Alien at the Movies

This is not a sneak preview. This film has already released.

Two star crossed lovers are employed by Howard Hughes (Warren Beatty) but aren't allowed to fraternize. One is a country bumpkin/aspiring actress (Lily Collins) from Virginia & the other is a hired driver (Alden Ehrenreich) from Fresno. Beatty produces, writes, directs, & stars with Mathew Broderick, Annette Bening, & a whole bunch of familiar faces in the supporting cast. It is a great looking period piece especially if you were old enough to experience it first hand. Hughes' eccentricity is fascinating to watch. Collins' performance is captivating to watch. The story is fictionalized with Hughes' fascinating world as the backdrop. 

Alien gives it 3 ½ "you're an exception" stars out of 4.  

Bad Santa 2

Billy Bob Thornton & Tony Cox are back as bad Santa & his nasty little elf. These partners in crime reunite for another heist now masterminded by his mom (Kathy Bates). Lauren Graham (aka Lorelei Gilmore) wisely opted out of this unnecessary & lame sequel so the voluptuous Christina Hendricks has been substituted here. Then add in one clueless idiot for more unfunny bits. I'd recommend passing on this raunchy mess filled with f-bombs & perverted sex jokes, unless you enjoy this type of crude humor that's devoid of any creative comedy. Thornton & Bates are perfect for roles but wasted talent in this silly show. This one is definitely on Santa's naughty list.

Alien gives it 1 "double cross" star out of 4.

Bleed For This

Yet another boxing film? It's a real life "Rocky" & another "Cinderella Man" story that culminates in the "Hands of Stone" Roberto Duran battling it out with the "Pazmanian Devil" Vinny Pazienza (Miles Teller). Aaron Eckhart plays Vinny's trainer. Both give tremendous performances in this incredible true life comeback story. The supporting cast is also wonderful portraying Vinny's colorful Italian family. This is an inspiring story of one man's desire & determination to persevere when no hope seemed possible after a tragic event. Real life videos & footage add to drama's authenticity.

Alien gives it 3 "Duel in the Dessert" stars out of 4.

This movie premise directed by Robert Zemeckis sounds like "Casablanca" meets "Mr & Mrs Smith" meets "Sleeping With The Enemy" meets "Behind Enemy Lines", but is it? Canadian intelligence officer (Brad Pitt) meets French Resistance fighter (Marion Cotillard) in Morocco to assassinate the German ambassador.  They fall in love & wed. Then she is suspected of being a double agent, but is she? This is a tremendous suspense thriller & touching love story. Pitt & Cotillard are marvelous as the loving couple in this gripping WWII spy drama that may have you second guessing how this will end. Is it all's fair in love & war? Do you keep your friends close, but your enemies closer? Does love conquer all? The film is about love & trust in the middle of a war.

Alien gives it 3 "blue dye" stars out of 4.

In Disney's latest coming-of-age animated feature, Moana is the strong-willed daughter of an overprotective chieftain. She is on a quest to save her people with the help from Maui, a shape shifting demigod. This great looking film is filled with adventure, music, & humor.  The film is also steeped in Pacific Islander culture & legends. It follows the classic Disney princess role model blueprint to inspire little girls. Audiences will even get to hear "The Rock" Dwayne Johnson sing to lyrics co-written by Lin-Manuel Miranda of "Hamilton" fame.

Alien gives it 3 "finding one's identity" stars out of 4.

PS  Preceding the featured film is a funny & charming animated short entitled "Inner Workings". It's the story of the rational brain & the passionate heart competing to guide the behavior of a mundane office worker with a monotonous job. Very cute.

Loving

This is the true story of Richard & Mildred Loving, an interracial couple legally married in Washington D.C. but arrested in their home state of Virginia for illegal cohabitation. Their situation eventually leads to the 1967 landmark Supreme Court civil rights decision invalidating laws prohibiting interracial marriages. This is mainly the love story between a white blue collar bricklayer & his black wife. They just wanted to be left alone to live peacefully together & raise a family but the injustices of the times wouldn't have it. The movie has great acting (Joel Edgerton & Ruth Negga) & provides insights a critical historic moment in America. However, the film feels like it's runs too slow & dragged out, mainly because these are two people desperately trying to live under the radar & not wanting to cause any trouble. There is no heated courtroom drama here. How many scenes of Edgerton do we need to see with a trowel, a level, mortar, & bricks or cinder blocks? The talented Michael Shannon is wasted in a small bit part. The film is interesting but not compelling; well done but not likely to be popular entertainment. Follow up captioning runs at the end of the film.

Alien gives it 2½ "Life Magazine Photo" stars out of 4. 

Based on a first year Hogwarts student's required reading text book, author J.K. Rowling has created an intriguing screenplay (supposedly the first of five) about the adventure of magizoologist Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) in America some 70 years prior to the Harry Potter Universe. For those fans suffering from wizardry withdrawals, this prequel with an American twist can be described in clichéd terms as magical, enchanting, & spellbinding. The special effects are amazingly spectacular & the creatures outrageously awesome. Redmayne portrays another totally unique character in this shy modest hero with a "Scooby Gang" (2 wizard sisters & a factory worker/baker) who's chasing down some extraordinary beasts from the magic world that have escaped into 1926 New York City. Of course, they also cross paths with some evil individuals. Dan Fogle is delightfully funny as the No-Maj (American term for Muggle) unintentional sidekick. Jon Voit & Colin Farrell are in the supporting cast. Look for a surprise cameo with some apparent significance.

