A cross of David Cronenberg's The Fly ,McG's Terminator Salvation, The Fugitive and E.T(YEAH, I SAID IT)...District 9 is a blow-out down-right amazing film. After leaving the theatre it will take you several minutes to piece together what you just saw...and when you do that's when it will hit you how truely special this film is. It is, in my opinion the best film of the summer...quite possibly the year. It's a breath of fresh air in the otherwise stale movie offerings this summer. Even though it has a gritty feel and look to it...it feels new and fresh.
It's a sci-fi film that manages the astonishing feat of never feeling like your typical sci-fi flick ( a true testament to how special this film is)It doesn't feel like T4, Alien, Blade runner, The Thing, etc. I kept forgetting that this was a sci-fi film...in fact most of the time it feels more like The Fugitive than an alien flick.
It was made on a really small budget but at times the effects are so fantastic that I began to think that they actually had a huge budget but lied to the public about it. Their THAT good!! (certainly better than those you'll find in T4 or Transformers 2)
Right from the beginning scenes the film establishes a feeling of realness. What you witness on the big screen seems like it's really happenning. The aliens look real and sound real...their grimy and dusty shells adding to the illusion of reality. The characters seem like real people you could encounter on the street and strike up a conversation with.
I am not going to explain the plot because this is one film where the less you know the better the film will be. All I will say is that District 9 follows a small population of Aliens and Wikus Van De Merwe (Pronounced Vikus or Wikus?? I still don't know) as he goes on the run from the agency he works for, finding a safe spot in District 9 (the home of the aliens). An instant connection with Wikus is established early in the film...it stays strong until you have left the theatre. You feel for his plight.He is one of the few heroes to come out of a summer film this year that you actually care about and have no trouble rooting for...you WANT to see this guy survive. You WANT everything to end up being all-right for him in the end. You WANT him to live happily ever after. But will he??
In my opinion this was the film that had the most humanity in it this Summer. Terminator Salvation tried to get us to root for humanity and gain renewed hope for the future but instead only got our interest whenever an explosion flashed across the screen or Sam Worthington's mug glared into our eyes. Transformers 2 tried to wow us with special effects and more of just about everything, It's strive for perfection was It's un-doing and it collapsed on itself.
District 9 is one of the rare films where it doesn't seem to care about what we think. It forces open our eyes and shows us a mirror. We see our greediness, our lack of morality and lack of compassion for others. The film condemns us and leaves us in the hot desert of South Africa to rot away slowly.
It is NOT a happy feel-good film, It is NOT a comedy and it most certainly is NOT an action-adventure. It is an unflinching cold stare that refuses to look the other way, exposing all our faults to our face. YES, IT'S SCARY.
District 9 is a special, one-of-a kind film. It gains points for it's refusal to glorify us and its refusal to reassure us that we're doing the right thing. In this film there are no easy answers and it leaves us with several things to chew on.
I left the theatre feeling raw and exposed...and you will too.
FULL PRICE- 4 STARS
(quite possibly an instant classic)
Friday, August 14, 2009
Thursday, August 13, 2009
BEETLEJUICE'S TRIP REPORT FROM SUNNY CALIFORNIA!!!
HEY THERE BEETLE-HEADS!!! I just got back from my week-long CALIFORNIA VACATION and decided to bring back a trip report for all you normies (normal people) out there.
Let me start off by saying that California isn't exactly as they portray it in the movies. It's not all clean and shiny ( some parts are ex: Rodeo Drive, Bel-Air, Beverly Hills...to name a few). In fact some areas are pretty dirty and need some cleaning up (Hollywood Blvd...the area looks nice but is populated by moochers and homeless peeps...kinda freaked me out). As long as you stay in the "Right" parts of town you'll be fine.
So I got there around noon on Monday and it took us a good 2 hours to reach our hotel. We stayed at The Sheraton Universal City ( 2nd time roomin there...LOVE IT!!) which is located in the heart of Hollywood, a short distance from most of the popular attractons. Our room just happenned to overlook most of the Universal Studios Hollywood Theme Park. The staff at the hotel was really nice and accomadating. They gave really great directions and were pretty knowledgeable. If you're going to Hollywood this is the hotel I MUST reccommend. It made alot of potentially tough parts easier.
So our first day we headed off for Universal Studios Hollywood. The theming there is (in my opinion) much better than the park in Orlando. Unfortunately, the Universal Studios Hollywood park is lacking in rides but has plenty of shows, this adds up to alot of walking which can get tiring after a while.
For rides there's Simpsons (Fun), Jurassic Park (Prepare to get soaked), and Mummy (Wild, fun ride...but Orlando version is much better). For shows it has Creature from The Black Lagoon ( a surprisingly adult campy musical that I Loved), Terminator 2: 3-D ( Much better than the Orlando Version. The queue is much better, more in-theatre effects, and the theatre is alot bigger as well), Waterworld, Backdraft (Think Twister...but with fire instead of a tornado...great show), etc.
