District 9

[RedJed]

Heard alot of interesting stuff about this film the past few months.....my first glimpse of it was a trailer I saw in a movie not too long ago which made the film appear (initially) like it was going to be an middle east war documentary or something, and then it shifted to reveal what was actually happening is that an alien ship has supposedly invaded a certain territory of the world. The odd thing about it was that in the trailer, the aliens faces were actually blurred out/digitized so you didn't know what exactly they looked like or were. Now just recently, another trailer came out, same one as before, but without the digitized faces of the aliens, as well as an understanding of what the aliens are trying to tell the humans why they are there. The trailer prior to this one made it appear like it was your typical alien invasion film, but the current one makes it look more like its something along the lines of that some sort of militia took the aliens hostage when they accidentally landed. The look of the creatures are tremendous. The movie is somehow tied into Peter Jackson, my guess is his effect's team helped with that end of it and/or Wingnut Films, his production company helmed this. Just last night, was watching the UFC Top 100 show and they aired a viral marketing type of commercial relating to the film (which is the same intro video shown at www.d-9.com) followed by a 800 number for more info (which is a number that people can "leave a message to report non-human invasions"). Officially has got an R rating as well recently. Definately want to see this when this comes out, probably opening day. Gives off the same promotional vibe as Cloverfield, in that you don't exactly know what to expect. It's hard to say if this is going to be presented in a pseudo-documentary style or what exactly also.

They got six public sites (may be more) that kind of tie everything into the film......

http://www.sonypictures.net/movies/district9/ (site that has the revamped trailer that is out right now)

http://www.d-9.com (haven't looked through this site a whole lot yet but looks like there is alot of stuff to crack and figure out)

http://www.multinationalunited.com (viral site of the fictitious militia used in the film, almost similar to how LOST used all of the Dharma Initiative sites all over the place)

http://www.mnuspreadslies.com (this is supposed to be the anti-authority "underground" site promoting equality towards "non-humans" - there appears to be alot of codes and tips to more info on the other sites from this one as well)

http://www.mathsfromouterspace.com (some odd quiz that I haven't checked out yet, relating to MNU)

http://www.district9game.com (simple online game where you can play as either a human or alien)

-----Since I'm still just getting into these sites myself, any comments or ideas on what everyone has found on each would be appreciated!

 

[Jaxxxson Mayhem]

I saw this trailer and it looked AWESOME.

 

[Jaxxxson Mayhem]

Spoiler

Nothin' to see here

 

[KOAB]

a lot of people thought this was Jackson's movie tied with Halo for some reason... I'm glad it's not.

 

[NoCalMike]

Trailer looks interesting. This is one of those movies that will either turn out to be really great or really shitty.

 

[Damaramu]

I actually feel sorry for the alien in the preview where they're interrogating it. So I take it the aliens are "good" guys and humans are the assholes?

 

[RedJed]

I actually feel sorry for the alien in the preview where they're interrogating it. So I take it the aliens are "good" guys and humans are the assholes?

That seems to be the idea, although it's hard to say......not really sure where they are going with the story as a whole.

 

[The Amazing Rando]

It's just an easy way to do a racism story without actually having any racism, substituting alien life-forms for The Race Of Your Choosing. Let's just hope they don't get too heavy-handed with the message.

 

[Vitamin X]

Well considering it's set in South Africa, the apartheid message is kind of hitting you over the head already.

 

[Big Papa Paegan]

I dug the trailer, and I also dug the short. I'm excited for this.

 

[RedJed]

New international trailer with alot more background on the story

District 9

 

[Damaramu]

Like I said earlier. I feel bad for the aliens. They just want to go home! Damn humans. The movie probably won't end with them getting what's coming to them either.

 

[Big Papa Paegan]

I think this has more of a message of immigration than it does racism, in all honesty. Still very blatant. But in today's market? Welcomed.

 

[foleyfanforever88]

This movie is currently 29 for 30 on Rotten Tomatoes. Can you guess who the one negative review came from?

 

[RedJed]

Ill be checking this out tomorrow night, they're actually having a midnight show in town here, surprisingly.

 

[bigolsmitty]

I wonder if the setting was at all inspired by the recent rash of xenophobic violence in S Africa.

 

[Gary]

I wonder if the setting was at all inspired by the recent rash of xenophobic violence in S Africa.

Well the director is from South Africa, so possibly.

 

[CBright7831]

This movie is currently 29 for 30 on Rotten Tomatoes. Can you guess who the one negative review came from?

Is it the same guy who hated Up but loved Land of the Lost? Because it seems to me that he HATES everything that is good and LOVES everything that is shitty.

 

[Gary]

This movie is currently 29 for 30 on Rotten Tomatoes. Can you guess who the one negative review came from?

Is it the same guy who hated Up but loved Land of the Lost? Because it seems to me that he HATES everything that is good and LOVES everything that is shitty.

Yes. Even Other critics are starting to get tired of his bullshit.

 

[Smues]

Looking through White's listing on RT again the thing that really catches my eye is the sheer number of film that has 90%+ or ever 95%+ positive reviews that he gave a negative review too. It's really hard to believe he's doing anything but giving negative reviews solely to be a contrarian.

