“ The Vast of Night” is “Twilight Zone”-esque in the best possible way, and Patterson is the real deal. He pulls dazzling performances from his actors, and the tension is so masterfully doled out that you sometimes forget that you’ve been watching an operator fumble with phone lines for ten minutes. There’s no CGI spectacle or star power to hide behind here, and writer/director Andrew Patterson proves he doesn’t need it. The effects are minimal, the dialogue is plentiful, and the takes are long. The film, set in 1950s New Mexico, takes place over a single night and follows a switchboard operator (Sierra McCormick) and a disc jockey (Jake Horowitz) as they attempt to find the source of an otherworldly broadcast. “ The Vast of Night” (2019) is the least-seen film on the list, and if you’re one of the people who haven’t seen it, please do so ASAP (it’s currently on Amazon Prime). When it comes to Spielberg forgeries, you could do much worse. It’s nothing we haven’t seen before, but Abrams’s instincts are right on the money here, and the result is eminently rewatchable. With this sci-fi throwback, Abrams did “ Stranger Things” earlier and more succinctly than the actual “ Stranger Things.” There’s a ragtag bunch of kids, an alien force taking over a small town, and a focus on interpersonal dynamics that makes the film’s conclusion doubly satisfying. Now that we’ve acknowledged these shortcomings, we’re here to say that “Super 8” (2011) is still awesome. He’s an emulator more than an originator, and he relies on the aesthetic pioneered by men like Spielberg and George Lucas to guide most of his creative decisions. Abrams has become a polarizing figure thanks to his “ Star Trek” and “ Star Wars” reboots. “War of the Worlds” loses steam in the final act, which keeps it from classic status, but it remains a highly entertaining gateway into the rest of our list. The solid Tom Cruise performance doesn’t hurt, either. The pacing, the gritty camera work (there’s a quick POV camcorder shot, anticipating another good invasion flick, “Cloverfield” ), and the special effects result in moments that are still awe-inspiring nearly two decades later. The invasion scenes are underrated showcases for the director. Still, Spielberg manages to instill a similar feeling of paranoia and chaos. There are some significant changes to the source material, updating the setting and the characters to reflect a post-9/11 world. Wells’ novel captivated readers in 1898, and Orson Welles’ radio adaptation horrified listeners in 1938, so it was only fitting that a master like Steven Spielberg gave it the blockbuster treatment in 2005. “War of the Worlds” is ground zero for alien invasion stories. Our list is going to focus on the direct results of an invasion and how the main characters deal with it. “ District 9” (2009) and “ Edge Of Tomorrow” (2014) are terrific sci-fi films in their own right, but they’re less about invasion and more about dealing with the political fallout. Some ground rules before we begin: we did not include films in which aliens landed prior to the events of the film. The director has been transparent about his influences and desire to pay homage to the science fiction of the past, so we felt it only proper to apply our tinfoil hats and revisit the best alien invasion films of all time. Jordan Peele’s “ Nope” is now in theaters, and it’s the latest release to mine these topics for mind-bending entertainment. It brings with it the fear of annihilation, the excitement of discovery, and the faith that we as a species can unite with (or against) our extraterrestrial visitors. Only a decade later did he finally admit the hoax.Hollywood has always loved high-concept films, and few concepts are higher (metaphorically and literally) than aliens. After the film was broadcast on television in 1996, its creator spent years insisting the footage was genuine – successfully convincing scores of Americans along the way. But few came closer than Alien Autopsy: Fact or Fiction, which claims to show the US military examining a dead extraterrestrial. In the eighty years since Orson Welles’ The War of the Worlds apparently had listeners fearing a real-life alien invasion, countless films have sought to blur the line between truth and fiction. Unlike the bombastic figures in other films, John comes across as charmingly humble disappointed, yes, that he hasn’t achieved his goal, yet grateful the project has given his life so much meaning. It tells the story of John Shepherd, a mild-mannered Michigan man who has spent decades of his free-time building advanced broadcasting equipment in the hope of using his music collection to reach aliens. If you think all alien enthusiasts are self-interested conspiracy theorists, this touching short-film will serve as a welcome corrective.
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