Alien at the Movies

Warfare

Spend 24 hours in hell with a U.S. Navy SEAL team during the Iraq War. On November 19, 2006, under the cover of darkness, these brave soldiers seize control of a two-story civilian home of two Iraqi families. They set up to provide intel on activities occurring at the market place across the street. Suddenly, a grenade is tossed into the room & the gun battle begins. They call for a CAS-EVAC to transport their wounded man, but an IED complicates their situation & they must scramble to refigure another escape plan. This true story is based on the memories & testimonies of the soldiers involved. This is a brutal movie that is hard to watch as the wounded scream in pain with the enemy closing in on their location. See the camaraderie among these men. This film puts you right in the middle of this war’s intensity. Photos & film footage of the real solders involved are shown at the end.

Alien gives it 3 “show of force” stars out of 4.

Tron: Ares

“Tron: Ares” is third film of the series after the original 1982 “Tron” & the 2010 “Tron: Legacy”. Set 15 years after “Legacy”, ENCOM corporation & rival Dillinger Systems are competing to bring their digital constructs into the real physical world. CEO Julian Dillinger (Evan Peters) trots out his latest Master Control Program, Ares (Jared Leto) for an impressive demonstration. However, no one has been able to crack the 29 minute existence limit in the real world. Meanwhile, ENCOM CEO Eve Kim (Greta Lee) is about to make a breakthrough discovering the Permanence Code. This becomes the battle between these 2 companies to obtain supremacy through this Code. This film is a spectacular special effects show as humans & digital constructs bounce back & forth between the digital realm & the real world. Among the supporting cast is Jodie Turner-Smith, Gillian Anderson, & Jeff Bridges. Who will rise to the occasion, if any? Will someone/something go rogue? Will good survive over evil? Will there be another sequel?

Alien gives it 3 “Light Cycles & Floppy Discs” stars out of 4.

Black Phone 2

It’s 1982, four years after the missing children incidents in the first “Black Phone” film & the Blake siblings are being haunted by the past. Psychic sister Gwen dreams have escalated into sleepwalking episodes which leads her back to the “basement with the black phone”. Answering the call leads Gwen & her brother Finn to a youth camp by a lake in the dead of winter. “Youth Lake Camp” always raises my horror red flags. Gwen sees dead people. Finn hears phones ringing & hears dead people’s voices. It seems that destiny has brought them here to solve a mystery & to unlock secrets of the past. This latest plot revolves around vengeance. Do you believe in God? The Devil? Ghosts? Can the dead come back to haunt you? If you die in your dreams, do you die in real life? There is a lot more terrorizing action in this sequel. If you like to be scared, these filmmakers have cranked it up a notch. Will Gwen & Finn survive this latest ordeal? Will these black phones keep ringing? Will the visions of dead people continue to haunt the survivors? Will there be a third haunting chapter? Well, it may only be a phone call away. Ring ring. Dead is just a word.

Alien gives it 3 “Lake Alpine Youth Camp” stars out of 4.

After The Hunt

The film starts with an ominous sound of a clock ticking as the audience enters the home of Alma & Fredrick who are hosting a gathering of Yale faculty & students having intellectual conversations. This ticking sounded like a timer for a bomb about to explode. We observe key characters stealing glances at each other & subtle gestures hinting at possible relationships. A trip to the bathroom left with an empty toilet paper roll sets off our first warning alarm. Key players here are: 1. Alma (Julia Roberts), associate professor, 2. Maggie (Ayo Edebiri), PhD student, & 3. Hank (Andrew Garfield) assistant professor. This becomes a case of “she said”/“he said” with Alma caught in the middle as accusations are made by both sides. Maggie is a star student & Alma’s protégée. Hank is Alma’s friend & colleague. Audiences will be searching for clues to separate the truths from the lies. These three give emotionally charged performances, but this dialogue driven script feels like it’s going nowhere. All of these characters seem to be flawed. As I️ became less interested in the characters & the script, I️ became more attracted to & distracted by the visuals of the settings & creative depth of field focus camera work. The film concludes with a final scene between Alma & Maggie admitting to their regrets about how things played out between them & how they have moved on with their lives. I️ don’t see this film being popular with the general public. To quote this movie’s tag line: “Not everything is suppose to make you comfortable”. 

Alien gives it 2 “hands & black fingernail polish” stars out of 4.

Roofman

It’s “The Escape Plan” meets “The Fugitive” meets “Catch Me If You Can” with a hint of “Risky Business” & the feel of “Home Alone”.

