Liquid Sky

This one actually seems to have been made by and for aliens. Its view of humanity appears to be that of an onlooker from another world, dispassionately observing us. That's what makes it so different from the usual space alien movie.

Like it or not, you must admit that it's original. There is simply nothing else like it. Perhaps the closest thing is Repo Man. But Liquid Sky is even stranger than that.

This movie lays bare much of the pretense and affectation of our society, particularly those of the shallow, pseudo-intellectual crowd. The lack of any truly likable characters may turn off a lot of viewers, but to me it simply reflects the kind of people being depicted here.

From our perspective, twenty years on, it takes on a still different aspect. Here was life before AIDS, before 9/11 (including a shot of the World Trade Center), and before tattoos and body piercing became fashionable.

Forget ET and MIB. If you want to see a real alien movie, check this one out.

Liquid Sky (1982)

** (out of 4)

A small spaceship lands on an apartment roof in New York and before long the invisible aliens are in need of heroin. Inside the apartment building is a fashion model, a heroin dealer and a bisexual woman and soon the aliens begin playing games.

LIQUID SKY comes from director Slava Tsukerman and it was (I'm told) a huge hit at the midnight circuit back in the day. I somewhat find that hard to believe but at the same time I can see how this film would be a cult favorite to certain groups of people. With that said, I must admit that the look of the film was quite impressive as were the colors but at the same time dragging this film out to nearly two-hours was just murder.

The visual style of the film is certainly the highlight of the picture with its new wave colors that really leap off the screen. Watching this movie on a large screen would certainly enhance your appreciation of how the film looked and there's no question that this here keeps it mildly interesting. The bizarre story is also quite unique in its own way and when viewing the film today it seems even more brave just because of the pre-AIDS attitude.

The performances are good for the most part and technically speaking the film is fine. For me, however, the biggest problem is the fact that the movie just kept going and going and for no good reason. I really did feel as if the film ran twenty or thirty-minutes too long. The characters were unique and weird but I wouldn't say any of them were interesting enough to spend two hours with.

"Liquid Sky" (1982 - 114 minutes), film written, produced and directed by the Russian director Slava Tsukerman, can be considered a classic underground cinema full of fantastic realism. Liquid Sky means "heroin" in the New York slang of that time. This is a scientific fiction movie whose scene is the world of the fashion and the heavy drugs in Manhattan.

The plot seems comic but the result is surprising: a flying saucer lands on the penthouse's roof of a famous model called Margareth [the actress Anne Carlisle, who also interprets the androgynous model Jimmy]. A very small alien creature hidden in a spaceship of the size and format of a little signature TV antenna, captures the energies of the place, earning force through a substance produced in the human brain at the moment of orgasm. So, the extraterrestrial exterminates one by one, the partners of the model. These events are followed by a German astrophysicist that also researches Ufology. The film presents a savage sense of humor and an elaborated visual technique through blown up colors, fluorescent makeup, melting forms, many neon and ultraviolet lights.

Liquid Sky!!

Wow, tough to say a simple few words about this movie. Liquid Sky is a rare film as it documents a time period in the USA when "post-punk" and "New Wave" were truly still underground. Liquid Sky is so easily compartmentalized into gay/lesbian cinema or a "cult classic" when it truly stands alone as a document of an era criminally under represented.

Roger Ebert who in my opinion really understands good cinema, gave this movie strong local press support in Chicago when it played at the Three Penny art Theatre in Chicago. The 3 Penny was across the street from the original Wax Trax record store on Lincoln Avenue which was another "power spot' of this post-punk/early new wave underground in Chicago. Ebert gave this movie a thumbs up and I think 3.5 stars upon the initial release. Ebert understands "dark" cinema which I think few see.

There are few movies in all of cinema that leave you with a "feeling" that Liquid Sky does at the end. By taking you correctly, intelligently into a world (Underground Clubs, Drug Scenes) that do exist, that few see. Donnie Darko is to me "in the ballpark" of the way Liquid Sky makes you feel at film's end.

The musical score (using the then very rare and expensive) Synclavier sampling keyboard was way ahead of it's time by perhaps 20 years. That along with the strong performances, is what makes Liquid Sky not just "weird' or "freak cinema" but something actually special.

If you were part of the New Wave or Post-Punk "underground" of 1981-1983 you will nod your head to what I am about to say: Liquid Sky is just about the ONLY movie that captures the "feel" of this period.

The rare Anne Carlisle! She-popped in with this magical tour-de-force performance and then basically disappeared from cinema. The only other easily obtainable performance of Carlisle is in the Miami Vice episode "Yankee Dollar" where she appears in the last 10 minutes of the episode as the wealthy heiress trying to save her husbands company via an illegal deal.

The DVD review! Wow!! The fact that some people really cared about this movie is seen in the DVD extras. The fact that just the movie made it to an official DVD is enough , but the extras where a huge shock. Actual beta video footage of test run thoughts of scenes. An initial opening 10 minute sequence that was edited to provide a different plot opening to the movie. TV spots, etc..

To use the word "cult classic" then every rare film like this should be treated to such extras on a DVD.

Not for "kids" , but I give Liquid sky a solid 10 out of 10 on the IMDb scale!

While some may see this movie as weird, the movie actually displays a real "truth" of what that scene was like 1981-1983 (minus the aliens of course). Watch Carlisle's monologue while putting on the make-up in the last 15 minutes of the film. You will not find a more "honest" speech about what happens when a girl moves from the country to depths of the inner city underground scene.

What a wonderful film. Bizarre, yes! But in that bizarre way that keeps you coming back to see it again and again. "Liquid Sky" is a low budget, many times cheesy, take on science-fiction, including sci-fi's penchant for social commentary. However, this film is so over-the -top, so visually primitive and so different and funny in its premise that it cannot help but endear itself to you. (Caveat: there are some brutal moments in this film, including several rape scenes; however, these events more than fit into the story of the film and do not appear to be gratuitous at all.) The whole "Punk/New Wave" sensibility that pervades this film reminded me of the humor found in "American Werewolf In London" .... (I mean a Jewish werewolf, what a wonderfully brillant comic juxtaposition.) Same here in LS with Punk/New Wave types and aliens both looking for drugs of one kind or another -- how terrifically different that is from the usual Invasion of the Body Snatchers/X-Files-colonization schtick to which we have become all to accustomed.

Visually stunning in a primitive, low-budget, indie sort of way, with an intriguing storyline and wonderful actors that carry it off.....A definite must see for those who love the bizarre. You will not be disappointed....SEE IT TODAY!!!