2009 Review #25: District 9

District 9

Rated R

(Language, Violence and gruesome blood and gore)

1 hour 52 minutes

Storyline:

An extraterrestrial race forced to live in slum-like conditions on Earth suddenly find a kindred spirit in a government agent that is exposed to their biotechnology.

Starring:

Sharlto Copley

Jason Cope

Nathalie Boltt

Sylvaine Strike

William Allen Young

John Summer

Critics Rating:

A-

My Rating:

A

I'll just go right out and say it: 8 months into the movie season and I have to say that District 9 is probably one of the very best films of 2009. It is certainly the most fresh and original film of the year, if not in many years. In terms of sci-fi action films, this one ranks as one of my all time favorites. This is a movie I think every fan of film should go see...just please don't take your younger kids.

This is Neill Blomkamp first mainstream directed film, and he got a lot of help from Peter "Lord of the Rings" Jackson to bring this film to the forefront. I have to say, for a up and coming director, he did a masterful job bringing this amazing story to life. This world of District 9 (an essential refugee camp for alien life forms also called "prawns") felt so unbelievable real and gritty. You tend to feel bad for this "prawns" and hate the human characters. This slum they created looked like an actual refugee camp. The realism really helped you sink into this world and almost become apart of it all.

The visual effects were something else! These were some of the best special effects I've seen in a film. Most of the time, you couldn't even tell you were looking at any CGI. That mothership that hovers over the city was remarkable. It looked like an actual object that was not created by any computer imagery. The aliens were incredibly well done. You could tell in some scenes that they were obvious CGI, but a lot of the scenes you had no idea. They were not your typical film aliens either, I thought they looked awesome. They were so unique looking, and yes, they were really gross. I loved the fresh "design" of these creatures, and I'm glad they weren't the stereotypical movie aliens.

The first half of the film was more set up and more dramatic. The second half of the film was all action, and boy oh boy was it fun to watch! These action scenes were put together so well, and I thought they were tense, exciting, explosive and damn entertaining! And they were needed too, they were never filler action moments just for the sole purpose to have big explosions. These scenes helped carry the film, they were necessary for the story to go forward. Those alien weapons (that can only be operated by the aliens) are so cool! They reminded me somewhat of some of the weapons from another sci-fi film Minority Report (one of my favorites!). These guns though, obliterated the humans to nothingness. Those guns were awesome! One shot and the humans literally no longer existed, it's as if they evaporated. I just loved how those weapons worked, and they were fun to watch in action. Simply some wonderful action, probably the best I've seen all year.

They storyline is where most of the originality came from. This is not your typical sci-fi alien flick. Here we care for the aliens, we are rooting for them. We hate the human beings, well most of them. The movie begins with some grainy documentary footage of an alien mothership that stalled over the city of Johannesburg, South Africa. It just sits there, and doesn't attack. It sits for a long while before the government intervenes and enters the ship only to find millions of sick alien lifeforms. The government decides to remove all these aliens and throw them in what is basically a refugee camp. These aliens would co-exist with human refugees in this camp. The main part of the film takes place twenty years later and the government is starting to evict the aliens and move them to a new camp away from the humans (because their have been murders and theft, etc.) that is actually less comfortable then the one they currently live in. The aliens deal with slumlords, by exchanging weapons for cat food (the aliens took a liking the cat food).

The first half of the film feature the character of Wikus (Sharlto Copley) as he begins this raid of sorts to evict the aliens. He soon finds a weird canister in one of their homes that sprays a black liquid on his face. Long story short, he becomes "infected" with alien blood and slowly begins to morph into one of them (he grows an alien hand) and is sought out by the government because he can now operate the alien weapons. They want to be able to control these weapons and sell them, and he quickly becomes the most wanted human in the world. The rest of the movie is his attempts to avoid them and also to get back to his wife. In his journey he befriends an alien father and son that knows how to get to the mothership and save Wikus from becoming an alien. They band together to save the day!

This was one of the most unique and incredible alien stories I've ever watched. The main alien, named Christopher Johnson, displays such a human personality as does his son (who was pretty darn cute!) and so you really have this strange emotional connection to him. You see these aliens being shot and killed and then dissected for experiments. There is this haunting scene where they "abort" the alien baby eggs and then burn down the building they are housed and you really just despise the human race. But that's the point of the movie, to pull for the aliens. I was absolutely shocked at the character development of the aliens, they did an amazing job with doing this.

