When Aliens Attack ....Or At Least, Go Bad

    In this sequel to the non-plural installment of the series, Ripley, believe it or not, is back. And this time, she arms herself with some big guns and with an even bigger attitude of instead of squaring off against just one xenomorph, she's taking on a whole hive full of them. And their momma too.
This movie has everything that I look forward to in a sci-fi adventure. Suspenseful action, solid story, distinct characters (with great chemistry), great visuals, kick-@ss aliens, a turning plot-twist (we all thought for sure, that Bishop couldn't be trusted), and of course, a catch-phrase that made the entire theatre that I saw this movie in to roar ("Get away from her, you b#tch!").

Ridley Scott directs a tale of "in-your-face" first contact which then evolves into a fatal game of hide and seek between an interstellar search party crew and a grilled faced lifeform that would eventually be categorized as a "xenomorph".  The first of what will turn out in following sequels to be a hive-race of double-mouthed acid-blooded slick black visitors who take the role of their hosts quite literally.
Never have the film genres of horror and science fiction been so perfectly blended as in this stylish, dark and damp first entry into the franchise which first introduced what is, IMO, one of the most unique and simply bad-@ss alien life-forms ever produced for film.
  Sometimes makes me wish that I had acid for blood.

  The scary thing about this Jack Carpenter classic is that it is a movie about a scary thing.
  Which is basically just what this plot entails.
Some kind of alien thing is going around and merging with whatever lifeform it can get its tentacle on. 
And then proceeds to transforming its victim into this... uhh... well, y'know... thing.



  How the heck Hollywood never bothered to make a sequel that could've easily been called "And Another Thing" is, IMO, a galactic example of a missed opportunity.

 During the 1970's and early 80's, many filmmakers within Soviet Union, despite the cold stagnant atmosphere of its governmental rule, managed to create some pretty damn good masterpieces. One of them is this science fiction epic, Solaris by Andei Tarkovsky (heck, even his name sounds like that of a creative genius). Any hardcore sci-fi fan worth his weight in Star Wars merchandise will tell you that this is one of those classic standards that should be in celestial cinematic nerd's watchlist. 
  It is a tale of scientist who ventures up into the outer limits of the Solar system to investigate a satellite space station that has gone "dark" in its communications to Earth. When he arrives, he discovers that the two remaining survivors are just as cold and secretive as the government he left behind. On top of that, his ex-wife, who is supposed to be dead, is also on board. 
  Is he really dreaming, or is it real? Is it the work of a form of otherworldly intelligence or is it because he's just a member of an internet site such as this one and the consequences of all the time he spends on the world wide web is finally catching up to his sense of reality?

In the so-called "War Of The Worlds", the aliens in question are not only winning, they are displaying the power to totally wipe us out. I mean, they are completely ripping the planet Earth a new @ss.
But just when it seems like all hope is lost for our defeated species, a savior is revealed. In the form of our bacteria. Looks like these giant tripod riding raiders have an immune system that would make a bubble boy's seem like an iron-clad defense system. Yep. The aliens literally catch their death of a cold.
Turns out that, all the while they were cutting us down with their sophisticated disintegration rays, all we had to do was to sneeze on 'em.
"... aah....
... aah....
... aAH-CHOOO..!!!!!!

Take that, ya blasted Martians!!"
Germ warfare in it's purest form.
"Oh, and if you greenblooded bastards want some more of this,
bring it!
Cuz I feel a fart coming on with all yo' names on it!"

 Here is a great classic science fiction horror combo that emits its thrills by channeling the chills of its premise by utilizing the fears that many of us tend to hold most as a general populace. The fear that we and our brethren are not we seem to be.
 And rarely does the black and white look of the time capture this cultural sub-genre tale of the fear of the unknown and magnify it to the point that, even today, Invasion makes the viewer feel the sparseness of trust that was running amok during this era of red scares and McCarthyism's. This is a movie was so effective in instilling a heightened sense of paranoia that, at the time it was released, it made audience members look at their neighbors with a questioning look of " Are you a friend, a Pinko, or a pod?"

