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: Monster High: Boo York, Boo York

Monster High: Boo York, Boo York a.k.a Boo York, Boo York: A Monsterrific Musical
Mattel Playground Productions, DHX. Media, USA, 2015.

Famous pop star Catty Noir suffers from artist's block. She put her career on hold and began studying at Monster High. Cleo de Nile's father mummy Ramses is taking his family to fancy gala Night of the Comet in Boo York City. The comet appears once in 1300 years. Although Cleo's boyfriend Deuce Gorgon is every one's pal and a cool dude, his laid back style does not impress Ramses (he didn't like Deuce in "Ghouls Rule" either). 

Deuce and Cleo

But Ramses has more in mind than just a party and star gazing. Ramses and Cleo's sister Nefera want a piece of the comet so they could rule the world. They plan to build a dynasty and fix a marriage between Cleo and masked Seth Ptolemy who comes from another wealthy mummy-family. Seth loves poetry but her mother doesn't (oh those youngsters and their hippity-hop music). And neither Cleo has patience for sappy poems.

De Nile family

Ghoul friends Draculaura, Cleo, Clawdeen, Frankie and Operetta go shopping and meet Boo Yorkians robot DJ Elle Eedee, socialite Mousecedes King and superstar wannabe Luna Mothews. Goth moth Luna looks a bit like Nina Hagen or Liza Minnelli. Naughty Toralei teams up with with Nefera. They are up to no good.

Luna Mothews

Mousecedes King

Toralei and Nefera

The scheming of Ramses and Nefera causes Deuce and Cleo to break up. Oh noes, is this the end of the romance of the Millennium? Gloom. Despite being heart-broken, Cleo has to show a happy face at the gala as a real ruler would do.

Boo York

Elle Eedee

Meanwhile Catty meets a parkourer rapper Pharaoh who shares her musical passion (who might it be, WHO MIGHT IT BE! MH-movies have never been skilled in keeping the secret identities secret). Ghoulia and Abbey find out that a comet is about to hit the city. But is it a comet or a space ship? Anyways they must find a way to stop the scaremageddon. It was nice that funny yeti Abbey who had been sidelined for three previous films got some more screen time here.

Catty & Pharaoh

Abbey and Ghoulia

Speaking of Abbey and Ghoulia, for some time ago (when I didn't yet know much about Monster High) I picked up some used mascot toys (five toys for one Euro), and much to my surprise two of them were rag dolls based on two of my favourite characters from this series: Ghoulia Yelps and Abbey Bominable. Cool!

There were some familiar looking backgrounders. Eyeball guy Eyera's relatives seem to live in Boo Your City. One of them is married to a cyclops girl (they have a weird tentacle baby too) Yup, the Eyeball folks seem to be influential in Boo York City as several of them are invited to de Nile's party. The character design of Lilith Van Hellscream was reincarnated here as a dark haired character appearing at Ptolemy's party.

Eyeball family

Lilith doppelgänger. Also the wolf guy has twins in the city

In every long running series there comes a space themed adventure and usually a musically themed episode. This movie combines them both. Although the story keeps the ghouls on Earth, it introduces a new alien character named Astranova. And if the series wouldn't have rebooted we would probably have seen crossover of Monster High and Ever After High. At least the ending hints that way.

Deuce is back

Astranova

As in "Monster High: Scaris: City of Frights" the monsters leave their familiar territory and explore a new colourful city finding new friends. Together with "Scaris", "Frights, Camera, Action" and "Freaky Fusion" this probably was one of the bigger budget  original generation MH-movies. The four films have the highest production values, and in my opinion they are the best of the series (not forgetting "13 Wishes." The soundtrack is urban style rap & r&b with couple of songs actually quite good with some dramatical duets. Nothing to complain here, the fans will get what they expect although the story goes a familiar path.

Three episodes of Mattel's newer toy series "Ever After High" are included:

Raven's Tales
Everyone is counting on that the fairy tale characters follow their destiny. But Raven Queen does not want to be evil.

Apple's Tales
Apple White is over enthustically arranging things so that her fairy tale would become true. This includes making sure that Raven will become evil.

The Tale of Legacy Day
Raven goes to ask Giles Grimm if her story will diseappear if she doesn't follow her destiny.

Rating: Good

Voice actors: Karen Strassman, Salli Saffioti, Wendee Lee, TJ Smith, America Young, Rachel Staman, Laura Bailey, Lauren Weisman, Erin Fitzgerald, Kate Higgins, Cindy Robinson, Debi Derryberry, Audu Paden, Cam Clarke, Evan Smith, Jonquil Goode, Todd Haberkorn, Missi Hale

Director: William Lau 

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