The main character, Wikus is a very complicated character and one of my favorite characters of the year. First of all, Sharlto Copley did a magnificent job at portraying him as this is his very first movie role. He played him so authentically, and we really believed this was a documentary style film (the movie is done in a documentary style, so there is the shaky cam effect). There were times where we really loved him and really was pulling for him. Then there were times where you just hated him. There were a few scenes where he was so selfish and so awful that you wanted to kill him! But that's the beauty of his performance, he acted like a human. He was very real and for that I applaud him.

There were some cliched characters, but they weren't prominent enough to really lose focus on the movie as a whole. There really isn't a lot more I can say about this movie though. I thought the screenplay was very well written, the direction was magnificent, the acting was great, the action was awesome and this movie simply rocks! This is by far one of the most must see movies of summer. It adds such a cool twist to the whole alien genre film and it was a great spin! I really think any fan of movies will enjoy this movie. It's just so fun and so well done.

Go see District 9! You won't regret it!

**WARNING*

This movie is very graphic and does not hold back. It has a lot of "F' bombs, and various other swear words. It is very bloody. There are scenes of fingernails being ripped off, bodies exploding, and much more. Don't take your young kids to see this movie if they can't handle a movie like that.

2009 Review #24: The Soloist

The Soloist

Rated PG-13

1 hour 57 minutes

Storyline:

A Los Angeles Journalist, befriends a homeless Julliard trained musician, while looking for a new article for the paper.

Starring:

Robert Downey Jr.

Jamie Foxx

Critics Grade:
C

My Grade:
C+

The Soloist is not a perfect film. It is definitely one of those movies that you can tell was maybe trying to score itself some Oscar nominations. It's one of those movies that supposed to tug on the strings of your heart and inspire you. It's one of those movies that's carried by very strong lead performances. But it's also one of those movies that really, really good...but kind of misses on some of the emotional points.

Starting with the good. I thought it told a really moving tale about a journalist who befriends a homeless man who has a truly beautiful musical gift. The story is of their growing friendship as the journalist tries to give this man help, both emotional and medical, even though the homeless man just wants a friend. He's comfortable where he is, he likes living on the streets. He takes a strong liking to the journalist, and at one point calls him his God. Keep in mind, this homeless man isn't right in the head. We see the progression of his mental breakdown through flashbacks to his earlier life. He is probably a schizophrenic, but we never really find out. But one thing is certain: he can play the violin and cello masterfully. This is a man who went to Julliard for two years and is now on the streets.

The story/screenplay was told quite well I thought. It kept me focused the whole time and I never really got bored at any one point in the movie. I thought it really captured well, the heart of true friendship and why we as people need friends in our lives. It's said that true friendship could ease ones mental pains, and that's showcased in this film. I've even experienced that in my own life. This man has a talent, but he doesn't care. He just wants to play. The journalist doesn't quite understand that. He can't figure out why he doesn't want help, why he wants to stay on the streets. But he stays his friend anyway, and I thought that aspect of the story was told very well.

What was missing was background. We see many flashes into Nathaniel's (the homeless man) life, but we never see how and why this all started. I understand this is something he was probably born with, but we never truly saw how this affected his family or really even him at a young age. He just snaps, drops out of Julliard, and runs away. It seemed like his sister never even bothered to look for him or even cared. His background was missing a lot of emotional depth and it was hard to really feel for this guy. I understood his situation and I felt bad for him, but I wasn't emotionally connected to this guy...and he's supposed to be the main character. Same goes for Steve Lopez (the journalist). We get virtually no insight into his life. He's actually a bit one dimensional throughout the whole film. We don't really know what drove him to befriend this guy in the first place. We are told he has a son in college and his ex-wife is also someone who works with him at the paper. But we never get to much information about why that part of his life went south. Again, it was just weak back story and very difficult to connect with this guys motives.

For me it lacked a lot of emotional depth. Mainly due to that back story issue. This has the potential of being a really poignant story, but it missed so much. The over lining story of their friendship was told very well, and I was very into it, but the deeper part of the story lacked a lot. There was virtually no real heart to this story and by the end you feel kind of empty and have this "yeah so what" mentality, at least I did. I got the message in the end, and it was a good one. But when the credits rolled I was immediately disconnected. I don't know, I guess it's kind of hard to explain. Also, I was confused by how this movie wanted us to feel and where we were supposed to direct our emotions. It tried to be two things: a movie about a mentally disabled homeless man that has a gift and also a movie about the man's beautiful gift and his struggles to use that gift. I feel like they were trying to get to much emotional pull into the movie, and so it kind of just flopped in that regard and you end up not feeling much of anything. I think there was to much focus here.

