RE: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9
After considering that butchering of my favorite movie, I doubt that I'll be sleeping for some time to come... If all the world's a stage and all the people merely players, who in bloody hell hired the director? -- Charles L Grant http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQUxw9aUVik To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com From: keithbjohn...@comcast.net Date: Tue, 18 Aug 2009 04:10:58 + Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 Yeah it really, really irritates me. Again, they need to watch some classic old films and good action films that use camera. Can you imagine one of these video game/music video reared directors getting ahold of something like the scene in Lawrence of Arabia where it's one lng pan as he walks toward the camera? There'd be a hundred different cuts: Lawrence from behind, Lawrence from above, Lawrence from catacorner, Lawrence from the ground looking up at his face, Lawrence from a camera two inches from his left eye... - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, August 17, 2009 8:20:39 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 You have touched on one my pet peeves. Overuse of the handheld camera! EVERY action movie is using that technique now because they can, and it is annoying and hard to look at. I understand the need to draw the audience into the action, but when its shaky and panning to the point where everything is a blur it just isn't cool. --- In scifino...@yahoogro ups.com, Keith Johnson KeithBJohnson@ ... wrote: You like GI Joe better??? Wow. I liked Joe okay, but found it to be a frankly brain-on-hold film. Not a thing wrong with that: i enjoyed it, laughed a lot, and it had some good action. I just expected District 9 to be seen in a different light, since it's a serious movie, as opposed to Joe. By the way, my one major complaint with G.I. Joe? it's the same one I have with other movies Sommers has directed, like Van Helsing, the same complaint I have with a lot of directors nowadays: the camera work! What is it about directors now, especially younger ones, that makes them think the camera jumping all over the place is a good thing. I get trying to convey a sense of frenetic action. There are times when using a steadycam or whatever works: chase scenes, for example, when the camera's shaking and moving around, making the audience feel the intensity of being the pursued or the pursuer. Some moments of battle: right after an explosion, in the middle of a firefight when guys are so confused and terrified and angry they're all over the place. Used well, it enhances the action. The third Bourne movie did a good job of that. But with Joe, I literally couldn't follow the fights. The girlfight? Just a bunch of one-second cuts where I couldn't see who was kicking whom and couldnt even tell who had the better fighting style. Snake Eyes and his evil brother in the martial arts showdown? too-fast shots of weapons flying and kicks, with me completely unable to tell what was going on. I really, really, hate the direction directors in Hollywood are going. Again, I get action. But when I literally can't see a sword stroke, to savor the skill of the wielder, because the scene is shot from six inches away, and the camera only holds for two seconds, it becomes simply a overhyped mess that does nothing more than confuse, anger, and dizzy me. These directors need to study Hong Kong action films, martial arts films taking place in ancient China, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and any American action film shot before 1980, where directors and cinematographers understood the concept of the wide shot, the pan, and how to shoot and incredibly intense fight scene from a distance. - Original Message - From: Augustus Augustus jazzynupe_007@ ... To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Sent: Saturday, August 15, 2009 8:38:25 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 well Keith i saw it yesterday, and i am not going 2 say anything about it until a few more people see it. i had a few issues with it, but it was an o.k. sci-fi picture. ..liked g.i. joe better though (but that is just the Marine in me). Although they did show a very nice trailer for 'Percy Jackson and the Lighting Thief' movie due in february of next year. i originally bought the books 4 my son. he enjoyed them so much that he asked me 2 read them, and they are actually quite good. Fate. --- On Sat, 8/15/09, Keith Johnson KeithBJohnson@ ... wrote: From: Keith Johnson KeithBJohnson@ ... Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9
Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9
The Nigerians were a little over the top, but overall, I loved this. This movie had one of the best ENDINGS this year! I don't think it's the best movie this year, but for me, it's top 5, clearly. On Aug 16, 2009, at 6:43 PM, Augustus Augustus wrote: B, that was one of my points too. the depiction of the Nigerians. the Black guard continually saying yes Boss. that pissed me off. --- On Sat, 8/15/09, B. Smith daikaij...@yahoo.com wrote: From: B. Smith daikaij...@yahoo.com Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Date: Saturday, August 15, 2009, 10:54 PM I saw it and really liked it. I'll avoid too much discussion until others have seen it because discussing the story is hard without venturing into spoiler land. I've heard some complaints about the depiction of the Nigerians in the movie. Not saying it's right but it seems to be in a recurring theme in films from South Africa. There seems to be quite a bit of tension between South Africans and immigrants from West Africa. --- In scifino...@yahoogro ups.com, Keith Johnson KeithBJohnson@ ... wrote: You like GI Joe better??? Wow. I liked Joe okay, but found it to be a frankly brain-on-hold film. Not a thing wrong with that: i enjoyed it, laughed a lot, and it had some good action. I just expected District 9 to be seen in a different light, since it's a serious movie, as opposed to Joe. By the way, my one major complaint with G.I. Joe? it's the same one I have with other movies Sommers has directed, like Van Helsing, the same complaint I have with a lot of directors nowadays: the camera work! What is it about directors now, especially younger ones, that makes them think the camera jumping all over the place is a good thing. I get trying to convey a sense of frenetic action. There are times when using a steadycam or whatever works: chase scenes, for example, when the camera's shaking and moving around, making the audience feel the intensity of being the pursued or the pursuer. Some moments of battle: right after an explosion, in the middle of a firefight when guys are so confused and terrified and angry they're all over the place. Used well, it enhances the action. The third Bourne movie did a good job of that. But with Joe, I literally couldn't follow the fights. The girlfight? Just a bunch of one-second cuts where I couldn't see who was kicking whom and couldnt even tell who had the better fighting style. Snake Eyes and his evil brother in the martial arts showdown? too-fast shots of weapons flying and kicks, with me completely unable to tell what was going on. I really, really, hate the direction directors in Hollywood are going. Again, I get action. But when I literally can't see a sword stroke, to savor the skill of the wielder, because the scene is shot from six inches away, and the camera only holds for two seconds, it becomes simply a overhyped mess that does nothing more than confuse, anger, and dizzy me. These directors need to study Hong Kong action films, martial arts films taking place in ancient China, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and any American action film shot before 1980, where directors and cinematographers understood the concept of the wide shot, the pan, and how to shoot and incredibly intense fight scene from a distance. - Original Message - From: Augustus Augustus jazzynupe_007@ ... To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Sent: Saturday, August 15, 2009 8:38:25 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 well Keith i saw it yesterday, and i am not going 2 say anything about it until a few more people see it. i had a few issues with it, but it was an o.k. sci-fi picture. ..liked g.i. joe better though (but that is just the Marine in me). Although they did show a very nice trailer for 'Percy Jackson and the Lighting Thief' movie due in february of next year. i originally bought the books 4 my son. he enjoyed them so much that he asked me 2 read them, and they are actually quite good. Fate. --- On Sat, 8/15/09, Keith Johnson KeithBJohnson@ ... wrote: From: Keith Johnson KeithBJohnson@ ... Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Date: Saturday, August 15, 2009, 12:22 AM He's white, right? Not surprised though: I think even Peter Jackson and his friends are from New Zealand, South Africa, etc., and probably have a circle of friends and acquaintances that are mostly like them. I hope to see the movie tomorrow, but also want to see the new Miyazaki film! - Original Message - From: George Arterberry brotherfromhoward@ yahoo.com To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Sent: Friday, August 14, 2009 4:22:17 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9
Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9
You have touched on one my pet peeves. Overuse of the handheld camera! EVERY action movie is using that technique now because they can, and it is annoying and hard to look at. I understand the need to draw the audience into the action, but when its shaky and panning to the point where everything is a blur it just isn't cool. --- In scifino...@yahoogro ups.comhttp://mc/compose?to=scifinoir2%40yahoogroups.com, Keith Johnson KeithBJohnson@ ... wrote: You like GI Joe better??? Wow. I liked Joe okay, but found it to be a frankly brain-on-hold film. Not a thing wrong with that: i enjoyed it, laughed a lot, and it had some good action. I just expected District 9 to be seen in a different light, since it's a serious movie, as opposed to Joe. By the way, my one major complaint with G.I. Joe? it's the same one I have with other movies Sommers has directed, like Van Helsing, the same complaint I have with a lot of directors nowadays: the camera work! What is it about directors now, especially younger ones, that makes them think the camera jumping all over the place is a good thing. I get trying to convey a sense of frenetic action. There are times when using a steadycam or whatever works: chase scenes, for example, when the camera's shaking and moving around, making the audience feel the intensity of being the pursued or the pursuer. Some moments of battle: right after an explosion, in the middle of a firefight when guys are so confused and terrified and angry they're all over the place. Used well, it enhances the action. The third Bourne movie did a good job of that. But with Joe, I literally couldn't follow the fights. The girlfight? Just a bunch of one-second cuts where I couldn't see who was kicking whom and couldnt even tell who had the better fighting style. Snake Eyes and his evil brother in the martial arts showdown? too-fast shots of weapons flying and kicks, with me completely unable to tell what was going on. I really, really, hate the direction directors in Hollywood are going. Again, I get action. But when I literally can't see a sword stroke, to savor the skill of the wielder, because the scene is shot from six inches away, and the camera only holds for two seconds, it becomes simply a overhyped mess that does nothing more than confuse, anger, and dizzy me. These directors need to study Hong Kong action films, martial arts films taking place in ancient China, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and any American action film shot before 1980, where directors and cinematographers understood the concept of the wide shot, the pan, and how to shoot and incredibly intense fight scene from a distance. - Original Message - From: Augustus Augustus jazzynupe_007@ ... To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.comhttp://mc/compose?to=scifinoir2%40yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, August 15, 2009 8:38:25 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 well Keith i saw it yesterday, and i am not going 2 say anything about it until a few more people see it. i had a few issues with it, but it was an o.k. sci-fi picture. ..liked g.i. joe better though (but that is just the Marine in me). Although they did show a very nice trailer for 'Percy Jackson and the Lighting Thief' movie due in february of next year. i originally bought the books 4 my son. he enjoyed them so much that he asked me 2 read them, and they are actually quite good. Fate. --- On Sat, 8/15/09, Keith Johnson KeithBJohnson@ ... wrote: From: Keith Johnson KeithBJohnson@ ... Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.comhttp://mc/compose?to=scifinoir2%40yahoogroups.com Date: Saturday, August 15, 2009, 12:22 AM He's white, right? Not surprised though: I think even Peter Jackson and his friends are from New Zealand, South Africa, etc., and probably have a circle of friends and acquaintances that are mostly like them. I hope to see the movie tomorrow, but also want to see the new Miyazaki film! - Original Message - From: George Arterberry brotherfromhoward@ yahoo.com To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Sent: Friday, August 14, 2009 4:22:17 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 I've been following this for months.I'm just glad to see my favorite vacation spot (South Africa] in a so-called major Hollywood movie. Still even though filmed in south Africa the major hero/star of the movie is of what color??? --- On Thu, 8/13/09, C.W. Badie astromancer2002@ yahoo.com wrote: From: C.W. Badie astromancer2002@ yahoo.com Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Date: Thursday, August 13, 2009, 10:23 PM Oh well...That kills my speculations about District 9 going to be a tongue in cheek comedy
Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9
I saw it Saturday and really enjoyed it! However, I too will reserve my comments for a few more days. Angela --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, Augustus Augustus jazzynupe_...@... wrote: well Keith i saw it yesterday, and i am not going 2 say anything about it until a few more people see it. i had a few issues with it, but it was an o.k. sci-fi picture...liked g.i. joe better though (but that is just the Marine in me). Although they did show a very nice trailer for 'Percy Jackson and the Lighting Thief' movie due in february of next year. i originally bought the books 4 my son. he enjoyed them so much that he asked me 2 read them, and they are actually quite good. Fate. --- On Sat, 8/15/09, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@... wrote: From: Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@... Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Date: Saturday, August 15, 2009, 12:22 AM  He's white, right? Not surprised though: I think even Peter Jackson and his friends are from New Zealand, South Africa, etc., and probably have a circle of friends and acquaintances that are mostly like them. I hope to see the movie tomorrow, but also want to see the new Miyazaki film! - Original Message - From: George Arterberry brotherfromhoward@ yahoo.com To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Sent: Friday, August 14, 2009 4:22:17 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9  I've been following this for months.I'm just glad to see my favorite vacation spot (South Africa] in a so-called major Hollywood movie.Still even though filmed in south Africa the major hero/star of the movie is of what color??? --- On Thu, 8/13/09, C.W. Badie astromancer2002@ yahoo.com wrote: From: C.W. Badie astromancer2002@ yahoo.com Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Date: Thursday, August 13, 2009, 10:23 PM  Oh well...That kills my speculations about District 9 going to be a tongue in cheek comedy... --- On Tue, 8/11/09, Keith Johnson KeithBJohnson@ comcast.net wrote: From: Keith Johnson KeithBJohnson@ comcast.net Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Date: Tuesday, August 11, 2009, 11:04 PM  I knew about it, but never made the connection until I heard it on Slice of SciFi. - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter truthseeker013@ lycos.com To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Sent: Tuesday, August 11, 2009 8:00:28 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9  Thanks for that, Keith. I really didn't know about the Halo movie. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 Date : Tue, 11 Aug 2009 04:41:07 + (UTC) From : Keith Johnson KeithBJohnson@ comcast.net To : scifino...@yahoogro ups.com I heard on the podcast Slice of SciFi a fan call in and say how District 9 reminded him of ID4 and the videogame Halo. The hosts said, yeah it looks a lot like 'Halo', down to the aliens. They said that this is the case because, if you remember, Peter Jackson was initially engaged to do a movie version of Halo. Ultimately that project fell through, but the rumour is he was so far into planning for Halo, he decided to do a different concept, and gave the project over to another guy to direct as District 9. Not sure if this is true, but I do remember Jackson was working on a Halo movie. So i guess it's not a big stretch to think that the production setups he might have had in place for that were then moved to this flick. I need to do some research for the truth of this... - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Sent: Saturday, August 8, 2009 7:51:36 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 Keith, I'm hyped for it as well. I've been avoiding any websites that hawk it in anyway, primarily because of my aversion to critics. All but one person I've spoken to regarding it are keen to see it as well. (That one refers to it as an 'Alien Nation' ripoff.) -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : [scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 Date : Sat, 8 Aug 2009 06:55:00 + (UTC) From : Keith Johnson To : scifino...@yahoogro ups.com The District 9 flick has me really intrigued. with its locale of South Africa (so different from usual Hollywood story locatons), it's gritty look, and the fact that it's a Peter Jackson joint, i have high hopes. Indeed, I'm actually looking forward to it more than I have
Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9
High praise, I'll catch it next weekend. My wife didn't feel like seeing a lot of movies this weekend (I'd planned to catch three), so I decided to catch Panyo, which I feel will be in theatres a shorter time. - Original Message - From: Daryle Lockhart dar...@darylelockhart.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Sunday, August 16, 2009 7:31:39 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 The Nigerians were a little over the top, but overall, I loved this. This movie had one of the best ENDINGS this year! I don't think it's the best movie this year, but for me, it's top 5, clearly. On Aug 16, 2009, at 6:43 PM, Augustus Augustus wrote: B, that was one of my points too. the depiction of the Nigerians. the Black guard continually saying yes Boss. that pissed me off. --- On Sat, 8/15/09, B. Smith daikaij...@yahoo.com wrote: From: B. Smith daikaij...@yahoo.com Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Date: Saturday, August 15, 2009, 10:54 PM I saw it and really liked it. I'll avoid too much discussion until others have seen it because discussing the story is hard without venturing into spoiler land. I've heard some complaints about the depiction of the Nigerians in the movie. Not saying it's right but it seems to be in a recurring theme in films from South Africa. There seems to be quite a bit of tension between South Africans and immigrants from West Africa. --- In scifino...@yahoogro ups.com , Keith Johnson KeithBJohnson@ ... wrote: You like GI Joe better??? Wow. I liked Joe okay, but found it to be a frankly brain-on-hold film. Not a thing wrong with that: i enjoyed it, laughed a lot, and it had some good action. I just expected District 9 to be seen in a different light, since it's a serious movie, as opposed to Joe. By the way, my one major complaint with G.I. Joe? it's the same one I have with other movies Sommers has directed, like Van Helsing, the same complaint I have with a lot of directors nowadays: the camera work! What is it about directors now, especially younger ones, that makes them think the camera jumping all over the place is a good thing. I get trying to convey a sense of frenetic action. There are times when using a steadycam or whatever works: chase scenes, for example, when the camera's shaking and moving around, making the audience feel the intensity of being the pursued or the pursuer. Some moments of battle: right after an explosion, in the middle of a firefight when guys are so confused and terrified and angry they're all over the place. Used well, it enhances the action. The third Bourne movie did a good job of that. But with Joe, I literally couldn't follow the fights. The girlfight? Just a bunch of one-second cuts where I couldn't see who was kicking whom and couldnt even tell who had the better fighting style. Snake Eyes and his evil brother in the martial arts showdown? too-fast shots of weapons flying and kicks, with me completely unable to tell what was going on. I really, really, hate the direction directors in Hollywood are going. Again, I get action. But when I literally can't see a sword stroke, to savor the skill of the wielder, because the scene is shot from six inches away, and the camera only holds for two seconds, it becomes simply a overhyped mess that does nothing more than confuse, anger, and dizzy me. These directors need to study Hong Kong action films, martial arts films taking place in ancient China, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and any American action film shot before 1980, where directors and cinematographers understood the concept of the wide shot, the pan, and how to shoot and incredibly intense fight scene from a distance. - Original Message - From: Augustus Augustus jazzynupe_007@ ... To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Sent: Saturday, August 15, 2009 8:38:25 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 well Keith i saw it yesterday, and i am not going 2 say anything about it until a few more people see it. i had a few issues with it, but it was an o.k. sci-fi picture. ..liked g.i. joe better though (but that is just the Marine in me). Although they did show a very nice trailer for 'Percy Jackson and the Lighting Thief' movie due in february of next year. i originally bought the books 4 my son. he enjoyed them so much that he asked me 2 read them, and they are actually quite good. Fate. --- On Sat, 8/15/09, Keith Johnson KeithBJohnson@ ... wrote: From: Keith Johnson KeithBJohnson@ ... Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Date: Saturday, August 15, 2009, 12:22 AM He's white, right? Not surprised though: I think even Peter Jackson and his
Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9
Yeah it really, really irritates me. Again, they need to watch some classic old films and good action films that use camera. Can you imagine one of these video game/music video reared directors getting ahold of something like the scene in Lawrence of Arabia where it's one lng pan as he walks toward the camera? There'd be a hundred different cuts: Lawrence from behind, Lawrence from above, Lawrence from catacorner, Lawrence from the ground looking up at his face, Lawrence from a camera two inches from his left eye... - Original Message - From: Mr. Worf hellomahog...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, August 17, 2009 8:20:39 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 You have touched on one my pet peeves. Overuse of the handheld camera! EVERY action movie is using that technique now because they can, and it is annoying and hard to look at. I understand the need to draw the audience into the action, but when its shaky and panning to the point where everything is a blur it just isn't cool. --- In scifino...@yahoogro ups.com , Keith Johnson KeithBJohnson@ ... wrote: You like GI Joe better??? Wow. I liked Joe okay, but found it to be a frankly brain-on-hold film. Not a thing wrong with that: i enjoyed it, laughed a lot, and it had some good action. I just expected District 9 to be seen in a different light, since it's a serious movie, as opposed to Joe. By the way, my one major complaint with G.I. Joe? it's the same one I have with other movies Sommers has directed, like Van Helsing, the same complaint I have with a lot of directors nowadays: the camera work! What is it about directors now, especially younger ones, that makes them think the camera jumping all over the place is a good thing. I get trying to convey a sense of frenetic action. There are times when using a steadycam or whatever works: chase scenes, for example, when the camera's shaking and moving around, making the audience feel the intensity of being the pursued or the pursuer. Some moments of battle: right after an explosion, in the middle of a firefight when guys are so confused and terrified and angry they're all over the place. Used well, it enhances the action. The third Bourne movie did a good job of that. But with Joe, I literally couldn't follow the fights. The girlfight? Just a bunch of one-second cuts where I couldn't see who was kicking whom and couldnt even tell who had the better fighting style. Snake Eyes and his evil brother in the martial arts showdown? too-fast shots of weapons flying and kicks, with me completely unable to tell what was going on. I really, really, hate the direction directors in Hollywood are going. Again, I get action. But when I literally can't see a sword stroke, to savor the skill of the wielder, because the scene is shot from six inches away, and the camera only holds for two seconds, it becomes simply a overhyped mess that does nothing more than confuse, anger, and dizzy me. These directors need to study Hong Kong action films, martial arts films taking place in ancient China, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and any American action film shot before 1980, where directors and cinematographers understood the concept of the wide shot, the pan, and how to shoot and incredibly intense fight scene from a distance. - Original Message - From: Augustus Augustus jazzynupe_007@ ... To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Sent: Saturday, August 15, 2009 8:38:25 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 well Keith i saw it yesterday, and i am not going 2 say anything about it until a few more people see it. i had a few issues with it, but it was an o.k. sci-fi picture. ..liked g.i. joe better though (but that is just the Marine in me). Although they did show a very nice trailer for 'Percy Jackson and the Lighting Thief' movie due in february of next year. i originally bought the books 4 my son. he enjoyed them so much that he asked me 2 read them, and they are actually quite good. Fate. --- On Sat, 8/15/09, Keith Johnson KeithBJohnson@ ... wrote: From: Keith Johnson KeithBJohnson@ ... Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Date: Saturday, August 15, 2009, 12:22 AM He's white, right? Not surprised though: I think even Peter Jackson and his friends are from New Zealand, South Africa, etc., and probably have a circle of friends and acquaintances that are mostly like them. I hope to see the movie tomorrow, but also want to see the new Miyazaki film! - Original Message - From: George Arterberry brotherfromhoward@ yahoo.com To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Sent: Friday, August 14, 2009 4:22:17 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern
Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9
No, I think this is really serious... - Original Message - From: C.W. Badie astromancer2...@yahoo.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, August 15, 2009 11:12:17 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 Aw...If you remember, the first Mummy trailers came off as serious. It was a really pleasant surprise when it was releasedI'll never forget the line, But is it supposed to be so...juicy? From: Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, August 13, 2009 10:32:15 PM Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 Oh definitely not! Check those trailers to see it's pretty darn serious... - Original Message - From: C.W. Badie astromancer2002@ yahoo.com To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Sent: Thursday, August 13, 2009 10:23:07 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 Oh well...That kills my speculations about District 9 going to be a tongue in cheek comedy... --- On Tue, 8/11/09, Keith Johnson KeithBJohnson@ comcast.net wrote: From: Keith Johnson KeithBJohnson@ comcast.net Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Date: Tuesday, August 11, 2009, 11:04 PM I knew about it, but never made the connection until I heard it on Slice of SciFi. - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter truthseeker013@ lycos.com To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Sent: Tuesday, August 11, 2009 8:00:28 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 Thanks for that, Keith. I really didn't know about the Halo movie. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 Date : Tue, 11 Aug 2009 04:41:07 + (UTC) From : Keith Johnson KeithBJohnson@ comcast.net To : scifino...@yahoogro ups.com I heard on the podcast Slice of SciFi a fan call in and say how District 9 reminded him of ID4 and the videogame Halo. The hosts said, yeah it looks a lot like 'Halo', down to the aliens. They said that this is the case because, if you remember, Peter Jackson was initially engaged to do a movie version of Halo. Ultimately that project fell through, but the rumour is he was so far into planning for Halo, he decided to do a different concept, and gave the project over to another guy to direct as District 9. Not sure if this is true, but I do remember Jackson was working on a Halo movie. So i guess it's not a big stretch to think that the production setups he might have had in place for that were then moved to this flick. I need to do some research for the truth of this... - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Sent: Saturday, August 8, 2009 7:51:36 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 Keith, I'm hyped for it as well. I've been avoiding any websites that hawk it in anyway, primarily because of my aversion to critics. All but one person I've spoken to regarding it are keen to see it as well. (That one refers to it as an 'Alien Nation' ripoff.) -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : [scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 Date : Sat, 8 Aug 2009 06:55:00 + (UTC) From : Keith Johnson To : scifino...@yahoogro ups.com The District 9 flick has me really intrigued. with its locale of South Africa (so different from usual Hollywood story locatons), it's gritty look, and the fact that it's a Peter Jackson joint, i have high hopes. Indeed, I'm actually looking forward to it more than I have any other movie so far this year, including Star Trek. Anyone heard any early buzz? I did find favorable reviews via jumping from Rotten Tomatoes (something I loathe to do, but as local newspapers fire more critics, I'm having to venture further afield to even find real critics). http://www.rottento matoes.com/ m/district_ 9/ * * * * * * * http://boxoffice. com/reviews/ 2009/07/district -9.php District 9 is about the apartheid struggle in South Africa. For those under the age of 35 or so, apartheid was the system of racial segregation legally established by the government of South Africa between 1948 and 1994. No matter what else it seems to be about, District 9 , a film made a young, white, South African director, is about apartheid. Co-writer/director Neill Blomkamp spent his formative years living under the system of apartheid and has conscientiously insinuated the issue into his film. The attitudes, ideals and actions of the characters, from everyday citizens to government officials and those in business, reflect those that were common during the apartheid regime. The filmmakers, including
Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9
thanks for clearing that up. Do you think any of the look of the aliens and stuff, though, are Halo influenced? again, the thought was it was pulled over from early production work Jackson had already done on Halo... - Original Message - From: thebayindo s...@bayindogroup.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Sunday, August 16, 2009 1:07:42 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 The rumor is false regarding the failed HALO being slid over as District 9. D9 is based on an original piece of work; Niel K's 'Alive in Jo-Borg which I watched when it was first released back in the day. He was kept in New Zealand developing the short into a feature length, did a faux graphic novel which brought interest to it, lead to Peter being interested in doing the deal (after he viewed the short) and outside financing was brought in on the pre-salesIt has no genetic relation to HALO --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com , Martin Baxter truthseeker...@... wrote: Thanks for that, Keith. I really didn't know about the Halo movie. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 Date : Tue, 11 Aug 2009 04:41:07 + (UTC) From : Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@... To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com I heard on the podcast Slice of SciFi a fan call in and say how District 9 reminded him of ID4 and the videogame Halo. The hosts said, yeah it looks a lot like 'Halo', down to the aliens. They said that this is the case because, if you remember, Peter Jackson was initially engaged to do a movie version of Halo. Ultimately that project fell through, but the rumour is he was so far into planning for Halo, he decided to do a different concept, and gave the project over to another guy to direct as District 9. Not sure if this is true, but I do remember Jackson was working on a Halo movie. So i guess it's not a big stretch to think that the production setups he might have had in place for that were then moved to this flick. I need to do some research for the truth of this... - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, August 8, 2009 7:51:36 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 Keith, I'm hyped for it as well. I've been avoiding any websites that hawk it in anyway, primarily because of my aversion to critics. All but one person I've spoken to regarding it are keen to see it as well. (That one refers to it as an 'Alien Nation' ripoff.) -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : [scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 Date : Sat, 8 Aug 2009 06:55:00 + (UTC) From : Keith Johnson To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com The District 9 flick has me really intrigued. with its locale of South Africa (so different from usual Hollywood story locatons), it's gritty look, and the fact that it's a Peter Jackson joint, i have high hopes. Indeed, I'm actually looking forward to it more than I have any other movie so far this year, including Star Trek. Anyone heard any early buzz? I did find favorable reviews via jumping from Rotten Tomatoes (something I loathe to do, but as local newspapers fire more critics, I'm having to venture further afield to even find real critics). http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/district_9/ *** http://boxoffice.com/reviews/2009/07/district-9.php District 9 is about the apartheid struggle in South Africa. For those under the age of 35 or so, apartheid was the system of racial segregation legally established by the government of South Africa between 1948 and 1994. No matter what else it seems to be about, District 9 , a film made a young, white, South African director, is about apartheid. Co-writer/director Neill Blomkamp spent his formative years living under the system of apartheid and has conscientiously insinuated the issue into his film. The attitudes, ideals and actions of the characters, from everyday citizens to government officials and those in business, reflect those that were common during the apartheid regime. The filmmakers, including producer Peter Jackson, have stealthily laid the artifacts of these dark days beneath the guise of an Alien invasion movie that is intense, graphically novelistic (though it’s an original story) and just funny enough to keep you thoroughly entertained, even while the s! ub! text is of a very serious nature. Buzz and an also clever marketing scheme suggest this should be worth a few bucks at the box officeâ€especially if the audience is mostly under 35. The film is told using a number of cinematic modes including documentary footage, mockumentary footage, newsreel accounts, surveillance
Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9
That's a pity... From: Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Sunday, August 16, 2009 2:48:11 AM Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 No, I think this is really serious... - Original Message - From: C.W. Badie astromancer2002@ yahoo.com To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Sent: Saturday, August 15, 2009 11:12:17 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 Aw...If you remember, the first Mummy trailers came off as serious. It was a really pleasant surprise when it was released I'll never forget the line, But is it supposed to be so...juicy? From: Keith Johnson KeithBJohnson@ comcast.net To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Sent: Thursday, August 13, 2009 10:32:15 PM Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 Oh definitely not! Check those trailers to see it's pretty darn serious... - Original Message - From: C.W. Badie astromancer2002@ yahoo.com To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Sent: Thursday, August 13, 2009 10:23:07 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 Oh well...That kills my speculations about District 9 going to be a tongue in cheek comedy... --- On Tue, 8/11/09, Keith Johnson KeithBJohnson@ comcast.net wrote: From: Keith Johnson KeithBJohnson@ comcast.net Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Date: Tuesday, August 11, 2009, 11:04 PM I knew about it, but never made the connection until I heard it on Slice of SciFi. - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter truthseeker013@ lycos.com To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Sent: Tuesday, August 11, 2009 8:00:28 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 Thanks for that, Keith. I really didn't know about the Halo movie. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 Date : Tue, 11 Aug 2009 04:41:07 + (UTC) From : Keith Johnson KeithBJohnson@ comcast.net To : scifino...@yahoogro ups.com I heard on the podcast Slice of SciFi a fan call in and say how District 9 reminded him of ID4 and the videogame Halo. The hosts said, yeah it looks a lot like 'Halo', down to the aliens. They said that this is the case because, if you remember, Peter Jackson was initially engaged to do a movie version of Halo. Ultimately that project fell through, but the rumour is he was so far into planning for Halo, he decided to do a different concept, and gave the project over to another guy to direct as District 9. Not sure if this is true, but I do remember Jackson was working on a Halo movie. So i guess it's not a big stretch to think that the production setups he might have had in place for that were then moved to this flick. I need to do some research for the truth of this... - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Sent: Saturday, August 8, 2009 7:51:36 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 Keith, I'm hyped for it as well. I've been avoiding any websites that hawk it in anyway, primarily because of my aversion to critics. All but one person I've spoken to regarding it are keen to see it as well. (That one refers to it as an 'Alien Nation' ripoff.) -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : [scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 Date : Sat, 8 Aug 2009 06:55:00 + (UTC) From : Keith Johnson To : scifino...@yahoogro ups.com The District 9 flick has me really intrigued. with its locale of South Africa (so different from usual Hollywood story locatons), it's gritty look, and the fact that it's a Peter Jackson joint, i have high hopes. Indeed, I'm actually looking forward to it more than I have any other movie so far this year, including Star Trek. Anyone heard any early buzz? I did find favorable reviews via jumping from Rotten Tomatoes (something I loathe to do, but as local newspapers fire more critics, I'm having to venture further afield to even find real critics). http://www.rottento matoes.com/ m/district_ 9/ * * * * * * * http://boxoffice. com/reviews/ 2009/07/district -9.php District 9 is about the apartheid struggle in South Africa. For those under the age of 35 or so, apartheid was the system of racial segregation legally established by the government of South Africa between 1948 and 1994. No matter what else it seems to be about, District 9 , a film made a young, white, South African director, is about apartheid. Co-writer/director Neill Blomkamp spent his formative years living under the system of apartheid and has conscientiously insinuated the issue into his film
Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9
I think if the movie is a big success the Halo project may again se the light of day. --- On Sun, 8/16/09, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net wrote: From: Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Date: Sunday, August 16, 2009, 3:52 AM thanks for clearing that up. Do you think any of the look of the aliens and stuff, though, are Halo influenced? again, the thought was it was pulled over from early production work Jackson had already done on Halo... - Original Message - From: thebayindo s...@bayindogroup. com To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Sent: Sunday, August 16, 2009 1:07:42 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 The rumor is false regarding the failed HALO being slid over as District 9. D9 is based on an original piece of work; Niel K's 'Alive in Jo-Borg which I watched when it was first released back in the day. He was kept in New Zealand developing the short into a feature length, did a faux graphic novel which brought interest to it, lead to Peter being interested in doing the deal (after he viewed the short) and outside financing was brought in on the pre-sales... .It has no genetic relation to HALO --- In scifino...@yahoogro ups.com, Martin Baxter truthseeker013@ ... wrote: Thanks for that, Keith. I really didn't know about the Halo movie. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 Date : Tue, 11 Aug 2009 04:41:07 + (UTC) From : Keith Johnson KeithBJohnson@ ... To : scifino...@yahoogro ups.com I heard on the podcast Slice of SciFi a fan call in and say how District 9 reminded him of ID4 and the videogame Halo. The hosts said, yeah it looks a lot like 'Halo', down to the aliens. They said that this is the case because, if you remember, Peter Jackson was initially engaged to do a movie version of Halo. Ultimately that project fell through, but the rumour is he was so far into planning for Halo, he decided to do a different concept, and gave the project over to another guy to direct as District 9. Not sure if this is true, but I do remember Jackson was working on a Halo movie. So i guess it's not a big stretch to think that the production setups he might have had in place for that were then moved to this flick. I need to do some research for the truth of this... - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Sent: Saturday, August 8, 2009 7:51:36 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 Keith, I'm hyped for it as well. I've been avoiding any websites that hawk it in anyway, primarily because of my aversion to critics. All but one person I've spoken to regarding it are keen to see it as well. (That one refers to it as an 'Alien Nation' ripoff.) -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : [scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 Date : Sat, 8 Aug 2009 06:55:00 + (UTC) From : Keith Johnson To : scifino...@yahoogro ups.com The District 9 flick has me really intrigued. with its locale of South Africa (so different from usual Hollywood story locatons), it's gritty look, and the fact that it's a Peter Jackson joint, i have high hopes. Indeed, I'm actually looking forward to it more than I have any other movie so far this year, including Star Trek. Anyone heard any early buzz? I did find favorable reviews via jumping from Rotten Tomatoes (something I loathe to do, but as local newspapers fire more critics, I'm having to venture further afield to even find real critics). http://www.rottento matoes.com/ m/district_ 9/ * * * * * * * http://boxoffice. com/reviews/ 2009/07/district -9.php District 9 is about the apartheid struggle in South Africa. For those under the age of 35 or so, apartheid was the system of racial segregation legally established by the government of South Africa between 1948 and 1994. No matter what else it seems to be about, District 9 , a film made a young, white, South African director, is about apartheid. Co-writer/director Neill Blomkamp spent his formative years living under the system of apartheid and has conscientiously insinuated the issue into his film. The attitudes, ideals and actions of the characters, from everyday citizens to government officials and those in business, reflect those that were common during the apartheid regime. The filmmakers, including producer Peter Jackson, have stealthily laid the artifacts of these dark days beneath the guise of an Alien invasion movie
Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9
Apparently Halo will go back into production but without Peter Jackson's involvement. --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, Martin Baxter truthseeker...@... wrote: You know there's a Halo anime coming out, don't you? http://buttonmasher.co.nz/blog/2009/07/27/halo-animated-series-announced/ -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 Date : Sun, 16 Aug 2009 05:05:30 -0700 (PDT) From : George Arterberry brotherfromhow...@... To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com I think if the movie is a big success the Halo project may again se the light of day. --- On Sun, 8/16/09, Keith Johnson wrote: From: Keith Johnson Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Date: Sunday, August 16, 2009, 3:52 AM thanks for clearing that up. Do you think any of the look of the aliens and stuff, though, are Halo influenced? again, the thought was it was pulled over from early production work Jackson had already done on Halo... - Original Message - From: thebayindo To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Sent: Sunday, August 16, 2009 1:07:42 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 The rumor is false regarding the failed HALO being slid over as District 9. D9 is based on an original piece of work; Niel K's 'Alive in Jo-Borg which I watched when it was first released back in the day. He was kept in New Zealand developing the short into a feature length, did a faux graphic novel which brought interest to it, lead to Peter being interested in doing the deal (after he viewed the short) and outside financing was brought in on the pre-sales... .It has no genetic relation to HALO --- In scifino...@yahoogro ups.com, Martin Baxter wrote: Thanks for that, Keith. I really didn't know about the Halo movie. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 Date : Tue, 11 Aug 2009 04:41:07 + (UTC) From : Keith Johnson To : scifino...@yahoogro ups.com I heard on the podcast Slice of SciFi a fan call in and say how District 9 reminded him of ID4 and the videogame Halo. The hosts said, yeah it looks a lot like 'Halo', down to the aliens. They said that this is the case because, if you remember, Peter Jackson was initially engaged to do a movie version of Halo. Ultimately that project fell through, but the rumour is he was so far into planning for Halo, he decided to do a different concept, and gave the project over to another guy to direct as District 9. Not sure if this is true, but I do remember Jackson was working on a Halo movie. So i guess it's not a big stretch to think that the production setups he might have had in place for that were then moved to this flick. I need to do some research for the truth of this... - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Sent: Saturday, August 8, 2009 7:51:36 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 Keith, I'm hyped for it as well. I've been avoiding any websites that hawk it in anyway, primarily because of my aversion to critics. All but one person I've spoken to regarding it are keen to see it as well. (That one refers to it as an 'Alien Nation' ripoff.) -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : [scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 Date : Sat, 8 Aug 2009 06:55:00 + (UTC) From : Keith Johnson To : scifino...@yahoogro ups.com The District 9 flick has me really intrigued. with its locale of South Africa (so different from usual Hollywood story locatons), it's gritty look, and the fact that it's a Peter Jackson joint, i have high hopes. Indeed, I'm actually looking forward to it more than I have any other movie so far this year, including Star Trek. Anyone heard any early buzz? I did find favorable reviews via jumping from Rotten Tomatoes (something I loathe to do, but as local newspapers fire more critics, I'm having to venture further afield to even find real critics). http://www.rottento matoes.com/ m/district_ 9/ * * * * * * * http://boxoffice. com/reviews/ 2009/07/district -9.php District 9 is about the apartheid struggle in South Africa. For those under the age of 35 or so, apartheid was the system of racial segregation legally established by the government of South Africa between 1948 and 1994. No matter what else it seems to be about
Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9
