District 9, the debut film from writer-director Neil Blomkamp ( with a script co-written with Terri Tatchell ) is a funny, violently gross and wildly enthralling addition to the science-fiction canon. It's no surprise that Peter Jackson—with his taste for gleeful gore so prominent in his early films ( Braindead, Bad Taste ) and penchant for originality—would be prominently listed in the credits as the presenter of this highly creative film, which nimbly outdistances every sci-fi blockbuster of the summer season.
The title refers to the slum-like government camp located in Johannesburg, South Africa, where a spaceship full of worker aliens derisively called prawns ( "because that's what they look like" ) has been quarantined for over two decades while their gigantic spaceship hovers overhead. Once it's determined that humans can't operate their advanced weaponry, which is tied to the aliens' biology, they're left to their own devices in the slum. Vices of all kinds—including something icky to contemplate called "inter-species prostitution"—presided over by a group of cut-throat Nigerians led by a paralyzed warlord, have become rife in District 9. Multi-National United ( MNU ) , a government contracted agency ( read: Blackwater in Iraq ) presides over District 9 and, to ostensibly quell citizen protests, decides to move the almost two million cat food-loving aliens to a new encampment—with the help of some brutal mercenaries.
A featherhead with the unlikely name Wikus Van Der Merwe ( Sharlto Copley ) , son-in-law of MNU's CEO is charged with handling the move. The idiotic Wikus, with his phony bonhomie, is the smiling public face of the operation, and is so annoying and stupid you almost smile when he inadvertently gets sprayed in the face with some alien black goo and begins to transform into one of the prawns. But once the transformation begins the film turns into a race against time ( with great suspense elements here a la The Fugitive ) , and we begin to root for the dumb bunny who gains more courage and character with each change in his physical alteration. As MNU's true motives are uncovered—as well as those of the aliens—the film builds, amidst a flurry of gut-busting action sequences, to a nifty conclusion.
There's a real cinema verite, handheld feel here ( a la Cloverfield or a war documentary ) that gives the movie—much of it told in mockumentary style—a gritty, in-your-face quality. Messages and metaphors in sci-fi pictures are not rare but the obvious political allegory to Apartheid used in District 9 is particularly cunning and really resonates given the hideous conditions and inhumanities the aliens are forced to endure. The movie is like a weird cross-breeding of City of God, Alien Nation and The Fly, but it really works.
Like Alien Nation, the inventive, entertaining District 9 would make the basis for a great television series—though, on second thought, let's hope for a couple of big-screen sequels before that inevitable creative reduction happens.
When I became the film critic for Windy City Times in May 2004 it was with the intention of writing about film from a queer perspective because that's just something that's inherent in my DNA and it's been a creative boon to not have to filter out my queer observations for a mainstream audience. As I became acquainted with other critics around town I realized that although not many of them wrote from this same perspective, many of them were also openly gay. I wondered if there was an organization for gay film critics that embraced both our sexuality and our critical diversity—something along the lines of Women in Film or the Latino Film Society but I wasn't able to find one. After discussing the idea for such a group with my fellow film reviewers, which was met enthusiastically by them, I decided to start one. The Queer Film Society ( QFS ) actually came together last May when we presented our first film series, Queer Cinema 101, at the Center on Halsted.
We're happy to announce our next series, Queer Cinema 102, a five-film event that will focus on offbeat camp "classics"—the horrible, the perverse, the hilarious and the fabulously bad. Gay Chicago Magazine's Jonathan Lewis hosts the series kick off this Monday, Aug. 24, with The Ritz, the very funny 1976 comedy based on out playwright Terence McNally's hit set in a gay bathhouse and featuring Rita Moreno as the hilariously inept performer Googie Gomez, hunky, towel clad Treat Williams, Kaye Ballard, Jerry Stiller, and Jack Weston. Other movies in the series—which continues Monday nights through Sept. 28 ( skipping Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 7 ) —each chosen and also hosted by a gay film critic—include Suddenly, Last Summer, Barbarella, Desperate Living, and Pia Zadora's The Lonely Lady. All the screenings will take place in the Hoover-Leppen Theatre at the Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted. Admission is a suggested donation of $5 at the door and enthusiastic audience participation is encouraged! HannahFree.com is helping to sponsor the series. See www.queerfilmsociety.org .
Film notes:
—Out documentary filmmaker Matt Tyrnauer's wonderful debut film Valentino: The Last Emperor, is one of the year's most delightful, entertaining and touching documentaries. The movie—an insider's portrait of the retired couture designer Valentino Garavani, his life partner Giancarlo Giammetti and their impossibly lavish lifestyle as they contemplate his final collection—returns for a week's run, Aug. 21-27, at the Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State. See www.siskelfilmcenter.org .
—Weather Girl is an indie romantic comedy from writer/director Blayne Weaver starring former longtime Chicago resident Tricia O'Kelley ( TV's The New Adventures of Old Christine ) , Mark Harmon, Jon Cryer and another former Chicago fave, out actor Jane Lynch. The movie opens Friday, Aug. 21, and plays an exclusive engagement at Piper's Alley, 1608 N. Wells. See www.weathergirlmovie.com .
—In conjunction with the September release of the remake of the 1980 musical Fame, MGM is partnering with Six Flags theme parks to conduct a nationwide talent search. The Chicago edition will take place at Six Flags Great America on Saturday, Aug. 22, 9 a.m.-12 p.m., with open-call auditions for singers, dancers and other performers. The top 10 performers will be asked to compete in a semifinal show Sunday, Aug. 23, and one finalist from the show will be flown to Los Angeles to compete for the grand prize ( which includes meetings with a talent agent and studio executive ) . Visit www.generationfame.com .
Check out my archived reviews at www.windycitytimes.com or www.knightatthemovies.com . Readers can leave feedback at the latter Web site.
