Alien at the Movies

Babes

This is the story of Eden & Dawn, 2 inseparable BFFs since childhood & New Yorkers. One is a yoga instructor & one is a dentist. One is single & one is married with soon-to-be 2 kids.They are there for each other in their times of need. However, life becomes more hectic for Dawn now struggling after the birth of her second child. When Eden discovers she is now pregnant after a one-night stand, she must get through her new challenge without the guidance of Dawn. This funny comedy reveals the other side of pregnancy, gestation, childbirth, female body functions, & parenting that no one wants to talk about & may be too much information. The two lady stars are hilarious, quirky, & over-the-top. It portrays the complexities of a female relationship through laughter, tears, & labor pains. But in the end, friends always come through to take care of you. This R rated movie is an original & not quite like anything that I️ have seen before.

Alien gives it 2½ “The Omen” stars out of 4.

IF

Bea is a young girl going through some tough times. After the loss of her mother & with her dad (John Krasinski) in the hospital, Bea has been staying with her grandmother. Bea is worried about losing her dad too. Then she meets one of  her grandmother’s neighbors, Cal (Ryan Reynolds) who is harboring IFs “imaginary friends”. IFs are the childhood invisible characters that comforted us when we were little & feeling troubled or lonely. Apparently, Bea has recently developed the ability to see these invisible creatures. Thus begins her magical journey of joining Cal in reassigning IFs to new kids after their former kids outgrew them. Krasinski also wrote & directed this whimsical & touching film about growing up & remembering forgotten childhood memories. The CGI & special effects are terrific. There is a nice twist to the story. This movie caught me off guard, not being anything like I️ thought it would be. Kids may be attracted to it because of the cute animated creatures, but it may not have enough kid action & humor to hold their attention. Its message is more adult themed & may be way over the heads of the very young. Adults may ignore or overlook this film because it looks like it is just a kiddie film. At the end of credits, there it a still shot in memory of one of the voice actors.

Alien gives it 2½ “Blue & company” stars out of 4.

The Iron Claw

This film is about the Von Erich wrestling family set in Texas during the 1980’s. The family patriarch is Jack “Fritz”, a professional wrestler chasing his dream of winning a national heavyweight title. His wife Dottie bears him 5 boys. Fritz is a tough & demanding father who pressures his boys to fulfill his unsuccessful dream. The Iron Claw is the family’s signature wrestling move. While professional wrestling is the main background, this movie is really about this family, their tragedies, & the alleged family curse. For wrestling fans, the movie starts out highlighting the crowd pleasing theatrics of professional wrestling, but then shifts gears to focus on the darker side of this family’s path of unfortunate events. Zac Efron play Kevin Von Erich, one of the older brothers. Lily James & Maura Tierney are in the supporting cast. This film is based on a true & sad story. At the end, there are photos & a summary about this real family. 

Alien gives it 3 “The Von Erich Curse” stars out of 4.

Mother of the Bride

After spending a year abroad in London, Emma (Miranda Cosgrove) returns home to her mother Lana (Brooke Shields) & announces her engagement to RJ (Sean Teal). The wedding is next month at a fancy resort in Phuket, Thailand. Emma is a social media entrepreneur & this lavish destination wedding is being sponsored through her business contacts. Lana has a very controlling personality & feels left out of the wedding planning process. If things couldn’t get worse, it turns out the husband-to-be’s father Will (Benjamin Bratt) is Lana’s ex from college who broke her heart. From there, it’s a comedy of errors & misunderstandings in this typical romantic comedy setup. Because there is little real chemistry between the characters, the romance portion didn’t sell very well for me. Therefore, the film is more of a goofy silly romp in an exotic locale. This story follows the rom/com ups & downs and finishes as many would expect.