Alien gives it 3½ "incredible suitcase" stars out of 4.

After a tragic accident kills her husband & paralyzes her stepson Steven, psychologist Mary Portman (Naomi Watts) becomes confined & isolated in her rural Maine home caring to the every needs of the catatonic 18 year old. Things begin to get creepy when her young deaf child patient Tom goes missing & is presumed dead. Her friend & colleague Dr. Wilson (Oliver Platt) becomes concerned when Mary recounts stories of insomnia, hearing noises in the house, & maybe sensing the presence of a ghost. The film is set up like a horror/supernatural tale with the usual fake jump scares as the audiences ponders whether Mary is hallucinating or is someone or something is actually lurking about the house. It is a quirky thriller as protagonist & antagonist battle it out with some collateral damage. Predictable with some holes in the plot.

Alien gives it 2 "hammer & frying pan" stars out of 4.

It's "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" meets "Contact" meets "The Day The Earth Stood Still" when extraterrestrials arrive & hover over 12 locations across the globe. The military led by Colonel Weber (Forest Whitaker) recruits a linguistic professor Louise Banks (Amy Adams) & a mathematician Ian Donnelly (Jeremy Renner) to figure out how to communicate with these Heptapods, 7-appendaged squid-like creatures with whale-like speech sounds & a circular ink spray written language. This thinking man's sci-fi story is a race against time before human paranoia pushes us into global warfare against a species we don't understand. It is a bit on the dry side, but a fascination with science & language may help you keep your focus. However, there is a twist revealed at the end that may leave you a little confused & maybe disappointed too. 

Alien gives it 3 "kangaroo, weapon, I don't understand" stars out of 4. 

Signaling the start of the holiday season is this latest 'dysfunctional family with ethnic attitude' comedy film. It's hilarious ensemble fun when widower Walter Meyers (Danny Glover) hosts the first family Christmas reunion after the passing of his wife.  Gabrielle Union, Mo'Nique, Kimberlie Elise, Omar Epps, Romany Malcolm, & J.B. Smoove are among the cast of crazed characters, each with their own personal issues & quirks. Comical conflicts, silly sibling rivalries, funny philandering antics, & crazy kitchen disasters may have you rolling in the aisles as you spend 5 days with the Meyers. It is a predictable formula but still funny entertainment. Look for a blooper reel at the beginning of the credits.

Alien gives it 3 "mama's recipes in a hidden tin" stars out of 4.

This is not a sneak preview. This film has released. 

Those 1959 Danish spawned lucky troll dolls with their colorful hair style are back, but why? Are they here promoting their new movie or are they marketing the returning toy line or both? In this new animated film, these happy little Trolls, who love to sing, dance, & hug, are the main event of the Bergens' annual 'Trollstice' where these larger creatures would eat the Trolls in order to feel happy too. It's a funny children's film about escape, recapture, & rescue with a little romance & a lot of song & dance. Justin Timberlake was in charge of the wonderful musical production portion as well as voicing one of the lead Trolls. Anna Kendrick, Zooey Deschanel, Christine Baranski, James Corden, Gwen Stefani, & Russell Brand are also in the cast. This is an entertaining movie for very young kids & a terrific soundtrack of new & old tunes for the older generations. For this film critic, these ugly little dolls never did generated much excitement within me. I think I would have preferred a live action version featuring these same stars. Look for a short clip near the beginning of the credits.

Alien gives it 2½ "it's all about the hair" stars out of 4.

The Edge of Seventeen

It's "Sixteen Candles" with an extra flame & "The Breakfast Club" with just one student in this modern day coming of age story. Nadine (Hailee Steinfield) is a socially awkward teen who has always had a hard time fitting in. Her mom Mona (Kyra Sedwick) is ineffective. Nadine has a sibling rivalry with her perfect older brother Darian. Since the second grade, Krista is her only close friend. She uses her history teacher Mr Bruner (Woody Harrelson) as a sounding board to vent about her troubles. Witty dialogue, awkward situations, & Steinfield's personality drive this a funny & bittersweet story about a naive young girl struggling with relationships. She feels different, alone, and abandoned. It is the classic teenage angst that begs "why doesn't the world revolve around me?" This film is rated "R" for language, drinking, and sexual content.

Alien gives it 3 "embarrassing email" stars out of 4.

Marvel Studios trots out another superhero back story as it steers towards that ultimate huge showdown with Thanos, the Avengers, & umpteen other Marvel characters in the Infinity War. The life path of the arrogant & egotistical neurosurgeon Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) is redirected by a horrible texting-while-driving accident injuring his skillful hands. He turns to the eastern mystical arts when western medicine fails him. The Ancient One (Tilda Swinton) & Mordor (Chiwetel Ejiofor) guide Strange's healing & training when Kaecillius' (Mads Mikkelsen) greed for immortality spawns disaster for Earth. The special effects are space & time mind-bending in this apparent bridge to a much bigger Marvel Universe picture. The blend of action & humor plus the Stan Lee cameo now the standard mode of operation for the Marvel movie machine juggernaut. Rachel McAdams plays Strange's doctor/girlfriend Christine Palmer. Look for short clips at the beginning & end of the credits more clues to key characters' possible futures.

Alien gives it 3 "spell binding" stars out of 4.