B, that was one of my points too. the depiction of the Nigerians. the Black guard continually saying yes Boss. that pissed me off. --- On Sat, 8/15/09, B. Smith daikaij...@yahoo.com wrote: From: B. Smith daikaij...@yahoo.com Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Date: Saturday, August 15, 2009, 10:54 PM I saw it and really liked it. I'll avoid too much discussion until others have seen it because discussing the story is hard without venturing into spoiler land. I've heard some complaints about the depiction of the Nigerians in the movie. Not saying it's right but it seems to be in a recurring theme in films from South Africa. There seems to be quite a bit of tension between South Africans and immigrants from West Africa. --- In scifino...@yahoogro ups.com, Keith Johnson KeithBJohnson@ ... wrote: You like GI Joe better??? Wow. I liked Joe okay, but found it to be a frankly brain-on-hold film. Not a thing wrong with that: i enjoyed it, laughed a lot, and it had some good action. I just expected District 9 to be seen in a different light, since it's a serious movie, as opposed to Joe. By the way, my one major complaint with G.I. Joe? it's the same one I have with other movies Sommers has directed, like Van Helsing, the same complaint I have with a lot of directors nowadays: the camera work! What is it about directors now, especially younger ones, that makes them think the camera jumping all over the place is a good thing. I get trying to convey a sense of frenetic action. There are times when using a steadycam or whatever works: chase scenes, for example, when the camera's shaking and moving around, making the audience feel the intensity of being the pursued or the pursuer. Some moments of battle: right after an explosion, in the middle of a firefight when guys are so confused and terrified and angry they're all over the place. Used well, it enhances the action. The third Bourne movie did a good job of that. But with Joe, I literally couldn't follow the fights. The girlfight? Just a bunch of one-second cuts where I couldn't see who was kicking whom and couldnt even tell who had the better fighting style. Snake Eyes and his evil brother in the martial arts showdown? too-fast shots of weapons flying and kicks, with me completely unable to tell what was going on. I really, really, hate the direction directors in Hollywood are going. Again, I get action. But when I literally can't see a sword stroke, to savor the skill of the wielder, because the scene is shot from six inches away, and the camera only holds for two seconds, it becomes simply a overhyped mess that does nothing more than confuse, anger, and dizzy me. These directors need to study Hong Kong action films, martial arts films taking place in ancient China, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and any American action film shot before 1980, where directors and cinematographers understood the concept of the wide shot, the pan, and how to shoot and incredibly intense fight scene from a distance. - Original Message - From: Augustus Augustus jazzynupe_007@ ... To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Sent: Saturday, August 15, 2009 8:38:25 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 well Keith i saw it yesterday, and i am not going 2 say anything about it until a few more people see it. i had a few issues with it, but it was an o.k. sci-fi picture. ..liked g.i. joe better though (but that is just the Marine in me). Although they did show a very nice trailer for 'Percy Jackson and the Lighting Thief' movie due in february of next year. i originally bought the books 4 my son. he enjoyed them so much that he asked me 2 read them, and they are actually quite good. Fate. --- On Sat, 8/15/09, Keith Johnson KeithBJohnson@ ... wrote: From: Keith Johnson KeithBJohnson@ ... Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Date: Saturday, August 15, 2009, 12:22 AM He's white, right? Not surprised though: I think even Peter Jackson and his friends are from New Zealand, South Africa, etc., and probably have a circle of friends and acquaintances that are mostly like them. I hope to see the movie tomorrow, but also want to see the new Miyazaki film! - Original Message - From: George Arterberry brotherfromhoward@ yahoo.com To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Sent: Friday, August 14, 2009 4:22:17 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 I've been following this for months.I'm just glad to see my favorite vacation spot (South Africa] in a so-called major Hollywood movie. Still even though filmed
Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9
well Keith i saw it yesterday, and i am not going 2 say anything about it until a few more people see it. i had a few issues with it, but it was an o.k. sci-fi picture...liked g.i. joe better though (but that is just the Marine in me). Although they did show a very nice trailer for 'Percy Jackson and the Lighting Thief' movie due in february of next year. i originally bought the books 4 my son. he enjoyed them so much that he asked me 2 read them, and they are actually quite good. Fate. --- On Sat, 8/15/09, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net wrote: From: Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Date: Saturday, August 15, 2009, 12:22 AM He's white, right? Not surprised though: I think even Peter Jackson and his friends are from New Zealand, South Africa, etc., and probably have a circle of friends and acquaintances that are mostly like them. I hope to see the movie tomorrow, but also want to see the new Miyazaki film! - Original Message - From: George Arterberry brotherfromhoward@ yahoo.com To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Sent: Friday, August 14, 2009 4:22:17 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 I've been following this for months.I'm just glad to see my favorite vacation spot (South Africa] in a so-called major Hollywood movie.Still even though filmed in south Africa the major hero/star of the movie is of what color??? --- On Thu, 8/13/09, C.W. Badie astromancer2002@ yahoo.com wrote: From: C.W. Badie astromancer2002@ yahoo.com Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Date: Thursday, August 13, 2009, 10:23 PM Oh well...That kills my speculations about District 9 going to be a tongue in cheek comedy... --- On Tue, 8/11/09, Keith Johnson KeithBJohnson@ comcast.net wrote: From: Keith Johnson KeithBJohnson@ comcast.net Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Date: Tuesday, August 11, 2009, 11:04 PM I knew about it, but never made the connection until I heard it on Slice of SciFi. - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter truthseeker013@ lycos.com To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Sent: Tuesday, August 11, 2009 8:00:28 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 Thanks for that, Keith. I really didn't know about the Halo movie. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 Date : Tue, 11 Aug 2009 04:41:07 + (UTC) From : Keith Johnson KeithBJohnson@ comcast.net To : scifino...@yahoogro ups.com I heard on the podcast Slice of SciFi a fan call in and say how District 9 reminded him of ID4 and the videogame Halo. The hosts said, yeah it looks a lot like 'Halo', down to the aliens. They said that this is the case because, if you remember, Peter Jackson was initially engaged to do a movie version of Halo. Ultimately that project fell through, but the rumour is he was so far into planning for Halo, he decided to do a different concept, and gave the project over to another guy to direct as District 9. Not sure if this is true, but I do remember Jackson was working on a Halo movie. So i guess it's not a big stretch to think that the production setups he might have had in place for that were then moved to this flick. I need to do some research for the truth of this... - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Sent: Saturday, August 8, 2009 7:51:36 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 Keith, I'm hyped for it as well. I've been avoiding any websites that hawk it in anyway, primarily because of my aversion to critics. All but one person I've spoken to regarding it are keen to see it as well. (That one refers to it as an 'Alien Nation' ripoff.) -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : [scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 Date : Sat, 8 Aug 2009 06:55:00 + (UTC) From : Keith Johnson To : scifino...@yahoogro ups.com The District 9 flick has me really intrigued. with its locale of South Africa (so different from usual Hollywood story locatons), it's gritty look, and the fact that it's a Peter Jackson joint, i have high hopes. Indeed, I'm actually looking forward to it more than I have any other movie so far this year, including Star Trek. Anyone heard any early buzz? I did find favorable reviews via jumping from Rotten Tomatoes (something I loathe to do, but as local newspapers fire more critics, I'm having to venture further afield to even find real critics). http://www.rottento matoes.com/ m/district_ 9
Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9
You like GI Joe better??? Wow. I liked Joe okay, but found it to be a frankly brain-on-hold film. Not a thing wrong with that: i enjoyed it, laughed a lot, and it had some good action. I just expected District 9 to be seen in a different light, since it's a serious movie, as opposed to Joe. By the way, my one major complaint with G.I. Joe? it's the same one I have with other movies Sommers has directed, like Van Helsing, the same complaint I have with a lot of directors nowadays: the camera work! What is it about directors now, especially younger ones, that makes them think the camera jumping all over the place is a good thing. I get trying to convey a sense of frenetic action. There are times when using a steadycam or whatever works: chase scenes, for example, when the camera's shaking and moving around, making the audience feel the intensity of being the pursued or the pursuer. Some moments of battle: right after an explosion, in the middle of a firefight when guys are so confused and terrified and angry they're all over the place. Used well, it enhances the action. The third Bourne movie did a good job of that. But with Joe, I literally couldn't follow the fights. The girlfight? Just a bunch of one-second cuts where I couldn't see who was kicking whom and couldnt even tell who had the better fighting style. Snake Eyes and his evil brother in the martial arts showdown? too-fast shots of weapons flying and kicks, with me completely unable to tell what was going on. I really, really, hate the direction directors in Hollywood are going. Again, I get action. But when I literally can't see a sword stroke, to savor the skill of the wielder, because the scene is shot from six inches away, and the camera only holds for two seconds, it becomes simply a overhyped mess that does nothing more than confuse, anger, and dizzy me. These directors need to study Hong Kong action films, martial arts films taking place in ancient China, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and any American action film shot before 1980, where directors and cinematographers understood the concept of the wide shot, the pan, and how to shoot and incredibly intense fight scene from a distance. - Original Message - From: Augustus Augustus jazzynupe_...@yahoo.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, August 15, 2009 8:38:25 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 well Keith i saw it yesterday, and i am not going 2 say anything about it until a few more people see it. i had a few issues with it, but it was an o.k. sci-fi picture...liked g.i. joe better though (but that is just the Marine in me). Although they did show a very nice trailer for 'Percy Jackson and the Lighting Thief' movie due in february of next year. i originally bought the books 4 my son. he enjoyed them so much that he asked me 2 read them, and they are actually quite good. Fate. --- On Sat, 8/15/09, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net wrote: From: Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Date: Saturday, August 15, 2009, 12:22 AM He's white, right? Not surprised though: I think even Peter Jackson and his friends are from New Zealand, South Africa, etc., and probably have a circle of friends and acquaintances that are mostly like them. I hope to see the movie tomorrow, but also want to see the new Miyazaki film! - Original Message - From: George Arterberry brotherfromhoward@ yahoo.com To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Sent: Friday, August 14, 2009 4:22:17 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 I've been following this for months.I'm just glad to see my favorite vacation spot (South Africa] in a so-called major Hollywood movie. Still even though filmed in south Africa the major hero/star of the movie is of what color??? --- On Thu, 8/13/09, C.W. Badie astromancer2002@ yahoo.com wrote: From: C.W. Badie astromancer2002@ yahoo.com Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Date: Thursday, August 13, 2009, 10:23 PM Oh well...That kills my speculations about District 9 going to be a tongue in cheek comedy... --- On Tue, 8/11/09, Keith Johnson KeithBJohnson@ comcast.net wrote: From: Keith Johnson KeithBJohnson@ comcast.net Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Date: Tuesday, August 11, 2009, 11:04 PM I knew about it, but never made the connection until I heard it on Slice of SciFi. - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter truthseeker013@ lycos.com To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Sent: Tuesday, August 11, 2009 8:00:28 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 Thanks
Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9
I saw it and really liked it. I'll avoid too much discussion until others have seen it because discussing the story is hard without venturing into spoiler land. I've heard some complaints about the depiction of the Nigerians in the movie. Not saying it's right but it seems to be in a recurring theme in films from South Africa. There seems to be quite a bit of tension between South Africans and immigrants from West Africa. --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@... wrote: You like GI Joe better??? Wow. I liked Joe okay, but found it to be a frankly brain-on-hold film. Not a thing wrong with that: i enjoyed it, laughed a lot, and it had some good action. I just expected District 9 to be seen in a different light, since it's a serious movie, as opposed to Joe. By the way, my one major complaint with G.I. Joe? it's the same one I have with other movies Sommers has directed, like Van Helsing, the same complaint I have with a lot of directors nowadays: the camera work! What is it about directors now, especially younger ones, that makes them think the camera jumping all over the place is a good thing. I get trying to convey a sense of frenetic action. There are times when using a steadycam or whatever works: chase scenes, for example, when the camera's shaking and moving around, making the audience feel the intensity of being the pursued or the pursuer. Some moments of battle: right after an explosion, in the middle of a firefight when guys are so confused and terrified and angry they're all over the place. Used well, it enhances the action. The third Bourne movie did a good job of that. But with Joe, I literally couldn't follow the fights. The girlfight? Just a bunch of one-second cuts where I couldn't see who was kicking whom and couldnt even tell who had the better fighting style. Snake Eyes and his evil brother in the martial arts showdown? too-fast shots of weapons flying and kicks, with me completely unable to tell what was going on. I really, really, hate the direction directors in Hollywood are going. Again, I get action. But when I literally can't see a sword stroke, to savor the skill of the wielder, because the scene is shot from six inches away, and the camera only holds for two seconds, it becomes simply a overhyped mess that does nothing more than confuse, anger, and dizzy me. These directors need to study Hong Kong action films, martial arts films taking place in ancient China, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and any American action film shot before 1980, where directors and cinematographers understood the concept of the wide shot, the pan, and how to shoot and incredibly intense fight scene from a distance. - Original Message - From: Augustus Augustus jazzynupe_...@... To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, August 15, 2009 8:38:25 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 well Keith i saw it yesterday, and i am not going 2 say anything about it until a few more people see it. i had a few issues with it, but it was an o.k. sci-fi picture...liked g.i. joe better though (but that is just the Marine in me). Although they did show a very nice trailer for 'Percy Jackson and the Lighting Thief' movie due in february of next year. i originally bought the books 4 my son. he enjoyed them so much that he asked me 2 read them, and they are actually quite good. Fate. --- On Sat, 8/15/09, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@... wrote: From: Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@... Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Date: Saturday, August 15, 2009, 12:22 AM He's white, right? Not surprised though: I think even Peter Jackson and his friends are from New Zealand, South Africa, etc., and probably have a circle of friends and acquaintances that are mostly like them. I hope to see the movie tomorrow, but also want to see the new Miyazaki film! - Original Message - From: George Arterberry brotherfromhoward@ yahoo.com To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Sent: Friday, August 14, 2009 4:22:17 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 I've been following this for months.I'm just glad to see my favorite vacation spot (South Africa] in a so-called major Hollywood movie. Still even though filmed in south Africa the major hero/star of the movie is of what color??? --- On Thu, 8/13/09, C.W. Badie astromancer2002@ yahoo.com wrote: From: C.W. Badie astromancer2002@ yahoo.com Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Date: Thursday, August 13, 2009, 10:23 PM Oh well...That kills my speculations about District 9 going to be a tongue in cheek comedy... --- On Tue, 8/11
Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9
