at long last - thoughts on late summer movies

District 9 -
although i am deeply saddened that the Halo feature film fell through (the downloadable short film is available on Xbox Live), that unfortunate development led to the VERY fortunate production of District 9. Blomkamp (director) and Jackson (producer) moved their energies out of the Halo universe and into fictional, near-future South Africa.
I really, really enjoyed this film because of how well it draws in the viewer - the use of documentary-style storytelling is not overdone or distracting, but rather helpful in pacing the story. The final act of the film clips along pretty steadily, and is quite intense. I'm all about intense films, but my wife was a little bit unnerved by the treatment of a baby(?) alien creature, so let the ladies be informed that this film is so good that you'll actually care about what happens to an alien. That, to me, is the mark of a great storyteller.
all of the effects shots are woven into the "real" shots so well that you have to remind yourself that what you're looking at is digitally inserted. i'm not sure how you direct something that's as much digital as it is non-digital, but Blomkamp was able to get a LOT out of Sharlto Copley, so i'm interested to see how Copley does in the role of Murdock on the new A-Team movie...
Although the Hollywood machine has deemed that this movie demands a sequel/prequel (based upon money earned), i'm a little anxious about that - this film stands alone, telling a complete story that crafts a believable world and set of characters. I will look forward to ANYthing that Blomkamp is invovled with in the future, however, even if it is an unnecessary sequel to District 9.

GI Joe -
now, i may take some flack for this, but this movie is one of the worst films i have subjected myself to in my entire life.
I am a pure child of the 80's, so Transformers, GI Joe, Thundercats, and Ducktales were some of the most powerful, formative influences in my impressionable mind. I still collect Transformers stuff here and there, and i'm a big Storm Shadow fan, so i had serious expectations for this film that were rooted in my childhood experience.
When i was a kid, it was okay for lasers to fly across the screen and no one get harmed. When i was a kid, it was okay when there was nothing resembling a storyline in the episode or connecting episodes. When i was a child, i spoke like a child and reasoned like a child. Now that i'm an "adult," i've marginalized some of the childish things, and i've certainly tried to stay away from pop drivel that melts your brain. Unfortunately, i feel a little bit dumber after having watched GI Joe.
I will give the film its due in only one area: Ray Park as Snake Eyes. it is impossible to have cast that role any better. What makes me sad is that so much of the Snake Eyes character is digital that you aren't really sure if you're watching Ray Park at all. Or maybe Ray Park is all digital too, which wouldn't surprise me.
Here's the saddest part of all - i'll probably see the sequel.

Zombieland
Woody Harrelson was perfect in this film - he basically stars with Michael Cera, i mean, Jesse Eisenberg, in a comedic take on the zombie trends saturating pop culture right now.
There's actually a pretty meaningful story at the heart of this strangely fun movie, and that story is what holds all the set pieces together. I really enjoy shooting zombies via XboxLive, and i have enjoyed SOME of the resurgent zombieness (28 Days Later, Shaun of the Dead, Left4Dead), so i was pretty pumped about a film that would at once embrace this zombie craze and also poke some fun at it in a tongue-in-cheek, self-aware fashion.
There were many moments of slapstick, more than a few moments of sarcasm, and a few moments of tenderness mixed together with flesh-craving special effects shots and a generally apocalyptic backdrop. I guess it's getting fairly easy for Hollywood to create an empty, trash-littered highway and deserted towns since every studio seems to be putting out a movie that would take advantage of that setting.
Catch this in the $1.50 theatre if possible, but otherwise it's worth a red-box rental. or netflix.
who even goes to blockbuster anymore?