Xtro 3: Watch the Skies (1995) wasn't for me.

Like Xtro 2, which copied Aliens too much at times, the third film in this series doesn't seem wholly its own. I can't believe the same director did all three films but each one had different writers. I enjoyed the first Xtro quite a bit, and it was rather unique, but I couldn't get into this one. There are some dodgy FX when the alien turns invisible, cloaking like the Predator and I love a puppet but it just doesn't work here. Trying to imitate Predator is a very risky proposition especially if it comes up short because people will just make negative comparisons (does take guts to attempt it though). I think it's much better to try to do something unique although that's easier said than done. The characters weren't engaging for me and I didn't feel suspense or excitement watching it but I'm just one moron so if you really love this movie, good for you. I wish I could've enjoyed it because I do love Predator and even some of the knockoffs but I just couldn't get into Xtro 3. In defense of the director, I will say all three Xtro films are very different from each other so that's cool and I think it would be tough to do an alien movie like this so screw my silly opinion. Making a sequel is also not easy. Maybe financially it could be but I mean creatively.

Happy Death Day 2U (2019) is a surprisingly good sequel.

I don't think there has ever been a sequel to a time-loop movie until now. Groundhog Day and Edge of Tomorrow are only one-offs although I hope Live.Die.Repeat. or whatever the heck you call it (I prefer All You Need is Kill) gets a number two but this sub-genre of "repeat" movies (sorry I guess my first try was a better descriptor) really is incredible so far. I saw an indie that also did the same gimmick. Unfortunately, it wasn't as good as these Hollywood movies (it had a tiny budget in comparison) but it did have a stellar explanation for why and it was still pretty darn cool. Shanda's River or Evil River is the title of that one (Italian indie horror!). Anyway, I was shocked how well they did with this sequel. The first film was excellent but I was quite curious what they would do with a sequel since it's very much uncharted territory. Like all good sequels, they kind of shift the genre too into more sci-fi comedy but it works brilliantly. Not scary really but great nonetheless.

Natural City (2003) is great Korean sci-fi.

I had seen the DVD cover to this but never checked it out, figuring it couldn't possibly be as good as the insane praise on the cover. "A modern Blade Runner" is pretty damn hard to live up to but I have to say I wasn't disappointed. Like a live action Japanese anime, this has gore, futuristic soldiers with guns, cyborgs, fantastic set design, ample rain and smoke, etc. I'm amazed they were able to pull this off. The lead actor is excellent with his conflicted feelings driving the narrative (you'll recognize him as the antagonist from Oldboy). If you're at all curious, I suggest going in spoiler free without reading anything so you should stop here because I'm going to give some crappy semblance of the story. R, our badass main man, used to be one of the best Military Police until he fell in love with a machine whose expiration date keeps inching closer while he tries to get enough cash to save her and avoid his suspicious boss who also happens to be his best friend. If that's not complex enough, another girl enters the picture and there's more to it than that once you find out the truth about the big bad cyborg shooting the place up. Needless to say, it's awesome and you even get some Robocop-esque squibs from time to time. Ok not quite ED-209 boardroom massacre size but definitely nice and bloody. Sure, there's some CGI that could be better but I don't think it's bad and you get some nice practical too. If you like Korean cinema or interesting bloody sci-fi, this is a gem waiting to be discovered.