Welcome to Earth (2005) Poster

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2/10
Lame junk from start to finish
NohoDave11 June 2006
"Thinking's important. Every man's gotta think sometimes." With sparkling dialog like this, you know the writer's in over his head. The plot: aliens are coming to earth tonight, and some people get together for a party to celebrate. A number of characters come to the realization that their lives aren't all they should be. This movie aspires to be The Ice Storm for a new generation, but never quite gets off the ground.

The male characters range from shallow to pretentious. The females fare a bit better, but not by much. Kate Orsini is the only credible actor in a sea of nobodies; but the real problem here is the vapid dialog that makes most of the characters two-dimensional and unsympathetic.

And this movie features some of the worst cinematography I've ever seen; the cameraman acts drunk, constantly fiddling with the camera, particularly the zoom button. If this movie shows up at a film festival near you, avoid it at all costs.
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2/10
No Adventure, Comedy, or Sci-Fi Here!
ui-4472316 September 2019
This is a poorly-executed 20- or 30-somethings relationship film, with about a minute of vague science fiction near the end. It's described as Adventure, Comedy, Drama...I only detected drama out of those three, and probably more like melodrama.
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10/10
It's like you're right there at the party!
hippiedj5 June 2010
Aliens have been on Earth for a year, and will reveal themselves to the world at a special summit in Sri Lanka that will be broadcast worldwide. Parties are everywhere that day, and this film is about one particular group of friends in Connecticut that get together, talk about what could be ahead for the world, and of course their own personal issues surface especially in the relationship department. This of course is where you realize "Welcome To Earth" is more of a metaphorical title and not just relating to the backdrop of the alien situation.

Welcome To Earth is one of those nifty little indie projects that definitely has its own identity. While very low budget (shot over six days with two cameras), it's no lazy affair and it's refreshingly unpretentious. It shows you can make a great story without big stars, big sets, or big special effects. With good dialog and good acting, keeping it simple is a plus.

All aspects of personalities and insecurities are represented here, and unlike director Mongillo's previous film The Wind where relationships are made worse and even destroyed due to the consequences of actions, in Welcome To Earth you find that they face issues and each other and see that there's hope for them and chances to better themselves. Of course throughout the film you feel like you want to slap some of these people, and then realize, wow! I KNOW people like this, have witnessed and experienced times like these at parties as well, and you find yourself listening more carefully to see how they will work things through. The dialog is that good, and the natural delivery of the actors keeps things realistic and always interesting. One scene in particular with the two sisters Jill and Rachel in a kitchen is extremely powerful and very impressive.

While some viewers might complain about this being "another indie film with a hand-held cam," this might help you understand the way it was shot: I think that it makes the viewer feel as if you are there at the party, partaking in the drinks and "smokes" and standing right there with the characters. A review on Film Threat also had an interesting point, that the shaky cam movements, zooms, and "dizzying close-ups help create a situation where our drunken individuals cannot escape from conflict." It helps make subsequent viewings more meaningful and enjoyable when thinking of it in these aspects.

Michael Mongillo has delivered three award-winning films so far that are unique and fascinating in their own right -- The Wind (2001), which was unfairly criticized by some viewers online due to the fault of MTI Video's interference in the marketing. It's actually a great psychological drama (Really, folks, check it out with an open mind and you'll see what I mean)... Welcome To Earth (2005), as reviewed here... and Being Michael Madsen (2007) which is very clever and very funny. They're all projects that are labors of love and reflect the joys of indie film making.

The DVD has two interesting and informative commentaries, as well as production stills. A worthwhile purchase for your money, and it helps support the future of indie projects!
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10/10
A very high-quality indie with a clever approach to the material
jkulas17 September 2007
Warning: Spoilers
An excellent low-budget indie, I rate it quite highly! A good concept, well-handled, good writing, and well-executed. Worth seeing! You won't see massive explosions, laser beams, and gun battles, but you will be entertained by this clever little film.

Spoiler (it's only the barest of spoiler, really just setting-up the plot): Aliens are coming to Earth and it's getting worldwide TV coverage and a bunch of friends are having a party to celebrate (eat, drink, & be merry for tomorrow we die?).

So, can material like this actually be filmed on a low-budget, and be interesting, entertaining, natural, and do justice to the idea as well as being realistic?

