From Other Worlds (2004) Poster

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5/10
Good acting, almost-schlock
Snootz23 April 2020
Warning: Spoilers
I love a good schlock movie. Unfortunately this is not such a movie. They make several attempts but never quite get there. The acting however is spot-on.

Let's get the one objection to the movie out of the way: a totally disconnected, gratuitous F-bomb near the very end of the film that does nothing more than throw the film sideways. That along with a homeless man repeatedly giving someone the bird (in a not-at-all-funny manner), stabs a knife into the back of an otherwise interesting film. Both are just severely out of place in this film and makes the viewer wonder what the director was thinking.

Regarding the acting: the lead actress did very well, as did her husband and alien abductee counterpart. From the very first their roles were believable and convincing. The story line, interesting but not all that believable. It was somewhat fun romp, had some mystery, and made fun of some other movies.

In one scene she obsesses over orienting designs on cookies in a specific manner. While never really explained it was obvious they were poking fun at Close Encounters. The president of the local UFO club pulled his part off brilliantly. I don't know if his eye mannerisms were a natural defect or intentional, but they perfectly portrayed the semi-fruitcake part he presenting. He was supposed to be an oddball... and that's exactly what he was. The other characters were basically bit parts.

Yes, it's a bit slow moving, but never boring. There's enough story, mystery and oddball to keep it moving along, but it never quite achieves the threshold of being funny schlock. It could have been better, wasn't awful, thus my 5-star "mediocre" rating. Would I recommend it? Naw. Time is limited and there are better films to watch.
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6/10
It's a nice sci-fi movie to watch
rowanbean-253752 March 2022
I saw nothing wrong with the movie. I do not know what their beef is with this movie. It's pretty decent. Fun to watch. Some funny parts here and there. Some romance.

Above average acting.

The woman is cute.

The woman gets abducted by aliens.

The woman seeks answers and goes on a journey, meeting good friends who are willing to help her on her journey.

Friendship, family and romance are forever across our galaxy.

6/10 from me. I don't think you'll be disappointed. It's a nice movie to watch.
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3/10
"We are on a mission we don't understand." Exactly!
cwjackson-701561 June 2019
Warning: Spoilers
A corny science fiction comedy features a preoccupied homemaker behaving strangely. Because she eventually realizes her conduct was deeply affected to an unexplainable UFO experience. Cara Buono as Joanne Schwartzbaum gives her best Richard Dreyfuss of Close Encounters impression with an emotional female slant. Much of the other performances range from competent to over strong acting to plain awful.

Maybe Buono appears bewildered because her character Joanne is unrealistically confusing and does nutty things as buying an ample supply of ice cream flying saucers. Or is it when she is configuring the variable vertical lines of black and white cookies? Those are among the examples of obvious mindlessness having audiences wondering what Director Barry Strugatz is trying to say about his feature film. The silly film score isn't helping much in clarifying its purpose. The movie is gaining a little more sense of direction when Joanne meets a friendly street hustler Abraham (Joel de la Fuente) who had his rooftop UFO experience.

With such a significant common share, the two friends connect aiding each other to find answers to the occurrences affecting their lives. Soon to our disbelief, they engage a plan to save humanity. In the movie, Joanne said about her and Abraham, "we are on a mission we don't understand." If you listen carefully, that might be the Strugatz's film crew silently sounding Joanne' same questionable expression.

The film contains profanity, the suspicion of a marital affair, scenes with the middle finger gestured. Joanne in a few scenes lifts up her shirt sideway non-sexually to reveal a skin marking before other people. There is an unjust statement of "dumb, Brooklyn girl" and people appearing as if they don't know the Ivory Coast of Africa. I did not finish watching the film; it is so dumbfounding it hurts to continue viewing.
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7/10
Quirky little Mo is that is surprisingly fun.
liggett-0064912 November 2022
Fun quirky little movie with decent acting and interesting characters. Several actors I've seen before and didn't realize I had until the movie was over. Look for Robert Downey Sr in a small role and Melissa Leo. I've seen lots of less entertaining movies with really bad acting. This was one I'd never heard of but was pleasantly surprised by. I'd recommend it if you are looking for a fun movie that will keep you engaged to see how it's going to end.

I kept wondering whether to take it at face value. Took me awhile to decide what this movie really was, a spoof or a genuine comedy. It was t perfect but I did enjoy it.
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8/10
Tattoo you!
m_winship28 May 2019
A lazily but fun movie about a depressed housewife who's had an alien 👽 abduction! How winky is that? The movie proceeds with her meeting up with a fellow abductee from the Ivory Coast. They discuss their burned in tattoos with zeal and surprise and learn they're involved with the ancient city of Alexandria. I don't want to tell you much more, but it's lazy unfolding of the plot is what gives it it's charm. Try it, you'll like it! I'm Amazon this month, cheers, Murf
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8/10
I don't know what the critics are talking about
fanorr18 February 2023
I was astonished that this little film had such a low score on rotten tomatoes. Oh well, that means you can get it for $4.99 on Amazon Prime Video.

It had better music than some other more highly budgeted movies. The script had better, more natural dialogue and better acting than any other comedy of a similar budget.

It was relaxing and heartwarming as well as being moderately humorous. The suspense is enough to keep you watching, but not so much as to get your heart racing. I think the aliens answers to questions was the funniest scene for me, especially his answer about his appearance.

It is a testament to what can be accomplished using a very low budget, decent actors, and a pretty good script. When I see the amount of really crap movies that are produced in any given year, this one is a nice little gem.

Cheers to Brooklyn!
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10/10
Uniquely endearing
compugor29 April 2024
Superb character development of the lead as she starts out as a cold, dumpy housewife and goes through hilarious situations that metamorphosize her to thermonuclear hotness, wow. By the end of the story she looked to be on the verge of spontaneous combustion, like dayum. The supporting actors were all excellent as well in their distinctive roles which all fit in perfectly with the quirky premise and story line. The agent man from FBI, CIA, triple-a, take your pick, and the library clerk combined to deliver tongue in cheek comedy gold. This movie draws you in, tickles your funny bone and touches your heart. Bravo.
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10/10
A close encounter and a brief encounter
Bernie444429 April 2024
I will not go through the details of the movie as you will have more fun watching it unfold. Basically, a bored housewife finds a purpose and has an adventure following clues to possibly save mankind. In the process, she learns a lot about the Ivory Coast. A mysterious man follows her progress; whom can he be?

Nice background music with titles you will not recognize.

See two very different movies that look like they were prototypes for this movie.

The people encounter "Brief Encounter" (1945) The Criterion Collection The alien encounters "Out There" (Restored) (1995) Stars: Bill Campbell, Wendy Schaal, and Rod Steiger.
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