Home (2015)

Directed by Tim Johnson
Written by Tom J. Astle and Matt Ember, based on the book "The True Meaning of Smekday" by Adam Rex
Starring Jim Parsons, Rhianna, Steve Martin, Jennifer Lopez and Matt Jones

When the Boove discover sanctuary on Earth from their enemy the Gorg, the abduct all humans and jam them into Australia, stealing everything else. But when an unpopular Boove named Oh jeopardizes his species' peace, he is hunted down. While on the run, he finds a lonely girl who escaped capture and helps her find her Mom.

In a time where many animation studios are staying a float by adding more things for the parents in their family movies, Dreamworks has stepped in and taken the reigns with the films directed towards younger audiences.

Unlike movies from Pixar and Disney Animation (two different entities that just happened to be owned by Disney), in which plots are often darker and have heavier content that is both kid friendly and holds the adults' attention, "Home" aims for an even younger audience and neglects to think about the parent's in attendance.

Their first mistake, in my mind, was casting both Rhianna and Jennifer Lopez. Perhaps it is the crowd I surround myself with, but I don't know many people over the age of 16 who listen to those artists religiously. Or at the very least, enough to be excited that they are in a movie. Not only was it meaningless from a marketing standpoint, but from the acting side, it just gave the movie lower quality voice performances.

With a soundtrack plagued by Rhianna  and Jennifer Lopez songs, the entire movie just felt like an advertisement for her. Sure, when a musician agrees to be in a movie, they usually lend a song for good measure. But the songs just did not fit the scenes they were in. The became a distraction rather than an enhancement.

The plot of the movie itself, although cliché, was an interesting enough start. They definitely had a foundation and enough jokes and gags to make a good movie. And the casting choices weren't an immediate deal breaker. I just can't pinpoint where the filmmakers went wrong. It's a decent movie, but I feel a lot of little mistakes cost them the quality of the movie after such a promising short film.

My Rating: 5/10

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

Written and Directed by Steven Spielberg
Starring Richard Dreyfus, Melinda Dillon, François Truffaut and Bob Balaban

After an encounter with U.F.O.s, a line worker feels undeniably drawn to an isolated area of the wilderness where something spectacular is about to happen.

I know what you're thinking. "How have you not seen this, Mike?!" Don't be that guy. No one likes that guy. There are over a million movies in this world, and I have seen a great deal that you haven't. So cut me some slack, Jack!

Even 38 years later, this movie is still impressive, if not more so. The main thing I love about movies before CGI is the ingenuity people had to go through to get the shot they wanted. That was and is the brilliance of great film makers. These days it's easy to say "we'll use CGI" instead of creating a practical effect and that, to me is boring.

I think the main thing I loved about this film was just how different it is from all other alien contact movies. In an industry that shoves the fear of alien abductions down your throat at every chance they get, this was a movie that approached the idea of Extra-terrestrials not with fear, but with scientific curiosity. When every one could have turned and ran the other way, they all stood dumbfounded and intrigued.

…Dumbfounded…

I have never seen an alien encounter movie like this. They didn't even have the government try to capture them using excessive force. Just a little force. Nothing serious. It is truly unique and leaves you wanting to learn more about the visitors. Which is what I'm sure Spielberg was going for.

My Rating: 7/10