To Skin a Cat
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Mind Over Matter

wups

August 19, 2009

Tags: science fiction, gore, weddings

Been thinking about movies, good movies, and Alien crossed my mind (on scrabbling little insectile feet, too). I’ll admit I tricked my wife into seeing it. The date was May 26, 1979, our sixth wedding anniversary, and she wanted to see The Champ (a Jon Voight/Ricky Schroeder boxing weeper wherein the hero croaks at the end). Yes, I spoiled it for you. No, I’m not sorry.

“No, hon,” says I. “It’ll just depress you. Let’s go see Alien. It’s supposed to be a really neat sci-fi picture.” Of course I knew it was a horror movie, but I was a selfish cad, and didn’t feel like spending good money on tickets and Raisenettes only to view a weeping li’l Ricky hanging on his dad’s dying neck at the film’s end. I’ll take "blow your brains out" for a hundred, Alex. Uh, no.

So instead we watched John Hurt get his chest blasted open from within and Tom Skerrit and the rest of the crew come to grisly ends in the ship’s air ducts and Sigourney Weaver and Jonesy the cat barely make out of the doomed Nostromo with their skins intact.

Helluva good flick.

Helluva bad evening when we got home.

Comments

August 20, 2009 2:19 AM EDT

You awful man, you! :P

Just wanted to drop you a note to let you know I enjoyed several of your blog posts. You have a great sense of humor. :)

- Lynnette Bonner
August 21, 2009 11:20 AM EDT

I'm glad she got after you when you got home.
My husband went to see "The Notebook" with me, so I went to see "Alien vs. Predator" with him. Fair trade, dontcha think?

- Nicole
August 29, 2009 8:55 PM EDT

On your ANNIVERSARY?! John... what were you thinkin'??? She's still with you, eh? You're one lucky man.

- Pegg Thomas
September 9, 2009 9:17 AM EDT

I saw Alien for the first time as a young teenager. Watched it by myself when parents were gone. Let's just say it stuck with me for a while. Saw a best movies list recently that ranked the sequel higher than the original. Found that surprising.

- Pedro
September 10, 2009 11:35 AM EDT

Great post. Great movie, one of my favorites. And a great story, too. This is likely the only blog post on the internet with this particular collection of tags: "science fiction, gore, weddings." That alone makes it priceless.

- Scott Fields (DR-Writer)