**** (out of four)
"District 9" is an amazing film; visionary, exciting, and completely original. I haven't felt this way about a science fiction movie since I saw "The Matrix" ten years ago. "District 9" isn't going to revolutionize the way movies are made the way "The Matrix" did, but it does herald the arrival of bold new talent in the form of writer/director Neill Blomkamp and star Sharlto Copley.
Twenty years ago an alien ship arrived at Earth; not over a city like New York or Los Angeles, but over Johannesburg, South Africa. When authorities force their way into the ship they find a population of grotesque aliens. The creatures, apparently a worker caste, are sick and dying, apparently unable to function without their leaders. The aliens are quickly relocated to a walled off area called District 9.
That Neill Blomkamp chose his native South Africa as the setting of this story is no accident; the parallels he draws with Apartheid are evident in the way the human natives treat their new neighbors, whom they nickname "Prawns." The Prawns are quickly shunned and anti-alien legislation relegates them to the status of second-class citizens. The resemblance of District 9 to the trash-strewn and dusty ghettos of Johannesburg during Apartheid is haunting.
Cut to the present, when a Halliburton-like defense contractor has been charged with moving all the aliens out of District 9 to a new "relocation camp" far outside the city. A middle manager named Wikus van de Merwe (Sharlto Copley) is put in command of the force sent into District 9. The first part of the movie is filmed like a documentary, as Wikus moves throughout the camp issuing eviction orders to the helpless extraterrestrials. Then the hapless bureaucrat comes into contact with an alien substance and...
I won't spoil it. One of the joys of this movie is how the story twists and turns, but earns every surprise. Conspiracies are revealed and unlikely friendships are formed. Sharlto Copley's performance anchors the film; this is his first feature, and the transformation he undergoes, both literally and figuratively, is incredible. An Oscar nomination is unlikely but not undeserved.
The effects are seamless, the music is pitch perfect, and cinematographer Trent Opaloch transitions beautifully between the documentary style and more traditional narrative. The parts add up to a magnificent whole, making "District 9" the best film of the year so far.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
***1/2 (out of 4)
Fanboys of the "Harry Potter" books beware: "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" strays further from the source material than any of the previous movies did. There are two important things to consider in adapting a novel. Is the overall narrative arc maintained and is the spirit of the story preserved? In the case of the sixth "Harry Potter" film, despite the changes, the answer is a resounding yes.
As the danger from Lord Voldemort increases, Hogwarts becomes an even scarier and dangerous place than before. Director David Yates and his crew abandon subtlety here, bathing the castle in grays and greens and cloaking every corridor in shadow. The result is the darkest of the films thus far, and appropriately so; the books have become more grim with each volume as J.K. Rowling's original audience has grown up along with Harry. The young wizard (Daniel Radcliffe) becomes obsessed with exposing Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton) as a Death Eater and not just the rat he's been throughout the series. Felton is given his first real chance to shine in the role, eliciting sympathy from the audience even as he plots the downfall of Hogwarts headmaster Professor Dumbledore (Michael Gambon.)
Gambon has finally made the role of Dumbledore his own, stepping out of the shadow of the late Richard Harris, who portrayed the aged wizard in the first two films. Harris was absolutely perfect for the role, but Gambon's interpretation has finally truly become Dumbledore. He and Radcliffe share a lot of screentime as they attempt to unravel the mysteries of Voldemort's past, most importantly his relationship with an old potions teacher, Professor Slughorn. As played by Jim Broadbent, Slughorn steals the show as a man harboring a deep secret and a terrible sense of guilt.
The peril doesn't just come from Death Eaters, as all the students are swept up in the hormonal dangers of adolescence. Some of the best scenes involve Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) dealing with their blossoming romance, as well as Harry's feelings for Ron's sister Ginny (Bonnie Wright.) It's these scenes that demonstrate how these young actors have grown since the first film. It doesn't hurt that they've had a string of very good directors to nurture them, most notably Alfonso Cuaron.
The film is exciting, funny, scary, and tragic. It hits all the right notes and any changes made enhance the movie, which is what a good adaptation should do. David Yates has really hit his stride as a director of these movies. He gets the material, and I have no doubt that the last two films are going to be a fitting end to the series. This is a fine movie, and the second best entry in the series behind "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban." And that's saying something.
Fanboys of the "Harry Potter" books beware: "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" strays further from the source material than any of the previous movies did. There are two important things to consider in adapting a novel. Is the overall narrative arc maintained and is the spirit of the story preserved? In the case of the sixth "Harry Potter" film, despite the changes, the answer is a resounding yes.
As the danger from Lord Voldemort increases, Hogwarts becomes an even scarier and dangerous place than before. Director David Yates and his crew abandon subtlety here, bathing the castle in grays and greens and cloaking every corridor in shadow. The result is the darkest of the films thus far, and appropriately so; the books have become more grim with each volume as J.K. Rowling's original audience has grown up along with Harry. The young wizard (Daniel Radcliffe) becomes obsessed with exposing Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton) as a Death Eater and not just the rat he's been throughout the series. Felton is given his first real chance to shine in the role, eliciting sympathy from the audience even as he plots the downfall of Hogwarts headmaster Professor Dumbledore (Michael Gambon.)
