Alien Trespass
Encyclopedia
Alien Trespass is a 2009 science-fiction comedy film
based on 1950s sci-fi B movie
s. It stars Eric McCormack
(Will and Grace) and Robert Patrick
(Terminator 2: Judgment Day
). The film was shot in Ashcroft, B.C.
Mojave Desert
. It is a special night for noted astronomer Ted Lewis, who is preparing a special dinner for his beautiful, adoring wife Lana to celebrate their wedding anniversary. In another part of town, Tammy, a waitress at small local diner with big plans for the future, looks out her window and is excited to see a shooting star, which she takes as a good sign for her dreams. But, what Dr. Lewis and Tammy assume is a shooting star, is really an alien spaceship. The fiery ball hurtles toward earth and crash-lands on a butte in the desert. The only witnesses are teens Dick and Penny who are necking in a nearby lover's lane. A tall, metallic alien named Urp emerges from the craft unharmed, alarmed to discover that the monstrous Ghota, who was also on board, has escaped. The menacing one-eyed creature's unquenchable appetite could mean the end of civilization as we know it. Urp is the only one who knows how to stop the hideous extraterrestrial, but to do so he has to take over the body of Dr. Lewis and enlist the aid of Tammy, the only human in town willing to believe and trust in his mission. The local police - including Chief Dawson and Officer Vern - are confirmed skeptics and offer little help. Together, Urp and Tammy must hunt down the Ghota and neutralize it before it consumes all the local inhabitants and uses the human fuel to multiply and conquer the world.
gave the film two out of four stars and felt that the film was, "obviously a labor of love. But why? Is there a demand for cheesy 1950s sci-fi movies not met by the existing supply? Will younger audiences consider it to be merely inept, and not inept with an artistic intention? Here is a movie more suited to ComicCon or the World Science Fiction Convention than to your neighborhood multiplex". In her review for The New York Times
, Jeannette Catsoulis described the film as "a charmingly sentimental but ultimately pointless hommage to the sci-fi classics of yesteryear". Betsy Sharkey, in her review for the Los Angeles Times
, felt that "there is attention to detail throughout this film, and it's clear that Goodwin loves those old sci-fi movies -- maybe a little too much. While Alien Trespass stays true to the era and the genre, it forgets that its mission in this galaxy is not merely to pay tribute but to entertain". In his review for the Boston Globe, Ty Burr wrote, "There's more simple joy to be found here than in all of DreamWorks
' 3-D extravaganza, though - a pleasure that comes from laughing at the movie and with it at the same time". Entertainment Weekly
gave the film a "B+" rating and Lisa Schwarzbaum praised its "warm tone, along with the picture's bright, saturated, anti-CGI look, is a welcome respite from jokes, irony, and the postmodern malaise of know-it-all-ness".
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
based on 1950s sci-fi B movie
B movie
A B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture that is not definitively an arthouse or pornographic film. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature....
s. It stars Eric McCormack
Eric McCormack
Eric James McCormack is a Canadian American actor, musician, writer and producer. Born in Toronto, he began his acting career performing in school plays at Stephen Leacock Collegiate Institute High School...
(Will and Grace) and Robert Patrick
Robert Patrick
Robert Hammond Patrick, Jr. is an American actor, known for his leading and supporting roles in a number of films and television shows....
(Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Terminator 2: Judgment Day is a 1991 science fiction action film directed by James Cameron and written by Cameron and William Wisher Jr.. It stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Robert Patrick, and Edward Furlong...
). The film was shot in Ashcroft, B.C.
Plot
The story begins in 1957 in the star-filled skies above California'sCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
Mojave Desert
Mojave Desert
The Mojave Desert occupies a significant portion of southeastern California and smaller parts of central California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah and northwestern Arizona, in the United States...
. It is a special night for noted astronomer Ted Lewis, who is preparing a special dinner for his beautiful, adoring wife Lana to celebrate their wedding anniversary. In another part of town, Tammy, a waitress at small local diner with big plans for the future, looks out her window and is excited to see a shooting star, which she takes as a good sign for her dreams. But, what Dr. Lewis and Tammy assume is a shooting star, is really an alien spaceship. The fiery ball hurtles toward earth and crash-lands on a butte in the desert. The only witnesses are teens Dick and Penny who are necking in a nearby lover's lane. A tall, metallic alien named Urp emerges from the craft unharmed, alarmed to discover that the monstrous Ghota, who was also on board, has escaped. The menacing one-eyed creature's unquenchable appetite could mean the end of civilization as we know it. Urp is the only one who knows how to stop the hideous extraterrestrial, but to do so he has to take over the body of Dr. Lewis and enlist the aid of Tammy, the only human in town willing to believe and trust in his mission. The local police - including Chief Dawson and Officer Vern - are confirmed skeptics and offer little help. Together, Urp and Tammy must hunt down the Ghota and neutralize it before it consumes all the local inhabitants and uses the human fuel to multiply and conquer the world.
