Let me start by saying... I am not a movie critic, nor do I play one on the web. That being said, I am also not a webmaster, website builder, moderator nor into literary linguistics.

I am a small business owner who works on Tractor Trailer Trucks and I dabble on the web. But, I also like to expand my horizons and post comments on different subjects.

For that, fellow Barth site members and guest, you get to suffer through my 2 movie reviews.

~ District 9

Summary:
Thirty years ago, aliens made first contact with Earth. Humans waited for the hostile attack, or the giant advances in technology. Neither came. Instead, the aliens were refugees, the last survivors of their home world. The creatures were set up in a makeshift home in South Africa's District 9 as the world's nations argued over what to do with them. Now, patience over the alien situation has run out. Control over the aliens has been contracted out to Multi-National United (MNU), a private company uninterested in the aliens' welfare -- they will receive tremendous profits if they can make the aliens' awesome weaponry work. So far, they have failed; activation of the weaponry requires alien DNA. The tension between the aliens and the humans comes to a head when an MNU field operative, Wikus van der Merwe, contracts a mysterious virus that begins changing his DNA. Wikus quickly becomes the most hunted man in the world, as well as the most valuable -- he is the key to unlocking the secrets of alien technology. Ostracized and friendless, there is only one place left for him to hide: District 9.

"My thoughts FWIW: Save your money. This is 2 hours of your life you will never get back." As I was leaving, this same sentiment was echoed by several other moviegoers.

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~ The Time Traveler's Wife

Summary:
Clare has been in love with Henry her entire life. She believes they are destined to be together, even though she never knows when they will be separated: Henry is a time traveler--cursed with a rare genetic anomaly that causes him to live his life on a shifting timeline, skipping back and forth through his lifespan with no control. Despite the fact that Henry's travels force them apart with no warning, Clare desperately tries to build a life with her one true love.

My thoughts FWIW: "Well worth the time and money to see. Others in the theater seemed pleased too. I would recommend this as a good 'chick flick' that has something for the Sci-Fi crowd too." The movie theater was about equally represented as it seemed to be mostly couples. There were a couple of 'Girl Groupings' in the crowd. No kids were present. I seem to have been the only one who went 'Stag'.

We had planned to see D 9 last night but decided to save it for this coming Friday. I had picked this movie because it had a user rating of 8.9 out of 10, quite a bit higher than most movies. Now I'm curious who is rating the movie. Since you've seen it, who is the targeted audience?

quote:

Originally posted by towerguy:
...user rating of 8.9 out of 10, quite a bit higher than most movies. Now I'm curious who is rating the movie. Since you've seen it, who is the targeted audience?

The targeted audience is better suited for a D-Minus Rated Zombie Killer Movie fan base.

That being said, we all have our own tastes in movie viewing... Just let me give you a little bit of advice if you still want to see it: Have a "Plan B" and Movie Hop to a better one that starts within 45 minutes. Buy your tickets for "The Other Movie" as I would hate to think you would give "The Ratings and Box Office Take" to a crappy movie while nothing goes to the better one.

It's a tired old plot that you figure out within 2 seconds of seeing the trailer. It was produced with "no name actors". The Director used a technique best described as a 'poor attempt to mimic the "Blair Witch Cinematography" without a plot'.

If you enjoy straining to hear a mumbled accent that is a cross version of an "Americanized-British-South African Accent"... Well then... This movie is for you! For myself? "It wasn't me' cup O' tea, mate."

I did witness several people get up and leave at about 45 minutes... that seems to be the breaking point with some. They left in groups so it wasn't a bathroom break as no one came back. If I had to do it over again, I would have left then too. But then again, using those parameters, I wouldn't go in the first place.

The budget for this film was 30 million. With that kind of expense, it will make money and be wildly profitable.

Director: Neill Blomkamp wiki
Neill Blomkamp is a South African born, Vancouver, BC-based director of feature-length and short films and advertisements. Blomkamp employs a documentary-style, hand-held, cinéma vérité technique, blending seamlessly with naturalistic and photo-realistic computer-generated effects. He directed a series of three short films set in the Halo universe (known collectively as Landfall) and in 2008 he won the Cannes Lions 2008 – Film Lions Grand Prix for the HALO "combat" web commercial.

The Blair Witch Project was kind of a neat idea for about ten minutes and then became annoying, at least to me. I can't remember the name but, there was another movie that mimic'd Blair Witch and, even though it was more high tech, it was a real stinker as well. I have no intention of seeing another movie like that. Thanks for saving us from throwing money away.

quote:

...there was another movie that mimic'd Blair Witch...

Probably the Blair Bitch Project, featuring of course, Linda Blair.

I got an autographed poster, of The Exorcist, signed by Linda Blair and now realize it will never see the light of day in this house. It is a major understatement if I said it upset my wife by bringing it into the house.

Imagine how she'd like it if it were a later poster; Blair as she matured never looked, er, "undernourished".