Alien at the Movies

Violent Night

It’s “Bad Santa” meets “Babysitter Must Die” meets “Die Hard” meets “Home Alone” in this black comedy featuring an unlikely anti-hero for the holiday season. Armed criminals led by Mr Scrooge (John Leguizamo) attack a wealthy family compound in an attempt to steal millions but they encounter a unexpected visitor… old Saint Nick (David Harbour)... not a department store hired Santa’s helper but the real deal. But he has become jaded, has fallen off the wagon, & wants to quit the business. Santa is not invincible but it’s shades of Thor & Nancy Kerrigan as he reeks havoc on those on his naughty list. It’s a bloody violent spoof of those sappy Christmasy films trotted out during ‘tis the season; as well as poking fun at those “fly in the ointment” action flicks. Welcome to the party, pal. Despite all of the over the top violence, there still is that Christmas spirit & magic message as you got to believe in that jolly old big man with his sack of presents. It’s twisted R-rated fun that is not family friendly.

Alien gives it 3 “money grubbing” stars out of 4.

Strange World

It’s “Journey to the Center of the Earth” meets “Avatar” when 3 generations of the Clade family explore & try to save their world as they know it. Their journey takes them to a wonderous land of strange creatures where it’s hard to tell good from evil & right from wrong. It’s also about examining the relationships between fathers & sons; their similarities & their differences. In life, you have to be who you are while using your strengths to help each other succeed. This animated adventure film creates an extraordinary imaginative new environment to explore & understand. It’s a fun family film.

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

Bones and All

Set in the 1980’s, 18-year-old girl, Maren (Taylor Russell), discovers a dark secret about her past after an incident that sends her & her father to suddenly move to another state. When abandoned by her father, she heads to Minnesota to find her mother who she never knew & try to understand her curse & past. Along the way, she meets an eccentric elderly man, Sully (Mark Rylance) & a young drifter, Lee (Timothée Chalamet). Thus begins a cross country backroads road trip in this romance love story with a dark underlying horror tale involving lonely individuals struggling to survive while hiding their secret. Russell & Chalamet are great & Rylance is superbly disturbing. There isn’t much gore but if you are squeamish about blood, this may not be the show for you. The ending may seem a bit ambiguous to some but I’ll go with my interpretation.

Alien gives it 3 “Fergus Falls” stars out of 4.

The Fabelmans

Director/writer Steven Spielberg brings a semi-autobiographical story based loosely on his childhood & adolescent years to the big screen. He uses the fictional Fabelmans family to show us a young boy’s love & fascination filmmaking that grew & evolved. Paul Dano plays the practical computer engineer father. Michelle Williams is outstanding as the free spirited artistic mom. Judd Hirsch has a small part as a great uncle & Seth Rogan plays “Uncle” Benny, a family friend. This a very personal project for Spielberg as he examines & explores his “more than a hobby” passion & discovers some truths in his life. The film feels like it’s 90% his true story with 10% enhanced for cinematic reasons. It’s a bittersweet sweet emotional rollercoaster by a great storyteller, possibly cathartic for him.

Alien gives it 4 “Ditch Day ‘64” stars out of 4.

The People We Hate at the Wedding

A dysfunctional family find themselves at a wedding that they don’t want to be at & would like to avoid others who might be there. Donna (Allison Janet) is the mother of Alice (Kristen Bell) & Paul (Ben Pratt). Donna & her ex-husband have an older daughter, Eloise (Cynthia Addai-Robinson).  Estranged from her American relatives, Eloise is getting married, lives in England, & is part of a wealthy family. This is a comedy of errors as relationships are explored, secrets are uncovered, people are misjudged, & truths are realized. This wild pre-wedding week has lots of laughs where everything is going wrong. It’s R rated fun & once the chaos settles, all is right & the family comes together again. 

Alien gives it 3 “Double Cheesy Gordita” stars out of 4.

