Alien Resurrection (1997) - 6 stars out of 10

Alien Resurrection (1997) - 6 stars out of 10

"Alien Resurrection" saved the Alien franchise.  After the editorial and production nightmare of "Alien 3," it felt like it was time to let the franchise die alongside Ellen Ripley.  However, the appropriately named "Resurrection" breathed new life into both the main character and the Alien universe.  Let me first be clear that this isn’t a masterpiece.  There is some questionable acting and many of the surprises are recycled from previous installments, but the film itself feels much more complete due to the fact that it actually has a cohesive plot.  It also helps that Sigourney Weaver was able to reinvent her character as she transitions from victim to aggressor.  While I didn’t love Ripley’s new personality, it was necessary to the success of the story and really resonates after the mix of humanity and otherworldly in the creepy laboratory sequence.  This all drives us to the prospect of a human-alien hybrid, which is exploited with the best possible results.  I believe that the payoff toward the end of this film exceeds the moment that we first see the Queen in “Aliens.”  The new creature is so disturbing that you will continue to feel unsettled far beyond the ending credits.  Perhaps the largest improvement to the series is the handling of multiple xenomorphs in a single film.  The key was to spread them out enough that each one is as sinister as if they were only fleeing from one.  This is a large improvement to the shooting gallery style of "Aliens."  It is amazing that there are only five years between the release of 3 and Resurrection when you consider the advances in computer effects and realism of the aliens.  The underwater sequence does a great job of giving the xenomorphs a new setting to terrorize the actors.  The only memorable acting comes from Weaver, Winona Ryder, Ron Perlman, and Dominique Pinon, but all of the actors successfully contribute to the atmosphere of terror onboard the Auriga.  "Alien Resurrection" isn’t the best film in the franchise but provided an important turning point.  Without it, we may have never experienced the amazing “Prometheus” prequel series and would inevitably hold David Fincher responsible for ruining this sci-fi horror universe with "Alien 3."

[Pictured: Just when you thought that it couldn't get any scarier, the xenomorphs received a more sinister design. And it continues to escalate from there.]

The Gift (2015) - 8 stars out of 10

The Gift (2015) - 8 stars out of 10

"The Gift” appears to be another typical creepy movie for teens but it is actually a sophisticated psychological thriller that builds intensity through a progressive revelation of the past.  The character-driven story will have you asking “who is the victim and who is the villain?”, with its clever script causing you to change your mind every few scenes as the mystery unfolds.  Writer/director/actor Joel Edgerton builds suspense in a masterful Hitchcockian style with small twists that lead to a big twist while saving the climactic moment for the very end.  The most interesting part of the film is the transformation of Jason Bateman’s character.  We think that he changes throughout the film but he actually doesn’t; instead, our perspective of him slowly changes as information is revealed to create the illusion of transformation.  The consistency of who he is and has always been leads to every situation throughout the story.  I can’t remember any other film that tells its story in this way!  The hidden association between the main characters isn’t too shocking - the true mystery is how deep the connection goes.  It is hard to believe that this was Edgerton’s directorial debut and I appreciate that he had the foresight to save all of his scenes for the last 10 days of filming.  This allowed him to focus on creating his vision and setting the film’s tone from behind the camera first, then inserting his character into the story.  My experience with this movie was similar to my recent experience with “Get Out.”  The previews build a certain expectation but the script teaches lessons and goes in directions that you would never expect.  I really appreciated the story’s statements about the lifelong psychological effects on someone who has been bullied and how bullies never grow out of their ways.  Don’t write off “The Gift” because you think that it’s just another teen horror film.  It is so clever that it doesn’t need jump scares - the unsettling stalker plot is enough to disconcert anybody.

[Pictured: The scariest part is how realistic the story seems.]