Six Days in Roswell

Starring:Rich Kronfeld, Kevin D. Randle, Ken Wieken, Budd Hopkins, Whitley Strieber, Wes Halula, Jesse Ventura, Stanton Friedman, Rende Coward
Director: Timothy B. Johnson
Studio: Synapse Video
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Description
In 1947, Rancher William ^SMac^T Brazel discovered what looked like a crashed alien spacecraft in Roswell, New Mexico. After reporting his find to Air Force Intelligence officer Jessie Marcel at the Roswell air base, the wreckage was reportedly flown to Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. Some say it still exists there in Hangar 18^Eothers say it^Rs now at Area 51 in Nevada. Is this crash a figment of overactive imaginations? The U.S. Government isn^Rt talking about it. But, lots and lots of people are...

Did you know that a UFO sighting occurs somewhere every three minutes? If you have ever questioned whether real life is stranger than fiction, put your doubts behind you as the filmmakers who brought you the comedy hit Trekkies take on Roswell, New Mexico, the town famous for extra-terrestrial encounters and government cover ups.

Richard Kronfeld lives in Minnesota and has dreamed for years of traveling to Roswell, New Mexico to research alien abductions and, maybe, even contact an alien intelligence himself. All his friends have moved on and accomplished things in their lives and Kronfeld sees this trip as a way for him to take action for once in his life. The cameras follow Kronfeld as he makes his pilgrimage to the shrine called Roswell. Spend six days in a rented Coachman with two dogs, a film crew, UFO experts and an overdose of alien abductees. Documenting the fanatic-like following that has sprung up around reported extra-terrestrial encounters, Six Days In Roswell is a record of one man^Rs hilarious journey in search of the unknown and a journey in search of himself. This is the perfect DVD addition to any science-fiction fan^Rs video library. Fans of Fox^Rs The X-Files and the WB^Rs Roswell will certainly enjoy this sci-fi comedy hit!

Description

In 1947, Rancher William ^SMac^T Brazel discovered what looked like a crashed alien spacecraft in Roswell, New Mexico. After reporting his find to Air Force Intelligence officer Jessie Marcel at the Roswell air base, the wreckage was reportedly flown to Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. Some say it still exists there in Hangar 18^Eothers say it^Rs now at Area 51 in Nevada. Is this crash a figment of overactive imaginations? The U.S. Government isn^Rt talking about it. But, lots and lots of people are...

Did you know that a UFO sighting occurs somewhere every three minutes? If you have ever questioned whether real life is stranger than fiction, put your doubts behind you as the filmmakers who brought you the comedy hit Trekkies take on Roswell, New Mexico, the town famous for extra-terrestrial encounters and government cover ups.

Richard Kronfeld lives in Minnesota and has dreamed for years of traveling to Roswell, New Mexico to research alien abductions and, maybe, even contact an alien intelligence himself. All his friends have moved on and accomplished things in their lives and Kronfeld sees this trip as a way for him to take action for once in his life. The cameras follow Kronfeld as he makes his pilgrimage to the shrine called Roswell. Spend six days in a rented Coachman with two dogs, a film crew, UFO experts and an overdose of alien abductees. Documenting the fanatic-like following that has sprung up around reported extra-terrestrial encounters, Six Days In Roswell is a record of one man^Rs hilarious journey in search of the unknown and a journey in search of himself. This is the perfect DVD addition to any science-fiction fan^Rs video library. Fans of Fox^Rs The X-Files and the WB^Rs Roswell will certainly enjoy this sci-fi comedy hit!

Synapse^Rs DVD of Six Days In Roswell was one of the most critically acclaimed releases of 2000 and the winner of the DVD Association^Rs 2000 DVD Video Excellence Award! Listed on over six TOP TEN DVD Lists of 2000, this dual-layer DVD is loaded with added value and Special Features!

Customer Reviews:

The Captain Pike part is funny........2006-06-02

Roswell, New Mexico is a nice city with a Walmart and a terrific Mexican restaurant. Roswell also plays host to one of the cheesiest museum-cum-tourist attractions I've seen west of Irish Hills, MI. The better part of the exhibits has re-creations and imaginings of what alien entities or spaceships look like. I guess the price was right (free) but I had hoped for more "historical data" about the Roswell crash and documented sightings and encounters. Instead, the closest one gets to the "secrets of Area 51" are some pictures of "no trespassing" signs.

The most fun to be had at the museum wasn't from the stuff inside but from the people. After browsing around the gift shop, I checked out the museum's library. It was an odd, hushed atmosphere inside; quieter than any library I'd been in before. Stranger still was the handful of people sitting around the lone table. I felt that I had walked into the middle of something. After I jotted down some information about a video on Nikolai Tesla (See CdC #11), I made my way out. Just as I reached the doorway, I heard the woman at the table say to her compatriots in a hushed, stern voice, "It was not a bird!" They were quick to comfort her, "We know, honey, we know!" I had had a close encounter with someone who had had a close encounter!

When I heard about the film SIX DAYS IN ROSWELL, I was afraid that it was some horrid TV movie based on the WB Network show, "Roswell." Luckily, that's not the case. Timothy B. Johnson's documentary features Rich Kronfeld, a sappy Minnesotan seeking a close encounter of the third kind. In fact, he's hoping to be abducted by aliens. Perhaps among them, he'll feel more at home.

Kronfeld takes a trip down to the Roswell U.F.O. Encounter '97, hoping to garner some tips to better meet aliens. As expected, Kronfeld meets some odd folks that make for some entertaining interviews. Johnson's film plays well for a while but, as time goes on, I got the feeling that Kronfeld was more than the audience's foil and, rather, a fictional protagonist.