The performances were excellent however! Oscar nominee Robert Downey Jr. (Tropic Thunder, Iron Man) has really emerged as a fantastic actor. He had an incredible year last year, and this guy is just getting better and better. He can really carry a film, and he is really likable in most of the roles he does, including this one. He won't get any award attention here, because it's not really an award worthy performance, but he's still very very good. Oscar winner Jamie Foxx (Ray, Collateral) for the most part was really good in this movie. However there were a few scenes where you can tell he thinks he's an amazing actor. There's just a few scenes where he totally overacts and tries to do way to much with a scene that could have been toned down. There are portions of his performance that are actually quite bad, but for the most part he does do an pretty darn good job.

The Soloist is a good movie. It's a solid movie. Even though it lacks some real feeling and leaves you feeling kind of empty. But there's still a lot to it, and theres a lot of good to it. This is kind of an inspirational film. Like I said, not an phenomenal movie, but it's definitely worth watching if you are into this type of dramatic film.

2008 Straight To DVD Review: Blackout

Blackout

Rated R
1 hour 24 minutes

Storyline:
Three people from different walks of life find themselves trapped inside a stalled elevator. What at first seems like an inconvenience rapidly escalates into a nightmare.

Starring:
Amber Tamblyn
Aidan Gillen
Armie Hammer

Critics Grade:
N/A From Rotten Tomatoes
5.5 out of 10 from IMDB.com users

My Grade:
C

You may be surprised that I actually wanted to see a straight to DVD movie, but it's true. I read the synopsis (much like with the crappy film "House"), and I thought it sounded pretty interesting. There is a huge difference between the movie "House" and this film, Blackout: this one is much, MUCH better.

Now I'm going to say this is an amazing film, because it isn't, but it really isn't a bad movie. It has a very simple premise, a very small cast, and never tries to do to much. It's about 3 different people, who have all had some recent tragedy in their lives, find themselves trapped in a small elevator that shut down mid run. We get brief glimpses into their lives through flashbacks so we get to know each one of them. Now they make it kind of obvious that one of these people is probably not such a nice person, but you don't really know for sure until 3/4 of the way into the movie. I pretty much figured it out about 1/4 way into it because it is a bit obvious who it is.

They needed this aspect in order to create some true danger for these people, even though two of them have no idea that one of them is a bad person. But just the story of them being caught in the elevator was tense enough for me. For the most part I thought it was really well done. You never really know if they are going to make it or not, and there are a few scenes of them trying to be brave and find a way out that are pretty intense. The movie mainly takes place in a little 6 by 6 metal box, and the characters wind down and go a little nuts slowly throughout the film. Of course until the end when one of them goes way to crazy and starts to get deadly. That part of the storyline, I know was needed, but they probably could have toned it down a little. They showed some pretty graphic flashback scenes that I didn't care to see. They should have made this person just snap from being locked up in the elevator and left out the whole psycho past storyline. That would have created a more tense thrill ride.

The film was shot really well. I actually thought there was some pretty cool cinematography that reminded me of some of the shots from Panic Room a few years back. The camera weeves in out of the hallways all seemingly in one take with one camera (although obvious visual effects were used). The film had a very sleek look to it. It was never to dark and never to full of light. It really set the mood of the film pretty well. I thought Amber Tamblyn (Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants) did a decent job in her role, her performance was never to cheesy. I wasn't a fan of Aiden Gillen (TV's The Wire, 12 Rounds) he was pretty bad. There were some brief shining moments for him, but most it was pretty darn weak. There wasn't enough of Armie Hammer speaking lines for me to honestly say how good he was, but in the small role he had, he was alright.

If you like a good suspense thriller, I would definitely recommend this movie. I found it to be quite entertaining. Not a perfect film, it could have been much better with a few tweaks to the screenplay, a bigger budget and more seasoned actors. But for what it is worth, this was a solid enough movie for me to enjoy it and say...yeah...go ahead and check it out!

2008 Film Review: House

House

Rated R
1 hour 28 minutes

Storyline:
In rural Alabama, two couples find themselves in a fight for survival. Running from a maniac (The Tin Man) bent on killing them, they flee deep into the woods and seek refuge in a house. They soon realize the killer has purposely lured them to this house and that they are now trapped.

Starring:
Reynaldo Rosales
Heidi Dippold
Julie Ann Emery
J.P. Davis
with Michael Madsen

Critics Grade:
F- (out of only 13 reviews)

My Grade:
F-

OK so I told myself, if I'm going to start reviewing movies again this year, I am only going to watch movies that I legitimately want to see. It truly shames me to say that yes, I did actually want to watch this movie by reading the premise. At first read, I thought this was a haunted house movie with some weird killer on the lose inside the house. That to me seems kind of interesting, so sue me! I never actually saw a trailer for it, and you know what...it was one of my instant views on Netflix, so whatever.

