Arrival (2016)

The second film in our "Hard Science Fiction" pairing pivots from human-created questions to other-worldly questions. In 2016's epic "Arrival," director Denis Villeneuve, and writers Eric Heisserer and Ted Chiang, twelve extraterrestrial craft land across the planet, containing creatures the U.S. military name "Heptapods." Unfortunately, their method of communication is truly alien to humankind, prompting the recruitment of a group of specialists from a variety of fields. University professor of language Louise Banks (Amy Adams) is brought to the Montana landing site by Colonel Weber (Forrest Whitaker). She is paired with theoretical physicist Ian Donnelly (Jeremy Renner) and military chaperon Captain Marks (Mark O'Brien). As Banks and Donnelly discover that communication can happen by learning the written language of the Heptipods, other country's efforts begin to create tension as their experts react more dramatically to whatever they're discovering, creating a much greater sense of urgency for the American team. Also starring Michael Stuhlbarg, Tzi Ma, and Frank Schorpion. And the trio reveal which two films they'll be reviewing for a tribute to both Dolly Parton and Tim Curry.