"The Hurt Locker" and "District 9"

Two movies in two days. Finally getting into my summer movie groove.

Yesterday I hooked up with A.T. and Rich to go catch "The Hurt Locker", a film we were seeing on my recommendation. I'd happened to be over at Rotten Tomatoes checking on another film a while back, and I spotted a film mentioned there - one I'd never heard of - that carried a startling 98% "fresh" rating. That means 98% of critics reviewed it positively, and this number is almost unheard of.

Curious, I went to learn more. I saw words like "A near perfect movie" (Time Magazine); "One of the defining films of the decade" (Daily News); "A viscerally exciting, adrenaline-soaked tour de force" (New York Times); I even saw someone say this this film is to the Iraq War what "Full Metal Jacket" was to Viet Nam. And then I found out it was directed by Kathryn Bigelow?! The woman who brought us "Point Break" and "Strange Days" and the 80s vampire flick "Near Dark"? A Bigelow film was now being discussed as a "leading contender for the Academy Award" (Chicago Sun-Times)? Intrigued? Why yes, I was.

So I talked Rich and A.T. into it, and even sweetened the deal with some free movie passes I had left over from Christmas. No dollars to be lost, just time. So, knowing almost nothing about it (not even who was in it), we went and checked it out, blind.

Here's the thing. It IS an amazing film. I want to underscore the "film" part, though. It is not a "movie". It's not Hollywood. It doesn't follow a normal formula, and doesn't go the expected ways. If you walk in thinking it's a Bruce Willis movie, you might end up like some others in the film around us who apparently got bored and walked out. This is an indie film. It's a character movie. Know that before you attempt it, and be in the mood for that.

If you are, you'll find yourself feeling like you've served a rotation in Baghdad. The film feels almost documentary-authentic. If it's not a realistic portrait of Army life in the Gulf, then it sure fooled me. The main focus of the film is a group of soldiers that are part of the bomb squad, who disarm (or set off) explosive devices. Through their experiences and their eyes, we learn about the surreal nature of military life there, the dangers around every corner (not knowing civilian from enemy), the loneliness, the questions of mortality, and the varied ways war gets inside a man and how it changes him. The best part about it, I think, was that it was not a film projected from a pulpit. There were no politics in it, no questions of should-we-or-shouldn't-we. Those are questions for us back home. This film was about those guys over there, and it never forgets that from its start to its finish. I found that very respectful, and welcome. Viewers are left to make up their own minds, and will likely, I think, walk out with exactly the same views that had walking in - but with a greater appreciation for the men and women serving there. It LETS you think. It doesn't TELL you what to think.

Another review called it a "Full-tilt action picture". Uh...no. That's misleading. There IS action, but it's not Hollywood action. There's a lot of tension and suspense, but it's punctuated, like life over there, with long periods of inaction filling time. You might find it drags in parts, but I like the think that was intentional, meant to mirror the day-to-day existence of the troops. What's the old phrase? - long periods of boredom punctuated by moments of sheer terror? Something like that. I, myself, was not bored, but fully immersed it. Whether you will be or not depends on your own film preferences. But I felt it fair to warn you in advance so you'll know what to expect, and with that warning, I strongly recommend seeing the film. It really is a piece of quiet greatness, with brilliantly understated performances and a few surprise cameos. If you get a chance to see it before it's gone, I say go. If not, it'll be a great DVD watch for you, too.

Tonight it was just me and A.T., and our film of choice this time was "District 9", one that we got to see free, again, thanks to my final pair of passes (quick note to folks - those Price Club movie passes you buy at a discount? Those work even for new films that say "no passes" next to them in the listings. Those are well worth buying). We headed to my personal favorite theater in town, the UA stadium theater in El Dorado Hills. It's worth the drive up the freeway. Plus, there's a great selection of restaurants surrounding it, which led us to having a great dinner at Pete's before the show.

"District 9" is a sci-fi movie that's been in the pipe for a long time. I'm not really sure what the delays were about (haven't researched that), but it was being heavily marketed at last summer's Comic-Con when I was there, and the photos I saw of this year's Con showed the same promotional materials set up. It took it's time getting here.

And it was worth the wait.

I'm going to disclaimer this one for you, too. NOT HOLLYWOOD. This a (wonderfully) unique piece of cinema, and will stomp on all your expectations. Be prepared for weirdness. Magnificent weirdness. Produced by Peter Jackson ("Lord of the Rings") and written by a South African screenwriter, it's set in Johannesburg, where, twenty years ago, a massive alien ship arrived and floated above the city--and stayed there. The government finally moved in, only to find a million stranded alien beings, clearly with no way to get home. The government moved the aliens off the ship and into a holding area that turned into a slum. The aliens are now quite hated by the local humans, who want them out of the area. The pending forced relocation of them to another area - essentially a concentration camp - starts our story, which is shot (in the beginning) as a documentary.

Warnings for potential viewers - lots of Shaky-Cam (tm), so if you're prone to motion sickness, prepare for a headache. Also lots of gore. I saw people get up and leave during some of the more graphic scenes. But the gore is done in - dare I say it? - an almost entertaining way. If you saw "Robocop" or "Starship Troopers", then you know what to expect. Unlike "Hurt Locker", this IS more of an action film, but draped more in satire than adrenaline. Yes, much of it ends up darkly funny. It's part of its charm. I heard one reviewer call it "Independence Day for the art-house set". That's fairly on-the-nose. It has spectacular special effects, but ends up an unexpectedly human (and alien?) film. You will laugh, you will feel your heart ache, you will be on the edge of your seat, you will grimace at exploding people and yet find yourself snickering despite yourself.

Some of the initial concerns I heard before the film's release was that it was a big metaphor for apartheid, and isn't that message a good decade or two out of date? Don't worry - the apartheid part is there, but it's at the beginning of the sentence, not the punctuation. It's the setting, not the overall message. It doesn't tie a big "apartheid is bad!" ribbon on the top of it, because it knows, naturally, that we're all quite aware of that and in agreement on the thought by now. It just makes for a much more interesting stage.

I'd wager to say it's a science fiction film like you've never experienced, and that alone should draw you to it. The lack of any name actors makes it feel all the more real and aids in your immersion into the story, and you'll find yourself invested in the film through the whole thrilling and riotous ride. If you're cool with a lot of gore and a trip down an unfamiliar cinematic path, then you'll enjoy "District 9" as much as I did.

Two films, two winners, no cost. Not a bad couple of summer days, I'd say.