Alien at the Movies

Marty Supreme

Meet Marty Mauser (Timothée Chalamet), a table tennis hustler from New York’s Lower East Side. It’s 1952 & Marty is a slick shoe store salesman working for his uncle, but he has big ping pong champion dreams. He is a manipulator who can convince people to do things for him. He’s a ladies man who can charm women, young & old. He is a schemer who always has a plan to solve his problems. He’s is arrogant & goes after what he believes should be his. Once he sets his goal, he perseverses to make it happen. By hook or crook, Marty heads off to London to prove himself to be the best, but he runs into a snag. Next, he sets his sights on Japan for another shot at fame & glory, but financial troubles continue to plague him so he must hustle, con, & humiliate himself to get there. Will Marty get to play for the big table tennis championship? Chalamet gives an outstanding performance & takes us on a wild ride. Fran Drescher & Gwyneth Paltrow are among the supporting cast. This film is inspired by a real life person.

Alien gives it 3½ “reward for Moses” stars out of 4.

Becky

Becky (Lulu Wilson) is a rebellious 13-year/old daughter who lost her mom to cancer a year ago. Her dad Jeff (Joel McHale) trying to reconnect with Becky takes her to their lakehouse house, but she is still grieving & traumatized, When a woman & her son, Kayla & Ty, show up & Jeff announces his engagement to this woman, Becky is upset & runs off to her fort in the woods. Meanwhile, 4 convicts escape from their transport vehicle & come to the house. Their leader Dominick (Kevin James) is trying to retrieve something he hid there. The next thing you know, Becky goes R-rated Kevin Macallister on these killer cons. She is a stubborn & smart little girl who will use violence to fight violence. This is a bloody gory David versus Goliath underdog story. If this wild thrill adventure doesn’t quench your thirst mayhem & curiosity about little Becky, look for the sequel “The Wrath of Becky”.

Alien gives it 2½ “red fox beanie & the key to unknown treasure” stars out of 4.

Anaconda 

BFFs Griff (Paul Rudd) & Doug (Jack Black)  reunite at Doug’s surprise birthday party.They reminisce about their 13-year-old selves’ experience videoing their homemade big foot horror film. They dream up the wild idea doing a remake the 1997 “Anaconda” film. Unable to secure proper financing, they set out anyway for 3 weeks in the Amazon with their other childhood friends, Claire (Thandie Newton) & Kenny (Steve Zahn), on a shoe string budget. Of course, it’s a comedy of errors as everything that could go wrong, does go wrong. If you are a fan of Rudd & Black, you’ll pretty much know what you’ll be getting. It’s over-the-top zany humor as the film pokes fun at the original Sony picture & the horror genre. This action comedy also slips in an illegal gold smuggling plot into the storyline. Look for a surprise cameo or two. 

Alien gives it 3 “movie rights” stars out of 4.

Friendship

Craig (Tim Robinson) is a socially awkward marketing executive. His wife Tami (Kate Mara) runs her flower business out of their home. Craig meets his new neighbor Austin (Paul Rudd) when Craig returns an mis-delivered package to Austin. Austin is a local TV weather reporter. Later, Austin invites Craig over for a beer. Austin spontaneously takes Craig on some unusual outings. Craig begins to be obsessed with his new friend & desperately tries to fit in with Austin’s buddies. However, things start to go wrong & quickly spirals out of control in this supposed black comedy. Maybe, this film’s humor crossed the line & was just too dark for me to find funny. Craig’s ill attempts to be like his playful neighbor just digs himself deeper in his awkward hole. I️ just felt more & more frustrated with each pathetic attempts by Craig. It felt watching a slow-mo car wreck while I was strapped into the passenger seat. I️ was expecting some Paul Rudd style humor but he was basically a straight man here. If you are in the mood for something sad & depressing… or maybe your sense of humor is strangely very dark… I️ was just glad it was over with a wink.

Alien gives it 1 “sewers & wild mushrooms “ star out of 4.