"Progeny"
Not at all what I wanted it to be. All the severity of "Rosemary's Baby," and none of the indie goofiness of "The Jar," though the VHS box art certainly had me and Kitsch fooled. They picked this one up at a zine and comics fest from a vendor who had a variety of random, rarer tapes. The first half of the movie was kinda fun, with schlocky, hammy performances from the actors, and an interesting array of side characters. Big props to the actors for Dr. Wetherly (Wilford Brimley) and Sherry (Jillian McWhirter), cuz they really brought the heat. Sherry acted her heart out, and her despair and distress came across as geniune. The alien props were insanely cheap looking, and at times I mistook them for pipe cleaners. The movie was much more sexual than I anticipated, with some uncomfortably graphic scenes of forced impregnation and abortion. The abduction itself was quite cool, though, or at least the practical effects (other than the aliens) were cool. I was impressed with some of the practical effects and astonished that a 95 minute movie could feel so damn long. Two bowls of cat puke out of seven.
Ah, CJ Cherryh. Her worldbuilding prowess consistently has everything I look for in science fiction, transending the time periods in which each of her novels was written: she has staying power. In large part, I think, because of her deep sense of the span of human empathy and cruelty. "The Scapegoat" showcases her attentiveness at all turns. The novel follows a human main character, charged with bringing in a living alien so that human forces can question it and possibly end the 20-year-long war between humans and aliens taking place all across the charted universe. Most of the novella traces the three-hour conversation between the human and his captive as they battle to understand one another's perspectives. I liked that the alien was fairly "traditional" and nondescript--smooth blueish-gray skin, big eyes, etc. It was a challenging and quick read for folks interested in the polity and morality of alien-human interactions.
Kitsch and I have been watching this documentary in little sections, because we keep getting too high to finish it, but, damn, is it a delight to watch. Inebriated or sober, the visuals of this documentary offer a stunning blend of early computer graphics and traditional art, though I can't tell if the art is pencil drawings or matte paintings with small animation effects added in. The visuals are matched by the dynamic, moody instrumentals of the soundtrack. All in all, a real treat for the senses.
In terms of content, this is definitely one of the most grounded UFO documentaries I've seen--its narration and script resides mostly in the realm of hopefulness. After all, this documentary was made during a time when most of the universe beyond our solar system (and even parts of our solar system) had yet to be charted. It's charming to see the first grainy, early film reels of Jupiter, and to hear about scientists being curious about whether there's really life on Mars. The narrator seems to genuinely think that the answer of sentient life in our solar system, galaxy, or universe will be answered in a single lifetime of scientific study. It's delightful to approach aliens and UFOs from a vantage point lacking the prescriptiveness of a lot of conspiracy docs: much of the data in this doc is real, and much of the speculation is posited accurately as mere speculation. The simulated Mars mission they demonstrate in the middle portion of the documentary was among my favorite scenes (so far). I still haven't finished it yet, but I look forward to packing a bowl and riding the documentary to its logical (or illogical) conclusion when I get off work tonight. < 3