Even More District 9
I find myself returning to this movie once again. This time after watching several of the special features on the Blu-Ray my wife got me for Christmas. The picture you see is director Neill Blomkamp talking to actor David James who plays Wikus’ nemesis, Koobus Venter.
District 9 continues to enchant me, more so than the ever beautiful ‘The Fall’. Mainly because of my utter love for science fiction. The things I learned amazed me yet again. I knew there was some improvisation the actors were allowed to do, what I didn’t know was that there was practically no script for Sharlto Copley and company to follow. Blomkamp had key points or ideas he wanted to hit in each scene but would allow the characters to get there on their own. Sometimes Copley would go off on tangents that would have little to do with anything, but Blomkamp found that other times Sharltos tangents created greater depth for the story that even Neill couldn’t have thought of.
The direction given from scene to scene was to keep it as literal towards the documentary style shooting as they could. Which wasn’t hard since they were using hand-held cameras most of the time. More specifically nine digital Red Ones as well as Sony EX1s and EX3s. I don’t know anything about cameras, but these appear far different than most cameras I’ve seen used to shoot blockbusters.
That’s part of what made me fall in love with D9. It wasn’t a blockbuster. They didn’t have tens of millions of dollars to spend on computer graphics, nor did it base its stake on ‘wow-ing’ audiences with all that CG they could buy *cough*Avatar*cough*. In fact, all but the final metamorphosis of Wikus into a prawn, was done completely with practical, real life, effects. IE lots of make-up and rubber. There was also an actor who played many of the prawns before they were digitally inserted into the frame. He was a hoot to watch during some of the behind the scenes moments.
This to me, is a movie of movies. It has its flaws and it may fail at times, but there’s just so much good about it that any shortcomings are not important.
WE LANDED ON THE MOON!
I was finally able to watch ‘Moon‘, staring Sam Rockwell and Kevin Spacey (as a robot). Between those two and a literal handful of other actors, the cast was tiny, much like Pandorum. That seems to be the thing in good sci-fi these days. And holy cow was this good sci-fi. I’ve lauded many other genre sharing movies in the past, Children of Men, Eden Log, District 9, Sunshine and the previously mentioned Pandorum, but this was great. This acting, the directing, the camera work, the special effects, the story, O.M.G. the story! Yet of course, this was a small independent movie, just as are ALL the good sci-fi movies I talk about. Yes, District 9 WAS small, just had amazing marketing.
In this 97 minute film, I was gripped by the cold clutches of suspense and thrill. Yet it has none of your typical suspenseful and thrilling elements. When you have only one human character to care for in a film, which was quite easy for me since I’m a husband with a wife and daughter, you tend to care for that character quite deeply. So as Sam progresses in his journey, you go with him. I’m not going to say much about this movie, other than this is how movies should be made.
You need to see this movie.
/switch gears
Don’t get me wrong, I understand not wanting to see ‘R’ rated movies. But a blindness and otherwise “evil” disposition to anything carrying that rating will keep you from seeing some of the most amazing expressions of humanity through film. I can think of movies such as The Fall, Slumdog Millionaire, Braveheart or Gladiator right off the bat. All movies that are more pieces of art than entertainment. Whatever your personal choice might be, if you can’t conceive a such rated film has merit, than you might as well call Michelangelo’s David or Bottecilli’s Birth of Venus pornography (or countless other works of art).
My Sci-Fi 
