Just got back from District 9 (spoilers)

Shaggy

Shaggy

Vice Admiral
And I got some weird alien VD.:p

Okay seriously, that was an amazing show. I think it will be awhile before I get over it. It kind of makes you feel like a shit for ever treating the nerdy kid bad in grade school, wait I was the nerdy kid. Wow Neill Blomkamp kicks ass at film making, and whoever pulled the plug on the Halo movie obviously made a massive mistake.

So has anyone else seen it yet and picked up that sad guilty vibe, or am I just uniquely sensitive with my abyssmal self esteem?
 
I'm waiting for the Blu-Ray. It's gotten too good reviews for me (5 stars), which signals that it's a good movie, but there's also a lot of other stuff in there.

Not just plot/action/character development. But other stuff like symbology and subtext and the human condition and the things you should do to be a better person, etc. Stuff I hate (I like my movies to escape and entertain, not an intellectual pursuit).

By the time the Blu-Ray comes out, those people would've moved on and I can watch the movie in peace without people bugging me about the symbolism of the aliens or the significance of the location and its relation in history, blah blah blah. It's like when I had to analyze the religious symbolism in Star Wars (Why are storm troopers white? and the like).

I can't wait to see this movie - it looks very good. And very fun. As long as people don't try to discuss other motives. Hell, I love the ads, especially the ones on public transit.

As for the Halo stuff - I think Microsoft pulled it. It's an on-again-off-again movie (rumored to be released in 2011). But I guess perhaps there's a chance the storyline sucked for Halo.
 
Worf said:
I'm waiting for the Blu-Ray. It's gotten too good reviews for me (5 stars), which signals that it's a good movie, but there's also a lot of other stuff in there.

Not just plot/action/character development. But other stuff like symbology.
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The "symbology"?
I'm sure the word you were looking for was "symbolism". What is the symbolism there.

While Worf's out gettin' coffee, any body else want anything?

... sorry Boondock Saint's reference I couldn't pass up.

I just saw the movie myself! It was unbelievable! Highly recommended.
 
Worf, if your waiting because you want escapist entertainment and you don't want to analyze the symbolism of this or that with a film on the big screen, you should still go.

The movie is obviously an allegory for apartheid, but you can pick that much up from the trailers, but at it's core it is a ripping good action movie with more heart and emotion to it than most.

Think Gladiator or Man On Fire, and yes I realize I'm channeling the Scotts here, but with a SciFi slant.

You should go see it on the big screen just because this movie was made for $30 million and the CG aliens are better looking than anything Michael Bay or Steven Spielberg put out with the hundreds of millions they spent on their films.

And if anyone tries to draw you into an existential or symbolic discussion just counter them with how cool the pig throwing scene was.:D
 
Heh, I heard about that scene from my friends, except they uttered a hint of disappointment.

Of course, I would expect the CG to be good. Most of it was reused from the canned Halo movie, so I'd guess Microsoft already paid a good chunk of it off. Just not enough to hold the rights to it.

Though, I have to admit, this year's box office has been pretty pathetic. Certainly hope D9 does better this week...
 
What CG did they use from the Halo movie? I didn't think they had even gotten through the conceptual art stage before the movie got canceled.
 
Shaggy said:
What CG did they use from the Halo movie? I didn't think they had even gotten through the conceptual art stage before the movie got canceled.
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The director of District 9 was responsible for a short film called Halo: Landfall that was used to advertise Halo 3 and also give studios an idea of his vision for a Halo movie (which likely would not have centered on Master Chief, something they were wary of). You can watch the movie on Xbox Live or here on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxdvGO1oOF0
 
Jacob said:
The director of District 9 was responsible for a short film called Halo: Landfall that was used to advertise Halo 3 and also give studios an idea of his vision for a Halo movie (which likely would not have centered on Master Chief, something they were wary of). You can watch the movie on Xbox Live or here on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxdvGO1oOF0
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That wasn't bad... although Halo for me has kind of been done to death. I mean seriously by the time the movie comes out, I don't know how long its going to be before everyone is just like, "Enough already."
 
frostytheplebe said:
That wasn't bad... although Halo for me has kind of been done to death. I mean seriously by the time the movie comes out, I don't know how long its going to be before everyone is just like, "Enough already."
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Hence why Halo: Reach is the last Halo title Bungie will be doing. 343 Industries is the MS game studio that is now tasked with beating the franchise to death.

Halo: Landfall is pretty amazing. I wish the project hadn't fallen through. They would have done a great job.
 
Actually, 343 Industries is a team within MS Game Studios tasked with monetizing the Halo property (which was acquired by Microsoft in 1999 when it bought Bungie, and retained by Microsoft when Bungie was spun back out as an independent business).

