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Performances, movies and book reviews …Archive for Movie
District 9
Warning: plot elements revealed.
It is set in a ‘near future’ Johannesberg, South Africa. Where an huge Alien spaceship has floated above the city for 20 years. Where for 20 years the million plus (and multiplying) crew/passengers have lived in District 9 – in one massive ghetto. The film holds up a mirror for South Africa and the world.
Yes, the Aliens are treated very badly; and are being cleared out of their shanties to a new place – District 10 – where they can be better looked after – or is that controlled? (and where they can make the sequel); “you don’t want to be there it is like a concentration camp” – as if District 9 isn’t one already.
Humans can’t work any of the Alien technology; because, the equipment is keyed to DNA/biology. Yet, there are big business interests who are becoming increasingly frustrated at the delay in exploiting the Alien technology.
Into all of this steps Wikus Van De Merwe (superbly played by Sharlto Copley) – a mild mannered civil servant. What happens to him and the events that unfold around him will change the status quo and forms the film.
I am glad that I have watched all of the Aliens, Mad Max and Starship Trooper movies, they prepared me nicely – inured me – for the splatter elements in this movie. It is a good movie – but very violent. Neill Blomkamp has done a good job with the directing.
There might be a sequel – District 10. Events are set up nicely for one, with Wikus missing, his manipulative father-in-law still on the scene, and promises made by the aliens.
0.3
The Golden Compass
An Alethiometer – it tells the truth. This review contains spoilers.
The film is based on Northern Lights – the first book in Philip Pulman’s His Dark Materials trilogy. I have not read the books, but I might be tempted – just to see how much they changed. Chris Weitz was the director.
The first chunk of the film sets up the story for the first book/film and the sequels. It got a little tedious. It was fascinating to consider a world where people (a) have souls, and (b) these souls have their own physical manifestations, and act more like a close companion.
Inspired decision to cast Nicole Kidman in the role of “Mrs Coulter” – the trouble shooter for Magisterium. The Magisterium is an example of the kind of government you can end up with when there is no separation between religion and civic government; they are not the good guys! Consequently, Mrs Coutler is at best a grey character – all the more fitting that she is played as pale skinned blonde haired woman who wear pale/light colours. Mrs Coulter is bright in a grey world; she is an assertive woman in a man’s world; she is ruthless. For me, she stole the movie !
The heroine is actually Lyra Belacqua – played by newcomer Dakota Blue Richards. She has to rescue some children that the nasty Magisterium is conducting experiments on.
Between them, these two are the movie. Yes, there are lots of other characters – most notable, is somekind of polar bear. But they are just there to move the plot along and give Lyra and Mrs Coulter points to engage with. One of the reasons they engage so well, is that Lyra is not an orphan living with her uncle after all; she is actually living with her father, and Mrs Coulter, is actually Lyra’s mother. Presumably the parents split up when ‘uncle’ Lord Asriel (Daniel Craig) had a falling out over scientific and polictical philosophy with Mrs Coulter. In many subtle ways, mother and daughter are alike – they are both: fearless, manipulative, willing to be frugal with truth, not unwilling to do what needs to be done, and resourceful. Daniel Craig is hopelessly under utilised – maybe he has a bigger role in the sequels.
The alethiometer – golden compass – is the major plot device for moving Lyra around and getting her into and out of trouble. It turns out that not everyone can use it.
The last part of the movie was really disappointing. There is a long segment after the climax that has no entertainment value – it just seems to set you up for the sequel. It had the effect of making the film seem like half a film; you just know that there is more story to come. It really pulls the rug out from under the film.
An interesting question that popped into my head, as I watched Mrs Coulter and Lyrac lie and manipulate: when is it, if ever, alright to do such things?
0.3
The Darjeeling Limited
I went to see this film just before Christmas. Warning the review has spoilers.
The film was directed by Wes Anderson, and starred: Owen Wilson, Adien Brody and Jason Schwartzman. The latter play three brothers making a journey. The script was written by Wes Anderson, Roman Coppola, and Jason Schwartzman.
On the face of it the three brothers are taking a train journey to re-ignite their bonds of brothership. Secretly, the eldest brother – Wilson – is taking them to see their mother – Anjelica Huston – who is running a nunnery at the foot of the mountains in north India. He tells them that he is taking them on a spiritual journey. Underneath the train journey is an analogy for life.
I have to confess that I am not a Wes Anderson fan: I found The Royal Tenenbaums only mildy amusing. I found the whole first half of the film inpenetrable. I kept wondering: “what is this about and where is it going?”. For a while I toyed with the idea that the three brothers represented America, that the brothers’ self-centeredness and complete blindness to the India that they were travelling through was some commentary by Anderson about the American’s view of the rest of the world.
The second half of the film seemed to make more sense. I decided that the film was about personal development. Anderson takes too long to bring it together – I almost walked out of the movie. It takes the death of an India boy that the brothers fail to save, halfway through the film, to explain why the brothers have not seen each other for a year and why there is an unresolved tension between the brothers.
The train, in that way that is seems particularly India, from a non-India perspective, is named “The Darjeeling Limited”. The train is indeed an analogy for journey through life – Anderson, in the usual subtle American way, confirms it in a train-journey-through-life sequence, towards the end of the film.
Owen wilson gives a particularly good performance as an annoyingly calm older controlling older brother.
The film is hardwork.
0.3
