UFOs: Part 3--Best Films and Documentaries

 I'll pass today on Afghanistan, COVID-19 and politics.  I began a UFO series last week, and will conclude today with some viewing options.

My conclusion is that like religion and ghosts, UFOs remain in a stage below even paranormal phenomena.  But that doesn't mean you can't enjoy a film or documentary to keep your curiosity active.

Interestingly enough, there is a 2009 book on this subject by Chris Hallquist.  You should know that he has been president of Atheists, Humanists and Agnostics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison since 2005.  There are other points of view, of course.  One is Geta Christina of Why Are You Atheists So Angry?

But this is not a Sunday, so let me go on to the the topic of the day.  What can you see on your TV set?

For example, I just saw on Netflix Top Secret UFO Projects, a series with six episodes.  I watched all, and wonder why.  Rotten Tomatoes did not bother to review it.  The blog site Decider did, and recommended that you skip it.

There are no credible lists of best UFO films, but here is something entitled Secret Access:  Most Credible UFOs as a DVD.  Unfortunately, it cost $154.37 and is a decade old.

On the other hand, there is a boatload of decent films about aliens, a few that almost make sense.  For the record, while I'm dubious about flying saucers, I did once work for NASA on the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, and have a sense that there indeed is life somewhere else in our Universe.

Of all those alien films, Sound of My Voice, a low-keyed production starring Brit Marling, might have actually been the most convincing, but you need too stick to the very end to appreciate why.

Let me start with Esquire, for they picked the Best Alien Movies on Netflix, which means I can watch them for free:

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  Jupiter Ascending (2015):  a space opera with Channing Tatum as a goateed human-elf-alien.  But whoops, Rotten Tomatoes gives it 27/38 scores.  Hmmm.....
• Battle:  Los Angeles (2011):  military dukes it out with alien intruders.  RT:  36/48.  
• Wait a minute, why am I even bothering with this list.  I'll give it one more chance.
• Zathura:  A Space Adventure (2005):  a Jumanji sequel, but in space.  RT:  76/51.
• Well, a little bit better.  Let's try the next.
• Monsters and Aliens (2009):  Oh no, an animated film for kids.  RT:  73/59.  The next one is also animated.
• I'll stop here and strike Esquire forever from my movie review list.

Yikes, how did those get there!

Okay, this surely sounds distinguished:  The Council of Foreign Relations.  To begin, this page indicates they were founded 100 years ago as an independent, nonpartisan organization, think tank, publisher and educational institution dedicated to informing the public about foreign policy.  So here is their top five:

• The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951, RT 95/87)
• Ah, a good one, featuring Michael Rennie as an alien sent to save humanity from nuclear proliferation.
• Oh, you don't want to watch the 2008 version with Keanu Reaves, for this one is rated 20/27 by RT.
• 
  
• 
  The War of the Worlds (1953, RT 88/71)
• Based on the book by H.G. Wells.
• Terrific special effects for a 50's film.
• The 2005 update with Tom Cruise got 75/42 scores, and was entertaining.
• Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977, RT 94/85)
• Stars Richard Dreyfuss, who gets to board a flying saucer.
• Directed and written by Steven Spielberg.
• The U.S. military refused to cooperate, citing the prospect of inciting UFO scare fears.
• The Fourth Kind would be alien abduction and Fifth Kind would be direct communication with aliens.
• Won two Oscars.

• 
  Independence Day (1996, RT 68/75)
• Will Smith, Bill Pullman, Jeff Goldblum, Judd Hirsch.
• Great battle.  We win.
• District 9 (2009, RT 90/82)
• About a group of aliens arriving to escape from their dying planet, and is placed in a concentration camp...Johannesburg, South Africa.
• Rated R.
• And as a bonus choice, The Phenomenon (2020, RT 88/93)
• A documentary with Peter Coyote as narrator.
• Sort of the Greatest Hits of UFOs.

Next let's step far back and cite something called Country Living with their 21 Best Alien Movies of All Time.  Or, from the UK Independent newspaper, for World UFO Day 2021, the 10 Best Alien Films.  I can go on and on, but I send you to the alphabetical list of all films featuring extraterrestrials.  It is long.  A couple of hundred?   I didn't want to count them all.  What's coming?  What about Alien 5?

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