It's how now-defunct Ensemble Studios did Halo Wars (actually Ensemble approached Microsoft with an RTS game, and I think Microsoft licensed the Halo stuff to it). One of the Dead or Alive games (I think) had a Spartan as an unlockable - they worked with Bungie/Microsoft (at the time) to get the assets transferred over.

It's just that now it's under control of a few people, rather than wahtever whims Microsoft Marketing desire. So rather than having to approach random people, you approach the 343 Industries team, to avoid fragmentation of the universe, and to give everything Halo a consistent look as a requirement of licensing. Halo's pretty big - 6 books, with 3 more coming out in 2010, an anime series (coming to Blu-Ray - Halo's coming to PS3! - and DVD), and a "portal" site where fans can gather. And all the other licensed stuff: Kotobukiya models, McFarlane action figures, etc.

I'm sure Bungie will probably do more Halo shooters - they're too close to Microsoft for it not to happen. Hell, no one really knew of Reach until E3. Who knows what project they're doing in 2011 and beyond?

Back on topic - how preachy is the movie? I read a review and the guy stated "at the end of the film, you'll feel bad for humanity" - truth?
 
Dyret said:
Sounds like something I won't be watching.
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I thought it was ok... but not your usual blockbuster stuff. Its a lot different then the usual thriller/action movies that usually blow out the box office over the summer. Other then that... eh... it got a lot more hype then deserved.

It was an ambitious movie with an ending that, while being somewhat of a downer was definitely something unexpected. The story itself was well... let me put it this way,
It wouldn't have been very believable had it taken place anywhere else. Johannesburg, South Africa, a place that is pretty well known for it's treatment of people it's upper class considers inferior. It does paint the country a rather dismal (though arguably deserved) light.

The acting I felt was rather stale and, at points, annoyingly comical. Once it does actually takes off, the action just gives the feel of being thrown together. There is no well established central villain (although the movie didn't necessarily call for one.)

All in all the movie gets an even C from me. Worth seeing? Yes. Worth paying $9 to see in the theaters? No, rent it.

Is this movie to become a classic? Probably not, I'd wager in a year or so, you'll find it in the $2.99 bin at your local Quickie Mart. :D
 
I was in South Africa over christmas I can tell you, racism is alive and well over there. It's sad because the real problem is the lack of education. They need a lot of school money to bring the education of the country upto the level of the elites.
 
Darkmage said:
I was in South Africa over christmas I can tell you, racism is alive and well over there. It's sad because the real problem is the lack of education. They need a lot of school money to bring the education of the country upto the level of the elites.
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Yeah I wonder what Micheal Bays interest in this is? It sounds a lot like he is taking a stab at South Africa's historical Apartheid, it at least sounds very similar in principle to what happened in the movie.

It would be kind of scary of an Alien ship touched down their and judged humanity based on what goes on in that hell hole... you know I had to sit there and laugh part of the time at the Irony here. I have friends who have been to South Africa, and never want to go back. My Ex g/fs mother immigrated to the US from SA and labeled me a "Filthy Irish boy." Kind of a Pot and Kettle situation considering the hell hole she came from.
 
frostytheplebe said:
Yeah I wonder what Micheal Bays interest in this is? It sounds a lot like he is taking a stab at South Africa's historical Apartheid, it at least sounds very similar in principle to what happened in the movie.
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Michael Bey? He didn't direct this. Neil Blomkamp did.

Blomkamp did another short about South Africa which was sort of the basis for D9.
 
Darkmage said:
I was in South Africa over christmas I can tell you, racism is alive and well over there. It's sad because the real problem is the lack of education. They need a lot of school money to bring the education of the country upto the level of the elites.
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I don't know, I'm really well educated and I have a lot of money and I hate *everything*.
 
Dundradal said:
Michael Bey? He didn't direct this. Neil Blomkamp did.

Blomkamp did another short about South Africa which was sort of the basis for D9.
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Where did I get Micheal bay then... don't mind me, my mind is off today.:D

Ok thats going to bug me today.

Either way, i think the political reference is pretty clear.
 
frostytheplebe said:
Where did I get Micheal bay then... don't mind me, my mind is off today.:D

Ok thats going to bug me today.

Either way, i think the political reference is pretty clear.
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Well yes, he is from South Africa. I forget the name of the other short film but it is available online if you search for Neil's name.
 
Darkmage said:
I was in South Africa over christmas I can tell you, racism is alive and well over there. It's sad because the real problem is the lack of education. They need a lot of school money to bring the education of the country upto the level of the elites.
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