District 9 (Presented by Peter Jackson)

[Cognitive Gear]

Trailer 1, focusing on the documentary/societal aspect of the film.

Trailer 2, focusing on action.

The original short film.

I'm really looking forward to this movie. I'm hoping that it focuses on the documentary and societal themes more than the action.

I know there are a number of CAAers who want more original content out of Hollywood, and here it is. Vote with your dollars, people.

[Radical Dreamer]

Wow, this actually looks pretty intriguing. I'd be interested to see what Peter Jackson's doing these days. XD A neat idea, though!

[Cognitive Gear]

Wow, this actually looks pretty intriguing. I'd be interested to see what Peter Jackson's doing these days. XD A neat idea, though!

He just finished up a movie called The Lovely Bones based on a book of the same title. There should be a trailer for it pretty soon.

[Davidizer13]

I don't plan to see it, but first, the plot absolutely intrigues me, as some of the best episodes of The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, and many other great sci-fi stories have. This is shaping up to be a very fresh take on such a classic genre, obvious apartheid analogue and all. Second, those special effects! Those aliens look real. Not almost real, actually real. If they're CG, then that's really, really, well done, and if it's animatronics/"guys in rubber suits", it still looks really good.

[Sheol777]

I saw the viral marketing about a month ago and decided to look up the trailer....

Man was I blown away. I am all about this thing. I hope it doesn't disappoint.

[Danderson]

Looks good, but I'm really hoping it's not trying to go for the whole "illegal imigration thing." If it starts tying with that debate then it's already lost me....

[Cognitive Gear]

Looks good, but I'm really hoping it's not trying to go for the whole "illegal imigration thing." If it starts tying with that debate then it's already lost me....

Would you mind explaining why this would ruin it for you? I would actually be pretty happy if they made me think about modern political issues.

[Sheol777]

^
this.

I like the new twist on a dabate...

Or even a new twist on an alien movie.

[Maokun]

My gut tells me this movie is gonna be as awesome as it looks. I've been waiting for it since I saw some teasers in twitch.com (great site for movie news of indie persuasion, by the way) months ago.

[Danderson]

Would you mind explaining why this would ruin it for you? I would actually be pretty happy if they made me think about modern political issues.

Just the way that they appear to be presenting it. And I typically do not enjoy or take seriously movies that try to present a clear "political" agenda as it amounts to usually nothing more then Hollywood propaganda (movies that come to mind are The Day the Earth Stood Still and The Day After Tomorrow). But that's just my opinion when it comes to movies.

[Fish and Chips]

Just the way that they appear to be presenting it. And I typically do not enjoy or take seriously movies that try to present a clear "political" agenda as it amounts to usually nothing more then Hollywood propaganda (movies that come to mind are The Day the Earth Stood Still and The Day After Tomorrow). But that's just my opinion when it comes to movies.

This movie was filmed in South Africa. By a South African. With South African actors, which even a cursory glance might have told you.

Please don't assume that every single movie comes from Hollywood just because it's in English.

In any case, if anything Disctrict 9 is probably more comparable to previous policies of apartheid and segregation, something familiar to the South African cultural scene (though whether or not the film is an active Take That remains to be seen). So no, not really your immigration issue.

[Nate]

And I typically do not enjoy or take seriously movies that try to present a clear "political" agenda as it amounts to usually nothing more then Hollywood propaganda

Yeah, how dare the creator of something try to express his own views and opinions in it! It should be illegal for people to make something that represents their personal beliefs!

Oh, and you know, you can't have it both ways. If you're saying others shouldn't be allowed to present political agendas in movies, then Christians shouldn't be allowed to present religious agendas in THEIR movies. What's good for the goose is good for the gander.

(movies that come to mind are The Day the Earth Stood Still

You realize that The Day the Earth Stood Still was originally a black-and-white movie made in 1951, right?

Okay. On topic.

I'm not seeing the deep philosophical whatnot in this movie. It looks good, I'm going to go see it, but it looks like typical sci-fi fare. Maybe it's just the way the trailer is presented. I remember a similar situation when I saw trailers for Fight Club, thinking it was just going to be some street fighting tournament movie, then I was dragged to see it with friends and was taken by surprise.

