A good setting and cast but weak growth in “Alien: Harvest”
Benjamin Howdeshell, “Alien: Harvest” (2019) It had stunning CGI visuals, a scary setting in a failing spaceship, a willing cast and a lot of tension ……
Science Fiction Films
Haunted (green) house horror plot with a twist in “Alien: Specimen”
Kelsey Taylor, “Alien: Specimen” (2019)A suspenseful little short, more haunted-house horror than sci-fi, “… Specimen” gets points from me for using its setting, cinematography and especially…
Too many Alien references contained in “Alien: Containment”
Chris Reading, “Alien: Containment” (2019) For me, this nine-minute work was a rushed piece that crammed perhaps too many references to Ridley Scott’s original “Alien” and…
A darkly comic and tender story of love and companionship in “Alien: Alone”
Noah Miller, “Alien: Alone” (2019) After seeing all six short films made in 2019 to mark the 40th anniversary of the cinematic release of Ridley Scott’s…
Worker solidarity to save the day and a mining colony in “Alien: Ore”
Kailey and Sam Spear, “Alien: Ore” (2019) To celebrate the 40th anniversary of Ridley Scott’s sci-fi horror film “Alien”, the film production company 20th Century Fox…
Ryoko’s Qubit Summer: a human-AI romance culminating in transformation
Yuichi Kondo, “Ryoko’S Qubit Summer” (2018) Here is a sweet film about an unusual love affair between an AI researcher and an AI creation. In the…
CTRL Z: gentle romantic time-travel comedy with a sting in its tail
James Kennedy, “CTRL Z” (2017) Cats may have nine lives but the characters in this very funny sci-fi romantic comedy end up having nearly 4,800 lives…
Vikaari: how war and instability might breed a new species of predatory, psychopathic human
Sandun Seneviratne, Charlie Bray, “Vikaari” (2020) Cunningly disguised as a TV current affairs article / mini-documentary, complete with different styles of filming including videotaping, this short…
Tunnelen: an underdeveloped film of future dystopia as experienced by a generic family
André Øvredal, “Tunnelen” (2016) Even something as seemingly innocuous and commonplace as driving to the seaside – and then getting stuck in peak-hour traffic on the…
Australian and New Zealand Films, North American Films
Red Rover: a sparing character study of human behaviour in extreme situations
Brooke Goldfinch, “Red Rover” (2015) In less than 15 minutes, “Red Rover” explores very minimally in a character-driven study the reactions of individuals and a community…