This unbelievable true story has a polite & nice demeanor robber/escape convict/con man alluding law enforcement for 6 months by hiding out at a toy store. This is a fun & entertaining crime drama comedy. Tatum Channing plays Jeffrey Manchester aka John Zorn, an army veteran with no marketable skills, divorcé, & father to a six-year-old daughter & twin infant sons. Jeffery takes to robbing McDonald restaurants to make ends meet while trying to provide for his family. His modus operandi is breaking through roofs to gain access & then holding up the staff of workers. Thus, he becomes known as the mysterious Roof Robber aka the Roofman. When he is finally caught & arrested, he is sent to prison for 40 years. However, Jeffrey is a smart & observant man & manages his daring escape. With alerts of his escape announced, he desperately breaks into a Toys R Us store to hide out using his clever resourcefulness to remain undetected. As his loneliness sets in from no human contact & with his eavesdropping skills, he becomes attracted to one store employee Leigh (Kirsten Dunst). As Jeffry boldly ventures out of his safe sanctuary, he accidentally meets Leigh in person at a church function & his double life situation wildly explodes from there. Channing is perfect as the handsome charming con man hiding in plain sight. A surprise bonus feature is Channing naked butt performance. It’s hard not to root for this nice guy criminal. Peter Dinklage, LaKeith Stanfield, & Ben Mendelsohn are in the supporting cast. See how this cat & mouse game concludes. Will Jeffrey manage to avoid captivity or is he destined to return to prison? Will he finally find love & happiness? Photos & summaries of the real people portrayed appear at the end of this film along with news reel footages & interviews proving certain authenticity to particular incidents. This storyline is absolutely insane but true. 

Alien gives it 3½ “big kid in a toy store” stars out of 4.

The Smashing Machine

Based on the true story of Mark Kerr, this movie follows the career of an ultimate fighter during the early days of the UFC. Dwayne Johnson plays Mark Kerr as he begins his successful career competing in Brazil & Japan. After one traumatic match, Mark’s life is severely affected. He develops an addiction, enters rehab, & then mounts a comeback. During his rough period, his relationship with his girlfriend Dawn (Emily Blunt) hits a rocky patch. His good friend & fellow fighter, Mark Coleman (Ryan Bader), is there to support him through his tough times. Kerr’s coach, Bas Rutten (himself), assists in his comeback. Johnson & Blunt are phenomenal in their transformations to the characters they portray. The real Mark Kerr portrays himself at the film’s end. Photos & a summary about the featured characters appears at end of the film. Ultimate fighting is a brutal sport.

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

 Urchin

“Urchin” is the sad story about a poor homeless guy who gets a second chance but struggles to put his life back together. Mike is living on the streets barely scraping by, begging for money, & resorting to stealing. He has anger issues. After he gets arrested, he gets some counseling in rehab, a place to stay, & a job. However, life’s stresses & his addictions sends him into a downward spiral. There is not much meaningful from the dialog & the scenes are rather mundane. It is a dull show layered in between artsy images that seem to have little connections to the storyline. Mike is an unlikable character that seems to do little to improve himself. He is a hapless loser that is hard to watch him self destruct. Also, the film seems to find excuses to show Mike shirtless or butt naked. The film’s highlight for me was the pet snake feeding scene.

Alien gives it ½ “You don’t get lunch. You bring your lunch” star out of 4.

One Battle After Another 

Are you a right-winger or a left-winger? Or maybe somewhere in between? 

“Ghetto” Pat Calhoun (Leonardo DiCaprio) & Perfidia Beverly Hills (Teyana Taylor) are lovers & members of a far left political revolutionary group. On a mission to free detained immigrants held at a detention camp, they encounter camp commander Steven J. Lockjaw (Sean Penn) who will come back later to haunt them. When Perfidia turns up pregnant & delivers a baby girl, this changes Pat’s priorities & he wants to settle down to raise their family, but Perfidia wants to carry on as a radical & leaves. Jump ahead 16 years & Pat has been hiding under the name of Bob, single, stoned on alcohol & drugs, behaving very paranoid, & raising his daughter now named Willa. Facing that actions of his past, Lockjaw resurfaces to threaten Bob & Willa. These characters take audiences on an intense thrill ride. DiCaprio & Penn give outstanding  performances. Benito Del Toro & Regina King are terrific in the supporting cast. Filmed in Northern California, see if you can recognize any familiar landmarks. I️, for one, learned another way to navigate downtown Sacramento during rush hour gridlock traffic. See who wins & loses in this one battle after another with the French 75, a sanctuary city, the Sisters of the Brave Beavers, & the Christmas Adventures Club. Viva La Revolution!

Alien gives it 3½ “counter-sequences” stars out of  4.