 When I was a kid, I was a big fan of the Godzilla and other kaiju films from Japan. And yeah, even at a young age, I could easily see how campy the rubber feet, floppy feet, and cardboards buildings were, not to mention the clunky English dubbing. But still, my imagination liked to watch these city-sized destruction epics with an eye pointed towards the future, and how advanced cinematic technologies would someday elevate to the point of this kind of super-sized cinema look more "realistic".  
  This was an event that finally happened when the mysteriously named Cloverfield came along. Not only did the special effects of the New Millenium give concept of a giant monster from outer space a much more "down-to-earth" presentability, but also, the newly popularized genre known as "Found Footage" made these bombastic, Brobdingnagian battle beasts appear as though they could be stomping through our very own backyards. 
  And when it comes to colossal cryptoid crashing through concrete canyons, isn't that really what we all want?

Here's a movie whose tagline is "If they hear you, they'll hunt you". And as anybody who has seen this film knows, it's about a species of hungry aliens that can detect their victims by even the slightest of sounds.
Which means that this scenario would never work in "real" life. The whole of humanity would be extinct within a day of the invasion.
Because from my experiences on this planet, particularly on the internet and social media, a vast majority of you out there really don't know how or when to shut the f#ck up.

Monsters vs. Aliens is a tribute to all those 50's black & white sci-fi horrors flicks, but now in cool 3-D-like computer graphics. And in full color.
The graphics are absolutely top-notch, but some of the sheen has been lost due to the fact that they're also something that I'm sure viewers are pretty much starting to become accustomed to by now. And teen-agers today, let alone the more targeted little kid audience, will barely, if at all, get any of the references made to the Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, the Creature of the Black Lagoon and the like.
  Now don't get me wrong. I think that MvA comes off with enough of the high-quality wit and quips that we expect from this type of computer animated fare, but for some movie-goers who didn't grow up with double feature drive-ins and late-night creature feature TV shows, it may feel like this science radiated farce, may have come out a few years too late. It almost seems like a waste to limit such cool imagery and fantastical kooky characters to those us who had to walk barefoot through five feet of snow both ways in order to see a movie at the theater.

Superman isn't the only Kryptonian to have escaped the destruction of his home planet.
Three equally super-powered criminals of ruthless intent have escaped their prison of the Phantom Zone and have made their way towards the star, Sol, and her third orbiting planet (us).
And unless the Man Of Steel can stop them,
the entire planet may find itself kneeling before Zod.

During the height of McCarthyism and the Red Scare,
comes yet another science fiction film taking advantage of the fear inducing attitude scoring across the country at this time.
A big red mass that keeps getting bigger and bigger, terrorizes a small American town, swallowing up innocent denizens of democracy.....
get the symbolism?
Or is that stretching a metaphor farther than what an extended slimy flesh-disintegrating tentacle can reach?

 After A Quiet Place made a lot of noise back in 2018, studio execs quickly commissioned John Krasinki , who wrote, directed and starred in the first one, to write, direct and star in a sequel.
  And he did (although, because of the fate his character suffered in the first one, the "starring" part was limited to a short prequel scene at the beginning). However, as a result of the CoVid Pandemic, the movie theater market ended up being the only quiet place of 2020, forcing the film company to delay the release of the sequel for over a year. Finally released in the summer season of 2021, Part 2 reignited the socially distanced cinema scene and put asses in the seats again (although, preferably with two or three spaces in between 'em). In other words, this was the blockbusting alien-themed sequel that brought back the noise into the cineplexes and movie theaters that had, for almost two years, become such quiet places.

 Loki, the Asgardian God of Mischief, arranges the worldwide conquest of the Earth. Because he's a cosmically powered supervillain, and that's basically the goal of most cosmically powered supervillains. His latest scheme of global domination involves the use the Cosmic Cube and, luckily for the purposes of this list, a vast army of extra-dimensional aliens.
 And thus, the fate of the Marvel Cinematic Universe hangs in the balance.
As usual.
"Avengers Assemble!!"

A group of English gangbangers find themselves trying to protect their turf against a buncha hairy ape-like aliens who seem to be brushing their teeth with the uber-maximum whitening power of Gleem. And let's be honest here, even the most hardcore British street tough has very little chance against otherworldly beasts who have the power to floss.

