they were living was having problems with water purification.

Note from me: This sounds like a very effective diet, but not the most pleasant way to loose weight! Shocked

~ The "rebel camp" location has become a tourist attraction in Mexico.

Note from me: "Señors and Señoras, welcome to our tour of the set from Predator! On your left you will see the huts in which the rebels lived. And if you look up into the tree over your head you'll see the skinned bodies of the rebels, hanging upside down! Please use the complementary barf bags we gave you if you feel ill. Muchas gracias."

~ Jesse Ventura pulled a prank on Arnold Schwarzenegger by pouring water over himself while at the gym before Arnold arrived. Thinking that Ventura was drenched in sweat, Arnold believed that Ventura was working out longer than he usually did. He resolved to begin his workouts sooner. He and Ventura both started arriving earlier to one up each other until they both started to arrive at 4 am.

Note from me: These guys certainly had fun playing jokes on each other!

~ The screenwriters' intent was to "strip away elements of the modern, organized world. Here's a guy with the most technological weaponry, and he's reduced to making bows and arrows."

Note from me: The fact that Arnold's character had to be so clever to defeat his foe is wonderful.

~ Third film in which Arnold Schwarzenegger wears a Seiko model H558-5009 diver's watch. Since nicknamed "The Arnold", it is highly sought-after by collectors, and regularly trades for values in excess of its original retail cost.

Its distinctive black collar and stainless steel fittings suitably complement Schwarzenegger's exaggerated arm muscles in his early films.






Note from me: While I was in basic training during my time in the Air Force from 1967 to 1971 I bought a fancy watch from the BX (Base Exchange) that I absolutely loved! I paid about $50.00 for it — the most expensive purchase I'd ever made in my 18-year life! Very Happy

I haven't thought about that watch in decades, but Arnold's watch reminded me of my beloved Zodiac Sea Wolf divers watch!






After wearing it during my tour of duty in both South Korea and West Germany, it finally succumbed to the years of wear-and-tear . . . and I reluctantly discarded it. Sad

Today I discovered this eBay listing!

ZODIAC SEA WOLF Black Mirror Dial Automatic Winding Vintage Watch 1960's





The asking price is . . . $2,090.00.

Ah well . . if I'd bought five of them back on 1967 for $250 and left four inside their boxes, I could sell them today and make $8,000!

Frankly, guys, I really think my Zodiac Sea Wolf was better looking than Arnold's Seiko! Cool.

~ It is alleged that in the early '90s, the Department of Defense tested a form of camouflage that used millions of fibre-optic cables to "mirror" the opposite side of the object to be hidden.

They got the idea from this movie and Predator 2 (1990).

The idea behind the camouflage was not to appear invisible, but to replicate what is on the opposite side. In the Department of Defense's test footage, looking at the person wearing the camo (fiber-optic sheet), he or she simply appeared like a heat wave.


Note from me: I'm not convinced that this claim is true, but I'm sure the concept is being investigated by numerous technological developers!

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 10, 2022 4:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

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GREAT MOVIES FROM THE 1980s!

The 1980s turned out to be a sort of 2nd Golden Age of Science Fiction. This movie is an example. Here's why.
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In 1987, the decade made a strange about face in terms of the number of movies released, compared to the 1950s.

1957 produced more sci-fi movies that any other year in the decade — a whopping 42 films! Shocked

However, 1987 released a mere 9 films. Sad

Despite the low number, the ratio of family sci-fi to adult-themed sci-fi remained in effect. Here's the breakdown of the big hits.
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__________FAMILY

Amazon Women on the Moon

* batteries not included

Harry and the Hendersons

Innerspace

Superman IV: The Quest for Peace
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__________ADULT

Predator

Robcop
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What movies do you remember from 1987, and which ones were your favorites? Cool

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)
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