Also, something I hadn't realized. He gave Transformers 1 a negative review but positive to the sequel. I refuse to see the sequel, but hasn't pretty much everyone said that the second one is much worse than the first?

 

[Gary]

Looking through White's listing on RT again the thing that really catches my eye is the sheer number of film that has 90%+ or ever 95%+ positive reviews that he gave a negative review too. It's really hard to believe he's doing anything but giving negative reviews solely to be a contrarian.

Also, something I hadn't realized. He gave Transformers 1 a negative review but positive to the sequel. I refuse to see the sequel, but hasn't pretty much everyone said that the second one is much worse than the first?

Even more amazing: in his "District 9" review, not only does he praise "Transformers 2" and Michael Bay, but he defends Skids and Mudflap (The Minstrelbots) from that movie. To add: he compared "Transformers 2" to Godard's "Made in the USA."

 

[Incandenza]

Armond White's Best-Of Lists from 1997 to 2005, or What Do These Lists All Have in Common:

2005
01. Munich (Steven Spielberg)
02. War of the Worlds (Steven Spielberg)
03. 2046 (Wong Kar-wai)
04. Kung Fu Hustle (Stephen Chow)
05. My Mother's Smile (Marco Bellocchio)

2004
01. Vera Drake (Mike Leigh)
02. Hero (Zhang Yinou)
03. Son Frère (Patrice Chéreau)
04. The Terminal (Steven Spielberg)
05. Deserted Station (Alireza Raisian)

2002
01. Femme Fatale (Brian De Palma)
02. Catch Me If You Can (Steven Spielberg)
03. Time Out (Laurent Cantet)
04. Minority Report (Steven Spielberg)
05. All or Nothing (Mike Leigh)

2001
01. A.I. Artifical Intelligence (Steven Spielberg)
02. Mulholland Drive (David Lynch)
03. The Day I Became a Woman (Marzieh Meshkini)
04. Gosford Park (Robert Altman)
05. The Man Who Wasn't There (Joel Coen)

1998
01. Saving Private Ryan (Steven Spielberg)
02. Beloved (Jonathan Demme)
03. The Thin Red Line (Terrence Malick)
04. The Last Days of Disco (Whit Stillman)
05. The Eel (Shohei Imamura)

1997
01. Amistad (Steven Spielberg)
02. Happy Together (Wong Kar-wai)
03. The Delta (Ira Sachs)
04. Hamsun (Jan Troell)
05. Afterglow (Alan Rudolph)
06. Career Girls (Mike Leigh)
07. The Lost World: Jurassic Park (Steven Spielberg)

 

[BUTT]

Do Steven Spielberg's passions burn? Do passions burn in the man now imprisoned who wished to anally rape Steven Spielberg? Do our cultural mouthpieces confidently inform us that the wish to anally rape Steven Spielberg is a bad thought? Could anal rape of Steven Spielberg be simply the manifestation of a cultural mandate? Do you believe Steven Spielberg is an ideal guide and influence for our culture? Do Steven Spielberg's films question our culture? What do Steven Spielberg's films question? Does Steven Spielberg focus much of his fantasy life on young people? Did he portray children wallowing in sewers filled with fecal matter in Schindler's List? Did he use children to finger paint an adult in Hook? Does he collect the illustrations of Norman Rockwell, such as the one showing a young boy in his underwear examined by a doctor? Are the inclinations of Steven Spielberg above suspicion by the media-fed culture? Was Steven Spielberg very friendly with Michael Jackson? Wasn't Michael Jackson supposed to play Peter Pan in Steven Spielberg's version of the story? Now that Michael Jackson is no longer held in favor by the mass media, does Spielberg associate with him? Do Michael Jackson and Steven Spielberg share similar opinions about the sexuality of young boys?

Did Joseph Goebbels popularize certain ideals to the mass culture? Does Steven Spielberg attempt to do the same thing? Is celebrity more special than actual truth in art? When you join in a conversation with strangers, do you openly discuss any idea whatsoever without fear of conflict? Or do you restrain yourself from discussing certain things for fear of offending people and then becoming an outcast? Are there laws that deem certain forms of thought as bad and wrong? Is what is now termed "hate" a form of thought?

Does our culture consider it acceptable to have a minstrel represent a black person on film? Does our culture consider it acceptable to have a person of average intelligence represent a retarded person on film? Why is one thing questionable, and one thing acceptable? Did Adolf Hitler entertain any good thoughts? Was Shirley Temple sexy as a young girl?

What if you wish to express these ideas? Can people sue you for expressing ideas, particularly if they're blamed for inspiring behavior considered antithetical to cultural norms? Would the cultural mainstream ever silence or suppress Steven Spielberg? Has the United States government given the immensely wealthy Steven Spielberg millions of dollars to fund a media project that reflects his religious heritage, and his cultural beliefs? Does The Talmud speak of the superiority of the Jews and the inferiority of other cultures and beliefs? Does Steven Spielberg reflect this religious imperative? Is Steve Spielberg neurotic? Is this belief hidden and suppressed?