While this movie started out with the name "Edge Of Tomorrow', since its release both in DVD and streaming forms, it's been advertised more as "Live. Die. Repeat".
That's because the story for this time-loop epic is basically just same thing as Groundhog Day.
Except, instead of Bill Murray, it stars Tom Cruise as the lead.
And instead of Andie McDowell as the romantic interest, it's Emily Blunt.
And instead of Chris Elliot as the supporting role, it's Bill Paxton.
And instead of taking place on Groundhog Day, it takes place on "Judgment Day".
And instead of a romantic comedy, the movie is an apocalyptic sci-fi thriller.
But other than that, it's just basically the same thing.

How does one gain the World Championship title belt of Total Badassery?
 Come from another planet, in full tilt sophisticated battle-gear and then proceed to kick the combined asses of "the Terminator", "Apollo Creed", Jesse "The Body" Ventura , and that one guy who played one of the corrupt cops in Payback. (Not to mention, in following sequels, take on another alien franchise).

   Love knows no bounds.
Even in the midst of an intergalactic war with a buncha Martians (in this case, they are particular type of Martian known as "Tarsians"),
this short anime film shows that as long as you've got a cell phone, a good distance carrier, not to mention a hell of alot patience,
long distance relationships can work.

  And as most of us who've been stuck in a short distance relationship for awhile know,
 sometimes, the idea of flyin' around in space in cool manga tech-gear and battling a buncha aliens, light years away from Earth, sounds a lot like heaven.

  This Spielberg big budget production is a remake of a science fiction classic from the 1950's that I mentioned somewhere earlier on this list. Something you'd know if you've been payin' attention as you read it. And if you are a true connoisseur of classic cinema of any genre, you'd also be aware that despite Steven's reputation as a quality level blockbusting filmmaker, not to mention hiring the blockbusting star power of Tom Cruise, it doesn't really manage to reach the level of legendary status of the original. 
  All that said, this modern take on a famous fictional intergalactic one-sided battle of the planets is nothin' to sneeze* at. 



 * Yeah, yeah, I know the sneeze joke wasn't funny nor witty the first time around, but whaddaya want... you're reading this on a site that been pretty much dead for several years already....

 Somewhere out there in a distant galaxy, there is a war that is raging on.
It's a war between two different alien robot species that have the ability to transform. Into cars, planes and stuff. 
The bad guys are known as the Decepticons. Because they deceit you into believing that they're ordinary Earth vehicles, when in reality, they're evil cyber-otherworlders lookin' to conquer our planet through, well, uh, y'know.... deception. 
  However, we good citizens (and the bad ones too) of this planet need fear not. 
For the heroes of the Transformers are the Autobots. And they have also transversed through space and lightyears to Earth in order to combat those dastardly Decepticons, and thus, protect us from them and their malevolent machinations. 
  Now, if you'll excuse me, after typing out this entry, I feel a strong desire to go and play with my robot action figures....

Okay,
so at first,
in District 9, the aliens aren't so bad.
A bit messy, a bit dumb, but not so bad.
But as always, we humans have to push it.
And even to a bunch of generally benevolent giant cockroaches,
we find out that every one, no matter what galaxy they may have spawned from, has their limits.

  Late in the future 2300's, some super-powerful alien force is seeking to communicate with Earth's now extinct humpback whales, and its approach towards the globe is likely to destroy the entire planet.
Therefore, the time-traveling Trekkers must save the whales in order to save the whole future of the galaxy.
On top of that, Chekov gets saved from the barbaric medical system of our time, Scotty "invents" a brand form of super-plexiglass, Spock starts to show signs of being Spock again, and, as always, Capt. Kirk gets the girl.
  In other words, for the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise, it looks like it's just going to be another typical Tuesday.
 

We Earthlings did it to the American Natives, we did it to the Australian Aborigines and in the not-so-distant future, we tried to do it to the alien populace of Pandora.
Only to find out that, despite not having any weapons, what these blue-skinned giants do have on their side is Mother Nature.
  Now, in a completely unrelated movie, the 2003 version of The Italian Job, there's a famous quote that goes something like "If there's one thing I know, it's to never mess with Mother Nature, mother-in-laws, or mother fuckin' Ukrainians!". For this movie, Avatar, that can be rephrased into "If there's one thing I know, it's never to mess with Mother Nature, mother-in-laws, or mother fuckin' Na'Vi's!". Because messin' with the third, you will find yourself messin' with the first. And that's something that the Earth's military didn't know. Until know they fucked around. 
  And then, of course, they found out. 

