The Arrival (1996)
Directed by David Twohy
Zane Ziminski is an astrophysicist who receives a message that seems to have extraterrestrial origins. Eerily soon after his discovery, Zane is fired. He then embarks on a search to determine the origins of the transmission that leads him into a Hitchcockian labyrinth of paranoia and intrigue.
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11 connections, in both directions
What critics compared The Arrival to
The time frame is not meant to be the actual 1950s or early '60s (the period in which DeBoer and Luebbe’s short The Arrival is set), though the retro vibe is reinforced mightily by Leigh Poindexter’s similarly unsettling yet fabulous production design.
Brian reuniting with his remarried ex turns into an excuse for her son to mention the story of “The Arrival.”
The son of Gilchrest’s ex-girlfriend is a space and Hawaiian mythology buff who insists Gilchrest is a mythical character, “The Arrival,” newly returned to set the future in motion.
The constant comparison between Gilchrist’s moralizing dilemma and “The Arrival” myth didn’t strike the profundity it was probably hoping for.
And there's constant talk of "The Arrival," a myth where a god returns and starts a new beginning for Hawaii.
His girlfriend (Mystery Date's Teri Polo, playing a classically useless girl-in-a-sci-fi-flick role with little pizzazz) is frustrated by his obsession.
Keanu Reeves is surprisingly believable as a doctor (probably one of the most unbelievable acting gigs since Charlie Sheen played a computer genius in “The Arrival”).
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A 1996 film called The Arrival provided one of the smarter cinematic variations, though it was dwarfed that year by the silly popcorn actioner Independence Day.
"Pitch Black," the latest crackerjack thriller from director David ("The Arrival") Twohy is one I can add to my list.
Further, it examines community fractures arising from distrust, know-it-all-ness, and prejudice, all familiar territory for Twohy, whose The Arrival, while burdened by goony horse-hocked aliens and Charlie Sheen's earnestness, made a strong and often thoughtful (SF-metaphorical) case against U.S. imperialism in South America.
David Twohy, who made the inconsistent but somewhat original sci-fi thriller "The Arrival" ?
Then co-writer and director David Twohy -- whose previous efforts have mostly been borderline crap like "The Arrival" -- proceeds to create a highly convincing alien desert landscape.
Yes, Pitch Black plays something like a rip-off of the Alien series, but the first 10 minutes alone are harrowing enough to earn director David Twohy (The Arrival) the benefit of such doubt.
Director David Twohy, who made the aliens-among-us thriller The Arrival, keeps things moving, even if the screenplay (by Twohy and Jim and Ken Wheat) doesn't contain many surprises about who among the Red Shirt victim-class will get chomped.
Plot-wise, The X-Files bears more than a passing resemblance to 1996's alien invasion/conspiracy movie, The Arrival.
Goofy summer fun that makes Earth vs. the Flying Saucers look like Citizen Kane.
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As the writer and/or director of such cult faves as Warlock, The Arrival and Pitch Black, Twohy already has a reputation for making movies that are more engaging than their lowly trappings would suggest.
Writer-director David Twohy keeps carrying the B-movie torch, with movies like Pitch Black, The Arrival, and Below serving as ingenious correctives to blockbuster bloat.
Luckily, the film was written and directed by David Twohy, whose previous films (including “The Arrival,” “Pitch Black” and “Below”) have all demonstrated what can happen when unabashedly pulpy material is put in the hands of talented enough to make something interesting out of it instead of merely following the usual clichés.
That said, Twohy, who also made the underrated "The Arrival" and the Vin Diesel-fueled "Pitch Black," has a feel for dialogue and some novel situations (although a slow and arty third-act flashback drags things down).
Long before he chronicled Vin Diesel's Riddick, Twohy was churning out pseudo-exploitation fare, such as The Arrival ("You'll believe Charlie Sheen is a radio astronomer!"), while simultaneously penning the script for the big-budget seafaring wipeout Waterworld and (sort of) mainstreaming his career.
David Twohy is a veteran of Hollywood genre fare, having tried his hand as screenwriter or writer-director on thrillers of all stripes—on land (The Fugitive, G.I. Jane), by sea (Below, Waterworld), and from outer space (Pitch Black, The Chronicles Of Riddick, The Arrival).
Instead, it wants to keep things low-key, like in The Arrival, with a dash of Contact thrown in for good measure.