District 9
Before I get to the review, quick update on project Expletive Deleted. I have a Progress Spreadsheet posted now. Been acquiring movies. The guy at Best Buy the other day noticed I was buying a bunch of classics, so I got to explain why. That amused me. Need to do some formatting work on the LJ and twitter account, and get a bio in. But we're still on track.
District 9
Walking into the theater, I wasnt at all sure what to expect. I'd had a lot running thru my head that day, so more than anything I just wanted an escape. And by golly it was.
I'll admit, I was a bit distracted for the first while, and took some time getting into it. But I think that was prolly due to a combination of anxiously waiting for our third who was really late, and still not knowing what I was in for. I was scared that the apartheid allegory was gonna be too strong, and the "message" was going to overwhelm. But the fun ad campaigns gave me hope. One of my favorite parts of my LA Vacay was counting the "(Insert object here) for humans only" signs on buses, benches, etc.
But soon the storyline took a suspenseful turn and I was hooked. And there was a lot I hadnt expected. For one, it was funny. Im not talking slapstic or Judd Apatow funny. But little gags were thrown in here at there at just the right moments. Also, it was quite gory, which made me very happy. Hadn't seen some good gore in a while. I spent a good half of the movie with an arm around each of my two squeamish movie buddies who were cuddling up to me for comfort. Then soon after they felt safe, there was a snake on screen, so it was their turn to hold a cowering and crying me.
For a relatively low budget movie (well low for a major sci-fi), the special effects were pretty seamless. Though I coulda down without the Blair Witch-esque shakey mockumentary cam. Guess it was the unknown actors that kept it low budget so the movie could be spent elsewhere. Trivia for those of you who aren't aware, Peter Jackson was originally working on an adaptation of Halo. When that didnt work, he gave director Neill Blomkamp $30 million to make any movie he wanted. The result was this film.
Acting wise, Sharlto Copley was pretty impressive, considering this was his first flick. He started out kinda annoying, but I think that was intentional. Was also happy with how some of the main aliens were portrayed. I wanted to take the little one home with me. Im sure he and The Vampire Cat Lestat would get along great, and yes that is said with the utmost sarcasm.
Ultimately, this was a win. I dont think I'd go so far as to say an all-time great sci-fi or anything, but a win nonetheless. And definitely a good addition to a rather bleary summer.
District 9
Walking into the theater, I wasnt at all sure what to expect. I'd had a lot running thru my head that day, so more than anything I just wanted an escape. And by golly it was.
I'll admit, I was a bit distracted for the first while, and took some time getting into it. But I think that was prolly due to a combination of anxiously waiting for our third who was really late, and still not knowing what I was in for. I was scared that the apartheid allegory was gonna be too strong, and the "message" was going to overwhelm. But the fun ad campaigns gave me hope. One of my favorite parts of my LA Vacay was counting the "(Insert object here) for humans only" signs on buses, benches, etc.
But soon the storyline took a suspenseful turn and I was hooked. And there was a lot I hadnt expected. For one, it was funny. Im not talking slapstic or Judd Apatow funny. But little gags were thrown in here at there at just the right moments. Also, it was quite gory, which made me very happy. Hadn't seen some good gore in a while. I spent a good half of the movie with an arm around each of my two squeamish movie buddies who were cuddling up to me for comfort. Then soon after they felt safe, there was a snake on screen, so it was their turn to hold a cowering and crying me.
For a relatively low budget movie (well low for a major sci-fi), the special effects were pretty seamless. Though I coulda down without the Blair Witch-esque shakey mockumentary cam. Guess it was the unknown actors that kept it low budget so the movie could be spent elsewhere. Trivia for those of you who aren't aware, Peter Jackson was originally working on an adaptation of Halo. When that didnt work, he gave director Neill Blomkamp $30 million to make any movie he wanted. The result was this film.
Acting wise, Sharlto Copley was pretty impressive, considering this was his first flick. He started out kinda annoying, but I think that was intentional. Was also happy with how some of the main aliens were portrayed. I wanted to take the little one home with me. Im sure he and The Vampire Cat Lestat would get along great, and yes that is said with the utmost sarcasm.
Ultimately, this was a win. I dont think I'd go so far as to say an all-time great sci-fi or anything, but a win nonetheless. And definitely a good addition to a rather bleary summer.