Thank you so much! It's a really odd movie, but in a way that makes me think, that's an important quality IMO, that counts way more than stylish direction or perfect writing. And I developed a crush on Sharlto Copley there I said it. :)
I just watched Session again, and am still wowed. The music is perfect, particularly how some of the staccato sounds are like the alien language, and yeah -- it feels more real to me than the movie did, in some ways.
By which I mean I largely experienced the movie as an action movie (possibly as a defence mechanism so I wouldn't utterly freak out about the living conditions, treatment of aliens, etc), so I didn't really feel for Wikus. Whereas Session brings home to me the trauma of getting infected, of him being forced to shoot the alien in the weapons lab, and the chaos of everything that's happening. It tightens the point of view. Kudos.
It also makes me wonder what a vid from Christopher's POV would be like...
Oh, thank you SO freaking much! :D Well, tbh I connected a lot with Wikus, that's why I loved the movie so much...I think the separation between lovers and haters is all in him and his flawed personality. I had to recognize and accept that he, like most of us, is not necessarily a hero. Sci-fi are always full of brave and clever heroes (and one of them, my heroine of choice, is Ripley), but it's refreshing to see a common man deal with his fear and cowardice. And fight it in the end. :)
Btw, I strongly rec you Moon if you haven't seen it, a subtle masterpiece IMO, with a brilliant actor in it.
Wow, a District 9 vid? What a treat! And from one of my favorite vidders, even better!
I agree, the film does have its issues, though I don't think it's necessarily so nihilistic to take the view you did on it. I took the same reading, and I think that must have been intentional. There are so many films out there, sci-fi or otherwise, of the vein of Avatar, for example, that are all about the "human comes in and saves everyone" fantasy, which is quite tired. Maybe it's dark of me to admit it, but I liked that this film was willing to show the ugliness and selfishness of survival, and how fiercely people will cling to it, even when it means making terrible choices that we like to think we wouldn't necessarily duplicate. I saw a lot of split reactions after it came out in regard to whether people actually liked Wikus or not, which tells me that the narrative, if that was indeed the goal, was successful. Helped in no small part, I'm sure, but Copely's amazing performance
( ... )
And from one of my favorite vidders, even better! Wow, thank you so much! :D
I liked that this film was willing to show the ugliness and selfishness of survival Yes. YES. English language often makes it very difficult for me to express and explain perfectly what I have in mind, but that's exactly it. I liked Wikus, but not because I think he's a good person or a hero, but because he's a realistic character. And maybe yes, I even loved him because of how real and flawed he is, instead of all those standard boring stereotyped portrayals of 'heroes' we get lately in most movies. Made me think, someway, of Aliens, and all the greatly written marines in there: they are not all always heroes, they have their coward moments in the face of danger, it's how a realistic character should be.
Loved the vid, though that was no surprise. Thanks so much for sharing it! You are so welcome! :D
I liked Wikus for the same reason. He was not always easy to watch, sometimes quite uncomfortable, because characters as realistic as those act as mirrors to ourselves, and sometimes they don't always show things about ourselves as people in general that we might want to see. I liked that I left the film wondering, "Were I in his position, what would I have done?" We all know what we would like to do in that hypothetical situation, but how honest is that answer? I will always prefer characters with shades of gray, so that was definitely a refreshing journey to be taken on.
And you're most welcome. Keep up the great work! :)
""Were I in his position, what would I have done?"" Definitively a question many fanboys don't ask themselves. I doubt they'd do all Steven Seagal when in front of danger! :P The shift he goes through is fantastic, and a lot is the actor's credit for sure. I think the scene that most underlines this fact is his face in the marines' jeep when they have just caught him after he's punched Christopher unconscious. I think that's the turning point, the 'what have I done, how have i come to this' face. Just brilliant, and subtle.
Another movie of this caliber is Moon. I have just watched it (and recced it in my lj), and there Sam Rockwell who just knocks it out the park. A great actor in a wonderfully nuanced sci-fi movie. I loved it even more than this one.
Thank you Kitty! This was all about the beat and the action, the kind you do to relax. :) You should check this movie, it's very original in a lot of ways, and 'Moon' too, because I have watched it recently and loved it to death. :D
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Thank you!
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And I developed a crush on Sharlto Copley there I said it. :)
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By which I mean I largely experienced the movie as an action movie (possibly as a defence mechanism so I wouldn't utterly freak out about the living conditions, treatment of aliens, etc), so I didn't really feel for Wikus. Whereas Session brings home to me the trauma of getting infected, of him being forced to shoot the alien in the weapons lab, and the chaos of everything that's happening. It tightens the point of view. Kudos.
It also makes me wonder what a vid from Christopher's POV would be like...
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I had to recognize and accept that he, like most of us, is not necessarily a hero. Sci-fi are always full of brave and clever heroes (and one of them, my heroine of choice, is Ripley), but it's refreshing to see a common man deal with his fear and cowardice. And fight it in the end. :)
Btw, I strongly rec you Moon if you haven't seen it, a subtle masterpiece IMO, with a brilliant actor in it.
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I agree, the film does have its issues, though I don't think it's necessarily so nihilistic to take the view you did on it. I took the same reading, and I think that must have been intentional. There are so many films out there, sci-fi or otherwise, of the vein of Avatar, for example, that are all about the "human comes in and saves everyone" fantasy, which is quite tired. Maybe it's dark of me to admit it, but I liked that this film was willing to show the ugliness and selfishness of survival, and how fiercely people will cling to it, even when it means making terrible choices that we like to think we wouldn't necessarily duplicate. I saw a lot of split reactions after it came out in regard to whether people actually liked Wikus or not, which tells me that the narrative, if that was indeed the goal, was successful. Helped in no small part, I'm sure, but Copely's amazing performance ( ... )
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Wow, thank you so much! :D
I liked that this film was willing to show the ugliness and selfishness of survival
Yes. YES. English language often makes it very difficult for me to express and explain perfectly what I have in mind, but that's exactly it.
I liked Wikus, but not because I think he's a good person or a hero, but because he's a realistic character.
And maybe yes, I even loved him because of how real and flawed he is, instead of all those standard boring stereotyped portrayals of 'heroes' we get lately in most movies. Made me think, someway, of Aliens, and all the greatly written marines in there: they are not all always heroes, they have their coward moments in the face of danger, it's how a realistic character should be.
Loved the vid, though that was no surprise. Thanks so much for sharing it!
You are so welcome! :D
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And you're most welcome. Keep up the great work! :)
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Definitively a question many fanboys don't ask themselves. I doubt they'd do all Steven Seagal when in front of danger! :P
The shift he goes through is fantastic, and a lot is the actor's credit for sure. I think the scene that most underlines this fact is his face in the marines' jeep when they have just caught him after he's punched Christopher unconscious. I think that's the turning point, the 'what have I done, how have i come to this' face. Just brilliant, and subtle.
Another movie of this caliber is Moon. I have just watched it (and recced it in my lj), and there Sam Rockwell who just knocks it out the park. A great actor in a wonderfully nuanced sci-fi movie. I loved it even more than this one.
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