District 9 (2009)

Years ago, when an alien spaceship arrived to Earth and hovered over Johannesburg, South Africa, people rejoiced, but as the weeks dragged by without sign of life, the government stepped in to force their way into the alien spacecraft. Inside, they found a race of aliens that were malnourished and injured. In a rare show of humanity the government decided to care for these refugee aliens.

Though no one knew what brought the aliens to Earth, their ship was inoperable, so they were stuck here. After a period of alien acceptance, there was soon a backlash against the none-too-intelligent “prawns” as the aliens were derogatorily nicknamed. The public wanted them off the streets, so MNU (Multi-National United, a company put in charge of the visitors) segregated them in District 9, which soon devolved into a slum, complete with Nigerian gangsters running a racket of prostitution, illegal weaponry and cat food (pretty much the only thing the aliens like to eat).

Neither the government nor the public was interested in what went on in District 9 as long as the “prawns” stayed separated from the humans. The government and MNU (who also happened to be one of the largest weaponry manufacturers) were more interested in the aliens’ weaponry capabilities than for their well-being. The aliens’ weapons only worked for aliens and not for humans, so MNU went to great lengths to learn the secrets of their weapons. In fact, deep within the bowels of MNU, experiments were conducted  where aliens were dissected to try and find out just how their weapons worked.

In the outside world, there was still a public outcry to get the aliens out of the city, but with the government still keenly interested in the alien’s weapon technology, MNU decides to “relocate” the aliens to an area far outside the city. MNU worker Wikus Van De Werwe (Sharlto Copley) is put in charge of the relocation process, and a camera crew follows the twitchy man around as he serves eviction notices to the aliens in District 9. As Wikus delivers the eviction papers and treats the aliens like an inferior race, even gleefully torching one shack where their young are being hatched, the film cuts back and forth between this footage to interviews with people Wikus knew, all hinting at something unthinkable and treacherous that Wikus did.
I won’t say much more than that for fear of giving too much away, but let’s just say that Wikus finds himself feeling sympathetic towards the aliens in the end.

As you can see, there is a lot going on in the world of District 9. First, let me address the socio-political undertones of the film, all are which pretty heavy but don’t weigh the film down. Of course, there is the obvious location of South Africa with its history of apartheid, which was “a political system in South Africa from 1948 to the early 1990s that separated the different peoples living there and gave privileges to those of European origin.” It also brings to mind the segregation of blacks in the United States after the Civil War and up until the Civil Right’s movement, especially if you’ve seen the marketing materials designating certain areas as “human only”. Not only that, but it echoes more recent issues, like some people’s contempt for illegal immigrants crossing into the U.S. or the mass of migration of refugees and immigrants into other countries. The treatment of the aliens in the film is akin to many of these past and present circumstances – the aliens are abused, called derogatory names, exploited, used, and people want them out of their cities and to go back home. The aliens might not be the smartest or prettiest creatures, but as the film progresses you begin to feel sorrier and sorrier for them, not to mention ashamed of the human race.

On the flip side, you have the bumbling human “hero”, Wikus Van De Werwe, who only does what he does to save himself. Though at the end of the film you see him become truly heroic (though most humans in the film would beg otherwise) and actually do the right thing, most of the time he is selfish and cowardly. He is quite a contrast the main alien in the film, who is just trying to get himself and his son home safe. Again, you feel much more sympathetic to the aliens in the film than you do the humans. You can’t help but root for “Christopher” (the name MNU assigned this alien) throughout the film! Writers Neill Blomkamp (who also directed) and Terri Tatchell have really given us some food for thought with District 9 and touched on some very important and relevant issues.

The direction by Blomkamp is inventive as well. The earlier parts of the film play like a documentary, with a camera crew following Wikus around MNU headquarters and in District 9. There are also well-used security camera shots that fit quite well into the overall proceedings. The last part of the film loses the reality TV feel, but the naturalistic camera movements (yes, there is some shaky-cam) keep the audience in the moment!

Of course, this being a Peter Jackson production and a sci-fi action film, there is plenty of splatterific fun! Now, this isn’t anything like Starship Troopers, so don’t expect a bunch of aliens attacking humans being blow up into smithereens, but District 9 has its fair share of gory scenes. When the aliens’ weapons are utilized, plenty of “prawns” and humans get vaporized, leaving behind only chunks of bloody grue. The last part of the film is edge-of-your-seat action, with very cool use of the large robot weapon that is controlled by an alien on the inside! I also must mention the amazing looking aliens, who are mostly all CGI. They look entirely realistic and fit seamlessly into their environment, whether they are foraging for food, being interrogated, fighting back or scheming how to go back home.

District 9 is a unique sci-fi classic in the making. Its relevant and original story, conflicted characters and its harsh look at the human race, not to mention stunning special FX and moments of over-the-top gore, make it a must-see film! If you are looking for a summer movie that offers a lot of heart, depth and social awareness along with its frenetic action, head to District 9!

Available from Amazon!

Book Review: Shadows by Joan de la Haye

Sarah is struggling through her estranged father’s recent suicide while trying to maintain her relationship with cheating boyfriend Kevin. Unbeknownst to Sarah, Kevin is seeing Denise, who in turn is seeing Kevin’s sister, Carol. Things get complicated in the love triangle when Denise asks something of the siblings that is unfathomable to most people.

Meanwhile, Sarah is falling into despair at Kevin’s neglect of her in her time of need. She falls further into a downward spiral when she starts hallucinating and starts seeing a demon that shows her horrible scenes of carnage. The lines between reality and fiction become blurred as Sarah is tormented by the demon.

