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In Alien: Romulus, a group of space colonists, Rain (Cailee Spaeny), her android, Andy (David Jonsson), Tyler (Archie Renaux), his sister, Kay (Isabela Merced), Bjorn (Spike Fearn), and his girlfriend, Navarro (Aileen Wu), encounter aliens called Xenomorphs on an abandoned space station. Writer/director Austin Peters and co-writers Sam Freilich and Deering Regan should be commended for keeping the plot lean, mean and focused on the very basic concept of aliens vs. humans. They keep exposition to a bare minimum as the audience gets thrown into the dystopian planet that Rain and other colonists are stuck on and desperately try to flee. Within the first ten minutes, they've already left the planet on the space station. If you're looking for something imaginative or surprising in this latest Alien installment, you'll be disappointed. To be fir Alien: Romulus plays it very safe without taking any risks or breaking new ground, and it sometimes suffers from being too repetitive. It would be best to check your brain at the door and to suspend disbelief, especially during an action sequence at the end that strains credulity. Cailee Spaeny does her best to breathe life into her role and into the vapid screenplay, and she does a fine job of that. Fortunately, she's not saddled with unintentionally funny lines. This isn't Jupiter Ascending or Madame Web after all. The dialogue is serviceable without much in terms of wit or depth. The film's major strengths are its CGI effects, practical effects, production design and the very creepy designs of the Xenomorphs. There are more than a few scenes that deliver the goods when it comes to shocking the audience violence and gore. At a running time of 1 hour and 59 minutes, Alien: Romulus is somewhat tedious and unimaginative, but well-produced, well-cast and with enough chills and thrills to be a satisfying slice of mindless entertainment. It opens nationwide via 20th Century Studios.  Close to You 
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 The Greatest Surf Movie in the Universe 
 
When his father, Skeet (Chiwetel Ejiofor), gets incarcerated, Robert Peace (Jay Will) puts his passion for science on hold to help prove his innocence in Rob Peace. Robert's lucky to have a loving, caring and emotionally supportive mother (Mary J. Blige). Based on a true story, the screenplay by writer/director Chiwetel Ejiofor is a by-the-numbers, dry and sugar-coated biopic that fails to pack an emotional punch. Despite also showing Robert's life as a child (played by Jelani Dacres) and as a teenager (Chance K. Smith ), Rob Peace barely allows the audience a chance to breathe to get to know its subject's heart, mind and soul. The dialogue suffers from stiltedness, cheesiness and preachiness. It's as though Ejiofor were afraid to trust the audience's emotions and intelligence to come up with their thoughts and feelings on their own. The relationship between Robert and his mother falls flat as does the relationship between him and his father, so the beats don't quite land, even though the screenplay tries very hard to land on them at times. Rob Peace could've also been a poignant and potent coming-of-age film or a gripping crime drama like Conviction, but it even squanders those opportunities. At a lengthy running time of 1 hour and 59 minutes, Rob Peace opens nationwide via Republic Pictures.  
In Skincare, Hope (Elizabeth Banks), an aesthetician with her own line of skincare products, isn't pleased when she learns that Angel (Luis Gerardo Méndez) has opened a shop selling skincare products right across from her. She suspects that he's trying to sabotage her and takes matters into her own hands with the help of her new friend, Jordan (Lewis Pullman). The screenplay by writer/director Austin Peters and co-writers Sam Freilich and Deering Regan is an irresistibly entertaining blend of psychological thriller, satire and dark comedy. With a less sensitive screenplay, this could've turned into a clunky and tonally uneven mess, but it doesn't because the filmmakers establish just the right off-kilter tone from the first few minutes. Paying close attention to what Hope says at the beginning will pay off because you'll see it in a whole new light after the third act which won't be spoiled here. Skincare isn't afraid to get dark, twisted and even a little bonkers. Nor does it shy away from making Hope a character who's unlikable. She's an unapologetically mean narcissist with a huge ego and no detectable signs of introspection. Even when she gives Angel a gift that's seemingly kind, it's really not kind at all---it's just a bag of her free skincare products. Angel isn't much better than her. Although the film does get into dark territory, it keeps the gore off screen, so it's not trying to shock or to disgust the audience or to push the envelope for that matter. Elizabeth Banks shines in a captivating performance. Wait until you see her in A Mistake where she gives the best performance of her career. At a running time of 1 hour and 24 minutes, Skincare is a wildly entertaining, wickedly funny and biting satire. It opens nationwide via IFC Films, and it would be an interesting double feature with Nightcrawler, To Die For and Drop Dead Gorgeous.  |