Movie review: Alienate

 

 David is out of town on a business trip when disaster strikes; an alien invasion. A workaholic whose marriage is failing, David struggles to find his way home and repair what is left of his life.

Blake Webb (David), Tatum Langton (Amy), Jaclyn Hales (Samantha), Natalie Day (Alien/Nathan), Keith Hottinger (Sam), Cuyle Carvin (Brad), Richard Sharrah (Matt), Sue Rowe (Tori), Tye Nelson (Dan).

Alienate is told in the form of flashbacks to multiple time periods and apparent current events, which is not well explained or expressed by the film. A workaholic on a business trip that will likely end his marriage, David finds himself in the middle of an alien invasion and tries to return home to salvage his life. Along the way he encounters obstacles that turn to detours leading to a drama rather than a sci-fi film. Although there are aliens in the film, if you blink you will miss seeing the only one.

Acting was rough though Webb did fairly well. Langton delivered but her character was completely unlikeable. Hales, Day, Rowe, and the remainder of the cast felt inexperienced.

Camera work, sets, and backgrounds were okay most of the time though a few scenes felt they were filmed by a toddler. CGI, effects, and actions scenes are decent considering you never actually see the aliens. Dialogue was dry, lackluster, and did little to move the film along or add depth. Sound and soundtrack mediocre at best.

Overall this one suffers most from a lousy title and marketing. Billed as a Sci-Fi Alien flick, this is actually nothing more than a sad drama with some hints of sci-fi to try and make it more interesting. Those who enjoy strongly dramatic sci-fi should enjoy this one. Sci-Fi fans will be nothing but disappointed.

With some potentially disturbing images, this one is fine for teens and above or anyone you would like to mentally punish.

Released: 2016
Reviewed: 9.12.18
Star rating: 3 out of 5
Genre: Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi, Thrillers

copyright ©2018 Dave Riedel

Movie review: Terrifier

 

 It is Halloween night and Art the Clown has decided it is time to do some killing. In a condemned apartment building, Art stalks three young women and anyone else who gets in his way, all in disturbing silence.

Jenna Kanell (Tara), Samantha Scaffidi (Victoria), David Thornton (Art), Catherine Corcoran (Dawn), Pooya Mohseni (Cat Lady), Matt McAllister (Mike the Exterminator), Katie Maguire (Monica), Fino Cafarelli (Steven).

Terrifier begins with some plot setup that is wonderfully creepy. From there the film turns into your basic slasher flick with a silent, demented clown. There isn't much plot other than a clown that likes to kill pretty women. Unfortunately, the pretty women are not so likeable so we are left with nobody to cheer for except maybe Art in hopes he will get the killing over and done with.

Acting was boring at best. Kanell was mildly entertaining but her performance was so serious as to almost feel out of place when it was obvious nobody else took the film seriously. Though a key character, Scaffidi left a lot of emotion at the door. Corcoran filled the empty-headed blonde spot nicely. Without a single line, Thornton was the most interesting, and disturbing, character in the film.

Camera work, sets, and backgrounds are decent with a solid, realistic feel. Action scenes, gore, and costuming were all well done and enjoyable. Dialogue was mundane with very little humor or information not seen on the screen. Sound and soundtrack are lukewarm.

Overall Terrifier is a decent teen scream slasher flick but that is all. The film lacks the depth, energy, and acting to make it interesting or entertaining for those who enjoy well done horror.

With quite a bit of horror, gore, foul language, and disturbing images, this should be fine for teens and above.

Released: 2017
Reviewed: 9.12.18
Star rating: 3 out of 5
Genre: Horror, Thriller, Independent Thriller, Slasher Films, Teen Screams

copyright ©2018 Dave Riedel

Movie review: Her

 

 In the near future the newest trend in dating is with a computer operating system. Designed to meet every need, lonely writer Theodore decides to give dating an operating system a try.

Joaquin Phoenix (Theodore), Chris Pratt (Paul), Rooney Mara (Catherine), Scarlett Johansson (Samantha), Amy Adams (Amy), Kristen Wiig (SexyKitten voice), Matt Letscher (Charles).

Her begins by showing us how Theodore lives currently, and why he may be lonely. When he stumbles upon the idea of dating an operating system, Theo tentatively gives it a shot but before long finds he is falling for Samantha, the software. The film follows along as Theo tries to navigate life while dating a computer, and finds he isn't alone. Eventually the film winds down with a Happy Ever After ending which attempts to make a point obvious to us all by this point in the film.

Acting was solid with Phoenix delivering a nicely solid and emotional performance. Johansson performed her voice work very well. Pratt, Mara, Adams and the remainder of the supporting cast were solid and enjoyable.

