MEN IN BLACK Celebrates its 25th Anniversary

 

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to 4K Ultra HD, Bluray and Digital from director Barry Sonnenfeld and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is the awesome Steelbook 25^th Anniversary of MEN IN BLACK.

James Edwards (Will Smith) is a NYPD officer who loves going after the bad guys and this time it’s a freaky chase all the way to the Guggenheim. Trying to explain what happened to the perp, his questioning is interrupted by a man named K (Tommy Lee Jones) and the next thing James knows, he’s eating pie.

Giving him a card, he instructs him to show up at MIB headquarters the next morning to see what its all about. Explaining they are a secret agency that polices aliens using all sorts of extraterrestrial technology, James is all in. What that means is James is going to become Agent J and will be erased from all records.

Of course, across town, so to speak, is farmer Edgar (Vincent D’Onofrio) who has just had something bizarre land in his yard. Checking it out, he becomes an ‘Edgar suit’ for an alien who has an odd need for sugar. It also goes on a spree taking out two aliens disguised as humans and they are taken to the morgue. There Agents K and J meet the coroner Laurel (Linda Fiorentino) and they discover a little dude inside the big dudes head!

Now they know that the bug-Edgar is looking for the galaxy on Orion’s Belt, the race of Arquillians have placed a warship near earth giving them an ultimatum. That puts Agents K and J square in the middle of the potential for a galactic war. But then again, that’s what bug-Edgar wants!

Finding an escape in the 1964 New York World’s Fair Pavilion, the big guns are going to be needed. In the trunk of Agent K’s ultimate in sleek cars, Agent J finds something to suit their purposes because – they are the Men in Black!

Jones as Agent K is a straight faced and extremely serious employee who does not have time to joke around. He gets his alien (even if one time he might have had a slip) every time and takes the purpose of the MIB very, very seriously. That all being said, he does crack me up a little and is completely charming in a twisted sort of way.

Smith as Agent J is the wise-cracking one of the duo and he keeps K on his toes. Wanting to learn everything quickly, he does make a few mistakes and discovers that perhaps this was not his first go around on things. The ‘memory flashy thingie’ becomes something he is eager to use without realizing it has been used on him – a lot.

D’Onofrio as the Edgar-bug is hilarious from beginning to end. He has his own one-liners and zinger defenses that are pretty darn cool. His driving skills are a bit off and he needs to lay off the sugar but all in all a memorable character.

Fiorentino as Laurel is the coroner that gets herself in a little deeper than Agents K and J would have liked. Her role would become stronger and stronger as the story goes along as she finds herself dealing with the Men in Black.

Shout out to Rip Torn as Chief Zed because I absolutely loved him in this role because he makes the same faces I did when my kids were teens driving me nuts while I tried to keep it together.

Other casts include Becky Ann Baker as Mrs. Redgick, Carel Struycken as Arquillian, Richard Hamilton as Agent D, Jon Gries as Nick, Mike Nussbaum as Gentle Rosenberg, John Alexander as Mikey, Patrick Breen as Mr. Redgick, Siobhan Fallon Hogan as Beatrice and Tony Shalhoub as Jack Jeebs.

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment encompasses motion picture production for television, digital content and theater releases. The studios include Columbia Pictures, Screen Gems, TriStar Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation, Stage 6 Films and Sony Picture Classics. To see what is coming to theaters and to home entertainment please visit www.sonypictures.com.

MOVIES ANYWHERE gives viewers the ability to download the Movies Anywhere App. With that you can view films by downloading or streaming to your favorite device using a Digital Code. For more information on Movies Anywhere please visit www.MoviesAnywhere.com.

Special Features include on 4K Ultra HD Notes from the Director’s Chair Featurette and Designing MEN IN BLACK Featurette. Blu-ray Disc include Telestrator Commentary with Director Barry Sonnenfeld and Tommy Lee Jones, Technical Commentary with Barry Sonnenfeld, Rick Baker and Industrial Lights and Magic Team, Extended & Alternate Scenes, Metamorphosis of MEN IN BLACK Documentary, Original Featurette, Scene Editing Workshop, Storyboard Comparisons, Galleries, Music Video and Original Theatrical and Trailer Releases.

MEN IN BLACK hit theatres in 1997 and took off for the stratosphere! It is not only a fun film but it is funny, well hilarious actually, and just a good time watching the big screen. I remember taking my kids (now grown) to see it for the first time and we saw it several times after that.

