Predator Fans

Is Predators really the true sequel?

2010-07-12T08:19:00.004-05:00

So, I've watched the review of Predators by the AtTheMovies guys... I've also read a couple online. It seems to be the consensus that Predators is supposed to be the true sequel to Predator and not Predator 2. Since I haven't seen the latest movie in the franchise, I can say for sure what I think, but I'm told there are references to the first movie's outcome.

I want to know why the writers decided to completely forget all the other Predator-related movies. Correct me if I'm wrong, but in Predator 2, more than one person was left alive that knew the predator was here on Earth. Mike Harrigan and Garber survived... did they really just keep their mouth's shut? How did Mike explain the giant hole in the ground left by the departing Predator ship to his commanding officer? I'm going to assume that Garber works for the same agency as Isabelle in Predators, therefore it makes sense for him to keep the predators a secret, but I find it hard to believe no one else spilled the beans. I guess piles of dead bodies left behind by the predator isn't enough for people to start asking questions... especially considering how these faceless victims died (horribly, I'm sure).

I can understand wanting to distance yourself from AVPR, but at least try to be consistent with what we know already. Like I said, I haven't seen Predators. I'm going on what I've heard about the new movie (novel idea on the internet, yes I know).

Oh, I picked up Predator: Ultimate Hunter Edition on Blu-ray. Pretty good transfer considering the age of the film. Other nerds on the internet are complaining of waxy-looking images at certain scenes, notably Dillon and Dutch at the beginning of the movie while look over the map and discuss the up-coming mission. I noticed how Dillon looked a little fake, but it certainly didn't look as horrible as some would have you believe. I own the DVD release, so this is a huge step up as far as I'm concerned.

Answers to Movie Trivia #1

2007-07-24T11:52:00.000-05:00

1) What is the total number of dead bodies (either via the Predator, the team, or others)?

2) What t-shirt does Blain proudly wear in the movie?

MTV

3) Two actors had their big screen debut in Predator; who were they?

Shane Black and Jesse Ventura

4) Name three of the actors who are now (or were) involved in politics.

Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jesse Ventura, Sonny Landham

5) What was the working-title of the movie during filming?

Hunter

6) What is the first thing spoken in the movie (word or phrase)?

"Good to see ya Dutch."

7) What is the last thing spoken in the movie (word or phrase)?

"What the hell are you?" -- Predator
"What in god's name?" -- Helicopter Pilot (aka, Kevin Peter Hall)
edit: Predator Fans is dearly sorry for the pain and suffering caused by this mistake. Thanks Bob.

8) While the team is being driven from the helicopter to their barracks in the beginning of the movie, who can be seen standing up during the ride?

Billy and Poncho

9) What actor was sent by studio executives to watch over the director?

Shane Black

10) What is the codename of the rendezvous team?

Blazer One

Predator Fans widens focus

2007-07-19T16:53:00.000-05:00

We've decided to refocus our coverage of Predator Fans to include more than just the original movie. While it was fun coming up with posts that dealt strictly with the movie, we felt that limited what we could talk about, and have fun with.

So, starting today we'll go ahead and accept the fact that there are other movies with the Predator and that novels have been written about the Predator and his (mis)adventures. Needless to say, we think this is a step in right direction.

While not the biggest fan of Predator 2, it isn't all that bad of a movie. I mean, Bill Paxton is great! Who else has been killed by a Terminator, a Predator, an Alien, and Pat Benatar? The Predator has some really cool scenes, and we get a little more incite to his/them lifestyle.

I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed AVP: Alien vs. Predator. I didn't expect a whole lot going into it, mainly because the merging of two childhood memories for the sake of making a dollar didn't ring well with me. But it was entertaining, and I actually look forward to a sequel.

So what does the future hold for Predator Fans? I'd say a lot; we've got a new Predator novel in the works and a sequel to AVP in post-production.

Check back often ... we've got some more details regarding the Predator novel to share.

Predator visual effects

2007-07-18T11:17:00.000-05:00

Here are some user-created visual effects found on YouTube.

Cheesy? one-liners

2007-07-12T16:20:00.000-05:00

Alright ... what are the cheezy one-liners in Predator?

