Stephen Herek’s “Critters” is a fun and gory horror science fiction film that knows exactly what kind of movie it is. It’s neat a mix of a monster movie and a tongue in cheek action sci-fi movie. As well it delights in doling out a lot of gruesome kills and fun nuggets of very light comedy that will arouse some chuckles, but never ruin the momentum of the movie. Up in the space in a prison space ship, the Krites have managed to escape their cells and are now on the run. They’ve taken hold of a ship of their own and are headed for Earth. The alien overlords hire two skilled bounty hunters with blank faces, urging them to find the krites before they reach Earth and wreak incomprehensible havoc on the population. With the bounty hunters on their tails, the Krites have crash land on a farm in the middle of a rural town in Kansas.
Tag Archives: Aliens
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
“E.T.” is pretty much the quintessential Steven Spielberg film. It’s very much an autobiographical tale, and speaks waves about the life Spielberg led and the life he almost wished he’d had. “E.T” is about a weird boy from a divorced family who gains a kinship with yet another outcast who happens to be from another world. The way protagonist Elliott is able to bond with the alien that is stranded on Earth is possibly because Elliott is something of an alien in his own world as well. Despite his best intentions to mix in with his family and his class, he’s something of an oddity who gains something of a sense of identity after garnering a bond with someone from a whole other galaxy.
The Five Best Superman Episodes of “Justice League/JLU”
October 10th, DC and Warner break their official rule by featuring Superman in season two of “Supergirl.” The series makes the trek from CBS TV to CW TV this fall and Warner are throwing out all the stops by having her crossover with her iconic cousin, the man of steel. Tyler Hoechlin of “Everybody Wants Some!!” steps in to the cape and tights this time around and as a Superman geek I’m expecting a lot of fun action and family dynamic. To celebrate Superman coming to “Supergirl,” I list five of the best Superman-centric episodes for Bruce Timm’s “Justice League” and “Justice League Unlimited.”
What are your personal favorites?
My Stepmother is an Alien (1988)
Richard Benjamin’s movie is one without an audience. It’s too adult for kids, and too childish for the adult crowds. It tries very hard to pass itself off as a latter day “Splash” with aliens in place of mermaids, but the problem is Dan Akroyd was never really Tom Hanks, and the writers push the child element on the film so much, “My Stepmother is an Alien” ceases to become an out of this world romance comedy. It’s instead more about accepting your parents have to move on, with the central character being a very young Alyson Hanigan rather than, oh, the adults. Kim Basinger plays an alien named Celeste, from a seemingly big planet of hot aliens who comes to Earth to study an unnatural occurrence on her planet.
Tales of Halloween (2015) [Blu-Ray/2-DVD/CD]
Just in time for Halloween 2016 comes one of the best horror indie anthologies of the last six years. “Tales of Halloween” is a sick, demented, and fun ode to the thrill of Halloween and its mythology and brings together up and comers and veterans of the horror film world to spin their own twisted yarns concerning the holiday many horror buffs hold so dearly to them. Epic Pictures grants fans a wonderful box set edition that holds all sorts of goodies for them. The best prize of all is “Tales of Halloween,” a movie that pays tribute to everything fun and horrifying about the holiday with ten short tales starring folks like Lin Shaye, and Adrienne Barbeau who unofficially reprises her role of Stevie Wayne as the film’s Halloween DJ who narrates every story. The neat touch to the movie is that every story unfolds within the vicinity of a normal suburban neighborhood on Halloween night.
Man Underground (2016) [Fantasia International Film Festival 2016]
A conspiracy theorist living in a small North Eastern town removes himself from society more and more after having a visit from aliens on his government job. As he lives his life as best he can following the loss of his job and of his marriage, he gives talks about aliens to dwindling crowds. After meeting an actress, he decides to make a film about his life with her and his only friend left.
Co-writers/co-directors Sam Marine and Michael Borowiec work very well together, building a film laced with the lead’s paranoia and showing three sides of what he has to deal with: friendly people who want to help; people wanting to use him as s how; and people who have complete condescension for him. They build a world where the audience feels for him while understanding where others come from on how they deal with him. They build a character study of a man who may have lost his mind or not, a man with an absolute conviction in his belief that is unbreakable even if he is. The way they construct the characters and story pulls the viewer in even if alien conspiracy is not their thing like this reviewer.
The cast of course helps a lot. George Basil does a phenomenal job in the part of Willem Koda, the alien conspiracy theory at the center of the film. The way he embodies the character makes him so human and believable. His portrayal makes Willem the town kook that everyone wants to know more about and care about. As the actress Willem takes an interest in, Flossie Ferguson, actress Pamela Fila shows that interest and care, bringing the viewer in further as she becomes their stand-in in his life. The conflict she shows in parts of the film looks genuine like her interest. Rounding out the great lead cast is Andy Rocco as Todd Muckle, Willem’s best and only friend who stands by him no matter what, even when they don’t agree on everything. His performance is also spot-on and creates a character everyone can care for and who is a little goofy but with his heart in the right place.
Man Underground is a carefully planned and made film that makes more than the most of its small budget. From the production design by Amber Cicardo to the art direction she did with costume designer Alexandra Lopez to the music by Zach De Sorbo to the cinematography by Maximilian Lewing, everything looks and sounds like a bigger budget film. It’s a testament to the talent of all involved and to the importance of choosing a great team to work with and stretch your dollars.
Michael Borowiec and Sam Marine craft a great film about a man who wants to be believed, who needs to be believed, a character study of a conspiracy theorist and whose beliefs have affected his life. Their film is touching while giving a glimpse into the life of someone considered crazy without turning it into a satire or a comedy at the expense of this man.
Fantasia International Film Festival ran from July 14th until August 3rd, 2016 and will be back in the summer of 2017.
Supergirl: The Complete First Season [Blu-Ray/Digital]
The series “Supergirl” is in a tricky dilemma from episode one. It’s been created by a network like CBS in America that doesn’t quite understand it. CBS has never really embraced the superhero boom of the aughts, and “Supergirl” pretty much was walking on egg shells from episode one. It’s a good bit of fortune it’s been ported over to the CW where it can live and breathe among other superhero fare like “The Flash” and “Arrow.” After swearing off Supergirl for many years, I decided to be a good little super fan boy and check out “Supergirl” and I’m glad that I did. It’s a pretty remarkable and loyal adaptation of the DC Comics character that is so much more Superman than Superman has been in the last sixteen years.