Direct-to-DVD releases are tough to gague. Are we supposed to grade them using the same criteria that one would use for a theatrical release because a movie’s a movie, or should we cut it some slack because by the very fact that it’s being issued straight to DVD. even the studio knows that it’s B-grade material at best? Either way, despite the familiarity of the material and its dreadfully generic name, “Alien Raiders” is a decent little flick for fans of monster sci-fi. Carlos Bernard (Tony Almeida on “24”) leads a group of well-armed renegades into a supermarket in the middle of rural Arizona in order to stop an alien infestation, and once their “spotter” is killed, the group has to use less pleasant methods in order to determine which hostages are infected. It’s basically the plots for “The Thing,” “The Mist” and “The Negotiator” thrown into a blender, though it’s wisely but frustratingly stingy with the details on the alien species they’re battling. The acting is actually pretty decent (though a little of Rockmond Dunbar’s bluster goes a long way), but the story is rather thin, leading to the predictable “shocker” finale. Still, we’ve seen far worse movies than this at the multiplex.
It doesn’t have to be this way, you know. Wiig is still a fabulous impressionist, as she displayed last week with her spot-on Bjork imitation during Weekend Update. The problem is that the majority of her skits involve her playing the most annoying characters imaginable, as if she’s a female George Costanza with Multiple Personality Disorder. It all started innocently enough, with Target Lady (that’s pronounced “Terruget,” thank you very much) running off every time someone brought something she liked to the counter. Those skits aren’t great but they’re harmless enough, and in one case was redeemed by Justin Timberlake, who’s funnier than half the “SNL” cast, but that’s a post for another day.
From there, we got Amy Poehler’s Aunt Linda, a rubber-faced crank whose reviews consisted of making funny faces. Again, relatively harmless, though less amusing than Target Lady. Wiig still had Poehler to compete with for stage time then, and our guess is that since Wiig knew that Poehler was always going to play the cute girl or the clever girl, Wiig carved out a niche for herself as the oddball, the nut job. Since Poehler’s departure, Wiig has become the alpha female of the cast, but instead of dialing things back a touch, she seems to be trying even harder to irritate people. That has to be the explanation for why they keep bringing back a skit that I can’t fast-forward through quickly enough: Penelope, the passive-aggressive nervous nelly that cannot be topped.
Meanwhile, the one recurring skit of Wiig’s that I liked, the Two A-Holes, has mysteriously been shelved. What’s the matter, guys, they’re not annoying enough anymore? And what about those dead-perfect impressions of Judy Garland and Megan Mullally she used to do? I’m not saying that Wiig should completely abandon her gonzo tendencies – though if I’m being honest, I would be perfectly happy to never see any of the above recurring skits again – but would it kill her to take it down a notch? If she doesn’t watch it, she’s going to turn into Melanie Hutsell. Man, if that doesn’t put the fear of God in you, nothing will.
