SirSaxa
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Post by SirSaxa on Aug 14, 2009 20:17:22 GMT -5
WOW!!!
Just saw this flick, without knowing much ahead of time.
I won't spoil it for anyone with this post. But I will say you should check it out. The basic premise is a sci-fi, alien film... part Blade Runner (alternative reality) and part...hmmm... The Road Warrior -- in the sense of creating an entire environment and, again, an alternate reality which requires that everything be re-imagined.
It takes place in S. Africa... in the here and now. Lots of unspoken comparisons to apartheid and more.
But this is a very thought provoking, hard-core, action flick.
I am not sure I could explain it even if I had the time and space, and was not worried about giving it away. So I will leave it that you should definitely check out this flick.
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AvantGuardHoya
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Post by AvantGuardHoya on Aug 15, 2009 9:04:10 GMT -5
I'm unfamiliar, too, but if it evokes Blade Runner, it makes my must see list. Thanks for pullin' my coat.
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Boz
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Post by Boz on Aug 15, 2009 9:14:10 GMT -5
This has been on my list for a long time, ever since I knew Peter Jackson was involved. I am definitely looking forward to it. Thanks for no spoilers. I will now avoid this thread 'til I've seen it.
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SirSaxa
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Post by SirSaxa on Aug 15, 2009 16:59:11 GMT -5
I don't want to leave the impression that this film is another Blade Runner.. it is not. It doesn't look like it. It doesn't present an alternate future. It definitely does not have that Ridley Scott, high-style look.
But, it is dark, and it creates its own reality. And it is completely unexpected. I've never seen a movie like this. And, prior to Blade Runner and to The Road Warrior, I'd never seen films like those either. And they were dark too.
So, it is a little like trying to compare a musician...a new, unique musician who doesn't sound like anyone who came before. You try to find a couple of touchstones to give a reference. That is all I meant by those comments.
But I would encourage people who like sci fi and who like action, and who want a little more substance to their flick... to check this one out. By the way, it also mixes in several film making techniques. In the beginning you think you are watching a documentary. You may find it not at all what you expected at first. Just stick with it. It will grab you.
Looking forward to hearing comments from those who have seen District 9. If you are concerned about posting "spoilers", then PM me.
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The Stig
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Post by The Stig on Aug 23, 2009 9:58:16 GMT -5
I just saw it last night. It's awesome. I wasn't a huge fan of the premise, but it's just so well made. It's a very intelligent film as well. Occasionally it gets a bit preachy, but it's still a great movie.
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vcjack
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Post by vcjack on Aug 23, 2009 15:51:13 GMT -5
Funny that you should compare it to Blade Runner, caus I've only seen two South African films (this and Tsotsi, which is not a sci-fi film) and at the end of each movie, I thought to myself "that's a lot like Blade Runner".
Somehow SA slums must be a lot like Ridley Scott's future LA.
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Post by strummer8526 on Aug 23, 2009 17:58:03 GMT -5
Just saw it today and REALLY enjoyed it. I didn't even consider it too preachy, but I may not know enough about South African history to have picked up on every analogy. Excellent movie.
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Boz
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Post by Boz on Aug 25, 2009 13:51:36 GMT -5
Great, great movie.
I didn't find it preachy at all (and believe me, I have a low tolerance for that type of thing).
Sure, it had a message, it wasn't just Independence Day (which I hope will assure all of us that there is, in fact, a God), but it wasn't heavy-handed in the least, IMO anyway.
Wikus is an outstanding character. Very well acted, and I think a lot closer to what a normal person's reaction would be to an extraordinary series of events than some "hero" type (i.e. personable and somewhat courageous, but more than occasionally an a-hole and more often than not, extremely stupid).
As much as I want to congratualte Peter Jackson, I think the real credit for this flick of course has to go to Neill Blomkamp.
I would really like it if those two teamed up for the Halo adaptation, if it ever happens. Blomkamp's style reminds me a lot of the guy who made the short Halo live-action films in the run up to Halo 3.