Gambon has finally made the role of Dumbledore his own, stepping out of the shadow of the late Richard Harris, who portrayed the aged wizard in the first two films. Harris was absolutely perfect for the role, but Gambon's interpretation has finally truly become Dumbledore. He and Radcliffe share a lot of screentime as they attempt to unravel the mysteries of Voldemort's past, most importantly his relationship with an old potions teacher, Professor Slughorn. As played by Jim Broadbent, Slughorn steals the show as a man harboring a deep secret and a terrible sense of guilt.
The peril doesn't just come from Death Eaters, as all the students are swept up in the hormonal dangers of adolescence. Some of the best scenes involve Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) dealing with their blossoming romance, as well as Harry's feelings for Ron's sister Ginny (Bonnie Wright.) It's these scenes that demonstrate how these young actors have grown since the first film. It doesn't hurt that they've had a string of very good directors to nurture them, most notably Alfonso Cuaron.
The film is exciting, funny, scary, and tragic. It hits all the right notes and any changes made enhance the movie, which is what a good adaptation should do. David Yates has really hit his stride as a director of these movies. He gets the material, and I have no doubt that the last two films are going to be a fitting end to the series. This is a fine movie, and the second best entry in the series behind "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban." And that's saying something.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
(500) Days of Summer
**** (out of 4)
"(500) Days of Summer" is a wonderful film; poignant, funny, heartbreaking and true. In a lesser movie the unorthodox narrative structure might overshadow how perfectly the film captures all the nuances of a relationship from start to finish, but in this case it makes the movie even more moving.
The story is simple; it chronicles the relationship, from beginning to end, of Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and Summer (Zooey Deschanel.) The title refers to the 500 days of their relationship from the first time Tom sees Summer across the office until...well, I won't spoil it. The story jumps around to different days and different moments of the relationship, and the brilliance of the movie is how the structure makes the overall narrative thread even more satisfying.
Tom writes slogans for a greeting card company, having left his dream of becoming an architect behind. One day he sees the new secretary across the office. Summer is everything he's ever wanted in a woman, and even though she says she doesn't want a relationship, he falls head over heels in love with her. The scene after their first night together completely captures the elation of a new relationship, because every guy feels like Han Solo at some point.
The performances of Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Tom and Zoe Deschanel as Summer are key to the success of the film. It is Tom's story; Gordon-Levitt is a subtle actor, and like Paul Giamatti or Philip Seymour Hoffman he can convey layers of emotion with a glance or a slight movement. Deschanel is radiant as Summer and you can understand why Tom falls for her. She makes Summer sympathetic even as she is breaking Tom's heart.
According to the Internet Movie Database the film's writers, Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber have only one other screenplay to their credit: "The Pink Panther 2." How any one could have seen the extraordinary talent of these two buried in that movie I don't know, but thank goodness someone gave this one a look.
The film is full of moments both hilarious and cringeworthy, and the reason they feel so heightened is that we've all experienced those moments, either from Tom's or Summer's perspective. It's been a long time since I've been so fully invested in characters like this. "(500) Days of the Summer" is one of the best films of the year.
"(500) Days of Summer" is a wonderful film; poignant, funny, heartbreaking and true. In a lesser movie the unorthodox narrative structure might overshadow how perfectly the film captures all the nuances of a relationship from start to finish, but in this case it makes the movie even more moving.
The story is simple; it chronicles the relationship, from beginning to end, of Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and Summer (Zooey Deschanel.) The title refers to the 500 days of their relationship from the first time Tom sees Summer across the office until...well, I won't spoil it. The story jumps around to different days and different moments of the relationship, and the brilliance of the movie is how the structure makes the overall narrative thread even more satisfying.
Tom writes slogans for a greeting card company, having left his dream of becoming an architect behind. One day he sees the new secretary across the office. Summer is everything he's ever wanted in a woman, and even though she says she doesn't want a relationship, he falls head over heels in love with her. The scene after their first night together completely captures the elation of a new relationship, because every guy feels like Han Solo at some point.
The performances of Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Tom and Zoe Deschanel as Summer are key to the success of the film. It is Tom's story; Gordon-Levitt is a subtle actor, and like Paul Giamatti or Philip Seymour Hoffman he can convey layers of emotion with a glance or a slight movement. Deschanel is radiant as Summer and you can understand why Tom falls for her. She makes Summer sympathetic even as she is breaking Tom's heart.
According to the Internet Movie Database the film's writers, Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber have only one other screenplay to their credit: "The Pink Panther 2." How any one could have seen the extraordinary talent of these two buried in that movie I don't know, but thank goodness someone gave this one a look.
The film is full of moments both hilarious and cringeworthy, and the reason they feel so heightened is that we've all experienced those moments, either from Tom's or Summer's perspective. It's been a long time since I've been so fully invested in characters like this. "(500) Days of the Summer" is one of the best films of the year.
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