Moving Pictures

So over the past week I have seen 2 of these wonderfully modern things called ‘films’ (movies for those the wrong side of the Atlantic) and I have to say they were both worth seeing. Oh I must add that I knew nothing about either film before I saw it (I blindly trust that films my friends want to see are actually good ).

The first was District 9. On seeing the poster I thought that it was going to be your typical American sci-fi bullshit where some brave, courageous and charismatic ‘hero’ spends the entire film doing 1. Trying to get into bed with some cute girl and 2. single-handedly saving the entire planet from certain destruction.

How wrong I was.

The first thing that made it clear it was not going to be as above was the fact it was set in Johannesburg, South Africa. Yep, it was quite a shock to me as well! The protagonist was not some macho hero either. Quite the opposite actually. He looked like quite a geek

I suppose I should describe the plot to you all. 20 years ago an alien spaceship turns up over Jo’berg and suddenly disables, leaving hundreds of malnourished aliens on board. They are taken from the ship and housed in an area called “District 9″ (hence the title). The protagonist is part of a corporation called MNU or Multinational United who have decided (with huge public support) to move these aliens (derogatorily called “prawns” as they resemble said sea creatures) from District 9 to a new area outside the city (unsurprisingly called District 10). He is assigned with leading the task of delivering eviction notices to each alien and the following relocation. While in the field he finds an alien tube with a black liquid which promptly covers his face with its contents.

During the film he gradually turns into an alien, causing the MNU to want to conduct tests. This leads to MNU wanting to basically kill him to see what caused this mutation (oh, I forgot to add that alien weapons only work for the aliens, hence why they want to see how to combine DNA). He escapes and goes on the run to the only place he will be safe: District 9. To cut a long story short, he befriends an alien, recovers the alien tube (which happens to be a kind of fuel) and helps the alien to restart the mothership. All the time he was thinking the alien would reverse his mutation. He would, but it would take 3 years so he has to live as a “prawn” for 3 years. END.

Anyone who has knowledge of South Africa in the 70s/80s will notice that there are links with the Apartheid. Even some of the interviews in the films are real interviews from this time. It was a film that seemed to very cleverly comment on the Apartheid without actually mentioning it.

I thought the film was a wonderful breath of fresh air for the sci-fi genre and proved that a stunning film doesn’t require huge blockbuster actors. Film of the summer? Definitely. Film of the year? Most probably.

Oh yeah, there’s also really cute kiddie aliens. Definitely a merchandise prospect

Ok, second film was (500) Days Of Summer. I had read that this was a rom com, but not like most.

Now I must say I usually don’t show any emotion but this really brought something out. I think it’s the first (and most probably last) film that actually warmed the cold, frozen heart that beats inside my chest.

The film was about 500 days where a guy (of course) falls in love with a girl (what a surprise) who is new to the office (sounds familiar?) BUT it’s not a typical love story! The girl is what some blokes may call a “bitch”. She didn’t want a serious relationship and didn’t want to be anyone’s girlfriend. The story progresses with the guy thinking it was a true relationship and he had won her over, whereas she saw it as pretty much a laugh. The end though really wants you to punch her in the face because she completely contradicts herself and marries another guy! How can you say to one person you are not looking for anything serious then turn around and get bloody married!

The film is also not linear. The film jumps about all over the place during the 500 days. One minute they may be messing around in Ikea then the next the guy will be in a state of depression. Unless you paid attention you might have lost the plot! I’m not saying it was a bad thing for the film though as it actually worked quite well.

It is also a rom com for a good reason. There were some very funny scenes during the film and took the edge off all of the drama that the relationship bought with it. I think the funniest scene was where the guy was really happy (i mean REALLY happy, I thought his smile was going to meet his eyebrows!) and he starts walking through town saying hi to every one etc until it turns into a spontaneous dance routine

Conclusion

I thought both films were really well made and had great casts that weren’t full up with Hollywood actors. Everyone should see District 9, no excuses. I don’t think (500) Days Of Summer is for everyone but I wouldn’t tell you to turn down the chance to see it. You might be pleasantly surprised, I certainly was!