A movie about a big giant glob of pink snot that only gets bigger and bigger as the storyline progresses.
Could somebody hand me over a city-sized piece of tissue, please?

  After watching this reboot of the original crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise, it becomes obvious that space is no final frontier,
time travel is.
And "reboot" is a loose use of the term in that Kirk, Spock and all the rest of the gang are not so much back, as much as they are introduced. And yet, this storyline is still a continuation of the "current continuity" of the Star Trek franchise, just that, in this episode, it has branched off into.... well...
to try and explain it any further would require spoilers.
 Anyways, this newest manifestation of the "old" crew comes off as fresh and invigorated, with sets that look detailed yet stylish, the special effects are typically awesome (as is it is always expected in this genre), the starship battles kick ass and the plot's purpose doesn't stray too far off from what made this film series popular to begin with.
  So, while fans of Star Wars grumble all over the internet and at sci-fi cons of how low their beloved franchise has fallen,
with this latest chapter, Trek fans, old and new, have been given A New Hope for a future filled with the possibilty that, as Trekkies, they will truly be able to live long and prosper*.



* Oh, come on...! You knew that phrase had to come along eventually.

  Here's a science themed horror movie that purposely strays away from the formula but still makes the effort to delve deeply into the kinds of themes that the science fiction genre prided itself on in its inception.  Just a few short years after a mysterious meteorite that crashes to Earth, an area around its impact site forms that is named "The Shimmer" zone.   A group of female scientists are recruited to go in and investigate after the first military expedition failed to return.  Once within, they discover a mutated form of wildlife and fauna, and that the entire environment itself is slowing changing and expanding as such.  
  Is it all a metaphor for female periods and/or menopause? Or is that just an interpretation that came to me from letting my imagination overreach into the antiquated parts of brain that are activated when I see such a cool and chilling sci-fi horror such as this one?
  Either way, at the end of the day, it all leads to Annihilation. In one form or another.

  As the old adage paraphrasingly goes,
talking to "Strangers" is never a good thing.
 Especially if they're from another planet.
  And even worse,
letting 'em take over the planet and trying to control over all reality is even worse.
Particularly when they're a buncha endangered parasitical pyrokinetic extraterrestrials, whose only hope for survival are the souls of their human hosts.

  Once again, science fiction meets horror in this tale of other-worldly bug-eyed beasties and beastly bugs entering our world via a mysterious mist that, as the lead characters soon find out, is probably not the result of any natural weather pattern known on this planet.
 Or, on the other hand, maybe it's a direct result of global warming. 
 Maybe The Mist is a cautionary warning for us to buy electric cars. And if that's the case, when looking at Elon's Cybertruck model, only one thought goes through my head....
  whatever the answer is, I think we're all pretty much fucked.

  Not as good as the 1972 version (but let's be honest here, despite Steven Soderbergh being at the helm, this version stood almost no chance of replicating the masterpiece status that is Tarkovsky's) but the 2002 update of Solaris is a solid, more streamlined remake that effectively modernizes the theme of its original.
  An alien intelligence still resides in the futuristic space station, the ex still shows up to haunt your head, and both will make you feel almost like the previous entry on this list....
  that we're all pretty much fucked.

  Heavy Metal is an early 1980's cult classic animation anthology films that features multiple stories which all connected by the Loc-Nar.
 Don't know what a Loc-Nar is?
  It's a green glowing sentient orb from outer space.
More specifically, it's an alien life-force that is self-described as being made up of "The sum of all evils."
   So y'know.... that kinda pretty much explains why this movie is being included on this list (for those of you who saw this film and then were wondering...).

Michelle is just a typical gal who tends to runs away from relationships whenever they hit a bumpy road. And during one of these runaways, the bumpy road ends up being the one she's driving on as it leads to a car accident serious enough to knock her unconscious. When she wakes up, Michelle finds herself trapped in a bunker, with it's maker and another bunkee. According to her host, while she was out, the world has gone apocalyptic from a globewide alien attack and her only chance for survival is an extended stay underground.
  But is it the outside world that has come to an end, or is it her host's sanity?
  Which is something those of us who spend so much time on the internet making lists like these ask ourselves everyday. 

The aliens have landed!
And in L.A., it's gonna take more than Proposition 187 to keep 'em from taking over the City Of Angels.