The main attraction at the park is the "World Famous" Universal Studios Tram Tour which takes guests right into the Universal Studios Backlot where they film movies. The tour guides are usually a bit hokey but there's plenty to keep you interested and entertained for the tour. You'll see The Bates motel, The Psycho House, The War of the Worlds Plane crash set, etc etc etc. It's pretty cool and is definently a must-see if you travel over to USH while in California.
Overall USH (Universal Studios Hollywood) is a great park and is definently a DO-NOT-MISS.
On Tuesday we got up bright and early and headed off to take a tour of the Warner Brothers Studio. While there we saw where they filmed the Spiderman upside-down kiss, Annie, The Way They Were (under the theatre Marque scene), Casablanca (The Paris set...last remaining set from the film), Whatever happened to Baby Jane, Eastwick ( we actually got to travel onto what was more or less a hot set of the town of Eastwick. The show is premeiring this fall on ABC), Oceans 13, etc.
After we were done there we headed over to Hollywood Blvd and visited the famous Manns Chinese Theatre ( where all the handprints of the stars are...in WDW a replica of it houses the Great Movie Ride). We got to take a tour inside of the theatre which was very interesting..the inside is beautiful. Afterwards we saw The Collector there ( Started out with a great plot and interesting characters, then once the serial Killer is introduced the plot conviently dissapears and the film turns into a torture porn...we left a good 20 minutes before the end). We then cruised around Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills, etc and grabbed a bite to eat at Mels Drive-In.
On Wednesday we traveled over to Disneyland for the day. The park is filled with rides and is gaurenteed to keep you occupied until closing time. I thought it was alot better than WDW in Orlando in terms of Ride quality and stuff. My favorite rides there were the Finding Nemo Sub Voyage, Splash Mountain, Haunted Mansion, Matterhorn, Pirates Of the Caribbean, Indiana Jones Adventure, and Space Mountain ( got to go on this one 3 times...last time I rode it I had a couple of hotties waiting in line in front of me, they got to sit in front of me as well...so that was kool).
On Thursday we traveled up to Santa Monica Beach and it's pier. We ate at Bubba Gumps ( get the Dumb Luck Coconut Shrimp...It's amazing) and spent a few minutes babe-watchin and then headed over to Malibu. Now, I was really excited about goin to Malibu...I had heard that it was bikini central and sunny beaches and all tht Jazz. I was wrong. They have all these houses built in front of the beach that are, like, interconnected so that you can't get over to the beach. You have to drive a few miles until you reach the entrance to the beach...it costs 10 bucks to park. So we forked it over only to find that the beach was extremely under-populated, the water was cold, and that it wasn't at all how they portrayed it in the movies. I was very dissapointed. Later that night we ate at House Of Blues (one of my favorite restaurants...Get the Elwood or the Pulled pork BBQ Sandwich..both are fantastic.)
On our drive back to the hotel we passed by The manns chinese theatre where we found tons of limos lining the street. It was the premier of GI Joe. The stars were all in front of the theatre but they were so clumped together we couldn't make any of them out.
On Friday we traveled back to USH for another day then chilled at Citywalk for a few minutes, takin in the atmosphere. I like the Citywalk in Hollywod alot more than the one in Orlando. I think it's alot cooler looking and has a better atmosphere.
On Saturday we cruised around town for a while and visited the Whatever Happenned To Baby Jane House, Nightmare on Elm Street House, and The 2 Halloween Houses (Michael Meyers house and the one where he is shot off the balcony). Afterwards we ate at The Ivy, a very fancy restaurant where the stars are known to eat...we didn't see any though. It was still pretty cool, except for the prices.
We left Sunday.
I've always loved California. The weather is usually pretty nice ( certainly better tha Florida's), it has a lot of things to see and keep you interested, and there's plenty to do there before you leave. The only downside to Cali is the roads are really bumpy and the traffic is usually insane...but that's how California's been for a while.
A trip to California is ALWAYS an Adventure ( trust me).
DO NOT MISS
---------------
Universal Studios Hollywood
Disneyland
Rodeo Drive
Manns Chinese Theatre
Santa Monica Beach
Let me start off by saying that California isn't exactly as they portray it in the movies. It's not all clean and shiny ( some parts are ex: Rodeo Drive, Bel-Air, Beverly Hills...to name a few). In fact some areas are pretty dirty and need some cleaning up (Hollywood Blvd...the area looks nice but is populated by moochers and homeless peeps...kinda freaked me out). As long as you stay in the "Right" parts of town you'll be fine.
