Hotel Artemis (2018)

Set in riot-torn, near-future Los Angeles, 'Hotel Artemis' follows the Nurse, who runs a secret, members-only emergency room for criminals.

Good, original sci-fi drama entertains with an usual plot, great cast and some exciting action sequences.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)

When seeds drift to earth from space, mysterious pods begin to grow and invade a small town, replicating the residents one body at a time. 

Strangely, I keep reading that this quite efficient horror thriller is a remake of the old classic, but it actually is a straight continuation which even includes the ending of that movie re-staged with the same actor.

On rewatching: excellent sci-fi horror, one of the best of the 1970s.

Halliwell: "Flashy updating of the 1956 classic, mistakenly set in a big city and confusingly unravelled, with nobody for the audience to empathize with. Its nicest effect is to have Kevin McCarthy appear in a cameo."

Maltin***: "Chilling remake of 1956 classic with many new twists and turns; unfortunately, it runs out of steam and offers one climax too many."

Remember My Name (1978)

Just released from prison, a young woman arrives in town to "start a new life", but soon begins stalking a married construction worker for no apparent reason, turning his life inside out and eventually terrorizing him and his wife.

From memory:  Left-field, idiosyncratic, but effective psychological thriller with Chaplin presenting a creepier performance than Perkins.

Halliwell*: "Basically reminiscent of a Barbara Stanwyck vehicle of the forties, this interesting film is finally too concerned to strike on all levels, including satire, social awareness and fashionable pessimism."

Maltin***: "Dreamlike film presents fragmented story...Moody, provocative film definitely not for all tastes..."

Independence Day: Resurgence (2016)

Two decades after the first Independence Day invasion, Earth is faced with a new extra-Solar threat.

A sequel omitting everything that made the original so entertaining: humor, irony, panache; the star cast are mainly stick figures in a CGI game with a ridiculous plot.

Vibes (1988)

Jeff Goldblum

(ph: Craig McDean)

Bio:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Goldblum

The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)

A research team is sent to the Jurassic Park Site B island to study the dinosaurs there while another team approaches with another agenda.

Great special effects and some humour make this sequel entertaining, but basically this is an old-fashioned monster movie.

Halliwell*: "The special effects are to be wondered at, as is the fact that the script is cloned from the oldest and most familiar elements of monster movies; this is a dinosaur about dinosaurs."

Maltin**1/2: "Completely contrived sequel to JURASSIC PARK benefits from Goldblum's deprecating dialogue and superior special effects. Enough cliffhanger-style action scenes to make up for the lulls."

Independence Day (1996)

 

 

The aliens are coming and their goal is to invade and destroy Earth; fighting superior technology, mankind's best weapon is the will to survive.

 

Successful rejuvenation of the 50s alien invasion/doomsday subgenre offers top-of-the-art special effects and action coupled with some good-natured tongue-in-cheek humor.

Halliwell*: "Enjoyably silly, jingoistic nonsense that found an appreciative audience for its sensational effects of blwing up the White House and most of the world; it sticks closely to the plot of The War of the Worlds, offering a technological version of a biological virus to knock out the aliens."

Maltin**1/2: "Spectacular - and spectacularly stupid - sci-fi saga...Big, Oscar-winning special effects are impressive, but the human stories are so dumb, the writing so lame, and some of the performances so broad they make some silly '50s sci-fi movies look brilliant by comparison."