Film historian Bruce Rux posits that the film industry has long collaborated with a government disinformation campaign about UFOs, shaping and controlling knowledge about documented UFO activity. The book uncovers the conspiracy roots of government involvement in science-fiction/horror movies, from pulp-fiction and Lost World romances to films dealing with flying saucers, the planet Mars, mind control, abductions, transdimensional journeys, and extraterrestrials. Written in a mock-serious tone reminiscent of Rod Sterling's Twilight Zone TV Series, and illustrated with old movie stills and posters, Hollywood Vs. the Aliens is a fascinating, fun read, yet delivers some startling findings. Rux reviews the facts known about UFOs and ancient technologies, and how they came to be discovered. Then he investigates the period between the 1930s and 1950s, focusing on CIA Robertson Panel's recomendation that Hollywood be used as a deflectionary tool against popular interest in UFOs. Government involvement in Orson Welles' 1938 War of the Worlds broadcast is discussed, as are the Disney and United Artists studios' early connections to patriotic propaganda. Early '50s movies like The Thing from Another World and The Day the Earth Stood Still show UFOlogical facts that only government sources could have known at the time. From there the book goes on to discuss recent releases and the ongoing depictions of aliens and UFOs, right up to Independence Day, Men in Black, and Mars Attacks!

1950s Cold War-era monsters meet 21st century terrorists: this exploration of sci-fi movies examines the similarities and differences between the political environment and popular culture of two eras. This examination and appreciation of 1950s science fiction films includes behind-the-scenes tales about their production and many quotes from those who produced and starred in the films. The author draws parallels between the Cold War fears of the 1950s and 60s and the constant "terrorism alerts" of the September 11th era, exploring how the politics and the psychological climate of the times influences and is reflected in this vehicle of popular culture. This book is the first of its kind, studying the pop culture genre in the wake of the September 11th tragedy. It shows that, whatever the era and whatever the challenges and crises confronting America, many entertainment themes remain the same, reflecting their respective times and the relevant issues. For instance, Godzilla, the only Fifties-era monster to remain a "movie star" beyond that era, could be fashioned to reflect whatever issues dominate the times, be they nuclear war in the Fifties when Godzilla originated to a Seventies Godzilla film about environmental pollution. Conceivably a Godzilla for the age of terrorism is possible. "Them"! the 1954 atomic mutation classic, is the spiritual ancestor of the 2002 film "Eight Legged Freaks." The alien invaders of the Fifties signified a Russian invasion of America, while other films of the genre, such as "Invaders from Mars," depicted aliens utilizing mind control to manipulate humans to commit acts of sabotage, signifying Communist enslavement. If such a film were made now, such invaders could be seen as terrorist masterminds using human slaves to commit terrorist acts. Finally, several Fifties films depicted the end of the world at a time when Americans expected a nuclear war with Russia. The immediate pre-September 11th era witnessed films presenting galactic threats to mankind's existence ("Independence Day," "Deep Impact," "Armageddon"), while the early 2000s witnessed the popularity of the "Left Behind" Christian films dramatizing the Tribulation period in the Book of Revelation.

More so than any other medium, cinema has shaped our expectations of potential alien life and visitation. From The Day the Earth Stood Still and Close Encounters of the Third Kind, to Battleship, Prometheus and beyond, our hopes and fears of alien contact have been fuelled by the silver screen. But what messages does Hollywood impart to us about our possible otherworldly neighbours, from where do UFO movies draw their inspiration, and what other factors - cultural or conspiratorial - might influence their production and content? Silver Screen Saucers is a timely and revealing examination of the interplay between Hollywood's UFO movies and the UFO phenomenon itself, from 1950 to present day. The book grants the reader a rare, close-up examination of the DNA that builds our perceptions of the UFO mystery: one strand of this DNA weaves real events, stories and people from the historical record of UFOlogy, while the other spins and twists with the film and TV products they have inspired. With our alien dreams and nightmares now more fully visualized onscreen than ever before, Silver Screen Saucers asks the question: what does it all mean? Are all UFO stories just fever dreams from LA screenwriters, or are they based in something else? Could any of them be real and are they part of a bigger message? From interviews with screenwriters and directors whose visions have been shaped by their lifelong UFO obsessions; to Presidents Carter and Reagan talking aliens with Spielberg at the White House; to CIA and Pentagon manipulation of UFO-themed productions; to movie stars and producers being stalked by real Men in Black, Silver Screen Saucers provides fresh perspective on the frequently debated but little understood subject of UFOs & Hollywood. The book addresses questions such as: Does Hollywood fuel the UFO mythos, or vice versa? In other words, are our beliefs about alien visitation shaped by UFO movies, or are UFO movies shaped by our beliefs about alien visitation? Do Hollywood's UFO movies fictionalize the UFO phenomenon in the public mind, actualize it, or both? If and when humanity makes full and open contact with an unearthly intelligence, would we, as cinemagoers, be able to divorce Hollywood's historical imaginings from the reality with which we are presented? Indeed... Should we? After all, a great deal of Hollywood's UFO movie content has been closely informed by supposedly factual UFOlogical literature, events and debates. Perhaps, then, there is more truth to be found in Hollywood's UFO movies than we might imagine - which raises the question: Just how has so much dense UFOlogical theory (by its very nature 'fringe' and subcultural) managed find its way into Hollywood's populist science fiction narratives? Is Hollywood's incorporation of UFO lore attributable to a "Hollywood UFO conspiracy" designed to acclimate us to a UFO/alien reality, or is it merely the result of a natural cultural process? Silver Screen Saucers is bursting with ideas and information that will excite and intrigue any reader with a passing or serious interest in UFOs and/or science-fiction cinema."

