Now and Then Blogathon (Now): Independence Day Resurgence (2016)

Independence Day Resurgence (2016)

Twentieth Century Fox, TSG Entertainment, Centropolis Entertainment, Electric Entertainment, USA, 2016. 

Participating the Now and Then 2017 Blogathon event, arranged by Realweegiemidget Reviews and Thoughts of All Sorts! This is part 2 (Now!) of 2 part post.

20 years have passed since the space alien attack was struck back barely saving the humans from extinction. The ex-President Whitmore (Bill Pullman) suffers from telepathic scars caused by the previous encounter. David Levinson (Jeff Glodblum) and his father Julius (Judd Hirsch) are still around but Will Smith's character is not so fighter pilot ace Steven Hiller had to die in a flight accident. However his son Dylan Hiller (Jessie T. Usher) continues his legacy.

New President Lanford (Sela Ward) and ex-President Whitmore

Dylan Hiller and Rain Lao

Of the younger generation are also President's daughter Patricia (Maika Monroe) and hotshot pilot Jake Morrison (Liam Hemsworth), and his teammate Charlie Miller (Travis Tope) and Chinese pilot Rain Lao (Angelababy). Dylan and Jake have a drudge, Patricia wants to help her father and Charlie wants a romance with Rain.

Patricia Whitmore

Jake Morrison

Dikembe Umbutu and David Levinson

New weapons based on alien technologies has been developed and David Levinson is now the Director of Earth Space Defense. Someday the aliens will return...

In Africa guerilla leader Dikembe Umbutu (Deobia Oparei) has been waging war against the remaining aliens. He has invited scientist Catherine Marceaux (Charlotte Gainsbourg) and David to nvestigate strange things happening at stranded spaceship. All points to that a new war is beginning. A continent-sized spaceship appears and uproots whole cities. How can humankind survive this time?

Catherine Marceaux and David

Don't park here

Whereas last time the on-screen desruction was still relatively limited, this time Roland Emmerich does so grand scale destruction scenes that physicists rip their hairs off. The alien spaceship has its own gravity and plows half of the Earth while landing. Spectacular, yes, but not very believable. Better to leave the brain out and just enjoy it as a popcorn movie. The story goes on the familiar path of last minute saves, adventures of the survivors, and some new and old friends making sudden appearances. There are some updates to the formula of "Independence Day", last time it was America saving the day, but now in the style of "Pacific Rim" the cast is a more multicultural team of heroes. Couple of budding bromances are there too.

It is nice to have many characters from the first film around, however overall the characterizations feel weaker, as the turbo-charged plot does not allow much character development and lacks the heart and bombastic fun that the prequel had. This is visually impressive with huge spaceships and bigger alien monsters, it is occassionally fun but sacrifices the plot to special effects. With the recent flood of big scifi/superhero films it fits in the trend, but it is just one more spectacular movie in the crowd. Also in the end it is clear that there will be at least a trilogy of these films.

Rating: Average

Starring: Liam Hemsworth, Jeff Goldblum, Jessie T. Usher, Bill Pullman, Maika Monroe, Sela Ward, William Fichtner, Judd Hirsch, Brent Spiner, Patrick St. Esprit, Vivica A. Fox, Angelababy, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Deobia Oparei, Nicolas Wright, Travis Tope, Chin Han, Gbenga Akinnagbe, Robert Loggia, John Storey, Joey King, Jenna Purdy, Garrett Wareing, Hays Wellford, Mckenna Grace, James A. Woods, Robert Neary, Joshua Mikel, Joel Virgel, Arturo del Puerto, Matthew Munroe, Jacob Browne, Ryan Cartwright, Travis Hammer, Lance Lim, Zeb Sanders, Donovan Tyee Smith, Stafford Douglas, Jade Scott Lewis, Beth Bailey, Mona Malec, Omar Diop, Ron Yuan, Grace Huang, Stephen Oyoung, J.P. Murrieta, Casey Messer, Ben Wang, Nicholas Ballas, Jonathan Richards, Ivan G'Vera, Michael Davis, Brandon K. Hampton, Sam Quinn
Director: Roland Emmerich 

Now and Then Blogathon (Then): Independence Day (1996)

Independence Day (1996) a.k.a ID4

Twentieth Century Fox, Centropolis Entertainment, USA, 1996.

