MOVIE: District 9

I am usually skeptical when the vast majority of my friends all demand that I "have to see" some new film. In this case, when I pressed for information about the content of said movie and was told it was about aliens living among us in city ghettos, my skepticism didn't lessen any.

That being said, District 9 is unlike any other movie I've ever seen - alien or otherwise. The basic story holds that back in the early 1980's a city-sized spaceship entered Earth's atmosphere and stopped over Johannesburg, South Africa. After several weeks of simply hovering above the city, an government team went up to investigate and found thousands of malnourished shrimp-like alien beings. They brought them back to Earth and sectioned them off in a part of the city - District 9 - which quickly became a slum.

Eventually, after nearly 20 years, the people of Johannesburg have decided that they want these "Prawns," as they are derogatorily referred to, moved else where. A camp of sorts is set up many miles outside of the city and a task force is sent in to evict the aliens. Told in sort of documentary-type style, with lots of interviews and shaky-cam footage, the movie follows this attempted transition.

While the cinematography and special effects are incredible, the most impressive aspect of the film, in my opinion, is the underlying social commentary about how we, as humans, treat and have treated each other through out history over things such as differences in ethnicity, religion, and appearance.

This is definitely a good movie to catch an early showing of, followed by a late dinner. There is plenty to discuss after seeing this very original film.

Sergio del Limónar

MOVIE: The International

All through out my life, any time my mother and I saw the same movie, most of the time one of the two of us ended up hating it. Usually it was me, since she deemed me a "movie snob," but occasionally it was her especially when she "didn't get it" which actually just reinforced me being the movie snob.

I recently saw the recently released to DVD film, The International, and thought it was pretty good. More over, I thought that my mom, who loves espionage and crime-thriller movies, would love it. I recommended it and she loved it!

The film follows Clive Owen's Interpol agent, Louis Salinger, as he investigates some strange financial dealings with one of the world's most powerful banks. Aided by New York City District Attorney, Eleanor Whitman, played by Naomi Watts, the two hop more countries than a contestant on "The Amazing Race" and get shot at an unhealthy amount. Also, the Guggenheim Museum suffers greatly in one spectacularly filmed scene.

The most intriguing part of the film is the undercurrent that war is not perpetuated by conflict or even aggression itself. The film makes the statement that rich countries with wealthy infrastructures and businesses, such as banks, can single-handedly alter the world's conflicts by who and how they support in the world. This last discussion point makes for some interesting debate when thinking about current battles being fought around the world and who is really benefiting from them.

Sergio del Limónar