I'm writing in the midst of four day showing at the New Beverly, where a Ridley Scott double feature of Blade Runner and Alien is currently churning through the single screen theater.

Possibly, I'm writing this late because I didn't know about it until only recently. It's also possible that I couldn't write about it sooner because of LA2DAY’s scheduling. But I think what is most probable is that I write now to put more fire under your ass: writing this late in the week should provide a sense of the transience of things; a sense of having possibly missed the boat, but leaping on board from the dock just in time. It's simply more thrilling to be awoken to the possibility of something without time to prepare--then rushing for the satisfaction of getting there just in time.

And I think my strategy is fitting. Both movies seem concerned with transience, the passage of time, and a kind of mirror-image nostalgia—the future depicted in either movie is rusted, old, tired and desperate; as if even dystopia had run it’s course, revealing nothing on the other side of it but banality and terror, threatening to stretch on forever.

So, at the end of the article, the most pressing consideration for readers who have all ostensibly seen both films, is the actual experience of sitting through both films back to back. Both films are extended, directors cut editions, putting the total running time, plus short intermission, at a little over four hours. This is obviously exhausting; but it concludes with a rather welcome relief; imagine it as a rest after being pummeled by the lips of God. Both films have a similar climactic structure, placing a great deal of stress and emotional pressure at the very end of each story. The doubling of this stress is surprisingly palpable, and I really recommend it.

But regardless of how I feel, you're running out of time. Two more days to see two movies back to back, out of the comfort of your own home. Hurry up.