Greetings again from the darkness. We can only assume there were conspiracy theorists during the time of cavemen since alarmists have existed at every other stage of humanity. It’s intriguing to assume there is more going on ‘behind the curtain’ than what we see with our own eyes. We feel there must be a reason those other people get rich or escape the judicial system or hold onto power … while we are stuck in the role of being just everyday folks. Filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos has a track record of unconventional projects (POOR THINGS, 2023; THE FAVOURITE, 2018; THE LOBSTER, 2015), and this time, he and screenwriter Will Tracy (THE MENU, 2022) have remade the 2013 award-winning South Korean cult film, SAVE THE GREEN PLANET!, by Jang Joon-hwan … and it’s a doozy.
Teddy (Jesse Plemons) is a radicalized beekeeper whose conspiracy theories have been built through specific podcasts and online extremists. He has dragged his well-meaning cousin Don (the film debut of neurodivergent actor Aidan Delbis) so far into these beliefs that they have both chemically castrated in order to remain focused. That focus is on Michelle Fuller (two-time Oscar winner Emma Stone), a high-powered Biomedical CEO, whom the men are convinced is the Earth-based leader and mastermind of the aliens committed to destroying mankind.
Adding to this is the distinct contrast between these two factions. Teddy and Don are a grungy, unkempt duo living in a dilapidated house, while Michelle is an impeccably dressed, confident woman living and working in a pristine home and office. A less-than-smooth kidnapping occurs as the men wear jumpsuits and masks that are worth a chuckle. Once Michelle is chained to the cot in their basement, her head is shaved (for real) and antihistamine cream is spread over her body. Teddy believes she communicates with her home base through her hair, and that the cream will numb her powers against them.
This is as bonkers as it sounds, yet it’s actually very intense and leads to some elevated verbal sparring between Teddy the believer and Michelle the polished executive. Corporate greed, big pharma, and the destruction of bees are all topics of discussion, and these conversations are key to the story. See, it’s only three days to the next lunar eclipse and Teddy is convinced that’s the only window for negotiations with Michelle’s alien community.
Stavros Halkias as the local sheriff and Teddy’s former babysitter, and Alicia Silverstone as Teddy’s mother have key supporting roles. Production Designer James Price creates the contrast required for the story, and composer Jerskin Fendrix fits the mood for each scene. Whether you figure out the twist early or not, it’s still worthy of discussion on whether aliens are a bigger threat to our planet than ourselves.
Posted by David Ferguson
Greetings again from the darkness. Well, we can’t really call this a feel-good movie. After all, the first segment (which is really the third) deals with what appears to be the early stages of the end of the world. Plus, it’s adapted from a Stephen King novella/short story and it’s directed by Mike Flanagan, who is best known for DOCTOR SLEEP (2019) and “The Haunting of Hill House” … not exactly the genes of a happy-go-lucky film experience. Still, beyond those points, it’s a terrific film that leaves us with an inspirational and life-affirming message.
Greetings again from the darkness. Most every Valentine’s Day, we get at least one romantic-comedy designed for a sweet and harmless date night. Well, this one ain’t it. Instead, if you thrive on romance loaded with danger and action sequences and mysterious monsters and decades old experimental weapons … we have just the movie for you. Director Scott Derrickson (THE BLACK PHONE, 2021; THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE, 2005) and screenwriter Zach Dean (THE TOMORROW WAR, 2021) deliver the rare sci-fi/action/monster/romance thriller, and were wise enough to cast two charming, well-liked young actors for the leads.
Greetings again from the darkness. Writer-director Bernardo Britto has delivered a modern-day cinematic rarity: a Science Fiction film without overblown special effects. Time travel is a vital part of the story, but at its core, this is a film about human emotions, and it has quite a message for viewers.
Greetings again from the darkness. My goal is to give every movie a fair shake, and to seek out the best elements even when a film disappoints. I don’t recall a time when this goal has been more difficult to achieve than after watching this latest from director Brad Peyton (SAN ANDREAS, 2015) and co-writers Leo Sardarian (“StartUp”), Aron Eli Coleite (“Locke & Key”).
Greetings again from the darkness. Have you hugged a spider today? Adam Sandler has. Well, technically it’s his character who does the hugging. Jakub Prochazka, is a Czech astronaut 189 days into his year long mission. He’s flying solo on “the outskirts of Jupiter” to explore the Chopra cloud which is expected to reveal the beginning of time. Honestly, it feels like a job worthy of more than one man, however, that’s what the source material provides. Based on the 2017 book “Spaceman of Bohemia” by Jaroslav Kalfar, Johan Renck directs the adapted screenplay by Colby Day. Mr. Renck is not one that jumps to mind when thinking of an Adam Sandler movie. His previous credits include the excellent mini-series “Chernobyl”, as well as multiple episodes of acclaimed series, “Breaking Bad” and “Bloodline”.
Greetings again from the darkness. I’ll readily admit that I’m not an expert in outer space-based Science Fiction Romantic-Comedies. If you press me for a description of writer-director Michael Lukk Litwak’s film, it would be “WHEN HARRY MET SALLY … in future space”. Of course, this low budget flick is no match for Rob Reiner’s classic 1989 Rom-Com, yet the mismatched couple and the recurring spontaneous meetups does strike some familiar chords.
Greetings again from the darkness. Certifiable love. Trust the science. Anna and Ryan are in love and they have the certification (and sore fingers) to prove it. One minor problem is that they don’t seem to have much in common, other than a love for the fatty parts of a well-cooked steak. And even this common ground leads to a certain dishonesty. Writer-director Christos Nikou and his APPLES co-writer Stavros Raptis, along with co-writer Sam Steiner, have given us a film that appears to lean heavily into science-fiction, while also poking a bit of skepticism that direction.
Greetings again from the darkness. Alien invasion movies have long been a favorite of science-fiction filmmakers, as well as platform for those who strive to caution us to our societal missteps and wrong choices along life’s muddy path. Within the past couple of weeks I watched JULES (2023), a cute, heart-warming story about an alien who crash-lands in Pennsylvania and is cared for by Ben Kingsley’s character. Going back further we have the thoughtful ARRIVAL (2016), the outlandish MEN IN BLACK (1997), the precious E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL (1982) from Spielberg, the frightening ALIEN (1979) by James Cameron, the often-re-made WAR OF THE WORLDS (1953), and the classic FORBIDDEN PLANET (1956). Of course, this is but a tiny portion of the complete list, but it gives some idea of the long-lived fascination.
Greetings again from the darkness. ‘Life will find a way.’ The iconic line spoken by Jeff Goldblum in JURASSIC PARK (1993) fits right into this offbeat science-fiction film from writer-director Mel Eslyn and co-writer and co-lead actor Mark Duplass. You may not be familiar with indie filmmaker Eslyn, but Duplass has built a career by specializing in projects that rip us out of our comfort zone, and then force us to consider a topic from a new perspective … as evidenced by films like CYRUS (2010) and CREEP (2014).