Coneheads (1993):

Coneheads (1993):

“Aliens with conical crania crash-land on Earth.”

Well, Coneheads was free on Hulu. I figured if there's ever a comedy about seeing through alien eyes, this is it. Beldar and Prymaat come from planet Remulak to conquer Earth, but end up staying as “illegal aliens” after a malfunction. A lot of the humor comes from the way they talk so scientifically. For example, “re-numerating with metallic tender discs.” for “paying in change”; or “consumption of mass quantities” for eating.

Beldar and Prymaat slowly adapt to American life despite being aliens. Beldar is a hard worker, and can succeed at almost any job because his cone or body can interact with machinery. Meanwhile, he has the government chasing him and his family down. Beldar's child, Connie Conehead, was born in America and quickly falls in love with a car mechanic (Chris Farley!) because she can describe in detail all the equipment in his shop! Yes, Connie has normal teen problems and fights with her parents, but is still an alien!

Eventually, Beldar's ship returns for him. But, Connie convinces him to stay in America, because they have a good life. They may look funny and talk strangely, but they are good people once they stop being chased around. It's a great comedy, if you have time. Direct your ocular sensors upon it! (Give it a watch!)

Trancers II: The Return of Jack Deth (1991):

Trancers II: The Return of Jack Deth (1991):

“6 years after a time cop returns home from battling future alien zombies, his settled life is turned upside down when a mad scientists creates more.”

Dr. Wardo is creating more “trancers”. (Psychically-controlled alien drug zombies.) Trancers is basically Blade Runner with zombie movie twist. Jack Deth returns to the 20th century investigating why trancers still exist after his first mission. (See here.) He discovers that his wife is alive, but she'll die when they go back to the 23rd century.

Meanwhile, he's living in the 1990s as a married man already, to make things more complicated. They explain again that some technology from the 23rd century allows for stuff to be time-travelled through as long as you've got ancestors “down the line”. In his case, Jack Deth befriended an old drunk baseball player, his ancestor, Hap Ashby. Deth's former police chief inhabits the body of a 15-year-old girl.

They find out that Dr. Wardo is brainwashing mental patients, and addicting them to a futuristic drug, SKROB78. Wardo is building a “trancer farm” just like Whistler, from the first mission. He does it with the help of the Green World cult, and hypnosis. All the while, Jack must save the people, take out Wardo, and possibly his own future wife. There's a good mix of comedy, horror, and action here for a B-Movie. I say check it out!

Flight of The Navigator (1986):

Flight of The Navigator (1986):

“In 1978, a boy travels 8 years into the future and has an adventure with an intelligent, wisecracking alien ship.”

David chases his brother through the woods in 1978, and wakes up 8 years later. His house is owned by someone else. Time has passed, but he hasn't aged. The scariest thing about this movie is that none of the NASA scientists who later take the kid explain what's going on.

The scientists want to examine all the star charts that the UFO put inside his brain. Meanwhile, no one explains this. He only has like one friend inside NASA, and she can barely explain to him what a music video is. He's never seen one before. After that, the alien voice in his head beckons him back to the UFO to complete his mission.

Once inside the UFO, the Trimaxian alien explains his mission to collect data on other lifeforms in space. The kid is “the navigator”, who must pilot the ship. Along the way, they teach each other how to laugh, dance, and listen to music. David calls the Trimaxian “Max”, and as they become friends and laugh, he sounds more like Pee Wee Herman.

After their adventure together, Max returns the kid to the '70s. As a souvenir, he lets him keep a little alien from its biological zoo. It's a genuinely good movie. If I saw it as a kid, I would've freaked out. But, the freaky parts help you appreciate the fun and wonder that comes later. Check it out if you can.

Lily C.A.T. (1987):

Lily C.A.T. (1987):

“The expendable crew of a corporate space vessel must stop a murderous shape-shifting alien organism that somehow got on board.”

“The corpses have disappeared, leaving everything - even their underwear – behind!” Dular says, after his crew members have been eaten by an alien virus. I mean, it is a good mystery, but probably ruined by early anime dubbing. All the dialogue sounds so choppy and fast as they struggle to sync their lip movements. Other than that, it's pretty much John Carpenter's The Thing mixed with the futuristic setting of Ridley Scott's Alien.

See, there's a cat brought on board by Nancy. Quickly, everyone around the cat dies, and there are reports of an alien virus getting through the air ducts. What's discovered later is that the virus was carried by the cat because humans are “expendable”. So, the Syncam Corporation (who owns the ship.) is probably just evil. Why else kill an experienced crew with a Computerized Animal-shaped Technological robot? (Cat, get it?)

