Episode 74: Aliens

All right, sweethearts, what are you waiting for? Breakfast in bed? Another glorious day in podcasting! A day in podcasting is like a day on the farm. Every meal's a banquet! Every paycheck is a fortune! Every formation is a parade! I love to pod! Especially about movies like this one! That’s right, we’re back with a brand new episode of BIRD PROTOCOL and much like all of our other “returning-after-a-break” episodes, this pod is a bit messy. We faced some alien threats of our own - Otis’ had some microphone trouble, our recording program kept giving us grief, and we were dealing with some general exhaustion - but we pressed on! It was one of "those weeks" but we really tried to keep it light and have some fun. As Hicks says, “I like to keep this handy... for close encounters.” and I like to think he was talking about positivity. This week, we’re talking about the cinematic touchstone and PALMREADER’s (belated) birthday pick - James Cameron’s 1986 classic action sci-fi flick “Aliens”. We cannot stress just how freaking awesome and influential this movie is. Decades later and it still rips. With an awesome storyline that expands upon the ideas presented in the original film, a great cast, smart writing, amazing set pieces, thrilling action sequences, lasting cultural iconography and influence, Sigourney Weaver being an absolute boss, aliens getting blasted to bits, a morally ambiguous android, Bill Paxton (the only guy to be murdered by a Predator, a Xenomorph, and the Terminator) screaming “Game over, man! Game over!”, and two queen mothers throwing space hands over their babies… this might be one of the best sequels ever. Plus, it’s got quite the history! With its troubled production, inexperienced (at the time) director, and ambitions that were greater than its budget, “Aliens” could have easily been a catastrophe. It wasn’t, though. In fact, it was pretty much the complete opposite. Everything about it is great. Critically acclaimed, culturally loved, and so much fun… “Aliens” set the bar for space action and influenced a whole generation of movies, video games, comics, and TV shows. Hell... Sigourney Weaver even got a best actress nomination at the Academy Awards that year. So, join us as we explore what makes this film great… not only as an amazing sequel but also as an individual film. We share what we love about it, some small gripes we have, and talk about the legacy and impact of the film. We chat about the cast, unpack some of the critical responses, and do our usual thing. Plus, some truly awful takes from Siskel and Ebert, Otis mixes up Bill Paxton and Gary Sinise, questions on “alien littering”, and the longest and most brain-fogged wholesome goodbye ever. So, stop your grinin’ and drop your linens. We’re about to take off and nuke the whole site from orbit. It’s the only way to be sure. We’ll be back we a Lazy Bird episode to explain all the crazy stuff we’ve been going through next week. CHECK OUT THE NEW ANXIETY WEEKEND ALBUM “ON INFINITE REPEAT”: https://soundcloud.com/cemetery_sound/sets/anxiety-weekend-on-infinite-repeat?si=0f36c3cd5ebb4603b86fcd4cc91a8d2e&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing INITIATE BIRD PROTOCOL! Follow us on Twitter and Instagram! Twitter: @plmrdr @otismorrisdude Instagram: @palmreadr @otismorrisdude