District 9

I didn't know anything about this film when I went into the theatre - thought it was something about robots from space. I was pleasantly surprised by this smart and daring action film. The treatment of the aliens (or "prawns") is unsettling to say the least, and certainly a clear parallel to internment camps of history, while the juxtaposing of this racist society within the formerly Apartheid South Africa made some very challenging statements - how do societies deal with anyone that is "other"? How should societies balance the needs and security of the many with compassion for the few?

While certainly not for everyone (clearly, as I do know some folks who would not watch this film), I found it engaging, exciting, thought-provoking, funny in places, and enjoyable. My only real criticism is for the shameless plugging of the sequel opportunity, with the repeated promise of a three year return. The heretofore unknown lead actor, Sharlto Copley, was brilliant - a great mix of bumbling bureaucrat turned reluctant rebel, pathos for his lost love and shattered ideology. He moves so quickly from "us" to "them" that the destruction of his world is hard for him and the audience to absorb, and yet he must if he is to survive the experiments and his new reality.

There are really no other human characters in the story, other than the horrible chieftain and his gang of miscreant followers living amongst the aliens. These creeps serve primarily to show that, like the drug dealers and pimps, gang leaders and warlords of our current world, the lowest of society will move to exploit any situation, no matter how depraved - in the midst of the squalor of District 9, some group of humans has already moved in to exploit the aliens and declare themselves kings of that pathetic hill. The fact that they are Nigerian has been commented on in the news, but I don't think it matters where they are purportedly from - it makes sense geographically and historically. They are cretins, regardless of their nationality.

I would like to see this one again eventually, as I'm sure there are elements of the story and dialogue that I missed in the action.

Julie & Julia

I'd been looking forward to this film for a while, mostly because I love films about food (for those who need a fix, try "Eat, Drink, Man, Woman" or "Babette's Feast" for true foodie film indulgence). While the food elements were good, it was the portrayal of the relationship between Julia Child and her husband Paul that was the true force of the film.

As Julie cooks her way through Julia, hoping to gain some meaning in her life, we see Julia her self pulling herself into the cooking world and bringing French cooking to Americans. Her life and her marriage bring her hardships and heartache, but throughout it all she maintains a laugh and a love for her husband that is unsinkable. Julie, on the other hand, is "a bitch" as described by her own best friend, and I couldn't agree more. She is whiny and self-centred, heaping abuse on her well-meaning and saint-like husband. She seems to pull herself around at the end, but only after achieving success beyond reason as a result of her blog, so it is unclear whether she really learns the life lessons beyond cooking from Julia, or if her new success makes them now unnecessary.

Meryl Streep is a goddess. There is no other word for her. She so completely becomes Julia Child that we stop seeing Meryl Streep, which is exactly what is required here. The loving, moving, close relationship between Julia and Paul is captured beautifully by Meryl and Stanley Tucci, and is truly the best part of the story.

Of course, it will be a crime if Meryl is not nominated for an Oscar for this, but I'll also predict something for Stanley, for the costumes and art direction - for the Julia sequences, mostly.