Meet The Screenwriter Shane Salerno earned his first credit at the age of twenty four as the co-screenwriter of the global blockbuster "Armageddon", (starring Bruce Willis), and followed it one year later with the critically acclaimed box office hit "Shaft" (starring Samuel L Jackson, Christian Bale and Jeffrey Wright). Additionally he has rewritten a number of successful films including the acclaimed Paramount thriller "“Breakdown", starring Kurt Russell and the box office hits "Alien vs Predator" and "Ghost Rider". He was the co-creator (with noted crime novelist Don Winslow), executive producer and showrunner of the NBC series "UC: Undercover". Salerno first came to the national spotlight as an 18 year old high school student when he wrote, produced and directed the award winning documentary short "Sundown: The Future of Children and Drugs", which had its world premiere on "Larry King Live", won numerous awards, and was honored in both houses of Congress. The Inside Story Bringing together the elements of both the "Alien" and "Predator" franchises are directors The Brothers Strause, Colin and Greg. There visual effects house, Hydraulx, is renowned for its computer-generated wizardry on films such as "300", "X-Men: The Last Stand" and "Fantastic Four". It’s no accident that the Strause brothers are making their feature film helming debut on a story featuring Aliens and Predators because they are unabashed fans of both film series. "“Colin and Greg live Aliens and Predators," says prducer John Davis ("Predator" & "Alien vs Predator") "They’ve seen the movies countless times, know the [AVP] comics and played the [AVP] videogames. They really understand these characters." According to screenwriter Shane Salerno, "The Strause brothers live, eat and breathe these films. The specificity they’ve given AVP-R is remarkable. They’re passionate about this material." The brothers’ passion extends to the film’s central notion of placing warring creatures in the middle of a small American town named . To them, this idea heightened the stakes and the scares. "What’s more frightening, a menace happening millions of miles away, or a threat in your own backyard," says Greg Strause. "Obviously, we thought it was time to bring the Predator and Aliens into the thick of things here. It gets very primal; you’ve never seen anything like it on film. No one is safe in this movie!" In fact Gunnison is a real-life locale situated 2338 metres above sea level in the mountains of central Colorado in Gunnison County . The area is renown for for its beauty, hiking, rafting and snow season activities, in particular, Gunnison-Crested Butte which is just a scenic four hour drive from Denver and three hours of beautiful landscape from Colorado Springs. "While writing the script, I was constantly thinking about how regular people respond to the most extreme situations," says Salerno. "I looked at things like hurricanes and fires, where ordinary people: firefighters, police officers, teachers; become heroes." "We wanted to explore the lengths to which people would go to protect their families," Colin Strause elaborated. "Who would they fight for, and die for?" Another element new to the long-running franchise is the Predalien. The creature is not really a Predator/Alien hybrid. It is an Alien that incubated inside a Predator, taking on some characteristics of the host body. It is about eighty percent Alien and twenty percent Predator. It has the Alien’s exoskeleton, acid blood, scorpion-like tail and inner tongue/striking mouth. On the Predator side, it has an additional Predator-like mandible, and an Alien-ized version of Predator 'dreadlocks'. More significantly, its Predator DNA has changed the Alien’s method of procreation. The only thing stopping the onslaught of the Aliens and Predalien is a sole Predator. Unlike the hunter Predators seen in previous films, the AVP-R version is a 'cleaner' whose sole purpose is to erase any signs of an Alien or Predator presence on Earth. In a way, the Predator becomes a kind of eco-warrior. "He doesn’t want to leave any carnage behind on Earth that could upset the planet’s balance," says Davis. "That gives the character a certain dignity." But don't be fooled. This is not a kindler, gentler Predator. In fact, he is the most ruthless of that species. Unlike the cleaner’s predecessors, it does not follow the Predator’s hunter’s code of pursuing only armed prey. "It’s leaner and meaner", says Greg Strause. Creature effects creator and designer Alec Gillis, who with his partner Tom Woodruff Jr worked on several previous "Alien" and "Predator" films, notes, "Our idea was that this Predator is a battle-scarred veteran who uses his brains more than his brawn. He carries scars of previous campaigns (of 'cleaning'); one of his mandibles has melted off from a previous encounter with an acid-blooded Alien." "You can tell he’s been through a lifetime of battles," says Colin. "And he wears no armor; he doesn’t need it!" The Strauses also integrated into the film some aspects from the comic's and videogame's incarnations of the creatures. "We’re standing on the shoulders of giants," Gillis notes. The shared vision of the Strause brothers and Woodruff and Gillis was evident as early as their first meeting. Gillis recalls their first thought was, "Oh, it’s going to be all-digital creatures, all the time. We were concerned that the creatures wouldn’t be as tactile as they needed to be." The fears of the creature creators-designers were quickly assuaged when the Strause brothers visited their shop, Amalgamated Dynamics Inc. "We were thrilled when Colin and Greg came to our shop, and we saw how much they appreciated the previous versions of the characters. We all