  This far into the list, does it come off as though I may have a crossed a line yet?

  There was study done once that showed that that the average human will eat about 8 spiders in their lifetime while they sleep with their mouths open. Although, as far as I know, there have been no studies made which would tell us how many bug-shaped alien forms would end up crawling into our mouths as we engaged in the life-revitalizing ritual of slumber. But, then again, maybe that's because this is unlikely to happen since this is an event that only occurs in the movies.
 Even more specifically, this is an event that occurs in one movie. This one. 
 Aptly called The Hidden, it's an underrated 80's sci-fi horror flick in which an evil parasitic life-form enters into its host through the pie-hole. Which isn't really all that bad when you think about what other alternative holes it could have evolved itself to crawl into.

      Back in the mid 70’s, Jaws splashed into the record books of box office returns and started the craze of summer blockbusters. Since then, many of Hollywood’s creative force have dipped their toe into the pool of fathom fraught fear and released several films that delved deep into the uncharted depths of this particular sub genre of horror. 

As I mentioned in couple of earlier entries, as a fan of the first Godzilla flicks, I used to watch those old Kaiju movies as a kid with the anticipation that one day the technology of special effects would catch up to grandness of giant monsters and robots duking it out in the midst of ill-fated Tokyo downtown districts.
  And even though, because of modern movie audience's shrinking ability to suspend their belief for this kind of stretched out subject matter, it took longer than I would have liked, Pacific Rim finally came along and was able to satiate that almost life-long anticipation. Giant monsters fighting giant robots, all lookin' real as hell, and kiss-ass as all get out. 
  Sure, I would have liked if they had been able to write a better story for such colossal creature clashing type of blockbusting fare, but for now, I'll take what we can get.

  Under the Skin is one those abstract, expressionistic style films that tries to tell the story of a female human looking alien that stalks the night in a van, looking to pick up male prey in order to seduce them back her apartment/black void of ebonic liquid. She manages to do this by "donning" on the features and identity of an Earth woman and how exactly this may benefit her, or her race, is a plot point that left to the viewer to fill in. Because, as you might have guessed, this is a surrealist sci-fi horror movie whose primary purpose is not to tell the traditional linear tale of high-tech terror, but one that tries to induce a foggy feeling of dark creepiness, who's vague narrative will leave you with the kind of lasting, viscerally black and ethereal effect that tends to lurk under the skin. 
  When it comes to a fantasy story of an extraterrestrial life-force that takes on the form of black go, if you want that makes sense, stick to any of the Venom films. But if you want one that features the ravishing beauty of Scarlett Johannson seducing dumb horny lunks such as yourself, Skin is the way to go.

  I know it's hard for many of today's younger movie goers to believe it, but there was a time when M. Knight Shyamalan  was a pretty good filmmaker. And one of the best of his works is this one, Signs. And one of the things that makes this science fiction horror thriller so good is how it;s central themes is based on a very simple question.... just how do you get a former priest whose lost his faith to "open his eyes" and start believing again?

  Spoiler alert, here's the answer.... try sending down an alien or two down to Earth  and start forming big ol' circles in his crops.

 Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are a couple of British buddies who are also comedic actors and who also sometimes make their own films. The World’s End is one of those films and is also the closing chapter to their three set of movies known as the Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy.
And to be quite honest,
when I first heard that this was the name given to this trio-sized franchise, my first thought was "What the hell is a 'cornetto?'". As a result, I decided to utilize the power that was at my fingertips to google it. As it turns out, cornetto is either a 16th century woodwind instrument or a brand of ice cream. To which, with the bullet quick speed of my wit, I instantly realized that it was probably being used in reference to the ice cream in this particular instance.
Therefore, because of these movies, if the world were to end right here right now, not only would I die a little bit smarter, but also, I'd most likely die with a ravenous urge for some kind of a frozen treat or somethin'.

 They say what you don't know can't hurt you.
  And in this franchise, this applies to idea of aliens as well.
  Extra-terrestrials have not only touched down to Earth, they are living amongst us. And have been doing so for quite some time. So, how did we get by for so long without knowing?
The MIB, a secret organization that makes sure that unidentified flying objects remain unidentified and that extra-terrestrials remain "extra" (if that makes any kind of sense...).
   And for any of those Area 51 enthusiasts out there, don't get your pannies all in a bunch... it's not a conspiracy, it's for your own good. These black suited, dark spectacled agents know that if any of us average joes were aware of the fact that our humble blue planet has been being visited for years now, it would be too much information for mere Earthlings to handle.
  In short, to save us from being taken away by the men in white, we need the Men In Black.
  We just don't know it.



