5/5 Cactus?
  by Bradley A. Carter (Albany, OR)
I was surprised at all the cactus references in this movie, which just added to the hilarity of the overall plot and the twist ending with the cactus. The song in the credit about the cactus steamroller really wrapped up the movie. I can't wait for the sequel!

4/5 Homage to Sci-Fi
  by Amos Lassen (Little Rock, Arkansas)
"Spaced Out"

Homage to Sci-Fi

Amos Lassen

Ariztical Pictures new release, "Spaced Out" is "an out of the world comedy" that pokes fun at science-fiction movies. Good science-fiction makes you think and can cause great discussion but there is also science-fiction that is not so serious but looks at society through a lens of fantasy and takes us on journeys to other places just for the fun of it. Director Scott Grenke's "Spaced Out" is one of those. It is silly and unreal and just plain fun that will make you forget the troubles of this world for a little while. There is no hidden message and the film is what it is--just fun (and there is nothing wrong with that). Everyone in the film seems to be having a wonderful time and even though this is a very small budget flick, it gives us a lot of laughs.
If you remember when you were a kid and got the other kids in the neighborhood together to put on a show, then you will catch what this film is The people who made this movie seem to have done it just for the fun of it and reminded me a bit of those old comic books we used to read. Written by Grenke and John Wesley Norton, the script is fat from perfect--but no matter. It is quick and it is funny as it uses the theme of alien abduction and how aliens use probes to get into our minds (or other body areas). The film is so cheesy that there are times you have to groan but don't because you are having such a good time.
The film begins in a deserted wood and we see blue sparks and then a man--Al Maniac (James Vallo) who is in torn clothes and he looks disheveled. He is glad to be back and we learn that he had been taken prisoner by aliens two years before and they performed several experiments on him. As he tells his story, he lets us know what the tone of this movie will be and his over emoting also lets us know that there are going to be some actors who will ham it up. Al is being watched by a couple and they think he is insane as he relates the story of his abduction. As Al walks on and he meets a man with whom he has a chance to talk and he tells him that he was once an investigative reporter for the television show, "The Search for Intelligent Life" and that aliens found him after he realized that he found proof that there were aliens on earth. Then there are series of characters that add nothing to the plot but provide laughs. Finally arriving at a bar and learns that the guy who was bartender there is now the host of Al's old television show. Al has secret information that aliens are about to take over the earth but no one believes him.
The acting is lousy, the plot is wafer thin, there are no "special" special effects BUT this is one funny movie that gets even funnier the more you watch it.


5/5 Funny stuff!!!
  by Kerry Smittles (Chicago, IL)
I saw this movie at a local screening and thought it was hilarious! I see a lot of comedies and usually they give me a few laugh-out-loud moments that I pretty much forget about. This movie however had moments that I would think about months later and still crack up at the thought of it! It's definately a movie I could enjoy multiple viewings of. Never before have I seen the topic of aliens and probing done this funny! James Vallo was great in the lead role and the appearances by Robert Z'Dar, Butch Patrick, and Larry Thomas were very funny! Definately check it out!