agreed that merging practical effects and digital technology made for better creatures," Gillis said. While Gillis and Woodruff finalized their creature designs, the Strause brothers, producer John Davis, and the studio began the casting process, and populating their version of a besieged Gunnison, Colorado. The townspeople are working class characters, unlike the millionaires, explorers and adventurers of the first "AvsP". "You care when something happens to them," says Davis. John Ortiz ("Before Night Falls" & "American Gangster"), who portrays Morales, the town’s sheriff, notes that the human characters, even in the midst of fantastical and horrific situations, remain recognizable and relatable. "What drew me to Morales is that although he’s an authority figure, he doesn’t have all the answers. And though the stakes are extreme for him and everyone in town, at their core, the characters struggles are ones known to everyone: survival and family." Still, Ortiz wasn’t immune to the otherworldly designs surrounding him every day on the set. "I remember the first time we shot a scene with an Alien. It was on top of a car." Obie Award winner Ortiz recalls his reaction. "What the hell! Holy shit, I’m in an Alien movie!" For Steven Pasquale ("Rescue Me"), sharing the spotlight with the cinema’s most famous xenomorph was the fulfillment of a longtime goal. Pasquale, who portrays Dallas, an ex-con just out of prison explained why. "The original ‘Alien’ was my father’s favorite films. One of the reasons I wanted to appear in AVP-R was because I knew he’d be over the moon about it." His reunion with younger brother Ricky (played by Johnny Lewis), is interrupted by the catastrophe shattering their town. "Dallas sees right away that Ricky is headed down the same path that he was," says Pasquale, "and he tries to turn that around. He’s always trying to protect his brother." Dallas, like Morales, is capable and tough, but no amount of street smarts and inner strength can measure up to the threat posed by the warring Aliens and Predator. "What I like about the characters is that they have no training that could prepare them for this phenomenon," Pasquale notes. Pasquale’s on-screen sibling, Johnny Lewis ("One Missed Call" & "Tucker Tooley’s Felon"), expects his role as a troubled high school student who battles and, at least for a moment, triumphs over an Alien, to be one of the more memorable of his career. "No matter what I do in my life, the fact that I got to kill some of those creatures will be my little claim to history. Not many people can make that claim." Another family in crisis is a mother, Kelly, and her daughter Molly. Kelly (played by Reiko Aylesworth) has just returned to Gunnison from a tour of duty in Iraq. "She’s trying to reestablish a relationship with Molly and must re-learn how to be mother," says Aylesworth ("24" & "E.R"), who portrays the warrior-mom. But as she’s trying to reconnect with Molly (Ariel Gade), Kelly must also return to combat-mode to deal with the escalating Aliens and Predator horrors. "Kelly gets very Ripley-esque," says Aylesworth, referring to Sigourney Weaver’s heroic Ellen Ripley, the central character of the Alien film franchise. "We’re paying homage to Ripley in that sense that both she and Kelly are strong female characters. What I loved about Sigourney’s work in those films is that she wasn’t trying to emulate a male action hero. She was very female and very maternal. Molly shares those traits." As if battling Aliens and a Predator cleaner weren’t challenge enough, the actors did so during six weeks of freezing nights and rain on the AVP-R set. Steven Pasquale sums up the experience of working in daily torrential downpours: "In the first week or so of production, I was excited to shoot at night, in the rain, and battle Aliens. When we arrived on the set and got soaking wet for the first time, it was exhilarating and fun; we were laughing and having a good time. By two weeks into the filming, all that remained was complete misery and, a brutal and constant struggle to stay warm." Pasquale celebrated his thirtieth birthday on-set with a case of hypothermia. While posing challenges to the actors, the weather was a boon to the directors vision for the film. "The grittiness, steam, rain, haze fog; it all enhances the action," says Greg Strause. "These elements reflect our philosophy of 'less is more.' We didn’t want to show too much of the creatures, so we hid them in the shadows and in the rain, a strategy employed by two of the brothers’ cinematic touchstones, Alien and Aliens." Additionally, the Strause brothers sprinkled subliminal elements throughout the film to amp up the scares. In their Gunnison, even a small pizza shop can look as threatening as a desolate planet. After wrapping principal photography, the Strause brothers set up post-production headquarters at their Santa Monica, California–based effects house, Hydraulx. There, they worked on not only the film’s digital magic, but also on other critical post work. At the same time, Brian Tyler composed the film’s score, creating what he calls "gritty, scary, adrenaline-pumping" music that reflects the mood of scores from the previous films in the franchise. "The Alien themes use screeching strings, atonal furor, and wailing brass," Tyler explained. "When I conducted the Aliens themes, the sound wave created by the orchestra nearly knocked me on my behind." Tyler contrasts these with the Predator themes: "The Predators have an intelligence lacking in the Aliens, but they’re equally as brutal. For them, I merged tribal-style percussion and stern brass. "It was important to have the music sound epic and true to its science fiction roots," Tyler concluded. Synopsis