Aw...If you remember, the first Mummy trailers came off as serious. It was a really pleasant surprise when it was releasedI'll never forget the line, But is it supposed to be so...juicy? From: Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, August 13, 2009 10:32:15 PM Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 Oh definitely not! Check those trailers to see it's pretty darn serious... - Original Message - From: C.W. Badie astromancer2002@ yahoo.com To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Sent: Thursday, August 13, 2009 10:23:07 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 Oh well...That kills my speculations about District 9 going to be a tongue in cheek comedy... --- On Tue, 8/11/09, Keith Johnson KeithBJohnson@ comcast.net wrote: From: Keith Johnson KeithBJohnson@ comcast.net Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Date: Tuesday, August 11, 2009, 11:04 PM I knew about it, but never made the connection until I heard it on Slice of SciFi. - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter truthseeker013@ lycos.com To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Sent: Tuesday, August 11, 2009 8:00:28 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 Thanks for that, Keith. I really didn't know about the Halo movie. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 Date : Tue, 11 Aug 2009 04:41:07 + (UTC) From : Keith Johnson KeithBJohnson@ comcast.net To : scifino...@yahoogro ups.com I heard on the podcast Slice of SciFi a fan call in and say how District 9 reminded him of ID4 and the videogame Halo. The hosts said, yeah it looks a lot like 'Halo', down to the aliens. They said that this is the case because, if you remember, Peter Jackson was initially engaged to do a movie version of Halo. Ultimately that project fell through, but the rumour is he was so far into planning for Halo, he decided to do a different concept, and gave the project over to another guy to direct as District 9. Not sure if this is true, but I do remember Jackson was working on a Halo movie. So i guess it's not a big stretch to think that the production setups he might have had in place for that were then moved to this flick. I need to do some research for the truth of this... - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Sent: Saturday, August 8, 2009 7:51:36 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 Keith, I'm hyped for it as well. I've been avoiding any websites that hawk it in anyway, primarily because of my aversion to critics. All but one person I've spoken to regarding it are keen to see it as well. (That one refers to it as an 'Alien Nation' ripoff.) -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : [scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 Date : Sat, 8 Aug 2009 06:55:00 + (UTC) From : Keith Johnson To : scifino...@yahoogro ups.com The District 9 flick has me really intrigued. with its locale of South Africa (so different from usual Hollywood story locatons), it's gritty look, and the fact that it's a Peter Jackson joint, i have high hopes. Indeed, I'm actually looking forward to it more than I have any other movie so far this year, including Star Trek. Anyone heard any early buzz? I did find favorable reviews via jumping from Rotten Tomatoes (something I loathe to do, but as local newspapers fire more critics, I'm having to venture further afield to even find real critics). http://www.rottento matoes.com/ m/district_ 9/ * * * * * * * http://boxoffice. com/reviews/ 2009/07/district -9.php District 9 is about the apartheid struggle in South Africa. For those under the age of 35 or so, apartheid was the system of racial segregation legally established by the government of South Africa between 1948 and 1994. No matter what else it seems to be about, District 9 , a film made a young, white, South African director, is about apartheid. Co-writer/director Neill Blomkamp spent his formative years living under the system of apartheid and has conscientiously insinuated the issue into his film. The attitudes, ideals and actions of the characters, from everyday citizens to government officials and those in business, reflect those that were common during the apartheid regime. The filmmakers, including producer Peter Jackson, have stealthily laid the artifacts of these dark days beneath the guise of an Alien invasion movie that is intense, graphically novelistic (though it’s an original story) and just funny enough to keep you thoroughly entertained, even while the s! ! ubtext is of a very serious nature
Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9
The rumor is false regarding the failed HALO being slid over as District 9. D9 is based on an original piece of work; Niel K's 'Alive in Jo-Borg which I watched when it was first released back in the day. He was kept in New Zealand developing the short into a feature length, did a faux graphic novel which brought interest to it, lead to Peter being interested in doing the deal (after he viewed the short) and outside financing was brought in on the pre-salesIt has no genetic relation to HALO --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, Martin Baxter truthseeker...@... wrote: Thanks for that, Keith. I really didn't know about the Halo movie. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 Date : Tue, 11 Aug 2009 04:41:07 + (UTC) From : Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@... To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com I heard on the podcast Slice of SciFi a fan call in and say how District 9 reminded him of ID4 and the videogame Halo. The hosts said, yeah it looks a lot like 'Halo', down to the aliens. They said that this is the case because, if you remember, Peter Jackson was initially engaged to do a movie version of Halo. Ultimately that project fell through, but the rumour is he was so far into planning for Halo, he decided to do a different concept, and gave the project over to another guy to direct as District 9. Not sure if this is true, but I do remember Jackson was working on a Halo movie. So i guess it's not a big stretch to think that the production setups he might have had in place for that were then moved to this flick. I need to do some research for the truth of this... - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, August 8, 2009 7:51:36 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 Keith, I'm hyped for it as well. I've been avoiding any websites that hawk it in anyway, primarily because of my aversion to critics. All but one person I've spoken to regarding it are keen to see it as well. (That one refers to it as an 'Alien Nation' ripoff.) -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : [scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 Date : Sat, 8 Aug 2009 06:55:00 + (UTC) From : Keith Johnson To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com The District 9 flick has me really intrigued. with its locale of South Africa (so different from usual Hollywood story locatons), it's gritty look, and the fact that it's a Peter Jackson joint, i have high hopes. Indeed, I'm actually looking forward to it more than I have any other movie so far this year, including Star Trek. Anyone heard any early buzz? I did find favorable reviews via jumping from Rotten Tomatoes (something I loathe to do, but as local newspapers fire more critics, I'm having to venture further afield to even find real critics). http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/district_9/ *** http://boxoffice.com/reviews/2009/07/district-9.php District 9 is about the apartheid struggle in South Africa. For those under the age of 35 or so, apartheid was the system of racial segregation legally established by the government of South Africa between 1948 and 1994. No matter what else it seems to be about, District 9 , a film made a young, white, South African director, is about apartheid. Co-writer/director Neill Blomkamp spent his formative years living under the system of apartheid and has conscientiously insinuated the issue into his film. The attitudes, ideals and actions of the characters, from everyday citizens to government officials and those in business, reflect those that were common during the apartheid regime. The filmmakers, including producer Peter Jackson, have stealthily laid the artifacts of these dark days beneath the guise of an Alien invasion movie that is intense, graphically novelistic (though itâs an original story) and just funny enough to keep you thoroughly entertained, even while the s! ub! text is of a very serious nature. Buzz and an also clever marketing scheme suggest this should be worth a few bucks at the box officeâespecially if the audience is mostly under 35. The film is told using a number of cinematic modes including documentary footage, mockumentary footage, newsreel accounts, surveillance cameras and the standard story elements of narrative fiction. This is actually less chaotic than it sounds and serves to move the narrative along at a brisk pace. Thereâs little need here for filler. The filmmakers can justify any narrative exposition by putting a camera on the action (any potential camera) and just showing us, or having the characters explain the action to the cameramen. When all else fails Blomkamp inserts a movie moment
Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9
I've been following this for months.I'm just glad to see my favorite vacation spot (South Africa] in a so-called major Hollywood movie.Still even though filmed in south Africa the major hero/star of the movie is of what color??? --- On Thu, 8/13/09, C.W. Badie astromancer2...@yahoo.com wrote: From: C.W. Badie astromancer2...@yahoo.com Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Date: Thursday, August 13, 2009, 10:23 PM Oh well...That kills my speculations about District 9 going to be a tongue in cheek comedy... --- On Tue, 8/11/09, Keith Johnson KeithBJohnson@ comcast.net wrote: From: Keith Johnson KeithBJohnson@ comcast.net Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Date: Tuesday, August 11, 2009, 11:04 PM I knew about it, but never made the connection until I heard it on Slice of SciFi. - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter truthseeker013@ lycos.com To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Sent: Tuesday, August 11, 2009 8:00:28 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 Thanks for that, Keith. I really didn't know about the Halo movie. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 Date : Tue, 11 Aug 2009 04:41:07 + (UTC) From : Keith Johnson KeithBJohnson@ comcast.net To : scifino...@yahoogro ups.com I heard on the podcast Slice of SciFi a fan call in and say how District 9 reminded him of ID4 and the videogame Halo. The hosts said, yeah it looks a lot like 'Halo', down to the aliens. They said that this is the case because, if you remember, Peter Jackson was initially engaged to do a movie version of Halo. Ultimately that project fell through, but the rumour is he was so far into planning for Halo, he decided to do a different concept, and gave the project over to another guy to direct as District 9. Not sure if this is true, but I do remember Jackson was working on a Halo movie. So i guess it's not a big stretch to think that the production setups he might have had in place for that were then moved to this flick. I need to do some research for the truth of this... - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Sent: Saturday, August 8, 2009 7:51:36 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 Keith, I'm hyped for it as well. I've been avoiding any websites that hawk it in anyway, primarily because of my aversion to critics. All but one person I've spoken to regarding it are keen to see it as well. (That one refers to it as an 'Alien Nation' ripoff.) -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : [scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 Date : Sat, 8 Aug 2009 06:55:00 + (UTC) From : Keith Johnson To : scifino...@yahoogro ups.com The District 9 flick has me really intrigued. with its locale of South Africa (so different from usual Hollywood story locatons), it's gritty look, and the fact that it's a Peter Jackson joint, i have high hopes. Indeed, I'm actually looking forward to it more than I have any other movie so far this year, including Star Trek. Anyone heard any early buzz? I did find favorable reviews via jumping from Rotten Tomatoes (something I loathe to do, but as local newspapers fire more critics, I'm having to venture further afield to even find real critics). http://www.rottento matoes.com/ m/district_ 9/ * * * * * * * http://boxoffice. com/reviews/ 2009/07/district -9.php District 9 is about the apartheid struggle in South Africa. For those under the age of 35 or so, apartheid was the system of racial segregation legally established by the government of South Africa between 1948 and 1994. No matter what else it seems to be about, District 9 , a film made a young, white, South African director, is about apartheid. Co-writer/director Neill Blomkamp spent his formative years living under the system of apartheid and has conscientiously insinuated the issue into his film. The attitudes, ideals and actions of the characters, from everyday citizens to government officials and those in business, reflect those that were common during the apartheid regime. The filmmakers, including producer Peter Jackson, have stealthily laid the artifacts of these dark days beneath the guise of an Alien invasion movie that is intense, graphically novelistic (though it’s an original story) and just funny enough to keep you thoroughly entertained, even while the s! ! ubtext is of a very serious nature. Buzz and an also clever marketing scheme suggest this should be worth a few bucks at the box office—especially if the audience is mostly under 35. The film is told using a number of cinematic modes
Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9
He's white, right? Not surprised though: I think even Peter Jackson and his friends are from New Zealand, South Africa, etc., and probably have a circle of friends and acquaintances that are mostly like them. I hope to see the movie tomorrow, but also want to see the new Miyazaki film! - Original Message - From: George Arterberry brotherfromhow...@yahoo.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, August 14, 2009 4:22:17 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 I've been following this for months.I'm just glad to see my favorite vacation spot (South Africa] in a so-called major Hollywood movie. Still even though filmed in south Africa the major hero/star of the movie is of what color??? --- On Thu, 8/13/09, C.W. Badie astromancer2...@yahoo.com wrote: From: C.W. Badie astromancer2...@yahoo.com Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Date: Thursday, August 13, 2009, 10:23 PM Oh well...That kills my speculations about District 9 going to be a tongue in cheek comedy... --- On Tue, 8/11/09, Keith Johnson KeithBJohnson@ comcast.net wrote: From: Keith Johnson KeithBJohnson@ comcast.net Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Date: Tuesday, August 11, 2009, 11:04 PM I knew about it, but never made the connection until I heard it on Slice of SciFi. - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter truthseeker013@ lycos.com To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Sent: Tuesday, August 11, 2009 8:00:28 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 Thanks for that, Keith. I really didn't know about the Halo movie. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 Date : Tue, 11 Aug 2009 04:41:07 + (UTC) From : Keith Johnson KeithBJohnson@ comcast.net To : scifino...@yahoogro ups.com I heard on the podcast Slice of SciFi a fan call in and say how District 9 reminded him of ID4 and the videogame Halo. The hosts said, yeah it looks a lot like 'Halo', down to the aliens. They said that this is the case because, if you remember, Peter Jackson was initially engaged to do a movie version of Halo. Ultimately that project fell through, but the rumour is he was so far into planning for Halo, he decided to do a different concept, and gave the project over to another guy to direct as District 9. Not sure if this is true, but I do remember Jackson was working on a Halo movie. So i guess it's not a big stretch to think that the production setups he might have had in place for that were then moved to this flick. I need to do some research for the truth of this... - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Sent: Saturday, August 8, 2009 7:51:36 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 Keith, I'm hyped for it as well. I've been avoiding any websites that hawk it in anyway, primarily because of my aversion to critics. All but one person I've spoken to regarding it are keen to see it as well. (That one refers to it as an 'Alien Nation' ripoff.) -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : [scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 Date : Sat, 8 Aug 2009 06:55:00 + (UTC) From : Keith Johnson To : scifino...@yahoogro ups.com The District 9 flick has me really intrigued. with its locale of South Africa (so different from usual Hollywood story locatons), it's gritty look, and the fact that it's a Peter Jackson joint, i have high hopes. Indeed, I'm actually looking forward to it more than I have any other movie so far this year, including Star Trek. Anyone heard any early buzz? I did find favorable reviews via jumping from Rotten Tomatoes (something I loathe to do, but as local newspapers fire more critics, I'm having to venture further afield to even find real critics). http://www.rottento matoes.com/ m/district_ 9/ * * * * * * * http://boxoffice. com/reviews/ 2009/07/district -9.php District 9 is about the apartheid struggle in South Africa. For those under the age of 35 or so, apartheid was the system of racial segregation legally established by the government of South Africa between 1948 and 1994. No matter what else it seems to be about, District 9 , a film made a young, white, South African director, is about apartheid. Co-writer/director Neill Blomkamp spent his formative years living under the system of apartheid and has conscientiously insinuated the issue into his film. The attitudes, ideals and actions of the characters, from everyday citizens to government officials and those in business, reflect those that were common during the apartheid regime
Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9
Oh well...That kills my speculations about District 9 going to be a tongue in cheek comedy... --- On Tue, 8/11/09, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net wrote: From: Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Date: Tuesday, August 11, 2009, 11:04 PM I knew about it, but never made the connection until I heard it on Slice of SciFi. - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter truthseeker013@ lycos.com To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Sent: Tuesday, August 11, 2009 8:00:28 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 Thanks for that, Keith. I really didn't know about the Halo movie. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 Date : Tue, 11 Aug 2009 04:41:07 + (UTC) From : Keith Johnson KeithBJohnson@ comcast.net To : scifino...@yahoogro ups.com I heard on the podcast Slice of SciFi a fan call in and say how District 9 reminded him of ID4 and the videogame Halo. The hosts said, yeah it looks a lot like 'Halo', down to the aliens. They said that this is the case because, if you remember, Peter Jackson was initially engaged to do a movie version of Halo. Ultimately that project fell through, but the rumour is he was so far into planning for Halo, he decided to do a different concept, and gave the project over to another guy to direct as District 9. Not sure if this is true, but I do remember Jackson was working on a Halo movie. So i guess it's not a big stretch to think that the production setups he might have had in place for that were then moved to this flick. I need to do some research for the truth of this... - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Sent: Saturday, August 8, 2009 7:51:36 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 Keith, I'm hyped for it as well. I've been avoiding any websites that hawk it in anyway, primarily because of my aversion to critics. All but one person I've spoken to regarding it are keen to see it as well. (That one refers to it as an 'Alien Nation' ripoff.) -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : [scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 Date : Sat, 8 Aug 2009 06:55:00 + (UTC) From : Keith Johnson To : scifino...@yahoogro ups.com The District 9 flick has me really intrigued. with its locale of South Africa (so different from usual Hollywood story locatons), it's gritty look, and the fact that it's a Peter Jackson joint, i have high hopes. Indeed, I'm actually looking forward to it more than I have any other movie so far this year, including Star Trek. Anyone heard any early buzz? I did find favorable reviews via jumping from Rotten Tomatoes (something I loathe to do, but as local newspapers fire more critics, I'm having to venture further afield to even find real critics). http://www.rottento matoes.com/ m/district_ 9/ * * * * * * * http://boxoffice. com/reviews/ 2009/07/district -9.php District 9 is about the apartheid struggle in South Africa. For those under the age of 35 or so, apartheid was the system of racial segregation legally established by the government of South Africa between 1948 and 1994. No matter what else it seems to be about, District 9 , a film made a young, white, South African director, is about apartheid. Co-writer/director Neill Blomkamp spent his formative years living under the system of apartheid and has conscientiously insinuated the issue into his film. The attitudes, ideals and actions of the characters, from everyday citizens to government officials and those in business, reflect those that were common during the apartheid regime. The filmmakers, including producer Peter Jackson, have stealthily laid the artifacts of these dark days beneath the guise of an Alien invasion movie that is intense, graphically novelistic (though it’s an original story) and just funny enough to keep you thoroughly entertained, even while the s! ! ubtext is of a very serious nature. Buzz and an also clever marketing scheme suggest this should be worth a few bucks at the box office—especially if the audience is mostly under 35. The film is told using a number of cinematic modes including documentary footage, mockumentary footage, newsreel accounts, surveillance cameras and the standard story elements of narrative fiction. This is actually less chaotic than it sounds and serves to move the narrative along at a brisk pace. There’s little need here for filler. The filmmakers can justify any narrative exposition by putting a camera on the action (any potential camera) and just showing us, or having the characters explain the action to the cameramen. When all else fails Blomkamp inserts
Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9
Oh definitely not! Check those trailers to see it's pretty darn serious... - Original Message - From: C.W. Badie astromancer2...@yahoo.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, August 13, 2009 10:23:07 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 Oh well...That kills my speculations about District 9 going to be a tongue in cheek comedy... --- On Tue, 8/11/09, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net wrote: From: Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Date: Tuesday, August 11, 2009, 11:04 PM I knew about it, but never made the connection until I heard it on Slice of SciFi. - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter truthseeker013@ lycos.com To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Sent: Tuesday, August 11, 2009 8:00:28 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 Thanks for that, Keith. I really didn't know about the Halo movie. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 Date : Tue, 11 Aug 2009 04:41:07 + (UTC) From : Keith Johnson KeithBJohnson@ comcast.net To : scifino...@yahoogro ups.com I heard on the podcast Slice of SciFi a fan call in and say how District 9 reminded him of ID4 and the videogame Halo. The hosts said, yeah it looks a lot like 'Halo', down to the aliens. They said that this is the case because, if you remember, Peter Jackson was initially engaged to do a movie version of Halo. Ultimately that project fell through, but the rumour is he was so far into planning for Halo, he decided to do a different concept, and gave the project over to another guy to direct as District 9. Not sure if this is true, but I do remember Jackson was working on a Halo movie. So i guess it's not a big stretch to think that the production setups he might have had in place for that were then moved to this flick. I need to do some research for the truth of this... - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Sent: Saturday, August 8, 2009 7:51:36 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 Keith, I'm hyped for it as well. I've been avoiding any websites that hawk it in anyway, primarily because of my aversion to critics. All but one person I've spoken to regarding it are keen to see it as well. (That one refers to it as an 'Alien Nation' ripoff.) -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : [scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 Date : Sat, 8 Aug 2009 06:55:00 + (UTC) From : Keith Johnson To : scifino...@yahoogro ups.com The District 9 flick has me really intrigued. with its locale of South Africa (so different from usual Hollywood story locatons), it's gritty look, and the fact that it's a Peter Jackson joint, i have high hopes. Indeed, I'm actually looking forward to it more than I have any other movie so far this year, including Star Trek. Anyone heard any early buzz? I did find favorable reviews via jumping from Rotten Tomatoes (something I loathe to do, but as local newspapers fire more critics, I'm having to venture further afield to even find real critics). http://www.rottento matoes.com/ m/district_ 9/ * * * * * * * http://boxoffice. com/reviews/ 2009/07/district -9.php District 9 is about the apartheid struggle in South Africa. For those under the age of 35 or so, apartheid was the system of racial segregation legally established by the government of South Africa between 1948 and 1994. No matter what else it seems to be about, District 9 , a film made a young, white, South African director, is about apartheid. Co-writer/director Neill Blomkamp spent his formative years living under the system of apartheid and has conscientiously insinuated the issue into his film. The attitudes, ideals and actions of the characters, from everyday citizens to government officials and those in business, reflect those that were common during the apartheid regime. The filmmakers, including producer Peter Jackson, have stealthily laid the artifacts of these dark days beneath the guise of an Alien invasion movie that is intense, graphically novelistic (though it’s an original story) and just funny enough to keep you thoroughly entertained, even while the s! ! ubtext is of a very serious nature. Buzz and an also clever marketing scheme suggest this should be worth a few bucks at the box office—especially if the audience is mostly under 35. The film is told using a number of cinematic modes including documentary footage, mockumentary footage, newsreel accounts, surveillance cameras and the standard story elements of narrative fiction. This is actually less chaotic
Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9
Thanks for that, Keith. I really didn't know about the Halo movie. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 Date : Tue, 11 Aug 2009 04:41:07 + (UTC) From : Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com I heard on the podcast Slice of SciFi a fan call in and say how District 9 reminded him of ID4 and the videogame Halo. The hosts said, yeah it looks a lot like 'Halo', down to the aliens. They said that this is the case because, if you remember, Peter Jackson was initially engaged to do a movie version of Halo. Ultimately that project fell through, but the rumour is he was so far into planning for Halo, he decided to do a different concept, and gave the project over to another guy to direct as District 9. Not sure if this is true, but I do remember Jackson was working on a Halo movie. So i guess it's not a big stretch to think that the production setups he might have had in place for that were then moved to this flick. I need to do some research for the truth of this... - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, August 8, 2009 7:51:36 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 Keith, I'm hyped for it as well. I've been avoiding any websites that hawk it in anyway, primarily because of my aversion to critics. All but one person I've spoken to regarding it are keen to see it as well. (That one refers to it as an 'Alien Nation' ripoff.) -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : [scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 Date : Sat, 8 Aug 2009 06:55:00 + (UTC) From : Keith Johnson To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com The District 9 flick has me really intrigued. with its locale of South Africa (so different from usual Hollywood story locatons), it's gritty look, and the fact that it's a Peter Jackson joint, i have high hopes. Indeed, I'm actually looking forward to it more than I have any other movie so far this year, including Star Trek. Anyone heard any early buzz? I did find favorable reviews via jumping from Rotten Tomatoes (something I loathe to do, but as local newspapers fire more critics, I'm having to venture further afield to even find real critics). http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/district_9/ *** http://boxoffice.com/reviews/2009/07/district-9.php District 9 is about the apartheid struggle in South Africa. For those under the age of 35 or so, apartheid was the system of racial segregation legally established by the government of South Africa between 1948 and 1994. No matter what else it seems to be about, District 9 , a film made a young, white, South African director, is about apartheid. Co-writer/director Neill Blomkamp spent his formative years living under the system of apartheid and has conscientiously insinuated the issue into his film. The attitudes, ideals and actions of the characters, from everyday citizens to government officials and those in business, reflect those that were common during the apartheid regime. The filmmakers, including producer Peter Jackson, have stealthily laid the artifacts of these dark days beneath the guise of an Alien invasion movie that is intense, graphically novelistic (though it’s an original story) and just funny enough to keep you thoroughly entertained, even while the s! ub! text is of a very serious nature. Buzz and an also clever marketing scheme suggest this should be worth a few bucks at the box office—especially if the audience is mostly under 35. The film is told using a number of cinematic modes including documentary footage, mockumentary footage, newsreel accounts, surveillance cameras and the standard story elements of narrative fiction. This is actually less chaotic than it sounds and serves to move the narrative along at a brisk pace. There’s little need here for filler. The filmmakers can justify any narrative exposition by putting a camera on the action (any potential camera) and just showing us, or having the characters explain the action to the cameramen. When all else fails Blomkamp inserts a movie moment and presses on. Lovely. Mister Blomkamp is a fine director who cut his teeth on commercials and music videos, and at the knee of director and special effects guru Peter Jackson. Between the two of them (Jackson’s company was employed for the effects) they’ve come up with the best CGI effects film to date. The spacecrafts, the cityscapes, the weapons effects and the aliens themselves (which we are! to! ld are 100 percent CGI) are all exceptional. But the best thing in the movie is lead actor Sharlto Copley, a long time friend of the director and fairly novice actor. Copley is pitch perfect, delicately straddling the line between ordinary Afrikaans racist
Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9
I knew about it, but never made the connection until I heard it on Slice of SciFi. - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter truthseeker...@lycos.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, August 11, 2009 8:00:28 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 Thanks for that, Keith. I really didn't know about the Halo movie. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 Date : Tue, 11 Aug 2009 04:41:07 + (UTC) From : Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com I heard on the podcast Slice of SciFi a fan call in and say how District 9 reminded him of ID4 and the videogame Halo. The hosts said, yeah it looks a lot like 'Halo', down to the aliens. They said that this is the case because, if you remember, Peter Jackson was initially engaged to do a movie version of Halo. Ultimately that project fell through, but the rumour is he was so far into planning for Halo, he decided to do a different concept, and gave the project over to another guy to direct as District 9. Not sure if this is true, but I do remember Jackson was working on a Halo movie. So i guess it's not a big stretch to think that the production setups he might have had in place for that were then moved to this flick. I need to do some research for the truth of this... - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, August 8, 2009 7:51:36 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 Keith, I'm hyped for it as well. I've been avoiding any websites that hawk it in anyway, primarily because of my aversion to critics. All but one person I've spoken to regarding it are keen to see it as well. (That one refers to it as an 'Alien Nation' ripoff.) -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : [scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 Date : Sat, 8 Aug 2009 06:55:00 + (UTC) From : Keith Johnson To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com The District 9 flick has me really intrigued. with its locale of South Africa (so different from usual Hollywood story locatons), it's gritty look, and the fact that it's a Peter Jackson joint, i have high hopes. Indeed, I'm actually looking forward to it more than I have any other movie so far this year, including Star Trek. Anyone heard any early buzz? I did find favorable reviews via jumping from Rotten Tomatoes (something I loathe to do, but as local newspapers fire more critics, I'm having to venture further afield to even find real critics). http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/district_9/ *** http://boxoffice.com/reviews/2009/07/district-9.php District 9 is about the apartheid struggle in South Africa. For those under the age of 35 or so, apartheid was the system of racial segregation legally established by the government of South Africa between 1948 and 1994. No matter what else it seems to be about, District 9 , a film made a young, white, South African director, is about apartheid. Co-writer/director Neill Blomkamp spent his formative years living under the system of apartheid and has conscientiously insinuated the issue into his film. The attitudes, ideals and actions of the characters, from everyday citizens to government officials and those in business, reflect those that were common during the apartheid regime. The filmmakers, including producer Peter Jackson, have stealthily laid the artifacts of these dark days beneath the guise of an Alien invasion movie that is intense, graphically novelistic (though it’s an original story) and just funny enough to keep you thoroughly entertained, even while the s! ! ubtext is of a very serious nature. Buzz and an also clever marketing scheme suggest this should be worth a few bucks at the box office—especially if the audience is mostly under 35. The film is told using a number of cinematic modes including documentary footage, mockumentary footage, newsreel accounts, surveillance cameras and the standard story elements of narrative fiction. This is actually less chaotic than it sounds and serves to move the narrative along at a brisk pace. There’s little need here for filler. The filmmakers can justify any narrative exposition by putting a camera on the action (any potential camera) and just showing us, or having the characters explain the action to the cameramen. When all else fails Blomkamp inserts a movie moment and presses on. Lovely. Mister Blomkamp is a fine director who cut his teeth on commercials and music videos, and at the knee of director and special effects guru Peter Jackson. Between the two of them (Jackson’s company was employed for the effects) they’ve come up with the best CGI effects film to date. The spacecrafts, the cityscapes
Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9
I heard on the podcast Slice of SciFi a fan call in and say how District 9 reminded him of ID4 and the videogame Halo. The hosts said, yeah it looks a lot like 'Halo', down to the aliens. They said that this is the case because, if you remember, Peter Jackson was initially engaged to do a movie version of Halo. Ultimately that project fell through, but the rumour is he was so far into planning for Halo, he decided to do a different concept, and gave the project over to another guy to direct as District 9. Not sure if this is true, but I do remember Jackson was working on a Halo movie. So i guess it's not a big stretch to think that the production setups he might have had in place for that were then moved to this flick. I need to do some research for the truth of this... - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter truthseeker...@lycos.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, August 8, 2009 7:51:36 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 Keith, I'm hyped for it as well. I've been avoiding any websites that hawk it in anyway, primarily because of my aversion to critics. All but one person I've spoken to regarding it are keen to see it as well. (That one refers to it as an 'Alien Nation' ripoff.) -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : [scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 Date : Sat, 8 Aug 2009 06:55:00 + (UTC) From : Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com The District 9 flick has me really intrigued. with its locale of South Africa (so different from usual Hollywood story locatons), it's gritty look, and the fact that it's a Peter Jackson joint, i have high hopes. Indeed, I'm actually looking forward to it more than I have any other movie so far this year, including Star Trek. Anyone heard any early buzz? I did find favorable reviews via jumping from Rotten Tomatoes (something I loathe to do, but as local newspapers fire more critics, I'm having to venture further afield to even find real critics). http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/district_9/ *** http://boxoffice.com/reviews/2009/07/district-9.php District 9 is about the apartheid struggle in South Africa. For those under the age of 35 or so, apartheid was the system of racial segregation legally established by the government of South Africa between 1948 and 1994. No matter what else it seems to be about, District 9 , a film made a young, white, South African director, is about apartheid. Co-writer/director Neill Blomkamp spent his formative years living under the system of apartheid and has conscientiously insinuated the issue into his film. The attitudes, ideals and actions of the characters, from everyday citizens to government officials and those in business, reflect those that were common during the apartheid regime. The filmmakers, including producer Peter Jackson, have stealthily laid the artifacts of these dark days beneath the guise of an Alien invasion movie that is intense, graphically novelistic (though it’s an original story) and just funny enough to keep you thoroughly entertained, even while the s! ubtext is of a very serious nature. Buzz and an also clever marketing scheme suggest this should be worth a few bucks at the box office—especially if the audience is mostly under 35. The film is told using a number of cinematic modes including documentary footage, mockumentary footage, newsreel accounts, surveillance cameras and the standard story elements of narrative fiction. This is actually less chaotic than it sounds and serves to move the narrative along at a brisk pace. There’s little need here for filler. The filmmakers can justify any narrative exposition by putting a camera on the action (any potential camera) and just showing us, or having the characters explain the action to the cameramen. When all else fails Blomkamp inserts a movie moment and presses on. Lovely. Mister Blomkamp is a fine director who cut his teeth on commercials and music videos, and at the knee of director and special effects guru Peter Jackson. Between the two of them (Jackson’s company was employed for the effects) they’ve come up with the best CGI effects film to date. The spacecrafts, the cityscapes, the weapons effects and the aliens themselves (which we are! told are 100 percent CGI) are all exceptional. But the best thing in the movie is lead actor Sharlto Copley, a long time friend of the director and fairly novice actor. Copley is pitch perfect, delicately straddling the line between ordinary Afrikaans racist and empathic hero. The narrative of District 9 revolves around a giant alien spacecraft that came to rest above downtown Johannesburg, South Africa, some 20 years before the story began. Inhabited by one million crawfish-like, cat food and raw meat eating, humanoid
Re: [scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9
ahar...@earthlink.net This is so totally on my must-see list! Cheers! Amy The District 9 flick has me really intrigued. with its locale of South Africa (so different from usual Hollywood story locatons), it's gritty look, and the fact that it's a Peter Jackson joint, i have high hopes. Indeed, I'm actually looking forward to it more than I have any other movie so far this year, including Star Trek. Anyone heard any early buzz? I did find favorable reviews via jumping from Rotten Tomatoes (something I loathe to do, but as local newspapers fire more critics, I'm having to venture further afield to even find real critics). http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/district_9/ *** http://boxoffice.com/reviews/2009/07/district-9.php District 9 is about the apartheid struggle in South Africa. For those under the age of 35 or so, apartheid was the system of racial segregation legally established by the government of South Africa between 1948 and 1994. No matter what else it seems to be about, District 9, a film made a young, white, South African director, is about apartheid. Co-writer/director Neill Blomkamp spent his formative years living under the system of apartheid and has conscientiously insinuated the issue into his film. The attitudes, ideals and actions of the characters, from everyday citizens to government officials and those in business, reflect those that were common during the apartheid regime. The filmmakers, including producer Peter Jackson, have stealthily laid the artifacts of these dark days beneath the guise of an Alien invasion movie that is intense, graphically novelistic (though it’s an original story) and just funny enough to keep you thoroughly entertained, even while the subtext is of a very serious nature. Buzz and an also clever marketing scheme suggest this should be worth a few bucks at the box office—especially if the audience is mostly under 35. The film is told using a number of cinematic modes including documentary footage, mockumentary footage, newsreel accounts, surveillance cameras and the standard story elements of narrative fiction. This is actually less chaotic than it sounds and serves to move the narrative along at a brisk pace. There’s little need here for filler. The filmmakers can justify any narrative exposition by putting a camera on the action (any potential camera) and just showing us, or having the characters explain the action to the cameramen. When all else fails Blomkamp inserts a movie moment and presses on. Lovely. Mister Blomkamp is a fine director who cut his teeth on commercials and music videos, and at the knee of director and special effects guru Peter Jackson. Between the two of them (Jackson’s company was employed for the effects) they’ve come up with the best CGI effects film to date. The spacecrafts, the cityscapes, the weapons effects and the aliens themselves (which we are told are 100 percent CGI) are all exceptional. But the best thing in the movie is lead actor Sharlto Copley, a long time friend of the director and fairly novice actor. Copley is pitch perfect, delicately straddling the line between ordinary Afrikaans racist and empathic hero. The narrative of District 9 revolves around a giant alien spacecraft that came to rest above downtown Johannesburg, South Africa, some 20 years before the story began. Inhabited by one million crawfish-like, cat food and raw meat eating, humanoid aliens, little can be discerned about where the ship came from or who the creatures are. They are simply here. They are strong but without direction or purpose, mostly docile and apparently of little use to humanity. So we warehouse them—in District 9. Then, we decide to forcibly move them to a different, shoddier, interment camp. While other nations are far from guiltless of such cruelties, the emphasis here is on the South African history. Still, the structures the film employs are incisive and direct and, if you’re over 35, they might piss you off. Distributor: Sony Pictures Cast: Sharlto Copley, Jason Cope, Nathalie Boltt, Sylvaine Strike, William Allen Young and Robert Hobbs Director: Neill Blomkamp Screenwriters: Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell Producers: Peter Jackson Genre: Science Fiction Rating: Rated R for bloody violence and pervasive language. Running Time: 113 min. Release date: August 14, 2009 -- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 8.5.392 / Virus Database: 270.13.45/2287 - Release Date: 08/07/09 06:22:00
[RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9
Keith, I'm hyped for it as well. I've been avoiding any websites that hawk it in anyway, primarily because of my aversion to critics. All but one person I've spoken to regarding it are keen to see it as well. (That one refers to it as an 'Alien Nation' ripoff.) -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : [scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 Date : Sat, 8 Aug 2009 06:55:00 + (UTC) From : Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com The District 9 flick has me really intrigued. with its locale of South Africa (so different from usual Hollywood story locatons), it's gritty look, and the fact that it's a Peter Jackson joint, i have high hopes. Indeed, I'm actually looking forward to it more than I have any other movie so far this year, including Star Trek. Anyone heard any early buzz? I did find favorable reviews via jumping from Rotten Tomatoes (something I loathe to do, but as local newspapers fire more critics, I'm having to venture further afield to even find real critics). http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/district_9/ *** http://boxoffice.com/reviews/2009/07/district-9.php District 9 is about the apartheid struggle in South Africa. For those under the age of 35 or so, apartheid was the system of racial segregation legally established by the government of South Africa between 1948 and 1994. No matter what else it seems to be about, District 9 , a film made a young, white, South African director, is about apartheid. Co-writer/director Neill Blomkamp spent his formative years living under the system of apartheid and has conscientiously insinuated the issue into his film. The attitudes, ideals and actions of the characters, from everyday citizens to government officials and those in business, reflect those that were common during the apartheid regime. The filmmakers, including producer Peter Jackson, have stealthily laid the artifacts of these dark days beneath the guise of an Alien invasion movie that is intense, graphically novelistic (though it’s an original story) and just funny enough to keep you thoroughly entertained, even while the subte! xt is of a very serious nature. Buzz and an also clever marketing scheme suggest this should be worth a few bucks at the box office—especially if the audience is mostly under 35. The film is told using a number of cinematic modes including documentary footage, mockumentary footage, newsreel accounts, surveillance cameras and the standard story elements of narrative fiction. This is actually less chaotic than it sounds and serves to move the narrative along at a brisk pace. There’s little need here for filler. The filmmakers can justify any narrative exposition by putting a camera on the action (any potential camera) and just showing us, or having the characters explain the action to the cameramen. When all else fails Blomkamp inserts a movie moment and presses on. Lovely. Mister Blomkamp is a fine director who cut his teeth on commercials and music videos, and at the knee of director and special effects guru Peter Jackson. Between the two of them (Jackson’s company was employed for the effects) they’ve come up with the best CGI effects film to date. The spacecrafts, the cityscapes, the weapons effects and the aliens themselves (which we are tol! d are 100 percent CGI) are all exceptional. But the best thing in the movie is lead actor Sharlto Copley, a long time friend of the director and fairly novice actor. Copley is pitch perfect, delicately straddling the line between ordinary Afrikaans racist and empathic hero. The narrative of District 9 revolves around a giant alien spacecraft that came to rest above downtown Johannesburg, South Africa, some 20 years before the story began. Inhabited by one million crawfish-like, cat food and raw meat eating, humanoid aliens, little can be discerned about where the ship came from or who the creatures are. They are simply here. They are strong but without direction or purpose, mostly docile and apparently of little use to humanity. So we warehouse them—in District 9. Then, we decide to forcibly move them to a different, shoddier, interment camp. While other nations are far from guiltless of such cruelties, the emphasis here is on the South African history. Still, the structures the film employs are incisive and direct and, if you’re over 35, they might piss you off. Distributor: Sony Pictures Cast: Sharlto Copley, Jason Cope, Nathalie Boltt, Sylvaine Strike, William Allen Young and Robert Hobbs Director: Neill Blomkamp Screenwriters: Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell Producers: Peter Jackson Genre: Science Fiction Rating: Rated R for bloody violence and pervasive language. Running Time: 113 min. Release date: August 14, 2009 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds
RE: [scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9