I really don't think that if what is being said here is true, that it would equate to illegal immigration (because from the looks of it the aliens are being kept here against their will, you'd be hard-pressed to argue America is keeping illegal immigrants in the country against their will). If anything it would seem to parallel more with the racism in the early 20th century, Jim Crow laws and whatnot. That's just what I can get though. *shrug*

[bigsleepj]

There are many movies that I love that I don't always agree with, politically or philosophically. That doesn't change the fact that I love them and enjoy them.

As for District 9 itself, the movie alludes more to South African politics that American politics, most of which would go over the head of pretty much anyone who hasn't lived here for most of their lives. But seeing how the movie will possibly have some political overtones I think we should try steering clear of those.

[Danderson]

Yeah, how dare the creator of something try to express his own views and opinions in it! It should be illegal for people to make something that represents their personal beliefs!

Oh, and you know, you can't have it both ways. If you're saying others shouldn't be allowed to present political agendas in movies, then Christians shouldn't be allowed to present religious agendas in THEIR movies. What's good for the goose is good for the gander.

I'm not saying they shouldn't. I'm just saying that " I " don't typically enjoy those types of movies (where it's very obvious, even when they're trying to veil it). So, you can understand why I'm skeptical in my curiosity. But now, looking at the comments above, it does sound a little better than the impression I was getting from the trailers.

As a fellow filmmaker, I understand that they we will always put our agenda and/or views in a movie. But at the same time, I like movies that present these views and allow me to question it instead of being told what to believe (the same goes for "christian" movies too).

You realize that The Day the Earth Stood Still was originally a black-and-white movie made in 1951, right?

I was referring to the Keanue Reeves remake....but that's for another thread....

[Sheol777]

On a related note. I thought The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was extremely heavy handed. This I hope will be a bit less.

[Scarecrow]

He just finished up a movie called The Lovely Bones based on a book of the same title. There should be a trailer for it pretty soon.

It's out now actually... I just saw it the other day on apple. Looks really good IMO... Much better looking than I thought it would be reading the synopsis.

As for this movie... meh... I just can't get interested in it. Reminds me of Cloverfield or something. And I got the political vibe as well... I can't stand movies that do that. "Christian" or otherwise... I don't mind when it's done subtly, but when it's in your face, spelled out for you, I can't help but just roll my eyes...

[Nate]

I don't see how it reminds you of Cloverfield. XD Cloverfield was all hype. This movie doesn't have near the level of hype or viral campaigning that Cloverfield did (or maybe it does and I just haven't been exposed to it).

As far as the presenting political beliefs in entertainment, if that's something you don't like, I really don't see how you can enjoy anything. There's VERY few things in human history entertainment-wise that don't present SOME kind of political, religious, or philosophical viewpoint (and those that don't tend to be pretty bland and boring).

I agree that there IS a point where a message is too strong so as to make the entertainment annoying or unenjoyable, but in those cases it has to be EXTREMELY obvious and poorly done...for example, Michael Moore's movies or Phillip Pullman's books. Other than that, I rather enjoy messages presented in movies, because I can look at my own beliefs and determine why I believe what I do rather than what's presented in the movie (or alternatively, strengthen my viewpoint on why I believe what I do).

But, since this is a matter of personal taste and nothing that can be objectively argued about, I'll just agree to disagree and we can drop this discussion, and focus solely on the movie itself.

[Roberts]

I have heard that, contrary to the trailer, it is mainly sci-fi horror, or at the very least it is more violent than you would be lead to believe. Can't remember where I read that though, so take my comment with a grain of salt (or any other condiment that suits you).

What has been shown in the trailer thus far has piqued my interest regardless, so we'll be seeing what it's like soon enough I guess.

[Danderson]

I agree that there IS a point where a message is too strong so as to make the entertainment annoying or unenjoyable.

This is more or less what I meant. I like to find messages in a movies myself (only reason I found Transformers 2 bare-able), but I take them with a good grain of salt.

