Mars Attacks, 1996

Mars Attacks, 1996
Director: Tim Burton
Cast: Jack Nicholson, Pierce Brosnan, Sarah Jessica Parker


Stage: Home theatre, TV selection for a Friday night


Mars in short: It is a normal day for everyone, until the President of the United States announces Martians have been spotted circling Earth. The Martians land and a meeting is arranged, but not everything goes to plan, and the Martians seem to have other plans for Earth. Are they just misunderstood beings or do they really want to destroy all of humanity?


Preps: Hm. never seen this piece, although I am aware of its notoriousness a while ago. And the people who's opinion I respect, told me it was a nice piece to see.



Reality:Well, another dissappointment. Genuinely, I despise parodies on a certain type of movies and I seldom find them funny anyway. So I am neither fan of more stupid ones like Austin Powers, nor am I a fan of more sophisticated ones (are there any at all?). Anyhow, this is a fine example of making a remake of more than five movies on the topic of aliens, chasing extraordinary images, fighting with weird weapons - and aside, using top notch actors, like Nicholson, Brosnan, Parker and hoping the crowds are going to come because of that cast.
Now, life isn't a bunch of marshmallows all the time. Put it differently, I have seen disastrous pieces put together with the finest crew. One of more dissappointing ones includes Will Smith, Wild Wild West. And this is just one example from the top of my head.
This piece dissappoints me too. No real act. Nicholson acts like the leader of bunch of clowns, which is, ironically, exactly what the movie is all about. Parker is there for the sake of representing the beautiful feminine side (yet limited). All the others just float through scenes instead of acting.
I give up. Not worhty of my time, not worthy of yours. If you are a fan of Austin Powers, you might enjoy it. In all other cases, don't. Really don't :)


My personal rate: 1,0 (and only because I adore the most of the cast. I thought the movie is shitty!)

Mars Attacks on IMDB

Signs, 2002

Signs, 2002
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Mel Gibson, Rory Culkin

Stage: Home theatre, TV selection of a Saturday night


Signs in short:In Bucks County, Pennsylvania, a five-hundred-foot crop circle is found on the farm of Graham Hess, the town's reverend. The circles cause a media frenzy and test Hess's faith as he journeys to find out the truth behind the crop circles.

Preps: None in perticular. But I am aware of the content.

Reality: Wooow, another episode of X files. This time in roles with Joaquin and Gibson. The Ceasar from Gladiator and the man who saves the world for xxx times. Joke aside, I truly feel I have stepped into another episode of X files and I am missing Scully and Mulder. Gibson as an ex priest (not really convincing), Phoenix chasing his life and beliefs. The children that believe in god and aliens. The dogs driving crazy all around them with barking and attempts of violence.

Now, the signs have been intriguing the minds of people for decades. And they aren't easy to be explained. Therefore they are usually said to be a work of aliens and there we have a chase after the designers of this perticular sign. In some sense, this movie isn't something new or won't reveal something we haven't seen in some of the other attempts of this genre. But it has an interesting insight into the philosophy of kids and the way they are feeling about the alien presence. The father figures here aren't neither convincing or they are resolving something. So no upgrade whatsoever from the known movies. The figure of the protective father and brother. The figure of an uncle that isn't as smart as the father. The signs that aren't explained after all. And remain to the viewer to be interpreted.

Not really something to die for, I mean the movie. Easily thrown away into the recycle bin. And easy money for both main protagonists. As said, the genre is easily sold to the crowd. But the movie is not for people that demand more. After all, if we didn't get the Stonehenge and similar signs for centuries, why think you can get the ones that are fresh and made in corn fields :)

My personal rate: 2,0 (a bit amusing at the beginning, with the development, loses its pace for sure).

Signs on IMDB

Contact, 1997

Contact, 1997
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Cast: Jodie Foster, Matthew McConnaughey, Tom Skerrit


Stage: Home TV selection

Contact in short: Astronomer Dr. Ellie Arroway has long been interested in contact to faraway lands, a love fostered in her childhood by her father, Ted Arroway, who passed away when she was nine years old leaving her then orphaned. Her current work in monitoring for extraterrestrial life is based on that love and is in part an homage to her father. Ever since funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) was pulled on her work, which is referred to some, including her NSF superior David Drumlin, as more science fiction than science, Ellie, with a few of her rogue scientist colleagues, have looked for funding from where ever they could get it to continue their work. When Ellie and her colleagues hear chatter originating from the vicinity of the star Vega, Ellie feels vindicated. But that vindication is short lived when others, including politicians, the military, religious leaders and other scientists such as Drumlin...

Preps: Nothing special, as I have already seen the piece and loved it.

