David Elliott's Final Column

Squonkins - To your surprise, I'm a fan of Star Trek (the original series and movies). Rather than debate with you the reason I chose the words I did, I'd love to know how you would rate, on a scale of 1 to 4 stars, the movies in the Alien(s) franchise: Alien, Aliens, Alien3, Alien Resurrection, and now Prometheus. . Can you honestly say that Prometheus comes even close to being as good as the first two movies were ? How about the movie "Another Earth" ? Did you like that oine ? Although the reviews were mixed, David Elliott gave it three stars, and I agree, it was a fascinating and enjoyable movie. P.S. - Don't know if David reviewed it, but if you like pure sci fi, the movie "Moon" is wonderful.
— June 18, 2012 4:05 p.m.

David Elliott's Final Column

David - I read your movie reviews in the Union Tribune for many years, and was very sad when you left the paper (so much so that I sent multiple emails to the newspaper complaining). I was delighted when your reviews resurfaced in the Reader 19 months ago, yet once again I'm saddened by your departure. Not only did I enjoy your writing style and perspective on movies, you and I shared a very similar appreciation for what makes a movie worth watching. No matter what the critics' consensus was, I almost always tended to agree with your review. A great and recent example is Prometheus. As a huge fan of Alien and Aliens, and a huge hater of all that came afterwards (Alien3, Alien Resurrection, etc.) I anxiously awaited the opening of the highly anticipated prequel Prometheus. Okay, 73% on RottenTomatoes.com was quite encouraging. Went to see it, and although the visuals were spectacular, the plot line was ridiculous, the acting silly, and the conclusion just outright disappointing. Then I read your review, and learned why you gave it the black dot (I purposely didn't read your review prior to seeing it so as not to color my own viewpoint beforehand). Once again, your review was spot-on and insightful. I can't tell you how many movies I've gone to the theater to see based solely on a good review by you. I almost always (say, 90%) have agreed with your view of a film's worthiness. Thank you for all the years of providing reading pleasure and help in deciding which films are worth my time. You will be missed. http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/jun/1…
— June 17, 2012 9:46 a.m.