The Invasion (2007)

"The Invasion" is a 2007 science fiction film starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig, based on the 1955 novel by Jack Finney titled "Invasion of the Body Snatchers". This film is actually the fourth movie based on the novel, other versions appearing in 1956, 1978 and 1993. The basic premise is an alien microbe infects humans and takes over their consciousness while they sleep, resulting in a person without feeling or emotions. Though many critics disliked this version of the story, I enjoyed it for the fast pace, nail biting action sequences, quality of the two lead actors, and more modern scientific interpretation (DNA wasn't known in 1955). To me the most significant aspect of the story is the loss of identity and the fact people you deal with may not in fact be the people you think they are. This theme is similar to two of my favorite films "The Thing" (the 1982 and 2011 versions; not the version from the 1950's which deviates completely from the point of the story). You can read more about this film at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Invasion_(film)

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Altered Carbon

Takeshi Kovacs (Joel Kinnamen) in "Altered Carbon" "Altered Carbon" is a 2018 Netflix science fiction series. There are 10 episodes in season one. Like so many other shows about the future (e.g. "Blade Runner"), it portrays a human society with highly advanced technology but vast gaps between rich and poor, and plenty of brutality and corruption. There are a lot of creeps in this future world! The setting is the year 2384 and the key premise of the show is that it is possible to store a human's consciousness in a device called a "stack" that can be inserted into another body. The wealthy have disposable bodies called "sleeves" ready to accept their consciousness whenever their current body needs replacing. Effectively they can live forever unless their stack is destroyed with no backup, referred to as "real death". Given their enormous wealth and longevity these people have great power, and even the police follow t

Out of Time (2003)

Out of Time (2003) is a fast paced crime thriller starring Denzel Washington as the police chief (Whitlock) of a small town on the Florida Keys. His affair with one of the characters evolves into a complicated plot involving stolen drug money, a million dollar life insurance policy, and a double homicide. The evidence points to Whitlock but all is not as it seems and the film keeps you on edge as Whitlock attempts to stay one step ahead of the lead homicide detective assigned to the case, his wife who has filed for divorce (played by Eva Mendez). You can read more about the film here: Out of Time

Gone Baby Gone (2007)

"Gone Baby Gone" is a 2007 film directed by Ben Affleck. Besides the stars shown in the picture (Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan, Morgan Freeman and Ed Harris), I recognized Titus Welliver who stars in the Bosch detective series. The film centers around a kidnapped 4-year-old girl in the Dorchester section of Boston. Private investigator Casey Affleck and his girlfriend partner Michelle Monaghan are hired by the missing child's aunt to augment the police investigation. The language is rough and this is a tough area of town. The mother of the missing girl is a drug addict and there is more to the kidnapping than first appears. Without giving away the plot, the ending of the film poses the question to the viewer as to whether the right choice was made. The cast is very strong and the film well acted.

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