Shadows is from South African author Joan de la Haye, and it’s fun to read the Johannesburg slang that pops up in her writing. The rest of the book is just as engaging, making it a quick, nail-biting read that is hard to put down!

I really enjoyed the two storylines, one told from Sarah’s first-person perspective and the other alternating from Kevin, Carol and Denise’s perspectives, but all told in third person. The switches in voice made things interesting and let you know right away whose perspective you were seeing things from.

The characters, while not remarkably likable (the cheating, incestuous Kevin is especially vile), are all very engaging and you can’t wait to see how they will unravel next. The calculating Denise is almost as bad as Sarah’s demon, manipulating both Kevin and Carol at the same time. Carol has her own motives, but follows wherever Denise leads. And Sarah is a needy, dependent woman who gains the readers’ respect later in the book when she decides not to take it anymore and fight back! Sarah’s demon is quite entertaining, though I definitely wouldn’t want to get on his bad side!

The issues in the book are appropriately disturbing as it deals with everything from rape, suicide, incest to poor healthcare systems. Sarah’s demon takes gruesome delight in tormenting her, showing her effectively gory scenes of bloody death of her loved ones. There are plenty of passages filled with grue in the novel, but these never overpower the truly scariest aspect of the novel, which is the cruelty that people can inflict on each other and themselves.

Author Joan de la Haye has crafted a darkly entertaining book with Shadows and I can’t wait to see what she has in store for readers next!

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Dust Devil (1992)

Haunting, mesmerizing and hauntingly beautiful, Dust Devil is a little-known classic that has finally been released how it was meant to be seen. Now available from Subversive Sinema in a definitive, 5-disc limited collector’s edition complete with the director’s “final cut” of the film.

A lone demon travels the dusty, hot and dry Namibian Desert of South Africa in human form, seeking out souls of the lonely and lost. Locals call him the Dust Devil (Robert Burke). He preys upon and is drawn to those that believe in nothing and have lost everything, killing them in ritualistic fashion. The desolate desert landscape, seeped in muted reds, oranges and yellows and filled with jutting rocks, steep sand dunes and deep canyons create the perfect backdrop to the loneliness and isolation that draws the Dust Devil to his prey. The demon is in the guise of an attractive man, wearing a long, dust-covered jacket, cowboy boots, cowboy hat and the perfect amount of stubble. It’s not hard for him to hitchhike, as his victims are usually more than willing to pick him up. Wendy (Chelsea Field) has just left her abusive husband and is driving across the desert to get to the sea. She decides to pick up the handsome devil as he is hitchhiking on the side of the road. Strange things start to occur as Wendy spends more time with the hitcher. Meanwhile, local police officer Ben (Zakes Mokae), who is haunted by his own demons, is investigating what appears to be a very vicious serial killer. Local shaman Joe (John Matshikiza) becomes involved with the investigation and tries to warn Ben that he is dealing with a supernatural force. Can Ben stop the Dust Devil before he kills again? Will Wendy escape the Dust Devil’s charismatic draw? Can both Ben and Wendy defeat their past demons to come together and defeat the Dust Devil?

Dust Devil is a hypnotic and hallucinatory film that left me breathless. Combining African folklore with a spaghetti western look and throwing in some grisly murder scenes, Dust Devil impressed me at every turn. The pace is slow, but it is mesmerizing and never drags. From the opening scene where the Dust Devil is picked up by an unsuspecting victim and taken to her house where he first takes her photograph, then breaks her neck while they have sex and mutilates her body, painting the walls with her blood and burning the building to the ground to the final showdown in a ghost town between him, Wendy and Ben, I couldn’t take my eyes away from the screen.

Robert Burke, who plays the Dust Devil, is equal parts charming and frightening. His demon has some very human needs and there were parts where I even began to empathize with him. The brutality of his killings, though, told a different story, of a demon who hunts the unloved and lonely and takes their souls. Chelsea Field as Wendy and Zakes Mokae as Ben were stellar in this as well, portraying broken, lonely and angry souls.

The score and soundtrack work wonders to support the dark mood and atmosphere of the story, giving it an almost dreamy (if not nightmarish) quality. The original music by Simon Boswell (also included in the 5-disc set) is stunning and evokes many emotions. Some of the music is very similar to what you might hear in old spaghetti westerns and only adds to the rich visuals of the film.

Visually, the movie is absolutely gorgeous. Different camera angles are used to portray different emotions and the backdrop of the barely habitable desert echoes the emptiness and despair of the characters. People and cars rise out of the heat lines of the desert, as if rising out of the ocean. Towns are desolate, with tumbleweeds and trash blowing in the hot wind. Everything is drenched in red dust and yellow sand. The Dust Devil walks on and on, finally disappearing into the sunset…

Subversive Sinema has released a wonderful limited edition that finally gives justice to Dust Devil. Originally, Dust Devil was released by Miramax, who chopped up the film beyond recognition, getting rid of 20 minutes…all without director Richard Stanley’s approval. Stanley (after he finally tracked it down) recut the original negative with his own money and finally it is seeing a release through Subversive. The five discs include two versions of Dust Devil, the final director's cut and a longer work print version, three of Richard Stanley’s documentaries, The Secret Glory, Voice of the Moon and The White Darkness, the soundtrack CD and bonus features.

Dust Devil is a spellbinding, entrancing movie that invades your subconscious and whose images will stick with you for days. It comes highly recommended.

Available on Amazon!