Thursday, August 6, 2015

Thursday Movie Picks: Alien Invasion of Earth


Greetings, Earthlings. Take me to your leader. I come in peace.

If you couldn't tell, this week's Thursday Movie Picks is all about alien invasions of our wonderful planet. Sure, I've seen that one. And that one. That one, too. So, as per my usual, I'm trying to go against the grain a bit. In this case, I'm also violating the rules just a bit. Well, that's pretty normal, too. Anyhoo, the rules put forth by our wonderful host Wanderer at Wandering Through the Shelves state that the movies chosen should be ones that you consider great, terrible, or hidden gems. I'm going with a trio of films that I consider to be all three. Or, to use the vernacular familiar to readers of this blog, these movies are so bad they're awesome! And, like any true alien invasion, they all come "from Outer Space."


I Married a Monster from Outer Space
(1958)
Marge (Talbott) marries her sweetheart Bill (Tryon) and notices he's acting really strange. She soon discovers that the man she married is...wait for it...wait for it...a monster from outer space. Well, actually his body has been taken over by a monster...from outer space. One by one, this starts happening to all the men in town as Marge frantically tries to find help in stopping them. Yup, this is 50s B-movieism at its finest...or worst depending on your point of view. The aliens use screwy logic but hilariously enough, they're better husbands than the humans they've taken over. The human men, married or not, are all heavy drinkers who spend every night at the local pub. When we get to the "exciting conclusion" it's because a) people suddenly know things they shouldn't, but don't know things they should and b) ...well, there's a lot of stupid stuff. Think Invasion of the Body Snatchers mixed with the next movie we'll talk about and a dash of Signs thrown in. The unintentional humor is high, the special fx are shoddy, even for the 50s, and one particular fact about our alien friends renders the whole thing impossible. In other words, I had a lot of hearty laughs while watching this one.


Plan 9 from Outer Space
(1959)
I really shouldn't have to say too much about this one. Even if you haven't seen it, you've probably heard about it. Plan 9 is director Ed Wood's magnum opus of awfulness. It's so terrible, the movie named after the director chronicles the making of it. Many consider it the worst movie of all time. That makes it a perfect fit for this post. We get the title because the invading aliens actually failed on their first eight attempts at invasion. Plan 9 involves resurrecting the dead. so yeah, it's also a zombie movie. By the way, they don't actually want to take over our planet or kill us. They're trying to stop us from killing them. This is generally the same idea as the legitimately good original The Day the Earth Stood Still. Luckily for me, the execution of said idea is much worse. At times, the movie feels randomly put together with old footage of Wood's friend Bela Lugosi shoved in. Lugosi died after filming very little and basically had no idea what type of movie he was contributing to. Like other productions where a key player passes away before completing it, a stand in is used. Of course, this guy looks nothing like Lugosi. Aside from that, there is so much unintentional humor it's hard to believe Wood didn't set out to make a comedy. Some of my faves include the way the police mishandle their guns by just haphazardly waving them around and, yes, the flying saucers we see very early on. Take another look at the gif above. That's an actual screenshot from the movie. Yup, that really is a string coming from the top of the spaceship. Gawd, I love this crap!


Killer Klowns from Outer Space
(1988)
Um...killer klowns...klowns with a k...from outer space. One night, a meteor slices through the sky of some small town and voila...killer klowns...with a k...from outer space. They literally just start killing people left and right. Are they trying to take over the entire planet? Nope. Are they trying to destroy us all? Not all of us. Then what? They need some tasty snacks to take back to their planet. You see, they don't always kill folks. Sometimes, they disintegrate them until they are a mound of orange powder. Okay, fine. Essentially, it plays like a slasher flick...featuring killer klowns...with a k...from outer space. Some of our highlights include one of our invaders making a balloon dog that springs to life and helps him and his buddies track down a couple of humans that are trying to get away from them and a klown...with a k...making a T-rex shadow puppet with his hands. If that's not impressive enough, it actually eats people. Yup. I mean, what do you expect from a movie about killer klowns...with a k...from outer space.


Check these other Thursday Movie Picks

26 comments:

  1. Killer Klowns from Outer Space.... it's so bad but it's fucking hilarious. I love it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I think I'd be terrrified of the killer clowns, its a clown thing (Thanks IT!) scared of them now when wasn't before. I really need to see Plan 9, I had hoped to see it at the Science Fiction season buuuut I missed it. Ever since Ed Wood I've wanted to see this gem!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It had that effect on a lot of people. If you loved Ed Wood you kinda owe it to yourself to see Plan 9.

      Delete
  3. I only saw Killer Klowns from Outer Space. It was a kinda B-movie frenzy that makes me feel uneasy about clown. Lol.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Definitely a B-movie frenzy. Love that term.

      Delete
  4. I'm kicking myself for not thinking of Killer Klowns! I love terrible B movies. I've never seen Plan 9, but I've always been really tempted just because everyone hates it. I've never heard of the first pick, but that title is awesome.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You've got to see Plan 9 just so you can see how awesomely bad a movie can be.

      Delete
  5. OMG! Plan 9!!!! LOL, I actually saw that years ago after Ed Wood inspired me to watch crappy movies. Love that you mention that here!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's the same reason I saw it. The first time, anyway. It's so fantastically bad I actually own it on DVD.

      Delete
  6. Thanks for the reminder that I still need to see Plan 9. A good friend of mine who's seen it says it lives up to the "worst movie ever made" title because it's not bad in the ways you would expect from a film with that reputation.