Participating the Now and Then 2017 Blogathon event, arranged by Realweegiemidget Reviews and Thoughts of All Sorts! This is part 1 (Then!) of 2 part post.

Independence Day of the United States is approaching and so is a gigantic spaceship. The President Thomas J. Whitmore (Bill Pullman) suffers from waning popularity. Although he was a popular war hero, media says that his achievements as the leader of the country have been disappointing. His day becomes worse when a gigantic UFO emitting a strange signal sends smaller smaller spaceships above major cities. SETI scientists open Champagne bottles but cable-TV technician (and former university guy) David Levinson (Jeff Goldblum) cracks the code and notices that the signal send by the spaceship is a countdown to destruction.

This is not a weather balloon!

Thomas J. Whitmore

David Levinson

The humans try peaceful greeting but the extraterrestrials answer by blowing whole cities up. After a worldwide destruction, the survivors try to save their families who have been lost in the chaos. Army attempts a strike back (nuke 'em!), but that only makes aliens laugh. However some promising technology is hidden in Area 51. Eccentric scientist Dr. Okun (Brent Spiner, Data from Star Trek TNG) shows the secret alien artifacts retrieved after the Roswell Incident.

Dr. Okun

Alien warrior

After David and his daddy Julius (Judd Hirsch) invent a way to destroy the mother ship, the different nations join the counter attack. And should they win, the Fourth of July will no longer be only an American holiday, but the Independence Day of the whole Earth! ID4 is a shamelessly patriotic movie with good old flag waving.

Julius

Saving the world are drunk pilot Russell Casse (Randy Quaid) and his family, hotshot pilot Captain Steven Hiller (Will Smith) and his girlfriend Jasmine (Vivica A. Fox). There is also important motivator for David, his ex-wife and President's Communication's Director Constance Spano (Margaret Colin). David and Constance separated because David was unambitious with his career and more interested in protecting the environment. Well, now he has a chance to save the world. Helping the heroes is also Major Mitchell (Adam Baldwin). Interestingly, Adam played also part in latter X-Files episodes as an alien-human hybrid supersoldier.

Jasmine and Steven

Russell

Major Mitchell and Constance Spano

The movie come out when the space aliens were hot and I had spent considerable time watching "The X-Files" and playing "UFO: Enemy Unknown", so the movie left a big impression. It was a perfect movie for the 1990s UFO boom. The combination of disaster film and B-film style alien attack film made with a big budget made it a summer box office hit film, with thrills, drama and witty one-liners.

The all-star cast had a bunch of new faces and already established actors. Will Smith was still in the early phase of his film career, at the time that he made his iconic roles (in "Bad Boys", "Men In Black" and "Enemy of the State") and here he does great action-comedy. Jeff Goldblum and Bill Pullman take care of the dramatic arc while Judd Hirsch and Randy Quaid have more comical characters. For Vivica A Fox this movie was very important for her career. James Duval plays here Russell's son, he is rarely seen in big budget films and has apperared more in indie films.

Rating: Very good

Starring: Will Smith, Bill Pullman, Jeff Goldblum, Mary McDonnell, Judd Hirsch, Robert Loggia, Randy Quaid, Margaret Colin, Vivica A. Fox, James Rebhorn, Harvey Fierstein, Adam Baldwin, Brent Spiner, James Duval, Lisa Jakub, Giuseppe Andrews, Ross Bagley, Bill Smitrovich, Mae Whitman, Harry Connick Jr., Kiersten Warren, John Storey, Frank Novak, Devon Gummersall, Leland Orser, Mirron E. Willis, Ross Lacy, David Pressman, Vivian Palermo, Raphael Sbarge, Bobby Hosea, Dan Lauri, Steve Giannelli, Eric Paskel, Carlos Lacamara, John Bennett Perry, Troy Willis, Tim Kelleher, Wayne Wilderson, Jay Acovone, James Wong, Thom Barry, Jana Marie Hupp, Matt Pashkow, Robert Pine...

