WATCH PARTY: Mars Attacks (1996) directed by Tim Burton @ Jordan Newby Library

I love that this movie came out the same year as Independence Day--that's hilarious! (Also, thank you Tom Jones! H/t cinephiles Jeffrey and Jeremy.)

RUNTIME: 110 minutes

SYNOPSIS: A fleet of Martian spacecraft surrounds the world's major cities and all of humanity waits to see if the extraterrestrial visitors have, as they claim, "come in peace." U.S. President James Dale (Jack Nicholson) receives assurance from science professor Donald Kessler (Pierce Brosnan) that the Martians' mission is a friendly one. But when a peaceful exchange ends in the total annihilation of the U.S. Congress, military men call for a full-scale nuclear retaliation.

BLURBS:
"Oh, those Martians! They are funny, mean little buggers, and they're worth checking out." - Gene Siskel, Chicago Tribune

"Mars Attacks! may be the first sci-fi disaster movie that's also an impish black-comedy prank." - Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly

"A holiday film with no conscience whatsoever, Mars Attacks! will make you laugh, it will make you cry, and it definitely will make you wonder about Earth's ability to defend itself in the face of higher life forms." - Alison Macor, Austin Chronicle