Yes! It focuses on the party and the characters, their past relationships and tensions, and how this new tension of the day affects them all. Quite entertaining to see how the party plays out, and it all felt quite natural and real, as if a party like this could really unfold just as portrayed.

I've seen plenty of indies that really weren't worth my time. This one, however, I'm glad I saw, and I hope a lot more people get a chance to check it out.
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10/10
Nostalgia
Joanc5726 January 2006
Warning: Spoilers
From the opening scene, this engaging and entertaining film transported me back to a wonderful place and time: a place and time when you could go to the movies, not get insulted and actually experience the quaint cinematic attributes of plot, character development, dialog, plot, character development, dialog, dialog, plot, plot, dialog and character development. You know, the qualities that have since been replaced with the venal and ubiquitous cinematic devices of gratuitous sex, violence, explosions, stunts, special effects, dull and predictable stupid retread stories and plastic Barbie and Ken dolls masquerading as actors in dramas with the depth of a Tide commercial.

The audience for this movie should ideally consist of people with a sense of humor, who had a life, have a life, and have a passing familiarity with what constitutes a good party. In other words, people with an IQ over 90. Man haters need not apply because, for openers, most women depicted in the film are drawn from the male perspective—how they see us according to me, how we are according to my husband. ( Maybe man haters ought to see this film to gain an insight into why they may be experiencing such emptiness in their social life because they want men to be different that what they are, and in this movie, normal men are realistically depicted).

The overall story concerns aliens from outer space coming to meet the earthlings and the impact of this event on the lives of the party goers. The real story is the party. Any excuse to have a party. The world shattering event relates tangentially to the dialogs and relationships among the young people in the movie. However, my recollections of parties in Chapel Hill back in the late seventies also related tangentially to the world shattering event of going off into the real world. A similar terror we shared, smoking our joints around the kegs. The real world was as terrifying as aliens in a certain respect, and this is what I related to.

The characters were classic and right on. Blonde Melissa and Blonde Tom, the lovebirds playing kissy face reminded me of my summer roommates Blonde Kim and Blonde Gene, the health food freak lovebirds playing kissy face and nauseating the rest of us at Old Well Apartments. I knew a "Melissa and Tom" alright. They gave the rest of us a lot of material. Then there's Jack and Rachel. Jack, the all around, good natured attractive female lust inspiring well adjusted good guy—I know you Jack. And got lucky a few times way back when. Then there's Rachel, the boring over emotional suburban pain in the ass drama queen—I avoid you Rachel, I try not to get to know too many of your type. Pete the successful surfer boy attractive successful at making a good living bright guy who gets it—I know you but you weren't really my type because face it, we women often make poor decisions by underestimating how a great quality like the ability to make an excellent living can override the normal non romantic male essence. Which brings me to Jill, the classically stupid whiny drama queen woman whose affair with Albert evidences her stupidity by underestimating the great money earning qualities of Pete, who gets it. Jill needs to meet the woman she's destined to become should she stick with Albert: a harried slag, working like a dog to support a chronically unemployable over intellectual ironic and annoying potential loser who probably is a spendthrift and womanizer to boot Oh Jill, unfortunately,I know way way too many of your type. Last but not least of the main characters is Albert, who is at the proverbial fork in the road—either he is going to take a left and become the chronically unemployable over intellectual lazy, ironic and annoying potential loser who probably is a spendthrift and womanizer to boot (every adult thinking evolved woman's worst nightmare because we all know we are prone to seduction from this ilk) OR he takes the right and wakes up, grows up, repents and becomes an interesting human being. I won't give away the ending. But I will tell you, I knew a lot of Alberts and frankly, no party would be worth a damn without them.

In sum, I can honestly say this is an excellent intelligent movie and I highly recommend it to people without mental deficiencies or who live in the la la land of the mind. It has great editing, honest dialog, interesting secondary characters and destined to become a cult classic upon distribution.
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10/10
Welcome To Earth Rocks!
semirzian3 February 2006
This film is easily the best indie film I have seen in a long time. It's rare to find the combined talents of director, writer, and actors all in the same production. Welcome To Earth kept my attention from beginning to end and I look forward to future productions from Mr. Mongillo and crew.

If you're looking for just the right combination of drama, humor and thought provoking scriptwriting, then look no further than this film. Mr. Mongillo's passion comes through on all his films and his commitment to giving the audience 150% is what makes him a breakout talent.

Welcome To Earth is a welcome relief from the usual indie snore-fests.

Steve Emirzian
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