District 9


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A Thing of Eternity
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Re: District 9

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I'm going to skip reading this until after I see it tonight.
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Re: District 9

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I think I love this film. I already want to see it again.
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Re: District 9

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Omphalos wrote:I think I love this film. I already want to see it again.
You read my mind. I think I'm definitely up for a second viewing :)
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Re: District 9

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GamePlayer wrote:
Omphalos wrote:I think I love this film. I already want to see it again.
You read my mind. I think I'm definitely up for a second viewing :)
You know what though? Moon is still playing in Sacto, and i really want to see that before it goes away.
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Re: District 9

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Omphalos wrote:
GamePlayer wrote:
Omphalos wrote:I think I love this film. I already want to see it again.
You read my mind. I think I'm definitely up for a second viewing :)
You know what though? Moon is still playing in Sacto, and i really want to see that before it goes away.
I saw Moon twice :D

Can't wait for District 9 to show over here... but not seen ANY promo for it at all yet :(
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Re: District 9

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Ill probably be on the outside on this one, but I didnt care for it. The pace was to slow , the violence was over the top for what was needed for the film. I didnt like the documentary style in the begining because it seemed to change gears to try and be a regular drama about half way thru.

Visually it was to reminding of a slew of movies, recent and old:

Independence day meets brundle fly meets slumdog millionare meets death race meets Alien Nation meets V meets you get the message.

The transformation thing of the main character was to much like the fly for me to buy in on.

The overtones were just to many to make it work well.

Nice effort for a new director, will give kudo's for that. More experience and he will produce some decent movies down the road.

Meh.. 2.5 out of 5 lasguns.
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Re: District 9

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Was there Bollywood style dancing and singing?
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Re: District 9

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DuneFishUK wrote:I saw Moon twice :D
Review?

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Re: District 9

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Freakzilla wrote:Was there Bollywood style dancing and singing?

Yep. My favorite part was where Jugdish got in the mech-suit and started shooting at Sarjeep's squad of mercenaries.
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Re: District 9

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GamePlayer wrote:District 9 (2009)

District 9 is a story about alien visitation to Earth. A group of over a million alien beings arrive in a gigantic gravity-defying spacecraft that has met with mechanical failure, necessitating the aliens habitation near their landing site in South Africa. Unprepared and at times unwilling, the humans accommodate the aliens in a segregated area called district 9. Managed by a multinational corporation called MNU, the living conditions in district 9 falter and most of the aliens live in squalor. In an effort to alleviate inter-species tensions and poverty after nearly two decades of makeshift housing of the aliens, recently promoted MNU employee Wikus van der Merwe (played by Sharlto Copley) is given the task of relocating the alien population to a new district 10 located several hundred kilometers away from Johannesburg.

District 9 does not sell itself on the strength of the fictional science, which ranges from plausible to outright fantasy. Rather, the film floats upon the power of the viscerally violent action, the wonderfully performed drama and the intense issue-infused subtext. Or is it subtext at all? Through use of the visually revolting aliens derogatorily referred to as “prawns”, District 9 vividly places at its forefront a story grappling with such issues as racism, war, immigration, integration and poverty. The film’s setting placed in Johannseburg, South Africa provides not only a relevant social geography for the issues explored in the story but also a welcome creative vacation from more conventional North American-centric alien visitations.

District 9 director Neill Blomkamp is offering promise with his first full length feature. Shot and staged largely in a documentary-like style, District 9 plays like both a linear drama and a talking-head retrospective of that same story. While the film is interesting and always visually dynamic, the script is lacking in pacing and at times the story drags. The script also relies a bit too much upon convention and the staples of the science fiction genre. Yet District 9 is hard to fault when the conventions are used for such worthwhile subject matter and performed to perfection by an able cast. District 9 lead Sharlto Copley offers a solid portrayal of Wikus van der Merwe, a largely despicable MNU employee complicit in many of the film’s harrowing alien atrocities. That Sharlto’s subsequent plight and tragic choices ultimately allow us to identify with his humanity is doubly impressive praise for Copley given the initial dislike the audience feels for Wikus.

There is plenty in District 9 to please many different audiences, from action junkies and horror aficionados to socially conscious film philes and serious drama fans. Perhaps no more does District 9 service certain audience demographics than when displaying the amazing alien technology. From unusual gravity and lightning weapons to spacecraft and bipedal mecha, the toys of District 9 show heavy technical and stylistic influences from such notable video games as Valve Software’s Half-Life 2. A final nod must also be given to the competency of the special effects, particularly the alien “prawns” which are created via pervasive and near-seamlessly integrated CGI throughout the film.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5. Not as creative or innovative as it might be billed, District 9 is nonetheless stand out science fiction, engaging action adventure, important filmmaking and serious drama that audiences won't want to miss.
Saw it last night and I agree entirely. Good film, my one major concern though is that they clearly set up the end for a possible sequel, and I think that would weaken this film as it would be better as a cliff hanger.
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Re: District 9

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WOOHOO! :)

Weekend Report: Humans Welcome District 9
Many humans ventured into District 9 over the weekend, propelling the alien spectacle to an excellent $37.4 million start, while another science fiction-themed picture, The Time Traveler's Wife, had a solid debut. Though the weekend's other new movies disappointed, overall business was up 14 percent from the same weekend last year, when Tropic Thunder opened in first.