Director: Roland Emmerich

Movie Review: Interstellar Wars

Interstellar Wars a.k.a Independence Wars: Insurgence a.k.a Star Trex Borders

Mc'Cohen Films, 848 Productions, USA, 2016.

In USA this film was marketed as "Independence Wars: Insurgence" and in Scandinavia this film was marketed as "Star Trex Borders." The reception in social media was hostile. Here the blaming finger points at the marketers at TomCat Films who turned an indie scifi into a mockbuster.

UFO appears on the sky near Los Angeles and emits strange light. Group of friends, soldierboy Kyle (Toby Maka), his girlfriend Kelly (director Marlene Mc'Cohen) and their lesbian friends Sara (Kinga Rosen) and Roxy (Genna Mc'Cohen), meet a crazy man (Art Roberts) in the desert. The light turns him into a zombie so Kyle punches him in the face.

Kelly & Kyle

Roxy and Sara

Desert man (Art Roberts)

Commander Bruce Kramer (Brian Lally) and his team of scientists try to repel the alien invasion. Bruce is also Kelly's and Sara's dad. About 15 minutes after the beginning of the invasion, L.A. is already fallen into anarchy. As the budget is low, here the anarchy means that a single robber tries to mug Kyle so Kyle punches him in the face. He's good at that.

UFO

Bruce Kramer and his team

Hot Zombie (Jennifer Churchich)

With the CGI-technology becoming affordable, acceptable looking space ships can be rendered even by indie filmmakers. The cast seems to consist mainly of amateurs, models or other indie filmmakers with Brian Lally and Robert Woods representing the experienced veteran actors. The level of acting is similar to Syfy or The Asylum (i.e. bad), so no Oscars for anyone. The usual low budget limitations are fully present, the streets are vacant, the sets are cheap and recording quality for speech goes from muffled to painfully loud. There is some nice scenery though, the picture is sharp and the editing looks professional.

Reporter Stacy Stoffer (Jenna Guercio) and alien  abductee (Veronica Ricci)

Analyst Joans (Kristen Hagen)

Leroy Jenkins! (Trey Carter) and Kyle

The story is the millionth iteration of the alien invasion genre, mostly imitating "Independence Day" but here and there it has some cheesy fun dialogue. It is futile to compare this to big budget scifi epics, as this looks like some friends and Mc'Cohen family members wanted to have fun and learn tricks of film making. Well everyone has to start somewhere and as a demo it could be worse. Let's hope the Mc'Cohens continue improving their skills and get better and more original scripts and more reasonable budgets to work with in the future.

The film has a character named Leroy Jenkins! He's similar reckless hothead as his namesake. It was quite random joke but it made me smile. For those who do not know the meme check this out:

Rating: unfair to rate

Starring: Brian Lally, Marlene Mc'Cohen, Robert Woods, Genna Mc'Cohen, Toby Maka, Kinga Rosen, Kyle Lally, Ginny You, Trey Carter, Veronica Ricci, Marie Barforough, Iris Brown, Richard Calderon, Jennifer Churchich, John Dobroth, Jim Freivogel, Jenna Guercio, Kristen Hagen, Georgie Halali, Alejandra Morin, Chris Pardal, Kathleen Randazzo, Art Roberts, Todd Stroik, Al Weigand 

Director: Marlene Mc'Cohen

Movie Review: Abraxas - Guardian of the Universe

Abraxas - Guardian of the Universe (a.k.a Abraxas - Guardian of the Galaxy a.k.a Zombie 9, Zombies in space)
Phoenix Entertainment Group, Rose & Ruby Productions, USA, Canada, 1990. 

This movie is published as a part of Sci-fi Invasion 50 movie pack box published by Mill Creek Entertainment. 

