Alien at the Movies

Killers of the Flower Moon

Director Martin Scorsese has crafted a marvelous film highlighting the injustices against the Osage Indians who were settled in Oklahoma by the US government. Unexpectedly, oil was discovered on their land making these native Americans nouveaux riche. Set in the 1920’s, cattleman & outsider William Hale (Robert De Niro) greedily & secretly plots gain access to these fortunes. His nephew Ernest Burkhardt (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a WWI veteran returning home. He falls in love & marries Molly (Lily Gladstone) from the Osage tribe. As more & more deaths occur among the Osage, suspicions arise & an investigation is instigated to find the culprits responsible & bring them to trial.  This film is based on true events. De Niro, DiCaprio, & Gladstone are outstanding. Jesse Plemons, John Lithgow, & Brendan Fraser are among the supporting cast. Scorsese focuses on accurately depicting the Osage & their culture as well as look & feel of the times. This nearly 3½ hour film is beautifully crafted. A summary of the resulting events is uniquely told through an enactment of a typical radio broadcast that could have occurred in those days. The film’s title is a metaphor to how a certain flower is choked out of existence by another taller plant in the month of May.

Alien gives it 3½ “vision of an owl” stars out of 4.

The Pyramid

Its “Descent” meets “Cloverfield” when found footage reveals the exploration of a newly discovered 3-sided Egyptian pyramid. Instead of spelunkers trapped in an underground cave, we have archaeologists entering a buried pyramid to retrieve their mechanical robot probe. However, they become trapped & lost in this labyrinth with crumbling floors & boobytraps as well as having creatures lurking about. One by one, their numbers are being whittled down. Is it a trap laid out my the ancients to protect the tomb from grave robbers? It is something supernatural? Who will die & who will survive?

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

Five Nights at Freddy’s

Security guard Mike Schmidt (Josh Hutcherson) loses his job after an incident where he was overzealous. It seems that Mike is haunted by his childhood memories of his younger brother’s abduction on his watch. Mike is also delinquent on his rent, facing eviction, & in danger of losing custody of his 10-year-old sister, Abby, so he takes a new job as night watchman at an abandoned family entertainment center, Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzia (think Chuck E Cheese). However, it seems that the animatronic mascots somehow come to life & will kill you. See if you can figure out what’s behind these creepy actions. Is it someone or someones? Is it supernatural? Who will die & who will survive these scary nights? This horror thriller is based on a video game made popular by YouTube postings. If fact, YouTuber CoryxKenshin has a bit part as a taxi cab driver. Look for a mid credit of one more cab fare ride.

Alien gives it 2½ “missing children” stars out of 4.

Copshop

Disaster strikes a small Nevada desert town police station one night when con man, Teddy (Frank Grillo), sucker punches a cop in order to get himself arrested and a hitman, Bob (Gerard Butler) fakes a DUI so he too can be arrested in this action crime thriller. At this police station (ironically huge & overly well equipped for its supposedly small town image), it’s innocent bystanders, another assassin, good cops & a bad cop adding to the gunfire & bloody mayhem. Rookie cop, Val, must choose who to trust as her time might be running short. The film is full of surprises as the audience tries to figure out who may survive their ordeal & if anyone will get away.

Alien gives it 3 “No more than 1 day ahead of the devil” stars out of 4.

Ride On

A man & his horse, a man & his estranged daughter, and a man & a lawsuit are featured in the Chinese foreign film with English subtitles. Washed-up stuntman Luo (Jackie Chan) has financial difficulties that threatens him with the possibility of losing his beloved stunt horse. He is forced to seek out his daughter & her lawyer boyfriend to handle his legal case. As usual, Jackie displays his amazing martial arts stunt skills & his flair for comedy. This story is about an aging man fighting for the things he loves. Even if you are too slow to read all of the subtitles quickly, it’s still easy to grasp the essence of each scene. If you are a fan of Jackie Chan, you’ll probably enjoy this romp looking at the movie making business. During the credits, film outtakes are screened.

Alien gives it 2½ “Red Hare” stars out of 4.

Buffaloed 

Peg Dahl (Zoey Deutch) grew up in a poor blue collar family in Buffalo, NY. Since she was a little girl, she was determined to go to an Ivy League school, work on Wall Street, & get rich so she could finally get out of her town. She did get into her dream school but it was too expensive & she had to hustle her not-so-legal get-rich-quick scheme in hopes to afford it. Well, she got caught & had to serve jail time. Now, deep in debt for legal fees, she ends up working for a shady debt collection company while she hones her motivating skills. Unhappy with her shyster boss, she sets out on her own as competition in the debt collection racket. Cute & sweet-looking Peg is a crafty, tough gal who is obsessed with making money in this funny comedy. 

