Alien at the Movies

Wicker

In this quaint old village with some quirky customs & ways, life seems rather idyllic except for one lonely fisherwoman (Olivia Coleman). She is mocked by the villagers & is desperate to find a mate. In this “Pinocchio” meets “Frankenstein” steamy bawdy dark comedy/romance/fantasy, the fisherwoman pays the local master basket maker (Peter Dinklage) to make her a husband to marry… which somehow he magically does. Life with this Wicker Man (Alexander Skarsgärd) turns around for the fisherwoman. She now has help around the house, a very satisfying lover, & a devoted husband. However, he is the talk of the town, other wives become envious, husbands blame him for making them look bad, & rumors begin to fly. A tragedy in the village sparks another trip to the master basket maker. Accusations are made, jealousy rages, & tempers explode. Regrets will surface. Can this village ever return to normal? Who can step up fix things & how? Is there a happy ending to this fantasy tale? This is basically a story about love, marriages, trust, & relationships with a touch of greed & irony.

Alien gives it 3 “stories that we weave” stars out of 4.

Matchbox: The Movie

In this comedy action spy thriller, CIA agent Sean Walker (John Cena) is framed for the theft of a nuclear warhead. He & his 4 childhood best friends get kidnapped, escape, & try to prevent a nuclear disaster. As kids, these friends bonded over their love of Mattel’s Matchbox cars & vehicles. This is an action-driven film with Cena carrying the heavy lifting in the hand-to-hand combat sequences & with the rest of the Matchbox gang contributing for the Fast & Furious type vehicle chase scenes. This a nostalgic look back for the kid in you who loved those miniatures. The action sequences are dazzling but the film still feels like it’s still geared to 13 year olds. Among the supporting cast is Jessica Biel playing Aimee, Sean’s childhood crush. This one is about those strong childhood friendships & the bond that connects us together,

Alien gives it 2½ “Limited Edition Super Camaro” stars out of 4.

Verity

Lowen Ashleigh (Dakota Johnson) is a writer hired to complete a book series started by a very popular murder mystery novelist, Verity Crawford (Anne Hathaway). Verity was severely injured in an automobile accident & was now in a comatose state. The publishing company & Verity’s husband Jeremy (Josh Hartnet) is trying to keep the incident secret & have Lowen ghost write the sequels. Lowen moves into the Crawford household to review & study any notes and/or outlines in preparation. There, Lowen meets the young son Crew, Verity’s nurse, & Verity herself. Now the plots thickens as secrets come out & the lines between fantasy, reality, & hallucinations are blurred. Who can you believe? This film is based on the Colleen Hoover’s novel of the same name. Given Hoover’s other books turned into movies (“The End of Us”, “Regretting You”, & “Reminders of Him”), we can expect some sparks to fly. This one is mysterious with some twists & turns as well as some jump scares. This one comes off as unsettling as each viewer may take different position at the end. Will there be a sequel to further explain what may happen next?

Alien gives it 3 “tippy canoe & Harper too” stars out of 4.