  Heck, as far as you know, a being from another planet could be typing these very words that you are reading right now.

 Okay, so out of all the Body Snatchers film adaptations, this 1978 version is universally considered the best of the lot (so far). But, for the purposes of this list, we could probably also include the 1993 remake simply titled Body Snatchers, along with 2007's Invasion starring Nicole Kidman, and any other future sub-standard remakes from the idea-deprived Hollywood machine decides to replicate in the future. Heck, I heard there is an X-rated version called Invasion of the Body Snatches, which I would assume includes alien pods whose invasion tactics take on a much more invasive manner than the definition of the word does not include.

  The first V/H/S movie sucked. Yeah, I undetsand that that first flick has a bit of a cult following. And yeah, I don't mind being part of a cult. I mean, a bunch of people who get together because the world outisde rejected them and therefore they find comfort in each others' arms by enjoying a film that the rest of the movie viewing community ignored, I can get down with that. I like having disenfranchised friends. 
  But V/H/S and me, we didn't click. It's as simple as that.
After my initial viewing of it, I wasn't kind and didn't rewind.
And I had no intention of watching it's sequel when it was released less than a year later. However, as word of mouth spread on the internet that it was better, way better than its predecessor, I eventually caved and decided to it a looksee.

  And after watching it, I can say yes, V/H/s 2 is much better than the original. That doesn't mean that I'm a member of the cult that follows the franchise, but I do hafta admit, I do like the Kool-Aid. 

  What can you consider a Vegan to be a vegan and a carnivore at the same time?
  When it's a giant flesh-craving Venus Flytrap from another planet.



  A little shop that demonstrates that in order to properly take care of a house plant from outer space,
one need simply add water, potting soil and lots of sunshine.
  Not to mention, a carcass or two.

 For the first time ever, Godzilla, Minilla, Mothra, Rodan, Gorosaurus, Anguirus, Kumonga, Manda, Baragon, and Varan, all together in one movie, kicking all sorts of ass with their big, floppy rubber feet (or any other appendages of like-minded floppy purposes).
And it's all because of those stupid aliens!
This is the original Monsters Versus Aliens epic,
not to mention, the battle royale of all battle royales! With cheese!
Run for your lives!!!!

  After a group of space faring travelers find themselves stranded on an unknown planet, they soon come to find that they are are the menu of a swarm of carnivorous flying predators. No, not those Predators. These are a complete different set of alien species.  The stranded travelers can't see these predators. Not because the carnvirous aliens can camoflage themselves against the darkness of the atmoshere as would the bipedal ones that Arnold Schwartzenegger took on. No, these alien predatos can't be seen because they only come out after the sun has set and everything around 'em is pitch black. 
Which pretty much explains why the title of this movie in named like the way that it is.  

 The aliens have landed! Again!
And they're huge! Again!
 Actually, before I go any further, I should mention that despite the name and set-up of this movie, Monsters is more of a love story than it is a science fiction thriller or alien invasion epic. The plot is basically following a two people, a man and a woman, as they try and cross an area known as the "Infected Zone" (obviously meaning that it's infected with the aliens in question). And the focus here is more on how these two people end up falling for each other as they try to maneuver through this zone. This isn't so much a spoiler as it is a warning, but we barely see any of the monsters, just enough to see that they are huge and have tentacles. 
And for some of you internet weirdos out there who may have perked up in your chairs when you read the word "tentacles", no, I don't mean that kind of love story. 

 I don't know how true it may have been, but I heard tell that this movie was originally planned to be called "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner", until they found out that that title had already been taken.  After it's initial release, it titled "The McPherson Tape" but has since been changed to the name we see up above. 



  A Thanksgiving family get-together gets interrupted by big-eyed visitors from, well... since I'm going by the assumption that if you've gotten to this point of this list, you are someone who obviously has the ability to read. And if you can do that, then there's also a strong possibility that you also have the ability to do simple math. Which means that you can read the title of this film, put two and two together and easily figure out what route this story of a family's turkey day celebration is going to go. 
  And if your family is anything like my family during the time of year that this is all supposed to be taking place, maybe aliens crashing in on the party is a conclusion that could be considered as "all for the best". 
  Movin' on...