    I Married A Monster From Outer Space sounds AMAZING.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You gotta see Plan 9. And yeah, I Married is pretty wonderful.

      Delete
  7. I actually saw I Married A Monster From Outer Space when I was a kid. This was back in the day when we had to literally turn the knob of the TV but also turn another knob to get UHF-Channel 29 (not cable) would play all these great 50's films-good and bad on Sunday afternoons. I love Plan 9-It is so beyond terrible that it is a classic. I love the strings and that the spaceships are hubcaps:) When Bela died, Wood used his wife's chiropractor as Dracula-hahahaaaa. I also love how there are cars racing to a scene in broad daylight only arriving in pitch black and in different cars. I have not seen Killer Klowns but that also sounds just horrible. Have you ever seen Attack of the Killer Tomatoes?"

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. UHF channels! YES!!! I remember those days. If you were like me the knobs on the TV were broken so you had to use a pair of pliers to change the channel. Been meaning to see Attack of the Killer Tomatoes, but haven't gotten to it.

      Delete
    2. I can relate to everything you said about the UHF channels...don't forget the rabbit ears! Channel 29 was sci-fi heavy, Channel 48 was old movies and Channel 17 was a mix of the two with reruns of Petticoat Junction and the like thrown in. We also had a least one TV where we had to use the pliers as well. Ah memories.

      Delete
    3. Yes, the rabbit ears...with aluminum foil on the tips to "enhance" reception. Lol.

      Delete
  8. Sounds like I need to hunt down I Married a Monster From Outer Space....looks like good b-movie fun. I've only seen Plan 9 once, what a crazy movie. Now, Killer Klowns is one I grew up on. I genuinely LOVED that movie when I was a kid. I'll always remember that crazy shadow puppet show. I think it's about time for a re-watch on that one.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I would love to hear what you think of I Married a Monster from Outer Space.

      Delete
  9. Perfect picks for the day. I've seen them all but I think the only one I've seen more is I Married a Monster from Outer Space and there it might be twice. Both Talbott and Tryon were rising stars of the 50's who ended up in junk like this, Tryon seeing the writing on the wall turned to writing and ended up writing The Other and Harvest Home both of which had some sort of supernatural elements.

    I came up with three that are a bit off the beaten path but decided to do two additions that are classics of the genre, one newer and one classic.

    Slither (2006)-A meteor crashes outside a small southern town unleashing a plague of parasitic worms that turn the townspeople into zombies. The sheriff and the wife of one of the victims try and figure out a way to fight the slithering danger before it gets to them. Good performances by Nathan Fillion and Elizabeth Banks in this mix of comedy and horror.

    The Hidden (1987)-Dealing with a sudden spate of violent crime, perpetuated by people who until the last few days had no history of any wrongdoing, a cop is joined in the hunt by an FBI agent who has a strange aura about him. Turns out he is an alien in pursuit of a murderous intergalactic parasite that is using whatever host is available to cause mayhem until it is so damaged that he moves onto the next. Action packed film distinguishes itself from the pack by being laced with humor, a gritty feeling and solid performances from it cast. Kyle MacLachlan in particular stands out as the FBI agent from another world.

    The Andromeda Strain (1971)-A satellite crashes in the New Mexico desert carrying an alien germ that causes the death of all but two people in a nearby town. A group of scientists are whisked away to a secure underground government lab to try and solve the mystery of the survivors and isolate and destroy the life form before it can cause worldwide destruction. This cerebral take on alien invasion based on a Michael Crichton bestseller is set almost exclusively in the underground bunker.

    Honorable Mentions-Independence Day (1996)-A belligerent alien society tries to invade the planet and destroy mankind but not if an ass kicking Will Smith and a small band of scientists and soldiers has anything to say about it! Popcorn entertainment is big, loud, showy and a whole lot of mindless fun. An immense success upon release.

    The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)-A gentle alien lands and warns humans that they must learn to live peaceably or be destroyed to keep them from becoming a threat to other planets. Seminal sci-fi picture that is miles above most genre pics that were being produced at the time.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Slither is just all sorts of fun. I considered it, myself. Great pick. Haven't seen your other two picks, though The Andromeda Strain has been on my radar for quite some time. I've seen both of your honorable mentions. Had fun with Independence Day the first time I saw it. Not so much on subsequent viewings. Really like The Day the Earth Stood Still, a true sci-fi classic. Such a shame that the remake was a hatchet job.

      Delete
    2. With your love of 70's/80's cinema I think you'd really enjoy The Hidden. It's not a perfect film but it has TONS of action, some crazy plot twists but also a bit of smarts with a nice underlying chemistry between the two leads. I've always LOVED The Andromeda Strain because it so different from the usual alien film.

      Delete
    3. Oh and I totally agree about that wrong headed remake of The Earth Stood Still, when will Hollywood learn to leave well enough alone. I don't mind remakes, The Maltese Falcon was the third version of that story but once they get it right STOP!!

      Delete
    4. I'll have to check out The Hidden. Pretty sure Hollywood will never learn.

      Delete
  10. Killer Klowns from Outer Space! Hell yes! "What are ya gonna do? Knock my block off!?"

    ReplyDelete
  11. Oy, I haven't seen any of these, Dell.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Don't feel bad. I'm here to suggest such madness for you to see.

      Delete