Blogography Logo
spacer

  Home  

District 9

Posted on Friday, August 21st, 2009

Dave!Today started at 3:30am when I awoke to get ready for my early-morning trip to Portland for a quick meeting. Much to my delight, I got finished three hours early, which meant I had three hours to kill in the city before having to return to the airport. This meant a trip to one of my favorite places: Powell's City of Books.

After an all-too-brief (but wholly unexpected and serendipitous) visit to the City of Roses, I headed back to the airport where I ran into Vahid and Sir, for another all-too-brief (but wholly unexpected and serendipitous) visit before flying out to Denver.

So here I am in The Mile High City, which I haven't been to in six long years. That's a darn shame, because I love it here and wish I had an excuse to visit more often. After wandering down to the 16th Street Mall for dinner I saw District 9, a movie that came out of nowhere to become my favorite film of 2009 so far...

District 9 Poster

South African filmmaker Neill Blomkamp has recreated the horrors of his country's apartheid days in a surprising way. Instead of white colonists subjecting black natives to racial segregation... human natives are subjecting alien refugees to species segregation. And what wonderful-looking aliens they are...

District 9 Alien

What's astounding here is how fully-realized the world of District 9 is. By the time the film takes place, the aliens have been around for decades and their presence is treated as commonplace. That the actors were able to inhabit this reality so believably is what makes the story so compelling. You simply believe it's happening as you watch it, even though there are these fantastical creatures wandering around.

The film is best experienced clean... with no spoilers or story points to ruin it... so run, don't walk, to a good theater and see it before all the talk about it diminishes the impact for you.

Tags: , , , ,
Categories: Movies 2009, Travel 2009Click To It: Permalink
   

Comments

  1. Justin Scott says:

    Now I’m even more excited to see District 9 today!

  2. Robin says:

    I have only been to Denver’s airport, which I loved. If the city of Denver itself is just as awesome as their airport, then I have to stop by. Possible TequilaCon city?

  3. kapgar says:

    I would probably call it my fave of 2009 thus far, as well. I’ve seen it twice now. Amazing film.

  4. Sybil Law says:

    That’s it – I might actually venture out and see this movie. Looks good, sounds good… Yep – I will. 🙂
    Have fun in Denver!

  5. NYCWD says:

    Poppy and I are going to see it tomorrow. I’m pretty psyched for it… and the fact it’s one of your new faves has me even more excited to see it!

  6. Mary says:

    TRUTH! Also, Sharlto Copley=amazing.

  7. Dave2 says:

    Even more amazing? IT’S HIS FIRST FEATURE FILM AS AN ACTOR! How in the heck did THAT happen? He truly was genius… especially when you consider that a lot of his “documentary” footage was improvised!

  8. Avitable says:

    It was an outstanding movie – that and Inglourious Basterds might be my two favorites of the year so far for completely different reasons.

  9. Now I really have to go see it! I’m going to take hub to the movies right after my cake delivery.

  10. Sarah says:

    It’s such an awesome movie!

    I might have to go see it again before it leaves theaters.

  11. i have a bad habit of getting my expectations up so high that there is no possible way i can be satisfied with whatever i am eagerly anticipating. everyone’s talk of district 9 threw my expectations into over drive. which has to be why i am the only person i know who wasn’t thrilled with the movie. it was good and i am glad i went, but it just wasn’t the be all end all for me.
    so now i am sad.

  12. Mocha says:

    You know what’s funny? I had originally come to see if you had done a review of “(500) Days of Summer” and now I really want to see THIS movie. It’s been on My List since the first time I saw the trailer so now I’m pretty pumped up to see it. You have great recommendations, Dave.

    But first! I’m up to look up this Copley guy!

  13. Dave2 says:

    You won’t find much on Copley as an actor… his history is with producing and directing. That being the case, his performance in “District 9” was remarkable… especially considering he has only one other small role to his credit!

    If you can stomach some blood and gore, it’s an incredible film that I recommend highly. 🙂

  14. Howard says:

    When will improvisation ever ben taken as a serious art form? Sigh. Great, eh? It was good, good, good and my fav of this year so far as well.

  15. Dave2 says:

    I kind of think it IS appreciated as a serious art form… particularly with the success of such shows as The Groundlings, Spontaneous Broadway, and television’s Who’s Line Is It Anyway? And we have a few talk show hosts who are some of the most genius improv artists working anywhere, with people like Graham Norton and Dame Edna showing everybody that talk doesn’t have to mean mere canned discussion. Improv is everywhere. 🙂

  16. Badger says:

    Saw it yesterday! The acting and special effects were amazing. I liked it a lot. But there were a few sort of M. Night Shyamalan-esque moments that kept me from loving it. Of course, I am picky and hate everything, so there you go.

  17. whall says:

    The way you describe watching District 9 “clean” should be applies to every movie. I think too many people go with why others think (and sometimes the total opposite of what people think) such that they make up their mind on a movie before they’ve even seen it.

    They might read a blog post of how G-force sucked so bad “insert funny deprecating and witty remark here” and then they decide that it’s better to rip it apart than objectively watch it.

    I refuse to read/watch reviews. There isn’t a person alive who can even come close to matching my movie tastes so why bother?

  18. Dave2 says:

    Dude. You’re the one who liked “August Rush”… so I would not presume to debate you on that! 🙂

  19. whall says:

    The “one?” I didn’t think it was *that* universally disliked!

    I loved August Rush. And Across The Universe. An Xanadu and Moulin Rouge and Once.

    And 300 and Watchmen on case any gay police are reading.

Add a Comment

Blankatar!

   
I love comments! However, all comments are moderated, and won't appear until approved. Are you an abusive troll with nothing to contribute? Don't bother. Selling something? Don't bother. Spam linking? Don't bother.
PLEASE NOTE: My comment-spam protection requires JavaScript... if you have it turned off or are using a mobile device without JavaScript, commenting won't work. Sorry.




   


   


   
   
   
Your personal information is optional. Email addresses are never shown, and are only used by me if a public reply would be too personal or inappropriate here. The URL link to your web site or blog will be provided, so only fill this in if you want people to visit!



   

  Home  

spacer
Welcome:
Blogography is a place to learn and grow by exposing yourself to the mind of David Simmer II, a brilliant commentator on world events and popular culture (or so he claims).
Dave FAQ:
Frequently Asked Questions
Dave Contact:
dave@blogography.com
Blogography Webfeeds:
Atom Entries Feed
Comments Feed
translate me
flags of the world!
lost & found
Search Blogography:
thrice fiction
Thrice Fiction Magazine - March, 2011 - THE END
I'm co-founder of Thrice Fiction magazine. Come check us out!
hard rock moment
Visit DaveCafe for my Hard Rock Cafe travel journal!
travel picto-gram
Visit my travel map to see where I have been in this world!
badgemania
Blogography Badge
Atom Syndicate Badge
Comments Syndicate Badge
Apple Safari Badge
Pirate's Booty Badge
Macintosh Badge
license
All content copyright ©2003-2022
by David Simmer II
   
Creative Commons License
This weblog is licensed under
a Creative Commons License.
ssl security