So I got there around noon on Monday and it took us a good 2 hours to reach our hotel. We stayed at The Sheraton Universal City ( 2nd time roomin there...LOVE IT!!) which is located in the heart of Hollywood, a short distance from most of the popular attractons. Our room just happenned to overlook most of the Universal Studios Hollywood Theme Park. The staff at the hotel was really nice and accomadating. They gave really great directions and were pretty knowledgeable. If you're going to Hollywood this is the hotel I MUST reccommend. It made alot of potentially tough parts easier.
So our first day we headed off for Universal Studios Hollywood. The theming there is (in my opinion) much better than the park in Orlando. Unfortunately, the Universal Studios Hollywood park is lacking in rides but has plenty of shows, this adds up to alot of walking which can get tiring after a while.
For rides there's Simpsons (Fun), Jurassic Park (Prepare to get soaked), and Mummy (Wild, fun ride...but Orlando version is much better). For shows it has Creature from The Black Lagoon ( a surprisingly adult campy musical that I Loved), Terminator 2: 3-D ( Much better than the Orlando Version. The queue is much better, more in-theatre effects, and the theatre is alot bigger as well), Waterworld, Backdraft (Think Twister...but with fire instead of a tornado...great show), etc.
The main attraction at the park is the "World Famous" Universal Studios Tram Tour which takes guests right into the Universal Studios Backlot where they film movies. The tour guides are usually a bit hokey but there's plenty to keep you interested and entertained for the tour. You'll see The Bates motel, The Psycho House, The War of the Worlds Plane crash set, etc etc etc. It's pretty cool and is definently a must-see if you travel over to USH while in California.
Overall USH (Universal Studios Hollywood) is a great park and is definently a DO-NOT-MISS.
On Tuesday we got up bright and early and headed off to take a tour of the Warner Brothers Studio. While there we saw where they filmed the Spiderman upside-down kiss, Annie, The Way They Were (under the theatre Marque scene), Casablanca (The Paris set...last remaining set from the film), Whatever happened to Baby Jane, Eastwick ( we actually got to travel onto what was more or less a hot set of the town of Eastwick. The show is premeiring this fall on ABC), Oceans 13, etc.
After we were done there we headed over to Hollywood Blvd and visited the famous Manns Chinese Theatre ( where all the handprints of the stars are...in WDW a replica of it houses the Great Movie Ride). We got to take a tour inside of the theatre which was very interesting..the inside is beautiful. Afterwards we saw The Collector there ( Started out with a great plot and interesting characters, then once the serial Killer is introduced the plot conviently dissapears and the film turns into a torture porn...we left a good 20 minutes before the end). We then cruised around Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills, etc and grabbed a bite to eat at Mels Drive-In.
On Wednesday we traveled over to Disneyland for the day. The park is filled with rides and is gaurenteed to keep you occupied until closing time. I thought it was alot better than WDW in Orlando in terms of Ride quality and stuff. My favorite rides there were the Finding Nemo Sub Voyage, Splash Mountain, Haunted Mansion, Matterhorn, Pirates Of the Caribbean, Indiana Jones Adventure, and Space Mountain ( got to go on this one 3 times...last time I rode it I had a couple of hotties waiting in line in front of me, they got to sit in front of me as well...so that was kool).
On Thursday we traveled up to Santa Monica Beach and it's pier. We ate at Bubba Gumps ( get the Dumb Luck Coconut Shrimp...It's amazing) and spent a few minutes babe-watchin and then headed over to Malibu. Now, I was really excited about goin to Malibu...I had heard that it was bikini central and sunny beaches and all tht Jazz. I was wrong. They have all these houses built in front of the beach that are, like, interconnected so that you can't get over to the beach. You have to drive a few miles until you reach the entrance to the beach...it costs 10 bucks to park. So we forked it over only to find that the beach was extremely under-populated, the water was cold, and that it wasn't at all how they portrayed it in the movies. I was very dissapointed. Later that night we ate at House Of Blues (one of my favorite restaurants...Get the Elwood or the Pulled pork BBQ Sandwich..both are fantastic.)
On our drive back to the hotel we passed by The manns chinese theatre where we found tons of limos lining the street. It was the premier of GI Joe. The stars were all in front of the theatre but they were so clumped together we couldn't make any of them out.
On Friday we traveled back to USH for another day then chilled at Citywalk for a few minutes, takin in the atmosphere. I like the Citywalk in Hollywod alot more than the one in Orlando. I think it's alot cooler looking and has a better atmosphere.
On Saturday we cruised around town for a while and visited the Whatever Happenned To Baby Jane House, Nightmare on Elm Street House, and The 2 Halloween Houses (Michael Meyers house and the one where he is shot off the balcony). Afterwards we ate at The Ivy, a very fancy restaurant where the stars are known to eat...we didn't see any though. It was still pretty cool, except for the prices.
We left Sunday.