Anyone familiar with the history of space exploration knows that Sputnik was the very first man made object that was placed in Earth's orbit. Built and set off to space by the Russians, and , it was symbol of mankind's lofty aspirations to fly outside of the planet's atmosphere and beyond, despite the Cold War rivalry of the great space race. Sputnik's only function was to circle the globe and send continual beeping transmissions down to Earth. It was a harmless piece of machinery that in the end, demonstrated that when it came to ingenuity of humankind, the sky was truly the limit.
Sputnik the movie, was also created by the Russians, in 2020, long after the thaw of the Cold War. But in this film, the "Sputnik" in question is an alien with parasitic tendencies and a taste for human flesh. And with it's ability to control it's host to meet it's appetital demands in a rather macbre version of "how to serve mankind", this Anti-Sputnik shows that it when it comes to human race acting as an "all-you-can-eat" buffet, this orbital nasty is much more of a symbolpc statemants that says that what's down here on the ground is what truly is the limit.

  Believe it or not, back in 2016, there were still a fair amount of video rental stores around. And in that year, a movie about a bunch of aliens touching down here on our humble little Big Blue Marble came out which was simply called "Arrival". Therefore, it wasn't too surprising that there were quite a few of mix-ups at the cashier's booth when people went to rent that Arrival and instead ended up getting The Arrival instead. A 1996 release that was also about extraterrestrials coming to pay us Earthlings a visit, and therefore, the continual mix-up was pretty understandable. Of course, the differences between the two may have been subtle, but they were there. Obviously the first one is the fact that the first one had the The in the title. The other is that while the second was about hospitable beings from outer space, this one the beings tend to lean much more towards being inhospitable. Which leads to yet another difference, this one being much more subtle, much much more minor, and one that only my fellow members of this site will notice. Here on Listal, I prolifically created two movie lists themed around the concept of aliens. One is about aliens who come in peace, and the other, which is this one, is about aliens who come to attack. 2016's Arrival is the first list, and this one, 1996's The Arrival is in this one. 

  Although now that I think about, even this Arrival with the in front of it, even if this one was more about aliens with intentions of peace, I may still have included it here on this list. Because the star of this movie is Charlie Sheen. And with that much tiger's blood running through this sci-fi semi-classic, it may still have qualified much better here than it would there. 

  Even when they're dead, aliens can still become a marauding, world conquering nuisance by hanging around as hordes of a massive spirited phantom plague that can kill you by sucking out the Mother Nature inside of you (and how's that for a theme for a sci-fi horror flick disguised as a video game film?).



  Hey, do you want to know the secret to making a movie that will bomb at the box office despite putting in millions of dollars into it and wasting months and months of effort on computer generating it? Just do what The Spirits Within did here... name the film after one of the most globally popular video games in the history of gaming but create a story that has nothing to do with said video game.  It'll piss off the millions of dedicated fans of the game and in the age of the internet, the negative word of mouth will spread like wildfire. 
  After that, just sit back, relax, and watch the holes in your pocket grow bigger and bigger. I tell ya, the process of how this first Final Fantasy got made, then marketed, and then just completely bombed, it's a story almost as pathetic as coming onto Listal and posting lists about favorite movies when everyone else here in this site just wants to post up list about pretty girls from all around the world. 
 Moving on……

 Despite the fact that Independence Day is a holiday that is most often associated with the U.S. of A. celebrating its freedom on the Fourth of July, it is an event that becomes global when almost the entire planet of Earth gets blown up.
  That is the moment when the entire populace of this Big Blue Marble decides to come together as a species, roll up our sleeves, and then go off to, in the immortal words of the Fresh Prince, "kick E.T.'s ass".

If I can be honest, despite its status as a cult favorite, I didn't find Starship Troopers  to be all that great, in it's story or just as a movie over-all.
But what it does have going for it are a kick-ass looking alien race of giant insectoids and some pretty decent CGI enhanced battle scenes (not to mention the dramatic debut of the ultra-fine Denise Richards).
This is definitely what you'd call a beer and popcorn movie.
Preferably more beer than popcorn.