Abraxas (wrestler, actor, Governor and conspiracy theorist Jesse Ventura) is an 11000 year old celibate (yes, it is essential information for the plot) intergalactic cop i.e Finder who is sent to stop his former partner gone renegade Secundus (Sven-Ole Thorsen). Nasty Secundus has travelled to Earth to gain ultimate power. Secundus asks the first woman he sees: "Are you a birthing member of the human species?" He then impregnates her by touching her belly. "I really do need your body!" he declares. Sonia's (Marjorie Bransfield) child will be Comator (or something) who can solve Anti-Life Equation and allow access to Anti-Life Universe making him a god. 

Abraxas

Secundus

Sonia

Abraxas arrests Secundus and sends him to intergalactic penal colony. Abraxas is then ordered to kill Sonia but he refuses. Sonia has difficult time with her family as she does not know who the father is. Five years later Sonia is living with her mute son Tommy (Francis Mitchell) in a small town. It is unknown if Tommy is a pinball wizard. Secundus escapes jail and Abraxas is sent to find and terminate Comator. The wormhole travelling goes wrong and Abraxas and Secundus lose their weapons except for their Answer Boxes. Answer Box has VD (Vibrational Detection) and it can destroy the persons who do not have the solution of Anti-Life Equation. The Finders were taught to avoid VD(!)

Tommy

Johnny

Effects of Vibrational Detection

Spot James Belushi as the school Principal (he probably agreed to the cameo to support the film of his fiancee Marjorie Bransfield). Tommy is bullied in school for being mute and the Principal wants to kick Tommy out of the school. Sonia suggests that the Principal should tell the bullies to stop bullying. The Principal seems surprised and agrees to try that!

The Principal

Meanwhile local cop Johnny (David Mitchell) is flirting with Sonia. Secundus is looking for Sonia and murders some innocent bystanders. Abraxas and the cops arrive to the crime scene and try to save a hostage. Tommy uses psionic skills to humiliate bullies. Tommy and Sonia go to the movies while their friend Betty (Lee Anne Simms) and her kid are watching their house. Secundus attacks them but Abraxas saves them. Secundus stabs him with a lamp(!). Sonia returns home and recognizes Abraxas as the man who did not kill him years before. Secundus continues the search in the strip club. "I'm looking for a man. A wo-man!"

Abraxas, Tommy and Sonia go to hide with Sonia's friend Maxie (Al Timmer). Abraxas tells more about himself and Sonia falls in love. Secundus has a nice breakfast and goes to search for Tommy. Chases and random explosions ensue. 

Romantic scene

Jesse Ventura looks particularly wooden in this low-budget scifi. Sven-Ole Thorsen mumbles with thick accent like Ahnuld in his better days. Hilariously wooden but absurd dialogue with deadpan delivery, out of place romantic saxophone music, randomly changing seasons and effects that would have looked old even in the 1980s. At times if feels like Z-grade "Terminator" with random stuff blowing up but has also some surprisingly sympathetic drama with struggles of single-mother Sonia. Hey, it is even a kind of Christmas movie! 

Director Damian Lee appears as one of Abraxas' bosses. 

Rating: So bad it is good

Starring: Jesse Ventura, Sven-Ole Thorsen, Damian Lee, Jerry Levitan, Marjorie Bransfield, Ken Quinn, Marilyn Lightstone, Moses Znaimer, Robert Nasmith, Kris Michaels, Layne Coleman, Francis Mitchell, Sonja Belliveau, James Belushi, Erica Heenan, John Blackwood, Rae Johnson, Adrian Burnett, David Mitchell, Al Timmer, Michael Copeman, Michael Scherer, Kathy Tapin, Zion Forest Lee, Tyrell Janos, Jason Turnpenny, Lee Anne Simms, Johnny Askwith, Johanna Householder, Sarah James, Leo Armoffe, Alex Ruge, Ellen Dubin, Kate Healey, Christine Wilson 

Director: Damian Lee

Movie Review: Jupiter Ascending

Jupiter Ascending
Warner Bros., Village Roadshow Pictures, Dune Entertainment, Anarchos Productions, USA, Australia, 2015.

