Close Encounters Of The Third Kind (1977)
To those touched by something beyond the world they know, viewing its visit from afar is not enough. Richard Dreyfuss stars and Steven Spielberg directs. Carl Weathers shows up in this. Roy (Dreyfuss) has negative thoughts and an irritating annoying screaming wife and kids he ditches. Aliens do a considerable escalation. This was infuriating and the aliens do not have malicious intent mostly. This categorically fails. Why are aliens always deep and urgent? This is not a totemic film. This was appalling and Roy has no dignity. This falls short and there are claims of an over-arching state conspiracy.
A man waves a sign: stop and be friendly. I hate this film with a passion. Roy has wonder at aliens and his wife is malicious. The notes are played, a random French guy mutters and the aliens give coordinates in Wyoming. There are clouds and smoking and people in red flight suits and sunglasses. A child goes missing. Devil's Tower is important. Fake vans are driven.
Inexplicable events baffle. Roy's family repudiate him. There are cows, birds and sheep or goats. People wave suitcases and gasmasks. Why are there dead horses and cows? There is bad acting and systematic blunder and there are others, staring. Are there no women in the science group? The US and French flags fly. There are harbingers and for once; alien contact does not portend disaster. Roy's wife was implacably opposed. There is no clear aggressive intent from the aliens.
The mothership shows up. What is the agreed narrative? A guy hides in a toilet. Nobody noticed the massive mothership? Aliens roam unfettered. There are no grim warnings just urgent invention of a way to communicate. There are insouciant types and mysterious aliens and no inevitable consequences. Why did the aliens abduct people like Flight 19? Why are they returning them?
There are the deepest anxieties and talk of smallpox vaccines. Roy gets to go with the aliens. Someone found a red suit for him. A priest is seen. A camera is waved and a bendy alien does hand gestures. This was a damning indictment of 1970s sexism – where are all the women? Was flying off with aliens more important to Roy than his children? I really disliked this. Lance Henriksen and Francois Truffaut were in this. What might live beyond? One feels antipahy for Roy. He left his family!
Best Lines:
“Do you want to resport a ufo?”
“This means something.”
“Mental telepathy.”
“Damn silly lights in the night sky.”
“Can't fool us by agreeing with us.”
“I saw Bigfoot once!”
“What might be ahead for those folks.”
“Something so scary.”
“They asked me if I'd seen any strangers in the neighbourhood.”
“Whole thing is a puton.”
“Sending in fanatics or cultists.”
“This means something.”
~
Anastasia Once Upon A Time (2019)
Brandon Routh stars in this tasteless take on the Romanov family. Routh plays the tsar. There are fake Russki accents and time travel and Rasputin. The clothes are all wrong and Anastasia ends up in 80s America. This was unwatchable dreck and Rapsutin has magic and rides the bus. Anastasia goes to the mall and sees a clip of 'Back To The Future'. This was a farce that serves no purpose and it is overly simplistic and a grim yarn.
Best Line:
“Become legend.”
~
Elephant Walk (1954)
Colonists whine and bother elephants in ceylon. A man hates an elephant and has his dead father buried in the backgarden. There is animal abuse. Who builds a house in the middle of an elephant walk and mocks their native servants? A new bride's jerk ass husband! She has to put up with her hubby's loud drunken friends who play polo indoors at night. Her drunk husband berates her for being unhappy. Her husband tells her not to interfer in the house. A man named Dick tempts her and elephants walk. Words are said. She finally throws his drunk leech friends out so her husband slaps her. Disease rages. The elephants triumph. This was mad.
Best Line:
“Still rules Elephant Walk, even from his grave.”
~
Home For The Holidays (1972)
A tv movie set at christmas. Sisters come home to foil their poisoning stepmother and she may get away with murder, again. Their mother died. Sally Field is in this. Their father asks them to kill her. Someone in a yellow raincoat waves a pitchfork murderously. Sally Field runs and screams from the stepmother and runs into the baddie who reveals themself by talking like a robot. This was good.
Best Lines:
“Stopped counting the husbands after the 3rd.”
“Rather be murdered than laughed at.”
“Did they ever find out who did poison your husband?”
"Free of you all!"