#Galo Olivares

[scenesandscreens]

Alien: Romulus (2024)

Director - Fede Álvarez, Cinematography - Galo Olivares

"I can't lie about your chances. But you have my sympathies."

[theuntitledblog]

Alien: Romulus (2024) - REVIEW

With Alien: Romulus, we're back in familiar territory with a sequel/prequel that opts for a more back to basics approach. Director Fede Alvarez moves away from Prometheus and Alien: Covenant by taking the series back to the visual style and tone of the originals. As a homage to the Ridley Scott and James Cameron era of Alien movies, Romulus is a triumph as it looks, moves and sounds like it could've been made in the late 1970's/early 80's. But perhaps the notable thing for me is that this has that same sense of dread that an Alien film should have as Romulus delivers on the chills, gore and thrills that perhaps the more recent films were somewhat lacking. Whether Alien: Romulus is the next major step forward for the series is up for debate as there's very little here that we haven't seen before to an extent.

It all starts slowly and spends time introducing Rain (Cailee Spaeny) , her synthetic brother Andy (David Jonsson) and the standard rag tag group which, this time, is comprised of worker friends who decide to infiltrate the decommissioned (or is it?) Romulus and Remus station. The film spends enough time to ensure that you do kind of care about them to an extent especially when you consider their lives against the hellish backdrop of the Jackson mining colony where the Weyland-Yutani Corp are essentially working them all slowly to death. However much like with Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, none of the leads are a match for Sigourney Weaver's Ripley although I do feel that Cailee Spaeny has come the closest with her relationship with David Jonsson's Andy being the most interesting in the film. The MVP of the film for me is Jonsson's dual performance as two versions of Andy with the secondary version in particular adding some some additional tension and unpredictability.

The use of practical effects gives everything a really dirty, gritty and lived in look (like the originals) and is especially effective on the station itself. But it's the use of darkness, shoulder based camera shots that limit the field of vision and the interjecting use of both silence and sound that really ups the tension once the group reaches the station. With the added impact of the score, sound effects, moments of claustrophobia and even arachnophobia, I often found myself tensing up and on the edge of my seat not knowing where the next scare is coming from or what horror might suddenly reveal itself. These are old tricks that have all been used before, but that still doesn't stop it from being effective here and make no mistakes, Alien: Romulus is as tense and scary as you'd hope it be.

But there's also no question that the film offers fan service in a way that Prometheus and Alien: Covenant didn't, for better or worse. Elements of the story naturally link back to 1979's Alien but there is also a surprising reference to Prometheus and the origins of the Xenomorphs as well. While these sort of references in the story itself didn't bother me in the slightest, the repeated use iconic lines from the series as well as the structural similarities may prove to be more challenging for others. There's no question for me that the worst offender is the use of a classic Aliens line in particular that is misjudged and took me out the movie for a moment. Whether this is all enough to hinder your enjoyment of the film is for you to decide but for me however, none of this took away from the quality of the filmmaking and the overall roller coaster ride that this film takes you on. The Xenomorphs in particularly are gloriously realized using practical effects and there are a number of tense and fun set pieces that made me sit up think that they are back to their full glory.

VERDICT

Alien: Romulus may lack originality but it looks and sounds fantastic and is a scary and thrilling roller coaster ride of a movie. The best Alien movie since Aliens.

****

[genevieveetguy]

Alien: Romulus, Fede Alvarez (2024)

[nuovocparadiso]

Gretel & Hansel (2020).

– dir. Oz Perkins | dop: Galo Olivares.

[deepredradio]

Alien Romulus

Story: Unter dem Kommando der vom Leben gezeichneten Rain und ihrem synthetischen Bruder Andy, macht sich eine kleine Gruppe von Schrottsammlern auf den Weg, die erst kürzlich aufgegebene Raumstation Romulus auszuschlachten. Bei ihrer Ankunft trifft die Crew lediglich auf ein synthetisches Wesen namens Rook, doch darüber hinaus scheint kein Mensch mehr an Bord zu sein, der sie beim Plündern…

[esqueletosgays]

ALIEN: ROMULUS (2024)

Director: Fede Alvarez Cinematography: Galo Olivares

[thegeneralreturns]

So how was the summer movie season of 2024?