When it came out on VHS – google it kiddies – the kid had to have it in their collection. Wearing that poor tape out does not even cover it. But, every time we watched, it was together as a family and we always laughed like crazy.

Now, it is time for the grandchildren to have as much fun and still watch it as a family. Get that popcorn popped, get the couch all comfy, turn down the lights and even turn on the sound bar and prepare for one of the most iconic films ever. Memorable characters, a fantastic cast and lines that are recognizable and repeatable even today. Happy Anniversary MIB!

In the end – it is all in an Earth day at work!

He Believes in the ENCOUNTER

 

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to theatres and then to Prime Video from writer/director Michael Pearce, Joe Barton and Amazon Original Studios is the story of the ENCOUNTER.

Malik Khan (Riz Ahmed) is a veteran of the Marine Corps, and he has returned to take sons Jay (Lucian-River Chauhan) and Bobby (Aditya Geddada) on a trip. The boys soon realize their father is running from something, believing that there is an alien bug that has come to Earth. The only way to know if a person is infected is by their eyes and the only protection is bug spray.

Where Malik is really taking his two boys is a military base in Arizona where he convinces them they will be safe until a cure is found. On the road he begins to train them to survive. Keeping the boys out of site, eldest boy Jay discovers that he and his brother have been, in fact, kidnapped from their mother Piya (Janina Gavankar) and law enforcement are looking for them.

Jay also realizes that something is wrong with his father when he makes a call and talks to Hattie (Octavia Spencer) and more of the truth comes out. As the stressors become more obvious and the world begins to catch up with them, Malik must decide how he is going to handle the situation and Jay decides who his father really is.

Ahmed as Khan is a man who knows that the aliens are on Earth and causing destruction wherever they go no matter the species. Taking his sons to a safer place is his only goal and nothing is going to stop him – or no one. Ahmed gives us the performance of a man split between the war world he served and protecting his family.

Chauhan as Jay is a strong young man who believes in his father and trusts that what he is doing is right. Knowing that the trip starts off the ways he always thought it would be like, it is what comes after that is so much for a young man. Chauhan portrays his character as a young man who can not let his father down and stands firm till the end.

Geddada as Bobby is a boy who does what all boys do, be rambunctious, inquisitive, and loud. The road trip with him is not easy on Malik which puts the responsibility squarely on the shoulders of Jay, as if he does not have enough to contend with.

Spencer as Hattie wants something better for Malik and wants him to bring the boys home before things get out of hand. Spencer gives us a caring woman who wants to do her job naturally but sees Malik as more than just another man in trouble with the law.

Amazon Prime offers television shows and original content included in its Amazon Prime subscription. Original programs such as CARNIVAL ROW, THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE, and THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL are hit shows. Coming soon is the next series with GOLIATH starring Billy Bob Thornton and it promises to another successful and intense series.

ENCOUNTER has been nominated in four categories by the British Independent Film Awards for Best Actor – Riz Ahmed, Best Supporting Actor – Lucian River Chauhan, Best Music – Jed Kurzel and Best Sound – Andrew Stirk, Paul Davies, Morgan Muse, Bernard O’Reilly and Julian Howarth.

The film gives us a look at Malik’s thought process regarding the aliens, how it is spread and the only protection for human beings. He is dedicated to saving his sons and making sure no one tries to stop him. There is such a dynamic here between father and sons as the eldest has held on to a love for his father that is based on wanting things to be as he believes but the youngest has very little to go on other than Malik is his dad.

They begin to learn about each other but even that is based on a mixture of wanting to protect his sons from the past and the present and two young men who see their father as a hero. Ahmed goes in many directions with his role and each of them are strong – until this character can no longer tell lie from truth.

ENCOUNTER is a mixture of science fiction and the realities of human beings who have seen and been a part of something so traumatic that it changes their life’s perspective. Although there is a mixture of premises here that I have seen before, it does not change ENCOUNTER being an emotionally charged film.

In the end – it is in what we believe!

 

They are Back with DISTRICT 9

 

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to 4K Ultra HD, Bluray and Digital from writer/director Neill Blomkamp and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is a return to DISTRICT 9.

In Johannesburgh, South Africa, it is 1982 and aliens are living in a camp they call District 9 unable to get to their ships and go home after 20+ years. Given the nickname “Prawns”, they live in a lawless camp that where survival of the fittest is given a whole new meaning. The government MNU (Multinational United), wants to relocate the aliens to another camp farther away from the city.