Camera work, sets, and backgrounds are mild but worked. Dialogue was enjoyable and did a decent job of exposing internal thoughts as well as moving the plot along. Sound and soundtrack are nicely done.

While Her is an interesting film, and somewhat entertaining, the film lacks energy and feels like a sad love story most of the time. The character Theodore was only a half-tick above interesting which didn't help much. Those who enjoy mild romance and sci-fi should enjoy this one.

With a fair amount of sexuality and foul language, save this for older teens and above. At just over two hours run-time, be sure you have time for this one beforehand.

Released: 2013
Reviewed: 9.12.18
Star rating: 3 out of 5
Genre: Romance, Sci-Fi, Drama, Romantic Drama, Romantic Sci-Fi

copyright ©2018 Dave Riedel

Movie review: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005)

 

 An alien construction crew is set to demolish Earth and seconds before work begins Arthur Dent is whisked from the planet by his friend, Ford. Working on a new edition of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy", Ford drags Dent along on the adventure of a lifetime.

Martin Freeman (Dent), Zooey Deschanel (Trillian), Alan Rickman (Marvin voice), Stephen Fry (Narrator), John Malkovich (Humma), Helen Mirren (Deep Thought), Sam Rockwell (Zaphod), Bill Nighy (Slartibartfast), Yasiin Bey (Ford).

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy begins nicely enough with some plot setup and character introductions. From there the film only gets sillier and the social satire stronger. The film picks up pace as Dent's journey progresses, and while he may find the meaning of the Universe the answer will likely be incomprehensible. The film winds down with a lovely Happy Ever After ending and our own yearning for more.

Acting was amusing and well done. Dent and Deschanel both delivered well and worked nicely together. Rockwell was perfectly cast in a quirky role requiring his strange humor. Rickman, Fry, and Mirren all did great voice work. Bey delivered well, as did Malkovich, Nighy, and the remainder of the cast.

Camera work, sets, and backgrounds were all a ton of fun and fitting for the film. Costuming was exceptional and added greatly to the film. CGI and effects are simple, funny, and enjoyable. Dialogue was campy, corny, and brought plenty of chuckles. Sound and soundtrack are solid.

If you have not seen The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy yet you are one of the few so be sure and check it out. Plenty of laughs and a plot that is more about social satire and comedy than anything else. Those who enjoy a silly fun film for the laughs should enjoy this one.

With some mild foul language, this should be fine for preens and above.

Released: 2005
Reviewed: 9.12.18
Star rating: 4 out of 5
Genre: Action & Adventure, Comedy, Sci-Fi, Adventure, Classics

copyright ©2018 Dave Riedel

Movie review: Transformers: The Last Knight

 

 Optimus Prime, confronted with his dead planet, returns to Earth in search of a long lost artifact that can fix his broken world. But he isn't the only one looking and Transformers: The Last Knight, continuing the second trilogy of the Transformers franchise, brings the Transformer vs. Decepticons war to Earth once again.

Mark Wahlberg (Cade), Anthony Hopkins (Sir Edmund Burton), Josh Duhamel (Lennox), Laura Haddock (Vivian), Santiago Cabrera (Santos), Isabela Moner (Izabella), Gemma Chan (Quintessa), Tony Hale (JPL Engineer), Peter Cullen (Optimus), John Goodman (Hound), Steve Buscemi (Daytrader), Frank Welker (Megatron), Erik Aadahl (Bumblebee).

Transformers: The Last Knight begins with Optimus realizing his world has been destroyed but can be rebuilt using an artifact long lost on Earth. But the artifact is already being sought by Quintessa and her Decepticons even as the artifact itself is searching for someone. The resulting story ties the Transformers storyline to Earth history in an interesting way while filling in some gaps and moving the franchise forward nicely. Of course there is a lot of action and adventure along the way, and in this film, quite a bit of humor as well.

Acting was solid with Wahlberg delivering well in his role. Hopkins was enjoyable as always, while Duhamel continued his role well. Haddock was entertaining and seemed to work well with Wahlberg. Moner, Hale, and the remainder of the acting and voice cast were good.

Camera work, sets, and backgrounds are good but as always, CGI rules this franchise for obvious reasons. Action scenes were once again a bit too fast to realize detail, but par for the course with this series. CGI overall was well done and excessive, but with good detail and fit. Dialogue was fun with some good humor between the drama and battles. Sound and soundtrack are solid.

Transformers: The Last Knight is a nice addition to the franchise, and brings back a bit of quality with a deeper feel and an injection of humor. Fans of the series should enjoy this one. Those who have not been following along will quickly be lost.

With some sexuality, foul language, and plenty of violence, this is actually fine for teens and above.

Released: 2017
Reviewed: 9.8.18
Star rating: 4 out of 5
Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Action Thriller, Action Sci-Fi & Fantasy

copyright ©2018 Dave Riedel