(one person's opinion based on the movies they saw between May 1 and August 31)

BEST FILM: Strange Darling Runner-up: I Saw the TV Glow

BEST DIRECTION: Jane Schoenbraun- I Saw the TV Glow Runner-up: George Miller - Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

BEST SCREENPLAY: JT Mollner - Strange Darling Runner-up: Damian McCarthy - Oddity

BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE: Willa Fitzgerald - Strange Darling Runner-up: Carolyn Bracken - Oddity

BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE: Channing Tatum - Blink Twice Runner-up: Richard Roundtree - Thelma

BEST STUNT COORDINATION & ENSEMBLE: Kill Runner-up: The Fall Guy

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: Galo Olivares - Alien: Romulus Runner-up: Eric Yue - I Saw the TV Glow

BEST FILM EDITING: Christopher Robin Bell - Strange Darling Runner-up: Shivkumar V. Panicker - Kill

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS: Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes Runner-up: Twisters

MOST UNDERRATED FILM: In a Violent Nature Runner-up: Horizon-An American Saga: Chapter One

MOST OVERRATED FILM: Longlegs Runner-up: Kinds of Kindness

WORST FILM: AfrAId Runner-up: Borderlands

[frontproofmedia]

Dolo Flicks: Alien: Romulus Review: The Legacy Continues with a Visual Feast and Mixed Results

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By Hector Franco

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Published: August 26, 2024

"The solution for a claustrophobic astronaut is to give him more space."  -- Andy (David Jonsson)

The Alien franchise has seen its share of ups and downs, but the series has always been bold in taking chances, for better or worse. Prequels have delved deep into the mythology behind the alien creatures. Sequels have headed in entirely new directions, leaving the events of previous entries inconsequential. In the 2000s, the series followed the route of Freddy vs. Jason with two Alien vs. Predator films. Legendary director Ridley Scott re-entered the franchise with Prometheus and Alien: Covenant to mixed results. Many praised Scott's new direction in the series, while others felt the director's new vision didn't provide the Alien experience they wanted. 

Now in the 2020s, the franchise's latest installment, Alien: Romulus, follows the trend of legacy sequels. Directed and co-written by Fede Alvarez, Alien: Romulus occurs between Alien and Aliens and is sprinkled with callbacks and fan service to multiple films throughout the franchise. Alvarez keeps the story simple in Alien: Romulus, focusing on the proletariat working class rather than scientists or the elite of the Weyland-Yutani company. The cast is kept small, similar to Alien (1979), with Rain Carradine (Cailee Spaeny) and her synthetic human Andy (David Jonsson) at the forefront. After Rain is denied a travel visa and instead has her work contract extended, she agrees to help a group of friends and fellow Weyland-Yutani workers steal cryostasis chambers from a spacecraft. The chambers will allow them to enter cryo-sleep and travel to a remote planet with an actual sun and more suitable living conditions. 

Alvarez's previous directorial work, notably 2013's Evil Dead, shows an ability to take elements from an established property and increase the intensity. The blood rain scene at the end of Evil Dead is an example. Alien: Romulus does this with the alien face-huggers. Rather than one face-hugger causing havoc, the film has characters running from a horde of the spider-like creatures. Numerous times, the film uses time or countdowns to build suspense. But with the face-huggers, a layer of dread is added due to their ability to impregnate victims with an alien seed. 

The aspect in which Alien: Romulus shines is its technical side. The entire look of the film, which is highlighted in its opening, resembles Alien, with its focus on analog futuristic technology. The movie's cinematographer, Galo Olivares, does an incredible job with the colors, lighting, and framing of the shots throughout the film. The color orange is prevalent in the movie, representing danger. The aesthetic, along with the analog look of the technology, only adds to how well-executed and thought-out the filming was for Alien: Romulus. 

The xenomorph alien has never looked more frightening than in Alien: Romulus. The use of practical effects continues to prove its superiority over CGI in horror films. The xenomorphs aren't overly featured in Alien: Romulus, so they are more impactful when they appear. The sexual overtones of the xenomorphs are heavily featured and purposely highlighted in Alien: Romulus. Whether it be the impregnation by the face-huggers or the xenomorphs emerging from a vaginal-like cocoon, the film emphasizes this aspect of the creatures that previous iterations only hinted at. 

"The less you understand about the creature, the scarier it is," Alvarez told the Los Angeles Times. We are afraid of things that we cannot understand, and above all, things that we cannot understand that have a human element." 

The faults with Alien: Romulus are founded in its constant callbacks to other films in the franchise. One, especially during the end of the film's third act, straddled the line between eye-rolling and unnecessary. There's also a synthetic human identical to Ash from Alien (1979) that only serves as fan service as it isn't the same character. The overall look and sound of the movie were more than enough for Alvarez to show his reverence for Alien and Aliens. Everything else felt forced and oozed of studio meddling. Also, the film, for many, will have overstayed its welcome. When the film seems to be heading toward its natural conclusion, a fourth act is added. The events and unveiling of one hybrid creature will divide audiences. 

Like other legacy sequels, such as Halloween (2018) and Scream (2022), which brought Michael Myers and Ghostface to a new generation, Alien: Romulus is the alien movie of this era. The film works best if you've never seen Alien (1979) or Aliens (1986); otherwise, you'll want to see those movies instead. But there is more positive than negative here. 

The performances from both leads, Spaeny and Jonsson, are commendable. Jonsson's Andy provides a diverse showing, from delivering harmless dad jokes to executing emotionless protocol actions. Alien: Romulus successfully blends elements from Alien and Aliens, delivering a nostalgic and fun experience for moviegoers.