Alien gives it 3 “schemer/hustler” stars out of 4.

The Burial

In 1995 Mississippi, an independent funeral services provider with financial troubles is caught in a squeeze play by a large corporation trying to buying him out. Jeremiah “Jerry” O’Keefe (Tommy Lee Jones) tries to sue the Canadian-owned Loewen Group for breach of contract. To go up against this powerful opponent, Jerry decides he needs Willie Gary (Jaime Foxx), a flashy successful attorney from Florida as his lead consul. The story sets up like the classic David versus Goliath scenario. It’s an intense courtroom battle as each side takes potshots each other trying to undermine their witnesses & their side of the story. Jones & Foxx are terrific as well as Jurnee Smollett who plays the lead opposing attorney. I️ really liked the personal relationships portrayed between all of the interacting characters… between lawyer/client, lead/associate attorneys, opposing attorneys, & husbands/wives. By the end of the film, it’s revealed that this movie is based on real events & people. A mid credit clip is shown but its significance, I️ could not determine.

Alien gives it 3 “National Baptist Congregation” stars out of 4.

Totally Killer

It’s “Halloween” meets “Back to the Future” meets “The Flash” when Jamie travels back in time to prevent the Sweet Sixteen Killer from murdering her mom (Julie Bowen) in this horror comedy. After 35 years, the town’s notorious serial killer of 3 teen girls mysteriously reappears to claim another victim. It’s a nostalgic trip back to 1987 & 80’s pop culture as Jamie tries to prevent the murders of her mom’s BFFs & hopefully her own mom’s death too. It’s cheesy fun as Jamie’s efforts disrupt the space/time continuum. Can you unmask the true killer before Jamie? Can Jamie prevent her mom’s death? 

Alien gives it 2½ “The Molly’s” stars out of 4.

Saw X

Wow, it’s hard to believe this is really #10 in the ever-so-popular “Saw” horror franchise. Well, are you ready to witness victims playing for their lives in a sadistic game of death or mutilation? I’ve actually only seen Saw I️ & III, Jigsaw, and Saw 3D. This film apparently takes place between I️ & II. When John Kramer (Tobin Bell) aka Jigsaw is diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, he seeks out an experimental cure in Mexico. After given a clean bill of health from his expensive treatment, he discovers it was all an elaborate scam so then the twisted mind of the Jigsaw Killer plots his revenge on those who deceived him. If you have seen any of the previous “Saw” films, you’ll know what to expect… gruesome, bloody. horrific displays of torture & deaths. You have to be a little twisted to enjoy this type of abusive treatment. However, the revenge factor may play a part in wanting to see the participants get what they deserve. Can your brain stomach the gut wrenching scenes? Will this be the final episode of the franchise? Look for a mid credit scene tying up loose ends.

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

The Exorcist: Believer

Fifty years after the original 1973 shocking film, “The Exorcist”, comes this sequel that opens with 2 dogs fighting, a voodoo black magic protection spell, & an earthquake. Years later, two BFF girls, Angela & Katherine, wander off into the woods & are missing for 3 days. When they finally turn up, they have no memory of where they have been & thought they were gone for just a few hours. Then, peculiar behavior by these 2 girls end up requiring hospitalization & eventually calling in Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn), a known witness to a demonic possession case who is Regan’s mother from the original movie. A exorcism is set up to rid these poor girls of the evil within them, but their lives are at stake as well as people in attendance. While viewing the original film isn’t absolutely necessary, looking for the Easter Egg ties to the original is fun. Here, we get a single dad instead of the single mom raising a daughter. We also get the “spirited twins” for double the horror & double the fun. Having Burstyn reprising her role was a nice touch. The possessed girls are nice & creepy. See who dies & who survives the ritual. Look for a cameo. Will this film create enough interest & generate enough profit for another sequel?

Alien gives it 3 “making choices” stars out of 4.

The Creator

Some 40 years in the future, humans in the Western World are in a heated battle against AI robots & New Asia, who support these mechs. Undercover agent Joshua Taylor (John David Washington) is tasked with locating the creator of these bots when a military raid goes wrong & his wife Maya (Gemma Chan) is taken. This leads him on a mission to locate & destroy the enemy’s new weapon as well as possibly finding his missing wife. The mission is complicated when the weapon takes on the form of an innocent looking child who may be the key to winning the war. This action packed sci-fi thriller will have you questioning who is right in the battle between good & evil. Ken Watanabe & Allison Janey is in the supporting cast. Who will die & who survive? Are there any winners in this war?

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