After an email with Tony this weekend I realized I never posted this, and the slip of memory is a direct result to the fact that i received the DVD from Fox right after the birth of my second son in June. So things were a bit jumbled at home. I did share this with some, but not all - and for that I apologize. Thanks, Tony for reminding me that i never shared this with the group.

Well, as some of you know I was interviewed for the supplemental material that was created for the AVP-R DVDs. However, since those featurettes only appear on the 2 Disc Region 2 sets (and possibly Region 4) only those across the pond got to see them. The producer of the shorts (Jeff Eggleston - a great guy) was kind enough to persuade Fox to send me a copy. And after receiving them I dutifully posted them to DailyMotion so that they could be shared.

Here they are. I'm very pleased with the "Science of the Xenomorph." There were a few moments from my 2 hour interview which I wish had been included, but given that it's a 10 minute piece and there are several other notables included I was happy with what they used (...mostly). I'm not as thrilled with the "Science of the Hunter", but that's largely because the Predators are not my area of keen interest... and I think that comes out in the piece.

And for those who don't know what I look like: I'm the guy wearing the light blue polo shirt... the geek with blonde hair and a goatee.

...and for those who are wondering: the moniker "Super-Fan" was a creation of the producer following our interview. ...I had nothing to do with that.

Enjoy.

http://www.dailymotion.com/thedus/video ... shortfilms

http://www.dailymotion.com/thedus/video ... shortfilms

Many thanks to everyone at Fox and Trailer Park for this.

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That is awesome.

And I hope this means we'll be seeing more of you here.

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"Awww, someone tell me that's a boot!

It's a boot!"

III drops

Mike that was FANTASTIC!!!

But I don't know if I can talk to you now... you're like famous and all.

(Kidding)


Two things I found the most funny/interesting...

The Aliens' weakness is that they are dumb (boy is Gareth gonna like that )

And that the Predators may not represent the entire Pred culture- they could be like the boys who enjoy hunting on the weekends.

Great stuff Mike! Glad you could share that!

Kevin

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I told you I'd shoot, but you didn't believe me! WHY DIDN'T YOU BELIEVE ME!?!

Thanks guys.

..Kevin - I like what you've done with your hair. Nice avatar.

Yeah, the whole "aliens are dumb" thing surprised me too when I saw the final piece. I must have been the only person to not agree with that notion since my comments were not added to that portion of the featurette. But I wasn't surprised by Steve Perry's ideas on the alien's smarts - he and I actually spoke online back in '95, or so, and he mentioned a very similar line of thought even then.

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Before Gareth slices my head off ( )-

I don't agree that the Xenos are dumb at all. Predictable? Perhaps... maybe.

However if the Aliens were truly dumb they would have kept running into those sentry guns until the last one ran dry (which ironically bought some time for our heroes).

The fact that they were able to figure out an alternate way into the operations room (that our "intelligent" heroes overlooked) is reason alone to believe they are not just "dumb animals". The way they escaped from captivity in A4 is another example.

I believe Cameron made it clear that they do have a level of intelligence far beyond simply reacting to events around them like a tiger or snake would.


Kevin

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I told you I'd shoot, but you didn't believe me! WHY DIDN'T YOU BELIEVE ME!?!

Steve Perry is an IDIOT!!!
I've read a few books he's written.

Horrendous writer.

Loved it!

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=Bry=

I enjoyed both of those... thank you!

I agree with Kev....the Preds we see are just the 'hunters' out for a shoot on the weekend. We don't know enough to clasify them all as hunters.

But Mike....loved it and thanks for posting for us.

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Thanks, guys.

Glad you like them.

Actually, when I flew out to LA for the filming of these I had tried to meet up with Willie... but he had some other thing to take care of... something about flying to the east coast to help with his brother's show, or something. ...pffft.

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Wow, so you're the guy who wrote the Anchorpoint essays! I must say, I've always been very impressed with your work. Congratulations on you inclusion on the DVD!

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Xenomorph Specimen 14, "Alfred", Tagged and Released. Current Location: Derelict Juggernaut Nest, LV-731
"A survivor...unclouded by conscience, remorse, or delusions of morality"

[Ripley]

They cut the power!

[Hudson]

How can they cut the power?! They're animals!



The case rests.

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Steve
Corporal in 69th Regt. 1st Batt. Homer’s Heroes.

"I'd like to die at the age of 80 in my own bed, with a belly full of wine and a girl's mouth around my c**k."