While it may not reach the pinnacle of the Alien franchise, Alien: Romulus certainly keeps the audience interested in what comes next.

(Featured Photo: Image: 20th Century Studios)

[pletnet]

Galo Olivares: El Genio Cinematográfico detrás de 'Roma' y 'Alien: Romulus'

Galo Olivares está revolucionando el cine. ¡Descubre su legado para nuevas generaciones! #CineMexicano

Galo Olivares lidera el arte visual detrás de “Alien Romulus”, “Roma” y más. ¡Conoce más aquí! Índice:La evolución de un artistaLa visión detrás de la cámara Galo Olivares, un nombre que está resonando en la industria del cine, es un cinefotógrafo extraordinario que ha dejado su huella en proyectos de renombre internacional. Nacido en Uruapan, Michoacán, México, este talentoso profesional ha…

[agendaculturaldelima]

#ProyeccionDeVida

🎬 “ALIEN. ROMULUS”

🔎 Género: Ciencia Ficción / Acción / Terror / Aventura Espacial / Extraterrestres

⌛️ Duración: 119 minutos

✍️ Guión: Fede Álvarez y Rodo Sayagues

📷 Fotografía: Galo Olivares

🎼 Música: Benjamin Wallfisch

🗯 Argumento: Mientras rebuscan en las profundidades de una estación espacial abandonada, un grupo de jóvenes colonizadores del espacio se encuentra cara a cara con la forma de vida más aterradora del universo.

👥 Reparto: Cailee Spaeny (Rain Carradine), Isabela Merced, Aileen Wu (Navarro), Archie Renaux (Tyler), David Jonsson y Spike Fearn (Bjorn).

📢 Dirección: Fede Álvarez

© Productoras: 20th Century Studios, Scott Free Productions & Brandywine Productions.

👤 Productor: Ridley Scott.

📼 Distribuidora: 20th Century Studios.

🌎 País: Estados Unidos

📅 Año: 2024

📌 ESTRENO:

📆 Jueves 15 de Agosto

📽 Cartelera Nacional: Cineplanet / Cinemark Perú / Cinépolis / Multicines Cinestar

[giantmetalrobotto]

Alien: Romulus Estrena Solo En Cines El 15 De Agosto

Anoche se celebró en el TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX en Hollywood la premiere del nuevo thriller de ciencia ficción y terror ALIEN: ROMULUS. El director y coguionista Fede Alvarez, el coguionista Rodo Sayagues, los productores Ridley Scott y Michael Pruss, los productores ejecutivos Elizabeth Cantillon, Brent O’Connor y Tom Moran, el director de fotografía Galo Olivares, el compositor Benjamin…

[vm4vm0]

Capital Group - 'Everything Behind It' from Stuart Langfield on Vimeo.

Directed By - Me

Production Company - Skin & Bones Exec Producer - Liane Thomas Line Producer - Kelly King Visual Research - Sam Hughes

Director of Photography - Galo Olivares Art Director - Pol Agusti Stylist - Monique Vilfort

Agency - Juniper Park Executive Creative Director - Jenny Glover Group Creative Director - Mark Fitzgerald Senior Copywriter - Craig Burt Senior Art Director - Mario Maiato Managing Director - Lisa Wall Group Account Director - Renee Smith Account Executive - Alice Fortuniak Agency Producer - Dena Thompson Director of Integrated Production - Nancy Rak-Swales Senior Digital Producer - Orsolya Cseki

Service Prod Co - Tonic Films CDMX Executive Producer - Susan Neill Line Producer - Antonio Thibaut 1st AD - Marco Polo Martínez  2nd AD - Jocelyn Estrella Script Supervisor - Paloma Arias Unit Manager - Javier Silva Production Coordinator - Tania Amador

1st AC - German Betancourt 2nd AC - Antonio Betancourt Crane Op - Rick Leger Set Decorator - Fabiola López Muñoz

Editorial - Rooster Executive Producer - Melissa Khan Editor - Michelle Czukar, Assistant Editor - Matt Blakely

VFX & Colour - Alter Ego Executive Producer - Hilda Pereira Producer - Elise Beauvais VFX Supervisor - David Whiteson Colourist - Eric Whipp

Sound Design & Mix (Dir Cut) - Nicholas Davis

Photography Adriana Farias

[scenesandscreens]

Gretel & Hansel (2020)

Director - Oz Perkins, Cinematography - Galo Olivares

"I hoped today would be a good day. Hope is a dangerous thing."

[nuovocparadiso]

Gretel & Hansel (2020). 

– dir. Oz Perkins | dop: Galo Olivares.

[bigspoopygurl]

Gretel & Hansel (2020)

“Say that again and I will turn your tongue into a flower, to remind you how pretty and dumb and temporary you've chosen to be.”

Director: Oz Perkins

Cinematographer: Galo Olivares

[esqueletosgays]

GRETEL & HANSEL (2020)

Director: Osgood Perkins Cinematography: Galo Olivares