Let's watch the much-bashed scifi flick from the Wachovskis.

Jupiter Jones (Mila Kunis) is a pessimistic cleaner (the 20th century equivalent of being a swine-herder) whose Russian father (James D'Arcy) was killed by mobsters. The stars promised her great future but it did not happen and she hates her life. Elsewhere in the Universe aristocratic Abrasax-family is harvesting planets (kind of Rapture). They happen to own also Earth but the inheritance causes a family strife. 

Jupiter Jones

Balem Abrasax

Titus Abrasax

Balem Abrasax (Eddie Redmayne) sends space bounty hunters to kill Jupiter but rollerskating space-werewolf fallen angel Caine Wise (Channing Tatum) saves her. Caine's old friend Stinger Apini (Sean Bean or Bee-an, pun intended) helps also. Jupiter hears that she is of royal family and the real inheritor of Earth. The bad news is that the grand destiny of humankind is to be component of Ultimate Intergalactic Anti-Aging Wrinkle Lotion^TM. Claiming the inheritance is difficult as Jupiter must face the most paralyzing force of the Universe: The Bureaucrats. (This segment gives also justification for cameo of bureaucratic scifi veteran Terry Gilliam). Jupiter meets also Kalique Abrasax (Tuppence Middleton) and Titus Abrasax (Douglas Booth) who has a serious mother complex. 

Caine Wise

Space Luchadores!

Cool spaceships

Usual route of betrayals, love and difficult decisions follows. Visually the movie looks great. The Wachowskis have always been taking influences from anime, mythology and often from big scifi operas. "Matrix" meets "Dune" with some "Stargate" and "Mass Effect" thrown in. There is a well detailed world, ambitious ideas and the costumes are très chic. There are plenty of genetically altered aliens, the grey, reptilians, elephant-man named Nesh (Ganesha anyone?) and space luchadores. Sadly after the start the premise starts to collapse under its own weight an George Lucas Syndrome kicks in. There is just too much stuff that is just quickly brushed aside. Also the interesting ideas and ewferences to mythic, esoteric and occult sources would have needed a deeper approach than the scratch-of-the-surface style Hollywood handling.

Reptilian

Elephant guy Nesh

One big flaw is that the overstuffed story does not have room for making the characters interesting enough. Jupiter is mainly a passenger in the story and not as interesting character as she could be. She turns very quickly from downtrodden cleaning lady to a space princess whom naughty lord wants to marry. It is up to Caine and Stinger to keep up the action. Sadly the movie does not feel fun or unique enough in the surge of big budget scifi spectacles. The flop at box office shows that even visionary filmmakers like Wachowskis to distinguish themselves nowadays.

It is not bad but it should have been much better. Watch it at least for the gorgeous visual effects, mythical sounding names (and a cyborg lawyer named Bob) and cool morphing space fighters.

Rating: Average

Starring: Mila Kunis, Channing Tatum, Sean Bean, Eddie Redmayne, Douglas Booth, Tuppence Middleton, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Christina Cole, Nicholas A. Newman, Ramon Tikaram, Ariyon Bakare, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Frog Stone, David Ajala, Doona Bae, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Edward Hogg, Tim Pigott-Smith, James D'Arcy, Jeremy Swift, Kick Gurry, Larissa Kouznetsova, Demetri Theodorou, Lieve Carchon, Oleg Nasobin, Emily Warren, Vanessa Kirby, Spencer Wilding, Andy Ahrens, Charlotte Beaumont, Georgia Winters, Elsa Mollien, Sean Baker, Bryony Hannah, Sarah Campbell, Jiggy Bhore, Samuel Barnett, Claire Benedict, Peter Yapp, John Locke, Grant Stimpson, Sarah Crowden, Terry Gilliam, Rupert Frazer, Katherine Cunningham, Luke Neal, Simon Dutton, Neil Fingleton, Derek Lea, Joe Walking, Michela Meazza, Cliff Fleming, Hazel D'Jan 

Directors: The Wachowskis