The 4th Kind

The year I was born, Steven Spielberg released a movie that would be regarded as one of the best science fiction films for decades to come (three decades so far). That movie was Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind.  The "3rd" refers to a person having seen an alien. 
Now, over 30 years later, an innovative and brave director decided to step up the game... all the way up to 4!

Click the link for unbridled alien terror...




PREMISE
A small town in Alaska, which may or may not actually exist, is plagued by strange things happening.  People have been having trouble sleeping.  They see white owls outside their windows.  They sometimes float in the air.  This is because Dumbledore has sent them all invitations...  Sorry.  Wrong movie.
This is because the town is having close encounters of the 4th kind.  This basically means people are getting kidnapped and probably molested in space by mysterious creatures.  This is all told in a charming real film/Hollywood film style.

MY TAKE
The 4th Kind is a bit like if Blair Witch, Cloverfield and Fire in the Sky all got together one night for a coke-fueled orgy, and this was the bastard child of that shindig. Milla Jovovich stars as a nutty psychiatrist with even nuttier patients.  However, there is also "archival footage" of the actual nutty doctor and her actual nutty patients.  Sometimes, this is cut to and shown on its own.  Sometimes it's shown side by side along with the Hollywood version.  And sometimes, you can't really tell which one you're watching, because they're both so over-acted.
Even the director, who has an unpronounceable name, stars as the interviewer as he talks to the real crazy doctor. 

If this sounds confusing and nuts, lets just take a look at how well the side-by side film style works. 

It's like a mirror image.

Ultimately, the main downfall of The 4th Kind isn't that it's poorly written or badly acted, or that the format is extremely confusing and lends nothing to the movie.  The main problem is that we never get a money shot of the aliens.  I'm telling you this now so you don't waste your time if that's what you were hoping for.
Instead, here's a picture of Victoria Beckham to keep you quaking in fear until something better comes out.

"Yes doctor.  It had large, dead eyes.  It looked into my soul."

FINAL SCORE - Two bottles of beer.  One real, the other a recreation.