where: BRENDEN VACAVILLE 16 in Vacaville, CA
when: Saturday, November 21st, 2009
show: 12:25 p.m.
costs: $7.50 Ticket + $9.50 Lunch at Tin Tin Chinese Buffet after the show = $17.00
auditorium: 10
seat: 2nd row, 8ht column
synopsis: Captain Charles "Chuck" Baker, an American Astronaut, lands on what he thinks is an uninhabited planet. To his utter surprise, it's ripe with life reminiscent of 1950s Americana which suffers from space alien invaders paranoia. As the "51-ling" military hauls-off his lander module and the town's citizenry mobilizes a search party to hunt down the "hostile" alien, Capt. Baker is in peril of being left stranded alone and far from home.
noteworthy scenes: 1.) At the movie theatre; 2.) Kids playing "Crop Circle" hopscotch; 3.) The planetarium; 4.) Radar outpost; 5.) Rover; 6.) Astronaut's unexpected appearance; 7.) An homage to E. T.; 8.) Glipford High School; 9.) The cork; 10.) Rock sample; 11.) The meeting; 12.) The military; 13.) Diner/Bowling Alley; 14.) "Dog" and Rover; 15.) Lem's room; 16.) Haglog Comics; 17.) Three romance tips; 18.) The protest; 19.) Singing in the rain; 20.) Nitko's Restaurant; 21.) Base 9; 22.) Costume contest; 23.) Search for Chuck; 24.) Ultimatum; 25.) "Antenna"; 26.) Fear of Unknown; 27.) Rescue; 28.) Out in Space; 29.) Back on Planet 51; 30.) Man hug; 31.) Stowaway; and 32.) Bonus scenes during ending credits.
audience reaction: The kids and the parents who remember the 50s from real life or reel life ( i.e. Happy Days, Leave It To Beaver, etc. ) enjoyed this movie.
recommendation: It's funny and not scary like the OTHER animation flick currently playing. Go see this with your kids.
spoiler alert! Instead of running around in the alien neighborhood, why didn't Astronaut Baker just climb back inside the lander module? There's no explanation for the similarity in language. Why are the males bottomless while the females wear skirts--are they hiding something down there, like an antenna, maybe? Holy cow! it's the women who wear pants on that planet. Why were the soldiers shooting indiscriminately within city limits? How do the inhabitants on Planet 51 breathe? Even before Astronaut Baker mentioned it at the end, there were already hints of "that 60s feeling" permeating the whole town atmosphere.
fyi: I was one of the first to come here on Opening Day back in 1998. The movie that I saw was Jackie Chan's RUSH HOUR. They handed-out posters of the movie. I still have it somewhere.
This movie is a nod of acknowledgement to the supposed secret US/Alien military base in Nevada called Area 51.
I loved the dance moves for Greased Lightning. I gotta learn it someday.
I remember going to Chabot Observatories in Oakland, CA for Astronomy class. While everyone else was looking up at the night sky to view the heavenly bodies, a couple of us guys were scanning the neighboring houses with our binoculars in hopes of seeing "heavenly bodies" of the terrestrial kind. No such luck. I guess people are more self-conscious in an area where there are binoculars and giant telescopes. Darn it!
word of advice: When somebody tells you that something is an accepted scientific theory, bear in mind that it is just that: a theory; meaning, it is the best explanation that is currently available so it is not exactly "etched in stone" yet.
tidbits: As I walked into the dark auditorium just before the show, a little girl in front of me said, "I'm scared, daddy." And I wanted to tell the dad to take his kids to go see A CHRISTMAS CAROL because it's a fun movie. Heh, heh, heh, despicable me.
Before the movie started, an audio ad from a local realtor made the announcement that it can help financially-strapped homeowners avoid losing their home through foreclosure. Believe me when I say that the last place that you'll see a financially-strapped homeowner is at the cinema, what with the price of movie tickets and concession items the way they are these days! This realtor should have consulted first with Cine-Man's Common Cent$ Advertising.
After the show and before having lunch, I went to Big Lots! to buy rice, saltine crackers, and peanut butter. I will have to go back there in the next few days to buy a spool of 50-pack CD-R discs which are on sale for $8.00 each when I go back to either Fairfield or Vacaville to see NINJA ASSASSIN.
What is it about Chinese buffets that make rude bitches cut in line and not say, "Excuse me" as they hog a particular dish? Because it happened again! But this time the guilty party is some Asian mail-order bride.