The Menu

It’s “Hell’s Kitchen” meets “The Hunt” meets “Die Hard” when 12 carefully selected guests are invited to enjoy a meal “to die for” at an exclusive destination restaurant, the Hawthorne, on a remote island prepared under the guidance of an acclaimed chef. Chef Julian Slowik (Ralph Fiennes) exquisitely commands the room of guests & staff. His prepared lavish menu is a gastronomical visual treat. Nicholas Hoult plays an enthusiastic foodie, Tyler, who brings Margot (Anya Taylor-Joy) as his replacement date. All seems fairly normal at this posh & prestigious dining establishment for the elite wealthy, at least during the first courses. Then comes the killer fourth course. The shocked guests thinks this must be part of a theatrical dinner show. From there on, this black comedy/horror film turns deliciously dark with some delightful surprises. The film’s straight-face twisted morbid sense of humor is not for everyone. As your eyes taste its way though the culinary courses, you’ll ponder where is this plot going, who might survive the night, & might this be someone’s “Last Supper”?

Alien gives it 3 “Yes, Chef” stars out of 4. 

Falling for Christmas 

Lindsay Lohan is back for a Christmas rom/rom about a spoiled rich girl who gets amnesia & becomes a staff worker at a small struggling ski lodge run by a handsome single dad with a cute young daughter & his mother-in-law. With that description, you can pretty much predictable where the genre will take them. The Christmas theme will push all of your holiday buttons with snow globes, sleigh rides, skiing, tree lighting, a jolly St. Nick, singing carols, & an angel tree topper. It’s corny cheesy lighthearted comedy drama celebrating the Christmas spirit. If you’re starting to get in the mood of feeling Christmasy & want something new but still familiar, you might want to check it out. Look for outtakes during the credits.

Alien gives it 2½ “memories” stars out of 4.

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story

Producer/writer Al Yanovic has created a satirical parody on the biopic genre & loosely ties it to his own story growing up to be an accordionist & parody songwriter who focuses on skewing pop culture. Daniel Radcliffe stars as “Weird Al” with lots of cameos playing famous iconic people from the 1980’s. It’s hard to tell fact from fiction as the lines are blurred except where the story goes way off the rails. Fans of Weird Al are likely to get a kick out of this film. Non fans will think it’s just more ridiculous silliness from this odd ball goof ball. This film strangely does characterizes who Al Yankovic is & who he came to be, as well as his his sense of humor. Look for some photos of the real Al Yankovic to play at the end.

Alien gives it 2½ “Pablo Escobar” stars out of 4.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Director/writer Ryan Coogler returns with his much anticipated Black Panther sequel. So many questions surround this next chapter for Wakanda. With the sudden death of Chadwick Boseman, how will his absence be handled? Will there be a new Black Panther? If so, who will it be? As Wakanda mourns over the death of its king, their country comes under attack by foreign entities. A mysterious ancient Mayan leader, Namor, & his blue fishmen group arise from their hidden underwater empire to threaten the surface dwellers. Namor’s godlike powers are a danger to Wakanda & its leaders. Strong female characters, spectacular special effects, wild action sequences, & powerful performances drive the storyline. It’s shades of “Ironman” & “Thunderball” as the battle peaks in this story about grief, protection, revenge, & being your true self. Look for some cameo surprises. How will the conflicts between these nations end? Who will survive & who may die? Look for a surprise mid credit clip. We can expect another Black Panther sequel.

Alien gives it 4 “Talokan” stars out of 4. 

Tár

Lydia Tár (Cate Blanchett) is a renowned composer/conductor & the first female chief conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic. She is at the top of her field but her world is about to collapse around her. Blanchett is expertly convincing as the demanding maestro. Her performance is captivating although I️ was having difficulty following where this story was headed. It has a slow moving plot where I️ may have lost my concentration. The film is beautifully shot. The finer orchestral moments were likely lost on my tone deaf ears. It’s a sad self destruction story that I️ did not find entertaining despite a great performance by its star.

Alien gives it 2 “Mahler’s 5th Symphony” stars out of 4.

