The current cinema

While it is in some respects what one might call shamelessly derivative, Dark Skies, starring the above-pictured Josh Hamilton and Keri Russell, is also a pretty decent horror/sci-fi experience. It's reviewed here for MSN Movies. 

Comments

[jbryant]

I haven't seen this, and since my girlfriend swore off horror films a few years ago, I'm not likely to catch it anytime soon. But maybe this is a good place to stump for Keri Russell's excellent new TV series on the FX network, THE AMERICANS. It started strong and has gotten better with each episode. It's set in 1981 and follows the lives and adventures of a pair of Soviet spies posing as average American suburbanites. The directing has been particularly strong (Gavin O'Connor, Adam Arkin, Thomas Schlamme and Jean de Segonzac, thus far), with suspense sequences that make one pine for 70s thrillers of yore. Smartly written, too. And Russell is a revelation, if you know her mostly from FELICITY and/or WAITRESS. I've always like her, but wasn't sure she had this kind of hard-edged character in her. The show just got renewed for a second season, so I guess the ratings are decent. Matt Zoller Seitz is a fan and writes weekly recaps for New York magazine's website. Worth a look!

[george]

"Shamelessly derivative" is a pretty good description of "Dark Skies." Saw it yesterday, found it watchable but nothing special. The script borrows bits from "Poltergeist," bits from "Paranormal Activity," and so on.

The story would have made a decent "Twilight Zone" or "Outer Limits" episode, but padded to feature length ... well, the padding shows.