THE SCENESTER: Aliens, zombies and lying, oh my!

POSTED: Friday, October 2, 2009, 2:00 PM

Filed Under: Movies Scenester

Admit it, you want more from this week's Movie section.

The Invention of Lying - C

The new one from Ricky Gervais didn't screen in time for print, but here's my review:

In a world not unlike our own, no one can tell a lie. It's not just that they can't say untruths, it's that people say whatever happens to pop into their head, which doesn't bode well for Mark Bellison (Ricky Gervais), a loser with few prospects. On the day he's fired and unable to pay his rent, Mark suddenly gains the ability to say what isn't. Like any movie, especially a comedy, with a shtick, The Invention of Lying gets old after the initial idea wears off. Yes, we get it, people can't lie. Mark can. Gervais, who co-wrote and directed with Matthew Robinson, is smart enough to understand that this device can't sustain a feature-length movie (something the creators of Jim Carrey vehicle Yes Man never got). But at that turning point, The Invention of Lying shifts dramatically from innocuous comedy to atheist manifesto, when Mark essentially creates religion by "revealing" the presence of "the man in the sky." Whether you disagree or not with the validity of god isn't the point; it's simply an unnerving tonal shift. Whether he produced a screed or not, Gervais has funny friends in high places and the various cameos that pop up throughout are at least fun to look forward to.

Bird's Eye View

I was so confused by Bird's Eye View that I couldn't even give it a grade. It's one of those experience-it-for-yourself type of deals. While you can only see the trailer on their site, you've gotta read S. Buck Yorko's interview with Bird's Eye View's writer/director/star Cybela Clare:

Cybela on how to protect yourself from aliens:
I think basically, if they really want to abduct somebody, it's very, very hard to avoid it.

Cybela on why extraterrestrials are invading our planet:
If you were going to go to the best resort in the universe, it would probably be planet Earth.

Cybela on not being crazy:
I've interviewed people in Brazil, all over Brazil, and there are judges and lawyers and doctors in Brazil who claim they've been aboard spacecraft and they've been put in some kind of nitrogen liquid and they've been on other planets and, and ' you think I'm crazy, right? I mean, I'm not, I'm just telling you the truth.

More movies after the jump '

Capitalism: A Love Story - C-

Whip It - C

'Whip It' Theatrical Trailer @ Yahoo! Vide

Related: Trailer!: Whip It

Zombieland - B+

The Horse Boy - B-

Paris - C

American Casino - B-

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