Appointed to the task of making that happen is Wikus van de Merwe (Sharlto Copley), an unassuming man who wants to go a good job to impress his father-in-law and executive Piet Smit (Louis Minnaar). In District 9, an alien Christopher (Jason Cope) and his little boy are looking for a chemical than can make going home happen but not before Wikus comes to their shack.

Finding the tube of chemical, Wikus opens it and the contents cover his face. Going in for treatment, it is clear that he is becoming an alien. Wanting to use his new alien parts, Wikus makes a break for it and the hunt is on. Wikus’ wife Tania (Vanessa Hayward) doesn’t believe what the media is saying about her husband.

The only thing Wikus can do is return to District 9 and get help from the alien Christopher to return to being human. Together they work but the mercenaries are close, and they do not care one way or the other how they get what they want. They are also dealing with Nigerian gang leader Obesandjo (Eugene Khumbanyiwa) that specializes in the unusual and they want Wikus as well!

Now Wikus must choose between becoming human or helping the aliens that he once thought were unwelcome in his world!

Copley as Wikus is the perfect person for this role and I have always thought so. As many times as I watch this film (and trust me I have watched it A LOT), it is Copley’s portrayal of a man caught up in something unique is stellar. As the story unfolds, it is Copley who brings us into this strange and dangerous world only to discover that his own is not so safe either.

Cope as Christopher is an alien, sure, but also the father of a young alien boy. He is raising this boy in a world that would rather eliminate them than learn about them in the best way possible. His only goal – to get them to their own home with their own people. This is such an interesting role considering he speaks another language but there is so much that can be seen on the ‘face’ of the aliens.

Hayward as Tania is a woman who can not believe what everyone is telling her. I give her credit for having the heart and smarts to know that something is going on and that her own family is involved. The way Wikus talks about his wife and family is so touching which lends to the kind of person he is.

Shout out to Khumbanyiwa as Obesandjo because this character scared the bejeezus out of me! Yet, he shows the cruelty of the human race and it is Wikus who experiences the betrayal. So who is the creature really?

Other cast include David James as Col. Venter, Mandla Gaduka as Fundiswa Mhlanga, William Young as Dirk Michaels, Kenneth Nkosi as Thomas, Sylvaine Strike as Katrina McKenzie, Robert Hobbs as Ross Pienaar, Nathalie Boltt as Sara Livingston, and Jed Brophy as James Hope.

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment encompasses motion picture production for television, digital content and theater releases. The studios include Columbia Pictures, Screen Gems, TriStar Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation, Stage 6 Films and Sony Picture Classics. To see what is coming to theaters and to home entertainment please visit www.sonypictures.com.

The Bonus Materials include 4K Ultra HD Bonus of Comic-Con Extravaganza Featurette, Original Theatrical Trailers, Hours of Archival special Features Including – Deleted Scenes, Director’s Commentary, The Alien Agenda: A Filmmaker’s Log – Three-Part Documentary, Metamorphosis: The Transformation of Wikus, Innovation: Acting and Improvisation, Conception and Design: Creating the World of DISTRICT 9, Alien Generation: Visual Effects and Joburg from Above: Interactive Map of Satellite and Schematics of the World of DISTRICT 9.

The film was released in 2009 and nominated for four Oscars in 2010 for Best Motion Picture of the Year, Best Writing Adapted Screenplay, Best Achievement in Film Editing and Best Achievement in Visual Effects. All of these nominations were well deserved! That being said, DISTRICT 9 received over 112 nominations from other festivals and award opportunities with 31 wins.  

DISTRICT 9 is a film that had and still has so much to say about the way we treat one another. Sure, there are aliens but the representation of them here is that they have something to offer the humans but are treated like dirt and kept like caged animals.

Wikus is a man who never saw what was coming being used by the people he trusted. Once he becomes something else, the true colors of those around him are vivid and frightening. Turning to Christopher and his young son for help, they protect each other from what is headed their way. Both sides have something to lose and turning to each other might save them, might.

DISTRICT 9 is still one of the most fascinating alien films but also the most heart wrenching films about two races that had so much to learn from one another.

In the end – you are not welcome here!

It is Time to SAVE YOURSELVES

 

Jeri Jacquin

In theatres and coming to Digital from writer/directors Alex H. Fischer, Eleanor Wilson and Bleeker Street is a tale of unplugging in order to SAVE YOURSELVES.

In a world where putting down your phone can be cause for therapy, Su (Sunita Mani) and Jack (John Reynolds) cannot seem to find alone time without their phones. Their friend Ralph (Ben Sinclair) comes to visit and tells them that he finds peace away from technology in a remote cabin.

