Alien at the Movies

My Dead Friend Zoe

A female U.S. Army veteran, Merit, returns from the war in Afghanistan to civilian life suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). She has been receiving counseling (Morgan Freeman) at VA support group. She has recently lost her best friend/army buddies, Zoe. Merit is trying to fit back into society & tries dating again. She visits her grandpa (Ed Harris) at the family’s ancestral lake house because he is showing signs of Alzheimer’s. In this dark comedy/drama inspired by a true story, Merit interacts with her departed BBF Zoe’s imaginary presence as she deals with her real life.This buddy film deals with PTSD, Alzheimer’s, & grief issues.

Alien gives it 3 “Thank you for your service” stars out of 4.

Waitress: The Musical

Based on the 2007 movie, this delightful musical is about a waitress/pie baker at a local diner. She has an abusive husband & finds out she unexpectedly is pregnant. Life is complicated for her as she plans to leave her husband. This is a wonderful stage production adapted to be a musical. Sara Bareilles not only stars as the lead Jenna, but she is also the amazing songwriter for this musical. She is outstanding & sings hers songs with passion. The cast is terrific. The songs are emotional & melodic. The play is funny, but adult themed exploring spousal abuse & infidelity affairs. I️ loved the choreography & the smooth set transitions..  

Alien gives it 3 “recipes for the pie of the day” stars out of 4. 

Captain America: Brave New World

Celestial Islsnd, Adamantium, Gamma Radiation… oh my!

It's a Brave New World when General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross (Harrison Ford) becomes president-elect. Brave new heroes with familiar names but different faces must step up to discover the brains behind a conspiracy plot creating global chaos. The new Captain America, Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), teams up with his protégé the new Falcon, Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez) to disrupt the evil plans. There is a world summit meeting, mind controlled subjects, an assassination attempt, an imprisoned super soldier, a black widow red room graduate, an evil genius, & a Red Hulk. Mackie flexes his wings & flings to create his own Captain America style. The film is loaded with those fabulous Marvel action stunts. Ford is terrific in his dual role. Of course, he has had previous experience as president on Air Force One. There are ties here back to the 2008 “The Incredible Hulk” movie. Of course, the big showdown comes down to a battle the non super soldier serummed Captain America against this anger-triggered gamma irradiated Red Hulk. Who will win? Well, who do you think? But how? Look for a cameo appearance. The final end of credits clip warns of a possible world danger coming.

Alien gives it 3 “Mr. Blue” stars out of 4.

Past Lives

It’s year 2000 in Seoul, South Korea when 12-year-old childhood friends, Na Young & Hae Sung begin to develop feelings for each other. However, shortly, Na Young’s family immigrates to Toronto, Canada, & the two lose contact with each other. Their lives take separate paths. She changes her name to Nora Moon & works toward becoming a playwright. He remains in Korea & studies to be an engineer. They reconnect 12 years later through social media, converse through video calls, & reminisce. They seem obsessed with their chats together until Nora suddenly calls it quits because she needs to focus on her career. Another 12 years pass & now Nora is married to Arthur & has moved to New York City. Then one day, Hae Sung visits NYC to meet with Nora & Arthur, where they grapple with their feelings for each other, destiny, & the choices they have made. This is a bittersweet semi-autobiographical romantic drama written/directed by Celine Song. It’s themed by the Korean philosophy of “Inyeon”, how the relationship between two souls in the present is influenced by the interactions in thousands of past lives. You will feel for these two souls & hope somewhere & sometime in the past or future they had been or will be brought closer together. This film is spoken in both English & Korean with English subtitles.

Alien gives it 3 “psycho cry baby dreaming in Korean” stars out of 4. 

Heart Eyes

Just in time for Valentine’s Day… What the HEK?

Dubbed the “Heart Eyes Killer” by the media for his masked disguise, this serial killer has slain couples on Valentine’s Day in different cities across the country for years. Now, he’s struck at a vineyard/winery in Seattle. First, Ally accidentally meets Jay at a coffee shop & then again at her workplace. They become the next targets of this notorious serial killer in a dark comedy sendup of a romantic comedy/slasher horror movie mashup. Using stereotypical setups for each genre, the film pokes fun at these film types with a twisted over-the-top sense of humor. If you think rom/coms & slasher flicks are silly, you might enjoy seeing them skewered in this blend. A couple who aren’t a couple get mercilessly chased until they decide to stand their ground. Will they end up the next victim/victims? Or will this non couple become a couple? Who is this killer? Will this killer be stopped? Will there be another killing spree next year? Look for classical date night situations as love may be kindling along with some jump scares & splatterings of blood & gore. Remember, it ain’t over until it’s over. This is a date night flick for couples with peculiar sense of humors. Look for a final clip near the beginning of the credits.