Launching on approximately 4,000 screens at 3,049 sites, District 9's estimated opening attendance was slightly less than Cloverfield and slightly more than Starship Troopers among past comparable movies. The picture was sold not only as a sci-fi action horror with striking visuals but also as a dramatic mystery, taking a different approach than recent, more disaster-oriented alien invasion movies with a plotline concerning a segregated alien race. One way the marketing helped the picture stand out was through posters done up as signs from the world of the movie, marking bus stops and other areas as "humans-only" or offering a toll-free number to report "non-human" activity. Distributor Sony Pictures' exit polling reported an audience composition of 64 percent male and 57 percent aged 25 years and older.
August Generates Box-Office Heat
Ordinarily August is the time of year when many young moviegoers realize that they've blown a lot of money on the studios' big blockbusters during the summer and now's the time to cut back. Well, they haven't reached that conclusion this August, which has seen big increases over last year. This past weekend, the top 12 movies earned about $125 million, according to studio estimates -- up 12.3 percent over the comparable weekend. Leading the pack was Sony's District 9, which earned $37 million -- more than the $30-35 million it reportedly cost to produce. In second place was Paramount's G.I. Joe, down 59 percent from last week's opening to $22.5 million. Although it is on the verge of breaking the $100-million mark, some analysts are expressing doubt about the movie's ability to earn enough to justify its reported $175-million budget.
I hope G.I. Joe bombs while District 9 continues to own at the box office. "South Africa, fuck yeah!" :)
Omphalos wrote:
GamePlayer wrote:
Omphalos wrote:I think I love this film. I already want to see it again.
You read my mind. I think I'm definitely up for a second viewing :)
You know what though? Moon is still playing in Sacto, and i really want to see that before it goes away.
Yeah, I still need to see Moon and Public Enemies. But District 9 was so damn good and I would like to help support good movies like District 9 by going again. :)
A Thing of Eternity wrote:
GamePlayer wrote:District 9 (2009)

*snip*

Rating: 4.5 out of 5. Not as creative or innovative as it might be billed, District 9 is nonetheless stand out science fiction, engaging action adventure, important filmmaking and serious drama that audiences won't want to miss.
Saw it last night and I agree entirely. Good film, my one major concern though is that they clearly set up the end for a possible sequel, and I think that would weaken this film as it would be better as a cliff hanger.
While I agree the ending is open for sequels, I felt the finale was much more natural and true to the story rather than a typical way to offer yet another Hollywood sequel. Besides, the point of the film was to explore the issues and I don't think a sequel could expand upon that in any meaningful way that the original did. Of course, that never stops Hollywood from making bad sequels, I just hope that Blomkamp won't be involved if it's an obligatory sequel.
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Re: District 9

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GamePlayer wrote:
A Thing of Eternity wrote:
GamePlayer wrote:District 9 (2009)

*snip*

Rating: 4.5 out of 5. Not as creative or innovative as it might be billed, District 9 is nonetheless stand out science fiction, engaging action adventure, important filmmaking and serious drama that audiences won't want to miss.
Saw it last night and I agree entirely. Good film, my one major concern though is that they clearly set up the end for a possible sequel, and I think that would weaken this film as it would be better as a cliff hanger.
While I agree the ending is open for sequels, I felt the finale was much more natural and true to the story rather than a typical way to offer yet another Hollywood sequel. Besides, the point of the film was to explore the issues and I don't think a sequel could expand upon that in any meaningful way that the original did. Of course, that never stops Hollywood from making bad sequels, I just hope that Blomkamp won't be involved if it's an obligatory sequel.
Yes, that's what I'm saying - it makes a great ending the way it is, but being so open ended worries me that they'll do a tag on sequel to make some quick bucks and that will detract from this movie.
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Re: District 9

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Nice review as always, GP. Is reviewing books/movies something that you have ever done professionally? If not, have you thought about it? I need to get my ass to a theatre and check this movie out!
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Re: District 9

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I'm glad you enjoyed the review and thank you.
No, I've never written professional reviews of film, music or literature. Closest I've ever come is submitting work for local publications and various local online movies sites, such as the Montreal Film Journal. But I am pleased you think my writing is up to the task. I'm simply a genre fan that enjoys writing and, even more, I enjoy telling people about really high quality film, music or literature they might not know. Part of the critic's job is to act as a medium through which consumers discover worthwhile fare to which they might not otherwise be exposed.

I've flirted with trying to write criticism for a living but unfortunately I was born in the wrong age. Along with the downward slope of print media, career criticism is a dying industry. With the advent of the internet, opinion has never come cheaper and never been so abundant or easy to find. Any idiot with a computer (myself included) can post reviews online and even enthusiastic amateurs with some industry experience and internet access (again, myself included) can offer well informed opinions if they can write with even a modicum of aplomb.