2008's House is by far one of the worst motion pictures I think I have ever seen in my life. This wasn't even a straight to DVD movie as it appeared to be, oh no, it was given a limited release in theaters last year. I don't even think I could BEGIN to describe the incredibly messy plot line. There was SO much going on, and literally NONE of it made a lick of sense. Nothing came together in the end, it had to be the most lazily written screenplays in the history of cinema. The characters were downright awful and unlikeable in every single way. Their stories were dumb. The story of the creepy people living in this house was pure idiocy. Were they ghosts? What the heck were they doing there? Who were they? That's never told to us.

And this tin man fella? Never was explained where he came from or why he does these things. And his character was stupid, he was in maybe four scenes in the movie and really wasn't that scary of a killer because he doesn't actually do a thing to anyone. Nothing I tell you! We don't know his motives, we know nothing. Well we are briefly told he goes after "sinners" (this by the way is a very sad attempt at a Christian themed horror movie). Oh and there was also some creepy little girl who for some reason was locked in some large cargo container in the house. We don't ever know who she is. We don't ever know where she came from. We never find out why the tin-man hates her so much and wants her dead (which I think she already was dead???? I don't know). I assume she was meant to be the "savior" character based off what happens to her and the tin-man was the devil character, but that was so poorly pieced together.

**SPOILER ALERT**

In the end two of the main characters die and we never see them again. The creepy house people "die" and the tin man is "vanquished". When the two primary characters escape...we learn they were ghosts the whole time. What?! Not even shocking, just...what?!?! They seem their dead bodies on the side of the road. But suddenly the walk over their bodies and their ghosts go back into the bodies and they are alive! It was meant to be a twist, but it all happened so fast that we just don't care. The characters didn't even seem to care. But they wake up and I assume it was supposed to represent their new look at life (in a Christian way I guess...I think...I don't know). Then they walk away only to see the tin man (who's also the sheriff by the way...ugh, dumb) and the creepy family from the house alive as can be and creepy as can be.

**END SPOILER ALERT**

Seriously one of the WORST pieces of garbage ever put to film. It such a mess, and it all over the place. It never makes sense, you never really know what the heck is going on. The wrap up is so retarded and just...just don't ever see this movie a day in your life. Again, that's just my opinion. Or you know what, if you want to have fun and watch a really crappy movie with some friends to laugh at...please rent this movie. That's all it is good for...a good hearty laugh at it's expense. Terrible movie.

2009 Review #23: The Great Buck Howard

The Great Buck Howard

Storyline
A young man, much to the chagrin of his father, becomes the new assistant to an illusionist in decline.

Rated PG
1 hour 30 minutes

Starring:
John Malkovich
Colin Hanks
Emily Blunt

Critics Grade:
B

My Grade:
C-

The Great Buck Howard is much like it's title character: special at times, but also a little dull and uninspiring. The movie was pretty much just OK for me. I thought it was a pretty standardized little dramedy that really wasn't all that funny or all that engaging. The movie is about a mentalist who was once a big somebody, but now is outdated and forgotten, even though he fails to see that. He preforms this illusion where an audience member hides his fee somewhere in the auditorium and he also seems to be able to find it and no one knows how. We never find out how, even though it's one of the film's big mysteries. That kind of how the movie is though, slightly unconnected by the end.

I thought it began a little to fast, and to much was happening to quickly, and then by the middle it became kind of slow. There was never any moment that drove the film to some higher level it was all pretty flat. You never really care to much for these characters, even Buck Howard. In fact you kind of grow to dislike the main character. I know he's supposed to be that way, but there were literally almost no redeeming qualities about him where we can find some small love for him. He's a jerk and we never see another side to him. He is played very well by Oscar nominee John Malkovich (In the Line of Fire, Burn After Reading, Being John Malkovich) and it's definitely the most memorable performance of the movie, as it should be. Colin Hanks is pretty good, but also his performance is just as dull as the movie. For being one of the main characters, he didn't do all that good of a job of carrying the movie. It was cool to see his real dad (Oscar winner Tom Hanks) play his dad in the movie in two scenes. It was a bit weird though how their troubled storyline never patched up in the end. Papa Hanks was a jerk as well, and he never really accepted his sons new life, that story just fell flat.

The movie was done rather well, it had some good cinematography and overall was directed decently. There was well done scene where Buck Howard puts 900 people to sleep at once, and for me that was the best scene in the whole film. I don't know, I just can't really see myself honestly recommending this movie to anyone. It's by NO means a bad film, it's pretty decent. The thing is, like I stated, it's just forgettable. There are really no stand out moments in the movie or in the performances. The writing was just average. The whole movie was just...eh.