Reality: Contact is one of Zemecki's greater works. The strong cast supports the ever lasting theme that is truly popular at any given moment. Now, 1997 was the time when those movies had some kind of romantic perspective and weren't made in a hard way, as we know them now. It is for a fact that ever since ET it has been hard to make an "ET"-like movie that would match Spielberg from a far distance. Well, this is one of the more successful attempts. Foster, playing a dedicated scientist, and McConnaughey, playing the political role inside this.

For what it's worth - this is more a movie about the politics than the movie about ET's. Which could be a good point, since we all want to have an insight into the dirty games the government is playing and the happenings behind the scenes. Here you are dragged right into the snakes pit and bit by lions that are drulling around someone else's work. In this case, Jodie Foster plays the role of a scientist that got f.. with. And was supposed to be left behind. Because of the nature of the character she's playing, she makes sure she's not left behind and turns herself into the role of the spectator. Not being able to influence much, but being able to see the happening behind the scenes. Like a narrator of some kind, or a hidden spectator. Take it as you will.

Now, what is the signal she received - we cannot tell and for sure are having fun while the people in the Nasa, institutions that are dedicated to extraterrestrials, are trying to figure out. With some tips from an outsourced intelligence, Jodie Foster comes up with a key to the riddle and makes things even more complicated.

As said, the movie is more a political movie, making a point about the ways the government works and the games they are playing in the real life field. All the extra terrestrial is placed in our minds as something good and positive. Not to forget, we aren't aware of what we have as neighbours and sometimes, snakes pits should be left alone.

No real revelations in this movie. However, a true perspective of the problem most of the individually driven scientists are facing nowadays. And the lack of respect for their work. Like in parliaments, also the forces here are divided by cash and influence someone has in government.

My personal rate: 7,5 (a good and solid political piece, with a distinction towards optimistical view of the extra terrestrials).

Contact on IMDB

I am number four, 2011

I am number four, 2011
Director: D.J. Caruso
Cast: Alex Pettyfer, Timothy Olyphant, Dianna Agron



Stage: Local theatre, colloseum.


I am number four in short: Extraordinary teen John Smith (Pettyfer) is a fugitive on the run from ruthless enemies sent to destroy him. Changing his identity, moving from town to town with his guardian Henri (Olyphant), John is always the new kid with no ties to his past. In the small Ohio town he now calls home, John encounters unexpected, life-changing events-his first love (Agron), powerful new abilities and a connection to the others who share his incredible destiny.

Preps: A friend of mine drags me to the movies. I haven't been there for a while, so I don't really care what she will pick. She claims this one to be a good sci-fi. Let's see.


Reality: Well, this isn't a sci-fi movie, just to be clear at the beginning. But it's a good high school adventure - I am not sure, but maybe we should come up with a new genre, that includes vampire movies and similar ones. This piece definitely reminds me of the Twilight saga. Does it come from the same root? Doubtfully, however it does circulate in my mind, everything about teenage vampire movies. This piece is again, located in an unknown city, filled with young high school teens, waiting for some action. And voila, it comes in a shape of extra terrestrial survivors from another planet, that are being chased by another bunch of ET's. The humans here are more in the role of an inhabitant of a certain planet (or playground) of these aliens and the chase until the death is on, while the viewer is pushed with an indefinite romance between an alien and earthling in shape of a lovely (yet wacky) girl.

It just happens every now and then, when I am in the middle of the movie, that the mind drifts away to this concept of a wild goose chase and an impossible romance. The concept is so similar to the Twilight, that in my honest opinion, if you are a fan of that saga, you will absolutely adore this piece. Nicely put together, a strong posture in terms of adventure chase/fight/battle scenes and good versus evil. However in this case, the saints are the one to be rescued. This is the distinctive competence in aspect of Twilight. There you should first adopt the idea of liking vampires and then the fact that they could have feelings too. Here you have an adorable kid that strives for true love and wants to be a member of a regular family instead of the one he's having, being tired of the chase and wants to settle forever (isn't it funny how we never are satisfied with the things that are ours and always want to have something that neighbour has (even if as in this case, it comes in a shape of a cheesy dinner with parents that are cracking unfunny jokes and making a positive attitude towards the family spirit - if you buy that, of course).

The ending of this piece is pretty predictable, yet another flash arrives in a shape of an avenger (the number 6), and the dog, transforming into chimera (or being chimera and transforming from a dog to a poisonous animal). It brings the last breath out of the spectator and yes, I recommend it to all of those, that die when watching something similar to lately popular vampire teen movies. Could it really be a new genre that we are seeing here? Most probably.


My personal rating: 7,5 (a very highly positioned movie in its genre and a good combination of teen love, striving for something new and unusual, yet old and traditional when trying to settle in. Fresh and new cast, new faces and a good act).

I am number four on IMDB