 

[Incandenza]

Armond White is a horrible, horrible man, but if his intentionally contrarian ramblings are upsetting people at Rotten Tomatoes, then he can't be all bad.

 

[BUTT]

Do Steven Spielberg's passions burn? Do passions burn in the man now imprisoned who wished to anally rape Steven Spielberg? Do our cultural mouthpieces confidently inform us that the wish to anally rape Steven Spielberg is a bad thought? Could anal rape of Steven Spielberg be simply the manifestation of a cultural mandate? Do you believe Steven Spielberg is an ideal guide and influence for our culture? Do Steven Spielberg's films question our culture? What do Steven Spielberg's films question? Does Steven Spielberg focus much of his fantasy life on young people? Did he portray children wallowing in sewers filled with fecal matter in Schindler's List? Did he use children to finger paint an adult in Hook? Does he collect the illustrations of Norman Rockwell, such as the one showing a young boy in his underwear examined by a doctor? Are the inclinations of Steven Spielberg above suspicion by the media-fed culture? Was Steven Spielberg very friendly with Michael Jackson? Wasn't Michael Jackson supposed to play Peter Pan in Steven Spielberg's version of the story? Now that Michael Jackson is no longer held in favor by the mass media, does Spielberg associate with him? Do Michael Jackson and Steven Spielberg share similar opinions about the sexuality of young boys?

Did Joseph Goebbels popularize certain ideals to the mass culture? Does Steven Spielberg attempt to do the same thing? Is celebrity more special than actual truth in art? When you join in a conversation with strangers, do you openly discuss any idea whatsoever without fear of conflict? Or do you restrain yourself from discussing certain things for fear of offending people and then becoming an outcast? Are there laws that deem certain forms of thought as bad and wrong? Is what is now termed "hate" a form of thought?

Does our culture consider it acceptable to have a minstrel represent a black person on film? Does our culture consider it acceptable to have a person of average intelligence represent a retarded person on film? Why is one thing questionable, and one thing acceptable? Did Adolf Hitler entertain any good thoughts? Was Shirley Temple sexy as a young girl?

What if you wish to express these ideas? Can people sue you for expressing ideas, particularly if they're blamed for inspiring behavior considered antithetical to cultural norms? Would the cultural mainstream ever silence or suppress Steven Spielberg? Has the United States government given the immensely wealthy Steven Spielberg millions of dollars to fund a media project that reflects his religious heritage, and his cultural beliefs? Does The Talmud speak of the superiority of the Jews and the inferiority of other cultures and beliefs? Does Steven Spielberg reflect this religious imperative? Is Steve Spielberg neurotic? Is this belief hidden and suppressed?

- a passage from Incandenza's Master's thesis

 

[Incandenza]

To be published by Farrar, Straus, and Giroux in November. Reserve your copy today.

 

[BUTT]

Is Steven Spielberg one of the owners of Dreamworks SKG? Did Dreamworks produce the show Freaks and Geeks? Did that show not feature Neil Schweiber, a Jewish character who is portrayed as nerdy, horny and unpopular? Does Steven Spielberg feel that this reflects all or a majority of American Jews? Does Steven Spielberg consider Jews to be "freaks" and/or "geeks?" Was Marlon Brando right to refuse an Academy Award due to the portrayal of Native Americans in television and film? Why did Steven Spielberg not do the same in opposition to Jewish stereotypes?

 

[foleyfanforever88]

Just got back from the midnight showing. Pretty solid movie. I wasn't blown away like some critics were, but I'd certainly put this in my top 3 movies of 2009 so far. 8 out of 10.

 

[CBright7831]

Armond White is a horrible, horrible man, but if his intentionally contrarian ramblings are upsetting people at Rotten Tomatoes, then he can't be all bad.

RT is a horrible, horrible forum. I used to post there until they decided it would be a good idea to reboot their forum (for no damn good reason I might add) which caused half of their posters (including myself) to quit posting there.

 

[RedJed]

I also just got out of a midnight show and count me in on the "blown away" effect from this film, easily my favorite of the year, if not the last five years overall in film, I was thoroughly entertained, and yet the story was powerful enough for it to sink it as a great human condition piece.....as it is, the writing was as amazing as the effects in this, which is saying alot. And with that said, unbelievably phenomenal job with the effects. By far went above and beyond all high expectations I had for it on both of those levels - the story itself and the effects. Some strong performances too, particularly the guy who

Spoiler

ends up turning into a prawn, which totally blew me away since I had no idea that was even going to be a part of the film

I purposefully didn't read hardly anything on the actual plot of the film beyond the general idea that the aliens were kind of being held captive, so to speak. So with that said, I was very satisfied by the different directions that the whole thing went.....very unexpected stuff.

I think I read a quote from Peter Jackson recently saying that the film would be like nothing nobody has ever seen before, and I have to agree with that sentiment. I liked how they incorporated the same perspectives that worked so well in Cloverfield, but yet didn't make it all completely docu-film style either.

I have a feeling this is going to do some serious business at the box office, because of good word of mouth to come from this. And I most certainly expect a District 10 (you'll get what I mean when you see the film) within the next 2-3 years.