Things will change for the better eventually but for right now, and the foreseeable future, the industry is in contraction. Paid criticism will arise again but on a somewhat smaller scale, in a newer format and only when the consumers once again demand something better than Ain't It Cool News and it's fanboy frenetic five-minutes-out-of-the-theatre squeal. For now, criticism is not an industry where you can make any money or even hold down a job.
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Re: District 9

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Hunchback Jack wrote:
DuneFishUK wrote:I saw Moon twice :D
Review?

HBJ
I liked it a lot. Good story well executed - great acting, excellent visuals/design and awesome Clint Mansell music. Favourite film of the year so far - Well worth a look.

GP is a better reviewer :P
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Re: District 9

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GamePlayer wrote:I'm glad you enjoyed the review and thank you.
No, I've never written professional reviews of film, music or literature. Closest I've ever come is submitting work for local publications and various local online movies sites, such as the Montreal Film Journal. But I am pleased you think my writing is up to the task. I'm simply a genre fan that enjoys writing and, even more, I enjoy telling people about really high quality film, music or literature they might not know. Part of the critic's job is to act as a medium through which consumers discover worthwhile fare to which they might not otherwise be exposed.

I've flirted with trying to write criticism for a living but unfortunately I was born in the wrong age. Along with the downward slope of print media, career criticism is a dying industry. With the advent of the internet, opinion has never come cheaper and never been so abundant or easy to find. Any idiot with a computer (myself included) can post reviews online and even enthusiastic amateurs with some industry experience and internet access (again, myself included) can offer well informed opinions if they can write with even a modicum of aplomb.

Things will change for the better eventually but for right now, and the foreseeable future, the industry is in contraction. Paid criticism will arise again but on a somewhat smaller scale, in a newer format and only when the consumers once again demand something better than Ain't It Cool News and it's fanboy frenetic five-minutes-out-of-the-theatre squeal. For now, criticism is not an industry where you can make any money or even hold down a job.
Ah, I know what you mean. It would be easy for me to jump on here and tell you that a movie is awesome and why I think that...the reason I like your reviews is that you seem pretty objective. That is, you present the good AND the bad, even if you liked the movie or book overall.

I don't know that I've ever liked 100% of a book, though Dune comes damn close. The people that post glowing reviews of McDune books clearly just want their KJASF brownie points...I've read a lot (maybe too many...) of their reviews, and they just give a book 5-stars without pointing out what they DIDN'T like. Hollywood very often works the same way...and so does radio.
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Re: District 9

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DuneFishUK wrote:I liked it a lot. Good story well executed - great acting, excellent visuals/design and awesome Clint Mansell music. Favourite film of the year so far - Well worth a look.
Sounds good. I'll have to check it out.
DuneFishUK wrote:GP is a better reviewer :P
Thanks. Can I have a grant? :wink:
smugetsu wrote:Ah, I know what you mean. It would be easy for me to jump on here and tell you that a movie is awesome and why I think that...the reason I like your reviews is that you seem pretty objective. That is, you present the good AND the bad, even if you liked the movie or book overall.

I don't know that I've ever liked 100% of a book, though Dune comes damn close. The people that post glowing reviews of McDune books clearly just want their KJASF brownie points...I've read a lot (maybe too many...) of their reviews, and they just give a book 5-stars without pointing out what they DIDN'T like. Hollywood very often works the same way...and so does radio.
I suppose the writing style could be considered objective. I'm really just trying to be accurate and honest. We're all biased and there's really no way of getting around that. But a review does the reader no good if it doesn't describe the product being reviewed as genuinely as possible. Reviews are supposed to be informative as much as anything else and we shouldn't be writing propaganda (unless for fun). Besides, no one's buying my vote :)

I agree with you that nothing is perfect, not even Dune. All a 10/10 or 5/5 review says is that the reviewer is providing his/her highest recommendation. Besides, we all know Dune would be an 11. :wink: :lol:
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Re: District 9

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GamePlayer wrote:Besides, we all know Dune would be an 11. :wink: :lol:
So Dune =

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And KJA =

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Re: District 9

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Why don't you just make 10 louder?
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Re: District 9

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Freakzilla wrote:Why don't you just make 10 louder?
These go to 11.

Glad somebody got the reference there!!
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Re: District 9

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smugetsu wrote:
Freakzilla wrote:Why don't you just make 10 louder?
These go to 11.

Glad somebody got the reference there!!
Oh I NEVER miss a Spinal Tap reference!
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Re: District 9

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We've got armadillos in our trousers.
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Re: District 9

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"What's wrong with being sexy?"
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Re: District 9

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A Thing of Eternity wrote:
smugetsu wrote:
Freakzilla wrote:Why don't you just make 10 louder?
These go to 11.

Glad somebody got the reference there!!
Oh I NEVER miss a Spinal Tap reference!
Me neither. My kids can't count past 11 w/o me thinking of Spinal Tap.
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Re: District 9

Post by inhuien »

So if you're not thinking of Spinal Tap they can't? :)
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