(of course, the guy who actually MADE those shorts, be nice to have him involved too)
Anyway, two thumbs up for District 9. Looking forward to James Cameron's Avatar this December too (with the exception of Michelle Rodriguez, who ruins everything she is in).
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Post by strummer8526 on Aug 25, 2009 14:41:57 GMT -5
Great, great movie. I didn't find it preachy at all (and believe me, I have a low tolerance for that type of thing). Sure, it had a message, it wasn't just Independence Day (which I hope will assure all of us that there is, in fact, a God), but it wasn't heavy-handed in the least, IMO anyway. Wikus is an outstanding character. Very well acted, and I think a lot closer to what a normal person's reaction would be to an extraordinary series of events than some "hero" type (i.e. personable and somewhat courageous, but more than occasionally an a-hole and more often than not, extremely stupid). As much as I want to congratualte Peter Jackson, I think the real credit for this flick of course has to go to Neill Blomkamp. I would really like it if those two teamed up for the Halo adaptation, if it ever happens. Blomkamp's style reminds me a lot of the guy who made the short Halo live-action films in the run up to Halo 3. (of course, the guy who actually MADE those shorts, be nice to have him involved too) Anyway, two thumbs up for District 9. Looking forward to James Cameron's Avatar this December too (with the exception of Michelle Rodriguez, who ruins everything she is in). Funny you thought of Halo because there were several points in the movie where I thought that District 9 could make for an incredible video game. Of course, if previous movie to video game adaptations are any indication, it would get butchered and the story would fall apart. But all the components are there.
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SFHoya99
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Post by SFHoya99 on Aug 25, 2009 15:17:18 GMT -5
Isn't there a connection between District 9 and Halo?
Agree on Michelle Rodriguez. Just a walking disaster.
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Boz
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Post by Boz on Aug 25, 2009 15:36:11 GMT -5
Peter Jackson is producer for both. Other than that, I am not sure of any other connection.
(I say producer for "both," even though there is a good chance there may never be a Halo movie. The project is not cancelled, but it remains on hold and could never happen; Jackson is still attached to it though, if I'm not mistaken).
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Nevada Hoya
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Post by Nevada Hoya on Aug 25, 2009 19:12:46 GMT -5
Agree on Michelle Rodriguez. Just a walking disaster. Ah, SF, you would be LOST without her.
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The Stig
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Post by The Stig on Aug 25, 2009 20:04:27 GMT -5
Peter Jackson is producer for both. Other than that, I am not sure of any other connection. (I say producer for "both," even though there is a good chance there may never be a Halo movie. The project is not cancelled, but it remains on hold and could never happen; Jackson is still attached to it though, if I'm not mistaken). According to Wikipedia: "Originally, Neill Blomkamp was contacted by Peter Jackson to direct Halo, a film based on the video game series of the same name. When this project did not turn out due to internal disagreements between Fox, Universal and Microsoft, Jackson and those involved felt obligated to give Blomkamp financial support and a chance to direct another film, and it was decided that the short film Alive in Joburg could be expanded into a feature instead." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/District_9
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The Stig
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Post by The Stig on Aug 25, 2009 20:18:42 GMT -5
Wikus is an outstanding character. Very well acted, and I think a lot closer to what a normal person's reaction would be to an extraordinary series of events than some "hero" type (i.e. personable and somewhat courageous, but more than occasionally an a-hole and more often than not, extremely stupid). I agree 100%. He really is a great character, precisely because he's so uninteresting at the start. It took me a while to realize that the film was actually about him. It was really impressive how they managed to make him the "hero" of the movie without being melodramatic.
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SFHoya99
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Post by SFHoya99 on Aug 25, 2009 21:09:11 GMT -5
Agree on Michelle Rodriguez. Just a walking disaster. Ah, SF, you would be LOST without her. Yep, she is 100% the reason I stopped watching Lost.
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