Here are a few to get you started:

Stick around! -- Right after Dutch heaves a massive hunting knife into some poor Val Verden soldier.

I ain't got time to bleed -- Blain's response to Poncho after noticing he's been shot in the left arm/shoulder area.

... but, I wouldn't waste that on a broke dick dog -- Billy's unsure about the path through the valley that leads to the east.

If you got more, post a comment.

Movie Trivia #1

2007-07-11T12:31:00.000-05:00

If you think your attention to detail and memory is better than average, check out some Predator-related movie trivia:

What is the total number of dead bodies (either via the Predator, the team, or others)?
What t-shirt does Blain proudly wear in the movie?
Two actors had their big screen debut in Predator; who were they?
Name three of the actors who are now (or were) involved in politics.
What was the working-title of the movie during filming?
What is the first thing spoken in the movie (word or phrase)?
What is the last thing spoken in the movie (word or phrase)?
While the team is being driven from the helicopter to their barracks in the beginning of the movie, who can be seen standing up during the ride?
What actor was sent by studio executives to watch over the director?
What is the codename of the rendezvous team?

That's all for now. Check back soon for the answers!

Predator Novel in the works

2007-07-11T10:55:00.000-05:00

Jeff Vandermeer is writing a Predator novel due in 2008, to be published by Dark Horse.

Here are Jeff's comments from his blog:

I'm writing a Predator novel for Dark Horse and editor Victoria Blake, from a detailed synopsis I provided to them. The novel is due in January 2008 and will be published in 2008. Set in the South China Sea, the novel features an ex-Khmer Rouge colonel, a Thai pirate, a huge transplanted African crocodile, and a Romanian crime boss, among other things. Oh, yes, and a Predator.

All this sounds very exciting. It's nice to hear that the Predator story hasn't died. Although, I am skeptical of the synopsis by Jeff.

Source: http://www.jeffvandermeer.com/2007/06/11/predator-novel-sold-to-dark-horse/

Warning!! Predator nearby

2007-07-09T18:00:00.001-05:00

Why Predator is the Best, Most-Manly, Action Film

2007-07-09T15:44:00.001-05:00

Introduction

I started this blog as a way to honor one of the best action films ever made, on earth ... by humans. I have no idea how many people this blog will attract, nor do I care. I do, however, want to make it enjoyable for those who do happen to stumble upon it. So, here is my essay on why Predator is the best action (i.e. manliest) film ever exposed to celluloid.

A little background

I first saw this movie as a young teenager ... probably around 1988 (the actual theatrical release was 1987). I would have been 13 years old. My parents had cable TV with HBO, so it was a Saturday evening feature. While I cannot go into details of the movie when I first saw it (probably because of memory loss), it did leave a lasting impression on me. It certainly solidified Arnold Schwarzenegger as my favorite actor. I remember liking Arnold from his previous work (The Terminator, Commando, and The Villain). But, he wasn't a fully-fledged action hero at the time ... at least from my viewpoint.

Why Predator is the best

Below is a list of items detailing why Predator is the best movie ever made.

Explosions

If there was ever a movie in which explosions were more kick-ass, show me (besides the fake gasoline explosions in Commando). In our adventure, the team has a person dedicated solely for dishing out explosions with his grenade launcher. That person's name is Poncho. Yes, he occasionally grips an automatic weapon while traveling through the jungle. However, I cannot remember a single scene in which he uses it. If he does, I'm going to go out on a limb and say it was for defense purposes only ... not to kill anyone.

Guns
Lots of them. Our tiny 7-man rescue team packs more firepower than some medium-sized armies. Along with various automatic weapons and grenades, each warrior carries enough ammunition to sink the Titanic. I also like how no provisions are brought along (food or water). Of course, some would argue this was only supposed to be a one-day operation. However, in the summer heat, in the jungle, someone must've thought there should be some effort to locate clean drinking water. What makes this movie awesome is that the team simply doesn't need to bother with water, as primmary concern is to kick ass and rescue some hostages. Besides, it would detract from the storyline (and be boring) to hear Dutch order Billy to go use his “trail" skills to find something to drink.

