District 9

Compared with the rest of the CGI inflated dross that has been dished up this year (see Transformers 2 and GI Joe as prime examples) this rough-hewn and gritty parable is a masterpiece.  It’s a parable (an allegorical story designed to illustrate or teach some truth, religious principle, or moral lesson) because of the obvious connections between its South African setting and the story of displaced aliens being separated from the human population in the cordoned-off District 9.  The title itself is an reference to District 6, the area of Cape Town where for a while all races lived in harmony only to be forcibly displaced under Apartheid rule.  The grittiness of the South African location also lends authenticity to the story, which is at least partly filmed in a mockumentary style.  There is much to like here.  It is original and unexpected.  The cast of relative unknowns are terrific, particularly Sharlto Copley as the hapless Wikus van der Merwe, the officious bureaucrat out of his depth.  That you end up rooting for him is testament to the effectiveness of the story telling.  This is Copley’s first feature credit.  He does not even have a profile photo on IMDB.  But he is great, playing a character with some real depth.  Incredibly, I understand that he ad-libbed all his lines.   At times he is quite funny and its particularly funny (for me) to hear him swear in Afrikaans.  Generally, it’s very unusual to see a South African film with this kind of blockbuster status.  Although its credited as a USA/NZ production (because of Producer Peter Jackson), its South African roots are undeniable, with Director Neill Blomkamp and the unmistakable (at least to me) Johannesburg location.  This is also Blomkamp’s first feature.  The film is perfectly set up for a sequel and I’m sure the Kaspers (a South African brand of armoured car) will be rolling into District Ten soon.  By the way, my first comment is not meant to deride CGI.  All the aliens in District 9 are created with CGI.  The point is that here it is being used in support of a worthwhile and entertaining movie, not propping up a no-brain spin-off based on a child’s toy.      

Double Indemnity

One of the early Noirs, this one by Billy Wilder, from whom one can always expect a quality product.  It’s hard to fathom the real motivation of the pair of murderers, played by Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray.  They kill her husband, ostensibly to collect a $100,000 “double indemnity”  life insurance payment and because they are “crazy about each other”, but their passion is never very convincing and soon completely fades after the killing.  Neither even seem particularly interested in the money.  Nonetheless, it’s an effective and suspenseful tale.  An interesting twist is the relationship between the Fred MacMurray character and the claims manager at the insurance company played by Edward G. Robinson.  Fascinating too are the manners and technology of the day (the 1930’s, although the movie was only made in 1944).  The voice-over is spoken into what must have been one of the first Dictaphones and the boss of the insurance company seems put out by one of his staff not wearing a jacket to come and see him.