Anyway, you should probably skip this one. But, but I did find it enjoyable in terms of action. The mystery is given away in the title. The choppy English dubbing is way too distracting, and the plot doesn't actually make much sense, other than they're trying to mix Alien and The Thing. Just enjoy the crew getting picked apart by the alien/C.A.T.

The 1980s were an ambitious time for Japanese anime, especially as it expanded overseas and took on American influences. It is at least enjoyable if you turn your brain off, and accept it as a relic of its own time. There are interesting ideas sci-fi discussed such as cryogenics, relativity, and how the crew only ages 1 year every 20 Earth years. But, these details never pan out to anything, and only a few members survive as it rushes to horrific ending.

Mantera (2012):

Mantera (2012):

"About a boy, Azman, who stumbles upon a nano-tech glove which can transform his motorbike into body armor."

A clueless nerd from Malaysia trains with an ancient organization after he's accidentally mailed cyborg technology. It's ok. Some of the CGI is jerky and unusual. It kind of looks like an early 00s FMV videogame that doesn't make me nostalgic. The good guys are the Alliance of Light, giving them the unfortunate acronym AOL. I mean, it's like Last Starfighter combined with half-baked Transformers. It's free on Tubi, but you can skip it.

Yamasong: March of the Hollows (2017):

Yamasong: March of the Hollows (2017):

"An automated girl and tortoise warrior journey with a band of outlaws on an incredible quest. Their one hope is to find a legendary relic to defeat a sinister mechanized army and save the creatures of their world."

Nani the automated girl's heart beats so fast that it causes the prison moon housing the Hollows (robots) to plummet into planet Yamasong. Now, it's up to Nani and her friends to stop the Hollows from turning everyone into a soulless robot.

Great puppet work here from Brian Henson. An all-star voice cast! A crazy alien planet! My only complaint is that thematically, it's like The Dark Crystal, with souls being sucked out by an evil army, so if you didn't like that, you won't like this. Otherwise, check it out! Free on Tubi!

Mac and Me (1988):

Mac and Me (1988):

"An alien trying to escape from NASA is befriended by a wheelchair-bound boy."

Here is a strange flick! While it's blatantly a McDonalds tie-in with Mac. the alien as a faux-E.T., there's a lot of weirdness going on here. The aliens discover they can drink Coca-Cola through their fingers, and the police shoot at them, further injuring Eric. (The wheelchair-bound boy.)

Then, they go to McDonald's and all dance together! Everything's fine! The day is saved by McDonald's and Coca-Cola! It's free on PlutoTV. It's good for a laugh, but don't expect E.T.!

Redline (2009):

Redline (2009):

"A story about the most popular racing event in the galaxy, the Redline, and the various racers who compete in it."

Sweet JP competes in the famous interplanetary Redline race with the help of his trusty alien mechanic Frisbee. However, the government of Planet Roboworld vows to destroy all the racers in the name of “peace”. It's like anime meets Death Race 2000. I enjoyed the weird characters and souped-up cars. Definitely worth a watch. Free on Tubi!

KUNG POW!: ENTER THE FIST (2002):

KUNG POW!: ENTER THE FIST (2002):

"Writer-director Steve Oedekerk acquired the little known 1976 Hong Kong karate flick "Savage Killers," then seamlessly blended portions of the film with new material he has directed to create a wild, off-the-wall, comedy feature film."

Where to begin!? Not only is this film weird, it's funny! Steve Oedekerk inserted himself into a kung fu flick and changed the plot to where he has a magical tongue, and fights his nemesis Master Pain aka Betty! "Beware his song about big butts...he beats you up when he plays it!" Hilarious. Watch any way you can.

THEY LIVE (1988):

They Live (1988):

"They influence our decisions without us knowing it. They numb our senses without us feeling it. They control our lives without us realizing it. They live."

Nada (Roddy Piper), a wanderer without meaning in his life, discovers a pair of sunglasses capable of showing the world the way it truly is. Wearing the shades, he realizes that the world's social elite are skull-faced aliens, and they put subliminal messages in the media to subdue the population, while the aliens plot global domination. He sets out to liberate his friends from mind control and stop the aliens. I like this movie because it's about the meaning of life, but blown up to the size of an action movie!

Piper's working class charisma and pro-wrestling background really shine here as he discovers the aliens. He brings intensity and comedy to the role in a way that, I feel, could only be done by him. He effortlessly brings out one-liners and action scenes like it's an old school wrestling promo; even when he's saving the world. There's a famous 6-minute fight scene with Keith David!

Truly, you have to see this movie to believe it! Put the glasses on! It's a wild one. It's fun, has a good message about seeking the truth, and great action; all mixed together! Give it a watch whenever you can find this true sci-fi classic. There's no clearer case of watching through "alien" eyes.