Blood

One ingredient necessary in all action movies. Blain is one example, as is Mack. Both die pretty gruesomely. Also, we get to see the Predator bleed ... which leads to one of the greatest tag lines in movie history, “If it bleeds, we can kill it"

Mutilation

Practically all of the team members get slaughtered pretty badly. And, the movie people didn't wuss-out and hide all the details. Not that we here at Predator Fans are macabre folks; we just like to see the original vision shown on-screen.

Bad-ass villain

Other than the alien from Aliens (and sequels), has there ever been a more lopsided villain for our hero(s) to fight? I mean, who really believed Bennett (Vernon Wells) was an even match for Matrix? The villain in Predator, quite frankly, is about the best match-up for any Arnie character (only to be out-done by Satan in End of Days).

Muscles

It's a good thing film captures more gigabytes than our current digital film cameras as Arnold-and-gang's set of muscles would certainly fill even the largest clusters of hard drives in the world! Someone needed to tell Richard Chaves to get up early with the rest of the gang to work out.

Attitude
This movie has more attitude than the heads of State of North Korea and Iran, combined! Just take a look at some of these quotes:

“If it bleeds, we can kill it" -- Dutch
Pretty ballsy considering you don't even know what you're up against!

"I ain't got time to bleed" -- Blain
Really? I didn't really think you had a choice in the matter.

“... but I wouldn't wish that on a broke dick dog." -- Billy
Coming up with unique metaphors is the trademark of any good trail blazer, such as Billy.

“Bunch of slack-jawed faggots 'round here ... this stuff'll make ya a god-damn sexual Ty-ranasaurus ... just like me" -- Blain
Holy crap ... for being a bunch of friends who've worked together for a long time, on many missions, you'd think a little bit more respect would be shown by Blain. You don't continually harass your teammates, your comrades, your brothers! Unless of course you're full of some serious attitude, and the continual harassment is your method of relieving stress.

“C'mon I'm here ... kill me; kill me NOW!!! I'm here ... DO IT NOW!!! C'MON!!!!!" -- Dutch
I suppose someone with Dutch's skills and strength, he probably doesn't feel the slightest bit of fear. Even after getting his ass handed to him by the Predator. Me on the other hand would've probably shat my entire previous days diet of tree bark and leaves.

Basically, the entire team is made up of a bunch of wild willies that eat Green Berets for breakfast.

Humor

At the proper time, we get some good jokes that add to character development. I suppose one could argue that Hawkins was a little bit too forceful with his lame-ass jokes for Billy, but hey ... Shane Black wasn't even supposed to be in the movie! I suppose the director had to come up with something for Shane to say ... even if he was the first team member to die. Other points of humor are Dillon and his constant disbelief of the events occurring around him. A favorite of mine is, “So, whadda gonna try next ... cheese?"

Chicks don't interfere

This is important. Not that we have anything against women in action films, but sometimes they are simply in the story to bog it down with some crappy love interest (Days of Thunder comes to mind). Typically, they interfere with our hero's full-time job of dishing out ass-whoopins. Interestingly, Dutch has to prevent Anna from grabbing a fallen comrade's weapon to defend herself from the Predator! Now, that's one bad-ass women (albeit stupid based upon previous outcomes if you try to stand up to the Predator ... see drinking game for more details).

International disregard

The team wasn't even supposed to be there (neither was the previous team, which sets up a confrontation between Dutch and Dillon). I like the fact that total disregard by the United States government was displayed (as sometimes is required in these situations). Hey, we bear the brunt of the world's problems ... we're afforded the luxury of doing whatever we want. Deal with it.

Constant use of manly products and gestures

Tobacco, knives, big guns, hand signals ... all things chics would never use or do.

Typically, chics don't smoke cigars (unless you're Elaine from Seinfeld). Blain chews a lot of Red Man in the movie. I think almost all men respect a man who chews, as it is the nastiest thing a person should never enjoy. However, Blain does it with nothing but pure bliss shown on his face. Classic. I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that in the history of human civilization, no woman has ever enjoyed a good handful of Red Man chewing tobacco ... let alone Kodiak.