Well... I didn't state the obvious answer as it may not be as obvious as we think.

I know that Cameron explained in the commentary during the "They cut the power" scene that he wanted to demonstrate that the Aliens possessed a certain level of intelligence but consider this...

There is nothing to prove that the power going out was at the hands (uhh... claws ) of the Aliens. The entire colony was going to hell in a handbasket as the detonation of the atmosphere processor drew closer.

It could just have easily been a coincidence that the power went out as the Aliens were crawling through the ceiling.

Kind of like the tale of the guy who is fooling around with the fuse box in his house- and a blackout occurs, making him believe that he caused the city-wide power outage.

Just sayin'.

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I told you I'd shoot, but you didn't believe me! WHY DIDN'T YOU BELIEVE ME!?!

Kearnunos - Yup, that's me. And thanks.

The alien's intelligence is highly debatable, and this is what I was getting at in my unused comments in the featurette. Did the aliens cut the power to Ops? Possibly, but then the power could have been damaged as they moved through the sub flooring or above the drop ceiling. Yet, they seem to have picked up on the fact that humans are easier prey in the dark - hence Newt's comment about the fact that they mostly come at night. Why would a creature with no eyes and no need for light hunt at night? They would only do that if they figured out that humans are dormant when there is a decline in power (i.e. - sleeping). I should mention here that I also believe that the aliens detect bio-electric output and use this (much like sharks) along with other senses such as olfactory, thermal, auditory, and vibratory. This would mean that they could also detect low level electromagnetic fields from other sources, such as electronics - thereby allowing them to notice a correlation between human activity and power levels. ...Back to my point: Humans are also slower, panicky, and they ability to fight back is diminished when there is a limited power (i.e. - no lights). They also don't venture out of the colony as frequently at certain times. The aliens were in the colony for a month when the Marines arrived. After a few days or a week they could have easily noticed patterns in human activity.

There's also 12 Module on the Nostromo. Parker swore that they fixed it, yet it was malfunctioning... and this shortly before Brett was attacked.

Another topic of discussion regarding alien intelligence... how did Jones get in a closed locker right outside the bay were the alien was?

How did the alien know that Ripley was going to the Narcissus? With an entire ship to crawl around in how did it know that was the one place that she would go, and be the one place that would be safe?

On Fiorina the alien seemed to know that getting in front of the piston was a bad idea, and it didn't do it until Ripley (or more correctly - the queen) appeared to be in danger.

On the Auriga the alien that confronted the crew of the Betty after killing Elgyn put itself between the humans and the hull of the ship, it seemed to know that it was safe by doing this and that the humans were cornered without defense...

Speaking of Elgyn - he was lead a way from the others by a trail of weapons. Seems to be an interesting choice of technology to be used as bait for a trap. It would indicate that the alien had some understanding that those items were of some value to the humans.

Each of these could be argued as high degree of intelligence, but they could also be argued as pure coincidence given the circumstances of each situation. It's difficult to say that the aliens are highly intelligent... but, by the same token I think there is too much going in their favor to say they are dumb.

...I could go on...

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Although I've never thought much of Alien: Res and AvP, I think the strongest case for the Alien's intelligence in "canon" sources is the sacrificial use of acid blood the escape the holding cell and to let the AvP Queen out.

The fact that they sussed this mode of escape shows they are definitely smarter than "dumb animals". It also shows their lack of "delusions of morality" and their dedication to the group.

You may argue that they are telepathically linked to the clever Queen and the warriors are dumb animals, but where the Aliens are concerned the individual is pretty irrelevant: if the Queen is clever, the hive is clever.

I don't buy the telepathic link thing. I see that as a plot device to help further the comics. The beastie on the Nostromo was clever enough with out a Queen, as was the one of Fiorina. The Queen may communicate with her broods, and vise versa, but I don't buy the mental telepathy idea. ...It's too convenient.

And regarding the aliens in the cell - that links back to the alien that cornered the Betty crew. How did the aliens in the cell know they wouldn't hull the ship by killing the runt? Did they know they were deep enough in the ship that the corrosion would stop short of the hull? Here again this could be due to incredible intelligence and understanding of their surroundings, or just pure coincidence. ...I love the aliens! So many puzzles, and so few answers.

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I don't know about the telepathic thing either. However, either they are, or "The Queen, she's in pain" is just an opportunity for a certain actress to overact.

