The Teaser trailer for District 9, produced by Peter Jackson and directed by Neill Blomkamp (from his 2005 short, 'Alive in Joberg') looks like it could be an example of naturalistic acting and documentary footage turning what could have been a cheesy 'Alien Nation' remake into something unique and affecting. Blomkamp's short is sort of interesting (despite an unfortunate and over-long effects shot showing an altercation between some soldiers and a mech-suited alien that looks like it was recorded directly out of the game Half Life 2). The trailer looks much more fully realized though, and I'm interested in the online ad campaign that goes with the movie, including a site called "math from outer space" that makes you jump through some math questionairre hoops before presumably taking you to some plot goodies related to the movie. I'll be dissapointed if this turns out to be some kind of cheesy action movie.
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6 comments:
my big concern is 9 will be heavy handed in the utlanning vs. djur concept. maybe living in the austin bubble inures me to that kind of speech, but it grates on me.
herzog is one of those filmmakers that i respect for changing the language of film, but "the wild blue yonder" was a great concept delivered painfully. (do we still have to add "imo" to everything we write?)
I went from thinking this might be the best sci-fi movie ever to wondering if it's a satire (pixellating the alien's eyes for anonymity?!).
Herzog's on my top 10 list of filmmakers. I saw Lessons of Darkness when it came out; I don't remember there being anything faux about it.
IMO, his documentary about the Loch Ness monster is the last word in the faux documentary genre. I love that movie.
It sounds like maybe you haven't seen Lessons of Darkness in a while. The entire narration is about a war on another planet. In every scene, Herzog subverts the documentary footage and puts it in strange new light.
Incident at Loch Ness was directed by Zach Penn, and starred Herzog. I'm not a fan of that one.
I thought the masking of the alien's face was brilliant. It makes it a little more mysterious and still keeps us in that 'documentary' world.
It has been awhile, but I sort of think that calling "Lessons" a sci-fi movie or a fake documentary on the strength of the voiceover is stretching it a bit. To me it's simply a magnificent visual poem set to music. Kind of like "Koyaanisqatsi."
Herzog produced "Incident," which to me means that he pretty much directed it as well, knowing Herzog. I could be wrong.... Anyway, I think that movie is hysterical. I loved it.
I take your point re: the aliens' masks, but they still just make me giggle! I have to wonder if that wasn't what they intended.
Sorry to be so contrarian.... I'm really not such a pest as I'm coming off here, I swear!
PS: my next nomination for best fake documentary ever: Raging Bull. (I know this is stretching the definition a little.) It's also on my top 5 list of best movies ever made, and I will brook no argument on that point! (kidding)
You should consider reading Herzog on Herzog. He talks about his intentions in making Lessons of Darkness pretty extensively. If he considers it a science fiction film, I think we can let him have that. Plus, I don't think that precludes it being 'poetic'.
I'll have to see it again... it's been a thousand years.
And no, of course I wouldn't argue with Herzog about his own intentions; I'm just reporting what my impressions were as a viewer not privy to extra-textual information like his book.
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