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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Enjoy an ‘Alien’ experience tonight at The Bing

Dan Webster

Do you remember the first time you saw the film "Alien"? I do. I was living in Eugene, Ore., during the summer of 1979, and my then-wife and I went to a theater with another couple. And if nothing else, I remember emerging from the theater feeling … well, a whole range of emotions. But mostly the kind of excitement that comes from seeing something truly memorable.

And I knew this was why I went to movies. Director Ridley Scott and his team had taken a simple story — one, by the way, had been done 21 years before under the title of "It! The Terror Beyond Space" — and made a sci-fi classic. It was a blend of slasher/horror and some of the best rendered sci-fi effects since maybe "2001: A Space Odyssey." 

"Alien" has spawned three sequels so far: "Aliens," "Alien3" and "Alien: Resurrection," and was the inspiration for what is really a companion series, "Prometheus" (and its two planned sequels). And while "Aliens" certainly has its qualities, nothing quite matches Scott's original for mood, setting and sheer terror.

So, Spokane Public Radio will screen Scott's "Alien" tonight at the Bing Crosby Theater at 7:30. Movies 101, the show that Mary Pat Treuthart, Nathan Weinbender and I do for SPR, will do a live taping focusing on Scott and "Alien" beginning at 6:30. Tickets are $12 (which includes a $2 service charge).

If you show up, remember: In space, no one can hear you scream.