[bigsleepj]

Here's an excerpt from my blog entry on the movie, simply reading the trailer and not any spoiler-sites. Some of you may find it informative.

Okay, the title District 9 could refer to two separate things: directly it could refer to an old post-Apartheid system where the city of Johannesburg was divided up into about 12 different districts. District / Region 9 was a industrialized portion of the city towards the South East of the city. Although there were many affluent to lower middle to upper middle class districts in the region, much of its population are poor. The movie was filmed in Katlehong, which is in that general area.

However, the title could also be an allusion to District 6, one of Apartheid Government's biggest sins. District 6 was a "blacks only" historical neighbourhood on the outskirts of Cape Town that was demolished in the late 1960's by the Apartheid Government after the area was re-zoned as a whites-only area. The former occupants were moved onto the Cape Flats where many of their descendants still live in shanty towns. There are other comparrisons and allusions to Apartheid, like the "For Use of Humans Only", which reflects the "White Only" or "Blacks Only" facilities that existed practically side to side of each other still as recently as the 1980s.

Yet it would be wrong to interpret the movie solely as an allegory to Apartheid. Indeed, the allusions are there, but as an allegory it wont work. If anything, the movie so far reflects (for South Africans) last year's Xenophobic riots, which got little coverage in the United States but was big trouble / news here. Many foreigners (both legal immigrants and illegal) were attacked and viciously killed in pogroms; in an effort to protect the foreigners the government had to temporarily place them in internment camps around the country. "It's costing so much money to keep them here" sounds almost like it could have been taken from a newsreport. But even that does not quite cut it (for one thing District 9 went into pre-production almost a year before the pogroms).

I think it would be wrong for anyone to draw any direct parallels between South African politics, past or present; based on the trailers I'd say the movie is actively trying to eschew this. In fact, I can't help but think that it would be wrong to interpret the movie as a straight or even alluded allegory to any era in South Africa's past. Rather it might be about something more general like human nature and all that. A lot of good science fiction usually is about that one way or the other.

Some thoughts about the cast: International audiences will assert that the cast is mostly unknowns. I'd have to agree with that since they are even unknowns by South African standards. There is not one person in the trailer I recognise from anywhere. That's not really a bad thing, but it is surprising considering how many high calibre actors we have hanging around here. Even the director, Neil Blomkamp, is not known here. Most likely that will change.

According to the cast list the main character's surname is "van der Merwe". Amongst white, Afrikaans speaking South Africans that's just about the most common surname you'd find here. It's possible to know dozens of van der Merwe's without them being related to each other. Well, that's my initial thoughts on the movie...

[Tommy]

I don't see how it reminds you of Cloverfield. XD Cloverfield was all hype. This movie doesn't have near the level of hype or viral campaigning that Cloverfield did (or maybe it does and I just haven't been exposed to it).

A mall restroom in my local area had this sign on it:

[Davidizer13]

A mall restroom in my local area had this sign on it:

I wonder what you'd get if you called that number.

[Cognitive Gear]

I wonder what you'd get if you called that number.

Call it. It actually works.

[bigsleepj]

Lots of tripple sixes in that number. Just what are they implying?

[Davidizer13]

6 * 3 = 18, which is divisible by 9. How's that?

[bigsleepj]

6 * 3 = 18, which is divisible by 9. How's that?

Pretty good, actually, I suppose.

[Okami94]

That sign is awesome!

[Danderson]

"non-human waste may be potentially EXPLOSIVE!!!" ROTFLOL!!! This may be better than I thought....

[Roberts]

Been nice and busy the past few days, just wanted to log on to say...

This movie exceeded my expectations. Best one I've seen all year, or close to.

[minakichan]

I'm... kind of not sure I want to crap in a bathroom that has potentially explosive waste in it. I mean, call me a racist segregationist, but...

Anyway, this looks like my kind of movie, except it's rated R for bloody violence and that stuff scares the non-explosive waste out of me. For those people who have seen it, is it really frightening? I'm uh, kind of easily freaked out.