In an era of rampant mockumentaries, it's difficult to determine what's real and what's not, especially when dealing with this potentially outrageous subject matter. A peek at the film's web site reveals that Kronfeld is far from fictional but, apart from his name and "Star Trek" peccadilloes, his mainstay is comedy. By employing Kronfeld as a hapless interviewer, the creators of SIX DAYS IN ROSWELL do themselves a disservice. There's no need to buttress such inherently interesting subject matter with Kronfeld's hijinks.

Available as both an 81- and 54-minute version (I recommend the shorter), SIX DAYS IN ROSWELL is an attractive, entertaining work.

Good, but 'Exciting Bulletin Boards Part 1' is better.......2004-09-25

I read the negative reviews of this movie and really had to post my own impressions. This is not a "pants-peeing funny movie", but it's a really good solid comedy. If a mockumentary about heavy metal can use faked interviews and characters, why can't a mockumentary about UFO fanatics? The thing about this movie is that it's humorous but it's not trying to be mean to its subjects. You're left with the feeling that maybe these people are a little silly, but that you should like and empathize with them. What little meanness there is, is handed out to Rich Kronfeld, who is completely in on the setup.

And I have to say, I really liked Kronfeld's character. I have known several men who were EXACTLY like the character he plays--well, known them in group settings, they were always uncomfortable being alone with a girl...and they responded to questions about dating with the same deer-in-the-headlights look as Kronfeld when the interviewer asks if he has a girlfriend. "You...you said you weren't going to ask me any questions about that kind of stuff..." My only criticism is that the guys I knew would never be as comfortable in front of a camera as Kronfeld's character is. I'd only seen him before as the angry/disturbed Dr. Sphincter and Wally on "Let's Bowl", so it was nice to read the info about this movie and find out that the real Rich Kronfeld is a lot like this character. Sure, he's a geek through and through, but by the end of the movie you've got a soft spot for him and his elementary school filmstrips and strange electrical junk. (OK, yeah, in college I lived in the geeky dorm, where all other activity ceased when first-run episodes of ST:TNG and MST came on. To quote Crow T. Robot, "Bite me.")

The minor characters are very well done for a low-budget movie. Rich's mom and the guy who rents him the camper especially come to mind, as feeling completely natural. His mom's rationale for his lack of relationships is an especially great moment. And the self-defense guys and the paranoid bus driver...I grew up in southern Ohio with people exactly like that, and seeing these characters made me feel like I was back there. Which is not necessarily a good thing now that I think about it.

I don't recommend this movie if you're one of those people who insists everything be deadly serious, or if you're so into UFOs that you view any joking about them as an attack on your personal beliefs. And it's not filled with SuperTrooper-like dumb jokes, which is the impression I'd gotten from a couple of reviews. To me, it's like the movie "Clerks". It's about some people who would be considered losers by the average man-on-the-street, but the filmmakers give you real empathy for them. There are a number of laugh-out-loud moments and plenty of giggles, and the occasional pathos is rare and subdued enough that it doesn't descend into pathetic sentimentality. And, also like "Clerks", it's one of the few movies I can stand to watch more than once.

(Edited to add: I've been told I really should disclose to the world that in 1999, I entered a contest run by the city of Roswell and won an alien fetus in a jar. The fetus has since disappeared, during a move I made a couple of years ago. I blame the government.)

The Truth is out thereý and the truth is this is Awful........2003-07-29

I visited the official website for this movie and saw some video clips and read reviews... such as "Gut-busting funny..." and "pants-peeing funny".
I am generally amused by corny stuff, but this didn't inspire one audible laugh outta me. Since I'd watch some video clips from the website, I had already seen the only moderately humorous stuff that takes place in the movie. I don't think I laughed out loud once.
Really this movie was not unique or insightful.
It really provides nothing more than if you bothered to watch your boring brother's homemade footage of himself walking through a UFO convention while buying alien knick-knacks and souvenirs. The real let down is that there is no real genuine interaction between Knonfeld and the UFO enthusiasts. It gets about as in depth as when he occasionally asks someone, "Do you believe in UFOs." Wow, now that is a pretty deep portrayal of people wrapped up in a phenomenon, huh? Sorry to say there were a lot of missed opportunities. And it could have been achieved with a charismatic, talented actor. Instead, they had Kronfeld. If the lead actor was a legitimate cornball it wouldn't make it any funnier... instead he is just a poor, uncreative comedic actor. I'm totally bummed I spent $26.98 to find this out the hard way. I was thrilled when Amazon.com got this to me so quickly. And I was heartbroken when my expectations for a good comedy/documentary were crashed in to the ground like some misguided alien spaceship.

The Truth is out there...and that awful truth is this docu-comedy is not worth the time or money to sit through. (-If you want a good "docu-comedy" go with "American Movie", not "6 days in Roswell".)

Of course it's faked, that's the point !.......2003-02-13

The "viewer from Belmont, Ca" had better have ducked, cause this went right over his/her head. It's supposed to look faked. It's making fun of many documentaries and the people who play up to them on camera. It's subtle genious !

Faked Days in Roswell.......2001-05-28

This film really belongs in the category of "Mockumentary." Most of the scenes are terribly contrived and our hero, Richard Kronfeld, comes across as a nerd playing even more of a nerd. You are constantly aware that he is mindful of being on camera and is playing to it. This is true of most of the performers--the word that best fits the people in this film. The outtakes you can view on DVD only further this observation (the scene with the luggage on the stairs is embarrassingly amateurish). As a result, "Six Days in Roswell" is about as funny as a government film of crash test dummies.

I'd give this film one star for being just plain stupid, except that it introduced me to singer Suzanne McDermott, who gives us the most honest, genuine and professional performance in the entire film.

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