Alien gives it 2 “pickle ball” stars out of 4.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

This is 4th film in the recent Planet of the Apes reboot series; following Dawn, War, & Rise of the Planet of Apes. The original 1968 film stunned audiences with its surprise twist ending. This film takes place about 300 years after War. The original Caesar (let’s call him patient zero where the virus first mutated & created this mixed up dystopian world) has long passed. A new tyrannical leader Proximus Caesar has risen to power to lead his gorilla masses & by force, enslave the chimpanzees. He rules by might & corrupts the first elder’s (the original Caesar) words of wisdom towards his own favor. Noa is a chimpanzee & hunter in his village. When Noa’s village gets raided & taken, he sets out to rescue them alone. Along the way, he is aided by an orangutan & a human woman he names Nova. In this battle between good & evil, it’s the rebels against empire with the questions about who can you trust & what motives are the real driving force. Who will end up on top? Will there be another sequel in this reboot Planet of the Apes saga? The special effects & CGI are amazing. The apes are outstanding. They seem so real, selling the story. This almost 2½ hour film seemed to whiz right along in no time.

Alien gives it 3½ “Eagle Clan” stars out of 4.

FOE

A young couple, Henrietta “Hen” (Saoirse Ronan) & Junior (Paul Mescal) are living a quiet isolated life on their Midwest farm until an uninvited visitor Terrance (Aaron Pierre) arrives one late night with a surprising proposal. It’s 2065. Fresh water & habitable land are scarce. Cities are overpopulated, leaving rural areas slowly abandoned. Hen & Junior have been having some marital problems when Junior has been called into service for a 2-year experiment in outer space due the critical conditions on earth. While Junior is away, Hen will get an exact synthetic replacement of Junior to see to her needs, for her protection, & care for her well being. This is an ominous disturbing psychological thriller with a sci-fi backdrop. The film sets up a very uneasy mood. There is something very unsettling about Terrance’s polite demeanor. There’s a strained tension between Hen & Junior. Something just feels so wrong here & suspicions arise. Is there an ulterior motive here hidden under the agenda of saving humanity? Is this couple just caught up in an elaborate lab experiment? I️ could not seeing where this plot was headed as little twists & turns presented themselves. Will there be a happy ending for Hen & Junior by the conclusion? Deep down, this a story about a couple’s struggle to find happiness in their lives. The acting is superb & the atmosphere is bleak. This one is for those looking something challenging odd.

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

 Tarot

A group of seven friends rent a mansion in the Catskills to celebrate one of their’s birthday. When their liquor supply runs dry, they search the premises for any hidden stash of  alcohol… only to find an old wooden box containing a vintage tarot card deck behind a locked door with a keep out sign on it. What could go wrong? This is starting to smell like your typical teenage horror slasher film. The gang unwittingly unleashes something evil trapped within this cursed deck of tarot cards. One by one, they come face to face with their fate as predicted during each of their tarot readings. Are they all doomed? Can they cheat their fate & death?

Alien gives it 2½ “Astrologer’s spirit” stars out of 4.

Turtles All The Way Down

Sixteen year old Aza Holmes struggles with her own demons. She has obsessive-compulsive disorder & anxiety attacks which frequently manifests itself as obsessing about germs & infections. She is in therapy & is on medication. She was traumatized by the death of her father & is being overprotected by her mother. Her BFF is Daisy. They practically do everything together. She becomes reacquainted with Davis, a rich kid she met in summer camp years ago, & romantic feelings for each other begin. She has self doubt issues. Will her mental illness become too much & destroy all of her friendships/relationships? Will it prevent her from finding love & happiness? 

Alien gives it 3 “spiral painting” stars out of 4.

The Idea of You

Age is just a number. Love is intoxicating. Love hurts. People can be cruel.

Solène Marchand (Anne Hathaway) is a 40-year-old single mom with a 16-year-old daughter Izzy & has been divorced from her husband Daniel for 3 years. Izzy loves the boy band August Moon so Daniel manages to get Backstage VIP passes for her to see her band play at Coachella. However, at the last minute, Daniel must leave on a business trip so Solène ends up chaperoning the trip. There, Solène accidentally & awkwardly meets 24-year-old lead singer Hayes Campbell (Nicholas Galitzine) & thus begins a budding romance that neither can resist. They try to hide their romance but eventually the paparazzi exposes their secret & this has a disastrous effect on the couple & those close to them. This romantic comedy is an emotional rollercoaster. Solène & Hayes are a cute & charming couple together that you will want to root for. It is heartbreaking to watch their world collapse around them. Hathaway & Galitzine give amazing performances. Will this have a fairy tale ending or is their breakup inevitable?

Alien gives it 3½ “The Watch” stars out of 4.