Alien at the Movies

Dune: Part 2

Picking up at the end of 2021’s Dune: Part 1, it’s the Battle for the Planet of Spice Melange with emperor supported hi-tech troops versus the sand worm riding rebel scum. Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) & Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) have teamed up with Stilgar (Javier Bardem), Chani (Zendaya), & the Fremen against the House of Harkonnen after the House of Atreides is nearly wiped out. The Fremen are suspicious that the Atreides outsiders may be spies. Some believe in the mother/son prophecy of being their saviors & some believe it’s just a made up Atreides lie to gain control over Arrakis. What will be the fate of Arrakis? Josh Brolin, Dave Bautista, & Stelllan Skarsgård return with Christopher Walken, Florence Pugh, & Austin Butler added to the cast. Butler especially creepy as the Bain’s psycho nephew. Great acting, tremendous action, interesting cultures, & terrific script will you on the edge of your seat. By the end after some twists, audiences will be hoping for a Part 3.

Alien gives it 3½ “Water of Life” stars out of 4.

Damsel

This fantasy fairy tale is about a royal marriage, ancient traditions, deceit, sacrifice, an eye for an eye, justice, a prince, a princess, a stepmother, an evil queen, & a fire breathing dragon. Lord Bayford (Ray Winston) pledges his dear daughter Elodie (Millie Bobby Brown) to be wed to the Prince Henry of Aurea in exchange for gold which would help the lord’s impoverished people. As the day of the wedding arrives, a sinister plan is revealed & Elodie becomes that damsel in distress, but she must save herself using her wits & courage to not only to escape the dragon’s clutches, but become the calvary herself to save the innocents. Angela Basset & Robin Wright are among the supporting cast. If you like dragon fantasies & strong female types, you’ll probably like this film. See who dies by the sword, who becomes the dragon’s prey, & who only gets singed. See who sails/soars into the sunset.

Alien gives it 3 “the promise of three” stars out of 4.

The Neon Highway

A wannabe country singer & a washed up country singer place their bets on a song to make their dreams come true. Wayne (Rob Mayes) & his brother Lloyd hit local venues with their song they co-wrote hoping to get a record deal. However, an accident detours their plans until Wayne meets Claude Allen (Beau Bridges) who is looking to make a comeback. Claude is stubborn & wants things done his way although he is now out of touch with the current music industry. These two are at odds against each other. Wayne must find a way to the path to success.

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

Arthur the King

After 19 years of competing & not winning 1st place, adventure racer Michael Light (Mark Wahlberg) makes one last attempt at winning the Adventure Racing World Championship in the Dominican Republic. It’s 435 miles through the jungle over mountains, rivers, & lakes on foot, riding bikes, & paddling kayaks in 5 to 10 days. Michael puts together a 4 person team… himself, a climber, a runner with a questionable knee, & a social media influencer. Along the way, the team adopts a scrappy street dog stray who seems to be following them after their first rest stop. Together they form an unbreakable bond during this epic endurance race. They name their fifth member/mascot/good luck charm… Arthur, after the legendary king. Through this difficult & arduous journey, they face many obstacles through which they must adapt to overcome. All of this is based on a true story. This film redefines what victory, loyalty, & friendship really means as limits & endurances are stretched to their limits. It’s the Great Race meets the Man’s Best Friend. Dog lovers will want to see this film. Simu Liu & Nathalie Emmanuel are in the supporting cast. Stay for the credits to see some cute photos of the real characters portrayed in this film.

Alien gives it 3 “Zip Line Entanglement” stars out of 4.

Imaginary

Children’s book author, Jessica, her musician husband Max, & her 2 step-daughters, 15-year-old rebellious Taylor & cute little loving Alice, move back into Jessica’s old childhood home. Jessica has had reoccurring nightmares about her dad & her book character Simon the spider. She also reunites with her old neighbor & former babysitter Gloria (Betty Buckley). Gloria knows more about Jessica’s past. Alice finds a stuffed bear in the basement who talks to her & sends her on a scavenger hunt. Then, the horror fun begins as the imaginary spirit, Chauncey, lures the ladies into his world. Remember it ain’t over until it’s over as the boundaries between what’s real & imaginary blurs. See who escapes & survives. See if Chauncey might return to haunt & kill again.

Alien gives it 3 “Never Ever” stars out of 4.

Ricky Stanicky

Childhood friends, Dean (Zac Efron), JT, & Wes, try to pull a Halloween prank that goes terribly wrong. In a panic, they create a fictitious person Ricky Stanicky to take the blame. Now jump ahead some 20 years later & these good buddies are still using fake “Ricky” as their excuse/alibi/someone-to-blame when they want to avoid obligations to their wives/spouses/significant others so they can do immature activities together. On their latest lie adventure, they meet Rod (John Cena), a shady moocher/inappropriate song parody impersonator. Of course in the raunchy guy comedy, the boys start to get tripped up in the lies & people are getting suspicious. So they decide to hire Rod to be their fictitious “Ricky”. That’s when the fun begins & their lie keeps getting them into deeper trouble & any attempts to fix things always seems to backfire. The plot follows that predictable comedy formula & lessons are learned when the truth finally emerges. William H. Macy plays Dean’s & JT’s boss. Clips played during the credits shows further stories of the boys.

Alien gives it 2½ “Stanicky Bible” stars out of 4.

Cabrini

In 1889, Italian Catholic immigrant Mother Frances Cabrini arrives in New York City with her fellow sister nuns to help the poor & build orphanages, schools, & hospitals. It’s an uphill battle against racism & discrimination fighting the authorities within & outside of the church. She may be small in stature & largely ignored as a woman, but she had big ideas, had headstrong determination, & never took no for an answer. She was smart & persistent. She wouldn’t be bullied. This is a wonderful story about a brave woman’s sad & agonizing journey to success in building the empire of her dreams. Today, it’s known as the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Alien gives it 3 “Five Points” stars out of 4.

Karaoke

Meir & Tova are a middle-aged couple living in an upscale high rise building in Tel Aviv. They are that old married couple too comfortable with each other & feeling like they are in a rut just living their boring lives. Tova, she is more of an extrovert, where as Meir, he is more introverted. When Itzik, a modeling agent from Miami, moves into the penthouse above & everything begins to change. He is worldly & a handsome bachelor with connections & is living a lavish lifestyle. When Itzik makes a parking faux pas, he tries to make amends by inviting Meir & Tova to his place for a little karaoke party, Tova & Meir become obsessed with the new neighbor & compete for his attention. As more building resudents also take an interest in Itzik, the loud karaoke parties increase & building complaints escalate. This Israeli comedy/drama is mostly in Hebrew with English subtitles.

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

Kung Fu Panda 4

Dragon Warrior, Po, is back for his 4th adventure. He is finally feeling comfortable with his powers & duties when Master Shifu calls upon him to be the Spiritual Leader of the Valley of Peace & he must choose his successor as the new Dragon Warrior. Disappointed Po drags his feet & is reluctant to choose when a new villain appears. She is a shape-shifting chameleon sorceress who is trying to get her claws on Po’s Staff of Wisdom & its magical powers. The Furious Five are summoned back. Po must seek help from an unlikely source, a corsac fox thief named Zhen. This is a terrific animated family film with humor & entertainment for both the kids & the adults. Voice starring Jack Black & Awkwafina, may give you a hit about the comedy portion. Po’s bio dad & adoptive dad are back too for more fun & games. You may think with a 4th round featuring this hero may be wearing out its welcome, but this is one of best in the series. Baby, hit me one more time. Come check it out. You won’t be disappointed.

Alien gives it 3½ “Blood Moon” stars out of 4.