Thinking it is exactly they need to disconnect from the world and reconnect with one another, off they go. Spending time talking, playing games and enjoying each other's company, Suni makes sure their phones are turned off without telling Jack. After a night of fun, they wake to a, well poofy thing in their cabin. After it quickly escapes Jack and Suni wonder what could be going on.

Turning their phones on they discover that something has happened in the world. The poofy thing that came into their cabin has a bit of an alcohol problem and he is not really keen on people either. Suni and Jack try to make it back to civilization but what is attacking the planet has other plans.

Reynolds as Jack is a man who is attached to his phone and has an issue with lashing out in his sleep. His character is funny, insecure, and addicted to a phone that he believes is everything in his life dragging him away from commitments to Su.

Mani as Su wants more from their relationship but has a problem with letting go of her phone as well. When their friend offers up his cabin, Su sees this as a great opportunity to get reacquainted with Reynolds without the bother of phones ringing, messages or mindless scrolling. When the poof shows up, she springs into action, but it might not be enough.

Shout out to Sinclair as Ralph, convincing Jack and Su to spend time away. With friends like Ralph, who needs…well, you get it.

Bleeker Street is a New York City film company that has brought outstanding films to the public. Their library includes TRUMBO, DENIAL, THE LOST CITY OF Z, BEIRUT, HOTEL MUMBAI, ORDINARY LOVE and THE ROADS NOT TAKEN. For more information on the titles from Bleeker Street please visit www.bleeckerstreetmedia.com.

SAVE YOURSELVES is a relationship-alien-survival film at its simplest. The film is about Jack and Su but then again what is a relationship without dealing with outer space. I mean every time I go to the desert; I deal with seeing UFO's and aggressive little green, grey ummm…persons so there is that.

These characters begin with the distractions of technology, take a chance on getting away from it all and end up dealing with technology from another world. It is what happens in between that is hilarious., complicated, maternal and hilarious.

SAVE YOURSELVES received nomination nods from both the Sitges - Catalonian International Film Festival and a Grand Jury Prize Nominee at the Sundance Film Festival.

In the end - turning off their phones was the dumbest thing they could have done on the planet!

 

EXTINCTION Twists and Turns to the End

Jeri Jacquin

Currently on Netflix from director Ben Young are dreams that predict nothing short of an EXTINCTION.

Peter (Michael Pena) is a hard-working engineer who takes care of wife Alice (Lizzy Caplan) and two daughters Hannah (Amelia Crouch) and Lucy (Erica Tremblay). Lately he has been having trouble sleeping and its all because of disjointed dreams. Trying to convince Alice that there has to be something to these dreams doesn't seem to be working.

Having a party to celebrate Alice's job, Peter gets into a conversation with a neighbor and that's when familiar lights shine from the sky. Coming from everywhere and in mass everyone must now run for their lives. Something has landed and it is not taking prisoners!

Peter and Alice do what they need to make their home safe, but the intruder has come. The family makes a run for it but must get down from their high-rise apartment to get away. What they do not realize is that the intruder is tracking them to finish what he has started. Peter manages to get his family to the building and captures the intruder where they are told this was to be expected.

What he learns from the intruder, himself and his family will shock them all to the core!

Pena as Peter stretches out in a sci-fi role that has so many twists and turns. His performance is stoic and frightening in believing there are something to his characters dreams. There has always been a believability about Pena's performances from comedy to drama and in this film his emotions are in check. That adds to his portrayal of a husband/father trying to save his family.

Caplan as Alice does not understand why her husband is having these disturbing dreams. Instead she wants him to see a therapist to stop them all together. Imagine her surprise when it turns out that he knows something she does not. Caplan is a strong actress and she plays to Pena's character so well. Even when it all breaks down, her goal is the fierce love for her children.

Couch as Hannah and Tremblay as Lucy are daughters who look to their parents to keep the family together. When the time comes when they must separate, they believe that being reunited is everything.

Other cast include Lex Shrapnel as Ray, Emma Booth as Samantha, Lilly Aspell as Megan, Mike Colter as David, Michael Absalom as Phil, Dan Cade as Hoyt, Mina Obradovic as Shelby, Nikola Kent as Luke and Israel Broussard as Miles.

Netflix is the world's leading streaming entertainment service with over 158 million paid memberships in over 190 countries. Enjoying TV series, documentaries and feature films, Netflix is across a wide variety of genres and languages. Members can watch as much as they want, anytime, anywhere and on any internet-connected screen. For more information please visit www.netflix.com.

