One of my all time favorites.

i know i wasted 90 mins of my life.

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

I decided to watch this film on a bit of a whim, partly because I like Rafe Spall. He is the sort of actor that is always the best thing about an otherwise unremarkable production, but this time, despite putting in another good performance, he is held back by a script that seems to have been written by a priest trying to surreptitiously infiltrate a secular drama group in order to brainwash them, before giving up and blackmailing a producer or two that spoke a bit too freely during confession.The main character called Joe wants to get with a girl called Maria either because he is the last remaining Alien of his species or he is an incredibly delusional human, and keeps looking up to the sky to try and see a bright flashing star. There were no donkeys actually on screen, but the overbearing symbolism treats the audience as if they were the ass.After a slightly contrived yet sort of charmingly amusing set-up, the film then proceeds to pontificate on whether it is right to break someone's belief system if that system gives them strength to live, regardless of if the system is flawed or not. The answer it tries to sell is a resounding yes, but it fails to approach the issue with any actual balance.If you want to see a good sci-fi film about an Alien who may or may not be crazy, then watch K-Pax. If this film knocks on your door make sure you slam it shut and put on the chain. Double lock it for good measure.A waste of your time.

This little Irish film is a film of which you never really quite are sure what to get out of, and that's a planned thing from the makers. It uses the ambiguous of using words to such an extent that it makes you think. Because it's a clever film! Is this film about loss, about dealing with fear of life of is it a story about a guy in denial. I could go on, because there's a lot more to get out of it.We meet Joe, and alien on Earth, living and working in Dublin. If he is a real alien, or just feels like it, I won't reveal, but we start off the story by getting to know why he is an alien, and that his father died when he was 11, presumably trying to make it easier for his son, telling an amazing story. But is the story true, or a life lie? He keeps away from women, because his father told him he needs more than 90 percent compatibility to start having a relationship to a human. Well, thing might be possible, won't it, even for nerds?Well, does that sound lame? It is, and starts off a funny ride. The film is charming, and interesting, as it gives a certain perspective on human life. It's almost like a family film, and it's a or a romantic comedy. Not a laugh out loud one, but a charmingly funny story which easily will charm you.The film is well acted, and I like the way it uses conversation and misunderstandings as a driving force. It's like you've heard, that men are from Mars and women are from Venus. It keeps you in the black, and is supposed to. Good film making which gives life to a great idea. The only thing I'm not too fond of is the over use of music. The spacey music is appropriate, but ruins the pleasure a bit for me.But all in all this is a great watch, and something completely different. Maybe something if a mind bender!? It can be seen as a romantic comedy, it can be seen as a sweet family entertainment, or a smart word bender about communication. It deserves a big audience. Enjoy!

EARTHBOUND (2012 - Ireland) Raindance Film Festival review by Matthew SoloOn these little islands that sit somewhere off the coast of mainland Europe and a long way from mainstream America, we do things quite differently. Our comedies are different, our romantic films are different, and when we combine the two, the results are often quirky, usually touching and invariably funny – to us at least. EARTHBOUND is exactly that combination of results. Now before I go any further, we are not talking Four Weddings here, our feet are firmly strapped to the ground of low budget independent cinema. However, throwing science fiction into the mix, this film is a charming and ambitious debut by Alan Brennan. Made in Ireland and shot in a mere 20 days, EARTHBOUND never sets any false pretences of what you can expect. It's easy to empathise with Joe (Rafe Spall), who is convinced he's an alien from the planet Zalaxon. And we sympathise with Maria (Jenn Murray), his super cute girlfriend who breaks the news to him that his intergalactic fantasies are nothing but just that. And the supporting cast is equally strong, including David Morrissey who was attracted to the project by the story.The special effects are obviously constrained by budget, but you don't care! The whole film works due to the interplay between the leads and the humour of the storyline. The script really is fun and the cast deliver it well. It's not often you get to see an independent sci-fi film that embraces comedy and romance as well (if at all for that matter), but EARTHBOUND is an easy to watch excursion through all three. It's also not often I laugh out loud in the cinema, but I found myself not alone in doing so. Hearing the director and cast talk about their adventures making the film, you can see their comic chemistry in action and wonder when they'll be back. Let's hope it's not too many light years away.

'Is it a sci-fi or Is it a ROM-com? I mean, what's it trying to be?'. This is the type of criticism I overheard laboured at this movie on the steps of the town hall in Galway on Friday afternoon by the industry types. You know the types I'm talking about. The guys and girls who haven't shaven or washed for about three days.One of the arguments I've heard is that this movie is a difficult sell because it does not fall neatly into one genre. 'Big Bang Theory' anyone? 'What's that?' these arty film types may ask. Only the highest rated comedy on American television. Oh and by the by, it's a sci-fi ROM-com! This movie proves what we all already knew, that Aliens can land outside of the United States. I'm not saying Joe is an alien. I'm merely saying that it's possible. And in fact it makes a lot more sense that Joe would land in Ireland. When you think about it the Americans surly built up massive strategic defense missile silos after the Roswell landings aimed at the milky way. So if you're an Alien traveling to earth, where do you land? Do you aim for the place with all the paranoid people and missiles or do you go for the place with the nice big fields, soft turf and bog, ideal for landing an intergalactic spaceship.The Hollywood reporter describes Joe's laser gun special effects as c grade sci-fi when compared to the effects in Prometheus. Again, that's the point. If Joe had better weapons he would have landed elsewhere. To an Irish guy Joes laser gun is the iphone 4s of laser guns.So I sat down in the town hall in Galway with the aforementioned arty types and a deep sadness came over me as the opening credits rolled. Something was missing. I had clearly walked into a film that was made for audiences and I had no popcorn! I managed to relax sit back and enjoy the show.Several large belly laughs later and after shedding a few tears the lights went up to a spontaneous standing ovation and round of applause. Of course the Arty types maintained their cool while the audience expressed their joy.This movie is funny and moving with a distinctly Irish quirkiness but what I think was so incredible was the sheer ambition of the project. The movie is about people who could be aliens in love who blow up Dublin. Now, isn't that a welcome change from the typical Irish film about some rural weird miserable farmer or guard with a left foot who works in garage and falls in love with a hoover on Grafton street.I think it's time we blew something up. Explosions are cool. This movie was made for audiences everywhere. You will laugh, you may cry, you may think some of it is cheese but you'll enjoy that too and you'll walk out of the movie theater with a smile on your face.So don't make the same mistake I did. Make sure you bring your popcorn and enjoy earthbound.