A Predator scout ship comes under attack from Aliens who have infected the crew after their previous encounter. Though they fight back, the Predators are no match for the fierce-some Aliens mutants. As a consequence, the ship careers out of control, entering earths atmosphere, then crash landing near a Colorado town. The Aliens on board escape while all Predators are killed. Back on their home planet, a Predator warrior becomes aware of the crash when signals are tramsmitted back to him. He arms himself and embarks on a solitary mission to Earth, intent on destroying all the Aliens. Meanwhile the townspeople are helplessly caught in the middle of the face-off between these two alien races. When the National Guard arrives the hopelessness of the situation is fully realized. A group of people head for the towns hospital where a helicopter they hope to escape in, sits unnoticed on its heli-pad.

The Verdict "While there's no doubting both "Alien" and "Predator" fans will be high tailing it into cinemas to see this latest edition in the long running franchise, purists who loved both the original "Alien" thrillers and the exciting "Predator" won't get much of a kick out of this latest film, which is set in the small Colorado town of Gunnison. With the Alien creatures now having some resemblance to the Predator creature, it's hard most of the time to spot who is killing who. The earlier crisp scenes deteriorate badly under a rain laden setting. Yes it does leave itself open for another sequel. Let's hope that if there is another, it's made to attract back all the fans of both franchises, not just the gamer-boyz and as I said, the die-hards. Recommended. 3 STARS." Cast & Crew Bytes "ALIENS vs PREDATOR: REQUIEM" stars .......
Steven Pasquale ["The Last Run", "Aurora Borealis" and TV'S "Rescue Me"]; Reiko Aylesworth ["You've Got Mail", "No Deposit, No Return", "The Killing Floor" and "Mr. Brooks"]; Kristen Hager ["I'm Not There"]; Ariel Gade ["Envy" and "Dark Water"]; Robert Joy ["The Shipping News", "Land Of The Dead" and "The Hills Have Eyes"] and Ian Whyte ["AVP: Alien vs Predator"] as the Predator.
"ALIENS vs PREDATOR: REQUIEM" was .......
directed by The Brothers Strause ["Mute" and "16mm Mystery"]; screenplay by Shane Salerno ["Armageddon" and "Shaft"]; set decoration by Shane Vieau ["The Final Cut", "Slither" and "Juno"]; costume design by Academy Award winner Angus Strathie ["Strictly Ballroom", "Moulin Rouge!" and "Swimming Upstream"]; production design by Andrew Neskoromny ["Replicant", "Dawn of the Dead" and "Slither"]; edited by Dan Zimmerman ["The Omen"]; director of photography Daniel C Pearl ["The Texas Chain Saw Massacre", "The Return" and "Invaders from Mars"]; original music by Brian Tyler ["Paparazzi", "Constantine", "Rogue Assassin" and "Rambo"]; special makeup effects artist Dawn Dininger ["Metal", "Duplex", "AVP: Alien vs Predator", "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" and "Deathproof"]; special effects supervisor Alec Gillis ["Aliens", "Alien Nation", "Alien 3", "Hollow Man", "Cast Away" and "AVP: Alien vs Predator"]. Who's Who?

Ian Whyte Tom Woodruff Jr Steven Pasquale Reiko Aylesworth John Ortiz Johnny Lewis Ariel Gade Kristen Hager Sam Trammell Robert Joy David Paetkau Chelah Horsdal Meshach Peters Matthew Ward Michal Suchánek David Hornsby Chris William Martin James Chutter

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Predator Alien Dallas Kelly Morales Ricky Molly Jesse Tim Col Stevens Dale Darcy Curtis Mark Nick Drew Deputy Ray Deputy Joe

Run Time 94 minutes Rated MA15+ [AUST] Copyright ©2007 - 20th Century Fox - All Rights Reserved ©2007 All Rights Reserved - The Movie Pages - Protected by Australian & International Copyright. Trademark Laws Apply.