Sci-Fi Fighters (1996):

Sci-Fi Fighters (1996):

"Boston, 2009. A police detective (Roddy Piper) searches for Adrian Dunn, his ex-partner (Billy Drago) who murdered his wife. Dunn has escaped from prison on the moon and returned to Earth with an alien virus."

I love this movie. Roddy Piper makes a great Blade Runner-ish noir detective tough guy with some AMAZING dramatic chops. Apart from They Live, this was the film that convinced me that "Holy crap. Piper can ACT!" This movie began my love of Roddy Piper films, even though it's totally just a low-budget Blade Runner, with some Alien in there. Anyway, just thought I'd put it out there because a lot of people don't know about it. Check it out. Free on Tubi.

THE SUICIDE SQUAD (2021):

THE SUICIDE SQUAD (2021):

"Supervillains Harley Quinn, Bloodsport, Peacemaker and a collection of nutty cons at Belle Reve prison join the super-secret, super-shady Task Force X as they are dropped off at the remote, enemy-infused island of Corto Maltese."

The Suicide Squad is a fun movie. I feel like what makes it work is the slapstick, and the characters. A team of DC supervillains is sent off to investigate alien technology on a hostile island nation. As the name implies, several team members die. But, most the deaths are played for laughs, and I won't give spoilers regarding who makes it out. There's no one character that feels underdeveloped. Even the goofier ones like Polka Dot Man.

Speaking of characters, Harley Quinn gets her own few moments in the sun here. Her character does great with the movie's action-slapstick tone. John Cena plays the hilariously unaware and superviolent Peacemaker. Idris Elba does most of the dramatic heavy-lifing as Bloodsport. Overall, I think the movie works because it's aware that it's a comic book movie.

Comics are kind of weird, and so is this flick. It's superviolent, funny, and yet it's never truly dark. It has a kind of heart in the way that the characters live and die. It's definitely not for the squeamish, but I say give it a watch if you like weird comics and action movies!

Alien Opponent (2010):

Alien Opponent (2010):

"The owner of a small-town junkyard offers a cash reward to whomever can kill her uninvited, space-suited alien guest when its spacecraft crash-lands into her barn. Every wacko within 100 miles turns out, and before long, the junkyard is transformed into a war zone of man vs. man vs. machine vs. alien vs. God only knows what."

Goofy action-comedy with Roddy Piper as a supporting character: a foul-mouthed priest. This one is more a pastiche of trashy reality TV shows. Imagine if Predator was a comedy. I found it entertaining. As always, Roddy Piper elevates the film by his energy, and gets a few wrestling scenes in there. Otherwise, barely a movie. But, a good and weird amateur spoof.

Split Second (1992):

Split Second (1992):

"In a flooded future London, Detective Harley Stone hunts a serial killer who murdered his partner, and has haunted him ever since. He soon discovers what he is hunting might not be human."

Rutger Hauer plays a psychic cop addicted to coffee and chocolate investigating the demon/alien who might've murdered his partner. Cyberpunk, Satanic panic, all mixed with Lethal Weapon! Definitely a weird one. Check it out.

Gantz: O (2016):

Gantz:O (2016):

"After being brutally murdered in a subway station, a teen boy awakens to find himself resurrected by a strange computer named Gantz, and forced to fight a large force of invading aliens in Osaka."

Okay, so when you die, what happens? Odds are, you wouldn’t think you end up in an alien hunting ground where if you kill 100 aliens, you come back to life. Or are you really dead? Or just abducted by sadistic aliens that make you hunt for entertainment in high-tech battle suits? But, you keep flashing back to high school. And there they think you’re dead. This is Gantz:O, and it’s a weird movie with more plot twists than I just described and plenty of over-the-top action. It's on Netflix, so check it out.

Arena (1989)

Arena (1989):

"A human becomes an unlikely rising star in the biggest fighting tournament in the galaxy that's dominated by alien species."

This movie has it all. Rocky in Space! The best cheeseball 80s puppet technology! A boxing blob! A four-armed hobbit guy! It's free on Tubi! Check it out.

Trancers (1984 -)

Trancers (1984):

"A trooper (Tim Thomerson) leaves 2247 Angel City for 1985 Los Angeles to stop a zombie mystic (Michael Stefani) out to change history."

A good cheesy sci-fi series that's something like Blade Runner meets Quantum Leap. Pure B-Movie fun as Jack Deth tries to adapt to the 80s, and solve his case. Won't stop using weird slang. Part of the comedy is the modern people being oblivious to zombies a.k.a. "squids". Each movie has diminishing returns however.

Trancers 1-3 are good. The rest just feel like standard sword-and-shield fantasy, like someone mixed up two scripts. Pretty weird sci-fi concepts executed as action-comedy. These are all available on Tubi. Take a look!