2014 COMPTON CROOK AWARD FINALIST. The Brogardi appeared out of nowhere, and -- telegraphing their peaceful intentions -- they landed in the middle of nowhere: New York State's Catskills Mountains resorts. It was an alien invasion, of the most peaceful, friendly kind. But there had to be something sinister behind it all, right? Movie executive Jake Berman lives fiction for a living, promoting movies to the masses. He's happy, and only moderately harried. But his peaceful existence is thrown into overdrive when one of the aliens sets his sights beyond the decaying resorts of the east -- when he decides it's time to invade Hollywood Daniel M. Kimmel is a film critic and professor of film. His book on the history of FOX TV, "The Fourth Network" received the Cable Center Book Award. His other books include a history of DreamWorks, "The Dream Team," and "I'll Have What She's Having: Behind the Scenes of the Great Romantic Comedies." His collection of essays, "Jar Jar Binks Must Die... and other Observations about Science Fiction Movies," was a 2012 nominee for the Hugo Award for Best Related Work. He is a past president of the Boston Society of Film Critics, and current co-chair of the Boston Online Film Critics Association. This is his first novel. " Kimmel's first novel is] a true joy... let's hope there are more to come." --Don Sakers, "Analog Science Fiction and Fact" "This is the book we've been waiting for from Dan Kimmel -- funny, knowing, fast paced, full of humor, and told with a big heart. An absolute joy." ---Robert J. Sawyer, Hugo Award-winning author of "Red Planet Blues" "Dan Kimmel's first novel is a funny and delightful tour de force that will appeal to movie fans as well as science-fiction readers." --Michael A. Burstein, John W. Campbell Award-winning author of "I Remember the Future" "Exceptionally funny... pretty damned spectacular... this is the funniest book of the year and one of the best debut SF novels in ages " --Chris Garcia, "The Drink Tank"

This volume focuses on two movies about close encounters of a very different kind. The movies are Six Days on Earth and The Fourth Kind which are combined herein so as to emphasize two movies that deal with the intersection between aliens and gods-especially since some aliens claim to be gods and gods, by a certain definition, are aliens. "Satan's not such a bad guy... we become who we are and ultimately that is to be like our makers; to become gods ourselves." -David Childress, Ancient Aliens episode "The Satan Conspiracy"

A legendary fusion of science fiction and horror, Ridley Scott's Alien (1979) is one of the most enduring films of modern cinema – its famously visceral scenes acting like a traumatic wound we seem compelled to revisit. Tracing the constellation of talents that came together to produce the film, Roger Luckhurst examines its origins as a monster movie script called Star Beast, dismissed by many in Hollywood as B-movie trash, through to its afterlife in numerous sequels, prequels and elaborations. Exploring the ways in which Alien compels us to think about otherness, Luckhurst demonstrates how and why this interstellar slasher movie, this old dark house in space, came to coil itself around our darkest imaginings about the fragility of humanity. This special edition features original cover artwork by Marta Lech.

In this book, a scientist and dedicated film enthusiast discusses the portrayal of science in more than one hundred films, including science fiction, scientific biographies, and documentaries. Beginning with early films like Voyage to the Moon and Metropolis and concluding with more recent offerings like The Matrix, War of the Worlds, A Beautiful Mind, and An Inconvenient Truth, Sidney Perkowitz questions how much faith we can put into Hollywood's depiction of scientists and their work, how accurately these films capture scientific fact and theory, whether cataclysms like our collision with a comet can actually happen, and to what extent these films influence public opinion about science and the future. Bringing together history, scientific theory, and humorous observation, Hollywood Science features dozens of film stills and a list of the all-time best and worst science-fiction movies.