The high point of the film is definitely the storyline because it never lets you become comfortable with what is happening. Instead it leaves huge question marks in each scene until the story feels it is time for you to know everything. That is what I enjoyed best about the film. The low point for me is another film with kids that are annoying in so many ways. Yes, I am a tad done with films where kids are just plain disrespectful, annoying or don't understand the meaning of consequences.

That being said, I think the storyline is amazing because I was pretty convinced about a few things only to have it turn out I couldn't be more wrong. That is what made EXTINCTION fun on a Friday evening with the family. There is something to be said for rolling the dice on a film and being pleasantly surprised. Pena and Caplan together make it work!

In the end - we were not here first!

THE VAST OF NIGHT is a Fantastic Era Sci-Fi Thriller

Jeri Jacquin

Currently on Amazon Prime from writer/director Andrew Patterson is a fantastic look at one night looking up into the sky with THE VAST OF NIGHT.

It is a warm night in New Mexico in 1950 when Fay (Sierra McCormick) takes over the switchboard for her mother. What Fay genuinely wants to do is use her new tape recorder to interview people. Guiding her along is Everett (Jake Horowitz), a radio DJ at WOTW that everyone in town listens to on the local station.

While a sporting event is going on at the high school, strange things are happening that Fay and Everett are taking notice of. Fay is experiencing strange telephone calls from townsfolk about

noises they are hearing and then the calls drop. Fay calls Everett to ask if any of his callers are noticing strange happenings as well.

That's when Everett receives a telephone call from a man named Billy (Bruce Davis) who claims to know what has been going on in the world. He tells them a story that leaves Fay and Everett stunned but even more shocking is the proof the caller offers that leads them straight to a forgotten tape in the local library.

Both Fay and Everett know that it is time to do everything possible to discover what is happening to their small town before word spreads as fast as the panic!

McCormick as Fay is a character ahead of her time. Gifted with a recorder, she wants to learn to interview people about their stories. She sees a career for herself outside the small dusty little town in New Mexico. She is clearly smart, clever and on the hunt for answers. McCormick gives her character everything she needs to succeed, even a bit of healthy fear. Her performance is stunning.

Horowitz as Everett is the town big guy because, after all, he is the DJ of the radio station! There was a time when radio stations were the gods of bringing music to the masses. They could walk down the street and have people be in awe. Horowitz pulls that off marvelously and when the time comes to jump in with Fay, he becomes as serious about every move they make. This is a dynamic duo and I was all in every step of the way.

 Other cast include Cheyenne Barton as Bertsie, Mark Banik as Gerald, Gregory Peyton as Benny, Rodkey Oliver as Adam, Mallorie Rodak as Susan, Mollie Milligan as Marjorie, Ingred Fease as Gretchen, Brandon Stewart as Sam, Krik Griffith as Lon and Gail Cronauer as Mabel Blanche.

Amazon Prime offers television shows and original content included in its Amazon Prime subscription. Original programs such as CARNIVAL ROW, THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE, and THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL are hit shows. Coming soon is the next series with GOLIATH starring Billy Bob Thornton and it promises to another successful and intense series. For more of what they have to offer please visit www.amazonprime.com.

THE VAST OF NIGHT is actually quite brilliantly done. Not only is it set in a time where it was a new thing to hear and see the stories of UFO's and such, but everything about the film harks back to the 1950's.

The cast bring it all together reeling me into their journey but along with the costuming, cars, music and gathering of a town at the local gymnasium on a Friday night is reminiscent to me. I am the type that has to be drawn in hook, line and sinker and THE VAST OF NIGHT does just that.

It is not an 'in your face' story or an explosion of aliens but instead the sleuthing of Fay and Everett who are not about to sit around and be taken over by something they do not understand. These two are on the case, as it were, to discover what is true and how they can stop it if that is even something they can do.

Writers Patterson and Craig W. Sanger have made every effort to make the audience believe they are in New Mexico in the 1950's but they have also added homages to other films and filmmakers. The radio station WOTW where Everett is a DJ stands for 'War of the Worlds' from the H.G. Wells classic, the character of Renny is Michael Rennie who was Klaatu in the 1951 THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL. Even the town of Cayuga gives homage to Rod Serling's Cayuga Productions.

The relationship between Fay and Everett was a straight joy to watch. This is a film that I would highly recommend for those who want to sit back and have a good yarn be told with the lights off and a bowl of popcorn.

In the end - the answers are in what they hear!