I have just seen S. Darko the "sequel" of Donnie Darko. There is Alive Alone at the beginning of the movie.

By the way, it is far from being as good the original movie.

From what I hear, the sequel is one of the worst films ever made.

@Wincent: I refused to see that, simply because I know I would be disappointed, probably much in the way that I was disappointed when I saw Southland Tales (Richard Kelly's next film after Donnie Darko).

I saw District 9 yesterday, and it's one of the best science fiction movies made--ever. It successfully blended bits of faux-documentary in with the narrative in a way that was effective and compelling; the messages contained within the subtext of the story were clear, simple, and managed to deliver so much without feeling contrived; and there were so many elements that the film blended together in such an impressive way that it's hard for me to sit down and point out its flaws, which isn't to say the film was flawless, on the other hand.

It's wonderful to see a film which makes it to mainstream audiences where you do not recognize a single actor or actress, yet every single actor and actress absolutely delivers their role. I was most impressed with how I wasn't able to find one extra, one person who was "interviewed" for the faux-documentary bits, that caused me to call into question the idea that this was an actor or actress doing their job. I've seen a number of films which try for the style District 9 seems to have achieved, blending in different media formats and styles, and failing miserably. (Coincidentally, Southland Tales is a great example of this. Fucking horrible movie.)

Another aspect of the film which impressed me was that I ended up feeling absolute empathy for these CGI, initially hideous-looking beings, which actually do appear very realistic. I think there were only one or two moments where I questionably looked at a scene in terms of the filmmakers' final product of computer imagery shifted into reality. But where I was most impressed was when I felt, absolutely and unquestionably, sorrow, pain and sympathy for the main creature's plight. They did a great job imbuing human emotion into those CGI creatures.

***SPOILER***

Lastly, the main character did a phenomenal job of playing the role. What worked best about him was the fact that he was so dorky and awkward, so absolutely normal, I suppose, that you couldn't help but be pulled in with him as he went through his transformation. He did a great job of exhibiting abject horror and revulsion at his own self, and his love for his wife felt genuine, which made the separation he felt from her that much more intense. Also, the way that the transformation was constructed was also very, very well done.

Overall, the opportunity that this film presents the viewer is rarely seen in film in general. The film is a tragedy, no doubt, but there's also a sense of hope, which I haven't seen done well in a long time. If they do make a sequel, I hope to God they don't fuck it up, but I'm not expecting anything but, really. Once the Hollywood system gets a hold of a film, they see that it's going to make more money if they add a happy ending. Suddenly, it goes from authentic to crap, and what once was a moment for a great opportunity becomes a moment where you recognize filmmaker opportunists, and you can't help but regret paying the ten bucks to see this piece of shit.

9.5/10

very good review Poots. I'm glad you enjoyed District 9 as much as I did.

As for me, I just got back from the midnight show of Zombieland. The theatre was surprisingly packed with doped up geeks. Even some zombies showed up for the show :P.

The movie.....Hilarious. It was exactly what I hoped for. Woody is the perfect zombie slayer. Maybe my favorite character he has done, outside of Mickey Knox. Popcorn flick at its finest.

Rule #4 - "Double Tap"

Amores Perros... yesterday.

masterpiece by the creator of Babel

Just watched a new, highly unoriginal film called The Tournament. Set in the U ok K it's basically a Battle Royale premise. It was an entertaining man film, lots of blood and explosions.

For Halloween we saw Paronormal Activity. It has the look and feel of The Blair Witch Project coupled with a claustrophobic atmosphere; it completely takes place in one house. I liked it. I'd recommend it to those that enjoy independant films that are atypical of the Hollywood standard and also to those that have open minds about the subject matter in general. A lot of it was handled very well. One of the characters' actions were very annoying, but it was a major plot point for the film. Did anyone else see this or does anyone plan to?

Didn't see Paranormal Activity, and I don't plan to. I'm trying to save money and I need a really, really good reason to spend $15 on two hours. ;-)

Also, I'm admittedly fickle when it comes to what mainstream movies I watch. Here are my recent ones:

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

I'm a huge, huge fan of bad jokes. Like, Airplane has always, and will always, make me laugh and remain to be one of my favorite slap-stick comedies of all time. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs has some wonderful bad jokes, clever motifs and loveable characters that kept me laughing and engaged the entire time. It's a kids movie, yes, but it was fantastic to see with my son. I think part of the reason I loved it so much was because one of the main parts of the story had to do with the main character and his dad.

I also managed to see it in 3D. I think it's pretty cool, but also pretty gimicky. I would have been just fine seeing it without, but maybe I saw Captain EO at Disneyland so many times back in the day that I've been over it for years.