The knife is usually off-limits to women due to their weak arms (Dwight Schrute – Dunder-Mifflin). They wouldn't be able to throw them very far, or with much velocity. In fact, to nail the head into the coffin, I'd bet big money a knife would simply bounce off the average man's chest if thrown by a woman. At the very least, the rescue team would simply catch the knife with their teeth.

Plain and simple; unless you're in a combat situation, you will never use hand signals. And, (correct me if I'm wrong) the United States military doesn't subject women to combat situations (unless they're a pilot, and in that case, hand signals would merely be “ok, I'm ready to leave the runway now").

The Ending
If you're part of a clandestine military unit, you had better expect your buddies not to return home with you ... alive or dead. The end of the movie, in my view, is a realistic end and makes the movie so much more believable (haha!). Basically, what I'm saying is that this is not some sappy-ass cliché studio-enforced ending. I'd certainly like to believe this is the case. I'm glad only the hero survived (I guess Anna can live too ... if you believe the Predator was only there to hunt worthy opponents).

Van Damme, wherefore art thou?

2007-07-09T14:41:00.000-05:00

Some of you may know that Jean-Claude Van Damme was originally cast in the role of the Predator for the movie. He didn't have much of a resume at the time, but supposedly the producers thought that his agility and fighting experience would give the Predator more of a dangerous, quick type feel.

Obviously, it didn't end up happening. However the reason why is a bit cloudy. Everyone seems to have their own explanation:

Some believe the studio didn't feel that Van Damme's size was adequate when compared with Arnold, Ventura, and the rest. Because above all they wanted the creature to be intimidating, Van Damme was let go in favor of 7'2" Kevin Peter Hall.

By Van Damme's account, he refused to do a particular stunt because it was too dangerous. A producer, Joel Silver, then fired him in favor of a more willing replacement who then injured himself doing the exact same stunt. The creature suit was then re-designed before Kevin Peter Hall was cast.

Jesse Ventura's auto-biography alleges that Van Damme intentionally injured a stunt man and was let go as a result. This has also been alleged about Van Damme in other movies, such as Cyborg where he was accused of intentionally eye gouging an extra. In this case however, Ventura believes that Van Damme wanted to be let go to pursue other opportunities.

According to the director, Van Damme was cast only to portray one instance of the Predator that required agility. Van Damme was unhappy at being cast as an uncredited special effect and quit after two days.

Some say that wearing the heavy Predator suit in the jungle was just too difficult and Van Damme just quit.

Conspiracy theorists unite.

The Ultimate Predator Drinking Game

2007-07-09T10:31:00.000-05:00

We here at Predator Fans have come up with a good list for the Ultimate Predator Drinking Game™. The amount of each drink is completely up to each person's interpretation.

If you have any other good ideas, post a comment.

Someone threatens Dillon (2 drinks)
Ana does something stupid (2 drinks)
One or more team members reference another mission (1 drink)
Blaine spits a big lugie (2 drinks)
Billy gets spooked (2 drinks)
Dutch lights up a cigar (2 drinks)
Someone survives an injury that would kill a normal person (3 drinks)
An out of context macho comment is made by a team member (1 drink)
One or more team members use hand signals when the spoken word would not hinder the situation (3 drinks)
The predator attempts to mimic the human voice (2 drinks)
One or more team members tell joke around (3 drinks)
A team member applies camouflage (2 drinks)
One or more team members use profane language (1 drink)
Mack is seen shaving (2 drinks)
The term broke dick dog is used (5 drinks)
One or more team members insult another person/thing (2 drinks)
One or more jungle animals is seen (3 drinks)
A helicopter can be seen or heard (2 drinks)
One or more team members fire their weapon without aiming to get a good shot (i.e. misuse of limited ammunition) (3 drinks)
Non-human blood can be seen (3 drinks)

Welcome to the Predator Fans Blog

2007-07-09T10:23:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the all-new Predator Fans blog!

This blog hopes to provide all the information a person could ever wants with regards to the ultimate action film, Predator. There may be the occasional news bit that is related to the Predator series and not the 1987 film, but mostly it will be cool stuff about the Arnie movie.

Stay tuned for lots of features.