District 9

[TheyCallMeMrGlass]

I saw this on its release, and yep, there were cardboard cut out warnings of no aliens allowed in the cinema I went to (Notting Hill). Very cool marketing. As for the film, I was a little put off with the documentary style but then the film became one helluva rollercoaster ride of tension, thrills and pure blissfull kickass moments. I really am hoping for a sequel and while I agree sequels can often diminish the impact of their origins, I really think their is a cracking follow up story to be told in this case.

GO Alien Prawn...I'm not racist, I'm just ignorant :)

[Ms Thrifty]

An attempt is being made to ban this film in Nigeria because it "shows Nigerians in an unflattering light". Good thing the UK doesn't attempt to ban all the US films in which this applies to Brits!

[Beate]

Yeah, like Three Men and a Baby where all Brits are horrible snobs who lock up little children in boarding schools! But we retaliated with Four Weddings and a Funeral (anyone remember the scene with Oscar Wilde's phone number? )

Sorry, off-topic now over!

[rainey_y2k]

just i dont get pa*d till firday and me and the better half are gonna go see it, but think we're gonna do it on wednesday ( for orange wednesdays! ) but i'm aware it has been out for little bit now ad do you think it will still be showing then?

[destresserai]

Not sure - films tend to run for different lengths of time at different cinemas.

Best bet is for you to contact your preferred cinema:-

http://www.odeon.co.uk/fanatic/film_tim ... ilverlink/

[rainey_y2k]

yeah thats what i feared! i'll give them a call and find out. just thought ad post it up here, might save me a phone call!

thanx D

[katiepoll3]

Ha! Alien Prawns - brilliant! I saw it yesterday and enjoyed it. Laughed out loud as well.

I thought Sharlto Copley was an unlikely lead - as it turns out he was actually ok in the end.

I def think there will be a part 2 - All the signs were there - 'I'll be back in 3 years.......'


6/10

[anastasia]

We saw this last week and really loved it. It was shot really well and the story was very engrossing. I was a little surprised at how much I loved it; this is my favourite film of the year so far. The CGI was fantastic and everything fit together so well. I'm recommending this to everyone.

[tweedledumb]

Found the film a bit gory at times but a unique take on alien invasion. Many parallels to how immigrants are viewed and apartheid. Also, some very funny moments.

[andrews]

"District 9" no alien to Oscar buzz.

In a year full of surprise hits without stars, "District 9" stands out as an even more unlikely box office champion than the crowd-pleasing comedy "The Hangover" or the supernatural thriller "Paranormal Activity."

The low budget production (it cost an estimated $30 million, or about 18 million pounds) with a cast of unknowns directed by another unknown (Neill Blomkamp) bucked conventional Hollywood wisdom by proudly wearing its message on its alien sleeve and slyly combining an apartheid allegory with a good dose of action.
The result? "District 9," which boasted the guiding hand of "Lord of the Rings"' Peter Jackson as producer, cleaned up at the box office, raking in over $200 million (121 million pounds) globally.

Even more impressively, the film, featuring a non-actor -- South African Sharlto Copley -- in the lead, also became one of best-reviewed releases of the year.

"That was the real surprise, the great critical reception we got," Copley, 35, told Reuters. "I'd anticipated that people would find all kinds of holes (in the plot) and problems with my performance, but I think critics overlooked a lot of things simply because it's such a fresh film."

"District 9" combines familiar commercial elements like aliens and violence with a new setting, some sharp political subtext and a character - Copley's nerdy bureaucrat Wikus -- that is unexpected in a genre piece.

Copley plays a South African official in charge of relocating some 2 million extra-terrestrials from a shanty town in Johannesburg but who ends up being hunted by his own employers.

"I made the film for me, which is the only way I think you can make a film as a director," said Johannesburg-born Blomkamp. "It's the only yardstick you have, and I thought it would appeal to a small core of diehard sci-fi fans, so all the mainstream critical praise just caught me off guard."

OSCAR CHANCES

So what chance does "District 9" have of breaking through at this year's Oscars now that the best picture category has been increased from 5 to 10 nominees?"Everyone is very curious as to how it's going to play out," said Leonard Maltin, film critic for the TV show "Entertainment Tonight".

"It's one of the best-reviewed films of the year, and for good reason. It's one of the most original films of this, or any, year, and I think it's worthy."

Historically, the Oscars have recognized fantasy and science fiction genre films in every category but the big one, Maltin said. "So maybe this is the year."