Phil the Alien

Great 420 fare. One of the better low budget movies I've seen. They're not TRYING to make some cinematic tour-DE-force...oh you too serious detractors in comments above. It's supposed to be cheesy and silly. They're just goofing off and it totally works for a fun movie. The performances are good, purposefully cliché, and I actually think it's shot beautifully. Some of the landscape shots are especially gorgeous. I say check it out. Cause crap like Memoirs of a Geisha and King Kong suck. At least this movie will entertain you.

wow ten lines. what is this, school? okay, hmmmm. i also recommend these films that are funny: uncle buck, orange county, rushmore and kindergarten cop.

I was watching this low budget Canadian Movie Phil the Alien. This movie deals with an alien that crash lands in Northern Ontario. He ends up becoming friends with a talking beaver. This causes some funny stuff to happen. In one scene the one guy says "Listen Phil He's a Beaver." Phil Says "He's My Friend OK!" In this movie Phil goes from drunk to being in a Christian rock band to a mass murderer.

There is some strange stuff in this movie that is really funny. There is one scene where Phil needs a cigarette. He keeps yelling demanding a cigarette. He eventually gets arrested for assaulting a cigarette vending machine. Most of the time this movie is pretty funny. There are parts where this movie is slow. The theme song they use "Phil The Alien" keeps getting stuck in my head. There is something enchanting about that song. I can't get over the strange alien sounds Phil makes in this movie. I really enjoyed this movie.

I've just watched Suck, also by Rob Stefaniuk, and loved it tremendously, so I had to also see Phil the Alien. While it is not so good as Suck, this movie is funnier, with the same weird feel to it that made me like both films.

The plot is really irrelevant, even if it is truly original and full of good humour. The acting is good with some actors, rather bland with others, but the overall quality is good. We see some common Stefaniuk themes like the hopeless rock band or Nicole de Boer, who has an important role in this film.

Bottom line: a funny comedy for a change, full of Canadians and with a brilliant script. It is not a masterpiece, but it is better than most films I've seen. Way to go, Rob!

No matter what you think of this film, positive or negative, you can't honestly say you've seen anything like it. For that reason alone, I would recommend watching this film. How many major motion pictures released worldwide can actually bear that distinction? There are both amusing plot twists as well as likable characters. So okay, the film is obviously low budgeted and the musical interludes are a little jarring. The music itself is fine and the low budget special effects are kind of its' charm. It's all still pretty funny with decent performances. The only warning I would give is the film's humor is mostly of the "so strange it's funny" variety, which is personally my favourite but may reason for some of the negative reactions posted here.

Saw this film today after hearing the buzz from last year's Toronto International Film Festival. It was supposed to open two weeks ago but was held-up for reasons unknown. Anyway, the reviews were generally good and, being a died-in-the-wool Canadian film fan, I checked it out. Time well spent all-in-all. The secret American base beneath Niagara Falls was a hoot. Hello Marineland! :) A note for anyone expecting a blow-your-mind effects budget; fergeddit! However, the film takes its low-budget conceit to heart and makes the most of it. It was clearly shot on tape and the up-convert to 35mm doesn't always hold up all that well in daylight scenes which (by and large) are few and far between. Gregor Hagey's cinematography was well done and the pace of Warren Sonoda's editing compliments the deadpan comedy well. BTW, nice to catch Dwayne Hill and Mike Beaver in this as well.

I'd say see it first-run if you can but if you can't, when it's set to come out on DVD, make a clamour for it at your local video store (Blockbuster, Rogers, whatever) so that it gets more than the usual token copy hidden away.

Nice work guys. Keep it up!