Alien gives it 3 “Roses are red, Violets are blue, He may come after you” stars out of 4.

Paddington in Peru

It’s “Paddington: Homecoming” meets “Finding Aunt Lucy” meets “ Peruvian Bear & the Lost City of El Dorado“ in this third live action animated Paddington Bear film. While enjoying his time with the Brown family in London, Paddington receives concerning news about his Aunt Lucy from the Reverend Mother (Olivia Coleman) at the Home for Retired Bears. Thus Paddington & the Browns travel back to the bear cub’s origins. When Aunt Lucy is reported missing, the search begins with hiring a boat run by Hunter Cabot (Antonio Banderas) & his daughter Gina. This misadventure features themes of greed & family as the missing person / legendary treasure search develops. Look for the usual hilarious clumsy bear antics.This is a cute family film for all ages with a few surprising twists. Look for a surprise cameo at the beginning & end of the credits.

Alien gives it 3 “Boom” stars out of 4.

Love Hurts

Just in time for Valentines Day…

Mild mannered realtor Marvin Gable (Ke Huy Quan) has his day disrupted by black marker graffiti & a Valentines note from a former partner-in-crime… it’s a warning. In this wild & crazy action comedy, Marvin is a former hit man for his crime boss older brother Alvin “Knuckles” Gable (Daniel Wu). Marvin has ditched his past & started a new successful career, but now assassins are after him. Adriana DeBose, Marshawn Lynch, & Cam Gigandet are among the supporting cast. Quan, Short Round from Indiana Jones & the Temple of Doom, has now morphed himself into a Jackie Chan style action star. Also, Quan, Data from Goonies, is reunited with Sean Astin, Mikey. Property Brother Drew Scott has a hilarious cameo as a rival realtor who accidentally stumbles into a fight scene. Look for amazing choreographed fight scenes & tongue-in-cheek sense of humor. It’s a fun show & a guy’s idea of a Valentine themed movie, action & humor with just a nod to romance.

Alien gives it 3½ “With Love…” stars out of 4.

September 5

It’sIt’s breaking news from ABC Sports Broadcasting at the 1972 Summer Olympic Games in Munich, Germany…heard shots fired from the Olympic Village. Based on the true story about terrorists holding Israeli athlete hostages. See how Roone Arledge (Peter Sarsgaard) & his news crew took charge and filmed the first ever live footage of a terrorist attack. Filmmakers skillfully merged re-enactment scenes with actual real footage of the tragic event. Nine days after the opening ceremony, the peace & harmony of the games supposedly bringing the world together in the spirit cooperation & competition is shattered. This is a behind the scenes look at news broadcasters shifting gears on the fly & having to second guess their every move… are they doing the right thing? The film captures the stresses & emotions of these people dedicated to getting the truth out there. This was their big moment on the world stage telling everyone what was happening as it unfolded.

Alien gives it 3 “live coverage” stars out of 4.

Companion

Just in time for Valentine’s Day?

This looks like a romantic comedy in the beginning when geeky Josh (Jack Quaid) meets pretty Iris (Sophie Thatcher) at the supermarket, but Iris’ narration raises my suspicions. Jump to much later when now couple Josh & Iris visits friends, Kat, Eli, & Patrick at Sergey’s lavish lake house isolated deep in the woods. When pervy rich Russian Sergey makes unwanted advances on Iris, this movie starts to feel like a murder thriller, but then morphs into a heist caper. With its many twists & turns, the plot again shifts gears to a sci-fi horror show involving smart phones, self-driving cars, & a software hacker. It’s wickedly delicious fun as fingers point at who is at fault/to blame as the body count rises. Who, if any, will survive this supposedly relaxing time by the lake?

Alien gives it 3½ “Go To Sleep” stars out of 4.