I've always loved California. The weather is usually pretty nice ( certainly better tha Florida's), it has a lot of things to see and keep you interested, and there's plenty to do there before you leave. The only downside to Cali is the roads are really bumpy and the traffic is usually insane...but that's how California's been for a while.
A trip to California is ALWAYS an Adventure ( trust me).
DO NOT MISS
---------------
Universal Studios Hollywood
Disneyland
Rodeo Drive
Manns Chinese Theatre
Santa Monica Beach
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Beetle's Review of Let The Right One In.
If you happen to glance at reviews of this film online you'll find a recurring theme: most reviewers tend to agree that it is one of the best (if not THE best) vampire films to come out in a while.
Imagine what you would get if you mixed Twilight and Frankenstein together, that's essentially what we get with Let The Right One In, minus all the sappy teen love shit. Let The Right One in is a dark, beautiful, tragic and completely haunting tale of two 12 year olds, both alienated and outcasts, that meet and fall in love. One of them is a vampire.
I saw this film at the urging of my dad ( who still hasn't seen it, but kept going on about how great it was suppossed to be). I read the basic plot...and thought it sounded boring. It was with a good bit of hesitation that I finally viewed the film. Now that I have seen it I find the more I sit and think about this haunting film, the more I grow to like it.
Let The Right One In is a different kind of Vampire flick...unlike anything you've ever seen before. I don't lie when I say that there really is nothing that can prepare you for this film. It's not a horror film...and sure doesn't feel like your usual vamp flick. The pacing is (painfully) slow at times, there's never much excitement or action and it keeps the same tone thru-out most of the film. It's a very bleak film...but I liked it.
The film delivers one of the best vampire portrayals I've seen in a while. There hasn't been a character this beautiful and tragic since the portrayal of Frankenstein by Boris Karloff. We, the viewer, are equal parts terrified of her, but at the same time find ourselves falling in love with her as Oskar does. She is a beautiful, pale, awkward little girl. She doesn't appear to enjoy killing people but does so because, in her own words: she "must". At times she appears achingly innocent, but we know that she is capable of dark deeds. Her Name is Eli, and we follow her path of pain for most of the film. She is 12. Her lover is Oskar. A young, bullied and picked on kid that has begun to have fantasies about murdering his aggressors. She does what she can for him while trying to resist her apetite for his blood.
Anyone that has ever been bullied,alienated, outcast or felt like they are alone in this big World of ours is likely to find themselves attracted to the lovers and the themes that the story presents
Let the right one in is a hauntingly beautiful, dark little gem that we don't get the pleasure of viewing very often. It's a true, unique masterpiece that deserves to be seen and is a breath of fresh air in the otherwise re-make filled hollywood that we have today.
Breath it in and relax.
Full Price- 4 Stars
Imagine what you would get if you mixed Twilight and Frankenstein together, that's essentially what we get with Let The Right One In, minus all the sappy teen love shit. Let The Right One in is a dark, beautiful, tragic and completely haunting tale of two 12 year olds, both alienated and outcasts, that meet and fall in love. One of them is a vampire.
I saw this film at the urging of my dad ( who still hasn't seen it, but kept going on about how great it was suppossed to be). I read the basic plot...and thought it sounded boring. It was with a good bit of hesitation that I finally viewed the film. Now that I have seen it I find the more I sit and think about this haunting film, the more I grow to like it.
Let The Right One In is a different kind of Vampire flick...unlike anything you've ever seen before. I don't lie when I say that there really is nothing that can prepare you for this film. It's not a horror film...and sure doesn't feel like your usual vamp flick. The pacing is (painfully) slow at times, there's never much excitement or action and it keeps the same tone thru-out most of the film. It's a very bleak film...but I liked it.
The film delivers one of the best vampire portrayals I've seen in a while. There hasn't been a character this beautiful and tragic since the portrayal of Frankenstein by Boris Karloff. We, the viewer, are equal parts terrified of her, but at the same time find ourselves falling in love with her as Oskar does. She is a beautiful, pale, awkward little girl. She doesn't appear to enjoy killing people but does so because, in her own words: she "must". At times she appears achingly innocent, but we know that she is capable of dark deeds. Her Name is Eli, and we follow her path of pain for most of the film. She is 12. Her lover is Oskar. A young, bullied and picked on kid that has begun to have fantasies about murdering his aggressors. She does what she can for him while trying to resist her apetite for his blood.
Anyone that has ever been bullied,alienated, outcast or felt like they are alone in this big World of ours is likely to find themselves attracted to the lovers and the themes that the story presents
Let the right one in is a hauntingly beautiful, dark little gem that we don't get the pleasure of viewing very often. It's a true, unique masterpiece that deserves to be seen and is a breath of fresh air in the otherwise re-make filled hollywood that we have today.
Breath it in and relax.
Full Price- 4 Stars
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