Cast
- Eric McCormackEric McCormackEric James McCormack is a Canadian American actor, musician, writer and producer. Born in Toronto, he began his acting career performing in school plays at Stephen Leacock Collegiate Institute High School...
as Ted Lewis / Urp - Jenni BairdJenni BairdJenni Baird is an Australian actress, known for her roles as Paula Morgan on All Saints and Meghan Doyle in The 4400. She gave birth to a baby in 2008. She is married to Australian filmmaker Michael Petroni.-Early career:...
as Tammy - Robert PatrickRobert PatrickRobert Hammond Patrick, Jr. is an American actor, known for his leading and supporting roles in a number of films and television shows....
as Vernon - Jody ThompsonJody ThompsonJody Rae Thompson is a Canadian actress working in film and television.-Personal life:Thompson was born in Vancouver, British Columbia to an English father, Ray Thompson, the lead singer of the garage rock band The Wiggy Symphony, and a German mother...
as Lana Lewis - Dan LauriaDan LauriaDaniel Joseph "Dan" Lauria is an American television and film actor.-Early life:Lauria, an Italian-American, was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Carmela and Joseph J. Lauria. He also lived in Lindenhurst, New York...
as Chief Dawson - Aaron Brooks as Cody
- Sarah SmythSarah SmythSarah Smyth is a Canadian actress who starred on the three seasons of the Canadian show Naked Josh. She was born in Nova Scotia, but grew up in Ottawa.-Filmography:-External links:...
as Penny - Andrew Dunbar as Dick
- Dayna Reid as Betsy
- Chelah HorsdalChelah HorsdalChelah Horsdal is a Canadian actress and model.-Life and career:She grew up in the Kitsilano neighbourhood of Vancouver with her mother, Lindsay. Her father is the folk singer Valdy...
as Betsy's Mother - Sage BrocklebankSage BrocklebankSage Brocklebank is a Canadian actor.Brocklebank was born in Vancouver, B.C. He has played Brian in How I Married My High School Crush. Among other roles, he plays police officer Buzz McNab, a supporting role on the comedy-drama Psych. Brocklebank is 6' 5" tall and is also a professional poker...
as Stu - Jonathon Young as Lloyd
- Tom McBeathTom McBeathTom McBeath is a Canadian actor living in Vancouver, Canada and is the winner of three Jessie Awards. He is best known for playing Harry Maybourne on Stargate SG-1. He is also a stage actor known to take a diverse set of roles.-External links:...
as Wilson
Reaction
Film critic Roger EbertRoger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
gave the film two out of four stars and felt that the film was, "obviously a labor of love. But why? Is there a demand for cheesy 1950s sci-fi movies not met by the existing supply? Will younger audiences consider it to be merely inept, and not inept with an artistic intention? Here is a movie more suited to ComicCon or the World Science Fiction Convention than to your neighborhood multiplex". In her review for The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, Jeannette Catsoulis described the film as "a charmingly sentimental but ultimately pointless hommage to the sci-fi classics of yesteryear". Betsy Sharkey, in her review for the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, felt that "there is attention to detail throughout this film, and it's clear that Goodwin loves those old sci-fi movies -- maybe a little too much. While Alien Trespass stays true to the era and the genre, it forgets that its mission in this galaxy is not merely to pay tribute but to entertain". In his review for the Boston Globe, Ty Burr wrote, "There's more simple joy to be found here than in all of DreamWorks
DreamWorks
DreamWorks Pictures, also known as DreamWorks, LLC, DreamWorks SKG, DreamWorks II Distribution Co., LLC, DreamWorks Studios or DW Studios, LLC, is an American film studio which develops, produces, and distributes films, video games and television programming...
' 3-D extravaganza, though - a pleasure that comes from laughing at the movie and with it at the same time". Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
gave the film a "B+" rating and Lisa Schwarzbaum praised its "warm tone, along with the picture's bright, saturated, anti-CGI look, is a welcome respite from jokes, irony, and the postmodern malaise of know-it-all-ness".
See also
- War of the WorldsThe War of the Worlds (1953 film)The War of the Worlds is a 1953 science fiction film starring Gene Barry and Ann Robinson. It was the first on-screen loose adaptation of the H. G. Wells classic novel of the same name...
- The Day the Earth Stood Still
- It Came From Outer SpaceIt Came from Outer SpaceIt Came from Outer Space is a 1953 science fiction 3-D film directed by Jack Arnold, and starring Richard Carlson, Barbara Rush, and Charles Drake. It was Universal's first film to be filmed in 3-D.- Plot :...
- Earth vs. the Flying SaucersEarth vs. the Flying SaucersEarth vs. the Flying Saucers is an American black and white science fiction film, directed by Fred F. Sears and released by Columbia Pictures. The film is also known as Invasion of the Flying Saucers. It was ostensibly suggested by the non-fiction work Flying Saucers from Outer Space by Donald...
- Forbidden PlanetForbidden PlanetForbidden Planet is a 1956 science fiction film directed by Fred M. Wilcox, with a screenplay by Cyril Hume. It stars Leslie Nielsen, Walter Pidgeon, and Anne Francis. The characters and its setting have been compared to those in William Shakespeare's The Tempest, and its plot contains certain...
- Invaders from MarsInvaders from Mars (1953 film)Invaders From Mars is a science fiction film directed by William Cameron Menzies, taken from a scenario by Richard Blake, and based on a story treatment by John Tucker Battle who was inspired by a dream recounted by his wife. It was produced independently by Edward L. Alperson Jr. and starred...
- Mars Attacks!Mars Attacks!Mars Attacks! is a 1996 American science fiction film directed by Tim Burton and based on the cult trading card series of the same name. The film uses elements of black comedy, surreal humour, and political satire, and claims to be also a parody of multiple science fiction B movies...
- The Lost Skeleton of CadavraThe Lost Skeleton of CadavraThe Lost Skeleton of Cadavra is an independent film spoofing 1950s era B-movies. It was videotaped on a budget of less than USD $100,000, and converted to black-and-white film in post-production. Larry Blamire acted in and directed the film, wrote its screenplay and provided the voice of the...
External links
- Genre From Another Planet: The ’50s, The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, March 27, 2009 - Director R.W. Goodwin Discusses Alien Trespass at AMCtv.com
- Interview with R.W. Goodwin at StarlogStarlogStarlog was a monthly science-fiction film magazine published by Starlog Group Inc. The magazine was created by publishers Kerry O'Quinn and Norman Jacobs. O'Quinn was the magazine's editor while Jacobs ran the business side of things, dealing with typesetters, engravers and printers. They got...
magazine