But overall, I was surprised how much I laughed, and I appreciated the fact that the writing didn't seem contrived. In fact, I'd even call the writing "good," or "great." Anything, really, that empowers awkward nerds to be themselves is an awesome thing. :)

Up

Pixar has never made a bad film. I enjoyed Up tremendously, especially because I managed to see it in Portland at a second-run movie theater for three bucks. THREE BUCKS! Good things come to those who wait, and cheaper, too.

The film was absolutely touching and there were enough bad jokes in the film to keep me entertained throughout.

***SPOILER***

My favorite line from the movie: "I hid under the porch because I love you!"

***END SPOILER***

***OH WAIT, ONE MORE SPOILER, WHICH ISN'T REALLY A SPOILER***

One of the things which impressed me about the film is that it dealt with death and moving on from death. So many movies focus on the tragedy of the death of a loved one and life seemingly coming to a stop, and I think the United States in general doesn't have a constructive way of accepting death. I love the way you not only get to see the main character move on with his life and fulfill his dreams, but also the idea that his life-partner wanted him to move on with his life. The growth and transformation in the animated character is impressive, and I have to commend Pixar for that.

***OKAY, NOW NO MORE SPOILERS FOR REALS***

Interestingly enough, there are some distinct similarities between Up and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs which are striking. Both films use some of the exact same comedic motifs, and it was really cool to see a different, well-executed take on a similar idea.

If you have kids, these two films are great. :)

A couple of weeks ago we were watching television and we saw a commercial for Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs. And because Connor is a gross and pervy pre-teen boy who will create any excuse to be as such - he blurted out for no apparent reason "Yeah... Cloudy With A Chance Of Manballs!"

That said I am sure I'll end up seeing this movie eventually.

rotfl

Independence Day with 2 X Graphics + 1 Recycled Plot = 2012

That is all for now.

Watched Pandorum the other day and i think it is a nice to see movie. Not one of my favorite movies but it's not that bad.

http://www.apple.com...ndent/pandorum/

Back from 2012. Good effects (although some look really bad - most of them look real good) but the rest isn't that good. In my opinion not a must seen movie.

Probably the most gorgeous film I ever laid eyes on. Avatar had too many jawdrops in an IMAX theater, especially the Navi flight sequences on the winged creatures. Jake and Neytiri looked good on computer together on their roles as leaders, fighters, and lovers. Alot of unique animals and plants made up the bulk on the land of Pandora.

Worth my 2 hours and 40 minutes!

and yet inchem, that was probably one of the worst movies I have seen in a while in terms of story. As I watched it I felt as though I had seen it all before. Nothing seemed original throughout. I felt no conncetion to any of the characters. It felt like an over the top farce.

The visual 'brilliance' that everyone claimed it was may have been interesting for a few minutes but lost its appeal soon after.

In the end the film felt like a mashup of the Last Samurai, Princess Mononoke, and Final Fantsy X (PS2). I know now that I am going to get some hating but I don't really care. You probablly won't make me change my mind.

I saw Avatar.

My husband literally took me kicking and screaming. I didn't want to see it at all, nor waste my money on the blue cheese! I'd roll my eyes every time the commercials for it came on television. But with much arm twisting, and being too emotionally drained from enduring a horrendous work week, I caved. And went in with zero expectations other than it was supposedly great eye candy.

And that's exactly what I got. The story was not only bad and rather emotionally disconnected, it was superfluous to the movie which, if you think about it, was a cinematic feat in and of itself. But I found myself really enjoying it (saw it on a giant IMAX screen). Waiting in line for it with my husband and son was fun, seeing people out to the movies on a Saturday. The theater was packed, the smell of popcorn in the air. The voices hushing as the house lights went dim. Those goofy 3d glasses on my face. It was a fun, brainless escape from reality that I needed from the otherwise crap and exhausting week I had at work.

I thought the film was visually stunning and the lack of substance in the storyline would have bothered me had I more than zero expectations going in. It was all about the look of the film and the use of the 3d technology which my eyes feasted upon. I've not seen anything quite like it before. I especially loved the night time forest scenes - really beautiful to look at. My husband read a blurb somewhere that said the film was like having your eyeballs fucked. And I suppose that's a fairly accurate way of putting it.

The movie would have been better without the dialog and just set to music. Hmmm. I bet Avatar syncs up to Surrender...

I finally got around to seeing Avatar, and it fucking blew me away! I too wasn't convinced by the trailers but as it was by Cameron I had to see it for I respect his work.

I see a lot of people have got a problem with the story, and that it isn't original but essentially all stories are the same. It's how they're told which is important and I think Cameron told it in an epic style.

Call me strange, but I also fell in love with Neytiri and I would love to mate with her.

Coming right back from Alice In Wonderland (3D).

I really love that film. And for now i can say that it is much better than Avatar, altough you cannot compare them.