Best of the Letter "A:" Alien (1979)

Simultaneously one of the best horror and science fiction films of all time, Alien is simply good film making.  From the opening credits to the final moments, director Ridley Scott creates a terrifically tense, eerie and exciting tale of a voyage into the unknown.

It's hard to come up with anything that doesn't work in Alien.  The special effects are still great, the set design and art are simply perfect, the alien design is iconic, and the script is much better than you might give it credit for before viewing.  Even the poster is great, with that quite memorable tag-line, "In Space, No On Can Hear You Scream."

Basically, the plot is about a group of truckers exposed to a parasite by an evil corporation.  It's just that the truckers work in space and the parasite is, well, an alien.  But it is that simplicity in the plot that makes it work so well.  These are normal people in an abnormal situation.  Sure, it's hundreds of years in the future, but they are still normal people worried about normal things, like paychecks and bad food.  Oh, and they are also worried about whether the giant space monster will eat them before they can kill it.

Deride the choice all you will, Alien is a genuinely great film that deserves all the accolades it has received, along with many more.  And it fundamentally changed perceptions on what a science fiction movie could be.

Entertainment: 9/10
Artistic Value: 7/10
Technical Merit: 9/10

Overall: 9/10

Runners up for the letter "A;"

• Amadeus
• Anatomy of a Murder
• Aliens 
• An American in Paris