1566 – Species (1995)

spacetime coordinates: 1990’s  Los Angeles, California

Species is a 1995 American science fiction horror film directed by Roger Donaldson and written by Dennis Feldman. It stars Natasha Henstridge (in her film debut role), Ben Kingsley, Michael Madsen, Alfred Molina, Forest Whitaker and Marg Helgenberger. The film’s plot concerns a motley crew of scientists and government agents who try to track down Sil (Henstridge), a seductive extraterrestrial-human hybrid, before she successfully mates with a human male.

The extraterrestrial aspect of Sil’s character was created by H. R. Giger, who was also responsible for the beings from the Alien franchise. The effects combined practical models designed by Giger collaborator Steve Johnson and XFX, with computer-generated imagery done by Richard Edlund‘s Boss Film Studios. (wiki)

Influence and themes   /   imdb

1559 – Now Apocalypse (TV Series 2019)

spacetime coordinates: 2010’s Los Angeles

Now Apocalypse is an American comedy television series that aired for one season of ten episodes from March 10 to May 12, 2019, on Starz. The series was written by Gregg Araki and Karley Sciortino. Araki also was director and executive producer alongside Steven Soderbergh and Gregory Jacobs. Starz canceled the series on July 26, 2019. Araki later stated that he was shopping the series to other networks.

Ulysses, his friends Carly and Ford, and Ford’s girlfriend Severine navigate love, sex, and fame in Los Angeles. Troubled by sinister, premonitory dreams, Ulysses wonders if the end of the world as we know it is coming, or if he is simply suffering some kind of marijuana-fueled delusions. (wiki)

This is all perfectly well-made, candy-coloured fun as well as being a bang up-to-date exploration of 21st-century sexual identities (co-written by Araki with sex columnist Karley Sciortino), albeit one in which everyone looks amazing all the time. Boyd Hilton / Empire Magazine / rottentomatoes

imdb

1556 – The Faculty (1998)

spacetime coordinates: 1990’s Herrington High School in Ohio

The Faculty is a 1998 American science fiction teen horror film written by Kevin Williamson, directed by Robert Rodriguez, and starring Elijah Wood, Josh Hartnett, Shawn Hatosy, Jordana Brewster, Clea DuVall, Laura Harris, Robert Patrick, Bebe Neuwirth, Piper Laurie, Famke Janssen, Usher Raymond, Salma Hayek, and Jon Stewart.

Haleigh Foutch considers The Faculty as one of the most iconic 1990s teen horror movies: “Yet another win from 90s teen screenwriter in chief Kevin Williamson, The Faculty fused Williamson’s knack for snappy teen drama with Robert Rodriguez’s subversive camp to fantastic results. It’s smart without ever taking itself too seriously and campy without ever losing its cool, drawing proudly from the tradition of classic alien invasion movies and casting them in the 90s teen tradition.” – Influences and legacy – (wiki)

imdb

1532 – The Blackout (2019)

spacetime coordinates: Suddenly the entire world, except for the area around Moscow, along with parts of Belarus, Ukraine and Finland (later called the “Circle of Life”) is plunged into darkness. The fate of millions is unknown. Communications are down the rest of the world and only a small number survived in the “circle of life.”. A new border was established . along with a defensive perimeter and reconnaissance groups were sent ot. They realized that there was an attack on Earth, killing almost everything. To defend against the mysterious enemy, they mobilized an army, and outposts were built..

The Blackout (Russian: Аванпост, romanized: Avanpost, lit. ‘Outpost’) is a 2019 Russian (/russian-language) science fiction thriller film directed by Egor Baranov and starring Pyotr Fyodorov. (wiki)

imdb   /  video game   /  sequel

1530 – The Vast of Night (2019)

spacetime coordinates: November 1958. small-town Cayuga, New Mexico

The Vast of Night is a 2019 American science fiction film directed by Andrew Patterson, and starring Sierra McCormick and Jake Horowitz. The film is written by Andrew Patterson under the pseudonym of James Montague, and Craig W. Sanger. It premiered at the 2019 Slamdance Film Festival in January 2019. Amazon Studios acquired distribution rights to the film and released it on May 29, 2020, including drive-in theaters in the United States and via video-on-demand on Prime Video. The film’s plot is said to be loosely based on the Kecksburg UFO incident and Foss Lake Disappearances.

The film takes place over a night, with the story framed as an episode of Paradox Theatre, a Twilight Zone-style anthology television series.

Patterson financed the film himself with earnings from his work producing commercials and shorts for the Oklahoma City Thunder and others. It was filmed in three to four weeks at a cost of $700,000. (wiki)

imdb   /   rt

1518

Proximity (2020) –   imdb   /   rottentomatoes

“It’s like a mashup of The X-Files, Chronicle, Contact and some dopey evangelical-funded, made-for-TV movie.” (Leslie Felperin / theguardian)

1494

The Rising (2012)

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The Boogeys (2017)

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Abiogenesis (2011)