Conference bookie::movies

    Wasn't this done under the name 'species'?
    
    D

    RE: -1
    
    Nope!  "Species" was about a cloned Alien (part alien & part human, all
    babe!)
    
    	The Arrival seems to be like an X-Filesish thingamajig!

    
    two thumbs up from....S&E.
    
    

    saw it...liked it...defintely worth a matinee or rental

> two thumbs up from....S&E.

	Both S&E also praised this movie for not only the F/X and action,
	but also for having a strong throught out plot.

	I believe L&M (PBS "Sneak previews") also gave it a positive rating.

    Caught "The Arrival" (staring Charlie Sheen) last night.
    
    Sheen plays a scientist working for SETI (Search for Extra Teresterial
    Intelligence) who, while searching outside the frequency range he's
    supposed to be checking, hears a non-random radio signal coming from 
    a distant star.  As he tries to confirm the signal, a cover-up ensues 
    and Sheen is left to find out why.
    
    I wasn't expecing much out of this movie, but I found it to be 
    suprisingly good.  The script was very well written, and direction was
    also quite good.  Sheen is no great actor, but he was believable
    enough.    
    
    As someone who likes "aliens come to earth" movies, I'd give it 4/5. 
    On of the best I've seen of this type.  Your mileage may vary.
    
    Later...                                                       
    Steve
    

    
    
    I saw scenes from this movie on SKY this morning! Looks hot!
    
    Chris
    :)

    
    Decided to bypass the bigger film "The Rock" for now due to expected
    crowds.
    
    Really enjoyed this sci-fi film. 
    
    It has some really tense moments, and just enough special effects
    stuff. Good story. Reminded me of the X-Files.
    
    Dave
    
    
    

    Saw this at a Sunday matinee. I thought I got my money's worth.
    
    This is not Sci-Fi like, say, "Star Wars". It's more like "Invasion of
    the Planet Snatchers". We do see alien creatures and there are some
    nice F/X, but they support the story rather then becoming ends of
    themselves.
    
    The script is indeed well-done with a number of unexpected twists.
    Then we come to The Ending. Veteran movie watchers (anybody over ~20
    with a nonzero pulse) have it all pretty much figured out. There's
    going to be a last-minute conflict that has been telegraphed from about
    the beginning of the movie, but Charlie Sheen will have prepared for it
    and checkmate, the good guys win. Except it doesn't happen that way.
    The plot twist that does happen really blind-sides you and ratchets up
    the tension another level before ... well, you'll have to see it.
    
    Good at matinee prices. You'll miss a little of the F/X on a
    small screen, but since the meat of the movie is the script,
    a video rental would not be unreasonable.
    
      John

A semi-techie (I know a little about radio-wave astronomy and phased arrays)
(me) and a total nontechie (my sweetie) went to see The Arrival this weekend and
we both really liked it a lot.   He lost a little of the significance of some of
the technical aspects of things but the plot and script were so good that it
made up for this completely.  We both found it deliciously sinister and gripping
even thought Charlie Sheen did not do too bad of a job as the nerdy engineer. 
Ron Silver was appropriately evil and the rest of the cast did their jobs well.

I think the big screen helped but was not essential.  We give it 4 out of 5.

RA