Alien – STREAMING MOVIE NIGHT

2022 Universal Pictures

Rated: R

Length: 2 hr 11min

Sci-Fi ~ Thriller

Starring: Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer, Steven Yeun, Michael Wincott, Brandon Perea, and Keith David.

“This dream you’re chasing, where you end up at the top of the mountain, all eyes on you… it’s the dream you never wake up from.”

FROM UNIVERSAL PICTURES:

Oscar®-winning filmmaker Jordan Peele reimagines the summer movie with Nope, an expansive pop epic of uncanny science fiction. Following their father’s shocking death, Hollywood animal wrangler OJ (Daniel Kaluuya) and his sister Emerald (Keke Palmer) begin observing unexplained phenomena on their vast Southern California ranch that leads them down an obsessive rabbit hole as they plot attempts to capture the mystery on camera. Along with a former child star turned family theme park ringmaster (Steven Yeun) who neighbors the siblings, the pair’s efforts to chase the spectacle soon bring terrifying consequences and unimaginable horror. The result is a complex social thriller that unpacks the seeds of violence, risk and opportunism that are inseparable from the romanticized history of the American West … and from show business itself.

Movie Backstories:

The Chimpanzee:

In the beginning of the movie, and later in the movie, there are scenes where a monkey has gone rogue on a sitcom TV set. Balloons released from a box on his birthday rise up and hit the stage lights and pop, sending the primate into a fit of uncontrollable violence. He focuses on the actress playing the mother in the sitcom, and violently attacks her. This scene is based on a real life incident that happened in 2009 in Stamford, Connecticut.

Travis the chimp was raised by Sandra and Jerome Herold after purchasing him at three days old. They raised him as a human, he accompanied them everywhere. He would ride in their vehicles, buckling himself in wearing a baseball t-shirt. He could open doors with keys, dress himself, log onto a computer and look at pictures, turn on TV and use the remote, and even brushed his teeth. But you can’t take the animal out of the animal no matter how much you humanize him.

On February 16, 2009 Travis attacked and mauled Sandra’s friend Charla Nash. Already agitated that day, he lost his mind when he saw Charla holding his favorite Elmo doll in an attempt to get him to come with her back into the house. He savagely ripped into her face and tore off her hands. She survived but has had a face transplant and numerous surgeries. Part of the movie’s message is dealing with our treatment and relationship to animals in captivity. And the creature in the sky is a metaphor for the animals we try to control and humanize.

The Film Industry:

When Oj and Em are introducing themselves to the cast and crew on the Hollywood sound stage, they reference their families proud Black Heritage within the Film Industries History. It was part of Jordan Peele’s intention in this movie to raise awareness of the history and exploitation of Black Actors in The Film Industry’s History. It also alludes to The Film Industry’s exploitation of spectacle over substance and safety.

NOPE:

NOPE is an acronym for Not Of Planet Earth. It is an acronym that has been used to describe the UFO Phenomenon. It is also a reference to an Eddie Murphy bit where he talks about the difference between White people and Black people in a Horror Movie. The White people are gonna say, “Well, let’s go take a look and investigate that mysterious phenomenon.” Whereas according to Eddie Murphy, Black people are going to say ‘”NOPE! Not Me!” and run the other way. I’m with the latter group as Daniel Kaluuya says twice in the movie given the choice to investigate further……NOPE!

COWBOYS AND ALIENS:

Reminds me of the 2011 Movie starring Harrison Ford, Daniel Craig and Olivia Wilde. They both are Western Sc-Fi’s with Cowboys and Aliens and that’s where the similarity ends but I loved that movie!

The Review:

I enjoyed every minute of this movie. It does what movies are supposed to do. It makes you squeamish, it thrills you, it keeps you on the edge of your seat, it makes you question things. It is a cinematic experience and journey unlike any other. I am not real familiar with Jordan Peele, although I do remember watching Get Out. I am going to have to watch his other two movies now after thoroughly enjoying this. I really like Daniel Kaluuya in this and I am a sucker for out of this world entertainment!

Highly Recommended.

Two Thumbs Up.

2023 Bleecker Street

Rated: PG-13

Length: 1 hr 27min

Comedy ~ Drama ~ Sci-Fi

Directed by: Marc Turtletaub

Starring: Ben Kingsley, Harriet Sansom Harris, Zoë Winters, Jade Quon, and Jane Curtin.

“A UFO has crashed in my backyard, and has taken out my Azaleas and has destroyed my birdbath.”

Ben Kingsley stars as Milton, a 78 year old widower living alone on the outskirts of Boonton, a small town in Southwest Pennsylvania. He has two adult children, a son and a daughter. His daughter Denise (Zoë Winters), a veterinarian, lives in town and drops by often to help her Dad with things. His son Tim lives out west in California. Milton and his son have been estranged for years and don’t speak to each other. Denise is worried about her father’s declining mental state and wants him to see a Dr. but he won’t hear of it. “I’m fine, Denise! I don’t need a Dr.!” Meanwhile he is putting canned vegetables upstairs in the medicine cabinet and newspapers in the freezer.

He spends his days tending to his flower garden and attending City hall meetings, where he complains to the city council about the town slogan, “I think we ought to change our town slogan. A Great Place To Call Home is confusing because when somebody hears it, it can mean it’s a great place to call your home on the telephone. I suggest a clearer motto like A Great Place To refer To As Home, although it doesn’t have to be that.” And the need for a crosswalk, “We need a crosswalk on Trent Ave. between Frost and Allegheny. It’s a very long distance to walk when you’re in the middle and you need to cross, and you either need to get to Frost or Allegheny. It encourages jaywalking, and jaywalking’s an expensive ticket. I know I’ve gotten three, not to mention, it’s a great way to get you killed. Thank you.”

One night Milton is awakened by a very loud noise in his backyard. he goes to investigate and discovers an alien spaceship has crash landed, taken out his Azaleas and wrecked his birdbath. He calls 911 but they tell him that making prank calls is a felony and he should probably just go back to sleep. The next day he tells the city council at the town meeting and they don’t believe him either. That evening he discovers that an Alien has crawled out of the spaceship and up to the back door. Milton gets him a glass of water and a blanket, and eventually invites the Alien into the house. He cooks it breakfast and discovers all it eats are apples. Milton stocks up on apples and nurses the alien back to health.

Milton’s two friends from The City hall meetings, Sandy (Harriet Sansom Harris) and Joyce (Jane Curtin), get nosy and discover that Milton was telling the truth about the UFO and the alien. They decide to call the alien Jules, and secretly protect him from everyone else while he repairs his spaceship. They discover, from drawings the alien gives them, that he needs seven cats to repair his spaceship. Jules found one, a roadkill with tire marks on his back, and they decide to help him find 6 more dead cats. They scour town and come up with 5 more, but still need one more. Knowing that time is running out before the Government agents come looking for Jules, they decide to expedite the process and Joyce offers up her old dying cat.

Jules is a sweet, sad, quirky, goofy, funny look at old people dealing with decline and normal lives interrupted by an Alien presence. Definitely a distraction from the daily routine of dealing with old age. Ben Kingsley is loveable as Milton, the old guy with the sweet heart. Jane Curtin is hilarious as the slightly grumpy Joyce and Harriet Sansom Harris is sweet as the old woman just trying to find her place.

I’ve seen it three times and it is a loveable sweet little film about aging, with an alien thrown into the mix to distract you from the fact that you are getting older.

That’s a yes for me. Three times and I’d watch it again.

Two Thumbs Up!