I’m psyched about it too. This has been one of the most disappointing summer movie seasons in years From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:scifino...@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Amy Harlib Sent: Saturday, August 08, 2009 3:23 AM To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 ahar...@earthlink.net This is so totally on my must-see list! Cheers! Amy The District 9 flick has me really intrigued. with its locale of South Africa (so different from usual Hollywood story locatons), it's gritty look, and the fact that it's a Peter Jackson joint, i have high hopes. Indeed, I'm actually looking forward to it more than I have any other movie so far this year, including Star Trek. Anyone heard any early buzz? I did find favorable reviews via jumping from Rotten Tomatoes (something I loathe to do, but as local newspapers fire more critics, I'm having to venture further afield to even find real critics). http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/district_9/ *** http://boxoffice.com/reviews/2009/07/district-9.php District 9 is about the apartheid struggle in South Africa. For those under the age of 35 or so, apartheid was the system of racial segregation legally established by the government of South Africa between 1948 and 1994. No matter what else it seems to be about, District 9, a film made a young, white, South African director, is about apartheid. Co-writer/director Neill Blomkamp spent his formative years living under the system of apartheid and has conscientiously insinuated the issue into his film. The attitudes, ideals and actions of the characters, from everyday citizens to government officials and those in business, reflect those that were common during the apartheid regime. The filmmakers, including producer Peter Jackson, have stealthily laid the artifacts of these dark days beneath the guise of an Alien invasion movie that is intense, graphically novelistic (though it’s an original story) and just funny enough to keep you thoroughly entertained, even while the subtext is of a very serious nature. Buzz and an also clever marketing scheme suggest this should be worth a few bucks at the box office—especially if the audience is mostly under 35. The film is told using a number of cinematic modes including documentary footage, mockumentary footage, newsreel accounts, surveillance cameras and the standard story elements of narrative fiction. This is actually less chaotic than it sounds and serves to move the narrative along at a brisk pace. There’s little need here for filler. The filmmakers can justify any narrative exposition by putting a camera on the action (any potential camera) and just showing us, or having the characters explain the action to the cameramen. When all else fails Blomkamp inserts a movie moment and presses on. Lovely. Mister Blomkamp is a fine director who cut his teeth on commercials and music videos, and at the knee of director and special effects guru Peter Jackson. Between the two of them (Jackson’s company was employed for the effects) they’ve come up with the best CGI effects film to date. The spacecrafts, the cityscapes, the weapons effects and the aliens themselves (which we are told are 100 percent CGI) are all exceptional. But the best thing in the movie is lead actor Sharlto Copley, a long time friend of the director and fairly novice actor. Copley is pitch perfect, delicately straddling the line between ordinary Afrikaans racist and empathic hero. The narrative of District 9 revolves around a giant alien spacecraft that came to rest above downtown Johannesburg, South Africa, some 20 years before the story began. Inhabited by one million crawfish-like, cat food and raw meat eating, humanoid aliens, little can be discerned about where the ship came from or who the creatures are. They are simply here. They are strong but without direction or purpose, mostly docile and apparently of little use to humanity. So we warehouse them—in District 9. Then, we decide to forcibly move them to a different, shoddier, interment camp. While other nations are far from guiltless of such cruelties, the emphasis here is on the South African history. Still, the structures the film employs are incisive and direct and, if you’re over 35, they might piss you off. Distributor: Sony Pictures Cast: Sharlto Copley, Jason Cope, Nathalie Boltt, Sylvaine Strike, William Allen Young and Robert Hobbs Director: Neill Blomkamp Screenwriters: Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell Producers: Peter Jackson Genre: Science Fiction Rating: Rated R for bloody violence and pervasive language. Running Time: 113 min. Release date: August 14, 2009 _ No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 8.5.392 / Virus Database: 270.13.45/2287 - Release Date: 08/07/09 06:22:00
Re: [scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9
I LOVED this movie season!! Between Star Trek, Up, Moon, and a couple of other smaller films, this has been great! I didn't expect much from the big movies, they've been letting me down for years. On Aug 8, 2009, at 8:45 AM, Tracey de Morsella tdli...@multiculturaladvantage.com wrote: I’m psyched about it too. This has been one of the most disappointi ng summer movie seasons in years From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:scifino...@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Amy Harlib Sent: Saturday, August 08, 2009 3:23 AM To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 ahar...@earthlink.net This is so totally on my must-see list! Cheers! Amy The District 9 flick has me really intrigued. with its locale of South Africa (so different from usual Hollywood story locatons), it's gritty look, and the fact that it's a Peter Jackson joint, i have high hopes. Indeed, I'm actually looking forward to it more than I have any other movie so far this year, including Star Trek. Anyone heard any early buzz? I did find favorable reviews via jumping from Rotten Tomatoes (something I loathe to do, but as local newspapers fire more critics, I'm having to venture further afield to even find real critics). http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/district_9/ *** *** * http://boxoffice.com/reviews/2009/07/district-9.php District 9 is about the apartheid struggle in South Africa. For those under the age of 35 or so, apartheid was the system of racial segregation legally established by the government of South Africa between 1948 and 1994. No matter what else it seems to be about, District 9, a film made a young, white, South African director, is about apartheid. Co-writer/director Neill Blomkamp spent his formative years living under the system of apartheid and has conscientiously insinuated the issue into his film. The attitudes, ideals and actions of the characters, from everyday citizens to government officials and those in business, reflect those that were common during the apartheid regime. The filmmakers, including producer Peter Jackson, have stealthily laid the artifacts of these dark days beneath the guise of an Alien invasion movie that is intense, graphically novelistic (though it’s an original story) and just funny enough to keep you thoroughly entertained, even while the subtext is of a very serious nature. Buzz and an also clever market ing scheme suggest this should be worth a few bucks at the box offic e—especially if the audience is mostly under 35. The film is told using a number of cinematic modes including documentary footage, mockumentary footage, newsreel accounts, surveillance cameras and the standard story elements of narrative fiction. This is actually less chaotic than it sounds and serves to move the narrative along at a brisk pace. There’s little need here f or filler. The filmmakers can justify any narrative exposition by pu tting a camera on the action (any potential camera) and just showing us, or having the characters explain the action to the cameramen. W hen all else fails Blomkamp inserts a movie moment and presses on. L ovely. Mister Blomkamp is a fine director who cut his teeth on comme rcials and music videos, and at the knee of director and special eff ects guru Peter Jackson. Between the two of them (Jackson’s company was employed for the effects) they’ve come up with the best CGI effe cts film to date. The spacecrafts, the cityscapes, the weapons effec ts and the aliens themselves (which we are told are 100 percent CGI) are all exceptional. But the best thing in the movie is lead actor Sharlto Copley, a long time friend of the director and fairly novice actor. Copley is pitch perfect, delicately straddling the line betw een ordinary Afrikaans racist and empathic hero. The narrative of District 9 revolves around a giant alien spacecraft that came to rest above downtown Johannesburg, South Africa, some 20 years before the story began. Inhabited by one million crawfish- like, cat food and raw meat eating, humanoid aliens, little can be discerned about where the ship came from or who the creatures are. They are simply here. They are strong but without direction or purpose, mostly docile and apparently of little use to humanity. So we warehouse them—in District 9. Then, we decide to forcibly move th em to a different, shoddier, interment camp. While other nations are far from guiltless of such cruelties, the emphasis here is on the South African history. Still, the structures the film employs are incisive and direct and, if you’re over 35, the y might piss you off. Distributor: Sony Pictures Cast: Sharlto Copley, Jason Cope, Nathalie Boltt, Sylvaine Strike, William Allen Young and Robert Hobbs Director: Neill Blomkamp Screenwriters: Neill Blomkamp and Terri
Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9
I can see how some would think of Alien Nation, V, even Independence Day (the shape of the ship), but that means nothing. Some concepts in scifi are simply not new: the idea of aliens coming to Earth and then being ghettoized isn't. But it's the treatment, the new way the story's told, the committment to intelligent writing and acting, the unique spin of the director and producer and actors, that makes all the difference. Peter Jackson doesn't like to support crappy fare that's devoid of something for the grey matter, so I'm more excited about this than I am, say, the American remake of V that's being discussed. - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter truthseeker...@lycos.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, August 8, 2009 7:51:36 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 Keith, I'm hyped for it as well. I've been avoiding any websites that hawk it in anyway, primarily because of my aversion to critics. All but one person I've spoken to regarding it are keen to see it as well. (That one refers to it as an 'Alien Nation' ripoff.) -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : [scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 Date : Sat, 8 Aug 2009 06:55:00 + (UTC) From : Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com The District 9 flick has me really intrigued. with its locale of South Africa (so different from usual Hollywood story locatons), it's gritty look, and the fact that it's a Peter Jackson joint, i have high hopes. Indeed, I'm actually looking forward to it more than I have any other movie so far this year, including Star Trek. Anyone heard any early buzz? I did find favorable reviews via jumping from Rotten Tomatoes (something I loathe to do, but as local newspapers fire more critics, I'm having to venture further afield to even find real critics). http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/district_9/ *** http://boxoffice.com/reviews/2009/07/district-9.php District 9 is about the apartheid struggle in South Africa. For those under the age of 35 or so, apartheid was the system of racial segregation legally established by the government of South Africa between 1948 and 1994. No matter what else it seems to be about, District 9 , a film made a young, white, South African director, is about apartheid. Co-writer/director Neill Blomkamp spent his formative years living under the system of apartheid and has conscientiously insinuated the issue into his film. The attitudes, ideals and actions of the characters, from everyday citizens to government officials and those in business, reflect those that were common during the apartheid regime. The filmmakers, including producer Peter Jackson, have stealthily laid the artifacts of these dark days beneath the guise of an Alien invasion movie that is intense, graphically novelistic (though it’s an original story) and just funny enough to keep you thoroughly entertained, even while the s! ubtext is of a very serious nature. Buzz and an also clever marketing scheme suggest this should be worth a few bucks at the box office—especially if the audience is mostly under 35. The film is told using a number of cinematic modes including documentary footage, mockumentary footage, newsreel accounts, surveillance cameras and the standard story elements of narrative fiction. This is actually less chaotic than it sounds and serves to move the narrative along at a brisk pace. There’s little need here for filler. The filmmakers can justify any narrative exposition by putting a camera on the action (any potential camera) and just showing us, or having the characters explain the action to the cameramen. When all else fails Blomkamp inserts a movie moment and presses on. Lovely. Mister Blomkamp is a fine director who cut his teeth on commercials and music videos, and at the knee of director and special effects guru Peter Jackson. Between the two of them (Jackson’s company was employed for the effects) they’ve come up with the best CGI effects film to date. The spacecrafts, the cityscapes, the weapons effects and the aliens themselves (which we are! told are 100 percent CGI) are all exceptional. But the best thing in the movie is lead actor Sharlto Copley, a long time friend of the director and fairly novice actor. Copley is pitch perfect, delicately straddling the line between ordinary Afrikaans racist and empathic hero. The narrative of District 9 revolves around a giant alien spacecraft that came to rest above downtown Johannesburg, South Africa, some 20 years before the story began. Inhabited by one million crawfish-like, cat food and raw meat eating, humanoid aliens, little can be discerned about where the ship came from or who the creatures are. They are simply here. They are strong but without direction or purpose
Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9
District 9 is about the apartheid struggle in South Africa. Its funny some of the media says that the apartheid is insinuated...the director himself said the film is set during South African aparthied and that the aliens are stuck in the same neighborhood with the black folk. Hey, for me, I'm looking forward to a sci-fi movie from Africa Said --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@... wrote: I can see how some would think of Alien Nation, V, even Independence Day (the shape of the ship), but that means nothing. Some concepts in scifi are simply not new: the idea of aliens coming to Earth and then being ghettoized isn't. But it's the treatment, the new way the story's told, the committment to intelligent writing and acting, the unique spin of the director and producer and actors, that makes all the difference. Peter Jackson doesn't like to support crappy fare that's devoid of something for the grey matter, so I'm more excited about this than I am, say, the American remake of V that's being discussed. - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter truthseeker...@... To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, August 8, 2009 7:51:36 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 Keith, I'm hyped for it as well. I've been avoiding any websites that hawk it in anyway, primarily because of my aversion to critics. All but one person I've spoken to regarding it are keen to see it as well. (That one refers to it as an 'Alien Nation' ripoff.) -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : [scifinoir2] Looking forward to District 9 Date : Sat, 8 Aug 2009 06:55:00 + (UTC) From : Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@... To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com The District 9 flick has me really intrigued. with its locale of South Africa (so different from usual Hollywood story locatons), it's gritty look, and the fact that it's a Peter Jackson joint, i have high hopes. Indeed, I'm actually looking forward to it more than I have any other movie so far this year, including Star Trek. Anyone heard any early buzz? I did find favorable reviews via jumping from Rotten Tomatoes (something I loathe to do, but as local newspapers fire more critics, I'm having to venture further afield to even find real critics). http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/district_9/ *** http://boxoffice.com/reviews/2009/07/district-9.php District 9 is about the apartheid struggle in South Africa. For those under the age of 35 or so, apartheid was the system of racial segregation legally established by the government of South Africa between 1948 and 1994. No matter what else it seems to be about, District 9 , a film made a young, white, South African director, is about apartheid. Co-writer/director Neill Blomkamp spent his formative years living under the system of apartheid and has conscientiously insinuated the issue into his film. The attitudes, ideals and actions of the characters, from everyday citizens to government officials and those in business, reflect those that were common during the apartheid regime. The filmmakers, including producer Peter Jackson, have stealthily laid the artifacts of these dark days beneath the guise of an Alien invasion movie that is intense, graphically novelistic (though itâs an original story) and just funny enough to keep you thoroughly entertained, even while the s! ubtext is of a very serious nature. Buzz and an also clever marketing scheme suggest this should be worth a few bucks at the box officeâespecially if the audience is mostly under 35. The film is told using a number of cinematic modes including documentary footage, mockumentary footage, newsreel accounts, surveillance cameras and the standard story elements of narrative fiction. This is actually less chaotic than it sounds and serves to move the narrative along at a brisk pace. Thereâs little need here for filler. The filmmakers can justify any narrative exposition by putting a camera on the action (any potential camera) and just showing us, or having the characters explain the action to the cameramen. When all else fails Blomkamp inserts a movie moment and presses on. Lovely. Mister Blomkamp is a fine director who cut his teeth on commercials and music videos, and at the knee of director and special effects guru Peter Jackson. Between the two of them (Jacksonâs company was employed for the effects) theyâve come up with the best CGI effects film to date. The spacecrafts, the cityscapes, the weapons effects and the aliens themselves (which we are! told are 100 percent CGI) are all exceptional. But the best thing in the movie is lead actor Sharlto Copley, a long time friend of the director and fairly novice actor. Copley