As for the awareness of their surroundings, that all depends on how they "see" the world. For all we know, they can see in 5 dimensions! I know one thing: As Abe, I have better peripheral vision than when I'm not Abe. However, that might be because he sometimes has chavs intent on killing him!

And of course, I personally think the Alien warriors are more intelligent than any human.

In Alien, I always thought that the reason why the creature made it's way to the escape shuttle was because it was the one place on the refinery/tug that wasn't oging crazy.

I know that when I'm at home, and the TV's going, the phone is ringing, the timer on the over is going off and the kids are all carrying on, I just want to get to some place quiet!

With all the bells, whistles, voice prompts and flames(?) going off, it may have been a natural choice?

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"Awww, someone tell me that's a boot!

It's a boot!"

III drops

This is a pretty good question- had a couple of thoughts on it:

Lambert could have stuffed him in there as revenge for Ripley not letting her, Dallas and Kane back into the Nostromo (she was pretty pissed about it going so far as assaulting her)

But a better explanation-

Ash put him in there on purpose to throw everyone off the "scent" and buy the Alien more time. He was protecting the Alien remember.

Of course this is purely speculation. And like Mike, one of the most interesting things I find about the Aliens is that they are shrouded in mystery!

Kevin

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I told you I'd shoot, but you didn't believe me! WHY DIDN'T YOU BELIEVE ME!?!

I tend to think of the aliens as being reasonably intelligent and extremely cunning, but single minded. They put the well-being of the hive and the queen before anything else. Thus, they will act in ways that seem stupid, like attacking the sentry guns in Aliens, simply because they have an instinctual drive to protect the hive and gather host that can't be ignored

I seem to remember reading somewhere that the aliens were as smart as a dog.

I tend to like that.

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"Awww, someone tell me that's a boot!

It's a boot!"

III drops

I read somewhere that eating two oranges before a date is an effective contraceptive.

I like oranges.

...oh... you're supposed to eat them? That might explain something.


Anyway.

I like the idea of Ash stuffing Jones in the locker. But when would he have done it? They were all present at dinner, and after Kane's death they all were pretty busy I'm guessing. Although I, suppose he could have done it on the way back to Medical to build his motion trackers.

...I seem to remember that Lambert didn't particularly care for Jones. Perhaps that was mentioned in the novelization - or more strongly eluded to. So Lambert stuffing Jones in there would work too.

And I'm not so sure they put the hive or queen before themselves. That implies a level of selflessness that I'm not sure that the aliens have. I think their actions are driven by a much simpler and primal concept: that of reproduction. The aliens don't need a hive to reproduce, and if we go by ALIEN they don't really need a Queen either - but the queen does allow for mass production of spores allowing faster expansion of the species and the hive. The queen is the center of mass reproduction, and their hive is merely a shelter for the eggs (in its simplest of views). Both are replaceable. And ALIEN and ALIEN3 both show us that aliens are quite capable of existing without either. Both were driven by the need to reproduce and feed.

..Actually, there was a late draft of ALIEN3 where the alien was creating eggs from prisoners much in the way we see in ALIEN. If memory serves the abandoned mess hall became the lair for the eggs.

...I'll see if I can find the link to the script.

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I had never really thought about any of this up until this discussion but I'm nearly convinced (well... I've convinced myself ) that just about everything that went wrong on the Nostromo (after they leave LV-426) can be atributed to Ash's sabotage:

-The cat in the locker

-The less than effective motion tracker

-Mother's completely unhelpful answers when queried by Dallas

Maybe even the suggestion of using flamethrowers! We never did actually see them being used against the Alien- and Dallas spewing fire around didn't seem to phase the Alien in the airduct.


Thanks for clarifying a bit about A3 Mike- I was actually going to mention it as the Alien didn't seem interested in taking hosts throughout the film. Seemed more interested in munching on everyone.


Gareth- let us know how that orange suggestion works out for you.


Kevin

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I told you I'd shoot, but you didn't believe me! WHY DIDN'T YOU BELIEVE ME!?!

I would like to read that script, if you can find it. It always bothered me that the alien in Alien 3 never seemed to bother trying to gather hosts. If the aliens are driven by the need to reproduce, wouldn't the runner alien captured some of the prisoners for transformation into eggs or for the queen to use after she (it? Can the aliens really have a gender?) had finally matured? All the alien seems to do is go around and kill people through the whole movie.