Red River Road

This film begins with family of four, husband, wife, & their 2 sons, living in isolation due to some internet/on-line virus infecting people. We see the paranoia effects on the family living on daily supplies delivered in a barcoded box. As the days pass, we learn a little more about the situation like how the family is trapped at their summer home. However, the story becomes quirkier as the end approaches. This low budget film is effective in recreating our own recent pandemic fears & uncertainties.

Alien gives it 2½ “memory” stars out of 4.

Never Goin’ Back

Angela & Jessie are BFFs/diner waitresses with dreams of a fun beach vacation, but their roommate blows the rent money in a drug scam. Now the girls go on a madcap misadventure to hustle up quick cash to prevent eviction. This movie is simple crazy silliness & low brow adolescent humor by dumb idiots making poor decisions. 

Alien gives it 2 “get rich quick schemes” stars out of 4.

Blacklight 

Once again Liam Neeson plays a man with a special set of skills. This time he is Travis Block, a covert fixer working off-the-books for FBI Director Gabriel Robertson (Aidan Quinn). When undercover agents & civilians appear to become targets, Block tries to quit but his family becomes endangered if he doesn’t comply. The tension ramps up when the media gets involved. Block must do his special thing to rescue the innocents & bring the bad guys to justice. It’s exactly what you expect in an action thriller.

Alien gives it 3 “Operation Unity” stars out of 4. 

You Resemble Me

This story begins with an older sister, Hasna, trying to protect her younger sister, Miriam, from an abusive home environment. They become runaways surviving on their own in the streets of Paris until they are caught & put into separate foster homes. Hasna runs away again because she is Arab, strong willed, & doesn’t fit in. Society has failed to protect this poor child & she does what she has to in order to survive including drugs & prostitution. Even when she tries to straighten out her life, her past catches up to her. This is a powerful French film with English subtitles about the radicalization story of a real character in the 2015 Paris terrorist bombing.

Alien gives it 3 “wannabe cowgirl” stars out of 4.

My Policeman

This is the story of a love triangle between a policeman, a teacher, & a museum curator set in Brighton, England. It’s about love, lies, distrust, jealousy, guilt, regret, & fear amongst these three: Tom, Marion, & Patrick. We see them in their later lives with flashbacks to their younger days & how they met & became friends in 1957. The film captures their emotions as they fall in love, must face their fears, & try to carry on. This bittersweet love story is about the stigma of being labeled as a homosexual during this period in time. For Harry Styles fan, you do get a glimpse of his naked butt.

Alien gives it 3 “Postcard from Venice” stars out of 4.

 Banshees of Inisherin 

In 1923 on a small isle off the coast of Ireland, the relationship between 2 longtime drinking buddies suddenly changes when one (Brendan Gleason) doesn’t want anything to do with the other. The other person (Colin Farrell) keeps pestering to find out why & wants to apologize even not knowing what was done. This is a very dark comedy/drama. When ultimatums are made, it’s borderline horror for me but maybe people with an odd sense of humor will find it funny. It’s severed body parts, arson, a scary old lady, sucker punches, physical abuse, & alienation… what could be more fun than that? Maybe my realistic brain can’t accept this humor being played out. However, the location is amazing recreating that quiet quaint simple life on a tranquil island with stone houses & rock fences. The film’s title is the song title created by Gleason’s character, a talented musician.

Alien gives it 1½ “pet donkey” stars out of 4.

Prey for the Devil

A young girl Ann is terrorized by her schizophrenic mother & grows up to be a nun caring for patients at an exorcism school for men. It has high tech security cameras & electronic locks opening sliding glass doors with a library using a huge old fashion card catalog system. Her connection to a possessed young girl Natalie takes on a dark journey & brings her back to her past nightmares. If you love exorcism/devil horror tales, you may get a kick out of this one. Expect jump scares, some gross moments, & general creepiness. Once again, it’s a woman fighting an uphill battle in a men dominated world. By the film’s end, is it ever really over?

Alien gives it 2 “comb” stars out of 4.